《Divine Dragon》


 Prolouge

    Inside a large, well decorated hall were ten people. Of these ten people, some had an extremely ugly face, some had a helpless expression while some smirked coldly. The people were divided that one old man was sitting on the main seat with two rows of people in front of him. In both rows, there were four people in each and at the end of these rows, a middle aged man was standing. The man on the main seat had an extremely ugly expression on his face as he glanced at one of the people that was smirking.


    He then turned his head towards the man that was standing in front of the two rows and asked, ¡°Are you sure? Once you travel down this path, there will be no coming back.¡± As the man said that, the entire hall turned deathly silent as all of the gazes turned serious as they looked towards the middle aged man standing up.


    The man didn¡¯t pause for even a second before he coldly said, ¡°I am sure. I will formally leave this piece of shit Xie Clan and from now on I will sever all ties with this Clan.¡± After coldly saying so, he threw a Spatial Ring towards the man on the main seat and turned around to leave. Just as he turned around, on of the men who had been smirking rose up in anger and shouted at the man, ¡°You dare-¡± But before he could finish his sentence, an overwhelming pressure enveloped the hall as the man stopped and slowly turned around.


    His ice cold gaze looked at the man in the eyes as he coldly spat out, ¡°Using underhanded methods to keep annoying me is one thing but¡­.¡± His eyes then turned to all of the other people that had been smirking previously and stopped on one man that seemed to be as old as him. The pressure in the hall then rose several fold as he continued, ¡°But, the moment you shit heads dared to harm my family, I lost every ounce of respect and belonging to this run down dog shit Clan.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    His eyes then turned to the man on the main seat and the man said with a shocked expression, ¡°You¡­. You have advanced to the Origin Realm¡­.¡± The man coldly nodded and said, ¡°Let this be a lesson to you. By turning a blind eye to some peoples blatant ignorance of Clan Rules, you may lose someone far more important.¡± After saying so, the man turned around again and just as he started to walk away, a voice rang out inside the hall, ¡°What will you plan to do from now on?¡±


    The man stopped and turned around again to see one of the men that had had a helpless expression on before and said, ¡°Go and establish my own Clan.¡± The man seemed to fall in thought for a moment before he also threw a Spatial Ring towards the man on the main seat and followed behind the man, ¡°We have been through hell and back before my brother. I will follow you.¡± The man didn¡¯t say anything and slowly nodded before he turned to leave again.


    This set off a chain reaction as everyone that had followed the man before resolutely stood up and followed his example and left the Clan. When the news spread out that the man had left the Xie Clan and had even taken half of their Core Elders with him, people were dumbstruck. However, not many people were surprised about it though because everyone were aware of how bloody and severe the infighting was between Xie Clan members.


    What truly surprised everyone was that the man had managed to break through to the Origin Realm. As all sorts of rumours spread, time slowly passed and the man had carved a piece of land for himself and his Clan. Now all his time was spent on raising his only son¡­.


    A son that had been crippled by the Xie Clan.

 Chapter 1: Cloaked figure

    Time slowly passed after the incident and now fifteen years have passed since the ground shacking incident and things have now died down. The man after leaving behind the Xie Clan, left behind the name as well and took on the name of ¡°Ji¡±.


    With this, every last relation they had to the Xie Clan had been severed and from now on, they were nothing more than strangers. During the first few months of leaving the Xie Clan, the Ji Clan established itself in the Myriad Beast World. After taking control of a central island, they took control of the dozen of smaller islands surrounding it and then settled down. Their territory was quite big but considering their strength, it was actually quite small.


    Several smaller Sects, Academies, Clans swore their loyalty to the Clan and the Ji Clan became the Overlord of the Seven Mist Islands. The Ji Clan Founder, Ji Long, had many friends and acquaintances due to his upright and charismatic character, so there was no difficulty in inviting several Array Masters to set down Guarding Formations, Qi Gathering Formations and Attack Formations on each of the seven islands. The next ten years were quite busy as the Ji Clan kept upgrading their territory and every force that previously had no choice but to bow their heads, now saw the Ji Clan in a new light. Although they had come and declared themselves Overlords, they weren¡¯t actually that bad. If something happened to one of the forces under them, they didn¡¯t shy away and were the first to extend a helping hand. Not to mention that, the annual offering they had to give was pretty much non existent. Within these fifteen years, a lot had happened on these islands but no one could refute that, ever since the Ji Clan had become OverLords, things had only gotten better. Due to that, no one had any bad feelings towards these OverLords any more. They weren¡¯t unreasonable, overbearing or bleeding them dry.


    Instead they only brought one benefit after another and also helped them grow stronger.


    ***


    Fifteen years had passed since the fateful day that Ji Long had left the Xie Clan and ever since then, a lot of changes had happened to his family. His now crippled son had grown to become a fine young man now, despite not being able to cultivate. His character was as upright ass his fathers and despite being allowed to do everything that he wanted, he wasn¡¯t arrogant. He was well loved by his peers despite his disability.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t cultivate, he could still see the flaws of others cultivation and by pointing them out, he had gained the trust and respect of many of the peers. When all of the children of the clan had been training under a master, the boy had sat at the side and observed them. Even though he could join in on the training, he had never missed a single training session and due to that, he could help out others. He was able to observe both the instructor and all the other children from the side, he was able to point out the differences of how they did it and how the instructor did it.


    His keen eyes even earned the praises of many instructors but inside their eyes, the boy could see sadness and helplessness. All of the instructors had come from the Xie Clan so they knew that when the boy had been born, his talent had been something that would only come by once in a million years. However, due to the treacherous plot of the other elders of the Xie Clan, he had been thoroughly crippled.


    Even Divine Pills, Origin Realm Healing Arts Masters were helpless in trying to help him heal. However, the boy never let any of it get him down, he kept reading, attending training sessions and kept acting like every other person. Besides training, his favourite activity to pass the time was drink tea in a mediocre shop inside the Ji City. He was a regular client there and he even had his own usual spot by the window that overlooked the river.


    Every day at three in the afternoon, he would step in the door and he didn¡¯t even have to say anything any more as a hot cup of tea was already waiting for him on the table of his usual spot. All of the other regular customers quietly cupped their hands in greeting and the boy always returned the greeting with a smile before sitting down at his usual spot and slowly drinking his tea.


    All of the regulars in the quiet little tea shop knew who the boy was but what surprised them was that even though he was such an important figure, he never was arrogant. No one would dare to do anything to him if he acted arrogant but he never did. He was always polite, kind and charming. When the boy sat down, all of the other people in the shop also returned to what they were doing. Some were chatting quietly, some were reading, some were just enjoying the tea.


    Time slowly passed and the boy also quietly enjoyed his tea as he gazed out of the window. His short, pitch black hair, his azure blue eyes and refined face were the subject to many young ladies whispers but right now, all things were tranquil as he there were no outsiders here, only the usual regulars who were all familiar with one another.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    As time slowly passed, an unfamiliar figure entered the shop. All of the regulars eyes turned sharp when they glanced over and they all adjusted themselves to intervene as soon as need be. What made all of the regulars on the edge was that the person that had entered was wearing a long black robe that covered his or her entire body and on its face was a blank white mask. As the figure seemed to scan the shop, his eyes stopped on the lonely figure sitting at the window side table. Seeing this, all of the regulars exchanged glances and nods with one another.


    They had all grown up in this town and when the Ji Clan took it over, their lives got several times better. They no longer had to fight tooth and nail for scraps. They could feed their families and even set aside some money for dowry and for their own cultivation. These people weren¡¯t weak, every single one of them was at the very least a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with some even reaching Core Formation. In a random Sect, these people would be pretty high up amongst the ranks. As the figures eyes stopped on the boy, he started moving closer to him. Suddenly, one of the Core Formation Experts stood up and appeared before the masked figure.


    With a serious expression he asked, ¡°May I ask, can I help you with something?¡± The figure stopped for a moment and didn¡¯t say anything. He ignored the Core Formation old man and started walking towards the boy again. Seeing this, all of the other cultivators also stood up and started rushing towards the figure. However, the figure seemed to anticipate this as he suddenly sped up and a dagger appeared in his hand.


    Seeing this, every ones eyes turned wide as they quickly summoned their weapons and shot them towards the figure. However, the figure managed to dodge all of the attacks aimed at him as his hand shot out and plunged deep into the boy¡¯s chest. ¡°NO!¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t a cultivator so expecting him to react was absurd. The boy looked down as blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. Seeing this, the figure seemed to pause for a moment before hurriedly extracting the dagger. Just as he was about to bring the dagger down again, all of the people in the tea house had arrived within their attack range. Seeing that he could not accomplish his mission, the person clicked his tongue as a paper talisman appeared in his hand.


    He infused some Qi into it as he hurriedly threw the paper talisman towards the boy. As it made contact with the boy, it suddenly lit up and turned into a streak of light that disappeared with the boy. Seeing this turn of events, all of the people in the teashop were enraged. Although they weren¡¯t friends with the boy, they all had a favourable opinion of him. In addition to that, he had helped them on several occasions by simply talking. He was a mortal and his outlook on life was different than theirs, a simple conversation had sparked an insight in them that helped break through a bottle neck.


    Now these people truly flew into a rage as they didn¡¯t hold back in their efforts to capture this person. Without much trouble they managed to subdue him and seal his cultivation base so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to self destruct. Just when they managed to subdue him, the people from the Ji Manor had arrived. After recounting everything that had happened and handing over the person responsible, they were all brought to the Ji Manor to answer to Ji Long.


    After recounting everything that had happened to him as well, they were all afraid of being held responsible. As they all dreaded what was about to come, Ji Long only let out a deep sigh as he cupped his hands and said with sincerity, ¡°I thank you for at least trying. Although, you failed, you gave your hardest the moment my son experienced trouble. At least for now he is alive, so you have at least saved his life and I, Ji Long, can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    All of them were stunned before they quickly bowed deeply and apologized for not being able to protect the boy. After talking for a bit, they left. Ji Long¡¯s eyes turned cold as he put his hand on the robed figures head.


    ***


    In a completely dark cave, a flash of light suddenly appeared. When the light faded, a bloody body appeared on the ground. The figure was Ji Long¡¯s son, Ji Curo. There were even more wounds on the boy than before. Just as the boy felt his consciousness fade into darkness, he suddenly felt a gentle breeze take over him as his wounds closed. When the bleeding stopped, he could move a bit, although very painfully.


    The boy couldn¡¯t open his eyes, so he resorted to crawling around the ground with coping around with his hands. As he crawled on the ground, he suddenly felt a rocky surface in front of him, however, it seemed more like scales. Feeling the obstruction, he slightly changed course as he kept moving in an another direction. After crawling around for what seemed like days, he laid limp on the ground. He was completely exhausted, starving and thirsty to no end.


    As he laid there, he felt his mind slowly slip away. He turned to his back as chuckled as he said hoarsely, ¡°So this I how I die¡­. I wonder what Dad is doing right now¡­.¡± As he thought that, he let out an amused chuckle as he thought back to his life and how his Father is probably in a flying rage right now. As he felt his consciousness slip more and more, he suddenly felt a gentle energy envelop his body and lift him from the ground. He tried to open his eyes again but cold only fail to do so. During the Spacial Transport from the Talisman, his body was riddled in wounds as it was suicide for a mortal to do something like that. Being able to survive was a miracle in itself.


    When the gentle power raised him from the ground, Curo¡¯s mind turned clearer as his body seemed to be recovering again. After raising to a certain height, he heard a deep voice inside his mind, ¡°Who are you boy?¡±

 Chapter 2: Disappearance

    Curo was startled by the sudden voice inside his head, however, in but a moment, he let out a bitter smile, ¡°Just a half dead, crippled brat that senior seems to be keeping alive for some reason.¡± After saying so, he felt a slight tug as he seemed to be brought closer to the person.


    He could hear the voice inside his head again, ¡°The reason I gave a bit of my already sparse Qi to heal your wounds and extend your life was simply because I feel my blood in you.¡± The voice stopped for a moment before continuing, ¡°Although, the fluctuations of the blood are weak, they are still present. Do you belong to the Jing Clan?¡±


    Hearing this, Curo¡¯s mind was blown. When he heard the last question, he turned solemn as he said coldly, ¡°No, I belong to the Ji Clan. My mother was from the Jing Clan.¡± Hearing this, the voice grew quiet for a moment as it seemed to have picked up something and asked, ¡°Was?¡±


    Curo let out a sad chuckle as he said, in almost a maniacal voice, ¡°Yes, was. She died when she protected me from a plot of my Father¡¯s Clan. She died and I was thoroughly crippled to never be able to cultivate again.¡± Hearing this, the voice grew silent. Curo didn¡¯t even know why he had said all that but he just felt that is was the right thing to do. After a few minutes passed in silence, Curo felt himself lower to the ground. When his feet touched the ground again, he fell on his bottom as he had no strength to stand.


    Sitting up right took everything that he had. As he sat there, he suddenly felt something squishy and warm appear in his hands. His eyes had been completely destroyed during the Spatial Transfer, so he would never be able to recover his sight. For someone, who had always been praised for his sharp and keen eyes, this was a hard blow. From now on, the only thing he would be able to see was darkness.


    Just as he wanted to throw away the squishy thing in his hands, a voice sounded out in his head, ¡°Go ahead, eat it.¡± He tilted his head as he slightly sniffed the thing in his hand. He cautiously asked, ¡°What is it?¡± The voice simply answered, ¡°Meat. Uncooked but still fresh meat. Here, there is no way to build a fire to roast it and Qi is non existent here, so every bit I use will ultimately be gone forever.¡± Hearing this, Curo gulped hard as he made up his mind and dug his teeth into the meat.


    The moment he managed to tear off a chunk and force it down his throat without throwing up, he felt vigorous energy fill his body. If he could see his wounds, he would be shocked as they healed with a speed visible to the naked eye and only scars were left now. Feeling the vigorous energy, he felt extremely comfortable as he quickly wolfed down the entire chunk of meat.


    After finishing his first, and a well needed, meal in days, his body was filled to the brim with energy. He could feel that his body had grown several times stronger just by eating that small chunk of meat. He slowly stood up and cupped his hands towards the place he thought the Senior was. He said, ¡°I sincerely thank you Senior.¡±


    The Senior seemed to stay silent for a moment before he said, ¡°Do you want to cultivate?¡± Hearing this, Curo was shocked for a moment before his anger flared out. He had always been kind and charming but being crippled was something that had always made him feel useless. Although, no one ever said anything bad to him or bullied him because of it but he could always see it in their eyes, the mockery, pity.


    Curo said lashing out, ¡°Do you find this fucking funny old fart? I told you, my meridians were shattered beyond hope. No amount of Divine or Heavenly Pills will be able to repair my meridians. Not even an Origin Realm Healing Arts Master was able to do anything.¡± He then threw his finger out as he finished his lashing, ¡°Now you ask me, if I wanted to cultivate?! Do you honestly fucking think that I would be here if there was any hope for me to cultivate?!¡± After saying all that, he heaved heavy breaths as his rage calmed down. The voice was eerily quiet as Curo calmed down and realized what he had just done. As he stood there, calmed down, he had an extremely embarrassed expression on his face.


    This Senior had saved his life several times in the past few days, also, he seemed to be connected to him. Now that he thought about it, this Senior would have never asked that without something in his mind. The voice broke the awkward silence by saying, ¡°I understand why you lashed out but next time, let me finish. I never said anything about repairing your meridians.¡±


    Curo tilted his head as his brows furrowed. The voice then said something that made Curo¡¯s brows jump to the top of his head as he exclaimed out loud, ¡°Is that even possible?!¡±


    ***Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After putting his hand on the man¡¯s head, Ji Long¡¯s hand slightly glowed and the man¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of his head. Suddenly, extreme murderous aura enveloped the hall. As everyone were suffocated by the aura, Ji Long spat out each word with extreme hate, ¡°XIE HUANG!¡±


    That was all they needed to hear to understand what was going on. Everyone¡¯s faces turned dark as they gnashed their teeth in anger. Not even now would those bastards leave him alone. He was already crippled and to have an assassin sent after him¡­.


    It was obvious that Xie Huang was betting on the reality of their Ancestor being a Later Origin Realm cultivator while Ji Long was only an Initial Stage one. After a few moments of gnashing their teeth, one burly middle aged man with a scar running over his left eye asked, ¡°What are we going to do now? Not only can we not swallow this, I will go alone if need be.¡± After saying so, everyone looked at Ji Long. Ji Long had calmed down a bit as he fell into thought and said, ¡°The first priority is to find Curo. We can take revenge later on.¡±


    After hearing this, everyone nodded and Ji Long threw each of them a jade slip. He then said, ¡°His Soul Aura is sealed in them. Gather your troops and disperse to look for signs of the Soul Aura.¡± Hearing this, they all quickly grabbed the jade slips as they turned into beams of light and flew out of the hall. When Ji Long was the only one left, his hands hat had been clenched hard into fists, gently released as he took out a few pearls and directed his Qi into it.


    For nearly a month, there was a huge turmoil amongst the worlds. The Ji Clan that now settled in was in a frenzy, scouring left and right. In the beginning all of the Clans, Sects and Academies were puzzled in the beginning but when news spread that the Ji Clan¡¯s Young Master had been targeted for assassination by the Xie Clan, it made sense to them.


    Hearing that by chance, he had managed to escape with his life for now, made all of the forces sigh in relief for now. However, they all knew that even though the Young Master Ji Curo was alive, there is no way the Ji Clan would leave it at that. Once they managed to secure the Young Master from where ever he was transported or even worse, if he died, then rivers of blood would flow.


    Each side had many friends, however, the people that had a close relationship with the Xie Clan were starting to distance themselves. The boy was already crippled and was already gone from the Clan¡­. To now send even an assassin after him was truly them being idiots. People couldn¡¯t understand how the Xie Clan could possibly do something this stupid.


    The boy was not even a threat any more and the Ji Clan did not trouble them either. To do this now, they could not see it as anything more than foolishness.


    Slowly, over the span of the month, all of the squads that were sent out converged in a single location, a place far too familiar to them: The Xie Clan¡¯s Main Branch¡¯s home, The Xie City. When they arrived outside the City, all of the major forces of the Realm were on the edge. No matter how you looked at it, this was going to end with one side being decimated.


    Just as the two sides were glaring down at each other, a deep and loud rumbling sounded out form beneath the Xie Clan. Just as everyone present were startled by the rumbling sounds, the ground started trembling. Ji Long narrowed his eyes as he looked towards the Xie Clan. Until now, the Xie Clan had over turned all of the accusations and inquiries. They were adamant on not having anything to do with the attack or with the Curo disappearing. As the rumbling sound grew louder, the trembling of the ground also grew.


    The Xie Clan Ancestor, Xie Feng looked towards Ji Long and asked, ¡°Is this your doing?¡± JI Long was startled by the question and gently shook his head. Although, the Ancestor was a part of the Xie Clan, he held no malice towards him. He was always in closed door training and never interfered with the clan matters. To what had happened, even he had been enraged but in the end he did not take action. No one could blame him either because at one side was a Nascent Soul Elder and at the other side, only a crippled young boy. No matter how high he might have reached, the crux of the matter was that he was crippled now.


    As the trembling grew louder, fissures started spreading on the ground and everyone distanced themselves from the heart of the cracks. When the rumbling reached it¡¯s climax, the ground suddenly burst open and a gigantic shadow emerged form the ground. As everyone¡¯s gazes fixated on the giant shadow in the sky, they soon made out that it was a gigantic Dragon. Everyone sucked in a deep breath as the Xie Clan¡¯s Ancestor¡¯s face turned ugly. The Dragon excluded a pressure that was far more powerful than any Origin Realm Expert that was present.


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the Young Master?¡± As a voice sounded out, The eyes of every person present focused on the top of the gigantic dragons head and it was as the voice said. On the head of the dragon stood a lone figure. When people looked at him more closely, they discovered that it truly was Ji Curo. Seeing this, Ji Long heaved a sigh of relief before his eyes turned cold and he stared murderously towards the Xie Clan.


    He coldly stated, ¡°I thought you said you had nothing to do with it? Then why has he appeared from right under the Xie Clan¡¯s Headquarters?!¡± As his voice boomed, he followed up, ¡°I refuse to believe that you have no idea on what happens in your own backyard!¡± Just as those words echoed out, the giant dragon in the sky started shrinking and when it was only the size of a thumb, it entered Curo¡¯s chest.


    The moment it did, countless experts from the Ji Clan surrounded him in a protective formation. Seeing that Curo was safe now, Ji Long turned towards the Xie Clan and started walking towards them with a cold and murderous gaze.


    It was evident to every one present that this was only going to end in a blood bath.

 Chapter 3: Battle

    As Ji Long walked towards the Xie Clan members, Xie Feng appeared between them. Ji Long¡¯s steps faltered for a moment before an azure blue sword appeared in his hand. Without saying anything more, he charged towards the Xie Clan Ancestor.


    It was time to put an end to this feud. As the two powerhouses started their fight, the rest of the Ji Clan also turned their cold eyes towards the remaining Xie Clan members. With a shout, they all stormed towards them. A bloody and bitter battle ensued with flying swords, fire balls, all kinds of spells and all kinds of Artefacts flying about.


    As the bitter battle was taking place, Ji Curo stood high in the air with twelve people standing guard around him. The rest had all joined the charge towards the Xie Clan. As Curo stood there, eyes closed, covered in blood, in tattered clothes, a middle aged man offered him a new robe. Curo still had his eyes closed as he took the robe and just put it over his already tattered clothes. The man cautiously asked, ¡°Young Master, what is happening? Your cultivation¡­.¡±


    This was what astounded all of them, the young man in front of them had managed to enter Foundation Establishment. In their hearts, they knew that it was supposed to be impossible as his meridians were supposed to be shattered beyond hope. Curo smiled lightly as he said, ¡°I met a kind Senior that helped me forge new meridians.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes flickered as he asked, ¡°Was it the mighty dragon from before?¡± Curo stayed quiet but slightly nodded his head. He then tilted his head as if he was looking down. The middle aged man followed his gaze and he discovered that he was looking towards a low levelled battle ground where the Foundation Establishment level people were gathered.


    Amongst them, there were several people that were form Curo¡¯s age group, desperately fighting. Curo then said, ¡°I will head down to help.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s face flashed as he hurriedly said, ¡°No!¡± Curo didn¡¯t move his head as he said, ¡°This whole thing has happened because of me, I can¡¯t just sit back and let all of you do all of the work.¡±


    The man closed his mouth as he didn¡¯t have anything more to say. Curo then followed up with, ¡°Besides, I wish to see how strong I currently am.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s face turned into an odd look. He wanted to say something but he then let out a sigh as he said, ¡°Okey but no taking pointless risks. We will keep an eye on you and will intervene if I deem it necessary.¡±


    Curo nodded his head as a Guandao Halberd appeared in his hands. The shaft and the blade were both pitch black and had a red vein like patterns on them. On the back end of the halberd was a small tuft of crimson red hair. Seeing this pole arm, the middle aged man¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    From the fluctuations the halberd gave off, it was at least a High Grade if not a Top Grade Artefact. Curo took the halberd into his hands and jumped towards the action. The first person he encountered was someone that excelled in hidden attacks. As he hid in other peoples shadow, he carefully bade his time as he waited for the opportunity to strike. Just when he found his next target, he suddenly felt an immense sense of crisis.


    As he jumped back in alarm, a pitch black halberd slashed down to where he was standing before. A young boy appeared in front of him and he narrowed his eyes. The boy was Curo. Curo let out a whistle as he said, ¡°You react fast.¡± His opponent didn¡¯t answer as he lunged forward, intending to take Curo¡¯s life. Curo lightly smiled as he tilted the halberd in his hand and deflected the sword aiming for his heart. With one swift motion, from deflecting the attack, the halberd struck the man in the back of his head and before he could recover form the blow to the head, the halberd had cleanly cut off his head. Curo snatched his Spatial Bag and moved onto his next target.


    He didn¡¯t meet anyone that could last for more than a few moves against him and soon, the Xie Clan members started thinning out. Curo himself had killed over a hundred Xie Clan members. All of the Ji Clan members that saw him reaping lives left and right like a God of Death, couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. The crippled Young Master now had a Foundation Establishment cultivation and his attacks were precise and ruthless. There were no useless or pointless movements, each movement had a definite purpose and the blades dance ended with someone being beheaded.


    That was what mesmerised them the most, the halberds movements were graceful, elegant as if it was a dance. Some times, it would be forceful, sometimes however, it was gentle. When the remaining Xie Clan members saw that they were losing badly, they scattered. Seeing this, Curo smiled bitterly as he turned to everyone that were staring him.


    He said in a clear voice, ¡°Rest up. As for the people that are in a good condition, reinforce the other battlefields.¡± Hearing this, everyone let out a shout as those that were injured or exhausted sat down to recuperate and those that were fine, quickly adjusted themselves to go and reinforce the other battlegrounds.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Everyone stared at Curo in awe, his strength was truly something that a few present could match. There wasn¡¯t even a shadow of the crippled boy on him any more, only a matchless War God stood with a straight back. Curo was also looking around for a new battleground to go to. However, he frowned as he muttered to himself, ¡°Something seems off¡­.¡±


    Just as he thought that, a weak voice sounded out inside his head, ¡°About the same amount of people that are here, are actually inside the City. The fluctuations they give off are on par with the people that are fighting here.¡± Hearing this, Curo frowned his brows but as he thought about it, realization came to his face as he directed his face towards the place the two top experts were fighting.


    As he observed them, he noticed something; neither of them were fighting at full strength. The fight seemed more like a facade than a true life and death battle. He then scanned his Divine Sense over the people fighting and came to the realization of what was happening. The Xie Clan¡¯s Ancestor and his Father were collaborating.


    The Xie Clan was using their Ji Clan to take care of their ¡°problematic branches¡± while at the same time, the Ji Clan was able to vent their anger towards the Xie Clan. Just as his thoughts reached that far, another familiar voice sounded out in his head, ¡°Seems like you figured it out Curo. I will explain it all later.¡± This voice belonged to his father Ji Long.


    Hearing this, Curo let out a deep breath before the weak voice sounded out again, ¡°Since it is like that, let¡¯s continue. It will take a long time for me to recover but currently, I need a lot more Origin Blood of these little fellows to reach a more stable condition.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head solemnly as he brandished his Halberd again and rushed towards a new battleground. The bloody battle continued for hours before finally, the Nascent Soul Experts of the Xie Clan started falling and seeing that, the lower level clan members started to make plans for fleeing.


    However, the scarlet eyed Ji Clan members did not give them such luxury and using their momentary disruption, quickly dealt with them. When the last rays of sunlight faded over the horizon, the last Xie Clan member was killed. When all of them had died, the two peak existences in the sky also stopped their fight and descended. After putting on a superficial act of it ending in a draw, the Xie Clan Ancestor handed Ji Long a Spatial Ring that contained various high grade elixirs and many other items as a ¡°Token of defeat¡±.


    However, just as Curo could figure out what was happening, the other people also had some idea of what was going on. However, none of them were voiced their discontent towards it. Ultimately, they had massacred nearly half of the remaining Xie Clan and all of these people belonged to the branches that were directly sided or in support of the Xie Huang¡¯s branch. After reorganizing their troops, Ji Long used his Origin Realm cultivation to transport all of the people back to the Ji Clan in one go. After getting back, Ji Long took a few days to organize everything.


    All of the wounded were healed, all of the merits were traded for rewards and those that had outstanding merits were given special rewards. Seeing how all of this had been handled, Curo could only smile bitterly at the efficiency of how everything was dealt with. When Curo returned to the Ji Mansion, he was locked his court yard down and ordered no one to disturb him.


    Everyone thought that, since now he could finally cultivate, he was going to immediately go to closed door training but actually, Curo was no longer in the courtyard. He was actually at the edges of Ji City, in a mountain range.


    He was deep under the mountain and had already carved a gigantic cavern out. Inside the cavern, there laid a feeble gigantic figure. It was a gigantic dragon with pitch black scales. The edges of the scales were trimmed with scarlet red. As it laid there, seemingly in deep slumber, a small figure was in front of it, cultivating. Although, the small figure seemed calm, his heart was pounding rapidly. That was because the Dragon in front of him was at his most crucial step.


    If he failed now, his Origin Soul would scatter and the dragon would die. Charging out from down below was an incredibly hard task. The Dragon had been sealed down there for countless years and his cultivation had declined bit by bit. He used the last vestiges of his Qi and even ignite his Life Blood to charge out and even then, they barely made it out. The Dragon had resolved itself to die but neither of them ever expected such a huge battle to erupt the moment they emerged from the ground.


    Then, using a Secret Art, every person that Curo killed had their Origin Blood, something even more valuable than Life Blood devoured by the Dragon. They had managed to barely gather enough to hold the Dragon¡¯s Origin Soul together. Currently, it was using massive amounts of Qi, to refine the left over Origin Blood into Origin Energy that would aid it in recovering his Origin Soul.


    Suddenly, a deep rumble echoed out and the Dragon let out a deep breath. It opened it¡¯s massive eyes and looked at Curo tenderly, ¡°Thank you little friend.¡± Curo stood up and smiled, ¡°It was all thanks to Senior that we managed to get out of that place in the first place.¡±


    The Dragon didn¡¯t say anything on the matter any more and asked, ¡°Where are we?¡± Curo answered him, ¡°In the Myriad Beast World, in the Ji Clan¡¯s grounds.¡± The Dragon nodded his massive head slightly and suddenly said, ¡°Since I have no home to return to, I will stay here. Bring your Father over tomorrow, then we can talk everything out and explain everything.¡± Curo was stunned by this statement. Although, the Dragon wasn¡¯t completely healed, he was still stronger than anyone in Myriad Beast World. If he decided to roam around the stars, no man or beast would be able to stand in his way. Curo then talked a bit more with the Dragon and just as he turned around to leave, the Dragon said, ¡°Also, tomorrow, we will start your true training and also¡­.¡±


    The Dragon¡¯s voice grew smaller as he said, ¡°We will fix those eyes of yours.¡±

 Chapter 4: Discussion

    Curo trembled when he heard those words. He gently nodded his head before departing. The dragon gave him a long and meticulous glance as he seemed to ponder something. He then sighed deeply and muttered, ¡°As expected, after these countless years, my Jing Clan had died out.


    Since he was progenitor of the bloodline, he could feel every single fluctuation of the same blood. However, besides Curo¡¯s, he couldn¡¯t feel a single other fluctuation, indicating that Curo was the last of his Bloodline. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and focused on healing his injuries.


    ***


    When Curo arrived back in his courtyard, he discovered that there were two people standing there. His father and the middle aged man that stayed to guard him on the battleground. Seeing the two of them, Curo maintained his calm as he landed and respectfully cupped his hands towards them, ¡°Father, Uncle Zheng.¡±


    The two nodded their heads lightly and Ji Long asked, ¡°How were your meridians repaired?¡± Curo expected for this to happen. Now that Ji Long had finished with all of the urgent matters, he was sure to question him on the matter. He had been thoroughly crippled, so to now suddenly being able to cultivate was something that stunned all of them.


    In addition to that, he was stronger than ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the same stage as him. Just as Curo was pondering on what to say, a voice echoed out in his head, ¡°Bring the two of them here. I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± Curo released a sigh of relief as he said, ¡°Come on, follow me.¡± Ji Long and the man named Zheng exchanged a suspicious glance before following behind Curo.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to arrive at the place where the old Dragon Senior was located.


    On the way, no one said a word as the two behind Curo knew that everything will be explained when they arrived. However, the two were on guard as they didn¡¯t know if the person in front of them truly was the boy thy had known. When Ji Long and Uncle Zheng laid their eyes on the gigantic dragon, they instantly grew alarmed as they drew their weapons. Seeing this, the dragon just snorted and the two were hit by a massive wave of pressure.


    The dragon then said, ¡°I am not here to pick a fight, I only need a breath to annihilate the both of you.¡± Ji Long and Uncle Zheng exchanged a wary glance as they understood that although the dragon was visibly injured, he would have no problem killing the two of them. Seeing the situation like this, Ji Long straightened his back as he stared towards the dragon, ¡°I am honoured that senior is here, however, may I ask, what relation do you have with my son?¡± The dragon let out a chuckle and said, ¡°He is the last of my blood and he is my direct disciple that I owe my life to.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s eyes widened to carriage wheels as he muttered, ¡°Jing¡¯s Founding Ancestor¡­.¡± Hearing this, the dragon narrowed his eyes as he nodded his head, ¡°Indeed, I am the Founding Ancestor of the Jing Clan of Ancient Times; Jing Fang.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s face alternated between shock, realization and confusion. He then said, ¡°But, Qing said that you fell countless years ago in the Realm War¡­.¡± The Dragon shook his head gently as he said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t fall. Me and the three other Ancient Primordial Beasts were sealed. Since they couldn¡¯t kill us, they used some underhanded methods at the end of the Realm War to seal us, so that they could take over the Realm when the next Realm War arrived.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long nodded his head in understanding. He then turned towards Curo as he asked the dragon, ¡°But how were you able to repair his meridians?¡± The dragon glanced at Curo and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t repair them.¡± Ji Long was baffled by the statement before the dragon continued talking after he had glanced at Curo, ¡°By using an intricate Formation and giving up some of my own cultivation and Origin Blood, I reforged Curo¡¯s body to be the near my own in Bloodline Purity.¡±


    He then took a pause before he said, ¡°You could say, I completely reforged his body from scratch. However, that strictly applies to the things that could be reforged. It can¡¯t recover lost limbs or lost organs, such as eyes.¡± After hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s face fell as his worst fear had been truly realized, Curo had lost his sight.


    They all had the suspicion since he had never opened his eyes since they met him. Ji Long sighed deeply as he asked, ¡°What happens now?¡± The dragon was surprised by this as he said, ¡°If you allow it, then I would like to stay here and be Curo¡¯s Mentor. However, I will strictly teach him techniques, as to comprehending them and tempering himself, I will not help him at all.¡± Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s face turned thoughtful as he asked, ¡°You just wish to stay here?¡±


    The dragon nodded his massive head as he said, ¡°As you have realized, I have many injuries that require healing. Rest assured, if the Ji Territory should meet a disaster, I will not hesitate to act on the behalf of the Ji Clan.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Hearing this, Ji Long let out a deep breath and cupped his hands towards Jing Fang and said, ¡°I will have to thank Senior for protecting my home.¡± The dragon let out a chuckle and said, ¡°I have no other family left, so doing this is only natural but may I ask, are there still Academies around?¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long nodded his head and asked, ¡°Does Senior plan on sending Curo to an Academy?¡± Jing Fang once again nodded his head and said, ¡°That environment is the best to temper his techniques and strength. There, everything will be decided by his own strength and his own temperament.¡± Hearing this, Curo, who was neglected at the side raised his brows.


    Ji Long fell into thought and said, ¡°Our Myriad Beasts World houses one of the Five Ancient Academies; The Hidden Dragon Academy. However¡­.¡± After talking this far, he let out a deep sigh as he said, ¡°However, they are an extremely eccentric Academy. Each year, out of the countless people that want to enter the Academy, they strictly accept only 1000 students. Never one more or never one less.¡± Jing Fang seemed to fall into thought as he asked, ¡°What is the criteria to participate and what strength does one need to usually enter?¡±


    Ji Long let out a bitter smile as answered, ¡°The person has to be at least theQi Kindling Condensing and under 20 years of age.¡± Hearing this, Curo let out a deep breath as he thought to himself, ¡°Palace Building¡­. I have five years of time left but to enterQi Spring Stage in that time¡­ That is simply dreaming.¡± However, what Ji Long said next made Curo lose all hope, ¡°The people that are usually accepted are at the Peak Qi Kindling Condensation and some have even broken through to Qi Spring Stages.¡±


    After Ji Long said that, he waited for the dragon to answer. Jing Long let out a deep ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± and soon asked, ¡°When is the next registration for entry?¡± Ji Long thought for a moment before saying, ¡°The last entrance exam was a month ago so, in eleven months.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Fang nodded his head and turned towards Curo and said, ¡°That is plenty of time for him to enter the Qi Spring Stage." Hearing this, not only did Curo¡¯s face change, Ji Long and Uncle Zheng seemed to be floored. Curo cried out, ¡°To reachQi Spring Stage in eleven months is impossible for me.¡±


    Jing Fang let out a thunderous laugh as he said, ¡°You underestimate yourself far too much. Your talent is something that was even rarely seen in Ancient Times. You have also not fully awakened the Primordial Dragon Bloodline inside you. In addition, don¡¯t you have a strong Clan and me assisting you?¡± Hearing this, even Ji Long glanced at Curo and fell deep into thought. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t manage to meet the deadline this year or fail to enter the Academy, you still have four more years.¡±


    Jing Fang said in a low tone and added then with a sigh, ¡°All of this doesn¡¯t matter, inside the Academy you will have access to far better cultivation resources than me or the Clan can offer you. Besides that, you will be able to obtain a gigantic leviathan to stand behind your back and shield you from disasters that we are helpless against.¡±


    After having talked this far, Jing Fang turned quiet as all of the gazes turned to Curo who was in deep thought. No matter how much they pressured him, unless he himself truly wanted to go, it didn¡¯t matter. As Curo thought about it, he suddenly said, ¡°I will try to reach the bare minimum of the qualifications.¡±


    To Curo it would only bring benefits and he would also be able to bring benefits to his Clan. As Jing Fang had said, even if he didn¡¯t qualify this year, doesn¡¯t he have four more years left to try? He also was eager to try it. He had not been able to cultivate until now and now suddenly being able to¡­. The feeling was intoxicating. He had slowly become addicted to cultivating as he felt his power rise with each cultivation session.


    When he thought back to how he had managed to enter Foundation Establishment in only a month, he felt that maybe what Jing Fang had said was true, it would not be a pipe dream to enter Palace Building Stage in the next eleven months. Although, each progressive stage and layer were harder and harder to cultivate, it didn¡¯t let Curo dampen his mood as he had already made up his mind to give his best. Seeing Curo¡¯s expression, all of them smiled.


    Jing Fang then said, ¡°Head back for today, tomorrow, we will start your high intensity training.¡± Curo nodded his head solemnly. He knew from the past months experience that the ¡°High intensity training¡± was in fact a straw short of self torture. He didn¡¯t know what Jing Fang had in store for him but he could guess that pain was going to be the least of his problems.


    After exchanging a few more words, Curo headed back to his courtyard to rest for the night. He needed his body to be in peak condition when the training starts the next day.


    After Curo had left, Ji Long looked towards Jing Fang and asked sincerely, ¡°What does Senior think of Curo¡¯s future prospectives?¡± The dragon fell silent before saying, ¡°No matter what we do, it will all depend on him. If he lacks the will or drive, there is nothing we can do.¡±


    Hearing this Ji Long thought back to something but could only bitterly shake his head. He knew the best what it meant that if one lacks the will, their cultivation will always stagnate. There was no cure for this, they could only wait for the person themselves to find the drive to do it.


    ¡°However, if he has the drive, I feel as if his accomplishments may not stay in the Realms of Saints.¡± Hearing this Ji Long¡¯s face turned surprised. Before the Tribulation were the Qi Gathering, Foundation Establishment, Palace Building, Core Formation, Nascent Soul and Origin Realm.


    Then Came the Saint Tribulation and after the Saint Tribulation, there were three Mayor Realms; The Saint, Earthly Saint and Heavenly Saint Realms. After the Tribulation to pass that, there were higher realms but Ji Long had no knowledge of them as his own strength was too weak.


    Suddenly, Jing Fang looked towards Ji Long and said, ¡°You know, with your talent and foundation, given a bit of time, you can also step into the Saint Realm.¡±

 Chapter 5: Start of Training

    Ji Long gave a bitter smile as he said, ¡°If it were before, then I would believe Senior¡­.¡± He then let out a deep sigh as he continued, ¡°However, I have suffered a tremendous blow to my Origin Blood during a fight in my youth. It was already a miracle that I reached the Origin Realm.¡±


    The dragon let out a sly smile as he said, ¡°He he, my cultivation may have dropped to the Early Stage Saint Realm but boy, remember this, I used to be a Heavenly Sovereign. My sight, experience, knowledge is something that very few in this Realm can match.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long let out a puzzled look towards the dragon as he asked, ¡°Heavenly Sovereign?¡± Jing Fang nodded his massive head as he said, ¡°The Sovereign Stages are what come after the Saint Realms. And currently, unless someone has managed to subdue the Realm¡¯s Will, it is the peak of our cultivation path.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s eyes widened as he hesitantly asked, ¡°Realm¡¯s Will?¡± The dragon let out a sigh and said, ¡°Yes, each Realm has it¡¯s own Will. Those that manage to subdue it are known as Realm Lords. Once one manages to subdue a Realm¡¯s Will, they will be in complete control of the Realm. Inside their own Realm, even other Realm Lords could only die left and right. They will literally be the Heavens of the Realm.¡± Ji Long let out a deep breath as he felt cold sweat as he thought to the power held by such a person.


    Jing Fang then said, ¡°If you also undergo my Jing Clan¡¯s Dragon Blood Transplant, your Origin Blood will be completely recovered with your talent¡¯s and comprehension also being raised by several notches.¡± He then thought for a moment before he added, ¡°Becoming a Heavenly Saint isn¡¯t out of the question either.¡± Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s eyes burned with passion.


    Each cultivator pursued power and wanted to climb higher and higher. However, the only thing that made him hesitate was a simple question; What did this Senior want in return? Unable to resist the allure of the proposition any more, he grit his teeth as he asked Jing Fang, ¡°What does Senior wish in return? I am afraid that what ever treasures or heaven defying techniques we possess, they are only mundane things in Seniors eyes¡­.¡±


    After saying so, he turned quiet as he waited for an answer. What Ji Long had said was true, his Ji Clan was so weak and pathetic compared to Jing Fang and Ji Long didn¡¯t entertain the ludicrous thought that they had some Heaven Defying treasure or technique that the Senior in front of him would fancy. Jing Fang stayed quiet for a moment before he let out a deep sigh, ¡°What I wish for is a family.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long and Uncle Zheng both blanked as they looked at each other, completely stupefied. Ji Long asked absent mindedly, ¡°A family?¡± Jing Fang looked at Ji Long in the eye with a melancholic look as he said tenderly, ¡°I spent over a million years to reach the top. All that time, I was alone. Even when I founded the Jing Clan, I didn¡¯t spend any time with them.¡±


    His words trailed off as he fell silent for a moment before continuing, ¡°However, after I was sealed down there for god knows how many years, I realized how weak my will was. If Curo hadn¡¯t come along when he did and pulled me out of the hole, I am afraid, I would have lost my mind, alongside my heart to the loneliness and despair. I would have slowly kept wasting away there until the day came when I would lose every bit of what I am, used to be and become a mindless rabid animal.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long was startled. He truly was shocked by this revelation. However, he could faintly understand and relate to the feeling. His own father and mother had died when he was young and he had put his complete focus on training. He became a cold and uncaring person that only focused on cultivating, however, when he met Curo¡¯s mother, Jing Qing, his heart warmed up and even though he still spent most of his time cultivating, he cherished the time he spent with his wife.


    When she died, he also fell into the same slump that Jing Fang was talking about. It was called not knowing how to cherish something until you lose it. After he lost his wife and Curo became crippled, he felt his world crumble and his own sanity slip and personality slowly growing colder and colder. If he had not managed to break through to Origin Realm by chance, then he was afraid that he would have become a shell of a person. Alive but dead inside.


    Ji Long then asked with a smile, ¡°Would Senior like to join our Ji Clan? We are made of a rowdy bunch that have roots from all around.¡±


    Hearing this, the dragon let out a soft chuckle as he said, ¡°I would very much like that.¡±


    ***


    Curo had no idea what had transpired after he left. After leaving the mountain cave, he headed back to his own courtyard and slowly sat down to cultivate. He wasn¡¯t striving to increase his cultivation but rather, he was adjusting his body to it peak condition. When he thought back to special training he did down in the sealed area, he felt a shiver go down his spine.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The amount of time¡¯s he was a breath away from death was something he didn¡¯t even want to count. Now that he was going to get the training to reach the Palace Building Stage, he was definitely going to go through something far more intense. Foundation Establishment was divided into three major steps: Qi Kindling Condensation, Qi Spring Excavation and Qi Sea Formation. Those three stages were respectively: Early, Mid and Late Stages of Foundation Building. He was currently in the Early Stage, Qi Kindling Condensation Stage.


    He had managed to condense only 12 Qi Kindling¡¯s as of now. This step was the most crucial one that determined the whole future of ones cultivation. The most Kindling¡¯s anyone could condense was 99. That was the up most limit, however, not everyone could condense 99 Kindling¡¯s. Usually, when one condensed 50 Kindling¡¯s they could move onto the next stage, Qi Spring Excavation.


    However, these people were considered the weakest amongst the same level people. Each Qi Kindling that was condensed meant one more Qi Spring. One more Qi Spring meant more Qi and a purer Qi. If one was able to condense around 70 Qi Kindling¡¯s, they were usually seen as a rarely seen genius. Around 80 Qi Kindling¡¯s was considered a heaven defying genius and 90 Qi Kindling¡¯s was seen as a peerless monster of a genius.


    However, if one managed to condense 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s, they would be matchless. Even in times of Ancient Antiquity, the number of people across the countless Worlds that could condense 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s could be counted on one hand each generation. Out of countless cultivators alive each generation, only a measly 1 or 2 or 3 managed to condense that last, 99th Qi Kindling. in some generations, none managed to do it. Curo, with his 12 Qi Kindling¡¯s could be considered being in one of the earliest possible stages of Qi Kindling Condensation.


    He was over 5 years behind in cultivation compared to the rest, however, that didn¡¯t dampen his mood one bit. He wanted to show everyone, that no matter that he started later, he would step past everyone, stand with his head high in the sky.


    Although the number of condensed Qi Kindling¡¯s played a huge role in strength, the Art one practised played more. The Art Curo practised was something specifically tailored to his new body called, ¡°The Dragon Human Unification Art¡± that focused on tempering his body like a Primordial Beast while at the same time, thanks to his stronger body, condensing purer and bigger Qi Kindling¡¯s. The size of a Qi Kindling was what determined the amount of Qi one Kindling could hold.


    For example, Curo practised a Top Grade Art, that was specifically tailored to his own body, so the Qi Kindling was a 9 meter tall Kindling. A Low Grade Art condensed a Kindling that was only one or at most two meter¡¯s tall. A Medium Grade Art condensed a three to four meter¡¯s tall Kindling, a High Grade Art usually, condensed a five to seven meter¡¯s tall Kindling. As always, there are exceptions, for example, if another person has a Special Bodily Constitution or a specifically tailored Art, they can condense a bigger Kindling than normal Arts of the same level.


    With all of that in mind, the Cultivation Level was always a vague and rough indicator of one¡¯s strength. Some can defeat people stages above themselves while some can barely fight the people of the same level to a stand still. However, there are still a few iron clad rules; like, no matter how strong an Origin Realm Cultivator is, they are no match for a Saint and no matter how strong a Heavenly Saint is, they are no match for a Sovereign, even if they are just promoted.


    The gap between those two Stages of Cultivation was not something that technique, Art¡¯s or Artefacts could overcome. As Curo thought about this, he sucked in a deep breath as he felt the warm rays of sunlight on his face. He determined that it was morning already and as he stood up, he lightly flexed his body as cracks emitted from his joints.


    After relaxing his body, he felt extremely comfortable. As his face turned serious, he headed towards the mountain range that housed Jing Fang. When Curo arrived, he noticed that two small stone rooms had been created to the side wall of the cave. After greeting Jing Fang, the dragon shrunk down to be as big as Curo. He guided him to one of the stone rooms, where on the ground was an extremely complicated formation etched into it.


    Jing Fang looked at the Formation and said lightly, ¡°This is the Dragon Blood Awakening Formation. With the helps of this, we will awaken the dormant Dragon Blood in you.¡± His voice then turned serious as he added, ¡°At all times, stay extremely vigilant. When the Dragon Blood awakens, all of the power will as well, by using [The Dragon Human Unification Art] you will be able to negate the berserk power by directly channelling it to temper your body and condense Qi Kindling¡¯s.¡±


    He then added solemnly, ¡°You have to be extremely careful, one wrong step may end with you shattering your meridians again or even worse, exploding from the Qi bursts.¡± Hearing this, Curo gulped for a moment before he let out a deep, determined breath. Seeing this Jing Fang nodded his head lightly as he instructed Curo a bit more on how to deal with the Berserk Energies from his body and if worst comes to worst, to immediately tell him, so he can immediately stop the Awakening.


    Curo gave a solemn nod before he went to sit down cross legged in the middle of he Formation. After taking a few minutes to regulate his breathing, adjusting his body a bit, he gave Jing Fang the signal that he was ready. Jing Fang then used one of his claws and cut across his leg. As fresh blood spilled out onto the Formation, it started rushing along the formation lines and soon, the entire Formation had been covered in lines of blood.


    After it had finished, Jing Fang let out a deep breath as he slowly started pouring Qi into the Formation to activate it. As the Formation slowly activated, Curo could feel his body slightly starting to tingle as something awakened.


    As the feeling grew more and more prominent, a powerful aura started to radiate out from his flesh and bones.

 Chapter 6: Mishap

    As the humming of the activated Formation grew louder, the energy Curo felt well up in his body also intensified. Soon, it felt as though he would burst from the excess of Energy, but just at that moment, he heard a powerful voice inside his head, ¡°Revolve the [The Dragon Human Unification Art]!¡±


    Hearing this, Curo¡¯s head cleared as he immediately started revolving Qi according to the Art for dear life. When the Qi started circulating according to the Art, he immediately felt the energy calm down. Sighing in relief, he kept circulating the Art as he felt his muscles and bones become more refined. Suddenly, a popping sound rang out as all of the impurities inside his body were being pushed out.


    As his body was covered in a layer of black dirt, he suddenly felt the power well up. Just as he lightly smiled at having his body purified, he suddenly felt the Energy inside his blood and bones and muscles grow increasingly berserk.


    This sudden change in Curo¡¯s body didn¡¯t escape Jing Fang¡¯s sharp gaze as his face changed. He hurriedly stopped the Formation but to his dismay, just as he tried to recall all the blood, it suddenly charged towards Curo and encased him in a cocoon made of blood. Seeing this, Jing Fang¡¯s face alternated between ugly, thoughtful and surprised. Suddenly, strong ripples of Energy started pulsing out from the cocoon and seeing this, Jing Fang¡¯s face turned serious as he disappeared from the room and appeared above the mountain range.


    Just as he appeared there, several figures appeared out side the mountain range. Jing Fang spread his wings as he took a defensive posture and said with a cold tone, ¡°Fellow Daoists, what brings you here?¡± The several figures enshrouded in shadows exchanged a few glances before one said, ¡°There was a sudden, strong Energy Ripple, it startled us all as we thought a Heavenly Treasure had appeared but it seems like a Junior is training in some peculiar Art that caused those ripples.¡±


    Jing Fang immediately answered, ¡°Yes, my descendant is at the crucial point currently, so I hope that fellow Daoists won¡¯t bully the younger generation and disrupt him.¡± The several people present narrowed their eyes as they cupped their hands one by one and disappeared.


    They all felt the fluctuation of power coming from Jing Fang and could sense that although he was injured, he currently had the power of a Heavenly Saint revolving around him. They had never seen Jing Fang before so they were extremely cautious as not to provoke him. Also, since it was not some sort of a Heavenly Treasure or an Ancient Ruin appearing but only a Junior training in a peculiar Art, it was foolish to offend a Heavenly Saint because of it.


    Soon, there was only one person completely wrapped in shadows left. He looked at Jing Fang with a melancholic gaze as he suddenly said, ¡°Long time no see Brother Fang.¡± Hearing the voice, Jing Fang¡¯s eyes opened wide as he let out a merry laugh and said, ¡°Seems like I am not the only person alive from Times of Antiquity. You seem to be doing well Brother Zhao.¡± The shadow let out a merry chuckle as he said, ¡°As well as this old bag of bones can do.¡± The tone of his voice then lowered and turned more serious as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s head inside, I still have some weight to throw around here. The situation doesn¡¯t seem to be as simple as that.¡±


    Jing Fang nodded his head as they both flew inside. When they reached inside and the shadow saw the blood cocoon up close, the shadows around him flickered as he suddenly said, ¡°I will head here with my True Body, this isn¡¯t something I can help with an Avatar.¡± Jing Fang let out an apologetic smile as he said, ¡°I will have to trouble Brother Zhao.¡±


    The shadow waved his hands dismissing it. In return he asked, ¡°How is this possible? From the Qi Fluctuations, he can only be an Early Stage Foundation Establishment brat¡­.¡± Jing Fang let out a helpless sigh as well as he shook his head in helplessness, ¡°I have no idea. The Awakening Formation should have helped him awaken the dormant Dragon Blood inside him. However, how it turned from Dragon Blood Awakening to an Ancient Dragon Physique Reform, I have no idea.¡±


    He then said seriously, ¡°His body holds my Heart Blood and also my own flesh. However, it shouldn¡¯t be enough for him to Form his Dragon Physique.¡± The shadow scratched his chin and suddenly his eyes flickered as he asked, ¡°Hey, did this brat happen to have shattered meridians?¡±


    Jing Fang¡¯s brows furrowed as he nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, his meridians were shattered when he was young due to some internal Clan conflict. If I am not mistaken, his father founded this Ji Clan after that incident.¡± The man named Zhao then sighed deeply as he said, ¡°This brat¡­. Is he a Heaven¡¯s Darling Son or is he Hell¡¯s Prisoner¡­.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Fang furrowed his brows more as he asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The shadow turned to Jing Fang and said, ¡°This boy, he was born with the Heaven Burning Nether Dragon Physique. When he was born, even my Hidden Dragon Academy was extremely interested in having him join our Academy as soon as possible. However, as things developed the way they did, we could also only sigh in regret.¡± Hearing this, Jing Fang¡¯s face turned complicated.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    He had no idea that he had had that kind of a Special Physique. Had he known that he had been born with a Special Physique like that, he would have not tried to Awaken the Blood like that. Now he understood what his Brother Zhao had meant by what he said. This boy seems to be followed by Disaster after Fortune, time and time again. Looking at the cocoon of blood in the middle of the Formation, he let out a deep sigh as he said, ¡°I truly have to bother Brother Zhao in helping me stabilize his condition. I have a feeling this isn¡¯t going to end well at all if we let him go through this without any assistance¡­.¡±


    The shadow nodded his head and then asked, ¡°What are you planning on doing with his future?¡± Jing Fang gave he shadow a glance and said with regret, ¡°We should both be extremely clear that I am no Mentor or Teacher. I have given him all of the Core Art¡¯s of the Jing Clan already, how many and how much he can comprehend of them, that is all up to him.¡± He then fell silent for a moment before he continued, ¡°As for now, we were planning on having him put all of his efforts into cultivating and trying to enter the Hidden Dragon Academy.¡±


    The shadow nodded his head slowly before turning his glance towards the blood cocoon and saying, ¡°If he enters the Academy, I will take him under my protection. However, this is only because of our past relations my old friend. If he grows rampant or tyrant, I won¡¯t hesitate to throw him out.¡± Jing Fang then revealed a smile as he said, ¡°If he truly becomes like that, then you can do what ever you want. However, I feel like it will be hard for him to become a silk pants.¡±


    The shadow raised an eyebrow as he asked, ¡°How so?¡± Jing Fang let out a small laugh as he said, ¡°From what I heard, he had never treated anyone bad when he was the Crippled Young Master. He was well loved by everyone, he lacked the silk pants aura and actions regardless of his Father being the strongest person here. The entire Clan would not have bat an eye if he had become a silk pants however, instead, he was well loved by commoners and cultivators alike.¡±


    Hearing this, the Shadow showed surprise before turning his gaze towards the cave mouth and saying, ¡°I will arrive in a few minutes, I will have my Avatar travel back to the Academy.¡± Jing Fang nodded his head as he escorted the Avatar out and then went back inside. A few minutes went by and a middle aged man with char coal black hair arrived. Judging by his muscular build, you would think that he was a mortal lumberjack or a quarry worker, not a cultivator.


    The man wore simple clothes and when he arrived next to Jing Fang, he gave him a slight nod before going to the other side of the Formation. Seeing this, Jing Fang also took a deep breath as he slowly turned into a human. He looked eerily similar to Curo and although he seemed to be in his mid twenties, the sharp and cold red reptilian eyes would make you feel as though you are staring at a million year old devil. Without saying anything any more, the two people stood at the opposite sides of Formation. When the two were both ready, they gave each other a slight nod and the man then put his hands down on the Formation and lifted his head to look at Jing Fang and said, ¡°I am ready when you are old friend.¡±


    Jing Fang then also nodded his head as a splendid dagger appeared in his right hand and he rolled up the sleeve on his left hand. With a swift motion, a deep cut appeared on his hand as the dark golden blood gently flowed out from the wound.


    As the blood flowed to the Formation once again, the man named Zhao¡¯s face turned serious as he started slowly pouring Qi into the Formation. As the Formation started to activate once again, the cocoon of blood let out a low growl and seeing this, the two men looked at each other with astonished eyes before suddenly, their faces became serious again and Jing Fang suddenly waved his hand and a myriad of different vials and jade boxes appeared in the room. The man named Zhao¡¯s eyes narrowed for a second before returning to serious.


    ¡°Seems like even this old monster is eager to see how far a Junior can go.¡± As the man thought that to himself, a smile crept onto his lips as he muttered, ¡°The Heaven Burning Nether Dragon Physique, Heart Blood of a Heavenly Sovereign Nether Slaughter Dragon, Flesh of a Heavenly Sovereign Nether Slaughter Dragon¡­. In addition, all of these Ancient Elixir¡¯s and Treasures¡­. Once this Rebirth of his Body is done, I am afraid that his future accomplishments will truly be only up to him. However, the more dazzling ones talent, the more enemies he will make¡­.¡± As the man thought up to here, his face turned a bit cold.


    He had seen many geniuses that had been killed by Seniors of a Clan because they out shone their geniuses or because they lacked the means to protect themselves. His friendship with Jing Fang was not something shallow and the battles they had been through in Ancient Times were something that made both of them owe their lives to one another countless times. They knew the true situation the Realm faced and their lack of a Realm Lord was something that made them a constant target for others.


    However, the infighting amongst their Realm¡¯s Ancient Clans was something that deterred any one from becoming the Realm¡¯s Lord and unifying the Realm to stand as one man against the invaders. The Five Great Academies were currently at war with the various Ancient Clans because of this same very matter.


    Even though there was still a few tens of thousands years left before the next Realm War, this Realm War may be their last if they don¡¯t manage to have someone subdue the Realm¡¯s Will.


    However, the Ancient Clan¡¯s that have existed since the Primordial Times are far too prideful with it and refuse to let any genius outside of their families even try it.

 Chapter 7: Orb of Light

    When the man named Zhao thought of that, his face turned ugly. However, he quickly buried all those thoughts as he focused on the task at hand. He maintained the Qi outflow to help keep the berserk energies in check and also to feed the blood cocoon to reform the body.


    As Jing Fang tossed one Heavenly Treasure and Ancient Elixir after another towards the blood cocoon, they were all absorbed. Seeing all the rare and precious Elixirs and Treasures being absorbed by the cocoon, the man named Zhao could only let out a deep sigh. The end result form this was truly going to be something extremely astonishing.


    If no mishap was to happen, this boy would have the Foundation to become a Realm¡¯s Lord, however, for that to happen, he would first need to become a Heavenly Sovereign. Although the Ancient Clans would do everything they could to bar him from trying to subdue the Realm¡¯s Will, Zhao would spare no effort in pressuring them for trying.


    While Jing Fang was trying to raise a descendant, Zhao was thinking of the Realm. The reason him and the other four old monsters founded their academies was purely to find a seedling that could be grown into a Realms Lord. Now, seeing the amount of Heavenly Treasures being absorbed by Curo, Zhao was willing to put everything to the line to nurture him into a being worthy of being a Realms Lord. However, inside the cocoon, Curo had no idea what was happening outside.


    He was in a state of deep slumber as his [Dragon Human Unification Art] was madly cultivating on it¡¯s own. With each cycle the Qi completed, his body would shudder as his Qi grew more abundant and the strength of his fleshly body grew alongside it. At one moment, his body had exploded into a mist of blood and slowly reformed again.


    Then, after a certain amount of time passed, it happened again. Exploding into a bloody mist, then reforming. This cycle continued on as Curo was in a deep state of cultivation. When Curo slowly awoke form his muddled state, he found himself in a starry space. He subconsciously opened his eyes and looked around.


    All of the stars seemed an extremely huge distance away but at the same time, he felt as though if he just stretched out his hand, he would be able to grasp the distant stars. Just as he slowly stretched out his hand, he heard a voice from behind him, ¡°Beautiful isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Startled, Curo slowly turned around and saw a small orb of pure white light floating there. This orb felt familiar while at the same time, it was the first time he had seen it. Curo nodded to the orb, indicating that this sight truly was beautiful. The orb then flew next to Curo and a voice sounded out again, ¡°However, if things don¡¯t change, this place will be destroyed.¡± Hearing this, Curo was startled before he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    The orb seemed to dim a bit before the voice sounded out again, ¡°Because this place lacks a Lord. Although, it is too early for you to know and worry about this all, remember this; The Ancient Clans will destroy this Realm if they keep killing everyone that is a threat to their chances of becoming a Realms Lord.¡± Hearing this Curo was startled as he had no idea what the orb was talking about. The orb then glowed intensely as a voice sounded out again, ¡°Seems like my time here is up, if I stay here any longer, they will discover you.¡±


    Curo was startled and extremely confused but before he could ask what was going on, he saw a little orb separate from the white orb and shoot towards his eyebrows. When it entered his eyebrows, an incantation was engraved into his heart. As Curo¡¯s gaze grew fuzzy and blurry, the voice sounded out the final time, ¡°I entrust all my hopes to you. One day, come and free me from the Prison of the Ancient Clans. If you do, you will become the Heavens of the Realm.¡±


    Curo grew more puzzled as to the identity of the orb, however, before he could ask anything, his mind went blank as his sight went black again. Suddenly, Curo was jerked awake by an intense pain coming from his Dantian. As he hurriedly examined his body, his face paled when he realized that he had condensed 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s and all of those Qi Kindling¡¯s were saturated to the brim, almost exploding.


    Hurriedly revolving the Qi according to his [Dragon Human Unification Art] he started directing the Qi Kindling¡¯s towards different directions and when they were all in place, they started to slowly revolve as they excavated the Qi Springs. However, no matter how many of the Qi Springs erupted one after another, he could not exhaust the endless amounts of Qi radiating from his body, threatening to destroy it. His meridians had expanded several times and some cracks started to appear on them. He grit his teeth even harder as he directed more and more Qi into excavating the Springs.


    When the last of the Qi Springs had been excavated, the Energy still hadn¡¯t diminished one bit, so as a last resort, Curo started directing his Qi down he 99 Qi Springs in his Dantian and forcing them to overflow. As his Dantian was slowly filled with liquefied Qi, his cultivation rose from the Qi Spring Stage to the Qi Sea Stage. However, the Energy inside his body still showed no signs of calming down, so he could only grit his teeth again as he tried to push himself towards the next step again; The Palace Building Stage.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Curo directed all of his attention to picking one lump of liquefied Qi after another from his Qi Sea and compressing them into a solid brick form. As time passed, the energy inside his body started slowly calming itself down. When the base foundation of the Palace was done, the energy had diminished by a quarter. The energy was only expended when he had nearly finished building the Palace. He was only missing a bit. Seeing this, Curo smacked his lips.


    When he felt the energies inside his body calm down, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then opened his eyes in the outside world for the first time in months. Although he had no idea how long had truly passed, he could feel that since his hair was now to his waist, it should be a few months at the very least.


    When he opened his azure blue reptilian eyes, the blood cocoon burst apart and dissipated into first mist, then nothing. However, the moment he exited the blood cocoon, he felt his body flare up again as extreme pain wrecked his body. ¡°My body can¡¯t support the level of my cultivation!¡± As this thought entered his head, he suddenly felt a mysterious energy appear between his eyebrows and after this energy spread out along his body, the Qi that was rampaging around his body immediately retreated.


    A white glow enveloped him as all of the berserk power was sealed onto his left shoulder in the form a tattoo. Jing Fang and the man named Zhao looked at Curo in complete and utter shock as Zhao asked, ¡°Brother Fang, did you just see what I saw?¡±


    Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°This boy¡­.¡± Curo didn¡¯t hear them as he slowly remembered the feeling this light gave off. It was the same one that had pierced his eyebrows when he met the white orb of light in that mysterious starry space. ¡°Just what was that light orb?¡± As he thought back to the feeling form before, he observed the tattoo on his shoulder. It was a tattoo of a dragon coiled around a cross as if it was it¡¯s most precious treasure. When he probed the tattoo with his Qi, he could feel that all of the sealing power was inside the dragon and all of the berserk Qi was sealed inside the cross. Suddenly, information appeared in his head, ¡°Dragon Cross Sealing Art¡­.¡±


    As he mumbled that to himself, he closed his eyes to scan over all of the information. When he opened his eyes again, there was a complex look of doubt and shock inside them. ¡°This Dragon Cross Seal has sealed my cultivation to the level where my body can handle it. However, I can always release the seal in times of need to give me a sudden boost in strength. However, I am afraid my body won¡¯t be able to handle all of that Qi and would explode if I couldn¡¯t wrap it up soon enough.¡± As Curo thought that to himself, he suddenly looked around and saw two people standing in the room.


    Seeing Jing Fang, Curo¡¯s face turned weird as he could recognize the man but he hadn¡¯t seen him before. However, he had seen himself in the mirror and the eerily similar look was something that made Curo¡¯s skin crawl. He looked more like this Ancestor from his mother¡¯s side than he looked liked his Mother or Father.


    As though the two could read his thoughts, they let out a soft chuckle before the man named Zhao asked, ¡°Boy, by any chance, did you at some point wake up in a place filled with stars?¡± Curo was startled by the question and he looked towards Jing Fang. Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°This man is my life long brother. He also helped me look after you when you were inside the blood cocoon.¡± Curo hesitantly nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, although I can only remember it hazily, I remember I met with some weird light orb.¡±


    The man named Zhao and Jing Fang both let out a sharp breath as the man named Zhao said, ¡°From today onwards, never mention it to anyone. Not even to your Father or the love of your life. Once the word got out, I am afraid you would die.¡± Hearing this, Curo was startled as he didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Was that orb something extremely precious? Or was it something else? He had no idea why the two were looking at him with such grave expressions.


    Jing Fang then added, ¡°When you reach the Sovereign Realm, I will tell you all about it. Until then, you are forbidden from even mentioning half a word about it to anyone.¡± Seeing the cold and serious look on Jing Fang¡¯s face, Curo gulped as cold sweat started rolling down his back. This matter seemed to be extremely important and since Jing Fang had said, that he would tell him when he reached the Sovereign Realm, he didn¡¯t doubt that he would. Curo let out a sheepish smile as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the Sovereign Realm?¡±


    Hearing this, the two were nearly floored before Jing Fang let out a soft chuckle and said, ¡°After the Origin Realm come the Three Saint Realms and after those Three Saint Realms, come the Sovereign Realms. However, as you are currently in the situation you are, it is too far away for you now.¡± Curo nodded his head as he observed his body.


    It was currently at the peak of Qi Kindling Stage with 98 Qi Kindling¡¯s Condensed. The rest of his Cultivation was sealed by the Dragon Cross Sealing Art and until he managed to upgrade his body, the Seal would keep the rest of the strength locked down. Curo then let out a deep breath as he evaluated his own body, it was several dozens of times more durable and tougher then before. Although he hadn¡¯t tested it, he had a feeling that even Low Grade Artefacts could not slice or pierce his skin.


    As he slowly felt the aura inside him, he suddenly felt his mind blur as he appeared inside a white blank space. Inside this place, there was a pendant that had the same shape as the Dragon Cross Sealing Art.


    However, Curo¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t on that but rather on the gigantic jet black dragon that was hibernating in front of him.

 Chapter 8: Going to the Examinations.

    As Curo stared at the gigantic dragon in front of him, he drew a deep breath. He slowly walked in front of the giant dragon and then put his hand on the snout of the dragon, the moment he did that, his body fell over and the dragon opened his eyes.


    With a growl, Curo¡¯s body started twisting as his body then suddenly turned into the same kind of a jet black dragon that had been in the blank space. When the three hundred meter long dragon opened his eyes, astonishment was evident in them as a voice rang out, ¡°This is?!¡± Jing Fang and Zhao looked at each other with a smile and Jing Fang said, ¡°This is your Dragon Form.¡±


    Curo turned his head towards the man and waited for him to explain. Jing Fang let out a chuckle as he continued explaining, ¡°As detailed in the [Dragon human Unification Art], this Dragon Form is your second form. You are half human, half dragon. You possess the blood of both lineages and your blood is sufficiently pure to exhibit the Forms of both Lineages.¡±


    Jing Fang¡¯s eyes then turned serious as he said, ¡°You are one soul inhabiting two bodies at the moment, so you can exhibit one form at a time at the moment. However, once you birth your Nascent Soul, you can separate the two bodies with one taking control of the Human Form and the other taking control of the Dragon Form.¡± He then paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°Since those both bodies will be controlled by you, you actually will have two lives. If either of your bodies should be destroyed for some reason, the other will be able to live on without any repercussions.¡±


    Curo opened his dragon eyes wide as he asked in astonishment, ¡°Is it similar to the creating a Clone?¡± Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°Hmm, it can be considered so, however, it is different. It is hard to explain. There are many different types of Clones but it is always the same: True Body and Clone Body. However, this Art uses the Dragon Blood in your Lineage and creates another ¡°True Body¡±.¡±


    Curo thought about it for a moment and then asked cautiously, ¡°Hmm, since it is a True Body, it can cultivate as well as the other Body?¡± Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°In addition to that, after you have divided the Nascent Soul and Main Soul to take care of each body, there are no limits how far one can go from the other. Also, if you are in a pinch and you can¡¯t defeat the opponent with the two bodies working together, you can fuse the two and double, if not triple your strength.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo was shocked. The man named Zhao then added to the explanation, ¡°Also, since the two bodies are independent from one another, it can also work as a life saving measure by hiding away one of the bodies and not letting anyone know of them.¡±


    He then took a breath and added, ¡°Should some misfortune due to which one of your bodies is destroyed befall on you, you can use the second body to rebuild the first one.¡± Curo was startled as he moved his body a bit to grow familiar with it. After familiarizing himself with it a bit, Jing Fang then said, ¡°Well, since you are familiar with your body, come on, we need to go to the Entrance Examination.¡±


    Hearing this Curo was startled as he looked towards the two with wide eyes and asked, ¡°Entrance Examination? Shouldn¡¯t that be over 10 months away?¡± Jing Fang then let out a sigh and said, ¡°You were inside the Blood Cocoon for over ten months. The Entrance Examinations start tomorrow and your Father has already gone to register you and we were more nervous of whether you would be able to come out of the cocoon in time.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo turned back to his human form and after putting on some clothes, he tied his hair together and followed Jing Fang and the man named Zhao towards the Hidden Dragon Academy. Since the Academy was tens of thousands of kilo meters away, Jing Fang wrapped Curo in his Qi as he pulled him in tow. Curo could do nothing but gulp to seeing the movement speed of these two old monsters. He could barely make sense of his surroundings, he could see the movements of objects down below but nearly everything was a giant blur to him.


    Just before they reached the Academy, the man named Zhao left the two of them and went on ahead by himself. When the two rendezvoused with Ji Long, Curo was relieved to finally be able to make sense of his surroundings. When Ji Long and Uncle Zheng saw the two arrive, a smile blossomed on their faces. Ji Long led them to a small mansion inside the city and after talking a bit with them, headed off to cultivate. Curo¡¯s uncle Zheng was the same.


    After seeing the two of them leave, Curo asked Jing Fang, ¡°Those two, why do I feel similar fluctuations that I feel from you?¡± Jing Fang then smiled and said, ¡°Those two also underwent the Dragon Blood Transplant. However, their Bloodline isn¡¯t as pure or solid as yours. Regardless, using the Dragon Blood Transplant, the two eliminated the hidden injuries inside them which allowed them to continue their path of cultivating.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo let out a warm smile. It had been a long time since he saw his Father act like this. It truly was a welcomed sight to Curo. After talking a bit to Jing Fang about the Examination, Curo excused himself and went to rest.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    In the early hours of the morning, countless people were already gathered in front of the gigantic gates of the Hidden Dragon Academy. There were several dozen people wearing robes with the dragon emblem on them already waiting. No one dared to disturb them and since it wasn¡¯t the time yet, they were all doing their own things.


    Some were sitting and cultivating, some were talking amongst themselves. When Curo arrived there, he was accompanied by his Father and Jing Fang. Uncle Zheng seemed to have reached a critical point in his cultivation and Jing Fang told the others not to disturb him. If everything went well, he would be able to enter the Origin Realm by the time Curo finished his Examination.


    The trio gathered quite a bit of peculiar gazes from the Seniors of other families present. Since none of them could see through Jing Fang¡¯s cultivation, none of them dared to provoke the latter. As Jing Fang pridefully strode to the front, where only the most powerful Clan¡¯s were, a hushed murmur started echoing in the surroundings. Curo however didn¡¯t pay it any heed as he walked behind his Father with his back straight. When Jing Fang reached the front of the crowd, even the various people from the Hidden Dragon Academy were either openly or stealthily observing them.


    When they had reached the front, Jing Fang said something to Curo and Ji Long before he strode towards the Academy. Seeing this, one of the students started walking towards him to obstruct his path but before he could move in front of him, his eyes fell on the medallion that appeared in Jing Fang¡¯s hands. The student¡¯s eyes opened wide as he hastily stepped aside and bowed deeply with cupped hands. Jing Fang let out a snort as he gave a quick glance behind him and strode forward. After Jing Fang entered the Academy, he disappeared from sight.


    All the gazes fell onto Curo, who was meditating and Ji Long that was sitting on a small cloud reading a book. Feeling the gazes on their body, Ji Long frowned as he raised his eyes a bit and a suffocating aura descend upon all the prying eyes. One by one, the people let out a wry smile as they cupped their hands in apology. Seeing this, Ji Long let out a snort as well and returned to his reading.


    In a corner, a bit away from the two, there was a gathering of four people. As the young man looked at Curo with disdain, he asked the man next to him, ¡°Father, who are those people? I don¡¯t recognize the symbol on their robes.¡± The man next to him said with narrowed eyes, ¡°If I am not mistaken, that man should be Ji Long and the boy should be Ji Curo.¡±


    Hearing this, the boy¡¯s eyes widened as he asked with a shocked tone, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that boy crippled?¡± The man kept looking at Curo with a sharp gaze as he said, ¡°Lately, there was a rumour circulating, that he had his meridians fixed and had entered the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡± Hearing this, the boy took another look at Curo but this time, his eyes were burning with fighting spirit.


    The Ji Clan had caused countless rumours and ripples across the Myriad Beasts World and the boy wanted to see just what made them so special. However, as if sensing the battle intent radiating from the youth, the man suddenly said, ¡°It is better not to provoke them. Ji Long himself is someone that has reached Peak Origin Realm now, and the man who entered the Academy is someone we can never provoke.¡±


    Hearing this, the boy looked at the man with a confused expression. The man let out a sigh and said, ¡°Ji Long himself once attended the Academy and if it weren¡¯t for an unfortunate accident that happened during a competition with the Ancient Clans, he would have probably entered the Saint Realm already.¡± Hearing this, the boy was startled but before he could ask anything, the man continued, ¡°That old man that entered is someone even more ferocious. For the first few days before the Examination entrance is strictly forbidden, even people with an Elders token can not. However, that man flashed a medallion that made the Student moving to block him pale and cup his hands, unless it was the Academy Head level figures, he would never be able to enter like that.¡± Hearing this, the boy gulped.


    In other places, similar discussions filled the air as seniors filled in their youth not to provoke or pick a fight with Curo. Ji Long naturally knew what was going on around them but he decided to not give it any mind. Instead, he had now put away the scroll and said to Curo, without even caring who is listening, ¡°Lil¡¯Curo, listen up. No matter what happens during the examination, don¡¯t push it. If you see that you won¡¯t be able to push yourself to the top 1000, then just give up.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone who heard it raised an eyebrow. Usually, everyone would tell their young ones to give it their all, no matter what the cost. Ji Long then continued, ¡°You still have four more years left to try, if you can¡¯t enter this year, there is always the next one.¡±


    Curo nodded his head solemnly as Ji Long¡¯s mouth curved into a smile and said, ¡°You reached the Peak of Qi Kindling Condensation in only 10 months, given another year, you will definitely be able to enter the Qi Spring Stages, if not, the Qi Sea. Who then would be your opponent?¡± When the surrounding people heard that, their faces paled.


    It was a known fact that a year ago, this boy was a crippled person with no hope to cultivate. However, now he was already at the Peak Stage of Qi Kindling Condensation¡­. What Ji Long said was true, given another year, it would be a miracle if he was still stuck at the same level.


    Curo took in the changing faces around them and chuckled to himself. However, he also felt happy. This was the first time his Father could brag about him so openly and so loudly.


    Also, his accomplishments were truly monstrous and Ji Long truly could hold his head high.

 Chapter 9: The Examination

    Several figures inside the Academy looked at the commotion outside with a smile. One of them suddenly said, ¡°Seems like the Founder disappeared for nearly a year because of that boy and currently seeing him, it is no wonder to be honest.¡±


    The other cloaked figures nodded their heads but no one said anything, The man continued, ¡°Xie Long used to be our strongest student when he was here. However, that year, those bullshit Ancient Meng Clan shit heads caused some serious injuries to his Origin Blood.


    However, what I am more interested in is how he managed to heal those injuries¡­.¡± After saying that, there was a silence for a moment before a merry, feminine laugh echoed out, ¡°He prefers to be called Ji Long, not Xie Long, now.¡± Hearing this voice, the figures all looked towards their left and a young woman appeared before them. They all cupped their hands in greeting, ¡°Greetings Headmaster!¡±


    The young woman simply waved them off as her gaze turned towards the people gathered outside the gate, ¡°How does this batch of people seem?¡± The man from before crossed his hands on his chest and said with a furrowed brow, ¡°There are several good seedlings. Xiao Cheng, Xi Hao, Fang Yu are all good seedlings. There are several others as well who could amount to a lot given enough time. However¡­.¡± The young woman furrowed her delicate brow before asking, ¡°However?¡±


    The man let out a sigh as his gaze moved to Curo. ¡°The one mystery is Ji Long¡¯s son, Ji Curo. The man that entered before is still obstructing me from looking through him.¡±


    Hearing this, the young woman let out a sigh as she said, ¡°I have orders from the Founder. During the Trials, at least one Heaven Rank Instructor is to guard him from the shadows and if he should fall short of the 1000 mark, we are to manipulate the odds in his favour.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s eyes opened wide in astonishment before he exclaimed, ¡°But that-¡±


    The woman blocked him from talking more and sighed deeply, ¡°I know, we always valued talent. Everyone who wants to enter needs to show their utmost value. This method is something I detest the most.¡± The woman¡¯s face turned ugly as she said that. However, she sighed again and looked at Curo again, ¡°However, this is a direct order from the Founder. If you have any problems with it, take it up with that eccentric old fart.¡±


    Hearing this, the people present looked at each other and smiled wryly. It wasn¡¯t anything new for the Founder to have spontaneous thoughts, however, he had never said anything like this. To take it up with the Founder¡­ Unless they managed to become Peak Heavenly Sovereigns, they would only be slapped around like wet rags.


    The woman then thought to herself as she looked at Curo, ¡°I truly wonder what is so special about you that even that smelly old fart is going to such lengths to get you to join us¡­.¡±


    Suddenly, her mouth hung open as she looked at the person that walked out of the gates. She exclaimed, ¡°What the hell is he doing now?!¡±


    ***


    As the exchange inside the Academy was taking place, a middle aged man with a muscular build walked outside of the Gate. Curo immediately recognized him to be the man named Zhao. All the students present gave him a bow and greeted him.


    The man then gave them a nod and turned towards the people present, ¡°I am Qing Zhao and I will be the person in charge of this years Entrance Examination.¡± As his voice boomed across the plaza in front of the gates, a ripple of murmurs followed. Qing Zhao didn¡¯t let it bother him and said, ¡°I believe everyone are familiar with the Entrance Exams rules. Create three single filed columns and have your age, name and cultivation level checked.


    After that, the person that examined you will tell you where to go.¡± After he said that, people hurriedly created three columns of people. As chance happened, in front of the middle column was Curo. Mimicking the people that were in the other columns, he walked straight to the table and the old man behind the desk asked, ¡°Name, Age and Cultivation level?¡±


    Curo hurriedly answered, ¡°Ji Curo, 16 years of Age, Peak Qi Kindling Condensation.¡± The old man nodded as he inscribed the name onto a token. He then said, ¡°Give me your hand.¡±


    Curo hurriedly extended his hand and as the man examined his bone age, he gave a nod and inscribed it into the token. He then turned to the giant stone Stele next to him, ¡°Place your hand on the Measuring Stele and infuse your Qi into it. Give it your all, if you hold back, you may not be able to enter the Academy due to it.¡± Curo nodded his head and took a deep breath as he stood before the giant stone stele. All the eyes from behind looked at him expectantly as they wanted to see how this mysterious person would do. Curo placed his hand on the Stele and immediately gave it his all to the Qi he infused into it.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The Stele started shining and 98 dots of light appeared on the Stele, burning as bright as stars. The man behind the table opened his eyes as wide as carriage wheels and took a sharp breath before saying, ¡°Cultivation level: Qi Kindling¡¯s Condensation, 98 Top Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s.¡± Hearing this, the surrounding area turned deathly quiet. Peak Qi Kindling Condensation was a vague term as the number of Qi Kindling¡¯s varied from person to person and also, the differences between a Top Grade Kindling and a Low Grade Kindling were as wide as the Heavens and the Earth. Also, to have 98 Top Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s¡­.


    Even a person that trained in a Medium Grade Art and was in the Qi Spring Stage may not be his match. The man added the information to the Token and then beckoned one of the students at his side to come closer, ¡°This student will bring you to the inner layers, where they will test your Latent Talent, Battle Strength and also Comprehension.¡± The man then waved Curo away as he took on the next person. The Student cupped his hands towards Curo as he gave a deep bow and said, ¡°I am Han Ling. Follow me.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and held the Token in his grasp as he followed the person forward. When Curo disappeared form sight, the whole plaza was taken by a storm as countless gazes converged on Ji Long. Ji Long however, just gave a wide grin at his son¡¯s accomplishment. ¡°Seems like a tiger father never gives birth to a dog son. Congratulations Brother Long.¡± As the voice echoed out, a man that seemed to be the same age as Ji Long walked out of the crowd.


    Seeing the person, Ji Long cupped his hand and gave a slight bow as he said, ¡°As much as I would want to take credit for it, this is all his own accomplishments and fortune.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s expression faltered as he obviously knew what Ji Long was talking about. The man then let out a sigh and unceremoniously sat down on the cloud next to Ji Long. He then produced a wine bottle and two cups. He poured the cups full and took one as he handed the other to Ji Long. Ji Long didn¡¯t deny it and accepted the cup.


    After downing the one cup, the man refilled them and said with melancholic voice, ¡°I remember when the two of us stood in these rows, waiting to be tested.¡± He took a sip of the cup and then continued, ¡°That year, Brother Long stole the show with his 89 High Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s.¡± The man let out a small chuckle. Ji Long also gave a smile as he took a sip.


    He then said, ¡°However, look at how we stand now. You, Brother Yu have become an exalted Saint Realm cultivator while I am still muddling along the Origin Realm.¡± The man named Yu slammed his cup down and roared, ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for those fucks from the Ancient Meng Clan, then you would have probably reached the Earth Saint Realm already!¡±


    Ji Long gave a bitter smile as he calmly said, ¡°What happened back then happened. We can¡¯t change the past. However, due to some fortune, I may soon also be able to enter the Saint Realm.¡± The man let out a deep breath and raised the cup in his hands with a smile, ¡°Seems like I will have to congratulate Brother Long in advance then.¡±


    Ji Long also raised his cup as he drank it.


    ***


    Curo didn¡¯t have to walk long before he reached a tall black tower. The youth in front of him, who had been silent until now, said, ¡°Once you enter the tower, show the Token to the person behind the table and he will direct you from there.¡± He then cupped his hands and left in the direction of the gate. Curo took a deep breath as he clutched the Token in his hands.


    When he entered the building, he saw a young woman sitting behind a table. What attracted Curo¡¯s eyes were the emerald green eyes. After taking a moment to appreciate the girls beauty, he walked up to the table. The young woman didn¡¯t raise her head from the documents as she reached his hand towards Curo. Seeing the open palm, Curo didn¡¯t understand what to do.


    As the young woman furrowed her brows, Curo understood that she wanted the Token. He hurriedly handed her the Token and when she infused some Qi into it, her hands froze. She raised her head from the documents and carefully examined Curo. She then pointed towards the left and said, ¡°Press your hand on the stone and revolve your Qi.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and the woman walked behind the stone. As he infused his Qi into it, he suddenly felt a suction force as something entered his body. After revolving around a couple of rounds, the energy exited his body and returned to the giant stone. The face of the woman behind the stone was stupefied as she said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Latent Talent, Supreme Grade.¡±


    Curo had no idea what it meant but it should be good. The woman then walked to the other side, where there was another Stone and said, ¡°Press your hand on this stone and infuse your Qi into it.¡± Curo followed her instructions and did as he was told. He felt a warm energy envelop his body and just as he wanted to yank his hand away, the feeling disappeared. The woman that stood behind the Stone however was completely shocked.


    She walked back to the table without saying a word and picked up the Token and added some more details to it. Curo however furrowed his brows as he didn¡¯t hear his result from the other stone. She then hurriedly gave the Token back to Curo and pointed to a door on the left. ¡°Go through there and you will reach the testing grounds of Battle Strength. Hand the Instructor in Charge your Token and you will be allowed into the Formation to test your might.¡±


    Curo nodded his head as he accepted the Token. He gave the girl behind the table one more glance as he exited the room and went to the next room. When Curo had left the room, the girl looked at the two Stone Steles in astonishment.


    On the Stele that tested Latent Talent was: Immeasurable. Her gaze then went to the Stele on the other side and on it was: Incalculable.


    As she stared at those two words in shock, she rubbed the bridge between her nose. ¡°This years spotlight seems to be stolen by him. However, what kind of a monster did that old fart pick up¡­.¡±

 Chapter 10: Purgatory Formation

    When Curo entered the room, he was greeted by a giant hall. Inside the hall, there were 15 Formation and here seemed to be some people queued up for them already. Seeing Curo enter, Qing Zhao¡¯s eyes lit up as he walked towards him and extended his palm.


    Curo placed the Token on the man¡¯s open palm and waited for further instructions. When Qing Zhao was checking the details inscribed on the Token, Curo used this chance to look around. Most of the people in the room were wearing the same robes indicating that they were from the Academy.


    Besides some young people standing around, seemingly keeping order, some older people, who had golden embroideries indicating that they were Instructors, were intently staring at the screens outside the Formations. Suddenly, one of the men snorted and a milky white light covered his hand.


    With a swift motion, the hand pierced into the Formation and as he yanked back a youth, the same age as Curo came flying out of the Formation. Without saying a word, the man then indicated for the next person to enter. The man then took a Token and inscribed something on it before handing it back to the boy that had been sent flying. It was at this moment that Qing Zhao handed Curo his Token back.


    He then said, ¡°Follow me.¡± Curo nodded his head as he solemnly nodded his head and followed behind him. Qing Zhao then brought Curo to a Formation that was currently unoccupied and started explaining, ¡°Inside, you will encounter a wave after wave of monsters. Once you kill the entire wave, you will be given half an hour to rest before the next wave appears.¡±


    The man then looked at Curo seriously and said, ¡°During that break, if you have suffered serious injuries or feel as though you won¡¯t be able to take on the next wave, you can infuse your Qi into the Token and be transported out.¡± The man let it sink in a bit before he continued explaining, ¡°You will be teleported inside with your True Body. All injuries you suffer inside will be permanent so, be careful. Also, you will only be allowed to take one Offensive Artefact and a Defensive Artefact. As for the rest of your possessions, I will have to ask you to hand them to me.¡±


    Curo¡¯s face flickered but before he could say anything, the man let out a laugh, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one will steal them here and I will personally hand all of the possessions back after you exit the Formation.¡± Curo let out an embarrassed chuckle as he withdrew a jet black Guan Dao Halberd from his Spacial Ring and handed the Ring over to the man.


    Qing Zhao furrowed his brows as he asked, ¡°Do you not want to take a Defensive Artefact with you?¡± Curo scratched his cheek in embarrassment as he said, ¡°It is not that this Junior doesn¡¯t want to but rather, I don¡¯t have adequate Defensive Artefacts to take with me. Junior exited closed door training only a few days ago and managed to upgrade my fleshly body to a degree that all of the Defensive Artefacts this Junior possesses would only be dead weight.¡±


    Hearing this, Qing Zhao gave a deep glance at him before nodding his head. However, all of the other people in the room took in a sharp breath. All of the Instructors and Students however were looking at the duo with confusion.


    These 15 Formation were ranked according to their difficulty and usually, an Examinee picked the Formation according to their own judgement. If they didn¡¯t feel confident in challenging a higher ranked Formation, they could challenge the lower ranked one. Qing Zhao had led Curo straight to the highest difficulty Formation and hadn¡¯t even given him a choice in the matter. Curo took a deep breath and followed Qing Zhao¡¯s gesture to enter the Formation.


    When he entered the Formation, a white light enveloped his body as he was transported to the testing ground. The moment Curo had disappeared, a gentle voice sounded out, ¡°Instructor Qing, may I ask why you directed him to the Purgatory Formation without letting him choose?¡± The man didn¡¯t even turn around as he intently stared at the Formation and said, ¡°He has just exited closed door training and hasn¡¯t had time to adjust to his new cultivation.


    As an Instructor, I feel that for him to gain the most benefits from this Examination, it would be for the best for him to enter the Purgatory Formation.¡± The gentle voice sighed as a young woman walked in. Her emerald green eyes stared at the Formation intently as she walked next to Qing Zhao. She then asked, ¡°How long do you think he will be able to withstand?¡±


    Qing Zhao scratched his chin and said with a wide grin, ¡°If he isn¡¯t exactly sleeping in there, he should be able to withstand at least 15 Monster Waves.¡± A deadly silence enveloped the hall. Although, the Examinees didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the man¡¯s words, all the Student¡¯s and Instructors did. Even the current strongest person from the generation could only withstand 18 waves inside the Purgatory Formation. It was also worth noting that even though he managed to withstand 18 waves, he was seriously injured and needed to recuperate behind closed doors for nearly a year.


    The young woman was shocked as she glanced at the man standing next to her. She sucked in a deep breath before saying with a serious expression, ¡°Let us see then how far this little monster can go.¡± The man let out a sly smile as he kept observing the light screen.


    ***Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    When Curo opened his eyes, he was in a desolate wasteland. There wasn¡¯t a hint of life as far as eyes could see. After observing the surroundings for a bit, his eyes turned sharp as he stared in front of him. In the front, he could see exactly 100 skeleton soldiers.


    However, their bones were black and they were wearing nothing but a helmet and a sword. Curo sucked in a deep breath as he realized that all of them emanated the fluctuations of a person with 20 Qi Kindling¡¯s. As His face turned cold, he gripped his Halberd with both of his hands and just as he took a stance, his leg muscles visibly tensed up as he disappeared from the location a moment later. When he reappeared, he was right behind the one hundred skeletons.


    Just as he appeared, a loud Bang echoed out in the quiet world. When the bang had finished echoing in the desolate wasteland, all of the skeletons turned into black lights and dissipated.


    A monotonous voice entered Curo¡¯s head, ¡°Do you wish to send in the next wave?¡± Curo loudly shouted, ¡°Yes!¡± After Curo had said that, another group of skeletons appeared, however, this time, there were 200 of them. Curo revealed a smile as he readjusted the halberd in his hand and thrust forward. He was currently relying on his fleshly body to just muscle his way through.


    By doing this, he was trying to find the limit of his body. He knew that ever since his body was reformed in the blood cocoon, his fleshly body was several stages higher than his current cultivation that wasn¡¯t sealed.


    He just wanted to see what his limit was, how far he could go with solely with his fleshly body. With a burning fighting intent in his eyes, he lightly licked his lips as he continued to rampage. In just a few minutes, the number had grown to 300, then 400, all the way up to 900.


    ***


    Outside the Formation, Curo¡¯s performance inside had gathered quite a few spectators. All the other Formations were currently empty and no one was in queue either. All the people inside the Hall were currently staring at Curo¡¯s performance.


    When Curo had reached the 9th wave, the young woman next to Qing Zhao furrowed her brows as she said, ¡°Until now, he has solely relied on his fleshly body. I will admit, it is truly strong but now, the enemies he will encounter are going to be in the Qi Spring Stage. Just by relying on his body and the Top Grade Halberd isn¡¯t going to get him far.¡±


    Qing Zhao¡¯s smile grew wider as he said, ¡°If you think those two things are the only thing¡¯s he¡¯s got, then I am afraid you are underestimating him severely.¡±


    The young woman furrowed her brows even more as she pursed her lips, ¡°Let us see what kind of a genius this brat is then.¡±


    ***


    Inside the Formation, after killing 900 of Qi Kindling Stage skeletons, even Curo was out of breath as he sat down and started regulating his breath. The half an hour of rest period whistled by quickly as the next wave of monster¡¯s appeared. This time, there wasn¡¯t a hundred of them, but only 9. However, these 9 made Curo¡¯s face grow serious. These nine skeletons were equivalent to an Early Qi Spring Stage with having excavated 20 Qi Springs.


    In addition, they stood in a peculiar Formation, meaning that they were using a Battle Formation. When before the skeletons didn¡¯t employ any Battle Formations, then now he was going to have to fight an uphill battle. Curo tightened his grasp on the Halberd as he took a stance.


    The moment he took the stance, his whole demeanour changed. A faint shadow of a dragon started spiralling around the Halberd as Curo charged forward. As Curo thrust his Halberd forward, the shadow of a dragon shot forward and roared loudly. When the roar echoed out, the skeletons movements grew sluggish as the dragon opened his maw and swallowed the front most skeleton.


    After crushing the skeleton to pieces with it¡¯s illusory maw, the dragon swept out it¡¯s tail, hitting all of the skeletons squarely in the chest. However, the blow wasn¡¯t strong enough to shatter them.


    As the skeletons flew backwards from the blow, a shadow appeared behind them and with a sweep of his halberd, shattered the skeletons.


    When the last of the skeletons had been destroyed, the illusory dragon returned to Curo and started slowly float around him. Curo didn¡¯t rush to the next wave but rather sat down cross legged ass he reflected upon the battle.


    ***


    The outside that was previously filled with murmurs was now deathly quiet. The young woman next to Qing Zhao took in a deep breath as she stared at the screen in shock. Then with a complicated face, she looked towards Qing Zhao, ¡°That Art¡­. I thought the last of the Jing Clan had died, burying the Art with her.¡±


    Qing Zhao didn¡¯t move his gaze as he told her, ¡°The person he was with earlier was the Jing Clan¡¯s Founding Ancestor Jing Fang. He is the last of his direct Bloodline and let me tell you, he held no expense in establishing his Foundation.¡± Hearing this, the woman¡¯s eyes sparkled as she seemed to understand something. Suddenly, her face changed as something clicked to place.


    Then her face also turned deathly serious as she continued watching the screen. There was no more contempt or disdain in her eyes, only pure seriousness.


    **


    Inside the Formation, Curo was breathing heavily as looked around with a grim face. Around him, countless bones riddled the ground. His robes were in tatters now and on his body, several superficial wounds had appeared. Curo stared ahead grimly before letting out a deep breath.


    He then clutched the token and infusing some Qi into it, he was covered in a milky white light that transported him out. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a huge crowd of spectators. No one said a word and Qing Zhao only let out a smile as he said, ¡°Congratulations, you have completed 18 waves of the Purgatory Formation. Here are your possessions back.¡±


    As he said so, he tossed Curo his Spacial Ring. Curo fished out a new robe and after fixing his appearance, he cupped his hands towards Qing Zhao and gave a slight bow.


    Qing Zhao¡¯s eyes then turned slightly serious as he asked with a smile, ¡°Why did you exit? From your performance, you could have defeated another 3 or 4 waves.¡±


    Curo slightly shook his head and said, ¡°This Junior¡¯s understanding of his techniques is too superficial. During these battles, I have gained many insights and need some time to digest them. However, the time between the waves is too short to do so, so this Junior only has the choice to exit and go to comprehend these insights before they slip away.¡±

 Chapter 11: The results

    Hearing this, an amused smile lingered on Qing Zhao¡¯s lips. He then nodded his head and said, ¡°Knowing your own limits and not to over reach is a virtue in itself. The results will be announced in a week from now. I suggest you use this time to thoroughly comprehend your insights.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and after a few more words with the man, he was escorted out by a student. When Curo reached the gates of the Academy, all eyes locked onto him. Ji Long took a long look at Curo before he stepped off his cloud and walked up to him, ¡°How¡¯d you do?¡±


    Curo raised his shoulders and said, ¡°I think I did good. I might be able to squeeze into the top 1000.¡± Hearing this vague answer, Ji Long only nodded his head and then turned to leave the plaza. Until the results themselves came out a week later, nothing was certain. When the two left the plaza under the watchful gazes of everyone present, the student that had escorted him here let out a baffled breath as he murmured, ¡°Good? You managed to defeat 18 waves of the Purgatory Formation for crying out loud.¡±


    Although not many people heard him, the people that did were thunder struck. As they stared at the disappearing silhouette of the youth, their mouths hung open from shock.


    The rest of the week was uneventful as no more dazzling displays took place. Although, usually the displays of other Examinees would warrant countless rumours and exclamations of shock, they were all overshadowed by Curo¡¯s achievements. No one doubted that Curo would take the top spot for this years Examination and take the title and rewards for it.


    It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t others that tried the Purgatory Formation, it was just that no one could pass the 9th wave, not to mention the 18th. However, Curo was oblivious to all of the rumours circulating about him as he was immersed in the insights he had gained from all of the fights. As he stood in the courtyard, completely still, the GuanDao Halberd gently floated in front of him.


    There was a shadow of a black dragon coiled around the Halberd and now, that shadow was much more corporeal than before. The might it radiated was several times stronger and more oppressing than what it had exhibited in the Purgatory Formation.


    This wasn¡¯t his only benefit when it came to the insights he had gained. His Fleshly Body had also experienced a break through and his training in the [Dragon Human Unification Art] had broken through the bottle neck. In the Purgatory Formation, his body had been pushed to the limit time and time again. Thanks to that, he had touched upon a strange feeling of unification with the dragon¡¯s shadow. After a session of closed door training, he had managed to break through the bottle neck and his Fleshly Body strength grew in a rapid pace.


    Thanks to that, [Dragon Cross Seal] had also loosened and his cultivation rose from the 98 Qi Kindling Condensation Stage to 36 Excavated Qi Springs. Curo hadn¡¯t noticed it before but when the 99th Qi Kindling had been unsealed, the 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s arranged themselves in a strange pattern that raised the speed at which he gathered Qi several times. After pondering about it for a moment, he could only sigh in amazement.


    In addition to increasing the speed at which he could absorb the Qi from the outside world, the speed at which he refined it to become his own had risen substantially as well. Although, he was training in a Top Grade Specialized Art, the amount of Qi and the purity of the Qi inside each Kindling was several times higher quality than a normal Top Grade Art. ¡°So This is the difference of the 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s.¡±


    Although he hadn¡¯t heard much about the several benefits of the 99th Qi Kindling, he knew some wondrous benefits it brought. Even if two people trained in the exact same Art, if one had 98 Qi Kindling¡¯s and the other 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s, there would be no competition amongst them in terms of Qi Purity and Quality. The one with 99 Qi Kindling¡¯s would be able to triumph over a dozen people who had condensed 98 Qi Kindling¡¯s in a straight up fight.


    As Curo was familiarizing himself with his newfound strength, his Father¡¯s voice echoed outside the courtyard, ¡°Lil¡¯Curo, it is time to hear the results.¡± Hearing this, Curo was brought out of his trance and let out a deep breath as he stood up and went to the door. After exiting the courtyard, his Father and Uncle Zheng were already waiting for him.


    Ji Long gave Curo a look and feeling the ripples emanating from him, gave him a smile. Curo then followed Ji Long to the Academy Gates, where there was a giant Stone Stele erected. On the giant Stele, there were rows after rows of names and the moment Curo and Ji Long entered the plaza, the crowd was taken by deathly silence as a pathway was opened for them straight to the Stele. All of the people present looked at Curo with fearful eyes.


    When in the beginning, Curo thought that it was weird, then when he reached the Stele, he could only let out a sheepish laugh. Glowing in a golden light, rank number 1: Ji Curo, Age 16, 98 Top Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s, Battle Score 18 000. After seeing that, Curo looked at the number 2 spot and saw the results; Xi Hao, Age 17, 81 Top Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s, Battle Score 8900. The rest were even lower as the list went on. When Curo looked at the last spot, he could do nothing but let out an embarrassed laugh. Rank 1000: Fang Xi, Age 20, 78 High Grade Qi Kindling¡¯s, Battle Score 1121. Ji Long was astonished as well, he knew very well what the ¡°Battle Score 18 000¡± meant.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He sucked in a sharp breath as he looked at Curo with a slightly fearful expression again. When he thought back to how his Battle Score had been a measly 8000, he felt a tinge of shame. However, that soon passed as he felt proud of his son. Qing Zhao¡¯s voice then echoed out, ¡°All of the people that managed to rank in the top 1000 follow me inside.¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes then turned to the Academy Gates, were unknowingly to all of them, Qing Zhao and over a hundred other people had appeared.


    From their Robes, it was obvious that all of them were Instructors. Ji Long looked at his son and said, ¡°From today onwards, you will be a Hidden Dragon Academy Student. I have no words of encouragement for you to say other than, no matter who picks a fight, it is never too late to take revenge later.¡±Curo nodded his head as he understood the meaning behind the words. Even if he wasn¡¯t someone¡¯s match at the moment, that didn¡¯t mean he never would be. There was no shame in knowing when to retreat and give way.


    After a few more words from his Father and also Uncle Zheng, Curo walked towards the people waiting at the Academy Gates. Seeing Curo, all of the Instructors showed a wry smile. It was obvious that they had discovered Curo¡¯s cultivation level.


    Qing Zhao however let out an amused laugh and walked up to Curo. ¡°The top spot of the Examination usually receives as Top Grade Qi Gathering Pill and a Top Grade Qi Purifying Pill to help purify the Qi inside their already condensed Kindling¡¯s and to give a pure Qi surplus to help condense new Kindling¡¯s¡­.¡± As Qing Zhao said that with a slightly helpless tone, Curo gave a helpless smile as well. These rewards had been set in place since the beginning of the Academy.


    Qing Zhao then thought about it a bit and then said, ¡°I will discuss this with the Headmistress and see if we can give you something that you truly need.¡± Curo nodded his head apologetically to that. This was going to be a head ache for the higher up¡¯s because the value of the Pill¡¯s they offer in exchange can¡¯t surpass the value of those two.


    However, the Quality of those pills can¡¯t be too low either as it would seem unfit for the person that reached the Number One spot in the Examination.


    After a few minutes went by, Qing Zhao nodded his head towards the other Instructors and led the new Students inside. They were all brought to the central square of the Academy where a giant Stele was standing with different Rankings. On the Stele, there were 3 different rankings; Human, Earth and Heaven. Typically, when new Student¡¯s entered they weren¡¯t eligible to enter these rankings for the first half a year. Some heaven defying people managed to enter regardless.


    What made all of the freshmen¡¯s faces turn awkward was that currently, there was a name etched onto the second spot of the Human Ranking that was very familiar to them. Seeing everyone¡¯s gazes converge on Curo, Qing Zhao let out an amused chuckle while Curo looked at the ranking with wide eyes.


    The Student¡¯s of the Academy were divided into three groups; Juniors, people that had been in the Academy for less than ten years, Seniors, people that had been in the Academy for at least ten years but less than twenty years. The last category were the people that had been in the Academy for at least twenty years. The three rankings were divided as such. Human Ranking for the Juniors, Earth Ranking for Seniors and Heaven Ranking for the Elders. When Curo saw his name on the second spot of the Human Ranking, he could only stare at it with wide eyes.


    Qing Zhao then explained, ¡°Your score from the Examination also counts towards the Rankings inside the Academy. Everyone are ranked by their Battle Score and the higher ones ranking on the Stele, the more monthly rewards they get.¡± Qing Zhao then looked at Curo with a complicated gaze as he said, ¡°I believe you will dominate the Human Ranking for the next ten years. The current number one on the Stele, Xing Feng, entered the Academy today ten years ago. From tomorrow onwards, you will be the Number One on the Human Ranking.¡± Hearing this, Curo didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He had tried to only make his Father proud by showing everyone that his Father didn¡¯t possess a worthless son. He had given his all in all of the Examinations but he hadn¡¯t expected to become the Number One Freshman. Much less did he expect that he would be able to become the new Number One of the Human Ranking.


    The people surrounding him looked at him as though he was a monster. He had just entered the Academy and he was currently Number Two on the Juniors Ranking. And from the words of Qing Zhao they understood that he will be the Number One tomorrow when the people that had entered ten years ago would all be moved from the Human Ranking to the Earth Ranking.


    As an awkward atmosphere enveloped the square, a gentle voice echoed, ¡°Welcome to the Hidden Dragon Academy Freshmen.¡± Hearing this voice, everyone looked towards the origin of the voice. In front of the Ranking Stele, stood a young woman with emerald green eyes. Seeing this woman, Curo¡¯s eyes turned wide as he recognized her.


    Another sentence then sounded out, ¡°I am the Headmistress of the Hidden Dragon Academy, Xi Qing.¡± A murmur enveloped the plaza as the young men all looked a little red when they saw the beautiful woman in front of them. As if she was used to it, Xi Qing didn¡¯t even bat an eye as she said, ¡°Now then, it is time to divide all of you Freshmen to your respective Instructors.¡± With those words, she produced a giant crystal that gently floated above the heads of the Freshmen.


    As it started to spin, threads shot out from the Crystal and once they hit a freshman, the thread extended to an Instructor. Seeing the other end of his thread, Curo¡¯s face turned respectful.

 Chapter 12: Instructor Sheng

    On the other side of Curo¡¯s thread was a gentle old man. He didn¡¯t look at all like the other Instructors did. However, he could feel a mysterious, unfathomable aura from him. He truly seemed more than meets the eyes. When the man saw that he was connected to Curo by the thread, he also raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    The man then beckoned his hand towards Curo and Curo nodded his head as he made his way towards the man. The eyes of everyone present however had narrowed, especially the Headmistress and the other Instructors next to her. When Curo was three steps away from the man, he stopped, cupped his hands and lightly bowed to the man in greeting, ¡°Greetings Instructor, this student¡¯s name is Ji Curo.¡±


    The man nodded and smiled to him, ¡°I am Instructor Sheng. It seems that for the next thirty years you will attend this Academy, I will be in charge of instructing you.¡± Curo then bowed once again with cupped hands and then went to stand behind the man like the other Freshmen that had found their Instructors.


    When every Freshman had found their Instructor, Xi Qing nodded her head as she said, ¡°Now that everyone have found their Instructor, we can consider this Initiation Ceremony concluded. Your Instructors will let you know of the Rules and of the various tasks and benefits of being a part of our glorious Academy.¡± With that, she turned around and walked away. When she left the square, the various Instructors led their new Students away. Curo also followed the man that had become his new Instructor. As Curo followed the Instructor, his gaze towards the man grew a bit complicated.


    When other Students saw the man, they hurriedly gave way to him with fear in their eyes. Also, they all threw pitying glances towards Curo when they saw him follow him. Although he didn¡¯t know why it was like that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that something about this man was amiss.


    When Curo followed the man into a small office, he stayed in front of the table while the man sat behind the small table. When he sat down, he said, ¡°When you go to the room on the left, you will find various equipment and instructions to make tea. Make a pot of tea and bring two cups here.¡± The man¡¯s voice was warm and gentle as he said that, Curo slightly nodded his head as he headed to the side room.


    The moment Curo turned sideways, the man¡¯s gaze turned sharp as he observed him. When Curo entered the other room, the man kept observing him with his Soul Sense. When Curo found the instructions, he read them carefully and followed the instructions to the letter when brewing the Tea. It wasn¡¯t because of him being afraid or cautious but rather, he had been an avid tea lover before the accident in the tea house.


    He could guess that this tea making was a test for him but what exactly the man tested, he had no idea. How well he made the tea? How he served it or something else? After slowly and methodically brewing the tea, he brought the two tea cups and the pot of tea to the office room again. After placing the cup of tea in front of the man and gently pouring him a full cup, he stood aside. When the old man saw this, his eyes flashed as he picked up the cup and took a small sip.


    After taking the sip, he slowly closed his eyes as a smile crept onto his lips, ¡°This is good tea.¡± Curo smiled as he answered, ¡°I thank Instructor.¡± The man then nodded his head and gestured for Curo to sit down across from him. When Curo sat down, the man handed him the other cup and poured him some tea. After doing this, Curo tasted the tea and after savouring the taste, lightly smiled.


    The man then said, ¡°Top of the Freshman Rankings, 36 Top Grade Qi Springs at the tender age of 16. Rumour has it that a little less than a year ago, you were a cripple. Now you are ranked at the top of the Entrance Examinations to one of the 5 oldest and most influential Academies.¡± His eyes then turned sharp as he continued, ¡°You can be currently seen as the Number One of the Juniors due to your Battle Score.¡± Curo listened to it calmly, as he waited for the man to reach the main point.


    The man couldn¡¯t read anything out of his face and then asked the question, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it demeaning that the Number One Junior in the Academy, a talent seen once in a million years, is reduced to a tea boy?¡±


    Curo placed down the tea cup in his hands and gave a smile to the old man as he answered, ¡°Should I? You are a respected Instructor of the Academy, and you are someone that is Realms above me in cultivation with experience and knowledge that makes me look like a frog at the bottom of an endless well.¡± He then looked at the tea in front of him and continued, ¡°Tea isn¡¯t a drink to be just made. Since Instructor had a set of instructions on how to prepare this Tea, it shows that you drink tea, not leaf water.¡±


    As he smiled after saying so, the old man was shocked. He then let out a merry laugh as he asked, ¡°Is that all?¡± Curo then gave a mischievous smile as he continued with narrowed eyes, ¡°When we walked here, all of the students showed fear on their face more than respect. They also threw pitying glances at me. In addition to that, when our threads connected, every other instructor narrowed their eyes at you, none of them showing disdain but a slight fear and mixed feelings in their eyes. That indicates that your strength far surpasses the strength of a regular Instructor.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Hearing this, the old man opened his eyes wide in surprise as he gave a satisfied nod. Curo then concluded, ¡°With all this information, it would stupid of me to start acting complacent now wouldn¡¯t it? I would probably digging my own grave then.¡± The man then nodded his head to Curo and said, ¡°You are smarter than anyone else that I have been tasked with Instructing.¡±


    He then sighed, ¡°It is true, I can be considered on the same level as Heavenly Instructors. However, I lack the ambition to take on more responsibilities than I already have.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head as he had thought as much. The feeling the man gave off was similar to the Headmistress.


    The man then continued, ¡°Several hundred years ago, I was actually relieved of my responsibilities as an Instructor and given the task of managing the Foreign Affairs for the Academy.¡± The man then took a sip of the tea and gave a sigh, ¡°All of the requests for reinforcements from our Alumni, all Academy Outer Missions, all of the exchanges between the Academies, everything dealing with outside of the Academy goes through me.¡±


    The man then looked at cup in front of him and said, ¡°With all of these things going on all the day, I have hundreds of documents to read through and sign each day. In addition to that, once a Student of ours makes a scene or royally fucks up outside, it is my problem to deal with the matter.¡± The man¡¯s voice turned malicious when he said the last part.


    Curo was able to piece something together from that little chat. Since all of the things that had to do with outside of the Academy went through the man, there were a mountain of things to do each day. In addition, when someone created trouble outside, he was the one that had to put dealing with that problem on top of his already huge pile of work and responsibilities. When Curo thought back to the gazes he got from the various students along the way, Curo guessed that more than one of them had caused some sort of a problem outside and had been berated by the man in front of him.


    The man then said, ¡°I have an extremely fiery temper that makes me unsuitable to instruct people and I won¡¯t be able to give you much pointers if you stay under me.¡± Curo raised his head from the cup and looked at him. The man then saw Curo¡¯s eyes and continued, ¡°I am not going to lie, you have talent that I have never seen before and I have been alive for over ten thousand years. It would be better for your future to put in a request for the change of instructors.¡±


    Curo lowered his head in thought as he pondered on it for a moment. He then let out a smile as he said, ¡°Instructor, I don¡¯t think I need to change my Instructors. Helping you relive the workload will be fine for me. Cultivation isn¡¯t a path one can rush along.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes then let out a tinge of a flame. It wasn¡¯t due to anger but due to excitement. His cultivation was comparable to the Heavenly Instructors, meaning that he had already reached the Sovereign Realm. Even if Curo tried to lie in front of the man, it would be pointless as he could see through every lie the boy could concoct.


    Every student he had had to instruct was always a cunning youth that tried to squeeze what ever benefit out of him that he could. Being nearly angered to death by one such Student had caused him to put down his role as a Heavenly Instructor and assume the position as just as the Head of Foreign Affairs. He had actually wanted to leave the Academy all together but the Founder had managed to persuade him to stay.


    The man then looked at Curo with serious eyes and asked, ¡°Are you certain? Most of your time, you will spend helping me manage the Foreign Affairs of the Academy. The amount of time you will have to spend on your own cultivation will be drastically shortened and several other Students will probably pass you in the rankings in that time.¡± Curo let out a slight laugh and said, ¡°If they pass, they pass. I have always been a person that believes in fate and karma.¡±


    After Curo had said so, the man raised a brow as he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Curo gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°When I was born, I was born with heaven defying talent. Then I was crippled. Then a decade later, by pure chance I met the Ancestor of my mother¡¯s Bloodline in my darkest hour of need. Thanks to him, I became reborn and became able to cultivate again.¡± The man crossed his hands on his chest and waited for Curo to continue.


    Curo then explained, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been born with heaven defying talent, I wouldn¡¯t have been crippled. If I hadn¡¯t been crippled, I would never have had the chance to meet the Ancestor of my Mother¡¯s bloodline. If I hadn¡¯t met him, I would have never been able to reach the stage I am currently at, at this point in time. Meaning, I would not have been able to enter the Academy and be made a student under Instructor Sheng.¡± After Curo had said this far, he took the cup of tea and took a sip.


    Instructor Sheng however had an amusing expression of wonder, doubt, understanding and confusion. After several minutes of thinking he sighed and said, ¡°I understand what you mean, Heaven¡¯s always have a plan and everything happens for a reason.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and said with a blank look, ¡°One can fight against their fate but no one can fight the Heavens. So instead of fighting, why not gently stroll along the path the Heavens created for you and see where it ends up.¡±

 Chapter 13: Foreign Affairs Department

    The old man then gave Curo a long glance before he sighed and withdrew a document from the pile next to him. He then handed it to Curo and said, ¡°Take a look and tell me what you think of this.¡± Curo accepted the document and after giving it a brief glance, his brows furrowed and he asked, ¡°Are they serious?¡± The man gave a long sigh and said, ¡°It is not too late to change Instructors you know.¡±


    That answer was all that Curo needed to know that this document was real. Curo let out a long sigh as well as he looked at the document in his hands and asked, ¡°Do they even have an explanation for the missing items?¡± The man then said in a monotonous voice, ¡°We were attacked mid shipment and those goods were stolen.¡±


    Curo¡¯s brows furrowed even deeper as he asked, ¡°Do they have a detailed report for it? Surely these things don¡¯t work by the word of mouth?¡± The man then handed Curo another document and after Curo read through it, he massaged his temples.


    He took a few moments to collect himself and asked, ¡°Let me see if I get this right. They were attacked by Rogue Cultivators that managed to steal several Spacial Rings that were used to transport the Items towards the Academy but magically not one person, even the people that had carried the Spacial Rings, had even a single scratch on them?¡±


    The man gave a nod and Curo then slammed the documents down to the table and asked furiously, ¡°Are they idiots? Why not come out and say ¡°Yes, we took them for ourselves but you can¡¯t prove otherwise.¡±?¡±


    The old man gave a chuckle and said, ¡°Yup, these kinds of idiots pop up from time to time. However, dealing with them is easy actually.¡± Curo raised his brow and asked, ¡°How?¡± The man gave an amused chuckle and said, ¡°This matter of stealing is quite common amongst those that have Heavenly Instructors. I simply need to show them the documents and ask if they have a problem with Enforcement Hall searching through their belongings.¡±


    He then took a breath and said, ¡°If they do, they have something to hide. If they don¡¯t then he Enforcement Hall will back trace their steps and find everything, earning them a punishment.¡±


    The man then sighed, ¡°Usually, every year, one or two tries to put some resources aside for themselves and if the amounts are truly miniscule, then we usually turn a blind eye.¡± Curo raised a brow but the man then flatly said, ¡°We are an enormous institution, if the amount of resources that these people put aside for themselves can¡¯t be considered much, it is more work than benefit to chase after every Qi Stone and Pill.¡± Hearing this Curo nodded his head and sighed as well.


    In a big organization like this, putting some things aside for themselves was bound to happen. If the people were smart and didn¡¯t overestimate themselves, then the Academy would simply give them a superficial warning. If the person however starts being too rampant with it, like the people involved this time, then they have to set an example.


    The man then gave Curo a stack of papers and said, ¡°Look through these, if you spot something odd or see something out of place, consult with me. If everything on the paper is in order, use this stamp and sign them.¡± As he said that, he produced a small black stamp and handed it to Curo. Curo accepted the stamp and then accepted the stack of papers and started going through all of them. Some documents were of the expenses that the Academy needed to pay, some were of the protection fees and tributes that other forces paid them and so on. As Curo checked through one document after another, he suddenly felt thirsty, When he looked up, he saw that several hours had already passed and the Sun hung high in the sky already. Curo stood up, took the tea pot and headed to the other room to make a fresh pot of tea.


    After making a fresh pot of tea, he headed towards Instructor Sheng¡¯s cup. After seeing that it was empty, he refilled it and pushed it slightly closer to him. Instructor Sheng didn¡¯t raise his eyes from the document in his hand as he took the cup and took a sip. Seeing that, Curo smiled lightly and refilled his own cup as he continued to work. It didn¡¯t take him long after that to sort through all of the other documents and after double checking that there were no problems he divided them according to their nature and organized them into different piles.


    He then asked, ¡°Are these the finished documents?¡± Instructor Sheng was brought out of his trance and nodded his head. He then looked at the organized documents on the small tea table in front of his table. He raised a brow in surprise and asked, ¡°You are finished already?¡±


    Curo gave a slight smile and said, ¡°Since I was a cripple, my Father had several scholars teach me accounting. I used to manage a whole land for a few years. I managed to turn it into quite a profitable area.¡± Seeing the smug smile on Curo¡¯s face, Instructor Sheng understood why Curo had not been the slightest bit reluctant to do these tasks or why he hadn¡¯t asked about every thing.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He then pushed another stack of papers towards Curo and said, ¡°Help me look through these as well before you organize everything.¡± Curo nodded his head and started working on the stack of papers. As he looked through the stack of papers, he didn¡¯t find any problems with the numbers and he found no problems with the reports either and stamped, signed all of them. After he was done, he organized everything again and took the finished stack of papers and organized them as well. When the two were finished with the stack of papers, Instructor Sheng looked outside and saw that it was mid day.


    He then sighed and said, ¡°A competent helper truly does make a world of difference.¡± Curo was just pouring the man another cup of tea when he heard that and asked, ¡°What does Instructor Sheng mean?¡± The man gave a merry laugh and said, ¡°If I am lucky, I usually finish when the last rays of the sun disappear. However, most of the times, I leave this office when that time has long passed.¡± Curo gave a wry smile as he knew what the man was talking about.


    When he first took over the territory his Father had assigned him, he would have countless sleepless nights just to get everything up to speed. Then he would usually spend his entire day dealing with the paper work. After pouring the man a cup of tea, Curo sat down opposite of him and slowly drank the tea. As the two drank the tea in silence, a knock sounded on the door. Instructor Sheng¡¯s brows furrowed as he gestured his hand and a door opened.


    Outside the door, a young man was standing with a depressed expression. Seeing this, Instructor Sheng asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The youth stepped in and after giving a glance at Curo, he said, ¡°There has been a problem with the Mo Clan. They were attacked by a mysterious group called the ¡°Blood Fiends¡±. They suffered many casualties and are requesting reinforcements from the Academy.¡± Instructor Sheng furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that matter be brought to the Enforcement Hall?¡±


    The youth gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°Even though the Mo Clan is affiliated with our Academy, they lay outside the Myriad Beasts World, making this a Foreign Affair. The Enforcement Hall Chief said they can¡¯t do anything without the approval of the Head of Foreign Affairs.¡± Instructor Sheng gave a long sigh as he stood up and said, ¡°Okay, I will head to the Enforcement Hall and oversee this situation.¡± He then glanced at Curo and added, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Curo also stood up and just as they had reached the door, Instructor Sheng turned around and said to the young man, ¡°You can collect the documents, we are finished with them.¡± Hearing this, the youth¡¯s face showed surprise as he looked at the neatly organized stacks of documents. He then looked outside and thought for a moment. It was his job to bring new documents in the morning and collect them each evening when they were finished. Usually, he would have to wait until the late hours of the night before he could collect them but surprisingly, today all the documents were dealt with by mid day. Even though he didn¡¯t leap of joy, he was still extremely happy about it.


    After Curo and the old man had left the office, they turned several corners and walked for a while before they reached a huge, nine layered pagoda. On top of the door, there was a huge sign saying, ¡°Enforcement Hall.¡± Curo looked at the building for a moment before following Instructor Sheng inside. When they reached inside the building, it seemed as though they had been expected as a Student wearing the Enforcement Hall robes greeted them and quickly guided them towards the Enforcement Hall Chief¡¯s office.


    When they arrived there, the man didn¡¯t raise his head from the documents. After waiting for a bit, the man finished the document and then raised his head. He gave a slight sigh as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you with your busy schedule Instructor Sheng. However, protocol dictates that I need to have the permission of the Head of Foreign Affairs before I am allowed to send troops outside our domain.¡± Instructor Sheng gave a chuckle and said, ¡°No problem. We just finished with all of our paper work and I was just wondering on what to do with the time. It isn¡¯t that often that I am able to get all of it done before sundown.¡±


    Hearing this, the man stared at the pile next to him and then at Instructor Sheng. A complicated look was on his face as he glanced at Curo and sighed, ¡°Seems like you got a competent youngster assigned to you.¡± He then straightened his back and handed Instructor Sheng a document.


    After reading through it, his brows furrowed as he passed it to Curo and asked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this method of action seem quite familiar?¡± Curo took the document and after reading through it, he said with a furrowed brow, ¡°Several of the attacks on our caravans that transported items to or from the Academy were done in the same way.¡± Instructor Sheng nodded his head however, the Enforcement Hall¡¯s Chief furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°So, this isn¡¯t an isolated incident?¡±


    Instructor Sheng nodded his head before saying coldly, ¡°Lately, these kinds of reports have been coming in more frequently. Everything from transported items to attacks on Students that were out gaining experience.¡± The Enforcement Hall Chief¡¯s face turned cold as he said, ¡°Seems like someone is targeting our Academy.¡±


    Instructor Shen¡¯s face turned cold as well but before he could say anything, the Chief continued, ¡°I actually put in a suggestion to form a new Division that let¡¯s us bypass these situations; The Roaming Dragon Division.¡± He took a breath before continuing, ¡°It will be formed from the Elders of Enforcement Hall and people from your Foreign Affairs Department that will solely deal with these kinds of situations that involve people affiliated being attacked outside our Myriad Beasts World.¡±


    Hearing this, instead of being interested, Instructor Sheng asked, ¡°Who did your recommend to become the Head of this new Division?¡± the Chief gave an apologetic smile to him as he said, ¡°I recommended you to become the new Head of this Division.¡±

 Chapter 14: The Roaming Dragon Division

    Instructor Sheng¡¯s face turned cold as he heard the man say that he had recommended him to become the Head of the new Division. In a frigid voice he said, ¡°Why did you do that old friend?¡±


    The Chief let out a wry smile as he had expected this and sighed, ¡°Lately, there have been more and more of these attacks. This Division will be the show of might for our Academy. If the Head is only a mediocre person then all face for our academy will be lost.¡±


    Instructor Sheng tried to keep up the cold face but could only sigh deeply as he said, ¡°I understand why you did what you did and why you recommended me but you could have consulted me first.¡± The Chief gave an apologetic smile as he said, ¡°If I had, you would have been dead set on declining this position.¡±


    Instructor Sheng gave a wry smile to that statement and redirected the topic, ¡°What made you think of this Division in the first place?¡± The Chief¡¯s gaze grew distant as he said, ¡°I have had this thought for a few hundred years actually but currently, the situation is playing out most favourably to having it done.¡± He took a breath and rose from his seat and said, ¡°As you also said, these attacks have become more frequent in the last couple of decades. The current system worked before however, for situations like these, it is far too slow. All of the people involved will be gone like the wind before we manage to even get the paper work for it done and people deployed.¡±


    Instructor Sheng could only nod his head in agreement. The system they had before had worked out well and was sufficiently fast but currently, there were far more attacks on the people affiliated with their Academy than in the past.


    Since times change, some things need to change with them. In the current case, it meant that they needed to create a new Division whose goal was to deal with these kinds of situations. Instructor Sheng then sighed as he asked, ¡°How is it going with the new Division?¡±


    The Chief answered, ¡°They are truly thinking about it. The Heavenly Instructors have pitched in some ideas on how to set it up and how it should operate. There have been some problems but they have managed to work out the main outline of the Division and it¡¯s main method of operation.¡± Instructor Sheng nodded his head and sighed.


    They truly were lacking in the regard of a swift strike force that dealt with all of these kinds of situations on a moment¡¯s notice but setting up this kind of a new Division needed time and planning. You couldn¡¯t make one just because you wanted to and it all immediately worked. As Curo stood to the side, he was wondering on how this was going to affect him.


    As Curo was mulling over the possibilities, a knock sounded on the door and it opened. When the two figures, one burly man and a young girl with emerald green eyes walked in, Curo was startled. He immediately went to the side and cupped his hands in greeting towards the two. The burly man was Qing Zhao and the young woman was the Headmistress Xi Qing.


    When the two saw Curo¡¯s respectful demeanour, they both gave him a nod and then walked in front of the table. Both Instructor Sheng and the Enforcement Hall Chief stood up and respectfully greeted the two. After the greetings, Qing Zhao said, ¡°It is good that you are here Sheng Shi. I presume you have heard about the new Division?¡± Instructor Sheng nodded his head and said, ¡°I just heard about it.¡±


    Qing Zhao then nodded his head and continued, ¡°This matter has been settled. The new Division, The Roaming Dragon Division will be formed over the next half a year. Sheng Shi, you have now been appointed as the Division Head.¡± Instructor Sheng let out a sigh but nodded his head, accepting the new arrangements. He then glanced at Curo and asked, ¡°However, as for the Student appointed to me¡­.¡± Qing Zhao furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Is there any problem with him?¡±


    Instructor Sheng shook his shoulder¡¯s and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t that there is any problem with him but you should know the best that my temper isn¡¯t the most suitable for teaching youngsters. I am afraid that I will hinder his progress more than I would help advance it.¡± Qing Zhao relaxed his eyebrows but before he could say anything, Instructor Sheng continued, ¡°He is honestly a good helper, however, I fear that my methods of teaching are not adequate enough to teach someone as monstrously talented as him.¡± After everyone in the room heard this, they furrowed their brows.


    Qing Zhao then sighed, ¡°I chose you for this task because you are the only person in the Academy that is up to the task. You may have an explosive temper but no Sovereign was raised in a green house. Besides that, you are the only person in this Academy that has any knowledge about his Cultivation Art and his Halberd Art.¡± Instructor Sheng¡¯s face turned thoughtful as he pondered over it and then turned to Curo and asked, ¡°What Art do you train in?¡± Curo immediately answered, ¡°The [Dragon Human Unification Art].¡± Hearing this, instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned wide as his gaze turned towards Qing Zhao and he asked in a hoarse voice, ¡°How is this possible?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Qing Zhao¡¯s face turned serious as a ripple of Qi emanated from his body and sealed the entire room. He then said, ¡°Ancestor Jing Fang lives and this boy, has already passed the Dragon Form Awakening.¡± Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned wide as he hurriedly grasped Curo¡¯s hand and sent a bit of Qi inside to investigate his body. After confirming what Qing Zhao had said was true, his face turned serious as he evaluated the boy in front of him with utmost seriousness for the first time.


    Qing Zhao then gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°As a person that also trains in the [Dragon Human Unification Art] you should know how hard it is to train and how little someone who hasn¡¯t trained in the Art can help you along the way.¡± Instructor Sheng closed his eyes in thought as he seemed to drown in memories.


    As everyone quietly waited, Instructor Sheng suddenly opened his eyes and instead of the murky green eyes they used to be, now they were sapphire blue reptilian eyes. When Curo saw these eyes, his body throbbed as if his blood was calling out to the man.


    Sensing this, Instructor Sheng sighed deeply and said, ¡°I had thought for so many years that I was the last of the Jing Bloodline and I would have to take this Art and lineage to the grave with me.¡± Curo gave a wry smile to that sentence but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Instructor Sheng then turned towards Qing Zhao and said, ¡°I will teach him however, if he finds my methods too severe for him and decides to change Instructors, I hope that you won¡¯t create too much trouble for him.¡± Qing Zhao nodded his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if the time comes, we won¡¯t create any obstructions to him.¡±


    Instructor Sheng nodded his head and then asked, ¡°How will this Roaming Dragon Division operate?¡± Qing Zhao thought for a moment and then started explaining, ¡°There will be several squads that will be stationed in various affiliated Clans or Schools and should something happen, they will contact the Academy. Then you will send out a squad to assist. In these matters, results first, then paper work.¡± Instructor Sheng nodded his head and indicated that he understood.


    Qing Zhao then continued, ¡°You will be given full authority over the Division and once someone breaks the rules, you deal with it. Also, you will have a bounty and a missions board that will offer these missions. As of now, amongst the Student¡¯s, Only Elders will be able to join the Roaming Dragon Division but even then, there will be several limitations. As for the Student that will assigned to you, they will take on the role of Deputy Head.¡±


    Hearing this, Instructor Sheng¡¯s and Enforcement Hall Chief¡¯s brows furrowed as Instructor Sheng asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little too much power to give to a Student?¡± Qing Zhao then smiled and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the student under you someone that is qualified to hold such a position?¡± Instructor Sheng could only shut his mouth as he could not say anything about it.


    Curo¡¯s current achievements were truly too dazzling to find fault with it. No student in the history of the Academy had achieved the feat of immediately ranking as the Number One of the Humans Ranking the day they entered the Academy. If his score was compared to the Earth Ranking, he would be at the decent middle rankings. This all combined with the fact that his strength had grown now, he could probably endure the 27th wave of the Purgatory Formation now.


    With a score like that, he could probably enter the top 50 rankings of the Earth Ranking. Thinking this far Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned complicated as he suddenly asked, ¡°What are we going to do about this brats growth?¡± Qing Zhao and Xi Qing looked at each other in confusion as Xi Qing asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°His growth for the next few year will be extremely rapid. Give him a year or two and he will beat the Battle Score of the Number One on the Earth Ranking.¡± Instructor Sheng then elaborated, ¡°The 5 to 10 years after Awakening Ones Dragon Form is known as the ¡°Rapid Growth Period¡±. His Fleshly Body, Cultivation and Comprehension Ability will rise rapidly. After the ¡°Rapid Growth Period¡± it will grind to a snails pace compared to before but it will still be two or three times faster than a Peerless Genius Level Talent.¡±


    He then looked at Curo with an awkward gaze and said, ¡°In this brat¡¯s case, it will be five to six times faster than normal cultivation speed of a Peerless Genius Level Talent.¡± Hearing this, Xi Qing looked at Qing Zhao with a complicated expression as well. If he truly managed to surpass the Battle Score of the Number One of the Earth Rankings, while he had only been in the Academy for a year or two, then wouldn¡¯t that be unfair to him?


    The rewards the Earth Ranking Number One received each month was over a dozen times more generous than a Human Ranking Number One. Qing Zhao rubbed the bridge of his nose and said with a heavy sigh, ¡°Seems like we need to readjust the Ranking Rewards as well to ensure fairness.¡± Curo let out an apologetic smile as he heard this.


    It seemed like the moment he arrived in the Academy, he had caused several headaches for the higher ups of the Academy. Taking the fact that he had been enrolled in the Academy for only a day into account, it seemed like an accomplishment in itself.


    Qing Zhao then turned to Curo and said, ¡°We also reached an agreement on your reward for placing First in the Entrance Examinations. It has already been delivered to your courtyard. Hearing this Curo nodded his head and Qing Zhao continued, ¡°For now, it would be best to wrap it up for today. Sheng Shi and Feng Mu, put together a list of names that you would recommend for the Roaming Dragon Division. Also Sheng Shi, make preparations for taking charge of this new Division.¡± Acknowledging the order, the two cupped their hands and gave a slight bow.


    Qing Zhao gave a nod to the two and after giving a glance at Curo, he sighed as he left the room with Xi Qing.


    After the two had left, Curo asked, ¡°I know that Instructor Qing is strong but why does it seems like he holds more power in the Academy than the Headmistress?¡±

 Chapter 15: Merit Points Exchange

    Hearing this question, Instructor Sheng and the Enforcement Hall Chief Feng Mu exchanged a glance. Instructor Sheng then cautiously asked, ¡°How much do you know about Instructor Qing?¡± Curo shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Not much, I only know that he is a close friend of Ancestor Jing and that he helped me pass through the Dragon Form Awakening safely.¡±


    Instructor Sheng then probed, ¡°Nothing else?¡± Curo shook his head and said, ¡°Nothing else. When I exited the blood cocoon was the first time I saw him. After that we immediately rushed here.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng and Chief Feng exchanged a glance again, as if debating on whether to tell him something or not.


    In the end, when they thought back to their Founder¡¯s movements these past year and his involvement with him, Instructor Sheng sighed and said, ¡°Qing Zhao is his alias. His real name is Xi Zhao and he is the Founder of Hidden Dragon Academy. As you presume, it would cause quite an uproar if it were to be known, so only Heavenly Instructors and a few other people know about it.¡± Curo looked at the two in astonishment but before he could ask, Chief Feng explained, ¡°The Founder has always been a little eccentric. From time to time, when he finds the right seedling, he likes to take charge of teaching the person himself. However, if it were known that he was the Founder, then it would cause endless problems. So, he assumes the identity of a Heavenly Instructor Qing Zhao.¡±


    Having it explained like that, Curo nodded his head in understanding. Jealousy and greed were the downfall of any man. To keep the Student¡¯s he would find good seedlings from being targeted, he uses as fake identity to teach them.


    However, his word is still law amongst the school. Every other Student and Instructor has to listen to the orders of a Heavenly Instructor. However, all of the Heavenly Instructors know his real identity and no one would be stupid enough to berate him. This was actually a pretty solid way of doing things. Even though he was using someone else¡¯s name, he was still up to date with everything that happened and he was involved in everything that happened in the Academy. Curo pondered on it for a moment but as it didn¡¯t directly involve him, he didn¡¯t care much.


    Instructor Sheng and Chief Feng talked a bit about the Roaming Dragon Division before Instructor Sheng decided to leave and let Chief Feng finish his work in peace. After Instructor Sheng and Curo left the Enforcement Hall, the two headed towards the interior of the Academy. More precisely, they headed to the new student¡¯s registration area. There, Curo would get his identity medallion, robes and also a few other things that all new students received.


    When they arrived in the registration area, Curo looked around and saw only a few people here. There were twenty desks and only a few of them had people still working on them. It was obvious that the bigger rush was over now. When Curo and Instructor Sheng arrived at one of the tables, the Senior Student in charge of it was nearly sleeping. Instructor Sheng coughed lightly to get his attention and when the Student raised his head, there was annoyance written all over his face. However, the moment he saw Instructor Sheng, his face changed as he shot up and greeted him.


    Instructor Sheng snorted coldly and said, ¡°This is the Student assigned to me Ji Curo. We are here to collect the Identity Medallion and robes.¡± The Student looked at Curo and hurriedly went to the back room to retrieve the things.


    Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°Next we will head to the Merit Exchange. Although you don¡¯t have much Merit Points now, if you see something that you want to or need to obtain for the future, it is better for you to start saving up now.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head and listened to the advice. The student had arrived back midway through Curo¡¯s and Instructor Feng¡¯s chat. His mouth nearly dropped to the floor from shock. Although Instructor Feng wasn¡¯t overly friendly or caring in his tone, it was obvious that he didn¡¯t talk to Curo in the same cold and annoyed tone that he used on everyone else. This in itself was as rare as seeing a Phoenix feather or a Qilin horn.


    He handed Curo the things with a complicated face and said, ¡°By binding the Identity Medallion, you will be officially recognized as a student of our Academy.¡± Curo nodded his head and infused some Qi into the Medallion to bind it. After binding it, information entered his head. Seeing this, the Student continued explaining, ¡°By infusing Qi into the Medallion, you will be able to see your Ranking, Merit Points and current Battle Score. Also, this Medallion acts as an identification inside and outside the Academy. All of the transactions will be strictly done via the Medallion.¡±


    Hearing this Curo nodded his head and drew the Academy Robes over his plain shirt and pants. After the Student reminded Curo not to lose the Medallion or if he did, to let them know immediately for a replacement one, Curo and Instructor Sheng left the registration area.


    As they walked towards the Merit Point Exchange, Instructor Sheng explained some of the rules of the Academy and various important locations to Curo. He only briefly mentioned the Mission Hall, as to Curo, it would mean very little. Most of his time would be spent on helping Instructor Sheng manage the Roaming Dragon Division. At times, if the situation allows it, he could take a mission or two but his main focus would be on helping Instructor Sheng manage the Roaming Dragon.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the two reached a giant multi layered colourful pagoda. As sign hung on top of the gigantic open doors that read: Merit Points Exchange. When Curo and Instructor Sheng arrived inside the building, they found it to be bustling with activity. In the front area, there was special area designed for Students to exchange goods amongst themselves.


    There would be some that quickly needed Merit Points for something, so they sold off something valuable to themselves or their family. However, there were also people that had managed to come across a stroke of luck during their missions outside of the Academy and obtained something rare that they had no use for, so instead of letting it gather dust in their hands, they opted to sell it. As Curo glanced at the goods being sold at the stalls at the two sides of the road, he didn¡¯t find anything that piqued his interest.


    He followed Instructor Sheng down the wide passageway to several counters at the back of the building. At these desks, a Student or an Instructor could exchange for materials they needed with the Academy. As Curo glanced at the items up for exchange, there were two things that caught his eye. An armour and a set of needles. As he looked at the description of the items and at the cost, he could only sigh.


    Both of these items were Top Grade Artefacts and their prices were also quite high. The set of Top Grade Flying Needles was priced at 1.3 million Merit Points and the Armour cost and extravagant 2.9 million Merit Points. Curo then looked at the Medallion in his hand and smiled wryly. He currently had 23 000 merit points. 1000 points were given to every Student that entered the Academy, 7000 were given for reaching 18 000 Battle Score and 15 000 were given to him for reaching the Number 2 on the Rankings. Tomorrow, he would get another 20 000 points for reaching the Number One on Human Ranking but these were all one time rewards. If he fell in the Rankings, he would not receive any more Merit Points, neither would he gain them if he retook his Number One Ranking. Even if he factored in the Merit Points he received tomorrow, he would only have 43 000 Merit Points.


    Seeing the wryly smiling Curo, Instructor Sheng turned his head towards the items that Curo had looked at. He knew he was in a desperate need for a Defensive Artefact but he did not understand why he was looking at the set of flying needles.


    Curo then turned to Instructor Sheng and asked, ¡°How many Merit Points will I receive for my duties as a Deputy for Roaming Dragon Division?¡± Instructor Sheng fell into thought as he said uncertainly, ¡°The Deputy of Foreign Affairs receives 10 000 Merit Points per month as compensation for his work. I think that it would not be less than that. There is a chance it will be higher than that because of the added responsibilities and obligations.¡± Curo nodded his head but he still felt slightly depressed. Even if he relied on the monthly pay from his Number One as the Human Ranking and the pay from his Deputy work, he would still be hard pressed to buy the things. He might not even be able to buy them before he graduated the Academy.


    Seeing Curo sigh so heavily, Instructor Sheng asked, ¡°I can understand the armour as you need a strong Defensive Artefact, however, why do you need the set of flying needles?¡± When Curo heard the question, he gave a vague answer, ¡°By luck, I managed to obtain a quite an interesting Art for flying needles, however, at the time, I was crippled, so I didn¡¯t research it much. At the time, I just thought that it was an interesting Art.¡± Hearing this vague answer, Instructor Sheng nodded his head and said resolutely, ¡°As a gift for becoming my Student and my compensation for the sleepless night you are going to have from now, I will gift you the Top Grade Armour. However, the set of flying needles are something that you are going to have to save up for by yourself.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo, the Student working the Exchange Table and all of the surrounding people were flabbergasted. A Top Grade Armour was at the minimum 2 000 000 Merit Points. To casually gift something like that away¡­. However, when they looked at the person that had said that, they felt even more shocked. Instructor Sheng was renowned as a cold and as a person with a fiery temper.


    It was rarer to see him calm than seeing a Dragon. For him to take the initiative to gift something to someone and to a Student none the less. From their words, it seemed as though Curo was assigned as a Student to him and when they thought back to the rumours of how every other Student that had been assigned to him had changed Instructors in maximum a month, they truly felt dumbstruck.


    They all gave Curo a complicated look as they felt a tinge of jealousy and some people felt greed. Curo then cupped his hands towards the man and said with a smile, ¡°I will have to thank Instructor Sheng then.¡± Instructor Sheng gave a merry laugh as he said, ¡°No worries, we are going to have to deal with a lot of bullshit for the next thirty years. In fear of scaring you off, I need to make you owe me one.¡±


    As Instructor Sheng joked around with Curo, the people around the two were rubbing their eyes. Had Instructor Sheng fallen on his head this morning or hit on the head by a donkey?


    They had never seen him act like this and much less with a Junior Student, someone that had just arrived at the Academy. If they knew that the two people in front of them would become the most feared people in the Academy in the years to come, they would most likely not feel that this was weird at all.


    In the next few years, the name of Ji Curo would take the world by storm as the person never to be offended in the Hidden Dragon Academy.

 Chapter 16: Entering the Purgatory Formation again

    Instructor Sheng flashed his Medallion to the Student in charge of the Exchange desk and said, ¡°I would like to buy that ¡°Asura Fiend Armour¡±. The Student¡¯s mouth opened lightly in astonishment as he accepted the medallion. After withdrawing 2.9 million Merit Points from it, he went to the back and retrieved a set of leather armour.


    After Instructor Sheng had appraised it to be the right thing, he handed it over and the exchange as done. Instructor Sheng then casually threw the armour to Curo and said, ¡°This was a good choice in armours, it¡¯s restriction of movement is minimal while offering an absurd amount of defence.¡± He approved of Curo choosing this armour and bought it purely because he didn¡¯t let greed overcome him.


    There were several armours that were much higher quality than this up for sale here however, they would hinder his movements too much and were very clunky for his battle style.


    His battle style was the kind that emphasized on movement, so to wear a heavy battle suit would be simply stupid as it would slow him down and negate the advantage of his battle style. Leather armour¡¯s were most suitable as they were light, durable and didn¡¯t restrict his movements.


    Curo accepted the armour and stored it inside his Spacial Ring. After doing so, the two headed out of the Merit Points Exchange. Curo currently had 23 000 Merit Points, just enough to buy a High Grade Courtyard. Although a High Grade Courtyard wouldn¡¯t amount to much, it was still over a dozen times better than the Freshman courtyard he was given. Inside each Freshman Courtyard, there was a Peak Low Rank Qi Gathering Formation.


    The Qi inside those courtyards was already several times better than outside, speeding up ones cultivation several times. Inside the High Grade Courtyards, however were High Grade Qi Gathering Formations. Training inside those courtyards shortened ones cultivation time by dozens of times. However, these courtyards weren¡¯t exactly cheap either. To rent a High Grade Courtyard, one needed top pay 500 Merit Points per month.


    To purchase a High Grade Courtyard for the remainder of their time in the Academy, one needed to pay 50 000 Merit Points. As for now, Instructor Sheng had decided to pay the remaining 27 000 Merit Points and Curo would pay him back when he could. Instructor Sheng had more than 100 million Merit Points but it was the thought that counted here. Tomorrow, Curo would get 20 000 Merit Points for ranking first on the Human Ranking. Couple in the rewards Human Rankings Number One gets every month, he would only need a month to pay him back.


    He couldn¡¯t gift everything for free to Curo, however, he couldn¡¯t really neglect him either. He was a talent once seen in a million years and he was also from the Jing Bloodline. Whether he wanted to or not, he couldn¡¯t help but dote on him a bit.


    With Instructor Sheng¡¯s help, Curo managed to purchase a High Grade Courtyard. After taking a look around the courtyard, Curo nodded his head in excitement. Seeing Curo act so happy, Instructor Sheng let out a laugh and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the Purgatory Formation. I want to see how high your Battle Score is. Also, I want to see how far you have reached in the [Nether Dragon Halberd Art].¡±


    Curo turned serious as he nodded his head and donned the ¡°Asura Fiend Armour¡± before following Instructor Sheng towards the Battle Hall.


    Inside the Battle Hall, there were over a hundred Purgatory Formations laid down and Curo followed Instructor Sheng towards one in the back, where there were the least people. When the Instructor in charge of the Formation saw Instructor Sheng come, his back was drenched in cold sweat.


    He had been scolded by the man more than once and that had left an impression on him. As he racked his brains over what he had done wrong, to warrant this Demon to come look for him, he was shocked to see that there was a young boy following behind him.


    When the two reached the Formation, Instructor Sheng said seriously, ¡°Give it your all and down worry about suffering injuries. Once you can¡¯t take it any more, I will pull you out before you come to any harm.¡± Curo nodded his head and stepped inside the Formation. The Instructor hurriedly activated the Formation and when Curo opened his eyes again, he was inside the desolate wasteland again.


    A voice sounded out, ¡°Your highest score is 18 Waves. Do you wish to start from the beginning or continue from the 19th wave?¡± Hearing this, Curo was surprised but he immediately understood why it was like this. It would be extremely unfair for people that had reached 45 or 54 waves to always start from the beginning.


    So the Academy had set it so that every time you completed 9 waves, you would be able to continue from there. For example, if one completed 26 waves, they would still have to start over from wave 18. However, if they managed to complete 27 waves before exiting, they could continue from the 27 waves he had completed.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Curo thought about it for a moment before he asked, ¡°Can I start from the 10th wave?¡± A monotonous voice answered, ¡°10th wave has been selected. The monster will arrive in 30 seconds.¡± Hearing this, Curo was surprised as he hurriedly withdrew his Halberd from the Spacial Ring and stored his Academy Robes inside the Spacial Ring.


    Curo stood there with a Halberd at the ready, wearing black, leather armour. On the Armour, there was the Academy Insignia embroidered with red. As Instructor Sheng observed at the outside, a small commotion rang out. All the older students and Freshmen all recognized Curo. From their Instructors they had heard that he would most certainly dominate the Human Ranking for the next ten years. When they had been shocked about it, they had simply explained, that Curo had reached a Battle Score of 18 000 with 98 Qi Kindling¡¯s. Right now, he was at the 36 Qi Spring Stage and his Qi was purer and more abundant than any other person that trained in a Top Grade Art and was at the 36 Qi Spring Stage. Hearing this, the student¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but have a complicated expression on their faces.


    Now that they had the option of seeing the person in action, they immediately took the


    chance. When almost all of the people in the Battle Hall had converged at Curo¡¯s Formation to observe him, he had already passed the 18th wave. The reason he had started from the 10th wave and not the 19th was because he wanted to test out a few things on weaker opponents first. The last time he entered, he had gained the knowledge of his Art¡¯s flaws. Using the insights he gained, he had managed to fix most of them but some flaws were still present. As he tested out these fixed moves and flaws, Curo couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Battle truly is the fastest way to help a person grow.¡±


    Whether it be their cultivation or techniques, only battle could provide the necessary stimulation for improvement. Now he understood why Hidden Dragon Academy only accepted 1000 Student¡¯s each year and why they put such an emphasis on Battle Score. It was to only accept the strongest and people most willing to follow the path of battle. The more they battled, the higher their Score and more the benefits, meaning that the faster their cultivation would be. This created an endless cycle of strong getting stronger while those that were lacking could only stare enviously from the behind.


    However, no one could blame anyone as everyone¡¯s Rankings and Battle Score were the direct result of ones own hard work. If they wanted to blame any one, they could only blame themselves for not working hard enough.


    With a loud bang, two shadows flew away from each other inside the Formation. On one side, there was Curo with a grim expression while on the other side, there was an identical copy of him with a blank expression. Curo stared at the copy and pondered, ¡°It knows every move I make and mirrors it. It has all the same equipment that I do, the same cultivation level and the same comprehension of Arts¡­.¡±


    As Curo thought that to himself, his eyes suddenly lit up as he muttered, ¡°Same comprehension, same flaws.¡± Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious as he charged ahead again and the dragon by his side locked with the dragon of the copy. After an intense bout of a hundred moves, the two separated again with a bang. However, this time, they didn¡¯t look the same. On Curo¡¯s face was a sly smile as a trickle of blood slowly rolled down the copy¡¯s cheek.


    Curo then thought to himself, ¡°The 27th wave is meant for one to see their own flaws and overcome them.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the thought of how many student¡¯s had remained stuck on this step. A Battle Score of 18 000 already let him sit at the top of Human Rankings without a care in the world. When he thought about how the top Score of the Earth Ranking was 26 000 he couldn¡¯t help but ponder what would happen when he defeated this copy of himself. Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious as he charged forward again, trying to discover every flaw of the copy. Every flaws the copy had in it¡¯s movements, Art, comprehensions was the same as Curo¡¯s. The more flaws he found, the more of them he could fix. The more flaws he could fix, the more he could grow in strength.


    After an intense half an hour fight, Curo and the copy separated again. Curo was breathing heavily while the copy looked at him with a blank expression. It¡¯s body was now covered in wounds. Some were deep, some were shallow. As Curo stared ahead with a grim expression, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He couldn¡¯t see any more flaws and if he gave up here, there next time he would come back, it would be more difficult than this time. Curo had a complicated expression on his face as he debated on whether to use his trump card or not.


    The next time he would come to the Formation, Curo didn¡¯t doubt that he might not be able to defeat the copy. Curo grit his teeth as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A moment later, his cultivation started to climb. 40 Qi Springs, 50 Qi Springs, 60 Qi Springs all the way up to 98 Qi Springs. He then opened his eyes and a tinge of pain flashed on his face. His body was bursting with Qi and if he didn¡¯t finish this soon, he would face extremely dire consequences.


    Without wasting any time, he shot forward, several times faster than before and charged towards the Copy. As the copy deflected the Halberd flying towards him, Curo¡¯s body used the momentum of the deflection and spun his body in the same direction. With a bang, a kick landed on the copy¡¯s ribs and the copy shot towards the ground like a cannon ball. Just before the copy could hit the ground, Curo appeared below with a red face and hit the copy in the back with a knee.


    As a sickening crunch echoed out in the desolate wasteland, a Halberd rained down from above with a swishing sound. A red line formed on the neck of the Copy and his head slowly slid off. With that, the Dragon fighting Curo¡¯s Dragon dissipated and the corpse of the Copy also dissipated. Curo breathed heavily as he sat down and hurriedly sent Qi into the [Dragon Cross Seal] and his cultivation began to slowly decline back o the 36 Qi Spring Stage.


    When his cultivation was sealed again, Curo spat out a mouthful of blood as he laid down on the ground panting heavily. His body was rampaging with immense pain and even batting his eyelids caused torturous pain for him.

 Chapter 17: Aftermath

    The entire Hall was completely silent. Every person in the room looked towards the screen that showed the battle inside the Formation with a shocked expression. The Instructor in charge of the Formation was shocked silly as he forgot to pull Curo out of the Formation before he got himself killed. He was no longer in any condition to fight. Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes were serious as his hand was covered in a milky white glow and shot inside the Formation.


    A giant white hand appeared from the sky and gently pulled Curo out of the formation. Instead of putting Curo down, Instructor Sheng let him gently float in front of him as he fished out several Pills and shoved them in his mouth. A few moments later, when the Pills started dissolving, Curo¡¯s complexion changed. At some point in time, he had passed out from the sheer amount of pain he had suffered. When Instructor Sheng saw that Curo¡¯s complexion turned for the better, he let out a sigh of relief before he sent a bit of Qi inside Curo¡¯s body to search for internal damages.


    What he saw, made his face turn grim as Curo¡¯s meridians were on the verge of being ruptured to pieces. His muscles and bones had been torn and broken from several places. He took out several other Pills and after feeding them to Curo, he sat down cross legged on the ground as he sent in small waves of Qi to help heal the internal injuries he had suffered.


    As everyone looked at this in shock, no one dared to make even the slightest of sound. Some people even held their breaths in fear of disturb Instructor Sheng. They had all seen the display Curo had put on, that kind of a Secret Art, that allowed one to explode in power like that was something that Curo¡¯s body should not be able to handle.


    As everyone waited in silence, time passed slowly and soon an hour, then two had passed. It was only then that Instructor Sheng opened his eyes and let out a deep breath of relief. The Medicinal Pills coupled with his first aid had managed to deal with more serious injuries and he had managed to make sure that there would not be any implications because of this in the future.


    After he opened his eyes, he stood up and started walking towards the exit, Curo gently floating after him. He brought Curo to the Healing hall that specialized in dealing with all of the injured Students and Instructors. It didn¡¯t take long for the word to get out that Curo had been admitted with serious internal injuries and was currently in an unconscious state.


    Hearing this, some people snickered at him overestimating himself while some breathed a sigh of relief. This was surely going to impact his future. However, everyone were curious as to what had happened to him. Soon another wave of shock took the Academy by the storm when someone discovered that the Number One on Human Rankings had exceeded the Number One on Earth Rankings in terms of Battle Score.


    When this fact spread out, no one could hide the shock on their faces when they saw that Curo¡¯s Battle Score was 27 000. Some people started making a fuss that it must have been a mistake and there must have been some kind of an error somewhere or that he had cheated somehow, however, those rumours were quickly drowned when the people that saw how Curo had fought heard them. They immediately started spreading word of Curo¡¯s battle to every single detail.


    When they told everyone about Curo using a Secret Art that let his cultivation temporarily climb to 98 Qi Springs, it left people feeling shock, fear and also dread. The 27th wave was named by the Student¡¯s as ¡°Battle with oneself¡±. Everyone who had reached the 27th wave at least once knew the difficulty of winning that battle.


    The Earth Rankings Number One had had the Battle Score of 26 000 for the last 8 years solely due to the fact that he had not managed to pass the 27th wave. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t tried, every time he could, he would enter the Formation to fight his Copy. However, he would always fall a sliver short and when he came back the next time, he would have to start all over again.


    While the whole Academy was in an uproar again, Qing Zhao heard of what had happened. His face changed drastically as he shot towards the Healing Hall like a shooting star; Headmistress Xi Qing was only a step late arriving. When the two had arrived, Instructor Sheng looked at Qing Zhao with an extremely cold gaze. Seeing the gaze, Qing Zhao could see that Instructor Sheng was extremely angry.


    With a freezing tone, Instructor Sheng asked, ¡°Did you know of this Secret Art?¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao struggled for a moment before he let out a deep sigh and waved his hand, putting up a barrier that shut out all prying eyes and ears. He then slowly said, ¡°When he exited the Dragon Form Awakening, his cultivation had climbed nearly to the peak of Palace Building.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng and Headmistress Xi both looked at he man in shock.


    It was obvious that this was the first time Headmistress Xi had heard about it. Qing zhao cast a complicated look towards Curo and the said, ¡°Ancestor Jing then used a Sealing Art to seal the excess cultivation that would cause harm to his body. He handed him a method to undo the seal temporarily should he need it in a time of need, however, I had never thought he would use it in a situation like this.¡± He sighed deeply at the last part. Although it wasn¡¯t completely true, the truth was something best kept hidden until the right time. None of the people present could ask Ancestor Jing whether what Qing Zhao had said was true or not.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    If Curo waked up, he would confirm what Qing Zhao had said. This was something that they agreed on when they were coming towards the Academy with Ancestor Jing. The truth of the matter was too important and they couldn¡¯t risk it being found out, one way or another. The less people knew about it, the better. Qing Zhao then said with a sigh, ¡°Curo currently needs to only focus on upgrading his body. When his body grows stronger and more resilient, he can gradually loosen the Seal to bring his cultivation forward.¡±


    Hearing this Instructor Sheng let out a deep breath. He then looked at Curo and several thoughts swirled in his head. Headmistress Xi then gave a hollow laugh and said, ¡°This boy is a walking magnet for shocking events¡­.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng and Qing Zhao looked at one another with a helpless gaze as well. The waves he set off this time were something that could not be so easily drowned. Qing Zhao thought back and couldn¡¯t find another monster like him in all of the History of the Academy.


    On his first day, he reached the Number One on Human Ranking. What¡¯s even more shocking is that the Battle Score he has is even higher than the Number One on Earth Ranking. Technically, in terms of Battle Score, he should be ranked Number One on the Earth Ranking. However, that Ranking is strictly for Senior Students. Qing Zhao then asked, trying to divert the topic from this headache, ¡°How are his injuries?¡±


    Instructor Sheng said, ¡°His injuries have actually been healed already under the Pills I gave him and the expertise of Healing Hall Masters. However, he is still unconscious for some reason.¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao furrowed his brows as Instructor Sheng continued, ¡°However, he is constantly revolving the [Dragon Human Unification Art] and all the flaws he had in his cultivation have been slowly fixed. Whether it is a conscious or an unconscious thing is unknown.¡±


    Hearing this, Qing Zhao frowned even harder as he couldn¡¯t see the cause of the loss of consciousness. As they were discussing this, all of the other Heavenly Instructors had arrived outside the barrier. Qing Zhao talked with the two a bit longer before he let the other Heavenly Instructors in.


    When the others arrived inside, Qing Zhao sealed the area again. He then turned towards Instructor Sheng and asked the wider circle of people, ¡°What are we going to do with his Ranking?¡± Hearing this question, the faces of the people present turned complicated. Something like this had not happened in the history of the Academy. Since this was a first, they needed to deal with it accordingly.


    However, considering the fact that another person as monstrous as him coming along in the future is rather non existent, they need to figure out how to deal with Curo, not completely rebuild the ranking system.


    One of the Heavenly Instructors, an older woman, said, ¡°How about we remove his name from the Rankings? He will be given the rewards on his Battle Score, rather than on the ranking itself.¡± Hearing this suggestion, the people present looked at each other with a complicated expression. Currently, this truly was the best way to resolve this. His performance was shocking to say the least.


    His score already passed the Earth Ranking Number One and given a bit of time, he will most certainly pass the Number One on Heavenly Rankings as well. This was going to happen when he was in his Junior years of Academy.


    One thing was that he would not have to do anything and just sit at the top of the Rankings to enjoy the rewards without much more effort. However, the other thing would be the mental blow to the other students. His accomplishments truly were astonishing and the Academy was excited to have such a monstrous genius however, they had 30 000 other students to think about as well.


    If there was no competition for the Number One spot, people would lose their motivation for it. Since they can¡¯t become Number One no matter what they did, what was the point? Such a mental blow could be quite serious the older the students became.


    Especially the current Elder Students. If they were passed by a Junior that had been at the school for only a day, how could they have any confidence in themselves? As all the people present stood in a contemplating position, a white light enveloped Curo. Instructor Sheng and Qing Zhao quickly shot towards Curo the moment they noticed it but before they could grab him, he was enveloped in a milky white glow. Qing zhao narrowed his eyes as he saw that the light was originating from the pendant on his neck. However, he had no knowledge of Curo ever having such a pendant.


    As he kept trying to discern it¡¯s features, his face grew solemn when he saw that the pendant was a complete copy of the tattoo on his shoulder. Seeing this, Qing Zhao¡¯s eyes flashed as he coldly barked, ¡°This room is now off limits to everyone. Heavenly Instructors are to guard this room with their lives and let no one in.¡± Hearing this, the Heavenly Instructors present paled. They had not heard this cold of a tone from the man in years and the last time they did, a bloodbath ensued.


    They hurriedly looked one another as they shot out of the room and into a defensive formation around the room. Only Instructor Sheng, Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi were present in the room besides Curo. As the white glow surrounding Curo intensified, Qing Zhao snorted coldly and increased the strength of the barrier surrounding them.


    As if a slumbering dragon had been awakened, the pendant on Curo¡¯s neck hovered in front of Curo¡¯s chest as many complicated and ancient runes circled around Curo¡¯s body. Seeing the pendant, Qing Zhao¡¯s eyes narrowed as he remember where he had seen it before. With a hoarse voice he said, ¡°Heaven Sealing Dragon Pendant¡­.¡±

 Chapter 18: The Realm

    Hearing the unfamiliar name, Headmistress Xi and Instructor Sheng both raised an eyebrow. Qing Zhao¡¯s face turned ugly as said, ¡°This is an incredible fortune for everyone in the Realm but a disaster for the Ancient Clans.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned cold as he asked, ¡°What exactly is the ¡°Heaven Sealing Dragon Pendant¡±?¡±


    Qing Zhao said with a cold face, ¡°The qualification given by the Realm¡¯s Will to fight for the position of Realms Lord.¡± Hearing this, the two people¡¯s pupils dilated as they sucked in a deep, sharp breath. Although Instructor Sheng wasn¡¯t as old as Ancestor Jing or Qing Zhao, he was still old enough to have taken part in the last Realm War as a Heavenly Sovereign. His hatred for the Ancient clans stemmed from that very same war. When the Realm War was about to be concluded, the Ancient Clans colluded with the Invaders to take down the Realms Lord of the time.


    As the Realm Lord fell, the Four Primordial Beasts that had sworn their allegiance to him had been sealed. The Primordial Clans established by the four were rooted up and slaughtered. Not only that but they had also managed to seal the Realm¡¯s Will somewhere. This matter had caused quite an outrage in the entire Realm with the 9 Ancient Clans now being treated as the plague.


    Although the Ancient Clans were strong, they were only strong enough to stand toe to toe with the 5 Ancient Academies. The roots of the Academies were far deeper than the Ancient Clans, tracing back to Primordial Times. The people that had graduated from the school, the Alumni, were still closely tied to the school.


    The Nine Ancient Clans had over thirty Heavenly Sovereigns but the Five Ancient Academies had over the double of that number of Heavenly Sovereigns if they counted the Alumni of the Academies. However, Alumni were still Alumni, people that had graduated and weren¡¯t enrolled any more. They were affiliated but they weren¡¯t a part of the Academies Forces.


    Suddenly, Qing Zhao¡¯s face turned sharp as an extremely overbearing and powerful Aura shot out from the Heavenly Hall of the Academy. There, a person resembling Qing Zhao shot out and to high in the sky over the Academy and shouted, ¡°You Ancient Meng Clan shit heads truly have balls. Since when is my Hidden Dragon Academy a place where you can snoop around as you please?!¡±


    As the furious shout echoed across the skies, another light flashed from the Heavenly Hall and stood at the side of Founder Xi. When the light dissipated and Instructor Sheng saw the person, his gaze grew complicated. The person was Jing Fang. Seeing Instructor Sheng¡¯s expression, Qing Zhao said, ¡°You can join us.¡± Instructor Sheng hesitated for a moment before a powerful aura shot out from him and he joined the two figures in the sky.


    While all of this was happening outside, Curo was in a weird mysterious space. The space was a bright space, filled with a hazy, grey mist. As he fumbled around this mist, he came across a figure, a figure with astonishing aura sat before him. When Curo first saw the man, he was stunned. The natural aura the man gave off was both serene and like a tempest. Calm, yet filled with rage, Happy, yet incomparably sad.


    As Curo was looking at the man, the man waved his had and Curo felt a tugging force, inching him closer and closer. When he followed the tugging, he realized there was a prayer mat in front of the man. He then sat down on the prayer mat and waited. After a short while passed, the man lightly opened his eyes that seemed to contain galaxies within them, ¡°You are different from the rest.¡± Curo tilted his head and asked, ¡°How so?¡± The man looked Curo in the eyes and said, ¡°Usually, when people arrive here, they first run around screaming, then sit in front of me terrified to death.¡±


    Curo shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°A lot has happened to me this past year. Honestly speaking Senior, I have gotten used to being tossed into one strange situation after another.¡± Hearing this, the man let out a chuckle and asked, ¡°Mind telling me about it? I have been here for so long I have even forgotten how long it has been. It has been a long time since I met another being who to talk to.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo let out a smile as he started talking about all the things that had happened to him. He knew what loneliness felt like, having no one to talk to, having no one to be around. After he had narrated everything that had happened, he paused for a bit.


    The man had been engrossed in his story, feeling rage when he told him his Father¡¯s Clan had crippled him due to greed and about his life as a cripple. He had felt joy when Curo placed first on the Examinations. He had felt amused by all the headaches Curo had managed to cause on his first day. Curo then asked, ¡°And might Senior be?¡±


    The man answered, ¡°My name is Long Heng. I was born to a small cultivation Clan, where every resource counted. When I was fifteen, while gathering herbs to increase my cultivation, I came across a peculiar pendant. The pendant recorded an Art that had a lot to do with Formations. By training in this Art, I slowly grew in power. First I became the Number One in my generation in our City, then I grew to be the strongest person in my World. During that time, I made many friends, several enemies, found love, lost it.¡± Saying the last part, the man¡¯s voice was filled with a tinge of sadness. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Curo calmly listened and waited, he didn¡¯t ask questions, neither did he intervene in the man¡¯s story. He then continued, ¡°Before I knew it, I had reached the peak of cultivation, the Heavenly Sovereign Stage. At that time, I found out the true purpose of the pendant. It was the key to entering the Realm¡¯s Will Space and having it, meant that you had the qualifications to become the Realms Lord.¡± Hearing this, Curo was astonished.


    The man then sighed, ¡°However, where there is power, there is greed. Some people didn¡¯t like the fact that I had grown so strong so quickly and annihilated my entire Clan when I went to bind the Realm¡¯s Will.¡± The man then looked up in melancholy and said, ¡°When I exited the Realm¡¯s Will Space, several hundred years had already passed. I only found the ruins of my home. Then I set out to destroy every person involved with the annihilation of my Clan.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes then began filling with hatred as he continued, ¡°By becoming the Realms Lord, I gained the ability to peer into the past and future. When I used this ability I was able to figure out who were involved. Then by using the power of a Realms Lord, I annihilated all of their bloodlines.¡± Hearing this, Curo shuddered. As always, the greed and jealousy of people are present everywhere, at any time, no matter ones cultivation.


    The man then sighed, ¡°However, I underestimated the people behind the destruction of my Clan. Once the Realm War started, they teamed up with the Invaders to plot against me and my allies. In the end, I was killed, with only a Soul Fragment being saved by the Realm¡¯s Will. My four Brothers, who I had grown up with and fought every bloody battle with, were sealed.¡± When Curo heard this, he shuddered for a moment before he asked, ¡°Ancestor Jing?¡±


    The man nodded his head and said, ¡°Brother Jing was my first sworn Brother, with who I have been through a sea of fire and over a mountain of knives.¡± The man then looked at the sky mysteriously and said, ¡°Karma and fate. These two things are intangible but ever present. The karma had been set in motion way, way before I was born. Only, it is up to you whether you can end this karma or be another stone on the road for it like me.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious as he said, ¡°What does Senior mean?¡± The man then said solemnly, ¡°This was something that I found out before I was killed; The Nine Ancient Clans are not native to our Realm but from outside.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo¡¯s eyes widened. Before he could say anything the man continued, ¡°More precisely, they are Branches of the Nine Primordial Clans. Those Clans each control several Realms and amongst the myriad of Realms are known as one of the Top Three Powers.¡± Curo¡¯s heart grew cold. This information, he wondered how many of the people knew about it.


    The man then said, ¡°Before I became a Realm Lord and was only a Peak Heavenly Sovereign, I travelled from Realm to Realm. It was then that I learned about the Three Monarchs.¡± Curo asked with suspicion, ¡°The Three Monarchs?¡± The man nodded his head and said, ¡°The Three Monarchs are the 9 Primordial Clan Alliance, The Heavenly Way Alliance and the Wanderers.¡± Curo took in a deep breath as he thought to himself, ¡°The world outside truly is bigger than the eye can see.¡±


    The man then said, ¡°The 9 Primordial Clan Alliance is as it is, the Alliance between the 9 Primordial Clans. The Heavenly Way Alliance is an alliance made up from various Realm Lords to stand against the rampant growth and behaviour of the 9 Primordial Clans.¡± Curo perked his ears as he listened but frowned when the man stopped there.


    He then asked, ¡°But, who are the Wanderers?¡± The man looked up and said, ¡°They are true war gods. They are all people that have managed to surpass the limits of the Realm and break through the Heavenly Sovereign Stage without becoming Realms Lords.¡± Hearing this, Curo was stunned. ¡°Didn¡¯t he just say that the Heavenly Sovereign Stage was the peak of cultivation?¡± As Curo thought that to himself, the man let out a chuckle as he looked up with a murky expression and said, ¡°One can fight agaisnt their fate but no one can fight the Heavens. So, instead of fighting, why not gently stroll along the path, Heavens created for you and see where it ends up.¡±


    Hearing this sentence, Curo was stunned. He didn¡¯t know where he had heard this sentence before but he had been extremely young when he had. He had thought that he had made this sentence up when he was young. Now to hear the previous Realm¡¯s Lord say this sentence¡­. The man then turned his gaze towards Curo and said, ¡°This is the one and only sentence to describe the Wanderers. They are a complete mystery in terms of cultivation, all that is know is that they are the Number One force without question. They alone can fight against the Two forces and force them to submission.¡±


    The man then gave a wry smile and said, ¡°When the fight happened countless years ago, there were only 12 Wanderers. With only 12 people, they dominated the two powers.¡± Curo felt his throat dry up as he asked, ¡°Do you know anything about the sentence?¡±


    The man looked at Curo with a complicated gaze as he said, ¡°Only he rumour¡­.. If one manages to comprehend the meaning behind this sentence. they will be able to break through the limits of a Realm and become a Wanderer.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face also grew complicated. Curo then remained silent. The man¡¯s eyes flashed as he said, ¡°You are an anomaly my little friend.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo tilted his head to the side in confusion. The man then let out a chuckle and said, ¡°A Wanderer has planted a seed in you which would help you break through the Limits of a Realm. However, at the same time, you have been chosen by the Realm¡¯s Will to succeed me in becoming a Realms Lord.¡±

 Chapter 19: Ones own thoughts

    When Curo heard that, he was dumbstruck, ¡°Planted a seed in me?¡± The man nodded and said, ¡°Yes, a seed in you. It is unknown how they select the people but through times, they select some people and implant a seed in them. This seed is harmless to you and will only show it self once you attempt to break the Limitations of the Realm.¡± Curo was stunned.


    He sat there quietly and then the man sighed as well and said, ¡°I know, this is all extremely far for you. You are only in the Foundation Establishment at the moment. You still have to pass the Core, Nascent Soul, Origin, The Three Saint Realms and the Three Sovereign Realms.¡± He then shook his head slightly and said, ¡°It is all still too far away for you. However, Since my Soul Fragment doesn¡¯t have long anymore, I have no choice but to tell you all this now.¡±


    Curo was startled as he quickly asked, ¡°What does Senior mean?¡± The man let out a deep sigh as he explained, ¡°The Nine Ancient clans are using a special technique to wear down the resistance of the Realms Will. If nothing is done, it won¡¯t last another month. Using the last power left in my Soul Fragment, I plan to send the Realm¡¯s Will to a safe location.¡± Hearing this, Curo gulped. The man then looked at Curo and said, ¡°As the previous Realm¡¯s Lord, I have no choice but to plead for you to take up my mantle. However, as a cultivator I wish for you to follow your own path and your own heart in your decision. For you, both the paths are open and it is up to you to choose which to pick.¡± Hearing this, Curo let out a sigh as he nodded to the man. He could feel the sentiments of the man.


    Although he wished for Curo to protect their home by becoming the Realms Lord, at the same time, he couldn¡¯t tell him to give up on the future of walking down the path of a Wanderer. After giving Curo one final glance, Curo felt his mind grow dizzy. When he felt his consciousness slip away, he heard one sentence, ¡°Tell Brother Jing I am sorry for what happened.¡±


    When he felt his mind clear again, he immediately shot up. When he shot up, Qing Zhao looked at him seriously but before he could say anything, his face flickered as he looked towards the sky with a complicated expression. Curo asked, ¡°Did someone from the Ancient Clans come here?¡± Qing Zhao looked at Curo with a surprised expression as he nodded his head. Curo sighed and looked up, ¡°He will withdraw soon. They have lost the Realm¡¯s Will.¡±


    Hearing this statement, Qing Zhao was shocked before he was astonished to discover that what Curo had said was true. The people that had come from the Ancient Clans suddenly paled as they hurriedly sped away without any care. Qing Zhao asked, ¡°How did¡­.¡±


    But before he could finish his sentence, Curo interjected, ¡°Can you have Ancestor Jing come here?¡± Qing Zhao was startled but nodded his head. When Instructor Sheng and Ancestor Jing walked in, they discovered Curo sitting up. However, the boy was different. His aura had changed. When before he was a resolute and serious person, now he had become muddled, as if there was something on his mind. Jing Fang looked at Curo and asked, ¡°You asked for me to come here boy?¡± Curo nodded his head and stood up.


    With cupped hands he bowed gently and said, ¡°Lord Long Heng asked me to tell you this; He is sorry for what happened back then.¡± Hearing this, Ancestor Jing paused mid step as his pupil dilated. He immediately glared at Qing Zhao but seeing the same shocked expression on his face, he realized that this wasn¡¯t something set up by him. When he thought about it, Qing Zhao was eccentric, yes, but he would never do something like this.


    Jing Fang then straightened his back and said, ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± Curo nodded his head as he narrated everything he had experienced within the white world filled with hazy grey mist. However, he withheld the information about a Wanderer having planted a seed in him. Before he could make up his mind on what path to choose, he would not tell anyone about it. Jing Fang let out a deep sigh after hearing the story and looked at Curo with a complicated gaze.


    He then said, ¡°Although I can feel that you left some things out, I will no privy to them. This is your own life, the decisions you make are your own. Just, what ever you decide, never regret that choice.¡± After saying so, Jing Fang stood up and left the Healing Hall room. Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi also exchanged a few words with Curo before they left but neither of them asked anything either. When only Instructor Sheng remained, he gave only gave Curo a long gaze and then said, ¡°As Ancestor Jing said, this is your own path. Whatever you choose, it will be your own choice. However, no matter what you choose, don¡¯t regret the decision afterwards.¡±


    Curo solemnly nodded his head as the murkiness started to slowly disappear form his eyes. Instructor Sheng then called a Healing Hall Disciple in and after she had looked Curo over, she allowed him to go. Instructor Sheng accompanied Curo to the courtyard and then said, ¡°Tomorrow, be at the office in the morning. I will have to deal with the Roaming Dragon Division paper work and things, so I am going to need your help in dealing with the usual paper work. I will try to help you out as much as I can but my main focus will be on dealing with the problems caused by the Roaming Dragon Divisions formation.¡± Hearing this Curo nodded his head and after Instructor Sheng warned him a bit about taking it easy and letting his body rest for a couple of days, he left.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    When Curo entered the courtyard, he looked at the lonely willow tree that was next to a small pond and sighed. When he went to sit down under the tree, he thought to himself, ¡°Of course they realized that something wasn¡¯t right.¡± He could only sigh to that as he sat down under the tree. As he gazed the quiet pond, his mind trailed off to everything that had happened in the past year. From the time he met Ancestor Jing to everything that had happened today, it was all like a dream to him. With only a year, he had reached this stage, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the Wanderers. The people that have broken through the Limits of a Realm and forged their own path forward.


    Deep down, he wanted to be like them, an unfettered, wandering soul. However, at the same time, he knew that if he did not become the Realm¡¯s Lord, he may never see his home again.


    From what Long Heng had told him, these Nine Primordial Clans were extremely ruthless and arrogant people. No matter which path he chose, he would still have to confront them. Sighing, Curo took out a wine bottle from his Spacial Ring and also fished out a cup. After pouring it full, he looked at the cup before slowly drinking it. As he savoured the wine in his mouth, his mind began to wander again. What made this so difficult were the attachments he had to the Realm.


    Had his Father been a cold and uncaring person, he would not have a second thought about which path to follow. However, it wasn¡¯t like that. His Father had always been extremely caring and protective of him. Even when he was crippled, his Father cared more about him than he did for his Clan. Another person like that was Jing Fang. Although they had met recently, he owed him far too much. It was only thanks to him that he could walk down the path of cultivation, while at the same time, he was the direct reason he had managed to survive the Spacial Transfer in the first place. If he hadn¡¯t been there, he would have bled out and died a dogs death on that day.


    Curo raised his head from the wine cup, seeing that it was half empty and looked up. The moon hung high in the sky with countless stars glistening in the background. As he looked at the sight, he muttered, ¡°I wonder what is out there¡­.¡±


    Just when he finished the sentence, a young voice, not older than his own echoed out, ¡°Each of those dots is a World. In each world, there are billions of beings alive. In each of those Worlds, there is war, there is love, there is hate, there is peace.¡± Curo didn¡¯t even feel surprised any more as he turned his head towards the sound and found a youth, no older than himself next to the pond. He had short, dark blue hair, fair skin, a built body and a longsword sheathed on his left waist.


    Curo produced another cup from his Spacial Ring and filled it. He then extended it towards the young man. The young man was slightly startled by the calmness of Curo as he sat down and accepted the cup. He glanced at Curo and just as he wanted to say something, Curo said distractedly, ¡°Every time my head is muddled, I meet you. Every time I meet a problem, I meet you. Who exactly are you?¡± Hearing this, the youth looked towards the sky as well and said with a bitter smile, ¡°I am just a wanderer, drifting from place to place with no place to call my own.¡± Curo then looked at the youth and sighed, ¡°You were the one that planted the seed in me?¡±


    The youth was slightly startled again as he nodded his head. He then said, ¡°The true world is far bigger than this little place. Here, the Nine Primordial Clans can throw their weight around with no care in the world but out there, they would be nothing more than dog shit.¡± Curo glanced at the youth that was slowly drinking the wine and asked, ¡°Why me?¡± The youth lined his gaze with Curo¡¯s as he said, ¡°To break the Limitations of the Realm, you first have to break the Limitations of oneself.¡±


    Curo raised a brow as the youth looked at his cup again and explained, ¡°One can fight against their fate but no one can fight the Heavens. So, instead of fighting, why not gently stroll along the path, Heavens created for you and see where it ends up. No matter the person, everyone has two fates; One is where they stay in their Realm and don¡¯t break the Limitations and the other is where they do.¡±


    The youth then took a sip from his cup and continued, ¡°For countless years, we have sought the end of the path before us but we never have been able to. Those that break the Limitations forge their own paths and by following their own path, can they truly be called cultivators.¡± Hearing this, something broke in Curo. Like a dam having been shattered, his mind entered a mysterious state. Seeing this, the youth let out a smile as he downed the cup in his hand.


    He looked at the empty cup and whispered, ¡°Good wine.¡± He then gently placed the cup down and rose up. He gave Curo one final glance and disappeared from where he stood. When he reappeared he was in a strange desolate land.


    He looked behind him and muttered, ¡°When the 13 Wanderers appear, the Realmverse can break it¡¯s shackles and join the true cultivation world.¡± Leaving that sentence behind, the youth disappeared again.


    Curo felt his mind lighten as he realized that he was only one grain of sand in an endless desert. His path was not something that someone else could dictate. His will was his own, his cultivation was his own and his path was his own.

 Chapter 20: Special Ranking

    When Curo opened his eyes, he could see the sun rising from the horizon. He took in a deep breath and after exhaling, there was determination in his eyes. Like every time before this, the youth always appeared when he was in the most dire need of advice.


    Curo couldn¡¯t exactly remember when he first met him but as far as he could remember, every time he ran into a mental wall, the youth would appear. He would leave behind a sentence or two that made Curo fall into this mysterious state. Every time he awoke from this state, his body felt lighter, his head felt clearer and his mind felt sharper. This mysterious state was actually Soul Cleansing. It was a very mysterious and envied opportunity for even Heavenly Sovereigns.


    Once on cleanses their mind of the various thoughts that muddled it and saw their own desires clearly, one would be able to break the Heavens Limitations. Curo stood up and looked at the empty wine cup standing next to his own wine cup. He sighed as he collected the wine cups and set his steps towards the Foreign Affairs Department.


    When Curo arrived at the Department, all of the Student¡¯s and Instructors present gave him odd looks. Curo didn¡¯t mind it much as he thought this had something to do with the performance yesterday. However, when he entered Instructor Sheng¡¯s office, he saw that there were two other people present as well; Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi.


    Seeing this, Curo slightly furrowed his brows but quickly fixed his expression as he cupped his hands in greeting and walked in. When Curo closed the office door, Instructor Sheng sized him up and down. He then nodded his head and said quietly, ¡°Seems like you found the solution for your problem.¡± Curo nodded his head and walked to stand before the table.


    Qing Zhao then cleared his throat and embarrassedly said, ¡°Boy, as you know, you have caused one shocking event after another during your one day stay in the Academy¡­.¡± He put an emphasis on the phrase ¡°One day stay¡±.


    Hearing this, Curo smiled wryly as he nodded his head. Qing Zhao then said, ¡°To protect the dignity and self esteem of the other Student¡¯s, we have decided to remove you from the rankings.¡± Hearing this statement, Curo nearly stumbled. Removed him from the Rankings? Had that ever happened before?


    Seeing the shock on Curo¡¯s face, Qing Zhao explained, ¡°You left us no choice¡­. Who told you to be such a monstrous little brat? We have to take the remaining 29 000 Students into the account as well. If you dominate all of the Rankings with ease, how will it provide the competitive environment that will allow the young ones to grow¡­.¡± Hearing this Curo could only sigh.


    His own performance had been too dazzling indeed. No matter how you looked at it, it was like Qing Zhao had said, him being such a monstrous genius would leave a scar in the other students. If they all only lived in Curo¡¯s shadow, how could they progress themselves.


    The Academy couldn¡¯t just focus on one Student and ignore the rest. They had to take the majority of Student¡¯s into account. Curo then asked, ¡°How will I earn rewards for my advancements in cultivation then? Wouldn¡¯t it be unfair to just kick me off the rankings and take away all the rewards as well?¡± Hearing this sharp question, Qing Zhao was startled.


    Curo had always been a mild person, every time he had seen him and interacted with him, Curo had been well mannered and courteous. Instructor Sheng however released a smile, ¡°Seems like the Jing Blood runs strong in this boy.¡±


    Qing Zhao then thought about something and said with a laugh, ¡°You will have a special ranking so to speak, you will earn monthly rewards based on your cultivation and Battle Score.¡± Curo opened his eyes wide as he heard that. He then let out a hollow laugh when he thought that the Academy had been forced to create a Special Ranking just for him so he wouldn¡¯t hinder the other students.


    Qing Zhao then said, ¡°Your Battle Score of 27 000 earns you 20 000 Merit Points per month, three days worth of time in the Undying Flame Formation, three days in the Eternal Ice Formation and one week in the Divine Tempering Lightning Formation. In addition to that, every month you receive one Top Grade Healing Pill and ten Dragon Swallowing Pills and ten Dragon Tempering Pills.¡± Hearing this, not to mention Curo, even Instructor Sheng sucked in a deep breath in astonishment. Besides the Merit Points, these rewards were almost identical to the Heavenly Ranking Number One¡¯s Monthly Rewards.


    HeadmistressXi let out a sigh as well as she continued explaining, ¡°You truly a monstrous genius and you warrant some special care. However, since we are still an Academy, the amount of care you receive will be directly related to your results.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head as he knew that they wouldn¡¯t just hand out the resources for free either.


    Qing Zhao then said, ¡°The monthly pay for your work as a Deputy for the Roaming Dragon Division will be 15 000 Merit Points per month. Depending on the volume of work, you may be given additional compensation.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head as it had been as within his estimation range.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Curo then asked, ¡°What do I actually do as a Deputy for the Roaming Dragon Division?¡± Qing Zhao gestured for Curo to sit down. As Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi sat down at the other side of the table, Curo went to the other room. Puzzled, Qing Zhao wanted to ask what he was doing but before he could manage to do that, he saw Curo exit with four tea cups. Qing Zhao then nodded his head and silently waited. When the tea was done brewing, Curo poured everyone present a cup before sitting down opposite of Qing Zhao.


    Qing Zhao then started elaborating, ¡°Your main responsibilities lie with assisting Sheng Shi with his duties. When Sheng Shi is out for a mission or unable to do his duties for some reason, you will be in charge of the Division.¡± Curo nodded his head. This much was a given, he still hadn¡¯t heard anything in detail. Seeing this, Qing Zhao continued, ¡°Mainly, you will have to organize the Squads. See that they are all properly geared, oversee the reports on incidents, administer punishment to rule breakers etc. It will involve a lot of paper work but you will be exempted from all of the mandatory Academy Tournaments and Events. If you wish to take part you can but you are not obliged to.¡±


    Hearing this Curo breathed out a sigh of relief. He was still new to fighting and he had only fought bloody fight to the death with the Xie Clan. He wasn¡¯t confident in being able to hold back and not seriously injure or worse, cripple someone by accident. In a Death Battle, there was no holding back but during a tournament, one false move may end with someone¡¯s life being forfeit. Curo didn¡¯t want to become known as the person that killed or maimed everyone he fought.


    Qing Zhao then continued, ¡°Actually, there is another reason besides this that I am here for. The Ancient Meng Clan has sent a rather serious request for their juniors to exchange notes with our Students.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face dropped. So did Instructor Sheng¡¯s.


    The last time they compared notes, it had ended rather ugly. At that time, Ji Long had dominated the Earth Ranking Number One and had quite a promising future ahead of him, however, due to the Meng Clan using some underhanded methods, Ji Long had suffered serious damages to his Origin Blood, that cut off his path. The Academy¡¯s Instructors had been outraged and had demanded an explanation. However, all they had gotten was an ¡°Oops, our junior didn¡¯t know he was so weak.¡± They basically rolled all of the blame onto Ji Long being weak.


    After that, the Academy didn¡¯t accept any request for their Juniors to compare notes. This time however, if the Academy rejected again, they would be throwing away all of their face. Although, the current Elder and Senior Student¡¯s weren¡¯t weak and were actually quite strong, the Meng clan didn¡¯t know how to control their Juniors.


    Qing Zhao then turned his face towards Instructor Sheng and said, ¡°This time, as the other Peak Heavenly Sovereign and the Head of the Foreign Affairs Department, your choice will be the final decision.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng frowned. ¡°This old bat is shoving all of the responsibilities onto my shoulders.¡± As Instructor Sheng thought about that, he glanced towards Curo and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Curo crossed his hands on his chest as he laid back a bit. He frowned in thought but sighed, ¡°You can¡¯t run from this forever. If they go around crippling Students again, we can just call the entire thing off and tear down any face they have.¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao let out and astonished breath and asked with narrowed eyes, ¡°How do you plan on doing that?¡± Curo smiled, albeit a bit darkly, ¡°It is known that they once went around crippling our Students, if it were to happen a second time, there is one good sentence for their actions.¡±


    Instructor Sheng then asked, ¡°What sentence?¡± Curo smiled evilly as he said, ¡°Once can be considered an accident, twice is a coincidence but a third time is deliberate.¡± Qing Zhao and Instructor Sheng exchanged a glance and Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°That is quite ruthless¡­.¡± Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi nodded their head in unison. If they spread this sentence out, they would tear the Meng Clan name through the mud. Academies were gathering places for students from all over.


    They had not received the same resources that the people from the Ancient Clans had when growing up. The resources the Academy gives may truly be more generous than what the Ancient Clans can offer their juniors but at the same time, they hadn¡¯t received this kind of care from the day they started cultivating. In a sense, Ancient Academies comparing notes with Ancient Clans was truly one bullying the other. However, they had usually been tactful enough not to take their strongest people.


    So these exchanges usually were some what friendly and ended in a draw like state. However, the last time, the Meng Clan had brought their most outstanding Juniors along and had caused severe losses for the Academy. Several geniuses had been crippled or maimed in one way or another. The moment this happened again, they can just call it off. If anyone tried to start something, they can just ask, ¡°Why send our Students to fight people that had been fed with a golden spoon their whole life?¡±


    The people that went to an Academy, most of them would leave upon graduation. Some would stay behind to cultivate as an Instructor or as an Enforcement Hall Elder. That was the difference between the Academies and Clans. If they spread the word that the Ancient Meng Clan was intentionally going around bullying others with their Juniors that had received the best care since day one, who could say anything otherwise?


    Qing Zhao then stood up and smiled evilly, ¡°Although, this may cause us to lose a genius or two, we can¡¯t always cower away.¡± Instructor Sheng nodded his head as he said, ¡°We can accept it and do as Curo said. Once they go overboard, we can call it all off and just rip their faces off.¡± Qing Zhao nodded his head and then gestured for Xi Qing to follow him as he left the room.


    Quite quickly, word spread out that a month from now, the exchange between the Hidden Dragon Academy and the Ancient Meng Clan would take place. As the Student¡¯s found more motivation to train, to wipe away the past humiliations, Curo spent this month quite leisurely.


    He was immersed in the paperwork as Instructor Sheng was busy dealing with the formation of the Roaming Dragon Division.

 Chapter 21: The Exchange begins.

    During this one month preparation period, Curo was buried in paperwork. In addition to the regular paperwork he needed to do to help maintain the proper functions of the Foreign Affairs Department, he also helped Instructor Sheng with forming the Roaming Dragon Division.


    It may have seemed easy at first but when they had all of the lists of duties they needed to perform, their budget, he people assigned to the Division and so on, it became harder and harder. When they had finally figured out how many people per squad was the most optimal and who was in what squad, they started dealing with the matter of finding replacements for the people that had been put into the Roaming Dragon Division.


    They had to assign replacements for the people that had been reassigned from the Foreign Affairs Department. This in itself was another head ache and required a week of sleepless nights to finally manage to sort it all out. During that month, the two practically lived inside the office. At night, they sat down and cultivated for a few hours to rest their body before starting it all over again before the first rays of the sun even shone out.


    During this month, Qing Zhao and the Chief Mu from the Enforcement Hall visited them at least once every day to either help them out or offer some ideas on how to assign the merits and squads and so on. Since Curo¡¯s name had disappeared from the Rankings and he had also disappeared from sight by being holed up in the office, people gradually forgot about him. He was still discussed but his name was overshadowed by the exchange.


    Some Student¡¯s even asked their Instructors on what happened to him and whether he would be taking part in the exchange. Their Instructor¡¯s could only sigh and say that he was a bit of a special case and as of now, he wasn¡¯t going to participate in the exchange. While most people sighed in regret, some people felt happy that he wasn¡¯t going to participate.


    However, Curo was oblivious to all of the things that were going on outside as he and Instructor Sheng were currently discussing on how long each Squad was to remain in an Affiliated Clan before they were rotated out. Finally, they agreed that being in the Affiliated Clans and Schools would be a mission that people Squads could take. The period of time they spent in the Clan would be determined upon taking the mission. As for the time frame, they decided that it would be between a year and five years. However, the Squad Leader has to tell them how long they want to undertake this mission for the moment they want to accept it.


    After that was agreed upon, both Curo and Instructor Sheng stretched. They had managed to work out nearly everything with some rules needing tweaking here and there. With the replacements being decided as well, the two could relax a bit. Just as they were thinking of enjoying the warm cup of tea in their hands, a knock sounded on the door. Hearing the knock, both of them flinched. During this past month, every time they heard the knock, it never meant anything good. It always meant more work for them, so they began to dread the knocking.


    When the door opened, Qing Zhao walked in and said, ¡°Today is the first day of the exchange. You two need a change of pace as well, so how about you guys come and observe the sparring between the Students and Meng Clan Juniors?¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng nodded his head hurriedly. However, the moment Qing Zhao turned around, his gaze turned malicious as he muttered, ¡°And whose fault is that we haven¡¯t been able to set foot outside of this office for a month?¡± Although the mutter wasn¡¯t loud, both Curo andd Qing Zhao heard it. Curo just smiled faintly while Qing Zhao let out a small whistle and played dumb.


    Over this last month, he had grown used to these kinds of exchanges between the two and to the endless rambling of Instructor Sheng. At times, even Curo felt sorry for the man before remembering, he was in the same boat as him. Curo quickly downed the cup of tea and followed Qing Zhao and Instructor Sheng towards the Dragon Arena.


    The Dragon Arena was a special place that was only used for Academy wide Assemblies or Academy Tournaments. The exchange between the Hidden Dragon Academy and The Meng Clan would also take place here. Since word of this exchange had spread far and wide, several other powers sent their Elders, also some Juniors to observe the event. Knowing the bad blood between the two, it was obvious that this wasn¡¯t going to end in a friendly manner, so many Alumni also arrived to attend.


    Should the Academy need it, they would lend a helping hand. When Curo and Instructor Sheng arrived at the Dragon Arena, the place was already packed with people from all around. In the fighting area, the top 50 Students from each Ranking were gathered outside the Fighting ring. They glared at the Meng Clan people on the other side of the Arena with malicious gazes as they wanted to wipe away the humiliation their Academy had suffered the last time. The behaviour of the Meng Clan people however left the entire Arena feeling shocked. The taunts, jeers and outright mocking of the Hidden Dragon Academy¡¯s Students made even the various neutral observers frown.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    When Curo heard the Meng Clan people, his face turned cold. He hadn¡¯t been in the Arena for even 10 minutes and he already had the urge to slap half of them to kingdom to come. Suppressing his murderous intent, he just gave the Meng Clan people a cold glance before walking behind the Instructor Sheng¡¯s seat.


    When the people from the Meng Clan felt the cold gaze pass over their bodies, they immediately shut up and looked towards the source of the gaze. When they saw Curo¡¯s cold eyes, they shuddered lightly. However, some eyes from the Meng Clan lit up when they saw Curo. All of the people present also directed their gazes towards Curo when they saw that the Meng Clan had been silenced with but a gaze. The boy didn¡¯t seem any older than the rest of the Junior Student¡¯s and he also wore the Student¡¯s Robes. After Curo had silenced them once, no more taunt or jeers came from the Meng Clan side. They all recognized that gaze, it was the same gaze their Meng Clan¡¯s Number One used to look at them, a gaze of indifference as if they were nothing more than ants.


    Unconsciously, they all released a breath of relief when they saw Curo walk towards the spectator area. They had a feeling that if they were to fight him, they would lose miserably. When Curo had arrived behind Instructor Sheng, both Qing Zhao and Instructor Sheng gave him a solid nod for his actions. All of the Student¡¯s however had an awkward face on. The name of Ji Curo had spread far and wide in the Academy and there was no Student that didn¡¯t know his name. On the Entrance Examination he ranked First on the Human Ranking. On his first day in the Academy, his Battle Score exceeded that of the Earth Ranking Number One. They all couldn¡¯t help but wonder how much his strength had grown this time.


    However, they didn¡¯t have a long time to mull over it as a Referee announced from the middle of the ring, ¡°Since all parties are present, let us commence this Pointers Exchange. Crippling or otherwise maiming attacks are forbidden. As fists don¡¯t have eyes, try to hold your strength back a little.¡± Everyone present could see that the second sentence was directed at the Meng Clan Juniors. However, this also brought many haughty smiles to their faces. Seeing this, the Referee sighed and said, ¡°Since the Meng Clan is the challenger, you guys send up your first contestant.¡±


    A youth with crimson red hair jumped up and landed in the middle of the stage. On his face, there was arrogance written all over it. He then cupped his hands in and said in a mocking tone, ¡°Meng Gu, 21 years of Age, who wishes to come and exchange pointers?¡± He then released his cultivation and the people from the Hidden Dragon Academy paled. Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes also narrowed as he said, ¡°81 Top Grade Qi Springs.¡±


    As the Juniors looked at each other is dismay, the could only sigh as a young man jumped on the stage. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°Fang Zhe, 23 years of age.¡± He then also released his cultivation but all the people present could only shake their heads. Although, he had 83 Qi Springs, from the purity of the Qi it was obvious that they were only High Grade Springs. Meng Gu only sneered and the moment the Referee started the fight, he charged out. It only took one palm and Fang Zhe was sent flying off the stage leaving only a trail of blood. Seeing this, the Instructor¡¯s face turned cold as the Healing Hall Master appeared next to him and evaluated his injuries.


    With a grim face she turned towards Headmistress Xi and shook her head. Headmistress Xi then coldly stated to to the man sitting next to him, ¡°Seems like your Meng Clan still is as strong as ever. I honestly wonder how you raise such strong yet unruly juniors¡­.¡± Hearing these sharp words the whole arena sucked in a deep breath. The strength behind that palm was an obvious and literal overkill. He knew that his opponent would not be able to handle this and would have serious injuries due to it. However, he still used it and the smile on his face showed that he didn¡¯t regret it either. The man next to Headmistress Xi however just let out a soft chuckle and said, ¡°That Junior still has a lot to learn, he got scared of the opponents 83 Qi Springs and he accidentally used too much force behind his palm.¡±


    As he slowly shook his head, Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned cold as he lightly tilted his head and said, ¡°Curo, would you be up for some exercise?¡± Without saying a word, Curo disappeared from his spot and appeared next to the person that was just about to jump on stage. When he put his hand on the latter¡¯s shoulder to keep him from jumping up, the youth turned around with a malicious gaze. When he saw that it was Curo, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let me go, that was my brother he just crippled.¡± Curo didn¡¯t even look at him, he kept his eyes on Meng Gu. Curo coldly stated, ¡°You are no match for him.¡± After saying so, he removed his hand and walked up to the stage. T


    he whole arena turned quiet as Curo walked up. Meng Gu¡¯s face was filled with ridicule as he said, ¡°Seems like the Hidden Dragon Academy truly has run out of talents. To even send a baby boy like this up to the stage to fight.¡± Hearing this, the Student¡¯s eyes grew complicated as they looked at each other. This peculiar atmosphere didn¡¯t escape the notice of the crowd as they wondered why they all had such awkward faces on. Curo cupped his hands and said, ¡°Ji Curo, 16 years of age.¡± After saying so, he released all of his cultivation and when Meng Gu detected it, his face paled. The people all around the arena sucked in a deep breath, ¡°73 Top Grade Qi Springs.¡±


    The Referee coughed lightly and raised his hand. ¡°Start!¡± The moment his hand fell, Curo disappeared, when he reappeared, a sickening crunch echoed out as Meng Gu shot off the fighting ring like a cannon ball and embed himself into the stone wall of the arena. Blood burst out from his mouth as he hit the stone wall.


    When everyone were looking at the scene with open mouths, Curo said in a cold tone, ¡°Oops, I overestimated you.¡±

 Chapter 22: The Exchange of Words.

    The whole arena stared at the ring in shock. Some even had their mouths open. For several moments, there was a deathly quiet all around the area. Some people that recovered from their shock fastest, hurriedly looked over towards the Meng Clan Ancestor.


    On the face of the Ancestor was a similar look of shock as the rest of the arena however, it was only then that they noticed that three people were smiling as if they had anticipated it; they were Headmistress Xi, Qing Zhao and Instructor Sheng. Seeing those smiling faces, they sucked in a sharp breath as they returned their gazes towards Curo. One of them muttered to himself, ¡°A simple ¡°oops¡± is not going to cut it this time.¡±


    As if on cue, the Meng Clan Ancestor shot up from his seat and stared murderously at Curo. Just as Curo felt enormous pressure weigh down on him, a cold snort echoed out from Instructor Sheng and the pressure was negated. Instructor Sheng then coldly said, ¡°We have never bullied your Juniors if they overestimated their opponents¡­.¡± As his words trailed off, everyone followed his gaze. At the other end of the gaze, there was a young man laying down on his back with a Healing Hall Elder working on his injuries.


    The older foxes present all understood what he was implying. When that Meng Gu had crippled that Student, they had not raised a fuss over it. Instead, they sent in a stronger junior. What really was a clear slap in the face was that the Meng Clan Ancestor had just said, that Meng Gu had been frightened by the 2 Qi Spring difference and had used his full force. Now, the situation was reversed, Meng Gu had 8 Qi Springs over Curo and he was the one embed in a wall.


    If the Meng Clan pursued this, then it was obvious that they weren¡¯t here for a friendly exchange. Everyone¡¯s eyes sharpened when they reached this far with their thought process. They were now waiting, how was the Meng Clan going to deal with this. As Curo observed the expressions of the spectators present, he smiled maliciously.


    He had successfully planted the seeds of doubt in the minds of everyone present. Now, depending on how the people of the Meng Clan responded, it could end very badly for them. When the Meng Clan Ancestor saw the situation tilt against them so much, he could do nothing but grit his teeth. How could he not see that they had used what he had just said against them.


    When he sat down, he threw Curo a malicious look but was even more infuriated when he saw the malicious smile, directed right towards him. ¡°This fucking brat! He is deliberately provoking me!¡± He felt blood slowly well up in his throat from anger. However, he pressed it down and didn¡¯t say anything. Seeing this, various people present let out a deep breath.


    They had clearly seen the provocation in Curo¡¯s smile. ¡°That brat truly has balls of steel to even dare to provoke that man even under these circumstances. Qing Zhao¡¯s smile had almost reached his ears as he wanted to laugh out loudly and rub this all over the Meng Clan Ancestor¡¯s face. However, a glare from Headmistress Xi kept him from doing so.


    Seeing as nothing more would come from it, Curo slowly started walking off stage. The Referee then raised a brow and said, ¡°Once you win in the ring, unless you are unable to battle, you are the King of the Ring and can not leave.¡± Curo then turned towards the man and said with a smile, ¡°I am afraid of that I might be too heavy handed for the Meng Clan flowers.¡± He shook his head and continued, ¡°I have only fought Life and Death Battles, I have a hard time holding back my strength. Even now, when I held back half my strength, that little green house flower ended up like that.¡± Hearing these words, the people present all sucked in a deeper breath than ever before as they looked towards Curo.


    One even exclaimed, ¡°Where the hell did they dig out someone with such a venomous tongue?¡± The people surrounding the man could only gulp and nod their heads. The ridicule in the boys voice was only overshadowed by the venomousness of his words. When the Elders of the Meng Clan heard that, several wanted to rush to the stage and slap the daylights out of the brat but were stopped the moment another snort rang out. When they looked over towards the origin of the snort and saw Instructor Sheng daring them to make a move, with great reluctance, they halted their steps.


    The Meng Clan Ancestor¡¯s face turned green as he asked in an enraged tone, ¡°I truly wonder where you managed to learn that tongue of yours brat.¡± Curo looked at the man with no hint of fear in his eyes and smiled innocently, ¡°But from the Great Meng Clan of course. I learned from the words they spat out before the matches.¡± Hearing this, nearly every person in the Arena was floored from shock. ¡°Does this boy truly not know what fear is?¡±


    The boy had ridiculed the Meng Clan with every single sentence that came out from his mouth. This wasn¡¯t a matter of not knowing ones limits but this was deliberate, outright slapping of the face. Each slap was clearer and crisper than the last and the people present were already afraid that if the boy opened his mouth the next time, he would directly spit on their faces. As they looked on in shock, the Meng Clan Ancestor leaked blood from the corners of his mouth.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He grit his teeth and said, ¡°Good, very good. Then I dare you to wait for a bit brat. Let¡¯s see how you do against the true elites of the Clan.¡± Hearing this Curo let out an annoyed sigh and said in annoyance, ¡°You old bat, when are you going to accept the face I have already given you and realize, each and every one of your Meng Clan¡¯s precious darlings is going to end up like what¡¯s his name in the wall.¡± Before the man could retort Curo crossed his hands on his chest and said, ¡°Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, however, a third time is deliberate.¡±


    Everyone sucked in a deep breath as they thought about these words and the implication behind them. He had already crippled one of the Meng Clan Juniors by ¡°accident¡±. The second time could be consider a coincidence but the third time would give the Meng Clan a reason to attack the Hidden Dragon Academy justly. If they still continued to push it now, then they would land in an awkward situation when Curo delivered on his words.


    As they looked at the Meng Clan Ancestor in amusement, they saw him hesitate. If he truly brought over the elites and they all ended up in the same manner, then what¡­. They could not seek justice as the boy had clearly negated all of the excuses they could use with that one sentence. If they still tried to push it after they all lost, then their Meng Clan would be seen as the villains.


    As he hesitated, Curo took the opportunity to continued walking off stage. The man then grit his teeth and said, ¡°Do you dare face off against the Meng Clan geniuses?¡± Hearing this, Curo sighed heavily as he turned around and looked at the man in the eyes again, this time his eyes turned from normal blue eyes into azure blue reptilian eyes for a moment. He then said with a wicked smile, ¡°If you lose, I hope you aren¡¯t going to hold this against me. I did warn you guys.¡± Hearing these sharp words, the spectators were at a loss already.


    This young boy in front of them showed not even the slightest bit of respect to the Meng Clan. A Paper Talisman burned up in front of the Meng Clan Ancestor and the man then smiled evilly, ¡°I hope you truly can act so arrogantly and disrespectfully when you meet the geniuses of my Clan.¡± Curo snorted coldly, ¡°Respect is earned not given. Your Meng Clan has done nothing but disrespect our Hidden Dragon Academy, why should I show any respect to you?¡± This one sentence silenced the whole Dragon Arena.


    Not even the Meng Clan Ancestor could find words to refute. It had been like Curo had said, they had not put the Hidden Dragon Academy in their eyes from the moment they had arrived. To them, these Students were all only mediocre people. Not even worth their attention, however, right now; Curo had exhibited strength far stronger than the Juniors that were present form his Clan. His tone and haughtiness¡­ Weren¡¯t they exactly the same as the ones they had used when they arrived and realized the strength of the Hidden Dragon Academy. Having their own words thrown right back at them like this made all of the Meng Clan Juniors fidget awkwardly. None of them had the strength to even stand in the same ring as Curo, to make him shut up¡­. That was nothing but a pipe dream for them.


    Meng Gu had been the strongest of the batch that had come and even he had lost as miserably as he did after one punch. How would they end up then? Not to mention, Curo had repeatedly said, that he didn¡¯t know how to hold back and every person that would step up the stage would end up like him or worse. As the awkward atmosphere enveloped the Arena, the Meng Clan Ancestor gnashed between grit teeth, ¡°Good, good. I would like to meet your parents to teach them a thing or two about manners.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    This sentence had truly enraged him however before he could retort, a man stood up from the standings. A middle aged man then said, ¡°He is my son, I would say your manners are lacking not his.¡± Hearing this sentence, every ones gazes furiously turned towards the man. When the man released his aura and people realized that is was only a Saint Realm aura, they shook their heads in dejection. Some times, it would be best to retreat and swallow the insults, rather than seeks his own death. Curo however looked at the man in surprise as he muttered, ¡°Dad broke through to the Saint Realm.¡±


    He then released a genuine smile towards the man and it was only then that he noticed a young man in his twenties sitting next to him. The man then glanced at Curo and smiled. Curo could do nothing but let out a deep sigh as he knew what was about to transpire. The Meng Clan Ancestor stared at Ji Long venomously and just as he wanted to say something, his eyes stopped on the young man next to him. Seeing him, the man¡¯s pupils dilated as his breathing got heavy. Just as everyone were puzzled, the young man stood up with a laugh and said maliciously, ¡°What did you Meng shits say about my Clan¡¯s youngsters manners?¡±


    As the sentence ended, a suffocating aura erupted from the man, the aura even enveloped and suppressed the aura of the Meng Clan Ancestor. As he people present were curious as to who this person was, the Meng Clan Ancestor shot backwards through the air, seemingly wanting to escape. Jing Fang waved his sleeve and the man stopped mid air. Seeing this, everyone sucked in a deep breath. Jing Fang then slowly rose to the air and walked slowly in front of the Meng Clan Ancestor and asked coldly, ¡°What did you say about my Ji Clan¡¯s Young Master¡¯s manners?¡±


    This sentence froze the entire Dragon Arena as Qing Zhao and Instructor Sheng could do nothing but smile wryly towards the actions of Jing Fang.

 Chapter 23: Genius of the Meng Clan; Meng Zhi

    When the Meng Clan Ancestor realized he couldn¡¯t move, his face turned ugly. He was only an Earthly Sovereign, he was no match for a Heavenly Sovereign like Jing Fang. That year, when they had sealed him, he had been present. Even the three Heavenly Sovereign Ancestors could only tie him down long enough for the other Sovereigns to seal him.


    That had only succeeded because the Han Clan had managed to tie down the other True Body of Jing Fang. Had they not done this, the Meng Clan would have been annihilated. Seeing this monster stand in front of him and question him now, he could do nothing but cower in fear. As everyone were looking at the turn of events, Jing Fang asked again coldly, ¡°Who is it that is lacking in manners?¡±


    Hearing this, the Meng Clan Ancestor could only lower his head and weakly reply, ¡°It is my Meng Clan.¡± Hearing this sentence, the whole Arena was stunned. To force the arrogant and haughty Meng clan to lower their heads like this, just who was this young man? Curo however just looked at it coldly. He knew of the bad blood between the two and Curo was surprised that Jing Fang hadn¡¯t killed the man and the Meng Clan Juniors already.


    Jing Fang then said, ¡°Today, I will not pursue the matter all those years ago and the destruction of my Jing Clan. However, in the near future, I am going to demand an explanation from you Foreigner.¡± Hearing the word ¡°Foreigner¡± from Jing Fang¡¯s mouth, the man¡¯s face paled. If the word got out that the Nine Clans weren¡¯t native to the Realm, every single native cultivator would band against them to either annihilate them or chase them out of the Realm. If that happened, all the years of hard work they had put into trying to subdue this Realm would be for naught.


    Jing Fang then released the man and said, ¡°I wish to exactly see how strong the Geniuses of your Meng Clan are. If they manage to defeat my Clan¡¯s Curo, then I will never pursue those two matters from all those years ago.¡± Hearing this, the Meng Clan¡¯s Ancestor¡¯s face turned cunning, ¡°However, if you lose, then I truly wish to hear what explanation you have for the actions back then.¡± Hearing this, both Qing Zhao¡¯s and Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes turned sharp. They had talked with Jing Fang about this and after careful planning and deliberating with the other 5 Ancient Academies, they reached an agreement.


    Since the Hidden Dragon Academy was the strongest of the 5 and also the only combat oriented Academy, they will make the first move. Their only purpose was to push the Nine Ancient Clans to take action. Once they took action, the Five Academies would declare war on the Nine Ancient Clans and release the information about the Nine Ancient Clans originating from outside the Realm.


    The Meng Clan Ancestor grit his teeth as a Paper Talisman burned up in his sleeve, invisible to others. He had used this chance to brief the Heavenly Sovereigns about Jing Fang¡¯s appearance. It was obvious that accompanying the Geniuses of the Clan would be the Three Heavenly Sovereigns of Meng Clan. However, unknown to the man, this was exactly what the 5 Ancient Academies were aiming for. This whole facade of Juniors exchanging pointers was to force the Meng Clan to make a move. If they took this laying down then the 5 Ancient Academies would just release the information about the last Realm War and the origin of the Nine Ancient Clans and their goal.


    Once Curo had brought them the information that the Nine Ancient Clans had not originated from their Realm, a lot of pieces of the puzzle fell into place by themselves. Then using all of their resources, the other Four Academies had managed to track down the sealing locations of the three other Heavenly Beasts and managed to get them out of there. Then, slowly, they nurtured them back to health and currently, the 5 Ancient Academies were completely confident in being able to wipe out the Nine Ancient Clans.


    Their biggest worry however was the next Realm War. If they did not manage to uproot the Nine Clans by that time, then they would most certainly lose this Realm War. Once they did, the inhabitants of the Realm would become slaves. As they were not willing to see that happen, they could only force the Nine Ancient Clan¡¯s hand before that. As the whole Arena waited in complete silence, a giant floating ship appeared in the sky. On the sail, there was a giant ¡°Meng¡± written with huge bold letters. Seeing this ship, Qing Zhao snorted, ¡°Pfft, show off¡¯s.¡±


    Instructor Sheng heard him clearly and released a wry smile to the statement. Suddenly, three people flew down from the ship and stood up in mid air with arrogant expressions. When Qing Zhao, Jing Fang and Instructor Sheng saw this, their faces grew cold, as a thunderous voice boomed out from the Heavenly Hall, ¡°If you want to fight, then lets fight, however, you pipsqueaks are not strong enough to put on airs here!¡± As the thunderous roar echoed out, the faces of the three men changed. They could feel that besides Jing Fang, there were two more Peak Heavenly Sovereigns here. If it truly came down to a fight, then their Meng Clan was destined to lose miserable.


    Jing Fang himself could tie the three of them down¡­. If they factored the two other Heavenly Sovereigns into the equation, then they would be hard pressed to even survive.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The three men then descended and after the Earlty Sovereign of the Meng Clan had briefed them of what Jing Fang had said, their faces turned serious. It was obvious that Jing Fang was trying to force their hand. One of the men¡¯s eyes turned sharp as he gazed towards Qing Zhao. He then said solemnly, ¡°Since the Hidden Dragon Academy is allowing him to do as he pleases, it is obvious that they are in it together¡­.¡± As he said that, the two others nodded their heads as one added, ¡°It isn¡¯t unlikely for the other four Academies to be in it as well.¡±


    When their discussion reached this far, their faces turned ugly. First the Realm¡¯s Will had escaped their grasp just before they managed to subjugate it, then Jing Fang appeared out of the blue, now this¡­. One of the men grimly said, ¡°Let¡¯s have Meng Zhi cripple the brat. When he wins, we will have a bit of time to notify the other Clans and prepare for the imminent war.¡± The other two nodded their heads and one beckoned his hand towards the ship. A young man, no older than 25 jumped down and landed near them, he cupped his hands in greeting and the man said, ¡°No matter what method you have to use, kill him.¡±


    When the young man heard this, his face turned cold and after nodding, descended to the Arena. The young man sized up Curo and Curo nonchalantly sized him up as well. Curo¡¯s face turned serious as he took off his Student Robes and revealed the Asura Fiend Armour. With but a wave of his hand, the black halberd appeared in his hand as well. Curo thought to himself, ¡°This fellow is at the Early Stages of Palace Building. If I wish to win against him, I need to use some tricks of my own.¡±


    Meng Zhi¡¯s face didn¡¯t change one bit as a red longsword appeared in his hand. The Referee looked at the two and raised his hand. The moment his hand fell, the two disappeared form their ends of the Arena. A bang echoed out as a dust cloud was kicked up in the middle of the ring.


    When people looked through the dust, they discovered, that the red long sword was push down against the ground by the halberd. The two were in a deadlock as they were glaring into each other¡¯s eyes. When the seniors present saw this, they sucked in a deep breath as they looked at Curo as though he was a monster. To go toe to toe with someone that is a Stage above him and not lose one inch of ground was something truly astonishing. While Meng Zhi¡¯s face showed surprise, Curo¡¯s face was grim. Although, they were evenly matched at this probing attack, Curo had used all his strength in the hit. Neither of them had infused any Qi into the attack and they had been evenly matched.


    Curo then flicked his hand and the other end of the halberd charged out in a swinging motion. The youth¡¯s eyes turned serious as he jumped backwards to dodge the sweep. Just when he landed, Curo disappeared from his sight. Meng Zhi suddenly felt a hint of danger from behind him and as he turned around in a hurry, his longsword released a long red light beam that went to meet the danger. However, when he saw that what was attacking him was a nearly corporeal dragon, his pupils dilated.


    When the red light beam met the dragon, a ¡°Bang!¡± sounded out as another cloud of dust was kicked up. However, as Meng Zhi was looking around, he didn¡¯t find any sight of Curo.


    Suddenly, he felt an extreme amount of danger from above and as he looked up, his mouth opened slightly in surprise. Curo was charging down with azure blue reptilian eyes staring intently at him. However, what made Meng Zhi feel danger weren¡¯t the eyes or the halberd piercing towards him but the twelve corporeal pitch black dragon¡¯s that were piercing through the sky towards him. As he jumped back to dodge the dragons coming from above, Curo smiled as he flicked a finger and a black corporeal dragon shot out from the dust cloud form before.


    As that dragon flanked him from behind, Meng Zhi grit his teeth and produced a shield with his hand. The shield smashed into the ground and created a protective barrier all around him. Seeing this, Curo clicked his tongue and sent the thirteen dragons charging forward towards the protective barrier. As the dragons smashed into the barrier, the barrier trembled and sunk into the ground, creating a crater in it¡¯s wake. Curo landed in front of the barrier and looked at it coldly. When he saw the sorry figure inside the barrier, he said, ¡°I refuse to believe that you can hole up in there forever.¡±


    With that, he raised his halberd and pointed it to the sky, Thirteen dragons appeared in the sky and took on a weird formations as they left the centre area empty. Suddenly, the dragons all pointed their mouths towards the middle and spat out black flames. When these flames combined together, they formed a black ball in the sky. As more flames were absorbed by the ball, the ball rapidly grew in size but a moment later, compressed together. It grew and compressed several times before the energy vibrations emitted from the black ball made even Core Formation Elders feel a hint of danger.


    Curo¡¯s eyes then flashed as he said hoarsely, ¡°Divine Wrath of the Thirteen Nether Dragons!¡± With that, he furiously slashed the GuanDao Halberd downwards to point towards the barrier. The moment the Halberd fell, the ball shook violently as it released a beam of pitch black energy. When the beam hit the barrier, the barrier shook even more violently than before as it was shoved deeper underground by the fierce energy beam. Slowly, cracks started emerging from the barrier and after the first crack had appeared, like a chain reaction, the entire barrier was covered in cracks and a moment later, it was shattered. A moment after the barrier shattered, all of the energy hit Meng Zhi head on. After a few moments, the energy beam slowly shrunk in size and when it was completely gone, Curo fell onto one knee and used the GuanDao Halberd as support.


    He took rapid, deep breaths as his body was completely covered in sweat. His face was pale and his body was completely devoid of any Qi fluctuations.


    However, the moment he caught his breath, an almost maniacal laughter rang out from deep within the pit, ¡°Good! Good! Good! I can¡¯t remember the last time someone forced me to use my full strength.¡±

 Chapter 24: The Finale

    When Curo heard this voice, he looked up at the figure that shot out from the crater with a serious gaze. Unsteadily, he rose up and evaluated the sorry figure in the sky. His robes had been torn to tatters, his chest and right hand were covered in blood, here was even blood leaking form the corners of his mouth. However, the look in his eyes¡­. The look of intense will to fight, to slaughter, to kill. However, there lacked any sort of malice in his eyes.


    To Curo, the figure in front of him seemed like a wild animal. Curo gripped the halberd so hard that his knuckles became white. Although he hadn¡¯t expected to kill the person, he had expected for him to end up grievously injured, unable to fight any more. The [Divine Wrath of the Thirteen Nether Dragons] could be considered his strongest move. It was the ultimate, final ability of the [Thirteen Nether Dragon Halberd Sutra] and although he couldn¡¯t exhibit it¡¯s full might due to his lacking cultivation and expertise of the Art, it should have been more than enough to make Meng Zhi retreat.


    As Curo stared grimly at the bloodthirsty monster ahead of him, Qing Zhao looked at the situation grimly. He then looked at the pieces of the broken shield thrown around the battlefield and grimaced. He, as a Heavenly Sovereign, knew the best that Meng Zhi would not have been able to endure the blow if it hadn¡¯t been for that shield. He then glanced towards the three Heavenly sovereigns from the Meng Clan and when he saw their faces were ugly, he had a bit of satisfaction on his face.


    A Top Grade Artefact was meant for Origin Realm people to use, as they could bring out most of their potential. To a Saint Realm cultivator, a Top Grade Artefact was lacking. They used used Saint Realm Artefacts and Sovereign Realm people usually used Sovereign Artefacts. The difference between these was that, Top Grade Artefacts were not nurtured.


    Only when someone enters the Saint or Sovereign Realm can they nurture Artefacts with Saint or Sovereign Energy. By adding on some Heavenly Treasures, they can raise the grade of the Artefacts several fold. Even the weakest of Sovereign Artefacts could smash a Top Grade Defensive Artefact to pieces in one hit. This was was the difference of quality. There were other differences amongst the Sovereign and Saint Artefacts as well, like, the purity of Qi, the attribute and so on. These all played a role in terms of an Artefact Strength.


    With one glance, he could see that the shield Meng Zhi had produced had been made from the materials that were essential for an Artefact to ascend to the Saint Grade. Now that it laid in pieces all around, it was obvious that it the Meng Clan had bled heavily.


    Ji Long stood in the standings and clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood. He stared at Curo with a proud look. However, at the same time, in his look, there was a tinge of pain. This pain wasn¡¯t because Curo was a monstrous Genius but because of the hardships he would have to face from now on. Ji Long knew he was weak, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to stand up to the Meng Clan, to protect his own son. He could only rely on others to protect his son and it frustrated him.


    He had only broken through to the Saint Realm recently, he was nowhere near strong enough to fight against the Sovereigns that the Meng Clan was bound to send out to kill his son. As he stared at his son, standing in the ring with a grim face, toe to toe against the strongest of a Generation, he felt proud. However, he couldn¡¯t feel joy. Jing Fang had told him that once this ¡°exchange of pointers¡± ended, the Five Academies and the Nine Ancient Clans would go to war. As a Saint Realm cultivator, he was nothing more than cannon fodder in this war.


    Just as he stared at his own hands, hint of weakness in his eyes, a voice sounded out next to him, ¡°Your son is strong. You are strong, you should feel proud.¡± Hearing this, Ji Long looked to his side and saw a blue haired young man looking at the stage with a hint of smile, ¡°Your boy won¡¯t lose. If that was all he had to offer, he could never break the Limits of a Realm.¡± As the boy gave a mysterious smile to Ji Long, Ji Long¡¯s face suddenly changed to astonishment as he looked towards the Ring. Curo was standing tall, with his back straight and his Qi was rising. From the Qi Spring Stage, it entered Qi Sea Stage, then his aura climbed all the way to the Peak of Palace Building.


    Sensing this, Ji Long¡¯s eyes turned wide as a voice sounded out next to him, ¡°Every person has a fate, Seer¡¯s can observe the fate of a person. However, once a Seer can¡¯t observe a person¡¯s fate, it means that even the Heaven¡¯s aren¡¯t qualified to dictate his path.¡± When Ji Long heard this sentence, he hurriedly looked towards the youth but he was gone. Suddenly, a voice sounded out in his head, ¡°There is some good Karma between me and Curo. I gift this to you, how much you can comprehend will all be up to you.¡± Suddenly, information entered Ji Long¡¯s head and as he closed his eyes to slowly comprehend it, Curo looked ahead grimly.


    His body was swelling with power as it exhibited the strength of a Peak Palace Building Cultivator. Everyone that felt the aura were nearly floored form the shock. ¡°How many more tricks up his sleeve does this brat have?¡± As this thought wandered in everyone¡¯s head, it was obvious that hey could see that his was a Secret Art. Curo could not withstand the cultivation for long and it was bound to leave some hidden injuries to him. Seeing the rise in Curo¡¯s cultivation, Meng Zhi let out a maniacal laugh again and said, ¡°Good. That¡¯s how it is supposed to be. Now let me taste your blood.¡± Saying that, he ran his tongue over the scarlet of his blade in excitement.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He charged forwards and slashed and hacked at Curo with wild. GuanDao Halberd¡¯s excelled in redirecting their opponents moves and using the momentum gained from them to launch counter attacks. While Meng Zhi was attacking, he paid no attention to Curo¡¯s counter attacks. His body soon became filled with one wounds on top of another however, what made Curo more grim was that the person seemed to enjoy it. Every time he cut the person, he would smile brighter as his attacks got fiercer and fiercer. However, it wasn¡¯t as though this battle was without benefits for Curo. The more he fought, the more his body got used to the Cultivation.


    He had made quite significant advancements in his body refining during this one month, however, he hadn¡¯t had the time to loosen the seal much. So, all the time he spent cultivating was cultivating his body. The rise in cultivation was something that came along with it. Now, he felt that although his body may not be able to handle the Peak Palace Building Qi inside him, it may be able to handle Mid or Early stage of Palace Building.


    However, the more he fought Meng Zhi, the more his body grew accustomed to it. After a while, he was able to exhibit the full prestige of Palace Building and the Ring couldn¡¯t handle it any more and was reduced to rubble. Seeing this turn of events, the three Heavenly Sovereigns of the Meng Clan turned grim. Although they still seemed to go blow for blow, they could see that Curo was growing more and more adjusted to cultivation while Meng Zhi was suffering more injuries. As he suffered more injuries, his speed and ferocity started to slowly decline. It wasn¡¯t obvious but if one observed intently enough, they could make it out. After exchanging countless blows, Curo and Meng Zhi separated for the first time.


    They stared at each other and Curo could only look at the person with a complicated gaze. When in the beginning he would use Sword Arts and techniques; the more the fighting dragged on, the less he used them. He would start relying more and more on raw strength and primal instinct. Now, Curo looked towards the Referee with a complicated gaze. The Referee returned the gaze but could only sigh. If this dragged on then Meng Zhi would be either killed or crippled.


    If this was a normal exchange, he would have stopped the fight long ago as it was obvious that Meng Zhi could not continue fighting. However, when he looked towards the three Heavenly Sovereigns in the sky, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh even deeper. From the moment Curo stepped on stage, he had become akin to an ornament.


    If he stopped the fight now, then those three Heavenly Sovereigns would raise a fuss. He was only a Saint Realm cultivator, he didn¡¯t have the means to quibble with them. So, with a helpless look, he could only take a step back, indicating to Curo that there was nothing he could do.


    Seeing this, Curo sighed as well as he took a long look at the person ahead of him. He didn¡¯t have any malice towards the other, he didn¡¯t have the arrogance of the rest of the Meng Clan, neither did he have the overbearingness. From his fighting, and the many scars adorning his body, it was obvious that he was no stranger to Life and Death Battles. He had a certain amount of respect towards the other as it seemed like he was a stranger of the Meng Clan.


    Suddenly, Meng Zhi fell to his knees and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Seeing this, Curo didn¡¯t move, neither to attack or help him. Just as he was about to topple over, a voice rang out from one of the Meng Clan¡¯s Heavenly Sovereigns, ¡°Get up you worthless mixed blood.¡± Hearing this, Curo furrowed his brows as he looked towards Jing Fang. Jing Fang also furrowed his brows as he coldly snorted. Hearing this snort, the three Heavenly Sovereigns looked towards Jing Fang with malice.


    Curo then said to the other in a clam voice, ¡°If we continue, you will die.¡± Hearing this, the entire Arena had a serious expression on. What Curo said wasn¡¯t a death threat but from the injuries of the person it was obvious that he was at his limit. If he stood up to continue fighting, then without Curo even attacking once, he would soon bleed out and die.


    Everyone glanced at the Heavenly Sovereigns of the Meng Clan and grimaced. It was obvious that they had no intention of letting him stop. Meng Zhi tired to stand up but buckled down again as he coughed another mouthful of blood. The same Sovereign then barked, ¡°Get up and fight you ingrate. We took you in when your father violated the Clan Laws and had an abomination like you. Get up and fight.¡± Hearing this, Meng Zhi, grit his teeth and tried to stand up again, seeing this, Curo¡¯s eyes turned cold as he walked up to him and using the blunt end of his Halberd, knocked him out cold.


    Without missing a beat, he looked towards the three Heavenly Sovereigns and said coldly, ¡°From today onwards, he is my brother. You Foreigners from outside the Realm can piss off back to your Primordial Ancient Clans.¡± Hearing this, Jing Fang looked at Curo in surprise, however, he didn¡¯t say anything to stop. him Ji Long had awoken from his trance just to see the finale of the battle. Hearing Curo say that, he didn¡¯t flinch either.


    He had seen the determination in the latter¡¯s eyes. There had been no malice in them, just determination to win. The Heavenly Sovereign pointed his finger towards Curo and said, ¡°You-¡± However, his words were cut off by Jing Fang saying, ¡°You pieces of shit don¡¯t deserve a talent like him. Clan Leader Ji, Young Master has said that he will be his brother, do you accept it?¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes turned towards Ji Long and Ji Long appeared next to Meng Zhi and Curo.


    He nodded at Curo and looked towards the three Heavenly Sovereigns with a smile, ¡°From today onwards, he will be the adopted son of me, Ji Long.¡±

 Chapter 25: Aftermath of the fight; Beginning of the War

    Seeing this unexpected turn of events, everyone inhaled in shock. They could see that the Meng Clan didn¡¯t care for the youth and even seemed to loathe him. At the same time, Curo who had been fighting him had found respect towards his opponent.


    It had been as Jing Fang had said, the Meng Clan did not deserve a talent such as Meng Zhi. The Heavenly Sovereigns of the Meng Clan glared at Ji Long with fire in their eyes and one stepped forward to take action but the moment he did, Jing Fang and Instructor Sheng stepped froward as well. Seeing the two step forward, the three men unconsciously cast their gazes towards the Heavenly Hall. Feeling the fluctuations from within, their faces turned ugly.


    The one who stood in the middle then snorted and said, ¡°You can keep that waste then. My Meng Clan has no use for half blood weaklings.¡± Hearing this, a laughter rang out from below. Everyone turned their gazes towards the origin of the laughter and saw it was Curo. However, he was different. When before he had been smiling coldly, now, his eyes seemed to be fuelled by rage. He said in a loud mocking voice, ¡°What do you shit fucks know about talent? You only rely on the big Primordial Clans. By yourselves, you are nothing.¡±


    These words silenced everyone as they stared at Curo in shock. Jing Fang and Instructor Sheng both looked at Curo with wide eyes, while Ji Long could only smile wryly. He knew from the moment that the laughter sounded out, that Curo was pissed. The last time he was pissed, he had berated people that could kill him with a cough with no care in the world, seemed like this time was the same.


    ¡°From the scars it is obvious he has put his life on the line for the Clan more time than you jack asses have. From the determination he exhibited from this fight, it is obvious he did his utmost for the Meng Clan.¡± He then took a deep breath and roared, ¡°WHO THE FUCKING HELL ARE YOU TO CALL HIM A WORTHLESS WEAKLING?!¡±


    These words stunned the whole Arena into silence. The Meng Clan Ancestor then tried to step forward again but the moment he did, another flash of light appeared from the Heavenly Hall and Qing Zhao stepped out with his true body. As the three Heavenly Sovereigns stood between Curo and the Meng Clan Sovereigns, friction started to build up. Just when it seemed like it would come to blows, a gentle sigh rang out.


    Hearing this sigh, everyone present were stunned and the world stilled. This sigh had instantly calmed the entire Arena down and suppressed all the auras present. It was only then that the people present noticed a young blue haired man walk towards Curo with a helpless expression. Seeing the man, Curo looked at him with a cold gaze and Ji Long in astonishment.


    The boy walked in front of Curo and then looked him in the eyes and said, ¡°I had intended to stay out of this, however, you altered his fate by making him your brother.¡± Curo raised his brows in surprise. The boy then sat down and gestured for Curo to do the same. Curo glanced at the sky for a moment before sighing and sitting down as well.


    No one made a sound as though time was frozen. All gazes were converged on the two figures sitting down. Curo withdrew a wine bottle and two cups from him Spacial Ring. He filled the two cups and then, after taking a sip the young man glanced at Meng Zhi and said, ¡°His fate was to stand up, try to fight his earnest and die from the injuries. However, by knocking him out and taking him as a brother for yourself, you changed that fate.¡± Hearing this, Curo gulped. Just as he wanted to ask something, the youth looked at Curo and said, ¡°It is not yet time to ask such questions.¡± Curo sighed as closed his mouth.


    The youth then turned towards Meng Zhi and said, ¡°I will take him under my protection for now. When he wakes up, I will offer to become his Master. If he accepts, I will give my all in teaching him. If not, I will let him go his own way.¡± Curo was shocked when he heard this but then smiled as he nodded his head. He then said, ¡°I will have to bother Senior then.¡±


    The young man let out a laugh and said, ¡°No problem, although you changed his fate, I am more interest in seeing him play out this fate. Today, you sowed good Karma with him, when the time comes, he will definitely pay you back this Karma.¡± Hearing this, Curo gave a slight smile as he gave a glance at Meng Zhi.


    Although, he had declared him as a brother out of rage and on a whim, he didn¡¯t regret the choice. It was obvious that he had his own dark past and he was pushing his way through it all. This made Curo respect him. The youth then downed his cup and took a glance at the Meng Clan¡¯s Heavenly Sovereigns and said in a cold tone, ¡°This is my warning to you, if you use your own strength, I wont intervene. However, if you contact the Primordial Clans for help again, I will also make my move.¡± Leaving this sentence behind, the youth disappeared.


    Only a, ¡°Good wine.¡± echoed in the air as both him and Meng Zhi had disappeared without a trace. Seeing this, Curo sighed as he downed his cup as well and stored the things. He then looked towards the Meng Clan Sovereigns and smiled provocatively. Everyone could read it out from his smile, ¡°You have the Primordial Clans behind your back, we have him.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The Heavenly Sovereigns of the Meng Clan grimaced heavily as they felt cold sweat forming on their backs. Although the natives of the Realm didn¡¯t know who that man was, they most certainly knew. The warning he left behind was something that not even their Primordial Clans would dare take lightly. If he truly got involved, not to mention this Realm, there was a high chance of their Nine Primordial Clans would suffer a devastating blow to their strength.


    Just as the Meng Clan Sovereigns turned around to leave, Jing Fang¡¯s voice sounded out, ¡°Seeing as you lost the fight, aren¡¯t you going to give me an explanation?¡± Hearing this, the Meng Clan Sovereigns wanted to puke blood. It was obvious that he was outright taunting them. It was obvious that he knew everything there was to know but he still called them out like this. The Meng Clan Sovereign then snorted, ¡°Yes, we are from the Realm. Yes, we plotted with the Nine Primordial Clans to kill the previous Realms Lord and seal you and your fellow beasts. We then uprooted your entire Clans to make sure we received no resistance when we subdued the Realm Will and enslaved all you native savages.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Fang smiled maliciously as he retorted, ¡°Well, seems like you ¡°refined¡± outsiders aren¡¯t worth much then if we, he native savages, could kick your asses so hard you need to call in your mommies and daddies to fight for you.¡± The out right ridicule in the tone was something that ripped the last bit cordiality they had. From everything that had transpired here, when the Meng Clan had admitted to being from outside the Realm and from the Meng Clan¡¯s Sovereign¡¯s tone, they did not look at the people of this Realm as even cultivators.


    When they heard that they wanted to enslave them, rage boiled inside them. The Meng Clan Sovereign then snorted coldly as he walked away. Jing Fang didn¡¯t stop them, instead he smiled as he had accomplished everything he had set out to do here.


    The people in the Arena knew that this was going to raise a storm the moment it spread out and a war between the Nine Clans and the Five Academies was going to be certain. Which side they took, this will indicate the fate of the Realm. As natives, their pride wouldn¡¯t let outsiders simply waltz in and enslave them, however, they all had a tinge of fear towards the unknown ¡°Primordial Clans¡±.


    Although, the mysterious Senior had said that he would also intervene if the Primordial Clans did, they did not have the knowledge, whether the man was strong enough to fight against them or not. Since there were too many things that were still unknown, they had no choice but to wait and see. When push came to shove, they would most likely choose the Five Academies side as they were native to the Realm and also nurtured the people from their Realm.


    When the Meng Clan had left, all gazes present concentrated on one spot, the youth standing in the middle of the remains of the Ring. There were many complicated looks involved. Some people still couldn¡¯t believe that this entire thing had happened and was carried out by one youth. Someone that had not even entered the Saint Realms, had caused such a storm and started such a Bloody War.


    It was obvious there were going to be countless dead, untold number of annihilated Clans and countless lost legacies. Thinking about this, the people present could do nothing but sigh heavily; this war was going to drag on for a while, neither side was weak and neither side had the upper hand. With that, they gave Curo one final glance before slowly standing up one by one and cupping their hands in respect towards Headmistress Xi and the three Heavenly Sovereigns.


    Then, all the Elders present took their Juniors and departed towards their own Clans and Schools. They all had their own preparations to do in order to survive this ordeal and time was not something they had a lot of right now. As the various Elders left, Instructor Sheng hurriedly ushered Curo away.


    This came as a surprise to many but only a few could see that Curo¡¯s Qi was extremely unstable right now. If he didn¡¯t sit down to cultivate and stabilize it, then this whole fight would be without gains for him. Right now, his body was strong enough to house the Palace Building Qi however, it wasn¡¯t stable. The moment Curo sat down in his courtyard to try and stabilize it, his courtyard was surrounded by Instructor Sheng, Qing Zhao and Jing Fang.


    The three sat down in a defensive formation to make sure nothing disturbed him and no one could harm him during this time. The more Curo rotated the Qi according to the [Dragon Human Unification Art] the calmer the Qi became. Once, twice, five times, ten times and soon, with each completed rotation, the Qi became more obedient and docile. When he had finally reached sixty rotations, the Qi had completely calmed down.


    Seeing this, Curo sighed heavily in relief. He then inspected his body and smiled wryly. The fight with Meng Zhi had been tough and his body was riddled with injuries. However, thanks to the Dragon Blood and countless Heavenly Treasures Jing Fang had used during his Awakening, his body was recovering and healing at a rapid pace. By being nurtured by the Palace Building level Qi, Curo felt his body also slowly improve. Now, both his fleshly body and his Qi cultivation were in balance again.


    Curo smiled as he felt the Qi roaming through his body. However, with this, he had lost a trump card of his. Just as he thought about this, he noticed that the [Dragon Cross Seal] was still there. It lacked the Qi but the Dragon was still there, sealing the Cross. Curo then had a wild thought as he directed a stream of Qi inside the Cross.


    His face lit up when he saw the result.

 Chapter 26: Absurd idea

    The Qi stayed inside Cross like it had been with his cultivation before. Seeing that his thought had worked, Curo smiled widely. ¡°Seems like I can store Qi in the Cross and withdraw it when I have a need for it.¡± When Curo thought that to himself, he felt incredibly happy. He had made many gains today, his cultivation was now firmly stable in the Peak Palace Building Stage and he hadn¡¯t lost a trump card of his.


    Instead, the trump card became more flexible to the situation and could grow stronger the more he sealed Qi inside the Cross. This truly made him happy. When he had calmed down a bit, he rotated his Qi in order to help quicken his healing. After an hour of silent meditation, he had fully healed all of his injuries and his body had made some gains as well from it. He felt that his fleshly body strength was at least double than what it was before and his bones were hard as steel. After carefully checking his gains, he stood up and left the courtyard.


    When he met the three Sovereigns, he gave them a thank you and after they said a few words to him, they all left. Curo wasn¡¯t bothered by it but rather, it was understandable, they had a war to prepare for. Curo thought for a moment on what to do. He had finished all the work for the Foreign Affairs Department and he couldn¡¯t work on the things for the Roaming Dragon Division without Instructor Sheng.


    After deliberating on what to do for a while, he decided to go to the Purgatory Formation. When he entered the Battle Hall, it was nearly completely empty. A few Instructors in charge of the Formations were still left behind, discussing what had just happened at the Arena. When Curo entered, they immediately turned silent. Curo didn¡¯t pay them any heed and headed towards the closest Purgatory Formation. One of the Instructors immediately went next to the Formation and when Curo had entered, he activated it. No words were spoken at all between the two.


    These Instructors all felt a tinge of respect for Curo. He had completely regained all of the face of the Hidden Dragon Academy. As soon as he entered the Formation, the rest of the Instructors hurried over to look at his performance. It took only an hour before the Formation flashed again and Curo walked out with a slightly disappointed face. He had cleared the 81st wave and reached the completion of the Purgatory Formation.


    Not even the final opponent, a shadow at the Peak of Palace Building had caused him any pressure. Due to this, he felt regret as he had achieved the highest Battle Score possible but at the same time, he ran out of worthy opponents. Curo then left the Battle Hall, leaving completely stunned Instructors behind. Since the founding of the Academy, no Student had successfully completed 81 waves. Even though Curo set this record of 81 waves, he left disappointed. This made the Instructors feel complicated. They had also been present when the fight happened and saw him releasing attacks that made even Core Formation cultivators feel danger and Nascent Soul cultivators to take it seriously.


    Usually, one could dominate the Heavenly Ranking with an Early Palace Building cultivation, some years, there would be some extraordinary geniuses that would be able to reach Mid stages of Palace building before they graduated. To them, fighting against a Peak Palace Building Monster would be an extremely hard pressed matter to do and none of them had succeeded. In the end, they released a heavy sigh as one of the Instructors went on to inform Headmistress Xi of this achievement.


    Curo looked down at the Medallion in his hand and sighed. From clearing the Purgatory Formation¡¯s 81st wave, he earned a total of 1 000 000 Merit Points. However, he was still missing a bit from the needle set he had his eyes on. Curo then thought back to all of the Bags of Holding he had snatched from the Xie Clan Cultivators he had killed back then. Until now, he had been always busy with something and hadn¡¯t had the time to sort them out. If there was anything useful, he could keep it and use it. If he had no use for the things he had, he could sell them for some Merit Points.


    However, when he considered that most of the Cultivators he killed were at the beginning stages of Qi Kindling Condensation, he didn¡¯t have high hopes for obtaining something useful. With that in mind, he set his steps back towards his courtyard.


    On his way there, all the student¡¯s always cleared a path for him. No one said anything but all of them cupped their hands in respect. This wasn¡¯t something any one had forced them to do however, they still did it. This was out of their own respect for Curo and his strength. It didn¡¯t matter if the student was a Junior, Senior or an Elder, they all cupped their hands as a token of respect for his strength. It didn¡¯t matter to them that Curo was only 15 years old or that he had been in the Academy for only a month. The words, ¡°Respect is earned, not given.¡± that Curo had said, deeply rooted themselves in their psyche.


    When they had a moment to think about it, it truly was as he had said, only the respect one earned is of value and now, Curo had earned the respect of all the people present. Curo only nodded them in acknowledgement and walked on.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    When he finally reached his courtyard, he wasn¡¯t greeted by an empty courtyard as he had expected but rather, Qing Zhao, Instructor Sheng and Headmistress Xi were there waiting for him. When Curo saw them, he knew that this was about him beating the Purgatory Formation. Qing Zhao said immediately, ¡°There has been a change of plans regarding the Roaming Dragon Division.¡± Curo raised a brow as he listened. Qing Zhao then said, ¡°For the next year, you will have unlimited uses of the Undying Flame Formation, Eternal Ice Formation and Divine Tempering Lightning Formatio. You will also be given various Top Grade Pills that will work best for your cultivation. Your one and only goal will be to break through to the Saint Realm within this one year.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo¡¯s eyes opened wide as he immediately retorted, ¡°Are you joking? It was by dumb luck that I managed to enter the Palace Building within this year of cultivating! You can¡¯t expect me run into one Heavenly Treasure after another and manage to reach the Saint Realm in a single year!¡± The moment Curo protested Qing Zhao closed his eyes as he had expected it already. If it was any one else, he would think that it would be impossible too, however, Curo wasn¡¯t your average genius. Besides his heaven sent talent, he still had the effects of the countless Heavenly Treasures Jing Fang had used when he reforged his body. If they also counted in the Top Quality Undying Flame Formation, Eternal Ice Formation and Divine Tempering Lightning Formation and the most useful and suitable pills for his cultivation, it wasn¡¯t actually impossible. One shouldn¡¯t also forget that for the next 5 years was his rapid growth period. Most of all, if he truly gave it his all during this year, then he he would truly be able to enter the Saint Realm within a year.


    Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°In a year, both sides have finished their preparations and the war will begin. At that time, all the student¡¯s from the Academy will also be sent out to the War. Although, you won¡¯t be sent to dangerous location and only side lines, the real threat is still there.¡± He then paused and looked at Qing Zhao with a complicated look before he continued, ¡°Besides that, they want to put you as a Leader for a Saint Squad. For that, you need to reach the Saint Realm before the war begins.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face flickered. No matter how they sugar coated it, he was still going to have to go through a torturous training phase.


    Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°For the next year, I have also been relived of all my duties in the Academy and will solely focus on training you.¡± Curo grew solemn. In his mind, to reach the Saint Realm in one year was impossible. Seeing the faltering Curo, Instructor Sheng reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will work out the most optimal schedule for sleep, cultivation, training and rest for this period. You will have no bottlenecks until reach the Heavenly Saint Realm. Only then will you encounter your first true bottleneck.¡± Hearing this, Curo was stunned, he had no idea about this.


    Instructor Sheng then smiled, ¡°This is both a blessing and a curse of the Jing Clan. Although, we could all ascend to the Heavenly Saint Realm given enough time, very few managed to break through the bottleneck to become a Sovereign because they had never experienced one before and didn¡¯t know how to tackle them. Instructor Sheng then gave a smile and said, ¡°Actually, this was the main reason behind the idea. Since you have no bottlenecks, it is far simpler to have you ascend to the Saint Realm than any old Origin Realm monster.¡±


    Hearing this Curo could only nod his head. If what they said was true, then it might truly not be an impossible task to ascend to the Saint Realm within a year. Although, there was still going to be a lot of pain involved. Curo could only sigh as he wondered to himself, ¡°Am I truly a magnet for miracles in their opinion?¡± As he thought that, he couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly. Qing Zhao and Headmistress Xi both said a few words of encouragement to Curo and left. Instructor Sheng then started explaining, ¡°We, the Jing Clan, have the Blood of a Nether Dragon. As such, we have a higher affinity with Fire.¡± He then opened his palm and a black flame appeared on it.


    Curo stared at the flame is shock and Instructor Sheng explained, ¡°This is the Nether Flame. Only once you reach the Saint Realm will you be able to awaken yours. No matter how monstrous of a genius or how pure their blood is, this is something that can¡¯t be found or contained unless you have Saint Energy.¡± He then took out a Low Grade Flying Sword and threw it to the side.


    Then he flicked his hand and the small ball of black flames engulfed the sword. In a matter of moments, the sword started to deform as it melted. When only a puddle of metal was left, it kept burning until it evaporated. Only then did the flame go out. Seeing this, Curo¡¯s heart beat wildly. Instructor Sheng then turned around and said, ¡°The Nether Flame is ranked as third on the Heavenly Flame Rankings. It is only barely passed by the Nirvana Phoenix Flame and the Ice Fire Flame. The Nirvana Phoenix Flame is something even hotter than our Nether Flame but at the same time, there is only one person that can use it, the Li Xing The Phoenix Empress.¡±


    He then looked at Curo in the eyes and said, ¡°The Ice Fire Flame is a mutated Flame that can only be harvested due to luck. And even then, the chances of anyone being able to successfully tame the Flame are close to Zero. The only known person to be able to do it is the previous Realms Lord, Long Heng.¡± Curo was shocked, only one person to have ever been able to do it¡­. How difficult was it to tame then?


    Instructor Sheng then continued, ¡°Our Nether Flame may not be the hottest or fiercest but it is the most tenacious. The Nether Flame will not go out until it has burnt what it was meant to burn. Only a Sovereign can put out a Nether Flame. Even then, if the person who sent out the fire was a Sovereign as well, then that Sovereign could only curse his luck.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo could only gasp in shock.

 Chapter 27: Training from Hell

    Instructor Sheng then continued explaining in a serious tone, ¡°This Nether Flame is something that will make all of the Saint¡¯s unwilling to battle you and since Sovereigns won¡¯t intervene before the Final Battle, having this Flame can guarantee your life.¡±


    Curo was perplexed and asked, ¡°Why won¡¯t the Sovereigns join the fight?¡± Instructor Sheng sighed deeply as he said, ¡°Because both sides want to root out the other while training their own people. By letting the weaker ones duke it out first, we can achieve both.¡± Curo nodded his head but he was still not quite satisfied with the answer. He then asked, ¡°When will the Final Battle start?¡±


    Instructor Sheng answered him, ¡°It will start when one side runs out of options. When one side sees that they are losing badly and have no more options, only then will they send out Sovereign Experts. Once they do, the other side responds and the people below Sovereign Realm will be out of the fight.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face was complex. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier and result in less losses if the Sovereigns headed out immediately?¡±


    When this thought entered his mind, it rooted itself there. Instructor Sheng continued explaining, ¡°Both sides are relatively even in terms of strength. For one side to gain the advantage, we need to let the Saints and Juniors duke it out amongst themselves. Once we cut off their supply or Qi Stones, Herbs and so on, we can draw the battle out for a bit so we can simply gain the advantage.¡± Hearing this, Curo sighed as he nodded his head.


    He wasn¡¯t stupid, even as a cripple he had waged some wars against the neighbouring counties, he knew how war went. However, he had thought that in a Cultivators War, those that hold up the Heavens will do all the work. However, it seemed like the wars between cultivators were the same as wars between mortals. Curo sighed heavily thinking about this.


    Instructor Sheng didn¡¯t pay it any heed and then said, slightly grimacing, ¡°This war will be extremely dangerous for you. In their mind, you are the direct reason this war started, so the bounty on your head will be extremely high.¡± Hearing this, Curo smiled wryly. Although, he had been the one to provoke the Meng Clan that much, weren¡¯t the ones that declared war the Five Academies.


    Seeming to notice his thoughts, Instructor Sheng smiled bitterly and said, ¡°They need someone to pin this all on. You tearing their face through the mud makes you the main candidate for it.¡± He then let out a laugh and asked jokingly, ¡°Who else are they going to pin this on, Xi Zhao? Ancestor Jing?¡±


    When Curo heard this, he smiled bitterly as well. Instructor Sheng then said, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, you will spend three days inside the Undying Flame Formation to temper your body and increase your understanding of the fire. How it acts, how it moves, what moves it. Three days inside the Formation, then for the next two days, you will cultivate and digest your gains from the Formation. Then for the next two days, we will spend increasing your control over fire and doing sparring.¡±


    Hearing this schedule Curo could only gulp. Although, he hadn¡¯t been to the Undying Flame Formation yet, it was said that even Early Palace Building Stage people can stay inside for maximum a day. To stay inside the Formation for three days straight, wasn¡¯t that suicide? However, seeing the serious and stern face on Instructor Sheng, he did not dare to voice any more objections. He could only grit his teeth and persevere.


    It was like that, that his training in Hell started. By the end of the first week, he could see why all the other students that were assigned to him willingly changed Instructors. When it came to teaching and training, he did not relent one bit. When Curo couldn¡¯t do one part of the training, another part was added on to that. Not only did Instructor Sheng continuously increase the difficulty of training, in the spars, he would not hold back one bit. Although, he lowered his cultivation to the Peak Core Formation Stage to make it a bit more fair, he couldn¡¯t seal his insights, expertise with the Halberd or his battle knowledge.


    Each sparring session ended with Curo being beaten black and blue. Given a few hours, he would be completely healed thanks to the Heavenly Treasure¡¯s in his body and he would be beaten black and blue again. There were several times when he just thought to say, ¡°Fuck you all, I am going to find a fucking mountain, get myself a flock of sheep and become a sheep herder. This is all you problem now.¡± There were many times that he wanted to scream that out however, he couldn¡¯t do it.


    Even though he wanted to stop, even though he wanted to run away, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he would lose if he did. He would lose his home, he would lose his family and he would lose his own life. It took him nearly a month to get used to the severity of his training. Every now and then, Qing Zhao and Jing Fang would come by and see how he was doing.


    However, seeing the severity of his training, even Jing Fang and Qing Zhao tried to persuade Instructor Sheng to stop it and go with something a bit less torturous. However, each time Instructor Sheng had coldly said, ¡°Here, I can protect him, you can protect him. However, out there, he is on his own. I will not let a Student of mine die a dogs death on a battlefield. Not again.¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao could only sigh deeply alongside Jing Fang. They both knew of his past, he used to be a gentle and well loved man. He even took many students under him but he only had one disciple.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    That disciple was killed in the previous Realm War by the Nine Clans even though he hadn¡¯t even been a part of the war. This had turned the gentle and well loved man into a cold, ruthless person. They could see the kindness in Instructor Sheng¡¯s eyes every time he looked towards Curo. It was as plain as day that he cared a lot for him.


    Once Curo awakened the Nether Flame, he would be virtually matchless under the Sovereign stage by relying on the Flame. If a Sovereign were to attack, they would dread the Flame enough to buy him enough time for one of them to arrive. With two months of this torturous training, Curo broke through to the Core Formation. Instructor Sheng then changed Curo¡¯s training.


    Now, he would spend one day inside the Divine Tempering Lightning Formation and four days days on cultivating his Core, then it was the usual two days of sparring. The Divine Tempering Lighting helped Curo temper his fleshly body while he himself spent four days cultivating the Core. This training wasn¡¯t as harsh as before. It took only three months for Curo to reach the Peak Stage of Core Formation. The process of Core Formation was that when the Core had been formed, the person needed to inscribe their Cultivation Art into the Core to birth the Nascent Soul.


    This process wasn¡¯t difficult but rather, it was time consuming as one needed to ponder on their Art. However, Curo did not have that problem as when he had received he inheritance from Jing Fang, he had received it with all of his insights into the Art. On top of that, the Art was in itself a Top Grade Art, there were a few flaws to begin with in the Art and Curo had managed to fix the most of them, when he fought with the Clone in the Purgatory Formation. Curo could only sigh at all of the preparatory foundation that had been laid out for him unknowingly. I


    n two months, he had gone from forming his Core to showing signs of the Nascent Soul Birth. No matter how anyone looked at it, this was a monstrous achievement. To go from being a cripple to being a Peak Core Formation expert in one and a half years¡­. If anyone else had told him a tale of such a figure, he would not believe it. However, he was the person this was happening to. It took him only a week to birth his Nascent Soul, however, it was only then that something completely unexpected happened. He had jumped straight from the Core Formation Stage to the Peak of Origin Realm. Instructor Sheng, Qing Zhao and Jing Fang looked at this dumbly.


    Even they had no idea how this had happened. In the end, after much discussion and deliberation, they agreed on one explanation. It was because Curo¡¯s Soul was stronger than your average person. If you counted in the various Heavenly treasure he had consumed and that he has the Soul of a Dragon, then it could be explained. His Soul was already strong enough to ascend to the Peak of Nascent Soul Stage because he didn¡¯t have to continue strengthening his Soul. The Nascent Soul Stage was directly cultivating the Soul and unless ones Soul was Strong enough, they could never find ones Origin. However, as to ascending to the Peak of Origin Stage¡­. That was harder to deduce but finally, it had been Headmistress Xi that had provided an explanation.


    It was because Curo¡¯s training time was too short. He had been a mortal until a year and a half ago, it would not be hard to find that feeling again and find his Origin. When Jing Fang and the rest thought about it that way, it had made sense. Curo had been a cripple until a year and a half ago, the feeling of powerlessness, what he had back then, everything was still fresh in his mind. Even the most monstrous of geniuses took over ten or twenty years to reach the Nascent Soul Realm.


    Even then, they had to use a few years to cultivate their Soul. It was harder for them to find the feeling of being a weak and powerless mortal again. It was especially hard for people that dominated the generation. Once one understood their Origin, they can ascend to Saint hood. The Origin Realm was a special, transition Realm. It did not give any obvious strength increase when one forms a Core, their Qi reservoir increases tenfold.


    Neither did it give the cultivator an advantage in terms of cultivating speed like having a Nascent Soul. However, the reason Origin Realm cultivators were feared was because they knew their own weaknesses. The Origin Realm was finding ones faults, ones roots, ones weaknesses. Since this all was all fresh in Curo¡¯s mind, the feeling of powerlessness, the feeling of not being able to walk his own path. Always living in his Fathers shadow¡­.


    Even though he never said anything, he always felt it. To other¡¯s of his generation he would smile and talk as if there was nothing wrong, however, always, behind that smile was the sadness of not being able to cultivate. It had taken Curo only 5 months to reach the Peak of Origin Realm. This could not be explained with only talent. This was what a true nurture of a talent looked like. He got the best resources, a sturdy foundation before he even began all this and the best Instructor he could have. Instructor Sheng always pushed him to his limits but never over his limits.


    When Curo would faint, he would spend the next few days, slightly lightening the training. He had calculated everything to push him to the limits but not harm him. He then gave him the most ample of time to digest the gains before testing them out in real battle. In the battle, he could test them out, see their flaws, see their strengths.


    Then when the process of observing began again, he would have a new look and something specific to focus on.

 Chapter 28: All sides prepare

    At the time, when Curo was going through the training from Hell, the news of war spread out like wild fire. With that, another pieces of news shocked the whole Realm, ¡°The Nine Ancient Clans weren¡¯t native to the Realm.¡±


    This piece of news caused countless powers, big or small, to furrow their brows as they pondered on their future actions. With a heavy heart, they all knew that once the Realm fell into the Nine Ancient Clans grasp, only death or slavery waited for them. However, the Nine Ancient Clans had managed to take down the Realms Lord before and their true strength was unknown.


    If they took a side, they had to make sure that at least their legacy didn¡¯t die out. While many powers could only grit their teeth and join the Five Academies, there were some Clans and Sects that were closely tied to the Nine Ancient Clans. Through luck, they had managed to either marry someone from the Clan or managed to get them as a part of their Sect. When before this was a good thing as it helped them solidify their power and gain the backing of the Clan, now it seemed as though it was a double edged sword. Due to their close ties with the Nine Ancient Clans and the Meng Clan¡¯s Sovereign¡¯s statement at the Exchange, they were hard pressed to choose a side.


    To them, if they chose the Nine Ancient Clan¡¯s side, they would be traitors to the Realm, to their own home. Even if in the end they won, it would be a hollow victory. However, if they chose the Five Academies side, would the other even trust them? Although, they can¡¯t change the past, that doesn¡¯t mean that they did not regret it.


    However, no matter how much they regretted it, the Five Academies had no idea whether they truly were sincere or just people sent by the Nine Clans to spy and disrupt them. This war was something that decided the fate of everyone inside he Realm, the Five Academies could not take any chances or risks with this. So all these people ended up between a rock and a hard place.


    No matter which side they would choose, it would end badly for them.


    ***


    Inside a luxurious hall, over thirty figures were kneeling in front of the nine shadowy figures standing at the front. Among these thirty people were the Three Meng Clan Heavenly Sovereigns. They all had pale faces as one of the shadowy figures said, ¡°Not only did you let the Realm¡¯s Will slip away, you also managed to drag a Wanderer into this.¡± Hearing this accusation, only silence reigned in the hall. They couldn¡¯t refute them even if they wanted to.


    The man then sighed, ¡°We can not provide you with any more assistance regarding this Realm.¡± Hearing this, it was as though a rock had been dropped to their shoulders as a Sovereign from the Meng Clan hurriedly said, ¡°But Ancestor-¡± However, his words were cut short by the snort of another shadowy figure, ¡°If it were any other Wanderer, then we would be able to handle him, however, the one you managed to provoke was the Heavenly Fiend. Even if our Nine Primordial Clans joined hands, we would be hard pressed to tie him down.¡±


    Hearing this, all of the Sovereigns present paled. Next, they glared at the three Meng Clan Sovereigns with extreme rage. It was only thanks to them that they were stuck in this mess. Had it been only that the Realm¡¯s Will escaped, they could explain it with Long Heng having hidden a fragment of his Soul inside and using some methods taking it away. However, now also their identity was uncovered and the whole Realm was against them.


    They were strong but they weren¡¯t strong enough to fight the entire Realm themselves. Now, thanks to the Meng Clan having dragged the Heavenly Fiend Wanderer into this mess, their only chance of survival, the Nine Primordial Clans, sending some people to help them was gone as well.


    Another shadowy figure then said, ¡°If you manage to win this by yourselves and subjugate the Realm¡¯s Will without us lending a helping hand, the Clan that succeeded will be promoted to Inner Clan Members. No matter which Clan they are from.¡± Hearing this, the eyes of the Sovereigns present turned sharp.


    To become Inner Members of their Primordial Clan¡¯s meant that they would become a part of the Clan. Currently, they were all Outer Members, people that had the Blood of the Clan however, they weren¡¯t regarded as true members of the Primordial Clan. After that sentence was said, the shadowy figures dissipated at the same time. Silence then filled the hall until a person rose up and cupped his hands, ¡°If we wish to survive this ordeal, we need to work together here. As for the Realm¡¯s Will, we can decide the methods and rules when we find it again.¡±


    Hearing this, the various Sovereign¡¯s present nodded their heads before glaring at the Meng Clan for a moment before they left. When the three Meng Clan Sovereigns were the only ones left, one of them grit his teeth and said, ¡°They are going to try and push this all onto us. Our chances of being able to obtain the Realm¡¯s Will again will be close to non existent.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The other two nodded their heads grimly before they too left the hall.


    ***


    Inside another Realm, at the top of luscious mountain brimming with life, a young man with blue hair was watching over a sleeping red haired youth. The young man was drinking wine ass he appreciated the beauty all around him. This tranquil peace was broken when a me


    lodious laughter rang out next to him, ¡°To think that you would step in to help out like the Shi Hao.¡± The young man slowly raised his head and stared at the breath taking beauty in front of him with a smile. He took out another cup and poured some wine for the lady as he said, ¡°He is an interesting fellow. If he manages to break the Limits of the Realm, we can finally break the shackles of our Realm verse and join the rest of the Cultivation World.¡± Hearing this, the young woman sighed as she accepted the wine cup. Her eyes then turned slightly serious as she asked, ¡°Will we be able to survive there? Although, the resources and opportunities there are something we can only dream about, the danger that comes with it is also grave.¡±


    The young man still had a thoughtful look on his face as he said absentmindedly, ¡°We will be able to survive. Even though the opponents out there are strong, don¡¯t we have the legacies from before our Realm verse lost the War and was sealed?¡± Hearing this, the young woman sighed heavily as she finished her cup. The young man then continued, ¡°When we break the Shackles, we break the Seal that suppresses our Realm verse. Once we break that, more people that have lingered at the Heavenly Sovereign Stage will be able to break through the Limits.¡±


    The enchanting woman took a glance at the young man and seeing his face, the she shivered. She placed down her cup and said, ¡°I still have matters to attend to, so I will leave you alone now.¡± Hearing this, the young man fixed his expression and smiled gently, sending her off. When the young woman had left the vicinity of the young man, she shivered as she thought back to the eyes of the man. ¡°He is still hell bent on getting revenge¡­.¡± as she murmured to herself, her eyes wandered to another place.


    As if her eyes could pierce through the space, she smiled and muttered, ¡°He truly is an interesting fellow.¡±


    ***


    Inside a well lit hall, there was a giant round table with nine people sitting around it. Two of these people would be familiar to Curo, they were Qing Zhao and Jing Fang. On the table, there were various maps and currently, there was a serious discussion going on. Jing Fang said, ¡°First we need to cut off their resource supplies. Each of the Academies can pick One of the Top Grade Qi Stone Mines and the others are not allowed to touch it. As for the remaining four, we will each take charge and claim them for ourselves.¡±


    Hearing this distribution of resources, everyone present nodded their heads. Although, all of them wanted that one more Qi Stone Mine, they had to admit to the fact that the Nine Ancient Clan¡¯s only possessed nine of Top Grade Mines. Who would be the one to be left without one, how would it be decided? They had to admit that Jing Fang¡¯s distribution was the fairest.


    Besides that, the Four Heavenly Beasts were their Trump Cards. Jing Fang and the rest could tie down and probably annihilate one Clan each. This relieved a great deal of pressure from them. Another burly man with white hair with black stripes mixed in said, ¡°Since the distribution of resources is done, next we need to decide on which locations who is in charge of.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone nodded their heads again as they started to distribute their tasks. The nine people at the table did not want to leave anything up to chance with this. If they lost, their whole Realm was affected by this. The various Alumni had already contacted their Academies and pledged to help them out with however they can during these wars and currently, while the Founders were deciding on who does what, the Headmasters and Headmistresses of the Five Academies were coordinating their own forces with the various Alumni Clans and Schools.


    This organization of forces was in no way an easy task and it would only take time to sort it out. At the same time, they had to pay attention to the relationships of the Clans. Although, they were all Alumni of the Academies, not all of them had harmonious relationships with one another.


    To make sure that these kinds of Clans didn¡¯t get stationed in the same place was what caused the biggest headaches.


    ***


    The Ji Clan was no exception to all this. Ji Long himself was an Alumni of the Hidden Dragon Academy and for now, Jing Fang was a part of the Ji Clan. Essentially, the Top Grade Qi Stone Mine that Jing Fang claimed, would fall into the Ji Clan¡¯s hands. However, for that to happens, they needed to first obtain it. The blue haired young man had given Ji Long a mysterious chant that helped raise his cultivation several folds. Within a few months, he had managed to reach the Peak of Saint Realm and was closing in on the Earthly Saint Realm.


    If he managed to break through to the Earthly Saint Realm, his prestige and strength would increase several times. He had left organizing their forces to Uncle Zheng while he wholeheartedly focused on cultivating the mysterious chant. With the help of Nether Dragon Blood in him and the Top Grade Qi Gathering Formation Jing Fang had set down, his cultivation speed was extremely fast. It even surprised Jing Fang when he first saw the results.


    However, he only nodded his head and after giving him a few pointers, left him to train. Jing Fang wanted to see whether Ji Long would be able to break through to the Heavenly Saint Realm before the war started or not. If he managed to do that, coupling the battle experience he had, he would be able to take control of the Top Grade Mine without the helping hand of the Hidden Dragon Academy.


    However, in Jing Fang¡¯s eyes, Ji Long being able to reach the Heavenly Saint Realm within nine to ten months was something that was unlikely to happen. He was someone truly talented however, he wasn¡¯t as monstrously talented as Curo was.

 Chapter 29: The War starts

    A group of five cultivators were flying through the air at an incredible speed. They all had grim faces on as they pushed their cultivation to the limits. When the people they passed saw them, they all hurriedly made way for them. These all people were in the Saint Realms. Two were at the Peak Heavenly Saint Realm, two were at the Early Earthly Saint Realm and one was an Early Stage Saint Realm. Wheat made the observing people puzzled was that all of the other Saints were following the Early Stage Saint¡¯s orders. What¡¯s more, he seemed to be a young boy. The boy was Curo. As they flew through the air with grim faces, a voice entered his head, ¡°Captain, when we arrive, there should already be several other Squads that have arrived before us. If they can stall for enough time, more and more people will be able to arrive.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo glanced backwards towards a middle aged man. He nodded his head and sent a transmission back, ¡°However, this is the first time that the Nine Clans utilized such a large force for an attack. We best be careful.¡± The man nodded his head and kept pace with Curo. They all looked at him with complex gazes. When they were first assigned to him, they had thought that it was a joke.


    Two Heavenly Saints and two Earthly Saints had to listen to the orders of a Saint Realm Junior. For his age, the cultivation truly was shocking, however, it was a matter of pride to them. They had not followed his orders, they had always contradicted him and belittled him. However, to their surprise, Curo didn¡¯t fight them.


    He didn¡¯t try to throw around his identity, neither did he try to persuade him. He gave an order and just observed. Finally, one of the Heavenly Saints couldn¡¯t take it any more and asked, ¡°Why are you not fighting back? You were assigned as the Leader but no one listens and no one cares about anything you say!¡± Curo had just responded with cold eyes, ¡°No use caring for a dead man.¡±


    Hearing this, the four people were angered but before they could pressure him, Curo looked up. His eyes were cold as he was staring in one certain direction. At one moment a Halberd appeared in his hands and the four were puzzled. However, when they swept their Divine Sense out in that direction, their faces changed. Heading towards them was a squad of ten Saints, compromised of 4 Heavenly Saints and 6 Earthly Saints.


    While the four lost their calm and started making plans for fleeing, Curo just looked at the four and sighed. Hearing this sigh, the four looked at Curo with a serious expression. Before any one could ask anything, countless runes appeared around Curo. With a ridiculing look he said, ¡°Those guys have been chasing after us for the better part of the month now. However, none of you had the brains to even keep a look out of your surroundings.¡±


    Curo then stabbed the halberd into the ground and clasped his palms together. The runes started rotating in mysterious ways and when Curo opened his eyes, the runes shattered and enveloped the area in 100 km radius with hazy grey mist. Seeing this mist, the four were dumbstruck, their Divine Sense could not go past a meter ahead. For the Heavenly Sovereigns, two meters was the absolute limit. Since the hazy mist obscured vision, sealed their Divine Sense, they could do nothing but gulp. Just as they wanted to ask Curo about what their plan was, Curo¡¯s voice entered their minds, ¡°You idiots just sit there. After I kill all of these people, we will head back to the Academy and you can be reassigned to another Squad.¡±


    Hearing this, they felt their scalps tingle. ¡°Kill them all?¡± As this thought entered their heads, a complex emotion appeared on their faces as they looked at each other. For an Early Stage Saint to go around saying he would kill Earthly and Heavenly Saints like they were mere mortals, wasn¡¯t that impossible? Unless the person had hit their head and lost all sense of fear, they had no idea where Curo had taken this courage from. One of the Heavenly Saints then grit his teeth and said used Curo¡¯s Qi thread as a bridge to send his message, ¡°I will help you. If we die, we die, if not, at least I can be a part of a miracle.¡±


    Hearing this man, Curo paused for a moment. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t need help but he hadn¡¯t expected them to offer it. Curo then pondered for a moment before his hands flashed again and the man could see around himself clearly. When he saw that Curo was standing about ten meters away from the pursuers but they could not see or sense him.


    Curo then looked at the man and asked coldly, ¡°Do you truly wish to take part in this battle?¡± The man gave a reluctant nod and Curo then asked, ¡°Do you have any Artefacts or Arts that specialize in sneak attacks?¡± The man¡¯s eyes lit up as he nodded his head and produced a small emerald green dagger. Curo nodded his head and with a wave of his hand, a set of black flying needles appeared all around him. Curo then said to the man, ¡°We will do it like this, I will create an opening with my needles and you try to assassinate anyone you can.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The man then nodded his head seriously as he sat down and focused solely on controlling the small blade. Curo then sent out the flying needles and the group was immediately prepared to defend against them. However, they had no idea of the dagger that crept in the shadows of those needles. It didn¡¯t take long before the two managed to kill this ten man squad. However, what made the man feel shock and dread was that Curo had actually managed to kill 3 of the Heavenly Saints and 4 of the Earthly Saints with his needles. Those needles were extremely weird and the man just presumed that they were covered in deadly poison. When a needle as much as grazed a person, a small black flame would remain and soon engulf the person. They tried to do everything they could do put these flames out but none of them succeeded. This caused the man to re evaluate Curo.


    Of course he had heard the rumours about him but like anyone else that hadn¡¯t seen him in action, he thought these rumours were over exaggerated. However, when he saw Curo in action himself, he could do nothing but suck in a deep breath and think to himself, ¡°Those rumours weren¡¯t over exaggerated at all, rather, they were underestimating him quite severely. Seeing the man¡¯s reaction, Curo smiled coldly. He knew what was on the man¡¯s mind but instead of clearing anything up he asked flatly, ¡°Are you going to follow my orders now?¡±


    The man nodded without missing a beat. Curo was probably hiding even more cards up his sleeve. This was merely a sneak attack however, from the actions he took, from how fluent they were, it was as if they were practised. Sensing this, the man hesitated for a moment and wanted to ask something before Curo said, ¡°There was a group or two I would take care of each week. However, you guys have always been too conceited. You seem to forget, on a battlefield, honour, prestige, lineage mean nothing.¡± Hearing this, the man was startled but without skipping a beat, he rejoined the three that were still fumbling around in the fog.


    Curo glanced at them coldly and said, ¡°Now, we will return to the Academy to get a bit of rest and turn in our Merits.¡± Hearing this, the three were shocked. ¡°Does this mean that the pursuers were taken care of already?¡± As this thought entered their minds, the Heavenly Saint from before arrived as well. However, with a determined expression he stood half a meter behind Curo. He didn¡¯t stand next to him or in front of him.


    This shocked the three more as they were perplexed on what had happened in the fog. The man then said, ¡°When we arrive at the Academy, you can put in your requests for transfer to another Squad.¡± Hearing this, the three were even more confused on what had happened. From his tone, wording and bearing, ti was obvious that he would not put in a transfer request. When they saw him glancing at Curo with respect and dread in his eyes, they were at a loss for words. They decided amongst themselves that they would ask the man what had happened in the fog.


    However, just as Curo had said that, his Identity Medallion lit up and when he sent some Qi into it, his face turned grim. He waved his sleeve and said, ¡°There is a large scale attack on the Celestial Phoenix Academy¡¯s citadel half a days worth of travel from here. Everyone who are not injured or not stationed anywhere are to immediately head there the fastest speed possible as reinforcements.¡± Hearing this order, the four people turned serious. Curo looked up and said, ¡°If we hurry, we can reach it in half a day. If anyone has a Movement Artefact that could carry us all, then maybe sooner.¡±


    All four however dejectedly shook their heads. Curo sighed as well and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go then. A battle of this magnitude won¡¯t end in a day or two.¡± Hearing this, the other¡¯s nodded their heads as they followed Curo. When they took flight, they immediately sent probing questions to the Heavenly Saint that had become obedient all of a sudden. With a complex gaze, he asked Curo for permission first. Curo nodded his head, indicating that he was free to do as he pleased. When the man narrated the entire tale, the three were dumbfounded. When they thought back to his identity, they could accept him having some sort of a marvelous Artefact and Art. With his backing, it would not be hard to get access to such a deadly poison.


    However, the man shook his head as he said, ¡°Those needles, they weren¡¯t Artefacts but created out of Qi and a special Flame. Although I do not know what Flame it is for certain, considering his Lineage and the description of the Flame in the records, I assume it is the Nether Flame of the Jing Clan of Ancient Times.¡± Hearing this, the three¡¯s hearts skipped a beat. The gazes they used on Curo now turned extremely complex.


    The Nether Flame was known as the Undying Flame. It would burn for forever if need be but it would burn it¡¯s target. Only Saint Realm and Sovereign Realm members of the Jing Clan could use the Flame but¡­. Only a Sovereign could forcefully dispel a Saint Realm¡¯s Flame. However, if they got hit by a Sovereign Realm Experts Flame, they could only hope that they got hit in an arm or leg. Something that they could immediately cut off before the fire spread.


    That was the only way to counter the Nether Flame. There was no way to seal it as it would burn the Sealing Formation and there was no way counter act it with Ice and Water. When the three now looked at Curo, they truly could understand why a Heavenly Saint would lower his head in front of him. Being as much as grazed by this Flame would mean their end, so what would happen if they managed to piss him off enough to use it?


    As they thought back to their actions and Curo¡¯s words, they understood one thing in horror¡­. When Curo had said, ¡°No use caring for a dead man.¡± They had thought that this was a threat, however, now they knew that it was a warning. A warning that if they continued to butt heads with him, he would also take action against them.

 Chapter 30: Are you willing to follow my orders?

    Curo and his Squad flew for several hours straight before their faces changed to serious. They could feel immense Qi fluctuations up ahead, indicating that there was a big battle going on. The Earthly Saints exchanged a glance before they looked at Curo. Curo raised his hand to indicated for them to stop.


    When they had stopped, the Heavenly Saints narrowed their eyes as one of them asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to go and help?¡± Curo looked at him with a confused gaze and asked in response, ¡°If you wish to die, go on ahead. If you don¡¯t then rest up for half an hour and recover the depleted Qi.¡± Hearing this, the man was first startled then let out an embarrassed laugh. Curo looked over at the man and had a frown on his face as he asked, ¡°Have any of you people ever been part of a war?¡±


    The people had already sat down cross legged and when they heard the question, they could only shake their heads lightly. Curo let out a sigh as he said, ¡°First thing to remember, just because you lose a battle, doesn¡¯t mean you lose the war. Second of all, tired troops are dead troops. We will only go to die if we charge in there with only half of our Qi remaining and having just flown for half a day straight.¡± Hearing this, the four people had a serious expression on as they listened intently.


    None of them had any more belittling thoughts about Curo. Although he was young and had the lowest cultivation of them, he was most experienced in the art of war. They had grown up in cultivation clans and the closest thing to a war that they had encountered, was a feud with a rival Clan or a Sect. A full blown, all out war¡­. They had never experienced anything like this. Curo sat down cross legged as well and started calmly explaining, ¡°Even though we are a guerilla troop, we need to follow orders. Without a chain of command, there is chaos, where there is chaos, the enemies can easily capitalize on it to kill us.¡±


    He took a breath as he passed his gaze over the four and continued, ¡°In the past month, you have still been in the mentality of an ordinary cultivator. This is war, here, no one is going to announce that they want to exchange pointers or kill you. They will do everything to kill you swiftly, quietly and with the least damage to themselves.¡± Hearing this, the four people could only bitterly nod their heads. They had learned their lesson with the ten man Saint Squad that had been trailing them.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for Curo always keeping guard and observing their surroundings, they would have died back then. Although, they had not seen Curo¡¯s strength for themselves, a Heavenly Saint showed fear and dread towards the man. This was reason enough to listen to him, as he had proved himself to them. None of them treated his words as a joke any more. Seeing the serious expression, Curo nodded as he continued, ¡°Always keep a look out of your surroundings, just as we are trying to kill all of them, they are all trying to kill us. We are a lone squad of five; if we run into some dangerous situation, we can only rely on ourselves as there is very little chance that back up could arrive in time.¡±


    The four people exchanged a grim glance before Curo sighed, ¡°Were it normal times, you could scare the other a bit with your background however, this is a situation where one side will be annihilated in the end. There is no being cautious about the others background.¡± Hearing this, the four people looked down in thought. Curo¡¯s words had struck them deep as he ruthlessly berated them on their short comings.


    However, Curo¡¯s voice was calm and he didn¡¯t show any signs of contempt or malice in his words. These people knew that Curo was only saying this to make them see that if one is careless, they can die at any moment.


    When they thought back to their actions form the past month, they could only bitterly gulp. It had been as Curo had said, they were far too complacent as they had no idea how wars truly went. They had been alive for hundreds or thousands of years and had grown used to intimidating people with their backing. However, currently, their backing meant nothing as one side lived and the other died.


    If Five Academies lost, what would those people have to fear about offending their backgrounds? The same applied to if they lost; If they lost, they would already be dead, what is there to fear?


    Curo then said, ¡°A war is a bloody and messy affair. The only people you can count on are yourself and your Squad.¡± Hearing this, the four exchanged glances once again and then Curo stood up and asked, ¡°If you truly will follow my orders, I will do my up most to bring you back from this war alive. However, if you still wish to butt heads, I suggest you transfer Squads as soon as possible.¡±


    Curo¡¯s eyes then turned cold as he said determinedly, ¡°If you threaten the survival of me and my Squad, I will kill you myself.¡±


    Hearing this and seeing the killing intent in Curo¡¯s eyes, the four people could only suck in a deep breath. Curo was far too mysterious, he had cultivated for too short of a time, his name was resounding however, no one had seen him fight an all out battle. If he were to fight an all out battle, he may be a direct match against a Heavenly Saint for all they knew. There were too many unknown things about this young fellow before them.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The man that helped Curo fight the 10 man Squad resolutely stood up and cupped his hands, ¡°I, Shin Haotian, am wiling to follow Captain Ji¡¯s orders!¡± Seeing this, the other three pondered for only a moment before one of the Earthy Saint¡¯s stood up as well and cupped his hands as well, ¡°I, Chen Heng, am also willing to follow Captrain Ji¡¯s orders!¡± Hearing this Curo nodded his head towards the two and looked at the remaining two.


    The other Earthly Saint could only sigh as he also cupped his hands, ¡°I, Huang Feng, am also willing to follow Captain Ji¡¯s orders! I trust my life to you, help me keep it.¡± Hearing the additional sentence, Curo let out a smile as he nodded his head. Then, all of the gazes converged on the last remaining Heavenly Saint. The man seemed to be in deep thought as he was unsure on what to do.


    However, suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked at Curo with determination as he asked, ¡°Before I make my decision, let me ask, who is Mo Zheng to you?¡± Hearing this question, Curo was startled but he quickly fixed his expression as he answered, ¡°Uncle Zheng has been at my Father¡¯s side from when they were young. Uncle Zheng is like family to me as he has looked over me since my birth.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s eyes grew soft as he said, ¡°My son finally has a family as well¡­.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo raised his brows but before he could ask, the man cupped his hands and said, ¡°In honour of my son being your family, I dare not make any more mistakes. I, Mo Hao, am willing to follow Captain Ji¡¯s orders!¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s expression was complex. He wanted to ask about his Uncle Zheng, however, he knew that his was neither the time or place to do so.


    Curo then let out a smile as he withdrew four small black scaled shield from his Spacial Ring. He threw each of them one and said, ¡°Although these are only Top Grade Defensive Artefacts, they have a will of their own. Once you bind them with your Qi, by using minimal amount of Qi, they will revolve around you and meet incoming attacks by themselves. They can at least defend your back against a sneak attack or two.¡± Hearing this, the four¡¯s eyes were wide. Although, the four of them were all old monsters compared to Curo, they had never heard of such a wonderful Defensive Artefact.


    When the four bound the small scaled shields, they discovered that if they imbued the shields with a bit of Qi Sense, they could actively control them to meet any attack they wish. However, what made them most happy was that, besides these functions, there was one called, [Absolute Defence].


    This required them to pour all of their Qi into the small shield to create a black scaled barrier that was able to withstand a full on strike of an Early Stage Sovereign. As a Defensive Artefact, even one of these small scaled shields was priceless. They were on the level of a Clan Ancestral Treasure.


    Seeing the complex gazes of the four, Curo let out a smile as he said, ¡°I told you, if you follow my orders, I will do my up most to bring you all back alive from this war. This is one of the ways I have prepared.¡± The four completely confused on what to do.


    These shields were far too precious to be handed out so easily, while at the same time, they were extremely reluctant to give such a treasure back as it would play a huge role in their survival in this war.


    Curo then said seriously as he cast his gaze towards the battlefield, ¡°Watch your backs and keep an eye on your Squad members backs. If you see anyone in a dangerous situation, immediately help out.¡± Hearing this, the four nodded their heads with a serious expression. A hint of killing intent entered their eyes as they looked towards the distant battlefield.


    Curo smiled lightly as he nodded his head and said, ¡°Withdraw your weapons and prepare to battle, we are heading to battle.¡± Saying this, he withdrew his Halberd and charged towards the battlefield. Seeing Curo charge ahead, the four immediately drew their weapons and chased after him. When they reached the battlefield, the five man squad turned serious, they did not dare to make any mistakes any more. As the five man team arrived to the battlefield, the Five Academies side was jubilant when they noticed the Squad arrive.


    Any one more man on their side, increased their chances of victory. Even if the chances were increased by only an unremarkable margin, any increase was welcomed by everyone. Curo quickly surveyed the battleground and immediately located the battlefield of the Saints. Curo immediately said with voice transmission, lets head over there and team up with our side.¡± Hearing this, the four nodded their heads as they followed Curo towards the Saint¡¯s battlefield.


    They then found that everyone were locked in a one on one duel. They quickly located the people that were in a disadvantage on their side and split up to go and reinforce them. The addition of Curo¡¯s Squad tilted the battleground heavily. The number of Saints on each side was the same and the addition of Five Saints from the Five Academies side, made the face of the Nine Clans Saints go grim. However, these five Saints that had arrived were not your average Saints.


    Each of them was a person that was considered a genius. Their strength and Arts were in no way inferior to them and they have been fighting this battle for nearly a day now, they were running low on Qi and they were exhausted. However, Curo and his Squad were full of Qi and were well rested.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the Nine Ancient Clan¡¯s Saint¡¯s were forced to withdraw. They had suffered a loss of nearly 30 Heavenly Saints, 70 Earthly Saints and over a 100 Saints in the short period of time that Curo¡¯s Squad arrived.

 Chapter 31: The situation

    After the Saint Realm experts of the Nine Clans withdrew, the lower levelled cultivators also received a retreat order. None of the Five Academies Alliance members gave pursuit. An entire day of battle had passed, they were all exhausted. They were happy that the enemies left, why would they start chasing after them.


    With the Nine Clans forces retreating, several jubilant cries started to echo out from the people on the ground and soon, the entire army was raising their weapons up in the air in celebration. Seeing the situation play out like this, the various Saint Realm cultivators heaved a heavy sigh of relief. They were exhausted as well and a smile formed on their lips as they realized that the battle was over. They had won! A middle aged man with a sturdy build, dressed in fiery red armour stepped flew towards Curo and his squad.


    He stopped in front of Mo Hao and cupped his hands, ¡°The timely arrival of fellow cultivators truly tipped the scales in this battle.¡± He then shook his head as he sighed lightly, ¡°If you had arrived a bit later, we would have been hard pressed to survive this ordeal.¡± Hearing this, the surrounding cultivators, who were all dressed in the same armour nodded their heads towards Mo Hao. Mo Hao held a neutral expression as he said, ¡°Captain Ji was the one that rushed us here in time, if you wish to thank someone, you should thank Captain Ji.¡±


    Hearing this, the man was startled. He then scanned the four other people and frowned. When his eyes landed on Curo, he frowned even harder as some thought entered his head. He then turned towards Curo and said, ¡°I presume you are Captain Ji?¡± Curo nodded his head. The man then cupped his hands and said, ¡°I thank Captain Ji for providing timely assistance.¡± Curo waved it off and asked with slightly narrowed eyes, ¡°Where are the other Squads?¡± The man¡¯s face grew bitter as he said, ¡°You are the only Squad that came as reinforcements.¡± Curo frowned as he crossed his hands on his chest and said, ¡°From what I know, at least fifteen Squads were closer to the Burning Heavens Citadel than our Squad was. We rushed over from over 50 000 kilo meters away.¡±


    Hearing this, the man could only bitterly smile and say, ¡°There were several Squads that arrived nearby but seeing the situation they decided to leave hurriedly.¡± Hearing this, Curo asked with a dark face, ¡°May I ask, did you recognize any Squads led by my Hidden Dragon Academy?¡± The man thought for a moment before answering uncertainly, ¡°I seem to recall one or two.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face slightly turned red. It was obvious from a glance that he was angry. The man then said, ¡°How about we continue this conversation inside?¡±Curo nodded his head and followed the man inside the citadel.


    Several Saint Realm experts of the Citadel stayed to guard, while the rest of them were sent to recuperate. Curo followed the man into a room that had a huge table in the middle of it. On the walls, on one side was the Insignia of the Nirvana Phoenix Academy and on the other side, there was the Insignia of the Five Academies Alliance. On the table, there was a 3D replica of the Citadel and the surrounding 5 kilo meters.


    The man then sat down at the Lords seat and gestured for Curo to sit down on his right. Curo nodded his head and sat down on his right as a servant brought them a cup of tea. After taking a sip, Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious as he asked, ¡°Did you recognize the leaders of the Squads from the Hidden Dragon Academy?¡± The man also turned serious as he nodded his head and said, ¡°The Squad Leaders were Jiang Fu and Lin Chengtian. They observed the situation for a few minutes and then left with bitter faces. It was obvious that they didn¡¯t want to take part in this battle.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo nodded his head and fished out a paper talisman. He then stood up and threw it to the ground after injecting some Qi into it. The Talisman burned up and revealed an illusory figure. Curo then cupped his hands and said, ¡°Instructor Sheng.¡± Hearing this, the figure turned to Curo and asked, ¡°What happened for you to contact me?¡±


    Curo then said with a grim face, ¡°The Burning Heavens Citadel sent out a request for reinforcements earlier today. After rushing here for half a days worth of time, we discovered that we were the only Squad to offer assistance in this battle.¡± Hearing this, Instructors Sheng¡¯s brows furrowed as he asked, ¡°Were there any of our Academies Roaming Dragon Squads involved?¡± Curo nodded his head and said, ¡°Leader Jiang Fu and Leader Lin Chengtian were spotted by the Burning Heavens Citadels Commander In Charge to observe for a few minutes, then withdraw with bitter face. From the Commander¡¯s words, they suffered no injuries to their Squad.¡± Hearing this, Instructor Sheng said coldly, ¡°Thank you for reporting this matter, I will personally deal with them. I suggest the Commander also contacts the other Academies for an explanation.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head and the illusory figure slowly dissipated. Seeing this, the Commander¡¯s eyes were wide as he asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit extreme?¡±


    Curo then turned to the man with cold eyes and said, ¡°We were lucky this time that the lower levelled cultivators didn¡¯t notice them. If they had and saw them fleeing the moment they arrived, what would be left of the troops morale?¡± Hearing this, the man was silent as he could only agree with Curo¡¯s words. While skill mattered amongst the Saints, Morale was the biggest factor amongst the lower levelled cultivators. If the morale plummeted, then the forces would lose all will to battle and be slaughtered or run away.


    Curo then added coldly, ¡°Yes, this time, we were lucky. Our Squad managed to make a difference. By helping one person kill their opponent, two were free to help out others, this released a domino effect that forced the Nine Clans forces to retreat.¡± Hearing this, the man could only sigh. He too was someone well versed in the art of war. In addition, he had been fighting since the beginning, he knew how important the morale was for the troops. If anyone was taken by despair, it would result in a chain reaction that would lead to their downfall. Curo then said, ¡°I was appointed as the Deputy for the Roaming Dragon Division. All of the Roaming Squads from the Hidden Dragon Academy are under the direct orders from the Roaming Dragon Division.¡±


    He then took a breath and looked out the window as he continued, ¡°This act of arriving and fleeing without even fighting is equal to desertion. Luckily, only Saints saw them and were able to keep their morale, however, the fight would have been long lost before we arrived if the lower levelled cultivators had seen them.¡± The man could do nothing but agree to Curo¡¯s words. This was war. They had their orders to come and assist them, to Roaming Squads, this wasn¡¯t a debatable order but a strict and direct one. Had they been too far away, then there was nothing they could do. However, there were several squads that were close enough to arrive in the beginning of the battle. However, they decided to not do that. If that wasn¡¯t desertion, then what was.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Curo then told the man, ¡°My Squad will remain here for the next few days. If they attack again, we will help fight them.¡± Hearing this, the man nodded in appreciation as he summoned a servant to prepare rooms for the five. Curo then asked the man, ¡°Do you have news of the situation elsewhere?¡± The man then sighed as he said, ¡°Ever since the first battle, there have been countless small skirmishes between the Nine Clans and the Five Academies. However, today, they launched their first large scale attack.¡± Curo listened intently as the man continued, ¡°However, even we weren¡¯t expecting there to be so many Saint Realm cultivators. From this, it seems like they are starting to make their moves now.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and added, ¡°The Burning Heavens Citadel is one of the outer most Citadels. This is as close to the front line¡¯s as it gets. If we lose this supply base, the Roaming Squads will be crippled by quite a bit.¡± The man nodded his head as he agreed with Curo, ¡°Once this Citadel is lost, this World can be considered so as well. The next closest World is a week away if one didn¡¯t use the Transportation Arrays.¡± Curo nodded his head as he asked, ¡°Would you mind if I put in a request for reinforcements here from the Hidden Dragon Academy?¡±


    The man frowned when he heard this but Curo immediately clarified, ¡°It isn¡¯t that you lack in leadership or strength but rather, this is a very important strategic location for us. To lose it just because it wasn¡¯t fortified enough¡­.¡± As his words trailed off here, the man could only sigh as well. He then said, ¡°If a Formations Expert were to come here and set down a Transportation Array, it would already be good enough. We have suffered many injuries and casualties during this battle, so to turn away reinforcements would be a fools decision.¡± Hearing this, Curo smiled.


    He was afraid that the man would be stubborn on this matter and persist that he could handle it. The man then said looking at the ceiling, ¡°Recognize your own weakness, we are at war. No matter what, I can¡¯t doom my entire army because of my own pride.¡± Hearing this, Curo cupped his hands towards the man. He had earned Curo¡¯s respect.


    The matter of ones pride and seeing the bigger picture often butted heads. Although the people knew there was a lot at stake, they refused to accept help from outside. However, this matter concerned the entire Realm, there was no room for the Commander¡¯s pride and he knew it. Curo and the man had finished their cups of tea, so Curo withdrew two cups and a flask of wine.


    As he filled them, he asked, ¡°What is your out take on this war?¡± The man accepted the cup and hesitation appeared in the man¡¯s eyes as he stayed silent. Curo sighed and said, ¡°This matter will be between us and nothing will leave this room.¡± The man gave Curo a long glance before he sighed, ¡°At this point, it is far too early to say. Both sides are still at the probing stages and we have no way of swinging the battle either way as of now.¡±


    Curo nodded his head as he took a sip of wine and said, ¡°In my opinion, the Nine Clans actually hold the advantage at the moment. They are far more united than we are.¡± Hearing this, the man furrowed his brows for a moment before sighing. He knew extremely well what Curo was implying at with his sentence. The man then said, ¡°We have more experts but we lack the unity. They have less experts but stronger unity. This creates a delicate equilibrium. However, if our Five Academies were to stand more united¡­.¡± As his words trailed off, Curo nodded his head.


    Curo then finished the sentence, ¡°We would have an overwhelming advantage. However, there is still too much bad blood between the Academies and the Alumni.¡± Hearing this, the man could do nothing but sigh. The man then asked, ¡°What are you planning on doing after you leave here?¡± Curo took a sip of wine and said, ¡°First off, we will return to the Hidden Dragon Academy to rest up and exchange our merits for useful Artefacts, pills and so on. Then, the plan is to head deeper into the Nine Ancient Clans territory and disrupt their major bases of operation.¡±


    He took a breath before he explained more clearly, ¡°Sabotage their supply transfers, eliminate Bounty Board threats and so on.¡± Hearing this, the man gave a long look at Curo and asked something that had been on his mind for too long now, ¡°Why were you chosen to be Squad Leader?¡± When Curo heard this question, he bitterly smiled. All of the Roaming Dragon Squads were compromised of a Heavenly Saint Leader and four Earthly Saint members. Their Squad was the only anomaly with two Heavenly Saints, and two Earthly Saints being lead by an Early Saint.


    Curo then said with a bitter tone, ¡°Because I am Number One on the Nine Ancient Clans Bounty Board. I am the both indirect and direct reason this whole war started. The higher ups thought that if I were to just hide away under the Sovereigns protection, it would bring down the morale of the Five Academies Forces.¡± When the Commander heard this, he sighed and looked at Curo with a tinge of pity in his eyes. He then raised his cup and said, ¡°Seems like you and me both have it hard.¡± Curo gave a weak smile as he also raised his cup. However, just as they were about to take a sip, they felt a Qi Ripple. Their eyes turned serious as the both flew out of the hall and into the air. Suddenly, the Commander¡¯s voice boomed out when they saw the situation, ¡°Men and women of the Burning Heavens Citadel to arms!¡±


    When this shout echoed out, the various rallying bells were rung as the soldiers immediately got dressed and appeared on the walls. When they saw what was in front of them, they all paled. In the distance, a large army was waiting, no smaller than the army that had arrived in the morning. However, in front of them, there were several beasts that had a cultivation varying from the Qi Gathering Stages to the Early Saint Realms. Curo¡¯s face was dark as he took out his Identity Token and inscribed a message into it.


    The message read, ¡°Every Roaming Dragon Squad that gets this message is to immediately come to the Burning Heavens Citadel. Those who don¡¯t will be executed according to the Rules of the Roaming Dragon Division.¡± When the various Squads in the vicinity received this message, they paled. This message was a direct order from the Deputy of the Roaming Dragon Division and it clearly said, anyone who ignored this order will be executed without exception.


    The Commander then rose to the skies and by doing so, over two hundred Saints rose to the air behind him. They were visibly exhausted however, none of them had any intention of backing down from this fight. The several men glanced at Curo and his Squad as well and seeing that they were also standing their ground and seemed to be fighting alongside them, they were gratified.


    Curo¡¯s and his Squads strength had left a deep impression on them during the earlier battle. ¡°Seems like you half dead bastards still have some strength in you. Don¡¯t worry, I will beat it out of you soon enough.¡± As the laughter echoed out in the night sky, Curo¡¯s and every Saint¡¯s expression darkened.


    The Commander then grit his teeth as he muttered, ¡°A Sovereign¡­.¡±

 Chapter 32: Race against time

    When everyone present felt the Sovereign level Qi fluctuations, their faces turned pale. If the Sovereign were to be by himself, then with a 200 plus Saints, they may exhaust him to death and win through that but even that wasn¡¯t guaranteed.


    However, there were also 200 Saints accompanying the man, so if they were to focus all of their attention on the Sovereign, the Saints would annihilate their low levelled cultivators. However, if they focused on the Saints, the Sovereign would have free reign to do what it wanted. The Commander¡¯s face was grim and as he looked at the people behind him, he could only bitterly smile. This was the place where they would die.


    As his gaze passed Curo, it turned complex. Curo¡¯s face wasn¡¯t filled with fear or bitterness. Rather, it was filled with determination. Suddenly, when a deathly silence filled the surroundings, Curo¡¯s cold voice sounded out, ¡°Mo Hao, Shin Haotian, Huang Feng, Chen Heng! Form a protective circle around me and let no one in!¡± The moment he said that, the four didn¡¯t question the order and immediately flew to the four sides of Curo as he sat down and produced a small wooden figure.


    The figure was extremely detailed in it¡¯s features and it resembled Jing Fang. Curo then muttered something and just as the wooden figure in his hands began to glow in a black light, he threw it up. A blinding light burst out from the figure as laughter echoed out again, ¡°Seems like you half pints from the Nine Clans couldn¡¯t hold yourselves back any more!¡±


    Hearing this, the faces of the Burning Heavens Citadels forces turned to shock. The wooden figure had turned into a flesh and blood man. What¡¯s more, he also released Qi Fluctuations equivalent to a Sovereign. Seeing this, all the gazes turned to Curo and they saw him sit down there cross legged. His eyes were closed as his hands formed a peculiar seal, covered in black light.


    Seeing this, the Commander resolutely barked, ¡°Lou Xi, take your Squad and guard Captain Ji with your lives.¡± Hearing the order, the man at his right banged his chest piece with his fist as he hurriedly flew down with eight others. They formed another protective circle around Curo and stared all around with extreme vigilance.


    The Commander looked at Curo and sighed internally, ¡°Is it fate or just a lucky coincidence¡­. When my Burning Heavens Citadel needs a Sovereign the most, he is able to produce a Sovereign Puppet.¡± He could only look at Curo with a complex and peculiar gaze once more before he looked straight ahead and barked again, ¡°Captain Ji will stall the Sovereign, rest of you lot, prepare to fight for your lives!¡±


    Hearing this, the forces of the Burning Heavens Citadel raised their weapons to the air with a deafening battle cry. No more words were spoken as the wooden puppet of Jing Fang flew out to meet the Sovereign of the Nine Clans. The Commander, Saints and regular forces all followed behind him and a bloody and a messy battle for survival started once again. The moment the figure had turned into Jing Fang, Curo¡¯s body became unmoving.


    When Jing Fang had given him this wooden figure he had said, that this puppet was only an incomplete and failed product made in haste. Not only did it require Curo to constantly pour in massive amounts of Qi to keep it active, he also needed to be in full control of the puppet. However, he had not yet learned to split his mind, so the only way he could do that was to have himself surrounded by protective detail while he himself solely focused on fighting in the puppet.


    His Real Body would be left up to fate and if someone managed to kill his Real Body, then the puppet would also deactivate. Taking all of this into account, Jing Fang had pushed the Hidden Dragon Academy to surround Curo with the two Heavenly Saints and two Earthly Saints. If push came to shove and he needed to use the figure, the four of them could keep his Real Body safe. As Curo flew ahead inside the puppet, he came across the Sovereign from the Nine Clans.


    Without saying another word, he immediately started fighting with the man. It was only luck that the Sovereign was also a puppet and thus it¡¯s combat strength was roughly equal to Curo. Since it was like this, there were two options for this battle to end; First, whichever side ran out of Qi needed to maintain the puppet first and Second, which ever side managed to kill the puppet controller first.


    Thinking this far, Curo hurriedly sent a message to the Commander, ¡°This Sovereign is a puppet like mine, if we wish to end this with our victory, you need to find the controller while I tie up the puppet.¡± Hearing this message, the Commander faltered for a second before he immediately understood what Curo meant. The person in control of the other puppet was most likely a Heavenly Saint with a Qi reserve much vaster and deeper than Curo¡¯s.


    Although, he didn¡¯t know how vast Curo¡¯s Qi Reserve was, if they went for the drawn out battle, they were more likely to lose than win. Since the situation panned out like this, he secretly contacted the Saints under his command and had half of them fight the other Saints to keep them busy while the other half were to search for the controller.


    While fighting the Sovereign puppet, Curo also tried to scan and search for the controller if he could, however, the attacks of the other puppet were relentless enough to not give him the free time to do so. As the two kept fighting high up in the sky, the Nine Clans seemed to have the same idea that the Burning Heavens Citadels forces had. As each side was frantically searching for the other sides Sovereign Puppet Controller, several Squads of Saints appeared on the edge of the battlefield.


    Each of them had grim faces on and just as they were pondering on what to do, a voice sounded out in their heads, ¡°Move to the back of the Nine Clans forces and search for the person in control of the Sovereign Puppet.¡± This voice was Curo and the moment they heard that, the people could only smile bitterly as they joined the forces to search for the Puppet Controller. Although each of them was bitter at heart about being dragged into this, they couldn¡¯t voice their discontent. However, the halfassed method of searching and casual fighting they did, did not escape Curo¡¯s sight.


    His anger started to flare as he blasted the other Sovereign Puppet with a ball of black flames. As the Puppet retreated, Curo roared in anger, ¡°You shit fucks either start searching and fighting with everything you have or I am going to bury all of you here with the Nine Clans!¡± Hearing this roar, the entire battlefield paused for a moment before it resumed. Although none of them could see Curo¡¯s face, from his voice alone it was obvious that he was pissed. Mo Hao¡¯s eyes narrowed as he coldly started observing the Squads that had joined them halfway through the battle.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Suddenly, Curo¡¯s voice echoed in his head, ¡°Mo Hao, I am going to give you a recording tool. Record all of their actions from now on.¡± Hearing this cold voice in his head, he could only nod his head. Suddenly, a black orb the size of a fist appeared in front of him. He quickly started recording all of their actions and the more he observed them, the more angry he grew. ¡°Did this shit fucks not understand the situation we are in? Once the Captain¡¯s Puppet runs out of Qi, we will be lambs for slaughter in front of them.¡± As he mumbled that in a low tone, the surrounding twelve people¡¯s faces grew cold as well.


    They were detesting these Squads that had joined but gave a half baked effort. Suddenly, Curo coughed a mouthful of blood as his left shoulder started glowing in a white light. His complexion grew better but it was still pale.


    Seeing this, Mo Hao grit his teeth and sent a message to the Commander, ¡°Captain seems to be at his limits, unless we manage to find the Controller in the next few minutes, I suggest we start making preparations for the retreat.¡± Hearing this, the Commander¡¯s face grew serious as he glanced up into the sky. Both of the puppets were wearing rags and several spots on their bodies were gone, revealing the wooden inside. Both of the Puppets were at their limits, however, since they hadn¡¯t found the other Controller, they had no idea whether they were winning or losing.


    Just as they were frantically searching for the other Puppet Controller, a loud Bang! echoed across the battlefield and pieces of a Puppet fell down from the sky. Everyone¡¯s hearts were stuck in their throats as suddenly, Curo¡¯s head jerked backwards and a stream of blood flew out from his mouth. As he laid down on his back, the surrounding people were grim. When the other puppet descended, it was missing half it¡¯s head, an arm and both it¡¯s legs. However, it was the Nine Clan¡¯s Sovereign Puppet.


    They could do nothing but bitterly sigh to this. They no longer had the option of retreating either. When the Saints looked towards Curo, their faces were filled with both respect and sorrow. Curo had given his all to delay the puppet as long he could but they had not managed to find the other Puppet Controller in time.


    Then their gazes turned to the Squads that had joined in half way and their gazes were filled with malicious rage. Sensing all these gazes, these Squads could do nothing more than lower their heads and cower in fear. They had known that the Sovereigns in the sky were both puppets and whichever side won would win this entire battle. In spite of this, they were not doing their up most to find the other Puppet Controller. They all knew Curo and were envious of both his talent and his reputation. Deep down, they suppressed their efforts because they wanted to see him suffer.


    However, now under the malicious gazes of the Burning Heavens Citadel¡¯s Forces, they could only lower their heads and dread what was about to come. Curo had managed to recover a bit and managed to struggle to sit up. Instead of bitterness, there was a hint of a smile on his face. Seeing this, Mo Hao was confused but when he followed Curo¡¯s gaze and saw nothing, he frowned as he sent out his Qi Sense.


    His face suddenly changed as well and a hint of smile formed on his face as he looked at Curo. ¡°So, he wasn¡¯t planning on fighting to the bitter end in the first place but was stalling for time.¡± As this thought entered Mo Hao¡¯s head, ten streaks of light appeared on the horizon. These ten figures all excluded the Qi Ripples of Sovereigns. Behind these ten figures, on could see a huge boat with the Five Academies Alliance Insignia on it¡¯s sail rushing towards them. Seeing these ten figures, the Commander only released a breath of relief as he looked towards Curo with a gratified gaze.


    This battle had drawn itself out to be nearly half a day long. The ten figures looked at the City Wall and cupped their hands in respect and bowed before turning heir gazes towards the Nine Clans forces. Without any delay, the immediately rushed forward. Seeing that ten Sovereign Puppets had appeared on the other side, the Nine Clans could do nothing once again than immediately withdraw their forces. The ten Sovereign Puppets had no thought of chasing them and the moment they saw them retreat in panic, they flew to the City Wall and stood in front of Curo. One Puppet then said, ¡°As per your order¡¯s Lord Deputy, the Ten Sovereign Puppet Squad had arrived as reinforcements to the Burning Heavens Citadel!¡± Curo gave a weak smile as he said, ¡°Your timing couldn¡¯t have been better. Had you been even half a minute late, I am afraid you would have only found corpses here.¡±


    Hearing this, the puppet also sighed as he looked towards the fleeing Nine Clans Forces and said, ¡°We were immediately mobilized and sent out the moment we got the order. Roaming Dragon Head Sovereign Sheng helped us shorten the time it took to arrive by four times. He had said that he had a bad feeling about this and it seemed that Sovereign Sheng was right.¡± Hearing this, the thirteen Saints surrounding Curo all gave him a gratified look.


    Curo then said as well, ¡°For some reason, the moment the last battle ended, I had this weird feeling of danger and that a calamity was approaching. Seems like even the Heavens favour us in this war.¡± Hearing this, the puppet let out a laugh before he said, ¡°Our Real Body¡¯s will arrive in quarter of an hours worth of time. Head Sheng and Sovereign Jing and Sovereign Xi sent over some supplies for you and also, there are special orders for your Squad.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious.


    If all three of the Heavenly Sovereigns that stood at the front of the Hidden Dragon Academy sent over supplies for a special mission, it was bound to be something extremely dangerous. Curo nodded his head and took out some Medicinal Pills to start recuperating the injuries he had suffered. The backlash caused by the Puppet¡¯s destruction had riddled his body with injuries. If he didn¡¯t have a body that was several times stronger than a normal Saints, he may have been crippled by it. As Curo closed his eyes to heal his injuries, no one disturbed him any more.


    However, a commotion broke out nearby that caused the Ten Sovereign Puppet¡¯s eyes to turn cold. When a group of 40 Heavenly Saints arrived, they brought along them the all the Roaming Squads that had shirked their duties and almost killed all of them. Had it not been for Curo sending out a request for reinforcements and them arriving in time, then they would all be corpses at the moment. Seeing the Squads being brought to them, the Ten Sovereign Puppets immediately singled out their Roaming Squads and one of them said coldly, ¡°Do you have any idea how your actions may have implicated the entire war?¡± As these people lowered their heads in embarrassment, another quickly added, ¡°If you shit heads have no will to take part in this war, what the fuck are you even doing here? Trying to curry a favour with the Academies that you have participated?¡± This squad of Ten Sovereign Puppet Squad was a jointly formed squad of 2 Peak Heavenly Saints from each Academy.


    On the way there, they had heard a report of how they had only showed up and left during the first battle and that had infuriated them. When they got a hurried report from Mo Hao how they were shirking their duties during this war, they become truly enraged at the lot and were quite close to slapping these people to Kingdom to come.

 Chapter 33: Special Order

    One of the men with a youthful appearance stepped forward and opened his mouth, ¡°We were giving it our best. It¡¯s just that Captain Ji couldn¡¯t stall the other for long enough.¡± Hearing this, a vein appeared on the forehead of every Saint present. Feeling the sudden murderous aura locked onto him, the fellow immediately shut up and took a step back, face pale. Curo then smiled lightly, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Hearing this sentence, Mo Hao threw the previous Recording Artefact into the air and replayed the entire battle. When the Roaming Squads saw that recording, their faces paled even more as they knew that they would not be able to explain themselves. After the recording had finished, a cracking of bones echoed out as one of the puppets clenched his fist.


    When Curo saw the man¡¯s face, even he felt slight dread. The man was completely and utterly filled with unbound rage. The man then turned towards the Burning Heavens Citadel Commander and said coldly, ¡°Commander Feng, I am going to have to borrow a few of your soldiers to escort these deserters back to face trial.¡± Hearing this, everyone present, Curo and the Commander included sucked in a deep breath. From the words of the man, crippling their cultivation or even execution was already certain. Commander Feng gave the men a quick, cold gaze before cupping his hands towards the man and beckoning a few people over.


    Just as they tried to justify themselves once more, the Sovereign puppet from the Hidden Dragon Academy coldly said, ¡°You idiots don¡¯t seem to realize the situation we are in with this war. If we lose, this entire Realm will become slaves. Your actions today may have cost our Five Academy Alliance and most specifically the Nirvana Phoenix Academy to lose over 200 Saint Realm Experts. Besides that, there are over ten million lower levelled cultivators as well that would have been annihilated.¡± The man paused for a second and then continued coldly, ¡°Most importantly, we would have lost this location¡¯. This Citadel is the closest one we have to the Nine Clans territory so all of the strategies we have planned have been planned through this Citadel. If we lost this Citadel, could you truly take the responsibility for it?¡± Hearing this, the various Squad¡¯s gulped.


    They had only wanted to see Curo suffer a bit, however, they had no idea that their bit of greed and jealousy may have had such dire consequences. Not to mention losing the most important strategic location their Alliance had, they would directly be the people responsible for the deaths of 200 Saints and over 10 million lower levelled cultivators.


    Even if they survived the slaughter and managed to flee, the Five Academies would most likely annihilate their entire Clans due to rage. The Nirvana Phoenix Academy might even torture all of them to death. The 70 plus people from the Roaming Squads all lowered their heads with pale faces. In their eyes, there was dread. Only now did they realize what implications their actions had.


    Besides saying that one sentence, Curo had been completely silent throughout the entire It didn¡¯t take long for the gigantic ship to arrive with each of the four Academies sending over a 100 Saints and 5 million low levelled cultivators as reinforcements. To house all of them, Commander Feng had to expand the Citadel by quite a lot.


    With the addition of 400 Saints, 20 million low levelled cultivators and 10 Sovereign Puppets, the combat strength of the Burning Heavens Citadel had risen three fold in an instant. To Commander Fengs relief, none of the Saints or Sovereign Puppet Controllers would interfere with his commands. It was obvious that they had received strict orders to be under Commander Feng¡¯s command and to obey every order he send out. This rooted out quite a bit of problems he was afraid that would pop up. With the Nine Clans in retreat and the reinforcements arriving, Curo and the rest of the Burning Citadels Saints could finally get a well earned rest.


    Mo Hao supported Curo to the room that was allocated to him and when he sat down to cultivate, Mo Hao and the rest kept guard just in case. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and ten figures walked in. These ten were the Sovereign Puppet Controllers. Seeing the people enter, Curo stood up and cupped his hands in salute. When the others returned the greeting, Curo asked in a serious tone, ¡°What is this order?¡±


    One of the people stepped forward and passed Curo a jade slip. Curo frowned as he accepted it and after sending a bit of Qi into it, his face first turned serious, then thoughtful and then complex. After he fell in thought, the man asked, ¡°Do you have any confidence in being able to achieve this?¡± Curo raised his head as he said seriously, ¡°It is possible but are they sure they want to send me there?¡±


    The ten people exchanged a glance before two of them took out an identical Artefact that sealed the entire room. The man then answered with a serious face, ¡°The operation to seize the Top Grade Qi Stone Mines has started. As the Five Academies and Four Clans are gathering their troops for this, they want to send you in as a distraction.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo gave a bitter smile as he said, ¡°My face is plastered across the entire Nine Clans Territory, I am the Number One on their Bounty board with a bounty of 10 million Top Grade Qi Stones, a position of Inner Elder in any of the Nine Clans of the person choosing and being able to marry into the Clan and take their surname¡­.¡± As his words trailed of, the man sighed as he nodded, ¡°With you making an appearance deep inside their territory, there is no lack of people that will head over to kill you.¡± Curo sighed deeply, ¡°What did they send over to help us survive this?¡± The man then immediately withdrew a Spacial Ring and threw it to Curo. When he checked what was inside, he couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath.


    The inside of the Spacial ring was stocked to the brim with all kinds of Top Grade Healing Medicines, Offensive Talismans, Defensive Talismans, Spacial Talismans¡­. The wealth contained in this Spacial Ring was something that only some truly old and ancient Clans could rival if they sold off all their assets. This went to show that, reserves of wealth that these Five Academies had accumulated over the years was truly terrifying. Curo passed the Spacial Ring to Mo Hao and then asked them seriously, ¡°I thought that the plan was to probe the Nine Clans for the next century and then seize the Qi Stone Mines?¡±


    The man had a complex gaze as he looked towards the person in the centre, seemingly asking for permission. The person nodded his head and the man then explained, ¡°Our intelligence brought back that they managed to stumble upon the Realms Will. After exhausting much resources, they managed to capture it again. If we don¡¯t seize the mines as soon as possible¡­.¡± Curo let out a deep breath as he muttered, ¡°Then we can consider ourselves lost already¡­.¡± The man nodded his head. Curo rubbed the bridge of his nose and then asked, ¡°Was there anything I wasn¡¯t allowed to do to draw their attention?¡± The man was startled, he then slowly shook his head and Curo asked again with a malicious smile, ¡°Then, do we know which Clan obtained the Realms Will?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The man was puzzled and said, ¡°If our information is correct then it should be the Han Clan. What are you planning to do?¡± Curo only gave a smile but he didn¡¯t say anything more. The man then understood that this was something that was of utter importance and could not be leaked, so he didn¡¯t continue questioning. After speaking a bit more with Curo on the time frame and several other things like what to watch out for, the ten people left.


    When they had left, Curo withdrew an identical Artefact that the men had used from his Spacial Ring and activated it. Once the space around the room was sealed, he turned to the four and said, ¡°You should probably guessing what I am planning to do?¡± The four hesitantly nodded as Mo Hao said, ¡°You plan on raiding the Han Clan¡¯s Han Imperial City, aren¡¯t you?¡± Curo shook his head and then said¡­.


    ***


    Inside a luxurious hall, there were three figures. One of them gloomily said, ¡°Even though it was our Meng Clan that had found and subdued the Realms Will, those Han Clan punks truly have balls to force us to hand it over like that.¡± His face was red like pigs liver. The other two nodded their heads as another angrily spoke, ¡°Not only the Han Clan but the rest of the Clans also joined in glamouring about incompetence and what not.¡±


    The final man then sighed deeply as a smile curled to his lips, ¡°Let¡¯s see how far they can hold onto this hot potato.¡± Hearing this, the two seemed to think of something and also smiled.


    It seemed like they had prepared for this for a long time or perhaps, they had something else in mind.


    ***


    In a spacious hall with a round table, nine figures sat at the table. Seven of the nine figures looked at the other two with a complicated expression. One built man then asked, ¡°Oi, Jing. I honestly know that you are a wicked and cold person but to this extent¡­.¡±


    Jing Fang turned his gaze towards the man and gave him a malicious smile, ¡°Trust me on this, when it comes to maliciousness and wickedness, I am no match for that fellow?¡± Hearing this, the man was startled as he raised a brow. Jing Fang then chuckled, ¡°I just received word that he had received his orders and had instead on inquired who had obtained the Realms Will.¡± Hearing this, the man frowned as he asked, ¡°So what?¡±


    Jing Fang then gave a smile and said, ¡°I have known that brat for only a few short years, however, he has never ceased to amaze me in his ways of causing havoc.¡± Qing Zhao at his side also nodded his head with a wicked smile and added, ¡°No matter what he is planning on doing, I have a feeling that it will be something grand and will drag the Han clan¡¯s face through the mud.¡± The seven exchanged glances before they sighed.


    They couldn¡¯t understand just how did they have so much confidence in that little brat. From his reputation, he could be considered a Just Saint. However, these two were currently painting him as a Devil.


    Seeing these gazes, Jing Fang let out a sigh and said, ¡°That fellow¡­. He has an extremely clear division of friend and foe. When he sees a stranger in trouble, he won¡¯t hesitate to extend a helping hand, however, once you have made him your enemy, even the Heavens can¡¯t save you from plans he makes.¡± The seven were astounded, especially the three Divine Beasts.


    They narrowed their eyes when they heard Jing Fang¡¯s praise. In all their years, there have been only a handful of people that had earned a word of praise from Jing Fang and each one of them had grown up to me a dazzling figure. For him to say this much about this boy, they couldn¡¯t help but eagerly wait for what he was going to do.


    Jing Fang then turned serious, ¡°When Curo is done with his plan, he will have probably allowed the Realms Will to escape again. This time, we need to track it down and convince it to let us hide it somewhere where the Nine Clans can¡¯t reach it.¡± The three Divine Beasts nodded their heads. However, their eyes revealed shock as they heard that Curo would most likely help the Realms Will escape somehow. ¡°How the hell is he planning on doing that? To make those old monsters lose control over the Dormation that is sealing the Realms Will, you would have to¡­.¡±


    As a hought entered their heads, the three turned their heads towards Jing Fang with shocked eyes as a beautiful young woman with red hair asked in shock, ¡°He isn¡¯t planning on¡­.¡± As he words trailed off, Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°Knowing his character, most likely is planning on doing exactly that.¡±


    ***


    It took three days for Curo to heal his injuries and arrive at his peak state. When he was in his peak state, he only exchanged a few words with the Ten Sovereign Puppet Controllers and Commander Feng before he and his Squad left the Burning Heavens Citadel. They immediately took course for the Han Imperial City. The four men: Mo Hao, Shin Haotian, Huang Feng, Cheng Heng, were looking at Curo with a complex gaze.


    When they first heard of Curo¡¯s plan, they had simply thought that it was insane. However, when he explained it a bit more detailed, the were forced to admit, that it didn¡¯t have any flaws. If they stuck to the plan and didn¡¯t take any unnecessary risks, then, once the plan would be in full motion, they would all be long gone from there. To think of such a plan, the four couldn¡¯t help but shudder. However, at the same time a tinge of excitement appeared in their eyes. If they managed to pull it off, then with only 5 people, they would be able to drag the entire Han Clan¡¯s face through the mud.


    The humiliation they would receive would even make their enemies feel pity for them. It took them slightly over a month to travel from World to World before they arrived in front of an enormously gigantic city. When the five saw the City, they were all slightly dazzled before lowering their heads and entering the City. Using some Face Changing Arts, they five had completely disguised themselves. They had ditched their Academy Robes and had put on Han Clan Robes they had plundered from the cultivators on the way. With their Identity Tokens, it wasn¡¯t hard to enter the City and putting on a bit of airs managed to give them safe passage in without much trouble.


    When the five entered the City, Curo gave a signal and the four men behind him started walking in different directions. Their hands flashed from time to time but no passer by noticed anything wrong. Seeing this, Curo smiled as he set his steps towards the centre of the City, where the Imperial Palace was. In the years to come, this would become known as an absolute legend that would be passed down by cultivators to their young.


    The epic tale of five Saints taking down the entire Han Imperial City with only the five of them.

 Chapter 34: Upside Down

    In three days time, five figures appeared in front of the City Gate. Four of them nodded to one younger man before the young man smiled evilly. He then gestured with a hand and the four took out a Boundless Spacial Talisman. These talismans were Top Grade Talismans that could instantly transport a person from one side of the Realm to the other. However, to create even one of these, one would need Heavenly Materials that were extremely hard to obtain and the person creating it had to be at least a Heavenly Sovereign with a profound insight to the Dao of Space. If anyone saw four people pull out four of these talismans in succession, they would probably die from jealousy.


    When the four were firmly grasping the Spacial Talismans, the young man fished out a small white orb. Besides the orb, the young man also took out several hundreds Talismans that seemed like Protective and Restrictive Talismans. When all of these things were accounted and looked to be in order, the young man smiled as he threw the orb high into the sky. Following that, a blinding light appeared as a transparent Insignia appeared in the sky.


    Without missing a beat, the young man threw hundreds of Top Grade Protective and Restrictive Talismans after it. When they Insignia was properly under layers and layers of Restrictions and defensive barriers, the young man¡¯s hands formed a seal before he quickly fished out a Boundless Spacial Talisman as well. With a nod, the five people activated the Talismans.


    ***


    As the nine figures were discussing on the matter of occupying the Qi Mines, Headmistress Xi barged into the Hall with rapid breaths. Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately gathered on her and when they saw the shock, dread and utter disbelief on her face, no one knew what to say. Qing Zhao furrowed his brows as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter little Qing?¡± Headmistress Xi then hurriedly said, ¡°Curo carried out his mission.¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao furrowed his brows even further as he asked. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    Headmistress Xi then said, ¡°This isn¡¯t something to say You need to see it with your own eyes you old fart.¡± Hearing this Qing Zhao was taken a back before his face contorted in rage. However, before he could say or do anything, Headmistress Xi¡¯s hand flashed and a giant picture appeared in the air.


    When they saw this picture, all of them had a slacked jaw as they stared at the picture in front of them in shock. Jing Fang and Qing Zhao even stood up as they did not dare believe what they were seeing.


    ***


    In the ancestral hall of the Meng Clan, an Earthly Sovereign burst through the doors. The three Heavenly Sovereigns stared in bewilderment as to why this Sovereign was so flustered. However, before any one of them could ask anything, the man hurriedly said, ¡°The Five Academy Alliance has made their move.¡± Hearing this, the three men¡¯s faces turned serious as one of them barked immediately, ¡°Report!¡±


    The man fell onto his knees and said, ¡°This is something that Ancestors should see for with their own eyes.¡± Hearing this, the men were taken aback before they hurriedly exchanged a glance. The man then immediately waved his hand and a picture appeared in the air. Seeing this picture, all three of the Heavenly Sovereigns were shocked to the extent that their mouths were open.


    In addition, one of the Sovereigns that was in the middle of standing up froze then fell on his behind when he saw the image.


    One of them uttered in disbelief, ¡°This is¡­.¡±


    ***


    On top of a luscious mountain, there were twelve figures drinking wine and gazing at the giant screen in front of them. If Curo were here, he would recognize the blue haired young man sitting in the centre. However, at the moment, there was shock in all of their eyes as they were glued to the screen. The blue haired young man sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°That little fellow truly is ruthless.¡±


    The other eleven figures present nodded their heads as one of them added, ¡°No matter how you look at this, this is truly an overkill, isn¡¯t it?¡± Other¡¯s fell into deep thought. Sure, it was an overkill what Curo did but they were at war. The Nine Clans had even said, that they saw these natives as nothing more than savages and slaves. For Curo to leave no face for them was normal but to do something to this degree¡­.


    This was something that would implicate even the Primordial Han clan, not to mention the Branch Clan that was situated in the Realm. Suddenly, the blue haired man¡¯s eyes narrowed as he put down the cup and stood up. Seeing this, the other eleven people also narrowed their eyes as they rose up and followed after the blue haired man.


    With a wave of his hand, a tear appeared in the space in front of him and the twelve figures stepped through it.


    ***


    Inside a luxuriously decorated hall, there were nine figures that were staring at the screen in front of them in shock. Suddenly, they looked towards the man dressed in black robes with a complicated gaze. The moment the man got over his shock, he immediately yelled in rage, ¡°THAT PIECE OF SHIT BRAT!¡± As soon as the words echoed out, the man disappeared from the Hall and turned into a streak of light that was travelling towards the Realm Curo and the rest were situated in.


    The other eight exchanged a glance before following behind him quickly. However, the man didn¡¯t get far as a tear appeared in the space in front of him that forced him to stop. When he saw the twelve people that had exited the tear, his face turned both fearful and enraged. The blue haired young man then said with a cold voice, ¡°I warned you, if you take part in that Realms war, I will personally intervene as well.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    After the young man had said so, a young woman by his side added, ¡°Seeing as all eleven of us Wanderers are here as well, we can¡¯t just turn a blind eye to Emperor Heavenly Fiends promises and will stand by him in this matter.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s face fell. It was only at that time, that the eight other people caught up to him. Seeing the Twelve Wanderer¡¯s in front of the man, their faces revealed bitter smiles. It was obvious that they were going to get nowhere with it this time.


    The men urged the blacked robed man to retreat and after a while, they succeeded. The man gave one last glance to the Realm in front of him and snorted before turning around and leaving. Seeing this, the twelve people sighed as well before they cast a peculiar glance at the Realm below.


    With another tear in space, they disappeared.


    ***


    Immediately after Curo¡¯s distraction, the Five Academies sent their forces out to occupy the Nine Top Grade Qi Stone Mines. And just when Ji Long had taken over the Mine that used to belong to the Han Clan, Uncle Zheng appeared next to him. He had a complicated look on his face as he said, ¡°Brother Long¡­.¡± Hearing this voice, Ji Long turned around and asked, ¡°What is it Brother Zheng, did something happen?¡±


    Uncle Zheng seemed to ponder something before he grit his teeth and said, ¡°It is about Young Master Curo.¡± Hearing this, Ji Long¡¯s eyes turned sharp as he asked, ¡°Explain, what happened to him?¡± Uncle Zheng then released a wry smile as he said, ¡°It is not about what happened to him but rather what he did.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long furrowed his brows, indicating to Uncle Zheng to explain. He then took a deep breath and said, ¡°This opportunity to smoothly take over these Qi Stone Mines was provided by Young Master Curo.¡± A vein appeared on Ji Long¡¯s forehead as he said, a bit enraged, ¡°Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened already.¡± Uncle Zheng then sucked in a deep breath and flicked his sleeve. A screen appeared in the air and when Ji Long saw this scene, his eyes opened wide as his mouth opened wide.


    Uncle Zheng then explained, ¡°Young Master Curo and his Squad used some means to infiltrate the Han Imperial City and then planted tens of thousands of Top Grade Purgatory Upheaval, Divine Lighting Wrath, Endless Ocean and Blood Moon Reaper Talismans to set up a gigantic Heavens and Earth Upheaval Formation.¡± He then sucked in a deep breat has he continued explaining, ¡°When they had arrived outside the City, the Young Master had thrownn the Five Academy Alliance Insignia to stand high up in the air and surrounded it with hundreds of protective and restrictive Talismans. Just before they disappeared from the city, Young Master Curo activated the Heavens and Earth Upheaval Formation to completely turn the Han Imperial City Completely upside down. Since the Insignia is protected by hundreds of Top Grade Protective and Restrictive Talismans, it would take even Heavenly Sovereigns a decade to break through them all as those Talismans also form a peculiar Formation.¡±


    Ji Long fell into the chair that was behind him as he stared at the screen with a wide mouth. It took him several minutes to collect himself enough to say, still in shock, ¡°Ruthless¡­.¡±


    Uncle Zheng nodded by his side. Uncle Zheng then continued, ¡°This stunt killed over 100 Sovereigns of the Han Clan, with close to ten thousand Saints. As for the numbers of casualties that are below the Saint Realm, they are simply immeasurable. The blow the Han Clan received this time has not only crippled over half their strength but also has dragged the Han Clan name and face through pig shit.¡± Ji Long nodded his head as he gave another glance at the picture of a completely upturned city in front of him.


    He then gave a long sigh as he said, ¡°That little fellow had always been someone to go to the extremes¡­. However, this is a new height even for him. He was only supposed to make a distraction and he immediately heads to the Han Clan Capital to completely flip it upside down.¡±


    He then shook his head slightly as he gazed out of the window, ¡°When those Sovereign level characters see the redecoration of their home, I believe some will probably die from anger.¡± Uncle Zheng nodded his head as he gave a smile, ¡°However, this will also act as a deterrent for the Ji Clan. Once word spreads that such a ruthless person is the Young Master of our Clan, even the Nine Ancient Clans wouldn¡¯t dare to recklessly make a move against us. Since he was able to do it once, he can do it twice.¡± Hearing this, Ji Long nodded his head.


    However, his mind was occupied by whether the Han Clan would send out Sovereigns to annihilate the Ji Clan or not. If they did, they would stand no chance against them. They only had two Saint level characters. He, an Earthly Saint and Uncle Zheng an Early Stage Saint. However, just as he was thinking of this fact, a voice sounded out in the room, ¡°That brat sure likes to go to the extremes.¡± Hearing this voice, Ji Long and Uncle Zheng directed their gazes to the door and saw Jing Fang standing there with Qing Zhao.


    Ji Long hastily stood up to greet them however, Jing Fang waved his hand and gestured for him to sit down. Jing Fang then turned to Ji Long and said, ¡°After pulling off a stunt like this, it is impossible to keep him as a Roaming Dragon Squad Leader. We plan on pulling him off of the active forces and have him stay here under our protection.¡± Ji Long glanced the screen before nodding his head and saying, ¡°If Ancestor Jing would be willing to stay here, I doubt any harm would befall my son.¡±


    Jing Fang nodded his head as he sighed deeply, ¡°Although he managed to deal quite a heavy blow to the Han Clan and managed to cripple their strength in half, I am afraid that those old ghosts from the Han Clan will disregard everything and chase him down themselves.¡± Qing Zhao nodded his head and sighed as well, ¡°When Little Qing first reported this, I honestly couldn¡¯t believe my eyes and ears. The face and name of the Han Clan is no more. To have their own backyard flipped upside down by some five measly Saints in broad daylight¡­. I can¡¯t imagine the humiliation they must be feeling right now.¡±


    Ji Long and Jing Fang both nodded their heads to this. Ji Long then pulled out a Transmission Talisman and activated it. When they saw Curo¡¯s figure on the other side, Qing Zhao immediately said, ¡°You are to immediately come to the Ji Clans new home. As for the rest of your Squad they are to return to the Hidden Dragon Academy to receive further orders.¡±


    Hearing this, the young figure cupped his hands and said, ¡°Order received.¡± When the illusory figure disappeared, the four men inside the room sighed in relief.


    ***


    When Curo had received his orders, he immediately told Mo Hao and the rest as well. The four gave a bitter smile as he commented, ¡°Maybe we went a bit overboard¡­.¡± Curo shrugged his shoulders, ¡°This is war, in war, the results count, not the methods.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t very righteous, Curo was right. This was a war that decided the fate of their Realm, they had no leeway to be righteous about this. After a quick discussion it was decided that Mo Hao and the other three would accompany Curo back to the Ji Clan before they headed towards the Academy.


    Curo wanted to reject the idea at first but when he saw the complicated determination in Mo Hao¡¯s eyes, he could only relent. Although he didn¡¯t know what happened between him and his Uncle Zheng, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t something trivial. The Mo Clan was quite the prestigious Clan in itself as it had an Earthly Sovereign Ancestor standing guard over it. He himself was a Heavenly Saint, only a step away from the Sovereign Realm, if it wasn¡¯t anything trivial, it would be plain stupidity for Uncle Zheng to follow his father for all these years.


    When his thoughts reached this far, he quickly dispelled them and he determined their location and started flying towards the Ji Clan¡¯s new home. Luckily, when they used the Spacial Talismans, they had agreed to meet in this World as Curo wanted to drop by the Ji Clan before they headed to the Academy.


    However as the situation had turned out like this, they did not have a long way to go to reach there.

 Chapter 35: Arriving at the Ji Clan

    It took only a half a days worth of leisurely flight for Curo and his Squad to reach the Ji Clan. When Curo arrived, he couldn¡¯t help but whistle when he saw the enormous city in front of them. Although they hadn¡¯t abandoned their territory in Myriad Beasts World, all of the Core Forces of the Ji Clan had been moved here.


    This was going to become the new headquarters of Ji Clan, that sat on top of one of the few Top Grade Qi Stone Mines in the Realm. All around the City Walls, the Banners with the Ji Clan Insignia, a dragon rising to the skies, were proudly fluttering in the sky. When Curo and the rest arrived at the City Gates, Uncle Zheng, Ji Long, Qing Zhao and Jing Fang were already waiting for him there. When the five landed, they all cupped their hands towards the four. However, the coldness in his Uncle Zheng¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t escape Curo, when the other had seen Mo Hao.


    Although they had been polite on the surface, Curo glanced at Mo Hao and saw guilt, bitterness and helplessness. Qing Zhao then said, ¡°Come rest inside for a few days, then follow me back to the Academy.¡± The four cupped their hands and acknowledged the order with a ¡°Yes sir!¡± Ji Long had also noticed the interaction between his Brother Zheng and Mo Hao but he didn¡¯t say anything. He instructed, ¡°Brother Zheng, please, lead the guests inside and show them to their courtyards, where they can get some well needed rest.¡±


    Uncle Zheng nodded coldly and gestured for the four to walk in. The four cupped their hands towards Curo and said, ¡°It has been an honour working with you Captain Ji.¡± Curo gave them a nod and also cupped his hands. He didn¡¯t ask for the Protective Artefacts back. When the four had left, following Uncle Zheng, Ji Long sighed and said, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and followed Ji Long and company to the office space. When the four arrived there, Qing Zhao asked, ¡°Exactly what the hell is going on inside that head of yours?¡± Curo tilted his head as he asked back, ¡°What do you mean exactly?¡± A vein popped on Qing Zhao¡¯s forehead as he forced through grit teeth, ¡°We asked you to cause a small commotion, serving as a distraction.¡±


    He then took a deep breath before yelling in a booming voice, ¡°How the fucking hell did you get the idea of going to flip the Han Clan¡¯s Imperial City upside fucking down? Not to mention just turning it upside down, you dragged their faces through shit by even putting our Alliance Emblem at their front gates and surrounding it with Protective and Restrictive Talismans!¡±


    He then pointed a finger towards Curo and asked, ¡°Do you have any idea how fucking badly you stirred this entire situation up? If it hadn¡¯t been for me and the eight rest Peak Heavenly Sovereigns going to step in their way, their Sovereigns would have ripped you to shreds already.¡± Ji Long and Jing Fang were quiet throughout the shouting, Curo however, his face turned cold the more Qing Zhao yelled. ¡°Are you done?¡± Curo asked when he saw that Qing Zhao was huffing and puffing already. It seemed like it took a lot out of him to not slap Curo into kingdom to come.


    Hearing this question, the three were shocked. Curo then asked in a cold voice, ¡°Are we in a war or are we just in a friendly competition?¡± Hearing this, Ji Long answered immediately, ¡°We are at war.¡±


    Curo then asked them, ¡°Then what do you care what methods I use or what I do. In the end, it is either we all die or they die, what use is there for leaving them face?¡± Hearing this, both Qing Zhao and Jing Fang were startled as they glanced at each other.


    Curo was right, this was war, one side lived while the other was annihilated. There was no need for face and cordiality between them.


    Ji Long however sighed, ¡°You can¡¯t just go and flip their Clan upside down like that. This kind of a mission would have had a much better impact if we had done the same thing to the other Eight Clans as well.¡± Hearing this, Curo¡¯s face slightly turned less cold while Jing Fang and Qing Zhao looked at Ji Long in shock. Before either of them could ask why the fuck he was taking Curo¡¯s side here, Ji Long continued, ¡°However, had a Sovereign or a Saint discovered what you were doing, there would have not been a way out for you any more.¡±


    Curo shook his head and answered, ¡°Each of us was always clutching the Transport Talisman, the moment they felt something was a miss, they were to use the talisman and teleport to a rendezvous location.¡±


    Ji Long sighed, ¡°But seriously, where did you get the idea to do something like this?¡± Curo crossed his hands on his chest and explained, ¡°When I saw the mountains of Talismans sent over by those two. There were exactly enough to use them as a foundation for the [Heaven and Earth Upheaval Formation]. I was asked to cause a commotion, so what bigger commotion than to flip one of our enemies back yards upside down can I create?¡±


    The three could only sigh as Qing Zhao said, ¡°This is truly¡­. You are a ruthless person¡­.¡± Curo however only answered with a weak smile, ¡°This is war. It doesn¡¯t matter how I do it, all that matters is that I do it. Results matter, not the way the result was achieved.¡± Hearing this, Qing Zhao gave Curo a long look before he sighed and waved his hand, ¡°Okey enough. What is done is done. Although, we are all extremely happy that you did what you did. Next time, don¡¯t risk your own life like that.¡±


    Hearing this Curo gave a smile but Qing Zhao could understand that Curo would do something like that again without a second guess. Qing zhao then said, ¡°From today onwards, you will be the Roaming Dragon Deputy. Your base of operations will be here and you are to manage the Squads that come here to rest, trade materials and so on.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo raised his brow as he asked, ¡°Will you give me some people from the Academy as well to help manage them?¡± Qing Zhao nodded and said, ¡°They have already arrived here and have set up their headquarters. From today onwards, all the Roaming Dragon Squads that are on the front lines are under your command and jurisdiction. You have every right to punish any one of them if they break the rules and give rewards based on achievements.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Curo nodded his head as he listened to his new responsibilities. Qing Zhao then added, ¡°Since this had become the most forwards base we have, both me and Jing Fang will be in closed door meditation here. However, unless their Sovereigns attack or this place is doomed to fall, we will not raise a muscle.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head in understanding. Once a Heavenly Sovereign from either side made a move, the War will progress to it¡¯s final stage. Neither side wanted to push for that just yet.


    First, they wish to weaken one another as much as they can. Also, you may never know, some people may break through to the Sovereign Realm purely by the help of the stimuli from the war. Any added Sovereign to their side was a welcomed feat. Curo then chatted a bit more with Ji Long and Qing Zhao and Jing Fang about the details of his new appointment.


    At some point, Uncle Zheng rejoined the four in the office. His face was not cold any more but in his eyes, there was a complex look. Everyone in the room noticed it, however, none of them pointed it out. Seeing as the sun was about to set, Curo excused himself to go rest and cultivate. He had also been on the edge this entire time, he could use some rest as well. Uncle Zheng followed Curo out of the door and then guided Curo to his new courtyard. It was in the Main House as well and besides Ji Long, Curo and Uncle Zheng, there were only servants. No one else lived in this big house.


    When Curo reached his courtyard, he was slightly taken a back by the beauty of it. It had a gorgeous and spacious garden with a small fake mountain, a pond, a stream and even some flowers planted here and there. What Curo liked the most was the gigantic, slanted willow tree that stood right next to the pond. Curo sat down on the porch that was in front of his room and admired the small courtyard. Uncle Zheng then asked, ¡°May I sit as well Young Master?¡±


    Hearing this, Curo frowned but gestured for Uncle Zheng to sit down next to him. Without another word, he then produced two wine cups and a wine flask. He quickly filled the cups and Uncle Zheng could only smile wryly to this gesture. Uncle Zheng took a sip and then asked, ¡°Does Young Master know that Mo Hao is my Father?¡±


    Curo sighed as he knew this was going to be about this. He nodded his head and Mo Zheng asked, ¡°Did it ever strike you as odd that I follow your Father while my own is a Heavenly Saint?¡± Curo let out an embarrassed laugh as he slowly nodded his head. Mo Zheng then asked, ¡°Did my Father tell you why I left the Mo Clan?¡±


    Curo nodded his head and said for the first time, ¡°These are the matters between the two of you. If you wish to tell me, you can but I won¡¯t stick my nose into it if you don¡¯t wish for me to.¡± Hearing this answer, Uncle Zheng gave a smile. He then looked at the sky and said, ¡°This was shortly after I graduated the Hidden Dragon Academy. I found the love of my life, Qin An.¡±


    Curo intently listened and didn¡¯t hurry him along. Uncle Zheng then continued, ¡°We fell in love, travelled the world, tempered ourselves. It was years later when Qin An fell pregnant that I decided to go back to the Clan and settle down with her. However, when we returned to the Clan, a Heavenly Saint¡¯s son from the Main Branch saw Qin An and took a fancy to her.¡±


    Reaching this far, Curo didn¡¯t have to hear the rest of the story to figure out what had happened. Uncle Zheng¡¯s eyes then turned moist as he continued, ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on letting some Main Branch brat take the love of my life away, especially since he was a realm below me in terms of cultivation, so I trashed him. However, when his Father arrived, so did mine. When the other Heavenly Saint demanded that I hand over my wife and cripple my future path, I declined. However, my Father just stood there motionlessly by the side.¡± Hearing this, Curo furrowed his brows even further.


    Uncle Zheng then looked down at his wine cup and said, ¡°Just as she was about to be snatched away by the other Heavenly Saint, a figure appeared in the sky. The person who appeared was an old lady, more precisely, she was Qing An¡¯s Master. She had always kept watch over the two of us. When before she tactfully approved of our relationship, then now...¡±


    He let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°Although she commended me on my bravery of not backing down, she could not leave her in a place like that. So, she took her away. She then said to me, ¡°If you wish to see your wife and son again, become a Sovereign and you will definitely see them again. Until then, I will watch over the two myself.¡±¡± Hearing this, Curo sucked in a deep breath and asked, ¡°Do you know who she was?¡±


    Uncle Zheng gave him a wry smile and said dejectedly, ¡°Heavenly Phoenix Empress, Li Xing.¡± Hearing this name, Curo was stunned. The Heavenly Phoenix Empress Li Xing was one of the Four Primordial Beasts like Jing Fang.


    Uncle Zheng then said, ¡°After she took them away, I left the Clan. As I wandered on my own, I met your Father. After he bested me in combat, I swore my allegiance to him. The rest from there you should know already.¡± Curo was quiet for a moment before he let out a deep sigh. Although he had known that it wasn¡¯t some trivial matter, this was truly something serious. He could not blame his Uncle Zheng one bit for leaving his Clan.


    He would have probably done the same thing in his shoes. Uncle Zheng then put down his cup and rose to his feet. Just as he was about to exit the courtyard, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what my Father told you but I suggest you don¡¯t count on him or rely on him too much.¡± Curo nodded his head and seeing that Mo Zheng left the courtyard.


    Now that Curo was all alone in the courtyard, he let out a deep sigh. ¡°Things truly are more than meets the eye.¡± After saying so, he finished his cup of wine. When he was done, he gave the pond, that was reflecting the moon on it¡¯s still surface, one final glance before he stored the wine cups and flask and headed into the room. Although, cultivators didn¡¯t need to sleep and could replenish their energy and relive their tiredness with cultivating, sleeping was something Curo needed more now. If he slept, he could relax all the tensions that had been in his body these past few months.


    The benefits of having a good nights sleep were several times better than cultivation this time and Curo honestly needed to rest. After he changed into some light clothes made for sleeping, he laid down on his two person bed and closed his eyes. For the first time in over a year, his mind completely relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.


    Unknowing to him, his body started to subconsciously rotate the Qi according to the [Dragon Human Unification Art].

 Chapter 36: Roaming Dragon Division

    When Curo woke up, it was already past sunrise. He lightly flexed his joints and took a deep breath as he felt the invigorating energy course through his body. He smiled a bit when he realized that the energy in his body was several times more abundant than before.


    ¡°Seems like I had break through in my sleep.¡± When he thought that to himself, he closed his eyes and arrived inside a spacious Palace. This was his Qi Palace and currently, instead of sitting inside his vast Qi Sea, it was floating above it. At the top floor of the extravagant Palace, were two figures. One was his Nascent Soul and the other was a huge pitch black dragon. When he arrived in front of the two, the Nascent soul opened his eyes. Curo¡¯s eyes turned serious as he looked at the Nascent Soul.


    It was no longer half transparent but looked like a flesh and blood human now. This was the minimum requirement needed for the Nascent Soul to occupy the Dragon¡¯s Body. Curo stabilized his breath as he commanded his Nascent Soul to merge with the Dragon Body. When the Nascent Soul arrived in front of the dragons gigantic head, it lightly touched it with his hand before slowly being absorbed by it.


    The next step of the process may take up to several years to accomplish as it needed to slowly merge with the body before it would become in full control and be able to leave his body independently.


    What puzzled Curo was that before, he could switch between the two bodies but when it left the body, Curo wondered where the body came from. However, Jing Fang had explained to him that The Dragon Form Awakening Formation had created this body as well but since there wasn¡¯t a soul in charge of it, it would b nothing but a lifeless corpse. So, it was stored in his Dantian. Hearing this explanation, Curo could only nod his head as it made sense.


    The Dantian was a separate space inside a cultivators body, so it made sense that it could hold a body as big as the Dragon. Seeing that the merging process had begun smoothly, Curo let out a sigh of relief and appeared at the bottom of the Palace.


    At the lowest floor of the Palace, there were 99 Qi Spheres. Although, nearly all of them were empty, there were some that had a few items inside. The GuanDao Halberd, The Asura Fiend Armour and a few other things were stored inside these spheres. When Curo withdrew the GuanDao Halberd from it¡¯s sphere, he had a look of delight. The Halberd had absorbed a lot of the Saint Qi inside the Sphere and it¡¯s grade had risen to Quasi Saint Artefact. When the Artefact managed to birth a Spirit, then it would become a true genuine Saint Artefact.


    Curo played around with it a bit before storing it back inside to be nurtured by the Saint Qi. After checking up on the various other items stored inside the spheres as well, Curo left his QI Palace. When he opened his eyes, he took a deep breath before walking towards the door. When he exited his courtyard, he was greeted by a servant. The female servant had long black hair, fair skin, curves where it mattered and a beautiful face.


    Curo took a second glance before asking her, ¡°Can you lead me to the Roaming Dragon Division?¡± The female servant hurriedly replied and started leading the way. Seeing her act with such fear and dread, Curo sighed. It was obvious that she was afraid of him and when he considered his feats in the past two years, he had didn¡¯t have to wonder much. He had accomplished one monstrous feat after another and his latest was to flip the Han Clan upside down. That in itself was worth more fear than the rest of his feats combined. Curo followed the servant through the City and as he was taking in the sights all around him, he noticed people taking stealthy looks of him.


    Always whispering and their eyes full of dread, question and doubt. Curo could only bitterly smile at all of the attention as he decided to ignore it and move onwards. The two soon arrived in front of a big black pagoda. On top of the door, there was a sign that said ¡°Roaming Dragon Division¡±. After taking a look at the building, Curo decided to send the servant back and go inside. However, the girl bit her lips and said, ¡°Master Long has instructed me to follow you all the time and cater to your needs.¡± Hearing this, Curo raised a brow as he sized up the young lady in front of him seriously.


    She seemed no older than he himself was but her cultivation was quite shocking for her age. She had already reached the Peak of Palace Building. Although, Curo was a Mid Stage Saint, he was an anomaly that couldn¡¯t be compared through normal standards as too much luck and fate was involved with his advancements.


    However, this young lady in front of him did not have the same luck or fate as him and had managed to reach such a level with age no older than Curo. Curo then could only nod his head as it was his Father¡¯s arrangements and lead the girl inside. When Curo arrived inside the building, he saw that it was bustling with activity.


    Not knowing where to go or who to talk to, he set his sights on the counter with the least people and queued up. The servant by Curo¡¯s side looked at it oddly but Curo didn¡¯t mind as he just waited in line with the rest. It didn¡¯t take long for the people in front of him to have finished their business and for it to be Curo¡¯s turn. When Curo arrived at the counter, the old mna behind it was visibly exhausted. When he raised his eyes and looked at Curo, he was first shocked, then jumped to his feet and cupped his hands, ¡°Greetings, Lord Deputy.¡±


    Curo gave the man a smile and said, ¡°Now then, where do I have to go?¡± The man was stumped as he pointed towards the stairs that lead upwards. He then said, ¡°If you follow the stairs to the highest floor, you will find your office. The man guarding it will explain the rest.¡± Curo nodded his head and thanked the man before heading upstairs. This entire exchanged had been heard by everyone on the floor. The people that had been queued behind Curo were shocked as they didn¡¯t understand why he had been in the queue in the first place. He could have just walked up and asked and no one would have been able to say anything.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    When Curo arrived at the highest floor, there were two men in full armour standing outside the office door. When the two saw Curo, their eyes were first filled with vigilance and when they recognized him, they put their fists onto their heart and said, ¡°Greetings Lord Deputy.¡± Curo walked in front of them and said with a sheepish smile, ¡°This is my first day here. Can one of you bring someone that can explain to me how this building works and what my obligations are?¡± Hearing this, the two men exchanged a look before one opened the door to let Curo inside while the other went to summon someone.


    After Curo arrived in the office, he was quite stunned to see walls filled with all sorts of books on the Worlds history, various organizations and so on. After giving a brief glance, Curo noticed that there was a side room with a small kitchen to prepare tea and some snacks. Curo sat behind the giant desk and said to his servant, ¡°Can I bother you to make a cup of tea?¡± The servant girl quickly hurried to make the cup of tea and Curo turned his chair around to look out of the giant window that was behind him. This view allowed him to overlook half the city. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a young man, with an exhausted expression walked in. This young man was no stranger to Curo as it had been the same person that had delivered and taken the documents when he worked in the Foreign Affairs Department.


    Seeing the familiar figure, Curo gave a smile and gestured for the man to sit down at the opposite side of the table. It had been then that the young servant girl had finished making a pot of tea and brought two ups to the table. After filling the cups, she stood behind Curo. The young man started, ¡°Things have been hectic. The formation of the branch had been done very haphazardly and we are severely understaffed.¡± Hearing this Curo frowned as he asked, ¡°Have you told Instructor Sheng about it? We need more people as we can¡¯t keep up with the workload. It is before noon and every face I have seen work here is filled with exhaustion.¡± Hearing this, the young man gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°The situation at the Head Quarters is no better than here. It is even worse now that 500 people were transferred here from there.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo sighed and said, ¡°So we are severely understaffed. What is the general status of the Branch and have there been any problems?¡± The young man then gave a detailed account on how the branch was faring and the problems that had occurred. It didn¡¯t take long to bring Curo up to speed with everything that had happened here. Curo then fell into thought and said, ¡°I may be able to assign some Ji Clan members to help lighten the workload. They can deal with the mundane matters of accepting missions and giving out rewards.¡±


    The young man nodded his head and gave a weak smile, ¡°It would help out a lot. Currently, there is quite a lot of people that wish to trade information for the trade routes and reinforcement routes of the Nine Clans.¡± Hearing this Curo gave a nod and said, ¡°The key to a successful mission is information. The more precise information you possess on your enemy, the higher chance of success with minimal casualties.¡±


    The man nodded his head and slumped backwards to his chair. He then sighed, ¡°However, a lot of people try to throw their weight around here. They are all Saints while the highest of us are Origin Realm Cultivators. They try to squeeze out more Merit points from missions and information trades¡­.¡±


    Curo furrowed his brow and then fell into a momentary thought before saying, ¡°Instruct everyone that the next time they try to do so, send them to me. I will deal with those people myself.¡± Hearing this, the man gave a thankful smile to Curo. He was the only Saint Realm cultivator they had in this branch. While in the Main Branch no one dared to raise a fuss because there was Instructor Sheng there, here they only had Curo. After talking over a few more things, the young man said, ¡°I will send someone over to you that will bring you the documents that need to be signed by you. Mostly they consist of our expenditure and losses. Also, there will be several documents that contain information about the Nine Clans movements that you need to look over.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and after exchanging a few more words with the fellow, he left. When the young man had left, the young servant girl by his side had already refilled Curo¡¯s cup. Curo then momentarily paused and asked, ¡°What is your name?¡± The young girl lowered her head and said weakly, ¡°Xie Li.¡± Hearing this, Curo raised a brow as he looked towards the girl. She then explained, ¡°The Xie Clan Ancestor decided to pledge allegiance to the Ji Clan and became the unofficial branch of the Ji Clan.¡± Hearing this, Curo was not surprised. After the malicious roots had been pulled up, the relationship between the two Clans was quite harmonious. Now that his Father had managed to reach the Earth Saint Realm, the Xie Clan had no choice but to lower their heads and come under their Ji Clan. They were of the same origin, so it wasn¡¯t anything weird. Times change and if one wants to survive, they need to adapt to the changes.


    Currently, although the Ji Clan did not have any Sovereigns, they had three Saints with a Heavenly Sovereign guardian. Jing Fang wasn¡¯t a part of the Clan but he looked over it. When Curo¡¯s thoughts reached this far, there was a knock on the door again and a disheveled young man walked in with a stack of papers.


    After placing them on the table, he separated the piles and pointed to one of them, ¡°This is the pile that needs your signature and this is the pile that contains the information that needs your attention.¡± After pointing to the other pile, the young man cupped his fists and left. Curo picked up the first document and after reading through it, he signed it. It took him only an hour or two to look through all of those documents and signing them before he turned his attention to the other pile.


    After reading though nearly half of it, he frowned, ¡°Seems like the Meng Clan is planning something.¡± Xie Li tilted her head and asked, ¡°How so?¡± As the words escaped her mouth, her eyes widened and she hurriedly lowered her head to apologize but Curo hadn¡¯t minded it at all and explained, ¡°Over half of these documents are in relation to the Meng Clan making unusual moves. Saints have been spotted in regions that they had never been to before, lower levelled armies have been taming more and more Heavenly Beasts and they seem to be collecting raw materials for something. Profound Sky Amber, Heavenly Ginger Root and so on.¡±


    He took a breath and continued, ¡°These are all Top Grade materials and really hard to come by. Every auction that had put up one had been bought by the Meng Clan for an exorbitant price.¡± Speaking this far, Curo fell into thought as he tried to piece it together. These materials were extremely versatile as they could be used in Pill Refinement, Artefact Forging, Puppet Crafting and so on. They were even essential to refining Formation Flags to put up some high or top grade formations.


    Xie Li was silent and didn¡¯t interrupt Curo¡¯s train of thought. As Curo sat there, a million different scenarios flying through his mind, something suddenly clicked into place as his eyes opened wide and his face turned grim. He looked towards Xie Li and barked, ¡°Immediately, summon Ji Long and Jing Fang and Qing Zhao here!¡±


    Hearing the words, Xie Li was stunned but quickly recovered as she exited the room and flew towards the Ji Manor.

 Chapter 37: Looming Threat

    When the three arrived simultaneously, they all had puzzled looks on their faces. Seeing the three arrive with Xie Li, Curo put down the document in his hands and said with a solemn expression, ¡°The Meng Clan and the Han Clan will soon lay siege to this Mine.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long was startled while Qing Zhao and Jing Fang exchanged a cold glance. Curo sorted out several documents and handed them to the three and explained, ¡°They seem to be stocking up on materials needed to refine Formation Bases for the Eternal Prison Formation. Also, they seem to slowly inching their troops closer and closer to the designated areas to lay down this large scale Formation.¡±


    Hearing this, Jing Fang and Qing Zhao opened their eyes wide as Ji Long asked solemnly, ¡°What is the Eternal Prison Formation?¡± Before Curo could answer, Jing Fang said in a cold tone, not hiding his killing intent in the slightest, ¡°The very same Formation that trapped me for countless years. Inside the Formation, the Qi will become nearly non existent, communication from the outside world will be cut off and the Formation itself is extremely hard to break.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long sucked in a cold breath as he glanced at Curo and asked, ¡°How did you discover this?¡± Curo took out a jade slip from his Spacial Ring and passed it to Ji Long and said, ¡°This is the Formation Diagram of the Eternal Prison Formation. I happened to acquire it by luck from one of the Nine Clans Saints. When I saw all the reports something struck me as odd and when I looked at the Formation Diagram, it made sense to me.¡±


    Hearing this, Ji Long accepted the jade slip and after sending in some Qi, a Diagram appeared in his mind. When he became acquainted with the Diagram, he looked over the reports and after a moments thought, it truly seemed as though Curo had said. He then asked, ¡°They want to trap us here? What is the benefit of it?¡± Curo looked towards Jing Fang and Qing Zhao. Following his gaze, Ji Long could immediately understand why. He sighed as he answered his own question, ¡°If they manage to trap these two here, our side would lose two Peak Heavenly Sovereigns. Not to mention the blow to the Hidden Dragon Academy, the entire Alliance will suffer greatly.¡± Curo nodded his head.


    This scheme may seem like it was targeting the Ji Clan in revenge but in reality, their objective was to trap the two Peak Heavenly Sovereigns here. Even if the two worked together, they would need over a thousand years to break through this Formation. If the Nine Clans suddenly launched the Final War in this time frame, then the Alliance was bound to lose.


    Ji Long then said in thought, ¡°So, currently, we have three options: To either withdraw all forces from here and leave the Mine to them. Second option is to have the Heavenly Sovereigns leave and then either we get sealed in here or we get slaughtered by the Clans. Third option is to have everyone sealed here¡­.¡± Hearing this, Curo nodded his head.


    He then glanced towards Jing Fang and Qing Zhao. They had been uncharacteristically quiet today. Seeing the gaze, Jing Fang sighed in a heavy tone, ¡°The choice of what we should do will be up to you.¡± Hearing this, Curo looked at them with a helpless look and said, ¡°We can¡¯t stop them from laying down this Formation. There are multitudes of different ways they can set it down and we can¡¯t obstruct them from doing so. At the same time, we can¡¯t exactly give up this Mine either. If we do, then the plan to slowly bleed them out would also backfire as they would have the support of this Top Grade Mine.¡±


    Curo shook his head and sighed. Ji Long pondered for a moment and said suddenly, ¡°However, can¡¯t we set up a trap for them?¡± Curo looked towards his Father and Ji Long continued explaining, ¡°Now that we know what their plan is, we can obstruct it by cutting off their supplies. By using the Roaming Dragon Division, we can disrupt their trade routes. By putting up missions that are exclusive to killing the people that obtained these resources and taking them. Also, we can have the Ji Clan armies patrol between the various known places the armies have started gathering and kill them as well.¡±


    Curo thought about it for a moment before he could only agree that this was the best course of action. How well it played out, only time would tell. Ji Long then hurriedly left to make preparations for the counter attack and only Curo, Jing Fang, Qing Zhao and Xie Li remained in the office. Xie Li glanced between the three nervously as Jing Fang asked, ¡°Are you dissatisfied that we didn¡¯t offer a solution?¡±


    Curo shook his head and bluntly said, ¡°This Mine has become our Ji Clan¡¯s territory, we can¡¯t always rely on the two of you to offer the solution. We have to take care of our own territory by ourselves.¡± Hearing this, Jing Fang nodded his head and said, ¡°If we dictate too much on how to do everything, wouldn¡¯t your Ji Clan become our puppet in the eyes of the others? We can offer our assistance to deal with certain situations but we can¡¯t always protect you from everything.¡±


    Curo nodded his head and sighed. He then towards Qing Zhao and said, ¡°To be honest, I am surprised that Senior Qing Zhao didn¡¯t say anything about me using the Roaming Dragon Division in this manner.¡± Qing Zhao just shrugged and said, ¡°In the end, all of these mission will harm the Nine Clans while at the same time, help keep this place safe. Since this is one of the most forward bases we have, there isn¡¯t anything wrong with it.¡± Curo gave a weak smile to his words and after Qing Zhao and Jing Fang said a few more words, they left.


    Curo summoned the young man that he had known from the Foreign Affairs department and told him the situation. Although, in the beginning, he had been absent minded, when Curo explained the threat looming over them, he grew vigilant. After discussing the best course of action with Curo, the man left to create the several missions to intercept the Meng and Han Clan¡¯s merchants. They had divided it as so; The Roaming Dragon Division will focus on disrupting them from getting the materials needed and also gathering information on them while Ji Long and the Ji Clan would focus on disrupting them from setting up camp to create the Formation.


    In only a few hours, the young man had created over a hundred different missions that varied from Easy to High Danger rating with rewards in accordance to the strength of the group. Also, the rewards for the information were doubled. Curo could only sigh at how effective this fellow was. It was noon already and Curo had finished with his daily documents and reports. With nothing better to do, he started skimming through the books that were on his shelves. There were several on various Clans, Sects and Academies lost to time or that had declined over the passage of time. There were also several that held the history of presently powerhouse Clans or Sects. As Curo was briefly glancing at the several books, he found one that piqued his interest. It was a book on a certain figure from the time before the Nine Clans arrived, a time before the various Academies and Clans rose to prominence. This figure was named Chen Cang. He had swept the Realm with an imposing manner and reigned supreme for countless years.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The book told many stories of his incredible feats in Puppet Crafting. With an army of puppets at his side, he swept through the worlds unhindered and unmatched. However, what struck Curo as odd were two things, firstly, there were no mentions of Clan he left behind or being affiliated to a Sect. From the start to the finish, he had been a vagrant cultivator, drifting from one place to another with no attachments anywhere.


    The second thing that struck him as odd was that before he disappeared, he had left behind one sentence, ¡°If the Heavens will it, I will rise above the Realm and break the shackles that bind our Realmverse. Once we rejoin the vast Cultivation World, we will bring slaughter to the ones that sealed us.¡±


    This struck Curo as odd. ¡°Is there even a bigger stage our there after the various Realms?¡± As he thought that to himself, he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Since he couldn¡¯t find the answer no matter how much he pondered on it, he decided to just remember this piece of information and not dwell on it for now. After the man had disappeared, he had been never heard of again. No corpse had been found or a legacy that he had left behind. Some rumours had said that he had succeeded and left the Realm but Curo somehow felt that it wasn¡¯t right.


    If it were, then there would be no way that he would allow the Nine Clans to run rampant in his home like that. The most logical conclusion was that he had failed in what ever he was attempting and had perished. At the end of the book, there was an incomplete map. However, when Curo saw this map, he was shocked for a moment before pulling out a small piece of paper. This paper had been something he had looted from a Heavenly Saint¡¯s corpse.


    Since it had been only a map fragment, Curo had not been able to make heads or tails of it but now seeing the rest of the map and how this fragment fitted perfectly to the spot that was blank before, he couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile. ¡°Are the Heavens helping me or am I slowly drawing a disaster towards me?¡± As this thought passed in his head, his gaze fell on the now complete map. It was a map of the Qi Stone Mine and of the several thousands of kilo meters surrounding it.


    Curo mused to himself, ¡°Seems like the person that found this Qi Stone Mine was someone that was actually after the treasure that this map leads to. However, since he had the incomplete map, he couldn¡¯t find it and had to settle down for the Mine.¡± Being able to find a Top Grade Mine was something that was definitely a meritorious deed for the Clan. However, now that Curo had completed the map, he noticed something strange.


    There was no indication on where the treasure was. As he pondered on it, he tried infusing Qi into the map but it had no reaction. With a sigh, he sent his Qi Sense over it and was alarmed to discover that the map had changed. He pondered for a moment before taking the piece he had put in and tried again but this time, the map stayed the same. Curo opened his eyes in surprise as he put the missing fragment back and studied the map with his Qi Sense.


    Written in words only seen with Qi Sense were only a few sentences, ¡°I, Chen Cang, have been unmatched in this world but even still, I dreaded the Heavenly Tribulation. In the end, I didn¡¯t succeed and could only fade away. However, I refuse to let my Legacy be forgotten by the annals of time and have left this map to whoever is fated enough to gather the 7 fragments and complete it. When you find my Legacy, you will learn of what happened all those years ago. I wish you luck.¡±


    Besides these words, there was a detailed map that lead to the place Chen Cang had left his Legacy. What made Curo not know whether to laugh or cry was that this Legacy was directly under the Ji City. The entrance to it was a few kilo meters out of the City and even a Heavenly Sovereign wouldn¡¯t be able to find it if they didn¡¯t know what to look for. This showed that the man was exceedingly accomplished in the Art of Formations.


    Curo then studied the book several times over as he pondered. If he wanted to make their Ji Clan into a true powerhouse, then they needed their own special trait. Like in the Primordial Times, the Jing Clan for example had their Nether Dragon Blood that made them unique. Currently, there are several Clans like the Xue Clan that is compromised of purely Sword Cultivators or the Xi Clan that focuses on Pill Refinement.


    If Curo would be able to obtain this Legacy, he wanted to use it to turn the Ji Clan into a Puppet Master Clan. Puppet Masters were accomplished in both Formations and Artefact Forging, so there was also the possibility of making the Clan focus on three different direction.


    In the next several weeks, the whole City was extremely bustling with activity. The Ji Clan armies were always being deployed to new places that they did not patrol before. However, what amazed everyone was that every time ended in a bloody battle with the Meng and Han Clan armies.


    Although, there were several times that the Ji Clan was forced to retreat, most of the times, the had the upper hand and exterminated the armies. The Roaming Dragon Squads were especially busy as they kept accepting one mission after another. Although, there were some Squads that had to return empty handed or with casualties, most of the Squads managed to complete their missions with ease and no casualties. During those weeks, the number of Squads that tried to pressure the Division to give them more rewards decreased severely once an entire squad was beaten black and blue by Curo.


    This had caused a bit of an uproar amongst the Squads and most had to purse their lips that the easy times were over. Now, once someone even tried to bring up the subject of more rewards than promised, the clerk would immediately say, ¡°I am not qualified to raise the rewards, if you feel you are being treated unjustly, please go and talk to the Head of the Branch Division.¡±


    This deterred all those that wanted to squeeze out a benefit. However, there were truly some that had managed to obtain benefits after Curo decided that their merits truly did deserve them. With less problems being caused by the Squads, the Branch also managed to calm down in their activity and the people were able to rest for the first time in a long while.


    Nearly a month after Curo had become the Branch Head, in Curo¡¯s office, there were five people; Ji Long, uncle Zheng, Curo, Xie Li and the young man from the Foreign Affairs Department, Jin Zhao. Cuo then broke the silence and said, ¡°I am going to go into a very dangerous place. I have no idea how long I will be gone and I will leave the matters in the City up to all of you. Especially you Jin Zhao, I leave the Roaming Dragon Division Branch in your hands. Xie Li will assist you while I am gone.¡±

 Chapter 38: Trials left behind by Chen Cang

    Inside a well concealed valley, there was a waterfall. In front of the waterfall, there was a young boy wearing black robes. On the robes, on one side, there was the hidden Dragon Academy Insignia and on the other side of the chest, there was the letter¡¯s Ji. This young man was Curo. ¡°Seems like the entrance to the Legacy Area is hidden behind this waterfall.¡±


    As he murmured that to himself, he sized up the gigantic waterfall in front of him. He used his Qi sense to inspect it several times but every time, he came up with nothing. If h didn¡¯t have the map and book on hand, he would have thought he came to the wrong place. After examining the map once more, he grit his teeth and flew through the waterfall. When he arrived on the other side, what greeted him wasn¡¯t a stone wall but rather a huge cave.


    Seeing this cave, Curo smiled as before, his Qi sense had told him that there was only a wall here. As he cautiously lowered himself to the ground, he glanced around in vigilance. In his hand, there was the Guan Dao Halberd, ready to attack or parry on a moments notice. As he walked deeper into the cave, eh was surprised to discover that on the walls, there were several fist sized glowing stones that lit up the entire cave. After half and hour of cautious walking towards the interior of the cave, he met gigantic gates.


    However, what made Curo frown was that these gates were covered in Restrictive and Protective Formations and unless he managed to solve them, he would not be able to proceed. ¡°So this is the first test set up by Chen Cang.¡± As he thought that to himself, he sat down cross legged as he studied the various Formations in front of him. A day trickled by, then two as he stared at the Formations with now bloodshot eyes.


    His fingers were lightly moving on his knees, in a strange rhythm. Suddenly, he smiled as his eyes turned to one specific location on the door and he jumped up. His finger was covered in a milky white glow and when he pressed that finger onto that specific spot on the gate, all the restrictions vanished. The gate slowly flung open and Curo hurriedly flew in.


    When the gate closed behind him, he was greeted by two legions of puppets. They were divided so that each legion occupied one side of the cave and left on long corridor for Curo to traverse. What made Curo¡¯s mind tingle was that each and every one of these puppets was at least a Saint Realm Puppet. In the beginning, Curo had been afraid that the next test would be to either find these puppets weaknesses or to fight them but seeing as none of them moved, he relaxed slightly.


    However, he still held his vigilance. Curo sat down cross legged to cultivate. For the past two days, his mind had been working overtime and his mental strength was currently exhausted.


    ***


    On a starry island, there were several humanoid figures standing in front of a giant screen. One of them, that had short red hair and muscular build, said, ¡°His understanding of Formations is quite good. In the past countless years, there have been several hundreds of people that had managed to arrive at the gate but none of them had managed to get past it. Not only were their comprehensions of Formations severely lacking, they lacked the brute strength required to blast away all of the Formations in one go and pass the gates.¡± The other seven figures nodded their heads.


    The red haired man then threw a glance towards a slender man that was in the back of the room. He then asked, ¡°Sweeper, how do you evaluate this person?¡± All of the gazes turned towards the slender man in the back and the man with refined features gave a smile and said, ¡°He will succeed.¡± Hearing this, the eight were shocked but before they could ask anything, the man continued with an absent gaze, ¡°Before Master passed away, he told me this: ¡°Countless years from now, a young man with pitch black hair, azure blue eyes and a GuanDao halberd will arrive at the gates. He will need only a few days to pass the first test, a week to pass the second and one hour to pass the last.¡±¡±


    He then turned his gaze towards the screen and continued, ¡°After Master failed the Heavenly Tribulation, he locked all of you in this Starry Island while I was by his side when he went to visit the Heavenly Seer. When the Heavenly Seer gave this reading to him, Master was extremely happy that his Legacy wouldn¡¯t fall to ruin and into worthy hands.¡±


    He then closed his eyes and said one last piece, ¡°So, look at him taking these Trials. This person will be our new Master.¡± Hearing this, the eight exchanged a glance in bewilderment. However, their eyes were glued to the screen. The slender man then opened his eyes by a slight margin and thought to himself, ¡°Although, Master told me to follow you, if I don¡¯t accept you, then you can only dream about subjugating me.¡±


    With that thought, he closed his eyes once again.


    ***


    When Curo reopened his eyes, he let out a deep breath. He had been in meditation for an entire day to recover his mental strength. However, to his surprise, he had made advancements in his Soul Force. He gave a smile and mumbled to himself, ¡°Seems like these Trials also serve as a tempering ground.¡±


    With that, he stood up and with a resolute expression walked to the end of the long corridor filled with thousands of Saint Realm Puppets at either side of him. When he reached the end, he stood before an altar. On the altar, there was a single jade slip. When Curo was glancing around, looking for any instructions on what to do, he suddenly saw a slender figure lean on one of the pillars. Curo immediately gripped the GuanDao Halberd in his hands as his face turned grim. He could not see through the cultivation of this person.


    The slender young man only opened his mouth and said in an indifferent tone, ¡°The second Trial is to bind every single Puppet down there. In the jade slip, the Art Master created and used to dominate the Myriad Races Realm is recorded. You have three days to study the jade slip and get started on binding all of these Puppets.¡± Hearing this, Curo was startled as he glanced at the jade slip. However, just as he wanted to ask the slender figure something, he was already gone. Seeing this, Curo could only sigh as he looked towards the jade slip. When he picked it up, he sent in a strand of his Qi.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Instantly, information entered his head. He sat down cross legged, with his eyes closed as he started looking through it and comprehending it. Days passed, one, then two, soon when the third day was closing in, Curo opened his eyes and a flash passed through them. He stood up with a solemn face and walked towards the nearest Puppet that stood in the rows. He opened his palm and an intricate symbol appeared on it, hovering above his palm.


    Without another word, he slapped out his palm and the symbol flew towards the Puppet. As it landed on the Puppets forehead, it sunk into the Puppet. A moment passed and light flew out from the Puppets eyes and Curo immediately felt a connection appear with the Puppet. With but a thought, the Puppet raised it¡¯s hand and lowered it. After a few more tests, Curo nodded his head and sat down cross legged in front of the Puppet. He then spread out his arms wide and one symbol after another started condensing in the air surrounding him.


    When over a hundred Symbols had appeared in the air surrounding Curo, his face was pale as sweat trickled down his forehead. With trembling hands, he opened his eyes and a determined look was in his eyes as he changed his hand sign and the symbols flew forward, each penetrating the foreheads of the over a hundred Puppets that were in front of Curo. One after another the Puppets eyes started producing beams of light one after another. Seeing this, Curo gave a smile and immediately closed his eyes to recover the Soul Force that the Symbols were produced from. These over a hundred Puppets all stood silently. From the jade slip Curo learned that the Puppets were classified into three categories. The first were categorized as ¡°Shell Puppets¡±.


    They were Puppets like the Sovereign Puppets that Jing Fang and the rest refined. You needed to be in full control of the Puppet for it to work. The next next stage were ¡°Puppets¡±. They were Puppets that had some form of intelligence. By using your connection to the Puppet, you can give them simple commands like move forward, fight, defend and etc. They would follow them without any objection and would do their hardest to carry out the order.


    The last classification was ¡°Spiritual Puppets¡±. Those were the Peak of Puppets that had a will of their own and given enough time, they would also acquire extensive amounts of knowledge and expertise. The jade slip had also said that every Puppet had a sliver of a chance of producing ones Will over long enough of a time, however, only on in a billion had the slim chance of being able to accomplish such a feat. Even Chen Cang, the person known as the Puppet Prodigy, had only managed to produce nine such Puppets over the countless years he had been alive. Each of these Puppets had the strength equivalent to the Heavenly Sovereign Realm, however, they never tired, they never felt pain, they never retreated when the order was given. Although, they had a will of their own, they could not escape the constraints of following their Master¡¯s order.


    In the room, there were exactly two thousand Saint Realm Puppets. 200 were at the Heavenly Saint Realm, 600 were at the Earthly Saint realm and 1200 were at the Saint Realm. Curo had currently refined only a hundred of the Saint Realm. It took him half an hour of immersed meditation to recover the used Soul Force. When he felt that his Soul Force was recovered and had even advanced, he started producing new Symbols according to the method described in the jade slip. He did not have much time to waste here. If he were away for too long, there might be several complication and problems that would arise.


    The biggest problem would be when the Nine Clans discovered it and would start pushing the Ji Clan. If he stayed away for too long, it wouldn¡¯t be weird to come back to only ruins of the Clan. Thinking about this, he remembered what Long Heng had told him. He didn¡¯t wish to come back and discover everyone he cared about to be dead. Yes, Jing Fang and Qing Zhao were still at Clan however, if the Nine Clans decided to go all out, even those two would b hard pressed to survive, much less look after the Ji Clan.


    As he was pressed for time, he continued pushing himself to the limits. The cycle continued, as he condensed the most Symbols he could, he bound the Puppets in front of him and then quickly recovered, then repeated the action.


    ***


    Seeing Curo brand the Puppets one after another, the red haired man frowned, ¡°Why does it seem like he is rushing it? Between each branding, he spend only half an hour to recover his Soul Force before he continues. He doesn¡¯t spend any time on pondering over the [Puppet Army Art].¡± The rest of the seven all nodded their heads. Collectively, they turned their gazes towards the slender man leaning on the wall.


    When they saw him look at him with narrowed eyes, they saw that he was thinking of the same thing. However, as the slender man had not made a move, none of them made a move either. The slender man however thought to himself, ¡°I wonder what makes him so hard pressed for time?¡±


    ***


    In Curo¡¯s office at the top of the Roaming Dragon Division, there were six people. Jin Zhao, Xie Li, Ji Long, Mo Zheng, Jing Fang and Qing Zhao. Ji Long said with a grim face, ¡°Seems like they had obtained the information that Curo had left. Only a few days after he left, they have already surrounded the Ji City with all of their armies and over two hundred Saints stand at the helm.¡± Jing Fang and Qing Zhao nodded with grim faces as well.


    It was unknown how they obtained the information but it seemed that someone had noticed that Curo had left and they immediately decided to lay siege to the City. What infuriated both Jing Fang and Qing Zhao was that neither of them could move a muscle. Once either of them made a move, the Nine Clans would use it to push for the Final War to start. Although, the Alliance of the Five Academies nearly doubled their number of Sovereigns and Saints, they were not half as unified as the Nine Clans were. If it came down to a fight, the Alliance was not the least bit confident in being able to fight the team work and cooperation of the Nine Clans. These Nine Clans had always been very close knit. The teamwork between the Sovereigns of the Clans were several times higher than the rag tag team of theirs. As much as they hated to admit it, they were currently inferior to the Nine Clans. Jin Zhao then asked with a grim face, ¡°What are we going to do? If they succeed, not to mention us all dying, it would impact Head Ji¡¯s Dao heart immensely. It would not be strange for him to fall into insanity.¡±


    Hearing this, the already grim faces of the people in the room turned even grimmer. In the end, Ji Long was the most accepting as he sighed, ¡°All we can do is wait for Curo to produce another miracle.¡± Hearing this, Jing Fang, Qing Zhao and Mo Zheng gave a bitter smile. Jin Zhao however gave a confused look as he didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. Mo Zheng then explained to both Xie Li and Jin Zhao, ¡°In the past two years, Curo has produced one miracle after another. All we can hope in this hopeless situation is for Curo to produce another miracle like the times before.¡± Jin Zhao and Xie Li gave a bitter smile as the both of them understood what they meant.


    The current situation was extremely grim for them and all they could hope for was for Curo to produce a miracle.

 Chapter 39: The Third Trial

    It took Curo six and a half days to finish branding all of the Puppets. He managed to refine the Saint Realm Puppets in a day, however, when he was branding the Earthly Saint Realm Puppets, he failed several times before he could successfully brand them.


    He spent nearly two days on branding these Puppets. The Heavenly Saint Puppets were an ordeal in itself. Curo only managed to create the right Brand after two days of complementing on the needed changes. The amount of Soul Force each brand required had risen by several fold. If it hadn¡¯t been for Curo having his Soul Force improving thanks to the constant creation of the Brands, he would have needed a month to properly Brand all of these Puppets. Just when Curo had finished, he let out a deep breath of relief. After inspecting the rows upon rows of Puppets in front of him, he smiled.


    With nearly two thousand Saint Realm Puppets that never tired, never hungered, never rebelled or held ulterior motives at his beck and call, he truly felt the feeling to be intoxicating. He shook his head as he murmured, ¡°Maybe that is why people turn to the Puppetry Arts. Puppets never question you, never betray you or act with ulterior motives¡­.¡±


    As the hough passed in his head, he let out another deep sigh. He then glanced towards the central podium again and sure enough, the slender man was standing there, leaning on one of the pillars. With vigilance, Curo walked towards the man. The slender man seemed to be in no hurry as he calmly waited for Curo to arrive. Not to mention hurrying him along, he didn¡¯t even glance at him. This only made Curo grow even more vigilant towards the person.


    Although, he seemed like someone that was in charge of these Trials, for some reason, Curo still felt dread when looking at the person. When Curo arrived at the podium again, the slender man opened his eyes and after giving a glance at the Puppets that still stood in neat rows, he gave a nod. He then said in an indifferent tone, ¡°Congratulations for passing the Second Trial.


    As for your reward, you can consider these two legions as the prize.¡± Curo wasn¡¯t really surprised as he had figured as much. If they had erased his Brand¡¯s on the Puppets, he would have been a bit sour. The slender man then said, ¡°As for the Third Trial, it is all about your ability to command these Puppets.¡± The man took a breath before he continued explaining, ¡°The First Trial tested your knowledge and comprehensions towards the Formations. The Second Trial however tested your Soul Force and your ability to make adjustments to fit the need. The Third Trial will test your ability to lead.¡±


    The man then slowly walked towards the other end of the cave, where there was a door, identical to the one Curo had come in from, however, it wasn¡¯t covered in Formations like that first one had. When the man arrived in front of the door, he turned around and threw Curo a jade slip.


    When Curo caught the jade slip, the man said, ¡°Your objective in the Third Trial will be to use those two legions behind you and defeat me. Once you defeat me, the Third Trial will be considered as completed and you will earn the qualifications to pass onto the next room. Inside the room, you will learn of my Master¡¯s Legacy and you will obtain everything he has left behind.¡± He then took a breath and continued, ¡°Inside the jade slip are the Formations those Puppets are able to use and also several different methods of attacking with these Puppets. You have three days to comprehend and study the jade slip before the final Third Trial begins.¡±


    After saying so, the slender man sat down cross legged and closed his eyes. Curo glanced at the man with a confused gaze before he lowered his head towards the jade slip in his hand. He felt that something was off but he couldn¡¯t really say what was off. With a shrug, all he could do was send some Qi into the jade slip and sit down cross legged.


    Just as he had sat down, a Transmission Talisman appeared in front of him. Curo¡¯s eyes opened wide as a cold glint appeared in them. When the Transmission Talisman took form, he realized that the person contacting him was Xie Li. Without waiting for Curo to say anything, Xie Li hurriedly said, ¡°Do not return to the Ji Clan. The entire City is under siege by over 200 Nine Clans Saints. In addition there are over a dozen Sovereign Puppets and countless low levelled cultivators. The City is done for, your Father and Mo Zheng have reached an agreement to fight to the bitter end. However, you will be the last of the Ji Bloodline then and they will not allow you to come back and die for them.¡±


    With that being said, the Transmission Talisman burnt up, indicating that the other side had cut the line. Curo¡¯s eyes turned grim as he glanced at the two thousand Puppets behind him. However, before h could do anything, the slender man¡¯s voice echoed out in the cave, ¡°If you leave now, you will forfeit your qualifications to take part in the Third Trial.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo paused for only a moment before he turned towards the man and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t care, family is more important than any Legacy. It just seems like I don¡¯t have the karma for this Legacy.¡± Hearing this, the slender man raised a brow in surprise but didn¡¯t say anything about it. Just as Curo was about to leave with these two thousand Puppets, did the man ask, ¡°By undergoing the Third Trial you will be able to obtain the Legacy of the strongest person this Realm has ever seen. Not to mention those Nine Clans, even the Primordial Clans from the vast Realmverse out there will have to treat you carefully.¡±


    Hearing this, Curo paused for a moment. But it was only a moment before he continued his steps and left behind one sentence, ¡°If I can¡¯t obtain a Legacy, I will create one; however, I can¡¯t create a new Father or Uncle.¡± With this sentence left behind, he disappeared behind the Gates, the two thousand Puppets all following behind him. When only the slender man was left in the vast cave, the slender man smiled. Eight figures appeared next to him and looked at him with an odd look.


    The red haired man with a bulky body then asked cautiously, ¡°Why are you smiling Sweeper?¡± The slender man then said through his grin, ¡°Because he just passed the Third Trial.¡± The eight looked at each other in confusion and the man then explained, ¡°These Trials were all left behind by Master himself. The last Trial was the Trial of Heart. If he had been selfish or greedy, non caring of the Puppets and only sent them to their doom, he would have failed. However, if he tried to save as many as possible, then he would be considered as passed.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The eight were still confused and seeing this, the slender man called Sweeper sighed, ¡°The Third Trial was purely to see how he treats the Puppets. Master didn¡¯t want to pass down his Legacy and all of us to someone that would treat us as nothing more than a piece of wood.¡± Hearing this, the eight could only sigh. Their Master had always been good to them and even after his death, he was still looking out for them.


    However, a woman with quite ample curves then frowned and said, ¡°However, he should be from the City a few hundred kilo meters north from here. I do indeed sense there are thirty Puppets there but they are simply Shell Puppets. That fellow only needs one Legion to wipe them all out as the Puppets Master crafted are two or even three times stronger and sturdier than those Shell Puppets.¡± Sweeper nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes. Now, all we have to do is observe the boy. He was willing to give up Master¡¯s Legacy to go to his Clan¡¯s aide. This shows that he treasures intimate relationships very much. Also, from this battle, we will be able to see how he treats the Puppets.¡±


    The eight nodded their heads and reappeared before the giant screen, observing everything that was happening.


    ***


    When Curo arrived at the fringes of the battlefield, his face turned grim. It had taken him half an hour to arrive here and on the way, he had meticulously studied the jade slip the slender man had given him. He could understand the basic Battle Formations these Puppets could take and how to utilize them the best. However, on the way, he had no way of testing them out. Now, staring at the bloody battlefield in front of him, he took a deep breath and divided the army into two.


    They were originally two Legions so, it wasn¡¯t exactly hard. One Legion flew towards the City to reinforce and assist the Ji Clan men and Alliance forces stationed in the City. The other Legion however, was to look for the Sovereign Puppet Controllers. Although the jade slip boasted of the Puppet¡¯s strength, he didn¡¯t dare have them fight the Sovereign Puppets head on. These were all Top Grade Puppets that Chen Cang had crafted with intense care.


    To have them go self destruct so shortly after obtaining them was nothing more than a huge waste and disrespect towards the creator of the Puppets. As the Legions charged towards their respective locations to do their duties, Curo stored the GuanDao Halberd inside the Qi Sphere in his Qi Palace. He then took a deep breath and his eyes turned into reptilian ones as his body started expanding and slowly turning black. After several moments had passed, he let out a mighty roar as a black streak charged towards the Sovereign Puppets fighting in the sky. The two Legions speed was higher than Curo¡¯s so when the two Legions received their orders, they immediately used full speed to dash ahead and accomplish their mission.


    Their arrival at the battlefield caused quite a stir. They all wore the same black battle armour and when the fighting sides saw that there were two thousand Saint Realm cultivators heading their way, they all paled. Only when they reached closer did the Nine Clans and the Alliance recognize that they were Puppets. However, this also horrified them as the Puppets wore an Insignia none of them recognized. As both sides cautiously observed them, the Alliance side let out a breath of deep relief when they saw that all of these Puppets only attacked the Nine Clan¡¯s forces. They did not touch a single hair on the Alliance forces.


    With new found hope, the killing intent of the Alliance rose to the skies. It was just then that they heard the loud roar that echoed across the horizon. When they looked over, they saw a pitch black dragon, bathed in black flames rush towards them in an imposing manner. In only a few moments, he was already high up in the sky and fighting against the Sovereign Puppets of the Nine Clans. Seeing this, Ji Long and Mo Zheng, who were both facing two opponents, exchanged a complicated gaze. They were well aware of everything that took place on the battlefield.


    When they saw the strange Puppets arrive, they thought that they were truly done for and had resigned themselves to death. However, when they saw that they were only slaughtering the Nine Clans forces, they felt relieved. Even though they pondered on who was behind these Puppets, the current situation didn¡¯t allow them much time to think about it. However, when they saw the black dragon rushing across the skies, they knew it was Curo. They had no idea where he got all these Puppets or who were controlling them but the fact was that Curo had brought them here in their hour of need. They knew that the Dragon Form Curo was currently using was on par with a Sovereigns body in terms of durability, strength and toughness.


    The only thing he lacked was the Sovereign Energy and the vast Qi Reserve of a Sovereign Realm cultivator. In addition to that, the Nether Flames would give him an edge over these Puppets as they were controlled by Saint Realm cultivators. They also didn¡¯t have access to the Sovereign Energy and they also lacked the Sovereign Realm Qi Reserve.


    They could do nothing but hold out and see how this ended. They noticed that half of these Puppets were rampaging around in the back line of the Nine Clans army, seemingly searching for the Sovereign Puppet Controllers.


    ***


    In front of the giant screen, on the starry island, the red haired man frowned as he spoke out loud, ¡°Why did he charge towards those so called Sovereign Puppets by himself while the Black Dragon Army was sent to sweep the battlefield?¡±


    He then huffed as he continued, ¡°Each of Heavenly Saint Puppets Master refined could fight three of those so called Sovereign Puppets and obliterate them if given enough time.¡± A wave of nodding heads seemed to be on the same opinion as him. However, Sweeper said with and amused gaze, ¡°We know that but he doesn¡¯t. He doesn¡¯t know the full strength of those Puppets, he is cautious as he doesn¡¯t want to break them. If push comes to shove, I can just override the boy¡¯s Brand and send two hundred Heavenly Saint Puppets to swiftly annihilate those ¡°Sovereign Puppets¡±.¡± Hearing this, the eight exchanged a glance as they didn¡¯t dwell on this matter.


    However, a few moments passed before the Sovereign Puppets started falling from the skies lifelessly. Sweeper cracked a smile as he said, ¡°I see¡­. So he wishes to obtain those Puppets, so he instructed one Legion to kill the Controllers so he could obtain those Puppets for himself.¡± The eight let out a laugh as well. However, the red haired man then turned serious as he said, ¡°Seems like those Nine Clans seem to be the infamous Branches of the Primordial Clans.¡± Sweeper nodded seriously as he said, ¡°Seems like their hands have finally reached here.


    In the past, Master eradicated every attempt they made to settle down their Branches here. However, it seems like in the end it was futile as they seem to have grown quite powerful here.¡± The red haired man nodded seriously to the statement. The red haired man then turned to one sickly looking youth and asked, ¡°Tactician, what is your view on this?¡±


    The sickly youth thought for a moment and then sighed, ¡°Berserker, I can¡¯t say for sure but it seems like both sides are about even. Unless there is some heaven shaking change, this war won¡¯t end soon and will be dragged out until one side makes a fatal mistake.¡±

 Chapter 40: The conclusion of the Siege

    Sweeper cracked a smile as he said, ¡°Well, only time will tell. However, I think we could be that extra piece on the scale when it came to that.¡± The young boy thought about it for a moment before he nodded his head.


    He then glanced at the other eight around him and said, ¡°Master created over a thousand Sovereign Puppets but only the nine of us have managed to awaken our own intelligence after all these years.¡± Hearing this, their faces turned a bit sour. They had been in this location for countless years already but none of the other puppets had managed to awaken their intelligence in all these years. They returned their gazes towards the screen and kept observing the battle.


    On the battlefield, the Sovereign Puppets were dropping down like flies as the Black Dragon Warrior Puppets kept locating one Puppet Controller after another and killing them. Besides having to personally control the Puppets, the other major weakness of these Puppets was that they could only control them in a certain area around them.


    If they left this area, they would lose all control over the Puppet. When each of the Puppets fell, a Black Dragon Warrior Puppet caught and stored the now lifeless Puppet.


    ***


    In a luxurious Hall, the Heavenly Sovereigns of the Meng Clan and the Han Clan were staring at the giant screen in front of them in rage. One of the Sovereigns pointed to the screen and asked, ¡°Where the fucking hell did he get those Puppets? That brat is the biggest variable in this war and this entire siege was to impact his Dao Heart by killing his Clan!¡±


    The Sovereign the continued coldly, ¡°However, why is it that he has managed to obtain the Puppets of that tyrant? We can¡¯t delay this anymore! If he grows any more powerful, we will lose this war!¡± The other Sovereigns present were quiet.


    One of the Sovereigns that was dressed in red robes then said, ¡°What Sovereign Han Luo said is right, we need to dispatch Sovereigns to kill that brat before he manages to tip the scales again.¡± The other people in the hall were silent. This was a difficult decision to make because if they killed Curo with Sovereigns, then they would initiate the Final War. However, it wasn¡¯t the time to initiate it yet. This caused all of them quite a headache.


    Finally, one of them said, ¡°I think Sovereign Han Luo and Meng Xiao are right. If we let him grow any longer, we will only be digging our own graves. That brat has managed to obtain the favour of the Wanderers, managed to find the Tyrant¡¯s legacy as well. It is far too dangerous to let that boy keep on living.¡± The rest of the Sovereigns exchanged a glance and all of them had some hesitation in them. What these three were saying was right.


    However, they did not want to initiate the Final War just yet. As they were all caught between a rock and a hard place, they could only convene the Nine Clans and thoroughly discuss this matter.


    The longer Curo lived, the more danger he would pose to them.


    ***


    The fighting on the battlefield had ended already. Curo¡¯s appearance with two thousand Saint Puppets had turned the battlefield upside down. The previously struggling Alliance members and Ji Clan soldiers were immediately relieved of a lot of pressure. However, it took a while to clean up the battlefield and Curo had divided the Puppets into several hundred Squads and had them patrol the areas outside of the City.


    Curo overlooked the battlefield on the city wall and could do nothing but sigh heavily. If Xie Li had not contacted him, he would have never known. He would have come back to only ruins of the City. A figure appeared behind Curo and said, ¡°I never expected you to find his Legacy. Seems like he truly did perish in the Tribulations all those years ago. I grew up on his magnificent tales of roaming the world unfettered, with no one being able to stand in his way. However, I had thought that they were only myths and legends.¡± Curo didn¡¯t turn around and simply answered, ¡°I didn¡¯t obtain his Legacy. I was forced to quit the Trials halfway and give up on the chance to obtain his Legacy.¡±


    He then sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he turned towards the man, ¡°All I have are these two thousand Puppets and the method of controlling them. However, I didn¡¯t manage to obtain the method of crafting such exquisite Puppets.¡± Hearing this. The man sighed as well. ¡°Although I wanted you to stay away from here, I am glad you decided to come back son. If you hadn¡¯t, we would all be dead by now.¡± The man Curo was talking to, was his father, Ji Long.


    Curo let out a sigh and said, ¡°I wanted to obtain the Legacy and make it into our Clans lifeblood but this is all down the drain now.¡± Ji Long gave Curo a tender glance and said, ¡°No need to worry about it. If we research these Puppets, then through trial and error, we can create our own method of Puppet Crafting.¡± Curo nodded his head but could not help but sigh internally at how long it would take.


    It would probably take thousands of years and countless failures to be able to do so. Even then, it would not be as perfect as Chen Cang¡¯s method.


    Curo then turned towards the horizon again and said, ¡°However, with these Puppets, unless they send in their core forces, the Nine Clans will not be a threat anymore.¡± Ji Long also nodded his head and said, ¡°Since we now have such a strong shield and spear, we can focus more on nurturing the Clan.¡± Although Curo was considered to be in the Junior Generation, he was still one of the three strongest, if not the strongest member of the Ji Clan. He was one of the core decision makers of the Clan.


    After talking a bit more about the future plans for the Clan, Ji Long left to supervise the clean up and deal with the reports of the battle. Merits needed to be handed out and casualties needed to be recognized. Curo stood on the wall a bit longer before he moved towards his courtyard. When he entered his courtyard, he was surprised to find a familiar figure standing there. The slender figure of a young man was leaning against the tree, as if it had been expecting him for a while.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Curo calmed his mind and asked, ¡°Have you come to ask for the Puppets back?¡± The slender figure slightly opened his eyes and countered with a question of his own, ¡°What do you think about these Puppets?¡± Curo thought for a moment before answering, ¡°They are strong, they are extremely versatile. Although I am not clear on how strong they truly are, they should be stronger than average Sovereign Puppets.¡± The man nodded his head and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have them stall the Sovereign Puppets?¡±


    Curo shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I am not clear on their true strength. If any of them got damaged or destroyed because I recklessly sent them out, how would I be any different from the Nine Clans?¡± The slender man narrowed his eyes and he didn¡¯t quite understand. Curo then explained, ¡°It is obvious from the intricate crafting and the quality of these Puppets that each and every one of them was personally hand made by Senior Chen Cang. To just destroy them without any care, I am afraid that Senior would curse me from the grave and send down a curse for me.¡±


    Towards the end, Curo gave a chuckle. However, the slender man just smiled and said, ¡°So it would be a shame to recklessly destroy something that someone else has spent a lot of effort on creating?¡± Curo nodded his head. The slender man then took a step forward and said, ¡°Come on, you are qualified to accept Master¡¯s Legacy.¡±


    Curo was startled and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t I lose my qualifications for it?¡± The slender man chuckled, ¡°The Third Trial was the Trial of the Heart. To a Puppet Master, each of the Puppets they have is a priceless treasure. If you had been noncaring towards the Puppets, then you would have been unworthy of obtaining the Legacy of the greatest Puppet Master there ever was.¡± Curo then asked, ¡°So it is that easy?¡± The slender man tilted his head and asked, ¡°Easy?¡± Curo nodded his head and continued, ¡°To just find the flaw in the restriction to open the door, then to brand two thousand Puppets and then simply show that you care about those Puppets¡­. Isn¡¯t it way too easy?¡±


    The slender man was stumped as he said with shocked face, ¡°That door in itself has sent countless Formation Masters away with their heads lowered. Over the years, no one has managed to get past the first Trial, the door. Over time, the door was forgotten and only a few people that managed to stumble upon it by luck have managed to try it.¡±


    He then continued, ¡°Since Master set up the Trial until now, only you have ever passed the First Trial. Whether it be by fluke or skill, we don¡¯t care. As for the rest of the Trials¡­. The Second Trial tested your aptitude and Soul Force. The Third Trial was to fight me so as to test both your Heart towards the Puppets and also to help you get acquainted with the fighting style of a Puppet Master.¡± He then gave Curo a weird glance and said, ¡°However, you left after the Second Trial and proved that, at least to you, they aren¡¯t some random objects to be tossed around at your whim. To us, that is all that matters.¡± Hearing this, Curo was at a loss for words. It made sense in some regards, however, in his mind it was still too easy. Due to his heaven defying talent, he hadn¡¯t encountered setbacks.


    In these two years of cultivation, he had reached heights most people don¡¯t reach in nearly a thousand years. To him, everything came too easily. Yes, he put in his fair share of work however, his advancements in cultivation never presented anything like a challenge. This distorted his view on things. Like the slender man had said, over the years, countless people had tried to get past those doors, however, none of them could see through the intricacies of the Formations that were blocking the door from opening. Some people even spent thousands of years researching what ever Formation they could get their hands on for the sole purpose of breaking through that door, but they didn¡¯t succeed.


    However, Curo had succeeded and obtained the right to acquire Chen Cang¡¯s Legacy. Seeing the hesitant Curo, the slender man sighed and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you think it is easy or not. The Legacy was meant for the fated person and you happen to be it. If you pass this chance up, there may not be another that will be able to follow your footsteps.¡± Hearing this, Curo pondered on it a bit more. With a heavy sigh he asked, ¡°Will it take long to acquire the Legacy?¡±


    Seeming to understand what Curo was implying at, the man nodded and said, ¡°I have no idea how long it will take for you to inherit the Legacy. It may take up to years or it may take a few short days. As for the rest, you can deal with sorting out all of the other things later.¡± Curo was unsure of what to do. Currently, the Clan needed him as this was one of the most critical times for the Clan but on the other hand, for the Clan, he needed to obtain this Legacy. He wanted to make this Legacy the Foundation of the Ji Clan. The slender man let out a chuckle and waved his hand. Suddenly, a hundred Puppets appeared in the courtyard, making the quite large courtyard cramped. Curo was surprised but when he felt the fluctuations emitted from the Puppets, his face turned to shocked as he asked, ¡°These are¡­.¡±


    The man nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, these are all Sovereign Puppets. By right, after you obtain the Legacy, you will be able to control them. For now, I will control them to look after the City on your behalf.¡± He then scratched his chin as he continued, ¡°Considering that you are already using Shell Puppets that have been personally refined by Sovereigns, it should be no problem to have them join the fighting force here. Besides these guys, you can have all of the Saint Puppets also follow your Father¡¯s or someone else¡¯s orders while you are inheriting the Legacy.¡±


    He then gave a grin and said, ¡°With a hundred Sovereign Puppets and two thousand Saint Puppets, I recon even the Nine Clans wouldn¡¯t dare to charge this place head on.¡± Curo gave a helpless smile. With no other option, he fished out a transmission talisman and after speaking a few words into it, the paper burned up. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and a middle aged man wearing an azure robe walked in. Seeing the situation in the courtyard, an azure sword appeared in his hand but it lowered when Curo said, ¡°Dad, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    His eyes then turned towards Curo. Before he could ask what was going on, Curo started explaining everything to him. After he had finished, Ji Long let out a deep sigh. He then turned his gaze towards Curo and said tenderly, ¡°You seem to attract one fortuitous encounter after another. With the addition of the Puppets, I will hold down the fort here. You go and do what you need to do.¡± Hearing this, Curo gave a smile to him and followed the slender man back to the valley.


    When only Ji Long was left in the courtyard, he looked over the one hundred Puppets and sighed heavily to himself, ¡°What kind of an auspicious beast did you give birth to my love¡­. Not only does he find help and backers everywhere, he seems to be the favoured child of the Heavens.¡± With that, he looked up at the sky for a moment, eyes drowned in melancholy.


    When he lowered his gaze, there was determination in them as he thought to himself, ¡°Curo is doing his best for the Clan. This is no time to slack off either. Otherwise, he will leave us all far behind in dust.¡± He let the Sovereign Puppets stay in the courtyard and he himself moved towards the Main Hall of the Ji Clan.


    On the way there, he notified all of the Core Elders of the Clan that there will be an emergency meeting to discuss the future of the Clan.

 Chapter 41: Outburst

    After Curo had left the Clan, the Clan had an extremely important meeting regarding their younger generation. There were several that had earned quite a few contributions these last few battles and had even earned the notice of the Core Elders of the Clan.


    When Ji Long explained that he wanted to start nurturing the youngsters more, none of the people present objected. In truth, the might of their younger generation truly was a bit lacking in terms of individual strength. Although, Curo had surpassed even them in terms of strength, there were more than a thousand younger generation cultivators in the Clan. The others that could be considered to be in the younger generation were all only fumbling about in the Qi Kindling Condensation stage.


    Their overall younger generation strength was weak. Curo himself was strong yes but the rest were pathetically weak considering the new status of their Clan. They could be considered as one of the First Rate Clans now. Although, they couldn¡¯t compare to the Top Powers or Ancient Powers like the Five Academies, they were in possession of a Top Grade Qi Stone Mine. Their wealth and income had risen to more than they had earned in the last hundreds of years with only a few months that they had taken over this City and Mine. They now had the resources to train their younger generation with more potent Pills and Elixirs. They had access to several tempering Formations that were extremely beneficial to these youngsters as well. Their ability to nurture the younger generation was unfathomably better compared to before.


    They needed to make use of it and start whole heartedly nurturing their youngsters. They drew several rankings for age groups and the higher ones rank, the better the monthly benefits from the Clan. This would spur their motivation to cultivate. There were several youngsters that had caught the eye of an Core Elder. They wished to take full charge of teaching them.


    They had no idea how long Curo would be gone but without a doubt, all of the High Grade and Top Grade Arts he had obtained through the bloodshed would help the Clan grow explosively. Before Curo had left, he had left behind all of the Arts he had obtained from his time as a Roaming Dragon Squad Captain. He had amassed quite a few Top Grade Cultivation Arts and Sword/Sabre/Spear etc. Arts.


    These were all circulated amongst the younger generation cultivators that had potential ort affinity with an Art. They held no expense in trying to nurture the younger generation as much as they could.


    ***


    Curo followed Sweeper back to the giant door. The trip here had been brief but at the same time quiet. Sweeper hadn¡¯t said anything any more and had answered all of Curo¡¯s questions with, ¡°You will understand when we get there.¡±


    This had made Curo give up on trying to get more information out of the man. Curo was startled when he saw that in front of the gate, there were additional eight figures. All of them gave off the same fluctuations that Sweeper did, so Curo did not dare look down on them or even glance at them in the wrong way.


    When the two arrived in front of the group, Sweeper turned to Curo and said, ¡°Once you pass through this door, you will arrive in the place that Master left behind his Legacy. Once you inherit it, I will answer all of the questions that you still have.¡± Hearing this, Curo was hesitant. He was still quite suspicious of how smoothly everything was going. He only had two years of cultivating under his belt, he didn¡¯t have nearly enough experience to see through the intricate schemes of old monsters.


    Especially, those that had lived as Chen Cang had. No one in the Realm could defy him, even though he wasn¡¯t the Realms Lord at the time, he was treated as one. Once someone earned his ire, only complete annihilation waited for them. With no way out any more, Curo grit his teeth and walked towards the door. When he pushed it open, a bright light assaulted his eyes that made him close them. When he opened them again, he was on a strange island. There were starts all around and the island seemed to be floating in the middle of space. As he took in his surroundings, a gentle looking old man caught his eye. The man was standing on the edge of the island and was gazing at the distant stars with his back turned to Curo. With no one else around, Curo slowly walked towards the man.


    When he was about ten meters away from him, the man said without turning around, ¡°The stars are so ever distant but at the same time, they seem so close.¡± Curo was startled and paused for a moment. The man then continued, ¡°I dedicated my whole life to defying the Heavens, to defying Fate. However, only in the last moments of my life, I realized, one can defy the Heavens but no one can defy Fate.¡± A deep sigh followed that sentence. Curo fell into thought as he remembered that was exactly the same that the blue haired young man had always said.


    The man then turned around and looked at Curo in the eyes as he said seriously, ¡°My Fate was to die back then but Heavens always leaves a way. To not let my Legacy fall into oblivion, the Heavens granted me an opportunity to leave it behind for the Fated Person.¡± Curo was startled by the serious look in the mans eyes but he didn¡¯t feel any pressure. He silently listened to the monologue of the man.


    The man then turned his gaze towards the stars again and said with killing intent, ¡°Countless years ago, our Realmverse was plotted against and sealed by other Powers. With sheer luck, only twelve Generals managed to survive. This made our Realmverse weaken a lot in power. In countless years, no other person has managed to defy the Heavens and break it¡¯s limits. The Tribulation to break the Limits has risen a hundred fold compared to what it used to be. The resources our Realmverse is able to give birth to have dried up.¡±


    The man then sighed emotionally as he turned to Curo, ¡°Unless a Thirteenth person manages to Break the Limits and help undo the Seal on our Realmverse, we are destined to grow weaker and weaker until there will be nothing left but Mortals.¡± Curo listened to the man in astonishment. If what he had said was true, then why was the Realmverse still fighting amongst themselves instead of trying to break the Seal? From the mans words, it seemed that it was only a matter of time until the Realmverse died out.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The man then said, ¡°By the workings of Fate, you are the person with the highest chance of surviving the Tribulation and breaking the Seal. If you fail, then all hope will be lost. This Realmverse is my home, I have seen it in it¡¯s glory day¡­.¡± He then let out a sigh as he looked at Curo with sorrow in his eyes as he said the last bit, ¡°I left behind my Legacy for you, left behind my protection. All I ask, do not let my home die out.¡±


    Curo stood there confused and shocked. He had no idea why the man left everything to him. However, with his Legacy, he left behind a dying wish for Curo. Curo cupped his hands and said, ¡°I thank Senior for the information, however, Senior should find someone else to entrust his last wish to.¡± Hearing this, the mand frowned but Curo paid it no heed as he looked at his hand with a distant gaze and said, ¡°Junior has travelled the path of Cultivation for only two meagre years. I may have high cultivation compared to my age, however, this Juniors experiences are extremely shallow. Even if Senior entrust his hopes and dreams to this Junior, this Junior is in no way confident in being able to live up to those expectations or fulfil them.¡± Hearing this, the man closed his mouth.


    He sized up Curo with a serious gaze and opened his mouth, ¡°Whether you like it or not, this is your Fate.¡± A vein appeared on Curo¡¯s forehead as his gaze turned cold. Seeing this, the man was inwardly startled a bit however, his facial expression stayed the same.


    Curo then said coldly, ¡°Ya know what? I am getting tired of this bullshit. Your Fate this, Your Fate that. Every single one of you shitheads keeps pushing their hopes and dreams on my shoulders.¡± The man was now visibly startled by the cold words but before he could say anything, Curo continued with a hint of rage in his voice, ¡°That blue haired fuck always grooms me to do something and keeps telling me I have a higher purpose in life. The Five Academies keep putting hope on me pulling off a miracle all the time, Ancestor Jing and my Ji Clan all place their hopes of protecting the Clan and our bloodline to me. Long Heng entrusted the Realms Will to me, to keep it safe and succeed him as the Realms Lord. Now you come with this fucking bullshit of entrusting the future of the Realmverse to me as well?¡±


    He then bellowed in a loud voice towards the man, ¡°HOW MUCH SHIT ARE YOU FUCKHEADS GOING TO SHOVE ON MY SHOULDERS BEFORE YOU ARE HAPPY?!?!¡± The man had a mixed emotions flash across his face. This truly startled him. He could see where Curo was coming from. Curo then pointed his finger towards the man and asked, ¡°I have cultivated for only two years. TWO FUCKING YEARS! And you all entrust one thing after another to me. Has it ever occurred to any one of you that at one point I will not care about all this shit at all and just go do whatever the fuck I want?¡±


    The man opened his mouth and said, ¡°It is your Fa-¡° However, his sentence was cut short as Curo barked at him, ¡°You can shove that Fate up your ass for all I care!¡± The man was stunned into silence as he heard those words. Curo didn¡¯t give him any time as he continued to vent his built up frustrations, ¡°Not only has none of you shit fucks ever given me a moment to breathe, strengthen my knowledge of the things I know already or experiment things on my own, you fucks keep fucking shoving new things down my throat all the fucking god damn time. Not only that but you keep shoving new things on my shoulders like I already don¡¯t have a shit ton of things to deal with and worry about!¡±


    With this, he took a deep breath as he had gotten everything off his chest. He felt lighter, for the past two years, one thing after another had continuously happened with one thing after another being entrusted to him. With more and more responsibilities on his shoulders, there were more things to worry about. In the end, he had not even managed to make time to study his Arts, relax even once. He was either cultivating, working or killing.


    The man said after a long silence, ¡°One can¡¯t defy their Fate. I understand that you already have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders, however, this is the only thing I ask of you.¡± Curo let out a deep sigh as he said with helplessness, ¡°And I told you that I don¡¯t give a rats ass about Fate. Either pass down your Legacy to me or not, I will do what I want to do. If I manage to grow strong enough to make a difference I will. However, these promises are things I will not make. I already have too many things on my shoulders and there are only so many things I can do.¡± Hearing this, the man¡¯s eyes flashed with sorrow as he sighed, ¡°Fine, I just hope that when the time comes, you will give your best.¡±


    The man then without another word appeared in front of Curo and pressed his index finger on his forehead. A bright light flashed from the tip of the finger as enormous amounts of information entered directly into Curo¡¯s head.


    ***


    In a dimly lit hall, there were thirty figures present. Each and every one of them was of the Heavenly Sovereign stage in terms of cultivation. One man in red robes stood up and said, ¡°We can¡¯t delay it any longer. If that brat continues to grow, he will become too big of a variable.¡± The other¡¯s present were silent but one blue robed man answered, ¡°No Saint is able to kill him, only a Sovereign has the chance to do so. However, once we send out a Sovereign, we will initiate the Final War. It is far too early for that.¡±


    Another black robed man said, ¡°What Sovereign Meng and Feng said are both correct, however, I think that we should listen to Sovereign Meng. This war has only lasted for a year but that brat has managed to create one miracle after another. Besides that, each time he reappears, he is several times stronger than the last. If we give him more time, who know how high his cultivation might reach.¡± The people present exchanged a glance. Curo was like a thorn in their sides but they could do nothing about him. No matter how many Saints they sent out, they would all die by his hands. However, if they sent Sovereigns, there was a chance that even they could fail.


    Only Earthly and Heavenly Sovereigns had the guarantee of killing him but all of the Earthly  and Heavenly Sovereigns from each side were under strict surveillance from the opposite side. Once one went missing and someone mysteriously died, it was obvious what had happened. And Curo was currently in Ji City, a place where there were two Heavenly Sovereigns. For them to succeed, they needed to send in Heavenly Sovereigns. However, once they did that, the Final War would start without a doubt.


    At the moment, they had about 50% assurance and chance of winning it. The risk of losing was way too high for their liking. However, none of them present could refute the two Sovereigns words. Curo was growing too fast and too unpredictably. Who knew how long they had before he became a Sovereign. Then killing him would become even harder. Finally, one of the men in yellow robes said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a vote. Everyone in favour of sending Sovereigns out to kill him and risk the Final War, raise your hand. According to tradition, if there are over 70% people in favour of it, everyone is to cooperate.¡±


    After the man¡¯s words ended, the hands of Sovereigns began to raise one by one.

 Hiatus (again)

    Sorry guys but honestly speaking, after work, I have no more energy left to write.


    The problem is the recent heat wave. Where I live, 28 degrees celcius is normal summer temp, however, this summer, it is exceedingly hot outside. When I go to work in the morning it is already about 30 degrees. The room i work in has no air conditioning or air movement for that matter and I usually strt my work day in a 35 degree room. By evening it reaches around 41-42 degrees.... Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    So yea... I just don''t have the energy to write after work.... I spend 9 hours working in a sauna and when I get home, the only thing I want to do is sit in my nephews and nieces kiddie pool.


    I may write a chapter or two on weekend but for now, during the weekdays I just lack the energy to do so.