《Dream to Dream》


 Chapter 1: Luxin Yul

    A short-haired youth swung his fists around with explosive force. His flexible legs were fish in water, swimming through the air. His narrow yellow eyes held a cold glint as his elbows cut through the wooden dummy, sharp splinters cutting his rough face. He slowly relaxed his body and let out a black breath of air, feeling his robust body rejuvenate itself. His appearance wasn''t exactly handsome, but exuded unfettered masculinity and ferocity. His aura was like a unsheathed blade, ready to strike at any moment.


    "Haha. My boy is way better than those chicks who temper their babies in that dream machine." Uncle Jin let out a quaking laughter.


    "¡­"


    "Quiet as always. As a man that walks the martial way, it suits you well. Haha."


    Luxin closed his eyes and crossed his legs.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Good! You seem to have gained some insights during your session. Meditate on them well!" Uncle Jin stood up, the dragon tattoo on his bald head glistening under the moonlight.


    "Yes, master." Luxin replied in a robotic manner.


    The old man disappeared before he could pay his respects. Seeing his master was really gone, he released a deep sigh.


    Luxin slowly closed his eyes, but what appeared in his mind was not an image of him performing the [Moonfiend Dance], but an old memory from his last year of elementary school.


    ****************


    Guai''s finger fell onto the fretboard like a storm on a calm sea. Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead. Once that last note was plucked, the intro had been completed.


    "Luxin, go for it!"


    His hand nervously gripped the mic. He could see the adults in the front shy away after seeing his intimidating face.


    "A martial artist getting stagefright?" Guai quietly laughed.


    "I''ll show you!" Luxin felt his nerves unwinding.


    In that small town, a small boy raised his voice. In every major city, Valhalla unveiled their Deep Dream technology...


    ****************

 Chapter 2: Bini

    Luxin gazed at the moon, water dripping feom his eyelashes as his body soaked in the small lake. He lived outside of Kailuo City in his master''s house and the Taizen River was a few short breaths away. His muscles glimmered under the moon as hus dragon tattoo wrapped from his back to his heart. His master personally placed it on his back using a heated needle and black ink. He could still remember the smell of cigarette smoke from his master''s pipe and the mysterious energy that seemed to flow from every acupoint he placed a needle in. The tattoo wringled in the reflection of the lake as if it were swimming through it.


    ''It still stings¡­'' Luxin thought. The tattoo had been there for years, but on nights like this a burning feeling lingers on his body. He could see puffs of steam rising from the surface of the water.


    "Uncle Jin said not to worry about it, but¡­" A crease stretched across his forehead. The idea of changes occurring within his body that he did not know angered him. Despite his rage boiling within him, his eyebrows only slightly furrowed like a wronged child, highly contrasting his intimidating appearance.


    With his body burning under the moon, he stayed in the river longer than usual. Humming a tune, he kicked the water lightly beneath him, but he soared softly like a dove onto gliding in the wind onto a nearby branch. If Uncle Jin could see him now, he''d be baffled.


    "I won''t be able to hide my improvement for much longer¡­" He said, his breath curling in the cold. He had reached the level of "treating water like land" in the [Moon Fiend Dance] allowing him to tread on water. Only the peak amongst his generation could do something similar through other means. "If Uncle Jin finds out, my training near Kailuo City will end, and we''ll depart somewhere suitable for offensive techiques¡­" Although the dance contained offensive and defensive techniques, they paled in comparison to the might of techniques passed down in noble families and sects. This technique was only meant to be a movement skill to supplement battle techniques, but Luxin felt as if the technique was a bottomless pit, sucking him further into its intricacies the more he danced. He had researched and found not a single clue about this technique. Sinking in deep thought, he looked over the forest for a brief second, closed his eyes, and perked his ears.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Under the ebbing of the lake and ruffling of the trees, he heard barking in the east.


    "There!" Luxin vanished and maneuvered towards that sound in haste. Within moments, a small creature came into view biting onto something.


    "Bini." He bent down to pet the dog''s head. He grabbed the notebook from Bini''s mouth and took the pencil in the spine out. "Thanks."


    Luxin leaned against the tree and admired the scenery in front of him. A family of blue ducks quietly played in a small pond. In this dense part of the forest, the moonlight could only cut through a bit of the leaves from the trees high above. However, a few beams penetrated the night, providing a beautiful contrast. The birds appeared to buzz in reverie. Luxin could feel awed as he looked at the black, yellow-eyed dog.


    The forest was big and stretched from Kailuo City all the way to Fangouhai Sea in the west. Yet, Bini could always find a new place to inspire him; all while hiding his notebook from his master.


    Bini laid his against Luxin''s thigh. "Get some rest." Luxin said, softly rubbing the dog''s stomach. His voice was deep and rough, yet a special charm was held within. Bini shuddered in ecstacy as if a warm blanket was placed on him on this cold night.


    With Bini on his right, and his notebook on his left, music notes flowed through his pencil and soft melody escaped his mouth.

 Chapter 3: Kitty

    ''Ah, did I fall asleep?'' Luxin thought ruffling his black hair. ''Bini''s already gone¡­ I might be late.'' Luxin would usually wake up earlier and quietly return back to Roxford University in the main city for work as a mechanic. It was a thankless position since technology moved more towards magic and old systems were no longer maintained. He was still in his black tanktop with the torso portion of his gi wrapped around his waist.


    He traversed the forest onto the main road. Seeing his red motorcycle in the shade, a refreshing smile stretched across his face. He threw his leg over the seat and revved the engine heartily before heading towards the city.


    The forest in the day was very lackluster compared to the night. His mind quickly went over the song he composed before he fell asleep last night.


    "The second chord should be a G major seventh¡­ ah!" Dazed, he swerved the motorcycle into an abrupt stop causing dust clouds to come about.


    A golden cat sat in the middle of the road, its blue and red eyes piercing Luxin''s back. He turned around feeling a chilling sensation rushing towards him, only to see the cat sleeping quietly on the road.


    "Come here, kitty. It''s dangerous. You can''t rest on the road like this..." His deep voice perked the cat''s ears, a puzzled expression plastered on its face. It turned to look at the human''s face, only to see a stoic face. Luxin pulled his keys and started jingling them in front of the cat, trying to lead it to his motorcycle.


    Intrigued, the cat reluctantly jumped into the basket in front of the handlebars. With a satisfied expression and slight smile, Luxin boarded the motorcycle and revved the engine.


    Not before long, a soft hum escaped Luxin''s lips. The cat trembled as an intoxicating sensation ran through its body, weakening it.


    ''I need to get out of here¡­'' It thought, but the song still rampaged its inner consciousness.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    At that moment, a group of university students on flying swords encircled him from above and descended in front of his path, forcing him to stop.


    "Sorry, but can you give my cat back to me? I''ve had it since I was a child." The blonde youth had a cold smile and lust filled his vision seeing the cat not run away. He could tell something was going on, but he thanked the heavens and couldn''t help but lick his lips at his fortune.


    Seeing the cat reel away, Luxin coldly released his qi, a chilling atmosphere surrounding him. "Move."


    Yu Shan thought he was not a cultivator and planned to kill him to take the yao. He squinted his eyes and reevaluated the young man in front of him. He looked like a generic thug. Laughing coldly, he snapped his fingers as the other students encircled him.


    The cat gnashed its teeth, but there was not a trace of worry on his face. He didn''t get off the motorcycle.


    He suddenly accelerated towards one of the students and kicked him out of the way openning a path.


    "Don''t let him get away!" Yu Shan screamed. ''I''ll have my way with you, Fera!''


    No matter how fast his motorcycle was, it wasn''t as fast as flying swords. They quickly closed the distance and pulled out other blades from their space bags.


    ''Wealthy brats¡­'' Luxin muttered. As they tried to cut him, he would hit the flat edge of the blade with his fist and deliver a kick of inexplicable force. Anyone that attempted to strike him was instantly incapacitated as their bodies directly smashed trees in half.


    "How strong is his body!?" Yu Shan screamed in anger. Body Conditioning was an outdated training method for humans who mimicked yaos in the past. That department only had yao at Ryouken University. Now, he had to meet a freak here of all times.


    Seeing he was the only one left, Yu Shan enveloped his blade with spirit energy and unleashed a torrent of blades towards the motorcycle.


    The cat closed its eyes, but Luxin''s dragon tattoo moved over his skin like a pond, wrapping around his left arm. His fist tightened and his arm began shaking.


    "Starquake Fist!"


    Cracks started to appear in the air as if it was glass. Fisures scarred the earth as the blades scattered in every direction, wounding Yu Shan in the process.


    "Hmph." The tattoo returned to its original position. Luxin turned towards the cat only to find it staring at him with wide eyes. This cat reminded him a lot of Bini. His rough hand rubbed against her fur a bit too roughly, causing it to hurt. But she didn''t turn her head away from his hand. The motorcycle seemed to cough. ''¡­ I''ll have to fix it later¡­'' Luxin sighed.

 Chapter 4: Yao

    They entered the city with no issues. Highrise buildings were everywhere and the smell of energy leaking from talismans filled the air.


    "I''m pretty sure those students were from Ryouken¡­" Roxford was not far away and he was worried about those guys getting their hands on this cat. He didn''t notice it before, but this cat had very peculiar eyes.


    "It must be hard looking different, right?" Luxin rubbed the cat''s ears. The cat observed Luxin''s expression closely. "Is there something on my face?" Luxin asked, rubbing his face. The cat coldly turned around, causing him to laugh awkwardly. "It might be boring, but you''ll stick with me until I figure out what to do with you."


    Luxin turned onto a street full of blossoms and students wresting dark blue uniforms. He had a small shed provided by the school for his duties as a mechanic.


    The entrance to the university was very modest and elegant. While Ryouken was famous for developing cultivators to fight against demons from other dimensions, Roxford was famous for developing young minds for the future.


    He parked the motorcycle outside the shed and went inside. The cat followed behind him. The smell of oil and metal assaulted her nose, stopping her at the doorway.


    "You''ll get used to it. Haha." Luxin began climbing a small ladder to pick up a few bolts to continue his work from last week.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The cat spotted a dark corner and quickly ran to it. A small gold band around its claw began to blow and a human shape appeared not long after.


    *****************


    Luxin was already at his desk working with a pocket watch. As the gears slowly began to move, he smiled with relief.


    "Did you fix it?" A feminine voice tingled his ear. He turned around. There was less than a finger''s width between him and her. Red and blue eyes stared back at him with interest. The girl had wild blonde hair that could barely be contained into a pony tail.


    Luxin could only let out a deep sigh. It didn''t take long for him to realize the small cat was a member of the beast race.


    "¡­ hey, do you need help around here?"


    "¡­ No. I prefer to be alone."


    "You were talking to a cat¡­"


    A light blush filled his face as he felt embarrassed.


    Seeing him cornered, the girl moved forward. Luxin paniced, pinning his back to the desk.


    "Aren''t you a bit too close?"


    "Let. Me. Work. Here." The girl''s expression was cold.


    Luxin had very limitted contact with the opposite sex. His life was filled with martial arts. He really didn''t know how to handle such a situation.


    "You seem very nervous."


    The clothes were lazily worn and seemed too big for her. The overalls were bright orange and she had a white shirt underneath as one strap fell to the side.


    "Hmph. As if a woman can make me nervous." He gulped, drops of sweating forming on his brow, and pupils shaking.


    She almost couldn''t hold back her laughter. ''He''s really bad at hiding his emotions.''


    "Fine."


    He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for being reasona-"


    "You work for me now." Her deep smile caused a shiver to run down his spine.


    "¡­"