《Transcend》


 Chapter 1: Dead

    Chapter 1: Dead


    Brooklyn, New York


    Dark grey clouds converged in the sky, painting an ominous scene over the calm and peaceful night. Before long, raindrops emerged from the clouds. Falling under the guise of the night, the pellets sent the people below scurrying for cover. The rain quickened in a matter of minutes, encouraging the foolish people who have yet to find shelter to do so.


    Eventually the rain settled down into a consistent and steady rainfall. The streets and sidewalks of the city had long since become desolate, with the exception of the unfortunate cars that have yet to reach their destination. If not for the cars, the night would only contain the soothing sound of the rain.


    -Crash-


    A window exploded into pieces on the third floor of an ordinary building, disrupting the tranquility of the rain, as a man leaped out of it¡¯s wreckage. The man wore plain black clothes that further concealed his figure into the darkness of the night. Landing gracefully onto the sidewalk, he soundlessly sprinted down the street without hesitation.


    Within seconds the remaining windows on the third floor exploded as well as more men, dressed in similar attires, jumped out. Taking a moment to recover their balance on the sidewalk, they chased after the man in an intimidating fashion while more men jumped out behind them.


    The dozens of men ran at an astonishing speed, however, their feet barely made any noise, drawing no attention to an otherwise startling scene.


    The lone man was aware of his pursuers but had no desire to presently address them and instead continued to run away, hoping to lose them in time. In his mind, he was confident in his ability to swim therefore his goal was to find the nearest large body of water.


    Street after street, avenue after avenue, the numbers blurred past his eyes as he solely focused on finding the nearest body of water. While traversing through a parking lot of an enormous factory, he noticed more black clothed men were waiting in front of him.


    He decisively pivoted towards his left and prepared to continue running before realizing that there were more men on that side as well. Halting his momentum, he slowly turned his head to examine his surroundings. Black clothed men stood on all sides and the only gap was soon filled by the ones pursuing him. He was surrounded.


    Not one word was spoken as the dozens of men all stared at the man in the center of their encompassment. The pursuers each pulled out a variety of short weapons, ranging from crescent-shaped daggers to short single-edged knives while cautiously released their killing intent. The already cold night became chillier through the combined aura of their killing intent.


    Killing intent was the aura one gathered through the action of repetitive murder. As the dead bodies piled up one¡¯s killing intent would release a cold and suffocating air towards those that were nearby.


    The joined killing intents produced by the men were enough to make any normal person faint, however, the man effortlessly bore it all. Unfazed by the pressure, he calmly assessed his current situation knowing that fighting was inevitable.


    The battle of eyes ensued as not one person took the initiative. The pursuers vastly outnumbered the man but not one of them dared to make the first move, clearly defining the immense strength of their opponent.


    If not for the still falling rain, one would think that time had frozen with how motionless the men stood.


    -Rumble-


    Suddenly, a thunderous sound of lightning erupted from the sky. As if it was a predetermined signal from the heavens, the man simultaneously pulled out two Desert Eagles from inside his clothing and instantly pulled the trigger. The first bullet released from each gun synchronized with the sound of the lightning which made it seem as if he had harnessed the ability to shoot lightning.


    Of course he had no such ability, however, the bullets were almost just as deadly as they immediately disabled two men. Knowing that they had to act now or be sitting ducks under the mercy of the man¡¯s weapons, the group of pursuers launched themselves at him.


    Unfortunately for them, even with their newfound resolve, they were unable to reach the man. He spun in circles, the water dancing beneath his feet, while shooting with a near god-like precision, bringing down a body with every bullet that flew that pierced through the rain.


    Luckily the man did not have to fear any potential guns from the pursuers because he knew that if they were to use such methods, with the amount of men present, they would only suffer from friendly fire.


    As the pursuers witnessed the amount of casualties they suffered without being able to even touch the man, a seed of fear planted itself into their minds. Each one of them had yet to face such a fearsome opponent. They all knew the man was a legend but legends were merely stories before being experienced with one¡¯s own eyes.


    The renowned legend mentioned that the man before them had inhuman strength and was a cold-hearted killer, who did not understand the definition of mercy. His targets did not even have the luxury of pleading before they felt their life fade away. Although the pursuers slowly acknowledged his inhuman strength, what they continued to see left them perplexed.


    The unfortunate ones who fell prey to his unbiased attacks were unable to rise, however, they were still able to move. As the fallen were surprised from their lack of death, the ones still capable of fighting were stunned. Before they could even think of potential coincidences, the man released his now emptied clip and reloaded a fresh one, with seemingly no delay, and resumed shooting.


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    Each bullet from the new clip claimed fresh bodies and, like before, the bodies were still able to move. Such style of fighting left the pursuers in a greater state of shock than before. As experienced killers, they all knew that fighting against a person that was willing to kill while having no intention of killing was extremely difficult, if not impossible. However, the man before them was able to do so while completely overpowering them.


    The pursuers broke out in cold sweat as they recalled a recent rumor.


    ¡°So the rumors were true, he really has gone soft¡±, one of the fallen pursuers muttered to no one in particular. He gave a short mocking laugh at his luck before wistfully realizing he was unable to move his legs.


    The pursuers were distracted by the roller-coaster of emotions but quickly steeled themselves and continued engaging the man. The reward they had been promised for ending the man¡¯s life was enough to make them ignore his terrifying capabilities.


    Having no idea of what occurred in their minds, the man maintained his current position. From the beginning of the fight until now, he had yet to take a step away from the center of the pursuer¡¯s entrapment. He was, instead, shooting as he pivoted off each foot. All the while, he calmly counted his remaining bullets.


    As soon as he knew his clip ran out of bullets, he immediately discarded his Desert Eagles and pulled out a pair of karambits. Unlike normal karambits, the blades on his were nearly twice as long, giving it an even deadlier appearance. Without giving the pursuers any time to react, his hands blurred in the night as blood finally stained his body. Even though his weapons changed, however, his intentions stayed the same.


    Instead of aiming for vital parts of the human body that would result in certain death, the man went after crippling parts; the back of the knee or the soft spot near the shoulder blades. As he did so, he dodged or parried each attack from the pursuers with frightening precision. He remained unscathed, his body deceptively coated from blood that only belonged to his enemies.


    Just as the pursuers thought it was impossible to slay the man, a double-edged knife made its way through the man¡¯s black sleeve and cut into his left arm. The cut was shallow but the pursuer responsible for the damage stared at his knife with joyous disbelief.


    Before he could even think about celebrating, however, the man swiftly lowered his stance and cut the back of the pursuer¡¯s knees then immediately kicked him away before he could fall on his own. Ignoring their fallen associate, the pursuers stared at the injury and felt their resolve renew itself for the second time this fight.


    They attacked the man in a frenzied state, believing that his endurance was nearing it¡¯s end.  Unbeknownst to them, they were correct. Combatting so many experienced killers, while restraining himself from ending their life, finally took its toll on him. The first cut was soon followed by a second, then a third, and before long his entire body was covered in multiple shallow cuts.


    For the first time that night, the pursuers were able to hear the man breath. The man¡¯s breathing was disoriented and heavy due to his state of exhaustion. His current condition, however, did not stop him from continuing the fight; his precision still as keen as it had been since the start of it all.


    As the man slashed the tendons above the elbows of a pursuer, disabling his arms, he saw an incoming knife from the left side of his body aiming straight towards his heart. He started to bring the karambit on his left hand to block the fatal attack but felt a sharp pain behind his left shoulder. His arm instantly felt numb and he unwillingly dropped his guard.


    Before he could recover, the predetermined attack already made it¡¯s way above his heart. The cold steel blade of the knife easily pierced through the fragile black cloth, penetrated his skin, and buried itself into his heart. The pursuer stepped back, abandoning his knife as he awaited what came next. The pursuers held their breaths, not one of them daring to believe the fight was finally over.


    The man shuddered once, before his body slowly went limp like a balloon being deprived of air. Accepting his fate, he relaxed his previously tense and rigid body that was in a state of battle. The karambits slipped from his hands and landed on the ground. He lost strength in his knees as they harshly met the pavement of the parking lot. Finally he fell face-first onto the pavement and he no longer moved.


    -Rumble-


    As if nature had a sense of humor, lightning struck once more and it¡¯s sound filled the ears of every man present, seemingly signaling that the fight had concluded. The remaining pursuers that stood on their feet exhaled their breaths. Their nightmare was finally over.


    They gathered around his body, reconfirming in close proximity that he was in fact dying. Seeing for certain that they accomplished their mission they turned their heads to inspect their fallen associates and gave a sigh of relief, glad to have not been one of them.


    Out of the dozens of men that they began with, the remaining pursuers could be counted with two hands. One of the standing men slowly pulled out a burner phone and pressed a single dial. The call went through and with a cold voice he said, ¡°Target is eli-¡±


    Those were the last words the man heard before his conscious faded into the darkness. He felt calm and peaceful, embracing the darkness like a lifetime friend. Then he could no longer feel, his emotions escaped him.


    The rain was cold against his back and the smell of blood was distilled with the smell of rain but then¡­ there was nothing. His senses faded as well.


    He thought about how quick and uneventful death was. Eventually, he even lost the ability to think and that was when complete and utter darkness settled in.


    He was dead.

 Chapter 2: Memories

    Chapter 2: Memories


    Unknown, Unknown


    Time passed.


    How much time had passed? The man did not know.


    How could he? After all, he was dead.


    He was dead¡­ yet suddenly, a soft voice quietly echoed inside his mind.


    ¡°Such powerful fate¡­ powerful fate¡­ fate¡­¡±


    The soft voice grew louder.


    ¡°How far can you go¡­ can you go¡­ go¡­¡±


    The final ¡®go¡¯ from the voice caused the inside of his mind seemed to, in a sense, tremble. While his mind was trembling his senses slowly returned to him. The arduous process was like drinking water through an unbearably thin straw. One by one, he unconsciously accepted and concentrated on each sense as they returned.


    Sight¡­ he naturally opened his eyes but was only greeted with a blurry view¡­


    Hearing¡­ he heard the sound of water, lots of water, surging forward then halting in a random manner¡­


    Touch¡­ he felt a soft comfortable warmth. The warmth encouraged him to move around in ecstasy, however, his movements were stiff and sluggish¡­


    Smell¡­ he smelled something that brought a feeling of nostalgia¡­


    Taste¡­ he tasted¡­ nothing, just a familiar wetness in his mouth...


    He felt another existence but, unlike the five main senses, he struggled to grasp it. As he continuously attempted to make sense of the mysterious itch, his thoughts suddenly returned.


    What¡­ what is this? Who am-


    Bits and pieces of his memory rammed themselves into his mind, halting his curiosity in its tracks. The memories were like specks of white light that brightened the vast darkness of his mind. Returning in a disorderly fashion, he grasped at the first memory made available. The memory¡¯s white light expanded, covering his entire mind, and played itself like a scene from a movie.


    ¡­¡­ The cold steel blade stabbed itself into the man¡¯s heart. The assailant took a step back and watched, with many other men, as the stabbed man dropped to the ground. The group of men gathered around the fallen man then one of the men pulled out a burner phone. He proceeded to press a dial and lifted the phone to his ear¡­¡­


    I was dead¡­, he recalled as soon as he finished reliving his death. The way he viewed his memory was a peculiar fusion of being in his own body yet also being able to view it from above. The rest of his memories proceeded to return in the same disorderly fashion but a single memory had an irresistible attraction towards him. He grasped it with an inexplicable obsession. The white light consumed his mind once more.


    I¡­ am¡­


    I am¡­ KAI, he remembered. His name caused his mind to seemingly explode with memories, like a detonator to a bomb. Memories flooded his mind and rapidly established themselves in chronological order. His life flashed before his eyes.


    ¡­¡­ A young boy was sitting on a large cushioned chair that was taller than himself. His mother and father sat on the floor in front of him making funny faces. The young boy laughed in pleasure and his hilarious manner caused the adults to laugh along with him¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The father threw the lamp across the room then proceeded to smash anything he could lay his hands on.


    ¡°Why did you leave?!?¡±, he roared before continuing his mayhem. He spun around looking for anything to demolish then his eyes landed on the young boy. The look in his eyes was something the young boy would never forget¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ Empty bottles of alcohol rolled across the floor as the father stumbled, struggling to maintain his balance. The father roared in frustration as he became woefully aware that his supply of drinks was depleted. His crazed eyes found the young boy huddling against the corner of the room and he immediately moved to assault him. The young boy screamed in pain as his father punched him; kicked him¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ Passed out from alcohol, the father sat lifelessly on the sofa that the young boy once sat on. In the midst of his pain and the everyday living nightmare, the boy could not even begin to recall those happy days. With an enormous effort, the boy slowly stood on his feet. He thought to himself, ¡®If only she didn¡¯t leave-- No! If only I was strong!¡¯


    His willpower reached an all-time high. Mustering every last bit of courage he possessed, he decisively bolted out of the front door and ran. He rushed into a nearby mountain, sped past countless trees, until he consumed the remainder of his strength and leaned against a tree. As soon as he stopped an unexpected fatigue washed over him and his consciousness faded into the dark¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The boy woke up on a soft bed of leaves. The first thing he saw was a man staring at him with a face full of interest. ¡°You¡¯re awake, boy. Now would you care to tell me why you¡¯re so deep inside the mountain?¡±


    The man spoke with a calm tone but the boy could not help but notice a dangerous glint in his eyes. With no desire to lie, he spilled the details of his life and the reason for his reckless escape¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The boy carefully made his way through the thick trees in the mountain, searching for the man. The man soon appeared in his view and so did a brown grizzly bear. The bear stood on its hind legs, its height reaching a full head taller than the man, and roared at him. Before the bear could attack, the man¡¯s figure blurred in the boy¡¯s eyes and he appeared in front of the bear holding a knife that was planted deeply inside the bear¡¯s head.


    The boy gasped and the man immediately noticed. He turned his head and pulled the knife out of the bear¡¯s head. As the bear lifelessly collapsed on the grassy field, he slowly walked towards the boy. To his surprise, the boy did not retreat and merely stood in place until the man appeared in front of him. ¡°Boy, are you scared?¡±


    With frightening determination in his eyes, the boy replied, ¡°Teach me!¡±¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The man pointed his index finger at the boy¡¯s heart. ¡°Love. Hate. These feelings, these emotions, each will hinder you in the path of an assassin. Hinder you from becoming strong! Remember boy, you must forget these unnecessary attachments. Nothing exists besides the death of your enemies!¡±


    The boy took every word spoken to heart and firmly nodded his head. ¡°Yes master!¡±¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The boy crouched on top of a tree branch. His master sat underneath him in a cross legged position with his eyes closed. He delicately lowered his body stance then immediately jumped down. His left foot extended in front of him with the full intention of striking his master. At that moment his master opened his eyes and swiftly grabbed his feet in midair.


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    With a firm grasp on the boy¡¯s foot, his master roughly threw him to the side and he rolled along the grass before skidding to a stop. ¡°Too slow. Too loud. Again!¡±


    The boy was not dispirited and instantly returned to his feet. The calmness in his eyes depicted that the altercation was not the first. With a determined look, he nodded his head and proceeded to climb a nearby tree as his master returned to his prior sitting position¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The teenager and his master fought face to face, each holding their choices of short weapons. The teenager held two karambits and his master held two bayonets. Sparks danced in the air as the metal blades rapidly clashed against each other.


    Suddenly, the air settled as they both ceased their movements. Their arms were paused in mid-air and the teenager was holding the karambit against his master¡¯s neck. His master nodded in approval and they both dropped their arms. ¡°Very good, boy. Having reached this level, I have nothing left to teach you.¡±¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The teenager stood at the bottom of the mountain he had resided in for more than a decade. Before he walked away, he turned to look at the mountain. He did not feel nostalgic nor did he feel sad. He felt nothing. Wearing a cold and empty expression, he turned around once more and went on his way¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The teenager had both hands in his jacket as he walked amongst a large crowd of people. His right hand contained a small gun attached with a silencer. His cold lifeless eyes scanned the crowd ahead of him before calmly landed on one particular woman. As he came across the woman he swiftly pulled out his gun and emptied a single bullet.


    As if nothing happened, he continued to walk and casually pulled out a burner phone. Pressing a single dial, he brought the phone against his ear. When the call went through he softly spoke two words, ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    He hung up the call and carelessly tossed the phone into a nearby garbage can. The moment the phone reached the bottom of the garbage can, a woman screamed in the background ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡°The best assassin in the underworld¡±, an old man merrily laughed as he stood up and spread his arms in a welcoming manner. A young man walked through the door, into his office. The old man gestured for the young man to sit. They both sat down and he complimented, ¡°You are so young.¡±


    The young man did not care to respond but the old man took no offense. Instead he laughed and said, ¡°This is my target for you. If you complete this mission you will rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.¡±


    The old man took out a photograph from inside his suit and gracefully handed it to the young man. The young man took and stared at the photograph; stared as his master¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The young man was back on the mountain. Standing in front of him was his master. The scene held a sense of nostalgia as the young man held a karambit in each hand and his master held his bayonets. ¡°Kai¡­ please listen to me. I was wrong! What you have¡­no, what I taught you, this isn¡¯t strength! Don¡¯t continue my mistake!¡±


    His master¡¯s expressions peaked the young man¡¯s curiosity. He had long closed off his feelings but his keen perceptiveness still allowed him to analyze the feelings of others. Sadness and guilt was evident on his master¡¯s face. This master was unfamiliar to him but the fleeting thought only lasted for a moment before he attacked. His master yelled in desperation, ¡°Kai!¡±¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The young man held his karambit, it¡¯s blade buried deep in his master¡¯s chest, piercing his heart. While coughing out blood, his master stuttered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ my fault¡­ Kai¡­ please¡­ my da-¡±.


    Before his master could complete his words, his eyes glossed over and the last of his life dissipated. He had died. The young man¡¯s heart momentarily shook but almost immediately recovered as he returned to his normal, cold, self¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The young man ended a call and tossed his burner phone to no place in particular. Taking one last look at his master¡¯s corpse, he turned and walked into the forest. Just as he was about to descend the mountain, a high-pitched voice cried out behind him. ¡°Father!¡±


    As if he was struck by lightning, a single memory of a young boy calling out ¡®Father¡¯ in the same tone of grief clouded his mind. He slowly turned his head towards the voice. Next to his master¡¯s corpse was a little girl whose age seemed similar to his age when he first met him.


    ¡°Father!¡±, she continued to cry with a heart-breaking sorrow. Her small hands trembled as she held his master. She pushed his body, as if he would wake if she did, but doing so only caused the pool of blood gathering around his corpse to grow. Her tears fell harder as she lifted her head up and screamed at the sky.


    The girl¡¯s voice pierced the young man¡¯s heart each time she cried out and he felt the invisible ¡®seal¡¯ he placed on his feelings completely collapse. Waves of guilt consumed inside him as the images of every person killed flashed by in his mind.


    He recalled how each time he killed someone, fragments of his remaining feelings he was unable to ¡®seal¡¯ slowly faded away along with the life he claimed, until he eventually became emotionally numb.


    The last image of his master¡¯s corpse flashed by and he was suddenly overwhelmed with tears. His body felt weak as he leaned against a tree. He remembered some of the last words he would ever hear from his master. ¡°I was wrong!.. This is not strength!..¡±


    The young man now understood his master¡¯s words. Realization dawned on him that he just killed the person that was more of a father to him than his biological one; further drowning him in grief. ¡®I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t comprehend it sooner master¡­¡¯, he thought; thinking for himself for the first time in a long time¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­  The young man was outside of a house. Peering inside, he saw a familiar little girl and a woman. They were no longer living on the mountain. He was hit with a pang of guilt knowing the reason was because of him. Quickly composing himself, he continued on with his motive.


    He took out an envelope that contained a letter and the information to a bank account that he recently created. In order to cut all ties from the underworld he had created an inconspicuous account that contained everything he earned in the past years as an assassin. He carefully placed the envelope inside the house¡¯s mailbox and walked away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this is all I can do master¡­¡±, he muttered to himself. ¡°But from now on I¡¯m finished. I will never take a life ever again.¡±¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The young man was cornered by a few men. ¡°Why are you all chasing me?¡±


    ¡°You think you can leave the underworld just like that? You know too much about the organizations. We aren¡¯t the only ones that were hired to take care of you¡±, one of the men answered.


    The young man understood immediately. He thought of all the important assignments he did and who gave him those assignments. With everything he knew, he could easily cripple the underworld. Without another word, he quickly disabled the men in front of him and ran¡­¡­.


    Kai felt enlightened, his mind cleared of the chaotic memories as he remembered everything.

 Chapter 3: Alive

    Chapter 3: Alive


    Unknown, Unknown


    Kai was engulfed with a surge of sadness as he thought of everything he did in his life prior his death. During his death he remembered feeling incredibly serene but now he thought the feeling was sorely undeserved. The return of his memories was so vividly intense that it was like he lived his life once more; killed his master once more.


    There¡¯s no point wallowing in these feelings, I need to understand what happened to me first


    He now knew the value of emotions and feelings. Without them, he would only return to being a thoughtless cold-blooded killer but at this moment they were preventing him from concentrating. He carefully suppressing his emotions and began to assess his situation.


    So I am alive¡­ could I have been brought back to life like Dr. Frankenstein? But I feel so weak. Does that mean they failed to properly  reanimate me?


    Kai lead an abnormal life since he was a young boy therefore he did not attend school like most boys his age. However, to be an assassin, he was trained to excel in knowledge as well strength. One of the areas of knowledge was the fundamentals of literature and one of his many learning tools was the book, ¡®Frankenstein¡¯.


    Another skill he required was to be adaptive. If something went wrong in a mission or an unforeseen variable presented itself during a fight, an assassin would have to react quickly and cope with the situation. Therefore, even though he could barely see or move, he remained calm and carefully examined his current condition.


    Returning to the beginning of his thought process, Kai reached out with his senses once more. He tried to speak but a slur of incomprehensible nonsense was all that escaped his mouth. He tried to concentrate on his eyesight but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to see any better. He moved around to the best of his abilities but was only able to feel the same warmth from before, nothing more.


    He connected the information he previously collected with his nose and ears and was nearly certain he was floating on a large body of water. If he was correct, then he was absolutely certain he was inside an object, or wrapped by an object, because he was unable to feel the wet, moist, texture of the water.


    Did they throw me into the ocean because I was a failed product?


    Kai¡¯s thoughts wandered like the theoretical water around him while his body remained afloat. He attempted to speak again, in a louder tone, but met the same failure as before. Persevering through the failures, he did not lose hope and repeatedly experimented with his voice at random intervals of time.


    The sense of time escaped Kai as his situation remained the same, until a sudden change occurred. The water abruptly pushed harder against the object that contained him; as if something had pushed against the water, forming slight waves that displaced the object¡¯s balance.


    -Splash-


    He heard a loud sound of something colliding against water. The sound diminished into a softer tone and it slowly made it¡¯s way towards him. Before he could guess what produced the sound, he felt the object, that contained him, shake.


    ¡°Holy heavens, it really is a baby. What should I do Boss?¡±, a male voice shouted.


    Someone finally came for m-wait, a baby? Is he referring to me?


    ¡°Bring it onboard¡±, a gruff voice replied after a momentary pause.


    ¡°Yes Boss¡±, the owner of the first voice responded.


    Kai experienced another shake and felt himself elevating out of the water. As he elevated he experienced a sensation of being lifted, then dropped, then lifted, in a repeated uncomfortable manner.


    -Thump-


    When the sensation was over he heard a noise he could only assume was the sound of the man¡¯s feet against wood. The footsteps continued before halting to a stop. He felt an exchange of hands before the gruff voice spoke above him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a boy¡±, Boss said. A series of gasps surrounded him.


    They¡¯re really talking about me¡­ this is unbelievable. I¡¯m a baby boy. This implies that I wasn¡¯t revived, rather I¡¯ve been reincarnated!


    Kai remembered learning about reincarnation from certain beliefs that he studied, such as Buddhism, but he never believed it to be real. Yet, it was the only reason he could produce that explained this phenomenon.


    ¡°VERONICA!¡±


    He snapped out of his train of thought as Boss suddenly yelled. He heard an outbreak of hurried footsteps from below him. The footsteps transitioned to a slower pace, then he heard a click followed by a sound of wood heavily colliding against wood.


    -Bang-


    ¡°Veronica! How many times do I have to tell you to open the hatch lightly. Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry Boss. I¡¯ll be more careful next time, I swear¡±, a female voice spluttered.


    ¡°I swear to the heavens¡­ every time¡­ forget it, I have something for you to do.¡±


    ¡°What is- wait a second, is that another baby? We¡¯re in the middle of the ocean, how in the world did you get another baby?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and just put him with the rest of the children.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss¡±, Veronica quickly replied, clear that she was reaching the end of his patience.


    Kai went through another exchange of hands. This time he felt the actual shape of hands hold him, bringing him to a deeper location. He no longer doubted that he was in a large body of water because of the words Veronica said. This led him to believe he was on a ship so as he descended in her arms, he assumed that he was being brought to the hull.


    He felt Veronica beginning to walk on a more steady, flat, surface but before she got too far the ship moved and she lost her balance. He felt a sudden jerk from his original position as he violently flew towards the right. He heard the impact of her body slamming against wood. Fortunately, he was still in her arms as he was unsure if his baby body would survive the fall without suffering permanent damage.


    ¡°Damn it! I¡¯ll never get used to this ship. Why did we have to take it anyways?¡±, she cursed. Regaining her footing, she resumed walking towards her intended direction.


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    He heard the opening of a door before feeling Veronica take a step forward. A group of whimpers greeted her. Ignoring the whimpers, she spoke in a lazy manner.


    ¡°You there, you¡¯re not holding a baby. Come here and carry this boy.¡±


    ¡°B-but, I never held a baby before¡±, a girl¡¯s voice murmured.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to repeat myself¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry him¡±, a different girl¡¯s voice answered. Unlike the previous voice, this one was more steady and firm.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve just said so in the first place.¡±


    Light footsteps drew closer to Kai before he was carelessly tossed over to another, smaller, pair of hands.


    ¡°Now if any of these babies die so will one of you, so you brats best be careful. We should arrive in half a day''s time.¡±


    -Bang-


    A loud slam of the door immediately followed Veronica¡¯s last words. The resulting sound caused the other babies to start crying. Two clear cries resounded inside of the room.


    ¡°Stupid old hag¡±, a boy¡¯s voice muttered. He started making humming noises which Kai could only assume was his method of calming a crying baby. The reason he was unable to discern the noise was because the hum sounded horribly off-beat. The two babies loudly agreed as they continued to cry.


    ¡°Shh..¡± another boy¡¯s voice hissed. ¡°Don¡¯t make the bandits angry. What if they get really mad and kill us? We have to survive and grow strong to avenge our parents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. All the adults are dead, in the future we have to support each other to stay alive and take revenge.¡±


    Revenge¡­ so their parents were murdered and they were kidnapped. I¡¯ve only heard about kidnappings but to murder their parents as  well... These people call themselves bandits, maybe they are working in the more unrestrained part of the underworld.


    The children holding the two babies continuously attempted to soothe them. The girl holding Kai curiously muttered, ¡°I wonder why you aren¡¯t crying little one.¡±


    If only you knew girl. This new life of mine seems to be difficult already but nevertheless it¡¯s still a second chance. With my experience  from my past life, it shouldn¡¯t be anything I can¡¯t overcome. I will become strong to protect myself but this time I¡¯ll do it right. I will not  kill anyone ever again¡­


    The ship rocked in a steady rhythm causing Kai to slowly drift from his thoughts to sleep.


    When Kai woke up he was surprised by the sight of the room. The wooden boards were a healthy shade of brown but the entire room was coated in layers of dust and cobwebs. On the floor laid a single bucket and a few blankets that separated the children from the filthy floor.


    I can finally see!


    His eyes traveled to the girl holding him. The girl looked fairly simple with the exception of her short blonde hair. Her eyes were unclear as she was asleep but her features gave him a small shock.


    I knew she was young but she can¡¯t be much older than the time I ran away.


    He looked at the children on the floor and, as far as he could tell, they were similar in age. Together there were four children that comprised of two girls and two boys, including the girl holding him. The boys and the girl all had black hair but the girl¡¯s hair was shoulders length.


    The movement from his head gradually woke the girl holding him. She stared at him and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re quite the early bird little one.¡±


    The ship suddenly halted. Footsteps drew closer to the door before it was thrown open. The rest of the children instantly drowsily stirred in place. The babies were unsettled with the needlessly loud action and began crying. A tall woman walked through and looked at them in a spiteful manner.


    ¡°Wake up brats!¡± Veronica exclaimed. Kai instantly recognized her voice. She had black eyes and hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a long brown overcoat that covering everything except her black boots. Around her waist was a belt attached with a sheath along with it¡¯s sword that had a slight curve.


    That¡¯s a scarab sword. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone using that particular weapon in this day and age.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived but I¡¯m not leaving this ship with two crying babies. Shut those two up then you can come up the ship yourselves. Be quick about it, you don¡¯t want to test my patience.¡±


    Leaving the door open she walked off and left the children to their own devices. The two boys instantly gave their very best at pacifying the babies so they could quickly leave the unsanitary room.


    ¡°Please stop crying¡±, one of the boys hopelessly begged the baby in his arm. He swayed his arms in a back and forth manner and gave the girl holding Kai an envious look.


    ¡°Can we switch babies?¡±, he suggested with a slight smile.


    ¡°No way¡±, the girl playfully denied. The light squabble between the two caused them to laugh and the other two children quickly laughed along. The laughter was short-lived as the boy who asked the question ceased laughing and put on a solemn expression.


    ¡°Life is going to be hard from now on isn¡¯t it?, he sighed.


    The rest of the children also stopped laughing and the atmosphere became heavy. The babies continued to cry, unfazed by the depressing air around them, until the girl who was empty handed interrupted their cries.


    ¡°Whatever happens, we still have each other right?¡±, she quietly encouraged. The other three children stared at her in surprise before instantly breaking into wide smiles.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡±, the girl holding Kai agreed. ¡°Together, forever.¡±


    The two boys gave a firm nod in unison. As if supporting them, the two babies stopped crying which caused them to laugh once more. Having completed Veronica¡¯s demand, they walked out of the room and found the stairs that led to the hatch. The timid girl opened the hatch and one by one they walked out into the sunlight.


    ¡°You brats sure took your sweet time¡±, Veronica scolded with her menacing glare. She was the only person left on board the ship.


    Seeing Veronica easily wiped the smile of their faces. Content with their misery, she evilly smiled, turned around and commanded, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    She descended the ship on a slanted edged plank that reached the floor. Reaching the edge of the ship, they all took a deep breath and, swallowing their nervousness, they descended the ship together.

 Chapter 4: Slaves

    Chapter 4: Slaves


    Unknown, Unknown


    The children stepped onto the sandy shore in turns and noticed that all eyes were on them. Surrounding them were men and women that dressed in the same attire as Veronica. They unconsciously quivered at the sheer pressure they experienced from being under the spotlight. Unlike the children, however, Kai¡¯s attention was on the ship that transported them.


    What a vintage ship. Everything is made of wood. Why would they use this kind of ship when metal and mechanical ships are far more  efficient.


    -Cough-


    A loud cough resounded on the shore and diverted the attention away from the children. All eyes landed on the conspicuous man standing on a large boulder. The man¡¯s attire differed from the men and women standing below him. Instead of the large overcoat, he wore a thick fur cloak that draped over his shoulders and was connected by a string resting on his chest.


    ¡°This was the first time we¡¯ve done such a big raid and although there were some casualties, this was also the biggest harvest we¡¯ve ever seen!¡±, the man roared with a familiar voice.


    So he is the Boss from before. Raid¡­ harvest¡­ why does he use such odd terminologies?


    A loud cheer resounded from the bandits. Some even brandished their weapons and thrusted them upwards into the air.


    ¡°Quiet!¡±, Boss ordered after he was satisfied with their enthusiasm.


    The noise quelled immediately but the damage was done. The two babies quickly began to cry, drawing menacing glares from the surrounding bandits. The children grouped together in fear as the two boys tried to calm the babies. Boss disregarded the trivial baby cries and steadily yelled out instructions.


    ¡°It¡¯s just babies, pay attention! Veronica, take them to the slave¡¯s area already. Mian, you will be in charge of bringing the harvest to our storage. Make sure that a portion is separated for the families of the dead. GO!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡±, all the bandits complied. A man to the right of Boss walked towards the boat and one by one the bandits followed him. Stopping in front of the boat, Mian began yelling out instructions and they boarded the ship.


    ¡°Brats, keep your focus on me. Be sure to follow me otherwise I can¡¯t guarantee what everyone else might do to you¡±, Veronica sneered.


    The children attentively snapped their eyes towards her. She turned around and took off with a pace that required the children to run in order to follow along. As they struggling to keep up, Kai carefully examined the exterior layout of the bandit¡¯s home.


    A plane of grass and trees appeared past the body of sand. Further away from the sand were columns of spiked stone pillars. He was unable to accurately access the height of the stone pillars from his infant eyes but he roughly guessed them to be approximately the size of two adult humans on top of each other.


    Grouping together, the dozens of stone spikes formed a makeshift wall with a small gap in the center. Two men with fierce expressions stood on either side of the gap.


    A wall made of spiked stone pillars with no doors and guards to guard the entrance¡­


    Kai continued to mentally take notes as they stepped past the entrance. Walking past the entrance, there was a large group of people waiting on the other side. The group only contained women and children and they differed from the ones aboard the ship as they were more casually dressed with lighter, simpler, clothing.


    The men work and the women stay home, what an old fashion belief.


    Each person wore expectant faces but they quickly turned sour when they saw the children and babies. They first kindly greeted Veronica then turned to violently hissed at them. This action was painfully normal as even the children among the group hissed. The hissing further worsened the crying babies and the crying babies only further enhanced the hissing. This endless loop made the walk mentally excruciating for them.


    Reaching the end of the crowd, they saw numerous wooden houses that were placed in no particular order. The houses were fairly well built with a flat rooftop and were uniformly similar to every other house except for one.


    In the center of the wooden houses was a distinct house that stood out from the rest. It¡¯s size was twice that of the wooden houses and was made entirely of stone similar to the stone pillars. Differing from the stone pillars, however, the stone used for the house were more smooth and well polished.


    The houses are made from stone and wood . Why is everything so primitive?


    ¡°This is where we live and that¡±, Veronica turned to point at the stone house, ¡°is where Boss lives. You brat¡¯s are not allowed to enter this area. If you do, don¡¯t expect to go back to the slave¡¯s quarters in one piece. Understood?¡±


    She glared at the children, enforcing her last question. The children nervously nodded in compliance except for the girl holding Kai, she fiercely held her gaze and did not move her head in the slightest degree. Veronica raised her eyebrow in amusement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you still be so tough in the future¡±, she taunted with a deeper glare. She appreciated the girl¡¯s strong female character but treated her the same regardless.


    She turned and walked towards her designated destination once more and the children ran to match her long strides. They walked until they reached another wall of stone pillars. Leaving the premises through its gap, a small land of dirt came into view. There were no guards at the exit and instead, they encountered an isolated wooden house. There were also two crudely made houses in the middle of the dirtland and surrounding the dirtland were wooden fences.


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    ¡°Those two houses is where you brats will live from now on¡±, Veronica pointed at the crudely made houses. The houses were made from jagged rocks and they were poorly held together with dried mud.


    Speaking about primitive...


    ¡°This house is for the Watchers¡±, she explained as she pointed at the wooden house. ¡°They are here to monitor the slaves and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. So don¡¯t even try to run into the forest. Of course, you will more likely die to wild beasts rather than be recaptured us. If you prefer that instead then be my guest¡±


    The children looked at each place she mentioned but their sight fell back to their new home. Thinking about their uncomfortable future they grew dejected and grim, not even listening to her spiteful provocation.


    Veronica nodded in satisfaction to their misery and walked towards the wooden house. Reaching the front door, she knocked on the door and yelled, ¡°You two! There are more slaves now!¡±


    The door opened and a short man wobbled through. He was barely four feet tall and was as round as a ball. His eyes wandered to the children in front of him and was slightly startled.


    ¡°So we¡¯re accepting children now too?¡±, he questioned.


    ¡°Boss wants to try new things. You can handle these brats now, I never liked kids in the first place.¡±


    She departed with a brief wave and the short man returned the gesture with a nod. The short man gave the children another look before turning his head back inside the house and shouted, ¡°Hey you gigantic buffoon come here and see our new slaves.¡±


    Answering his call, a tall man walked through the door with his head lowered. The man was the complete opposite of the short man with an enormous height and skinny constitution. He stood straight, looked at the children and remarked, ¡°They¡¯re kind of young aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for pointing out the obvious¡±, the short man snorted. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve seen them, you can go gather the older slaves. Be quick about it. The sooner we finish this the sooner I can go back to cultivating.¡±


    Cultivating?


    ¡°Why me-¡±, the tall man tried to argue.


    ¡°Just GO!¡±, the short man retorted while glaring at the taller man. The tall man wore a face of defeat as he walked towards the forest. When he came back, he was followed by two men and a woman. The men and woman gave the short man a bow and greeted, ¡°Hello, sir.¡±


    The short man gave a small nod of acknowledgement and explained, ¡°These are the new slaves we¡¯ve just taken in. You two men will instruct the boys by telling them what needs to be done along with the rules. Woman, you will instruct the girls and help them properly take care of the babies until further notice. Questions?¡±


    He paused for questions but when none were raised he waved his hand and concluded, ¡°Then that¡¯s that. You all can go head your separate ways.¡±


    He eagerly returned to his house and the tall man moved to follow. The door slammed behind him and the children were left with the adults.


    ¡°You children are quite unfortunate but we¡¯ll try to help you get accustomed¡±, one of the men broke the silence. ¡°We¡¯re still not done for today so you boys can follow us and we can show you around. I¡¯m Joran and his name is Adam.¡±


    The other man waved his hand with a smile at the mention of his name. The women then introduced herself. ¡°My name is Sandy. You boys should get going if you want to get your work done by dinner. We can have a proper introduction then.¡±


    Joran and Adam nodded in agreement as they walked back into the forest, beckoning the two boys to follow. The two boys carefully gave the babies to Sandy and the emptied handed girl then hurriedly followed the men.


    The girl who suddenly received the baby wore a troubled expression as she improperly held the baby. Sandy noticed straight away and showed her the appropriate way to hold a baby before leading them into a house.


    The house contained several mats on the floor and a basket of tattered blankets. Sandy laid a blanket on a mat and carefully placed the baby she was holding on top of it. She helped lay more blankets on the mat and the girls mimicked her actions on their respective baby.


    ¡°This is where you children will be staying¡±, she started to explain while making sure the babies were comfortable. ¡°Us adults will be in the other house. During the afternoon I am given small jobs, such as picking herbs and fruits in the forest, and the men are given physical labor, such as cutting wood. You two will join me soon but for now I think they want us to take care of the babies until they are able to walk.¡±


    The two girls gave her their full attention and nodded in acknowledgment at everything she said. The girl¡¯s innocence filled her heart with empathy and she instinctively knelt down, giving both of them a hug with an arm each.


    ¡°You girls are truly unfortunate for encountering the bandits but I hope I can help you two grow up as safe and happy as you possibly can be¡±, she sighed.


    The sudden amorous gesture left them stunned for a second before they broke down in tears. They started with a small sob before crying their hearts out. Sandy tactfully place a hand on their heads and let them rest on her shoulders.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡±, the girls whimpered as their tears flowed onto her shoulders.


    They had stayed strong and did not want to disturb the babies, but under Sandy¡¯s affection they could no longer hold it in and let loose their bottled sadness. Even the strong willed girl that held Kai cried her heart out.


    The scene moved his heart and brought back his memory of the crying daughter. Unbeknownst to him, a protective feeling towards the girls planted itself in his heart.


    When the girls finally ceased their tears and left Sandy¡¯s now drenched shoulders, they turned to the babies. She instructed them on how to softly sway babies to sleep and they imitated her. While swaying, she hummed a soothing tune that effectively made Kai drowsy. Before long, he and the other babies drifted into a peaceful sleep.

 Chapter 5: New

    Chapter 5: New


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Unknown


    Days flew by and the children grew accustomed to their new lives. The boys would follow Adam and Joran on their daily work as soon as they finished eating so Kai rarely saw them and still did not know their names. He would, however, see Sandy and the girls everyday without fail as eating and other distasteful, yet necessary, actions were handled by them.


    The girl that held Kai was called Teresa while the other girl was Cindy. Teresa proved to be very capable as she quickly learned what Sandy had to teach. Within days she learned how to knit and prepare dinner. Cindy, on the other hand, had a more difficult time. Her fingers were entirely bandaged from accidental needle injuries and she often made mistakes regarding the ingredients for soup.


    While the girls were fully occupied with the babies, and learning in general, Kai was sorely idle. He was unable to walk and would quickly feel fatigued each time he attempted to crawl. A foreign feeling grew inside of him. Wracking his brain, he diligently searched for the word that described his current condition; then he found it.


    Kai was bored. He was bored beyond belief.


    In his past life, he did not succumb to boredom easily as for the first few days he was occupied with his thoughts. When he arrived with the rest of the children, and babies, he found it difficult to review his situation due to how quickly it developed, but as a baby he now had more than enough time to do so.


    I am a baby, so who are my parents? I was obviously not with the rest of the children.


    Why was I in the ocean? Did my parents abandon me out of hate or protection? What if it¡¯s neither?


    Where on Earth am I?


    Kai¡¯s thoughts were filled with such questions and he became frustrated, another emotion he failed to develop until now. The frustration further fostered when he realized there was no one to answer his questions and he still did not have the ability to speak. He regrettably set aside his questions before he mentally exploded from frustration.


    Without his thoughts, his days beyond that point were truly boring. Each day he would wake up and see Teresa¡¯s face. Later he would be fed, eventually releasing his excrement, then inevitably succumb to sleep. Repeat the cycle once more, twice a day, and that was the extent of his entire day.


    Change did not occur until three months into his life as a slave. On one cold winter¡¯s day, snow began to fall. The falling rate was moderate at first so Kai was confused when the adults started to horde a large supply of food and wood. He was given an answer the next day when a massive snowstorm arrived and caved them in for nearly three days.


    Once the blizzard subsided they went on with their daily routines as per usual. Sandy, however, believed it was the three baby''s first contact with snow so she and the other girls brought them to play in the aftermath.


    The moment the two other babies touched the snow they squealed in surprise at the low temperature against their bare hands. Laughing at their innocence, Sandy and Cindy quickly put on tiny gloves, that they personally wove, on their respective babies. Once properly clothed, they playfully crawled and rolled on the surface, occasionally falling into the deep cavities of snow


    Teresa moved to put her gloves on Kai only to notice him crawling back into the house in a steady manner. She motioned for the other girls to look and together they laughed at the sight.


    ¡°Looks like he doesn¡¯t like snow.¡±


    Who would enjoy such a cold and unpleasant product of condensation.


    Disregarding Teresa¡¯s light teasing, he entered the house and crawled towards the warmth of his blanket. He made himself comfortable and drifted to sleep as Sandy and the girls continued to monitor the babies playing in the snow.


    The peaceful days ended when, one spring morning, the short Watcher approached their doorstep with Sandy by his side. ¡°Starting today you two will assist this woman in whatever her job may be. You can take care of the babies afterwards. Understood?¡±


    From then on, Kai saw the girls less often but he knew exactly how he wanted to spend the unsupervised time.


    Now that they aren¡¯t watching, I¡¯ll be able to try walking and talking without drawing their attention.


    Months went by and one ordinary afternoon Kai finally achieved a bit of success. He unexpectedly stood on his two feet for a few seconds before his knees wobbled and he dropped on all four limbs. His ability to speak remained stagnate but after months of falling down, he still enjoyed the feeling of success in being able to stand.


    Within the next month he stood and walked like an adult!


    Fast! I thought I would require more time but I feel like I have perfect motor control now.


    Putting his body through a test, he performed short sprints and jumped to the best of abilities in the small house. The two babies blankly stared at him but soon wore bright smiles and laughed while clapping their hands. Unknowingly, Kai¡¯s movements became a form of entertainment for his fellow infants. Disregarding their enjoyment, he stopped his test and stretched his body.


    Maybe I improved at this rate because of my past life¡¯s knowledge. However, in order not to shock everyone, I should keep this a  secret. I¡¯ll just imitate the growth pattern of the other two babies.


    He nodded to himself, content with his plan; then he thought of an intriguing idea.


    Since I am able to run and jump, could I possibly start practicing Silent Steps?


    Silent Steps was a technique that Kai developed during his time as an assassin. His master taught him essential tools for fighting, how to move faster and hit harder, but when he roamed the underworld he realized that he lacked in a certain aspect; stealth.


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    His master taught him how to be stealth-like by minimizing the amount of noise he made to a bare minimum but it was not good enough. When he faced against true experts, they were able to pick up the faint noises he barely made. To erase this flaw, he used an incredible amount of effort and created his own technique.


    He named his technique in the simplest manner, Silent Steps. Maximizing the control over each muscle, each joint, from the very top of his legs to the tip of his toes, he was able to move in complete and utter silence while being able to move as fast as he desired.


    To accomplish this, he brutally disciplined and trained each muscle in his body equally so his body would maintain a sense of balance that allowed him to easily control his movements. The core specifics was simple but he knew if it weren¡¯t for his talent, and perception, it would be nearly impossible for him to accomplish this task. This made him slightly hesitant in beginning his training at such an early age.


    Am I being too arrogant?.. What if I heavily injure or cripple myself from overexertion?.. No! There¡¯s no point in hesitating! If I fail then I  fail, but if I succeed then I would achieve a huge head start in becoming strong.


    Kai steeled himself, extinguishing his hesitation, and began to train. Beginning with light exercises, he performed simple drills with push-ups and squats. His body reached fatigue within a short five minutes but his capabilities surpassed his expectations.


    When I was training under master I was five years old and at that time I also only lasted five minutes. That means this body that¡¯s not  even a year old is on par with the five year old me in my past life? At this rate I can¡¯t even foresee my limits¡­


    Kai roughly counted the days ever since his drifting in the ocean and he was almost positive that, if he was born around the time he regained his memories, he was only one or two months off of being a year old.


    The thoughts of his future achievement left him with a rare sense of excitement. The only other time he felt relatively excited was the day his master agreed to train him. From then on, however, he learned to abandon his feelings, leaving no chance of experiencing it again.


    -Bang-


    The door rapidly opened and a pleasant sweet fragrance filled the house. The other two babies snapped around, startled, but the mesmerizing smell halted their desire to begin crying. The children entered first and cleared a blank space on the floor, moving Kai and the babies in the process. Jordan and Adam entered next carrying a large pot that was the source of the fragrance. Sandy brought the rear and closed the door behind her.


    They must have killed something today and turned it into stew


    Kai was familiar with the event unfolding before his eyes. During his life as a baby, this occasion only occurred twice and each time the adults caught and killed a wild animal then turned it into stew.


    Normally, the contents of their food only consisted of grains and wild plants. On better days there would be soup and porridge. The children would eat with the adults before bringing food back for the babies.


    The stew, however, was larger than their typical meals due to the fact that they could not preserve fresh meat so they had no choice but to cook the entirety of the game, having no desire to waste any of their meat. The excess stew was placed in the adults house leaving no room for them to eat so they would bring it to the children¡¯s house.


    Teresa picked up Kai and placed him on her lap while Cindy and Sandy did the same with their respective babies. Together, they all chose a comfortable place to sit. Jordan carefully poured the steaming stew in small bowls and Adam passed them to each person. The girls fed the babies, making sure they do not spill and waste the food. As usual, Kai played along and accepted his fate.


    During the middle of their feast, Cindy raised her head and quietly asked, ¡°Um¡­ Can we hear more stories again?¡±


    Sandy looked at Joran and Adam, they returned the look and smiled altogether.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell you a story this time¡±, Jordan laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ we¡¯ve already told you many stories from the Jade Empire, how about stories from Tao Empire this time?¡±


    The children¡¯s eyes gleamed and they eagerly nodded their heads. Clearing his throat, Joran began to weave a tale of a fearsome yet benevolent hero that destroyed mountains and split apart an ocean during his fight with an evil dragon.


    Jade Empire¡­ Tao Empire¡­ Ki¡­


    Joran continuously spit out foreign terminologies and Kai was unable to make heads or tails of them. This was the first time he had heard such a ludicrous story but from Joran¡¯s previous words he knew that this was not the first time the children heard of them. When Jordan wrapped up the story, Teresa, her eyes shining with curiosity, immediately inquired, ¡°Was this story really real?¡±


    Sandy answered with a laugh, ¡°It is most definitely real. This was a well known incident that happened nearly a thousand years ago.¡±


    What? Real? Are they crazy, what are these people saying¡­


    They continued to talk but Kai zoned them out as he lost himself in his thoughts.


    Vintage ships¡­ raids and harvests¡­ the primitive home¡­


    While running the oddities through his head, a bizarre idea spawned in his mind. The idea stupefied him and, with his mouth agaped, he unintentionally released the stew inside his mouth and it fell onto Teresa¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Hey! Even if you don¡¯t like it you don¡¯t have to spit it out!¡±, she scolded.


    Kai snapped back to reality and tamed his wild thoughts. The idea, however, festered throughout the night, becoming more and more believable to him. When he was put to bed he thought about it once more.


    Could it really be¡­ I not only obtained a new life but I¡¯m in a new world as well¡­

 Chapter 6: 4 Years

    Chapter 6: 4 Years


    Bandit''s Home - Forest, Unknown


    A blurry figure sped through the forest, jumping from one tree branch to another. The figure made no noise and each tree branch it stepped on was miraculously unperturbed. The only audible sound in the forest was the strong yet calming spring breeze.


    The figure jumped in a circular pattern until it slipped on a wet surface of a tree branch. It swiftly recovered in midair and landed on a lower tree branch. The tree branch shook causing wet dews to fall along with a few leaves.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    The figure cursed as it carefully examined the branch it slipped on and muttered, ¡°Forgot that it rained yesterday.¡±


    ¡°AHHH!¡±


    It prepared to jump back on a higher tree branch and continue its routine until a sudden scream unsettled the forest. The figure looked towards the source of the scream and head towards it in curiosity.


    Maintaining a consistent height on the tree branches, a girl and a boar soon came into view. The boar was the same size as the girl but was considerably more fearsome. It¡¯s nostrils flared and no matter how much the girl screamed it was unrelenting in its pursuit. The figure increased its speed, heavily shaking each tree branch it propelled off of. A gleam appeared on its right hand.


    Suddenly, the girl¡¯s foot tangled itself on a vine and she tumbled into the side of a tree trunk. The boar stopped a few meters from the girl and lowered it head, displaying it¡¯s sharp and long tusks. It flexed its hind legs and pounced with a squeal.


    The girl gave a final whimper and closed her eyes. She hugged an inconspicuous object and turned around, preparing to take the blow with her back. The moment before the boar reached the girl, the figure landed on the ground and precisely slashed the tender flesh in the back its hind leg with a knife.


    The boar immediately squealed in pain and stumbled, missing the girl. The figure followed up by stabbing the knife into its brain before it could recover. It gave a slight shudder, then silently fell to the ground like a puppet without its strings.


    The bloodshed happened in seconds and, due to her eyes being closed, the girl only heard the sound of the boar squealing. Confused on her lack of pain, she slowly opened her eyes and turned around. She saw the corpse of the boar and a young boy with his arms crossed. She smiled at the boy and the boy smiled back. The boy had jet black hair and eyes, and was a bit taller than a meter. The girl had black eyes and stood at the same height but had blazing red hair.


    The boy casually formed a knuckle with his free and proceeded to rap her over the crown of her head.


    ¡°Ow! What was that for Kai¡±, the girl whined as she rubbed her head while frowning. The blow was light but she feigned pain for a chance at sympathy.


    ¡°This is the second time¡±, Kai sighed. He did not fall for her fake show of pain and glanced at the small white animal in her arm. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because you stole another beast¡¯s food again.¡±


    ¡°But how could I let that mean ugly boar eat this¡±, she insisted as she grabbed the animal with both of her hands and thrusted it in front of his face. Upon a closer look, he identified the animal as a small white fox.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she cute?¡±


    The fox curled up and looked at him with wide bubbly eyes. Kai surrendered a light smirk at the theatrics of the fox. ¡°Okay, but this has to be the last time. What if I¡¯m not here next time? Promise me it¡¯ll be the last time.¡±


    The girl played with the fox, pretending not to hear him. When Kai was about to repeat himself, a voice called out in the distance. ¡°Kai, Jen, are you guys here? Teresa is looking for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh looks like Mark- err- Teresa is looking for us¡±, Jennifer avoided with a smile. She instantly stood, glad to successfully dodge his question, and ran towards Mark¡¯s voice.


    This girl¡­


    Forgetting about the dead game, he slightly shook his head at Jennifer¡¯s actions and headed back to their house.


    Jennifer¡­ Mark¡­


    They were the two babies that grew up with Kai. Four years passed and now they were all around the age of five. The day they spoke full sentences was the day that the Sandy and the girls asked them to name themselves. Jennifer and Mark decided their names from suggestions and Jen became her nickname, but Kai felt more comfortable in retaining his prior name.


    When they were old enough to be allowed out of the house, Kai immediately planned to isolate himself and fully commit to training. He was never good at socializing so the thought never came to mind. In his past life, the longest conversation he had was the moment he accepted a target to eliminate. As a result, his closest friends were his guns and knives.


    As he grew up, however, the other children did not leave him alone. He initially found them unnecessary then it dawned on him that if he was nearly leading the same life as before. Determined to change he began to interact with them and, through the passage of time, grew fond of them. The time he spent with Jennifer and Mark helped him slowly adapt to his recovered emotions while they discovered their own.


    Teresa was another person he felt especially fond of. Being the person that raised him from his infancies, he felt an invisible attachment towards her.


    Kai was not the only one that felt this way as, throughout the years, she became the undeniable leader amongst the children. She was not incredibly strong but she was strong-willed and intelligent. She learned quickly and would often become a teacher to the children whenever they were confused on a matter. One of her teachings to Kai confirmed his idea of existing in another world.


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    He was taught that they currently resided in Jade Empire, in a bordering forest near the ocean. Together with the Tao Empire, the two lands formed a single continent. There existed two other continents in the world but Teresa did not know the names of either. The names escaped the knowledge of the adults as well so Kai could only settle with knowing the two empires.


    He felt a bit disappointed from the gap of information but he learned another substantial fact. Within the new world existed profound and mysterious energies known as Qi and Ki. Cultivating and harnessing the power of the energies enabled people to strengthen themselves and perform acts that would be impossible in his past life.


    The people that were able to absorb and cultivate Ki were classified as Taoists. The power of Ki enabled them to harden their bodies to abnormal lengths. The stories ranged from being capable of destroying mountains and having skin as hard as diamonds.


    Qi was more complex. Daoists are the people that are able to absorb and cultivate Qi and they use its power to bend various elements to their will. The elements broke down into seven elements; Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Light and Dark. Powerful Daoists were even able to manipulate multiple elements. The general public valued Daoists over Taoists because of their potential and diversity in abilities were greater.


    Their stories were far more bizarre as well. In the tales, legendary Daoists would conjure tsunamis and tornados, controlling the weather with a thought. They would soar through the skies and topple cities with a simple wave of their hands.


    Kai grew intoxicated with the stories and lost all previous thoughts of disbelief. His pursuit of strength had been singular and he had no definitive goal but the potential in the new world ignited a determination in him that did not exist in his past life. Without meaning, he wanted to see how far his strength could reach.


    Much to his disappointment, however, he was unable to cultivate before the age of five. He was told that if he cultivated before he was five, the Qi or Ki would overwhelm his body and cause it to explode. Not banking on another life, Kai played it safe and waited until he was five.


    He, however, remained diligent all the while. During the four years he continued to practice Silent Steps to the limit of his young body. He first practiced walking in silence, then jogging, and gradually advanced to running.


    One afternoon he ran into a wild raccoon. Animals he saw in this world were similar to those in his past life but were far more ferocious, resulting in them being classified as beasts. The raccoon was slightly larger than the ones he remembered and its claws and teeth were considerably larger.


    The moment the raccoon laid eyes on him it snarled, showing its two long fangs. Kai immediately accessed the situation and a cluster of scenarios crossed his mind within a second. He was confident in fighting the raccoon bare handed but recognized he would not leave unscathed. The raccoon had an advantage with its sharp teeth while he lacked a single weapon.


    Deciding against the unfavorable conditions, he turned tail and ran. His achievements in Silent Steps were minimal so he thought of another method of escape. He sprinted past the trees, carefully using them as coverage, and pulled out bunches of purple berries. The berries were to sustain his hunger while he trained but at the moment, they were the key to his escape. He violently smashed the berries around his body then softly hid himself behind a nearby tree.


    The raccoon stopped chasing and glanced around in confusion. It raised its nose into the air, attempting to track Kai, but came up with nothing. The smell of the berries completely masked the scent he gave off as a human. The raccoon growled in frustration before retreating deep into the forest. He waited a few more minutes before he sighed, realizing that he had a problem; he was unarmed in a forest filled with wild beasts.


    In desperate need of a weapon, he quickly thought of a place to obtain one.


    The following midnight Kai crept up against the wall of a wooden house; the Watcher¡¯s house. After careful thought, he figured that even if taking a weapon aroused their suspicions, there was no way to connect it to him if he left no traces behind.


    With the experience of his past life, he soundlessly snuck inside the house with ease. A candle was half lit on a table, clearly defining the facial features of the Watchers. The Watchers slept separately on a bed against opposite walls. There was a single short table besides each of their beds with an assortment of their belongings on its surface.


    Kai quickly examined the contents of the house and found what he needed. On the short table, besides the tall Watchers bed, laid a knife that was the exact size he needed; not too small, not too long and easily concealable. He decisively stole the knife and carefully exited the house.


    From then on, Kai no longer ran from any beast he encountered, with the exception of massive beasts that were more than twice his size. He continued to perfect his Silent Steps and slayed the average sized beasts that dared to fight him. He successfully hid his knife and his fighting capabilities for a long period of time until one summer afternoon.


    In the midst of his training, he coincidentally witnessed Jennifer saving an injured red bird while the predator, another boar, was looking away. Her ability in stealth was painfully poor so when she ran, the boar immediately turned and chased her. Mark, who was waiting for her, was caught in the chase the moment he saw Jennifer with the bird.


    The boar caught up with ease but before it could cause any harm, Kai swooped down and ended its life. Jennifer and Mark were stunned with their mouths wide open. Wanting to continue his secrecy for the time being, he asked them to keep it to themselves. They eagerly agreed with their childish innocence and from then on they viewed Kai like their unspoken older brother.


    Time went by and no more incidents occurred until the present incident where Jennifer saved the white fox.


    Kai caught up with Jennifer and made his way out of the forest. Before they reached the exit, a boy came into view. He had similar general features as Kai except for his black hair was darker. The boy saw them as well and smiled.


    ¡°What took you guys so long?¡±, Mark inquired.

 Chapter 7: 5 Years Old

    Chapter 7: 5 Years Old


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    Mark saw the white fox in Jennifer¡¯s arms and her tattered clothes. He immediately recalled the past and said, ¡°You saved another animal? Are you crazy? Don¡¯t you remember we almost died last time?¡±


    ¡°Everything turned out okay didn¡¯t it?¡±, she pouted.


    ¡°Let me guess, Kai saved you?¡±, he accurately assumed.


    ¡°...H-hey wasn¡¯t Teresa looking for us? We shouldn¡¯t make her wait¡±, she avoided. She moved around Mark and made a beeline straight for their house.


    Kai looked at Mark and shrugged. Mark sighed in defeat and shook his head. Walking together, they made their way towards their house.


    When they arrived, Jennifer wore an ashamed expression with her head lowered. Besides her, Teresa was towering over her head, scolding her. Teresa, along with the two boys, were nine this year and were a head taller than Kai and them. Noticing Kai and Mark walking through the front door, she turned her attention to them.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you two stop her?¡±, she inquired. Placing her hands on her hips, she emitted an imposing ambiance.


    Kai and Mark opened their mouths but were unable to think of a proper explanation. Jennifer raised her head at the moment and spoke in their defense.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame them, it was all my fault. But I outran the boar so everything is okay, right?¡±


    She never forgot her promise with Kai so she spun a false tale of how she escaped the beast''s clutches in both incidents. A pained expression appeared on Teresa¡¯s face as she replied, ¡°What¡¯s done is done¡­ but do you not remember what happened to Cindy?


    Jennifer shook her head and returned to her previous expression with an even greater sense of shame. The occurred when they were young but they were still able to vaguely recall the day.


    One windy afternoon, Kai, having completed his training regime for the day, was with Jennifer and Mark as they played in the forest. Suddenly, a heart wrenching scream resounded throughout the forest. Concerned, they moved towards the scream and found Sandy holding a distressed Teresa in place as they stood next to a pool of blood.


    ¡°Teresa! Stop! She¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°NO! I HAVE TO FIND HER! I PROMISED HER. I-¡±


    Without finishing her sentence, she fell to her knees, buried her head in the ground, and cried her heart out. The sorrow in her voice was so intense that it surprisingly brought tears to Kai¡¯s eyes. When the men and boys arrived, Sandy promptly explained the situation to them. The knelt next to Teresa and hugged her while forming tears of their own.


    ¡°I p-promised¡­ t-together fore-ever¡­¡± Teresa stuttered. Silence ensued as they all took the time to mourn their loss. From then on they were more cautious in the forest and made sure to stay close together.


    Jennifer, however, went against their rule of safety and endangered herself, and Mark, by saving a bird. Now she endangered herself once more by saving another animal. The memory of Cindy¡¯s death replayed itself in Jennifer¡¯s head and her eyes slowly formed tears. Teresa noticed the sudden change and immediately pulled her in for a hug, placing her against her chest.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to be in danger, any of you three. I see you have a really good heart. Always listen to it but please, only take action when you have enough strength to protect yourself otherwise you¡¯ll just get yourself killed. That is actually one of the reasons I called you three today.¡±


    Teresa patted Jennifer¡¯s head then sat down and gestured for the rest of them to sit in front of her. They obeyed and waited for her to speak. Jennifer and Mark failed to guess her intentions but Kai was secretly restless with anticipation.


    It has to be about cultivation!


    ¡°So I have good news and bad news. I¡¯ll start off with the good news. All of you are around five years old now so starting from today it¡¯ll be safe for you three to cultivate Ki or Qi.¡±


    I was right!


    Kai clenched his fist with a smile.


    ¡°First I¡¯ll tell you some basic information. There are different levels in cultivation. The first level that you three will be starting in is the Infant Level. This level is where you will see if you are a Daoist or a Taoist.¡±


    ¡°How do we feel it?¡±, Kai immediately asked. Teresa saw his enthusiasm and knowingly smiled. Being the person that raised Kai, she was felt extremely close to him and when she taught him basic worldly knowledge, she picked up on his extraordinary desire for cultivation.


    ¡°First you three need to close your eyes¡±, she slowly explained. They closed their eyes and waited further instructions. ¡°Now focus on your senses¡­ your hearing¡­ your sight¡­ your taste¡­ your touch¡­ your smell¡­¡±


    She carefully enunciated each sense like a soothing chant. Kai entranced himself in his senses then he felt something. A sense of nostalgia hit him as a memory quickly flashed by his mind. He felt like he was floating in water and a nostalgic voice echoed inside his mind. The voice was muffled and before he could discern it, it was replaced with a peculiar feeling.


    His memory faded as quickly as it came and he suddenly felt another feeling; another sense. An inexplicable feeling washed over his body. He felt as if he was ¡®impure¡¯ before but now he was cleansed.


    They opened their eyes looking slightly disoriented. Jennifer and Mark mulled over their lack of feeling but Kai was pleasantly surprised with his discovery. He gently questioned, ¡°Teresa, do we have a sixth sense?¡±


    Teresa¡¯s expression changed drastically as her eyes widened. ¡°You felt it?¡±


    Kai firmly nodded his head.


    ¡°Wow¡­ you might be a genius, Kai. Instantly finding your sixth sense¡­ I heard it takes weeks before anyone can find their sixth sense. The adults and the boys took nearly three weeks and I took two weeks. Even Cindy took a whole week and the adults called her a genius.¡±


    Emotions running on a high, Teresa mentioned Cindy¡¯s name in the passing without being hit with a pang of grief. Jennifer and Mark looked at Kai with admiration; this was the big brother they acknowledged when they were young.


    ¡°You probably have a lot of talent, Kai¡±, Teresa stated with a heartfelt smile. She wasn¡¯t completely certain since everything she learned was from the adults and she knew their knowledge was limited, but she was hopeful that Kai could be a strong genius. She was happy that he could grow strong and protect himself but she secretly hoped that if she were to overcome the bandits one day, Kai would grow strong enough to help.


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    ¡°Okay where did I leave off¡­ Ah! So when you do feel it, focus on that sense and you will be able to see the energies in the air. Then you absorb it in your body. I don¡¯t know how to explain what Ki or Qi looks like as energies but here is how Qi looks like when I use it now.¡±


    She stopped her explanation and laid her hand out her lap. She formed a fist and the next second it was suddenly encased in a body of white light. Releasing her fist, the light disappeared and she continued talking.


    ¡°When you gather enough Qi or Ki you will enter the Novice level. But even if you find out you can use Qi, you cannot use the elements until you reach the next level.¡±


    ¡°How do we know if we¡¯re in the Novice level?¡±, Kai interrupted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will feel it when you become a Novice. There¡¯s no way you can miss it¡±, Teresa patiently answered.


    Kai nodded and apologized, ¡°Sorry for interrupting. Please continue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you three have any questions as I talk you can ask them.¡±


    Jennifer and Mark were still absorbing the previous information and were unable to think of questions. Kai hesitantly moved his arm. Catching this action, Teresa laughed and reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kai, just ask.¡±


    ¡°What are the higher ranks? What is above a Novice?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Hmm¡­¡±, Teresa momentarily paused before answering, ¡°The only ones I know after Novice is Baron and Lord. I don¡¯t know about the higher ranks but I do know they exist. The strongest person I know right now is the bandit¡¯s leader. He¡¯s a Peak Baron and the head of my village was a Mid Baron¡­¡±


    Trailing off on the last word, her mouth formed a frown as anger and fear gradually consumed her thoughts. Jennifer and Mark were babies in her village so they remembered nothing from their village but it was unforgettable for Teresa. The day the bandits invaded was especially engraved into her mind.


    The memory suddenly seeped into her thoughts. The air became harder to breath and she smelled the scent of burning houses. She saw flashes of scorching flames engulfing the houses in her village, the house she lived in. The familiar voice echoed in her ear; ¡®Take care of the children¡¯.


    She remembered her mom releasing her after uttering her last words as she rushed around the burning houses to assist the villagers in battle. She remembered successfully gathering the children only to be captured by bandits. She remembered seeing the burning corpses on the ground and knowing that everyone had died except for them. She remembered swallowing her sadness and convince herself that at least they were alive.


    But Cindy died. She failed her mother¡¯s final wish.


    Jennifer and Mark were oblivious to her thoughts but they saw the change in her demeanor. Losing her calm expression, she stopped talking and began to tremble. Her face went pale and tears formed in her eyes. Anger, fear, sadness, threatened to devour her as she unconsciously recalled her past. Kai vaguely guessed the thoughts going through her mind but was unable to come up with comforting words.


    ¡°Teresa¡­¡±, Jennifer finally murmured.


    The worry in Jennifer¡¯s voice snapped her thoughts back into reality. Teresa stared at her surroundings and realized the state of her body. Taking deep breathes, she wiped her tears and calmed herself.


    ¡°Ah sorry, I was just thinking about something¡±, she reassured with a bright smile. She never told Jennifer or Mark about the tragic day, not wanting to give any potential thoughts of vengeance to their immature minds. As for Kai who was not from their village, she only wished for him to be happy but also secretly desired for his assistance if he grew strong enough.


    ¡°... Right, so as I was saying. When you absorb enough Qi or Ki you will break through the Infant level and become a Novice. The Novice level and every level above it has three degrees; the Initial degree, the Mid degree, and the Peak degree. When you break past the peak degree you will enter the next level. At least that¡¯s what Sandy told me. I am only an Initial Novice.¡±


    She gave a short pause in case they had more questions and Mark raised his hand.


    ¡°Yes, Mark?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the bad news?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡±, Teresa started with a sympathetic smile, ¡°starting from today you three will have to work.¡±


    Jennifer and Mark frowned but Kai remained unfazed. He knew they would eventually work; how could bandits raise slaves like they would raise their own children?


    ¡°Sorry but we have to obey the bandits. Sandy and I have stalled the Watchers for as long as we can but they are getting really impatient.¡±


    Jennifer and Mark slowly accepted their fates and nodded.


    ¡°Starting from today, Jennifer will join Sandy and I on our work. Kai and Mark, you two will join the guys in the forest. I think they were cutting wood today at the usual place. Let¡¯s get started before the Watchers come over here and complain.¡±


    She stood up and walked towards the door, beckoning Jennifer to follow.


    ¡°Ah! Let me get Snow comfortable first¡±, Jennifer requested.


    ¡°When did you give her a name?¡±, Mark asked with an incredulous expression.


    ¡°Just now¡±, she replied absentmindedly.


    She hummed and walked over to the edge of the room where a red bird was asleep in its nest. She put Snow down next to the bird and instantly, the bird sensed its new companion and gave look of disdain. Snow growled in response.


    ¡°Hey! Flare! Snow! I¡¯m going to leave now so you girls play nice!¡±, Jennifer commanded as she pointed a finger in their direction. Flare and Snow immediately became docile and affectionately rubbed against her finger.


    ¡°How do you know they¡¯re girls?¡±, Mark asked, now more confused than doubtful.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just know¡±, she automatically answered. Satisfied with Snow and Flare¡¯s situation, she turned to leave with Teresa.


    ¡°What¡­¡±, Mark muttered with his mouth agape.

 Chapter 8: Work

    Chapter 8: Work


    Bandit¡¯s Home - Forest, Jade Empire


    ¡°We should begin walking as well¡±, Kai suggested. Mark broke out of his daze and nodded in agreement. Together they exited the house, past the wooden fences, and entered the forest.


    After roaming the outskirts of the forest for years, Kai and Mark knew exactly where the men were working. Kai¡¯s knowledge was even broader as he tended to go deeper, carefully avoiding the attention of others while he trained. Halfway into their destination, Kai stopped and glanced at the nearby trees. He walked towards a tree and placed his hand on the mark that caught his eye. He ran his fingers across three roughly made cavities engraved into the tree.


    These are the claw marks of a beast¡­ could it be it¡¯s marking it¡¯s territory? They¡¯re quite deep as well¡­ the beast must be bigger than the ones I¡¯ve faced.


    ¡°Kai is everything okay?¡±, Mark wondered.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    He mentally noted the areas of damaged trees and made sure he and Mark avoided them along the way. Mark questioned his detour but followed him regardless. The melody of metal playing against wood grew discernible as they neared the work site. The bountiful trees gradually dwindled until they saw a field of countless tree stumps and the sweaty figures of two men and boys.


    Jordan and Adam worked together in chopping a tall oak tree. They wore simple loose clothes but their bulky muscles were visibly veiny as they each wielded a large axe. The shaft was a meter long while the blade was half as long. They swung the axe back and forth in a rhythmic manner on either sides of the tree.


    Those axes appear to be weapons rather than tools for chopping trees.


    Further away, two boys wore similar clothing but was chopping a fallen tree. Equipped with smaller axes, they reduced the tree into multiple blocks of wood, similar to firewood. Three wooden wheelbarrows stood besides them. One of the boys planted his axe into the ground, picked up the chopped wood, and walked towards a wheelbarrow. He filled the wheelbarrow with his contents and as he looked up, he noticed Kai and Mark watching them.


    ¡°How long are you two boys going to watch¡±, the boy teased with a smile.


    ¡°Coming Robert¡±, Mark replied as he ran towards him with Kai behind him.


    Robert had short brown hair with heavily tanned skin. When Kai, Mark and Jennifer grew old enough, they joined the adults and older children for dinner and interacted with the boys. Robert was playful and loved to joke around. Even in their poor environment, he never failed to keep his bright spirit.


    ¡°Joran, Adam, Ben!¡± Mark called out as he ran. Having been so loud, Kai did not feel the need to add onto his greetings.


    The boy lifted his head to Mark¡¯s call, gave Kai and Mark a slight nod, then returned to work. Ben rarely spoke but was very attentive and caring. Kai remembered when they were eating dinner one night and Ben saw a small cut along his leg, he immediately tore off a piece of his sleeve and bandaged him. Sandy scolded him for using his own clothes for treatment but Kai was stunned at, and grew to admire, his level of compassion.


    The adults looked towards Kai and Mark and smiled. Ben remained diligent in his work but the men lugged the axes over their shoulder and walked towards them. Reaching them first, Robert wrapped his arms around their necks and dragged them forward as he walked back to the work site.


    ¡°So it¡¯s already been five years. It feels like yesterday that you two were babies¡±, Joran recalled in nostalgia. Jordan was two meters tall and heavily tanned with black hair. Adam had similar features except he was slightly taller.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you two don¡¯t have to work too hard at first¡±, Adam reassured.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! We¡¯re real men now, we can work hard¡±, Mark insisted.


    ¡°Oh really? How about you carry three firewoods into the wheelbarrow over there¡±, Robert pointed at the pile of firewood then the wheelbarrow.


    ¡°I can do it¡±, Mark huffed with his childish pride.


    Wearing a face of determination he walked over to the pile of firewood and lifted three pieces of firewood into his arms. He struggled to steadily hug them and took a step. Losing balance immediately, he dropped the firewood and fell on his bottom. Joran, Adam and Robert laughed while Kai smiled. Ben snorted once then went right back to work.


    Mark¡¯s face quickly flushed a light shade of red and he felt dejected. Joran grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and patted his bottom down.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay kiddo, you¡¯ll become a strong man soon enough. One step at a time, you can start with one firewood. The key is to never give up, a true man never gives up¡±, he encouraged.


    Instantly rejuvenated by Joran¡¯s words of encouragement, Mark firmly nodded his head and went to work. Seeing how quick he recovered, they smiled and head back to their own stations. Mark lifted two pieces and took careful steps towards the wheelbarrow, determined not to drop them again.


    Right behind Mark, Kai stepped up to the pile of firewood and lifted four pieces, two over each shoulder. He easily balanced the weight and strolled towards the wheelbarrow. With his strength, carrying more firewood was simple but his arms were too short to hold them.


    Mark noticed Kai casually lift twice his amount and his competitive spirit surfaced. He figured if he could not carry more firewood, he could attempt to transport them faster. He fiercely wobbled to the wheelbarrow and ran back to the pile of firewood to repeat. Kai could not help but smile at his perseverance and considered if he made a mistake in withholding his training from Mark and Jennifer.


    He occasionally thought about the idea but always second guessed it. He believed they were too young to endure the difficulty and pain that came with his training; he was afraid that he would be torturing them instead.


    Should I reconsider training him? I don¡¯t know about Jennifer but I can see that Mark has potential.


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    Still indecisive, he pondered the question as he worked. Hours passed and the sky showed signs of darkening. Joran saw the transition and impaled his axe on the ground, motioning Adam to do the same.


    ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s take a break¡±, Joran called loudly enough for the boys to hear.


    Robert and Ben expectantly heaved their axes over their shoulder and walked towards them. Kai and Mark, however, were confused on their sudden halt and froze in place with firewood in their arms. When Adam saw their position and expression on their faces he laughed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can work from afternoon to night so we take a break around this time. It also gives us some time to cultivate since, if we don¡¯t, we can only do it in the morning and at night which doesn¡¯t give us much time¡±, he patiently explained.


    Mark grew excited in anticipation and used the last of his strength to throw the firewood into the wheelbarrow but overexerted himself, falling on his bottom. He laid on his back, arms and legs spread out, and took deep heavy breaths.


    ¡°You go first¡­ ha¡­¡±


    Kai smiled and walked over to the gathering spot. Upon seeing Kai, they grew confused on the whereabouts of Mark before he pointed at the wheelbarrow. Their eyes drew towards the location, saw the exhausted boy, and laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind¡­ ha¡­. me, I¡¯ll be there in¡­ ha¡­ ha¡­ a second¡­¡±, Mark tried his best to say in between breaths. The action further enhanced their amusement and laughter.


    Taking another minute, Mark finally composed himself and joined the others on a nearby grass field. They sat down and crossed their legs but before closing their eyes, Adam spoke.


    ¡°Since you two are new, do you have any questions for us?¡±


    Kai shook his head but Mark asked, ¡°I don¡¯t have any questions for work but I¡¯ve always wondered how you two got here.¡±


    Mark blinked in curiosity, unknowingly crossing every sensitive emotional landmine. Joran and Adam were taken aback but saw the innocent gleam in his eyes. Joran let out an awkward laugh, ¡°You sure know how to ask hard questions.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll start first. My parents were merchants and I was soon to inherit their business. To teach me, they would have me travel with them and introduce me to their contacts. On my third trip I ran into these savages¡±, Joran cursed, clenching his hands.


    ¡°Of course we had a bodyguard and hired mercenaries but they were useless. The bandits came from all sides, catching us by surprise. My parents and bodyguard were Initial Barons but they were no match again the bandits. Eventually they fell but I begged for my life and I became their slave. I had to live, I had to¡­ for my fiancee¡­¡±, he trailed off then sighed.


    ¡°She probably found another man by now but I just want to see her again, even if she¡¯s no longer mine¡±, he finished with a heavy heart. Before they could comfort him he clapped his hands on his face and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m okay. What about you Adam? Come to think of it I haven¡¯t heard your story yet.¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh¡­ I had a wife and child but I got sick and my wife was taken by a disease. My child¡­¡±, Adam stopped and stared listlessly at his hands.


    Joran realized continuing proved difficult for him and lightly gripped his shoulder in comfort. ¡°You don¡¯t have to continue.¡±


    ¡°Alright enough with the depressing talk, let¡¯s start cultivating¡±, he suggested. Adam recovered from his stupor, nodded wordlessly, and they closed their eyes. Robert and Ben copied their actions and Kai was about to until he saw Mark nervously shifting in place. He caught Kai¡¯s eyes and shuffled over to him.


    ¡°What should I be doing?¡±, he whispered.


    ¡°What do you mean? Do you not want to cultivate?¡±, Kai asked, confused.


    ¡°I do but¡­ I don¡¯t think I have the talent for it. I wasn¡¯t able to sense anything this afternoon but you did¡±, he stated sadly.


    Kai vaguely picked up on, and related to, his sense of inferiority. He thought back to his past life and the memory of him as a young boy surfaced. He recalled the frustration and weakness he felt when he was unable to improve quickly. The words of his master floated into his mind.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t possess the talent for strength then work hard. If you are unable to work hard then you are dead. Death is the only obstacle standing between you and strength, everything else are excuses¡±, Kai recited.


    Mark was startled at his profound words but after careful thought he understood the general meaning. ¡°So you¡¯re saying if I work hard I can make up for my little talent?¡±


    ¡°Essentially, yes¡±, Kai confirmed.


    ¡°I see¡­ wow Kai you¡¯re so smart¡±, Mark smiled brightly and closed his eyes, joining the others in cultivating. He scrunched his eyebrows in concentration.


    ¡­ That was simple enough.


    He relaxed his body, prepared to feel his sixth sense once more, but before his eyelids fully shut, he noticed something strange. Standing on his feet in an instant, he hastily made his way to a nearby tree. On the tree, visible only upon close inspection, was a faded mark. The familiar outline gave him an ominous feeling as he ran his fingers across it.


    It¡¯s the same beast¡­ but the mark is old¡­ could it be?


    His absence and actions were unnoticed as he unconsciously used Silent Steps to skirt around the trees. After inspecting the surroundings of the work site, he found several more marks; some faded, some fresh. He turned to warn them but his instincts roared danger. Heightening his senses, he scanned his surroundings and felt a ferocious killing intent drawing near. It was heading straight for the cultivating group!


    ¡°Beast!¡±, Kai immediately yelled as a shadow pounced from the trees. With all the strength he could muster, he instantly retrieved his knife and threw it to intercept the shadow. The group opened their eyes just in time to see a spark flash but missed the knife as it skittered to the grass. The knife deterred the shadow from its original path and it landed on the grass, growling at Kai.

 Chapter 9: Wolf

    Chapter 9: Wolf


    Bandit''s Home - Forest, Jade Empire


    The beast was coated with grey fur with occasional streaks of white and stood almost as tall as the men while on all four paws. Its snarl perfectly displayed two rows of sharp white teeth. It released a continuous growl from between its teeth as it menacingly glared at them with crazed eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wolf!¡±, Joran exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. His face turned grim and numerous strands of smoky white strings protruded from his skin. The wolf matched his actions as it released a thick white layer of Qi that wrapped and outlined its figure.


    The wolf is using Qi so the contrasting energy Joran is emitting must be Ki! Interesting¡­ even beasts are subjected to the differences of Qi and Ki.


    Adam released his own strands of Ki and stood besides Joran. They each wretched their respective axes out of the ground and took their own unique fighting stances, preparing for the worst.


    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s a Qi beast as well¡­ I can¡¯t sense it¡¯s level, can you?¡±, Joran asked Adam under his breath. He shook his head. Joran¡¯s face went pale and he sighed.


    ¡°We have to stall for time and let the children escape¡±, Adam decided with an equally pale face. Joran nodded in agreement.


    The wolf¡¯s patience faded in that instance and it lunged at Kai, ignoring the two men in front of it. The wolf clearly saw who threw the projectile, unlike the others, and was infurioated. Joran and Adam were startled that they weren¡¯t its target but they quickly realized it was after Kai and instinctively dashed to intercept it. Running in between them, they managed to place their axes in front of them before clashing against the wolf¡¯s claws.


    The impact knocked the axes out of their hands but Joran immediately lowered his stance and swept his left leg, targeting the wolf¡¯ front right leg. Adam acted in unison as he aimed a right hook straight to the wolf¡¯s head, hoping that it would connect when the wolf jumped to dodge the kick. Unfortunately, the wolf¡¯s speed was beyond their comprehension and it backed off before the strikes met.


    Too slow¡­ shouldn¡¯t have taken those steps¡­


    Kai stood in place, mesmerized by the fight between Qi and Ki users. He greedily broke down their applications of the energies in his mind while also mentally commenting on their movements. From the way they fought, he concluded that they never learned proper combat techniques, but their strength amazed him.


    Their physical capabilities are nearly similar to mines in my past life therefore I should¡¯ve been around the Novice level. That¡¯s incredible! How much stronger can I become in this life!...


    The fight persisted and Joran and Adam were slowly overwhelmed. The wolf sped past more futile attacks and sent its left claws straight towards Adam. Lagging from a previous punch, he was unable to promptly react and by the time he recovered, the claw drew too close to dodge. He crossed his arms in front of him and braced for impact.


    The moment the paw struck his arms, blood rushed to his mouth. The claws briefly scraped his arms and he propelled two meters back before skidding across the grass. Satisfied with its strike, the wolf overlooked Joran for a second. During that second, Joran jumped at the wolf with a fist. It cleanly struck against the wolf¡¯s blind side and caught it off-guard. It flew a meter away before landing on its side.


    Joran ran to assist Adam and saw the children were standing still, seemingly all petrified on the spot. His face turned ugly as he bellowed, ¡°What are you brats doing! RUN!¡±


    The tone and volume of his voice broke the children out of their trances and Robert was the first to react. Spinning around, he grabbed the people next to him, Mark and Ben, and motioned for Kai to follow him. Without missing a beat, he sprinted straight for their houses.


    Kai was reluctant to leave but he knew that his presence would ultimately distract the men, even if he secretly had the ability to escape. With a slight regret, he turned and trailed behind the rest of the boys. He saw his deflected his knife on the way and stealthily retrieved it without decreasing his speed. Trees blurred and the wind rushed past their ears. Their escaped was short-lived as two discernable crashes resounded behind them.


    -Thud- -Thud-


    They twisted their heads and witnessed Joran and Adam slammed against a tree. The impact was powerful enough to slightly imbed them into the tree. Kai saw their sorry states and immediately determined the light wounds visible on their surface was an illusion.


    Fortunately they avoided being impaled by the wolf¡¯s claw but they are most likely heavily injured, if not internally wounded. Should I act? At most I should be able to lead the wolf on a wild chase¡­


    As he rationally thought of his options, Robert lost his reasoning and ran towards Joran in assistance. Ben mimicked his movements and headed towards Adam.


    ¡°Damn it! If only we were stronger¡­¡±, Adam groaned as he stood with the help of Ben. He clutched his side and winced. Joran coughed a mouthful of blood the moment Robert brought him to his feet.


    The wolf revealed itself from the trees in the next second, ready and willing to battle once more. It limped on one of its front legs but its demeanor remained as ferocious as before, seemingly uninjured. It thrusted its head high and released a swift howl before decisively pouncing at Joran.


    Joran pushed Robert behind him and prepared to take the brunt of the attack with his body. Kai flexed his legs and gripped the hilt of his knife, ready to act, but a figure appeared from behind the trees and crashed against the wolf.


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    The wolf was hit squarely in its right ribs and slammed against a tree. The impact was stronger than those of Joran and Adam¡¯s, creating a fabricated rain of leaves. It fell off the tree, leaving a shallow cavity, and turned to growl at the perpetrator. The woman returned the growl with a glare. It was Sandy!


    ¡°Do you always have to make an entrance Sandy?¡±, Jordan joked as he leaned on Robert. He tried to form a smile but violently coughed instead.


    ¡°You can still joke in this situation? You crazy idi-.¡±


    Before she could finish, the wolf interrupted her as it lunged at her with its mouth wide open. Its teeth grew more visible, about to bite her, when Qi suddenly materialized and surrounded her entire body. Her Qi was as luminous as the wolf¡¯s Qi.


    Sandy is a Daoist as well¡­ looking closely their Qi is definitely brighter than Teresa¡¯s, does it have to do with their level¡¯s degree?


    She swiftly sidestepped but was still grazed on her shoulder by its teeth. Ignoring the pain she returned the favor, throwing a right uppercut at the bottom of its jaw. The strike sealed its mouth shut. Putting her full weight behind the attack, she jumped along with her momentum, and launched the wolf into the air. The resulting effect sent the wolf spiraling in the air but it managed to steady itself, carefully landing back down on its four paws.


    Too rash! Luckily the wolf¡¯s start was off balance because of the injury to its front leg, otherwise she would have been bitten from the neck up.


    The wolf roughly shook its head, recovering from the blow. Sandy took the valuable break to communicate her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only just became a Peak Novice Daoist so I don¡¯t think I¡¯m enough to defeat this wolf. Teresa! Jen! You two help them and bring them into our house. Teresa you know what to do! I¡¯ll stall it and meet up. GO!¡±


    The wolf recovered by the time she yelled ¡®GO¡¯ and was in midair with its claws in front. As she turned to match the incoming attack, they mustered all of their strengths to carry Joran and Adam and ran for their house.


    The sound of the fight dwindled behind them and the wooden fences gradually came into view. They entered the dirt lands and immediately rushed towards the house the adults commandeered. Jennifer reached the door first but panicked as he pushed the handle.


    ¡°Pull it, don¡¯t push it! Hurry Jen!¡±, Teresa firmly corrected.


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Jennifer pulled the door and held it open as Robert and Ben rushed through with the arms of the limp bodies over their shoulder. They carefully placed each man onto separate mats. Joran and Adam¡¯s breathing were ragged and their faces slowly lost its color.


    Damn, they¡¯re internal injuries are getting worse. Can they even be treated in this meager environment?


    They turned to Teresa for instructions. She was their choice for a leader regardless of Sandy¡¯s last comment. Taking time to think, she closed her eyes and scrunched her eyebrows. They snapped back open almost immediately.


    ¡°Robert and Ben, grab a bucket and go to the well. Don¡¯t bother filling it to the brim, just half is fine. Come back quickly!¡±, she began instructing.


    Boths boys nodded and promptly grabbed a bucket each before speeding out, opening the door with their shoulders. Teresa then turned to Kai, Mark and Jennifer.


    ¡°Kai, in our house, under my mat, there is a pouch of herbs that I secretly hid. Bring that to me. Mark and Jen you two stay here and help me find every clean cloth in this house.¡±


    Kai bolted out of the house without responding. Teresa attentively noticed that Kai¡¯s speed was abnormal but in the current time of crisis, she put the information in the back of her mind. Her concentration soared as she searched for clean cloths like treasure.


    Swinging the door open, Kai entered their house and went to Teresa¡¯s designated mat. Flame and Snow were startled by the dramatic entrance but surprisingly behaved themselves, ignoring Kai. He hastily flipped the mat and found a small crater in the dirt. Not bothering to take a closer look, he reached down and blindly moved his hands around. He grabbed and pulled out the first thing he touched.


    In his hands were two simple necklaces made with strings. Attached to the end of each necklace was a tiny flat stone. Two tiny, nearly indistinguishable, names were etched on the stones; ¡®Teresa¡¯ on one, and ¡®Cindy¡¯ on the other.


    Kai never had a chance to be familiar with Cindy but he felt a pang of sadness and sympathy for Teresa. His emotions distracted him for only second before he shook his head and gathered his thoughts.


    He grabbed at the remaining item in the crater and pulled out a fist-sized pouch. Examining its contents, he confirmed its contents and carefully placed the necklaces back into the crater. He pushed the door open and left, not bothering to properly place her mat back in place.


    He encountered Robert and Ben on the way, helping them open the door as their hands were full. The moment he stepped through the door, Teresa lunged at him like a wild cat. Kai expectantly stuck his arm out, with the pouch on the top of his palm, and she immediately grabbed it. Jennifer gave her a bowl in a timely manner and she began rapidly throwing herbs into the bowl before grinding them into a paste.


    ¡°Mark and Jen, you two wet the clean cloths. Robert and Ben, you two wipe down their blood and sweat.¡±


    They wasted no time and did as they were told. Not long before they worked, the sound of rapid footsteps neared the door. Moments later, Sandy swiftly opened the door and closed it behind her. Leaning against the door, she fell on her bottom and hungrily grasped for air.

 Chapter 10: Infant

    Chapter 10: Infant


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    ¡°Sandy!¡±, Teresa cried in worry. She stopped grinding the herbs and hurriedly knelt next to her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, you should see the wolf¡±, Sandy smugly replied with a weak smile. She was covered in several light scratches and her entire attire was tattered. Taking deep breaths, she steadied her breathing before speaking.


    ¡°We need two or three buckets of water and clean clothes. Teresa, help me get the herbs and start to grind them into a paste. The rest of the children can help wipe the blood off Jordan and Adam.¡±


    ¡°Done¡±, Teresa replied, lightly smiling.


    Sandy raised an eyebrow and slowly became aware of her surroundings. After recovering from Sandy¡¯s entrance, Robert and Ben resumed wiping the blood off the men¡¯s wounds. Teresa held a bowl of nearly grinded herb paste.


    Letting out a soft laugh, she praised, ¡°You truly are capable Teresa.¡±


    Taking another moment to compose herself, Sandy took the bowl from Teresa and grinded the rest of the herbs with a greater force. Turning the remaining herbs to paste, she walked over to the half conscious patients. Joran and Adam stayed silent the entire time to concentrate on recovering but when Sandy applied the paste to their wounds they winced and their faces illustrated pain.


    The bleeding ceased the moment the wound made contact with the paste.


    What amazing medical properties! Such herbs would be envied in my past life.


    She finished treated the rest of their wounds, laid the bowl down and sat against a wall in exhaustion. The men gradually grew accustomed to the pain and allowed themselves to drift to sleep.


    Teresa knelt besides Sandy and encouraged, ¡°You should get some rest Sandy.¡±


    Sandy nodded and Teresa carefully dragged her onto an empty mat.


    ¡°Thank you Teresa¡­¡±, she managed to say before slumbering due to her wearied condition.


    ¡°We should rest as well¡±, Teresa suggested. The adrenaline from the sudden turn of events died down and their suppressed exhaustion surfaced.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea¡±, Robert sluggishly agreed.


    They quietly left the adults house and entered their own, falling to their respective mats one by one. Letting the fatigue wash over them, they quickly fell asleep. Kai confirmed they were asleep before sitting up with his legs crossed. His stamina surpassed the rest of the children so he was far from exhaustion.


    I might as well use this time to cultivate.


    He closed his eyes and used his sixth sense. The feeling was still very faint but he patiently waited for it to clarify. He lost track of time but just as he on the border of a discovery, the door swung open revealing a shadowy figure of a man against the dark setting of the night. Joran stepped through the open doorway carrying a pot that released a pleasant fragrance.


    ¡°Joran! Should you really be standing?¡±, Robert groggily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m better now, don¡¯t worry¡±, he reassured. He walked to the center of the house and laid down the pot of food. It contained typical cooked grains along with some plants and mushrooms but it smelled and looked amazing in their famished states. He grabbed some nearby empty bowls and distributed them.


    ¡°Just leave the pot here when you¡¯re all done eating and we¡¯ll come for it tomorrow morning. It¡¯s been quite the day, and you all did amazing, but we¡¯re going to have to work harder tomorrow because we got cut short today. Don¡¯t worry too much though, I¡¯m sure we can finish the rest tomorrow. Now go to sleep everyone, sweet dreams.¡±


    He ruffled each of their heads before exiting the house. Teresa filled all their bowls and they rapidly cleaned the contents of the pot. They collectively dropped their bowls in the empty pot and leaned back in satisfaction. The meal was not glorious but it tasted infinitely better than normal from their stressful day.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long day for us guys tomorrow¡±, Robert sighed as he leaned on his elbow.


    ¡°Are you saying us girls don¡¯t do work huh?¡±, Teresa countered, raising her eyebrow.


    ¡°Oh boy, I¡¯m so tired¡±, Robert yawned as he stretched his arms, closing his eyes and feinting sleep in the process.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡±, she smirked.


    Kai smiled as they laughed at the exchange. They laid down as well and soon the house was filled with soft and steady breathing. The sky grew darker as they slept, enhancing the moon¡¯s brilliance. The clouds gradually concealed the moon until there was nothing but darkness left. At that moment, Kai¡¯s eyes snapped open.


    He quietly got up and left the house. He paused to carefully examine his surroundings before entering the forest. His sight was initially blinded by the night but his vision soon cleared abnormally quickly.


    Interesting. My vision cleared even faster than it would¡¯ve in my past life. I wonder why that is¡­


    His mild surprise faded away as he made his way into the forest. Traveling a short distance, he found the regular training location. He walked towards the center, sat in a cross legged position and sighed.


    This is the only time I can peacefully train in now that I have to assist them at work. Hopefully I can finish and go back before anyone notices I¡¯m gone.


    Relaxing his body, he recalled the feeling he experienced before being accidentally interrupted by Joran. He resumed his prior feeling and was instantly greeted with a mental explosion. His eyes remained closed but he now saw an incredible spectacle of blurry mysterious energies floating around him. Left¡­ right¡­ above¡­ below¡­ they appeared in every corner of his surroundings.


    He fixated on the energies and they progressively focused, revealing a clear white shape. They were fuzzy and minuscule like cotton spores. Numbering in the thousands, maybe millions, they harmlessly and aimlessly floated around him.


    Extending his hand, he curiously tried to grab one but he, almost expectantly, only grazed the air. He opened his eyes and the spectacle vanished. Closing his eyes, the mysterious energies became apparent once more.


    How pleasantly odd¡­ it¡¯s like I just unveiled a wondrous hidden world.


    Halting his experimentation, Kai got down to business. He focused his thoughts, his entire being, on absorbing the energies.


    Is this how I do it?


    Clueless on the proper execution, he merely presumed an arbitrary method. While focusing, he encountered another phenomenon. A different clear white energy appeared alongside the ones he initially saw. Visually, the energies appeared to be no different from one another but they each gave him separate feelings. A thought resonated in his mind.


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    Could it be Qi and Ki? Teresa never mentioned anything about absorbing both types of energy¡­ What if I can absorb and utilize both!?


    Kai grew excited at the thought then immediately composed himself. He erased his mind of everything besides a single thought, absorb. Seconds elapsed and the energies began to lightly vibrate. The vibration transitioned to movement that headed straight towards him. The energies effortlessly and painlessly passed through his skin and gathered at the center of his body, above his belly button.


    As the energies settled in his body, he experienced a strange occurrence. The separate energies oddly integrated into a single energy. Having no explanation for the sudden integration, he only assumed that his body was adapting to a more convenient method of storing both energies.


    Incredible! So this is cultivating! This feeling is almost intoxicating. I wonder¡­ does this make me a Daoist or a Taoist.


    Kai mused to himself as he bathed in the feeling of ecstasy. Losing track of time, he mindlessly cultivated until he felt a disturbing development. The rate he absorbed the energies frighteningly slowed down. His felt bloated, as if he was trying to eat food while being incredibly full.


    Could taking in both Qi and Ki be detrimental for my body?


    Before he could further doubt himself, he saw a wall. Shocked, he opened his and grasped forward but encountered nothing. He closed his eyes in confusion and saw the wall anew. The wall was almost transparent and stood a feet away from his body.


    What is this illusionary wall?... Ah! Maybe?


    He thought of a theory and immediately executed it. He resumed cultivating and the illusionary wall slowly, but surely, moved towards him. Proceeding with his theory, he halted all thoughts of absorbing the energies. To his satisfaction, the wall stopped.


    I should be correct, this illusionary wall should be the breakthrough that Teresa mentioned! If I can break past this wall I will become a Novice! Perhaps I¡¯m wrong but it won¡¯t hurt to try.


    He prepared to continue but light slowly seeped into his eyes. Opening them, he saw that dawn arrived and the sun slowly greeted the sky. He stood up, ready to return and sleep, but was startled at his body¡¯s condition. Swinging his arms and stretching his legs, he realized he was not tired in the slightest.


    Further testing his body, he performed a series of short hops and rapid dashes. Several exercises later, he accepted the fact that his physical body was completely fine. He felt a slight discomfort in his head but it was entirely neglectable.


    Could it be I no longer need sleep if I cultivate? Why did they not mention this before, it¡¯s so efficient.


    Amazed by his discovery, he sat back down and cultivated.


    I should have a couple more hours before they wake up. Let¡¯s see if my speculation is correct.


    His cultivation rate considerably slowed down but he was still satisfied watching the wall steadily move closer. Before he knew it, a frantic voice echoed into the forest.


    ¡°Kai! Are you here?¡±


    He snapped out of cultivating and looked towards the sky. The sun was well above him and emitted strong rays. Knowing he could no longer sneakily return, he hurriedly stood up and bolted back towards the direction of their house. Nearing the wooden fences, he saw Teresa and she saw him. She instantly rushed towards him and grabbed his shoulder.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she worriedly ask, her eyes wildly scanned his body. She turned his body back and forth, searching for any signs of injury.


    ¡°I¡¯m completely fine. Sorry for worrying you Teresa.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡±, she sighed in relief. Her face immediately turned stern. ¡°What were you thinking? Yesterday we were attacked by a wolf and the next day you go into the forest by yourself?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to cultivate in quiet place so I came here at night. I also didn¡¯t want to disturb anyone¡±, Kai explained. He knew that it was a poor excuse and he felt bad for worrying her.


    Teresa looked at Kai sympathetically. She desired to force him to cultivate in the slave¡¯s area but she knew the place was unbearably stifling to live in, much less cultivate. The Watcher¡¯s would also grow suspicious of complacency if they saw him freely cultivating. She tried to conjure up more ideas but she suddenly thought back to what he said.


    ¡°Wait a second. You said you came here at night. Did you cultivate for the entire night?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Are you not tired?¡±


    ¡°I feel fine¡±, Kai truthfully reassured, moving his arms around. He realized the discomfort in his head had faded.


    Her eyes widen and she gasped in surprise. She desired strength so she once attempted to cultivate throughout the night but when morning came she felt terribly sick and tired. The negative conditions only withdrew upon sleeping. She acknowledged his amazing ability but scrunched her eyebrows as she continued to think of more methods to dissuade him. Kai noticed her intentions and stopped her.


    ¡°Please, allow me to become stronger so I can protect you and everyone else¡±, Kai calmly stated.


    Stunned, Teresa was unable to deny his request. A warm feeling comforted her heart as she shook her head and smiled. She always knew Kai was abnormally smart and never questioned the blessing but this time she was pleasantly surprised at his sincerity. Knowing she had lost, she started to construct helpful thoughts.


    ¡°Okay fine, you win. I¡¯ll come to this spot each morning and call for you so don¡¯t go too far into the forest! And make sure you take care of your health, if you feel too tired or sick you must stop. And make sure to beware of beasts. If you see any be sure to run quickly and call for help! And-¡±


    Before she could continue, Jennifer called out, ¡°Teresa, Kai are you two out there?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ you can tell me the rest when we¡¯re back at our house?¡±, he suggested.


    Teresa blushed, understanding that she was needlessly ranting.


    ¡°No I think you get it already¡±, she laughed. ¡°We better get back before the adults find out.¡±


    Together they headed back towards the entrance.


    ¡°But remember, stay in this place and go nowhere else¡±, Teresa couldn¡¯t help but remind.


    Kai replied with a smile.

 Chapter 11: Your Place

    Chapter 11: Your Place


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    They met up with Jennifer and carried on with the rest of their day. The only difference was their amount of effort. Sabotaged by the wolf the previous day, they had to contribute double the effort to make up for missing work.


    While working, Kai discovered his Qi and Ki flowed out from the center of his body and merged with the rest of his body. It flowed into his muscles, his tendons and his bones, strengthening them as he transported the firewood. Pleased with the sudden development, he increased his speed and worked even harder.


    Days passed and soon an entire week flew by. During this time, Kai maintained his sleepless schedule, doing nothing but cultivate, train, eat and work. He concluded that he was correct in assuming cultivating replaced his need for sleep. His minor headaches eventually faded away as well.


    He invited Teresa to join him in his nocturnal cultivation but she explained she once attempted to do the same but failed miserably. Shocked, he mentioned it to the rest of the children to confirm if the issue only pertained to her. He discovered they were even worse. They persevered with him for several hours but eventually became tired and fell asleep.


    Unable to clarify his miraculous ability of forgoing sleep, he set aside the mystery and continued to cultivate on his own. At the end of the week, he felt it. The illusionary wall reached a point where he could almost feel it against his face. He grew more certain, with each passing day, that if he broke the wall, he would become a Novice!


    While he grew obsessed with cultivating, he was not complacent. Having the entire night and morning to train, he made sure to find time to master Silent Steps. He quickly learned that mastering Silent Steps was coefficient with cultivating. As he physically trained his body, the Qi and Ki spread throughout his body and merged at an even faster rate than working. As the Qi and Ki strengthened his body, it made it easier to master Silent Steps.


    It¡¯s almost too coincidental that something I developed in my past life can benefit me so much in my new life. At this rate I can take Silent Steps to new heights in this lifetime!


    The calming days ended one morning.


    Kai returned from the forest, with Teresa by his side. She timely retrieved him every morning and they would head back to the house together. They entered their house and ate their food as the adults went off to work. The children would normally meet them a little while later.


    As they stepped out of the house to join them in the forest, three unrecognizable children stepped through the boundary between the bandits and slaves. Kai instantly determined they had unfavorable intentions and tried to walk away with the others.


    ¡°Wait!¡±, one of the three commanded and stepped up. He appeared to be older than Teresa, Robert, and Ben, while the other two were about the same age.


    He should be the one leading them.


    He had messy black hair and sharp black eyes. He wore comfortable clothing, typical bandit boots, and a noticeably fashionable brown robe. One of the boys besides him had a crooked nose and the other had terrible buck-teeth but they had similar black hair and eyes, wearing the same comfortable clothing.


    Kai stopped and slowly turned around. The leading boy wore a smug smile on his face.


    ¡°My name is Austin and I am your master¡±, he sneered.


    ¡°Heh, I see some girls¡±, the boy with the crooked nose creepily smiled.


    ¡°Keep your lower body in check Creek, we¡¯re here to train¡±, Austin lightly scolded. His smug smile persisted, clearly finding his companion¡¯s lechery amusing.


    ¡°My bad¡±, Creek continued to smile and stare.


    Seeing the intentions behind Creek¡¯s eyes, Kai felt a surge of fiery anger erupting from the depths of his being. It was the first time he felt such anger and while it surprised him, but he allowed the dormant emotion to consume him. Unconsciously, a portion of his killing intent seeped out of him.


    The atmosphere instantly chilled. Goosebumps surfaced the arms of the present and they found it hard to breath. Kai disregarded their reactions and instead, thought of every possible way to kill the boys. In his mind he was slicing their throats, piercing their hearts or torturing them. As his thoughts grew more wild, the killing intent focused on the boys. They frowned and started to helplessly shiver.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s going o-on¡±, Creek stuttered, his teeth chattering.


    Teresa and the rest were unable to comprehend the situation and stared in confusion. They suddenly grew cold but the feeling dissipated as soon as it came. Now they saw the three boys shivering while they were completely fine. Their confusion clouded their vision and they failed to see Kai¡¯s troubled expression.


    Wait!... This¡­ isn¡¯t me anymore! Even if the my former killing intent reincarnated with me, I will not kill! Ever again¡­


    Kai struggled to rein in his killing intent. Finally swallowing his anger and regaining control of his thoughts, the atmosphere returned to it¡¯s previous warm temperature. The boys regained control of their bodies and their eyes wandered in fear. Unable to pinpoint any potential dangers, they recomposed themselves and acted as if the last minute did not exist.


    ¡°We¡¯ve become bored and require people to be our target practices¡±, Austin explained, reforming his smug smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you slaves come in¡±, buck-teeth boy cackled.


    Teresa and the other¡¯s faces turned grim as they clenched their hands.


    ¡°What if we refuse¡±, Teresa countered with a glaring expression.


    ¡°Hm?¡±, Austin chuckled. ¡°You think you guys have a choice?¡±


    ¡°Let me go first¡±, buck-teeth boy requested.


    Austin nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve just reached the initial Novice level so that¡¯s appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Heh, thanks.¡±


    He arrogantly walked towards Teresa. Robert and Ben attempted to step in front but Austin intervened.


    ¡°If anyone else moves I¡¯ll personally get the Watchers to come¡±, he threatened.


    They were about to ignore his threat when Teresa stuck her arms out, blocked both of them.


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    ¡°I can do this¡±, she reassured.


    They were reluctant but after seeing the determination on her face, they nodded and backed off. Without warning, the buck-teeth boy jumped at her. She was startled by the sudden attack but promptly recovered and bent her knees, lowering her body stance. When the buck-teeth boy neared, she dropped low and executed a leg sweep.


    The buck-teeth boy was taken by surprise at her competent response and cleanly knocked off his feet, falling face forward onto the dirt.


    ¡°Go Teresa!¡±, Jennifer cheered.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing Bak? You lost an exchange to a slave.¡±


    Austin and Creek laughed, amused at their companions failure. Bak stood up with a red face, his embarrassment rising above his anger. He stuck his fists out and fixed his posture.


    Oh? That¡¯s not good, he was merely lax before. His current stance proves that he has combat experience.


    Kai examined and concluded that Teresa was outmatched. Bak lunged at Teresa at that moment. Inexperienced, she expected the same result and performed another leg sweep. Scoffing at her lack of variation, he immediately leaped forward and dodged. He bent his leg in the air, perfectly connecting his knee on her face.


    Teresa slightly flew back from the impact and roughly landed against the dirt. Without waiting for her to recover, Bak comboed a drop kick at her defenseless fallen body.


    Robert, Ben, Mark and Jennifer yelled, outraged at his shameless act and ran to her assistance. They quickly recognized that they lacked the speed to arrive in time and could only helplessly watch as the foot reached her side.


    Just as the kick was about to fall from the air, it was immediately grabbed! Kai¡¯s hand firmly gripped Bak¡¯s shin. He predicted Bak¡¯s strike before he executed it and acted before the rest of his companions. While using Silent Steps, he stealthily dashed towards her, unnoticed until he caught Bak¡¯s shin.


    ¡°What-¡±, Robert spoke first.


    They were all stunned but Bak, adrenaline coursing through him from the fight, was the first to snap out of his shock and attempted to free his leg. His action proved futile and comical as Kai continued to calmly grip his shin.


    I can¡¯t cause too much trouble¡­ Ah, I¡¯ll do that.


    Due to Teresa¡¯s injury, Kai was angry enough to break his leg on the spot but he maintained a clear mind and thoroughly thought of a more optimal option. He pulled Bak¡¯s leg to him, sending his body reeling forward, and with the fastest speed he could procure, he pressed a pressure point on his shoulder.


    From his past life¡¯s experiences, he knew every exact location of a human body¡¯s weakness. The moment he pressed the pressure point, he released Bak¡¯s leg and sidestepped to the left. From a spectator¡¯s view, Kai merely pulled Bak forward and moved out of his way. His body fell straight onto the dirt once more.


    ¡°Hahaha! How could you fall again? You should be ashamed Bak¡±, Creek laughed.


    Austin chuckled but soon realized something was wrong. Bak remained motionless, unresponsive to the otherwise embarrassing remarks.


    ¡°Bak?¡±, he called.


    Kai knelt down and examined Bak.


    ¡°He¡¯s unconscious. Maybe he landed improperly when he fell. You two should help him and we should get to work. Was nice meeting you.¡±


    Kai spoke quickly, hoping to take advantage of their confusion, and turned to lead the others into the forest. On the way, he hastily helped Teresa stand as she and the others stared stupidly at him. He continued to push them and they  headed straight for the forest.


    Austin and Creek also regained their thoughts and rushed to the unconscious Bak. Creek saw that he was undamaged but nodded to Austin, confirming that he was out cold.


    ¡°Wait!¡±, Austin roared with an ugly expression.


    Kai¡¯s indifferent attitude towards him infuriated him. Kai turned around and saw him fuming and let out a heavy sigh.


    Guess I wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    ¡°You think you can leave after this? Know. Your. Place!¡±


    Austin emphasized the last three words, consecutively raising his voice for each. He charged at Kai the moment he finished berating him, emitting white strands of Ki along the way.


    So he¡¯s a Taoist. He¡¯s not as strong as Joran or Adam but he¡¯s definitely stronger than the boy I put to sleep.


    Kai casually rushed forward, wanting to keep the others out of the fight. By the time Teresa and the others turned to notice his actions, it was too late to stop him. Austin threw a variation of punches and kicks but he easily weaved and dodged every attack.


    ¡°How¡­¡±, Teresa muttered in disbelief. She and the others could hardly believe what unfolded before their eyes.


    Austin was soon short on breath. He refused to believe it. A slave, who seemed to be less than half his age, was able to evade him without even using Qi or Ki. Anger prolonging his stamina and he continued to assault Kai. With his breathing and mind in disarray, Kai found it easier to read and dodge his sloppy attacks.


    Creek could no longer watch and joined Austin in the fight. Normally Austin''s pride would refuse such interference but he was thoroughly annoyed and enraged by Kai. Wordlessly accepting the assistance, he and Creek mercilessly ganged up on him.


    ¡°Despicable!¡±, Teresa cried out, running to lend her own assistance.


    ¡°Stay back!¡±, Kai reassured.


    His serious tone and expression halted Teresa in her steps. She gritted her teeth and ultimately chose to believe him. The fight ensued but to Austin and Creek¡¯s dismay, he was still avoiding each strike with consistent ease.


    I was hoping they would just tire out and leave us alone but they refuse to give up! If I waste too much time we¡¯ll have to explain this to the adults.


    Kai¡¯s calm and carefree attitude slowly transitioned to utter annoyance.


    ¡°So this is frustration¡­ good. Now I¡¯ll show you. Your. Place!¡±, he fiercely muttered in a volume only audible Austin and Creek¡¯s ears.

 Chapter 12: Novice

    Chapter 12: Novice


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    The tone of Kai¡¯s voice instantly made Austin and Creek tremble. He immediately took action before they could make sense of what he said. Creek was in the midst throwing a punch when Kai precisely pressed the pressure points of his wrists. He pressed the pressure point on Creek¡¯s shoulder in the same motion and before Creek could wonder why his arm felt like jelly, his body went limp.


    -Thud-


    Austin was unable to register the exchange in time and already followed Creek¡¯s punch with his own. Kai twisted his body to avoid the punch and simultaneously jumped. Utilizing the momentum of the twist, he launched a spinning high kick at him. The difference in height resulted in a perfect strike against the temple of Austin¡¯s head.


    -Thud-


    Phew¡­ I was excessive with this boy. It seems I still need to practice controlling my emotions.


    Having his brain rattle, Austin fell unconscious and joined the motionless Creek on the dirt while Kai gracefully landed on his feet. His attacks unfolded too quickly for Teresa and the others to comprehend so they cluelessly gazed at the fallen bodies.


    ¡°Kai, what-¡±, Robert started to question.


    ¡°We have to act quickly¡±, Kai interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll grab Austin, someone grab the other boys and we¡¯ll place them besides the Watcher¡¯s house. Move as quietly as you can.¡±


    Kai hastily carried out his plan and dragged Austin across the dirt. They could not discern the intentions behind his actions but trusted him and moved to grab Creek and Bak. Together, they carefully placed their three bodies against the house. Teresa opened her mouth to question Kai but he stopped her with a finger to her lips. He waved his hands, motioning them to follow him as he quietly walked towards the forest.


    When they crossed the wooden fenced exit, he explained, ¡°If we talked there, the Watcher¡¯s could¡¯ve heard us and came out. If they came out then we¡¯d have to explain the three unconscious bodies in front of their house.¡±


    Their eyes widened in understanding and amazement at how he was able to react so quickly. Teresa, however, was slightly skeptical. ¡°But what if they wake up and tell the Watcher¡¯s what happened?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully they would not believe them. Better yet, they would stay silent from their pride. After all we¡¯re are merely slaves in their eyes so they wouldn¡¯t carelessly spread the fact we beat them¡±, Kai answered.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±, Teresa contemplated, slowly following his thoughts. ¡°But even if we forget about the boys, what about you? You¡¯re not a Novice yet are you? How in the world can you fight like that?¡±


    She figured Kai was a genius from his abnormal cultivation ability but how could cultivating lead to his ability to fight? Even after witnessing the altercation first hand, she could not begin to logically describe it. It all played out too quickly for her to comprehend.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know why but it¡¯s like I already know how to fight¡­¡±


    ¡°Could you be a super genius?¡±, Robert guessed, his eyes shining. Ben, Mark and Jennifer bought his theory and admiringly stared at Kai but Teresa was doubtful. She was incredibly perceptive and felt that Kai was withholding information from them. She decided to put her suspicions aside, believing she was overthinking.


    The day continued normally. The adults wondered why they were slightly late to work but ignored it. As the night arrived and everyone fell asleep, Kai sat in his training location. With his legs crossed, he replayed the events of the afternoon.


    The childish fight was a minor issue and had long since left his thoughts. Teresa¡¯s question was what truly troubled him. Her question caught him unawares and he knew his answer was less than satisfactory. In the past years he often thought of explaining his rebirth but his mind was clouded with possible pessimistic outcomes.


    My past life and reincarnation, is it fine to share these information?... if I was on Earth I would be tested and tortured¡­ even if this isn¡¯t Earth, would I still be alienated or worse, hunted down like an abomination?


    With the knowledge of his past life, he knew how quickly humans were able to develop evil thoughts. The pessimistics theories threw his mind into a state of chaos, making it impossible for him to cultivate.


    What should I do?¡­


    Kai already knew the answer. Deep inside his heart, the clear explanation he avoided was there all along.


    In my past life I¡¯ve never cared for anyone besides my master but when I realized it, I was too late¡­ but this life is different! I truly care about them and I believe they care about me too. If I truly care then I must tell them the truth and trust their opinion of me would stay the same. Next time¡­ I will definitely be truthful!


    After acknowledging the answer, he unconsciously entered a tranquil state of mind. A strong feeling of peace engulfed, seemingly blessed, his very being and he drifted into cultivation.


    The illusionary wall appeared and hovered in front of his face. Before long he felt it against his nose. It gave off a warm feeling and refused to move an inch. Qi and Ki were no longer able to enter his body and washed over him, creating a glowing mist of white light around his body.


    This must be it!


    The feeling nearly suffocated Kai but he endured it. Small sessions of throbbing pain developed throughout his entire body. The wall was still pressing against his nose but he felt as if he was being compressed from all angles.


    Break for me!


    He integrated all of his concentration and mentally roared a single thought. A crack suddenly appeared on the spotless wall. The crack gradually grew bigger as more freshly made cracks appeared. Invigorated by the progress, he exerted more effort than before. The glowing mist that surrounded thickened and condensed into a makeshift shell that outlined his body.


    The cracks accelerated on the wall until it exploded! The glowing shell encasing his body simultaneously exploded outwards and the resulting white light faded into the air.


    The illusionary broken shards of the wall harmlessly passed over him before fading away. The suffocating feeling diminished, replaced by a warm gentle heat that coursed throughout his body. His muscles involuntarily tensed then relaxed, in a repeated fashion. He accepted the anomalies transpiring inside his body and waited. Eventually his body relaxed and he rose to his feet.


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    Kai moved his arms and legs, feeling no difference in the mass of his muscles nor the size of his height. He, however, felt his body contained a massive amount of power. He also vaguely noticed a strange presence near the navel of his stomach.


    Isn¡¯t this where my Qi and Ki were stored before? I can somewhat feel it now¡­ is that an orb?...


    The presence was shaped like a small sphere and he inexplicably knew it did not physically exist. As he continued to examine it, his mind subconsciously wandered to a distant memory in his past life. Before he could react, his memory took his thoughts!


    ¡­¡­ High above the mountains, a teenager stood in front of his master. His heart was immovable and his attention was sharp. His master was talking and his concentration was solely on his voice.


    ¡°Our time was short but I have nothing left to teach you, Kai. You are far more talented than I ever was.¡±


    The teenager felt no pride, nor arrogance, at the compliment. His face remained unfazed and his master nodded in approval. Believing it was the end of the conversation, the teenager turned to descend the mountain. Before he walked too far, his master suddenly called out to him.


    ¡°One more thing Kai. I¡¯m suddenly reminded of something my master once told me before he left. ¡®You will never truly be strong until you unlock your dantian¡¯. I¡¯ve spent many years researching and scavenging for any information pertaining the dantian but besides small fable tales, I¡¯ve never truly discovered its existence. Perhaps you can accomplish what I could not.¡±


    The teenager took heed of every word and when his master finished speaking, he merely nodded. He placed the information in the back of his head and turned to resume descending the mountain¡­¡­


    The memory left as quickly as it came but it was enough to shock him.


    It must be my dantian! I abandoned the thought because there were too many false and contradicting information on it, but surprisingly enough I¡¯ve discovered it in my new life!


    He lifted his head up and stared at the sky, his eyes filling with sentiment.


    Can you see me master? I¡¯ve accomplished what you¡¯ve wanted me to, if only you were here¡­


    His eyes became moist. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and returned to examine his dantian. He mentally nudged it, attempting to will the stored Qi and Ki to move. The dantian stayed unresponsive but he patiently waited.


    I don¡¯t believe that the dantian is detrimental and exists to restrict my Qi and Ki!


    His thoughts returned to the day Sandy, Jordan and Adam were fighting the wolf. Engrossed in the images of the white energy that protruded from their body, he slowly felt his dantian loosen the hold on his Qi and Ki. The combined energies escaped and made its way around his body, then through his skin.


    White light encompassed Kai and he felt an unbelievable surge of strength. He extended his arms and curiously assessed his body. The white light thickly layered his body while numerous strands of stringy white light escaped the layer.


    As expected from the combined energies, the visual features is that of Qi and Ki together.


    Leaving his thoughts of the appearance behind, he returned his attention to the surge of strength. The urge of testing the extent of the newfound strength overcame him and he executed a casual punch at a nearby tree.


    -Thump-


    His fist collided against the tree and bore a small hole with the imprint of his fist inside it.


    Amazing! I¡¯m nearly as strong as I was in my past life!


    The adrenaline of using Qi and Ki faded and he slowly realized the changes in his dantian. The amount of Qi and Ki that was initially stored decreased by half. He immediately halted the flow of energies from his dantian and the white light dispersed into the night.


    The energies deplete at such a rapid rate¡­


    He sat down and returned to cultivating. The energies entered his body at a much faster rate but he soon encountered a limit, slowing the rate of absorption. He felt the confines of his dantian reaching its limit of Qi and Ki. The energies, however, continued to struggle into his dantain and it slowly grew! The growth of his dantian was minuscule, nearly stagnant, but Kai was more than satisfied.


    So that¡¯s the advantages of a mid and peak Novice, they¡¯re able to store more energy than me. Until then I will have to use my valuable Qi and Ki wisely. What if I only lead the energies to certain part of my bodies? It seems very plausible while being incredibly efficient¡­


    Looking at the darkness of the night, Kai estimated that it was only midnight. He stood still and closed his eyes, focusing solely on his dantian. He released his Qi and Ki and quickly directed them into his left hand, then instantly closing off his dantian. White light encased his left hand and lasted several seconds before dispersing.


    This can work!


    He carried on experimenting with enthusiasm. Left hand, right leg, shoulders, right thumb, left knee, and so on. As he increased the speed of instantaneously releasing his energies, he produced more and more mistakes. Striving only perfection, he persisted and continued to repeatedly manipulate his energies.


    Time flew by and before he knew it, he depleted his entire reservoir of Qi and Ki. He opened his eyes and saw that dawn was slowly arriving. Sitting down, he decided to replenish and expand his dantian until Teresa called for him.


    ¡°Kai!¡±


    Kai eyes snapped open in astonishment. He looked at the sky and saw that it was well into the morning.


    Time sure has an odd way of passing whenever I train or cultivate.


    He met up with Teresa and together they returned to their house. Afternoon soon followed and the men and boys were stunned at Kai¡¯s change. While lifting the firewood, he continued with his manipulation exercise and white light randomly appeared at different points of his body.


    ¡°Holy heavens, Kai you¡¯re already a Novice?¡±, Robert exclaimed.

 Chapter 13: Improve

    Chapter 13: Improve


    Bandit¡¯s Home - Forest, Jade Empire


    They abandoned their axes and crowded around Kai with expressions of awe.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, I had a breakthrough last night¡±, he smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Holy heavens¡­ did you really only start cultivating last week?¡±, Joran asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes¡±, he nodded again.


    ¡°Wow that¡¯s insane. Forget a genius, genius is an understatement. This is the stuff of legends¡±, Joran laughed.


    ¡°Wait did you say last night?¡±, Adam questioned. ¡°Are you saying you can cultivate at night?¡±


    Ah! I guess I let that one slip¡­


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been cultivating at night ever since I¡¯ve started¡±, he confirmed. ¡°I have the ability to cultivate instead of sleep.¡±


    Joran and Adam¡¯s were stunned with their mouths agape. They glanced at each other, then at Kai, then back at each other. The rate of his cultivation and the god-like advantageous ability destroyed all logical boundaries they knew of.


    ¡°You really are incredible Kai¡±, Joran praised once he recollected his thoughts. Adam wordlessly nodded in agreement in a half-dazed state.


    Thankfully they didn¡¯t ask where I cultivated. The fact that I train in the forest would most likely make them needlessly worry and incur the wrath of Sandy.


    ¡°I think we should get back to work¡±, Kai casually reminded. Joran and Adam fully snapped out of their daze as they realized the rest of the boys were waiting for them before returning to work.


    ¡°Kai¡¯s right, what¡¯re we doing¡±, Adam laughed. He patted Kai¡¯s head. ¡°Continue doing your best, I look forward to seeing your strength in the future. Let¡¯s finish our work for the day then we can celebrate during dinner.¡±


    They nodded and resumed working. Working quickly, they finished their work and searched for the girls in the forest. Joran and Adam were extremely eager to break the news of Kai¡¯s brilliance to them. They found the girls nearby and Joran wasted no time in telling them. In his haste and excitement he forgot to mention the nocturnal cultivation.


    ¡°What? Are you serious?¡±, Sandy gasped.


    Kai manipulated his energies and white light briefly emitted from his skin before disappearing. They stared wide-eyed at him. Teresa gave him a ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡¯ look, to which he responded with a weak smile.


    Finding game was normally very rare and they only ever killed the ones that approached them but to celebrate, Sandy, Jordan and Adam attempted to scour the forest for one. Against their expectations, they almost immediately found a boar so when dinner arrived they enjoyed a delicious meal of pork stew.


    A joyful night ensued as they shared funny stories and jokes. Ending the excitement, Sandy decided it was time to sleep and ordered each person to their respective mats. Once they were asleep and their soft breathing filled the night, Kai silently approached his training location as usual.


    Having done the manipulation exercise the entire afternoon, he was more comfortable in controlling his Qi and Ki, however, he also completely depleted the reservoir of his dantian. He sat down and began to cultivate. His body attracted the energies in the air as he refined them, storing them in his dantian.


    Upon the first signs of dawn, Kai felt a disturbance. Sharpening his senses he felt the chill of a familiar killing intent boring down on his body. He instantly identified it as a more bestial killing intent, rather than humane, and only a single beast appeared in his mind.


    It¡¯s the wolf!


    He was almost certain that the killing intent belong to the wolf they encountered that day. Releasing Qi and Ki from his dantian, he expertly led them to his ears. While performing the manipulation exercises he thought of many creative ways to channel the energies and one of them was heightening his sense of hearing. With his briefly empowered ears, he heard the sound of leaves being crushed twenty meters away. The sound was circling him while slowly drawing closer.


    Carefully opening his eyes, he looked towards the areas that produced the sounds while channeling Qi and Ki to his eyes. That was when he saw it! A blurry outline of a wolf steadily walked around his training location.


    It must have waiting for a perfect time to ambush a single target.


    Unbeknownst to Kai, his theory was correct. The wolf was angered the day it was unsuccessful in seizing a meal and after that day it readily waited for an opportunity. When it first saw Kai training at night, it nearly jumped straight for him. Before it did, it suddenly thought the small boy was an obvious trap and decided to wait.


    A day turned into two and two turned into a week. It¡¯s patience wore out and it felt completely certain the boy was alone. Fueled by certainty, it gradually started to prey on him.


    Kai prepared to retreat back to the safety of the wooden fences but an insane thought struck him.


    I¡¯ve never been able to test my newfound strength so what if I use this wolf to gauge my level of strength? If things become difficult I can still rely on Silent Steps to safely escape.


    He reevaluated his ability to escape before mentally nodding with conviction.


    First I need to lead him away otherwise the fighting will disturb their sleep.


    The wolf was clueless on Kai¡¯s thoughts, thinking only of the taste of fresh human meat in its mouth. Without giving it time to reach, Kai suddenly sprang to his feet and sprinted deep into the forest. The wolf was caught off guard for a second before fiercely chasing the receding figure of the boy.


    This place is good.


    After a minute, Kai found a favorable fighting environment and determined he was far enough. The trees were crowded but not too close-knitted, giving him the ability to weave in between them during the upcoming fight. He casually turned and waited for the wolf to catch up.


    The wait was not long. Merely seconds later the wolf dashed into a stop as he saw the motionless figure of Kai in front of it. It was confused for a moment before realizing the small human was actually intending to confront it. Giving no thought to the supposedly foolish idea, it instantly jumped at him.


    While in the air a familiar thick white light coated and encased its body. Kai promptly channeled Qi and Ki to his feet and engaged the wolf. The wolf swiped its paw at his head but he cleanly dodged, his face only a hairsbreadth away from the claws.


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    He quickly followed up with a right fist to the wolf¡¯s side. Mid-swing he channeled Qi and Ki into his fist. The energies exploded on the point of impact but the wolf merely winced at the strike. Noticing the lack of effect, he immediately backed off and created a decent amount of distance between him and wolf.


    I should¡¯ve been able to damage it¡­ maybe my small body isn¡¯t enough to damage its thick skin while its empowered with Qi.


    The wolf growled in annoyance as it reengaged Kai. Realizing his empowered fists were unable to harm the wolf, he retreated back to the trees and weaved in between them. He contemplated his next move while it continuously struck nothing but tree trunks.


    -Slash- -Slash- -Slash-


    The wolf was faster than Kai but he was significantly better in evasive maneuvers so the fight ultimately turned into a one-sided chase between a cat and mouse. As a superior beast in the forest, the wolf grew extremely frustrated in being unable to catch a mere human boy.


    Each time Kai dodged, he unconsciously applied Silent Steps to each step. Even with the wolf¡¯s enhanced hearing it could hear nothing and only relied on it¡¯s eyes and nose. The wolf discharged a furious howl and continued to lose itself in anger. Dodging became easier and while he did, he noticed that Silent Steps was lacking.


    In actuality, he performed it to the best of his abilities but he felt that it was strangely incomplete.


    Continuously channeling Qi and Ki to his feet while he applied Silent Steps, his steps became lighter. His muscles were working in an unique unity and he felt as if he was floating. His feet suddenly bursted with an intense speed and being unable to control the speed, he misplaced himself and slammed against a tree.


    -Thud-


    The wolf lost vision of Kai and stopped it¡¯s relentless attacks to locate him. It was surprised to see him five meters away, leaning against a tree. He was slightly pained from colliding unprepared against the tree but at the moment he was too excited to feel it.


    Silent Steps can further improve! With this speed I can¡­


    Developing a theory, he immediately rose to his feet and engaged the wolf. The wolf quickly returned to its angered state and threw its left paw at him. The moment the claws were about to strike Kai, he applied the previous feeling on his legs and dodged to the side.


    -Thud-


    The results stayed the same and he collided against another tree but the impact was softer and his feet remained planted on the ground.


    Almost did it¡­ Again!


    He instantly engaged the wolf once more. By the time the wolf located Kai, he was already running at him. It was perplexed at how the boy kept escaping its claws but continued to meet his challenge. He dodged to the side with another burst of speed.


    This time, however, he landed on a different spot. Instead of colliding against a tree, he perfectly landed on the ground besides the wolf. With a twist of his feet, he leapt to the side once more. In the end, he was directly behind the wolf!


    This is it!


    The wolf became thoroughly confused. It turned its head left and right, moved it¡¯s body in circles but the boy was nowhere to be found. It could not believe it! The boy was merely hopping around before and now he completely disappeared.


    It angrily spun in circles, refusing to believe the impossible, and every time it did, Kai continued to follow its tail!


    With his amazing perception, Kai perceptively read the movements of the wolf while using the bursts of speed to immediately place himself behind it. He practically melded with its shadow! Along with the ability to quell the sound of his feet, the wolf found it incredibly difficult to trace him.


    It works! Amazing, with the power of Qi and Ki and my perception this is no longer Silent Steps. I¡¯ll call this¡­ Shadow Two Steps!


    Engrossed in the feeling, Kai continued to seemingly attach himself behind the wolf. At this point it was blinded by anger. It was still able to smell him so it knew he was in its vicinity but it just could not see him! It wildly swiped its claws at every tree in its proximity, causing every other animal to steer away from the area.


    -Slash- -Slash-


    While enjoying the feeling, Kai noticed the reservoir of Qi and Ki in his dantian was depleted by more than half.


    I should finish it off before I run out of Qi and Ki but how¡­ Ah! You buffoon.


    He smiled and mentally scolded himself for forgetting his weapon as he pulled out his knife.


    In theory, I should be able to empower my knife with Qi and Ki.


    Testing his idea, he carefully led the energies to his knife. Nothing happened at first but several angry wolf swipes later, the knife began to glow with a white light.


    Success!


    Satisfied with his success, he swiftly struck at the wolf¡¯s hind leg. It cut through the skin behind the knees like butter and the wolf involuntarily buckled. Before it could turn, he appeared in front of its view. The wolf was slightly startled but was angry enough to instinctively slash at him.


    Kai easily dodged the claws and decisively thrust his knife into the wolf¡¯s throat. Worrying that the wolf¡¯s skull would be more difficult to cut through, he went for a rare frontal approach instead of attacking its head from behind.


    He removed his knife and stepped back. The wolf drunkenly staggered for several seconds before inevitably falling to the ground, dead.


    I¡¯ll leave it here since it¡¯ll be troublesome to explain that I was able to slay the wolf.


    Kai lifted his head, gazed at the sky and determined he had more time to train. He prepared to walk back to his training location but was stunned. A man was peering at him through the gap of the trees, shaking his head.


    How strange! After all these years this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a stranger in the forest.


    Kai waited for the man to introduce himself but the man continued to blatantly stare at him. He questioningly stared at him and asked, ¡°May I help you?¡±

 Chapter 14: The Stranger

    Chapter 14: The Stranger


    Bandit¡¯s Home - Forest, Jade Empire


    The man stood where he was, unresponsive. Wondering if he was unable to hear him, Kai continued to gaze at him and repeated with greater emphasis, ¡°May I help you?¡±


    The man flinched as if someone had punched him across the face. He profusely blinked and incredulously browsed around him. Confirming he was the only person there, he acknowledged that the boy was definitely talking to him.


    ¡°Boy you can see me?¡±, he hesitantly asked.


    ¡°Am I not supposed to?¡±, Kai returned the question with his own.


    ¡°You can hear me too¡­¡±, he muttered more to himself than to Kai.


    Does this man have mental issues?


    He steadily walked towards Kai, his becoming more focused along the way. It was as if he was staring at a painting before and now solely observed a single detail.


    Kai¡¯s instincts told him that the man contained no enmity nor killing intent towards him so he did not retreat and allowed him to approach.


    The man donned a long robe, attached with a spacious hood. The robe was extremely, almost painfully, eye-catching. It was decorated with an array of colors that Kai found difficult to discern or stare at. Straying away, he saw that the man was barefoot with no shoes but his feet was untainted with any even the smallest speck of dirt. The man himself had grey hair and an aged stature but wore a misleading immature face.


    Why does he look more confused than me?


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±, Kai politely inquired.


    Rather than answering, the man continued to examine Kai. He reached out, extending his hand, but hesitantly withdrew. The hesitation lasted for a mere second before he extended his hand once more, poking Kai on the cheek.


    W-what??


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±, Kai snapped.


    Kai violently slapped the man¡¯s finger away from him and took a step back. The man grabbed his finger, clearly shocked. He stared at his finger with wide eyes as if his finger had suddenly become more interesting.


    What in the world is wrong with this man.


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Finally losing the rest of his patience, Kai bellowed at the man. The man looked at Kai and smiled apologetically.


    ¡°Sorry boy, I am just having a difficult time processing the fact that you can see and hear me. How very intriguing, being able to converse with a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Mortal?¡±


    What does that mean?


    Just as Kai attempted to further follow up his question, the man interrupted him.


    ¡°Ah, please ignore that. It is too soon for you, too soon. If you reach greater heights in the future, you will naturally come to an understanding. It is best if you don¡¯t have too many inquiries.¡±


    Unbelievable. You arrive in this manner and you expect me to not have questions?


    Witnessing Kai¡¯s incredulous face, the man could not help but heartily laugh. His laughter was short and he spoke once finished.


    ¡°Typically I do not have permission to converse with you mortals but your being able to see me may have been an act of fate. Ah! I said mortals again. And again! My apologies, besides that word, what else would you like to know of?¡±


    Kai felt a small tugging sensation at the back of his mind on the word ¡®fate¡¯ but before he could process it, the man continued to ramble on.


    So I¡¯m allowed to ask questions after all? Hm¡­ this man has an odd behavior but he seems to know many things. Maybe he can inform me more on this world.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±, Kai started off with a simple question.


    ¡°Right! I have yet to introduce myself. How terribly rude, my name is¡­ wait, I am not permitted to tell you my identity either. Hm¡­ you may address me as Esquire.¡±


    The man pronounced ¡®Esquire¡¯ with a dramatic tone as he looked, even more dramatically, into the distance. Pausing in his mysterious gaze, Kai stared in disbelief at his demeanor.


    Will I ever receive a proper answer?


    ¡°Well¡­ Esquire. Why were you shaking your head previously?¡±, he decided to try once more.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple¡±, Esquire replied with a hint of joy, glad to be able to answer a question. He diverted his gaze away from the distance and back at Kai. ¡°You have just slain a ranked beast. Regarding the fact that this is a Novice beast and you¡¯re a Novice, it¡¯s core would benefit your cultivation. At crucial times, it even has the ability to recover some of the Essence you have spent.¡±


    Kai was stunned.


    No one told me about this¡­ but then again, they wouldn¡¯t believe I would be able to kill a ranked beast all on my own.


    Having acknowledged the information he provided, Kai hastily returned to the beast and scanned it¡¯s body for the core. Witnessing his perplexed expression as he mindlessly scoured the dead body, Esquire decided to lend a helping hand. He closed the distance between him and the wolf in a single step and hovered his hand over its head. A light flashed too quickly for Kai to catch the color and a crater was cleanly formed into the wolf''s head.


    What¡­ how strong is this crazy man.


    Inside the crater laid a solid orb the size of an average rock. White mist mysteriously danced inside the core.


    ¡°The core is situated inside the head of every beast. It is their version of our dantian and as you are able to see, it is physical while ours is spiritual. They absorb Essence slower than us but in return, they solidify it into a core. The result is nearly indestructible, unlike our dantian which, in a sense, is fragile and easily penetrable¡±, he stopped and casually retrieved the orb, tossing it to Kai.


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    ¡°Although there are occasionally special species whose core are located in other parts of their body, you will generally find them in the head. Also, only beasts that cultivate may form a core. Let¡¯s see¡­ what else am I missing¡­¡±, he trailed off in thought.


    ¡°How do I use it to accelerate my cultivation?¡±, Kai quickly ascertained the missing piece of information.


    ¡°Ah, of course. Simple, you merely have to concentrate on the core with your Sixth. However, I must warn you, absorbing too many cores will damage your connection with Essence. It is best to cease using them when you feel even the smallest bit of discomfort.¡±


    Sixth? Essence? He has been mentioning essence for a while now¡­


    ¡°What do you mean? What are Sixth and Essence?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±, Esquire recoiled in shock. Quickly recovering from his shock, he seemingly reached a secret understanding in his mind. He knowingly nodded and laughed.


    ¡°For a moment I forgot where I was. You would not be knowledgeable about them, would you?¡±, he asked more to himself than Kai.


    ¡°Well Sixth is fairly simple. It is naturally your sixth sense. Many names have been made and given in the past but the entire ordeal was terribly confusing so everyone agreed upon Sixth. Concise, straightforward, and rolls of the tongue nicely¡±, he nodded to himself. ¡°Essence on the other hand, that is a more touchy subject¡­¡±


    Esquire trailed off as he thought to himself. His eyes locked on Kai as if he was looking through him. Suddenly, his mouth dropped and his eyes widened in astonishment.


    ¡°W-wait a second! Boy, your body¡­ interesting. Very interesting indeed. Activate the energy in the your body.¡±


    What?


    Kai curiously thought about the unusual request but decided there was no harm in complying. Reaching into his remaining Qi and Ki, he freely channeled them to his entire body. White light began to emerge but before it could completely encompass his body, Esquire urgently interrupted.


    ¡°No, no. Not Qi or Ki. Channel the Essence.¡±


    Kai blankly stared at him and he slapped his head in realization.


    ¡°I have forgotten again. Okay, listen to me very carefully¡±, he slowly enunciated each word. ¡°Qi and Ki are energies that separated from a single entity, Essence. You have already accomplished the strenuous part by fusing and absorbing it into your body. Now focus on your dantian¡­ your body has acknowledged Essence¡­ your mind and your Sixth only have to follow. Remember, there is no Qi, there is no Ki, there is only Essence.¡±


    Esquire¡¯s explanation resonated inside Kai¡¯s mind and he calmly sat down, concentrating on his dantian. The word ¡®Essence¡¯ echoed in his thoughts and not a second sooner, he suddenly felt a familiar sensation. He recalled the feeling of when he first cultivated Qi and Ki and they mysteriously integrated.


    He previously ignored the feeling but at this moment the feeling received his sole attention. The Qi and Ki in his dantian turned blurry and then¡­ it disappeared! Immediately afterwards, a single speck of energy erupted, illuminating the empty space.


    ¡°Good¡±, Esquire approved, noticing the change in the energy around him. ¡°Now use your Sixth.¡±


    Nodding slowly, Kai used his Sixth. He still saw the familiar scene of Qi and Ki aimlessly floating around him. He casually absorbed the energies and the moment they entered his skin, they instantly merged and became Essence! The energy comfortably entered his dantian and gathered in the center.


    ¡°I still see Qi and Ki¡­¡±, Kai slowly uttered with his eyes still closed.


    ¡°Pfft. You mean you can sense it, silly boy. How can you possibly see when your eyes are closed¡±, he corrected with a laugh, slightly shaking his head. ¡°And yes Qi and Ki still exists because it¡¯s still developing here. Disregard them and just continue cultivating Essence in your dantian.¡±


    Ignoring his ridicule, he followed his direction and continued to cultivate.


    ¡°Interesting¡­ a body of essence, here. That could only mean he originated from there¡­ but what is he doing here?¡±, Esquire quietly muttered to himself.


    Kai was completely immersed in cultivation and was unfortunately unable to hear the intriguing piece of information. When he first formed Essence, it wiped aside Qi and Ki and he was only left with a minimal amount of the energy. Filling his dantian to the brim, he opened his eyes and saw that Esquire was waiting.


    ¡°Sorry for making you wait¡±, he apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay only ten minutes passed¡±, Esquire nonchalantly replied.


    ¡°What? Only ten minutes?¡±, he asked surprised.


    When I absorbed Qi and Ki it took me nearly two hours.


    ¡°Of course, you are merely a lowly Novice. Ten minutes isn¡¯t bad but the speed at which you recover in the future will truly determine your talent. Your body also provides you a large advantage with Essence.¡±


    ¡°My body?¡±


    ¡°Ah! If I told you now then I would have to explain this and then that¡­ it is best if you learn on your own¡±, Esquire replied with his eyes closed, nodding to himself. Kai let out an expectant sigh. He opened his eyes and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry boy, when you reach a certain level of strength, everything will become clear. Until that time comes, you must work hard and try your best not to die.¡±


    Esquire smartly turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait, what level of strength are you talking about? Do you mean becoming stronger than a Lord?, Kai quickly inquired as he chased after him. He turned around with an exasperated expression.


    ¡°Listen. You shall become more knowledgeable as you grow and pass your trails in life. Knowing so much at the Novice level already places you in an superior position. Honestly, I should not be conversing with you at all. If fate has it, we will meet again in the future.¡±


    Esquire turned to depart once more.


    ¡°Wai-¡±, Kai began to call out but a sudden burning sensation appeared around his chest, hindering his speech. The sensation was more painful than anything he had ever felt and continued to intensify. In his past life, he was trained to withstand a tremendous amount of pain but this pain was completely different. The pain threatened to burn more than just his body, it felt as if it would burn his entire being away.


    ¡°Gahhhhhhh!!!¡±

 Chapter 15: The Marking

    Chapter 15: The Marking


    Bandit¡¯s Home - Forest, Jade Empire


    Esquire turned in interest but Kai had fainted from the pain. They just met but he while conversing he had a favorable impression on him so when he collapsed, he was slightly concerned and instantly blinked to his side with a single step.


    He bent down to examine his body and saw a luminous shine permeating through his shirt. Decisively removing his shirt, he discovered the source of the light.


    On Kai¡¯s chest, above the location of his heart, a tattoo-like marking gradually and slowly appeared out of thin air. The marking shaped into a single circle and it the insides contained numerous symbols.


    In his mind, memories incoherently flashed by¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡°Get up.¡±


    The master yelled at the boy sprawled on the ground. The boy was more tired than he ever had been in his life and struggled to stand. Gritting his teeth, he stood on his feet and resumed running. His master nodded in approval¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The young man had his karambit against another man¡¯s neck. He impassively slit his throat and watched as the man descended lifelessly to the ground. Dozens of corpses crowded around him and another man. The young man turned to face his last opponent.


    ¡°The best assassin in the underworld¡±, the opponent snarled. ¡°I will claim the title today.¡± ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ ¡°Kai!¡± ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ The little girl was kneeling on the ground, holding her father¡¯s motionless body as she cried, ¡°Father!¡± ¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­ A beautiful woman cried. Her perfect face wore a sullen expression as endless tears streamed down her cheeks. A man was holding a mysterious sphere that emitted a brilliant crimson hue. His weak eyes wandered to the unnaturally still baby in his arms and slowly brought the sphere closer¡­¡­


    While Kai was submerged in his memories, his breathing grew ominously rapid but Esquire paid no heed as the marking took his full attention. More details appeared and concentrated towards the center of the marking. The single circle shrinked as another circle materialized in its place and the symbols steadily moved in tune with the changes of the circles. As the marking transformed, he grew more and more astonished.


    ¡°One¡­ three¡­¡±


    The process repeated itself as more circles came into view. When a new circle appeared, the prior one would further shrink along with the circles and symbols it contained, allowing the new circle to encase them. The symbols multiplied and moved in between the gaps of the circles.


    ¡°Four¡­ seven¡­ good heavens¡­¡±


    When the eighth circled materialized, the transformation finally ceased. The resulting marking was the size of a fist but it was compact with various symbols and eight circles. As the marking settled, the radiating light it emitted slowly waned away and Kai¡¯s breathing returned to normal.


    ¡°Eight¡­ it¡¯s an Octane Seal¡±, Esquire softly breathed. ¡°It must have reacted to the pure Essence in his body. I am unable to identify half of these symbols. Boy¡­ what, or who, exactly is your origin¡­¡±


    He knew Kai was a special individual but this was beyond his imagination. When he conversed with Kai, he was amused at the fact that boy was able to see him and carried a playful and affable attitude. Now, however, he wore an unnaturally serious expression and exuded a majestic aura.


    ¡°Should I inform them of this¡­¡± Esquire mumbled to himself. He carefully contemplated his next move. ¡°...It is best if I take no action and allow him to flow through the hands of fate.¡±


    His eyebrows raised as he thought of an interesting idea. Esquire extended his hand with his palm upwards. A light flashed from a ring on his finger and an ancient piece of paper appeared on his hand. He delicately placed it on top of Kai¡¯s unconscious body.


    ¡°Maybe this paper was also an act of fate¡±, Esquire continued to mumble to himself. ¡°This paper has not been in my possession for long but it is as mysterious and obscure as this boy. Perhaps I am fated to deliver it to him.¡±


    Not waiting for Kai to awaken, Esquire turned to walk away. As he walked he suddenly realized, ¡°How was the boy able to lay eyes upon me¡­¡±


    Before he could think further, Kai started to stir. He instantly disappeared into the air, avoiding any possible chances for him to be bombarded with questions. Flying! In less than a second, Esquire was far into a distance; a dot in the sky.


    ¡°Ugh¡±, Kai groaned, slowly lifting himself from the ground.


    What¡­ What was that vision¡­


    The terrifying pain was no longer there but a faint throbbing still lingered on his chest. He felt an object fall off his stomach as he sat up, looked down, and saw the piece of paper.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Curious as to what it may be, Kai grabbed the paper off the ground and scanned its contents. Writing was inscribed on both sides of the paper... at least, he believed it was writing.


    Or is it a picture¡­ strange¡­ what in the world is it?


    No matter how much he scrutinized the paper, he was unable to comprehend it. The paper was painfully blurry as well which made it additionally difficult to examine. Worried the prior immense pain damaged his eyesight, he quickly rubbed his eyes but it proved useless. Thoroughly stumped, he suddenly remembered he forgot someone.


    Wait¡­ where¡¯s Esquire?


    He glanced at his surroundings but was only able to see the wolf¡¯s corpse. He sighed in disappointment.


    I had more questions too¡­ but I did not take him as someone so heartless that he would leave me to alone.


    The wolf¡¯s blood was nearly completely dried so Kai estimated that a decent amount of time elapsed. His eyes continued to roam but stopped when he shivered from the cold morning wind. Groping his body, he realized he was naked from the waist up.


    What in the world¡­ why did he take off my shir-


    His question faded when he saw the marking on his chest. His eyes widened as he softly touched it. The lingering throbbing pain slightly increased.


    So this is the cause of the sudden burst of pain. Did Esquire do it? No that can¡¯t be, unless he was able to brand it onto me from a distance¡­ but why would he do such a thing? But if it¡¯s not him then who can it be¡­


    He took a closer look at the marking and saw the circles and symbols. He squinted his eyes, further concentrating on the symbols, but was unable to decipher even the slightest of lines. Carefully feeling the outlines of the marking, he was surprised he felt no indents.


    From the pain I had expected it to be a brand but it¡¯s more of a tattoo¡­


    Kai lifted his head and aimlessly gazed at the sky, contemplating the series of events that took place in the wild morning.


    Morning¡­ Ah!


    His eyes snapped wide open as he fully grasped the color of the sky and the strength of the sunlight. Immediately jumping to his feet, he grabbed the shirt and the paper, and prepared to run but nearly tripped when he abruptly stopped.


    Almost forgot the beast core.


    Quickly locating the beast core nearby, he scooped it and place it in his pocket before urgently dashing towards his training location at full speed.


    I hope she hasn¡¯t come yet¡­


    He rapidly dressed his upper body and tucked the paper between his waist and his pants as he ran. Nearing his training location, he heard Teresa¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Kai!... Kai!¡±


    Damn.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±, he called back.


    Seconds later, he saw Teresa waiting at the center of his training location.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you go? Ah, forget it. We¡¯re going to be late for breakfa- WAIT IS THAT BLOOD!?¡±, Teresa casually began to speak but suddenly screamed at the state of his body.


    Kai peered down and saw his shirt was most definitely covered in dried blood. With a speed he never knew Teresa could have, she closed the distance between them and hastily inspected every part of his body. Eyes zooming at an incredible pace, she attempted to locate his injury.


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s okay. That¡¯s not my blood.¡±


    Paying no attention to his words, she continued her examination. When she was wholly satisfied that he was in fact not injured, she halted and gave a sigh of relief. Her expression immediately became furious and stern.


    ¡°What happened?¡±, Teresa demanded, slowly pronouncing each syllable with a hard tone.


    A single cold sweat exuded from Kai¡¯s forehead.


    Is this the fabled mother¡¯s anger?


    He coughed then explained, ¡°A beast attacked me while I was training so I distanced myself and found an opportunity to kill it. I¡¯m completely fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Kai tried his best to reassure her. He completely trusted her but killing the wolf that nearly killed them last week was extremely difficult to explain or believe, therefore he decided to withhold half of the truth. Teresa continued her stern gaze at Kai before surrendering a sigh.


    ¡°If I asked you to stop doing this, will you listen to me?¡±


    Kai gave her a resolute look and shook his head. She released an expectant sigh.


    ¡°Okay fine, have it your way. Let¡¯s head back and have some breakfast.¡±


    Kai squeezed out an apologetic, yet grateful, look and nodded. Together they returned to their house. The moment they arrived at the door, Sandy coincidentally walked out.


    ¡°There you two are, I just laid down your breakfast¡±, she smiled.


    Teresa swiftly stood in front of Kai, covering the sight of blood on his shirt, and explained with a smile, ¡°We just picked some berries, would you like some?¡±


    She pulled a small bulging pouch from her pocket and opened it, revealing the variety of berries. Sandy gave an appreciative nod, gladly took a few, and popped them into her mouth.


    ¡°Thank you Teresa, you¡¯re always so thoughtful. Enjoy breakfast you two.¡±


    She waved good-bye and left. Teresa gave a short sigh of relief, opened the door, and entered with Kai. The others were startled at the sight of blood on his shirt but he quickly reassured them. They returned to their breakfast and while they ate, Teresa threw a newly knitted shirt on his lap.


    ¡°I just made this so you better not ruin this one too¡±, she ordered. Taking an exhausting breath, she sat down and began eating her untouched breakfast. Kai held the fresh shirt and unknowingly gave her a tender look.


    Thank you.


    The next day he carefully scouted around his training location before beginning to cultivate. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and the morning sun greeted the sky, bathing Kai in it¡¯s warmth. He diligently continued but as more time passed he knew something was wrong. He looked towards the sky and the sunrays were incredibly vigorous.


    Strange¡­ It¡¯s already this late, where¡¯s Teresa?


    A sense of unease consumed his mind and he hastily concluded his training. He nearly flew as he made his way back to their house. Walking past the exit of the wooden fences, he saw the reason Teresa did not retrieve him in the morning.


    In front of their houses, the adults and children were gathered, kneeling on the dirt. Standing in front of them were unfamiliar faces except for a single one. Austin cast his gaze upon them wearing an ugly smug face. Noticing a figure on the corner of his eye, he turned and spotted Kai. His cheeks raised, forming a menacing smile.


    ¡°There he is.¡±


    Everyone turned to see who he was looking at. When Teresa saw Kai, her face went pale.


    ¡°Kai! Run!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±, Austin barked at her and heavily kicked her in the stomach.


    -Twak-


    The kick cleanly connected against the unexpecting Teresa. The force of the kick knocked her body back a meter, her body scraping along the way. She sat up with various scratches on her side, clutching her stomach in pain, and spat out blood. With a supreme amount of willpower, she fiercely glared at Austin.


    Furious at her rebellious nature, Austin prepared another kick. When he drew his leg back, Kai yelled out in the loudest voice he had ever produced.


    ¡°STOP!¡±

 Chapter 16: Anger

    Chapter 16: Anger


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    Austin could care less for anything Kai had to say and before he could reach her, the kick violently landed across Teresa¡¯s face. Kai had sprinted towards her right after the first kick but was not fast enough.


    The others by Teresa¡¯s side moved to retaliate but one of the people besides Austin released Qi around his body and took a step forward.


    ¡°Anyone who dares to move can take a worse beating from us¡±, he spoke with a condescending smirk. The men besides him stepped up with a similar smile but released Ki instead.


    The intimidating threat behind his words immobilized them and they gritted their teeth, staying on their knees. Kai, however, was unable to hear a word.


    In a matter of seconds after the second kick, Kai was kneeling besides Teresa. He quickly examined her body. Her nose was broken, her face and side were badly bruised, and she was covered in minor burns, and light cuts, from the friction of sliding across the dirt. She struggled to look at Kai and speak; the pain in her stomach affected her worse than her visible injuries and made speaking difficult.


    ¡°Idiot¡­ should have¡­ run¡±, Teresa barely lectured with long breathes in between each words, attempting to ignore the pain.


    Kai held her hand and squeezed firmly. Blood rushed to his head as he vividly felt his veins pulsing. The world lost its colors except for red; everything was red. Red. His heart painfully throbbed as he saw her struggle to suppress the suffering she was in.


    Anger! Raging, scorching anger!


    Kai had never felt such anger in his entire two lives. His blood felt as if it was boiling, threatening to burst out of his body in undiscriminating flames to burn the world alive.


    Calm down¡­


    The tiny remainder of sane conscious he possessed reasoned with his fury. He slowly tamed enough of his anger to be able to rationally think. A strange burning sensation filled him as he unknowingly channeled his anger to his strength.


    ¡°Rest¡±, he delicately whispered to her.


    He turned to face Austin and his party of people. In an instant, he assessed each of them.


    Four young adults and Austin. Men, roughly twenty.


    Kai sharpened his senses and a strange occurrence took place. A tingling sensation coursed through his eyes and he suddenly saw past their physical bodies, inside their dantians. He saw the white energy flowing inside the hazy orb and automatically knew their level of strength. He did not understand how he was suddenly able to perceive their dantian but he gladly used the information to his advantage.


    One peak Novice Daoist, one peak Novice Taoist, three mid Novice Taoist. The peak Novice Daoist has the most abundant amount of Qi so I¡¯ll subdue him first, then I¡¯ll work my way down the rest.


    The information running through his mind only took a few seconds to assess.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this kid, I don¡¯t like the way he¡¯s looking at me¡±, one of the men complained, glowering at Kai.


    ¡°He¡¯s just an arrogant little boy. If it weren¡¯t for his friends helping him last time, there was no way for him to defeat me, Creek, and Bak¡±, Austin discontentedly explained.


    Kai had moved so fast that time, he was unable to comprehend how he was knocked unconscious. He only remembered he woke up and found himself in the middle of his two snoring companions against the side of the Watcher¡¯s house. He immediately forged a memory that Kai and the other children ganged up on him.


    ¡°So he¡¯s just a shameless little brat¡±, another one of the men sneered.


    ¡°Heh, little boy, you going to come at us or did you lose the ability to speak?¡±


    All of the men roared in laughter as Austin continued to wear his smug smile. In his mind, he formulated the perfect plan of revenge.


    ¡°Kai, ignore what they¡¯re saying and don¡¯t do anything rash¡±, Sandy spoke in a hush tone towards him. She was so angry her body was shaking but she knew she was unable to defeat all of them. Even if she did, she knew the bandits has more powerful people that would punish them for doing so, or even kill them.


    Kai, however, zoned out the voices around him and solely focused his hearing on the breathing of Austin and his men. His mind currently analyzed every possible action he could make and his senses sharpened to frightening heights. His killing intent threatened to break free and he carefully decided to release a sliver of it to assist him.


    An aura surrounded Kai and the people present shivered from the sudden drop in temperature. Goosebumps developed on their arms and they felt an invisible pressure from the chill. They all turned their heads but were unable to find the source of the chill.


    Austin and the men were distracted by the unnatural change in the atmosphere and that was when Kai made his move!The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    With their heads turned, Kai easily located a path around their blind spots. A burst of Essence surged from his feet and he rocketed towards the peak Novice Daoist. Without emitting any noise, they were unable to even hear him moving towards them. The kneeling people, however, clearly saw him but before they could tell him to stop, he was already besides the Daoist.


    Positioning himself perfectly, he jumped just high enough to reach the man¡¯s head. Forming a claw with his right hand, he grabbed the back of his head. The Daoist began to turn his head upon the moment of contact but before he could completely turn, Kai already firmly gripped it.


    Instantly channeling Essence to his right hand, he used the power along with the pressure of gravity and forcefully shoved his head down. Caught by surprise, the Daoist was unable to react in the slightest before he tipped forward and his head violently smashed a hole into the dirt.


    -Crash-


    A sickening sound echoed in the air as the man¡¯s face was partially buried into the ground. With Kai¡¯s Essence empowered hand, and the him being caught off guard, he was instantly knocked unconscious.


    ¡°Kai¡­¡±, Teresa astonishingly whispered, having propped herself up off the dirt.


    At this moment, Austin and the men who were distracted by the chill heard the loud sound nearby and turned to see what caused it. They were all shocked as they saw their friend unconscious on the floor with half his head buried and Kai kneeling besides him with his hand on the back of it.


    ¡°What the- How did he get there?¡±, one of the men stuttered. Austin stared at Kai with his mouth agape. The forged memory in his head slowly started to fade.


    Without answering, or waiting, for them to snap out of their shock, he continued his onslaught.


    [Shadow Two Steps]


    He dashed to the side with a burst of speed, perfectly manipulating Essence to each feet the moment they touched the dirt. Chaining the dash with another, he easily landed behind them.


    Austin and the men were shocked once more. In their eyes, Kai dashed to the side once and vanished! The lack of footsteps from Kai caused their ears to confuse their sight and before they could concentrate on his figure, he disappeared like a ghost.


    Logically, [Shadow Two Steps] was unable to work on multiple people. Given a few more seconds, they would all turn their heads in multiple directions, eventually finding Kai, but he gave them no such chance.


    Moving in the seconds of confusion, he went straight for his next target. Stealthily appearing behind the peak Novice Taoist, he viciously kick the back of each knees. The man immediately buckled and knelt down.


    Kai¡¯s killing intent steadily increased, creating a deadlier pressure that began to slow their movements. Having knelt on the dirt, the man¡¯s head was within his reach. Using his right hand he wrapped around the back of his head and grabbed his chin, and with his left hand he wrapped around the front of his head and grabbed the back of head.


    Channeling Essence to his hands, Kai prepared to twist the man¡¯s neck but before he did so, he quickly realized his intention. Forcefully changing it with an immense amount of effort, he took his hands away and swiftly used the fading Essence to grip his head, then violently smashing it into the dirt.


    -Crash-


    <em style="font-size: 1em">I. Will. Not. Kill!


    Kai took a deep breath to calm himself and reset his mentality. He carefully reined in all of his killing intent.


    The atmosphere returned to normal and the two mid Novice Taoists turned to their heads to the loud sound. Austin, on the other hand, was motionless. The memory of the day rapidly made itself perfectly apparent in his mind. His forged memory completely faded away and he eyes widened in realization.


    He recalled Bak¡¯s and Creek¡¯s timely fall and a flash of Kai¡¯s body twisting, then complete darkness.


    Shivering, he finally understood that he provoked an unnatural monster. Kai had single handedly, with no effort, neutralized him and his two companions that day and now he knocked two peak Novice experts into unconsciousness.


    ¡°Wa-wait, we can talk about this¡±, Austin stuttered while shivering.


    The two mid Novice did not the scenes replaying in Austin¡¯s head nor the fall of their companions. They exchanged confused glances and cautiously stared at the little boy.


    ¡°What the hell is happeni-¡±, the man started.


    Giving the man no time to complete his question, Kai bolted straight for him. Comparing the two peak Novice men¡¯s strength to the wolf¡¯s, he wasted no time and stealthily dismantled them but for the remaining men, however, he was more lax in his methods.


    The moment he reached the range of the first mid Novice Taoist, he instantly jumped and executed a high kick with his right leg, straight for the man¡¯s temple. The man was startled at his speed and silence but he still scoffed as he channeled his Ki, casually raising his arm to block.


    A five year old boy injuring him? The man mentally laughed at the thought.


    Kai¡¯s kick connected with the Taoist¡¯s arm and before he could even blink, his arm instantly broke!


    -Crack-


    Kai¡¯s Essence oppressively overpowered the man¡¯s Ki without contest. Shocked by the pain from his arm, the man was unable to react to Kai¡¯s next move. Knowing he failed to knock the man unconscious, he immediately pressed the heel of his kicking feet against the man¡¯s broken arm and dragged down. Using the man¡¯s arm as a platform, he lifted his free leg off the dirt, quickly twisted his body to the right, and executed a second high kick!


    -Twak-


    The second kick perfectly connected against the man¡¯s temple and he crumpled to the dirt, unconscious. Kai¡¯s resulting position in the air was troublesome but he wisely landed with his hands then performed a backflip, landing on his feet.


    Less than a minute had passed but Kai¡¯s onslaught was already disastrous and Austin and the mid Novice Taoist were the only ones remaining.


    By that moment, all reason evaporated from the minds of the people present. They could only gaze at Kai in awe and fear; Kai¡¯s group in awe, Austin and the man in fear. Fear consuming his mind, the last man standing empowered his body with Ki and hurriedly sprinted towards the bandit¡¯s area.


    Kai casually picked a rock off the ground and imbued it with Essence. With a powerful throw, the rock grazed past Austin¡¯s cheek and accurately smashed on the back of the man¡¯s head. With the power of Essence, the rock exploded into pieces and the man roughly fell face first onto the dirt.


    -Thump-


    Having rid himself of the men, Austin was the only remaining target in Kai¡¯s eyes. Kai slowly walked towards him, placing an intimidating amount of emphasis on each step. Austin was taller than him but he felt as if he was in the audience of a giant and he was the meal. The entire ordeal happened too quickly for him to react and when he finally did, he was already alone.


    Kai steadily began to release his killing intent once more and Austin was completely overwhelmed.


    ¡°G-get away from m-me, you m-monster¡±, Austin whimpered. He fell flat on his bottom and pathetically crawled backwards, attempted to create as much distance between them as he possibly could. Fear devoured his mind, causing him to embarrassingly soil his pants.


    Kai suddenly halted and with a burst of speed, he landed in front of Austin. Before Austin could even cry out, he viciously kicked him in the stomach, recreating the scene where he kicked Teresa.

 Chapter 17: Consequence

    Chapter 17: Consequence


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    -Twak-


    Austin flew back two meters, his body still in motion as he rolled further away before skidding to a halt. He groaned in pain and attempted to rise, pushing himself up with both hands on the dirt, but before he could get on his knees, Kai dashed besides him and viciously kicked his face.


    -Twak-


    The resulting impact caused Austin¡¯s head to snap upwards along with several of his teeth. By now, the amount of pain he was experiencing far surpassed his pain tolerance and tears uncontrollably streamed from his eyes.


    ¡°M-my ather ill ot let ou go¡±, Austin struggled to threaten with what little arrogance he had left. His speech was slurred from the numbing pain on his jaw and the blood in his mouth. His face was covered with a disgusting mixture of tears, blood, and snot.


    Kai¡¯s facial expression remained cold and unchanged throughout the entire fight. He felt no pity for Austin¡¯s miserable state; only a lingering fury from the beginning of it all. Having arrived at the conclusion, he allowed the feeling of vengeance to guide him. He knelt down, roughly grabbed his hair, and pulled it. Placing his face in front of his, he stared into his eyes.


    ¡°Previously I released you and your friends out of goodwill. I left you all unharmed and in return, you dare to come back seeking revenge?¡­¡±, Kai slowly uttered in a low voice so only Austin could hear him.


    Each syllable of his words contained a frightening chill imbued with his restrained fury. Austin tried to reply with superiority but his words were stuck in his throat. He gulped swallowing blood and saliva, along with his fear, and began to speak.


    ¡°Yo-¡±


    -Smack-


    Without warning, Kai smacked him across the face with the back of his free hand. At the same time, he released Austin¡¯s hair causing his face to fly onto the dirt.


    ¡°Was it fun? Did you enjoy doing the same to my sister?¡±, he menacingly asked.


    Austin crawled to his feet and stared at Kai, eyes full of fear.


    ¡°Bu-¡±


    -Smack-


    He tried to speak but Kai exploded forth and smacked him across the other side of his face. He staggered back several steps before losing balance and falling on his bottom. Looking up, he wore a frightful ¡®I can¡¯t even answer your question?¡¯ expression.


    ¡°Stand¡±, Kai coldly commanded.


    Austin unconsciously obeyed and stood on his feet. He nervously raised his head to meet Kai¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Show me. Show me the power you think you possess, the power that made you determine you could hurt my sister.¡±


    Kai motionlessly stood with a cold and calm demeanor in front of Austin, patiently waiting for him to move. Driven by his innate survival instincts, Austin roared in frustration and charged at him with his fist wildly extended. As he ran, faint white strands of Ki exuded from his entire body.


    Sidestepping the meager punch, Kai channeled Essence to his right hand and thrusted it at Austin¡¯s throat. He relentlessly gripped it and with all his strength, he easily lifted Austin off his feet.


    Kai was shorter than Austin so he was unable to lift him high off the dirt but it was enough to have his feet slightly dangling in the air. Choking from the death grip, Austin attempted to free himself by using both his hands in an attempt to pry away Kai¡¯s hand. His attempt proved futile as, even with both his hands, he could not overpower him.


    Austin¡¯s face gradually went a dangerous shade of red as he struggled to breath. The urge to kill the puny weak boy in front of him was overwhelming, but Kai was sane enough to suppress the urge.


    Can. Not. Kill¡­


    Successfully resisting the urge, he empowered his feet with a burst of Essence and leapt forward. Bringing Austin¡¯s body along with him in the air, he landed in a half knee position and slammed his body flat on the dirt.


    -Crash-


    Austin¡¯s head impacted first but he withheld just enough strength to keep him conscious. Blood rushed to his throat and he immediately coughed it out. Kai removed his hand and he greedily gasped deep breathes that sent shocks of pain throughout his battered body. The breaths came with much difficulty as he grimaced with each one. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Is this it? This is the extent of your strength?¡±, Kai whispered to his face.


    He stood up and blankly stared at Austin¡¯s sorry state. Placing his hands behind his back, he defenselessly waited for his next move. Austin gradually rose to his feet, his legs trembling and his pants moist from the prior embarrassment. When he finally erected himself, he realized Kai was right before his eyes, merely a feet away. Shouting with anger and fear, he drew his fist back and threw a right uppercut at him.


    His mind in disarray, Austin¡¯s no longer concentrated enough to properly control his Ki. Noticing the lack of Ki on the fist, Kai lost his intentions of dodging and stood his ground. He channeled Essence to guard his chin and readily took the full force of his naked fist.


    -Bam-


    Austin was stunned that he managed to land a blow. He thought, ¡®Is this it? Did I defeat him?¡¯. The heavenly thought left as fast as it arrived when he saw Kai¡¯s still body. He realized he neither flinched nor bled; his face did not even move.


    ¡°Weak¡±, Kai muttered.


    Austin felt his blood run cold when the words reached his ears. He always thought he was strong, a genius with limitless potential. He was the strongest child amongst the bandit¡¯s younger generation and everyone looked up to him. Now, however, he could not even move a younger boy with a punch. Too frantic to notice his punch lacked Ki, he truly believed he was powerless and his remaining confidence evaporated.


    ¡°W-why are y-you doing th-¡±, Austin started to whine while retreating from his figure.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t come, I will.¡±


    [Shadow Two Steps]


    Kai swiftly disappeared from Austin¡¯s point of view in a blink of an eye. He desperately turned round and round but no matter how he turned, he never saw Kai.


    -Pow-


    All of a sudden, he felt a painful impact on his left ribs. He grabbed his side and quickly turned to see the source of the attack, but he saw nothing.


    ¡°W-wha-¡±


    -Pow-


    Before he could think further, another blow struck his right ribs and he reacted in a similar manner. He still saw nothing.


    -Pow- -Pow-


    Kai repeatedly attacked Austin with shallow, yet painful, punches while expertly hiding in his blind spots, denying even the faintest glimpse of his shadow.


    Austin slowly began to sob, his mental state crumbling to pieces. The torture was more than his feeble young mind could take. First he was thoroughly beaten down, then he was given the opportunity to retaliate but was unable to accomplish anything. Now he was receiving a merciless beating by Kai without being able to even see him.


    Kneeling down, he placed his forehead on the dirt and his hands behind his head. He retracted his elbows to his sides, trying to minimize the amount of places Kai could strike. All the pride he accumulated over the years disintegrated as he knelt in the pitiful position and bawled his eyes out.


    ¡°Please, please stop. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Kai circled to a halt in front of him. Throughout his assault he had no goal in mind, just an incredibly strong desire to utterly humiliate him; to punish him. He gladly followed his vindictive instincts but now, looking at the broken boy in front of him, his mind was blank and he was unsure of his next move.


    ¡°Austin! Are you here?¡±


    The voice came from the direction of the bandits home. Turning his head towards the direction, Kai saw a man walking towards them. Seeing the features and hearing the voice of the man, he instantly recognized him.


    That¡¯s the man the Boss gave commands to during that day when we departed the ship. I believe his name was Mian. What is his relation with Austin?


    Mian walked past the Watchers house and his eyes widened as he absorbed the scene before him. Four young adults he knew were motionless, sprawled on the ground, and Austin was kneeling on the ground, crying like a baby.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡±, Austin repeatedly apologized, unable to hear Mian¡¯s call.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING BOY?¡±


    Veins popped out on Mian¡¯s forehead as he saw Austin¡¯s less than shameful behavior. Ignoring Kai¡¯s existence, he marched over to his side. The moment he arrived, he pulled him up to his feet and was shocked at the state he was in.


    Austin was covered in minor cuts, blackened with bruises, and his clothes were roughly tattered. Fresh blood still coated his lips from the mouthful of blood he coughed out and his eyes were streaming tears. He immediately cowered from Mian¡¯s grip and covered his face, determinately staring at the dirt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡±, he continued to repeat in a delirious state.


    ¡°What happened?¡±, Mian sternly asked in a hard tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mian gradually developed a shocking realization that the boy was currently useless and was not going to give him a proper answer. He scanned the fallen bodies once more and Kai¡¯s figure finally came into focus. He never bothered with slaves before and naturally ignored all of them but now that he examined his surroundings, he noticed that Kai was oddly the only one standing.


    The rest of the slaves were still on their knees, not because they were diligently obeying the bandit¡¯s orders, but because they were stunned in awe by Kai¡¯s actions. From beginning to end, they were unable to logically piece together the scenes that occurred before their very eyes. In their line of sight, Kai was like a ghost when he dashed from one bandit to another.


    Teresa was also stunned but she was the only one with a smile on her face. The circumstances were gruesome and unfortunate but it was the first time she heard Kai refer to her as his sister. She was incredibly touched and felt a warm happiness in her heart, despite the bruises on her body and face. Her smile, however, faded away the moment Mian laid eyes on them.


    ¡°What happened?¡±, Mian demanded as his eyes returned to Kai.


    Before Kai could think of a response, the doors of the Watcher¡¯s house opened. A short round man stepped through followed by a tall skinny man.


    ¡°Austin, are you finished yet?¡±, the short Watcher casually asked as he walked out.


    His steps came an abrupt stop as he grasped the scene around him. The tall Watcher took no notice of his companions stop and toppled over him, comedically falling onto the dirt. Mian ominously turned his head to face the short Watcher¡¯s, his eyes shining with fury.


    ¡°What happened here?¡±, Mian harshly asked the short Watcher, clearly becoming tired of repeating his question.


    ¡°Sir¡±, the short Watcher replied as he dropped to one knee. The tall man clumsily crawled to the same position. ¡°Austin told us to not come out of the house even if we hear fighting noises and that he would tell us when it¡¯s cover.¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s over? What did he say he was going to do?¡±


    ¡°He said he was going to teach the slaves a lesson, Sir¡±, the short Watcher respectfully answered.


    Mian turned his head back at Kai and the rest of the slaves. The Watchers did the same and they all thought, ¡®What part of this looks like a lesson?¡¯. As he carefully examined each person he grew more suspicious of Kai.


    Judging the positions of the kneeling slaves, he saw their knees, with the exception of the injured girl, shallowly indented into the dirt. Recognizing they were there for a prolonged period of time, the only person left was Kai.


    Kai¡¯s clothes were slightly ruffled and showed no indication of being in a fight. His fists, however, were slightly reddened and dirty; his feet were even filthier. Connecting the dots, he knew the small slave boy in front of him was part of the fight; ¡®But how?¡¯, he thought. He did not believe the boy was capable of defeating five separate Novice¡¯s while finishing unharmed but with no other leads, he was forced to ask.


    ¡°Boy, were you the one that hurt our people?¡±, Mian carefully asked.


    The Watchers looked incredulously at Mian, then at Kai.


    The man with the broken arm can testify against me when he wakes¡­


    ¡°Yes¡±, Kai calmly answered with the truth.


    ¡°NO!¡±, Teresa cried out but Mian ignored her.


    ¡°Really?¡±, Mian slowly replied, accepting Kai as the true culprit. His gaze hardened as brown light emitted from his body. ¡°Then you have to deal with the consequence.¡±

 Chapter 18: Stop

    Chapter 18: Stop


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    His light is brown?


    Kai attempted to peer inside Mian¡¯s dantian but the miraculous phenomenon from before disappeared. The tingling sensation was no more and his eyes returned to normal.


    How was I able to see their dantians before?... Forget it, I need to concentrate


    Abandoning the thoughts of using the advantageous sight, he expertly assessed his current situation.


    Roughly half left¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have used so much Essence on Austin. If I¡¯m correct, his light is different because he controls an element. He¡¯s more powerful than anything I¡¯ve ever faced and he also controls too many variables therefore¡­ I need to make the first move!


    Mian extended his brown lit hand, palm facing Kai. Kai immediately flexed his legs and prepared to dash to the side but before he could lift his feet off the ground, they were stuck! He slightly lowered his eyes, smartly keeping Mian in his line of sight, and saw that his feet were encased within a ridiculously hard dirt mound. He instantly tried to free himself but the dirt refused to budge.


    Earth! So he¡¯s a Baron and his element is earth.


    Having accurately guessed Mian¡¯s element, he was still in the same dire immobile situation. Empowering his feet with Essence, he exerted greater effort to break free. Cracks began to appear from the bottom of the dirt mound. Mian raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly not expecting a mere Novice to break out of his entrapment.


    Recovering from his slight surprise, a small ¡®Hpmh¡¯ escaped his lips as he drew his right hand back and the dirt below him trembled. He stomped forward with his left foot and with a twist of his body, he thrusted out his right hand, it¡¯s palm facing Kai. The trembling dirt released several hardened shard-shaped dirt as it followed the movement of his hand, flying straight at Kai!


    Kai¡¯s eyes flashed with a sense of danger. At the very last moment, before the rocks pierced his body, the dirt mound entrapment exploded and he hurriedly tumbled to the left.


    -Tak- -Tak- -Tak- -Tak-


    He swiftly pushed himself out of the rolling momentum and stood on his feet. Peering behind him, he saw multiple shallow holes in the dirt.


    The force is so strong! The dirt shards embedded so deep, they are no longer visible. So this is the power of elements¡­


    Kai¡¯s eyes burned with yearning.


    I need to become stronger...


    Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he returned his attention back to the fight and dashed at Mian.


    ¡°Foolish¡±, he scoffed.


    Mian formed a claw with the fingers of his left hand and pointed it towards the ground. Swiping upwards, the dirt near the approaching Kai erupted. A thick pillar of dirt launched out of it and headed straight for his body.


    The new ability startled him but with his incredible reflex, he pivoted his foot and perfectly dodged the dirt pillar as it grazed his shirt. Mian, however, was not done. His right hand quickly followed his left hand and another pillar erected itself straight at Kai.


    Kai dodged the new dirt pillar but was given no breathing room as Mian continued to swipe with his hands, creating several more pillars. The seemingly endless pillars hindered him from advancing forward but he slowly adapted to the pillars and proceeded forward, inch by inch.


    No good. At this rate, I¡¯m going to run out of Essence. Unless¡­


    A dangerous thought crossed his mind but he decided to act upon it. He heightened his hearing and empowered his ears with Essence. Carefully paying attention to the pattern of the pillars, he concentrated on the dirt. Moments later, after dodging a few pillars, he heard the dirt tremble behind him.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Now!


    A dirt pillar erupted and targeted his back but he suddenly jumped. Jumping high into the air, his feet landed on the flat end of the pillar! Using the momentum of the pillar and channeling Essence to his feet, he rocketed towards Mian in an instant.


    ¡°What!¡±, the short Watcher yelped in surprise.


    ¡°Troublesome brat¡±, Mian grunted.


    Altering his movements, he bent down and placed both hands on the dirt. He briefly waited before abruptly standing, thrusting his hands upwards. A wall of dirt erected between him and Kai as he swiftly slammed both hands on the wall. The wall detached off the dirt and, as if it was as light as a paper, it surged forward with an incredible speed towards Kai.


    Unable to stop his rocketing momentum in mid-air, Kai prepared to propel off the wall by placing both hands forward. The force of the wall, however, was more than he imagined and it violently collided against him, sending him flying back onto the dirt.


    -Crash-


    As Kai hit the dirt, he expertly twisted his body and rolled into a crouching position.


    I still need to be closer to use [Shadow Two Steps] but his defense is absurdly potent with the surrounding dirt. The manipulated dirt is also too hard for me to break through... It seems I have no choice but to rely on my killing intent¡­


    He closed his eyes and tapped into his killing intent. His monstrous killing intent impatiently sat in his inner consciousness.


    ¡°Did the boy give up?¡±, the tall Watcher asked no one in particular.


    Mian raised an eyebrow and thought, ¡®What is he doing?¡¯


    Kai carefully released his killing intent, concentrating it. Gathering enough, his eyes snapped open and he directed it on Mian.


    Mian instantly shivered. His calm, but annoyed, demeanor changed and he envisioned a terrifying predicament he experienced in the past. His surroundings faded away, replaced by a brilliant green forest. The boundless trees stretched as far as the eyes could see, luscious fruits and valuable herbs surrounded him, but the forest was eerily silent. He was within a group of people and each one of them were cowering in fear.


    In front of him and his group of companions, was an enormous bear with a furious glint in its eyes. The bear stood on its hind legs, towering over four meters, and viciously growled, baring every one of its sharp teeth. Scorching smoke leaked from the gap between it¡¯s teeth as it emitted a hideously intimidating aura. Upon sensing the aura, Mian froze for a moment, then sprinted away from the scene, abandoning his group of companions.


    ¡°MIAN!¡±, a voice called out from the distance.


    The memory lasted for merely a second but to Mian, he felt like he relived the entire duration. His expression was blank and beads of sweat exuded from his forehead.


    ¡°Wh-¡±


    Without giving him any time to recover, Kai immediately dashed towards him. Closing the distance in seconds, he pivoted his left foot forward and executed a tornado kick at his head. Still frozen in his mental stupor, Mian defenselessly received his kick and was sent roughly onto the dirt.


    It wasn¡¯t enough, his head is so hard! He must be guarded by the Qi.


    Sure enough, Mian drowsily rose to his feet. ¡®What the hell happened?¡¯, he thought as Kai returned to his view. He was unable to comprehend what happened but from the throbbing pain in his head, and his shaky vision, he knew Kai landed a blow on him.


    ¡°You! Brat!¡±, he bellowed, his eyes blazing with anger.


    He formed two claws with his hands and pointed them straight at Kai. Kai immediately sprinted towards him the moment Mian pointed his hands but the dirt around him began to tremble. He heightened his senses and prepared to avoid the incoming pillar. To his astonishment, instead of a pillar, the dirt around him bursted high into the air. Adapting rapidly, he halted and jumped into the air, planning to leap over the surrounding dirt wall.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Prison]¡±, Mian scoffed and clapped his hands together.


    The dirt surged forward and instantly encased Kai in the air. He attempted to channel Essence to his arms and break free but was taken aback when he realized he had none left. His dantian was completely empty.


    I must have depleted a majority of my remaining Essence while dodging¡­


    Mian lowered his hands and Kai¡¯s encased body dropped into the dirt in a half buried state. He approached Kai and the brown light around his body dispersed into the air with every step.


    ¡°Stinking brat¡±, he snarled when he reached Kai. ¡°So small yet so freakishly strong, making me waste so much Qi. I can see how you were able to defeat my best men and my best student but did you really think you could defeat me? Know your place.¡±


    Kai was unfazed by each word and insult. Raising his head, he casually locked eyes with Mian. Mian was stunned. Peering into his eyes, he saw an unnatural amount of maturity from such a young boy. His eyes reflected no fear, no hate, only a fierce impassiveness. The sheer conviction from his gaze caused Mian to feel intimidated. He blinked several times in an attempt to rid himself from the feeling before glaring at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the look in your eyes brat. It seems you think you still have a chance. Let me show you how wrong you are¡±, he sneered.


    Brown light reemerged from his body as he clapped his hands together. The dirt encasing Kai slowly began to constrict him. Unwilling to surrender without a fight, Kai tried to break out of it once more but was ultimately unable to without the power of Essence.


    Kai felt his muscles and bones being compressed by the dirt as he continued to futilely resist. A sickening sound echoed from his body as the compression broke his right arm. The sound caused everyone, except Mian, to cringe but his expression remained the same. The amount of pain was bearable to him unlike the incident with the marking.


    ¡°Heh, still putting up a fight?¡±


    Kai continued to wear a deadpan face as the another sickening sound could be heard. His left arm had broken.


    Am I really going to die here?...


    ¡°You can kill me¡±, Kai slowly started, carefully enunciating each word, ¡°but spare the rest, they did not participate.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±, Teresa and the rest yelled, Teresa being the loudest.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re in any position to negotiate brat?¡±


    Mian hands remained in the same position and his gaze was unfazed as the dirt continued to compress on him.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Teresa begged.


    Mian ignored her.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    The commanding voice of a man startled everyone present and they turned to look at him. Upon seeing him, Mian immediately dropped his hands and fell on one knee. The Watchers took more time to register the sight of the man but when they did, they also fell to one knee.


    ¡°Boss!¡±, the three of them called in respect.

 Chapter 19: Punishment

    Chapter 19: Punishment


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    Kai gazed at him. Five years passed but Boss¡¯s features remained the same as his memories except for his attire. He lost the thick fur cloak and his overcoat was replaced by light, yet extravagant, clothing.


    What is he doing here?


    ¡°What are you doing here Boss?¡±, Mian inquired, thinking along the same lines.


    ¡°I wanted to talk to my right hand man but I saw you were busy¡±, Boss replied with a smile.


    ¡°Why did you stop me then?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve had some of your pride hurt from this boy but don¡¯t let it cloud you from thinking properly¡±, he lectured.


    ¡°Pride? Do you see the state of my men and our best student? If we let this go the rest of the slaves will start to get ideas and possibly rebel¡±, Mian countered as he pointed to the injured.


    The four men were still sprawled on the dirt but Austin ceased apologizing. Instead, he transitioned to a balled up fetal position on the floor, rocking back and forth. When Mian released him to attack Kai, he immediately bent down and returned to cowering. Boss glanced over the men and Austin but his facial expression remained neutral.


    ¡°This boy will be punished, there¡¯s no question about that. However, you can not kill him. His potential is incredibly rare, as well as his fortitude. You¡¯ve broken both his arms but have you heard him scream in pain?¡±


    Mian widened his eyes and turned to glance at Kai. The anger that clouded his sight faded and he witnessed the calm and impassive nature of Kai.


    ¡°If we can nurture him and command him as our own, he will become a very powerful trump card.¡±


    ¡°But how can you be sure we can tame this wild boy?¡±, Mian doubted.


    ¡°Have you gotten old, Mian? Did you not hear him beg for the lives of his slave companions? I¡¯m sure we settle upon something if we hold their lives hostage¡±, he smirked.


    ¡°Ah!...¡±, he recalled, his eyes widening. ¡°I was short-sighted. Boss is wise as always.¡±


    ¡°Enough flattery, let¡¯s get moving. Watcher¡¯s, you two take the injured men and Austin to the infirmary. Mian, you take the boy and meet me back at my house. I will gather the other chiefs and together we¡¯ll discuss what to do with the boy.¡±


    ¡°Yes Boss¡±, the three men obeyed.


    Boss turned and strode back to the bandit¡¯s area. Mian sighed as he walked towards the half-buried Kai and the Watcher¡¯s hurriedly lugged Austin and the men, starting with the closest ones. When Mian neared Kai, he waved a hand, coated with brown light, in an upward motion and Kai¡¯s body gradually surfaced. With several more hand movements, the dirt encasing him receded but left behind a thick dirt binding around his body.


    ¡°You got lucky today but there won¡¯t be a next time. Now get on your feet and follow me¡±, he barked.


    Kai slowly rose to his feet and carefully scanned his surroundings.


    What can I do to escape¡­


    Familiar with the look, Mian swiftly approached him and with a flash of brown light, his hand was on Kai¡¯s throat. He neglected to apply pressure on his throat but Kai understood his intention.


    ¡°No funny business. You walk first and I¡¯ll follow.¡±


    Acknowledging his lack of options, Kai began to walk into the bandit¡¯s area. Walking past the Watcher¡¯s house, he recognized the bandit houses; their appearances remained the same as the time he laid eyes on them from Teresa¡¯s arms. In the center of the cluster of wooden buildings was the same unique stone house.


    ¡°This is your first time entering our area, and you¡¯re about to head straight into the Boss¡¯s house. Consider it a great honor. Walk to the stone building ahead of you.¡±


    Kai was unresponsive as he walked towards the Boss¡¯s house, drawing the attention of each bandit along the way. Their eyes shone with disgust as they hissed at his very existence. Arriving at the entrance, he observed the distinct differences of the house. The smooth stones that incorporated the house was contrasted by a glossy wooden door that reflected the rays of the sun.


    Truly extravagant compared to the rest of the houses.


    Mian walked past Kai and opened the door.


    ¡°Get in brat¡±, he turned to command.


    Kai casually entered and witnessed an assortment of lavishness he failed to see ever since he began his new life. The walls were decorated with mismatched paintings that he could only assume were stolen, the chairs were each covered in beast¡¯s fur, and the table¡¯s materials were similar to the glossy wooden door. A straight staircase leaned to the left of the house, leading to a second floor.


    In the center of the building was a conspicuous round table. The table was embellished with artistic carvings and surrounded by four chairs. One chair differed and stood out from the other three. It¡¯s spine was twice as tall and it was adorned with an exquisite red and black striped fur while the rest were casually draped with bushy brown fur.


    Mian walked over to a brown furred seat and sat down.


    ¡°Stand there and wait for Boss.¡±


    Not long after his command, Boss entered with a man and a familiar woman. They walked to the empty seats and sat down; Boss naturally sitting in the exquisite chair.


    Veronica is a chief? From the way he treated her in the past I would¡¯ve assumed otherwise.


    ¡°This boy is the reason you called us, Boss?¡±, Veronica respectfully asked.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Yes. This boy is surprisingly strong. Strong enough to keep Mian tied up and even land a blow on him.¡±


    Veronica and the man inhaled a breath of surprise.


    ¡°Are you sure Mian isn¡¯t just getting old?¡±, the man smirked. ¡°I¡¯ve always said he¡¯s not what he used to be.¡±


    -Bang-


    ¡°Shut your mouth Grunt¡±, Mian retorted across the table as he angrily banged his fist onto the armrest.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try¡±, Grunt countered, maintaining his smirk. Brown light immediately gathered around his body.


    Mian also released his own brown light.


    ¡°Tsk. Typical men, always so hot-headed¡±, Veronica knowingly remarked as she examined her nails with great interest.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk¡±, Grunt scoffed.


    -Slam-


    ¡°Enough¡±, Boss ordered as he slammed his open hand on the table. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you two, if you want to fight, fight outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes Boss¡±, the two men replied. They receded their brown lights and reluctantly leaned on their chairs.


    ¡°Back to the boy, what is your plan for him Boss?¡±, Veronica asked.


    ¡°Simple. We will use his strength and use it for our own purposes.¡±


    ¡°Will the boy be so easy to tame?¡±, Grunt doubtfully questioned.


    ¡°Very. He cares for the rest of the slaves so we can use them as leverage.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡±, Veronica evilly smiled. ¡°How perfect. What say you, boy?¡±


    ¡°... I will follow your commands but, I want your word that you will not harm my companions¡±, Kai slowly replied.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re in a position to make demands?¡±, Boss smirked in amusement.


    ¡°If you do not agree, then just kill me¡±, Kai responded with a firm, steady, eyes.


    Boss stared at Kai before laughing.


    ¡°Alright. You have my word that we will not harm your slave friends. However, you also have my word that if I see, or even hear, you go against me, they will be the first ones to pay¡±, he threatened with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.


    Kai nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Since we have that settled¡±, Veronica began with a smile, ¡°how about we start with his name. What is your name boy?¡±


    ¡°Kai¡±, he answered, seeing no reason to lie.


    ¡°Kai. What a peculiar name¡±, she softly commented.


    ¡°Well then, Kai, you used Qi against me so I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re a Novice¡±, Mian speculated ¡°Initial Novice, judging from your young age.¡±


    ¡°Correct¡±, Kai blatantly answered.


    ¡°Actually how old are you?¡±, Grunt nonchalantly asked.


    ¡°Five.¡±


    Boss and the chiefs took a gasp of astonishment.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of a five year old Novice?¡±, Grunt lightly asked, nudging Veronica to his left.


    ¡°I have not¡±, Veronica answered absentmindedly as she violently shrugged his elbow off, ¡°and since when could you be touchy with me.¡±


    ¡°Come on darling. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never considered me¡±, he playfully replied with a cheeky smirk.


    Veronica answered with a fierce glare.


    ¡°Five year old Novice¡­¡±, Boss echoed, ignoring the altercation between Veronica and Grunt. He leaned in, placing his elbows on the table and his chin on folded hands. ¡°You have more value than I first thought.¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯m curious. How can you be so strong even if you¡¯re an Initial Novice. I don¡¯t believe a child from that measly village could grow to be so strong. And those senior slaves are far too weak to teach you.¡±


    ¡°I am not from the village¡±, Kai tactfully replied, attempting to avoid the question on the origin of his strength.


    ¡°Not from the village¡­?, Boss questioned.


    ¡°OH!¡±, Veronica exclaimed in realization. She pointed her finger at Kai. ¡°You¡¯re that baby boy we picked up from the ocean.¡±


    Boss, Mian, and Grunt¡¯s eyes lit up in the same realization.


    ¡°Ho ho¡­ the gods must¡¯ve sent us a little present that day¡±, Boss laughed shortly. ¡°I am glad I decided to accept those children and babies as our slaves, otherwise I would¡¯ve abandoned the baby in the ocean.¡±


    ¡°To think it¡¯s only been five years since I held him in my arms¡±, Veronica fondly recalled.


    If I remember correctly, she said she hated children¡­


    ¡°But you hate children¡­¡±, Grunt stated, aligning with Kai¡¯s thoughts, with a perplexed expression.


    ¡°Did I ask for your opinion?¡±, she snapped back.


    ¡°Moving forward¡±, Mian interrupted, ¡°I would like to talk about the boy¡¯s punishment.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Just because he hit you, you want him to be punished?¡±, Grunt remarked. ¡°Tsk tsk, don¡¯t be so petty, you don¡¯t even look hurt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of me¡±, he retorted with a glare. ¡°He incapacitated four men and turned Austin into some frightened little rabbit. How can we let him off for such rebellious actions?¡±


    ¡°Austin¡­¡±, Grunt murmured to himself. ¡°Ah! He¡¯s that kid you took a liking into a long time ago. I¡¯ve forgotten to ask, why is that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s besides the point. The point is he injured our people and deserves to be punished.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second¡±, Veronica interjected. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the kid defeated five Novice¡¯s and still managed to land a blow on you?¡±


    Mian silently clenched his fists.


    ¡°Stop changing the topic plea-¡±


    ¡°Hah! I like this boy more now. How about we just give him a smack on the ass and send him on his way.¡±


    -Slam-


    Mian slammed his hands on the edges of his armrests and abruptly stood on his feet, releasing thick brown light in the process.


    ¡°Grunt!¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡±, he laughed as he reflected Mian¡¯s actions.


    Are these two mentally ill?...


    Boss rubbed his thumb and index finger along his eyebrows in frustration. With his eyes closed, he roared, ¡°Mian! Grunt! Sit. Down.¡±


    They each slowly, and reluctantly, sat down; Grunt maintaining his humorous taunting smile as Miann glared at him.


    ¡°I propose to whip the boy thirty times¡±, Mian growled between his teeth, his burning eyes still locked on Grunt.


    ¡°That¡¯s too severe. Who¡¯s going to supply the pills necessary to heal the boy afterwards?¡±, Veronica logically rejected.


    Mian sighed, taking his eyes off Grunt and placing them on Kai. He knew the value of pills and had no desire of using his own limited supply.


    ¡°How about we just lock him away for a week without giving him any food or water¡±, Grunt casually mentioned, shrugging his shoulders. His playful challenging demeanor diminished as he grew satisfied at his extent of annoying Mian.


    ¡°That sounds reasonable¡±, Boss agreed. ¡°I second that decision.¡±


    ¡°I like it¡±, Veronica agreed next.


    Mian heaved a heavy sigh, acknowledging his inability to deal a more abundant punishment.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Grunt, you lead the boy to a cell and chain him¡±, Boss decided.


    ¡°Yes, Boss¡±, he complied as he walked towards Kai. ¡°Follow me boy.¡±


    He casually strode out of the house and, while facing the path to the slave¡¯s area, he took a right turn and continued walking. Kai trailed behind Grunt for several steps before stopping.


    ¡°Excuse me¡±, Kai began. ¡°Is it possible to get something for my broken arms?¡±


    ¡°Broken arms?¡±


    Kai calmly gazed into Grunt¡¯s eyes and nodded. Grunt lowered his gaze at the binding on Kai and released brown light around his body. Waving his hands, the binding became undone and he examined Kai¡¯s broken forearms.


    ¡°That god damned brute, making things more troublesome¡±, Grunt sighed, planting his palm on his face. His eyes quickly snapped back on Kai in sudden realization. ¡°Wait, why were you so quiet. Does it not hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°...You really are a little monster¡±, he muttered after a pause. Returning from his surprise, he juggled the possible solutions for Kai¡¯s arms. ¡°...I¡¯ll just get you splinters from the infirmary, I¡¯m not going to waste pills on you.¡±


    Completing his decision, he deviated from his initial direction and Kai followed. They neared, then entered, a long-stretched wooden building with two heavy flaps for doors.


    ¡°Hey Doc, I need two splinters for the forearms¡±, Grunt called out as soon as he stepped past the flaps of the building.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy¡±, a voice retorted in an annoyed tone.


    Kai entered after Grunt and took in the crowded infirmary. There were numerous beds lined up along the sides of the houses, creating an open pathway in the center of the building. In that pathway, the man who replied briskly paced in between the beds that contained three unconscious men and a sleeping Austin. The man wore a long white robe and glasses and his light blue hair slicked back, reaching the end of his neck.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had to deal with this nervous mess of a kid while mending to the injuries of those useless men. The Watchers are about to bring in another man as well, so if you have any problems you can wait¡±, Doc nastily replied.


    ¡°The request isn¡¯t for me¡±, Grunt replied as he casually pointed at Kai with his thumb, ¡°it¡¯s for this boy.¡±


    Doc stopped his movements and glanced at Kai, his glasses drooping on the tip of nose. Glancing at the state of his body, his eyes widened as he asked, ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is the boy the Watcher¡¯s mentioned talked about, the one that harmed these people?¡±


    ¡°Yep¡±, Grunt confirmed.


    ¡°Well¡±, Doc started with a smile. ¡°Any enemy of these bandits is a friend of mine. I wouldn¡¯t even be wasting good medical pastes on these entitled pricks if it weren¡¯t for my debt to the Boss.¡±


    ¡°Why the nasty language Doc, it¡¯s not like we mistreat you.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t like any of you¡±, Doc smirked. ¡°Anyways let¡¯s get you those splinters.¡±


    Doc stared at Kai¡¯s now swollen and bruised arms. Judging the length of his arms, he then strode to the far end of the building, opened a cabinet, and collected two flat wooden boards. Walking back to Kai, he reached into the deep pockets of his robe, pulled out two long pieces of cloth and carefully formed two comfortable splinters on Kai¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Thank you, Doc¡±, Kai appreciated when Doc completed his treatment.


    ¡°My name is Tanner¡±, he leaned in and whispered. He straightened his back and smiled. ¡°Take care boy, I hope to see you again¡±


    Kai performed a slight bow before Grunt firmly grabbed his shoulder and led him out of the building. ¡°Time to go to the cell.¡±

 Chapter 20: Opportunity

    Chapter 20: Opportunity


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    The skies, contrary to the time of day, darkened as Grunt shepherded Kai to confinement. He lifted his head and squinted at the sky. Grey clouds progressively enveloped the clear skies and cottony clouds, dimming the morning sun.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s going to rain¡±, Grunt determined. ¡°Because I like you boy, I¡¯ll give you the cell with a ceiling.¡±


    Kai silently nodded Grunt¡¯s show of grace, to which he smirked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say much do you boy?¡±


    He silently nodded once more; Grunt laughed shortly.


    ¡°Guess I should have expected that answer¡±


    The path was relatively brief and in no time, they left behind the countless bandit houses, entering a nearly empty grass field. Four cells were distinctly isolated in the center of the grass field and placed in a neat square formation


    Jagged stone bars outlined the sides of the cells while the floors were left vacant. The ceilings were barred as well except for a single one. Grunt brought Kai to the particular cell with the flat ceiling but as they approached, a grimy hand lunged out in an instant from a neighboring cell.


    ¡°Please¡­ water¡­¡±, a hoarse deep voice pleaded from the cell.


    Grunt apathetically stared at the hand, then at the disheveled man it belonged to. The man was unkempt and dressed in ragged garbs, struggling to maintain his shaky hand in the air.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, do you not see the sky? You¡¯ll have all the water you could ever want very soon¡±, he sneered.


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    The man continued to plead but Grunt ignored him. Unhinging the lock and opening the cell, he placed a firm grip on Kai¡¯s shoulder, guiding him inside. The contents of the cell consisted of two stone ankle braces, each chained to a bar on opposite sides. Grunt stretched out his hands at the braces and with a glow of brown light, they expanded.


    ¡°Step into them.¡±


    Kai obediently stepped into the widened circles. The braces proceeded to shrink and securely fastened themselves around his ankles.


    Grunt nodded approvingly at his cooperation. ¡°Smart boy. You¡¯re probably the easiest person I¡¯ve ever put into any of these cells. Sigh. I remember that beast of a man, almost bit my fingers off that freak did. Speaking of beasts, that rabid dog was even more of a pain in my¡­¡±


    Catching himself amidst his rambling, he shook his head and met Kai¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Anyway, if you keep behaving, maybe I¡¯ll bring you a blanket¡±, he finished with a wink.


    He closed off the cell and left without another word, eventually disappearing behind the mass of houses. Kai carefully moved his arms, disregarding the constant throbbing pain.


    Fortunately my arms are cleanly broken otherwise these splinters would be of no help. I wonder how long they will take to recover¡­


    Setting aside the problem for the time being, his eyes zoomed about, thoroughly examining and processing his surroundings.


    The pleading man went silent the moment Grunt disappeared from view and grew eerily listless. Leaving the sad man to himself, he gazed at the remaining empty cells, then at the stone pillared wall in the distance. A slight gap stood in the middle of his view along with two men, each lazily leaning against a pillar.


    They¡¯re either extremely confident or foolishly ignorant to leave an escape route right across from their captivity. Roughly¡­ a hundred meters or so, not too difficult. Those guards don¡¯t look too attentive, if I get the chance I can still escape¡­


    Kai thought of possible getaway scenarios in his mind but immediately ran into a problem.


    What about Teresa and the rest¡­ if I escape, will they be okay? Will the bandit¡¯s leave them alone?... No. It¡¯s too risky. Unless an opportunity shows itself, it¡¯s best to listen to them for now¡­


    He lowered himself to the ground and attempted to fold his legs but the ankle braces proved to be annoyingly obstructing. Abandoning the typical cross legged position, he laid himself flat against the ground and mindlessly stared at the blank ceiling. Tapping into his sense of touch, he felt the clothes against his body, the knife against his side, the beast core in his pocket, and the paper against his waste.


    Luckily they did not bother to check my body. The knife and beast core would¡¯ve been difficult to explain much less the cryptic paper. The paper¡­


    Thinking of the paper, his thoughts wandered to the incident in the previous day. The intense fight with the wolf, the discovery of a new technique, then the encounter with an unusual and mysterious man. Now he fought five Novices and a Baron, only to be ultimately apprehended and blackmailed. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Things have escalated so quickly¡­


    Mulling briefly over the sudden chain of events, he transitioned his thoughts to cultivation.


    This might not be that bad, if anything I will have seven days to cultivate without being interrupted.


    He casually closed his eyes. Laying on his back made no difference to his Sixth and he easily sensed the Qi and Ki around him. The energies softly entered his body, as Essence, and gathered in his dantian. A tingling sensation traveled to the throbbing pain in his broken arms.


    What?


    Concentrating on the sensation, he realized some of the Essence uncontrollably strayed from his dantian and traveled to his arms. Keeping calm, he formulated a theory and left the energy to its own devices, patiently waiting for the results.


    I don¡¯t believe Essence would harm me so it is most likely mending my broken bones.


    The tingling sensation transitioned to a refreshingly comfortable feeling as he lost track of time.


    *Drip* *Drop*


    Several raindrops softly impacted the swaying blades of grass. The raindrops quickly multiplied as the sky darkened, developing into a healthy rainfall. Stormy winds blew the rain past the gaps of the bars, proving the ceiling somewhat useless as the wetness conclusively reached Kai¡¯s body. Kai, however, was too deep into his cultivation to be bothered by simple rain.


    It¡¯s almost done¡­


    After cultivating for hours, Kai lightly raised his arms and felt that they were nearly fully healed.


    Still not strong enough to apply force but this speed is so unbelievably fast! It hasn¡¯t even been a full day yet¡­ This world is truly marvelous, this recovery rate would¡¯ve been completely impossible in my past life.


    Finished with his astonishment, he prepared to return to cultivating until he heard a small crowd of light footsteps heading his way.


    Strange¡­ why would anyone visit the cells during this time and weather? It¡¯s nearly nightfall and it¡¯s raining¡­


    Kai heightened his hearing and concentrated on the footsteps.


    One¡­ two¡­ three people¡­


    As the footsteps grew louder, soft hushed voices became audible.


    ¡°... Why can¡¯t we wait for the next day again? The rain is coming down hard¡±, a male voice whispered.


    ¡°Yeah. My clothes are getting soaked¡±, another male voice complained.


    ¡°The rain will wash away the blood so just man up and take it!¡±, a third male voice scolded, his tone straining to go as high as it could while whispering.


    ¡°Hey, who says you get to yell us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How can I be yelling if we¡¯re all whispering?¡±, the man gnashed, his aggravation growing by the seconds.


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­¡±, the two men dumbly acknowledged.


    ¡°...How the hell are you two buffoons even alive.¡±


    ¡°Hey, now that¡¯s uncalled for.¡±


    A unrestrained sigh penetrated the near silence of the night.


    ¡°You two can stop arguing now, we¡¯re here.¡±


    The footsteps halted and Kai heard the hinge on the cell door being lifted. As the door opened, he sat up and stared at the men. They were still visible in the remaining light of the day. Taking a good look, he saw no noticeable differences between them.


    ¡°May I help you?¡±, Kai casually asked.


    ¡°You look real calm boy. Do you know why we¡¯re here?¡±, a man sneered.


    ¡°...Revenge?¡±, he guessed.


    ¡°H-how did he know?¡±, another man stuttered.


    Two of the men took a step back and gazed at Kai in awe. The man who initially answered Kai slapped them on the back of the heads.


    ¡°Why do you two buffoons look so scared? All he did was guess correctly.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Want to fight?¡±, a man countered as he rubbed the back of his head.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    They exchanged a battle of glares before the initial man sighed.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry. Now we can get back to business? Remember, we¡¯re here for the boy not to pointlessly argue.¡±


    The two angry men pacified as they recalled their true intentions. Turning their heads, they all returned their attention back on Kai.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have hurt my brother¡±, a man conveyed while cracking his knuckles.


    ¡°Or broke my cousin¡¯s arm.¡±


    ¡°But it looks like you got what you deserved¡±, a man followed up with a sneer, his eyes wandering to the splinters on Kai¡¯s arms.


    These men are too foolish to be sent by Boss or the chiefs.


    ¡°Does the Boss know about this?¡±, Kai questioned.


    ¡°Who says you can so casually name our Boss?¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m assuming not.¡±


    ¡°W-well-¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to explain ourselves with you!¡±, another man raged with a glare.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe he will be too happy about this¡±, Kai calmly reasoned.


    ¡°Please, who do you think you are boy? Why would Boss care about us teaching you a little lesson?¡±


    ¡°He stopped Mian from hurting me, why would you three be different?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t Boss stop Mian from hurting him?¡±, a man whispered worriedly to his companions.


    ¡°... No, he only stopped Mian from killing him. There¡¯s nothing wrong with hurting him. Why else does he have broken arms?¡±


    The men nodded in agreement to the man¡¯s revised analysis.


    These idiots can¡¯t be reasoned with¡­


    Kai turned to peer at the exit and saw that the guards were gone.


    The guards either left because of the rain or they called them away, how troublesome.


    Judging the positions of their bodies, Kai knew they were intent on attacking him so he indifferently rose to his feet.


    The moment Kai erected himself, one of the men lunged at him with a closed fist. Bending to the side and lowering the center of his body, he easily avoided the fist. Placing his foot forward, he invaded the man¡¯s center of balance, causing the man to tumble over Kai¡¯s body. He tripped forward and pathetically fell onto the grass.


    ¡°Ha!¡±, a man jeered, his finger pointing at his fallen companion. He roared in laughter. ¡°You missed and fell over his body. Ha!¡±


    The fallen man propped himself up and turned to glare, not at his companion, but at Kai. With a desire for redemption, he lunged at Kai once more as Ki protruded from his body. Nearing him, he drew his leg back and threw a kick. Instead of retreating, Kai stepped forward and lifted his foot, dragging the chain along with it. The chain caught the brunt of the kick and the man comedically fell backwards.


    The previous laughing man clutched in stomach in uncontrollable laughter and the inactive man besides him smirked. Kai, however, was immediately interested in the chains. Examining the area where the man kicked, he saw small cracks on the surface!


    ¡­ An opportunity!


    ¡°My turn now.¡±


    The inactive man rushed at Kai, channeling Ki on the way, and lifted his feet into the air, performing a drop kick. Kai pivoted and perfectly placed the weakened chain where his body was. The drop kick viciously descended onto the ground.


    -Crack-


    Blinking in surprise, the man blankly peered at the victim of his kick, the other man ceased laughing, and the fallen man dumbly sat up. Pieces of the stone chain were visibly scattered on the grass. He raised his head and Kai innocently met his gaze.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    Kai tilted his head, feigning naivete. Not buying his show of innocence, the man twisted his body and diagonally kicked at his body. With only a single chain binding him, he easily spun around and lifted his chained feet above his head. The man accurately struck the chain but lacked the strength needed to thoroughly break it, resulting in a rebound. He stumbled backwards in a flurry of steps.


    -Snap-


    Placing his feet back on the ground, Kai gave a hard nudge with his foot the last, now cracked, chain cleanly broke off. The three men¡¯s eyes bulged; what originally began as a painful lesson turned to an unexpected breakout.


    ¡°Thanks¡±, Kai nodded with a slight smile.

 Chapter 21: Escape

    Chapter 21: Escape


    Bandit¡¯s Home, Jade Empire


    ¡°H-hey stay right there!¡±, the sitting man called out.


    ¡°Go call a chief and tell them that the chains are broken¡±, the man commanded the previously laughing man.


    ¡°B-but, what do I tell him?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter? Just go tell him so he can fix it! Unless you can fix it?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay¡±, the man stampered.


    The man exited the cell and sprinted into the mass of houses, his hands over his head in a poor attempt at shielding himself from the rain. The remaining men diligently eyed Kai but as soon as the reporting man disappeared from view, he instantly dashed towards the man besides the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    Facing the approaching Kai, he placed himself in the opening of the cell, bent his knees, and prepared to grab him. In the midst of his running momentum, Kai immediately leaned back, dropped to the ground, and slid in between the man¡¯s legs. The man clumsily grabbed thin air, then instantly spun around and saw the now-freed Kai.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now¡±, Kai stated with a slight bow before sprinting for the exit of the stone pillared wall.


    The two men blankly stared in disbelief at the results of their actions. A man recovered and bellowed, ¡°Get back here!¡±


    They chased his waning figure to no avail as Kai easily passed the wall and disappeared into the numerous trees. Unwilling to give up, they dived into the forest and split up, searching for even the slightest traces of Kai.


    As they left, the reporting man returned with Mian by his side and they witnessed the empty cell.


    ¡°Where is he¡­?¡±, Mian questioned in an intimidating tone.


    ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­¡±, the man stuttered. The chill of Mian¡¯s voice heightened the cold from the rain causing him to uncontrollably shiver.


    ¡°Speak. Clearly¡±, Mian demanded, enunciating each syllable.


    Before the man could gather his thoughts, the remaining captive spoke up.


    ¡°I know¡­ if¡­ water¡­¡±, he struggled to say as he leaned against the bars.


    Mian coldly squinted at the captive. He gave the bumbling man another glance before taking a leather pouch by his side and tossing it into the cell. The captive fervently grabbed at the pouch and weakly unplugged it. He brought the gap to his mouth and greedily drank.


    ¡°Now tell me what happened.¡±


    The captive lowered the pouch and diligently recollected the recent incident. When he finished, Mian swiftly pivoted and grasped the collar of the man¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°Boss will not be happy with this¡±, he hissed, ¡°but someone has to tell him and that someone is going to be you. Now scram!¡±


    On his last note, he tossed the man aside. The man stumbled to his feet, gave a quick bow, then hurriedly sprinted in the direction of Boss¡¯s house. Mian decisively turned and rushed into the forest in hopes of retrieving Kai.


    Meanwhile, Kai continued to run deep into the forest with no direction in mind.


    I haven¡¯t been to this side of the forest before¡­


    He halted and took in the unfamiliar landscape of the forest. While searching for a decent place to conceal himself, he heard rapid footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he saw the vague figure of one of the men. Shaking his head, he resumed delving deeper into the forest.


    Do they have to try so hard?


    Kai began to pick up the pace but almost immediately came into an abrupt stop. He cautiously gazed at the mound of brown fur before him. Curled in a ¡®C¡¯ shape was an enormous bear, peacefully sleeping under the protection of a large branch and it¡¯s leaves.


    This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a bear¡­ but I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. This is a forest after all.


    Desiring to leave the bear in peace, he carefully retreated in small steps. At that moment, the other man entered the bear¡¯s resting area from a different path. Failing to see the bear, he immediately identified Kai. His eyes widened and before Kai could stop him, he called out. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Ah! Stay right there!¡±


    Shit!


    Unsurprisingly, the bear¡¯s eyes instantly snapped open. It quickly captured the sight of Kai and the man as it rose to its feet. When it hoisted itself, the man untimely realized it¡¯s existence. He took small steps back in fear and before he could escape, the bear released a fearsome roar. The roar stunned the man on the spot as the bear emitted a brown light and swiped its paw at the air in the front of him, towards the direction of the man.


    -Twosh-


    The ground briefly trembled before a wave of dirt, rocks and grass surged forward, knocking the man off his feet. The man flew past several meters by the wave before violently colliding against a tree. Leaving a shallow indent in the trunk, the man pitifully dropped onto the ground. Glaring at the unconscious body, the bear growled in satisfaction before turning his gaze on Kai.


    A Baron bear! Earth too from the looks of it. This isn¡¯t good, it¡¯s power is so much stronger than Mian¡¯s¡­


    Giving Kai no time to think, the bear swiped its paw in Kai¡¯s direction. The ground trembled in front of him but unlike the man, he immediately channeled Essence to his feet and leaped to the left. A familiar wave of earth surged at the air, where Kai¡¯s body would have been. The bear gave a startled growl but rapidly recovered and charged at Kai.


    Kai hastily turned to flee, Essence constantly glowing on his feet as he exerted his utmost efforts to create distance between him and the bear. After several minutes of constant running, he twisted his head and was astonished to spot the bear.


    It¡¯s still there! How is it so fast even though it¡¯s body is so big? Is this the advantages of being a Baron?


    He sighed and persevered, maintaining his fastest speed.


    If only it wasn¡¯t raining, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be leaving such obvious footprints on the ground.


    Sighing again at his horrible luck, he shrugged his misfortune aside and thought of a possible solution. Scanning the nearby trees for the lowest branch, he quickly found one and leapt onto it. Carefully positioning himself to compensate for the wetness of the rain, he continued to leap onto other branches before settling on an incredibly high branch.


    Peering down, his eyes met the glare of the bear.


    Please leave¡­


    The bear held his gaze for another second, then released a fearsome roar that echoed throughout the forest. It heaved upwards and intimidatingly stood on its hind legs. With its paw still coated in brown light, it furiously swung at the tree Kai resided on.


    -Smash-


    The paw obliterated a broad portion of the trunk and the tree quickly began to topple.


    Such power!


    Kai expertly kicked off the branch, then at the nearby trees before somersaulting safely onto the ground.


    -Crash-


    Before he could breath a sigh of relief, the bear alarmingly neared his face. It charged at him the moment he jumped off the tree and reached him as soon as he touched the ground. Keeping its momentum, it stretched its jaws wide and lunged at him with a burst of strength, its sharp teeth becoming dangerously detailed.


    With an explosion of Essence on his feet he hastily lowered his body and dodged to the right. He smelled the heated breath of the bear as it barely grazed past the side of his body. Rolling across the ground, he pressed his hand against the first tree he made contact with to halt his momentum and prop himself up.


    The bear angrily turned its head, furious that Kai escaped him clutches for the second time. Wasting no time, Kai swiftly channeled Essence to his feet and fled once more. As he ran, he picked up a familiar welcoming sound.


    -Swoosh-


    Water! If I can find a deep river, perhaps I can successfully separate myself from this crazed bear.


    With a fresh goal in mind, he changed the course of his previous uncertain path. The coursing water grew louder but the sound unsettled Kai.


    Wait¡­ the sound of the water is way too loud. It¡¯s as if-


    Kai¡¯s thought was interrupted as his fear came into view. Raging water coursed in front of his eyes but instead of a standard river, it led to a massive waterfall! The savage current crashed against the helpless rocks on the cliff and cascaded down a seemingly perilous height, along with Kai¡¯s hopes of salvation.


    He tried to deviate from the deadly path, but was unable to find an alternate course. To his left was an unrelenting river, to his right was a sharp cliff leading to a suicidal fall, and up ahead was the massive waterfall.


    Is this it¡­


    As the intersection of the river and cliff came into view, and the space to maneuver grew limited, Kai halted and spun around. The bear appeared soon after and cautiously recognized the dead end. It smartly transitioned to walking and carefully inched towards him as it vigilantly eyed the borders of the river and cliff.


    Ha¡­ I suppose it was too much to hope for it to mindlessly run off the waterfall.


    Kai stood his ground and returned the bears careful glare with his own. Just when he thought all hope was lost, an insane idea developed in his mind. He delicately glanced at the rivers and analyzed the many large rocks imbedded into the riverbed.


    The rocks are ridiculously smooth from the constant waves of water¡­ It¡¯ll be hard but I have no other choice.


    His eyes hardened with determination as he settled on his insane idea. The bear halted at that moment and growled as it heaved up. Instead of standing on its hind legs, it immediately crashed back down on its front paws and the ground trembled in front of it. A large wave of earth, covering all areas of movement, emerged from the ground and relentlessly surged towards Kai.


    -Twosh-


    Now!


    Gritting his teeth, he channeled Essence to his feet and dashed in the direction of the river. He completely ignored the deadly wave of earth and solely concentrated on a particular rock in the river. Briefly, but carefully, estimating the amount of strength he needed to perfectly land on the rock, he braced himself and jumped.


    The wave of earth missed Kai for the second time that day and the bear incredulously glared at Kai¡¯s body in the air.


    Phew.


    The moment Kai touched the rock, he knew he successfully achieved balance and heaved a huge sigh of relief. Before he could even think of rejoicing, he felt an ominous feeling from his jumping point. Twisting his head towards the direction of the feeling, he saw the bear viciously swiping twice at him. Numerous rocks hovered off the ground and immediately zoomed towards him!


    Caught unprepared, and with no time to choose another rock, he recklessly eyed a random rock and leaped to it. The rocks whizzed past his previous location but that was the least of his worries.


    Shit! Too much strength!


    -Splash-


    Landing on the edge of the rock, Kai involuntarily slipped and fell into the raging river. As he fell prey to the savage current, he caught two men from the corner of his eye. Their image remained in his mind as the current brought him directly over the edge and he rapidly cascaded down the waterfall.


    Mian and the other man? But they were too late¡­


    Mian squinted at the river, the image of Kai¡¯s falling figure fresh in his mind. He pulled the man by the hem of his shirt and retreated behind a tree, away from the bear¡¯s view. Switching his grip to the collar of the man¡¯s shirt, he pulled him into an intimate distance from his face. With a cold hard glare, he looked straight into the other man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Run down the mountain and find. The. Boy!¡±, he snarled. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about returning until you find his body, dead or alive.¡±


    He threw the man aside and grudgingly made his way back home. The man pathetically crawled back to his feet and gnashed his teeth, regretting everything he had done in the past hour. ¡®What is the point? There¡¯s no way the boy can possibly survive that fall¡¯, he bitterly thought. The man, however, lacked the bravery to challenge Mian¡¯s command and dejectedly searched for a path to descend the cliff.

 Chapter 22: Father

    Chapter 22: Father


    Forest, Jade Empire


    -Woosh-


    Water vehemently roared around Kai as it forced him to an uncontrollable free-fall; Wind wildly assaulted him from all angles.


    No! I can¡¯t give up yet!


    Thoughts of Teresa and the rest flashed through his mind; the horrible living conditions, the inhumane treatment. With those thoughts in mind, his desire to live exploded and he immediately channeled all of the Essence he could muster to his entire body. White light consumed his figure, camouflaging him into the waterfall.


    The surface of the impending river became dangerously visible as he braced himself for impact.


    -Splash-


    Kai instantly sank into the dark depths of the river as he opened his eyes in astonishment.


    What? Why don¡¯t I feel any pain?


    Disregarding the miraculous lack of injuries for the time being, he quickly swam for the surface before the momentum could drag him deeper. The swimming caused his broken arms to throb with greater pain as he noticed the splinters were no longer attached. He easily ignored the pain and soon saw the sky blue surface of the water.


    ¡°Ha.. Ha..¡±


    Breaking through the surface, the rain instantly greeted him as he hastily took in deep breaths of air. The current continued to direct him, force him, across the river as he resumed swimming, aiming for the nearest land. When he was within reach, he grabbed the mushy dirt, anchored himself into the earth, and gradually climbed out of the river.


    Upon safely stepping onto solid ground, Kai immediately trudged into the forest. Being in an extremely weakened state, he knew he would be dangerously vulnerable if he chose to rest in the open. Walking with vigilance, his eyes attentively flittered about, analyzing the environment in search for a comfortable and secure location.


    A while later, he came upon a tree with a thick sturdy branch extending from a great height. The crown of the tree widely shielded the area below as lower branches were perfectly spaced from adjacent trees.


    I can rest there.


    Sights set on the branch, he leaped to the lowest nearby branch and carefully made his way to the intended branch. As he arrived, he steadily balanced himself, leaned against the tree, and slowly slid down until he was sitting. Finally permitting a peace of mind, he heaved a deep sigh of relief and pulled over his unbelievable survival.


    How the hell did I survive that fall? With my recent luck I thought I would¡¯ve at least collided with several rocks if not a large boulder. And what about the bubbles, turbulence, and cold? The waters were surprisingly warm and way too easy to swim through. Could it be because of Essence? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. But what else could it have been?


    Questions rattled Kai¡¯s mind as the answers continued to elude him. He delicately waved his arms and examined their conditions.


    Still broken, but not any worse. It¡¯s like I never even fell off a massive waterfall¡­ Whatever the case is, at least I am alive.


    Spending a moment to be grateful for his miracle, he eventually transitioned his thoughts to the items on his body. He lightly brushed his fingers along his clothes, carefully avoiding any unnecessary exertion of strength. He slowly affirmed the existences of the paper, knife, and beast core.


    They¡¯re all still here, this fortune is too surreal.


    Slowly lifting his shirt, he removed the paper from between his waist and pants. It¡¯s contents were still cryptic and incomprehensible but its condition was as pristine as when he first received it.


    What exactly is this paper made of¡­


    Wasting no more time on the paper, he stored it back its original position. The sound of heavy rain filled the vast forest. After the roaring bear, raging river, and torrential waterfall, he greatly welcomed the peaceful melody of the rain. As he closed his eyes, calmness washed over him and threatened to softly carry him into a deep sleep. Resisting the strong temptation of complacency, he immediately snapped opened his eyes and straightened his back.


    No. I should use this time to cultivate. That way, my arms will be fully mended and I will be in less danger.


    He slowly closed his eyes once more and used his Sixth. Qi and Ki entered his body as they churned into Essence. The comfortable feeling of cultivating flowed throughout his body as his sense of time slipped away. Midnight flew by as the rain clouds parted, revealing countless dazzling stars across the night sky.


    More time elapsed and his arms were fully recovered, but he ignored them as he mindlessly continued to cultivate. Nothing existed besides the floating energies in air and him.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    -Stomp- -Stomp- -Stomp-


    Kai snapped his eyes open as a horde of footsteps invaded his ears and disrupted his peaceful cultivating. Staring at the ground below, a group of people entered his range of vision. They were dressed in plain clothes and all wielded similar longswords with the exception of a little girl. Distress was plainly obvious on their faces.


    As he began to wonder what their complication was, another group of people appeared, madly trailing behind them. The second group of people wielded a varying assortment of knives and swords. They were all wore an expression of crazed excitement.


    One of the people from the second group reached a person from the first group and they clashed weapons.


    -Clang-


    The first group halted to assist the person that was caught. After the first exchange, the two people repelled back to their respective groups. A man with the an authoritative look stepped forth from the first group of people.


    ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re dealing with?¡±


    The people from the second group waded apart, exposing a single man. Dressed in a fancy attire that reminded Kai of Boss, the man wore an ugly and arrogant smile.


    ¡°Am I supposed to care? I¡¯m a bandit and all that I can see are a weak group of people that are basically asking themselves to be plundered.¡±


    The authoritative man from the first group scrunched his eyebrows and angrily grasped his sword.


    ¡°You will regret this. Just wait until our captain returns.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I¡¯m shivering in my boots¡±, he sneered. His eyes wandered to the little girl in the group as he creepily licked his lips. ¡°That girl will make a fine slave¡­ kill them!¡±


    On his command, the group of people behind him cheered and wildy charged at the first group of people.


    -Clang- -Clang- -Clang-


    A fierce battle ensued as the authoritative man and the bandits leader began their own intense fight. After a quick exchange of weapons, Red light protruded from the man as the bandit leader released brown light.


    ¡°[Art of Fire: Fire Sword]¡±, the man shouted as the blade of his sword burst into flames. The flames rapidly calmed down and took the shape of a blade that rose slightly above the blade of his sword.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Spear]¡±, the bandit leader yelled as he pointed an open palm at the ground. A rough, yet sturdy, spear erected from where his hand was facing. He sheathed the sword he was holding and grabbed the spear with both hands.


    Kai¡¯s eyes shone with great interest


    A fight between two Barons! This is something I have to see.


    Placing the entire battle aside, he solely concentrated on the particular fight between the two Barons. The man charged at the bandit leader then jumped, slashing down with his blazing sword. The bandit leader scoffed as he thrust forward with his spear.


    -Bang-


    The blade clashed with the spearhead, resulting in a small ripple in the air as they both slid back an equal amount of space. The man immediately reengaged, dashing towards the bandit leader. The bandit leader drew his spear back with one hand, before swinging with his entire might at the incoming man. Its range far exceeded the range of a sword so the man inevitably halted and slashed at the spear to defend himself.


    -Bang-


    Another ripple appeared in the air and the resulting force propelled him to the side, further away from the bandit leader. The bandit leader smirked as he held the spear in an alternate position.


    He¡¯s throwing it?


    Just as Kai predicted, the bandit leader leaned back before hurling the spear towards the man. As soon as the spear left his hands, he pointed both open palms at the ground.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Spear]¡±, he quickly called out.


    His brown light glowed more brightly than before as four spears erected from the ground. Grabbing a spear with each hand, he violently hurled them as the man just deflected the first spear. As the spears flew through the air, he grabbed the remaining two spears and hurled one as he charged forward with the other.


    A sense of urgency flashed in the man¡¯s eyes as he frantically deflected the incoming spears. Deflecting the first of the four spears, he dodged to the side and avoided the second spear. Unfortunately, his resulting position placed him in the path of the third spear as it impaled straight through his shoulder.


    ¡°Arghh!¡±


    He faltered as his face scrunched in pain. Before he could attend to his wound, the bandit leader smugly neared him and thrusted with a spear in hand. Blocking with the side of his blade, he was forcibly knocked back and slid across the ground. The lodged spear skidded the ground along with him which greatly amplified the pain he was in.


    Swallowing his desire to scream again, he struggled to crawl to his feet but the bandit leader immediately appeared before him. He sluggishly attempted to bring his sword up but the bandit leader mercilessly speared him through his throat, into the ground. His eyes bulged as his last words were stuck in his throat, then he lifelessly plopped to the ground, elevated slightly by two lodged spears.


    ¡°Hmph¡±, the bandit leader smirked in triumph as he kicked the corpse.


    The remaining people from the first group glanced devastatingly at their companions dead body while the lackeys from the second group cheered. With their morals dropped, the people from the first group faltered and were gradually killed one by one.


    Unfortunately it¡¯s over for them¡­


    After a short period of time, the only people that lingered was a young girl and a frail looking man. Standing with the assistance of a sheathed sword, the man was clearly powerless yet he emitted an imposing aura. The girl was shaking in fright as the man gave a protective push to place her behind him.


    The second group also lost a large portion of their people but they were still grinning with excitement as blood-lust shone in their eyes. They, however, did not make a move and obediently parted ways for the bandit leader to approach the man and girl. When the bandit leader was considerably close, the man spoke in a crisp deep voice.


    ¡°If you allow us to depart, I will give you everything in my disposal.¡±


    The bandit leader raised an eyebrow then laughed hysterically.


    ¡°What kind of peace talk is that? It¡¯s too late isn¡¯t it? Everything you have is already mine, all I have to do is take it.¡±


    ¡°You speak the truth, so why not set us free?¡±


    ¡°Ha! With such a fine little girl like that? Not a chance old man¡±, he smirked with evil intentions.


    The man¡¯s eyes gleamed with resilience but Kai could tell from the state of the man¡¯s body, he was in no condition to resist anyone. His stern and calm demeanor slowly deteriorated as he shakingly dropped to one knee, then the other, tossing his sword aside. Placing his head on the ground, he betrayed his former imposing stature as he kowtowed to the man.


    ¡°Please. Please let my daughter go¡±, the man begged.


    The bandit leader was slightly startled from the extreme change of the man¡¯s image but quickly began to laughed.


    ¡°And here I thought you were a tough man.¡±


    ¡°Please¡±, the man continued to beg as he lifted his head and met the bandit leader¡¯s eyes.


    Staring back, the bandit leader appeared to be lost in his thoughts. A calm smile then formed from the corners of his mouth as he softly announced his answer.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Without another word, he withdrew the sword from its sheath and thrust forward. The blade cleanly pierced the man¡¯s heart before swiftly retreating. The man feebly fell on his back with a hand over his gaping wound. Finally moving, the young girl ran to his side and helped placed her hand over the wound.


    ¡°No!¡±, she cried, her tears pouring like rain.


    The man trembled as heplaced his free hand against the girl¡¯s cheek and her tears streamed down his fingers. His eyes shone with indescribable love and regret as he spoke his last words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Then he was gone. His hand gracefully dropped to the ground as death stole the rest of his vitality.


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t worry little girl. I¡¯ll take care of you now.¡±


    The world is truly unfair.


    Kai heaved a slight sigh as he glanced away, preparing to quietly resume cultivating. This was not his first encounter with a horrible tragedy and he did not believe in sharing another person¡¯s problems.


    ¡°No!...¡±, the girl continued to cry with a pause. Conveying all of her sorrow, her shame, and pure grief into her voice, she cried one word in such a heart-wrenching tone that it resonated throughout the hearts of everyone present.


    ¡°Father!¡±

 Chapter 23: Kill

    Chapter 23: Kill


    Forest, Jade Empire


    Kai immediately flicked his eyes back at the girl. They widened and went out of focus as his mind rumbled, shook, like an earthquake. An image invaded his mind, causing his palms to perspire and his heartbeat to accelerate.


    ¡­¡­ ¡°Father!¡± ¡­¡­


    His master¡¯s daughter hauntingly appeared in his line of vision and hovered over the existing scene like a christmas ghost. Each scene, each girl, were witnessed from different angles but they perfectly eclipsed through his eyes. An unfamiliar feeling emerged and surfaced from the depths of his mind.


    Empathy; Compassion.


    A pure feeling of compassion flooded his entire being as he unconsciously trembled. The feeling fought, defeated, and replaced his logical reasoning. He hastily lifted his shirt to pull out the knife from his side. Without another word, or thought, he channeled Essence to his feet and leapt down in the blink of an eye. As soon as he silently landed behind the bandits, he regained a small bit of his suppressed reasoning.


    Wait, what? Why?...It¡¯s not too late, I can still find cover behind the trees.


    The thoughts crossed his mind but his body refused to listen; refused to retreat. As he struggled with his next choice of action, the bandit closest to Kai was no longer able to stomach the sight of the sobbing girl and looked away. He turned his head and was startled as his eyes met with Kai¡¯s.


    No turning back now¡­


    ¡°W-¡±


    With a burst of Essence on his feet, Kai erased the distance between them in a second and dashed right past him, swiftly slicing the back of his knee on the way.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The bandit screamed, immediately catching the attention of everyone besides the young girl who was still grieving for her father. Without giving them any time to adapt to his sudden appearance, Kai continued his onslaught. Each of Kai¡¯s victims buckled to ground and writhed in pain as they grabbed the back of their knee. Their pain was then overwhelmed with shock as they realized they no longer able to apply strength to the lower part of their legs.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Is it a beast?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t move my legs!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Save me.¡±


    The bandit cried for help as he collapsed, his legs freshly crippled by Kai. Halting to take a quick breath, the bandits finally comprehended the true figure of their surprise assailant. Fresh blood dripped down from the tip of Kai¡¯s knife, giving him an ominous appearance in contrast to his poor tattered clothes.


    ¡°Who are you boy?¡±, the bandit leader angrily growled.


    Ignoring him, Kai immediately lunged at the nearest bandit. The bandit snarled and slashed down with his sword but he easily avoided it and countered by cutting the wrists of the bandit. The sword dropped out of the bandit¡¯s hands as he lost all feeling in his fingers. Completing his treatment, he sliced the back of the bandit¡¯s knees. The bandit buckled and involuntarily fell like the rest of Kai¡¯s victims.


    ¡°You dare ignore me!?¡±


    Enraged, the bandit leader cracked the ground below him as he charged at Kai. He furiously swiped his brown lit hands towards Kai as he ran. Rocks and hardened dirt floated from the ground then rapidly flew through the air. Caught in the midst of running, Kai leaned back and dropped as low as he could, sliding across the ground. The rocks and dirt flew above him like a crowd of angry birds as he slid to a stop.


    He quickly returned to his feet. The bandit leader closed the remaining distance with a jump and threw a straight punch.


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Shifting some of his Essence to his knife, Kai expertly pivoted to the right and the punch grazed past his cheeks. While in his pivoting motion, he sliced upwards and sharp blade of the knife penetrated the soft skin of the bandit leader¡¯s wrist. Before he could pierce the vital tendon, however, a solid force blocked the knife. Slightly startled from his failure, Kai backed off and created distance between them.


    This defense, it¡¯s just like the time I fought Mian. Is it because he¡¯s a Baron or is it because his element is Earth?


    With no concrete information to work on, Kai randomly hypothesized the reasons to their abnormal defense. While he was contemplating in his mind, the bandit leader stared at the light wound in his hand. ¡®Who the hell is this kid? He is clearly only a Novice but how is he so fast and strong?¡¯, he thought.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Look, he hurt Omar¡±, a man gasped.


    ¡°Just who is this boy?¡±


    ¡°Is that even a boy?¡±


    Murmurs buzzed around as all of the bandits were astonished. The young girl raised her head, her face still drenched with tears and colored with sorrow but now there was a new hint of confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask again and this time you better not make me repeat myself. Who the hell are you boy!?¡±, Omar bellowed with a furious, yet cautious, face.


    Kai blankly gazed at him.


    Fighting him will be troublesome¡­ I should remove all the stray factors first.


    ¡°I am no one.¡±


    Having said all that he wanted to, he dashed at him with the knife in hand. Omar glared at him and scoffed. As he prepared to return the attack, Kai instantly pivoted to the left, gunning straight for another bandit!


    The targeted bandit was caught off guard and before he could raise his weapon, Kai swiftly sliced the back of his right knee, then followed with his left. As he involuntarily buckled to the ground, Kai wasted no time and selected his new target.


    ¡°STOP RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Omar was extremely livid as Kai ignored him for the second time and assaulted his men once more. Bulging veins appeared on his forehead as the brown light around his body violently fluctuated. He chased after Kai¡¯s figure with wild savageness, cracking the ground with each and every step he took.


    Kai, however, continued to ignore him and struck at the rest of the bandits. After the first bandit was caught off guard, they all diligently defended themselves but, unfortunately for them, none of them were Barons. They raised their weapons, jumped to the side, or maneuvered in any way they knew how but were all crippled in an instant.


    One by one, each bandit buckled to the ground and stayed there; some less fortunate bandits also lost feeling in their hands. Omar tried his damndest to reach, to assist, any of his men but the rate to which Kai dealt with them was too astonishingly quick. By the time he reached them, they were already groaning and immobile.


    Before he knew it, only a single bandit remained. In the smartest attempt yet, the bandit desperately sprinted to Omar¡¯s side but halfway there he buckled and fell to the ground. Kai stood right behind the final bandit, gripping the guilty knife as fresh blood trickled down the tip.


    With no one left to rescue, Omar ended his chase. His nostrils flared and his body shook from anger as he viciously glared at Kai. With a vehement shout to expel some of his pent up anger, he pointed his brown lit hands, palms out, at the ground.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Spear]!¡±


    Omar began to sweat profusely as five spears rose from the earth. Immediately lifting the closest one, he leaned back, then aggressively hurled it towards Kai. Having witnessed the previous fight, Kai knew exactly what he had in mind and was prepared.


    It¡¯s fast but it¡¯s too big making it painfully easy to dodge


    Keeping his feet planted, Kai avoided the spear with a shocking amount of ease.


    -Thud-


    The spear imbedded itself into a tree behind Kai as Omar¡¯s eyes nearly popped of its socket. He shrugged it off as pure luck and threw three more spears in rapid succession. The spears were spaced in a manner that seemed completely unavoidable to him but Kai casually found the gap and took a step to the right. Narrowing his body, the spears harmlessly flew by him.


    -Thud- -Thud- -Thud-


    Each spear found the base of a tree which further heightened his anger. With a roar, he furiously threw the remaining spear in blind rage.


    He¡¯s become completely addled, that spear is nowhere near where I am.


    As soon as the thought crossed his mind, however, Kai¡¯s eyes widened in urgency as he stepped into the path of the spear. Gazing intensely at the spear, he perfectly leaned to the side and uppercutted with his knife to deflect the spear from its original path. The knife perfectly struck right below the spearhead but the force knocked him off his feet. Flying backwards, he immediately tilted into a backflip and landed on his feet.


    ¡®Why did he run into the spear?¡¯, Omar thought. Even he understood his mistake the moment the spear left his hands. The mystery quickly unraveled itself as he peered behind Kai and saw the young girl with the corpse of her father. A heinous grin formed on his face and he laughed madly.


    ¡°HA! So that¡¯s how it is!¡±


    Ceasing his laughter, he arrogantly met Kai¡¯s gaze and readily extended his brown lit hands. Taking off in a sprint, he charged at Kai, wildly swiping his hands along the way. All around him, rocks and hardened dirt floated off the ground then violently whizzed towards Kai.


    Kai sighed and gritted his teeth. Narrowing his eyes, he concentrated on the incoming projectiles as he channeled Essence to his knife and hand.


    -Putt- -Putt- -Putt-


    Hands moving in a blur, Kai handled each projectile the moment they entered his range. He destroyed them with his knife and, wanting to be as efficient as possible, he deflected them with a flick of a hand. The rocks and dirt, however, were nearly as fast as a bullet so even with the protection of Essence, his hand gradually became bruised.


    Suddenly, the projectiles ceased but before he could recover, Omar directly arrived in front of him. Legs slightly numbed from standing his ground, Kai had no choice but to channel Essence to his arms and block the incoming uppercut from Omar.


    -Pow-


    The uppercut contained a majority of Omar¡¯s anger as the impact bursted with brown light. The resulting force numbed Kai¡¯s arms and launched him into the air. His legs fortunately recovered at that moment. Tilting to the side, his maneuvered his feet to where his back once was and horizontally landed on the side of a tree. Jumping off the tree, he somersaulted in the air before landing on one knee.


    I can¡¯t defeat him with my current strength and I can¡¯t avoid his attacks because he will target the girl¡­ should I fight with the intention to kill? No, I can¡¯t!... but do I really have another choice?


    ¡°Ha! Finally, that felt amazing. Many thanks little girl¡±, Omar celebrated as he smirked at the young girl besides him. ¡°Now help me again.¡±


    Grabbing the girl¡¯s hair, he returned to meet Kai¡¯s gaze. The girl¡¯s face scrunched in pain but she silently endured, knowing she was nothing she could do to fend off the brut.


    ¡°Come at me.¡±


    Kai¡¯s eyes hardened as he grew solemnly serious. He continued to see his master¡¯s daughter in the girl and watching Omar manhandle her ignited his rage.


    I have to protect her! No matter what¡­


    Entirely freeing his restraint over his killing intent, the aura instantly exploded into the atmosphere. A bloodthirsty desire overwhelmed Kai and his thoughts. He expertly trained his killing intent at Omar, carefully preventing any exposure to the girl. Through his eyes, he instantly saw every vital part of his body.


    The instant Omar felt the killing intent he stumbled back, releasing his grip on the girl¡¯s hair. The temperature around him rapidly sank and he knew exactly why. With his eyes still glued on Kai, he witnessed the sinister aura radiating from his body. He struggled to maintain his balance as he drew his sword out in an attempt to act threatening.


    ¡°What the hell are you?¡±, he yelled with great difficulty as his throat felt constricted.


    The question lingered in the air as Kai dashed towards him without a word. Swerving slightly to the side, he smoothly acquired another knife from a fallen man, who was still writhing in pain, in the midst of his sprint. He alternated his grip on the knives, holding them in a backwards manner, and channeled Essence to their blades.


    [Shadow Two Steps]


    He instantly disappeared from Omar¡¯s view and stepped behind him. Before Omar could feel startled, he swung his arm around Omar¡¯s waist, stabbing his lower abdomen. The tip of the blade sank through his flesh but similar to his previous attempt, it could not penetrate deeper. Unfazed by the failure, Kai spun around and struck at different vitals on his body like a tornado.


    Heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, stomach; Kai was relentless in his aggression and struck in different angles after every failure. Within seconds, Omar¡¯s body was littered with wounds yet he was still unable to capture even the faintest shadow of his figure. The wounds, no matter how non-fatal they were, left a constant throbbing and stinging pain. Driven insane by the pain, Omar screamed in anguish and frustration.


    ¡°ARGHH-¡±


    He started to scream but Kai was waiting for him to do so. Pivoting to the side of Omar¡¯s body, he jumped to his eye-level, swung his arm backwards, and forcefully shoved the knife into his vulnerable open mouth. The blade traveled down his throat, pierced straight through his flesh, and emerged out of the back of his neck. Omar¡¯s eyes bulged as his life slowly slipped away.

 Chapter 24: Weak

    Chapter 24: Weak


    Forest, Jade Empire


    -Pss-


    An abundant amount of blood spurted from the gaping wound as Kai pulled out the knife and landed on the ground. Omar attempted to utter his last words but a surge of blood clogged his damaged throat, resulting in a slur of incomprehensible gurgle. He hopelessly pressed his hands against the fatal injury. His eyes flashed with a final glint of regret before glazing over and he ultimately collapsed.


    ¡°Omar is dead¡­¡±


    ¡°The boy actually killed Omar.¡±


    Horrified whispers escaped the mouths of the bandits that stayed conscious despite the pain. Deaf to their fear, Kai stared intensely at the dying Omar, watching his life gradually fade away. The sensation of penetrating his soft fragile flesh, to decisively execute him, lingered from the tip of his fingers to the depths of his heart. A familiar hollow feeling resounded inside his chest.


    I promised not to¡­ after all of the deaths, I promised not to but I still did it. I¡¯ve killed again¡­


    ¡°Tha-thank you¡±, the young girl timidly started, ¡°but who are you?¡±


    Conflicted with his thoughts, Kai did not hear the girl¡¯s question and remained unresponsive to his surroundings. The girl patiently waited for an answer but seeing the motionless Kai, she assumed the volume of her voice was insufficient. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to repeat her question with louder volume.


    ¡°W-¡±


    The moment the first letter rolled off her tongue, a large silhouette dropped from the air and loudly landed in between the girl and Kai.


    -Boom-


    The silhouette stood on two feet and revealed itself to be a tall rugged man. He donned a uniform like that of a soldier and strapped a flashy long sword around his waist. Cold sweat perspired from his forehead and panic overtook his hardened face as he noticed the corpse besides the girl. He hurriedly rushed to the corpses side and collapsed to his knees. Bending over slightly, he placed his hands on his kneecaps and bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late master¡­¡±, he apologized with a shaky tone. His trembling hands curled into fists. The pressure he applied punctured his skin causing blood to seep through his clenched fingers.


    ¡°Sir Randy¡±, the girl murmured.


    Still on his knees, the man turned to face the girl.


    ¡°My lady¡­¡± he began, his voice tainted with remorse, ¡°How did this happen? Who did this?¡±


    The girl sorrowfully gazed at her blood stained hands before lifting her head up, training her eyes on Omar¡¯s corpse. Randy followed the girl¡¯s gaze but instead of viewing Omar¡¯s corpse, he laid eyes on Kai who stood in front of the corpse. He analyzed his body and trailed down to the knives in his hand, at the fresh blood dripping down the tip of their blades.


    Jumping to conclusions, he instantly assumed Kai was the perpetrator and released his killing intent. His remorseful eyes quickly blazed with anger as the aura relentlessly permeated the enclosing atmosphere. Thick strands of Ki protruded from his skin, overlapping and enhancing the pressure in the air.


    Sensing no imminent threat from Randy when he arrived, Kai had completely ignored him but the impending danger he presently emitted provoked his instincts and he immediately spun around. He felt the intense pressure from his Ki and prepared to release his killing intent but the lingering sensation of killing Omar caused him to falter. The hesitation affected his killing intent and he was unable to properly release it.


    -Crack-


    As the ground below Randy cracked from his pressure, the girl bravely bolted ahead, stood between him and Kai, and widely spread apart her arms. The sudden actions of the girl startled Randy and flames of his anger were instantly extinguished.


    ¡°My lady why are you protecting him?¡±, he asked, confusion evident on his face.


    ¡°He protected me¡±, the girl defended, ¡°and he killed the man that killed father.¡±


    ¡°He what?¡±


    Snapping his eyes back on Kai, he concentrated and carefully examined his surroundings. Numerous men were clustered across the ground. Some he recognized as his own men and the others he figured, from their clothes and random weapons, were bandits. He frowned angrily and narrowed his eyes at the sight of his dead men but his eyes instantly widened at the condition of the fallen bandits. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The bandits were all alive but they were either unconscious, gazing at Kai with fearful eyes, or crawling away from him with their hands. He scrutinized the injuries on their bodies and confirmed they were all similarly inflicted on their legs. His astonishment further grew as he realized the injuries cleanly prevented each of them from moving their legs.


    Narrowing his vision, he saw Omar¡¯s corpse surrounded by a shallow pool of blood from behind Kai¡¯s small body frame. His bulging eyes were frozen from death and his body ravaged with minor wounds. Blood steadily flowed from his opened mouth, along the side of his face, and merged with the pool of blood around him.


    Discerning Omar¡¯s clothes from the blood, Randy was nearly certain that he was their leader. This boy did all of this?, he thought incredulously. Understanding that he was hasty in his actions, he immediately receded his killing intent and Ki, then cautiously walked towards Kai.


    Kai recognized that Randy was no longer threateningly approaching him but readily kept his fighting stance. His Essence revolved inside him, ready to be channeled in an instant.


    Halting a few meters away from him, Randy formed a fist with his left hand and clapped it onto an open palm from his right hand. Maintaining the respective gesture he followed with a slight bow.


    ¡°I apologize for my previous actions and would like to sincerely thank you for protecting my lady.¡±


    Acknowledging his apology and appreciation, Kai relaxed his body and nodded in response.


    ¡°What is your name young hero?¡±, Randy inquired. ¡°What are you doing in this forest?¡±


    Having accepted Randy as a safe existence, his thoughts unconsciously returned to Omar¡¯s and paid no attention to the inquiry given to him. He turned and mindlessly walked towards the forest.


    Randy was not insulted by the cold shoulder but rather further intrigued in Kai¡¯s mystique. Leaping into the air, he traveled a great distance and landed in front of Kai.


    ¡°I apologize if I asked too many question but may I at least know who you are?¡±


    He lowered his head to meet Kai¡¯s eyes and recognized a familiar hollowness in his eyes. Being a hardened veteran on fights and death, he instantly recognized the conflicted tension that occasionally followed the taste of murdering for the first time. Steadily reaching out with his hand, he placed it on Kai¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°The strong will always prey on the weak. That golden rule has existed since the dawn of time. If you were any weaker than him, you and my lady would be dead. What you did today was righteous and just. You shouldn¡¯t feel guilty about killing scoundrels like the bandits¡±, he lectured.


    Kai endlessly heard of the common saying in his past life so Randy¡¯s monotonous version did little for his conflicted thoughts. Softly shrugging off his caring hand, he prepared to resume walking towards the forest.


    Randy saw that his advice was ineffective and sighed. He lifted his left hand and removed a ring from his pinky finger. He bent over to Kai, gently took his hand, and placed the ring on his open palm before helping him curl his fingers to firmly grip it.


    ¡°If you wish to remain silent, I will not question you further. Please take this ring as a small token of appreciation for saving my lady¡¯s life. Show the ring to any city lord or important figure in Tao Empire and they will surely assist you.¡±


    Kai blankly stared at his closed fist that held the ring. He instinctively nodded once more then resumed his steady pace into the forest. Randy and the girl watched as his shadowy figure disappear behind the boundless trees.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±, the girl whispered her final thanks.


    Her words faded into the morning breeze as it comfortably flowed through the forest. The breeze strongly blew behind Kai but his heavy steps resisted its gentle push. He looked up at the morning sun with a melancholic gleam in his eyes.


    Tightening his right hand into a fist, he suddenly channeled Essence to his hand and pounded a tree besides him with the side of his fist.


    -Bang-


    Flakes of bark shattered from the fresh imprint on the tree and the breeze dispersed them into the air.


    Weak! I am too weak! I killed because I am weak; I couldn¡¯t protect Teresa and the others because I am weak; The bandits imposed themselves upon me because I am weak! I was satisfied when I made [Shadow Two Steps] and defeated the wolf but those feats are not good enough. I have to become stronger. Much stronger!


    His eyes burned with new-found resolve as his mind circulated with numerous thoughts. Opening his palm, he indifferently wore the ring on his index finger.


    I will not waste any more time. My first goal will be becoming a Baron then I will rescue Teresa and the others. If being an Initial Baron isn¡¯t good enough, then I will become a Peak Baron. If being a Peak Baron isn¡¯t good enough then I will become a Lord! I will become however strong I need to be so that I never have to kill again¡­


    Clearing his mind, he erased all unnecessary thoughts and focused solely on cultivating. He leaped onto a nearby secure branch, sat down, and immediately closed his eyes. He drowned out the whistling of the wind and the rustling of the leaves. The only sound that remained was his light and consistent heartbeat as he paid no attention to anything except for the bright specks of Qi and Ki.


    The luminous sun descended over Kai as time passed and the bright blue sky darkened. Long hours became days and days grouped into weeks. Living by his new resolution, each day only consisted of calm cultivating and strenuous physical training. The exemption to those constrictions were when he required food or water, in which he would hunt a beast or fetch water from the closest river.


    As he continued to live in the self-applied conditions, his sense of time eventually slipped away. His days became more efficient through repetition and time seemingly passed by at a rapid rate. The short weeks unknowingly joined into months and before he stopped to think, nearly a year went by.


    During that day, Kai sat in the center of a small isolated field of grass. His eyes were shut tight and his eyebrows were scrunched up in rigid concentration. Through the vision of his Sixth, he sensed an illusionary wall against his face. Unknowing to the amount of months that passed, he finally arrived at the breakthrough on becoming a Mid Novice!


    Break for me!


    Sharpening his concentration and Sixth to their peaks, multiple cracks developed on the wall and it shattered in a nostalgic manner. The familiar feeling washed over Kai and he felt the capacity of his dantian slowly increasing before reaching a limit. Qi and Ki churned into Essence and filled in the new empty void in his dantian as he continued cultivating.


    Before my limit was ten minutes but now it seems to be about twenty minutes¡­


    During an ambiguous day in the past months, Kai was curious on the temporal limit of the amount of Essence his dantian could contain. As a means to quench his curiosity, he unrestrainedly released the energy and carefully calculated the time that passed. When the last bit of the energy escaped his dantian, he recorded the limit to be roughly ten minutes.


    Twice the amount! If I sparingly use it as usual then the twenty minutes may last me an hour or more.


    Acknowledging the extent of his improvement, he readily returned to cultivating but the moment he closed his eyes, a grumble reverberated from his stomach.


    I¡¯m hungry already? I could¡¯ve sworn I had just eaten breakfast not too long ago.


    He reluctantly ceased cultivating, stood up, and silently made his way past the trees. Not long into his search for food, he saw the small figure of a rabbit. Like most other species he came across that were similar to the ones in his past life, the rabbit was more ferocious. Threatening fangs extended from the jaws of its mouth and it was far from an adorable embraceable pet as it trudged the ground with its sharp claws.


    That rabbit will do.


    Bending his knees, he prepared to jump at the rabbit but halted when he heard the rustling of a nearby bush.


    What?


    From the corner of his eye as he turned towards the sound, he saw a blurry figure emerge from the bush. Without warning, the figure pounced at him!

 Chapter 25: Encounters

    Chapter 25: Encounters


    Forest, Jade Empire


    Acting upon instinct, Kai expertly pivoted to the right and the figure narrowly missed its attack. He reactively positioned to counter the dodge and kicked its back, sending it sprawling to the ground. As it struggled to stand, he took the short window of time to identify it.


    The figure wore a clean, currently ruffled, tank top and heavy cargo pants. Its hair was mildly lengthy and was a mellow shade of ashy blonde. In its right hand was a knife. The blade of the knife extended beyond its average height. With an equal amount of warning as before, it twisted its body and blindly swung backwards.


    Kai gazed at the poorly aimed knife and casually stepped towards the target. Twisting to the right, he grabbed its right wrist with his left hand. He maintained the spinning momentum and as he turned, his back perfectly aligned with its back. He strongly pulled down on its right arm while lowering his back and the resulting force lifted it off its feet. It rolled over his back, arched through the air and harshly slammed down.


    Its grip on the knife loosened upon impact and he swiftly seized it with his right hand, holding it in a reverse grip. Releasing its wrist, he grabbed its shoulder and spun it around. The moment he flipped it to its front, he hovered the blade of the knife above its throat.


    It¡¯s a boy!


    Much to Kai¡¯s astonishment, the mysterious assailant happened to be a boy. The soft features of his face gave Kai the impression that he was no older than Robert or Ben.


    ¡°Why did you attack me?¡±, Kai curiously asked.


    As soon as the question escaped his lips, he realized an answer was impossible. The boy¡¯s pupils were glazed over, revealing only the white of his eyes. His face was reddened from the impact and his body remained lifelessly motionless. He was undoubtedly unconscious.


    Ah¡­ I must¡¯ve applied too much force. I suppose I¡¯ll have to wait for him to regain consciousness before knowing his intentions.


    Before he could rise to his feet, another rustle sounded from the same direction in which the boy came from. He raised his head in time to see a long leg emerging from behind the bush.


    ¡°Jaden are you her-¡±


    A female voice called out as she continued to tread past the bush. As she completely emerged, Kai recognized her to be a grown woman. Standing a bit below two meters, the woman was equipped with a breastplate, pauldrons, and gauntlets, which contrasted her casual soft long pants. Along each sides of her waist were two sheathed long swords.


    Judging by her facial features, she seems to be in her mid-thirties. She has red hair like Jennifer but unlike Jennifer, her eyes are red as well.


    As Kai instinctively analyzed her features, she laid eyes on him and halted her call in mid-sentence. Her red eyes instantly blazed with fury, painting the illusion that her eyes emitted flames. She clenched her hands into fists and brown Qi quickly encased her body. Taking off in a sprint, she launched two punches towards Kai in rapid succession.


    Flickers of brown Qi separated from her fists with each punch and materialized into stone shards that speeded at Kai.


    So fast!


    Abandoning the notion of returning to his feet, he hastily lunged and tumbled to the side. The stone shards missed his body but the force behind it was so powerful, it carried on flying and disappeared into the depths of the forest. Beads of cold sweat perspired from his forehead at the sheer speed of the shards.


    They¡¯re as fast and as bullets. This is troublesome, why is she attacking me?


    ¡°Why-¡±


    Before he could attempt to voice his inquiry, she jumped into the air and performed a front flip. She extended her leg as she tilted her body forward, resulting in a drop kick supported by gravity. Still on his knees from the recent tumble, he once again lunged and tumbled to the side.


    -Crack-


    The woman¡¯s drop kick connected with the ground, cracked it, then broke through it. She freed her slightly imbedded foot and glared at Kai as she protectively stood in front of the boy. Keeping a careful eye on him, she cautiously retreated to check on the boys condition.


    ¡°Jaden, are you okay?¡±, she murmured to the fallen boy.


    So that¡¯s it! She attacked me because she believed I was harming the boy.


    ¡°This is a misunderstanding¡±, he tried to reason as he returned to his feet.


    The woman, however, ignored Kai as her eyes flashed with a glint of worry. Hearing no response from Jaden, she turned to glance at him and realized that he was motionless. Hurriedly rushing to his side, she placed her index and middle finger on the upper area of his neck to check for a pulse. After confirming that he was only unconscious, she released a long sigh of relief.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Turning back to Kai, her expression of worry immediately returned to one of fury.


    ¡°Wait, he attack me fir-¡±, he tried to reason again but she refused to listen.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Wave]¡±, she shouted as she stomped her brown Qi feet forward.


    The ground rumbled in an unpleasantly familiar manner. In an instant, a wave of earth surged from the rumbling area and headed straight towards Kai.


    It¡¯s just like the bear¡¯s attack!


    The similarities momentarily startled him but he quickly regained his composure. With a burst of Essence, he leaped out of its way. The wave of earth relentlessly continued to surge forward and collided against a tree behind him.


    -Crash-


    With a monstrous extent of strength, the wave bore down on the trunk and forcefully uprooted the tree. The uprooted tree was pushed back into, and cracked, another tree before the wave subsided and collapsed like a snipped puppet.


    -Boom-


    The initial tree free-fell without the backing of the wave and loudly thumped onto the ground. The impact reverberated a soft, yet scarily noticeable, shockwave throughout its vicinity. Kai briefly glanced at the intimidating result of the wave, then turned back to the woman with a focused gaze.


    This is getting dangerous¡­ she is too blinded by her rage to hear anything that I say.


    ¡°[Art of Earth: Earth Wave]¡±


    She stomped forward with a different foot and the ground rumbled once more. As soon as the earth raised, however, she leapt forward. Once the wave of earth fully emerged from the ground, she readily stepped onto the forefront of the wave.


    She¡¯s riding the wave!


    His gaped in astonishment at the ingenuity of the attack but snapped out of it in urgency as he channeled Essence to his feet and leaped to the side. The wave harmlessly missed him again but the woman''s goal was accomplished. She jumped off the wave and alarmingly closed the previous distance between them.


    With another burst of Essence to his feet, he leaped up just as the woman used her brown Qi fists to smash the ground he was just standing on. Taking advantage of his immobility in the air, she rapidly followed up her actions and pursued his leap. As she neared him, she thrusted out with another brown Qi fist.


    Kai¡¯s eyes flashed with concentration as he hastily met her fist with his feet. Precisely placing his feet onto her fist, he bent his knees and channeled Essence to his feet upon the point of impact. In the same moment, he used the surface of the fist as a platform and firmly jumped off it.


    His well time actions perfectly transformed the brutal force into a beneficial force that further launched him into the air. Flipped backwards while in the air, he positioned himself so that his feet would step onto the side of a tree. Propelling himself off the tree, he executed a front flip and safely landed onto the ground.


    As Kai landed, the woman landed as well. Her furious eyes flashed with a hint of shock as she witnessed his amazing responses to each of her attacks. When the shock diminished, her expression grew serious and her brown Qi flickered.


    What is she doing?


    His question was immediately answered as red Qi seeped out of her body and melded into the brown Qi like two colors of paint that were unable to properly mix.


    Red and brown¡­ fire and earth¡­ does it mean she¡¯s a dual Daoist!?


    Kai¡¯s astonishment further increased as the her armor began to glow with a red light. In the center of her breastplate, pauldrons, and gauntlets, a circle was outlined by the light along with several symbols. The images sent a rush of shock in Kai¡¯s mind like a bolt of lightning. His hands unconsciously moved to his chest, to the mysterious marking.


    It¡¯s similar to my marking! However it¡¯s lacking several circles and numerous symbols.


    The circles on her armors, unlike his marking, only consisted of two overlapping circles. Once the red light fully drew the circle and symbols, the armors combusted with flames that wildly flickered about. The wild flames quickly died down and formed a thin protective layer of fire.


    I was right! She can control fire as well!


    Bringing her fists of flames up, she took a stance that closely resembled that of a boxers. She lowered the weight of her body, then immediately dashed forward. Kai attempted to retreat but pillars of rock suddenly erected from the ground behind him and speared towards his back. Having no desire to dodge forward, he twisted his body and managed to slip to the side.


    How did she do that?


    As he avoided the rock pillars, he narrowed his gaze at the woman. He scrutinized her movements and noticed a spontaneous surge of brown Qi on her feet.


    That¡¯s it! She¡¯s using her feet to launch small scaled earth attacks to block my retreat.


    The moment the method occurred in his mind, the ground trembled behind him and more rock pillars threatened to skewer his back. He gracefully avoided them once more but as he did so, he saw the woman closing in from the corner of his eyes.


    Not good, there¡¯s no way to avoid her.


    Just as he predicted, after several more cases of avoiding the pillars, the woman completely erased the distance between them. The heat of the flames were dangerously close as he began to sweat from the radiation. Without wasting a second of her efforts, the woman quickly threw a flaming right hook at Kai.


    Carefully measuring the additional distance that came along with the flames on her fist, he leapt back an ample distance to avoid her hook. The hook missed and the edge of the flames narrowly tickled him.


    Unfazed by the failure, she swiftly followed the momentum of the hook and spun around while hopping forward with her pivoting foot. The tornado punch caught him off-guard and he failed to dodge in time. Rapidly retrieving another knife from his waist, he crossed it in front of him along with the knife he took from Jaden, and prepared to defend himself.


    -Bang-


    A second before the fist collided with the knives, he channeled a surge of Essence to them and his arms for further protection. As the woman followed through with her punch, he was sent flying back. The force from the punch prevented him from maneuvering in the air so he channeled Essence to his back and braced himself for impact.


    -Thud-


    He violently slammed against a tree and had the wind knocked out of him. The resulting force slightly imbedded him into the trunk. As he leaned forward and detached himself from the cavity, he fell down a meter before shakingly landing on his feet. He steadied his stance and took deep breathes of air.


    Luckily I had Essence to protect myself otherwise I¡¯m not sure my body could¡¯ve handed the punch or the impact.


    At that moment, Jaden started to stir. He slowly sat up and rubbed his now pinkened face.


    ¡°Ow ow ow, what happened?¡±


    He stared at his surroundings with squinting eyes. His eyes instantly widened as he laid eyes on the woman.


    ¡°What are you doing here mom?¡±


    ¡°I was looking for you. It was good that I did because you were just about to be killed by that boy.¡±


    ¡°Boy? I remember attacking a beast not a boy¡­¡± Jaden confusingly muttered, turning his head towards Kai. As he focused on him, his eyes nearly popped out of its sockets. ¡°Wait! You¡¯re a boy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and he held your knife over your throat. Now he has to pay with his life.¡±


    The mother narrowed her eyes at Kai and lowered her body, preparing to dash at him again.


    ¡°Wait a second, mom¡±, Jaden hastily appeased. ¡°It¡¯s not his fault. I was the one who attacked him first. I thought he was a beast and I was going to kill it for lunch but I didn¡¯t know that he was actually a boy.¡±


    Her eyes snapped back on Jaden.


    ¡°What? You attacked him first?¡±


    Jaden hesitantly smiled and raised his hands in peace.


    ¡°Honest mistake?¡±


    She glared at him and a flash of realization crossed her eyes as she recalled the words from Kai that she ignored. ¡®This is a misunderstanding.¡¯


    The brown and red Qi around her faded immediately and the flames around her dispersed into the air. She turned back to Kai and apologetically bowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for jumping to conclusions.¡±

 Chapter 26: Introductions

    Chapter 26: Introductions


    Forest, Jade Empire


    Hearing the mother¡¯s apology, Kai heaved a huge sigh of relief. He relaxed his body and leaned against the tree behind him.


    It¡¯s finally over¡­


    He silently nodded in forgiveness. She smiled in appreciation to his amiable response.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that I stopped before I did anything I would regret. Are you heavily injured? We know a healer that can help¡±, she stated worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡±, he calmly reassured.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to act tough, the attacks that you received from me couldn¡¯t have been light.¡±


    She approached him and carefully examined his body. Her eyes widened in surprise as she noticed, besides a few bruises and scratches, he was perfectly fine.


    ¡°Are you really just a Novice?¡±, she gaped.


    ¡°Mid Novice¡±, he nodded in conformation.


    ¡°Mid Novice! But you look so young¡­ how old are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°Almost six.¡±


    ¡°Almo-¡±, she began to echo but halted in shock.


    She took a step back and sucked in a breath of cold air. Jaden just rose to his feet but instantly fell back on his bottom after catching his words.


    ¡°Y-y-you. You¡¯re only six years old? Were you born a Novice or something? This isn¡¯t fair¡±, Jaden pouted.


    ¡°Mid Novice at the age of six¡­ this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of someone with such a monstrous cultivating speed. Are you being taught by a powerful mentor?¡±, she questioned.


    Kai shook his head.


    ¡°Wait you don¡¯t even have a mentor and you were able to handle the attacks from my mom? Sure, that¡¯s perfectly normal¡­¡±, Jaden sarcastically commented.


    He folded his legs and hung his head. Laying his left elbow on his knee, he placed his cheek on his left palm and began to draw circles in the dirt with his right index finger in a sulky manner.


    ¡°Why are you acting so sad¡±, she laughed, finding Jaden¡¯s jealousy adorable. ¡°You are a Peak Novice at your age which is already an amazing feat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know¡±, he smiled. Dropping his act of jealousy, he jumped to his feet and walked cheerfully towards Kai.


    ¡°My name is Jaden¡±, he greeted, extending his hand in an attempt to shake his. ¡°You should teach me how you became so strong little brother.¡±


    L-little brother??


    Kai shrinked back in astonishment at Jaden¡¯s casual attitude to familiarity.


    ¡°Look you¡¯re scaring him¡±, she teased with a laugh.


    ¡°W-what? Was it something I did? Do I smell?¡±, he worriedly checked his hand and sniffed his clothing.


    She laughed and ignored her goofy son.


    ¡°As you probably know by now, he is my son, Jaden. My name is-¡±


    ¡°Melissa! Jaden!¡±


    ¡°Melissa!¡±


    Voices repeatedly called out the two names from a distance.


    ¡°We¡¯re here¡±, Melissa responded.


    Seconds later, several people walked out from behind a nearby tree. Turning his head, Kai took a good look at the newly emerged group of people. Leading the group was a man, closely followed by a woman. Behind the woman were three more men.


    The man in the front stood a bit taller than two meters. His hair and eyes were an identical shade of red to Melissa¡¯s. His breastplates, pauldrons, and gauntlets were similar as well, however, rather than soft long pants, his legs were equipped with knee plates and greaves. Squinting his eyes, Kai closely examined his armor and recognized the shallow engravings.


    They have the same markings as the ones on Melissa¡¯s armor.


    The woman behind the man wore a tight sky blue dress that extended down to her ankles. Her eyes were black and her straight blue hair fell down to her waist-level. A long wooden staff was diagonally strapped behind her back. The tip was shaped in the form of a claw and a polished pale blue orb snuggly sat in its grasp.


    What an odd weapon¡­


    Trailing right behind the woman were two men that were almost exactly identical. They each wore light long sleeves and pants, had light blonde hair that were shortened into buzz cuts, and strapped a long sword on the side of their waist. The single aspect that differentiated the two was their eyes. One of them had black eyes while the other was white and unusually unfocused.


    Is he blind?¡­


    Bringing up the rear of the group was a tall burly man. His robust arms threatened to tear the short sleeve shirt he was wearing. His short hair was dirt brown and his eyes were black. Slung across his back was an intimidating large double-sided axe. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°There you two are-¡±, the man in the front began to say but stopped when he saw Kai. ¡°Who¡¯s this young boy?¡±


    ¡°We were just introducing ourselves before your ill-timed interruption¡±, Melissa smirked.


    ¡°Oh?¡±, he replied, raising an eyebrow in interest. The corners of his mouth formed a smile. ¡°Better yet, how about we all introduce ourselves after a nice meal?¡±


    ¡°You guys caught a beast?¡±, Jaden asked, his eyes shining with excitement.


    ¡°We caught a huge bear¡±, the burly man confirmed with a wide smile, his arms stretching apart in an attempt to represent the size of the bear.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯m starving!¡±, he exclaimed. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    Taking Kai¡¯s hand, he began to drag him while running from the direction he came from. Kai allowed himself to be towed by stared at him with blatant curiosity.


    He is so abnormally¡­ friendly.


    ¡°Wait Jaden, do you even know where we set up camp?¡±, the blue dressed woman hurriedly called out before Jaden could run too far.


    As soon as her voice reached his ears, he abruptly halted. Slowly turning, he released Kai¡¯s hands and rubbed the back of his head. His ears and face glowed a faint tinge of red.


    ¡°Heh¡­ um¡­ where is it?¡±, he awkwardly asked, the sound of his voice lowering with each syllable.


    He truly is foolish.


    Kai berated him in his mind but unknowingly smiled. The group of adults, on the other hand, merrily laughed. The burly man, in particular, laughed with a tremendous booming tone akin to that of a thunderclap.


    ¡°Typical Jaden¡±, the red haired man playfully teased. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    He started to lead them in a slightly alternated direction from where Jaden initially ran towards. Still red from embarrassment, Jaden left Kai¡¯s motor skills to his own devices and walked on his own. Not long afterwards, a glimpse of rising smoke could be seen in the distance. The alluring scent of smoking meat assaulted their noses.


    Rejuvenated from the prospect of food, Jaden immediately grabbed Kai¡¯s hand and bolted towards the source of the smoke. The speed was not something Kai could not handle but, once again, Jaden¡¯s overflowing sense of familiarity caught him off-guard.


    Speeding past the bushes and weaving around the trees, they soon entered an open field of grass. A small batch of crackling fire sat near the center of the field. Two tall and sturdy ¡®Y¡¯ shaped branches were stabbed into the ground on opposite sides of the fire. Laying comfortably on the indents on top of the branches laid a single smooth branch with a large chunk of meat speared through the middle.


    ¡°There it is!¡±, Jaden shouted in joy as he ran.


    Nearby the cooking meat were three large tents and a fresh corpse of an enormous bear. A visibly large chunk of flesh was missing from its side.


    As Jaden reached the meat, he stopped and glanced at it for a second as his mouth salivated, then he ran past it. He headed straight for one of the tents and hurriedly flipped open the flaps of its entrance. Kai halted next to the meat and curiously stared at the tent.


    Why did he go i-


    -Clang- -Ting- -Bang-


    Before he could finish the thought, a series of boisterous noise clattered from within the tent. Seconds later, Jaden¡¯s shoulder peaked out from between the flaps as he gradually emerged. His legs trembled with every step he took as he carried masses of metal bowls and spoons in his arms.


    The adults casually walked onto the field of grass just in time to witness him struggling to exit the tent. They immediately broke into a chorus of laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±, he shouted questionly as he peered through the gaps in between the bowls.


    The white eyed man was the first to recover.


    ¡°We¡¯re not eating stew, there¡¯s no need for the bowls and spoons.¡±


    ¡°...Oh¡­¡±


    His face quickly resembled a tomato but only Kai was able to see it from his standing point. He stumbled back into the tent as fast as he could.


    The adults recovered from their laughter and continued making their way towards the meat. After another round of boisterous noise, Jaden reappeared from inside the tent and sprinted to join them.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s just about done¡±, Melissa examined.


    She bent down and picked several thin branches that strayed from the fire. As she rose to her feet, she pulled out a long knife from a hidden compartment in her breastplate and leisurely cut a generous portion from the hanging meat. The separated meat began to free-fall but she swiftly speared through it with one of the branches she acquired.


    ¡°Here¡±, she offered as she bent over and gave it to Jaden.


    The fragrant smell invaded his nose and his eyes lit up as he received the long desired meal. He started to bring it towards his mouth but suddenly stopped halfway as if a thought crossed his mind. Lifting his head, he stared at Kai and thrusted the skewered meat in his direction.


    ¡°Be careful it¡¯s hot¡±, he cautioned with a wide smile.


    Kai hesitantly gazed at the his act of kindness.


    ¡°Take it¡±, he reassured when Kai remained motionless.


    After another moment of pause, he extended his hand and took it.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Aw, look at my little gentleman¡±, Melissa complimented with a proud smile as she handed another skewered meat to him. ¡°Here¡¯s a bigger piece.¡±


    Jaden gladly accepted the new piece and wasted no more time as he immediately devoured it. She returned to the meat and proceeded to cut everyone else a share. Having each received their individual meals, they all comfortably sat down around the fire and enjoyed it. While taking her first few bites, she extended an open palm at the fire and her hand emitted red Qi. The flames swayed to her will and slowly mitigated into a lighter, gentle, flame.


    ¡°So, shall we start with introductions?¡±, the red haired man questioned as he finished his last piece of meat.


    ¡°Wait, can I have another piece first?¡±, Jaden hurriedly asked.


    Melissa laughed and patiently carved another portion before handing it to him.


    ¡°Thanks mom!¡±, he appreciated with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll go first, my name¡¯s Jaden!¡±


    ¡°I think he already knows that¡±, Melissa pointed out.


    ¡°Oh right¡­¡±, he recalled with an embarrassed grin. He silenced himself from further blunders as he began to work on his second portion.


    ¡°So I suppose you¡¯ve already been introduced to Melissa and Jaden¡±, the red haired man accurately assumed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go next. My name is Brad and this-¡±


    He placed his arm around the blue dressed woman¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°-is my wife, Tina.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡±, Tina greeted with a gentle voice.


    ¡°I am Michaelius¡±, the burly man stated loudly with a hard slap on his chest. ¡°It¡¯s such a long name, I know. Never did like it, you can just call me Mike.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Roger¡±, the light blonded man with the black eyes went next, ¡°and as you might have guessed this is my twin brother. His name is Jerome.¡±


    He pointed at his white eyed counterpart.


    ¡°Hey! I wanted to introduce myself¡±, Jerome complained.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m older so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°What! You¡¯re only older by thirty seconds, that hardly counts.¡±


    ¡°Last time I checked, thirty seconds still counts as time, right Mike?¡±, he turned to Mike for confirmation.


    ¡°Sounds about right¡±, he nodded.


    ¡°You gu-!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, break it up guys¡±, Melissa appeased.


    ¡°-ys are ridicu-¡±, Jerome continued.


    ¡°SHUT IT!¡±, she shouted with a hard demanding tone.


    The three men immediately subdued and lowered their heads, not daring to connect eyes with her glare.


    I wonder if her temper has anything to with her affinity to fire¡­


    As Kai silently contemplated to himself, Brad turned to him with a kind smile.


    ¡°So how about you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Kai¡±, he casually answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice name¡±, Tina responded. ¡°Where are you from Kai? And what brings you into this forest?¡±


    Kai opened his mouth, then closed it as he pondered over his next choice of words. Misinterpreting his silence as reluctance, Melissa quickly interjected.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to tell us if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡±, Kai reassured. ¡°Up until recently, I have been a slave to bandits since I was a baby. That is my origin.¡±


    They all stared at him in slight shock but recovered quickly as if the circumstances were not uncommon.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡±, Melissa empathized. ¡°You¡¯ve had a hard life.¡±


    Jaden stared at Kai with an expression of pity. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet.


    ¡°Hey mom, how about we let him join us. He¡¯s stronger than me so it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±, Brad stared at him in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s a Peak Novice too?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s only a Mid Novice.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how old is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s six.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Brad, along with the rest of the adults besides Melissa, recoiled in shock.


    ¡°I was surprised when I heard it from him as well, but he really is incredibly strong. He handled a few of my blows and escaped with only a few bruises and scratches.¡±


    They recoiled once more.


    ¡°Well¡­ in that case, I guess he could join us. It¡¯ll be wrong of us to leave him as a slave and Jaden will finally have a companion near his age instead of rotting his youth away with us.¡±


    ¡°Say¡­ speaking about slaves, don¡¯t we have a mission about that?¡±, Mike mentioned.


    ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll have a connection, it¡¯s too much of a coincidence¡±, Brad presumed as he shook his head. ¡°But I guess it won¡¯t hurt to ask. Kai, have you heard of other children slaves named Teresa, Ben, Cindy, or Robert?¡±


    What!?


    His eyes widened as he flinched in astonishment at the familiarity of each name.

 Chapter 27: Mercenaries

    Chapter 27: Mercenaries


    Forest, Jade Empire


    They all raised their eyebrows at Kai¡¯s extreme change of expressions.


    ¡°You actually know them?¡± Brad questioned in disbelief.


    What do they want with them? Are they here to harm them? Help them?


    Kai rapidly jumped to his feet and created distance between him and them. His eyes narrowed slightly as he exuded an aura of caution.


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±, he answered with a question of his own.


    ¡°Calm down Kai¡±, Melissa assured in a soothing tone. ¡°We are not searching for them with ill-intentions, we were sent to help them.¡±


    Sent?


    ¡°... who are you all?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±, Mike shouted in realization as he slapped his knee. ¡°Haha! We haven¡¯t even told him who we are yet.¡±


    Brad smiled in the same realization.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Normally we would announce ourselves first but we unknowingly skipped that part and went straight to the names. Better late than never, Kai, we are mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Mercenaries?¡±


    Mercenaries¡­ I should¡¯ve expected it in a world with bandits.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. More accurately we¡¯re known as the Raging Tempests.¡±


    ¡°... but what does that have to do with them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve been raised in an isolated environment since you were young so you wouldn¡¯t know anything about mercenaries, would you?¡±, Brad concluded with a nod.


    ¡°Let me explain¡±, Melissa offered. ¡°As mercenaries we take on jobs, more commonly known as missions, for a living. The missions are made by other people and placed on display for mercenaries like us to pick and choose from.¡±


    Her definition of mercenaries fell under what Kai already understood but he nodded and continued to listen, in case she stated anything foreign.


    ¡°However, we did not take on a typical mission recently. About a week ago, we came across this middle-aged couple while we were in Adiple City.¡±


    ¡°Adiple City?¡±, Kai couldn¡¯t help but question.


    ¡°Sorry, I keep forgetting that you wouldn¡¯t know¡±, Melissa apologized. ¡°Adiple City is relatively close to here, about a few days on foot, maybe two days by horse.¡±


    He nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°So we encountered this middle-aged couple there. They were desperately trying to have their mission approved by the local mercenary headquarters but they were constantly being rejected.¡±


    Mercenary headquarters?.. I¡¯ll ask later¡­


    ¡°Once they were kicked out, we asked the receptionist why they were being rejected and she told us they didn¡¯t have enough money.¡±


    Brad sighed.


    ¡°Although we are proud of our profession¡±, he added, ¡°it¡¯s sad to see our kind turn away people who are in need of help, just because they lack the money to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no way around it because we need money to survive too¡±, Roger sighed in turn.


    ¡°Then why did you all take the job?¡±, Kai asked.


    ¡°Right, you guys should save your comments for later otherwise I¡¯ll never finish explaining¡±, Melissa suggested.


    Brad and Roger tilted their heads apologetically.


    ¡°So as I was saying, we figured out that they were being rejected because of money but we were still curious on their situation. We asked the receptionist for more information and she told us they were the only adult survivors of a raided village.¡±


    ¡°That is actually a common occurrence in this world but what really hit home for a few of us is when she mentioned their desired mission. Normally the goal of the mission for folks like them would be revenge, the slaughter of the bandits that took everything away from them, but to our surprise it wasn¡¯t that. Their desired mission was to rescue the children of their village, who were captured by the bandits.¡±


    ¡°Once we heard what they wanted, we immediately rushed out to find them. We caught up with them and asked them if they wanted to hire us. They were hesitant at first but we reassured them that we really just wanted to help regardless of the money and they were happy to accept.¡±


    ¡°After that, we hunted the bandits down. We scoured the city for information and within the day we were pointed to this part of the forest. Actually, we were starting to doubt this piece of information because we found and attacked some bandits a few days ago but didn¡¯t find any signs of the children. We were just about to give up and leave the forest but then we met you. The rest is as you know.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°See I told you guys we should¡¯ve wait a bit longer¡±, Jaden reminded as placed his hands by his hips and stuck his chest out in pride.


    ¡°Haha, yes, yes, you¡¯re always right Jaden¡±, Roger surrendered.


    ¡°Good thing we listened to Jaden otherwise we would¡¯ve ruined our perfect mission streak¡±, Mike laughed loudly.


    ¡°But then again this doesn¡¯t count since it wasn¡¯t official, right?¡±, Jerome corrected.


    ¡°You boys need to stop getting sidetracked¡±, Tina calmly lectured. She turned her attention to Kai. ¡°As you can see Kai, we really don¡¯t mean harm. If they are your friends, we can help save them. Will you let us?¡±


    Kai stared intensely at Tina¡¯s sincerity. She exuded a gentle aura that tempered his caution as he weighed his next move.


    ¡­ It seems that they do want to help. If it¡¯s through this method then my plans to rescue them will occur sooner as well.


    ¡°Thank you for your help. I will tell you everything that I know¡±, Kai answered after his moment of pause.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±, Jaden excitedly whooped.


    ¡°Shh¡±, Melissa calmed his son while smiling at his enthusiasm. ¡°Let him tell us his story.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ sorry¡±, he apologized to Kai. ¡°Go on please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡±, he excused. ¡°I am not part of their village as you may have known from my name not being mentioned in their rescue list. As a baby I was, in fact, found in the middle of an ocean¡­¡±


    He continued to unfold the course of his life, explaining their relation to him. He narrated the tale of his childhood as a slave of the bandits which included Cindy¡¯s unfortunate tragedy. Finally, he arrived to his fallout and altercations between the bandits. He described his first, and second, altercation with the bandit child, Austin, then his first fight against a Baron, Mian.


    As he narrated his tale, he deliberately emphasized the names and strengths of the bandit¡¯s that he knew, hoping they would take note of them.


    He carried on by explaining the Boss¡¯s intention on keeping him as their weapon, then described the rogue bandits who had their own intentions and mistakenly handed him an opportunity to escape. Wrapping up his story, he described his fleeing from the pursuing bandits and a Baron bear, his miraculous survival from the torrential waterfall, then his year in the forest.


    He decided against disclosing his following encounter with the other bandits as he did not find the information necessary and was still ashamed of his inability to restrain from killing.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Brad uttered once Kai concluded his narration. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡±


    ¡°More than any five year old should¡¯ve gone through¡±, Tina added in sympathy.


    ¡°I¡¯m amazed you¡¯re still alive¡­¡±, Roger commented with awe.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you fought a Baron when you were an Initial Novice. No wonder you were so adept when facing me¡±, Melissa assumed.


    ¡°Ah! Didn¡¯t we come across a waterfall yesterday?¡±, Jaden cried out.


    Melissa¡¯s eyes widened as she recollected the memory of the mentioned waterfall.


    ¡°Kai, could it be the same waterfall you fell from?¡±


    ¡°It should be¡±, he confirmed with a nod. ¡°I haven¡¯t found any additional waterfalls during my year in this section of the forest. I never strayed too far in fear that I would lose my way back to them.¡±


    ¡°If that is the waterfall, how the hell did you survive that fall?¡±, Brad gaped as he recalled its tremendous height. He turned to his sister. ¡°Not even you could¡¯ve survived that fall, could you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if I wrapped myself with Qi¡­ I can¡¯t be too sure. It would definitely be very dangerous, that¡¯s for certain. As a Novice, I can¡¯t imagine how you could¡¯ve survived that fall.¡±


    Even I would like to know the answer to that.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I survived¡±, he answered honestly.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the world giving you break for everything you¡¯ve been through¡±, Jaden innocently assumed.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±, Melissa pondered, while smiling at her son¡¯s pure thoughts. ¡°Whatever the case is, it really is a miracle that you survived and there¡¯s no need to think too hard about it.¡±


    ¡°Miracles aside, you sound really strong young man¡±, Mike commended loudly. ¡°How about we have a little spar?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±, Tina scolded. ¡°What are you doing picking on a little child?¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s technically fought two Baron¡¯s now, including Melissa, and survived. Why don¡¯t I get a chance to feel his strength?¡±


    ¡°You thoughtless brut, give the boy a break¡±, Jerome berated. ¡°Also, we should be using this time to think of a solid plan to rescue his friends.¡±


    Mike intended to defend himself again but went silent as he thought of Jerome¡¯s sound logic.


    ¡°... Okay, you¡¯re right¡±, he admitted after a short pause. ¡°So what should we do?¡±


    Jerome turned his head to Kai.


    Is he not blind?...


    Before he could ask, Jerome began to speak.


    ¡°Kai, can you tell us, to the best of your knowledge, the details of the bandit¡¯s home? That way we can come up with a plan of attack.¡±


    He nodded in approval of the idea and at Jerome¡¯s intellect. If none of them bothered to devise a strategy and planned to run in blind, he would have been sorely worried about their chances of success.


    The rest of the afternoon flew by as they debated on the most optimal method of offense. From the placement of the spiked walls to the specific location of each house, they did not finalize their decision until the sky darkened.


    ¡°Alright it¡¯s decided, tomorrow we will meet up with Kai¡¯s friends, inform them of our plans, and revise it if necessary¡±, Melissa concluded.


    They all nodded in agreement as Mike¡¯s stomach released a mighty rumble.


    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m starving. Let¡¯s make some dinner.¡±


    As soon as the words escaped his lips, a strong alluring scent filled his and everyone else¡¯s nostrils. They turned their heads and surprisingly saw Tina promptly walking over to them with freshly made bear meat skewers in her hands.


    ¡°You all must have been really focused¡±, she deduced with a knowing smile. ¡°I left and started to prepare dinner an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°You-


    Brad began to say as he stood up. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled her in for a brief hug.


    ¡°-are the best wife in the entire world¡±, he finished, a loving smile plastered across his face.


    ¡°Of course¡±, she agreed with a playful mock arrogance.


    When they finished their meals and had their fill, they laid back on the soft grass in satisfaction. After a moment of relaxation, everyone dispersed but Tina reached over and softly placed her hand on Kai¡¯s shoulder. He turned and tilted his head in curiosity.


    ¡°Sorry Kai but I can¡¯t hold this in any longer¡±, Tina coyly began. ¡°Will you please let me cut your hair?¡±


    My hair?


    He raised his eyebrows and ran his fingers through his hair. His fingers were caught several times in miniscule hair knots before finally running through to the end, touching his shoulders.


    It¡¯s quite long¡­


    Having solely set his mind on growing stronger in the past year, he completely ignored the state of his physical appearance. He glanced closely at his body for the first time in a long time. His poorly maintained hair aside, his clothes were terribly tattered and his nails were unsightly long.


    It seems Jaden wasn¡¯t completely unwarranted when he assumed I was a beast.


    ¡°I will have to impose on you¡±, Kai modestly accepted Tina¡¯s request.


    Tina smiled brightly at his consent. She raised the hems of her dress and revealed an ankle strap that held two miniature knives. Retrieving one of them, she walked behind Kai, held the ends of his hair, and started to expertly shear them.


    ¡°You know¡±, she spoke after a while of silent shearing, ¡°for a six year old, the way you talk is oddly mature.¡±


    ¡°... Is it? I learned from Teresa¡±, he partially lied.


    ¡°She must be a very bright young lady then.¡±


    ¡°She is¡±, he confirmed.


    The rest of the hair shearing session passed in silence until she clapped her hands.


    ¡°Done!¡±, she announced with a sense of accomplishment. ¡°Not too bad if I say so myself.¡±


    Running his fingers through his hair once more, he noticed she formed a side-swept fringe on his forehead that stopped right above his eyes; the rest of his hair was relatively shorter.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±, she asked expectantly.


    He slightly twisted his head back and forth.


    ¡°It¡¯s more comfortable and doesn¡¯t cover my vision as often¡±, he commented logically without much care for its fashionable appearance. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome¡±, she smiled. ¡°Now you should get some sleep so you¡¯ll have energy tomorrow morning. You can sleep with Melissa and Jaden in that tent over there.¡±


    She pointed at the rightmost tent. He turned to see it and realized that everyone were nowhere to be seen. Assuming they all returned to their respective tents, he faced Tina and nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave you in their care. Good night¡±, she parted with a wave before heading to her own tent.


    He waved back and gradually walked to Melissa and Jaden¡¯s tent. Stepping a few feet away from the flap, he turned in time to see Tina¡¯s figure disappearing into the tent. He immediately turned, walked away from his intended tent, and approached the borders of the grass field.


    That one is perfect.


    Gazing at the trees, he found one with a favorable branch. He channeled Essence to his feet and leapt into the air before gracefully landing upon it. He sat down with his legs extended, closed his eyes, and began his usual routine of cultivating.