《The Blood Sovereign》 Chapter One: Lin Feng Chapter One Within an isolated courtyard manor, a boy was sitting under the light of an oil lamp, reading a book. The name of the boy was Lin Feng. Lin Feng was 8 years old today, and like every other birthday he could remember, he got a new book as a gift. Lin Feng loved books, loved how they could take him to a different place, a different life, away from the boredom, isolation and indifference of his daily life. Lin Feng was the eldest son of one of the most powerful merchants in the small town where they lived, Lin Suo. However, because he is the son of a concubine he has no right''s to inherit the families business and as such, him and his mother where sent to live in this isolated courtyard manor, around one hour walk away from the town center. The main wife of his father, jealous of the love he gives to my mother and afraid of the fact the she was able to give birth to a boy before her, forced his father to segregate the both of them from the main family compound and send away. As Lin Feng was reading, there was a knock on his door. A beautiful woman in he mid twenties entered his room and with a gentle smile scolded him. That woman was his mother, Lin Mei. "Feng''er, what are you still doing up? I clearly remember telling you that your father would come visit tomorrow and that you should go to sleep early in order to welcome him when he arrives." Scolded Lin Mei, a loving expression in her eyes. "But mom! I''m in the best part of the book! The hero just confronted the evil demon and is getting ready to kick his arse!" "No excuses young man, you will go to sleep this instant!" Lin Mei said, mirth clear in her eyes. "Fine, fine! But, can you please tell me the story again? THAt one!" Lin Feng said, excitement clear on his childish face. "Sigh... Feng''er, you always ask mother to tell you that story. Will you ever grow tired of hearing it? Honestly!" Lin Mei said, still with a loving expression clear in her gentle and warm face. Lin Feng ran to his bed with a speed only possible to those who are that young, and with the cover pulled to his chin, he eagerly waited for his mother to start the story. Lin Mei, seeing that there was no way to get out of telling her son the story for what seemed like the 1000th time, chuckled ruefully and sat down on a chair by the bed. "All right, i''ll tell the story. But not in it''s entirety, i still maintain that you must go to sleep early so that you can welcome your father in the morning" Said Lin Mei, patting his head with a wry grin on her lips. Lin Feng simply nodded furiously, and waited with baited breath for the story to begin. With a chuckle at her mischievous son, Lin Mei started, "In the beginning of the universe, there was only Shenzu. He was the void, and the void was him. He was the chaos, and the chaos was him. He was creation itself, and creation was him. However, Shenzu grew lonely, and in his solitude he decided to create himself a partner to share eternity with. This was the birth of the Maiden Manah, daughter of creation and mother of all." Intoned Lin Mei, with a soft, soothing voice. "Was Maiden Manah very pretty? I don''t think she could be prettier than you Mom" Said Lin Feng, with a curious look. "Of course she was! Maiden Manah''s beauty is said to be enough to cause the heaven''s to weep. Now will you let me continue the story?" Said Lin Mei, with laughter in her voice at her child''s clear attempt at being charming like his father. Lin Feng just nodded, already becoming sleepy after being in the comfortable bed for a few minutes. "After living together with Shenzu for countless eons, Manah convinced Shenzu that they should create something out of the infinite void that was the universe at the time, so with their combined power they created the elements and out of the elements came stars, planets and galaxies. This was the birth of the cosmos." Said Lin Mei, amused by her son''s efforts to stay awake. "That wasn''t all that was born though was it Mom?" Asked the sleepy Lin Feng, stifling a yawn. "No it wasn''t, Feng''er. Out of the elements something else was born, beings with power great enough to rival Shenzu and Manah herself, they were the Four Great Divine Beasts. The Vermilion Bird, ruler of fire, the Black Tortoise, ruler of earth, the White Tiger, ruler of air and the Azure Dragon, Ruler of Water and Guardian of Magic, the most powerful of them all. From their birth, came the Elemental Planes, from which the Elementals were born, created with the purpose of maintaining the balance amongst the elements of the universe." Continued Lin Mei, already preparing to put an end to story time so her son could finally go to sleep. "But Mom, i thought Shenzu and and Manah were the most powerful beings in the cosmos? They are, after all, the creators of everything!" Said Lin Feng, quoting from one of his many books. Lin Mei looked proudly at her son. She always felt proud when her son showed knowledge that most children of his age could at most parrot, but not really understand. "They are, my cute child. However the Divine Beasts are not to be trifled with, they were born from the primordial elemental energies of creation. Something even Shenzu and Manah could not control, but only guide." She said, deciding that this was a good place to stop. Her child was already half asleep and keeping him awake any longer could cause him to loose his sleep. "All right, Fen''er. It''s time to sleep, and i''m serious this time. No more delays, young man!" Said Lin Mei, playfully shaking her finger at Lin Feng. "Fine. But tomorrow i get to hear the whole story!" Said Lin Feng, with a pout so adorable it could move even the most cold hearted of people. "Ok, my love. Sleep well, and may the Maiden Manah grant you good dreams" Said Lin Mei, while kissing her child in the nose, causing his to sleepily giggle. -------------------------------------------------------------//------------------------------------------------------------------- In the middle of the night, Lin Feng woke up to loud noise coming from outside his house. Thinking it might be a burglar, he tip toed to the window of his bedroom and peaked at the outside. Not seeing anything, he thought that maybe he was hearing things. However, not even 5 seconds after such thought, he heard the noise again. This time it was far louder, like the clap of thunder and he realised it was coming from the sky. However, when he looked, there wasn''t a single cloud in the sky. The star shone brightly in the clear night sky, which only puzzled the naturally curious boy even more. Deciding to investigate closer, he stealthily opened his window further, and with the nimbleness of those his age, jumped outside his room and started looking at the night sky. What he saw, shocked and awed the Lin Feng more than anything he had ever seen in his entire life short life. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He saw two men, engaged in battle, flying in the sky! He gaped, staring at the two figures fighting viciously. Flashes of swords, and the clang of metal hitting metal reverberated through the silence of the night. ''Immortal Cultivators! Those are Immortal Cultivators, just like in the stories'' Thought Lin Feng, with excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach. "Situ Fei! You think you can escape after trying to steal the core teachings of my sect!?" Yelled one of the man, wearing pale blue robes, and wielding a slim sword, glowing in the moonlight. "Hahahaha, Lu Tian! You think you can stop me with your piddling sword arts and cultivation?! I may not be strong enough to defeat you, but i am more than strong enough to flee! Will you chase me to the ends of earth?! Dream on!" Shouted the other man, dressed in pitch black robes, with a red moon symbol on the back. He wielded a vicious looking saber, that looked like it had reaped many lives. As they continued to fight, sonic booms echoed in the night and the sounds of the emergency bells from the town ringed loudly. In the ground, Lin Feng continued to watch, transfixed by the sight of the beings he only knew of from the stories he had read in his favourite books. Suddenly, a sound came from behind him and when he looked he saw his mother, with a terrified look on her face, running in his direction. "Feng''er, come back inside! It''s not safe here!" Shouted the woman, frantically running towards her child. "Mom! Those are Immortal Cultivators, just like in the books!" Oblivious to the danger, Lin Fen shouted back to his mother, and continued to watch. The fight seemed to be reaching it''s zenith, when suddenly a flash of sword Qi, dazzling in it''s brightness came rushing towards Lin Feng. Lin Mei screamed with horror at the scene and ran with even stronger frenzy towards her beloved child, who was only now realising the grave danger he found himself in. Lin Feng, after seeing the flash of Sword Qi, was terrified and glued to the spot. The oppression that the attack brought was enough to cause blood to run from his yes, nose and ears. When Lu Tian, saw this scene his face turned ugly beyond compare, and after taking a look at Situ Fei, he rushed towards Lin Feng and with a wave of his sleeves, threw Lin Feng into the direction of his mother. However, while his actions only took a few seconds, it was enough for Situ Fei to take advantage and flee with all his power. By the time Lu Tian look in the direction Situ Fei was, he was already at least a thousand meters away. With a shake of his head and a furious snort, he gave chase, though the hope of catching someone so close to his own power when he was doing everything he could to escape and had such a head start was very slim. Lin Mei, holding the now unconscious Lin Feng was crying tears of relief, while absolute terror still gripped her heart in a cold vice, terror not for her life but for the life of her only son. ______________________________________________//_____________________________________________ Morning came, and Lin Feng slowly woke up, feeling very tired and his body ached like he had taken the beating of a lifetime. ''What happened? Did i fall from my bed in the middle of the night?'' Thought Lin Feng groggily. Then everything came crashing down on him, all the memories from the past night. At first Lin Feng was incredibly excited because he got to see Immortal Cultivators. However, once he remembered the terrifying sword qi that came in his direction, he became white as a sheet, and that''s when his mother came into the room. Lin Mei looked exhausted and as if she had aged 10 years in one night. "Feng''er, you''re awake! Thank the Maiden Manah!" Cried Lin Mei, hurrying to his side as inspecting his body with a critical be teary eye. "I''m okay, Mom. More importantly, those were Immortal Cultivators! I never thought i would get to see the heroes of those stories in real life! Although i think one of them was a thief, that''s not very heroic" Frowned Lin Feng, who seemed to be recovering the excitement of seeing such an awe inspiring scene. "Oh, Feng''er! You nearly scared mother to death! How could you leave the house in the middle of the night! What would i have done if something happened to you!?" "But Mom! There were noises outside, like thunder but with no rain nor clouds in the sky! I couldn''t help myself!" Complained Lin Feng, as if an 8 year old boy leaving his house in the middle of the night to investigated loud and suspicious sounds was the height of normality. "Do not talk back to me young man! You''re in serious trouble! I almost saw the yellow river when that sword Qi came in your direction! You''re grounded for an entire year, you hear me? A whole year!" Scolded Lin Mei. Clearly the fear of loosing her son had quickly turned into anger, and she was having none of his excuses. "A whole year!? Mom, that''s too much!" Cried Lin Feng, horrified at the idea of not being able to visit the town and play with the few friends he had for an entire year. "Hoh, still talking back to me?! Do you want the punishment to be increased to 2 years!? I''ll do it, young man!" Lin Mei was clearly having none of his nonsense, at least not until the fear of loosing her son had time to abate. "Ok, ok, Mom! I promise i''ll behave!" Lin Feng nearly jumped out of his skin, seeing his usually gentle mother being to strict. "Humph! I''ll go make you some food, you''ve been asleep for almost a full day and missed two meals already! Your father came to visit, and after hearing about what happened he called a doctor. After being assured that you would be fine, and had just suffered a shock he had no choice but to return home. You know how Lin Ming is, she can''t stand me and would prefer Lin Suo never visit us at all." Said Lin Mei. She didn''t hide the fact that the main wife of Lin Feng hated them. Considering how clever Lin Feng was, he had long ago picked up on her feelings. "Ok, mom! I really am hungry." Lin Feng said with a cheeky smile on his face, patting his grumbling stomach. After Lin Mei left the room, Lin Feng started thinking about the things he saw last night. While being attacked was certainly scary, he couldn''t help the feeling of awe and longing he felt after witnessing the power of Immortal Cultivators. They could fly in the sky, what feeling of freedom must that bring! It was this day that Lin Feng, who previously was only interested in books swore to himself that he to would have that kind of power one day. It''s not like he had to worry about his family, being the son of a concubine. And so began the story of the man who would one day tear the heaven''s and shake the earth with his powers. Chapter Two: Obsession "Ha!" "Huff!" On the back of a small courtyard manor, on a makeshift training area, a handsome young man of barely fifteen was waving a heavy iron training sword with a deeply concentrated look on his face, sweat running on his brow. This young man is Lin Feng. With his midnight black hair, fair skin and entrancing forest green eyes, he looked quite heroic. Specially his eyes, that not only were a rare colour on the Azure Mystic continent, but that also shone with determination and strength. This past seven years had allowed him to grow into a stalwart young man, full of vigour and energy. Since the day he witnessed the battle between those two cultivators, a fire started burning on his soul. A profound desire to one day soar through the heavens as a practitioner awoke within him, and henceforth he dedicated most of his time to training. Other than training, he spent the rest of the time reading about cultivation and studying low level sword manuals, the only books he could get on the subject. "All right, this should be enough for today!" Said Lin Feng, a satisfied smile on his face. Lin Feng had gotten into the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn, and training until the sun was high in the sky. He had trained until his hand bled and he passed out from exhaustion, all to fulfil his wish of becoming a powerful cultivator in the future. "Sigh... this manual is truly far too simple, with my comprehensive abilities it only took me four months to achieve a level of large success in it. Well, what did i expect? This is not a cultivator sword manual, but something common people train in." Lin Feng had studied several such manuals, and while his skill with the sword could be considered quite good, it was nothing compared to those sect geniuses who had access to the best techniques. "Oh well, it''s still enough to help me train my physical body. Since i can''t train my inner Yuan energy yet, making my body as fit as possible is the only thing i can do. It will at least make cultivation in the lower level smoother, after all my body will be able to handle the strain of energy absorption more easily" Thought Lin Feng, as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Good cultivation manuals are things that only sects and powerful clans can get their hands on, while low level cultivation techniques are things that Lin Feng is not interested in, since by using those methods his future prospects will be severely limited. So, like most youths of his age, his greatest desire is to be accepted into one of the sects so that he can begin his path as a cultivator by using a superior cultivation method. Getting accepted into the sects is no easy matter however. It requires the individual to possess excellent innate talent, as well as high comprehensive abilities. As such, like in most kingdoms, every year there is a nation wide selection process, where the sects look for promising talents to groom. The Azure Sky Kingdom, where Lin Feng lives is no exception to this rule. However, as a small kingdom on the western-most edge of the Azure Mystic Continent, bordering the Starfall Mountain Range which is filled with magical beasts, many sects won''t even send representatives there. The aspiring children will be lucky if some mid-level sects send examiners, to say nothing of the 4 Great Sects. This year''s exam is taking place two days from now, and Lin Feng is almost jumping out of his skin with excitement. His lifelong wish is about to become reality, and his future path lay ahead, unobstructed. "I have to get into at least a mid-level sect. The resources in the low-level sects are too sparse, and they can barely produce a Dao of the Element Realm expert every hundred years or so. As for Elemental Ascension realm experts, they usually only have one or two, as Dao reserve of the entire sect." Thought Lin Feng, imagining the power that such experts could wield. "Mid-level sects at least always have several Elemental Ascension experts as it''s guardians and even an Elemental Saint Realm expert as a Patriarch. If i''m lucky, i could attract the attention of one of those experts and become his disciple." The cultivation realms are something that even common people know about. They are divided into: Yuan Foundation Realm, Yuan Emission Realm, Yuan Solidification Realm and Yuan Seed Realm, each of these further divided into 9 levels. After these come the Dao of the Element Realm, Elemental Ascension Realm, Elemental Saint Realm and Elemental Immortal Realm, each divided into early stage, mid stage and peak stage. The great divider amongst sects is whether a sect has a Elemental Immortal Realm expert, which is the requirement for a sect to be considered a high-level sect. Elemental Immortal experts are the individuals who have truly transcended the mortal coil and stand above all creatures of the Azure Mystic Continent. "Ah, how great would it be if one of the 4 Great Sects sent one of their examiners here... Pft! What am i saying? I''d be lucky if the weakest amongst the high-level sects was to send one to this backwater place, to say nothing of the 4 Great Sects!" Said Lin Feng, while day-dreaming about such a lucky thing happening to him. "Ah.." Sighed Lin Feng, while staring that the clouds slowly moving in the sky. "I better get inside, otherwise mother is going to scold me again" After thinking that, Lin Feng quickly got up from the ground where he was lying down. After getting up, he quickly walked across the small training ground and to his room, where the changed into a clean set of clothes before moving in the direction of the kitchen. Lin Mei, Lin Feng''s mother, was just finishing their breakfast when Lin Feng entered the kitchen, a silly smile on his face after seeing his mother so focused on the task at hand. Lin Mei was still the most beautiful woman Lin Feng had ever seen. The way the sun''s light played on her hair, and her eyes shone with kindness and just a hint of mischief gave her a unique charm that was quite compelling. He could see why his father fell so hopelessly in love with his mother. After hearing footsteps approach, Lin Mei looked over her shoulder and smiled at Lin Feng with so much love showing in her eyes that Lin Feng couldn''t help but smiling back. "There you are! I was on the verge of going to look for you. Honestly Feng''er, is it really necessary for you to train at such an ungodly hour?" Scolded Lin Mei, the kind smile still playing in her lips. "Mother, we talked about this before! If i hope to be chosen by one of the sects in the exam, i need to be in my best condition!"Whined Lin Feng, although if you were to say that he would deny until his last breath. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "Are you really so eager to leave your mother behind? Ah, what have i done wrong? I thought i had raised a good, filial son. Turns out he can''t wait for the chance to get away from me!" Said Lin Mei, with a dramatic air about her and a teasing glint in her eyes. "Mother, you know that''s not it! However, a bird must leave the nest in order to fly into the skies. You know that since that night, my dream has been to become a cultivator. I promise after i join one of the sects, i''ll come visit whenever i can!" With a serious expression, Lin Feng swore while holding his mother''s hand. The only thing Lin Feng dreaded about joining one of the sects was the fact that he''d have to leave his mother behind. Specially considering their family situation, with his father being kept away by his main wife and mother kept exiled in this small courtyard manor, alone. However, he knew the only way he could change his mother''s fate would be by becoming a powerful cultivator and either pressuring the family to treat her as she deserves or take her away from this place. In such a small city, even the lowest level cultivator still commanded a certain level of respect from the locals. "Alright you silly child, mother was just teasing you. Now wash your hands, breakfast will be done in a couple of minutes" With the same kind smile on her face, Lin Mei shooed her son away from the cooking area. _______________________________________________//___________________________________________________ Two days quickly passed, and the time for the exam finally arrived. That morning, Lin Feng once again woke up at the crack of dawn. This time however, it wasn''t to train but to take the test that would determine his fate for the foreseeable future. After saying goodbye to his mother, he headed in the direction of his father''s home. Children would all be accompanied by their fathers to the test site, where they would pay the exam fee and wait outside for the results that could change the fate of an entire clan. Lin Feng wasn''t too happy about having to go to the family compound. Other than his father and younger sister, he didn''t get along with anyone else there. All of the family elders had been poisoned against him and his mother by his father''s main wife, and the dislike had extended to the members of the younger generation as well. After arriving at the entrance to the family compound, Lin Feng saw that most of the family was already outside getting ready to send off the members of the younger generation. His father was there, as was his wife and daughter, his little sister Lin Xie. The family elders were also outside, giving words of advice to the younger members. Lin Feng approached the group, and ignoring the disdainful glares almost everyone was sending him, greeted his father. "Father, this son has come to pay his respects!" With cupped hands, Lin Feng gave a deep bow to his father. Lin Suo was a handsome man, you could clearly see that he had many girls after him when he was younger. Even now in his late 30''s he still had an imposing air about him that attracted quite a few looks. "Feng''er, you have grown into a fine young man. Forgive this useless father for not being able to be there for you more" With a smile and a slightly melancholic look in his eyes, Lin Suo clasped his son''s shoulder. It pained him to be forced to neglect his only son, however the family elders stood firmly with his wife on this matter. He had no choice but to accept it, lest he caused a schism in the family. His wife, Lin Xuetong, came from a prominent family in the city they live in, and the connection between the families had been quite profitable to the Lin family. "Father, this son would never think ill of you. This son knows of the pressures father faces and doesn''t wish to become one more burden to father" With a rueful look on his face, Lin Feng brushes his fathers concerns away. He know''s very well that his and his mother''s situation cannot be entirely blamed on his father. The real culprit is Lin Xuetong and her poisonous ways. "Good child! In this exam, you must be accepted into one of the better sects. This way, father won''t have to worry so much about your situation. You will have the power to change your fate, and the fate of your mother with but a few words!" Lin Suo looked forward to the day he could make the family elders eat their words about his son! "Big brother!" Suddenly a loud, feminine voice filled with mischievousness sounded. When Lin Feng looked in the direction of the voice, he saw a pretty girl dressed in fine purple robes running at break neck speeds towards him. With long suffering smile, he called out to the the girl. "Xue''er, you''re going to hurt yourself if you run fast. Brother is not going anywhere, is there a need for such a rush?" While gasping loudly, the little girl gave a mischievous grin before punching him in the arm. "I almost never get to see you big brother! If i don''t run you may disappear again." "Ouch! Do you have to be such a tomboy? No man is going to want to marry such a violent girl you know?" "Humph! Who said i would want to marry a man who couldn''t even take a few hits from a delicate lady like me?" Lin Xue responded with a pout. Laughing out loud, Lin Feng ruffled her hair and with caring eyes looked her over. Lin Xue looked a lot like her mother, who in spite of being a venomous bitch, was quite beautiful. With her chestnut coloured hair and onyx black eyes, you could see she would grow up to be quite gorgeous. "Xue''er, are you going to participate in the tests as well?" In the Azure Mystic continent, it didn''t matter if you were a man or a woman. As long as you had talent to cultivate, the sects would be more than happy to draw you into their fold. "Of course! I''m not going to be one of those women that only knows how to serve their husband. I''m going to be a powerful cultivator who has full control over her fate!" With a serious look in her eyes, Lin Xue shouted while waving her fist. It was truly quite amusing. "Alright Feng''er, Xue''er. It''s time to head out to the testing site. We don''t want to be late and have to stand at the end of the line." Lin Suo started corralling the family members who were going to take the test, and move them in the direction of the testing site. ________________________________________________//__________________________________________________ Chapter Three: Sect entrance tests! The streets were filled with people. Parents and their children, all walking in the direction of the test site with expectant, nervous and excited looks on their faces. While this is something that happens once a year, because people from many smaller towns all congregate in the same place, there''s always a lot of people present every time the sects have the annual tests. On the way to the testing site, Lin Feng and the rest of the Lin clan walked with calm, steady strides fitting of their high position in the small Yulan City. While the Lin clan never had one of it''s scions accepted into the sects, they still possess quite a bit of financial power, as a merchant clan. Enough power to be ranked amongst the top clans in the city. Walking beside his father, Lin Feng observed the movement of people on the streets with a gleam on interest in his eyes. He was clearly impressed by the sheer amount of people who both wanted to participate and observe the testing process. "Feng''er, this year it seems like there''s more people coming to the test. The reason for that must be the rumour that one of the 4 Great Sects has sent one of their examiners to evaluate the candidates of Yulan City. As the city closest to Skyfall mountain range, it''s has always been neglected by the big sects and thought of as nothing more than a backwater place" With a serious tone, Lin Suo explained to his son who had a look of curiosity on his face. "What!? One of the 4 Great sects has sent an emissary to this small Yulan City? Father, why didn''t you tell me this before!?" Lin Feng was shocked! After all, this is would be the first time one of the 4 Great sects has sent someone to Yulan City. For the first time, Lin Feng was feeling nervous. Before, he was certain that with his comprehensive abilities he should''ve been able to join a mid-level sect. However, now knowing that one of the giants of the Azure Mystic Continent had sent a representative, he was almost vibrating with nervous energy and excitement. "Calm down, Feng''er. This is only a rumour, we can only be certain about what sects have sent representatives after the testing process initiates. What use would it have for me to tell you about this? It would only have made you anxious and that could affect your performance." Lin Suo was quite clear about his son''s abilities. As long as he had good results on his elemental affinity test, there should be no problem for him to join a mid-level sect. The testing process for the sects in the Azure Mystic Continent was divided into two stages. The first stage tested a person''s comprehensive abilities by testing the strength of their soul. The soul is what allows cultivators to unveil the mysteries of the world and it''s laws, the stronger the soul the greater will an individual''s capacity to comprehend the profound mysteries and laws of nature, something necessary to advance in cultivation and achieve mastery of daoist magics. The second stage, tested an individual''s elemental affinity. A person''s elemental affinity is what determines what cultivation techniques and they can cultivate in, and the level of the affinity will determine the speed at which a person will be able to advance in their cultivation. The higher the affinity, the greater the ability to sense the elemental energy of the world and the quicker you will be able to absorve and process that energy. These two aspects define a person''s latent talent, and their future prospects. Low elemental affinity means your training would too slow, while low soul strength would mean that your ability to comprehend the mysteries and laws of nature, and the intricacies of techniques, would be severely stunted. As Lin Feng was walking, he heard someone calling his name. As he turned, he grinned brightly. Walking in their direction as a sturdy youth, with childish features but a strong, tall, muscular body that moved like a small mountain. This was Zhang Yixing, the only friend Lin Feng had in Yulan City. "Boss Feng! It''s finally the time for the sect tests! We have to join the same sect. You can''t leave me behind! I swore that i would follow you forever, and i meant it!" Waving those hands that looked as if they could crush rocks, Zhang Yixing was running in their direction as if the hounds of hell were at his heels. "Haha! Yixing, with that burly body of yours, you''re much more suited for one of the demonic way sects. They focus on body enhancing instead of daoist magics and energy emission, after all." Lin Feng cared a lot of this friend of his, because he and his mother had been exiled to that small courtyard manor in the outskirts of town, he never had a chance to make friend while he grew up. Zhang Yixing was the only friend he had, and they treated each other as brothers. Despite his appearance, Zhang Yixing seemed to have a rather high comprehensive ability. While not as freakish as Lin Feng''s, he still had been able to understand the techniques Lin Feng shared with him with extreme ease. "Boss, don''t tease me. You think i chose to have a body like this? It''s all that damn old man''s fault, making me help him at the forge every day!" With an aggrieved face, Zhang Yixing said to Lin Feng. Zhang Yixing''s father was know as the best blacksmith in Yulan City. All of the major clans and the more successful mercenaries in the city would go to him for their weapons and armour. "Don''t complain, Yixing. I told you that having a strong body will give you an edge in the earlier cultivation stages, since your body will be able to withstand a greater amount of strain while absorbing the natural elemental energies. You should be thanking your father, instead of cursing at him" With a chuckle, Lin Feng pretended to admonish his friend. "Me? Thank that old geezer? Ha! as if! Every day he would torture me, making me carry those heavy pieces of ore and essence metal, you don''t know how many times i thought i was going to die!" With a baffled look on his face, Zhang Yixing exclaimed while shaking his fist in mock anger. "Ok, enough out of you two. Honestly, you are behaving like common hoodlums. Zhang Yixing, where''s your father? Why isn''t he with you?" Lin Suo admonished the two friends, a small smile on his face. It made him happy that his son had found such a stalwart friend. "That old man is coming by shortly. He got a rather large order this week and has just finished it. After arranging the delivery, he''ll meet me at the test site" With a careless air about him, Zhang Yixing spoke. "Yixing, have you heard the rumour that one of the 4 Great Sects has sent a emissary this year?" Lin Feng was clearly excited about the possibility of seeing an envoy from one of the 4 Great Sects. "What?! Are you shitting me Boss? How could one an envoy from those huge places be sent here to this godforsaken place?" Zhang Yixing said incredulously. "Well, as of now it''s simply a rumour. However, how great would it be if it was true?" After saying this, Lin Feng had a wistful look on his face. "Well, even if it was true i doubt anyone from this place would be chosen. Well, maybe you could Boss." Zhang Yixing was clearly not very interested in the subject. Is this a joke? How could he dream about entering one of the 4 Great sects? He knows his place. As they approached the testing site, more and more people were crowding the streets. Arriving at their destination, they saw an enormous stadium built with magnificent architecture and an imposing aura. Inside the stadium was an enormous stage, on which city officials were standing. Behind the stage were the private booths, where the sect envoys would observe the proceedings. A line had already formed, but thankfully it wasn''t too long yet. They had arrived at a good time. The tests where actually fairly short, a group of 10 children would go up each time and be tested simultaneously for their soul force and elemental affinity. At that time in the stage, 10 children were being tested. First came the soul force test. By placing their hands on a stone stele, a special type of energy would enter their bodies and measure the power of their soul force. This process, while not painful, could be quite uncomfortable. The average strength of a human soul was around 20. The minimum amount of strength necessary to become a cultivator was usually agreed to be 100. Of course, with a soul force of 100, you would most likely only be able to join a small, low-level sect. Unless you had astonishing elemental affinity, that is. At that moment, Lin Feng was paying attention to a boy around his age, who was dressed in fine silk robes and had a haughty expression on his face. As he touched the stone stele, his face became a little pale and a series of numbers and letters appeared on the stele. "Spiritual force of 104. Above average." The examiner intoned in a bored voice. "Proceed to the elemental affinity test." The examiner didn''t even look at the child, who by now had a rather ugly look on his face. The elemental affinity test was similar to the soul force test. However, instead of numbers appearing on the stele, it would change colour in accord to the elemental affinity. Red for fire, green for wind, yellow for earth, blue for water, white for light and black for darkness. After changing colour, words would appear that would specify the degree of affinity of to candidate. As the boy touched the stele, it changed colour to a deep black colour while letters appeared on it''s surface. Affinity: Darkness Level: High The examiner finally looked at the child with mild interest in his eyes. While his soul force was barely passable, he had one of the two rarest elemental affinities, darkness. Light and darkness elemental affinities where the rarest, and anyone would such affinities would have an easier time cultivating in the lower levels, since darkness and light energy exists everywhere in high concentrations. Darkness and light elements are the only ones not governed by elementals, the creations of the 4 divine beasts. Darkness and light are fundamental elements of the primordial chaos. They existed before the universe was created by Shenzu and Manah and are as old they are. With an affinity for darkness, while that child would not be accepted into a high-level sect, thanks to his low soul force, he could still easily get into a mid-level sect. Darkness and light elemental cultivators are considered good seedlings that can, with the right resources, be easily cultivated into a mid level powerhouse. Reaching the peak of the Yuan Seed realm would not be too difficult, although with his low soul force it''s unlikely he would ever break through to the Dao of the Element realm. After getting down from the stage, the child went to where his clan was with a huge smile on his face. His father was showing a proud and arrogant look, as looked at the other families around him. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ... After two hours, it was finally time for Lin Feng, Zhang Yixing and Lin Xue to go up to the stage. With a nervous smile, Lin Feng looked at his father. "Father, this son will go now. I promise to not let you down." With slight shaky hands, Lin Feng walked up the steps and into the stage. The first person to be tested was Zhang Yixing, and with a nervous look he walked in the direction of the stone steles. "Place your hand on the stele. Remember, do not remove your hand before the results are shown, otherwise you will be sent to the back of the line" Once again, without even looking up from the documents on his hands, the examiner intoned. With a slightly nervous look, Zhang Yixing places his hand on the stone stele. After feeling the energy, other than a slight shudder no other reaction was seeing from him. Shortly after, words started appearing on the stele, garnering the attention of the examiner. After seeing the results, his eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline. With a appreciative glance at Zhang Yixing, he spoke the results. "Spiritual force of 696. Excellent" The examiner said, a bit of praise in his eyes. Immediately after his results, there was a great silence on the stadium. After a few seconds, chaos broke out as everyone was shocked by the results of Zhang Yixing. "Quiet! Anyone who continues to make a ruckus will be expelled from the testing site!" The examiner shouted, with a stern voice. "Little friend, proceed to the elemental affinity test." The examiner was clearly a bit more friendly than he was before. With a baffled look on his face, Zhang Yixing walked to the second stele and placed his hands on it. Immediately, the stele started changing colour and in a few seconds is was a bright, earthly yellow colour. Elemental Affinity: Earth Level: Excellent Once more, the entire stadium was in a uproar. An elemental affinity with level of excellent was rarely seen even in those major clans of the continent. In combination with his Excellent soul force, it would almost guarantee, at the absolute minimum, he would reach the peak of the Dao of Element level, most likely even the Elemental Ascencion level! This was the same level as the patriarchs from the weaker mid-level sects! If he got accepted into a high-level sect, his future prospects would be limitless. At once, several envoys from sects approached Zhang Yixing''s father, making several offers to them, trying to draw him into their fold. Suddenly, an aged voice sounded amidst the chaos. Curiously, even amongst the cacophony of sounds, his voice was clearly heard. "This little friend, i wonder if you''d be willing to join my Dragon God Palace? I guarantee that my offer will not lose out to any of the other sects." An old man, with a long white beard and kind eyes was walking in the direction of Zhang Yixing and the others. When people heard the words "Dragon God Palace", a deafening silence fell in the entire testing sound. You''d be able to hear a pin drop, no one dared to make a single sound. The reason for that was, the Dragon God Palace was one of the 4 Great Sects. All the envoys from the sects palled and immediately cleared the way for that old man. Who thanked them with a kind, wise smile on his face. When Lin Feng heard that old man, he almost passed out. An envoy of the 4 Great Sects actually came! The Dragon God Palace had a history of more than a hundred thousand years! It was one of the 4 Great Sects, one of the holy lands for every single cultivator on the Azure Mystic continent. "Willing! Of course he''s willing! Yixing, say thanks to this Lord. Look, he''s offering you a position in the Dragon God Palace! THE Dragon God Palace! Why aren''t you thanking him yet, you fool!?" Zhang Yixing''s father, Zhang Fei was a huge man, with the back of a tiger and the waist of a bear. However, now he looked like a kid who just got the best birthday present in his life, his face was flushed and his eyes had a dazed look of joy that was impossible to hide. Zhang Yixing, who until that point was gaping like a fish, was startled awake by his father''s shouts. With a dazed look on his face, he deeply bowed to the old man and thanked him. "Yixing thanks this Lord! This lord has giving me a great gift, thanking this Lord a thousand times would not be enough!" While deeply bowing, Zhang Yixing shout these words. "Hahaha! There''s not need for that, arise little friend. And stop with the Lord this and Lord that, just call me Elder Su. From now on you''re a disciple of my sect after all, hahaha!" The old man, Elder Su, was clearly in a great mood. After all, who would''ve thought that in the backwater place he would''ve found such a good seedling. "Alright, i think the tests should continue, don''t think?" While looking at the examiner, Elder Su made a gesture with his hand to continue the proceedings. "O-Of course sir! Next in line, please come up to the stage!" With a nervous voice, the examiner quickly called the next person in line for the test. The next in line was Lin Xue. Her results, while not as astonishing as Zhang Yixing, where still quite impressive. With a soul force of 278 and a high elemental affinity for water, she got accepted into the Frost Serpent Sect, one of the most powerful and influential mid-level sects in the continent. "Look, Feng''er. Xue''er got accepted into one of the top mid-level sects in the continent! As her big brother, you can''t show a poor result, can you?" Lin Suo was positively vibrating with pride and joy. Finally! Finally his clan would have a sect disciple amongst it''s scions. From this moment on, no one would dare to mess with their clan in this region. They could be said to have become overlords. ... After a few more tests, it was finally Lin Fengs turn. Now that he knew one of the 4 Great Sects had come, he was even more nervous than ever before. He had to have good results, another chance like this was likely to never happen again. "Place your hand in the stone stele. You remember the rules, correct?" The examiner asked, with slightly expectant eyes. This boy was the brother of the girl who got accepted into one of the mid-level sects. His results shouldn''t be too shabby. With a small nod, Lin Feng placed his hand on the stone stele. Once the foreign energy entered his body, he felt as if a million ants were crawling on his body, an extremely unsettling feeling. After around ten seconds, a droning sound started echoing across the the testing site. The sound got louder and louder, to the point where people had to cover their ears, with bewildered looks. After a few seconds, energy waves started emanating from the stone stele, causing the winds in the area to howl like hungry ghosts. The envoy from the Dragon God Palace, suddenly stood up with a disbelieving look in his eyes, while everyone finally noticed that the source of the strange phenomena was Lin Feng. Suddenly, words started appearing on the stone stele so fast it was difficult to read them, and just as suddenly, a loud crack was heard and the stone stele was almost spli clean in two. Lin Feng was thrown clear across the stage, and after spitting up a mouthful of blood, he paled and fell to the ground, unable to stand up. Everyone in the stadium was shocked, and with hurried steps, Lin Suo rushed into the stage to help Lin Feng. "Feng''er, are you alright!? What in the name of Shenzu happened?" With wild look in his eyes, Lin Suo kept checking Lin Feng''s body. "Father i''m fine. I don''t know what happened. After the strange energy entered my body, my mind went blank and the next thing i knew, i had been thrown across the stage." Lin Feng was also extremely confused, wondering what could possibly have happened. "Excuse-me, my i look at your sons injuries? I may be able to detect if anything is amiss" Suddenly, a aged voice sound from behind the father and son. It was the envoy from the Dragon God Palace, Elder Su. "Of course, my lord! Feng''er, let Lord Su look at your body." Lin Suo was extremely grateful that someone with the status of Elder Su, would offer to check his son. After touching Lin Feng''s wrist and closing his eyes, Elder Su frowned and opening his eyes, stated that Lin Feng seemed to not have suffered any lasting damage. Lin Suo was so relieved, his legs almost gave out. This was his only son, after all. "Lord Su, do you know what happened?" Now that he was assured Lin Feng was in no danger, he became even more curious about what happened. "I am not sure. However, i believe if we look at the stone stele, we might have an idea. Before the explosion of energy, words had appeared in the steles surface after all." With a curious look, Elder Su started walking towards the stone stele. Once he reached it and looked, his entire body seemed to freeze. Not even a single muscle was moving, as if he had become a statue, frozen in time. "I-Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Elder Su was muttering under his breath. Curious, the examiner approached and had a different but just as strange reaction as Elder Su. He jumped almost three meter in the air, and turning to look at Lin Feng, he seemed to be looking at a monster. "S-Soul force incalculable! Level, Transcendent! T-this is unheard of! What a monstrous child! Monstrous!" The examiner was screeching like a crazy person. No one present, other than the sect envoys understood what he was saying. How can someone''s soul force be impossible to calculate? However, the sect envoys knew very well what this meant. The stone steles used to test for new disciples were not very high-grade ones. However, they could still test a person''s soul force up to a degree of 2 thousand! But this is not all, what truly scared them witless was the level assessment of Lin Feng''s soul force, transcendent. This level was something only spoken of in legends, as far as the records stated, for a person to be graded as transcendent in the soul force test, they needed to have a soul force of over ten thousand! This is a monstrous amount that not even Elemental Immortals possessed. While you can''t increase your elemental affinity, as you cultivate, your soul force will continuously increase. However, for someone to already start with a soul level above that of the average Elemental Immortal, was something that scared all this envoys down to their very core. What kind of monster is this?