ã€ŠThe Phoenix Hero [DROPPED]ã€‹


 Chapter 000 - Prologue

    The world is known as The Middle Kingdom. The people of the world believed that it was the plane located between the Clouds of Heaven and Pits of Hell. Each world contains a number of Gates with access to other worlds. People travel between these Gates, and occasionally, so do invaders. Those who travel with an ambition to conquer are known as Demon Lords. For every Demon Lord, there is a Hero that will face them.

    Every single living thing in the world possesses a life and a source of internal energy. As they age to maturity, their life increases, but starts to decrease once they reach an elderly age. Lifespan is influenced by internal energy and someone who has trained themselves will have a longer lifespan. They are also able to draw upon the energy of spirits and the natural world to absorb into their own. The people who can do all of this are known as martial artists. One of these martial artists was Akira, who became known as a Hero.

    Akira was a young boy who was born in a time of great turmoil. When he was just 8 years old, his village was burned to the ground by a group of barbarians known as the Mountain Fangs. After the attack, he began his training and showed unprecedented knowledge in martial arts and magic. Two years later, he began to travel in order to stop the current Demon Lord.

    During his travels, Akira displayed many abilities, including being able to use multiple elements, something that few people could ever dream of. Akira eventually adopted the fighting style of a knight, wearing heavy armor and using a one handed sword with a big shield. With his sword he slew his foes, with his shield he protected the innocent. His abilities drew the attention of many, friends and foes alike. Some wanted his power, others just wanted to know who he was. However, his journey was interrupted when the Demon Lord began to make his move once more. This Demon Lord was known as Asura, a man who was out to create his own empire and killed anyone who got in his way.

    For the next year, Akira and Asura fought many times, but neither was able to get the upper hand on the other. That changed when Akira called upon his friends. During his travels, Akira befriended many people and he eventually led them against Asura. Many of Akira¡¯s friends died that day, but they did so knowing that the world would be saved. In the final battle, Akira fought fiercely against the Demon Lord.

    Akira threw his shield at Asura. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± shouted Akira.

    ¡°You should know that I am just as strong as you!¡± Asura retorted.

    ¡°This time, only one of us will walk away,¡± replied Akira.

    Akira chased after his shield and used it for cover. He positioned himself for a final charge and lept forward with all his might. Akira said to himself, ¡°Roar.¡± As he spoke those words, a tiger shaped overcoat covered his entire body.

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    As Asura knocked the shield aside, he was surprised to see that there was a giant ball of fire right behind it. Asura braced himself for the impact, but Akira was right behind the fire. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°This is where you finally die!¡± screamed Akira.

    ¡°Then I will take you with me,¡± said Asura.

    ¡°What?¡± (Akira)

    Asura¡¯s heart was pierced by the sword, but he turned into a black fog. ¡°If I¡¯m going to die, then I will just have to take your body as mine.¡± The black fog surrounded Akira.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± screamed Akira. This was a very painful experience. Asura was trying to take over his body. ¡°No, you will fall with me.¡± Akira took his sword and pierced his own heart with it.

    ¡°You fool! Why did you do that?¡± (Asura)

    ¡°What matters most is that you die here and now, so that the world has a chance to recover. Even if I die here, another hero will rise to take my place,¡± said Akira. ¡°And I will be the one to guide them!¡±

    Akira¡¯s eyes began to get heavy. He could no longer keep them open. With the last of his strength, he whispers to himself, ¡°I wish I had more time to enjoy life.¡± He then collapsed on the floor and passed away.

    With that, both Akira and Asura passed away. Those who witnessed it recorded as the final battle between the Hero and the Demon Lord. Since then, another Demon Lord has not risen in the past hundred years. However, the spirit of Akira continues to exist inside those with the Hero¡¯s Seed. People with the potential to become a hero.

    By the time the Demon Lord was defeated, the damage had already been done. The Demon Lord¡¯s invasion forever changed the landscape as his power corrupted the land. There were forests that became deserts, forever ruined by the battles on those lands. Mountains had become craters. Numerous villages were abandoned. Powerful monsters roamed these areas as they absorbed the energy from the lands and the dead. The survivors managed to rebuild and reclaim some of the lands, but they were still unable to cleanse them. Sometimes, defeated monsters were reborn in some areas as the Demon Lord¡¯s influence on the lands remained.

    An era of peace can only last for so long as another will attempt to fill the power vaccuum that is left by the death of a Demon Lord. Once that vaccuum is filled, people will attempt to compete for power and give birth to another Demon Lord, repeating the cycle once more. The people¡¯s only hope, is for another Hero to step up and face them once more.

    This is the story of one of a Hero. One of the few female heroes to have been recorded in history. This is the story of Akiza, the first known Immortal Hero.

 Chapter 001 - The Journey Begins

    The five year old Akiza traveled around with her parents, Dylan, her father, and Haruko, her mother. Dylan and Haruko were merchants who traded goods between long distances to make a living. The two of them had met in the caravan eight years ago. Dylan had just started making a living trading the seafood from his home village. Haruko was the bookkeeper for one of the other merchants, recording prices as well as their supply.

    Dylan was a full blooded elf who was born in Playa, a small fishing village to the North. He had short blond hair, blue eyes, and pointy ears like a traditional elf. He was very thin because of his physique and though he looked frail by human standards, he was just as strong as anyone else who worked in the business. However, he left when he was young because he did not want to be a fisherman. He wanted to travel, so he joined a human trading caravan. When he left, he also cut his hair short and started wearing clothes made of animal hides, something that other elves hated him for.

    Haruko was a human from an island to the East. She did not talk about it much because she never liked it. She had black hair and brown eyes. She was kind of short, at just over 5 feet (about 150 cm) tall. She was good with numbers and started working as an accountant for a merchant. The merchant brought her around to various cities for a few years, but he eventually retired, leaving her with no way to get home. However, she found the same trading caravan that Dyaln was part of and served as a bookkeeper for the merchant. It was there that the two met. Now many years later, they have a child to call their own.

    "Mom what are you doing?" asked Akiza.

    "I''m writing down what we bought and sold today, Aki," replied Haruko.

    "Why?" asked Akiza.

    "Because we have to make money to survive and this is the only way to know how much we made," Haruko responded.

    "Is it a lot?" asked Akiza.

    "Hold on I''m still counting," said Haruko.

    "Okay," Akiza responded.

    Akiza watched as Haruko wrote down "x" by the numbers and underlined others.

    "What do those symbols mean?" Akiza wondered.

    "Well, the ''x'' is used to tell you how much we made by counting how many we sold and then counting the price of each one," Haruko explained.

    "Okay, got it," Akiza explained. She proceeded to take out a black pen and counting on her own.

    "Wow, we made a lot of money today!" Haruko said.

    As Akiza looked over Haruko''s shoulder, she saw at the bottom of the paper that there was "8G 20S 10C." The G was for gold, which was equal to 100 S, which was silver. You could also exchange 100C, copper, for 1 silver. Considering that the average income of a person was about 2G a day, 8G was great. Just then, Dylan returned.

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    "How much did we make today honey?" asked Dylan.

    "Over 8G!" said Haruko. Haruko stored the book and her writing utensils back inside her ring. Her ring was a gift from Dylan on their wedding night. It was a special ring imbued with a magic diamond. This allowed it to store materials inside of it and the wearer could bring those items out and put them in when they wished. The quality of the gemstone and amount of energy put into crafting it determined how much could be stored in the ring.

    "Wow, that''s a lot of money," replied Dylan. "Anyways, we need to get going tonight. The caravan is going have to head over to the capitol tomorrow to try to sell some of the gemstones."

    "Already? But I wanted to look around," Akiza said disappointedly.

    "How about I take you around Riyadh to have a look the day after we arrive?" asked Dylan.

    "Promise?" wondered Akiza.

    "I promise you, Aki," replied Dylan.

    That night, the caravan had to stop at the side of the road. The bridge they wanted to cross was underoing maintenance. It had been worn down over the years and it was considered as possibly dangerous. There was a group of soldiers and a group of construction workers who were applying something to the bridge. The bridge looked like it was okay, but it was better to be safe than sorry. One of the worst things that can happen is to fall into a river. You would never know if you would survive. And if you do, you would not know where you would end up.

    The caravan set up on the hill nearby. Their carts and wagons made a circle for defense in order to protect themselves. They were not the only ones who were waiting for the bridge to reopen. Other caravans had also set up nearby with their own groups.

    Samuel, one of the woodworkers in their caravan began to speak, "It is nice to have a day to relax once in a while."

    "But every one of these days also cost us a lot of money," Haruko replied as she was scribbling away in her book.

    "Is money all that you think about?" Samuel asked.

    "Somebody has to do it and the only other person who has any knowledge of this is Akiza," Haruko said. "If I didn''t do it, you would not even know what to sell or for how much."

    "That''s true," said Dylan. Dylan pulled Haruko closed to him and continued, "Most of us can convince people to buy something from us, but we have no idea about how much something is worth. Without Haruko, we would probably would not last a week without going bankrupt."

    Suddenly, screams were heard.

 Chapter 002 - Death

    The sound of screams were heard throughout the area. "There!" said Samuel, pointing to the light on the other hills.

    There was a cluster of people carrying torches on the nearby hill. "We have to get out of here," cried Haruko.

    "Quick, get into your wagons and get out of here." shouted Dylan. "If we get separated, we meet at Riyadh."

    Everyone scrambled into their wagons and attempted to flee back in the direction they came from. However, they were too late. They saw more lights coming from different directions. They had already been surrounded.

    "There''s no way out of here," Dylan screamed. "We''re already surrounded."

    Just then, one of the men got close. "That''s the man fixing the bridge," shouted Akiza.

    As Akiza shouted this, Dylan pulled a sword out of his ring and stabbed the man. "So it was a trick," Dylan said. "The construction was just a way to trap travelers so that they could attack everyone in one spot. I will hold them off here. Haruko, you must take Akiza and run."

    "Okay," replied Haruko.

    Dylan hugged Haruko once. Then, he picked up Akiza and said, "Listen to your mother Aki. If she tells you to be quiet, you must be quiet." Akiza nodded in agreement.

    Haruko picked up Akiza and began to run towards the bridge. Dylan began running towards the direction of the fire, shouting at them to draw their attention. Meanwhile, Haruko was running in the other direction with Akiza in her arms. Haruko began to speak, "Do not worry Akiza, your dad will be fine." Haruko was trying to calm Akiza down, but she knew that Dylan would most likely be dead. This had been a well coordinated attack and they had no chance of escape.

    At the bridge, there were several others there. They had used their wagons to build a small barricade in order to hold off the bandits. One of the wagons was on fire. The bandits had been using flaming arrows with their torches. Haruko did not want to get close as she could have been mistaken for a bandit. However, she had nowhere else to run and stood by the river. "Our only chance is for help to arrive now," she said. Akiza nodded.

    Just then, screams were heard again. The group that had barricaded themselves with their wagons were under attack again. This time, nearly all the wagons were on fire. "They''re getting closer aren''t they?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," replied Haruko. "But, we should be safe here for a while. They will start looking for us soon though."

    "Something smells," said Akiza.

    "That is the smell of all the bad things that are happening around us," Haruko replied. "This is the smell of death."

    The two of them sat there in the dark, waiting for help, but help never arrived. The roads were blocked off, so they could not leave by land. At their backs were a river. It would take a long time before any of the local areas could amass a force to break through the barricade to help them.

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    "Here, put these on," said Haruko. Haruko took out eight rings, each with a different colored gem on them. "The blue one is called a sapphire and it contains water. The red one is called a ruby and it contains meat. The light green one is an emerald, and it contains vegetables. The dark green one is jade, and it contains clothes. The other three are empty, but you can put anything you want in them. Each of these rings can hold hundreds of square meters of items. Keep in mind that any items stored in the rings do not age unless you take them out."

    Akiza heard every word, but was distracted when she looked at the rings with amazement and watched as Haruko put them on her fingers. "They''re so pretty," she said.

    "Yes, but they are also very important," replied Haruko. "You must keep them safe and with you at all times. They are important to us and you must make sure you never lose them. If something happens to me, these rings will help you survive until you can find somewhere safe."

    Akiza nodded. "Good," Haruko said. The two continued waiting through the night. Akiza fell asleep, but Haruko had to stay awake.

    "Wake up, Aki!" Haruko was pushing on Akiza''s shoulder, trying to get her awake. "It''s morning."

    Akiza opened her eyes and saw the face of her mother. "We made it through the night." Haruko took Akiza''s finger with the emerald on it and took out a few pieces of celery. "Here, eat this."

    As the two were eating, voices could be heard coming from the forest. "Aki, stay behind me," Haruko said. Akiza ran behind the leg of her mother and held onto it.

    A group of three men came out of the forest. They were bandits. "It looks like we missed a few, good thing we stayed around till morning to clean up. I think these two will fetch a nice price on the market."

    "I''m sorry for what I''m about to do Aki," said Haruko as she hugged Akiza. "Now, remember everything that I told you and stay safe." As Haruko said these words, she threw Akiza into the river. "At least with this, you have a chance."

    These were the last words that Akiza heard from her mother. As she was falling, she could make out her mother pulling out a sword, but Akiza fell into the water and was washed away. She struggled as hard as she could to stay above the water and shouted, "Mother!"

    However, the waves were too strong and Akiza lost consciousness while struggling to stay above the water.

 Chapter 003 - Awakening

    "Hey, kid, it''s time to wake up," said the voice.

    "Ugh," Akiza moaned. "Just a few more minutes."

    "You ain''t got no time for that," said the voice.

    "Fine, I''ll get up," Akiza replied.

    As Akiza got up and opened her eyes, she look around. However, she saw nothing. Just a large empty black space.

    "You''re finally up kid," said the voice.

    "Where am I?" Akiza asked.

    "We''re in your Dantian," said the voice.

    "What is a Dantian?" Akiza questioned.

    "It is the spot about two inches or five centimeters below your navel, where your internal energy is stored," explained the voice.

    "I''m inside myself?" Akiza asked.

    "Sort of, you are inside and outside at the same time," said the voice.

    "How is that possible?" Akiza wondered.

    "You are not physically here, but you are here spiritually. Someone who is in a deep state of thought can enter their Dantian and see what exists inside of it," the voice explained.

    "But where are you?" Akiza asked.

    "You can''t see me?" asked the voice.

    "No," Akiza responded.

    "I guess this is what happens when you do not enter your Dantian of your own free will," said the voice. "I''ll help, but this will hurt for a second."

    In that moment, Akiza felt an extremely sharp pain in her stomach, one that made her collapse on the floor once again. "AHHHHHH," she screamed.

    "Can you see me now?" asked the voice.

    Akiza looked up and saw a middle aged man dressed in a full suit of armor in front of her. He had tan skin, short but spiky black hair, and brown eyes. His armor resembled something like a European knight, full plate from top to bottom. On his back was a sword and a shield nearly as tall and wide as the knight.

    "Yes," Akiza groaned as she tried to get up again.

    "Take it easy kid, forcibly opening your Dantian and the pressure points on your body is a very painful experience," said the man. "You will feel better soon though."

    Akiza layed there for a minute until the pain stop. "I think I''m okay now," she groaned as she stood up. As she looked around, something was different. It was no longer pitch black. Instead, there was a library worth of books surrounding them. Behind the knight was four large eggs and what appeared to be a small flower.

    "Welcome to your Dantian," said the man.

    "Who are you?" Akiza asked.

    "My name is Akira," the man said. "I was the previous Hero. And, you are my successor, the next Hero."

    "What?" Akiza asked.

    Akira explained, "A Hero is born from troubling experiences, usually one of a great tragedy, similar to the death of your parents that you just went through."

    As Akiza heard these words, her feet weakened and she fell on the floor once more. "Dead?" she said to herself.

    Akira then realized that Akiza had not realized what has happened. She did not actually see her parents die, but Akira knew. There was no way her parents could have lived and Akiza was lucky to have survived the fall. "Your parents gave their life to save you," he said to Akiza. "But even if they are gone, I will protect you."

    "Protect me?" Akiza wondered. "I''m alone then aren''t I?"

    "No, I will be here to help you," Akira said. "Even though your parents are no longer around, I will help you. I swear on it as my title as the Hero as long as you follow my instructions."

    "Instructions?" Akiza asked.

    "Yes, you must follow my directions exactly," Akira explained. "If you cannot agree to my terms, then I cannot help you as it is important to your survival. If you do not follow, you will die."

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    "I don''t want to die..." Akiza said.

    "Then, do you accept me, the Hero Akira as your Master?" Akira asked.

    "Yes," Akiza said whispered.

    "I can''t hear you!" shouted Akira.

    "I, Akiza, accept you, the Hero Akira as my Master!" Akiza shouted.

    "Then, I, Akira, accept you, Akiza, as my disciple!" shouted Akira. "And now, you must wake up."

    Akiza blacked out for a second again, but saw the ground in front of her. "Ugh," she moaned. Her clothes were torn all over the place. She also saw that her arms still had blood on them. "My head hurts."

    "That''s normal after losing consciousness," Akira said.

    "Where are you Akira?" pondered Akiza.

    "That''s Master to you now, but I''m still inside your Dantian," Akira explained. "I no longer physically exist. My life ended long ago. However, I still exist in spirit inside of you. As long as you continue to live, I will be here to guide you."

    "Okay," responded Akiza.

    "But first, you must survive," Akira continued. "You must first get the things that are needed to survive: food, shelter, and clothing. You should have food and clothing in your rings."

    Akiza picked herself up off the ground and sat down. She was still extremely tired. As she looked at her rings, she still had all of them on her fingers. She was glad that she did not lose any of them. She opened the Jade Ring and saw that there was clothes inside.

    "Hey, hold on a sec," Akira said. "Do you feel that?"

    "Feel what Master?" Akiza wondered.

    "Those rings were forged with someone''s own internal energy," Akira explained.

    "What does that mean?" Akiza asked.

    "It means they have special properties and are not just for storage. It was a mistake for your parents to think that they were just for storage," Akira said. "However, they will not have much use until you have built up some internal energy."

    "Okay," Akiza said as she nodded to show that she understood. "Now, time to find shelter."

    "Wait a second!" Akira shouted as Akiza attempted to get up.

    Akiza stood on her feet for about half a second before collapsing once more.

    "I should have explained earlier," said Akira. "Earlier, you entered your Dantian for your first time, this is an extremely tiring experience that nearly drains someone of all their physical strength. However, since your Dantian and your pressure points are opened now, you should recover it fairly quickly."

    As Akiza heard those words, she began to fall asleep at the side of the river.

    A few hours later, Akiza woke up.

    "Finally awake again?" Akira asked.

    "Yes, Master," Akiza responded.

    "Good, then let''s continue on our way," Akira said.

    "But how did I recover so fast?" Akiza asked as she looked at arms. They had stopped bleeding.

    Akira explained, "Your Dantian is now open, meaning that you have access to your internal energy. This is called different things depending on where you are from. Ki, Mana, Chakra, and Internal Energy all refer to the source of power inside you. The only difference is how you use it. Once you have access to it, you are stronger and recover faster. As you develop it, it will be even more potent. However, you must not get distracted, you absolutely must follow my instructions to survive. Go quickly to find shelter."

    Akiza responded with a simple "Okay" as she headed into the nearby forest.

 Chapter 004 - Home

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    NOTE: "Home" from this point on will refer to the cave in the tree whenever it is capitalized.

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    "What exactly am I looking for Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Well, a hollowed out tree is probably the best form of protection, but I doubt you will find that," Akira explained.

    "Where can I find something like that?" Akiza questioned.

    "Look for the tallest trees, if they are on something like the side of a hill, then they are more likely to have some kind of empty space," Akira explained.

    Akiza continued to wander through the forest. She was lucky that this one did not have many dangerous animals. The forests usually had dangerous demons or wild animals. She thought it was perhaps because the forest was not actually too far from where people lived, since she had washed up to it from the river. The strongest creatures tended to live far away from human civilization and people stayed away from those areas in fear of their own safety as well.

    "How about there?" Akiza said as she pointed at a tall tree that stood out in the distance.

    "The only way to know is to go look," Akira said.

    As Akiza got close to the tree, Akira suddenly shouted to her, "Wait."

    Akiza stopped and hid behind a nearby rock and looked over. She slowly and carefully walked towards the tree, looking in every direction. As she got close to the base of the tree, she noticed a hole created from the distance between the nearby rocks and the base of the tree. Looking inside, she saw a cave. The cave was formed as a result of the large rocks from the hill falling around the tree, but the tree was not knocked over, so the rocks just went around it. Inside, the bottom was covered by dirt.

    "We don''t know if anything lives here yet, so it is best to wait outside for a while to make sure that nothing else has claimed this as their home," Akira said.

    "Okay," Akiza responded as she went outside. She hid behind a large rock and waited. She did not hear anything and waited for the sound or sight of anything. As it got dark, nothing returned to the cave.

    "I think it is safe," said Akira. "Don''t forget which direction the river is in. It will be important if you run out of water.

    As Akiza heard this, she took a stick and drew an arrow on the dirt outside of the cave along with placing some rocks that pointed in the shape of an arrow. She figured that she should do this so that she knew the general direction of the river in case she ever forgot. "I better do this at the river too so I don''t get lost," she thought to herself.

    "But you must be careful just in case, take some of the fallen branches and cover the entrance so that even something passing by cannot see it," said Akira.

    "Yes Master," responded Akiza as she began to gather the branches. She carefully got numerous small branches from the side of the tree and the nearby trees. She got in the cave and tilted them all so that it looked like they had fallen onto the side of the tree before heading inside the cave.

    "Eat up and rest up," said Akira. "Tomorrow, you will begin your training. For the foreseeable future, this will be your home."

    From her rings, Akiza took out some vegetables and water to start eating. As she ate, she began looking through her rings to see what she had available. There was a decent supply of food. There was a nice mixture of vegetables in the Emerald Ring and some meats in the Ruby Ring, though she had no means to cook yet. There was probably enough for at least a few weeks even if she could not cook. There were also a few sets of clothes in the Jade Ring. Some were sized for her parents and some were for her. The Jade Ring also contained some tools, such as pots, a knife, some scissors, silver colored tape, pens and paper, and a small mirror. Akiza realized that the rings must have been for an emergency, but she was lucky that she had it.

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    As Akiza finished eating, she took out the mirror and took a good look at herself. She was a mess. Her blonde hair had turned black in many spots. It must have been messed up as she was wandering in the forest. Her brown eyes had heavy bags under them.

    "You''re going to be quite the beauty when you grow up you know that?" Akira said.

    Akiza''s face turned red as she heard those words. Her parents were the only ones who ever called her beautiful, but this was the first time a stranger said those words to her. "What are you saying?"

    "Oh just talking to myself," Akira replied.

    Akiza continued to examine herself. Her brown top and white skirt were torn in multiple spots. She looked at her thin arms and legs and thought about how frail she looked. She thought about how weak she felt as she woke up earlier as she took out a pan and some water to wash herself.

    "Hey, be careful with that water, you need that for drinking too," Akira interrupted.

    "I know," said Akiza as she poured some into the pot. She ripped part of her skirt off and used it as a towel to clean herself. Afterwards, she wiped off her hair and body before changing into the leather top and pants that were her size.

    "Master?" said Akiza.

    "Yes?" Akira replied.

    "How do you know so much about me?" Akiza asked.

    "Well that''s because I can see everything you do, but I can also use the little internal energy that I can access to sense what is around me as well," Akira answered. "I will teach this to you soon as well as it is a very important skill."

    "How do you know all this?" Akiza asked.

    "There was another Hero who taught me," Akira answered. "Each Hero passes down their knowledge to the next in the form of the Hero''s Seed. It takes the form of the flower, the eggs, and the library that you saw in your Dantian. The flower is proof that you are a hero. As you grow, so will the flower. The egg contains the four Heroic Spirits and the library is filled with the techniques that the Heroes of the past have acquired over their lifetime. This will all be yours someday."

    "That seems like it is a lot to learn," replied Akiza.

    "It is," said Akira. "But as you train, you will extend your life and you will have a lot of time to master these techniques. I will be your guide so that you will grow stronger and never have to fear losing those that you love again."

    Akiza realized that Akira was trying to calm her. She had been nervous since hearing her parents had been killed, because everything felt like it was out of her control. But Akira was with her, answering all her questions and trying to reduce her worries. "Thank you Master."

    "Keep your old clothes, we''re going to use it for your training in the future," Akira said.

    "Yes Master," Akiza responded."By the way, why do you call me Aki?"

    "Isn''t that what your parents called you?" Akira asked.

    "Yes, but how did you know?" Akiza wondered.

    "Did you forget? I can see and hear what you do, even if you did not know I was there. Now get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day," Akira said.

    Akiza thought about what a Hero could do. She dreamed about the things that she wanted to do. She thought to herself, "If I had power, I could have saved them. If I had power, I could save others."

 Chapter 005 - Principles

    This chapter is a bit shorter. Under 1000 words again. Breaking up the story into individual events and keeping them interesting is hard. The entire first story arc is explaining the rules of how the world works and there aren''t any new characters introduced until the second arc.

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    The next day, training began when the sun began to rise and the sky was still glowing with the orange light of the sunrise.

    "I know you like to sleep and all Aki, but it is time to WAKE UP!" shouted Akira.

    The sudden noise caused Akiza to hold her ears. The birds in the area scattered. The floor shook from the sound.

    "Are you crazy?!?" cried Akiza. "What if something comes to attack me?"

    "Don''t worry," Akira replied. "It is only something that you can hear, others cannot hear me talk."

    "Oh, okay," Akiza responded.

    "But it is time to get up and get moving, go go go!" shouted Akira.

    Akiza got up so that Akira would stop shouting at her. She had been sleeping on the ground, but it was something that she was used to. She looked around at herself and saw that her wounds from yesterday were all healed. Not even a scratch remained. The only thing left on it was dirt from sleeping on the floor. Akiza started walking towards the exit when Akira interrupted.

    "Hold it!" Akira said. "It is too soon for you to go out, for now, we practice in here."

    "But I thought we were training?" Akiza asked.

    "First, you need to be able to use your internal energy. That means you have to meditate until you can access your Dantian on your own," Akira explained.

    "Okay," said Akiza. She sat on the floor with her legs wide open and leaned her back against a wall.

    "That is how you meditate?" Akira asked.

    "I would like to have done it sleeping because that is when I am the most relaxed, but I can''t do that any more since you woke me up!" Akiza said despondently.

    "Whatever works for you I guess, but you should be able to do it anywhere in the future. The first step in the most important," Akira said. "But first, you agreed to listen to me."

    "Yes I did Master," Akiza replied.

    "That means you must you follow my rules," said Akira.

    "Yes," responded Akiza.

    "Rule one, your power is for helping others, not for self gain. However, I will not stop you if someone provokes you first," said Akira.

    Akiza listened closely and memorized every word he said. She also pondered the reasoning for each of his rules as he spoke them to her.

    "Rule two, help those in need regardless of whether you think they deserve it," Akira continued. "Rule three, refuse rewards. Rule four, stay neutral in conflicts. Rule five, always fight against those who threaten the existence of your world. And last of all, stay true to yourself!"

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    Akiza thought about each of these rules closely and the words behind them. The first rule is obviously to prevent the abuse of power. Setting this as first means that it is important to never take advantage of the fact that you are stronger than others, but that does not mean you cannot use your power at all. It is important to be able to make an example of someone to prevent problems in the future. The second rule is obvious to fulfill the role of a Hero. A Hero is meant to protect people and save as many people as they can. The third rule is another one to prevent corruption and owing of favors. If you owed someone for something they gave you, then you would have to return it somehow, forcing you to ignore the duties and morals of a Hero in order to live with the rules created by someone else. It was safer to avoid this altogether so that a Hero is not drawn into unnecessary conflicts. The fourth rule is so that the power of the Hero cannot be taken advantage of in personal fights, it is more or less an extension of the previous rule. A Hero that is drawn into too many smaller issues cannot possibly focus on the main problems that the world is facing. A Hero must be able to stand above these conflicts. The fifth rule is meant to reinforce the duties of a Hero. But the last rule...

    "Master, I don''t understand the last rule," said Akiza.

    "It is doing what feels right in your heart," Akira replied.

    "What feels right?" Akiza wondered.

    Akira explained, "When you do something wrong, your heart feels uncomfortable. When you do the right thing, your heart, mind, and eyes all agree that you are seeing and doing the right thing."

    "But what is right?" Akiza asked.

    "The easiest way I can explain it is to not hurt others unless you absolutely must," Akira explained. "A Hero that is accepted by others acts as a guide for others. The worst damage that you can do is to hurt others without good reason. Others will believe that it is okay to hurt others if the Hero does as well. If you hurt someone, there must be a good enough reason to do so, such as if they tried to kill you. You are still too young to know what is right from wrong, but this is something I will teach you as we go."

    "Okay," Akiza nodded in agreement. She then repeated the words that Akira had just taught her and explained what she thought.

    "That is good that you understand," Akira said. "You are a quick learner, so we will now begin your training. The first thing I will teach you are the basics, the ability to use your own strength, and the ability to read the strength of others."

 Chapter 006 - Dantian

    5 chapter update incoming! It''s probably going to be at least a total of 20 chapters for the first story arc based on the current plans.

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    "Do you remember that feeling when you first entered your Dantian?" asked Akira.

    "Yes, Master," Akiza responded.

    "Then you must recreate that feeling and that sense so you can enter it once more, but this time on your own," Akira explained.

    Akiza closed her eyes and blocked out her surroundings, focusing on her Dantian located just below her navel. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the cave.

    "Welcome back!" shouted Akira. "Whenever you wish to return here, just focus like you did just now."

    Akiza nodded and said, "Okay."

    Akira continued, "Meanwhile, this is what I have prepared for you." Akira pointed at the three books located just in front of him. "These books will help you form your base."

    "Base?" asked Akiza.

    "The base consists of three parts," Akira explained. "The first, is a meditative technique. This will help you increase your internal energy and use it more effectively. The one I have seleted for you is known as the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual. The second, is the ability to increase your sensitivity to the internal energy present in other things in the world. This will help you detect other people and find natural supplements for your development. It is called the World Spiritualist Technique. And the last, is the Book of Foodies."

    "What is a foody?" asked Akiza.

    "It means someone who loves to eat," explained Akira.

    Akiza did not respond and just stayed silent. She looked at Akira and thought that the Hero standing in front of her wanted to do something to help her relax again.

    "This is not a joke," Akira continued. "The things that are best at increasing your internal energy and boosting your development comes in the form of things you eat. Monster meats, medicines, and elixirs are all food."

    Suddenly Akiza understood what Akira meant by food. Food was anything that you could eat and nearly all of the greatest sources of internal energy was food. Therefore, a special technique to absorb the energy from the food you ate suddenly made sense. The greater percentage that you could absorb from food, the more you would get out of it. Since people ate all the time, simply changing your diet could grant you quick increases in power.

    Akiza flipped open the first book and began to learn the meditation technique. It contained numerous drawings of the human body, from pressure point locations to the reasons for focusing on the different points on the body. However, what stood out was the reason why it was called the Nine Yins and the Nine Yangs. It drew upon all the terminology that Akira spoke of. Internal Energy was actually divided into nine separate categories: Yin, Yang, Ki, Aura, Chakra, Mana, Elemental, Nature, and Divine. Each one was divided into positive and negative versions. Negative versions were to be avoided because they harmed the body unless they had something special to resist it. Most people focused on one type, due to the limited amount of energy available in an area, but someone who used the technique in the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual could make use of all of them.

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    "I want to try," said Akiza.

    "Do you think you understood the contents?" asked Akira.

    "Yes," Akiza replied.

    "Then go ahead," Akira stated calmly.

    Akiza focused herself on the words in the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual. As she focused, she could feel the energy around her. The forest was filled with Nature energy, though there were traces of others as well. Plants and some creatures generated their own Aura. She felt both Yin and Yang energy within her own body as well. However, this was interrupted by a sudden pain in her stomach.

    "AHHHHHHH" Akiza screamed in pain.

    "Are you okay?" Akira asked.

    "It hurts just as bad as before," cried Akiza as she fell over wincing in pain.

    Akira looked and saw as the Hero''s Seed opened into a flower. At the core of the flower was a red sphere. "I can''t believe it," he muttered to himself. "Aki, you just made your first step into the Elementary Stage on your first attempt! This pain should be as a result of the sudden rush of energy flowing into your body."

    As the flower fully opened and the red sphere begin to lose its glow, Akiza was able to get up again. "You really need to warn me of these things. You have no idea how much it hurts," she said.

    "Well I didn''t expect you to skip directly from nothing directly into the first Elementary Stage. This is a huge leap in your development," stated Akira. "Jumping this much so suddenly after being injured will do this kind of thing to you."

    "Elementary Stage?" asked Akiza.

    "Oh right, I keep forgetting you don''t know about these things," Akira said. "A martial artist is someone who has opened their Dantian for use, but even then, they are divided into stages of develoment. You have just entered into the Elementary Stage, a point in which a martial artist is able to detect and concentrate Internal Energy into their own body to grow stronger. As you grow stronger, you will develop more uses. Your first goal, in terms of Internal Energy is to reach the Spirit Stage. Life and Limit come inbetween them, so you have three whole stages of development to get through."

    "Life? Limit? Spirit?" Akiza was still as confused as before.

    Akira tried to simplify what he had just said. "Think of it like this, at the Elementary Stage, you just learned how to increase your power. At the Life Stage, you are able to control it by hiding it and releasing it when you need it. The Limit Stage allows you to reach the peak of human physical limits by using Internal Energy. What changes at this stage is when you get a spirit. Only by obtaining a spirit will you be able to break through into the Spirit Stage, but luckily for you, there are four waiting right here for you."

    Akiza remembered the four egg shaped objects in front of the Hero''s Seed in her Dantian. Each of those eggs must contain a spirit meant for the Hero. If she could reach the Spirit Stage, she could easily get a spirit and continue training.

 Chapter 007 - Tears

    "Are you okay there kid?" asked Akira.

    "Yes, the pain seems to have stopped Master," replied Akiza.

    "Do you wish to continue? Or do you want to rest?" asked Akira.

    "I will continue, I wish to become stronger," stated Akiza.

    "Well, the next technique is the World Spiritualist Technique," said Akira. "It was a technique created by a man known as the World Spiritualist. He was a powerful martial artist that could also use Nature and Aura energy. This was a technique he used in order to look for artifacts and medicines."

    "Artifacts?" asked Akiza.

    "They''re objects created by someone who used their Internal Energy during the object''s creation," explained Akira. "This technique is used to detect the types of energies coming from an object."

    "But earlier, I felt that we were surrounded by Nature energy, and that there was both Yin and Yang energy in my body," Akiza replied.

    "Then you might already know this from just the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual," said Akira.

    "Yes, the Manual stated a lot of information about it," Akiza replied.

    "Then let me ask you, what was most of the energy that you sensed in yourself?" Akira asked.

    "I felt a lot of Yin, some Yang, and a small mixture of others," Akiza stated.

    "That is correct!" Akira said loudly nodding confirming at Akiza''s words. "As a girl, you mostly have Yin energy. The Yang might be from my presence, but the fact that you were able to acquire a mixture of the others meant that you truly understood the meditation technique. With this, we know that you can also sense sources of energy, meaning that you can detect useful and harmful plants."

    "How does this help?" asked Akiza.

    "You can detect whether something is balanced or imbalanced," Akira replied. "When you have time, come look at the second book of the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual. It contains a lot of medicinal knowledge that may help you understand. In the meantime, let''s test out your abilities."

    "Now, Master?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes now," stated Akira. "Your job is to look for three types of herbs. The first is River Spirit Grass, it grows near rivers and you can probably find one near where you first woke up. The second is the Bark of a Thousand Year Old Tree. I assume you know where to find this one. The last is the Purple Amaryllis."

    Akiza made her way back to place where she first woke up. She used the rocks she had placed to find the river. As she made her way back, she noticed that she wasn''t as tired as before. She thought about how the Internal Energy inside of her made herself stronger even though she still was not used to the pain yet.

    "Master?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes?" Akira replied.

    "Is Internal Energy responsible for my changes?" Akiza asked.

    "Yes it is," Akira answered. "It makes you physically stronger, though you still need to do some exercise. As you walk around you will notice you do not get tired as easily and it is much easier to move around, but this is due to your Internal Energy strengthening you."

    Akiza nodded to show that she understood and continued towards the direction of the river. As she got closer, she heard the sound of the water. When she saw the river, she ran towards it and was amazed at the sight of it. She had not noticed it before as she was hurt and weak the last time she was here. She remembered that the first thing she had to do was point an arrow back in the general direction of the tree so that you did not forget.

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    "You know, you do not have to do this Aki," Akira stated. "You can use your senses and the World Spiritualist Technique to detect that big tree."

    "But I can''t feel energy from that far away," Akiza said with a frown.

    "Fine, but you will be able to soon enough," Akira replied.

    Once Akira stopped talking, Akiza finished laying down her arrow stone near the forest entrance so that it was at least partially hidden and others will not see it easily. She then turned to the river and jumped into the river only to realize that she could almost stand in it at the deepest part.

    "Disappointed?" Akira asked.

    "Yes," replied Akiza.

    "Don''t forget why you''re here," Akira stated.

    "Yes, I know, Master, but being around water is calming and it helps me think," Akiza replied as she looked at her reflection in the water. Her face was dirty again and she began to wash off the dirt from her face.

    "Pretty as always I see," Akira said.

    As Akiza heard these words, her face turned red. She still felt odd that someone other than her parents were calling her beautiful. "I got my hair from my dad and most of my face from my mom," said Akiza.

    "Oh, that''s right, your dad was an elf," said Akira. "Don''t worry about it, you will be much more beautiful once you develop your Internal Energy."

    Akiza tried to steer the conversation away from her looks to learn more about what Akira knew about her parents. "Elf?" asked Akiza. "Mom and dad never talked about where they were from."

    "Well, based on what I could tell, your father was an elf, and your mom was from one of the islands in the East," said Akira.

    "How do you know that?" Akiza wondered.

    "Your dad had pointed ears and blond hair, physical traits for common elves," stated Akira. "And as for your mom, her name is similar to yours and mine, they''re from an island to the East."

    "I miss them," Akiza said as tears began to flow down her face.

    "I know you do," said Akira as he tried to calm her down. "I know they''re gone, but you must remember they gave their own lives to protect you because they believed you were more important. Someday, you will have the power to protect others so they will not have to experience what you did."

    "I know, Master," said Akiza as she continued crying and trying to wipe her tears.

    "It is okay to cry," said Akira. "Remember what I told you, stay true to yourself. Even though a Hero is meant to be a symbol to others, you must always remain true to yourself and crying to show your own sadness is okay. Cry as much as you need to. We will continue when you are ready."

 Chapter 008 - Purple Amaryllis

    Akiza continued to cry for a little longer, but eventually stopped. "I need to continue don''t I Master?"

    "Yes, but it is important to sort your own feelings out. If you are confused when you are trying to do something, it will only make things worse for you," Akira replied.

    After some time, Akiza finally calmed herself down and began to focus. "I feel something faint coming from the river''s bottom."

    "Can you tell where it is coming from?" Akira asked.

    "Yes, Master, a grass from the bottom of the river," stated Akiza. "Is it the blue and green grass?"

    "Yes it is. The River Spirit Grass is indeed the blue and green grass. You must gather as much of the grass as you can because you will make use of it later," Akira ordered.

    Akiza dived under the water to look and saw some grasses that had blue and green colors. She focused herself and felt an energy coming from the grasses. She made numerous dives under the water in order to collect the grasses and stored them in her Onyx Ring so that she would not confuse them with vegetables. Afterwards, she made her way back to her Home, a cave located underneath a huge tree. As Akiza arrived, she took out her knife and cut off some of the bark from the tree. It was one of the items that she was asked to collect by Akira and since it was the easiest one to get, she should get it now and store it in her ring until she needs to use it. She also collected some more water to replace what she had used since she started living in the forest.

    It was a long day for Akiza. She had learned a powerful meditation technique, learned to sense the energy in the world around her, and collected materials for her Master. However, she was unable to find the Purple Amaryllis. She took out some of the vegetables and started eating.

    "Will you tell me how to find the Purple Amaryllis?" asked Akiza.

    "Don''t worry about it, it is the hardest to find in areas that are not rich in Mana Energy, but there are definitely some in most areas. You just have to take some time to look around, "Akira explained. "Get some sleep, you''re going to need it for tomorrow."

    As Akiza slept, she entered her Dantian once more and looked for the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Manual. She saw that Akira was asleep inside her Dantian as well. "I guess even Heroes need to sleep," Akiza thought to herself. She continued looking through the library and saw that the books were organized by category. She searched around and found the meditation techniques. Next to the first volume that she had looked at earlier, she found the second volume and pulled it out. She looked at the cover.

    "Stop right there!" Akira shouted. "You are not ready for this."

    "But you told me to take a look when I had a chance," said Akiza.

    "The day is for training! The night is for sleeping!" Akira shouted at her. "Mental rest and physical rest are just as important. Not sleeping in your current state will only hurt you in the long run. Hurry and go back to bed. You need to wake up early tomorrow."

    Akiza nodded her head and left to go back to sleep.

    The next day, Akiza was woken up by Akira once more. Akira''s loud booming voice had become her wake up call. "Wake up sleepy head!" shouted Akira.

    Akiza got up again and started wiping her eyes with her hands. She looked outside and it was sunrise. She remembered that she still had to look for the Purple Amaryllis. She took out some carrots, peeled off the skin, and ate them quickly. She then ran outside to continue her search. This time, she headed deeper into the forest, in the opposite direction of the river.

    "Can you give me a hint Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Don''t worry about it and keep calm," said Akira. "I told you what you needed to know. You are in too much of a hurry. This is something that takes time. In the future, you will have to identify your own problems and your own solutions to them."

    As Akiza continued deeper into the forest, she continued to think about the words. Every once in a while she would focus her energy in order to see if she could sense the plant that she was looking for. She found other flowers, but none of them were purple. There were black and green, but none of it was purple. Another day was passing by, and she did not make any progress. As night drew closer, Akiza turned back towards her Home.

    "Another day passed, but I did not find anything," Akiza said to herself. "What am I missing Master?"

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    "Like I said, Aki, you already have all the information you need," Akira replied.

    Akiza continued to play these words in her head. She took out her mirror and began taking a look at herself.

    "As beautiful as you are, you are not looking at the right things," Akira said.

    Akiza thought about those words and looked at herself. She saw the black and brown marks on her face along with all the stains on her clothes. The River Spirit Grasses were blue and green. The Bark of a Thousand Year Old Tree was a dark brown. Blue and green were two colors, but brown as just one.

    At that moment, Akiza realized it. Brown too is two colors, but it is a mix of two other colors. That means purple too is a mix of two colors. "But what do the colors mean?" Akiza thought to herself. She had found the blue and green grass in the river, but the brown bark was from a tree. "Blue water? Green grass? Brown tree? Purple flower?"

    Akira realized that Akiza was going in the right direction, but Akiza still was unable to comprehend it. However, Akira knew that Akiza must figure this out before she can advance to the next stage of training.

    Akiza stepped outside for a moment to think, looking at the tree. She was hoping to be able to draw some clues from the tree in order to help her solve the puzzle. She took out some water and continued to drink it. As she tilted her head back, she looked at the water and said, "Blue water." That was when Akiza understood. Blue water. Brown tree. Green leaves. Red fire. Brown dirt. Purple was a combination of red and blue. She had to find something that was affected by both fire and water. However, there was no fire.

    Akiza could not sleep that night. As she layed tossing and turning, she thought about the color combinations and what could possibly be a source of fire. As dawn approached, her wake up call arrived.

    Akira began his daily ritual of waking up Akiza, "It''s time to----"

    "Stop," shouted Akiza. "I''m already awake."

    Akira was surprised. Akiza had always slept in and liked to do so. The fact that Akiza was up before him was different and very unusual. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

    "No, Master," said Akiza. "I was up thinking all night, but I could not think figure out where fire and water meet."

    "So you figured it out?" asked Akira.

    "Yes, but I don''t understand where fire and water can meet to make the Purple Amaryllis," said Akiza.

    "Since you''re up early, why don''t you take a look at the sunrise. It''s almost as beautiful as you are," said Akira.

    Akiza''s face turned red again and tried to cover her cheeks with her hands. It was then that she felt warmth on her face. As she approached outside, she saw the red and orange sky of the sunrise. She thought to herself, "Red." It was then that Akiza realized the color red. Her face was red from the warmth of her blood rushing to her face in embarassment, but that too is fire. The sun too is a source of fire. The only place where fire and water met was by the river.

    "I want to go to the river again today," said Akiza. "I think I might have missed something."

    "Whatever you decide," said Akira.

    Akiza made her way down to the river again. This time, she walked further down the river. It was there that she found what she was looking for. In an open area further down from where Akiza woke up, she saw an open area where sunlight could have shone on it all day. Despite this, the spot was also close enough to the water to have seeped into the flower from the ground. It was here that Akiza found a purple flower, the Purple Amaryllis.

    "Yes!" Akiza shouted. "I finally found you and you are a beautiful flower." Akiza began to take several flowers."

    "Hey slow down there," said Akira. "You should leave a few that so they can regrow. If you take all of them, there will be no more."

    Akiza stopped and picked only about half of the flowers to store into her ring. She understood that there must be some flowers to make more. If she took all of them, who knows how long it would take before there is another Purple Amaryllis. However, flowers can make more of them around themselves, so as long as she left a few, there would be more in the future. Akiza took the ingredients back with her to her home, where she could finally advance to the next stage of her training.

 Chapter 009 - The Power of Food

    Akiza sat down back at Home, admiring the collection of plants that she had made while searching for the Purple Amaryllis. On her way back, she used her senses to obtain more plants. Each of them had bright colors. To someone who did not have any knowledge of plants or medicine, it would have looked like a young girl was just collecting pretty flowers, but many of these plants were rare and extremely potent in the right hands.

    "Have you mastered the techniques described in the Book of Foodies yet?" Akira asked.

    "I don''t understand what it means to ''feel'' the food," Akiza explained.

    "Oh?" Akira said in a confused voice. "It is the same as sensing the plants in the forest," he explained. "Each food contains Internal Energy, whether it be the fires of the sun, the liquids of the water, or the dirt from the ground. When you eat that food, it is possible to absorb some of it and make it your own, but as you age it gets harder to do so."

    "Is that what the Book of Foodies is for?" Akiza asked.

    "Yes," Akira explained. "The technique described in the Book of Foodies is what allows you to feel and absorb from the food. Towards the end is what is most important though."

    Akiza flipped towards the back of the book. In it were a comprehensive list of ingredients ranging from medicinal plants to spices to meats. As she looked carefully, she also found that some of them were recipes. "Instructions for medicine?"

    "Close," said Akira. "It is instructions on how to cook a delicious meal! Life is meant to be enjoyed and food is what you can enjoy the most."

    Akiza was surprised at this statement. Her Master had always been serious about training, but this is the first time that Akira spoke so passionately about something. It felt like he was more interested in food than martial arts or training Akiza. As she flipped through the book, she realized that the lists talked about synergy, or how certain plants and medicines interacted with one another to strengthen or weaken each other. By combining the right ingredients together, it was possible to multiply the effects of food and medicine!

    "Oh and there''s one other reason for this," Akira interrupted.

    "What''s that Master?" Akiza asked.

    "So you can cook delicious food for your future husband," Akira explained. "If you start now, when you get married in ten years or so, you will be able to cook a delicious meal to steal his heart."

    At that moment, Akiza thought about this and pictured it in her head. Her face turned redder than it had ever been. More than when her Master called her beautiful, more than when she felt the heat in her cheeks, more than when her parents showed her off to their friends in in public. This was the first time she felt like she had truly been publicly embarassed by the actions of another.

    "Hey are you okay?" Akira asked as he felt like Akiza had not moved in a while. "Did you pass out again?" he continued.

    Akiza suddenly snapped back to her senses and the red color on her face disappeared, though she did not realize what had just happened. "A-A-Anyways, I want to try this," she said as she pointed to the picture of what appeared to be a salad.

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    "Just take out the ingredients and prepare them as listed," Akira responded. "Cooking is as simple as following directions."

    Akiza followed the directions as she remembered them from the book. First, rip the leafy vegetables by hand and place them in the bowl. Akiza took out a bowl and a knife from her ring and began to rip some lettuce by hand and put them at the bottom of the bowl. Then, add other fruits and vegetables. Akiza proceeded to take out cucumbers, bell peppers, and a tomato and cut them into small pieces into the bowl. Finally, add some pepper for taste and mix well.

    "Pepper for taste? But I already added pepper?" Akiza wondered.

    "The spice pepper, not bell pepper," Akira responded. "It''s okay if you don''t have any."

    Akiza began to mix the vegetables using her hands before tasting it. "Bleh, this tastes awful."

    "Of course, you don''t have any flavoring," Akira stated. "But it is not about the taste, it is about the feel. Use your senses so that as the food enters your stomach, you can focus on it to absorb whatever energy it possesses."

    Akiza took another bite from the mix of vegetables and then sat to focus her energy on the food in her body. As it entered her stomach, she drew the entire from her stomach towards her Dantian in order to maximize the absorption of the food. Although it was only a little, she was able to sense the energy moving inside of her. She drew as much of the energy as she could into her Dantian.

    Meanwhile, inside her Dantian, Akira observed the flower that that bloomed from the Hero''s Seed and noticed a change. The color that had dimmed was now growing brighter and becoming bright red. "Fire type?" he wondered. "I should test her just to be certain." As Akiza finished absorbing the rest of her salad, the flower began to dim once more, but it maintained some of its red color.

    "I finished, Master," said Akiza. "But I still feel hungry."

    "That''s normal," Akira replied. "You are now a martial artist and you are moving around more. You need to eat in order to maintain your development. You can eat more, but you should do the same and focus on absorbing as much of the energy as you can."

    "Yes Master," Akiza replied as she began to take out some more fruits and vegetables to eat.

    When Akiza stopped eating, Akira began to speak, "It is time to move on to physical training."

    "Physical training?" Akiza asked.

    "Physical training is basically moving around and trying to increase your strength," Akira explained. Basically, you''re going to be doing some heavy lifting."

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    Akira began his explanation, "I want you to dig a hole in the corner of this cave. The hole needs to be about 5 feet (150 cm) deep and 5 feet wide."

    "Why?" Akiza asked.

    "Because you''re going to be taking a real bath!" Akira explained.

    "What?" Akiza said in a confused voice.

 Chapter 010 - Personal Bath

    "Since you enjoy taking baths so much, you should build your own," Akira explained. "So get to it! You need to finish before midday tomorrow!"

    Akiza liked the idea of taking a bath. She enjoyed playing in the water and if she has a small pool of water at Home, she can take a bath whenever she wants. She took out a bowl and started digging away at the ground.

    "Don''t forget to move the dirt outside," Akira added.

    Akiza took the dirt into her bowl and tossed it a bit away from the entrance to her Home. She continued to do so, but eventually found that it was tougher to dig as she got further down. It was no longer dirt, but it was something much harder and she simply did not have the strength to break through it. She touched it, but it was not rock.

    "That''s clay," Akira said. "It is much tougher to dig through, if you cannot do it right now, just focus on making it wider first."

    "Okay, Master." Akiza continued digging and moving the dirt, but was only able to make a hole that was 2 feet (60 cm) deep and 5 feet (150 cm) wide. Akiza jumped in to see if she would fit, and she realized that she would if she sat down while inside of it.

    "You''re not done yet, Aki," interrupted Akira.

    Akiza looked confusedly at the hole around her.

    "You have to make sure it is solid, pat down hard on the dirt so that it does not fall apart," Akira explained.

    Akiza took her bowl and began hitting different parts of the hole with it. When something came loose, she took it out. This repeated until she had a fairly smooth surface where the edges would not easily fall into the hole. "Done!" she shouted.

    "Now you must go get the water," Akira stated.

    Akiza took some water out of her ring.

    "Not that water," Akira said. "Take the largest bowl you can carry and bring that water here from the river without putting it in your ring."

    "What?" Akiza said in a surprised voice. She looked at the size of her largest bowl and the size of the hole in front of her. It would take dozens if not hundreds of trips, assuming that the water did not just soak into the ground.

    Akira had to explain his reasoning. "Water is a liquid, but it is heavy if you have a lot of it. You have to carry it to build your strength. So far, we have been developing your Internal Energy, but you do not have the body with the strength, power, or endurance to use it correctly. If you want to finish this, you need to run fast."

    Akiza took out two buckets from the her ring and began to run towards the river. After a while, she finally arrived at the edge of the forest and saw the river. She jumped in just to get herself wet again before using the buckets to fill with water. As she scooped the water out with the first bucket, it was extremely heavy for her but she was able to put it onto the ground. She took the second bucket and filled it with water as well. However, she could only lift one with her hands as it took both her hands.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Having trouble?" Akira asked.

    "Yes," said Akiza.

    "Take out your old clothes and the tape and scissors in your ring," Akira instructed. "Tie the clothes around the bucket, secure it with the tape, and then tie the clothes around yourself and tape that to your clothes as well."

    Akiza did as instructed and took out the scissors and the silver colored tape. She used the roll of tape to secure it to her old torn clothes and then tied the clothes around herself and taped that as well. It became a bag that was used to secure the bucket on her back. "Thank you Master." Akira did not respond as she picked up the other bucket with water and slowly made her way back Home. The trip back took much longer as she had to be careful with the water. She had to watch every step so that she would not fall and spill the water. Even though the trip to the river was fairly quick, it took much longer to get back. By the time Akiza got back, the sun was already setting.

    Akiza put the buckets down and began pouring the water into the hole that she had made. The entire first bucket was quickly absorbed by the ground. As she poured the second bucket of water into the hole, the same thing happened. "Why?" she asked.

    "The water will not begin to fill the hole until the dirt around the hole is too wet, only then will the hole begin to fill with water for your pool," Akira explained.

    Akiza looked disappointedly at the hole hoping that there would at least be some water. However, Akiza knew that she would need to make the trip faster, but her arms and her back were already aching from the water.

    "You need to eat," Akira interrupted to snap Akiza out of her thoughts. "If you don''t eat, you won''t get any stronger."

    "Yes Master," Akiza replied as she took out food to eat.

    "Spend some time developing your Internal Energy before you sleep and don''t forget to absorb the food properly," Akira added.

    "Okay, Master" Akiza replied as she took her meditative stance.

    Akira looked at what he called Akiza''s Hero Flower and saw that it had been glowing red again when she was absorbing food into her Dantian. "She has the strength, but cannot use it. Did she already reach a barrier?" he wondered. "It can''t be. It has been less than two weeks," he said to himself.

 Chapter 011 - The Power of the Elements

    This chapter is longer than I thought it would be. There''s a pretty obvious Hunter X Hunter reference in here. We''re about halfway through this arc. I will have more time to write next week since it is finals week.

    I wonder if anyone will even remember some of these events and information when they show up again in the future.

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    "How goes your bath tub, Aki?" asked Akira.

    "Not good, there''s only this tiny bit of water at the bottom," Akiza replied. "I''ve made many trips these last few days, but I haven''t been making progress. I don''t feel any stronger either."

    Akiza looked at herself and grabbed her her left arm with her right one. She felt her soft skin, but it did not feel any different from before. She continued poking her right arm with her left one, hoping to find some muscle.

    "I think you need meat," Akira stated.

    "But I can''t cook that without a fire," Akiza replied.

    "What if I told you that you can make a fire," Akira said.

    "How?" Akiza asked.

    "Let''s see if you have the ability to do it," Akira stated.

    "How?" Akiza asked again.

    "First, take out a bowl," Akira instructed.

    "Here is one," Akiza said as she took out the one she had been using to scoop up the dirt.

    Akira continued to talk, "Next, fill it as much as you can with water and you can use the water inside your ring from this."

    Akiza took out water from her ring and poured it into the bowl as instructed. It was filled to the small line on the inside of the bowl.

    Akira proceeded to explain the purpose of the test. "This is known as Water Divination. The purpose is to determine the nature of abilities."

    "Nature?" Akiza asked.

    Akira explained, "This nature is different Nature energy. There are four basic types. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. Depending on your nature, something different will happen to the water once you apply your Internal Energy to it. For example, if your elemental nature is Earth, the water will feel like there is sand in it. If Fire, the water will be warm. If Wind, you will notice some ripples form. If Water, the water will start moving in a fixed direction until you stop. Anything else is considered a rare form that is not part of the four basic elements."

    "What was your element?" Akiza asked.

    "Mine was special, known as Void element," Akira stated.

    "Void?" Akiza asked.

    "Void is the element of nothing. When applied properly, it would make things disappear. For example, if I used it on the water, then a hole would appear in the middle or the amount of water will decrease," Akira explained. "Anyways, go ahead and apply your Internal Energy onto the water. Just like when you absorb food, but this time, you move energy from your body onto the water."

    Akiza focused herself as she moved her Internal Energy into her hands, and then the water. She closed her eyes to focus, so she could not see what was happening. Once she felt her Internal Energy leave her hands and enter the bowl, she opened her eyes to check the bowl. However, she frowned as she saw that nothing was happening to the water. It did not move at all.

    "Don''t worry yet," said Akira. "Your Internal Energy is low, so the effects are not obvious. You will need to look closely in order to see."

    Akiza stopped channeling her Internal Energy onto the bowl and took a closer look. The water was still up to the line, so it had not disappeared. The water had not moved at all and she did not see anything.

    "Go ahead and touch it," Akira said.

    Akiza put a finger into the water and felt that it had turned a little warm. It was not hot, but it was not the normal temperature of the water. "It''s warm," she said.

    "Your element is Fire," Akira stated. "I kind of knew when looking at your Dantian, but I wanted to be safe."

    "Fire..." Akiza said in a disappointing voice.

    "Is something wrong?" Akira asked.

    "But I like water," Akiza stated. "I enjoy baths and I like playing in the water."

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    Akira put his palm to his face because he was actually feeling in your hands," Akira instructed. worried for a minute. With all the progress that Akiza had been making, Akira had forgotten a simple fact. Akiza was still a five year old girl who was trying to enjoy her life.

    "Umm... how do I say this," Akira said. "This has nothing to do with what you like to do. This has more to do with the type of person you will be."

    "Then what kind of person will I be?" Akiza asked.

    "That is something you will have to wait and see," Akira replied. "I have a feeling I know, but this is something that you should not worry about because as long as you are yourself, everything will be fine."

    "Okay, Master,"Akiza replied.

    Akira continued with his explanation of the Water Divination. "Do you feel the heat in the water?"

    "Yes, Master," Akiza replied.

    "Now, recreate that feeling in your hands," Akira instructed.worried for a minute. With all the progress that Akiza had been making, Akira had forgotten a simple fact. Akiza was still a five year old girl who was trying to enjoy her life.

    Akiza focused her Internal Energy on her hands and recreated the same feeling that she felt in the water. "Like this?" she asked.

    Akira saw through Akiza''s eyes and could not believe what he saw. In the palm of her hand was a small flame. It was very small, but definitely a flame. A five year old girl had instantly been able to create fire just after using Water Divination. "But you just? How? So fast?" Akira was surprised and started speaking in broken phrases because he could not believe what he had just seen. But he realized that there was something more important, Akiza''s training.

    "Now on to the most important thing," Akira said. "Meat!"

    Akiza began to drool as she heard the word. She had not had any meat since she had been alone because she had not been able to create a fire.

    Akira continued to instruct Akiza. "Go to the forest and gather as much dry wood as you can and bring it back. Medium sized pieces that you can throw into the fire are best. You will use the dry wood to construct a fire to cook with."

    Akiza ran outside and began looking in the surrounding and collected all the dry wood that she could find. She stored all of it in her purple colored ring. She had collected almost enough to fill her cave within an hour.

    Upon returning to the cave, Akiza began to clear out the middle of the cave and created a circle of large stones. This was a fire pit, something that her parents had built in the past and she remembered how to do it. Using her newly discovered power of fire, she carefully lit the tip of a branch and tossed it into the fire pit where there were a bunch of other branches. This created a small fire that she could keep burning with smaller branches. She then took a big piece of meat out of her Ruby Ring and stuck it onto one of the bigger dry sticks that she had found before putting it over the fire.

    "Meat!" Akira shouted.

    "Meat!" Akiza followed as she began to drool from the smell.

    "Don''t forget to absorb this meat properly," Akira instructed. "This is important for you to develop muscles."

    Once the meat was done, Akiza took it from the stick and began to chew on it. This was a taste that she missed. The delicious flavor of meat. She had almost forgotten to properly absorb it, but started focusing on it once she took a few bites in. The properties of Internal Energy from meat was different from that of fruits and vegetables because it had been an animal and not a plant. Whereas plants were filled with mostly Nature, meat contained a mixture of Ki, Chakra, Mana, and Nature types.

    When she finished enjoying her food, Akira began to talk once more. "You must make sure you get a combination of foods and at least meat once a day. You need the meat in order to build muscle."

    "Okay Master," Akiza nodded in agreement, but mostly because she enjoyed the taste of meat.

 Chapter 012 - First Breakthrough

    2nd chapter for today. Also, very long. It contains a lot more information about measurements of strength. If there''s anything confusing or if you want to know more, you can ask questions and I will answer to the best of my abilities, but it might include spoilers as the system I have created is based on what I have storyboarded for the first three story arcs and some of it has not been introduced yet.

    I''m also not going to update the Wordpress site anymore. The darn thing is confusing for me and I still haven''t figured out how to make it work the way I want it to.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Two weeks had passed since Akiza first ate meat, and she was now following sort of a diet plan set by Akira. She had ate the types of foods that he suggested and began to put on some muscle. However, she was still a young child, so it not develop much. She was more worried about ending up with a lot of muscles like Samuel had. Nonetheless, it had made a difference. Akiza was much stronger than before and she was able to lift a water bucket in each hand now. She no longer had to carry water on her back.

    As Akiza looked towards her current goal of building a bath that she could use, she also realized that she could dig deeper into the ground. She used her newfound strength to dig out the clay so that the bath could be 5 ft (150 cm) deep. However, she had not made progress on filling up the water. She was still taking too long on her trips to make reasonable progress with her pool.

    "Is there any way to make this faster?" Akiza asked.

    "In order to become stronger, you must advance to the next Stage," Akira responded.

    "Next Stage?" Akiza asked.

    "You are at the peak of the Elementary Stage," Akira explained. "The physical limits of your body is not very high so you are almost at your peak. Once you do reach your peak though, you need to start applying your Internal Energy and regulate its flow. Once you do, you can achieve a breakthrough and advance into the Life Stage, where you can regulate it as you need."

    Akiza looked disappointed and continued to carry buckets of water. In addition, she also started doing exercises that she had seen other people do. Running, sit ups, push ups, crunches. If she knew about it, she did some of it. This helped to balance out her strength a little, which turned out to be exactly what she needed.

    A few days later, Akira gave Akiza more directions, "I want you to focus your Internal Energy" he said. "Focus on your Dantian, and direct your Internal Energy. Guide it from there to the rest of your body."

    Akiza began to focus on controlling her Internal Energy. She found that if she directed it to her hands, she could carry more water. If she directed it to her feet, she could move faster. But this was not enough.

    "Not bad, Aki, but it still isn''t enough," Akira explained. "You are concentrating the energy into one part of your body, but you are not letting it flow throughout your body."

    Akiza relaxed herself and used her senses to guide the flow of her energy. She tried to spread it to her arms and her legs at the same time, but it was difficult. She spent the day trying different combinations, and Akira could sense it. There were times when Akiza could direct the flow to her hands, then times where she did it all to her feet, and there were times when it was in one hand and one foot, but it was not the entire body.

    "You should rest, Aki," Akira interrupted. "If you are tired, it is harder."

    "I want to keep trying," Akiza responded. "I need to be able to do this to become stronger." As Akiza said these words she remembered the feeling of directing the fire energy in her body. She remembered that she was able to channel that Internal Energy from her Dantian to her arms. She used the same methods to try to maintain the flow of Internal Energy to other parts of her body.

    First, Akiza direct the energy to her hands because it was the easiest to maintain. Then, to the feet, which was hard because it was one of the furthest points from her Dantian. This time, she remembered the feeling and warmth of the fire and continued to spread her Internal Energy throughout her body. Slowly, Akiza began to fill her body with a small amount of Internal Energy that was constantly being maintained. This helped her regulate the flow of Internal Energy in her body and this was exactly what was needed for the breakthrough.

    Akiza began to feel a burning sensation in her Dantian. All of the stored energy that she had acquired from the foods she had been eating began to activate. In her Dantian, red ball of Internal Energy above her Hero''s Flower grew bright red and was absorbed into the Hero''s Flower, dying the Hero''s Flower a scarlet red.

    "She did it!" Akira shouted. He was happy, but kind of mad. A young child who is approaching the age of six, mastered a technique that he had not learned until he was sixteen. In less than a year, Akiza had made progress that had taken Akira years. "This kid is going to be a legend at this rate."

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    Meanwhile, Akiza felt the sharp pain that had not appeared in a while. The pain of a breakthrough was still overwhelming for her as the heat from her fire element combined with the sudden burst of Internal Energy created by her breakthrough nearly made her fall over and clench her stomach in pain. When the pain stopped, she checked herself to make sure it was just pain from the breakthrough and nothing else.

    "Congratulations, kid," Akira said in a calm voice to her.

    "It is thanks to you Master," Akiza replied.

    Akiza took a closer look at herself. Her face had changed a little. The color of her skin had lightened and become a bit pale. However, her cheeks still flushed with a bit of red. She touched her arms and legs and realized that the feeling of the muscles in her body had disappeared. However, throughout her body was the sensation of a warm feeling, the same feeling she had when she was able to spread her Internal Energy throughout her body, but much weaker. She focused on inspecting herself and noticed that the Internal Energy in her body was constantly circulating by itself, like an automated process.

    "What happened to me Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Didn''t I tell you before?" Akira responded. "You would one day grow up into a beauty."

    "What does this have to do with the changes to my body?" Akiza asked as her face turned red again. This had become her natural reaction to whenever Akira talked about her appearance.

    "Muscles are a physical limiation for those who have not trained with their Internal Energy," Akira answered. "Although some people can become as strong as the Limit Stage through pure physical training, they will ultimately hit a limit. By making breakthroughs, you are no longer restricted to the physical limits of a person. Your Internal Energy is a combination of all the methods of power you have acquired, and muscle is not equal to power because you are on a completely different scale."

    "Then how do I tell how strong I am?" Akiza asked.

    "That is simple, use your World Spiritualist technique and take a good look at yourself," Akira answered. Akira continued his explanation. "You can use this technique to read a person and their strength. If you notice, stationary energy is often weak and limited. As it begins to circulate, the person is able to use that strength properly and that is a sign that the person has at least reached the Life Stage like you just did. If you notice more than one type of energy in a person''s body, they are at least at a Spirit Stage. Beyond that, you will feel their presence, and the strength of that person''s presence will tell you how strong they are compared to you, though you do have the ability to focus on the person to get a better estimate with the World Spiritualist Technique."

    Akiza sat down and closely inspected herself using the World Spiritualist technique. She felt a flow of Internal Energy throughout her body, still mostly Nature, but bits of others such as Ki and Chakra. Yin and Yang was more balanced now even though it had been predominantly Yin when she first learned this. However, her body was warmer than before. "Why am I feeling warm now?" she asked.

    "The flow of Internal Energy in your body helps you to maintain an ideal state of strength, which is often when your muscles are warmed up," Akira explained. "However, yours might be warmer than normal due to the high amount of Fire energy in you have."

    Akiza continued to focus and was able to affect the flow of her Internal Energy. She could increase and decrease the amount that was moving in her body.

    "I see you have noticed it already," Akira said.

    "Yes, I can control the flow of Internal Energy," Akiza answered.

    "This is an important technique even though most people do not practice it," Akira explained.

    "How is this a technique?" Akiza asked.

    Akira continued with his explanation. "The flow of Internal Energy is something that takes time to practice, though you seem to be a natural at it and I hate you so much for having this kind of talent."

    Akiza looked down on the floor hearing these words, as if she felt ashamed from those words, but Akira continued to talk. "It is something that few people practice because it has no real practical use outside of hiding your power," he said. Your Internal Energy at later Stages can be used to intimidate others, so most people show it off and keep it at their natural level, but this natural level increases as the user gets stronger. However, by regulating your Internal Energy like you just did, it is possible to hide your real power and make enemies underestimate you. That sudden increase can scare others and make it harder for others to find you because there is less Internal Energy to detect."

    Akiza listened intently to take in all this information. Everything her Master had spoke of was true so far and was important in helping her grow. This would be no different. Now, she must learn to regulate the Internal Energy in her body in order to continue growing.

 Chapter 013 - Personal Bath (2)

    One more chapter before I sleep. Enjoy.

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    As Akiza mde her way through the forest, she noticed there was a lot of changes. There was an incredible difference that she was able to notice. The flow of Internal Energy in her body had strengthened her considerably. She was a lot faster. She could make her way to the river within 5 minutes now whereas it took her ours before. She took some time to look at herself in the water before she got to work. "Is this what beauty is supposed to be?" she thought to herself. She realized that she looked a lot more like her father overall with the blond hair, lack of developed muscles, and whiter skin. But, she lacked the pointed ears that her father had and still saw traces of her mother in her hair style and eyes.

    After about a minute of admiring herself, she got to work and filled the buckets with water. The buckets of water now barely felt like anything. She should travel between the river and the tree within 15 minutes. This was all thanks to the breakthrough into the Life Stage. With this newfound strength, Akiza was finally able to finish filling her bath with water. Prior to this, she was not fast enough and the water would seep through the ground every time she tried to fill it with water because she could not keep the dirt wet enough for water to fill it. However, the breakthrough gave her the speed and strength necessary to accomplish this.

    "Take out the River Spirit Grass, Bark of a Thousand Year Old Tree, and the Purple Amaryllis," Akira instructed. Akiza took them out as instructed in as Akira continued his explanation. "Take your bowl, grind the three ingredients as close to a paste as you can in a 5:1:2 ratio, that means for every 5 River Spirit Grass, you place in 1 piece of bark, and 2 Purple Amaryllis flowers."

    "What is this for Master?" Akiza asked.

    "This is the base for a Nature Medicinal Bath," Akira explained. "You have a strong affinity for Nature energy and this bath is meant to reinforce that part. It should be able to greatly increase your flow of Internal Energy and push you into the Limit Stage."

    "Is it that easy?" Akiza wondered as she counted out as much of the plants as she could. It was enough to mix the combination about 6 times mainly due to the limited amounts of Purple Amaryllis flowers. She then crushed the plants in her bowl. Although she only had her hands to work with, by using her Internal Energy, she was able to break most of the plants into almost like a powder.

    "That''s close enough," Akira interrupted. "Without a mortar and pestle, this is probably the best you can do. Take that and throw it into your bath and wait."

    Akiza did as instructed and put all of the plants into the water. She sat there and entered her Dantian while waitng for the plants.

    "Looking for something?" Akira asked.

    "Book Two of Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual," Akiza replied.

    Akira took out the book since he had been keeping it on him since Akiza tried to take it. He handed her the book and said, "Study well."

    As Akiza began to look through the book, it contained a lot of medical information. There were detailed drawings of the human body, pressure points, and how to use them to treat a body. One of the techniques in the book was the one that her Master had used on her to open her Dantian and pressure points when they first met. It even included medicinal usages of some of the plants that she had collected including how they could be used for treating internal and external injuries. Some of the medicinal recipes were also elixirs that were meant to improve one''s training. It was a book filled with a treasure trove of knowledge and Akiza wanted to know it all. However, there was one major problem. There weren''t drawings or any sort of picture reference for some of the plants described. One of them described a rare flower that had both properties of Fire and Ice capable of improving one''s Internal Energy by leaps and bounds, but had no picture.

    Akira closely watched Akiza as she flipped through the book. "There''s no way she can understand that right?"

    "I have memorized every word in this book," Akiza said.

    "This girl is a cheater," Akira said to himself. She is not only gifted with a talent for Fire, a deep understanding of the World Spiritualist Technique, the ability to greatly absorb Nature energy, but she also has eidetic memory. A mere child who is barely approaching six years old is nearing the knowledge of someone who cannot hope to achieve in a lifetime of study.

    "I know how to use the gifts that you have given me to get stronger even faster Master," Akiza said.

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    "What do you mean?" Akira asked.

    "By using my opened pressure points and the Foodies method, I can absorb the full essence of all the plants through the bath," Akiza replied.

    "Yes, that is the purpose of the bath," Akira responded. "But to think you have such a deep understanding of this is unprecedented. Even my Master took about a year to fully understand the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual and he had an insane talent for reading."

    "Maybe that''s because you''re a better teacher than your Master, Master," Akiza said.

    Akira thought to himself, "Or maybe you''re just that ridiculous of a monster."

    "Is there anything else for me here?" asked Akiza.

    "No not yet," Akira responded. "You will be training in fighting techniques after your next breakthrough. Most people begin learning to fight much earlier, butwith your gifts, you could probably push yourself to the Spirit Stage without much difficulty."

    "What is so important about the Spirit Stage?" Akiza wondered.

    "It is when you obtain your first Spirit," answered Akira. "The eggs here are all your future Spirits. They will grant you immense power and unique abilities once you learn how to use them."

    Akiza looked closely at the sealed eggs from left to right. On the left was a red egg that was warm and had a pattern of fire around it. To the right of it was a green egg with rocks still stuck on it. The one after that was a blue egg with scales on it. The last egg was a striped black and white egg. Each of them were set to hatch at different points and Akiza could not wait to see them. "When do they hatch?" Akiza asked.

    "The only certain one is the first one, which will hatch for a Hero the moment they breakthrough into the Spirit Stage," Akira answered. "The rest will come as you grow stronger, but when that will happen is uncertain."

    Akiza nodded to signal that she understood. She looked around the library in her Dantian some more, looking for fighting techniques.

    "Are you looking for something?" Akira asked.

    "Fighting techniques," Akiza responded.

    "I told you not to worry about that yet," Akira replied. "I will show you to the Fire styles once you finish your breakthrough, now hurry up and go take your bath."

    Akiza exited her Dantian and took a look at her bath. The water that used to be clear enough to see through to the bottom had changed. It was now a pool of water pink in color. The powders that she had made earlier had been absorbed into water. She used her senses to inspect it and found that it was an extremely rich source of Nature energy, greater than anything that she had sensed since arriving in the forest. This was the effects of a proper combination of medicinal herbs used to improve training. She could not believe how such a thing was possible and wondered how potent a powerful elixir would be if simple plants could already be used to this effect.

    "Get undressed," Akira said. "You need to absorb it through your skin in order to get its full effects.

    Akiza got undressed and entered the water. "Cold," she said. She swam around in the water for a bit because it was something that she was not able to do in a long time. She was too short for the water and could not even properly stand up in the pool, so she leaned her back against the edge and began to meditate in the pool. She used the technique her master had taught her in order to absorb all the Internal Energy in the water. She sensed numerous types of energy. The River Spirit Grass had released Nature, Yin, and Yang. The Bark of a Thousand Year Old Tree contained Aura, Mana, Nature, and Elemental energy. The Purple Amaryllis contained Yin, Yang, Ki, Aura, Mana, Elemental, and Nature. She was absorbing eight types of energy into her body at once.

    The immense power of the pool was overwhelming, but the Book of Foodies made it possible to absorb every last bit of energy. None of it went to waste like the food that she had eaten before. As she finished absorbing the last of the Internal Energy in the pool, she began to feel a very familiar pain. Akiza braced herself for the sharp yet familiar pain that came with a breakthrough. "AHHHHH," she screamed. This was much stronger, much sharper, and lasted much longer. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire.

    Meanwhile, Akira looked at the Hero''s Flower inside of Akiza. "Something isn''t right," he said. He watched the Hero''s Flower was it turned from what was a bright red color to a bright pink color. "Wasn''t it supposed to turn blue?"

 Chapter 014 - The Flames of Life

    Akira began to panic as he heard Akiza''s loud scream. He looked through the library in Akiza''s Dantian hoping to find some information about what was happening. Within one of the books in the Fire techniques was where he finally found it. Within the book detailed the colors of the Fire element. Red was the weakest form of Fire that most people who were training used and some people who used a Phoenix Spirit would also naturally have a red fire. It is not very hot, but it still had destructive power. The next stage in development is blue fire, which is much hotter and stronger, which Akiza should have turned into.The final stage of development for Fire was supposed to be a white fire. There were special conditions that allowed someone to create a black fire. This was the knowledge that Akira had.

    However, there were unique abilities as well. Akiza flipped through the text and found strange colors. For example, green flames from someone who was able to use Earth and Fire yet another person with both properties was able to create magma. Some people who were able to control Fire and Metal were able to create colored fires as well depending on the type of Metal created. What was happening to Akiza was different, it was the birth of a new type of Fire.

    After several minutes, Akiza stopped moving around and stopped screaming. "Are you okay?" Akira asked. However, Akiza was unconscious, but still breathing. She had fallen asleep. "Staying in the water isn''t good for your skin you know?" However, Akiza did not respond, she was exhausted from the ordeal.

    It was midday when Akiza finally woke up. There was a burning sensation in her stomach and she was still leaning against the pool of water. She looked at her hands and began to look all over her body to make sure nothing serious had happened again. This time, she thought the pain had killed her, but pinched her face and felt pain. She was still alive.

    She got out of the water and got dressed. She did not have many choices left as most of the clothes did not fit. She had to wear her work clothes, a cotton shirt, leather vest, and pants that were a bit too small for her now. "Akira?" she asked.

    "Finally awake sleeping beauty?" Akira asked.

    "Yes Master," Akiza replied.

    "Thank goodness," Akira responded. "You were out for a while and I had no idea what was happening to you, so I was seriously worried for the first time since your fall."

    "This burning sensation in my stomach won''t go away," Akiza stated. She touched her stomach and there was an extremely strong heat coming from it. She could even feel it through her clothes.

    "Try creating a fire," Akira said.

    Akiza took her right hand out and created a fire in her palm. It was pink in color. "The color is different," she said.

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    Akira noticed this too. "Does anything about it feel different?" he asked.

    "It doesn''t feel warm," Akiza said.

    "Cold fire?" Akira asked.

    Akiza slowly moved her left hand towards the fire. She closed her eyes as her hand got close, but she could not feel the fire. When her hand entered the fire, she felt a warmth. She opened her eyes and saw her hand in the fire and screamed, "Ahh..?"

    She took a close look at her hand and did not see any burns. Her hand felt warmer than normal, but there was definitely no injuries on it.

    "Try using it on your stomach," Akira instructed.

    Akiza removed her vest and created another pink flame in her right hand and slowly moved it towards her stomach. As it got close, she again, did not feel any heat from the fire. She lifted her shirt with her left hand and pressed the flame against her stomach. She felt the warmth enter her body and the pain in her body start to disappear. "The pain stopped," she said.

    "A healing flame?" Akira wondered.

    "Healing flame?" Akiza asked.

    "There were stories in the past about the Phoenix, a legendary bird made of Fire. It would never die. Upon its death, it would be reborn as a new and younger Phoenix." Akira stated. "It is believed that the flames of this Phoenix could hurt and heal."

    The words ''hurt and heal'' stood out to Akiza. She focused another fire on her hand and began to concentrate on it. At that moment, the pink flame turned back red, and she could feel the heat from it again. "It worked!"

    Akira saw that the fire in Akiza''s hand had turned back into red. As he watched Akiza focus on it. He saw the fire shift between pink, red, and blue. "Blue is the normal color of a strengthed flame," he said.

    Akiza took out her mirror and looked at her face again. Indeed, she had changed again. Her hair had gotten longer. Her face was a lot smoother. That was when she noticed. She took a closer look at the iris of her eyes. They had changed from brown to pink. The eyes of her mother had turned colors.

    "It must be the influence of your new ability," Akira stated.

    Akiza checked her stomach to see that there was no serious damage. Whatever was causing her pain before was no longer there.

    "Try using your World Spiritualist Technique again," Akira instructed.

    "Okay," Akiza said. She sat and focused her senses. She noticed a significant shift in her body''s energy. There was a profound amount of energy in her body. Compared to everything else around her, she was like a flame in a dark cavern. She had made a breakthrough into the Limit Stage.

 Chapter 015 - Hunting

    I will try to finish the first story arc today. The next several chapters after this are going to be the first big fight and I want to release it all at once.

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    Chapter 015 ¨C Hunting

    Both Akiza and Akira were surprised by Akiza''s newfound strength. However, Akiza still had no experience fighting, so she needed to begin training. Akira realized this and thought of a simple plan for Akiza to start training. "Go catch an animal in the forest," he said.

    "An animal? Akiza asked.

    "Any animal," Akira stated. "Bunny, wolf, bear, fish, whatever," he said. "Use your newfound strength to track an animal and catch it with your hands."

    Akiza responded with a simple "Okay," and went outside to look. As she moved around, she found that she was even faster than before. In less than a minute, she had went from the forest near her Home, to the river. A trip that used to take her hours now took a minute. She was not even exhausted and happily jumped in the water again.

    "I hope you''re not using every training exercise as an excuse to jump into some water," Akira warned.

    "No, I just like the water," Akiza responded. "Besides, you said fish was okay too."

    Akira could not disagree with this logic as Akiza made her way down river. She went past the spot where she had found the Purple Amaryllis flowers, but no new ones had grown. Those flowers were probably rare and she would not find more for a while. She thought about how much stronger and faster she could get if she could get her hands on another bath with those plants.

    As Akiza continued down the river, she eventually saw something like a lake. The river flowed into in one end and out in another. It was here that she finally found some fish. She slowly walked at the edge of the lake and tried to grab a fish with her bare hands. However, she could not reach, her arms were too short. She sat there for a moment and thought about what she could do.

    A while later, it hit her. She took out her knife and broke off a branch from a nearby tree. She then began to carefully sharpen one side of the branch. "What are you doing?" Akira asked.

    "Fishing," Akiza replied. She took out some of the silver tape and her damaged clothes. She cut off some of the clothes and tied it to the branch. She was going to use the branch of a tree like a spear to catch fish that way.

    "Why don''t you just swim in there?" Akira asked.

    "No spare clothes, and swimming is for fun, not for work," Akiza replied.

    Akira had to keep reminding himself that Akiza was just a six year old girl and that the logic of child was different from that of an adult. He waited with patience as Akiza tried to spear a fish. With every attempt, Akiza got closer to hitting a fish. She was learning quickly and after about 10 minutes of trying, she finally got one.

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    "Got it!" Akiza cried out with a huge smile on her face. She had speared right through the fish and managed to pull it out without losing it.

    "Now you must gut it," Akira said.

    "Yes Master," replied Akiza.

    Akira observed carefully as Akiza began to clean the fish.

    "Do you know what you are doing?" Akira asked.

    "Yes, father has done this many times and I watched him every single time," Akiza stated. "I can do rabbit and boar too."

    Akira was surprised at this. He thought that Akiza was a young child who would have difficulty hurting another living animal, but this was clearly not the case. Akiza had lived as a traveler and sometimes off the land. Her father was a fisherman before he left his home and Akiza clearly picked up on her parents'' skills. He watched as Akiza took her knife and removed the scales, guts, and bone from the fish before taking the whole stick and just grilling the fish over the fire.

    "Thank you father," Akiza said to herself.

    Akira thought about all the things he had seen Akiza saw her parents do. Even though he did not realize it at first, many of Akiza''s skills were acquired as she saw her parents do it. Fishing, hunting, cleaning, meditation, and reading were all things Akira knew that Akiza was able to do. Akiza''s eidetic memory was truly a frightening ability.

    "Do you still miss your parents?" Akira asked.

    "Yes," Akiza replied. Even though a few months had gone by since Akiza was alone, she still frequently thought of her parents. She did not cry this time though.

    Akira realized that Akiza had gotten stronger. Not just physically or mentally. She had a lot of gifts and a strong will to survive. If she has the time to grow, she will truly be a powerful Hero.

    "You will need to hunt frequently soon," Akira stated.

    "Yes, I know," Akiza replied. She checked her rings and realized that she was almost out of food. From this point on, it will be important to go hunting and gathering to keep enough food with her at all times.

    As Akiza finished her meal, she asked, "What is next Master?"

    "Fighting," Akira replied. "Fighting a person is much different from fighting an animal, but I will be here to teach you. Rest up because starting tomorrow, you will be learning how to fight against me!"

 Chapter 016 - Akira vs Akiza (1)

    Sorry for the cliffhanger guys. Part 1 of the fight. There might be a few errors.

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    Today was the day. Akiza would finally begin formal combat training under Akira, her Master. Akira was a Hero who had fought countless battles against powerful enemies. He had combat experience that was incomparable. On the other hand, Akiza had no combat experience unless you count running away from danger. She had never been in a fight though she had seen a few. But most important of all, she knew it was probably going to hurt.

    "I''ll be waiting for you inside your Dantian," Akira said.

    Akiza focused her mind and entered her Dantian once more. This time, there was a huge pile of books set up on the table. She glanced over at the eggs and noticed that the red egg was cracking at the top. "What happened to that egg?" Akiza asked.

    "As your power grows, the egg will begin to hatch," Akira replied. "Once you reach the Spirit Stage, it will break open."

    "I understand," Akiza replied.

    "Before we get started, you need a base for your fighting style," Akira explained.

    "What is a base?" Akiza asked.

    "A base is your main form of fighting," Akira said. "It determines everything about how you fight. It determines how you stand, how you move, how you defend and how you attack."

    "What do you recommend?" Akiza asked.

    "That depends completely on you and your personality," Akira responded. "But I use something called Krav Maga. It is a fighting style that is best used when one person is fighting against many."

    "That is what I wish to learn," Akiza said. "It sounds very useful."

    "Here is a simple book on Krav Maga," Akira said as he pointed to the book he had set up for her already. "I had a feeling you would follow me, but I need to warn you, this is a hard to learn style that is different for each person."

    As Akiza opened the book, it mainly outlined several principles. Krav Maga was a fighting style that combined techniques from many other types of fighting. It listed basic principles, but there were details of numerous types of attacks that focused on defending yourself and disabling your opponent by injury or death. In addition it emphasized the importance of using the environment to your advantage. It took Akiza nearly an hour to flip through all the details, and even took some of the stances and forms.

    Akira looked at how she was able to copy some of the techniques described in the book, but warned Akiza, "Real combat is different from theoretical and what you learn in those silly schools."

    "So how will we fight?" Akiza asked.

    "We will fight right here in your Dantian," Akira stated.

    "How?" Akiza asked.

    "Remember, while you are here I can influence you, but you will not suffer any permanent injuries while we are here," Akira explained.

    Akiza relaxed at the thought that she would not die, however, Akira was not finished talking.

    Akira continued, "That being said, you will still feel pain. But then again, that is the only way you can build tolerance."

    Akiza got nervous by hearing those words. If she got hurt, she would feel the pain. If Akira killed her, she would feel the pain of death even if it did not have lasting injuries.

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    "The only problem is that I cannot use my full strength," Akira stated.

    "Why?" Akiza asked.

    "I only possess a small amount of Internal Energy that I can get from you," Akira explained. "However, I still have all my techniques even though I do not have much Internal Energy. In terms of strength, I should be slightly above you because my body is in peak physical shape. I will not hold back, Aki!" Akira shouted. "You lose if you are incapacitated or killed. I lose if you can land a single clean hit on me. As soon as you are ready, we will begin."

    "What is a clean hit?" Akiza asked.

    "It is a hit to what is considered a weak spot that would normally kill someone. The chest and the head are usually the main spots," Akira explained.

    "Okay," Akiza nodded. Akiza took a moment to prepare herself. This was the first time she had fought a human opponent, and it was a Hero with lots of experience fighting. She calmed herself and said, "I am ready."

    "Good, let''s begin on the count of three," Akira stated. "One."

    Akiza held her breath as she heard these words.

    "Two," said Akira.

    At that moment Akiza blinked. As she opened her eyes, Akira was already in front of her.

    "Three!" shouted Akira. At that moment, he slashed Akiza across the chest, dealing a lethal blow to Akiza.

    Akiza blacked out for a few seconds and reappeared at the entrance to her Dantian, body still aching with pain from her first experience with death. It was much worse than when she awakened her pink flames. This pain lasted for a bit after she woke up as well.

    "Your first lesson in fighting, your opponent will not fight fair!" Akira shouted.

    "Okay, Master," Akiza replied.

    "Round two, Aki," Akira stated.

    Akiza prepared herself for another fight and immediately took a defensive stance before. This time she kept her eyes on Akira.

    "Three!" shouted Akira as he began a mad dash towards Akiza. He swung his blade exactly the same as before and Akiza took a dodge to the left in order to avoid the attack.

    Akiza channeled her Internal Energy and tried to punch Akira in the stomach. However, she was interrupted as Akira began a one eighty turn that ended with his shield square on her face.

    "Anything and everything is a weapon," Akira explained. "You mistook my shield for a defensive piece of equipment, but it is heavier than a sword and the impact can be just as lethal."

    Akiza continued to try to fight Akira, but it was impossible. Every attack she used was countered by Akira. The large shield wielded by Akira was able to block nearly every attack. She did not have the power to break the shield or penetrate his defense. Nearly every failed attack was met with a lethal counter attack. Akira was using all the methods at his disposal to kill Akiza in the fewest number of moves possible. Some attacks broke her legs so he could get a clean hit when she couldn''t move Other times, he waited for the perfect counter attack.

    "You are strong," Akiza said.

    "This comes from years of practice," Akira explained. "You are making progress, but you have a long way to go before you can land a hit on me."

 Chapter 017 - Akira vs Akiza (2)

    Severe beating of a little girl, part 2. Trying to throw in some real world references since I have trouble with naming new things.

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    The second day for Akiza was not better. She had lost just as badly as she did on the first day. Akira had numerous techniques at his disposal and he knew how to use his melee skills to its fullest. However, Akiza was not able to fight effectively. Akira had a much longer reach than her because he was using his sword. The shield was able to block every attack. Even if one of her attacks landed, Akiza was unsure if it would actually be enough to break through the armor and actually hurt Akira.

    "I want to take a break for a day," Akiza told her Master.

    "Why?" Akira asked.

    "I need something different," Akiza explained. "I learned the principles of Krav Maga, but you are using much more that you put into your fighting."

    "That is correct," Akira added. "Krav Maga is a practical fighting style, one that has you use whatever you can to fight, and it is thanks to that I have my strength."

    "I want to look in the library," Akiza explained.

    "Alright," Akira said in response to this request. "I will give you two days to look through the books, and we will continue afterwards."

    "Thank you, Master." Akiza was happy to hear that Akira accepted her request. Perhaps this is what Akira wanted her to learn. If you cannot beat an opponent, you must find a way to do so. Somewhere in this huge library of knowledge was the techniques necessary to beat her Master.

    Akiza spent a long time wandering around the library and she found numerous books. She saw numerous books filled with killing techniques, but they were useless to her. She needed a way to penetrate a defense when the person was weaker. She passed numerous books. She flipped through, Kenjutsu, the Japanese art of sword fighting. In there was a picture of a man with a one handed sword that was being used with two hands. There was a book on Bojuka, a fighting style that focused on backing away from a large group and facing one attacker at a time. However, none of these fit her needs.

    At midday, Akiza found a total of two books that could have been of any use to her. The first was Hou Quan, an unorthodox fighting style that tried to disorient the opponent. The second was Wing Chun, a style for those who are not physically strong to use rapid hits, parries, and even included slaps. Using these techniques, Akiza somehow would have to defeat Akira.

    "Don''t forget to train your Internal Energy, you missed two days from our spars already," Akira stated.

    Akiza took a look at the books on the two fighting styles that she managed to find in the library. When she was done, she began to practice some of the moves. Strikes that aimed at different parts of the body, high and low. Aiming for weak spots like the throat, eye, and groin. Evasion also included jumping around, sometimes towards the enemy in a dive, sometimes doing a back flip to move backwards.

    In the evening, Akira had to do as her Master instructed and focused on developing her Internal Energy. The massive amounts of Nature energy in her body had made her strong, but she realized that diversity seems to be the key. Relying too much on one thing was bad. She had depended too much on her Master, who knew everything about her. She relied too much on her ability to sense Nature. She had developed a fair amount of Yin energy with traces amount of Ki and Chakra imbued in her attacks. However, Akira was only defending himself physically, so the power she had was not enough to break through Akira''s defense. The only part of Akira was his head, which Akiza had to aim for somehow.

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    The next day, Akiza began to practice more of the moves that she had read about and tried to switch between them quickly. She focused on movement, being able to jump or flip in any direction along with switching between attacks that hit high and low. However, she was still unable to figure out a way to land a clean hit on her Master.

    The days went by as Akiza and Akira fought. Over the next month, Akiza continued to suffer numerous defeats and felt the pain of defeat over and over again. However, she did not give up. She got up every single time until her Master told her to stop and rest. The main reason was that Akiza was not using the techniques she learned about.

    "Why aren''t you using Wing Chun or Hou Quan?" Akira asked.

    "I read about it, but I don''t feel like I can use it," Akiza replied.

    "But you only read about Krav Maga and you can use it," Akira countered.

    "That is because it is the only one I know at the time," Akiza said. "I also saw you use it and just copy what you do, but for Wing Chun and Hou Quan, I never saw you do it, I can only practice on my own."

    Akira understood what Akiza was doing. Akiza knew the difference between learning a technique and knowing ability. Just because you read about it and understand how to use it does not mean you actually know how to use it. When you use it and how you use it is just as important.

    Meanwhile, Akiza alternated her free time. She sometimes practiced her techniques. On other days, she went out to collect food. There were even times when she visited the library simply to study up on academics to fill her thirst for knowledge.

    About another month passed before Akiza felt comfortable enough to use the moves she had learned. On that day, Akiza spoke these words, "Today is the day I will hit you Master."

    "Give it a try," Akira responded.

    Akiza dashed towards Akira as Akira used a overhead slash. Akiza swung around to Akira''s open left side, but Akira once again swung his shield. Akiza raised her right leg and used the momentum of the swing from the shield to launch herself away to a safe distance.

    "Very good," Akira commented. "You started using the new techniques you learned."

    "I learned from a very good Master," Akiza replied.

    Akiza ran towards Akira and prepared a punch. Akira raised his shield in order to intercept it. Akiza simply lacked the power to get past the shield on her own. Akira then pushed the shield outwards to try to knock Akiza off balance, but she rolled to the side and did a back flip to use her hands to get back on her feet at a safe distance.

    "Very nice trick," said Akira. "But I have tricks of my own too!" he shouted as he threw his shield at Akiza. Akira charged at Akiza for a direct attack. Akiza dropped to the floor with a split and punched Akira in the leg, but to no avail.

    "You landed a hit, but it wasn''t clean!" Akira shouted. Akiza fell once more to the might of Akira. She simply did not have the power to penetrate Akira''s armor with her current strength. "That was your best try yet though."

    There was one thing left that Akiza had not tried yet. That might be the key to finally breaking through Akira''s defenses.

 Chapter 018 - Life and Death

    After the last battle, Akiza discovered she did not have the strength to actually break through Akira''s armor. Knowing this, the only option she really had was to hit his head, but that was impossible with Akira being strong in offense and defense. The only option she had left was her fire. The fire was something that she had learned to do earlier, but she primarily used it for cooking. It was something that she could use to further enhance her attacks.

    Since the last fight, Akiza had been practicing to control the flow of her Internal Energy. Being able to direct the energy where she needed was vital in ensuring that she could control and direct the flames as needed. If the fire was too big, it would go out of control, and that was something she worried about a lot. At the same time, it needed to be big enough to actually cause the damage needed to hurt Akira.

    As Akiza practiced her moves, she practiced directing her Internal Energy within her at the same time. When she threw a punch, the Internal Energy should concentrate into her arm and then through her hands. When she tried to jump, the Internal Energy should concentrate to her legs. By properly channeling her Internal Energy, she could enhance them with her fire.

    Every day, Akiza continued sparring with Akira. She could last much longer in a battle now and for the most part, the fight was even. However, she was still unable to break Akira''s defense. She did not have a weapon to damage Akira''s armor and she did not have the power to break it with her bare hands. All Akira had to do was focus on defending his head to win, but he made it clear that he would defend against as many attacks as possible. Nearly every attack Akiza threw at him, he would block it with his shield or parry it somehow.

    After another two weeks, Akiza finally felt confident enough to use her fire in combat. "Today is the day I will finally beat him," she said to herself. She continued warming up for the fight by throwing a few punches and kicks. Finally, she threw a fire enhanced punch that was backed by her Internal Energy and physical strength. That was the moment the pain hit her again.

    About three months had passed since she last felt this agonizing pain. The heat from her Dantian flowed throughout her body, causing it to ache throughout. Her arms crossed as they grabbed each side of her body and she fell to the floor. Her eyes glowed with the bright pink color of her flames.

    Within Akiza''s Dantian the red egg began to crack all over. "It''s finally happening," Akira said with a big smile on his face. The pink color in Akiza''s Hero Flower began to darken as traces of red and blue appeared on it. When the colors on the flower stopped changing, the egg was cracked all over.

    When the changes were over, Akiza was still collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily from the ordeal that she just went through. There was still an immense amount of pain throughout her body. She turned herself over so that she could at least lie on her back. She looked at the roof of the cave and tried to create a pink fire in her hand, but she could not. The ordeal had consumed nearly all of her strength and she fell asleep.

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    Akiza had been nearly asleep for a full day when she woke up again. She was feeling refreshed after sleeping for so long and was finally able to get up. Her body was still sore from the changes, but she could at least move now. She created the pink flames to heal herself, but it was not doing anything. The pain continued.

    "It will go away with time," Akira said.

    "Why was this breakthrough so much worse?" Akiza asked.

    "First, congratulations on become a Spirit Stage martial artist," Akira said with a gleeful tone in his voice. "The reason why it hurts more with each step in advancement is because your body literally cannot handle the amount of power flowing in it."

    "Why?" Akiza asked.

    "You are about seven or eight years old, and your body has not fully matured or developed," Akira responded. "When you make an advancement in Stage, your Dantian is temporarily overloaded far beyond its capacity."

    "Is there anything that can stop this?" Akiza asked.

    "The only thing that can help you is time," Akira responded. "As you age, your body will change, and it will be easier to adapt to these new changes. You may have become very strong for your age, but going too fast can also be bad."

    "Then why do you push me so hard Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Because you need to be strong," Akira answered. "There will be a day when a Demon Lord awakens, and you must be prepared to face it and protect your world."

    Akiza recognized the title of Demon Lord. There were stories of Demon Lords who appeared from out of nowhere. They destroyed the lands wherever they went and sometimes corrupted the land for hundreds of years, making it impossible to be used. Others threatened to kill everyone or conquer the world. Most Demon Lords could only be stopped by a proper Hero.

    Akira continued, "It is also why I have been fighting you so hard. I made you used to pain."

    Akiza realized the point of the daily fighting. She experienced death, being crippled, and the feeling of losing one of your senses. Akira had used all of these different methods when fighting her. She barely felt some of the killing blows because she had been fighting Akira for so long. That immense pain that she felt could have killed her had she not been training and adapted to the pain. Even now, the pain of the breakthrough remained still remained in her body, pulsating with the flow of Internal Energy in her body. "Thank you Master."

    "When you are ready, come into your Dantian, I have something to show you," Akira said.

 Chapter 019 - The First Egg

    Mandatory Magic Ring Plot Device Chapter

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    Akiza sat down and ate some food. She had not eaten anything for a day and her stomach made strange noises. It was rare for her to go this long without eating. As she ate, she found it difficult to absorb the energy from the food. "I feel strange, Master."

    "That is because your Internal Energy is still unstable," Akira replied. "The breakthrough to the Spirit Stage is a huge leap that takes time to adjust. It will resolve itself in time"

    Akiza felt comforted by her Master''s words. When she finished eating, she meditated to try to calm herself and gradually, the pain in her body began to lessen.

    "There''s one thing you need to do right now," Akira said while Akiza was still meditating.

    This broke Akiza''s concenration and she began talking. "What is that Master?"

    "Remove your rings from your fingers," Akira instructed.

    "No, my mom gave me to this and I promised," Akiza replied.

    "I thought you were going to listen to everything I told you to do," Akira retorted.

    "But this is one thing I cannot do because it is something from my mom, she is more important than you because that were some of her last words," Akiza responded.

    "Do not worry, the rings are not going anywhere, they will be staying with you," Akiza said as he tried to comfort her.

    Akiza hesitated for a while and thought about it. After a while, she finally agreed to take them off.

    "Now do exactly as I instruct," Akira said.

    "Okay," said Akiza as she waited for the directions.

    "Gather the rings in front of your Dantian," Akira instructed. Akiza put the eight rings in her hands and moved them towards her Dantian.

    "Next, focus your Internal Energy and it flow into the rings." Akiza began to concentrate and extend the flow of her Internal Energy from her body to the rings. It was there that she felt something different from each of the rings. The gems on the rings had their own energy, and it matched with the different types of Internal Energy that she had learned from the Nine Yins and Nine Yangs Manual.

    "Now, absorb it like you would the food that you eat," Akira instructed. Akiza closed her eyes and focused on the rings and began to incorporate the Internal Energy present in the rings into her Dantian. When the feeling of the Internal Energy from the rings disappeared, she opened her eyes. The rings were gone!

    "Where are the rings?!?" Akiza shouted with a panicked voice. She desperately looked all over the cave for them.

    "They''re in your Dantian now," Akira answered.

    "How is that possible?" Akiza asked.

    "The rings are special," Akira responded. "They gems they held are each infused one of the types of Internal Energy minus Divine. When you absorbed them, you also absorbed the energy, but there''s one more thing that they did."

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    "What is that?" Akiza asked. As she said those words, she felt a sharp pain in her body again.

    "You will see when you enter your Dantian," Akira stated.

    Upon entering her Dantian, Akiza noticed there was a big change. The red egg on the left had thoroughly been cracked. It was just the top before, but the egg now looked like it would break if someone even breathed against it. She looked around and the library had grown. There were now doors to eight different rooms.

    "Each door that you see contains the same as what was in your rings, it is just stored in your Dantian now," Akira responded. "So when you need to get something out, just focus on your Dantian instead."

    Akiza gave a simple nod to show that she understood and looked around and each door had a colored gem on it that looked like the color of the gems on the original rings. Sure enough, when she opened the light green door, it was a huge room hundreds of meters in size and in the corner were vegetables that she had gathered. Her Dantian felt like it had grown much larger in size with the storage room rings.

    It was at that moment that Akiza realized she had forgotten the most important thing. She shouted, "What about that egg?"

    "Come back here and I will show you," Akira shouted back.

    Akiza came running back from the vegetable room to the red egg.

    "Hit that egg with a fire enhanced punch," Akira instructed.

    Akiza concentrated her flow of Internal Energy and threw a punch at the egg, breaking open the shell. And out came a small red baby chick that leaped at Akiza. She caught it with her hands.

    "This is your Phoenix, your first Spirit" Akira explained. "When you get stronger, so will it. Its true purpose will be revealed once it becomes intelligent."

    "Intelligent?" Akiza asked.

    "It will talk to you," said Akira.

    "What?!?" Akiza said with a dumb look on her face. She put the chick on the floor and it jumped around at her legs. "What do I do with it for now?"

    "Just put it away in one of the storage spaces," Akira explained. "I will help you look after it, but just make sure you feed it and visit it."

    "Feed it? How?" Akiza asked.

    "Your Spirits will eat at some of your Internal Energy," Akira explained.

    "Won''t that weaken me?" Akiza asked.

    "It won''t eat more than you can recover naturally in your body," Akira said. "The stronger you are, the faster it will grow just because it has more extra Internal Energy to feed on."

    Akiza brought the baby chick to the red storage room that was now empty and devoid of any meat. "I''ll see you soon," she said to it as she closed the door.

    "By the way," Akira said as she closed the door. "Congratulations, you''re the beautiful mother of a beautiful baby Phoenix!"

    Akiza''s face turned red as she heard those words.

 Chapter 020 - Akira vs Akiza (3)

    Last chapter of the first story arc

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Now," Akira said slowly. "Are you ready for our fight?"

    "Yes, Master," Akiza replied.

    The two made their way to the empty spot in the Dantian where they regularly fought. They both had a feeling that this would be the day, it would be the day that Akiza would finally be able to land a clean hit on Akira.

    "You are now stronger than me physically," Akira said. "The breakthrough into the Spirit Stage is an improvement that is incomparable to all of the other previous ones. On the count of three."

    "One," said Akira.

    "Two," said Akiza.

    "Three!" they both shouted.

    This time, Akiza dashed in a straight line towards Akira with more power and speed than she ever had before. She let the energy in her body flow to her leg as she threw a powerful kick. Powerful blue fames bursted outwards from the impact and even Akira could feel the heat of it. If he had not blocked that attack, it might have been a killing blow.

    Akira lifted his shield to intercept and a loud BOOM could be heard. The blow was still blocked by Akira, but he could not push Akiza back as she moved back to retreat.

    "So I still cannot force my way through that easily," Akiza said.

    "Did you think it would be that easy?" Akira responded.

    "Of course not, otherwise you would not be that strong Master!" Akiza shouted.

    "My turn!" Akira shouted in response. Akira charged foward and threw his shield at Akiza.

    "I know this trick," Akiza said to herself. She deflected the shield with her right arm and saw Akira charging straight at her. She immediately dropped to the floor by doing a split and prepared a flame enhanced punch to hit Akira.

    At that moment, Akira stabbed his huge sword on the ground in order to stop his momentum, and propel himself upward using the sword as a base for a double jump. He leaped high up into the air. Akiza backed away as Akira came smashing down on Akiza''s location.

    "Nice dodge," Akira said as he retrieved his sword and shield.

    Akiza continued her attack and charged at Akira. Akira braced himself for the impact, but Akiza did a side turn and attempted to hit Akira in the back.

    "Not fast enough!" Akira shouted as we swung his arm. This was a trick that Akiza attempted during one of her early fights and Akira was prepared for it. He braced himself for an enhanced punch from Akiza that would have to counter with to parry the attack.

    However, that punch never came. Akira had made a mistake in judgment. In the past, Akiza had relied on power that Akira could match, but this time, Akiza did not use power. She grabbed onto Akira''s arm and used it to pull herself up and throw a fire enhanced right hook at Akira.

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    "You win," Akira said as he braced himself to receive that punch. A loud BOOM sounded as Akira fell to the floor for the first time.

    After three months of repeated sparring for hours each day. Akiza finally landed a blow on Akira. However, it was nothing like the injuries that Akiza received. Akira may have been injured and looked like he was bleeding, but he got up like it was nothing at all. "You used your speed to your advantage," he said.

    "Yes, Master," Akiza said.

    "Can I ask how you came up with this?" Akira asked.

    "I studied all of our fights closely," Akiza said. "You usually counter each attack with what is most effective to prepare for your next attack or counterattack. In the past, I always met power with power, but as time went on, I knew. I was much smaller. When you told me my body could not handle the breakthrough, I knew that I was not as strong as you, so I had to use something else to my advantage. The only two things that came to mind was size and Internal Energy. You always block my attacks, and I always have the chance to retreat, which means that I was faster and weaker than you. Even with the fire I was not strong enough to break your defense, which means I still had to hit your head. So, I used your own strength against you by using your own arm as a support to help me hit you."

    "Very well done," Akira said. "From this day on, I acknowledge your strength."

    "You give me too much credit," Akiza said as she bowed.

    "No, think about it, Aki," Akira said. "We have been fighting for three months. You have the amount of combat experience against people that others would not get in decades."

    Akiza thought about the words and realized what Akira meant. Training is rarely a fight to the death, but when they were fighting, Akira was always fighting to kill. She had won against an opponent who was much stronger and experienced than her. She had learned how to read attacks, how to use her own physique to her advantage, and how to use her own Internal Energy in a fight. "Thank you for your teachings, Master."

    "You are ready," Akira said. "Tomorrow, you will leave this forest. It is time for you to see the world."

    Akiza felt uncomfortable that she had to leave her Home behind, but she knew that she could not live in the forest forever. She wanted to go to Riyadh to see if anyone in her caravan survived.

 Bonus: Allusions and References in Chapter 000-020

    Just to show you how ideas are unoriginal, these are all the places that I intentionally copied from. Any others are just pure coincidence.

    Chapter 002 ¨C Death

    Storage rings are common places in many Xianxia novels, but I got the idea from reading Tales of Demons and Gods and Zui Wu Dao.

    Chapter 003 ¨C Awakening

    Akiza''s pressure points and Dantian are opened by force, done by taking in an outside force, reference to Against the Gods (Chinese Xianxia). Also references baptisms in Hunter X Hunter, where someone uses their Nen/Aura to forcibly open another person''s Nen/Aura.

    Chapter 005 ¨C Principles

    Basic set of beliefs and tenets for a school are common in Wuxia novels. The idea was mostly from Return of the Condor Heroes, where Yang Guo, the main character is an outcast for breaking the norms.

    Chapter 006 ¨C Dantian

    A big plot point in Condor Trilogy involves the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and and Nine Yang Manual.

    Chapter 006 ¨C Dantian

    The nine types of energy references many different series. Ki is from Dragon Ball. Aura (Nen) is from Hunter X Hunter. Chakra from Naruto. Mana from Magic the Gathering. Nature is also from Naruto (Sage techniques). Elemental from Fairy Tail (the Dragon Slayers can eat elements to heal).

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    Chapter 007 ¨C Tears

    World Spiritualist Technique is a reference to the Pulse Searching Method in Martial God Asura. Exact same system, but different name.

    Chapter 007 ¨C Tears

    The fact that you need physical strength to support your abilities comes from Boku No Hero Academia (My Hero Academia in English) where Deku, the main character, breaks himself in the early volumes whenever he uses his power because he cannot properly control it.

    Chapter 009 ¨C The Power of Food

    The Book of Foodies is similar to the tome acquired from the family techniques by the main character of Zui Wu Dao. Early on he acquires a book that lets him eat food with potent energy that would normally kill him, but the technique allows him to absorb anything he eats.

    Chapter 011 ¨C The Power of the Elements

    The Water Divination method is taken directly from Hunter X Hunter, though it does not use the leaf.

    Chapter 012 ¨C First Breakthrough

    Hiding your power level is common for the Z Warriors in Dragon Ball Z.

    Chapter 016 ¨C Akira vs Akiza (1)

    The constant death and starting over is a reference to All You Need is Kill or Edge of Tomorrow.

 Bonus: Things You May Have Missed Chapter 000-020 (Spoilers)

    SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS, but in case you really want to know if your thinking is on the right track.

    <blockquote><cite>Quote:</cite>Akiza''s Spirits (in order so far)

    -Suzaku - Phoenix (fire)

    -Genbu - Two Headed Turtle (earth)

    -Seiryu - Water Dragon (water)

    -Byakko - Odd Eyed Tiger (wind)

    -Akira - Void</blockquote>

    <blockquote><cite>Quote:</cite>Akira is lying

    -Is able to "awaken" Akiza when she did not have Internal Energy, yet he isn''t supposed to have any either, he contradicts himself

    Stolen story; please report.-Japanese name, but non Japanese appearance

    -Says Akiza should be able to beat him easily, clearly NOT easy and he gets back up after what should have been a "fatal" blow to the head</blockquote>

    <blockquote><cite>Quote:</cite>Akiza is not an innocent child

    -giving in to gluttony with constant eating

    -greed when she eyes and wants to collect all the valuable medicinal plants she sees</blockquote>

 Chapter 021 - The Journey Continues

    Akiza took one last look at her Home before she left. She had packed everything she could have needed and made sure she had enough food and water to last for a while. The only thing left is the pool and some of her old clothes. "I''m going to miss this place," said Akiza.

    "I''m sure you can come back in the future," Akira replied.

    Akiza headed out of the cave and made sure to cover up as much of the entrance as she could, including rolling a few rocks to make it look like the rocks fell all around it. "This will make sure it is hard to find," she said to herself.

    Akiza then made her way in the opposite direction of the river since that led to a cliff and a lake. As she made her way, she felt the Nature energy get weaker as the number of trees decreased. She was moving away from the dense center of the forest. What she found was that she was at the bottom of another cliff.

    "You''re in a basin," said Akira.

    "What does that mean?" Akiza asked.

    "You''re in a hole in the ground surrounded by mountains," Akira explained.

    "So?" said Akiza in a confused manner.

    "Follow the left wall, there should be a small path out of here somewhere," Akira replied.

    "Okay Master," said Akiza. She then followed the edge of the cliff as she continued to walk.

    Eventually, there was a hole, but it was dark, so she decided to rest. As she slept on the ground, she looked up at the stars in the sky. It was her first night sleeping outside since her parents died. Tears rolled down as she said, "Mom.... Dad....."

    It was clear that Akiza missed her parents very much, but there was little that Akira could do about it.

    The next morning, Akiza ate on the move as she left the covering of the trees. It was her first time out of the forest in about half a year, but she did not know that because she did not keep track of the number of days passed.

    In front of the entrance to the basin was a road. A single road had led to the basin that Akiza had been in. As she walked, she felt strange and uncomfortable, as if there was some kind of pressure crushing down on her. At times, she found it hard to breathe.

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    "Are you okay?" Akira asked.

    "I feel tired and sick," answered Akiza.

    "It might be that elf blood in you," said Akira.

    "What does that have to do with this?" asked Akiza.

    "The elf blood within you is great when you are near a strong source of Nature energy, like the forest, but when you get away from it, it feels uncomfortable," Akira explained. "You should get used to it after a while though as long as you don''t stay in a forest for too long without leaving again."

    Akiza followed the only road in front of her. After a while, she saw other people around her. There were other people, so she must have been going the right way. However, it was strange. Everyone was wearing the same clothes. A combination of white and green. Even when she was traveling with her caravan, different people wore different clothes, but here, almost everyone was wearing the same thing, a green and white robe.

    Akiza walked up to one of the robed men and asked, "Where am I?"

    "You''re on the West Road," said the man.

    "Where is the nearest town?" Akiza asked.

    "Are you lost little girl?" asked the man.

    Akiza nodded her head.

    "If you follow the road to the East is the West Wind Academy, most of the people here are from there," the man said. "Do you need someone to help you get there?"

    "No, I''m okay," said Akiza as she continued walking.

    "Why didn''t you take his help?" asked Akira.

    "He gave off a strange aura," said Akiza.

    "He is most likely a practitioner of martial arts like you," Akira answered. "He gives off an aura because he has Internal Energy in his body."

    "It doesn''t change that he seems weird, I don''t trust him," said Akiza.

    As Akiza continued on the road she saw more and more people, some of them no longer wore the same robes. "We must be near a town!" Akiza thought to herself and started running.

    Akiza ran past many people, drawing the attention of some people. Soon, she reached a place where there was a lot of people. It was surrounded by walls. In front, a sign read "West Wind Academy."

 Chapter 022 - West Wind Academy

    Another chapter, a bit short. Releases will slow down tomorrow cause I have work and stuff on weekdays

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "I''ll keep quiet," said Akira to Akiza. "Don''t let anyone know that I can talk to you."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza. Akiza walked towards the open gates of West Wind Academy. But, two young men in green and white robes got in her way.

    "Where is your uniform?" asked a young man in green and white.

    "I don''t have one," Akiza replied.

    "Then you must not be a member of this school, only members are allowed in," said the other young man.

    "How do I become a member?" Akiza asked.

    "You must pass the test," said the young man in green and white.

    "I want to take the test then," said Akiza.

    "Follow me," said the other young man.

    The other young man had led Akiza. Akiza felt more comfortable inside than outside the place. It somehow reminded her of the forest despite the many people. Eventually, they arrived at a building. Inside was a desk, there was a young woman in green and white who was half asleep on the desk. "This child wants to take the test," said the other young man.

    "Fill this out then," said the young woman. She took out a piece of paper and gave it to Akiza.

    The piece of paper asked for basic information. Things like name, age, gender, residence, emergency contacts. Akiza filled out what she could and handed it back. The woman disappeared for a while, she came back with another woman in green and white, but the uniform she wore was different. She had shoulder length brown hair and a pale face. Her uniform consisted of a blouse and a skirt instead of a full robe. She was very beautiful. "Hello little girl, I''m Senior Cixi," said the woman who walked in.

    "I''m Akiza," said Akiza. "I want to take the test!"

    "Okay, follow me," said Cixi. "Why do you want to take the test?"

    "They wouldn''t let me in unless I passed," said Akiza.

    "Do you even know what passing the test means?" Cixi asked.

    "It means I get to look around this West Wind Academy," Akiza said.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    "Yes that''s true, but it also means you will be an Apprentice of this school and live here," Cixi explained.

    "That''s okay," said Akiza. "I have no other place to stay anyways."

    Cixi made a sad face. "Something must have happened to her family," she thought.

    They arrived at an open space. There was a round white stage in the center surrounded by a field of grass. "Here we are," said Cixi.

    "So what do I have to do for this test?" asked Akiza.

    "Your first task is to find the hidden item here," said Cixi.

    "What am I looking for?" asked Akiza.

    "I can''t tell you," said Cixi. "You have to find it yourself."

    Akiza thought about how this was possible. Find something you don''t know about.

    "Use your senses to detect something with Internal Energy," said Akira.

    "Thank you Master!" came to Akiza''s head, but she did not want to speak them out in front of another person, she had to keep the promise to Master Akira.

    Akiza closed her eyes and focused. She followed the faint sense to the grasses. Inside the grass was a 1 copper coin. "Is this it?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes, it is," said Cixi. "Congratulations on passing part one."

    "What''s next?" asked Akiza.

    "Try to crack my shield," said Cixi. Cixi released a powerful pressure that Akiza could feel. In front of her, the transparent grey shell of a turtle appeared. "I won''t dodge."

    Akiza focused as much of her Internal Energy into her fist as possible and added fire to it. "Oh that''s pretty good," said Cixi.

    "I''m not done yet," said Akiza. Akiza continued channeling more power into her fist. The color of the fire turned blue.

    Akiza dashed forward and added her speed to the mix as well. BOOM. A loud sound rang out as Akiza''s fist came into contact with the turtle shell. A cloud of dust rose from the ground. Akiza bounced backward and landed on her bottom.

    "Very good,"said Cixi. "You pass.

    Akiza looked up at Cixi. The grey turtle shell was still there. At the center, a small crack.

 Chapter 023 - Serph

    Major character introduction chapter

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Welcome to the West Wind Acadmey," said Cixi to Akiza. "You will need to collect some things from the Supplies Office.

    "Where is that?" asked Akiza.

    "Someone will guide you, just wait outside," said Cixi. "I have other business to attend to so I will see you around."

    Cixi left. Akiza stood outside by the entrance to where she took the test. A young boy with white hair slightly taller than Akiza was looking around. He was wearing what resembled farmer clothes. It was a brown top and long brown pants. They were very worn and dirty. He then walked up to her.

    "Are you Akiza?" asked the young boy.

    "Yes," Akiza replied.

    "I''m Serph, I''m your new roommate," the young boy said.

    "Roommate?" asked Akiza.

    "It means were going to be living together," Serph said.

    "Okay, nice to meet you," Akiza replied.

    "Anyways, follow me," said Serph as he started walking.

    Akiza followed him. As they walked, Serph pointed out all the buildings he knew, but there were a few that he did not.

    "What is that building?" Akiza asked.

    "I don''t know," Serph replied. "Only Junior Disciples and higher are allowed in."

    "What are you?" asked Akiza.

    "I''m an Apprentice, just like you," Serph answered. "I got in about two months back."

    The two continued walking and eventually they reached the Supplies Office. Akiza received a set of Apprentice Robes, but they were too big for her. It was probably why Serph did not wear them either. She also received a card. It read:

    Name: Akiza Kimura

    Age: 6

    Element: Fire

    Rank: Apprentice

    Room: X-221

    Achievements: -

    "Don''t lose it," said Serph. "You need it to get into certain buildings."

    "Like what?" Akiza asked.

    Serph brought her to the Mess Hall. "Food!" shouted Akiza.

    "As long as you hold onto that card, you can eat up to 5 times here a day for free," Serph explained.

    "Five times?!?" Akiza shouted with surprise as she ran around looking at the food. There were many choices. Noodles, bread, potatoes, and rice. That was even before you considered the meat and vegetable choices. "How is there so much food?!?"

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    "The West Wind Academy is very rich," said Serph. "Every year, members of the school win numerous tournaments and earn money and status. People who want their children to go to the school give the school a lot of money to get their kids in. The rest of us have to pass a hard test to get in, only about 1 in 100 make it in."

    "Wow," said Akiza.

    The two got some food and ate. They talked. Akiza learned that Serph''s family are farmers. His father was a retired soldier who wanted to do something else. When Serph showed talent, his father decided to send him to West Wind Academy. He also has an older sister, but his mom passed away. Akiza talked about how she lost her parents. The two talked for a while before heading back. Akiza learned that Serph''s element was Earth, but he was unsure what Stage he was at, but Akiza felt that he too was at the Spirit Stage. Serph did not have the ability to sense Internal Energy though.

    "Let me show you to your room," said Serph.

    "Okay," said Akiza as she followed.

    They walked towards the X Building. They were labeled on maps throughout the school and with a sign outside the main door. They headed upstairs because 200s were on the second floor. The front of room 221 had two name plates. The first read "Serph." The second read "Akiza."

    "We''re here," said Serph as he opened the door.

    Akiza walked in and was surprised. It was symetrically laid out. Two tables, two beds, two closets, and a rug on the wooden floor.

    "So where do you stay?" Akiza asked.

    "Right here," said Serph as he jumped on the bed on the far side of the room.

    "What?" said Akiza.

    "You thought this was just your room?" said Serph. "What did you think roommate meant? We don''t all get houses you know."

    "I had no idea what it meant," said Akiza.

    "Well, now you know," said Serph. "Be ready for classes tomorrow."

    Akiza went to sleep as soon as it got dark. It was something she was used to since going outside at night was dangerous in the forest.

    "Big sis..." said a voice.

    Akiza was awoken to a voice. She rubbed her eyes. It was almost sunrise. There was something on her stomach. It was an arm!

    "What are you doing?!?" shouted Akiza as she kicked Serph from her bed.

    "Ow!" shouted Serph as he fell off.

 Chapter 024 - Training Ground (1)

    Akiza was refusing to talk to Serph after the incident. She chose to meditate instead.

    "I''m sorry," said Serph. "My house is small and I''m used to sleeping in bed with my sister and I have a habit of sleep walking at night."

    "More like, sister complex," Akira thought to himself as he heard those words.

    Akiza focused on gathering as much Internal Energy as she could, but she was not making much progress. "No change?" Akiza said.

    "You need to Armatize with a Spirit first in order for it to go faster," said Akira.

    "What is Armatize?" asked Akiza.

    "It is what Cixi did in the fight yesterday," said Akira. "Hers was a turtle shield, yours is going to be phoenix whatever."

    "Then is meditating useless?" asked Akiza.

    "Nope, all your extra Internal Energy is going towards feeding your Spirit," said Akira as he picked up what appeared to be a little red chicken. "See, it has been only a few days and look at how much it has grown, soon you will be able to use it."

    "Then I will focus on meditating so I can advance faster!" said Akiza.

    "Actually, there''s something better you can do," said Akira as he handed Akiza a book.

    "Phoenix Stances" was written on the front cover. Inside it displayed movements and body positions for different attacks. "Is this a skill book?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Akira. "This is a skill book compiled by past Heroes who have used the Phoenix as their main Spirit. I suggest you read up on it. You can learn the first three right now."

    Akiza flipped through the book with interest. "Phoenix Steps, Rising Phoenix Strike, and Burning Phoenix," Akiza said out loud. These were the first three moves of Phoenix Style.

    Phoenix Steps, a movement ability. The user moves in an arc towards a location in sight, it is an indirect path, easily allowing them to get behind the opponent or to the side for an attack. It is made much more unpredictable with the use of wings.

    Rising Phoenix Strike, an attack in which the user rushes towards an opponent with a flame enhanced strike, usually to the torso. It relies on speed as much as it does strength. The user can explode a wing to give a huge boost of speed, but it causes temporary loss of usage of the wings until it recovers. Recovery speed increases with advancement into the later Stages.

    Burning Phoenix, a strike meant to kill by detonating the flames that remain from any attack made on an opponent. Its power grows the more you hit a single target within a fixed amount of time.

    "I will study well," Akiza said.

    "Hey are you still there?" asked Serph.

    "WHAT?!?" shouted Akiza.

    "It is time for class," said Serph.

    "Oh okay," said Akiza.

    Serph guided Akiza to their first class. All Apprentices had the same classes. It was a basic knowledge course teaching things like language, mathematics, geography, and history. "This is so boring!" Akiza thought to herself. However, she looked to her left and Serph was highly interested in geography, most likely because he was from a farming family. Others were very interested in it, but Akiza had already read all this information from books stored in her Dantian. There wasn''t any new history or geogaphy material, which she might actually have been interested in.

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    When class ended, Serph guided Akiza to the next thing. "There''s more?!?" Akiza said with a surprised voice.

    "Yes," said Serph. "Practical training."

    "What is that?" Akiza asked.

    "You get to play with weapons and hit things in the Training Grounds," said Serph.

    "Why the Training Grounds?" asked Akiza.

    "The Training Grounds are special," said Serph. "It is believed that the school''s founder was an Immortal who created the land and it is because of this power that the Immortal does not die. Anyone who is on the land will also not die. Instead they will reappear at the entrance with all their injuries gone."

    "Then let''s go!" said Akiza with enthusiasm. This was the first thing that actually interested Akiza here. She had not fought anyone other than Akira. She was interested in how strong Serph and the others were. She really wanted to practice the Phoenix Style as well.

    There were many people at the Training Ground. Akiza was the youngest by far. There were a few people at Serph''s age and others who appeared to be 16 or even older. It was a huge place. Lots of green grass everywhere, but it was spotted with white stages that had stone floors. These were arena rings where fights happen. At the back were weapon racks. Weapons from here are not allowed outside of the Training Ground. "You can fight anyone who accepts your challenge," said Serph as he grabbed a sword. "Do you want to exchange pointers with me?" Serph asked Akiza.

    "Okay," said Akiza as she walked towards one of the arena rings in the Training Ground.

    "Aren''t you going to get a weapon?" asked Serph.

    "I don''t know how to use one," said Akiza.

    "Just take one so you can at least block another person''s weapon," said Serph.

    "Okay," said Akiza as she picked up a sword. It was too big. It was longer than her arm. She had no problem holding it or swinging it though.

    The two of them got into the ring. "On the count of three, either one of us can hit each other," said Serph.

    "Okay," Akiza agreed to the rules.

    "One..." said Serph as he readied his stance.

    Akiza was standing there in a neutral position. It looked like she was not planning to fight.

    "Two..." said Serph as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply to calm himself. "Three..." said Serph as he opened his eyes. To his shock, there was already a small fist approaching his eyes. It was Akiza''s.

 Chapter 025 - Training Ground (2)

    "You can''t attack before the count of three!" said Serph as he got up.

    "You said I couldn''t hit you until the count of three, and I didn''t," said Akiza. "Besides, in a real fight, no one is going to wait for you!" Akiza shouted back. "That was payback too."

    "Payback for what?" asked Serph.

    "For this morning!" Akiza shouted back.

    Serph understood what that meant. But he also realized that Akiza was much more experienced in a fight. The phrase "real fight" stood out to him. In a real fight, things were unpredictable. You did not know where or when you would fight or what you would have on you. You had to work with what you had and Akiza was certainly good at that. She immediately closed the distance as soon as Serph took his eyes off her and technically, she did not break any rules because contact was not made until after the count of three.

    "Again!" said Serph as he readied his weapon. "I will not take my eyes off of you this time."

    "Three!" Serph shouted immediately as he dashed forward. However, Akiza disappeared and reappeared right behind him.

    "Phoenix Steps is great," Akiza thought to herself as she slammed Serph into the ground.

    Serph had been instantly defeated twice. "She''s a monster!" Serph thought to himself. Akiza did not give off the aura of a fighter or a powerful killing intent, but she had the strength and the skills to back it up. On top of that, she has not even used her sword yet. Serph should have been at a clear advantage in terms of physical strength with his age alone. On top of that, he had greater reach with his sword, yet Akiza''s speed was able to close that distance and make his longer reach into a disadvantage.

    "One more!" said Serph.

    "Alright," said Akiza.

    Serph put away his sword and used his hands. He had been trained by his father a little, so he had some hand to hand skills even though he spent most of his time practicing with a sword.

    "One..." said Serph. "Two... Three!"

    Akiza did not move this time as Serph dashed forward extending his right arm. As he approached Akiza, he leaped in order to close the distance even faster. This was the skill he learned from his father. "Sonic Leap!" he shouted. "I got you!" he thought to himself.

    Akiza watched as Serph closed the distance. She instantly moved to the left, swinging 90 degrees and struck Serph''s wrist. Serph''s fist opened up and he could no longer move it. Akiza had struck an important point on Serph''s right wrist that disabled his entire right hand. He could not hold a sword or form a fist to attack. "Don''t worry, it will go away in a bit," said Akiza.

    "I give up!" said Serph. "I can''t beat a monster like you."

    "Who are you calling a monster?!?" said Akiza. "I can''t believe how weak you are!"

    "Then how about you fight me?" said a voice. Akiza turned around. It was a young man with black hair wearing a three piece suit.

    "That''s Haman! He''s the strongest among the Apprentice," said Serph.

    "Alright, I accept your challenge," said Akiza.

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    "Don''t fight him!" said Serph. "He is notorious for being a brutal opponent who humiliates his enemies and is willing to do anything to win."

    "It''s too late, she already accepted my challenge!" shouted Haman.

    "No..." said Serph. "Be careful Akiza."

    Serph moved away from the arena ring. It was now just Haman and Akiza. Other spectators joined in. Haman was very skilled and they had hoped they could learn something. Haman used a sword, but it was a lighter one than Serph''s.

    "On the count of three," said Haman.

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    "One.." said Haman. "Two!" at that moment, Haman dashed forward to attack Akiza. "In a real fight, no one waits for you!" he shouted.

    Akiza understood those words, but Haman fought dirty. At least Akiza waited for the count of three to actually land a hit. He was never planning to count to three.

    Akiza backed off and avoided his thrust, but Haman grabbed her hair. "You''re not getting away!" he shouted.

    Haman fought with very dirty methods, but it was practical. He took advantage of Akiza''s weaknesses, meaning he was very skilled too, but Akiza had tricks too. Akiza elbowed Haman in the stomach, forcing him to let go. As Haman backed off, the tip of his sword cut Akiza''s left arm.

    "What''s the matter?" asked Haman. "Feeling tired already?"

    Akiza was feeling weak. There was poison in Haman''s sword. He was someone who was willing to do anything to win. Akiza gathered a pink flame in her right hand and put it over the cut on her arm.

    "Sealing the wound doesn''t stop it you know," Haman said. However, that was because he thought Akiza''s fire was being used to seal the wound to stop the bleeding. In reality, Akiza''s flame actually healed wounds, something that most people had never seen or believed in. Against weak poisons like Haman''s it was easy to stop it.

    "She''s not falling down yet?" Haman said to himself. "That poison should have worked already."

    "I don''t have to hold back against someone who uses dirty methods," Akiza said.

    Akiza dashed forward, but Haman attempted to throw sand hidden in his left hand at her. Akiza saw it coming and disappeared. "Where did she go?" Haman said.

    Akiza reappeared behind Haman gathering a blue flame in her hand. It was Phoenix Steps. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" Akiza shouted as her flaming fist smashed into Haman''s back.

    "I can''t move?" said Haman. Akiza had broken his spine.

    "This injury is fitting for someone who has no backbone," said Akiza.

    "I will get you for this! I will kill you for this humiliation!" shouted Haman.

    "Burning Phoenix," said Akiza. The flames on Haman''s coat exploded with ferocity. His entire body was black and it broke apart into dust.

    Haman reappeared at the entrance of the Training Ground. Akiza had actually killed Haman, the strongest Apprentice. Haman was no longer the strongest. It was at this moment that Haman swore vengeance. He would do what he can to try to kill Akiza.

 Chapter 026 - The Immortal Realm (1)

    Once a year, the path to the Immortal Realm is opened at the West Wind Academy. It was created by the Immortal who founded the school many years ago. Within the Realm lies may treasures, but there is a limited amount of time that one can spend inside it. That time is when the fog within the Realm lifts.

    "I can''t believe it is finally time for the Immortal Realm to open," said Serph.

    "What is so great about the Immortal Realm?" asked Akiza.

    "The Immortal Realm is rich with Internal Energy and numerous valuable plants and elixirs can be obtained," explained Serph. "The school relies on these to make the elixirs needed to improve the cultivation and development of students. A single elixir can be worth hundreds of gold!"

    "We must go!" said Akiza.

    "All students can enter," said Serph. "But it is dangerous in there."

    "It is worth the risk," said Akiza.

    "Will you work with me?" asked Serph. "We should team up in case someone attacks us."

    "We can fight each other in the Immortal Realm?" asked Akiza.

    "While we are there, we are cut off from the school," explained Serph. "Some people take advantage of this chance to get rid of people they do not like or people they have a disagreement with."

    All students of West Wind Academy were called to the center of campus early in the morning. There were many people. The Ten Masters of the school were all gathered today to make an announcement about the Immortal Realm. There were also about fifty other people. Akiza recognized one as Cixi. The others were all Senior Disciples.

    "Today is the day the Immortal Realm will open!" Master Pai Mei announced. "For a short period of time, the Immortal Realm is safe for all of you to enter. Take this chance to get as many cultivating resources as you can, but you must return before the fog returns and be careful of the monsters that roam. Weapons will be allowed on campus, but you are not allowed to fight anyone with them while you are here."

    "Why must we return before the fog returns?" asked Akiza.

    "It is believed that when the fog lifts, the strongest creatures within the Immortal Realm are in hiding," Serph explained. "When the fog returns, so do the strongest monsters, and you will be stuck in there as well."

    "Stuck?" Akiza said with shocked. "We can never leave?!?"

    "You have to wait until another person opens a Gate into the Immortal Realm, which is done once a year when the fog has lifted," said Serph.

    "Students will be entering from the most senior to the most junior," Master Pai Mei continued. "Senior Disciples will go in first to make sure it is safe, then the Juniors, then Apprentices."

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    "So we go last," Akiza said.

    "Do not forget, you must return, before the fog lifts," Master Pai Mei announced. "You have until sundown to get ready. At night, we start going in."

    Akiza and Serph took what supplies they could. Serph had a storage ring and took a sword with him along with some medicine for injuries.

    "You''re not bringing a weapon?" Serph asked.

    "I told you I don''t use one," Akiza replied.

    "At least bring medicine, there''s such a thing as being overconfident," Serph countered.

    "I have medicine," said Akiza.

    "But you don''t have a ring, how do you carry it?" Serph asked.

    Akiza removed a River Spirit Grass from her Dantian to show Serph. "See," see said.

    "How?" Serph was surprised.

    "That''s a secret," said Akiza.

    Serph took some extra swords in his ring, just in case.

    The two ate together before heading to the center of the school again. There was something new. On the stage where the Ten Masters were, there was a large pool of silver water. It was a Gate. Someone in the school had created a Gate to the Immortal Realm. This was probably how others could not get in. It required someone skilled enough to make one and to know where to send people.

    Akiza watched as a few of the Senior Disciples started going in. Then the Junior Disciples went in. Finally, it was their turn, the Apprentices. Akiza and Serph stepped into it along with several other disciples.

    It Immortal Realm was a forest! The sky was grey and in the far distance, they could see a haze of grey, it was fog. However, they could still see a far distance away. Akiza could feel the strong Internal Energy present in the area. It was much stronger than where she stayed to train with Akira. There were powerful Internal Energy sources in every direction. This was the Immortal Realm filled with treasure!

    Many of the Apprentices started running off in random directions. Some were putting random things into their storage rings. In order to make the most use of this place, you had to be able to sense Internal Energy.

    "Where do we go?" asked Akiza.

    "I don''t know, I can''t sense Internal Energy," said Serph.

    "I can," said Akiza.

    "Really?" said Serph with surprise. "You''re full of tricks."

    "It was one of the first things I learned, isn''t it basic knowledge?" asked Akiza.

    "It is difficult for people to sense Internal Energy and requires practice to tell where it comes from, it takes a long amount of time that I have not had to train it," Serph explained.

    "Let''s head for the strongest one then," said Akiza.

 Chapter 027 - The Immortal Realm (2)

    Akiza and Serph headed towards the powerful Internal Energy source to the North. Along the way, they passed other students who were collecting various plants. However, they were not good ones. Akiza could only feel very weak Internal Energy eminating from the plant. It was nothing compared to where they were going.

    That was when they saw it. It was a giant rhino. A white creature on four legs and a horn. It was running after an antelope. "That must be the dangers that the Master warned us about," said Serph.

    "Yes, it has an aura of Internal Energy as well," said Akiza.

    "That thing knows martial arts and skills?!?" Serph said with shock.

    "It is highly likely," said Akiza.

    "A monster with high physical strength and special skills is truly something dangerous," Serph commented.

    The two waited to make sure the creatures were gone before they proceeded. It was there that they saw it. It was a rose with black and white petals. "That''s what we''re looking for," said Akiza pointing at the flower.

    "What is that?" asked Serph.

    "That is a Yin Yang Rose," said Akiza. "If you grind it down into a powder and bathe in it, you can fully absorb its power and increase your Yin and Yang energy by leaps and bounds!"

    "How do you know this?" asked Serph.

    "I studied medicine too," explained Akiza.

    "What have you not studied?!?" Serph said with a surprise.

    Akiza walked forward and took it and put into her Dantian. "Success!" she said.

    "Is there another?" Serph asked.

    "There''s another source coming from the Southwest," said Akiza.

    The two made their way torwards the destination. There was no obstacle this time. But when they arrived, it was just a pile of rocks.

    "There''s nothing here," said Serph. "Are you sure it is here?"

    "Yes, I still feel the energy coming from the rocks around here," said Akiza.

    "Well I don''t see anything," said Serph.

    The ground shook. "Earthquake?" said Serph.

    "I didn''t feel it," said Akiza.

    The ground shook again. "There it is again," said Serph.

    "It''s moving?" said Akiza.

    At that moment, the ground exploded and rocks scattered everywhere and dust rose to the clouds. The ground continued to shake. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. Something was coming.

    A rock flew at Serph. "Watch out!" shouted Akiza.

    Serph ran backwards as fast as he could. BOOM. The ground shook again. The rock that Serph was standing on was smashed to pieces.

    The cloud began to clear. It was a giant composed of numerous boulders. "It''s a golem!" said Akiza.

    "A what?" shouted Serph.

    "It is a monster that is created when a rock absorbs enough Internal Energy," said Akiza.

    The monster was slow and easy to avoid. "Hiyah!" shouted Serph as he slashed it.

    CLING. The sword made contact with the rock and bounced right off. "I can''t cut it!" shouted Serph.

    "That''s cause you have to smash it!" shouted Akiza as she flew towards the golem. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted. A burst of flames appeared at the golem''s chest. BOOM. A loud sound rang out as Akiza''s fist made contact. CRASH as it fell over. A cloud of dust was created again.

    "You did it!" shouted Serph.

    "No, I just knocked it over," replied Akiza.

    The golem got back up again. There were only some cracks on the main body piece where Akiza had hit it. "How do we stop this thing?" asked Serph.

    "We hit it until it stays down," said Akiza. She had lept up and punched it again. More cracks appeared on the golem.

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    Serph put his sword away. "Sonic Thrust!" he lept as he punched the golem. The impact knocked the golem over again. CRASH the ground shook as the golem fell to the ground and a cloud of dust rose up.

    The golem got up again. "Why won''t it stay down?" Serph asked.

    "It won''t stay down until we break the main body piece, it is the core," Akiza explained. "Just keep hitting it so it can''t fight back."

    The two took turns punching the golem over and over. Each time it fell, more cracks appeared, the ground shook, and a cloud of dust rose up. Eventually, the whole golem crumbled onto the floor.

    "We did it!" shouted Serph.

    "Wait, I still feel an energy source," Akiza said.

    The dust cleared on the ground was a red crystal. It contained a lot of Internal Energy. Akiza picked up the small red stone. "What is this?" she said.

    "It''s a Spirit Core," said Akira. "It contains the Spirit of the golem that you just defeated."

    "What is it for?" asked Akiza.

    "If you absorb it into your Dantian, you can get a golem spirit like how you have a phoenix," Akira explained.

    "Here you go," said Akiza as she hanted the red stone to Serph.

    "This is a Spirit Core!" said Serph. "I can''t take this, it is too valuable."

    "I have the flower, you get the core, end of our talk," said Akiza.

    "Thank you so much," said Serph. "My first Spirit...." he said looking gleefully at the stone.

    "Strange..." said Akiza.

    "What is?" said Serph.

    "The cloud of dust has not cleared," Akiza said.

    "That''s not dust," said Serph. "That''s the fog!"

    "What?!?" shouted Akiza. "We must hurry then."

    The two ran back towards the Gate. They had been so busy fighting the golem they forgot to keep track of time. It also did not help that the sky was grey the whole time. There was no night or day. On the way, they did not see anyone. "Everyone must have left already," Akiza thought.

    In the distance there was a loud roar. "What was that?" Serph said with the sound of fear in his voice.

    "It is a powerful monster," said Akiza.

    Akiza and Serph were barely ahead of the fog anymore. The fog was speeding up. The time that the Immortal Realm was safe to enter was coming to an end. When they arrived at the Gate, there was five people.

    "What luck!" said Haman. "Who would''ve thought that it was you Akiza!" he shouted.

    "We have to hurry through the Gate," said Akiza.

    "No, I have to hurry," said Haman. "You have to stay here."

    "What?!?" Akiza said.

    "I told you, I will kill you for my humiliation, and this is how I will do it," said Haman. "And no one will know I did it."

    "No!" said Serph.

    "I am the greatest prodigy!" said Haman. "I will be the number one Apprentice this year! You will not get in my way! I will be a great warrior in the future! Your names will disappear here!"

    As Haman walked, the people all moved the ground around the Gate, they were making sure it would be buried as they left. In a matter of seconds the Gate was buried and Akiza and Serph were left in the Immortal Realm. Akiza and Serph no longer had a way to get back. They were going to be stuck in the Immortal Realm until the next Gate opened. That would be when the fog lifted again.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Cliffhanger ending

 Chapter 028 - Survival

    "What do we do?" said Serph. "We''re stuck here."

    "No were not," said Akiza. "We just survive until the fog lifts and the next Gate is open."

    "How do we do that?" said Serph. "We barely beat the golem and there are much more powerful creatures out there now that the fog is back."

    "We have to do it one step at a time," said Akiza. "First, we need to find a safe place to stay."

    "Do you even understand how much danger we are in?!?" said Serph. "You are too calm."

    "I survived for half a year in a forest by myself," said Akiza. "Now I just have to do it for one year with you."

    "..." Serph had no words to express what he just heard. Akiza had been living by herself for half a year. Serph could barely live by himself at West Wind Academy and still found times where he was sleepwalking at night.

    "There must be a hollowed out tree or a cave somewhere," said Akiza.

    "Okay," said Serph. He had to rely on Akiza. She had more experience and was calm despite knowing how much danger they were in. With her ability to sense Internal Energy, they should be able to avoid most danger.

    "Let''s go," said Akiza.

    Serph had trouble seeing very far. The fog was getting thicker. "I can barely see you," said Serph.

    Akiza grabbed his hand. "I''ll lead, you follow," she said.

    "Thank you," said Serph. That calmed him. This was something that his older sister used to do for him whenever he was worried. Now Akiza was doing the same thing.

    HOWL. That was a loud howl, something was nearby. BOOM. Something was fighting nearby. Akiza and Serph stood still hidden in the shadows. It was a giant blue wolf. It was fighting a griffin. SCREE.

    The blue wolf fired a blast of ice at the griffin. "It has special skills!" said Serph.

    The griffin flew up into the sky and went for a dive. HOWL. The wolf waited and when the griffin was close enough to grab the wolf, the griffin was frozen in a ball of ice. The wolf had frozen the griffin solid. "Incredible," said Serph.

    The two waited for the wolf to leave. Akiza walked out of the cover. "What are you doing?" said Serph.

    "Surviving," said Akiza as she took out a knife from her Dantian. She punched the ball of ice and the whole thing shattered to the floor. The griffon was already frozen solid and broken into pieces. Akiza start cutting off pieces of meat and the talons of the griffon.

    Serph watched as Akiza took pieces of griffon meat and stored it away. Akiza also gave some to him. "What is this for?" Serph asked.

    "Dinner," said Akiza.

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    "We''re eating this?!?" said Serph with shock.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "But if you want to eat, you need to read this first," she said as she handed a small book to him."

    "What is this?" Serph asked.

    "Book of Foodies, a skill to digest food and absorb it into your Dantian," explained Akiza.

    "Okay," said Serph. He opened the book and started to read. If he was going to be able to eat meat with that much power, he needed to master the skill. He observed as Akiza harvested most of the meat off of the griffon.

    "Done," said Akiza. "Let''s go."

    The two went back under the cover of the trees, looking for a place where they could stay. As they moved, they saw other dangerous creatures. There was a lion with a snake for tail walking around. In the sky, there was a fox that flew. There was even a lizard with a chicken head. All of them possessed a very strong Internal Energy.

    The scariest one for Serph was a humanoid one. It appeared to be a man with its arms stretched out and greenish white skin. It only moved around by hopping, but it possessed an extremely powerful Internal Energy.

    Eventually, they took a break. They have been wandering around for a while and were feeling tired. The sky continued to remain grey. There was no way to tell how long they have been walking around.

    "Get some sleep," said Akiza.

    "But we haven''t found a place to stay," said Serph.

    "We can''t go if we''re tired, if we run into something, we''re dead," said Akiza.

    "I understand," said Serph. "But I''m going to finish reading this first, I think I almost got it." He was still reading the Book of Foodies and nearing the end.

    Akiza took out a small piece of griffon meat and started heating it with the fire on her finger tips. "When you''re done reading, eat this."

    "So useful," said Serph.

    Akiza ate some of the griffon meat too. She felt an intense rush as the immense amount of Internal Energy from it rushed throughout her body and meditated to absorb as much of it as she could. Serph did the same when he finished reading, but as he ate. He fell to the floor.

    "Hey are you okay?" asked Akiza.

    "So painful," said Serph.

    "The Internal Energy is a little too much for you to handle, but it will get easier as you eat more," said Akiza.

    "Did this ever happen to you?" asked Serph.

    "Three times," said Akiza. "And yours is not too bad."

    "Not too bad?" Serph thought to himself. She must an incredible tolerance for pain.

 Chapter 029 - Phoenix Form

    Only 1 chapter this morning. I promise a little more action in the next chapter.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    As Akiza meditated, the power from the griffon meat flowed throughout her body. It was very strong. That was when she felt a change. KAW. There was a loud sound. Akiza looked around, she could not sense anything around them in the fog. KAW. There it was again.

    "Come inside," said Akira.

    It was coming from Akiza''s Dantian. As she focused, she entered it and saw a small bird. KAW. It had grown something from its head and had long tails. The Phoenix was starting to take shape.

    "What''s wrong?" asked Akiza.

    "It''s been calling for you," said Akira pointing at the phoenix.

    The bird jumped into her stomach. She felt a flow of Fire energy flow throughout her body from her Dantian. Heat gathered in her stomach and moved to the shoulders. A pair of flaming orange wings appeared from her back.

    "Congratulations," said Akira. "You can now Armatize."

    "You mean like Cixi?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes, hers was a shield, yours are these wings," explained Akira. "As you grow stronger it will change and eventually, it will spread throughout your body and become a full change."

    "Can all Spirits do this?" Akiza asked.

    "Only your primary Spirit," said Akira.

    "What about these three then?" Akiza asked pointing to the three remaining eggs.

    "They will add to your primary Spirit''s Armatization," Akira explained. "For example, the Dragon might let you shoot water out of your wings or something."

    "Is that even possible?" asked Akiza.

    "That probably won''t happen, but it is different for each person," said Akira. "Something will happen to you once the next one awakens or if you get a new spirit."

    Akiza looked at the second egg with stones on it. It still had not cracked or shown any signs of weakness. It probably was not going to hatch any time soon. And after that, there was going to be another two. She was going to need an incredible amount of Internal Energy to hatch them.

    "Anyways, you should avoid using it here in this forest," said Akira. "You will be spotted miles away and you might accidentally set the whole place on fire."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza.

    "And one more thing, your Phoenix Style attacks will be much stronger if you use them while you are Armatized, so be careful when you use them."

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    "I will Master," said Akiza.

    Akiza created a small fire in her hand and stared at it.

    "What are you doing?" asked Serph.

    "Practicing," said Akiza. "I do this so I can do it faster when I need to."

    Akiza changed the color of her flame to pink. "Hold still," said Akiza.

    "What are you doing?" asked Serph.

    Akiza moved her hand of pink fire and moved it towards Serph. "This won''t hurt," she said.

    Serph closed his eyes anyways, expecting to feel the scorch of fire. Instead, there was a warm feeling in his stomach. He felt less pain even though it had been hurting seriously from the griffon meat. "It doesn''t hurt," he said.

    "It''s my special ability," said Akiza. "When I was in the forest, this would sometimes help with the pain. It actually worked against what Haman used on me in the arena ring."

    "So that''s how you were able to beat him..." Serph said. "But you have a healing ability!"

    "Is it special?" asked Akiza.

    "Healing abilities are very rare," said Serph. "Not even 1 in 10000 people have a healing ability or skill. Most healing comes from people with special skills and talents that they have studied for many years. And yours can heal internally as well, that makes it even more rare."

    "Mine doesn''t work on everything though," said Akiza. "There was a time when I felt a lot of pain and the fire did nothing to stop it."

    "It doesn''t matter," said Serph. "Any healing ability is rare and very valuable. There may be people who would even kill to get a skill like that."

    "That means this is dangerous," said Akiza as she lifted her hand from Serph''s stomach and extinguished the flame.

    The pain in Serph''s stomach was hurting a lot less and he looked okay now. Akiza could sense that his strength had increased a little. Being able to eat and digest meat from the creatures in the Immortal Realm would allow for a huge improvement in strength. If they survived this, they would return much stronger than they were when they entered. "And I will be able to pay Haman back for this!" Akiza thought to herself.

    The two went to sleep after. They had to survive until the fog lifts. Only then can they return home. "It just might be possible to survive with her," Serph said to himself. "She''s already done things that I believed to be impossible."

 Chapter 030 - Fierce Turtle

    1 chapter before I go to my 2nd job

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    "You should use your Spirit Core," Akiza said to Serph.

    "But it is something we earned together, it would not be right if I kept it for myself," answered Serph.

    "I told you already," said Akiza. "I get the flower, you get the Spirit."

    "Are you absolutely sure?" asked Serph.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "I''ll even watch over you while you do it."

    Serph took the Golem Spirit Core out of his ring. He absorbed it into his Dantian.

    "Congratulations," said Akiza.

    "It''s all thanks to you," said Serph.

    "What does it do?" Akiza asked.

    "Let''s find out," Serph replied.

    Serph activated his new Golem Spirit. A small square piece of metal appeared in front of him. "Is this is a shield?" he wondered.

    "It looks like something that Senior Cixi had," said Akiza.

    "What did her''s do?" Serph asked.

    "It was a defensive ability," Akiza answered. "It barely cracked when I hit it with all my might. Yours probably has a similar ability."

    Serph moved the shield around. He could control where it went and the size of it. "It seems pretty useful."

    "That things was pretty strong," said Akiza. "It makes sense that the ability it gave was either very strong or very useful. It could also be both."

    After a while, the two moved on. They were still looking for a safe place that they could hide. The fog was pretty thick and Akiza had to lead Serph through the fog as well.

    "While we''re here, we should collect some more materials," said Akiza.

    "Are you insane?" said Serph. "The monsters here are insanely strong, we can''t beat them."

    "We don''t have to," said Akiza. "We let them beat each other. And we have a whole year to do this." Akiza''s eyes gleamed. She was interested in all of the powerful sources of Internal Energy.

    Serph actually did not know what to do. They had no idea where they were going. Only Akiza could so he really could not disagree if she wanted to go in a certain direction. "I guess if we stay hidden and safe, it should be okay." Serph reluctantly agreed.

    Akiza changed directions and headed towards the nearest intense source of Internal Energy she could find. There Serph saw the skeleton of a person. Someone had died here. "Were they lost? Did they get greedy?" he thought to himself. "I don''t want to end up like that," he said.

    "We won''t," said Akiza.

    Serph was comforted by those words. He continued to follow Akiza who showed knowledge beyond her age. She seemed to know what she was doing.

    Eventually, the two found a cave. "Look!" said Akiza.

    "It''s a cave!" said Serph. "We can hide in here."

    "There''s something inside," said Akiza. "It is about as strong as the golem."

    "Then we can do it," said Serph.

    The two walked inside the cave. The fog did not reach inside the cave. Serph was actually able to see while inside the cave. It was enormous. There was a small tunnel at the back. The cave went deeper. The source of Internal Energy Akiza felt was from further inside.

    Carefully, they made their way inside. The sound of running water became louder as they descended. There was a source of water here as well. When they reached the end, they saw a giant blue turtle. It was sleeping.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "It''s big," said Serph.

    "That means it should be slow," said Akiza. "We can probably take it on like we did the golem."

    "Think we can do it?" asked Serpf.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "It should be just as strong as the golem."

    "I think you should try to finish it in one hit," said Serpf.

    "Alright," said Akiza.

    Serph watched as Akiza charged a blue flame in her hand. Wings appeared on Akiza''s back. "Armatization," he said to himself.

    Akiza dashed forward "Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted! "Exploding First Wing!" Akiza''s wing exploded with an intense force propelling her forward. BOOM. The entire cave shook as Akiza''s fist came into contact with the head of the turtle.

    The turtle fell to its feet. "OOOOOMMMMM" the turtle roared.

    "It didn''t work," said Akiza.

    "Well it was worth a try," said Serph as he drew his sword.

    The two of them stood mirrored from the turtle. "Avoid the shell and hit the skin," said Serph.

    Akiza punched the turtle, but the impact knocked her back. "The skin is too tough."

    "Use this sword," said Serph as he threw one to Akiza.

    Serph cut the leg of the turtle to draw its attention. "OOOOOMMMMM" the turtle roared. Bubbles came out of its mouth.

    "Watch out!" shouted Akiza.

    They were slow, but the bubbles exploded with a powerful force. A single hit from it would cause severe wounds. It would be dangerous if they managed to fill the room.

    Akiza charged forward and thrusted the sword deep into the the turtle''s leg. "I can''t pull it out! It''s stuck!" she cried.

    Serpf took out several more swords and spread them on the ground. "Take one if you need it!" he shouted.

    "Thanks," said Akiza.

    The turtle''s leg got stuck with the sword. It moved its head towards Akiza, but it could not move its leg. It was stuck.

    "Serph! Stab a sword through the turtle''s other leg!" Akiza shouted.

    "Sonic Thrust!" Serph shouted as he leaped towards the turtle''s leg. Serph pierced the tough skin of the turtle and embedded the sword inside of it. The turtle could no longer move its front legs.

    Akiza picked up two swords off the ground and prepared another dash attack, at the turtle''s head. "Rising Phoenix Strike! Exploding First Wing! Exploding Second Wing!" she cried. Both of wings exploded with an intense force, pushing Akiza forward at an incredible speed. She thrusted both swords into the turtle''s head, piercing its head and killing it.

    "OOOOOMMMMM" the turtle roared as it fell to the ground.

    "We did it!" shouted Serph.

    "Thank you," said Akiza. "I could not have done this without you."

    "It was good that I brought all these swords along," said Serph.

    The two went to collect all the swords. They may need them again in the future.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Not Genbu Spirit troll. Squirtle used Bubble on Akiza and Serph. It''s not very effective.

 Chapter 031 - The Search

    "We finally have some shelter and a lot of clean water," said Serph.

    "Yeah," said Akiza. "We can also have a small fire here to stay warm when needed."

    "Then the only thing we have to do now is get food and stay hidden," said Serph.

    The two of them covered most of the entrance with nearby rocks and plants. It now looked like the side of a hill for the most part, but they could both crawl into the cave. This would reduce the likelihood that someone would find them.

    "I never thought I''d be stuck in a forest again," said Akiza. "I was really hoping to spend more time with other people."

    "You can spend a lot more time with me," said Serph.

    "It''s not like I have any other choice," said Akiza. "But I guess it''s not that bad. It''s good to have a friend and someone to talk to."

    "You didn''t have any friends?" asked Serph.

    "No," replied Akiza. "I was always moving around with my parents when I was young, then I lived in a forest by myself. It was hard to make friends living like that."

    "I spent most of my free time working on my dad''s farm," said Serph. "You''re my only friend too."

    The two of them spent more time talking to each other before sleeping. It helped them relax. They were going to be stuck here for a while.

    The next day, the two decided to train. Akiza focused on meditating while Serph focused on learning to detect Internal Energy with the help of Akiza.

    Akiza took out several medicinal plants. "You need to feel the types of energy present in these plants."

    "How?" asked Serph.

    "With your heart, body, and mind," Akiza replied.

    Serph continued to focus, but he had difficulties. Meanwhile, Akiza would absorb as much Internal Energy as she could from the Immortal Realm. It was much richer in Internal Energy due to the properties and it allowed her to acquire a lot of Internal Energy fast. The monsters in the envrionment released a huge amount of Internal Energy when they fought as well, making the land even richer. "That was probably how this land became so rich in Internal Energy," Akiza thought.

    One day, Akiza decided to go out on her own. Serph was still practicing to sense Internal Energy, but Akiza was already excellent at it. By now, she had memorized the strength and feeling of Serph''s Internal Energy. Even if she got lost, she could still sense Serph to get back.

    "I''m heading out," said Akiza. "We''re going to need more food soon."

    "Stay safe," said Serph. "I will have mastered sensing Internal Energy when you get back."

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    "You better or else I will hit you upside the head," said Akiza.

    Akiza looked around and headed toward nearby sources of Internal Energy. She found a lot more plants. The best one she found was a flower that radiated with fire and ice. It contained a strong amount of Fire and Water energy. "These plants will be priceless," she thought to herself.

    "Have you ever thought about using any of them for yourself?" asked Akira.

    "I will, but I don''t have the means to refine them here," said Akiza.

    "As long as you''re not only thinking about money," said Akira. "I just wanted to make sure."

    Out in the distance, Akiza saw a glow of orange light. She headed towards it. Whatever it was, there was an intense amount of Internal Energy being released. "It must be another fight between powerful monsters," she thought.

    As Akiza went closer to the area, something was strange. She only felt one source of Internal Energy. "If there''s a fight shouldn''t there be two?" she thought to herself. Making her way through the trees and brushes, she got close enough to see the fight.

    There was a man in a green and white robe. "Someone from West Wind Academy? They should have all gone back," she thought. However, the man''s robes were different from the Masters, Seniors, or any of the Disciples.

    The dragon flew into the sky and blew fire at the man, but the man deflected it. It spread out around him. It had hit everything else, but the man was unharmed. The man made his way towards the dragon. He was flying, but he had no wings. With a single blow, he knocked the dragon straight into the ground. BOOM. The ground shook and Akiza felt a the force of the blow even from where she was hiding. The man stabbed his hand into the chest of the dragon and ripped out its Spirit Core.

    "So powerful," Akiza thought.

    "You can come out now," said the man.

    "Did he know I was here?" Akiza thought.

    "If you come out, I''ll give you this," the man said waving the Spirit Core.

    Akiza waited for him to leave. She did not know who he was and she did not know if he was safe or dangerous. She could not feel any source of Internal Energy from the man, but it was clear the man was very strong.

    "Or I could always come to you!" shouted the man.

    Akiza felt the release of a terrifying killing intent. The man was indeed strong despite his lack of Internal Energy.

 Chapter 032 - Kongming

    No cliffhanger this time. Two shorter chapters instead this morning.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza stepped out of the brushes.

    "Good you came out," said the man.

    "I don''t know if I can trust you," said Akiza.

    "Of course you can, if you''re a member of West Wind Academy," said the man.

    "How did you know?" Akiza asked.

    "Only members of West Wind Academy can come inside the Immortal Realm," said the man. "But shouldn''t you have left already?"

    "My friend and I was stopped by someone who wanted to trap us here," Akiza replied.

    "Oh that happens a lot," said the man. "Those people think that they can do anything when they are not on school grounds, but I know everything that goes on."

    "Who are you?" Akiza asked.

    "I''m Kongming, Grandmaster of West Wind Academy," the man said.

    "Grandmaster?!?" said Akiza. "How come I''ve never seen or heard about you?"

    "I don''t make public appearances," Kongming said. "My job is mostly to maintain the Immortal Realm."

    "But how, you don''t have any Internal Energy," said Akiza.

    "So you can''t sense it?" Kongming asked.

    "Sense what?" Akiza asked.

    "Divine Energy," said Kongming.

    Akiza had heard about Divine Energy from Kongming, but she had never seen or felt it. Nothing she found even had Divine Energy in it. "No, I cannot," Akiza replied.

    "That''s fine," said Kongming. "It took me many years to do it myself and the results are what you see here."

    "You mean this dragon?" Akiza asked.

    "No, I mean the Immortal Realm," Kongming said.

    "I don''t understand," said Akiza.

    "An Immortal Realm is created as the result of someone trying to or succeeding at reaching the Immortal Stage," Kongming explained.

    "You''re an Immortal Stage expert?!?" Akiza said with shock. "But how did you do that without any Internal Energy?"

    "Like I said, I have Divine Energy," said Kongming. "The Divine Energy begins to hide your Internal Energy because it is overwhelmed by it. Eventually, all your Internal Energy combines with Divine Energy to become a Divine version of that Energy, such as Divine Yin or Divine Elemental."

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    "I see," said Akiza. "But how does that create the Immortal Realm?"

    "When we meditate to become an Immortal, we are trying to find that Divine Energy," explained Kongming. "The rest of the Internal Energy we gather and find are useless, so we do not absorb it. The Internal Energy then spreads in the area around us and the environment absorbs it. That is why the Immortal Realm is rich with so much Internal Energy and why there are so many treasures here."

    "No wonder there are so many treasures in the Immortal Realm," Akiza said.

    "But as I promised," said Kongming as he threw the Dragon Spirit Core to Akiza. "You can have it."

    "Thank you Grandmaster," said Akiza.

    "Come over to my place," said Kongming. "It is much safer and I have something to show you."

    "I will Grandmaster, but I have to get my friend too," said Akiza.

    "Then let''s go together," said Kongming.

    Kongming followed Akiza to Serph.

    "So this is how you survived," Kongming said while looking at how Akiza and Serph covered the cave. "Very impressive."

    "Oh you''re back," said Serph. "I could sense you coming."

    "That means you can sense Internal Energy! That''s great!" said Akiza.

    "Umm.. wait I don''t think so," said Serph. "I can''t feel him," Serph said pointing at Kongming.

    "He''s the Grandmaster," said Akiza. "I can''t feel him either."

    "He''s the Grandmaster?!?" shouted Serph. "The one who runs the school."

    "I don''t run it," said Kongming. "That is left to the Masters, I just handle this place."

    "But how can someone who have no Internal Energy survive here?" asked Serph.

    Akiza had to explain everything to Serph before he understood.

    "We''re going to my place," said Kongming. "Just follow me."

    "Okay," Akiza and Serph said together.

 Chapter 033 - The Stone House

    Another chapter! I will try to get the next chapter, one with some more fighting, out before I sleep tonight. No guarantees though.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    "We''re here," said Kongming as he stopped in a clearing. In front was a building made almost entirely of black polished stones. It was huge, as big as one of the dormitories for Apprentices in West Wind Academy. It had numerous windows.

    "You two will be safe in here until the Gate opens again," said Kongming.

    "Thank you Grandmaster," said Akiza.

    The three went inside Kongming''s house. Inside, everything appeared to be made of high quality wood, most likely cut from the trees of the Immortal Realm itself. There were numerous books on the shelves. There were many pots with strong sources of Internal Energy in them.

    "You two can sleep in the empty room upstairs," said Kongming. "But in the meantime, I will help you two train."

    "What?" Serph said with a happy look on his face. "I can''t believe this, being chosen by the Grandmaster."

    "You two need to be able to survive here in the Immortal Realm when the fog has not lifted," said Kongming. "If you two can do it, you are at least at the Lord Stage if you avoid the strong ones."

    "To advance to the Lord Stage..." Serph said looking at his hand and making it into a fist. It was something now in his reach.

    "Thank you for this chance Grandmaster," said Akiza.

    "Do you have any medicine or elixirs with you?" Kongming asked.

    "No just some plants," said Akiza.

    "Show me," said Kongming.

    Akiza took out all the plants she had collected while she and Serph were in the Immortal Realm. It was a huge amount, but the Internal Energy were incomparable to the ones in Kongming''s storage.

    "Do you not know how to refine them?" Kongming asked.

    "I do, but I don''t have the tools," said Akiza.

    "What if I told you there is a way to do it without tools and guarantee 100% purity," said Kongming.

    "Is that even possible?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Kongming. "There is special used by highly skilled alchemists."

    Kongming got up and chose three of the ingredients. He put them in his hand. He focused and the ingredients in his hand begin to glow. The three ingredients moved and combined together at a common spot. There was a release of a blinding light and energy. When it disappeared, the only thing in Kongming''s hand was a small bright red pill.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    "Incredible," said Serph.

    "You can do this regardless of your element," said Kongming. "You just have to know the recipe."

    Akiza tried it. She took the same three ingredients and copied every step. As the blinding light was released, Akiza fell to the floor. "So tired," she said.

    "It requires an immense amount of Internal Energy for someone at your level," said Kongming. "But it saves you a lot of time because you don''t have to make it the right way and it guarantees purity with the right ingredients."

    "Here," said Kongming handing the red pill to Serph.

    "What is this for?" asked Serph.

    "It is something to help reduce the effects of the fog and improve your vision," Kongming explained. "Since Akiza made her own, I''m just going to give you the one I made."

    They both ate the red pill. "Akiza, you should study the books here," Kongming said pointing at his shelf. They contained numerous medical books. "And I have a special training for both of you," said Kongming with a huge grin on his face.

    Serph felt fear. Kongming was very intimidating despite not exhibiting any pressure that a practitioner would have.

    "I have a question," said Akiza.

    "Yes what is it?" said Kongming.

    Akiza showed Kongming the pink fire. "What is this?" she asked.

    "This is a special attribute of fire," said Kongming. "It is a combination of Yin, Yang, and Fire. Yin and Yang are responsible for creation and destruction, Fire breathes life into things. The result is a healing fire."

    "What can it heal?" asked Akiza. "I''ve only been able to use it to ease pain and the effects of poison."

    "It is not very strong," said Kongming. "As you get stronger, the effects should improve. If you had the powers of the Divine Phoenix, it may even be able to bring someone back from the dead, but there hasn''t been one in centuries."

    "Revive the dead?!?" Akiza and Serph both said with a shocked voice. This is the first time the two have heard of such a ridiculous thing. Then again, Kongming slew a dragon with his bare hands without much effort, such a thing might just be possible.

 Chapter 034 - Shinmei-Ryu

    Love Hina reference lol

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    "In order for you to be able to survive here you must know how to fight against Spirits," said Kongming.

    "They were very strong, without Akiza I could not have done it," said Serph.

    "There were times I need Serph to help me too," said Akiza.

    "What if I told you there was a special style that dealt against Spirits?" said Kongming.

    "Is there such a thing?" Serph asked.

    "Yes, I created the skill long ago. To this day, it is kept in the Vault of West Wind Academy that is normally reserved for Disciples," Kongming explained. "It is called the Shinmei-ryu style."

    Kongming then took out swords and handed one to each of them. "This is a versatile style that allows you to use a one handed sword in a two handed way or a one handed way," he explained. "There are also hand to hand forms to it as well."

    "But how is it that this is better against Spirits?" asked Akiza.

    "Serph, Armatize" said Kongming.

    Serph activated a small shield in front of him. Kongming did a swing from a distance. The shield was cut in two. "A defensive type was destroyed in an instant," said Serph.

    "But it does not affect the person," said Kongming. "You received no injuries as a result of that strike.

    "But that means it cannot be used on people since it only hits Armatization and Spirits," said Akiza.

    "That''s where you''re wrong," said Kongming. "This is only one move from Shinmei-ryu. There are many others."

    Kongming projected his Divine Energy and they watched as a rock was blown apart. "You can deal as much damage as any other attack."

    Kongming spent a lot of time to teach Akiza and Serph all the moves to Shinmei-ryu. But Akiza could not tell how long it had taken because there was no day or night in the Immortal Realm, just fog. Akiza tried counting how many times she slept, but it was probably at least a hundred.

    Serph had a much easier time since he was used to swords already. On the other hand, Akiza took longer since she focused more on to the hand to hand moves and was learning to properly use a sword for the first time. At the end of the week, Kongming gave a test. "You both must each slay at least a Spirit Stage or above on your own."

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.The two had fought together to take advantage of the slow speed of Spirits, but they now had to hunt one on their own. They went off into the forest with Kongming observing them. HOWL. It was the ice wolf. Akiza had found the ice wolf that she had seen defeat the griffon. It released a chilling aura.

    HOWL. The wolf made a battle cry. Akiza stood with both hands on her sword. The wolf leaped towards Akiza. Akiza backed off to dodge the attack, but the wolf spun around, hitting Akiza with its tail. BOOM. Akiza was knocked off her feet. The wolf had chained its attacks together.

    Akiza used Phoenix Steps to circle around to the side of the wolf. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" BOOM. The wolf was hit by a massive blue flame and it curved into the shape of a crescent. But it wasn''t enough. The fur on the wolf was not even singed.

    HOWL. The wolf howled in anger. Akiza needed to use the sword to pierce the tough skin of the wolf. Akiza infused her Internal Energy into the sword and swung it. The wolf lowered itself to avoid the attack and pounced at Akiza. Akiza infused Internal Energy into her fist and released it in a burst to knock back the wolf. Akiza chased after the wolf. As it landed on its back, Akiza thrusted the sword into the wolf''s chest.

    The wolf struggled and Akiza was knocked away. The wolf then got up, but it was heavily bleeding. The wolf took a defensive stance and lowered its head. It was the freezing attack! The wolf blew out a cold wind. Akiza used an overhead slash from the distance. It split the breath of the wolf in two, scattering its cold breath to the sides.

    Akiza ran forward. The wolf leaped in for a slash with its claws, Akiza backed off. The wolf spun again. Akiza paralleled the sword to herself to block the attack. The power of the wolf still nearly knocked her off her feet. She was too light. However, the wolf was slowing down. It was still bleeding out. Akiza just needed to last until the wolf bled to death.

    Akiza took a defensive stance with her sword, holding it parallel to her eyes. The wolf rushed forward. Akiza aimed it for mouth of the wolf. The moment it leaped foward, "Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted jumping forward.

    SSHHLUCK. The sword slid into the mouth of the wolf, piercing it through the roof of its mouth and into its brain. Akiza''s thrust had killed the wolf.

 Chapter 035 - Yin-Yang Rose

    Story arc is coming to a close with this

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza had successfully slain a Lord Stage wolf. However, Serph was still having trouble. He was saved by Kongming twice while trying to fight Spirit Stage beasts. This gave Akiza some time to focus on reading the books provided by Kongming. They were filled with the medical knowledge that Kongming had compiled over the years.

    Since Akiza had some free time now, she took to studying the medical texts. They were much more detailed and informative than the ones in the Nine Yins and Nine Yang Manual. That was created by someone in a single lifetime. Kongming had created his over the length of multiple lifetimes. It was there that Akiza found something that she was looking for. The recipe to refine the Yin-Yang Rose.

    Meanwhile, Serph was still being watched by Kongming as he fought with a large snake. The snake was only at the Limit Stage, it did not possess an abundant amount of Internal Energy nor any unique abilities. "You lack the natural ability to sense and adapt," said Kongming.

    "I know," said Serph. "That is why I must keep training."

    Serph slashed under the head of the snake, but it twisted, avoiding the attack. The snake then flailed its tail wildly at Serph smashing the ground. Serph raised his Golem Shield to counter.

    "That is a very impressive Spirit you have," said Kongming. "But why don''t you ever use it offensively?" he asked.

    "To use a shield offensively? How?" asked Serph.

    Kongming explained, "You can throw it, you can charge in with it, you can use it as blunt weapon. Do not think of it as just a tool to protect yourself. Imagine it as if it was another hand."

    Serph focused his attention on the snake. He threw the shield at the snake, the snake twisted its body to avoid. Serph came from the other side with his sword, the snake dodged downwards. "Got you," said Serph. He used his fist to smash the head of the snake. It was a three part attack that came from different directions.

    "Just like that," said Kongming.

    "Thank you, Master," said Serph.

    Just then a terrifying entire was released. It possessed intense killing intent. It was coming from the direction of Kongming''s house.

    When Akiza had finished reading the recipe for refining the Yin-Yang Rose. She took out the rose from her Dantian and looked at it. It was a flower with black and white petals. It did not look as impressive as the others, but it contained an immense amount of Internal Energy. Akiza followed as Kongming had taught her, using her own Internal Energy and the power of her fire to refine the medicine. It took everything she had to do it. The Yin-Yang Rose was an incredible medicine and required just as much Internal Energy to refine using the method Kongming had shown her. Using all of her strength, a bright light flashed as a small ball appeared in her hand. It was about 60% black and 40% white, but 100% pure. Akiza passed out from using her Internal Energy to refine it.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    A short while later, Akiza woke up. Serph and Kongming were still out. Akiza focused and absorbed the refined Yin-Yang Rose into her Dantian. It was an intense amount of Internal Energy. Akiza struggled to absorb its energies.

    In Akiza''s Dantian, Akira could see its immense power. The Hero''s Flower was absorbing every bit of the energy. That was when Akira noticed it, the pinkish color of the edges began to turn purple. "It was another breakthrough! This kid was going to become as powerful as a Lord at the young age of seven!" he thought.

    BOOM. There was a huge release of energy from the Hero''s Flower. The tips of the Hero''s Flower turned black. It now had a bright pink center, purple middle, black on the outside. It was then that Akira''s face changed. The Hero''s Flower was releasing a terrifying amount of Dark Energy. Something he only felt in the presence of the previous Demon Lord. "Stop Akiza!" he shouted.

    It was too late, Akiza had already absorbed too much of the Yin-Yang Rose and the process could not be stopped. "Damn," said Akira. "I must try to stop it."

    Akira leaped towards the Hero''s Flower, releasing the Divine Energy he had saved up during his inactive period as a Hero. A bright light crashed against the Hero''s Flower, but he was repelled. At that moment, he saw a purple flame burst forth from the Hero''s Flower and they both fell to the ground. He felt the Dark Energy coming from the purple flame. He looked at the Hero''s Flower, the colors had stopped changing. He had at least stopped it from getting worse.

    Akira got up to see what it was. It was a beautiful woman. She had long black hair. She wore a purple vest that revealed her stomach and revealed part of the top of her chest. She was wearing some type of purple skirt with white socks and purple boots.

    This woman was the one releasing the terrifying Dark Energy. "How did she get in here?" Akira wondered.

 Chapter 036 - Akira vs Akiza (4)

    "We must hurry back," said Kongming to Serph. The two dashed back to the house, the source of Dark Energy.

    "What is this feeling?" asked Serph.

    "This is Dark Energy," explained Kongming. "It is what Demon Lords possess and is used to create Corrupted Lands."

    "Does that mean there is a Demon Lord here?" asked Serph.

    "That is not possible," said Kongming. "This is an Immortal Realm that is filled with Divine Energy. It would have purified the Dark Energy if it came in."

    "What is Dark Energy?" asked Serph.

    "Dark Energy is the result of a heavy imbalance between Yin and Yang Energy," Kongming explained. "Normally, they both increase closely with one another, but a huge difference overwhelms the user, making it into negative or what we call Dark Energy."

    "Akiza..." said Serph. Akiza had probably taken the Yin-Yang Rose and refined it he thought.

    Inside Akiza''s Dantian, the woman released a terrifying amount of power. Akira drew his sword and shield and prepared to fight. The woman in purple got herself up and opened her eyes. Her eyes too were a deep purple.

    The woman began to speak, "Like what you see? Am I beautiful now?"

    "Who are you?" asked Akira.

    "Don''t you know me? We''ve spent a lot of time together," said the woman. She sprouted large purple wings. Purple flames covered her body like an aura.

    Akira thought about it, but he could not figure out who she was. There was no other Spirit that Akiza had absorbed into her Dantian. "I don''t know you," he said.

    "Stop lying!" shouted the woman. "You''ve lied to me many times and I know it!" The woman continued to release an ever increasing amount of power.

    Akira''s face changed. He was feeling fear. It had been a long time since he felt such a terrifying power. "I will stop you!" shouted Akira.

    "Can you even?" said the woman as she released a huge amount of power. The wings on her back grew larger than her as she began to float in the air.

    Akira jumped at her. "Die!" he shouted as he swung his sword.

    The woman drew her own sword from out of nowhere and deflected to blow. Akira backed off. He did not see or expect her to have a weapon.

    "I can fight with this too," the woman said holding the sword in her hand. "Rising Phoenix Strike!"

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The woman charged forward towards Akira at an incredible speed. Akira lowered his shield and prepared to deflect the sword. BOOM. "That was a fist, not a sword!"

    Akira was sent flying as he crashed into the green egg. CRACK. A piece of the egg had broken off. "Is it possible?" Akira thought. Only Akiza should have the power to open the eggs inside the Dantian, but this woman could too. That means she was Akiza!

    "You''re Akiza!" said Akira. "But how?"

    "Now that I have this power, I am free to do as I want!" the woman shouted. "I can eat those foods I never got to enjoy, I can spend more time with the boy, I will kill that other boy who tried to kill me, and I can get everything I ever wanted!"

    The woman flew high up. She raised her arms out in front of her and formed a crescent moon shape with her left hand on the bottom and her right hand on top. She was gathering a huge amount of Internal Energy.

    Akira was powerless to stop her. He could not reach that high and he could only watch. A purple flower appeared in front of her hands. It generated a huge ball of dirt that was spinning and compressed it together. The rock that formed in it melted into a hot molten core as it was wrapped then wrapped in purple fire and lightning before being covered with another layer of water and air. "Elemental Strike!" the woman shouted.

    Akira braced himself for the impact, but this was too much power. He would be dead for sure. The explosive power of the attack knocked him far away and caused him to fall the ground. "Now, she is all mine," said the woman.

    The inside of Akiza''s Dantian was no longer a library connected with some rooms. It had turned into an empty wasteland. In the distance was the orange sun. There was only a single large tree surrounded by rocks in the distance. "It was a Domain," Akira said to himself. "This woman is strong enough to create a Domain."

    The woman walked up to Akira and picked him up. "Why are you doing this?" asked Akira.

    "Giving her everything she ever wanted," said the woman. She struck Akira and knocked him unconscious. She threw him out of Akiza''s Dantian.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Cliffhanger ending again >.>

 Chapter 037 - Akira

    I''ll have more time to write starting tomorrow afternoon. I''ll try to finish this arc by Saturday.

    ---------------------------------

    Serph and Kongming returned to the house. Akiza was not there. The only thing there was an unconscious man in armor.

    "What happened?" asked Serph.

    "Only he knows," said Kongming pointing at the armored man.

    The two waited for him to recover. It took a while before he finally woke up.

    "How?" Akira said to himself. "I died a long time ago and I should be dead again." He looked around and saw Serph and Kongming.

    "I couldn''t stop her," said Akira.

    "Who are you?" asked Serph.

    "My name is Hassan-i-Sabbah, but you know me as the previous Hero, Akira," said Akira.

    "That means that Akiza is the current Hero," said Kongming.

    "Yes," said Akira. "But when she absorbed the Yin-Yang Rose, something inside of her changed. I could only stop the transformation of the Hero''s Flower."

    "But the fact that you are not dead means that Akiza is resisting," said Kongming.

    "What?" said Akira.

    "You are currently a Spirit and not dead, if Akiza is as strong as you say she is, that means that she could have killed you, but for some reason she did not," said Kongming.

    "Can we help her?'' asked Serph.

    "No," said Kongming. "This is something that she must deal with herself."

    "It''s my fault," said Akira. "Had I told her the truth and taught her better, this would not have happened. She had a teacher, but not a parent. I was a soldier and only knew how to get stronger and teach others to become strong. When faced with weakness, I was taught to overcome it."

    "What happened to Akiza anyways?" asked Serph.

    "I''m not sure," said Akira. "She possessed Dark Energy equal to that of a Demon, yet she was not entirely a Demon. Even though there was Dark Energy in here, she still possessed an immense amount of Internal Energy rather than being completely filled with Dark Energy."

    "If worse comes to worse, we will have to kill her," said Kongming.

    "Then I must ask you Master, please save her!" said Serph bowing to Kongming.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "I''m afraid that the only thing that can save her is Divine Energy," said Kongming.

    "I know, that''s why I gave her all that I had," said Akira.

    Meanwhile, Akiza''s body was taken over by the older woman in purple. Akiza was sealed inside the tree in her Dantian.

    "Why are you doing this?" asked Akiza.

    "I''m going to give you everything you ever wanted," said the woman. "I''m going to give you power, I''m going to give you Serph, I''m going to kill Haman, and then you will be able to enjoy everything without ever having to worry."

    The woman hugged Akiza. It was warm.

    "But this not how I want to do things, this is not me!" shouted Akiza.

    "Continue to resist," said the woman. "It only makes me stronger," she said. "Give me enough strength and I will give you everything you ever wanted."

    Kongming, Serph, and Akira had followed the source of Dark Energy. Akiza was the only thing with Dark Energy in the Immortal Realm. Akiza had left behind a terrible trail of destruction. There were the corpses of numerous monsters. All of them had their Cores ripped out and were devoid of any Internal Energy.

    "How is this this possible?" asked Serph.

    "She is feeding on these creatures to become stronger," said Kongming. "Some part of her desires to be much stronger."

    "If only we knew what she was after, then we could find her," said Serph.

    "That''s easy, she''s after you," said Akira pointing at Serph.

    "Me?!?" said Serph with shock.

    "She said she wanted four things," said Akira. "Power, revenge, pleasure, and you. She is already getting power from the creatures here. Pleasure and revenge are not possible right now because there isn''t any fancy food around here and Haman isn''t here for her to kill. That leaves you."

    In the distance, they felt a surge of power. Akiza had ascended into the Lord Stage. With the combination of Dark Energy and reaching the Lord Stage, she now certainly had the power equal to rival a Demon Lord if she did not before.

 Chapter 038 - Akizas Feelings

    Last chapter for tonight. I need to be at school tomorrow at like 6:30 AM to do grades if I want to leave before noon lol.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza was coming. She had ascended to the Lord Stage and was coming for Serph now. Serph felt the terrible power of the Dark Energy. He watched as Akira gritted his teeth. Akira had felt the power of the Dark Energy first hand. Kongming on the other hand was calm. It was because the power of a Demon Lord was nothing compared to the power of an Immortal, but they were still at a disadvantage. They had to hold back in order to not hurt Akiza, but Akiza would not hold back against the rest of them.

    "I have a plan," said Kongming. "But you two need to distract her."

    "What are we going to do?" asked Akira.

    "W''ere going to fight her," Kongming said putting his hand on Serph''s shoulder. "Then I will inject some of my Divine Energy into her Dantian."

    "That would destroy her body though!" said Akira. "She cannot sense it, the presence of Divine Energy would break her apart."

    "Only a chance," said Kongming. "If her body has Dark Energy, the Divine Energy can cleanse it and convert it."

    "Serph, you must use me as your Spirit for this fight," said Akira.

    "Why?" asked Serph.

    "My power is the power of the Void," Akira explained. "If you apply my power into your sword, it will let you block or stop any attack that Akiza might throw at you by making your sword come into contact with it."

    "Okay," said Serph. Serph put his hand on Akira and absorbed him into his Dantian. He then transferred the power to his sword.

    BOOM. A loud soung rang out as Akiza stopped flying. She had released a sonic boom from the speed that she was traveling at. She was floating in the air. Her hair was blowing in the wind as she began to descended. Her flames had turned into a dark purple. It was the presence of the Dark Energy. There was a terrifying power coming from her. "I''m here for him," Akiza said with a distorted voice while pointing at Serph.

    "I won''t let you take him," said Kongming.

    "Can you really stop me?" Akiza said. Her voice sounded different. It was as if there was a second more mature voice that overshadowed the first.

    "I can''t," said Serph. "But we can, and we must in order to save you."

    Akiza dashed towards Kongming, but Kongming easily sidestepped it. The fight had begun. Akiza fought much more ferociously. Every punch and kick she threw was enhanced by purple flames. Kongming''s clothes were even signed in some parts because of it. However, she could not land a single hit. This was the difference between an Immortal and someone at the Lord Stage.

    "Get out of my way!" shouted Akiza in a distorted voice.

    "I cannot do that," said Kongming. "I will stop you."

    When their hands collided, the sound of thunder filled the skies.

    Inside Akiza''s Dantian, Akiza was trapped in the giant tree that was left in her Dantian.

    "Stop this," said Akiza to the woman in purple.

    "It is too late," said the woman in purple. "I must finish what I started."

    "But you''re not like this," said Akiza. "You''re not a bad person."

    "How do you know?" said the woman in purple. "I captured you and took over your body and removed Akira from your body. I could kill you right now!"

    "But you don''t want to kill me," said Akiza. "You keep saying you want to help me. It is okay if you want to help me, but please don''t hurt them."

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Are you okay with letting people like that false Hero hurt you over and over again?" asked the woman.

    "Akira might be hiding something, but he taught me how to survive and he helped me when he could," said Akiza. "I owe him for that. Even if he is lying, he is doing it to protect me."

    "So you do know he is lying," said the woman.

    "Yes, he told me that I could have beat him easy during our fight, but he was easily able to block my attacks, kill me, and did not get hurt from my strongest attack, I knew he was hiding something," Akiza added. "I think he has a reason for lying though, when people lie they do it for a good reason."

    Outside, Serph watched as Akiza fought with an intense ferocity that he had never seen before. Every strike was meant to be a killing blow against Kongming. Akiza''s strikes aimed for the heart and the head. If even a single blow landed, any normal person would be dead.

    Akiza was focused on attacking Kongming. She was ignoring Serph. Every attack caused purple flames to rain from the sky. "Why isn''t she going after me?" thought Serph. "She is supposed to be here for me."

    "I don''t know," said Akira. "I thought he would go after you first too."

    Kongming was focusing Divine Energy in his hand, but he was waiting for something instead of striking Akiza in the Dantian in order to transfer the Divine Energy over.

    "Why doesn''t Grandmaster Kongming attack Akiza with Divine Energy to expel the Dark Energy?" asked Serph.

    "I don''t know," said Akira.

    "Do you know who I am?" asked the woman to Akiza. "If you do, I will willingly give myself up."

    "No," said Akiza. "I do not know who you are."

    "You are me," said the woman in purple. "I am here to give you all the things you ever wanted. I want to eat all those monsters, because the tastiest thing here is power and you really want it don''t you? I know you love Serph and will do everything you can to protect him from others who may want to harm him. I know that you want revenge against Haman for trapping you and Serph in here."

    "But this is not how I want to do it," said Akiza. "There is a right way and a wrong way, this is the wrong way."

    "Is that so?" said the woman.

    "If I do it like this, Serph will hate me! Then this will ruin my relationship with him and stop me from ever reaching that goal!" Akiza shouted. "If I want him to love me, I want to do it right so that he does it by choice, not because I have a sword at his chest."

    "Tsh, I accept this. I will give you a chance to win him over, but if you fail, I will do it myself," said the woman.

    The woman walked up to Akiza and hugged Akiza in her arms. "Do not forget. I am you and you are me. I will do everything I can to protect you, even if it means I have to go against everything and everyone else in the world."

    The woman turned into a purple flame and entered Akiza''s Dantian. The empty wasteland of her Dantian returned to that of the library with the ring rooms. In the center of the library was now the tall tree surrounded by rocks. It was a clear image her of Home from the basin.

    "She''s a Demon?" Akiza thought to herself. "That warm feeling from when she hugged me was not scary, it felt more like mom than it did anything else."

 Chapter 039 - Truth

    Akiza''s power suddenly faded. The purple flames returned to their normal orange and red before disappating as Akiza began to fall from the sky. Kongming caught her. There was still presence of Dark Energy in her body, but it was fading. Kongming had not used the Divine Energy he gathered in his fingers.

    "Is it over?" said Serph.

    "I don''t know," Akira answered.

    The two of them watched as Kongming descended.

    "Is she okay?" asked Serph.

    "Yes," said Kongming. "She is just tired, but she still has traces of Dark Energy in her body."

    "That''s good," Serph said with relief.

    Akira seperated himself from Serph''s sword. The four of them headed back to Kongming''s house and put Akiza to bed.

    "This is my fault," said Akira. "That woman had something against me."

    "When a child has an enormous amount of power, they may fail to control it and it can rampage and cause many problems," said Kongming.

    "I know," said Akira. "But I took the risk. I was afraid that at any moment a Demon Lord would appear. Without that power, the world would fall into ruin again because of me."

    Akira looked at Akiza. She now had the power of a Lord, but lacked the means to control it. A young girl of seven years had the power to destroy a city and acted almost entire out of her own emotions and for her own pleasure. It was something truly dangerous.

    "Serph?" said Akira.

    "Yes?" Serph responded.

    "I need you to transfer me back into Akiza, follow my instructions directly," Akira said.

    Serph did as instructed. He positioned Akiza in a sitting position with her legs crossed and her body straight. He then held each of her arms up with his palms.

    "Now, Armatize her using me as a Spirit," said Akira.

    Serph did as instructed and a full suit of armor appeared on Akiza for a brief second before disappearing. Akira was gone. Serph could also no longer feel the presence of Akira or hear his voice. Akira was inside Akiza''s Dantian again.

    "I don''t know if you can hear me," said Akira. "But I owe it to you to be honest," he said.

    "You better be or else," said a voice. The woman in purple emerged from the tree in Akiza''s Dantian.

    "You!" said Akira.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything to you as long as you do not hurt her," said the woman in purple. "My only concern is keeping her safe. But if you do, I will make sure it will be the last time you ever do."

    The woman returned to the tree. She had become another one of Akiza''s Spirits like Akira has. Akiza had the power of three Spirits, a fourth was about to awaken, and at least two more in the future.

    "I hope both of you are okay in there," said Serph.

    "She should be fine," said Kongming. "There is a trace amount of Dark Energy left in her, but it is not a danger."

    "What could have happened?" asked Serph.

    "She was controlled by a Demon Lord with Divine Energy," said Kongming.

    "A Demon Lord with Divine Energy?!?" said Serph with a shocked voice. "How is that even possible?"

    "Demons can grow and change just like us," explained Kongming. "When they acquire Divine Energy, they become much more intelligent and reasoned instead of acting on just instinct though they are still driven to fulfill a certain need."

    "I couldn''t do anything," said Serph. "I feel so weak."

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "There are few that can stand up to a Demon Lord," said Kongming. "Most people would flee in terror at the rumor at one, but you did not, you at least did not run, but that is also why you must become stronger."

    "That''s impossible, there''s miles of difference between me and her alone," said Serph.

    "This is how," said Kongming as he took out a set of pills.

    "What is this?" asked Serph.

    "These are pills meant to heal the worst of wounds and can event prevent a shock that would lead to death," said Kongming. "With this, I can infuse Divine Energy into your body and you will survive, but the question is if your mind can handle the immense pain. I will do this for you must promise me to do something."

    "I will do it," said Serph.

    "Are you sure about this?" asked Kongming. "My request is that one, when Akiza is overloaded by her own Internal Energy, you will make sure she takes the Five Elements Pill that I hid in her Dantian, and two should Akiza ever become a Demon Lord, you must kill her."

    "I will do the first, but I cannot do the second," said Serph.

    "Why not?" asked Kongming.

    "Because I love her," said Serph. "She treats me kindly and takes care of her. She is like my sister back home, killing her is something that I cannot do."

    "That is what I wanted to hear," said Kongming. "Had you actually decided you would kill her, I would not have you do this. Keep this book with you, it will teach you how to enter another person''s Dantian and how to transfer Divine Energy," said Kongming as he threw it to Serph. "When Akiza''s Internal Energy goes out of control, you will use it to help her."

    Serph put the book away in his ring. "I will read it later."

    "As for the Five Elements Pill, it will force her into the Emperor Stage if she is not already there," said Kongming. "Otherwise, it will provide enough Internal Energy for the Spirits in her body until she can begin converting her Internal Energy to Divine. This is not a matter of if, but when, meaning it will happen in the future, but I do not know when nor can I leave this Immortal Realm, which is why I must entrust this task to you."

    "I understand," said Serph. "Get Akiza to take the Five Elements Pill and awaken her Divine Energy. This is the only way she will survive this."

    "Then here we go," said Kongming.

    Kongming handed Serph a pill. He swallowed it. Kongming infused each of his fingers with Divine Energy and then hit Serph around his Dantian. Five drops of Divine Energy had entered Serph''s body. He immediately passed out from the pain.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Reminder before the complaints. When Serph and Akiza talk about love, they are talking about familial love, not romantic love. It is possible that it might become romantic love in the future, but at their age it is not a major concern or possibly something that they are even aware of.

    When "the woman in purple" refers to love, she is also talking about this because what she sees is based on what Akiza sees. The fact that she calls Akira a "false Hero" despite the fact that everything he has done proves that is indeed a real Hero reinforces this. Akira is only being called a "false Hero" because he is not the idealistic image of what a Hero is, which is why she calls him a "false Hero."

 Chapter 040 - The Return

    Arc coming to an end. Another short chapter before a minor fight.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza woke up. Serph was again next to her, sleeping with his head on her legs and watching over her. There was someone coming.

    "So you''re finally awake," said Kongming.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "How long was I out?"

    "A while," said Kongming. "It is almost time for the fog to lift. That means at least a year has already passed since you entered."

    "We made it, we survived the year," said Akiza.

    "Congratulations," said Kongming. "But you must be careful."

    Akiza was confused. "Of what?"

    "You still have traces of Dark Energy in you, in addition to that, someone infused your body with Divine Energy as well," explained Kongming. "The two normally clash in your body, but they have not started to. If it ever does happen, take this."

    Kongming handed Akiza a colored that was blue, red, yellow, white, and blue.

    "What is this?" asked Akiza.

    "This is a Five Elements Pill," said Kongming. "If a time arises when either you or a friend cannot handle Divine or Dark Energy in their body, this will forcibly dilute the energy, giving you more time to develop the Divine Energy needed to counteract the Dark Energy."

    "Thank you Master," said Akiza.

    "One more thing, hand me your West Wind Academy Card," said Kongming.

    Akiza took out the card and handed it to Kongming. Kongming applied his Internal Energy to it. Akiza looked at it.

    Name: Akiza Himura

    Age: 8

    Element: Fire

    Rank: Apprentice

    Room: X-221

    Achievements: #1 Arena (Apprentice), Grandmaster''s Approval

    "What is this for?" asked Akiza.

    "This will allow you to get into any restricted area in West Wind Academy and a little bit of influence over the staff," said Kongming. "I suggest you visit the Vault. There''s something in there that I want you to have, just follow your senses to find it."

    "Thank you Master," Akiza said again.

    "But I have a request of you," said Kongming.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there."What is it?" asked Akiza.

    "To the North is a Corrupted Land that is being managed by an Immortal like me," said Kongming. "The Immortal built a system in which people are encouraged to help keep reduce the effects of Dark Energy there. Within that land is a Demon Lord that was sealed inside. I must ask of you as a Hero, please defeat the Demon Lord and purify the Corrupted Land."

    "I will see what I can do," said Akiza.

    "Thank you Hero," said Kongming.

    "It is about time for you two to leave as well," said Kongming. "The fog is about to lift."

    A while later, the fog did lift. Akiza and Serph felt numerous Internal Energies appear. "That feeling must be members of West Wind Academy," said Serph. "Let''s go."

    The two headed towards the origin point of the sources of energy.

    "Now that I think about it, you feel different," said Akiza.

    "You do too," said Serph. "Did you awaken to Divine Energy too?"

    "Yes," said Akiza. "I learned that I have both Divine and Dark Energy now thanks to the woman in purple and Akira."

    "You''re a cheater!" said Serph. "You have so many Spirits now too!"

    "Why didn''t you get more Spirits then?" asked Akiza.

    "I was too busy worrying about you!" shouted Serph.

    "More like you spent a year getting your bottom kicked by Spirits while waiting for Kongming to save you," Akiza countered.

    Serph had no response to that. He did indeed lose many times and every time Kongming had to save him.

    "By the way, did you do anything strange to me while I was asleep?" asked Akiza.

    "N-n-n-no," said Serph. "Only what Akira asked me to."

    "That sounds like you did something strange you pervert," said Akiza.

    There they saw the Gate. It was a new one and in a different location. Had Kongming not given them the medicine and the training, they probably would not have been able to find it. But the two had grown immensely since they arrived. Akiza had two additional Spirits and reach the Lord Stage. Serph had acquired a Spirit and reached the Lord Stage as well.

 Chapter 034.5 - Differences

    This was previously cut material from between Chapter 034 and 035 that showed one of Serph''s failed fights. It is not as long as a regular chapter. Consider it as supplementary material that is still canon to the main story.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Grandmaster?" Serph said.

    "What is it?" said Kongming.

    "Why is it that Akiza is strong enough to beat a Lord Stage Spirit Beast while I cannot even defeat Spirit Stage one?" Serph asked.

    "Akiza possesses a few unique traits, but most of all, her special skill grants her a lot of strength," said Kongming. "On the other hand, your Spirit is more defensive."

    "Does that mean I will never be as strong as her?" Serph asked.

    "It means you are better at different things," said Kongming. "You must never equate the strength that someone has to how much power they have. There are those that can use it better and the result is a much stronger attack overall."

    "What do you mean by use it better?" asked Serph. "I mean, if one person has more Internal Energy they are stronger."

    "There are times when that is not the case," explained Kongming. "If you have 100 Internal Energy and Akiza had 200 Internal Energy, she would naturally have more right?"

    "Yes," said Serph.

    "But what if I told you that she was consuming all 200 for an attack while you were only using 50 for the same attack," said Kongming.

    "How is that possible?" asked Serph.

    "It has to do with how well one can focus their energy," said Kongming. "Akiza''s style is wild and her flames spread all round, it is not a focused attack. Your shield on the other hand defends a fairly small area, it is focused and consumes much less Internal Energy. Akiza''s definitely looks more powerful, but unless she can concentrate it into a small area, it is not very strong, that is why she relies on the same few techniques."

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    Serph found a powerful Spirit Grade Black Turtle near a pool of water in the forest. It had a formidable defense. Serph remembered that when he fought the other turtle with Akiza, they had to work together. This time, he was alone, but he remembered the strategy.

    Serph spread out several swords on the floor before he engaged it. With his first attack, he charged in "Sonic Leap!" he shouted. His sword pierced the tough hide of the turtle''s left leg.

    "OOOOOMMMMM," the turtle roared. It focused its attention on Serph.

    "Now to get the other leg," he said to himself. Serph carefully watched the movement of the turtle.

    The turtle retracted into its shell and spun. "Crap!" shouted Serph as he backed off.

    But it was too late. The turtle coming straight for him and there was nothing that he could do. He raised his sword in front of him to block.

    BOOM. The turtle crashed against something in front of him, but it was not him. It was Kongming.

    "You had a thoughtout plan," said Kongming. "But you were not prepared when it did something you did not expect."

    "Yes," said Serph. "I thought that it would act like the turtle that I fought with Akiza, but it was different."

    "Just because two things look similar does not mean they are the same," said Kongming. "While it is good to have a lot of knowledge, it is useless if you fail to interpret it properly."

    "Yes Master, thank you for the assistance," said Serph.

 Chapter 039.5 - Power of the Divine

    Cut chapter #2, but something mostly for the future

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Serph had woken up after Kongming struck him around his Dantian. When he walked outside, he saw Kongming. "You''re finally awake," said Kongming.

    "What did you do to me?" asked Serph.

    "I injected five drops of Divine Energy into your body to awaken the Divine Energy within you," said Kongming. "With this, it will begin to transform the Internal Energy within you into Divine Energy. You will be much stronger, but I recommend that you hide it."

    "Hide it how?" asked Serph.

    "Reduce the amount of Internal Energy you apply to your skills like your Armatization," said Kongming. "Even though your Armatization and techniques are stronger, by reducing the amount of Internal Energy you spend, it reduces the overall effects."

    "Won''t others be able to tell?" Serph asked.

    "Only if they possess Divine Energy themselves," said Kongming. "To others, they can only sense the regular energy. Even if you use something like Divine Elemental, they will still sense it as just Elemental because they cannot sense the Divine yet."

    Kongming showed his Armatization it was a small white fan. "This is what happens when you only use a little Internal Energy while you possess Divine Energy," said Kongming. When he swung the fan, Serph could see a visible gust of wind that spread out in a wave in front of him.

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    Then, Kongming applied more Internal Energy to his fan. The small white fan grew a little larger and turned grey. "This is what happens when you apply more," he said as he swung his fan. A small tornado appeared and spun in place.

    Serph had to cover his face because of the high winds. "Wow," said Serph.

    Serph Armatized. What used to be a small shield now covered his entire body in a suit of armor. "This is completely different," said Serph.

    "That is the power of the Divine," said Kongming. "This is why regulating your Internal Energy more carefully is important. Many of the strongest practitioners out there hide their Internal Energy one way or another and reduce the strength of their attacks. Since you have Divine Energy at your age, you should hide it too, even if it means losing a few fights once in a while."

    "Thank you for the advice Grandmaster," said Serph.

    "Just remember to fulfill your promise to me and to Akiza," said Kongming.

 Chapter 041 - Vengeance

    "What do you mean I''m dead?" asked Akiza as she stood at the Records Office with Serph.

    "Well you two went missing during the annual trip to the Immortal Realm for West Wind Academy," said the man. "Normally, this means you''re dead."

    "Then fix it!" said Akiza.

    "It''s not that easy," said the man. "In order to change it, I need the approval of a Master."

    That was when Akiza remembered. The card! Kongming had added a special line to the card. Akiza took it out and showed it to the man. "Would this work?"

    "G-g-grandmaster''s Approval?!?" said the man in surprise. "Yes this would work, this is what is actually needed. Normally only someone of a Master rank would have this."

    "So Kongming probably knew this would happen," said Serph. "That''s why he did that to our cards."

    "Well at least I''m not considered dead anymore," said Akiza. "There''s one thing that I still have to do though."

    "You mean Haman?" said Serph.

    "Yes, I have to deal with him," said Akiza.

    "But the rules do not allow for fighting between Disciples while on school grounds," said Serph.

    "There is an exception in the rules," said Akiza. "A Duel of Life and Death. It is something meant to settle personal disputes between members of the school."

    "Are you sure about this?" asked Serph. "It means that either of you can kill the other. You will have to kill him to win."

    "Yes," said Akiza. "After trapping both of us in the Immortal Realm because he lost a duel, he intended to kill both of us."

    "Then I will not stop you," said Serph. "But be careful. Haman is very dangerous."

    Near the edge of West Wind Academy was a bell. If this bell was rung, it could be heard all over the school. But it really meant that a person called for a Duel of Life and Death. All they had to do was give their name, rank, and reason for the challenge. It was a means to settle grudges and disputes between members of the school. The person who was challenged could not back out unless the person challenging them was of a higher rank in the school. This meant if a Junior Disciple challenged a Master, the Master could not refuse it, but if a Master issued the challenge to a Junior Disciple, then the Junior Disciple could refuse it.

    "You''re 100% sure about this right?" Serph asked Akiza as she stood next to the bell.

    "Yes," said Akiza. She rung the bell. People started gathering nearby.

    "Someone rung the bell!" said a student.

    "No one has rung the bell in several years," said another. "I wonder what that person did."

    "I am Akiza Himura," said Akiza. "I challenge Haman to a Duel of Life and Death. The reason, he tried to kill me and Serph by trapping us in the Immortal Realm."

    "She survived in the Immortal Realm for year?!?" a student said in shock. "That''s impossible!"

    Chatter began to spread and news of this spread out. A student that had survived for a year in the Immortal Realm had accussed someone of attempted murder. Every day, Akiza stood by the bell when she could and rang it at least once a day waiting for Haman to show up.

    Haman got news of this soon after. "How is that possible?!?" thought Haman. "We left them in the Immortal Realm to die. Now everyone knows and they are still alive."

    This was not a challenge that Haman could refuse. He had ascended to a Senior Disciple in the last year. It meant he must take the challenge. On top of that, his pride was on the line. As long as Akiza was still alive, it meant that he was not the best. He had defeated every other opponent before him, but Akiza was the only one who had made him suffer the humilitation of defeat. "I''m already at the peak of the Spirit Stage and a Senior Disciple," he said to himself. "She is still at the Spirit Stage and an Apprentice."

    The day after that, Haman finally showed up to the duel stage. Akiza was there waiting for him. "So the spineless boy finally decided to show up," said Akiza.

    "I will kill you myself this time," said Haman.

    People started to gather. This was a Duel of Life and Death, a rare occurance in which two people fought outside of the safety of the Training Ground. The loser would almost certainly die.

    "I am already at the peak of the Spirit Stage and a Senior Disciple of West Wind Academy!" shouted Haman as he released his Internal Energy. "I will not lose to an Apprentice."

    His Internal Energy already affected a few of the nearby students who could not handle the pressure. They had to back away. There were even a few Apprentices who had fainted from the pressure. However, Akiza was unphased. She stood there in a neutral position.

    Akiza got into fighting position and drew her sword. This was her first time fighting a person with a sword. It would most likely be easier than fighting a Spirit.

    "We can begin whenever you''re ready," said Akiza. "I will even let you have the first move."

    "You overconfident bitch!" shouted Haman as he charged forward. Haman grinned as he Armatized. His entire sword was covered with poison. His body emitted a green fog. "You will not be able to even get close to me!" he shouted.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Akiza''s face did not change. She Armatized just her wings. When Haman got close, she used Phoenix Steps and appeared behind him. She aimed to thrust the sword into Haman''s spine, hoping to paralyze him again.

    Haman swung to the side and dodged. "You got better," said Haman. "But the poison will slow you down and kill you eventually. You cannot leave this arena either or else you forfeit your life to me per the rules!"

    What Haman did not know is that Akiza''s flames heated the gases and pushed them away from her. It made the Haman''s power completely useless as the weak poison of Haman could be neutralized. If Haman was fighting a group of weaker people, his poison would be good, but against a single strong opponent, it was useless. Haman did not know that though, always thinking that he had the upper hand against an opponent that was weakened by his poison.

    Haman charged forward. "Die!" he shouted.

    Akiza charged forward too. "I got you now!" said Haman as he threw dust that he hid in his left hand.

    BOOM. A burst of power was released as Akiza fully Armatized. The dust in Haman''s left hand was blown away. "I knew you would try a cheap trick like that," said Akiza.

    Orange flames emerged from all over Akiza''s body. Her hair turned red. Her top appeared to be a vest that showed the top of her chest and her stomach area. She had an orange skirt that covered her thighs. On her legs were long white socks and orange shoes. It was the same outfit that the woman in purple was wearing.

    "Full Armatization!?!?" shouted Haman in surprise.

    The chatter among the people in the crowd began to increase. They could not beliee that such a young child had such a power.

    "You shouldn''t be surprised," said Akiza. "After all, you can already Armatize yourself."

    "This is impossible!" shouted Haman. "I''m the gifted and talented child of a noble! You''re just some kid that came out of nowhere."

    Haman charged forth again attempting to kill Akiza. Akiza lowered herself and positioned her sword so that it was level with her eyes.

    "I will kill you!" shouted Haman.

    Akiza dashed forward and stuck the sword right into his shoulder.

    "AHHH" screamed Haman as he fell to the floor. "I can''t move my arm! What did you do?"

    "I cut the nerves in your arm," said Akiza. "You will never hold anything with that hand again."

    "You can''t do this! I''ll pay you," said Haman.

    "It is too late," said Akiza. She pulled the sword out and stabbed it into his leg.

    "AHHH" screamed Haman again. "Please don''t kill me."

    Akiza flew up into the air.

    "Thank you," said Haman. "But I will kill you," he thought to himself.

    Akiza began to gather her Internal Energy into her hands. A pink flower with purple and blacked tipped petals appeared.

    "Nooo...." said Haman. He could not move, Akiza had cut the nerves in his leg too.

    A large ball of blue fire began to condense in front of the flower. "Elemental Strike!" shouted Akiza. The ball flew towards Haman.

    The ball of fire hit the arena and a wave of fire spread across. Haman was charred all over his body.

    Akiza flew back down and removed her Armatization. "Are you okay?" asked Serph.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "I feel much better now."

    "I''ll killyou!" said another voice. It was coming for Akiza.

    CLING. Another sword blocked the sword coming for Akiza.

    "If you want to settle this, it has to be a Duel of Life and Death, Master Saki," said Cixi.

    "Cixi!" said Akiza.

    "This is a matter between her and me Master Cixi," said Master Saki. "Akiza, I, Master Saki, challenge you to a Duel of Life and Death for killing my nephew."

    "I refuse," said Akiza.

    "What? Why?" asked Mr. Saki.

    "I do not stand a chance against you Master Saki," said Akiza. "I have no chance of winning."

    "Then I will kill you right here and now!" said Master Saki.

    "I have a suggestion," said Master Cixi.

    "What?" asked Master Saki.

    "In five years'' time, Akiza will fight you," said Master Cixi. "In that time, I will train her to defeat you!"

    "A mere Apprentice will defeat me in five years?" laughed Master Saki.

    "He is as prideful as his nephew," Akiza said to herself.

    "I accept these conditions," said Master Saki.

    "Then I accept these conditions too," said Akiza.

    "Then it is settled," said Master Cixi. "From this day forward, Apprentice Akiza is my personal student. On this day in five years or any time before that, Akiza will face you, Master Saki in a Duel of Life and Death."

    Master Saki picked up Haman''s body. "I will have my vengeance, I swear it."

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Spoiler: Not dead

 Chapter 042 - Examination

    Last chapter of story arc 2

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Since Serph and Akiza missed last year''s promotion exam, they were still Apprentices. Another opportunity was coming up.

    "What is the promotion exam about?" asked Akiza.

    "It is a test of our skill in the form of an obstacle course!" said Serph with excitement. "I can''t wait to be a Junior Disciple and gain access to the Vault."

    "But can''t you already go in with the Grandmaster''s Approval?" said Akiza.

    "Oh yeah, well then I just want it for the title," said Serph.

    "What kind of obstacles?" asked Akiza.

    "That''s the surprise we don''t know," said Serph.

    The promotion exam took place several times a year. Master Pai Mei announced the date and would then modify the training ground and change it into an obstacle course that looked like a cave. The dangers that students faced changed and ranged from angry Disciples to traps to Spirit Beasts. The goal was to get to the very end. Anyone who made it out the other side was promoted. Those who failed would stay as Apprentices.

    "With Grandmaster Kongming''s training, this will be easy," said Serph.

    "Aren''t you being overconfident?" said Akiza.

    "We can work together too and make sure we both get through," said Serph.

    "Okay," said Akiza. The two agreed to work together.

    Serph had a pretty strong defense with the shield that he obtained from the golem. Akiza had a strong attack with the phoenix, and she now even used a sword.

    On the test day, the Apprentices were spread into four Gates, each one led to a different part of the Training Ground. The goal was to reach the Gate at the center and be transported out of the Training Ground. Akiza and Serph went in together.

    The Training Ground had been transformed into a huge cave with narrow passageways. Although it was big enough for people to go through, it was just big enough for a Spirit Beast to fit as well.

    "If these passageways are so narrow, then we cannot avoid a fight," said Serph.

    "We can always punch our way through," said Akiza.

    Screams were heard ahead. Serph and Akiza sped up in the direction. There was a Lion Spirit Beast with a snake on its tail. It had just clawed an Apprentice. "It doesn''t seem that strong," said Serph.

    Akiza punched its head and it fell over. "It''s not," said Akiza. "I think that''s because these are all meant for people who are still at the Spirit Stage."

    Serph then walked up to it and stabbed it. The body disappeared. "It disappeared?" said Serph.

    "I guess," said Akiza. "One obstacle down."

    The two kept going down the narrow corridor. There were no paths that split up so it was more or less a single path to the goal. They encountered another Spirit Beast. It was a Turtle. "I want to try it myself," said Serph.

    "Go ahead," said Akiza.

    Serph walked in front. "I will finally have a chance to defeat you alone," he thought. "Sonic Thrust!" he shouted.

    Serph''s sword had pierced the right leg. He then backed away to increase the distance The turtle turned to him. Serph watched the turtle as it walked toward him. He ran forward again and swung his sword at the other leg, cutting it partially open.

    "OOOOOMMMMM" screamed the turtle. Serph took this chance and went under its neck as it screamed. He aimed his sword straight up at the head and jumped. "Sonic Leap!" he shouted.

    The sword instantly pierced the turtle''s head killing it. This was exactly what he had hoped to achieve. "Very good," said Akiza.

    "Just like the first time," said Serph.

    "It wasn''t that easy the first time," said Akiza.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The two continued. When they reached the end of the path, they saw a heavy double door. They each pushed one side of it. They had reached the center of the Training Ground. It was a large field of flowers. Somewhere within the flowers was the Gate out of there.

    "We''ve been waiting for you," said a voice.

    Serph and Akiza turned to look in the direction. "Who are you?" said Serph.

    "Don''t you remember us?!?" shouted the woman. "You hurt our Master, Haman. Now, you will pay for it."

    "I''ll take the two on the left, you take the two on the right," said Serph.

    Akiza and Serph split up with Serph leading two of the boys away. The four were very weak, but they relied on their numbers. However, fighting four earth types in a room could have been difficult. Akiza dashed towards the woman. She rose a block of dirt in front of her. BOOM. Akiza''s fist had broken right through the rock.

    "That''s impossible," said the woman.

    Akiza pierced her stomach with her sword. The woman fell and her body disappeared. She had "died" in the Training Ground, sending her back to the starting point. "Now it''s your turn," said Akiza pointing at the man who was left.

    The man was frightened. His feet were shaking. He immediately dropped his sword and ran. Akiza did not give chase. "Really? I thought Haman was your friend!" Akiza shouted.

    Serph returned. "I got my two already."

    "I got one, one ran away," said Akiza.

    "You would normally kill both of them," said Serph.

    "Let them run, I don''t want to put in the effort if they don''t want to fight," said Akiza.

    The two began to look around the field of flowers. Some of them went from the floor of the ceiling to the roof, making it impossible to see through. Somewhere in this mess was the exit.

    HISS. "What is that sound?" asked Serph.

    "There''s something here," said Akiza.

    HISS. The sound was heard again. BOOM. A large snake fell from above, crushing the flowers below it. It leaped towards Serph. Serph raised a large shield and blocked it. The snake was stunned from hitting the shield. "Get it!" Serph shouted.

    Akiza lept at the snake, but it dropped to the floor. "It''s too fast," said Akiza.

    The two stood with their backs against each other, looking for the snake. The snake rose from in front of Akiza. "Here!" she shouted.

    Serph turned around and jumped forward with its shield. The snake had aimed for Akiza, but ran straight into Serph''s shield again. "Hurry!" shouted Serph.

    "Rising Phoenix Strike!" shouted Akiza as she lunged for the body of the snake.

    SSHHLUCK. The sword pierced right into the belly of the snake and it fell over.

    There was still movement in the field of flowers. Serph could see it as it moved and his eyes followed. "It''s still not dead?" he said.

    "There!" Serph shouted as he lunged. SSHHLING. The sword had pierced both flesh and the dirt. The tail of the snake begun to flail wildly. Serph left his sword and backed off. "We have to finish it off," said Serph.

    "How?" asked Akiza. "We can''t get close to it."

    "Use your giant ball of fire!" said Serph.

    "But that would kill us too," said Akiza. She was right. In an enclosed space, it would have killed them all. Then, the flailing stopped.

    When Akiza and Serph looked, Serph had pierced the neck of the snake onto the ground. It had bled to death.

    The snake melted into a silver puddle and transformed into the Gate. It was the exit. As Akiza and Serph walked through the Gate, they passed the examination and became Junior Disicples at West Wind Academy.

 Bonus: Allusions and References in Chapter 021-042

    Chapter 021 ¨C The Journey Continues

    West Wind Academy is named after West Wind Brigade from Log Horizon, a guild mostly consisting of a guy and his harem of women.

    Chapter 022 ¨C West Wind Academy

    Cixi is named after Empress Cixi, a hint to her power

    Chapter 022 ¨C West Wind Academy

    Cixi''s grey turtle shell is a reference to the Black Tortoise, the Chinese equivalent of Genbu

    Chapter 023 ¨C Serph

    Serph''s name is a reference to Serph of Digital Devil Saga, but is younger and with a brown top instead of a grey military uniform or mad scientist stuff.

    Chapter 023 ¨C Serph

    Sherlock Holmes lives in Apartment 221 on Baker Street

    Chapter 023 ¨C Serph

    Serph ending up in Akiza''s bed saying "big sis" is what Negi in Mahou Sensei Negima does when he has to sleep in Asuna''s room. It is gender swapped here.

    Chapter 024 ¨C Training Grounds (1)

    Armatization is from Tales of Zestiria, the process in which a Shepard or Squire merges with their Spirit to get new equipment and abilities. Can also be a reference to Shaman King and Oversoul or Spirit Control. Same thing really.

    Chapter 024 ¨C Training Grounds(1)

    Rising Phoenix and Burning Phoenix are both Artes (special skills) from the Tales series.

    Chapter 024 ¨C Training Grounds (1)

    Akiza attacking the moment three is said is the same as what Akira did to her in their first training session.

    Chapter 025 ¨C Training Grounds (2)

    Haman attacks at the count of two, just like Clinch Leatherwood in A Million Ways to Die in the West.

    Chapter 025 ¨C Training Grounds (2)

    The Burning Phoenix is even a follow up attack just like in the Tales series.

    Chapter 026 ¨C The Immortal Realm (1)

    The Immortal Realm is similar to the one that appears in Zui Wu Dao.

    Chapter 026 ¨C The Immortal Realm (1)

    Master Pai Mei is the one that taught The Bride in Kill Bill.

    Chapter 027 ¨C The Immortal Realm (2)

    Serph''s Sonic Thrust is another skill taken from the Tales series.

    Chapter 027 ¨C The Immortal Realm (2)

    Burying the Gate is something people do a lot of in the Stargate series to stop others from being able to open a passage way or go through it.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Chapter 028 ¨C Survival

    The ice wolf that they see is Fenrir.

    Chapter 029 ¨C Phoenix Form

    Using the fog as a measurement of time or setting a schedule is something that is common in Persona 4.

    Chapter 030 ¨C Fierce Turtle

    The turtle is a giant Squirtle. It even uses Bubble

    Chapter 032 ¨C Kongming

    Kongming is another name for Zhuge Liang, a famous hermit and strategist.

    Chapter 032 ¨C Kongming

    The idea that a different type of energy replaces a old one is common in Xianxia novels, you cannot read the power level of someone who uses a different type of energy. Similar to God Ki in Dragonball

    Chapter 033 ¨C The Stone House

    Kongming''s item fusion skill is from Dou Po Cang Qiong, better known as Battle Through the Heavens. It can also be considered like Transmutation without the need for an Alchemy Circle like Full Metal Alchemist.

    Chapter 034 ¨C Shinmei-Ryu

    The sword technique is named after one of the schools from the Love Hina, Mahou Sensei Negima, and UQ Holder series.

    Chapter 034.5 - Differences

    Serph fights Gamera, a turtle known for spinning from the Godzilla series.

    Chapter 036 ¨C Akira vs Akiza (4)

    The woman in purple''s Elemental Strike resembles Freya''s Ether Strike from Valkyrie Profile

    Chapter 037 ¨C Akira

    Akira''s real name is the same as the True Assassin from Fate/Zero.

    Chapter 038 ¨C Akiza''s Feelings

    "I am you and you are me" is a quote from Persona 4.

    Chapter 039 ¨C The Truth

    Kongming''s technique to unlock Serph''s Divine Energy is similar to the one Jiraiya uses on Naruto to remove the seal placed around his Nine Tails Chakra by Orochimaru.

    Chapter 041 ¨C Vengeance

    A duel to the death is common in Xianxia novels when a character feels that the person they call out has permanently disabled or has actually killed a close friend or relative of someone.

    Chapter 041 ¨C Vengeance

    Master Saki is another name for Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 Bonus: Things You May Have Missed Chapter 021-042 (Spoilers)

    Akiza

    -acknowledges Serph as a friend and only family

    -is gradually adopting one handed sword

    -poor efficiency with Internal Energy, her single hit finishers are no longer as effective against decent enemies and is starting to struggle despite having a clearly higher amount of Internal Energy

    -knows when Akira is lying, but does not say anything about it out of respect for elders

    -was forced into Lord Stage by the woman in purple, does not actually have the power or abilities to back it up as shown by the difference in "Elemental Strike"

    Akira

    -accidentally awakens Akiza''s ability to sense Divine Energy, but not use it

    -is responsible for the birth of at least one (possibly more) Demon Lords in the form of the woman in purple

    -actually exists as a Divine Spirit (a Spirit that has Divine Energy), which is why Akiza could not sense his power and he could lie about his strength without others knowing

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.-his ability to "neutralize anything" is also very powerful, placing him quite high on the power chart if used properly

    Serph

    -acknowledges that Akiza is a replacement for his sister when he is away from home

    -is very good at reading Internal Energy and detecting it, as shown by his reaction timing against the giant snake

    -is given Divine Energy and a task by Kongming to help Akiza in the future

    -currently the strongest person for his age group, equivalent to a Master who does not have Divine Energy, but hides his strength and purposely throws a few matches so that he does not stand out too much

    Haman

    -not dead, he was charred or burnt, he was removed before confirmation of his death

    -his goons that appear also are not mourning him

 Chapter 043 â€“ Elemental Combination

    Arc 3 begins

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "In five years time, you must defeat Master Saki," said Cixi.

    These were the words that were spoken to Akiza. Although Akiza got revenge on Haman for trapping her and Serph in the Immortal Realm, by fighting Haman, they angered his uncle, Master Saki. Master Saki swore revenge, but Cixi had managed to delay Master Saki in order to give Akiza a fighting chance. Cixi offered to train Akiza until her fight with Master Saki.

    "Your methods are too reliant on brute force," said Cixi. "You never learn to take advantage of your size, your speed, or your abilities."

    "But I have the experience to win," replied Akiza.

    "Do you?" asked Cixi. "No matter how many hand to hand skills or sword skills you develop, there is nothing that can match the power of Spirits. It is most likely not enough to overcome multiple Stages of development even if used properly. A Master at West Wind Academy is capable of using more than one Spirit at a time and often has Artifacts. You have neither of those. On top of that, your strongest attack is slow and impractical. It doesn''t even have a proper form or shape."

    "What do you mean by use more than one Spirit?" asked Akiza.

    "Observe," replied Cixi. Cixi summoned her turtle shell shield. It was solid black. She then activated another Spirit. Her sword turned into a water like substance. As she slashed, the blade curved and slashed an entire circle around Akiza.

    "What power!" said Akira. "I''ve never seen something like this before. I did not think the elements could be combined like this."

    "This is the power of a special item combined with a Spirit, but it does not end here," said Cixi. She then removed her turtle shell shield and the water sword. "Spirit Fusion!" she cried out.

    The sword in Cixi''s hands turned to wood. She stabbed the sword into the ground and roots emerged from the ground to trap Akiza in a cage. "This is the power of a Master," said Cixi. "This is the power that you must overcome in five years'' time."

    Akiza had never seen anything like it. In five years time, she would have to learn to use multiple Spirits and to combine them to create new elements and develop new techniques on top of it. "I only have a Phoenix Spirit," said Akiza.

    "Then the first thing you must do is learn about different combinations, then you must acquire another Spirit," said Cixi. "Earth or Wind is probably the best for a Fire type to supplement their abilities."

    "Why Earth or Wind?" asked Akiza.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Earth allows you to add a dense core to your fire, giving it more of an impact and some weight behind the attack," explained Cixi. "Wind on the other hand increases the size or intensity of a fire by giving it more to burn."

    Akiza now regretted giving up the Golem Spirit Core to Serph. That was the closest thing she had ever come to an Earth type up to now. But without access to the Immortal Realm, she would have to rely on the eggs in her Dantian to provide her with the Spirits she needs.

    "For now just go study the elements, that way you at least know what your opponent might use," said Cixi.

    "Okay Master," said Akiza.

    Cixi left. Even though she was teaching Akiza, she was still a Master of West Wind Academy and had other duties to attend to.

    "Come inside," said Akira. "That woman in purple cracked the second egg, you should be able to break it now at the Lord Stage."

    Akiza entered the Dantian. She saw the giant tree was still there. That woman in purple was still there, watching them. She then approached the egg with rocks on it. She charged up a punch. BOOM. The punch landed and the egg shell cracked. Out came a two headed turtle.

    "Earth type," said Akira. "At least you got one that supplements your fire."

    "How long until it grows?" asked Akiza.

    "It depends on you," said Akira. "It should grow faster now that you are at the Lord Stage though. Don''t forget you can use me too".

    "You''re a Spirit?!?" Akiza said in surprise.

    "Yes," said Akira. "But as a Hero, I cannot choose who I belong to, I will always belong to the current Hero until another Hero can take my place."

    "What can you do Master?" asked Akiza.

    "I can erase things with my Void element," said Akira. "But if you use my power, it means that you cannot use any other Spirits, it is a double edged sword with a lot of risk involved. I would also recommend that you do not use me with any other Spirit for a Spirit Fusion, I do not know what would happen if you combined a Void element with another element."

    The moment Akiza activated Akira as a Spirit, the flames around on her body disappeared. She also could not Armatize. By using Akira, it felt as if it she was blocked off from her Internal Energy. However, she could actually cut her own flames that she created earlier. Void was essentially a counter to any element if you could counter it, but it also left you exposed. With this knowledge in hand, Akiza had to study earth now that she has access to her turtle.

 Chapter 044 â€“ Elemental Manipulation

    White Fire is the strongest known type of fire. If red and orange flames were the normal. Blue fire would be twice as strong, and white fire would be eight times as strong. However, it had the same problems. It was still fire. There were enemies that were strong against fire like the wolf she had fought in the Immortal Realm. Akiza could only use up to blue at best.

    The earth element of the two headed turtle was still very weak. All Akiza could do was create a ball of dirt so far. It was shortly after this that Akiza met with Cixi again.

    "You had to learn to give form to your fire," said Cixi.

    "Give form?" Akiza said in a confused voice.

    "Like my sword of water becoming a whip, it is possible to change the shape of the elements," explained Cixi.

    Cixi demonstrated. The sword of water could become a whip or a longer sword. It could also change into something like a spear or a hammer. With this, it could overcome the normal physical resistance of enemies like the golem that was strong against cutting attacks.

    That was when Akira realized something. "I got it!" said Akira. "Use the earth element as a core and wrap your fire around it, then you can make it into any shape you want!"

    Akiza tried it. A spear made of earth, but wrapped around fire. The result was underwhelming. It lacked explosive power, and the earth could not even pierce the ground. It might as well have just been fire.

    "Good try though," said Cixi. "But that is not the same as elemental manipulation."

    The problem was Akiza''s impatience. She had always been direct, but this was not a simple problem that could be solved through force. It required her to learn something new and use it properly.

    "Master?" said Akiza.

    "Yes?" Cixi replied.

    "Will you fight me?" asked Akiza.

    "Why? You can''t win," Cixi answered.

    "I want to see how you use it in a real fight, it might help me," Akiza explained.

    "Very well," said Cixi.

    Cixi drew her sword. Her sword turned into water. A black turtle shell appeared in front of her. Akiza drew her sword and deployed her wings.

    Akiza charged forward. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted as she launched herself towards Cixi''s shield.

    BOOM. The sound resonated throughout the Training Ground. But, there was not a single crack in Cixi''s shield. She had been holding back during the entrance test. It was then that Akiza felt pain in her back.

    "A direct attack is predictable," said Cixi. Her water sword had curved around an slashed Akiza in the back. Cixi could attack and defend at the same time!

    Cixi then swung her sword, splashing water all over the ground. "What is she doing?" Akiza thought.

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    Cixi then went into full Armatization and stabbed her sword in the ground. She kept one hand on the sword as her entire body became covered in a bright blue ice like a suit of armor.

    "You''re an ice elemental too?!?" Akiza said with shock.

    "Ice is merely an extension of water," said Cixi. "Just like how metal is an extension of earth."

    Cixi''s attacks became unpredictable. She was manipulating the water she had spread on the ground. As long as her hand was on the sword, she could manipulate all of the water. Akiza could barely keep up as each puddle of water suddenly became a deadly weapon. If she got near one, a puddle of water would turn into a whip and lash out her. If she stepped on one, a pillar of ice would rise up and pierce her body.

    "What''s the matter?" asked Cixi. "Am I not leaving you any openings?"

    Akiza''s attacks almost all required her to get close. Even though she had a few techniques of the Shinmei-ryu, they would not be able to pierce Cixi''s turtle shell unless she got up close again. It was then that everything changed. Akiza felt the release of a even greater power.

    "This is my Domain," said Cixi. The Armatization on Cixi changed again. Some parts of it became transparent and it was possible to see through parts of the Armatization her shoulder and legs. The result was that the entire temperature of the area reduced into a cold chill. The ice in her Armatization had been released into the environment. "All of the Masters can do this, can you?" she asked.

    Akiza took this chance while Cixi was talking to dash towards Cixi with an attack meant to counter a Spirit. With her sword, she detonated one of her wings to give her the push. "Exploding First Wing! Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted. "I got you," Akiza thought.

    "Very good," said Cixi. "When I gave you an opening, you took it, but..."

    Akiza watched as the turtle shell shield in front of her became rounded. "This is the power of manipulation," said Cixi. She was able to change the shape of her Spirit too!

    The sword merely slid off because Akiza was unable to hit dead center with the sword. "It didn''t work!" Akiza thought.

    "You must remember that Master Saki can do this as well," Cixi said.

    This was the power of a Master at West Wind Academy. This was the power of Elemental Manipulation. And, this was the power that Akiza must defeat.

    "Endless Nine White Heavens!" shouted Cixi. A blizzard swept outwards from Cixi, freezing the entire arena including Akiza. She walked up to Akiza and flicked her forehead. Akiza had crumbled like the griffon had against the wolf. For the first time in a long time, Akiza experienced the pain of death.

 Chapter 045 - Departure

    "How did you do that?" asked Akiza.

    "This is an Artifact Weapon," said Cixi. "It has special properties.

    "Artifact?" Akiza said in a confused voice.

    "The quality and strength of an Artifact depends on what was used to make it," explained Cixi.

    "How is quality and strength measured?" asked Akiza.

    "Quality is determined by the skill of the person who makes it, the more skilled the person, the better it should turn out," said Cixi. "Strength is measured by the Stage of development that the parts used to make the Artifact are from and your affinity with it. If you get a Elementary Stage creature, then it will be weak. If you get a Spirit Stage creature, then it will be stronger. Before your match with Master Saki, you must acquire at least a high quality Emperor Stage Artifact!"

    "Emperor Stage!" said Akiza with a tone of shock. "There''s no way I can defeat an Emperor Stage creature." At this point, Akiza really wished she had known about this so she could acquire parts of stronger creatures from the Immortal Realm. "So many missed chances," she thought to herself.

    "You may not have to," said Cixi. "You can always take it the parts of a defeated Emperor creature."

    "Would a Spirit Core work?" asked Akiza as she had the Dragon Spirit Core given to her by Kongming.

    "The Core can be used as a supplement, but you need something bigger like a bone or the branch of a tree," Cixi explained.

    "They''re not easy to find," said Akiza.

    "There are a few places where they appear more often, such as a Corrupted Land," said Cixi.

    Akiza had heard this term before. A Corrupted Land. She was asked by Kongming to look for a Demon Lord in one to the North.

    "What about the Corrupted Land to the North?" asked Akiza.

    "You mean Labyrinthos?" said Cixi. "That one is relatively weak, I don''t think you will find an Emperor Stage beast there."

    "I was asked by Grandmaster Kongming to go there and the Vault," explained Akiza.

    "Grandmaster Kongming asked you to?" said Cixi. "He must have a reason for sending you there. Did he explain why?"

    "No," said Akiza. She was lying Kongming had talked about the Demon Lord that created the base for that Corrupted Land.

    Cixi thought about it for a moment. "The Grandmaster must have a reason for sending her there, but why?" She would have to go to find out. But this was a perfect opportunity. Akiza needed to go, but it would give her a reason to follow. "How about I come with you?" said Cixi.

    "Really?" said Akiza said with a surprised voice. She had wanted to see other places, but since she left the basin, she has more or less been trapped in another forest or the school.

    "We will go once I get approval from the other Masters," said Cixi. "But you must not wear our school uniforms or colors outside."

    "Why?" asked Akiza.

    "Our school has a lot of rivalries with other schools, and Labyrinthos is a place where many people gather," said Cixi. "If we wear the school''s clothes, another school may come to fight with us."

    "We can beat them though!" said Akiza.

    "What if two Emperor Stages showed up," said Cixi. "I can hold one, but would you be able to fight another yourself?"

    Akiza lowered her head. She knew what this meant. The answer was no. If they broke into a fight with another school, it was likely they would both be killed.

    "I will get you some new clothes to wear," said Cixi. "As your Master, I order you to wear them, no questions asked."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza. She would later regret those words.

    Akiza headed to the Vault and showed Master Shifu her card. Master Shifu was the guardian of the Vault. The Master would be responsible for any losses, so they stayed vigilant.

    "Right this way," said Master Shifu. He guided Akiza to a wall. He stood infront of a wall and activated his Internal Energy. The wall split open in two.

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    "Did Grandmaster Kongming tell you about the Vault?" asked Master Shifu.

    "No," said Akiza. "He only told me to come here."

    "The Vault stores many of the Academy''s valuable training resources and skill books," explained Master Shifu. "Junior Disciples and above have access to them, though some skills here can only be personally taught by the Masters."

    "Do you feel anything different?" asked Master Shifu.

    "There is something strange coming from the back, but I cannot tell what it is," said Akiza.

    "Show me," said Master Shifu.

    Akiza followed the strange sensation she felt. As she made her way towards the back, she started feeling a tingling senstation. "We''re getting closer," said Akiza. Shen the sensation was strong she stopped to look around. "There!" she said pointing at a room with a barrier in front of it.

    Master Shifu looked inside. It was a preserved red, white, and pink dress feathered dress that belonged to a previous student. Master Shifu had no idea how old it was. It had no special properties as far as he could tell. "Did Grandmaster Kongming mean for you to have this?" he thought.

    "Grandmaster Kongming told me it would be something for me and that I needed to go to Labyrinthos," Akiza replied.

    Master Shifu opened the barrier and gave it to Akiza. She immediately put it in her Dantian for keeping. "Thank you Master Shifu," she said.

    "The Grandmaster intended for you to have it, but I have no idea why," said Master Shifu. "He must have some plans for you, but if that is what he told you, then this is probably something you were meant to have. If the Grandmaster told you to do something, it is probably something that only you can do."

    "Thank you for the information," said Akiza. Master Shifu then guided Akiza out of the Vault.

    A week passed before Akiza heard from Cixi again. Cixi had to get special permission to leave because she was a Master at the school, but with the Duel of Life and Death and a special request by Grandmaster Kongming, they could not refuse. Akiza also said goodbye to Serph as they would be separated for an extended period for the first time since Akiza got into school.

    "What is this?!?" said Akiza as she discovered what Cixi had sent her. It was a bright red dress for children along with underclothes and a belt as well. "I have to wear this..."

    "I''m sure you would look beautiful in it," said Serph.

    Akiza''s face turned red as she slapped Serph across the face. "You''re just like Master!" she shouted.

    Serph realized that Akira might not have been the great Hero that everyone believed him to be. Akira just might have been a dirty old man.

    "But you agreed," said Serph. "There''s no way to back out now."

    "I know," said Akiza as she reluctantly put it on.

    The next day, Akiza met with Cixi before they departed. Cixi was wearing something similar too. She wore the sword across her back. She was wearing a blue dress similar to the one given to Akiza, with underclothes. "Why these clothes Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Mobility," said Cixi.

    "Mobility?" Akiza was confused.

    "It is the same reason why I wear a skirt as part of my uniform," said Cixi. "Clothes that are too tight, too heavy, or too lose impedes mobility. This was the compromise I learned to make. As long as you wear some pants that are not too big or too small under, it is fine."

    "Okay," said Akiza reluctantly.

    The two departed for Labyrinthos. Cixi wanted to know what Grandmaster Kongming wanted with Akiza. Akiza wanted to know what Labyrinthos was and was happy to have Cixi teach her all these new things.

 Chapter 046 - Labyrinthos

    This is currently the last arc that I have planned out. After this, chapter releases might come a lot slower. There should be a few side stories with Serph coming out between the chapters as well to see some of the things that he is up to. There''s random time skips as Akiza''s element training is just plain bad.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza and Cixi made their way to Labyrinthos. As they got closer to the destination, there were more and more people. Along the roads were also many pit stops for travelers.

    "There''s so many people!" said Akiza. "I thought the school was a lot, but this is even more!"

    Akiza was surprised. Some of them were not even human. There were people tall skinny people with pointy ears. There were people who had animal ears on their heads. Dog ears, cat ears, rabbit ears, even horns!

    "Is it your first time seeing these kind of people?" asked Cixi.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "Even in my travels with my parents, I have never seen so many different kinds of people."

    "Just wait until you actually reach Labyrinthos," said Cixi. "There''s even more people there. People from all over the word visit places like Labyrinthos to train and become stronger."

    Along the way, Cixi was asked by many people to join them, but she refused. Those who kept trying were met with a kick or a slap to the face. When those people got mad, she would draw her sword and back off.

    "These men are not interested in strength," said Cixi. "You must be careful of people like them."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza. She had no idea what Cixi was talking about, but agreed.

    At nights, Cixi would teach Akiza how to make shapes with her fire, but Akiza could only make a ball. Anything that resembled another shape was still too difficult for her. If she made something long that resembled a spear, it did not have the piercing power of a spear and would break apart like a normal flame the moment it came into contact with something. It behaved exactly like her balls of fire. A true fireball had explosive power whereas a true flame spear had piercing power. Right now, Akiza''s fire lacked the qualities that Cixi''s water had when it changed shape. Akiza was something still missing. If she wanted to be able to defeat Cixi or Master Saki, she would need to be able to make her flames into something with more power.

    "What am I doing wrong?" asked Akiza.

    "It is not something you learn overnight," explained Cixi. "You are still just creating the element. You are not giving it a shape."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza.

    In two weeks time, the two arrived at Labyrinthos. It was a big city built around a hill. There were tens of thousands of people who lived there. At the very center was a large building. All around it were numerous buildings that included houses and stores.

    "Cities make me tired," said Akiza. "Too many people, too many things." She had always felt uncomfortable in areas with a lot of people in a small area. This was no different.

    "You just have to learn to block out what is not important," said Cixi.

    Akiza drooled as she looked through the windows of bakeries. "Those look delicious," she said as she stared at cake.

    "And cake is what you think is important huh? We can stop at one store," said Cixi. "Only one."

    "I want cake!" said Akiza. "But which one...."

    Cixi eventually just dragged Akiza to one because Akiza could not decide. "This is so delicious!" said Akiza.

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    "Do you like it?" asked Cixi.

    "Yes," said Akiza as she nodded her head.

    "If you make enough progress or learn to keep the shape of your flames, then you can have more," said Cixi. This was her trap. She was going to use food to encourage Akiza.

    When the two finished, they headed to the hill. Along the way, there were many stores. These stores seemed to deal with equipment and monster parts. "Maybe one of these peple can make me an Artifact," Akiza thought to herself. On the hill was a large building. Akiza looked up in amazement. The size of even the largest buildings at West Wind Academy could not compare.

    "The items here are of too low quality," said Cixi. "Emperor Stage items are far more rare and give off a much stronger sense of Internal Energy. I doubt anyone would even have one for sale in a place like this."

    "Come on, let''s go inside," said Cixi. The two entered the silver gate and into the building. It was even larger inside. It was almost like another city. The inside did not even resemble anything like the outside. There were multiple floors of stores, each dealing in very high quality items. Restaurants, inns, and even food stalls. There were numerous people coming and going."This is the real Labyrinthos," she said.

    There was a very strong presence of Internal Energy in the area. It was similar to that of the Immortal Realm that Akiza had been trapped in earlier that year. "It must be because of an Immortal," she thought. That was when she felt something strange.

    "I feel someone watching me," said Akiza. "I can''t tell where it is coming from."

    "Strange," said Cixi. "I don''t feel anything," she said as she looked around. All the strong sources of Internal Energy present were from other people that she could see, but none of them were paying any attention to Akiza.

    "Let''s get you registered first," said Cixi. Cixi brought Akiza to the circular table at the center of the first floor. There were several people here. As Akiza looked around, she saw that Points were being used as some kind of currency here.

    "Just fill out all your information on this paper," said the woman behind the desk.

    "Thank you," said Cixi. "You can read and write right?" Cixi asked Akiza.

    "Yes Master," said Akiza. "I''m not that stupid."

    When the two finished filling out the papers they handed the woman behind the desk the papers and she handed them a card. It looked like the one from West Wind Academy.

    Name: Akiza Himura

    Gender: Female

    Age: 8

    Team Name: West Wind

    Rank: 1

    Points: 0

    "Why put West Wind?" Akiza asked. "Won''t that tell them who we are?"

    "It is just a team name," said Cixi. "It''s not like everyone thinks it is the school right away. Besides, it is just for us to use. As long as no one steals it from you, then it is not a problem."

    Hearing those words, Akiza immediately put the card away in her Dantian. A place that no one except her could reach. "I feel it again!" said Akiza. "Someone is watching me."

    Cixi quickly looked around, but she could not see anyone who stood out from the crowd because of so many people. She tried to use her senses, but there were too many people with Internal Energy to pick people out closely. "Maybe she''s just paranoid," thought Cixi. "Being trapped in a forest for a year with things trying to kill you would do that."

 Chapter 047 - The Labyrinth

    Labyrinthos = city like thing where the entrance to the Corrupted Land is

    Labyrinth = the city ruins and actual Labyrinth that exists beyond the Gate

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza and Cixi made their way to the back of Labyrinthos. There stood a large silver colored gate. It was similar to the one that they had used to enter the Immortal Realm. "Are you ready?" asked Cixi. "There are things you may not have seen before in there."

    "Yes," said Akiza.

    The two stepped in together. What was in front of them was a ruined city. Crumpled buildings, faded signs, and the intense feeling of Dark Energy. There were other people nearby.

    Akiza immediately fell to her knees. "I can barely breathe," she said while breathing heavily. But, she could no longer feel someone or something watching them. "Could that person have been in the main area of Labyrinthos?" she thought.

    "This is because the Labyrinth is rich in Dark Energy," said Cixi. "This is the terrifying pressure that is created by a Corrupted Land, but your body will slowly adapt. For now just stay here and meditate until you get used to it."

    "I don''t feel so good," said Akiza. BLEH. She had thrown up.

    Cixi covered her own face. "It''s pretty bad the first time for most people," said Cixi. "But it seems to be especially worse for you."

    Akiza sat down near the entrance and meditated. She had not spent much time meditating since she returned to West Wind Academy because she has always been trying to manipulate the shape of her elements. So far, she has had no success. Without it, she could not make a breakthrough into Emperor either. As Akiza meditated, she felt the Dark Energy in the Labryinth, but the weight that she felt began to lighten.

    "Master, isn''t it dangerous to meditate in the presence of Dark Energy?" asked Akiza.

    "Dark Energy is not always bad," said Cixi. "We call it Dark Energy because it usually has to do with negative emotions like fear, anger, or hate, but it is harmless unless we choose to act upon it."

    "Then does that mean the woman in purple is a good person?" Akiza thought to herself. "So does that mean Dark Energy can be good?" Akiza asked.

    "It can be," said Cixi. "But the most important thing is that it has to be moderated and controlled, like everything in life. By getting use to Dark Energy, you can resist the negative emotions and influence it holds on you, but it only goes so far. Just like how you love food, you still have to eat and learn to enjoy it, the problem comes when you start to like it too much and can no longer control yourself. Too much Dark Energy and you lose control."

    Akiza had wondered about how the woman in purple came to be. "How could I have acquired Dark Energy for such a thing to occur in the Immortal Realm?" she thought. She had no answers though and it remained a mystery. After meditating for a while, Akiza felt that the pressure was no longer intense. It was gradually reducing. Before long, she barely felt it at all.

    "I think I''m ready to continue Master," said Akiza as she got up.

    "Don''t push yourself," said Cixi. "The moment you feel like you cannot continue, we will head back. It is better to be cautious when going into the unknown territory."

    "Okay Master," Akiza replied.

    The two walked through the ruins of the city. "Something is coming," said Akiza.

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    There was the sound of light foot steps approaching and the sound of metal scraping against something. Then, it turned around the corner. "That''s a skeleton!" said Akiza in shock.

    "So how will you deal with this?" asked Cixi. "It is strong against slashing, piercing, and most of the elements do not affect it since it does not have flesh on its body."

    "Then the solution is to attack first!" shouted Akiza as she dashed forward.

    "Wait!" said Cixi.

    It was too late though. Akiza already went for an attack. The skeleton swung its sword. BOOM. A thunderous sound roared through the ruins as the skeleton released a powerful shockwave that knocked Akiza back and onto the ground.

    "That was a skill!" said Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "The creatures here not only possess Internal Energy, they also possess special skills and abilities. You have to learn to read them and their moves."

    Akiza watched as Cixi approached the skeleton. Cixi slowly walked forward and drew her sword. "But Master, you, it is strong against slashing attacks!" said Akiza.

    "A sword can be used for more than just slashing," said Cixi.

    Akiza watched closely as Cixi stood in front of the skeleton. When she walked forward, the skeleton readied its shockwave. BOOM. It was the thunderous roar, but Cixi deployed her black turtle shell shield to neutralize it. She then turned her sword sideways and smashed it against the arm of the skeleton to break it. The skeleton dropped its weapon. It was a move that she could have done with the sword had she remembered the medicinal knowledge and physiology of the human body. But, since she was in such a hurry to try to kill it, she did not think about it.

    "Now, it is much weaker," said Cixi. "You can always cripple your opponent to weaken them before you finish them off."

    Cixi waited for the skeleton to make its move. The skeleton charged forward again. Cixi turned her sword and held it horizontally in front of her. When the skeleton got close, she tackled forward, smashing the main chest of the skeleton with her sword. The parts of the skeleton flew everywhere. "There are also times when it is not smart to attack first. These are all things that you have to learn Akiza. Your recklessness will get you killed here!" Cixi shouted.

    The body of the skeleton disappeared. "The body is gone?" said Akiza.

    "This is a Corrupted Land," said Cixi. "The creatures here do not truly die unless the power runs out. Sometimes, fragments of their body remain, but most of the time, the power of the Cursed Land brings the monsters back to life within minutes."

    Cixi helped Akiza up. "Now aren''t you glad you''re wearing that dress?" she asked.

    Akiza looked at herself. The dress was dusty, but no actual damage. "I''m not hurt?" Akiza said.

    "It is made of special materials, I would not let my precious Disciple or myself go to this kind of dangerous place with regular clothes," said Cixi.

    Now Akiza was glad that she was wearing that dress instead of her regular clothes. But a problem still remained, she had struggled to defeat what appeared to be weak monsters in Labyrinthos. She would also have to break her habit of attacking first and asking questions later. Both would be difficult.

 Chapter 048 - Fighting Undead

    Cixi told Akiza to fight the next skeleton they encountered. "Focus on defense," said Cixi. "These skeletons look tough, but if you hit them the right way, they will fall easily."

    Akiza had to learn everything as she went. Cixi wanted to make sure that Akiza had a chance to observe and practice the techniques that Cixi was teaching her.

    "Everything has a weak spot," Akiza thought to herself. The turtle had its head. The wolf had its under belly. The skeleton has its chest.

    Akiza got close and slow advanced, waiting for the skeleton to release its powerful shockwave first. The moment she saw the skeleton charge up the swing, she backed off. BOOM. That was loud sound of the skeleton''s swing and the release of the shockwave. By increasing the distance between them, she could reduce the impact of it. However, she still had to back off by a few steps. Her body weight was simply too light and the shockwave could push her down if she was too close.

    Akiza then followed what her Master had done. She ran up to the skeleton and used her sword to smash the arm of the skeleton. The arm of the skeleton could no longer move. "I did it!" said Akiza.

    "Be careful," said Cixi. "A fight isn''t over until one of you falls."

    The skeleton swung with its other arm and tried to hit Akiza. Akiza kicked the skeleton in the pelvis to disorient it. "Attacking and defending at the same time," Akiza said to herself. She then charged foward. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" she shouted as she smashed her fist into the rib cage of the skeleton. It had hit dead center! The skeleton flew several meters before falling to pieces on the ground. The main rib cage had shattered. The body then disappeared.

    "I did it!" said Akiza.

    "Congratulations," said Cixi. "But you made a huge mistake."

    "Mistake?" asked Akiza.

    "When you used your final attack, your punch hits too small of an area," said Cixi. "The skeleton might be shaped like a human body, but the actual spots you can hit are few due to the empty spaces between the bones. Had you been even slightly off center, it might not have been enough to finish off the skeleton. Then you would have been open to a counter attack."

    "That was why you turned the sword sideways!" said Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "But that isn''t just the only reason. Turning the sword sideways adds to the area that you spread your weight, so if you are pushing something and attempting to crush it, spreading the damage over a larger area is preferable to hitting a small area. When you only hit a small area, there is a chance you might pierce it instead."

    These were all things that were new to Akiza. She had never considered things like this before. It had always been add speed or power and just smash. For the most part, it had worked, but now, it was no longer working. Akiza needed to fight in smarter ways, not just with more strength.

    "In addition, there is something even stronger here that you must learn to fight," said Cixi.

    The two wandered throughout the ruins of the city. They eventually found it. It was something that looked like a human, but it had pale green skin and hopped around with its arms straight out in front of it.

    "I saw that thing at the Immortal Realm," said Akiza to Cixi.

    "Do you know what it is?" Cixi asked.

    "No," responded Akiza.

    "That is a Jiangshi," said Cixi. "It feeds on the Internal Energy of others and has the ability to use strong hand to hand skills. You must be very careful when fighting it."

    Cixi walked forward to demonstrate. The Jiangshi turned to Cixi and lowered its arms and raised its hands near its chest area. It was in a fighting stance. As Cixi approached it, the Jiangshi suddenly did a high kick. Cixi had to back off. "Learn to read its movements like a person," Cixi said.

    Cixi closed in again and stabbed it in the abdomen. "This thing is tougher than the skeletons that you fought because it has actual flesh holding it together," she said.

    As Cixi pulled out the sword, green blood flowed out. "But that means it also has some of the same weak points as a normal person," said Cixi as she stabbed the Jiangshi in the chest.

    "But like a person, you can also kill them the same way!" shouted Cixi. She quickly thrusted the sword inside the head, destroying its brain as well as its heart. "Everyone and everything has vulnerable spots, you just have to find it," said Cixi.

    A talisman was left on the floor. "This is an example of something that can be made into an Artifact," said Cixi. "Can you feel its energy?"

    Akiza at first only felt a fading Dark Energy. She concentrated and felt that it also possessed a very small amount of Internal Energy. "Yes, I see it."

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    "Good," said Cixi. "You will try to find something that is suitable to make a weapon for you," she said. "The bone of something big is usually good for a sword, but I''m not sure if you can find something like that here."

    "We won''t know unless we try," said Akiza.

    "Well said," said Cixi.

    The two made their way forward and Akiza followed the way Cixi fought. Watching for cues and aiming for certain spots in the body. It took longer to kill some enemies, but it was much safer than charging in. "Watch its pattern, cripple the enemy, then get close to finish it off," these were the words that Akiza inscribed into her heart.

    Akiza began to be more effective against fighting the skeletons. Rather than just charge straight in, she got close enough to trigger the shockwave of the skeletons first. When she heard the BOOM, she charged in and smashed her sword against their chest, instantly killing them without the need to disarm them first. It was a riskier move, but just as strong.

    "Don''t forget to pace yourself," said Cixi. "If you are tired when you encounter an enemy, you might be dead."

    Akiza spent many days with Cixi doing this. Learning by fighting the undead while searching the ruins. On rest days, Akiza was told to train her fire in an attempt to shape it, but it often went poorly. She was still unable to properly shape her fire.

    "Your next test is to fight the Jiangshi," said Cixi.

    "That''s the undead with flesh right?" said Akiza.

    "Yes, a Jiangshi not only has flesh and Internal Energy, it also has skills, so you must be careful when fighting one," said Cixi. "I finished it off before it could use it, but you probably could not.

    The two looked around for a Jiangshi. Akiza fought the skeletons they found along the way. When they finally encountered a Jiangshi, Cixi stood back to watch Akiza fight it.

    When Akiza got close, the Jiangshi sensed her presence and switched into a fighting pose. One hand in front of the other. Akiza held her sword with both hands in a defensive stance to compensate for her lower strength. The Jiangshi charged in and swung. Akiza turned the sword sideways to block.

    BOOM. The Jiangshi''s fist made contact with the sword. Akiza was pushed back two steps, but she did not fall over. "I''m a little stronger now," she said to herself. "I can do this."

    The Jiangshi unleashed a flurry of punches. Akiza dodged what she could and parried what she could not. That was when she saw a weakness. The flesh of the Jiangshi was already peeling off. It had hit the sword so many times that it was hurting itself, but since it was an undead creature, it did not realize the damage it had caused itself.

    Akiza readied her sword. The Jiangshi charged again. This time, Akiza met the fist of the Jiangshi with her sword. SSHHLUCK. The sword tore through the arm and up to the elbow. "I got you!" said Akiza.

    "Careful," said Cixi. "You''re not paying close enough attention."

    The Jiangshi had spun around after losing part of its arm. Akiza did not see it, but she felt something on her right side. The Jiangshi had used a kick. BOOM. Akiza was sent flying by the power of the Jiangshi''s kick.

    Akiza picked herself up, but she was injured by that kick and was bleeding from the mouth. The Jiangshi was extremely strong. Akiza held her left hand on her side, applying the healing fire while keeping an eye on the Jiangshi. The Jiangshi turned to face her and ran towards her.

    Akiza kept her eyes on the feet of the Jiangshi this time. With one arm gone, the Jiangshi had to rely on kick attacks. It led with another roundhouse kick. Akiza dodged back to avoid it. The Jiangshi followed with another straight kick. Akiza raised her sword to block it. BOOM. The power of the kick still knocked her back a few steps, but she did not fall.

    The Jiangshi rushed her again preparing for another kick. This time, Akiza jumped forward. "The undead are highly predictable," she thought. Her sword pierced the chest of Jiangshi. Using the force of her jump. She continued to push the sword through, knocking the Jiangshi down. She then followed up with several punches to the head, finishing it off.

    "We''ll stop here for today," said Cixi.

    Akiza was exhausted after that fight. The Jiangshi was extremely strong for her. "If I had been fighting the same as always, I would have died," she thought. In the future, she would have to observe more carefully and keep her eye out for any possible attack at any moment because if there were more creatures like the Jiangshi, they could attack in unexpected ways and instantly kill her.

 Chapter 48.5 - An Emperors Armor

    One of the things that Serph has been up to

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Serph had been training his Divine Energy on his own since Akiza left. At full strength, he was a match for an Emperor, but he also lacked something important. There was something else he needed to do in order to become stronger. That was to acquire an Artifact. One day, he asked one of the Masters.

    "Master Pai Mei," said Serph.

    "What is it?" Master Pai Mei said.

    "How can I acquire an Artifact weapon?" Serph asked.

    "The best quality materials are in the Immortal Realm," said Master Pai Mei. "You take the items to someone who can help you make it. Master Shifu knows a few people near here than help if you need it."

    "That means I have to wait another year to go to the Immortal Realm," said Serph disappointedly.

    "There are other places too," said Master Pai Mei. "But they are rare."

    When Serph looked around, he heard rumors of an Emperor golem in the desert to the South. As he looked into it, he discovered that it was a golem made entirely out of swords. "A Sword Golem," he thought.

    Serph had difficulty in the past fighting with other Spirits, but since he learned to regulate his Divine Energy, he had become a lot stronger. This time, he was determined to defeat it alone.

    Serph arranged for a leave of absence in order to pursue it. As he headed South, there were fewer and fewer people. It turned out that the Sword Golem was on a rampage because it was protecting something, and someone had stolen from it. As a result, the Sword Golem began to move on its own to search for the stolen object. That was when Serph tracked it down to an abandoned village. A group of bandits had raided the tomb, stealing the treasures inside and the golem destroyed everything in its path to get to it.

    When Serph found the golem, it had wiped out the bandits and now guarded the empty village. The golem was quite tall. It was not as big as the stone one he fought with Akiza, but its arms, legs, and body were made of swords. The only weak spot was the red core of the golem at the center of its chest.

    As Serph approached the golem, the golem sensed him and turned to face him. Serph Armatized into his suit of armor. It was the first time he would fight in it. His opponent, a creature made up of swords. This ran in contrast to his armor that was made of smaller shields.

    The golem began to run towards him, it was quite slow. Serph readied his sword. The golem swung its arm out and its arm split into the four swords that made up the arm with an empty center. Serph blocked using the gauntlet of his armor, but the golem was stronger. BOOM. Serph was knocked off his feet and onto the ground.

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    But, the damage was not enough to actually damage Serph''s armor. Serph''s Divine Energy had enhanced his armor greatly. He still felt the pain of the blow, but no serious injuries. He readied his sword again. The golem came again with the same attack. This time Serph ran forward instead of waiting. The arm of the golem split up into four swords again. "Sonic Thrust!" Serph shouted as he lept into the gap created by the four swords. He stabbed his sword into the opening, disabling the golem''s arm.

    Serph pulled another sword out of his storage. Now, the Sword Golem was crippled, he just needed to hit the core.

    The Sword Golem exposed its core. Eight swords began to spin around its core as it walked towards Serph. The golem was trying to back Serph into a corner, but with his armor, Serph could charge right in. CLING. The high speed of the swords had knocked Serph away. The rotation of the swords made it so that if he tried to jump in, he would just get pushed back. He needed to stop the swords.

    Serph removed his armor. In its place, he created numerous smaller shields. He charged forward again. The speed of the golem''s swords sped up. Serph surrounded himself with the shields instead of with a full suit of armor. He charged in once more.

    "Sonic Thrust!" Serph shouted as he pushed through. The swords of the golem all came close. CLING CLING CLING CLING CLING CLING CLING CLING. His shields had blocked all the spinning swords as Serph pushed through and pierced the core of the golem. "Got you!" he said.

    The golem fell to the ground and its pieces disappeared. In its place was a Spirit Core. It was Serph''s new Spirit. It was not the Artifact that he was hoping for, but there was also what the golem was protecting, another Spirit Core. He had no idea what it was, but it contained a lot of Internal Energy. Someone else would have to help him analyze it.

    Serph quickly absorbed the Spirit Core from the golem. When Serph armatized, he could also generate a sword in addition to his armor. The Sword Golem had actually given him the ability to create more swords at the cost of his Internal Energy. "This will be useful," he thought.

    As Serph looked through the village, he found the corpses of the bandits. It was there that he found were just a bunch of random weapons that included sword. It was not an Emperor Stage weapon, but it was something.

 Chapter 049 - Wight

    One day, Akiza and Cixi were wandering around in the Labyrinth, still killing the undead and looking for clues about the Demon Lord. That was when something strange began to happen.

    The entire area suddenly rumbled. There was something very powerful nearby. The terrifying presence was drawing close. It was something that was at the peak of the Lord Stage. Akiza and Cixi looked in the direction that it was coming from and saw something terrifying. It was a blue man with wrinkled skin clad in armor. It had glowing blue eyes and pale skin. It carried a blue sword in its hand. It even emitted a cold air around it.

    "This is a very powerful enemy!" said Cixi. "Stay back Akiza."

    Akiza ran to hide behind some of the nearby rubble. She watched as Cixi confronted the blue man. The blue man swung his sword and the cold air blew in their direction.

    Akiza watched as Cixi Armatized and spread her own Domain to counter the blue man''s. The blue man''s cold air suddenly disappeared as Cixi''s pushed the cold air back with her own. The entire ground began to freeze from their confrontation.

    Cixi swung her sword to the side of the blue man. CLING. The sword came in contact with the armor, but it was not strong enough to break it. The blue man ran forward at a high speed. Cixi was now on the defense.

    Akiza watched as Cixi parried every blow. The blue man was swinging his sword quickly, but Cixi was faster. Cixi was waiting for an opening, but the blue man did not let up.

    Akiza came out of hiding, "I''m coming to help Master!" she shouted.

    "No! Stay back!" shouted Cixi.

    Akiza sprayed blue fire in the direction of the blue man. She was still unable to give fire to her form and it was useless against the blue man. The blue man changed targets and dashed toward Akiza with its sword raised. Even though Akiza was attacking it with flames, it had no effect. As the blue man came closer, Akiza could see the size of the fire increase on the man, but with no real damage to him.

    As the sword came down, all Akiza could see was the figure walking through her flames. BANG. Cixi tackled the blue man to the ground.

    "Stay back," said Cixi. "I can handle this."

    Akiza went back into hiding, she was useless in this fight. Akiza understood how powerless she was against an enemy that had strong Internal Energy and developed some skills.

    The blue man held his sword with both hands now. It was aiming for a killing blow. Cixi waited. This was her chance for a counter attack. The blue man ran forward and swung the sword horizontally. Cixi placed the sword vertically to block to attack with both hands on the sword. CLING. The two swords crashed against each other.

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    Cixi was not done. She opened one of her hands on the sword and pushed the sword towards the blue man''s head. That was when Cixi struck. BOOM. It was a powerful shockwave that she released and it blew the blue man''s head clean off. It was much stronger than the one Akiza had used against the wolf yet it was the same technique. This was the difference in their power despite using the same technique.

    But, the blue man was not done. The body continued to move without the head. It continued to attack, but swung wildly in every direction. Cixi removed her Armatization and changed her sword to wood. She then stabbed her sword into the ground. A wooden spear emerged from the ground and pierced the chest of the blue man. It dropped its sword and fell to the ground.

    "Is it over?" asked Akiza.

    "Wait for it," said Cixi.

    The two watched and waited for the blue body to disappear. When it did, that was the sign that it was over. All that remained was its sword that it had dropped.

    "It is safe now," said Cixi.

    Akiza came out of hiding to look.

    "That is?!?" said Cixi in a shocked voice. A complete weapon had materialized in Laybrinthos. It was more than just the normal body of bone of a creature. The blue man in armor had actually dropped its sword.

    "What''s that sword?" asked Akiza.

    "That thing dropped it," said Cixi. "I''ll need to find someone to take a closer look at it, but we should go back."

    "Why?" asked Akiza. "We can still go on."

    "We just fought an unexpected enemy that was strong and you could not fight," said Cixi. "Even if I can fight, it means it is at least too dangerous for YOU to continue, so we should go back."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza.

    The two headed back towards the entrance. On the way back though, they did not feel the presence of another creature like the blue man in armor. There were mostly only skeletons. Other people were spreading out from the entrance, killing the skeletons along the way.

    "Remember, we''re not safe until we make it through the Gate," said Cixi.

    When the two finally made it through the Gate. Cixi started to relax.

 Chapter 050 - Himiko

    Akiza had to get a weapon that would allow her to defeat a Demon Lord, which meant it had to at least be equal to a low level Lord Stage. The only way she would be able to do this was to sell the sword Cixi got from the blue man in armor. However, what Akiza needed was actually an Emperor Stage Artifact in order to compete with Master Saki.

    Akiza and Cixi had just returned from fighting against the blue man in armor. "There''s that presence watching me again," said Akiza.

    "Are you sure?" asked Cixi. "I can''t tell from here."

    "Greetings Hero," said a voice.

    "You''re the receptionist!" shouted Akiza.

    "That''s correct," said the woman.

    "Who are you?" asked Cixi.

    "I''m Himiko, Kongming sent you right?" asked Himiko.

    "How did you know?" asked Akiza.

    "I can feel a small amount of Divine Energy from you," said Himiko. "It is quite rare at your age unless someone awakened it for you and the only Immortal besides me around here is Kongming. That and I''ve been keeping an eye on you since you arrived," answered Himiko.

    "Why did Kongming send Akiza here?" Cixi asked.

    "To do something for me, but I will explain that later," said Himiko. "By the way, Masa and Mune can modify your sword for you."

    "Modify it? How?" asked Cixi.

    "They have a special skill, they are able to modify the element of a weapon by using a person''s Internal Energy as the catalyst," explained Himiko. "It should remain the same quality and grade, but there is the off chance it will lower in quality."

    "Thank you," said Akiza.

    Himiko showed Akiza and Cixi to the store. It was a store that sold numerous weapons. Akiza was interested in how shiny everything is.

    "It is rare to see you here Himiko," said Masa, who was the cashier of the store.

    "I have come with a special request," said Himiko.

    "Oh?" said Masa. "That means you must be here tomorrow morning."

    "You heard that right Akiza?" said Cixi.

    "Yes, tomorrow morning, be here at Masa''s place," said Akiza as she was admiring all the weapons on display.

    "What element?" asked Masa.

    "Water to Fire," said Cixi.

    "Got it," said Masa. "Don''t be late."

    The next morning Cixi and Akiza went to Masa. There was another person who looked like Masa.

    "There''s two of you!" shouted Akiza.

    "We''re twins," said Mune. "I make the weapons and Masa sells them."

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    Akiza stared at them, she had never seen two people who looked so similar before.

    "Anyways," said Masa. "We need to get to work."

    "Use your fire to light the forge and furnace," said Mune.

    "What are we making?" asked Masa.

    "Were making this from Water to Fire," said Cixi.

    "A Spirit Stage Water Sword, not bad," said Mune.

    Akiza did as instructed and lit them. She watched as Mune took the blue sword and put it into the fire. When Mune took it out, the entire sword was glowing red, but Mune was not done. He took something and coated the sword with it before putting it back into the forge. Akiza watched as they hammered the sword and dipped it into oil that lit on fire as the sword touched the oil. The two continued to work on it until the sword''s blade came out red.

    "It changed color!" said Akiza.

    "Yes, this sword is now a fire type attribute, just for you," said Masa.

    The sword was exactly the same, except the blade had gone from a cold feeling with the color of blue, it had become a blade with a warm feeling and the color of orange and red.

    "I''ve never seen or heard of this before," said Cixi.

    "It is a rare technique that belongs to Mune," said Himiko. "If others were to know of this, there would be people who would want to kidnap Mune and steal the weapons of others to reforge."

    "Thank you," said Akiza as she held the sword in her hand. It was kind of big, but that was normal for someone her size. When she applied her Internal Energy into it, the orange and red fire could become an intense blue. It was also the shape of a blade, something that she had been unable to do with her regular fire. Akiza tried her best to remember this feeling and flow of Internal Energy when the flaming sword was active. "This would be the key to solving this problem," she thought to herself.

    "Even though you cannot change the shape of your element yet, this will work for a short period of time," said Cixi. "It will not be able to beat anyone who is at the Emperor Stage or higher, but it will give you some power that you didn''t have before."

    "The sword needs a name," said Masa. "Let''s call it Ragnus."

    "I like that name," said Akiza. She was swinging the sword in order to get the feel of it.

    With this, Akiza had acquired a Spirit Stage weapon, but she was still a far way from an Emperor Stage weapon.

 Chapter 051 - Ragnus

    First post of 51 was a draft that I messed up and should have deleted, my bad if you got that one

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After resting for a day, Akiza and Cixi headed back through the Gate and into the Labyrinth. The goal was to see how far they could get safely. "This time, you''re the judge," said Cixi.

    "Me?" said Akiza pointing at herself.

    "That''s right," said Cixi. "I want to see if you can recognize if it is too dangerous to continue."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza as she began to lead the way.

    Cixi followed right behind her to make sure Akiza did not do anything stupid. A skeleton appeared before them. Akiza drew her new sword Ragnus. When she applied her Internal Energy to it, it glowed a dim orange. She followed the same strategy. Wait for the skeleton to release the shockwave. Next, run in and disarm the skeleton, then break the rib cage.

    Next was the Jiangshi. It was stronger than the skeleton. Akiza used to have a lot of trouble with it. But, she remembered what she had to aim for, the head and the heart. The Jiangshi got into a fighting stance as soon as Akiza got close enough to it. The Jiangshi was highly unpredictable from her last fight, so Akiza did not know how it would attack. She waited to see what it would do first. She held her sword in front of her with both hands

    The Jiangshi ran forward and attempted to punch her in the chest. Akiza used the sword to block the attack. CLING. The fist of the Jiangshi had slammed against the sword and pushed her back a little. Even though the Jiangshi was undead, it had monstrous strength. It was not done though. The Jiangshi used its other hand to aim straight for Akiza''s stomach. BOOM. Akiza was knocked away.

    As Akiza got up, there was a little blood coming out of her mouth. It was the sign of an internal injury. She used pink flames in her left hand over her stomach to stop it, holding the sword with her right in case the Jiangshi attacked again.

    The Jiangshi took another fighting stance. It rushed foward again. Akiza used the sword in her right hand to block it, but the Jiangshi then used its left hand to aim for the stomach again. Akiza used her left hand and released a shockwave, pushing the Jiangshi away from her and continued to heal herself.

    Akiza still had to Armatize to fight it. The flaming wings appeared and the glow on her sword grew a little more intense.

    The Jiangshi came forward again and aimed for Akiza''s stomach again. Akiza swung her sword while jumping backwards to deflect the blow. That was when Cixi noticed it. The arm of the Jiangshi was starting to smoke. The Jiangshi backed away now that it noticed the fire.

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    Akiza was now on the offensive and the Jiangshi kept its distance. She dashed forward "Exploding First Wing!" she shouted. She used the explosive burst of speed to pierce the heart of the Jiangshi. The entire body ignited and turned into dust.

    "What happened?" asked Akiza. It was much easier than the first time where she struggled immensely.

    "Undead like Skeletons and Jiangshi are usually weak to fire," said Cixi. "If you hit a critical spot with fire, it can be almost an instant kill."

    "So this is the power of Ragnus," said Akiza. The orange glow of the sword dimmed as Akiza removed her Armatization.

    "Did you feel anything from your sword yet?" asked Cixi.

    "No," said Akiza.

    "The next time you fight with that sword, I want you to try to feel the flow and release of Internal Energy from it," said Cixi. "It just might help you give shape to your elements."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza.

    The two headed further into the ruins of the city, but there were mostly skeletons. There was no signs of the blue man in armor or even Jiangshi. As they walked foward, they saw something. Coming from it was a sound. GROAN.

    "Zombies!" said Cixi.

    "What are zombies?" asked Akiza.

    "They are undead creatures that have a very strong poison. But they''re slow, weak, and easy to kill," said Cixi.

    "Then what is the problem?" asked Akiza.

    "They come in very large numbers," Cixi replied.

    Akiza activated her Armatization and flew up.

    "Don''t go by yourself," shouted Cixi.

    "I won''t I''m just looking," said Akiza.

    Up there, Akiza saw a horde of zombies. There were at least a few hundred. She positioned herself for the attack she learned from the woman in purple. Position your hands in front of you and generate the ball of fire. The flower with pink, purple, and black appeared. The giant ball of fire condensed before growing again. "Elemental Strike!" she shouted as she released the ball of fire in the direction of the zombies.

    Akiza watched as the ball of fire spread outwards and burned all of the zombies. She went back down and removed her Armatization.

    "Done," said Akiza.

    "You know, that skill would be one of the strongest Emperor Stage attacks if you could give it a proper shape," said Cixi.

    "I know, the original explodes. The fires do not just spread out," said Akiza. "But I cannot seem to do it."

    "One day, you will learn to give shape to your elements, then you will be able to," said Cixi. "But I would not like to be there when you do use it," she thought to herself.

 Chapter 052 - Stuck

    Might not get much done the next few days, Christmas stuff with relatives. I''ll try to post a few shorter chapters at least, but no guarantees.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Akiza and Cixi continued to make numerous attempts to go into the Labyrinth, but they were not getting anywhere. It was the same every day. Meditate in the morning. Then go into the Labyrinth. Each time they went in, they found more undead, killed them, and occasionally collected some parts. These parts were then exchanged for Points to the stores if they ever needed to buy anything. They decided to go see Himiko for clues.

    "We''re lost in there," said Akiza. "I have no idea where we''re going."

    "You''re not lost," said Himiko. "The Laybrinth is a maze with a beginning and an end. The problem is that no one has found the end yet."

    "How is that even possible?" asked Cixi. "Hasn''t it been around for hundreds of years?"

    "Yes," said Himiko. "But it is not just that easy. There is something hiding the presence of the Demon Lord here, so we cannot just walk in and find it."

    "If there''s something as powerful as a Demon Lord, can''t we detect its Internal Energy?" asked Cixi.

    "Normally, you would," said Himiko. "But the problem is that the Demon Lord''s power is being distributed to regenerate the undead monsters in the Labyrinth. If you tried to look for it by finding its Dark Energy or Internal Energy, the entire Labyrinth would be it. Until we find out what can help us identify the source, it is basically impossible to find."

    "What if we killed enough undead?" asked Akiza.

    "Theoretically it is possible," said Himiko. "But I do not think all the people gathered here could kill fast enough to do that."

    "Is there no way to find the Demon Lord?" asked Cixi.

    "None that I am aware of I''m afraid," said Himiko.

    Akiza had been able to brute force almost everything in the past. But now, her obstacles required proper thought and planning, something she was terrible at. She even got headaches from the mere thought of it.

    "You''re trying to rush things too much," said Cixi.

    "But five years is the limit," said Akiza. "And every day that goes by, I am getting closer to dying at the hands of Master Saki and not getting any closer to an Emperor Stage Artifact."

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    "I will not let you die," said Cixi. "If he tries to kill you, I will stop him myself."

    "Thank you," said Akiza. She would at least not die immediately if Cixi intervened and stopped Master Saki. "So what do we do now?" asked Akiza.

    "Why not look around the stores?" said Cixi. "Since we''ve been here, we''ve been down at the Labyrinth almost every day. It might help to get a change of pace."

    Akiza looked around the shops. What interested her the most was the strange foods she had never seen before. Green colored eggs and soups of every color were available. What she wanted the most was sweets. "No sweets until you learn to give your elements shape," said Cixi.

    Akiza frowned, but she had to obey her Master. "Is there any secret trick to being able to shape elements?" Akiza asked Cixi.

    "No," said Cixi. "It is all about what you can do with your mental strength," she explained. "The stronger your mind is, the easier it is to do it."

    "Is my mind weak?" asked Akiza.

    "No, but too direct," said Cixi. "Your personality seems to be run in first and attack. What you need to be doing is sitting back, relaxing, and thinking about it, the complete opposite."

    "Is that what makes it hard?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "But once you figure it out once, it gets easier every time. Eventually it becomes natural."

    "You make it seem so easy," said Akiza.

    "I had many years to practice," Cixi replied with a smile.

    The two continued to look around the stores. There were some that sold some high quality materials like Dragonskin Leather and Orihalcum Crystals. Even Cixi was amazed at those high quality materials. The problem was the cost, 100,000,000 Points. Cixi looked at her own card, 108,321. Akiza looked at hers, 20,987. Combined, they would still need over 99 million more. "If we had that, we could probably make an Immortal Stage Artifact," said Cixi.

    The two left disappointed. All the good things were too expensive. The things they could afford, they did not need. They could only enjoy the food. Overall, it was a good day though. They were not making any progress despite going into the Labyrinth so many times. It renewed their energy and motivation. The two headed back to the room they were staying at.

 Chapter 052.5 - Serphs Training + Sort of Announcement

    Managed to fit this one more in. More of what Serph has been up to during this period. There''s a chance I might abandon this story after this arc. I''m just not cut out to try to write Xianxia. I may take what I learn from here and try to write another story like it.

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    Serph had finally returned to West Wind Academy from his Artifact hunt, but what he found was a Spirit Core, not an Artifact.

    "Can you tell me what this is?" Serph asked.

    "I''m not sure," said Master Pai Mei. "It is a Spirit Core, but it gives off the feeling of some sort of strange Internal Energy. You can try to ask Master Shifu or Grandmaster Kongming when the Immortal Realm opens again."

    Serph went to the Vault to ask Master Shifu. "This feels like the spirit of something someone made rather than a Spirit," said Master Shifu.

    "A man made Spirit?"said Serph. This was the first time Serph heard that a Spirit could be made. "Why didn''t the person who made it use it?" he asked.

    "Plenty of reasons," said Master Shifu. "They were not compatible, it was not suited for the person''s fighting style, or even the owner may have just forgotten about it."

    "Is it dangerous?" asked Serph.

    "No," said Master Shifu. "It is just a Spirit Core like any other Spirit Beast Spirit. The only difference is that this one is man made and not taken from the corpse of a Spirit."

    "If you say so, then I''m going to absorb it," said Serph.

    "I want to see what it is myself as well," said Master Shifu.

    Serph absorbed the Spirit Core into his body and felt a sudden rush of Internal Energy flow to his back. Four swords appeared from his back. "What is this?"

    "It looks like a Sword Spirit of some kind," said Master Shifu. "That is probably why it felt like a person made it like they would another machine."

    Serph had wanted an Artifact, but perhaps this was just as good. "Thank you for the advice Master," said Serph.

    "You''re welcome here any time," said Master Shifu. "It must be tough trying to keep busy until your special friend returns."

    "I find ways," said Serph. "Now to practice with using five swords," he said to himself.

    It was time for the Immortal Realm to open again. This time, Serph wanted to see Grandmaster Kongming about how to better utilize his Divine Energy. When the fog lifted in the Immortal Realm, it was deemed safe because the strongest Spirit Beasts went into hiding, but when the fog returned, it was dangerous as the strongest Spirit Beasts returned.

    "Grandmaster Kongming are you there?" Serph asked standing in front of the stone house.

    "Come in," said Kongming. "What brings you here today?"

    "I want you to teach me how to better control my Divine Energy like you do," said Serph.

    "Controlling Divine Energy is just like controlling Internal Energy," replied Kongming.

    "Can you teach me how?" Serph asked.

    "Are you willing to stay another year in the Immortal Realm?" asked Kongming.

    "Yes," said Serph. "I am willing."

    "Then I can train you, but you will have to practice," said Kongming.

    "I will practice diligently," replied Serph.

    "Do you remember how I gave you your Divine Energy?" asked Kongming.

    "Yes," said Serph.

    "I''m going to give you one more drop, but this time, I want you to feel its flow throughout your body," said Kongming.

    "Okay," said Serph. He watched as Kongming put his index and middle finger on his Dantian. Serph focused and felt the drop of Divine Energy flow throughout his body, from his Dantian and outward. It ended in his finger tips, toes, and forehead.

    "You must recreate that feeling when channeling your Internal Energy," said Kongming.

    Serph practiced every day from the moment he woke up until he got tired. He only stopped to hunt Spirit Beasts for food.

    "Do you have other elements besides earth and metal?" asked Kongming.

    "No, just these two," replied Serph.

    "Oh okay," said Kongming.

    "Why do you ask?" asked Serph.

    "If you had multiple elements, you could actually combine them in different ways to create new ones," explained Kongming. "Master Cixi can combine earth and water to make wood for example and something like fire and earth could create something much more explosive."

    Serph only had earth and metal. The two did very little together. As he trained, he looked for ways to possibly combine them, but it did not work. It was the hardness of earth against the hardness of metal. Metal could also be shaped much more effectively making it superior to earth, so Serph gave up on trying to develop something stronger with his earth.

    Instead, Serph practiced primarily focusing his Internal Energy into his hand and finger tips. This allowed him to channel more of his Internal Energy into his sword, resulting in a much stronger attack. When Divine Energy was placed in it, it could pierce almost everything. His armor could also be focused on only one part of his body, resulting in creating a much stronger piece being created there whether it was to protect himself or to reinforce his hand to punch something.

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    "This is similar to the technique in the book you gave me," said Serph.

    "This is what it is based on," said Kongming. "Whereas the book focuses on transferring Divine Energy into another person, this technique focuses on moving Internal Energy around in your body more efficiently. They are based on the same principles, but applied differently."

    "So... application can change use," thought Serph. He fully Armatized. With a full suit of armor and five swords, one in his hand, four floating behind him, he had an incredible attack and defense now. The only thing he was missing was sufficient speed.

    Serph trained moving the swords on his back, increasing their speed immensely over time. "Very good," said Kongming. "You are using those like your arms and legs, it will be difficult for your opponent to defend if you are attacking them with all of those."

    "Thank you Master," said Serph.

    "But you still still need to be careful of a strong opponent," said Kongming. He had stepped forward and broken all four of Serph''s swords in an instant. "It requires a lot of concentration to move that many and it may be more effective to just use one sword yourself."

    "Then what is the point of having so many?" said Serph.

    "Do you remember where you got this ability from?" asked Kongming.

    Serph remembered, the Sword Golem. If you could spin the swords around they would act like a defense. Serph immediately did the same, he focused and was able to get the swords moving around himself.

    "That''s it," said Kongming. "With so many, it creates a pretty good defense. Swords are balanced in that they can be used for offense and defense. The only problem is maintaining focus in a difficult situation."

    "What do you recommend then?" asked Serph.

    "It''s mostly mental," said Kongming. "If you can fight something like an Emperor Stage Spirit Beast while maintaining them, you should be fine in most situations."

    Serph interpreted that as to defeat an Emperor Stage Spirit Beast with his swords. "I''ll get on it Master." He left to go look for one.

    "Really?" thought Kongming. "I thought he would want more practice before actually trying it out. Kids these days."

    Serph spent a long time looking in the Immortal Realm for an Emperor Stage. Kongming had killed most of them as a way to keep things under control, but there are a few that emerge once in a while. Eventually, Serph was able to find one. It was an enormous snake. One that rivaled large dragons and it contained an enormous amount of Internal Energy.

    When the snake saw Serph, it immediately lunged towards him. Serph immediately Armatized into his armor and his swords. BOOM. The ground shook as the snake hit the ground.

    The snake spat a green liquid out of its mouth. Serph moved to the side but part of his shoulder armor was caught by it. HISS. It was an acid that was cutting into his armor. He immediately removed his shoulder before it ate away at more. The acid disappeared with his Armatization. It was an anti Armatization ability.

    Serph threw a sword at the snake, but it flexed and dodged it. Serph threw a few more around on the battlefield. The snake dodged them too. What the snake didn''t realize is that Serph was not aiming for the snake, he was setting up the battlefield by limiting the movement of the snake and spreading out a few swords he could jump to and use.

    With a single sword in his hand, Serph waiting for the snake to lunge forward again. He stepped to the side, barely avoiding the fangs of the snake and slashed the skin. CLING. SHUUSH. The sword had made contact, but it slid off the skin of the snake. Serph focused his Internal Energy into his sword and waited for the snake again. As it flung its tail towards Serph, he tried to cut its skin again. CLING. SHUUSH. It simply slid off again.

    "What''s wrong?" thought Serph. "Am I just too weak? No, it is at Emperor Stage and so am I, I should have the strength to do it."

    Serph thought as he avoided the next few attacks. The swords that normally floated on his back could be used effectively to deflect single attacks. It was poor for multiple consecutive attacks though luckily, the snake did not have any.

    Akiza''s single attack came to mind. The Rising Phoenix Strike. It focused a lot of power into her fist. Serph tried the same thing, focusing all of his power into just the tip of his sword. "Sonic Thrust!" shouted Serph as he jumped forward with his sword.

    The snake saw this and spat acid. Serph intercepted it with one of his swords blocking the acid. The tip of his sword stabbed right into the head of the snake. It died instantly. "So focusing it all at the very tip can improve stabbing or thrusting power," he said to himself. "I will need to experiment more with this."

    Serph continued to test his swords and improve the flow of Internal Energy as well as learning to apply it to different places for the remainder of the year in the Immortal Realm.

 Chapter 053 - Lich (1)

    Managed to have time to get half a chapter out over the last few days due to family stuff. I''ll try to get the second half done tomorrow.

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    Akiza and Cixi headed into the Labyrinth. They felt a terrifying pressure unlike anything they have ever encountered. As they headed towards the source of terrifying pressure, they saw numerous people who had been killed. Some bodies were maimed, some frozen, others burnt. "Whatever it is can control at least fire and water," said Cixi.

    As they drew closer to the source, the terrying pressure only got stronger. There were signs that a few of the people who were fighting simply passed out from the pressure. "These people are not dead, but unconscious!" said Akiza.

    "It means that what we''re fighting is going to be at least of the Emperor Stage," said Cixi. "I want you to hide, you are no match for it."

    "Okay," said Akiza. As they drew close to the source, they saw it. It was an undead skeleton with glowing red eyes. It wore a purple robe and wore gloves with large red orbs in each hand. Underneath the robe was all bone. Akiza went into hiding as promised and watched the battle from afar.

    AHHHHH. Screams were heard. A man in armor had attempted to cut the head off of the skeleton, but his sword did not go through. The skeleton did not even flinch from the attack. The skeleton pushed the man away then prepared to a ball of fire from its hand. CLING. The sound of a sword clashing against bone. The hand with the ball of fire was pushed off course. The ball of fire was released into the sky and a loud explosion could be heard. BOOM. The explosion released a blast from which the wind could be felt on the ground.

    "Your opponent is me," said Cixi. "Go run!" she shouted.

    The man in armor said, "Thank you," before running away. The others in the area took this chance to run too.

    "It''s just me and you now monster," said Cixi. The skeleton backed away. Cixi fully Armatized with her ice armor and began to release her Domain. The air around suddenly chilled and the temperature dropped.

    The skeleton did not flinch. Its bones were not frozen. It continued to move and prepared another ball of fire. Cixi rushed in to close the distance. "This thing is a long range fighter," she thought. "I must get close and prevent it from using its fire."

    Cixi drew her sword as she charged. The skeleton released several consecutive balls of fire. Cixi raised her black turtle shell. The first two balls of fire bounced off and in different directions. BOOM. Their explosions could still be felt. The others came into contact with Cixi''s turtle shell. BOOM. The impact of the explosion scattered fire all around. Cixi could see that even with the protection of the turtle shell, the blue dress that she was wearing was being burnt.

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    Akiza saw it. The fire had cracked Cixi''s turtle shell shield. She would not be able to handle many. "I can''t do anything," said Akiza.

    "Yes you can," said Akira. "The Dragon Core."

    "What?" said Akiza.

    "Use the Dragon Core to increase the power of your fire," said Akira.

    Akiza quickly took out the Dragon Core Kongming had given her. She began to meditate to absorb it.

    Cixi cold not get close enough to the skeleton. It was releasing its fire very quickly. She swung her sword to try to use it as a whip, but the skeleton blocked it with its hands. She released water onto the ground. She then stabbed her sword into the ground, using the water as whips. Then, the skeleton changed its stance. It was no longer still. It stomped the ground. THUMP. It was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

    Cixi suddenly felt a pressure. The skeleton had released its own Domain. "An undead with a Domain?!?" she said in shock.

    The skeleton turned the water that Cixi had created earlier on the floor raised into the air and turned into icicles. It fired the icicles at Cixi. She removed her Armatization and raised a wooden barrier around herself. "I''m on the defensive!" she thought to herself. "This thing is too fast!"

    BOOM. An icicle had broken through Cixi''s wooden barrier. She Armatized again to focus on dodging. Her strongest attack was ice type, which would only make things worse if her opponent could control ice too.

    Cixi charged in to close the distance. She transformed it into a whip and grabbed one hand of the skeleton with it. "Got it!" she thought to herself.

    The skeleton raised its other hand to continue firing. But, as long as the skeleton continued to fire, it would not have time to free itself. Cixi moved fast in order to dodge the attacks. "If only I could fly!" she thought to herself.

    Cixi did something desperate. Following Akiza''s reckless fighting style might be the only way. She undid the water transformation of her sword and threw it at the skeleton. The skeleton stopped firing in order to deflect the sword. "I got you now!" Cixi thought to herself.

    "HA!" Cixi screamed as she threw a punch towards the skeleton''s chest. BOOM. Cixi''s punch had connected.

    CRACK. "The sound of broken bones!" thought Cixi. The skeleton was sent flying back and crashed into the building behind it. A cloud of dust rose.

    Cixi was now breathing heavily. "It is still alive," she said to herself. The impact had only broken one arm and damaged the torso. In order to kill a skeleton, the entire torso had to be shattered, but she had only cracked it.

 Chapter 054 - Lich (2)

    Most likely 2 more chapters after this, the current arc will end and it will go on hiatus until I figure out where to go from here. I only have a general idea, but no specifics yet.

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    The red eyes of the skeleton could be seen through the cloud of dust. It was not done yet. Cixi retrieved her sword and prepared to fight again. The skeleton began to release more balls of fire from its remaining good hand.

    Cixi focused on dodging. She had to get close again, but the same trick would probably not work twice.

    Suddenly, Cixi felt a rise in Internal Energy. The skeleton was distracted by this. "An opening!" she thought and charged in. BOOM. She hit the skeleton again, this time it had used its other hand to block it. CREAK. She had broken the arm of the skeleton "Still not good enough."

    The skeleton was badly injured. Both arms were partially cracked and the chest as well. It could at least no longer throw its balls of fire or icicles.

    Akiza charged in. Cixi could see the wings. "Are you okay Master?" Akiza asked.

    "Thank you," said Cixi.

    "What happened?" asked Akiza.

    "It got distracted," said Cixi. It was distracted because it felt the sudden increase in power from Akiza. "This thing is weakened, but still tough, so be careful."

    Akiza and Cixi both readied their swords. Through the cloud of dust that rose from the previous impact, they could still see the red glow of its eyes.

    The skeleton charged in to close range. Cixi aimed to strike its chest from the left. The skeleton raised its right arm and deflected it. CLING. Akiza aimed her fire enhanced punch towards the hip area of the skeleton. BOOM. Akiza''s fist had come into contact with something, but it was the skeleton''s left hand.

    Akiza and Cixi backed away. The hand of the skeleton had not even turned a single shade darker from Akiza''s flames. "Your fires are not strong enough," said Cixi.

    "But I must try!" said Akiza. She infused her sword with her fire and the glow of it grew brighter once more. "You are too weak to finish it off alone," Akiza said to Cixi.

    The two charged forward. Akiza was aiming low and Cixi was aiming high. Cixi used a horizontal slash. CLING. The skeleton caught it. Akiza slashed from the bottom left, attempting to cut off its leg. CLING. The skeleton managed to block it again.

    "I need more power!" Akiza thought to herself. The glow of her sword began to turn blue. The skeleton backed off.

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    "It''s working," said Cixi. She saw smoking coming from the skeleton''s leg. It was actually burnt from the previous attack. "Again!" she shouted as she ran forward.

    Akiza followed. Cixi used her sword and slashed horizontally at the skeleton. CLING. It used its arms to block it again. BOOM. The skeleton had kicked Akiza''s sword, knocking the sword out of her hands. "It''s still learning our patterns," said Cixi.

    Akiza gathered the pink flames in her hands to heal. "Are you okay?" asked Cixi.

    "Yes," said Akiza.

    The skeleton was running towards them. Cixi intercepted and blocked the skeleton''s arm as it came crashing down on Akiza. CLANG. The impact of the skeleton''s arm coming in contact with Cixi''s sword echoed throughout the ruins of the city.

    Akiza charged forward and released fire at the skeleton''s chest. "It''s no good," said Cixi. "You need your sword!"

    "More!" Akiza thought to herself. The amount of fire began to cover a smaller area and became more focused.

    The bones of the skeleton began to turn black. Cixi was now pushing back against the skeleton, but she could feel the heat of Akiza''s fire. The orange flames continued to focus into a smaller area. "You''re doing it!" shouted Cixi. "Just a little more."

    At that moment, the fire turned into a very narrow beam and pierced the chest of the skeleton clean through. There was a hole that went straight through its rib cage and out the back. The skeleton fell over.

    The two backed off. They could still feel the immense pressure of the Dark Energy that radiated from it. The feeling od Dark Energy began to decrease before disappearing. All that was left were some bones.

    "We did it!" said Cixi.

    The two collapsed on the floor exhausted and breathing heavily. "What was that?" asked Akiza.

    "You managed to focus your element into a narrow beam," said Cixi. "It''s not a shape, but it''s a start."

    Akiza had completed the first steps of element manipulation, but she had a long way to go to create shapes. At least for now, she could practice focusing her flames into a smaller area for more power.

    Cixi walked up and collected the bones into her storage ring. "This may finally be what you need," Cixi said to Akiza.

    "Was that an Emperor Stage monster?" Akiza asked.

    "We have to get these bones checked to be sure, but I think so," said Cixi.

 Chapter 055 - Arrivals

    Last chapter until I can finish planning the other schools. No idea how long that will take.

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    Akiza and Cixi were a mess. Their clothes were burnt and even their hair was a bit singed. "It was a skeleton that shot fire and ice at me," said Cixi. "We were only able to defeat it together." As Cixi said this, she hugged Akiza in close.

    That last fight against a much stronger opponent had taught Akiza that despite her immense Internal Energy, she was still using it very poorly. The two of them headed for the Labyrinth''s exit. Akiza thought that she would have to her efforts to focus on learning to manipulate her elements, but still ran into the same problems.

    "I just don''t see the difference between changing its shape and giving form to the flames," Akiza thought to herself. "Isn''t it the same thing?"

    Forming elements was not the same as generating it like Akiza had done in the past. It required other changes, like consistency, density, or intensity, all things Akiza had failed to grasp. The only time this really mattered for her was changing the colors of the flames or using her wings for more powerful. She was unable to make that connection.

    "You are always in too much of a rush," said Cixi. "Even though you were able to focus your flames into a smaller area, it is not the same as being able to manipulate the element as you wish."

    "I just don''t see the difference," said Akiza.

    "Think of it like water and ice," said Cixi. "They are both made of the same thing, yet the two of them are very different. How is it possible?"

    "Something about how they are made is what makes it different," said Akiza.

    "Correct," said Cixi. "Just like how they are made differently, you have to make your flames different."

    Akiza had always been just expending power to increase its effectiveness. To reduce the power or changing how it used to change the properties of her flames was something new and unknown to her. She was essentially starting from scratch when it came to this. In the past, she was only concerned with colors, now it was more than that, it was how the flames acted in general that she needed to know.

    "Can flames transform into anything else?" asked Akiza.

    "There are a few combinations that work with fire," said Cixi. "But I don''t know if it is as drastic as water to ice."

    "Combinations like wood?" said Akiza.

    "Exactly," said Cixi. "Remember when I told you about combining fire and earth?"

    "Yes, what about it?" said Akiza.

    "Fire and earth can also create lava, like the type that comes out of volcanoes," said Cixi. "If you were able to combine fire and earth, that would probably be the result. When you combine your earth and fire, it is nothing like that. It is just a piece of dirt surrounded by fire."

    Akiza thought about all the times that she had tried it. It was usually dirt and burnt dirt. It was nothing even close to the wood element that Cixi had. To combine them correctly and perfectly would give birth to a new element and a new power. However, Akiza can barely even shape her elements.

    "What we fought was an extremely tough monster," said Cixi. "If we both had the strength of Emperors, it would have been over fast because your first few attacks would have taken it out already."

    "Is the difference between Lord and Emperor so big?" Akiza asked.

    "There''s a big increase in being able to concentrate your power for attack or defense, but it depends on the user''s abilities," said Cixi.

    As Akiza and Cixi made their way to the entrance, they barely saw any people. "Where is everyone?" Akiza said.

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    "I don''t know," Cixi replied.

    "Isn''t this bad?" said Akiza. "There''s no one here to help stop the Dark Energy from leaking out."

    "Let''s hope it is temporary and people return later," said Cixi.

    Akiza and Cixi rested for a few days before deciding to continue. It was an intense fight and even Cixi was exhausted to the point where she was bedridden for a day. During this time, Akiza just continued to train shaping her fire. "I''m going to get us something, wait here," said Cixi.

    Akiza sat and waited in their room, playing with the fire in her hand. She was trying to get it to change into a real shape and form. Her training was poor and she made very little progress since she started. Although she was able to make a ball or an arrow, it still scattered like normal flames still. It was not an actual change to the form of the fire. It was neither explosive nor piercing.

    Cixi returned, she was wearing a new set of blue Cheongsam and holding another one that was red. It meant only one thing. "It''s your turn!" said Cixi as she pushed Akiza into a corner and turned around.

    It was a red Cheongsam that matched Cixi''s. Since theirs had gotten messed up in the previous fight, Cixi had gotten her new ones as well. Akiza had no choice but to obey. "See you look great," Cixi said as she showed Akiza a mirror.

    "I guess," said Akiza.

    "I''m pretty sure Serph would like to see you in it too," said Cixi.

    "What do you mean?" asked Akiza.

    "You''ll understand when you''re older," said Cixi. "But let''s get these bones looked at."

    The two headed back to Masa and Mune''s shop. Cixi walked up to Mune and took out the femur bones of the creature from the Labyrinth. "Can you make this into a sword?" she asked.

    Mune took a close look at the femur bones. He tapped the bone lightly. BOK BOK. He then took out a knife and tried to cut off one end of it. "Yes," said Mune, "but it will take some time."

    "How long?" Cixi asked.

    "Probably three days or so," said Mune. "It''ll be 50 gold a piece."

    "I thought you guys used Points here," said Akiza.

    "We can charge real money too, but we only do so for special things," said Mune. "This is Emperor Grade bone, not something easy to work with."

    "I''ll pay for it," said Cixi. "Could you make us two?" she said as she took out the other femur bone.

    "Sure," said Mune. "But it''ll probably be a week then."

    "That''s fine," said Cixi.

    "Then we''ll see you in a week," said Mune.

    The two of them left the store. There were a lot more people here now. Some of them were dressed in matching clothes.

    "Hold it," said Cixi as she raised her hand to stop Akiza from walking.

    Akiza saw a group of people in black and gold robes. There was another group in red and white. In fact, there were many groups of people with matching uniforms. "Who are those people?" Akiza asked.

    "They''re from other schools like West Wind Academy," said Cixi. "Did news already spread?"

    "News of what?" Akiza asked.

    "The Emperor Stage Lich that we fought," said Cixi. "Emperor Stage creatures are rare outside of Immortal Lands. But when they do, they are usually found in large numbers. However, here in Labyrinthos, there was only one, that makes it easy to hunt."

    "Is that why there''s so many people now?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "But this is bad."

    "How is this bad?" Akiza asked.

    "Stronger people are coming in an attempt to hunt for Emperor Stage Artifacts," said Cixi. "They''re most likely going to be fighting each other over hunting grounds if too many people show up."

 Chapter 055.5 - Earning Forgiveness

    Another in between chapter featuring Serph and a reformed certain person. Still working on planning the next arc, but it''s a bunch of small details about minor characters that are dragging me down.

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    Serph woke up to an unusual sight this morning. As he opened the door, there was a young man in West Wind Academy''s robes kowtowing in front of his door. "Who are you?" Serph asked.

    The young man looked up. He had burns on his cheek and his arms. It was Haman. "I''m here to ask for forgiveness," said Haman.

    "What for?" asked Serph.

    "I tried to kill you and Akiza more than once," said Haman. "I am here to apologize for it and I am not leaving until you accept it."

    "Well, the one you need to convince is not me, but rather Akiza," said Serph. "Though I would like you to convince your uncle to not try to kill Akiza."

    "I have already convinced Master Saki to let me fight Akiza in his place," said Haman.

    "Is it for revenge?" asked Serph.

    "No," said Haman. "I believe that is the only way Akiza would agree to see me."

    "Why are you doing this?" asked Serph.

    "I saw what my uncle was like," said Haman. "Even though he trained me, he was doing it for revenge against Master Cixi. Master Saki felt humiliated when I was defeated and Akiza was saved by Master Cixi. A younger Master had intervened and Master Pai Mei took the side of the younger Master as well."

    Serph looked at Haman''s arms. Even though the burns left by Akiza were still visible, there were other kinds of injuries present. There were recent bruises. Even if it was just training, it was sever. The wounds look like they were caused intentionally as well. "What kind of person do you want to be?" asked Serph.

    "I want to be the greatest," said Haman. "What I was earning before was not respect, it was fear. People got out of my way because they feared me, not because they respected me. I want to be known the greatest, but I want to be respected, not feared."

    "I will forgive you if you apologize to Akiza," said Serph.

    "Where is she by the way?" asked Haman.

    "She left with Master Cixi to train at Labyrinthos," said Serph. "I doubt you will see her for a while."

    "Then there''s nothing I can do," said Haman.

    "You can show me that you truly wish to apologize," said Serph.

    "How can I do that?" asked Haman.

    "I want to see how you fight," said Serph.

    "I know I cannot defeat you though," said Haman.

    "It isn''t about winning," said Serph. "You won''t be able to win every fight, but I care about what you do when you are in a fight you cannot win. If I see that you truly have changed, then I will help you."

    The two headed to the Training Grounds. A few spectators gathered. Both Serph and Haman were at the Emperor Stage now and it was rare to see two people at that level of development fight.

    Serph activated his Armatization and covered himself from head to toe in his armor. Behind him floated his four swords and he carried a fifth in his hand. Haman activated his armatization. The sword in his hand had a hint of green and a poisonous fog began to spread from his body. The ground underneath Haman turned into a small green pool of liquid. It was most likely poisonous as well.

    "Whenever you''re ready," said Serph.

    The spectators backed away from the poisonous fog. It was Haman''s Domain. However, Serph was protected by his own Domain and since Haman''s was spread far and thin, there was no way for it to actually penetrate Serph''s defenses.

    Haman dashed forward and slashed with his sword. Serph used his own to parry it. CLING. Serph''s sword began to turn green in color as he backed away. His sword was melting from the poison. "That''s my new ability," said Haman.

    "I see, but that won''t be a problem for me," said Serph. He materialized another sword in his hand.

    "Incredible," said Haman. "In the past, I would have been jealous of such an ability, now I marvel at its wonder."

    Serph kept an eye on Haman''s hands. Haman was known for throwing dirt from his hands as a sneak attack in the past. There was a chance he would do the same.

    Haman pulled out a fan of daggers from his sleeves. He closed his eyes as each one began to be tinted green. He was spreading his poison along the daggers. "I can''t use more than one sword, but I can do this!" he said. He now held five throwing daggers in one hand and a sword in another. It was his solution to being unable to wield two swords.

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    Serph noticed that the poison on the ground was spreading. The pool of green had gotten wider. It was slow, but Haman had created a time limit. If Serph did not finish Haman off, the pool of green poison would cover the entire stage. Serph instantly closed the distance. "Sonic Rush!" He charged forward with his bare hands.

    "I got you!" said Haman as he swung his sword. CLING. His sword clashed against one of the swords from Serph''s back. Haman was smiling. It was a very familiar grin that he had when he thought he had won. However, Serph''s sword was not melting. "How can it stand against my poison?!?" shouted Haman.

    "These swords and my armor are all special," said Serph. He had enhanced it with Divine Energy. Haman could not sense it yet, so he could not tell. The extra Divine Energy made it impossible for Haman to cut through it. BOOM. Serph punched Haman in the stomach.

    In the spot that Serph had it, Haman had turned it green as well. It was coated with poison. Serph looked at the armor on his hand and it had a little of the poison on him. If he did not had the armor, he would have been affected by it. But, Haman''s power had one great weakness. The strength of a Domain is influenced by how far you spread it. Haman''s poison always spread outwards from him, resulting in a much weaker Domain than another person at the Emperor Stage.

    "I concede," said Haman.

    "Are you sure?" asked Serph.

    "I cannot break your armor the way I am now," said Haman. "I know I have lost."

    "You give up too easily," said Serph. "If you concentrated your Domain, you might be able to do it."

    "Concentrate Domain?" said Haman. "What is that?"

    "It''s when you focus your Domain, in your case, your poisonous fog, into a very small area," said Serph. "It is more effective for offense and defense. Didn''t Master Saki teach you this?"

    "No," said Haman. "He only made me focus on gathering Internal Energy to become stronger."

    "I see," said Serph. "But, you didn''t use any dirty tricks this time, which is good in a fight like this."

    "I''m trying to change," said Haman.

    "But in the real world, it is okay to use tricks like that," said Serph.

    "Why is it okay out there?" asked Haman.

    "When you are fighting another to test your abilities, tricks are used for distraction and manipulation," said Serph. "When fighting out in the real world, it is for survival, and you do what you must to survive. There''s a difference."

    "I see," said Haman. "Thank you for the pointers," said Haman as he bowed.

    "For now, I will believe that you are trying to change," said Serph. "But you are not out of the dog house yet, I will keep an eye on you to make sure, but if you want to spar with me again, I will accept."

    "Thank you Master Serph," said Haman.

    "You don''t have to call me that, I turned down that position," said Serph.

    "Why?" asked Haman.

    "A position gives you prestige and fame, but that isn''t the only thing to be going after," said Serph. "It works for someone like you who wants to be known and respected, but it does not for me."

    "May I ask what are you after?" asked Haman.

    "Much like you, I do want some respect, but only from my father," explained Serph. "I don''t care much about what most other people think of me."

    "Then why are you still here at West Wind?" asked Haman. "You should be strong enough."

    "That''s because the Grandmaster has entrusted me with a task," said Serph. "Until I accomplish it, I will put my own goals aside."

    "Isn''t that against your own goals?" asked Haman. "Why are you doing such a thing?"

    "Sometimes, in order to be respected by someone, you have to do things that may conflict with your original goals," said Serph. "In the long run through, there is importance. We often judge what we get from doing something based on what happens immediately after and we fail to consider long term."

    "Is that why you are doing this?" asked Haman.

    "Yes, someone saved me, and I owe it to them to save them," explained Serph.

 Chapter 056 - Commotion

    It resumes, but probably at a slower pace. I finally got some of the names I wanted worked out.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The group in three men in black and gold robes walked into Masa and Mune''s shop. They eyed Cixi before heading in. Akiza could feel their strength. Each of them was superior to her, they were all at least in the Emperor Stage. Even though Akiza had made progress into the Lord Stage, she was barely able to start shaping her element in order to give it power.

    Cixi had warned Akiza before. If there was more than one Emperor Stage opponent, they would not be able to win. The leader of the three was a much taller man with black hair and brown eyes. He was taller than the others by a significant amount. "I''m here for the Emperor Artifact," said the leader.

    "Sorry, but only the one who deposited parts in the first place can retrieve them," said Mune. "Our policy is to hold them until then. If you have a problem with this, you will need to speak to the receptionist downstairs." In other words, talk to Himiko about it.

    "Do you know who I am?" asked the man.

    "Enlighten me," said Mune. Mune was actually provoking the man. He was much bigger and stronger than Mune yet Mune acted like he was nothing.

    "I am the Fifth Pavilion Master of the Black Dragons, Master Jinlong," said the tall man.

    "Never heard of you," said Mune.

    Jinlong was furious. Akiza could see the veins pop out from his head as he raised his fist. "Don''t do it!" shouted one of the other men who was with him.

    BANG. Jinlong smashed the desk. "What are you going to do about?" asked Jinlong. "Your cultivation is so weak that I can''t even feel your power."

    Himiko suddenly appeared at the front entrance of the store and walked in. "Do you know the rules here?" Himiko asked.

    "I don''t care about your rules," said Jinlong. "I''m here to retrieve the Emperor Artifact for my clan."

    Himiko stood in front of the man who towered over her. "This is your last warning," said Himiko. "Pay for the damages and walk away."

    "You have no cultivation either," said Jinlong. "You can''t stop me, no one here can stop me!"

    Jinlong could not feel Himiko''s Divine Energy. That meant that he did not stand a chance against Himiko who was an Immortal that had spent multiple lifetimes cultivating and developing her Divine Energy.

    Himiko got into a fighting stance. She positioned her left arm with her palm opened. Her right hand was in a fist.

    "Hah, you can''t stand against me," said Jinlong. He raised his arm and threw a punch towards Himiko.

    Himiko used her left arm and her palm intercepted Jinlong''s fist. BOOM. The impact between their Internal Energy and their attacks shattered the glass at Masa and Mune''s shop. The entire room shook and some of the swords on display on the walls even fell down. "You''re paying for that too," said Himiko.

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    Jinlong was surprised. The woman in front of him had no Internal Energy, yet she was able to stop his attack.

    Himiko used her right hand and punched Jinlong in the stomach. BOOM. Jinlong bent at a ninety degree angle and fell onto the ground. His eyes turned white and he foamed from the mouth. In a single attack, he collapsed onto the floor and fainted.

    "Now, you three need to pay for this damage," said Himiko.

    The other two men with Jinlong were afraid, they did not know what to do. Himiko glared that them with her arms crossed. "Did you hear what I said?" Himiko asked as she released Internal Energy.

    Akiza could feel a terrifying amount of Internal Energy denser than she could ever imagine. It was like the entire world around her was trying to crush her. She looked at Cixi and saw that even Cixi, who had reacted to it by activating her Armatization was shaking at her knees. The men in front of Himiko were terrified to the point that they fell on the floor.

    "I''m sorry," said the man as he took out two bags filled with coins. "Take this."

    Himiko looked at the bag. "It feels a little light," she said.

    "Take mine too," said the other man who took out his money too.

    "That''s better," said Himiko. " If I see anyone from your clan here again, I''m going to make sure they will be leaving in pieces. Do I make myself clear?"

    "Yes," the two men said in unison.

    "Now take that weak trash out of here," said Himiko as she pointed to Jinlong who was lying on the floor.

    The pressure being exhibited by Himiko suddenly disappeared. The two men picked up the big man and dragged him towards the exit. This was the power of an Immortal. She kept order in the place with pure strength alone. No one could stand against her except for maybe another Immortal.

    "She''s so strong," said Akiza as she panted heavily on the ground.

    "That''s the power of an Immortal," said Cixi. "I never felt such a large amount of Internal Energy before."

    "Me neither," said Akiza. "I always thought that Immortals only used Divine Energy, which is why we cannot sense them unless we have been exposed to it themselves."

    It could only mean one thing. Even Immortals were still continuing to gather Internal Energy and converting it to Divine Energy. They were still becoming stronger as they grew older. Someone like Kongming who had been alive for probably a few hundred years was already extremely strong. There''s no telling how long Himiko had been around, but it seemed like she has been around for longer than Kongming.

    But there were going to be more problems ahead. As news that an individual Emperor Stage creature appeared, members of other schools started to appear, all with the intent of trying to acquire one for themselves. This was the beginning of an unofficial interschool competition, one between all the schools in a race to acquire Emperor Stage Artifacts.

 Chapter 057 - Pressure

    Cixi looked at Akiza with a worried look. "What''s wrong Master?" asked Akiza.

    "You need to get stronger much faster," said Cixi.

    "Why?" asked Akiza.

    "With the other schools sending their Emperor Stage people over, you need to be at the same level as them," said Cixi.

    "But I haven''t even gotten control over my elements yet," said Akiza.

    "Which is why I''m going to train you first," said Cixi. "We''re going outside of Labyrinthos for a while to do this, but don''t worry, we''ll be back soon."

    "Alright," said Akiza. "I trust you."

    Cixi led Akiza outside of the city of Labyrinthos, back to the road where they walked into the city from. They headed to the nearby trees. "Alright, give me a second," said Cixi.

    Cixi walked around looking for something. She picked up a medium sized rock and put it in front of Akiza. "Focus your Internal Energy on this rock and try to remember the feeling as your flames take on the shape of it," said Cixi.

    Akiza focused on the rock, but the rock turned orange. It was getting hot. The flames were spreading from the outside to the inside of it. "Ow!" shouted Akiza as she let go of the rock.

    "Remember, only the outside," said Cixi.

    "Alright," said Akiza as she tried again.

    Meanwhile, Cixi gathered some other objects. One of them was a stick. There were a few blades of grass and leaves as well. "When you can form just a flame around the rock, we will move on to the next step," said Cixi.

    Akiza tried it several times. She screamed a little each time she burnt her hand with the rock. "I can''t do it," said Akiza.

    "Yes you can," said Cixi. "You''re trying to do things too fast."

    "But you said I have to do this first before anything else," said Akiza. "I have to hurry before the others beat me to whatever I''m looking for in the Labyrinth."

    "Relax," said Cixi. "Fire is more than just a burning desire. It is also the warmth of life and the warmth of love. When you try to hold on to something too much, it hurts you too."

    That was something difficult for Akiza to understand. She lost her parents at a young age. The only thing even close to a family was Serph, who was kind of like the older brother she never had. Akira was sort of like a father figure, but he could not offer much by himself.

    Akiza tried something else, she tried to remember the exact moment when she was able to focus her flames into a single beam. It was at that moment that she was driven to do something. She was driven to help and to protect Cixi, who was losing ground against the Lich. Her anger and rage was what limited her abilities. She thought about all the times she helped and protected Serph. The feelings that she had at those times. It was driven by her goal of wanting to help someone rather than the goal being to hurt an enemy.

    Akiza focused, trying to let go of her desire to become stronger for herself. It was not easy. She wanted to be stronger in order to protect herself. She wanted to be stronger to be able to help Cixi. The problem was that it was always focused on herself rather than her goal. Day after day, she practiced. Until eventually, she was able to do it. Flames around a rock without heating the rock itself. The orange flames wrapped around the rock, but would disappear the moment Akiza let go of the rock. "I did it," said Akiza.

    "You need to be able to do that consistently," said Cixi. "Can you do it ten times in a row?"

    Akiza tried it. Doing it once was not too hard, but doing it consistently was much different. The early Stages were all about increasing your power. The later Stages were all about controlling it. Akiza''s attacks often focused on delivering the maximum amount of power in a single attack and even her personality was like that, so maintaining control was what was difficult. Release too much power and you burn everything you touch.

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    Three out of ten times. Four out of then times. Three out of ten times. Five out of ten times. Six out of ten times. Eight out of ten times. Six out of ten times. There was gradual progress, but it took numerous attempts. Eventually, Akiza was able to do it. "Ten out of ten times!" shouted Akiza.

    "Now, recreate that feeling without the use of the rock," said Cixi.

    Akiza focused and did as told. In the palm of her hand emerged a small ball of fire.

    "Throw it somewhere," said Cixi.

    Akiza threw the ball of fire into the distance. BOOM. There was an explosion that left a small black patch of ground. "I did it," said Akiza. "That''s a fireball."

    "That''s correct," said Cixi. "Now you must learn the other basic forms."

    Cixi handed Akiza the stick. "Same thing as before," said Cixi. "Focus your flames on the area around the stick. Start small and work your way up. If there''s smoke, your flames are too hot."

    Akiza tried to focus on the stick. The first thing that happened was that the tip of the stick began to glow orange and white smoke came out. In other words, it was too hot. She had to tone down the flames so that it would not burn everything. Only after understanding how much heat the object she was using could take did she understand that she had to lower the power output in exchange for the weapon. Using brute force with flames to enhance a weapon could soften and make your weapon bend or break. After going through several sticks, Akiza finally found the special spot where it was possible to create a light flame around the stick without making anything burn.

    This was the basis for the Lord Stage techniques of being able to give shape to an elemental. With this, she was able to figure out how to make spears and lances out of flames. "Why did you not teach me this earlier Master?" asked Akiza.

    "You''re supposed to discover these techniques on your own as a way to develop your character," said Cixi. "But circumstanes have changed. With the other schools roaming around Labyrinth, it''s no longer safe for you unless you become stronger."

    In other words, Akiza was now the one holding them back. Cixi needed to protect Akiza, but she is still only oner person at the Emperor Stage. There was no way that Akiza could fight an Emperor Stage. After all, there was such a large gap in development.

    The third was to be able to affect a small area, simulated by the effect of being able to burn only the stem of a leaf and having it spread outwards to the other areas. No matter how hard Akiza tried though, she failed. It would always burn up the whole leaf too quickly. "I can''t do it master," said Akiza.

    "This is the hardest one," said Cixi. "That''s because you need a fairly strong flame to start it, but you need to be able to control the strong flame, which is very difficult."

    Akiza continued to try, but the same thing happened every time. The stem would light up orange, then in an instant, the whole leaf would be set on fire. Her flames were simply too strong.

    But, with this, Akiza was now able to shape her flames into at least fireballs or lances. The fireballs had a bit of explosive power. If she could use it at close range with her flames, it could increase the explosive power of her Rising Phoenix Strike. The pointed shape could make her arm like a spear with penetrating power that could rip through someone''s Domain as well. Without a Domain of her own though, Akiza did not have the defensive abilities to match someone at the Emperor Stage. As long as she could avoid the attacks and use her speed to her advantage, it would not be a problem though. After all, she had wings and could fly while others could not. But more than anything, Akiza wanted to be at the Emperor Stage so that she could have her own Domain and not hold Cixi back.

 Chapter 058 - Escalation

    Once Cixi felt that Akiza had enough mastery over the shaping of her elements she returned with Cixi returned to Labyrinthos, they started seeing people from other schools in their uniforms. "This is real bad," said Cixi. "There''s so many people."

    "Is it really that bad?" Akiza asked.

    "The schools are all in a competition to acquire more power," said Cixi. "Usually, they settle for the development of secret skills and techniques for their school, but something like an Emperor Stage Artifact is another story altogether."

    "What makes them so valuable?" Akiza asked.

    "When Artifacts are at the Emperor Stage, they amplify more than just basic attacks," said Cixi. "They become part of your Armatization, they increase the power of your Domain even further. It''s like getting a weapon that is just as strong as you."

    "Is that why there''s suddenly so many more people?" asked Akiza.

    "Did you remember?" Cixi asked. "Normally, Emperor Stages appear in large numbers, but in the Labyrinth, there was just one. That means you could single it out and fight it by itself without interruption from others. As long as you can beat the other people in the Labyrinth, it is almost a guaranteed Emperor weapon."

    "It just seems like they''re trying to do so much for just a small item," said Akiza.

    "A single Emperor Stage Artfiact is worth a tremendous amount of money," said Cixi. "If you sold it, assuming they did not kill you for it first, you could probably live comfortably for a lifetime."

    "It did not seem like much for Masa and Mune to work on it though," said Akiza.

    "I think that''s because we''re on good terms with Himiko and them, so we''re an exception," said Cixi.

    "I think we should get away from here for a while," said Akiza. "If there''s so many people fighting, we might not be able to find what I''m supposed to be looking for."

    "But the problem is that there''s also a chance that you can only find it when people are fighting," said Cixi.

    "What do you mean?" asked Akiza.

    "When Internal Energy is applied to an object, it sometimes changes," said Cixi. The Labyrinth itself is huge, but if there are people fighting all over, then they will be releasing Internal Energy into the environment. Perhaps the Internal Energy will react with something and only then will you find what you are looking for."

    "So we use the other people to help us?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "For now, lets leave the weapons that Masa and Mune made at their shop. After all, it''s something that would only make people chase after us okay?"

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    The two headed into Labyrinthos. Himiko was at the front desk registering people from numerous schools. There was a sudden increase in the number of people who wanted to enter because of the news of the Emperor Stage creature. "So what should we do?" Akiza asked.

    "Let''s take it slowly," said Cixi. "First, I''m going to pretend to be training you, so you will continue to fight weak enemies in the Labyrinth."

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    "We will use that excuse to walk around, but we will avoid any fights with the other schools okay?" Cixi said in a tone that made it seemed like she was asking a question when she was really telling Akiza not to do something.

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    "Let''s go then," said Cixi. The two headed to the back and entered the Labyrinth.

    There were far more people running around near the entrance to the Labyrinth than before. Most people were organized into matching uniforms, signaling that they belonged to a school. "Alright, go ahead," said Cixi.

    "Okay," said Akiza as she started to head into the ruins.

    It was here that she saw a Jiangshi. It was fighting with a man from another school. She decided it was best to avoid them and went around them. She circled around them to go deeper into the ruins of the city.

    "I don''t feel anything different here," said Cixi.

    "Me neither," said Akiza. "I feel a lot of different people with Internal Energy, but nothing that stands out."

    "There must be something that we''re doing wrong," said Cixi.

    "Halt!" someone shouted.

    A man in a blue and white robe approached them. "This is the territory of the Blue Dragon Clan."

    "There''s no marked territories in Labyrinthos," said Cixi.

    "There is now," said the man as he drew his sword.

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    Akiza could feel his power. He was someone at the Emperor Stage.

    "So it''s become like this huh?" said Cixi. "You people are going around claiming lands that belong to others as your own. I''m sick of people like you."

    Akiza saw that Cixi was angry. Cixi''s face changed entirely. Akiza had never seen Cixi angry like this before. It was almost as if she had a personal vendetta against him.

    "If you''re going to trespass into our lands, you will perish," said the man. "Everyone we have a trespasser!"

    Three others appeared. Two in the Lord Stage, one in the Emperor Stage. "You take the ones in the Lord Stage," said Cixi. "I''ll take this one in the Emperor Stage."

    Akiza instantly activated her Armatization. With a sword in hand she flew towards the two men. "It''s just a little girl," said one of the men. "I''ll take care of her then we can all join the boss."

    Akiza could tell that she was being underestimated, but that was to her advantage. They would probably not use their full power in the first attack. "Rising Phoenix Strike!" Akiza''s new attack was enhanced because of her ability to shape the elements. She decided to make the front of the attack sharp so that it would pierce through defenses and weapons. What used to be a fist now resembled something like a claw.

    BOOM. The moment Akiza''s attack came into contact with the man, the man bent into a 45 degree angle. The man coughed up some blood as he was sent flying. BOOM. There was a second loud noise as the man was sent crashing into the ruins. Akiza could see that there was blood dripping out of the man''s mouth. He was injured internally. Even if he could get up, he would be severely injured.

    The second man instantly raised his guard. He knew that Akiza was not someone to be underestimated. Akiza flew towards him and swung her sword. The man parried the attack with his own and raised his leg for a kick. Akiza raised her arm to block it. BANG. The blow of the kick was still enough to knock Akiza back. As strong as she was, the man was bigger than her and that weight advantage gave him a little more power than her.

    There was a sudden chill. Cixi had released her Domain. It was strong enough to overwhelm the man that she was fighting. The man Cixi was fighting had released his own Domain that turned the ground near him to something like sand, but Cixi''s Domain overwhelmed the man''s causing the ground near the man to freeze solid. The man in front of Akiza felt it too. He was not used to fighting in a Domain. Akiza had been exposed to it on multiple occasions. She was either used to it at this strength or Cixi was purposely directing it to reduce its influence on Akiza.

    The man in front of Akiza was weakened. He raised his sword, but he was slower than before. Akiza was able to dodge it easily. She could see that the man''s hand had turned a little pale. Akiza charged forward with her sword. The man raised his sword, but he was weakened. CLANG. In a single hit, Akiza knocked the sword out of the man''s hand.

    "Don''t kill me please," said the man.

    "I won''t," said Akiza. "But I don''t know if Master will."

    "Get out of here," said Cixi. "Don''t go around claiming land that belongs to everyone."

    The two men picked up their injured friend and ran away. Cixi was strong for an Emperor Stage. Akiza could tell. Cixi''s Domain was one that was fully developed at the peak, but required Divine Energy to progress further. "You did well," said Cixi as she put her hand on Akiza.

    "Thank you," said Akiza.

    "Now, let''s get back to searching," said Cixi.

    "Isn''t it too dangerous to continue anymore?" asked Akiza.

    "No, we''re fine," said Cixi. "If we meet someone we cannot beat, we can just back off. These people are not here to hurt us, they''re here for an Emperor Stage Artifact. If they weaken themselves fighting us, when an Emperor Stage does appear, they will be unable to fight others who are competing with them for it."

    Akiza remembered how strong the Lich was. Cixi and Akiza were barely able to beat it. Some schools brought over three Emperor Stages to try to fight it together, but many did not have that many people, so they brought over an Emperor Stage and a few weaker people at the Lord Stage to help. If other people were doing the same, it was going to get messy real fast. If the fights in the Labyrinth carried over outside of school, they were going to have an even bigger mess after this resolves.

 Chapter 059 - Seal

    As Akiza and Cixi made their way through the Labyrinth, there were other groups who were beginning to claim territory. Some of them were even working together, attempting to claim the lands closest to the entrance to prevent people from exploring it altogether. But, this was not enough to stop the disciples of the Frozen Sea Palace, three young Emperor Stage women dressed in different shades of blue who specialized in using water and ice.

    Cixi and Akiza watched as the three of them fought against three Emperor Stage people from another three Emperor Stage group consisted of two men and one woman in red and white robes. The other group was from the Earth Palace. Contrary to their name, they actually did not specialize in Earth, but rather all four basic elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. The clash between their Domains had already changed the landscape with multiple buildings and the ground covered in ice.

    One of the women from in blue slashed her sword and released a giant blade of ice that moved. The woman from the other team countered it by raising a wall of rock. SHING. The blade of ice embedded itself in the rock. It had almost cut clean through.

    One of the men in red and white robes kicked the piece of wall that was partially cut through at the three women. One of the women raised her sword. With a single overhead slash, it cut clean right through the rock. Their match was at a stalemate. One side would attack, the other would defend. Little progress was made by either side, but their conflict released a huge amount of Internal Energy. The buildings around them showed signs of battle scars with rocks, ice, and fire everywhere.

    "Let''s keep going," said Cixi. "It''s dangerous to stay here."

    Akiza continued to hear the sounds of fire and ice clash behind them, but with this, they were able to sneak through as the others fought. Even as they moved away, Akiza could still feel the constant shifting temperatures in the wind because of the ice users.

    "I feel something around here," said Akiza.

    "Where is it coming from?" asked Cixi.

    Akiza focused and tried to sense where it was coming from, but the constant violent clash of Internal Energy was making it difficult. "I can''t tell," said Akiza. "There''s too much Internal Energy. It''s like there''s thousands of them all being released at once."

    "That''s because there probably is," said Cixi. "All those people are trying to secure the land before an Emperor Stage appears."

    "I think it''s coming from this direction," said Akiza as she pointed West.

    "Then let''s go," said Cixi.

    Most people stayed away from the current area because of the clash between six Emperors. That was something extremely dangerous to be too close to. One stray shot and you could be dead. But as long as they were busy fighting, Akiza and Cixi would be able to keep looking.

    Akiza and Cixi approached a large building that was still mostly intact. It was different from the others that were mostly destroyed. "It''s coming from in here," said Akiza.

    They looked around for an entrance, but there was none. There was also no windows to go through or anything. It was completely contained. Cixi smashed her arm against the side of the building, but nothing happened. She did not feel an impact. It was as if the entire building simply absorbed the attack. "Let''s move the rubble out of the way," said Cixi.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    The two began to move the large pieces of rocks out of the way to see if they could find anything here. Some of the rocks had holes in them and others had burn marks. It was a sign that large scale fighting occurred here at some point. When it was cleared, there was a metal double door. The building itself had no damage at all. In front of it was a glyph that had a cross in the center and four empty circles in each of the cardinal directions. "What is it?" asked Akiza.

    Cixi touched the glyph. "It''s a glyph, we just have to get it work," she said.

    "Stop right there!" shouted a female voice.

    Cixi applied a layer of ice to it, making it seem like battle damage from the previous fight.

    Akiza and Cixi turned around. It was the three women from the Frozen Sea Palace. They had probably finished their fight with the people from the Earth Palace. "We''re not looking for a fight or competing for your Emperor Stage monster," said Cixi.

    "Then what are you doing here?" asked the woman who stepped forward.

    "I''m just here to train my disciple," said Cixi. "We were here when the whole mess started."

    "As long as you''re not here for the Emperor Stage, then that''s fine," said the woman. "But if I see you there, I will kill both of you."

    Cixi took a deep breath as the three women walked away. "That was close," said Cixi.

    "Why didn''t attack us?" asked Akiza.

    "That''s because they did not feel that we were a threat," said Cixi. "We''re only two people with one Emperor Stage. If they fought us after fighting the other three Emperors they would only weaken themselves. Then, if the Emperor Stage creature did appear, they would probably be too weak to fight."

    "So they are avoiding fights unless absolutely necessary,"said Akiza.

    "Exactly," said Cixi. "That''s usually the smart thing to do. But for now, let''s take a look at that glyph."

    Cixi smashed the ice with her hand and started examining the glyph. "I have no clue how to activate this, why don''t you try?" Cixi asked.

    Akiza walked up to it and touched it, but nothing happened. "I don''t think it''s me either."

    "Well, the glyph is meant to react to something, so let''s try what we can," said Cixi. She pulled out her sword and pointed it at the center. That was not it. She created a vine to cover it. Nothing happened. Cixi Armatized and touched the glyph. The glyph shined blue for a second, but nothing happened. "It''s reacting to Armatization," said Cixi. "But mine isn''t work."

    Akiza Armatized herself and put her hand on the glyph. The glyph shined red as the circle on the right lit up to a bright red. "It worked?" said Akiza confused.

    "Try pushing it," said Cixi.

    Akiza pushed the metal doors and they slid open. Inside was pitch black. "Should we go in?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said Cixi. "This might be what Grandmaster Kongming wanted you to find."

    The two stepped into the darkness inside the building.

 Chapter 060 - Trial of the Phoenix

    There''s a high chance I may reboot this series and rewrite it to implement the ideas that I''ve come up with and developed since I started writing. There''s a lot of mistakes and things that should be redone. If it does happen, I''m going to redo it from scratch and change a lot of it to better suit the traditional Wuxia style.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    As Cixi and Akiza entered into the darkness, they could not see nor feel anything.

    "What is this place?" asked Akiza.

    "I don''t know," said Cixi. "But it''s a building that is protected and clearly meant to serve a purpose to you."

    Seven flames of different colors appeared in a circle around Akiza and Cixi. Straight ahead was a red one. The other flames all began to converge on the red one. Each time a flame joined the red one, it changed color. It first became a mix of red and orange, then a dark yellow, then appeared a shade of green. The entire flame then turned blue, followed by purple. Finally, the last flame joined what was the red flame and the entire thing turned into a bright white flame.

    "KYAA!" There was a high pitched scream of a bird as the white flame transformed into the shape of a bird with its wings wide opened. It closed its wings.

    "It''s a phoenix!" shouted Cixi.

    "It''s been a while since there''s been a Hero to visit me," said the phoenix as it faced Akiza.

    Akiza felt a huge amount of mixed energy pouring fourth from the phoenix. It was a powerful being that was at least equal to someone who was at the upper end of the Emperor Stage if not higher than that. For some reason though, the flames were not hot. "What am I doing here?" Akiza asked.

    "You are here to make sure that you are ready to fight the Demons," said the phoenix. "To do this, we put each Hero through a trial based on the element that he or she awakens first."

    "In her case, it''s the phoenix," said Cixi.

    "That is correct, Hero, you must undergo the Trial of the Phoenix," said the phoenix.

    "What must I do?" Akiza asked.

    "The first is a test to see how you do in a fight alone," said the phoenix. "That means you are to fight without a spirit and without a weapon."

    "How long will this take?" asked Akiza.

    "It all depends on you," said the phoenix. "Depending on how well you do, you will have a number of stages. If you pass this test, you will become much stronger."

    Akiza needed strength, strength that would allow her to fight against someone at the Emperor Stage. "I will do it," said Akiza.

    "You will still here," said the phoenix as it looked at Cixi. "Even if she is your pupil, this is a trial she must undergo alone. Do you understand?"

    Cixi nodded and stepped back. "I understand," said Cixi.

    The phoenix wrapped its wings around Akiza. All Akiza saw was bright flash of light. When the light cleared, she was in a pitch black room. The door that was behind her was gone. Akiza suddenly felt warm. "Where am I?" Akiza asked.

    "You are in a special location within the Trial Grounds," said the phoenix. "It is here that you must undergo your first test. Now watch your step."

    The room began to light up. At her feet was solid rock. In the distance, she noticed a red bubbling liquid. It was lava. In the distance the rocks began to shake. Akiza could feel the earth moving beneath her.

    BUMP. BUMP. The ground underneath her was shaking. A pile of rocks had assembled itself into a golem with a large sword. It began to walk towards Akiza. The ground continued to shake. Another golem appeared, this one wielded an axe. There was more than one. When the ground finally stopped shaking, there was at least five, but more were appearing. "How many are there?" Akiza asked.

    "I estimate about a hundred," said the phoenix.

    "One hundred?!?" Akiza shouted in response to that statement. "That''s impossible."

    "Nothing should be impossible for a Hero," said the phoenix. "You''re expected to perform miracles, this will simply be your first. If you pass this test, you will be given even more incredible powers."

    Akiza was at a disadvantage in terms of size, weight, and strength. With nothing but flames alone, and her fists, she must take down a hundred golems. But, Akiza remembered, she was not a normal person anymore. Her cultivation had granted her immense strength and speed. Even without the phoenix spirit, she could use the techniques like Phoenix Steps and Rising Phoenix Strike.

    Akiza decided it was best to see how well she could do against one before they could gather. She charged forward towards the golem. She focused her Internal Energy into a fist. BANG. With a powerful swing, her fist connected with the chest of the golem. It fell back and crushed the golem behind it. Its sword dropped on the side. The one she hit had survived, but it cracked.

    The danger here was the large number of golems, not their strength. Akiza picked up the sword wielded by the golem. It was extremely heavy and all she could do was drag it along the floor. It was basically useless. The axe was going to be even heavier. The spear was the only thing she might be able to use, but it was also far too long for her. They were weapons designed for golems after all, not people.

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    BANG. Akiza felt something smash against her back. She turned around and saw another golem wielding a mace. She was lucky that her strong Internal Energy protected her from the force of that attack. It would have probably broken the bones of any normal person. Each of the golems alone were probably at the Limit or Spirit Stage. In other words, very weak compared to Akiza. The difference was that their physique made them tough to destroy and it also gave them incredible natural strength.

    Akiza slowly worked her way through them. Throwing punches left and right, constantly moving to take advantage of her speed in order to avoid being hit. The ones with the maces and axes were the physically strongest while the ones wielding swords were the fastest followed by the ones with spears. With this in mind, Akiza could time how long it took them to swing and find openings.

    BANG. Each time Akiza punched a golem, it was sent flying a few feet and crushed its comrades behind it. Akiza did not avoid everything though. The clothes that Cixi had gotten her were already very damaged. The sleeves were heavily torn, the part that covered her back practically did not exist anymore and the flaps in the front and back had numerous holes in it. Akiza had taken more than two dozen hits in total so far.

    Akiza tried to lift the other weapons, but they were all too heavy for her. She had to use just her hands. A golem approached Akiza and thrust out its spear. Akiza dodged to the side and punched the spear. The shift in weight caused the golem to tip over and fall on top of its neighbor, crushing it.

    From behind, another golem approached with its axe. It swung fiercely in a half circle. Akiza tackled it and knocked it off balance before it could recover from its swing. It fell over and was crushed by its own axe. As strong as the golems were, they were brainless and predictable.

    Another golem approached from Akiza''s side. She focused Internal Energy into her shoulder and tackled it. BANG. Pieces of the golem broke off of the main body as the golem tipped over and fell. BOOM. The ground shook as it fell over onto its friends.

    As the numbers thinned, it became easier for Akiza to move around. She could position herself to strike a golem and watch as it fell over its comrades, crushing them. Soon, Akiza was down to just one.

    The golem raised its arms and shaped itself like an X. The ground began to shake. "It''s doing something," Akiza thought.

    The golem began to surround itself with the bodies of the other golems. It was beginning to fuse with the others. As the body of each golem came into contact with it, the body broke into smaller and smaller pieces. Eventually, the outside of the golem looked more like sand than rock. It also began to emit Internal Energy, one that rivaled someone at the Lord Stage.

    Akiza swung her fist wrapped in flames at the golem. PFFF. Her fist went right through the side of the golem as if she was punching through sand.

    The golem raised its sword and swung at Akiza. Akiza feinted to the lower right attempting to strike the golem in the chest. PFFF. Again, Akiza hit sand that cushioned her attack and prevented her from hitting the rock body of the golem.

    As slow as the golem was, Akiza could not hurt it. She needed more power. Akiza launched a ball of fire at the golem. PFFF. Some sand was blown off of it, but it did basically nothing. Her flames needed to be much hotter. Akiza tried to concentrate while evading the golem swinging the sword at her. As she focused, the colors of the flame in her hand began to change. From what was normally red in color, it turned to orange as she focused, the orange color became lighter and lighter.

    When the flames turned almost white, Akiza turned to confront the golem. The golem raised its sword high up into the air. Akiza turned sideways aiming straight for the ribs of the golem. The golem smashed its sword downward with one arm, exposing its opposite side. Akiza swung her fist. CLANG. With a powerful punch, Akiza heard the sound of something breaking.

    Akiza felt pain in her hand. It had been cut and she was bleeding a little. She immediately began to apply her pink flames to it in order to stop the bleeding. She looked at the golem. The side of it had turned to glass and was broken. She needed to do it one more time on the other side, then it would collapse under its own weight.

    Akiza focused her flame again. The golem was struggling to walk properly. It was big and heavy, so something like missing a portion of its body threw it off balance. It was moving much slower than before. She recreated the feeling and the flames turned to a light orange much faster. Akiza threw another punch, this time at where the stomach would be.

    CLANG. The golem broke into two large pieces with small rocks everywhere. Akiza looked around her to make sure there were no more surprises. Then, she heard a voice.

    "You have passed the first test," said the phoenix.

    "How many more?" Akiza asked.

    "Two more," said the phoenix. "Are you ready for you second trial?"

    "No," said Akiza.

    "Well, you don''t get to rest," said the phoenix. "It begins immediately!"

    A purple flame appeared and turned into the shape of a person. It was the woman in purple.

 Chapter 061 - Trial of the Phoenix (2)

    Before Akiza stood the woman in purple. Another version of Akiza who gave in to her selfish desires. "I thought you were supposed to protect me," said Akiza.

    "I am protecting you," said the woman in purple. "I''m making sure you''re ready to face what''s coming next and so that you don''t do anything stupid. In a way, I am protecting you."

    The body of the woman ignited with purple flames all over. Her wings on her back grew extremely large as she rose into the air. Akiza Armatized as well. POOF. Her Armatization completely disappeared.

    "I told you, you can''t use your spirits here," said the phoenix. Five orbs of different colors appeared in front of the phoenix. They were the spirits that Akiza had.

    "How am I supposed to fight someone who is Armatized without one of my own?" asked Akiza.

    "Figure it out," said the phoenix.

    Without access to Akiza''s main mode of combat, she could not compete against the woman in purple. "I won''t kill you," said the woman in purple. "I''m just going to break your legs so you can''t go anywhere."

    Akiza watched as the woman in purple began circling above her in the sky. The woman in purple dove straight down towards Akiza. BOOM. With a single punch, the ground erupted as dirt and sand flew in every direction. If it had connected with Akiza, she would have been dead. The woman in purple was not holding back her strength, though she was holding back her intensity.

    "How am I supposed to compete with that?" asked Akiza.

    "Power comes from more than just Armatization," said the woman in purple. "I can fight you without it as well," she said as she descended from the sky.

    The moment the woman in purple landed, Akiza charged straight for her. She used Phoenix Steps to twist her body to the side and launched a kick at the woman in purple.

    FWOOM. Her leg went straight through the woman in purple as the part that Akiza came into contact with turned into purple flames before reforming. "You haven''t been studying up on your techniques have you?" asked the woman in purple.

    It was one of the techniques listed in the tome that Akira had. Akiza had forgotten all about it since she stopped at Rising Phoenix Strike and was unable to learn the others at the time. Flames wrapped around the hands of the woman in purple. It was sort of like what Akiza had learned from Cixi to make fireballs, but applied to her hands.

    The woman in purple swung her arm and punched Akiza in the stomach, knocking her straight to the floor. It had the explosive power of the fireballs behind it. "UGH" Akiza groaned. As she got up, she began coughing heavily. The blow had knocked all the air out of her body and she was struggling to breathe.

    "You have to use your power properly," said the woman in purple. She took the orange spirit from the phoenix and ate it. The flames of the woman in purple began to turn lighter.

    Akiza could feel the intensity of the flames that the woman used in her hands growing. "What did you do?" Akiza asked.

    "I simply consumed the dragon spirit to increase the power of my flames," said the woman in purple. "Now your dragon is mine as well."

    Akiza knew she was outmatched in terms of strength and skill. All she had was luck. She had to wait for the woman in purple to get overconfident or proud or hesitate. Anything really. With that opportunity, she would have to use everything at her disposal to finish it in a single strike.

    The woman in purple charged right at Akiza and swung straight for Akiza''s stomach. BANG. Akiza felt the incredible heat generated from the attack in her arms. If she was not a fire attribute herself, her arms could have been incinerated. "You can''t win," said the woman in purple.

    "I know," said Akiza. "But I must at least try!" she shouted. She focused the flames into her arms and wrapped them around like how Cixi had taught her. With every punch, it had the same power as a Rising Phoenix Strike. She could use it continuously like this.

    Akiza launched herself towards the woman with all her might. "She must be overestimating herself at this point," said Akiza. The woman in purple smiled at Akiza. "No, she hasn''t," thought Akiza. She was deliberately leaving herself open. Akiza immediately planted her legs into the ground to stop.

    The woman in purple opened her mouth and spat fire like a dragon would. "Oh, you saw it in time," said the woman. "For a moment, I was sure I got you."

    "How did you do that?" asked Akiza.

    "Fire can be controlled through our arms and legs," said the woman in purple. "Why can''t you control it in other places as well?"

    Akiza had no chance of winning from the start. As confident as the woman in purple was, she knew exactly what she was doing. She was trying to break Akiza''s spirit. "It''s not over as long as I breathe!" shouted Akiza. Akiza was not going to give up. As long as she could still fight, she could try out new things. "One of them has to work," she thought.

    Akiza could not use her Exploding Wings, so she combined Phoenix Steps with Rising Phoenix Strike. BANG. The explosive power of Akiza''s fist came into contact with the palm of the woman in purple. Akiza''s orange flames were completely smothered by the purple-white flames of the woman in purple. Akiza could feel that heat going through her arm.

    POW. The woman in purple hit Akiza in the stomach again. Knocking Akiza down into the ground. "Give up," said the woman in purple.

    "No," said Akiza. "If I give up, then you will take over my body. Then, you will hurt everyone. I can''t let that happen," said Akiza as she began to pick herself up.

    The woman in purple tripped Akiza and hit her in the stomach again. "I told you, you don''t stand a chance, give up," said the woman in purple.

    Akiza got up once more. She looked into the eyes of the woman in purple as she continued to heal her injuries. "You better kill me fast otherwise I''m going to heal myself and fight you again," said Akiza.

    The woman in purple knocked Akiza over once more. "Why won''t you stay down?!?" she asked. "Please just stay down."

    There was a drastic shift in the tone of the woman in purple. Just like before, she did not want to really hurt Akiza. It meant that the goal of the woman in purple was not to kill Akiza. After all, the woman in purple had said that she would protect Akiza. This was probably part of it.

    "If I stay down, it means I''ve given up," said Akiza. "There''s still a lot I need to do, I won''t give up," Akiza stood up again. She was heavily bruised and battered all over.

    "I concede," said the woman in purple. "I dare not to hurt you any further."

    "You have completed the second trial Hero," said the phoenix. "You have one more."

    "Let''s hurry up and finish this," said Akiza as she continued to heal herself.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    "You''re not going to ask me to wait?" asked the phoenix.

    "Are you even going to let me?" asked Akiza.

    "Of course not," said the phoenix as a bright white light covered Akiza''s vision.

    They were in another place now. Again, it was pitch black. "Do you desire power?" asked a voice.

    "Yes," said Akiza. "I need power to be able to protect those I care about, so that I can save them."

    Cixi stepped forward. "With all that power, what good is it if you can''t control it?" she said.

    "In due time, I will control it," said Akiza.

    Serph appeared. "Is that why you got me stuck in the Immortal Realm with you?" he asked.

    "No," said Akiza. "That was not my fault."

    "Isn''t it?" asked Serph. "You''re the one who antagonized Haman and got us stuck there."

    "I only won a sparring match with him," said Akiza. "That wasn''t my fault."

    "What about me?" asked a deep voice.

    Akiza turned around. It was Samuel.

    "With your power, could you have saved me?" asked Samuel.

    "If I had the power that I have now then, I could have saved you all," said Akiza.

    "Do you really believe that power will be the solution to all of your problems?" asked another voice.

    Akiza turned in the direction the voice came in. It was her mother. "Power is not the solution," said Akiza. "Power gives you the possibility to change the outcome."

    "Good answer," said another voice. Akiza''s father appeared next to her mother. "Never forget this."

    All of the people disappeared into a ball of white flame and the phoenix emerged from it once more with its wings wide open. "Congratulations, you''ve passed," said the phoenix.

    "I don''t feel any stronger," said Akiza.

    "Then I have one more thing left for you to do before you leave," said the phoenix.

    The woman in purple appeared once more. "Looks like my time is up," said the woman in purple.

    "What do you mean?" asked Akiza.

    "I was never meant to exist," said the woman in purple. "I was created by an accident because you took in too much Yang energy while Akiza tried to fix it by applying Divine Energy to balance it out. The only reason I lasted so long was because I minimized my power consumption"

    "Yin and yang allows for creation, so you were born from that?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said the woman in purple.

    "Can you at least tell me your name?" asked Akiza.

    "My name is Ying Mei," said the woman.

    "I just wanted to hear you say that," said Akiza.

    "Don''t forget, you have people who care about you," said Ying Mei. "As much as I want to protect you, I will do you more harm if I stay in your body like this. I will return to you one day properly, when the phoenix within you matures."

    "What will you do?" asked Akiza.

    "Take my hand," said the woman in purple as she reached out her hand.

    Akiza reached out her hand and took a hold of the woman in purple''s. "Now, Armatize," said the woman.

    The woman in purple burst into flames that entered Akiza''s Dantian. Akiza suddenly felt a burning sensation throughout her body. Akiza activated her Armatization. Flames erupted from her entire body, covering her from head to toe. She looked down at herself to see that she was okay. She was dressed in the same style and color that resembled Ying Mei''s, fully purple. It was Full Armatization.

    "What happened?" asked Akiza.

    "She merged with the phoenix spirit inside of you," said the phoenix.

    "Will she be okay?" asked Akiza.

    "When the phoenix grows to a certain point, it is likely that her personality will emerge from it once more," said the phoenix. "Akira just made it happen too early."

    "That''s good," said Akiza. "I guess I''ll be seeing you later other me."

    "Now, there''s one more task for you to do before you leave Labyrinthos," said the phoenix.

    "What is it?" asked Akiza.

    "Did you forget about the Demon?" asked the phoenix.

    Himiko had mentioned that there was one. "I almost forgot about it," said Akiza.

    "The one here is a very weak one and has also been severely weakened by my own powers," said the phoenix. "When you leave, I will release my power and let the Demon loose so that you can sense me and the Demon."

    That was the reason why Akiza was not able to sense it. The powers of the phoenix and the Demon were neutralizing each other, making it so that neither could be sensed.

    "Be warned though," said the phoenix. "When it is loose, it will influence the entire Cursed Land, causing powerful monsters to rise. I will suppress it as much as I can, but I expect that it will still be at at least ten percent of its power."

    There would probably be some Emperor Stage monsters appearing. Luckily, the other schools should still be around to deal with it, giving Akiza a chance to fight against the Demon.

    "Is there anything you can tell me about the Demon?" asked Akiza.

    "It is a Demon of Greed, so you can use that to your advantage," said the phoenix.

    "So do I take a gold coin and dangle it in front of the Demon?" asked Akiza.

    "Yes," said the phoenix.

    "Really?" said Akiza. "It''s that simple?"

    "A Demon is one that has completely given in to its desires," said the phoenix. "It will not hold back to try to acquire the gold coin."

    It was really that easy. Akiza could not believe how easy the phoenix made it sound. "Can you give me some time before you release the Demon of Greed?" asked Akiza.

    "How long?" asked the phoenix.

    "One week," said Akiza. "I want one week to rest and practice a little."

    "Alright," said the phoenix. "In one week from this moment, I will release the Demon of Greed. Do not forget it. If the Demon is not contained, it will gradually recover its power and will begin to terrorize the land as it did before."

    With that, Akiza found herself back in the dark room with Cixi. She was collapsed on the ground. "What happened?" asked Akiza. Her head felt like it was going to split open.

    "You collapsed on the floor," said Cixi. "The phoenix said not to move you until you woke on your own."

    Akiza thought about everything that just happened. "Was it all in my head?" she thought. "No, it wasn''t."

    Akiza remembered the techniques the phoenix had taught her. She activated her Armatization. Nothing felt different though. She then activated her Full Armatization. The flames turned purple and her clothes changed. "It wasn''t a dream," said Akiza.

    "What happened to you ?" asked Cixi.

    "I met someone who was closer to me than I ever thought," said Akiza. "And she gave me this."

 Chapter 062 - The Lord of Greed

    Akiza spent as much time as she could training with her new techniques. They consumed an enormous amount of Internal Energy. The purple flames only appeared when Akiza was fully Armatized. At all other times, it was orange. Even as she concentrated on increasing her own, it was not something that she could use very often. She was still a long way from the Emperor Stage despite her skills. In a real fight, she would not last as long as someone who has achieved the Emperor Stage. However, a Demon Lord was still only at the Lord stage.

    It was finally time, Akiza and Cixi headed to Masa and Mune''s to retrieve their Emperor Stage swords. "Are you sure?" asked Masa. "Those people are still hunting for Emperor Stage Artifacts."

    "They will have a lot more to handle soon," said Cixi. "We''ll be ready."

    "I have them here," said Mune as he brought them out.

    There were two swords equal in size and looked exactly like one another. The blade itself was white while the hilt and cross guard were a little yellowish in color. There was no fuller, in fact, that spot was hollow. It was like the sword was only the edge.

    "Will this sword even be stable?" asked Cixi.

    "Yes," said Masa. "Believe it or not, the material itself is very dense, this will allow you to maximize the effects of your element while using the weapon."

    Cixi channeled her Internal Energy through the sword. Sure enough, the center of the blade instantly became filled with water and a thick sheet of ice appeared over the whole sword. "This is amazing," said Cixi.

    Akiza tried it with hers. The hollow center section of her sword turned from red to orange to purple and the entire sword lit up with purple flames before returning to the orange color.

    "Don''t swing that in here," said Masa. "The element will spray out when you do."

    This was the potential of an Emperor Stage Artifact. It would be what makes the difference in the fight between Akiza and the Demon Lord.

    "I look forward to seeing you two again," said Mune.

    "If we find more, we will," said Cixi. "Let''s go."

    As Akiza and Cixi left, Akiza could feel that people were looking at her already. "Why are they all staring?" asked Akiza.

    "That''s because we have Emperor Stage Artifacts now," said Cixi. "They all want it."

    Emperor Stage Artifacts were not only extremely rare, but also extremely powerful. The people at Labyrinthos like Masa and Mune could actually work them, which was also another rare skill. The people were probably looking for a chance to rob them.

    "What should we do?" asked Akiza.

    "Wait for the Demon of Greed to appear," said Cixi. "When it does, people will rush towards the Emperor Stage creatures that appear. Then, we go after the Demon after they are all busy."

    "Do you have a gold coin?" asked Akiza.

    "I brought several," said Cixi. "But I''m only going to keep this one visible," she said as she held it in her hand.

    The gold coin would distract a Demon of Greed because they will be too focused on trying to retrieve the gold coin. They will lose sight of fighting and become unfocused. Akiza and Cixi were going to use this to their advantage and then slay the Demon of Greed.

    The two headed to the entrance of the Labyrinth and waited. Around them, a lot of people were watching them. Some stood very close, others hid around the corner. They were probably waiting for Akiza and Cixi to walk in, then they could attack them. If they attacked Akiza and Cixi while still in the building and not the Labyrinth, Himiko would probably just beat them all down with her power for breaking the rules.

    Cixi was tracking the time. It was soon. "When we go in, we rush straight for where we found the phoenix okay?" said Cixi.

    "Okay," said Akiza.

    "Now!'' said Cixi. Cixi and Akiza both charged into the silver portal that lead to the Labyrinth.

    Without thinking or looking around, Akiza Armatized and flew towards where they found the phoenix. Akiza could hear shouting from behind her. In another direction though, Akiza felt something strange. It was like there was a hole devoid of any Internal Energy. From it, Dark Energy was leaking out. That was most likely where the Demon Lord was, but Akiza had to meet up with Cixi first. It would be too dangerous to fight the Demon Lord alone.

    Akiza heard more shouting behind there. "There''s an Emperor Stage creature!" someone shouted.

    "Do we go after the girls or the creatures?" someone asked.

    People began to split up. Some of them decided that it would be better or maybe even easier to take on the monster than to fight the other people for the Emperor Stage Artifacts that Cixi and Akiza had.

    Akiza finally caught up to Cixi, behind her were still a few people who were chasing from the ground. "Fly higher!" shouted Cixi.

    Akiza rose up into the orange colored sky. In an instant, she felt a chill beneath her. She looked down and saw the entire path and the sides of the buildings coated in ice. It was like if a river suddenly went through the area and was flash frozen. This was the power of an Emperor Stage Artifact. It was as if every swing directed the power of the person''s domain in that general direction, applying to everything caught within range. It was truly a devastating power. With a hundred swings, it could probably freeze all of West Wind Academy.

    "We have to hurry," said Akiza.

    "I know," said Cixi. "I feel it too."

    The two rushed towards the site of where they felt the Dark Energy coming from. As they got closer, they heard sounds. It was the sound of fighting. Flames erupted from the ruins of the city at odd intervals, most likely as a result of some power skill or Artifact being used.

    As Cixi got closer, she saw that was not the case. The white phoenix was fighting against against a small humanoid. There were a few Emperor Stage creatures walking away from the site of the battle up ahead. The Demon''s aura probably contained enough Dark Energy to spawn more creatures or upgrade the existing ones at least. More were gradually appearing.

    Akiza saw the small humanoid. It was wrapped in a black fog of some kind. It had claws and wore some black type of outfit and even had black wings on his back. It resembled something between a mix of Armatization and mutation. "Quickly Hero, you must defeat it," said the phoenix.

    Cixi took out the gold coin. Akiza could see that the Demon instant rushed toward Cixi at full speed.

    BOOM. The Demon crashed against the ground, missing Cixi. "Mine!" it shouted.

    Cixi slashed the Demon, but the part of the Demon she slashed turned into a black fog and reformed. It dealt no visible damage. The ice from her sword went straight through it as well.

    "What are you?" asked Cixi.

    "Midas, Lord of Greed!" shouted the Demon. "All will be mine!" It was relentlessly pursuing Cixi.

    "Take it," said Cixi as she tossed the coin to Akiza.

    Midas was focused on the coin. It suddenly ignored Cixi and chased after the coin. Akiza grabbed it and descended from the sky. "That is mine!" shouted Midas as it chased after Akiza.

    BANG. Akiza heard the sound of something crashing. She turned around and saw that Midas was stabbed with something and suddenly came to a halt. Cixi stepped back and revealed that Midas had a rusty knife in his chest. It was one of Himiko''s.

    "Ugh," groaned Midas. It looked at Akiza. It was not focus on its injuries, but instead, focused on the coin that was in Akiza''s hand.

    Midas was relentlessly pursuing the object of his desire, ignoring everything else. "It''s mine!" it shouted.

    "Quickly, you must finish it!" shouted the phoenix.

    Akiza activated her Domain and charged towards the Demon. BANG. "UGH," Midas groaned loudly and keeled over onto the floor. "It''s mine," he groaned. "It''s MINE!" he shouted. Using his wings he picked himself up, grabbing onto the knife stuck in his chest. He struggled and attempted to pull it out to no avail. "Why?" he asked.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Himiko''s knives were weapons especially designed to slay Demons like Midas. It was probably impossible for a Demon to pull out. It turned to Akiza and chased after her, but much slower than before. The knife had severely affected its abilities.

    Midas swung his arm at Akiza. Akiza responded with her own sword. As she swung it, the sword lit up and flames burst from the tip of it. VWOOM. Flames suddenly burst outward and burned Midas. Midas ignored the flames continuing to pressure Akiza. Even at only fighting at a fraction of his power, Midas was tough. It was not only suppressed by the phoenix, it was also being suppressed by Himiko''s knife.

    "GAH," Akiza screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Midas used his other arm and stabbed Akiza. She could feel her blood flowing out of her body.

    "Get away from my student!" shouted Cixi. She crashed against Midas, knocking him onto the ground.

    Akiza looked and saw that Cixi had wings made of ice. "How?"

    "The phoenix," said Cixi.

    It was like when Serph temporarily Armatized with Akira. The phoenix lent Cixi her power temporarily gave her access to Divine Energy and upgraded her Armatization as well. With this, they could fight together.

    "I''ll attack first," said Cixi. "You watch for an opening like we did with the Lich."

    "Alright," said Akiza. She kept her eye on the movements of Cixi and Midas.

    Midas picked himself up, but he was becoming slower. The knife stuck in his chest was either draining him or he was expending a lot more of his energy. Either way, it would make it easier for Akiza. The problem was that he was still much stronger than either Cixi or Akiza.

    Cixi took out another gold coin. "Look at what I have here!" she shouted.

    "Mine!" shouted Midas as he chased after Cixi.

    Cixi swung her sword and froze Midas'' arm. Midas shattered the ice on his arm and regrew it. Demons were not only strong, they were also very durable. There was a reason why they were feared.

    "Attack Midas when it is attacking Cixi," said Akira.

    "Master?" asked Akiza.

    "Midas is focused on chasing down Cixi and the gold coin in front of him," said Akira. "It can see nothing else because it needs to satisfy its greed."

    Akiza saw that Cixi was hurting Midas with her attacks, but Midas was also regenerating. Either Cixi was not strong enough or Midas had that high of a regeneration. "I don''t think I can kill it," said Akiza. "I''m not strong enough."

    "You are," said Akira. "I can''t help you much with the techniques that you''ve been learning, but I know that you have what it takes to kill your first Demon. Focus on the movement on the Demon, I will tell you when to attack and when you do, explode both your wings."

    "Okay Master," said Akiza. She focused her attention on the movements of the Demon, watching it as it zigzagged through the air.

    Midas'' primary form of attack was swinging his arms. It was trying to grab Cixi''s arm and the gold coin in it. It was not even trying to fight Cixi. It had been so consumed by its greed that it could see nothing else. Akiza saw as Midas became increasingly more frustrated by his inability to grab the gold coin.

    Cixi swung her sword, parrying every one of Midas'' attacks aimed at her. When Midas raised his arm, Cixi raised her sword. They both swung at similar times. Sometimes, Midas was cut, at other times, it came into contact with Cixi''s sword. Either way, Cixi was gaining an advantage.

    However, Midas showed no signs of tiring while Cixi did. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" shouted Midas. "Give me back what''s mine!"

    Cixi continued to cut off Midas'' arms and legs when she had the chance. As Midas reached in to grab the coin, she slashed upward with the sword instantly removing the arm. The arm would shortly dissolve into black smoke and return to Midas'' body. With that, the arm regrew. Unless they could kill Midas quickly, he would continue to regenerate.

    Midas continued to relentlessly pursue the coin, ignoring the environment around him. He would trip over rocks and use his wings to recover. Cixi swung her sword as it transformed into an enormous frozen icicle. VWOOSH. With a single swing, Midas froze in place.

    BANG. In a few seconds, Midas broke right of the solid ice and continued its pursuit of Cixi''s coin and instantly forgot about how it was just frozen. Even though it was supposed to be weakened, it was still incredibly tough. Akiza saw that Cixi could not hold out much longer. She was starting to sweat heavily as Midas continued his relentless assault. Cixi''s wings of ice were starting ot melt. She was losing control over the Divine Energy and could no longer maintain its form.

    CLING. Midas was beginning to tear away at Cixi''s Armatization. Midas was now the one with an advantage. Cixi was losing ground at a rapid pace. It took all of her concentration just to hold Midas back now.

    "Now!" shouted Akira as Midas retreated.

    "Exploding First Wing! Exploding Second Wing!" Akiza exploded both her wings. In an instant, her Armatization was gone, but in her hands, the sword she held still burned bright with purple flames. She swung the sword and watched as Midas'' hand began to move forward with the rest of its body.

    Midas was not even looking at what was happening to it. It was still focused on the gold coin in Cixi''s hands. SHING. With a sharp cutting sound, Akiza''s sword went straight through the body of Midas. It attempted to still crawl towards Cixi with the upper half of its body. Its lower half stopped moving. "Mine!" Midas groaned as it attempted to crawl forward. Its lower body was detached from its upper body, but that still did not stop him from trying to chase after the coin.

    Cixi stabbed Midas'' arm, pinning him to the ground and stopping him from moving, but Midas was still trying to move towards the coin. Cixi''s sword tore through Midas'' arm as it tried to do so. Akiza quickly stabbed Midas'' upper body, piercing it four additional times. Midas finally stopped moving. "Is it over?" thought Akiza.

    Cixi was still on guard, waiting to see if the body of the Demon would move. POOF. The body of the Demon disappeared. The Demon Lord''s body burst into black smoke before disappearing. In its place was a single black rock. "Is it gone?" she thought.

    They were able to exploit this Demon''s fatal weakness. The others would probably not be as easy even if they had similar weaknesses. They only won because the abilities of the phoenix not only suppressed the Demon, it also gave Cixi a way to help Akiza fight. Akiza picked up the small black rock, she could feel some Internal Energy from it.

    "Absorb it," said Akira.

    "Isn''t it dangerous to do so?" asked Akiza.

    "It''s the only way to purify it," said Akira. "As long as you have Divine Energy, it will not affect you much. If you don''t purify it properly, it will continue to corrupt the land after its death."

    Akiza absorbed the small black rock into her Dantian. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, but also the feeling of something like the slow flow of Internal Energy being released into her body.

    "It is done slowly, but it will help you in the long run," said Akira. "The power from the Demon will gradually become yours as it is purified."

    "It''s done," said Akiza.

    "So what now?" asked Akiza. "I still feel dozens of Emperor Stage creatures near by."

    "Let''s talk to Himiko and tell her what happened first," said Cixi.

    "That''s probably best, she can tell us what to do from here," said Akiza.

    With the Demon dead, they now had another problem to deal with, the Emperor Stage beasts that it had created in the meantime.

 Chapter 063 - Oncoming Danger

    The Demon Midas was defeated thanks to the combined efforts of Cixi and Akiza. They were lucky to barely defeat it after it was severely weakened by the white phoenix and Himiko''s weapon.

    "You did it," said Himiko.

    "Yes, but it would not have been possible to defeat the Demon at full strength," said Cixi.

    "We are able to exploit its fatal weakness," Akiza added.

    "What happened to the core?" Himiko asked.

    "I absorbed it," said Akiza. "It''s being purified as we speak."

    "You must be very careful with that," said Himiko. "If you try to do too much, it will turn you into a Demon as well, so make sure you do not absorb another until you finish this one."

    "Alright," said Akiza. "I will try to remember that."

    "We have another problem now though," said Cixi. "The Emperor Stage creatures that appeared because of the Demon that was unsealed."

    The power that flowed from the Demon Midas was unleashed into the Cursed Land, empowering all of the creatures that spawned there. Even though their numbers were fewer, the problem was that a large number of them became stronger under the power of the Demon. The result was that there were dozens of Emperor Stage creatures that were capable of fighting against people from the Emperor Stage. There were already lots of people who had fled the area. Even though the Demon was removed from the land, it would be pointless if the creatures remained as their power would still be enough to keep the land the way it was now.

    "Unless we can do something about it, the land will not change," said Himiko.

    "Why don''t you go to stop it?" asked Cixi. "You are powerful enough."

    "Immortals cannot leave their lands for a reason," said Himiko. "The moment I leave, other creatures will storm this place to try to seize the resources here. This is why Immortals are tied to their lands. The only way I can leave is if another Immortal takes my place."

    "Why can''t you just absorb everything?" asked Akiza. "Won''t that fix the problem?"

    "It''s not that easy," said Himiko. "In the process of becoming an Immortal, the land itself is infused with enormous amounts of Internal Energy that cannot be removed easily. It would take decades at the minimum considering how long it took me to do it."

    An Immortal was tied to their land for a long time, this was what had happened to both Kongming and Himiko. Despite their great power, they were also cursed to be bound to a single location. Abandoning the lands would only open it up for others to try to steal the power of the land for themselves. It is believed that all great schools were formed on lands rich with Internal Energy. Himiko''s realm would be one highly desired by everyone, even monsters.

    "I guess we will have to kill them one at a time," said Cixi.

    BOOM. There was the sound of a loud crash outside. "I feel a terrible presence," said Akiza.

    "Me too," said Cixi.

    The three of them went outside and headed towards the loud sound. It was coming from the entrance to the Labyrinth. There were many people fleeing from the entrance to the Labyrinth. In front of them was a Lich. A Lich far more powerful than the one Akiza and Cixi fought.

    "How did it make it through?!?" shouted someone in the crowd.

    Akiza saw it. A small silver gate next to the Lich. It had opened a portal that allowed it to leave Labyrinthos and enter into their world. Next to it were two skeletons that were also at the Emperor Stage. A total of three creatures at the higher end of the Emperor Stage had escaped from Labyrinthos. The Lich itself felt more powerful than the others by a significant amount. Its arm was even covered with a black flesh of some kind, as if it was slowly transforming itself. Akiza could feel a terrible presence from it, one similar to the one from Midas.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "Oh no..." said Himiko. "It''s worse than I imagined."

    "What happened?" asked Cixi.

    "The Emperor Stage creatures have found a way out of the Labyrinth," said Himiko. "There''s no telling where they went."

    Himiko immediately rushed towards the Lich. She disappeared as if she was never there in the first place. BOOM. At the same time, Akiza heard a loud sound coming from where the Lich was. It was there that Akiza saw Himiko with her elbow straight out. She had smashed the Lich back into Labyrinthos.

    Himiko quickly raised her hands and released a powerful burst of wind, knocking the two skeletons into the gate as well. She clasped her hands together as the silver gate into the Labyrinth began to shrink. In a few minutes, the gate itself shrank. The entrance to the Labyrinth was gone. In it was all the people who failed to make it back, but Himiko seemed to believe that it was necessary to keep everyone else safe.

    "What happened in there?" asked Himiko.

    A single man in a green and blue robe stood forward. "The Emperor Stage creatures all appeared at once," he said. "There were hundreds of them."

    "That can''t be," said Himiko. "There were only a few dozen."

    "That thing that just walked through the gate was creating more," said the man. "When we killed one of the creatures, it would bring the creature back to life as if nothing happened. No matter how hard we fought, we could not keep it down. Every time, that creature that just appeared would restore its fallen comrades to their original condition."

    Akiza had a question. "Himiko, where do Demons come from?" she asked.

    "A Demon is a powerful creature that is also a manifestation of a sin," said Himiko. "It is created when a single creature gains enough power and becomes intelligent enough to direct its power. This is different from a Demon Lord, which is so powerful that it requires Divine Energy to purify it."

    "What was that thing that created the gate then?" asked Cixi.

    "That is most likely a new Demon in the making," said Himiko. "Shortly, it will cross the lines and attack our world."

    "What?!?" Someone in the crowd shouted. "How did this even happen?"

    This was all a result of the people who were fighting the creatures but failing. When someone fell, the creatures would be able to devour the body of the fallen and acquire its power. That was common among spirits and was also a forbidden art. Some people did it in order to steal power from others to become stronger, but wild animals could also eat people and become strong. That was why most of the time, bodies were recovered or completely destroyed. The first Lich that appeared had killed many people who were unprepared for it. It had probably devoured some people, which was what gave it its incredible strength. The new Lich that appeared was far stronger and was able to traverse between the realms. That put it at least at the level of the Masters of West Wind Academy if not higher.

    "Everyone, return to where you came from and prepare for the worst," said Himiko. "There''s no telling when we will be attacked again."

    The crowd was scared. For the first time, these proud and confident people were afraid. They had been fighting each other and in their ignorance, the creatures of the Labyrinth took advantage of it and fed on them to grow stronger in their carelessness. Now, they had to deal with the consequence of their actions. A potential attack by a newly born Demon or something at least equal to it.

    "We''re not ready for another war with the Demons," said Cixi. "The schools are too disorganized and antagonistic towards one another."

    The pride of the schools would now be their downfall.

 Chapter 063.5 - Collapse [End]

    So this marks the end of The Phoenix Hero, my first attempt to write a story that turned into a big mess at the end because I tried to follow too close to the Xianxia style. I plan to take what I learned from this to write something like a sequel/reboot, taking what I''ve learned and using it to improve the story. Thanks for sticking with my horrible writing this far to all my readers.

    -------------------------------------------------------------

    In a white enclosed space stood eight individuals. Among them were Himiko and Kongming. This was a rare gathering of the Immortals of the world through spiritual projection. They would meet like this to discuss important matters. Today, was the rise of a new creature as powerful as a Demon.

    "Things are bleak," said Himiko. "A new creature as powerful as a Demon Lord has appeared."

    "What can we do?" asked Kongming. "If we leave our lands, we open up the possibility of even more creatures like that appearing."

    Powerful creatures kept a close eye on the Immortals. They would not make a move because the Immortal could still kill them. However, should the Immortal ever leave their land, the creature would take over the land and claim it as its own, empowering it to become even stronger. This was the main reason why Immortals rarely if ever left their lands.

    A man with a messy beard in white robes spoke up. He was Musa, a man from the Middle East. "What about the Hero?" he asked.

    "The Hero is too young and unprepared to fight a Demon," said Himiko. "The tools we have are useless without the proper people to wield them," said Himiko as she showed off the knives that she had created to combat the Demons.

    A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes spoke up. Her name was Kendra, a woman from the continent across the seas. "I think it is about time we stopped relying on the Hero and tried something else," she said.

    "What can we do though?" asked Musa.

    "For now, I suggest we open up our lands as a sanctuary," said Kongming. "This way we can at least protect some people."

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source."That''s only a short term solution," said a brown skinned man in a brown robe. He was Raymundo, another Immortal from a far away land across the oceans. "We need to come up with a way to empower the people to fight back against such a creature," he said.

    "What if we granted our power to a single person and awaken them?" asked Kongming. "Would this individual have the power?"

    "Doing so would most likely kill them," said Musa. "I suggest we make it so that people can live in the Immortal Realms and hope that one of them will have the power to do something about it."

    "I agree," said Kendra. "An individual who can train in one of our Immortal Realms for an extended period of time might have a chance to awaken to greater power. This way we can offer a save haven and an opportunity to create something more reliable than a Hero that might only appear once every few hundred years."

    "And if they try to use their power for evil, we can take care of them before they become a problem as well," said Raymundo.

    The Immortals agreed to this plan. A way to replace the unreliable Hero and hopefully something that would create individuals who were powerful enough to face threats to the world. One by one, cities fell to the Lich. This Lich became known as Arch-Lich Mulak. He was stronger than any of the other Lich that appeared. This marked the end of the era in which a Hero was able to defeat the Demons and an era in which humanity was once again brought to its heels by a new type of being. The great schools were able to survive with significant losses, but many fell. West Wind Academy was one of the ones that fell. Akiza, who was not powerful enough to face off against the creature that was ever growing stronger, fled with the survivors to the basin in which she washed up a few years before.

    The Immortals began their plan, opening their lands as safe havens and defending it from the Lich. This marked the end of the era of the Hero, and the rise of the era of the Arch-Lich, a being that would tower over even the great Demons of the past.

 Reboot Planning So Far [Spoilers, but not really]

    So I''ve already begun to plan how to redo this story in the form of a soft reboot/sequel that I will do my own way instead of following the Xianxia way completely. This is just an update to know that the story has not been completely abandoned and I intend to follow through with the soft reboot. This is what I''ve got so far.

    -50+ years have passed, creatures and spirits now roam the land because of the Archlich''s interference. The Immortals have merged their repsective Immortal Realms with the real world rather than keeping it separate in order to provide people with shelter.

    -Sacred/Immortal Grounds are resistant to corruption so far because the Archlich fears them due to having encountered Himiko.

    -Demons fear the Archlich as well and have tried to hide their presence, some fail, others succeed by acquiring Divine Energy, resulting in the birth of intelligent yet powerful Demons that are neutral instead of evil. The Archlich itself is a combination of a Demon and an undead.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.-Each of the nine types of energies have become their own school because of the division

    -Characters that focus on Divine Energy have become the path of Immortals, while each of the other types have their own equivalents with small differences. For example, Dark Energy is the path of the Demon, resulting in a Demon Lord. Divine Energy is the path of the Immortal, but something like Nature Energy will result in a Demigod that has near absolute control over a single element. Mana types will become Archmages that specialize in elemental shaping. Not sure on the rest yet, but I''m working on it.

    -Akiza is on the search for an undiscovered path that unifies all the types of energies, she will be missing for most of the main story, but signs of her work will be seen.

    -New main character with a weaker Divine Spirit that was hinted at with a Divine Phoenix, no legendary beast, but probably something like a Divine Raccoon or something silly like that.