《The Snake Immortal》


 Chapter 1: The Triplets are Born

    Chapter 1: The Triplets are Born


    "What in the Immortal Realm is taking so long? It''s been over two hours!" a man cursed as he paced back and forth.


    "Relax, my son. Your wife should be giving birth soon. I sensed more than one child in her womb and the first childbirth is always the most excruciating. After all, something beautiful is always born under extreme pain. That beautiful thing is called life," an old man answered.


    "Congratulations, my son. You are the father of a girl and two boys," an old woman smiled as she entered from the doors as the father-to-be paced back in forth as if he were walking on hot coal.


    "Three?" the two men cried and rushed into the room, the old woman sighing as her husband and son rushed into the room.


    They saw blood on the sheets between a pale, sweaty woman who had lost consciousness. The first man sighed as he could feel her breath steadying and knew she would be alright. They turned to see three crying babies, eyes shut tight, as they wailed atop a smaller bed. The blood had been cleaned from their bodies, but their hair was too bloodied to tell what color it was.


    "They are arranged in the order of their birth, from left to right. The girl was born first, five minutes before the second child. The last child was born seven minutes after the second as we had to turn him around, inside her womb, as his head was not in front. She lost much blood and will need to stay bedridden much longer than usual," the new grandmother smiled. "Triplets. The Heavens are truly smiling on the Guo Clan. I previously sensed only twins. What a nice little miracle."


    "I finally join my brothers and sister as being a grand parent," the old man laughed. "My Guo Clan finally has three more members of the main branch. What will you name them?"


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Perhaps mother can ascertain their potential?" the man asked.


    "Strange. Very strange," the grandmother said after lifting her hand and releasing a gentle light on the babies, causing them to enter a blissful sleep.


    "They lack any attributes? Is there none they have the possibility to learn?" the old man asked.


    "You old coot! You know those are impossible to determine. A practitioner has no affinity until they turn seven. I guarantee that they should be able to become practitioners," the old woman snapped at her husband. "We''ll name them Guo Mei, Guo Lin, and Guo Yang."


    As the men left, the grandmother tended to her daughter-in-law. She did not notice Guo Yang act abnormally, already attempting to open his eyes. Guo Yang used to be a giant, gold snake with jade eyes and sand colored feathers. Within his chest, a neidan that used to be in his old body was there.


    Memories of his past life flashed before it, a giant snake controlling water and earth as if it was a sovereign under the Heavens. Oceans could not hide prey from it. Mountains became the domains of its hunt and terror. By turning water into ice, not even phoenixes could burn it and kill it as they did many other snake magical beasts.


    Even the bones and lungs of dragons were crushed and exploded while its body coiled around them. Humans fled before its poisonous jade mists and the baby boy felt the same fear the snake did as it had the option of ascension. After a thousand years, the snake had been reborn a human. At last, it gained a fresh start and hoped its new life would not be as treacherous and dangerous as the last.


    Maybe, in this life, he did not have to fear birds. He really, really hated birds.

 Chapter 2: The Third Child

    Chapter 2: The Third Child


    Twelve years had passed since the triplets were born and the Guo Clan couldn''t be happier. They were a relatively average clan with a slight edge in growing magical herbs. As suppliers to the Alchemist Association, their connections were the reason no one bothered them, not the might of the clan. For years, the clan had garnered practitioner weapons, armors, and treasures. However, none of the descendants in the last eight centuries were born with exceptional talent.


    However, these triplets caused the clan to have much joy. It was common knowledge that eating a lot of magical beast meat meant the body could handle vast amounts of spiritual energy. The three triplets were only satisfied when they drank the milk of magical beasts, much to their mother''s dismay. When they could eat solid foods, their diet consisted mostly of small bits of magical beast meat mixed with their meals, the amount growing with every year.


    The only problem they had was that two of the triplets behaved abnormally. The only child that behaved normally was the middle triplet: Guo Lin. He was everything Guo Feng and the patriarch, Guo Jing, had hoped. He had long brown hair and eyes as green as jade. He was incredibly strong for his age, capable of lifting over a hundred pounds with one arm. He was also very interested in learning martial arts, often imitating what he saw his father and older cousins did. He was polite, kind, and smart. If raised properly, he would not become arrogant and truly bring glory and be one of the first to join a sect or academy.


    If he was the pride of his parents, his sister was his jealous enemy. She prided herself in being the best, even learning how to walk, write, and talk before her two brothers. She was incredibly cute and was very fast. Even at the age of seven, she could run faster and longer than most ordinary adults. She constantly sparred with Guo Lin when he beat her in something she prided herself in. Sometimes, her mother would be biased to her but knew it was because she didn''t want Guo Mei to feel bad. She didn''t hate her brother, but she was jealous he had the spotlight.


    Then there was the third child: Guo Yang. He was the most abnormal of the triplets. Even as a baby, he needed a brazier to keep warm. It was as if he were cold blooded, always needing a brazier with him or thick clothes. He had black hair but had sand colored eyes. As soon as he could walk, he would always stay under the sun, basking under its rays. At first, they thought he was sickly. However, they learned he just hated being cold. He would always protest whenever the maids only gave him light layered clothes and forgot to bring his brazier as they followed him around.


    Also, he was incredibly smart. As soon as he could read, he would stay in the library and read books by his brazier. He was also very uncomfortable talking or being near others. His eyes would always narrow as if he suspected you of trying to take advantage of him. He would always throw rocks at birds, clear hate in his eyes. Whenever he hit one, he had a smile and clapped his hands with glee. Since the first three incidents, no member of the Guo Clan brought their avian magical beasts to the patriarch''s home as Guo Yang was always there.


    While the rest of the family was divided between Guo Mei and Guo Lin, only the patriarch was biased to Guo Yang. Guo Yang always visited his house and stayed with his snake magical beast. He was quite surprised the little boy was not afraid of it and even seemed to understand it. Guo Jing and his magical beast had not entered the cultivation realm where his magical beast could converse in the human language. It could be said that Guo Jing was Guo Yang''s only relative as Guo Yang did not mind his presence.


    Another reason the patriarch favored Guo Yang was his immunity to poisons, even helping out in taking care of the more poisonous herbs in exchange for more magical beast meat and milk. With his presence, the Guo Clan decided to grow more poisonous herbs and were amazed that Guo Yang seemed unaffected by the many toxins and poisons.


    Guo Yang was also different because he had the neidan, a marble akin to an alchemical furnace, in his body. As he ate the magical beast meat and drank their milk, the spiritual energy would also refine within the neidan and enhance his body. While others did not see him practice any martial arts, the amount of spirit energy within his body was vastly superior to the older triplets. His neidan was the color of jade and had an image of a snake''s skeleton within, so black it seemed to suck the light as a black hole devours the stars. Its presence was also the reason he was immune to poison.


    "Guo Yang? Guo Yang?" Guo Feng called as his wife made breakfast and only saw his elder children sit at the table. "Guo Lin, where''s your brother?"


    "At grandpa''s house. He left before dawn, again. He wore light clothes so he left with his personal brazier," Guo Lin answered as he stabbed a scrambled egg.


    "Is he not my and Ji Ting''s son? Why does he never eat breakfast with us?" Guo Feng sighed as he sat with his other children and wife. "I should be more strict with the boy. He has potential to be a great practitioner but has not learned any martial arts. Even the spirit awakening test is today and he scurries off to father''s house. I should hire a magical beast tamer and have him teach Guo Yang how to tame snakes. He''ll make big business being a merchant who sells them and their eggs."


    "Calm down, dear. He will surely change upon the results of the spirit awakening test," Ji Ting soothed. "No doubt, father-in-law will bring him there. We must prepare and take Guo Mei and Guo Lin or risk being late."


    "You two quickly eat your food and get dressed," their father grumbled as Guo Mei and Guo Lin wisely said nothing as they noticed his anger.


    "Now remember, Yang''er, behave and don''t try to hurt the avian magical beasts as we head to the ritual grounds of our God Lotus City," Guo Jing warned as they rode on his giant magical beast snake. It was well over fifty feet long and six feet thick. He stared as the boy nodded as he whispered to the snake, hearing his magical beast hiss in reply. "Did you hear me?"


    "Yes, grandpa patriarch," Guo Yang said. "I''ll only glare at them."


    "I swear, why do you hate them so much?" he asked.


    "They are evil, vicious creatures. They are dangerous," Guo Yang answered while Guo Jing sighed helplessly as civilians avoided the path of the giant snake. Seeing a massive black and orange patterned snake was quite scary for ordinary folk and the only person who had a snake magical beast was the patriarch of the Guo Clan. To anger them was to anger the Alchemist Association as the Guo Clan was their suppliers despite being weaker than most other clans.


    "Hello patriarch." "Hello father," Guo Feng and the other members of the Guo Clan said as the duo arrived.


    "Guo Yang, why did you not eat breakfast with us?" Guo Feng asked as a white robed little boy stood beside the patriarch with a brazier in his hands.


    "I don''t like crowds and you said you would come early," Guo Yang answered as he adjusted his robe.


    "Aiyah, leave him alone. There are eyes watching," Ji Ting said and the Guo Clan gathered around as other clans and people arrived with their own children at twelve years of age. The spirit awakening ritual always took place three days before new year''s eve, a tradition since the founding of the city. Many commoners and members of the Guo Clan envied the more powerful clans as they always had children that survived.


    "Hello and welcome to the ritual grounds," a man in a crimson tuxedo smiled. "Many people of all colors and ethnicity live in our great Gold Lotus City. You have all brought your children today for a single purpose: to awaken the spiritual energy within their body! Some may live, many will die. Such is the risk one must make to become a practitioner."


    "We''re gonna die?" Guo Mei gasped, staring at her mother in shock while other children did the same.


    "If your children are lucky, they may even have attribute affinities," the man said, ignoring the crying children.


    "Maybe I''ll discover that third spirit energy my neidan has been absorbing," Guo Yang thought.


    "What did that man mean by death?" Guo Mei asked, trembling.


    "No matter what method, the spiritual awakening awakens the power of your soul. If you had an attribute, something only the ancient and most powerful of clans had from birth, then it might be lost," Guo Feng said, shocking Guo Yang as he thought of his own neidan. He absorbed three types of elements and they might be lost? Ridiculous.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "There are people like that?" Guo Lin asked, disappointed as he thought he was quite talented.


    "Don''t worry. I guarantee you will all survive," Guo Jing laughed. "You must all sit within a formation barrier and endure the spiritual pressure of the practitioners as they awaken your spiritual energy. If successful, a white, clear lotus will bloom, having different petals if you have elemental affinities. Go on now."


    All fifty three children nervously sat in the center of a large square as their guardians and loved ones sat in the stands. Guo Mei and Guo Lin were nervous as Guo Yang refused to believe he will lose his element attributes. Five practitioners in white robes stood at the corners of the square, an octagon formation barrier lighting beneath the children. The practitioners  lifted their hands to the Heavens and a gold light cascaded on each child.


    Guo Yang grit his teeth as he felt tremendous pressure on his body. He desperately circulated the spirit energy in his body as he felt the element of water leaving his body. It felt as if someone had tied his limbs to separate horses and had them attempt to dismember him by walking away. Soon, over two dozen children threw up blood and died, a few more even having their chests or head explode. Many sounds of weeping were heard around him as Guo Yang closed his eyes and tried to protect the spirit energies he had left.


    "Good. Good," the man in the crimson tuxedo said as twenty minutes passed. If the Heavens are bestowing them element attributes, they should be awakening now."


    "Please spare them. Please spare them," Lu Ting prayed as the Guo Clan watched the triplets sweat and suffer from the pain.


    "The foreign energy is light! No wonder it felt so weird," Guo Yang gasped as he finally identified the unknown spirit energy. "Yes, the Heavens are giving me an element. This is the element I should have gotten without my neidan. Wait, this is the very element I just lost: water. Heh. I guess the Heavens can''t deny me my past affinities."


    The crowd made a few gasps and sighs of relief as white lotuses appeared above the children. There were a total of seven elements: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, and darkness. Of the survivors, at least one of each had been shown with the relatives of those children all with smiles on their faces.


    Guo Mei had affinities to lightning and darkness, many shocked to see someone with the rare element of lightning. Guo Lin had four, shocking everyone present. They were earth, fire, water, and wind! The four basic elements. Even the more powerful clans were envious and wondered what surprise the last triplet would give. At last, his white lotus displayed affinities for earth, water, and light! These triplets collectively had all seven elements! Such an event was unprecedented!


    "HAHAHAHA! The Heavens have blessed the Guo Clan. HAHAHAHA!" Guo Jing''s laugh shattering the stunned silence of the audience.


    "Sand, cerulean, and gold spirit energies are flowing within my neidan," Guo Yang thought as the lotuses and formation barrier dissipated. His body was changing, adapting to the new attribute combination. For some reason, Guo Yang did not feel uncomfortable despite the fact that he did not have his brazier next to him. It was a strange feeling. He guessed it must have been due to the light spiritual energy he absorbed through his neidan.


    "It seems the Guo Clan will rise in the years to come. This concludes the ritual. Those with affinities please come up and receive a complementary gift. I thank everyone for coming to witness the future generations of our Tang City," the man bowed and straightened his tie as the children walked to him.


    "Bird," Guo Yang hissed as he saw a phoenix magical beast near the man, Guo Yang guessing him to be the city lord.


    "Congratulations to the ten of you. As tokens of your future success, I will bestow each of you a weapon. Please come up and request an element attribute weapon you would like from Gold Lotus Armory, the armory that makes the very magical weapons and armor used by the city''s guards," the man smiled.


    "And what do you pick?" the man asked as Guo Yang was the last to choose.


    "I want a spear with the element of light," Guo Yang answered.


    "Hmm. Haven''t been requested one in a while. I assumed everyone wanted a sword. Well, it''s alright. Here you go. This spear is a Moon Lotus Spear. It is because it is made with rare immortal metal with affinity to light but emits rays similar to the moon. Legend says the founder of Tang City, my ancestor, found all sorts of immortal metals in a gold lotus and this gold metal was found at the base of the lotus. My ancestor called it Moon Metal as the light attribute, when wielded, was the color of the moon," the man said, handing him a spear with a black shaft and fire colored spear head. "Take care of the pointy end, kid. When you get older, you should collect materials to have your own unique spear forged just for you. As someone with more than one element attribute, you also get a free inter-spacial ring. Within it is a few metal bars used to make the Moon Lotus Spear. That will be the start of your collection. Good luck and congratulations to you and your three older siblings. However, I must say that none of you look alike."


    "Okay....Thank you for the gifts," Guo Yang bowed and rejoined his clan.


    "A spear? That''s unexpected," Guo Jing said. "Why?"


    "I''m used to more fluid styles of fighting. Spears better suit the elements of light and water. The best weapon for the earth element is one''s own body," Guo Yang answered, remembering various snake magical beasts and humans he ate who had those affinities. As he had a neidan, his cultivation would have to be different than others and he would have to find a way to combine past human spear techniques and create his own style. Luckily, he was used to the earth and water attribute.


    "When do we join an academy or sect?" Guo Lin asked, excited.


    "You got three years. You will go to school and learn  basic practitioner arts and techniques. Tang Arts School for Practitioners is what it is called. You spent the first twelve years, minus the months you could not speak or walk, learning proper etiquette and ordinary folk martial arts. If you want to go to an academy or sect, prove yourself when you learn practitioner arts," Guo Jing answered. "For now, we celebrate!"


    "Hooray!" the members of the Guo Clan cheered as all three triplets survived and had more than one element attribute. There was no greater cause to celebrate. The entire clan celebrated, congratulating the son of the patriarch for such fine children. It seemed their hopes were not displaced. Unused to such attention, Guo Yang sneaked out to gaze at the  two moons.


    "Humans are a noisy bunch," a voice hissed, revealing the owner to be the giant snake magical beast. "Exalted One, why choose human rebirth instead of ascension?"


    "I was afraid. Snake magical beasts are hunted as material by humans and considered a delicacy for those damn avian. I...would have been a much greater prize if I ascended to the Immortal Realm. Humans are a weak, but safer race," Guo Yang answered with a whisper. "Do you know? I no longer fear the cold, just as I did once. Before, I embraced the cold through my water affinity. Now, I fight it with light. The human body is quite...different than a snakes. It depends so much on spiritual energy to grow a tougher body while magical beasts are born with it already awakened."


    "Would you now make the same choice as you did before?" the snake asked.


    "I don''t know. It is too soon to determine that," he replied. "I lost my snake physiology and cultivation in exchange for a human form and a new attribute. Magical beast meat has to be cooked before consumption. Humans don''t kill, but help the weak. They have laws that bind them and protect them. It is....a new experience."


    "Indeed it is. I have been living among humans for over forty years and it is still strange to me. They progress too fast, changing the very landscape to suit their needs," the snake said.


    "Too many practitioners have tried to kill me to trust or love them. If not for my fear of the unknown the Immortal Realm brings, I would have already ascended a thousand years ago. Humans change, but their greed for power only intensifies as they advance their techniques and civilizations," Guo Yang sighed and slept under the moon for the first time without feeling discomfort or cold.

 Chapter 3: First Day at School

    Writer''s Note: Third chapter is out and now the weekend release is over. Thanks for reading and please enjoy future chapters. I read all comments so feel free to make any suggestions you would like to see happen. It just might happen.


    Chapter 3: First Day at School


    For a week, Guo Yang and his siblings were confined to their rooms to allow their body to adjust to the changes. They all received inter-spacial rings, binding them by blood. However, the weapons they were given were fake magical weapons as they were too young to receive weapon on the same tier and power as the one''s used by Tang City''s guards. The celebration of the triplet''s survival and affinities had made the new year celebration even greater than it was before.


    Guo Mei and Guo Lin immediately tried integrating spiritual energy into their martial arts, many clan members looking upon them with satisfaction. However, Guo Yang seemed uninterested and always tended the poisonous herbs for more magical beast meat and milk. If he couldn''t finish, he stored them in containers and placed them in his new ring. How could they know that he improved differently than they did?


    By interacting with different kinds of herbs, he learned new ways to apply his poison. Since birth, he hid the fact that he could also use poison through his spiritual energy. Being hit by his fist covered with spirit energy actually poisoned you! Such a discovery would shock and terrify many people. Normal humans only replenished and slightly absorbed spiritual energy from magical meat and milk, but his neidan absorbed it all.


    Due to habit, he would sometimes bring his brazier or wear heavy clothes. He was unused to the new element attribute that finally awakened and revealed itself. Practitioners with element attributes could turn their own spiritual energy into the elements they had. Guo Yang would stare as his two elder siblings enjoyed their new spiritual powers. Guo Yang was more terrifying, despite his elder siblings. Only the members of the main branch knew that Guo Yang was the second richest member of the Guo Clan due to his contributions in harvesting poisonous herbs for the Alchemist Association, a piece of his profits going to the Guo Clan.


    "Hey, youngest brother," Guo Mei said as she saw Guo Yang one day. "You should be training for when we go to school tomorrow. Others might bully us due to their jealousy."


    "Then I''ll kill them," Guo Yang said, shocking many members of the sub branch clans as they stared at him in shock. A twelve year old speaking such cold words without hesitation was not normal.


    "You can''t kill. Killing is bad," Guo Mei said.


    "We kill bugs, pests, demons, and magical beasts. We even kill humans from other nations and continents. What makes a bully any different from what we kill in the house, besides being human?" Guo Yang replied.


    "Because humans are more terrifying than they are," Guo Feng said, his first son beside him. "They seek retribution and kill if the justice does not satisfy them. Yang''er, you must not be prone to violence. Also, you must control yourself if you see avian magical beasts at the school."


    "You people complicate things," Guo Yang muttered as he carried small, sealed containers with poisonous herbs inside. Soon, he would have more milk, meat, and demon spirit coins. Demon spirit coins were made using the fossilized bones of demonic magical beasts excavated from beneath the surface.


    When Guo Yang learned to read, he discovered how humans learned of the history of the world. The world used to have four races: humans, demons, magical beasts, and demonic magical beasts. Demonic magical beasts were the ancestors of magical beasts and demons, the latter two races created through mutations of the species. Demonic magical beasts used to be the rulers of the world, but were nearly annihilated to extinction. The other three races were jealous of their might and cultivation and ultimately betrayed them.


    The bones of demonic magical beasts could be broken and shaped, but never destroyed. One could only imagine how powerful they were. Thus, their bones were used as currency in honor of their tyrannical might. In his past life, Guo Yang had survived all odds and reached the crossroads to ascension because of one thing: hereditary memories of his demonic magical beast ancestors. It was evident by the existence of a neidan, something only those with demonic magical beast lineage of high purity possessed.


    Even his incalculably many millennia old ancestor was a snake demonic magical beast. Demonic magical beasts were existences that had all seven element attributes and innate abilities no other race had. Guo Yang was proud to say he had poison no one else did. Using his hereditary memories, he had practitioner techniques beyond anyone else and survived to the crossroads to ascension. He had reached a cultivation stage no snake magical beast lived to reach. It was because of those memories that Guo Yang didn''t care about training in front of others.


    "Oh, another batch. Excellent. Good work, my grandson," Guo Jing beamed as he saw Guo Yang appear. Beside him was an old man with long black robes with gold collars. On the back of his robe was a jade image of a stone lion turtle. This was the robe worn by those of the Alchemist Association.


    "I really wonder how he harvests those herbs without being poisoned. I must say that, while not the strongest or fastest of your grandchildren; he is certainly the most dangerous," the man laughed as he received the containers.


    "If only you knew," Guo Yang thought as he received his wages.


    "I suspect he will be going to school tomorrow?" the man asked.


    "Yes. All three of them will be," Guo Jing nodded.


    "I see. I wish you luck, young master, in walking the path of cultivation," the man bowed as he placed the containers in his ring and left.


    "Now, I know you don''t like being near other humans but you must go to school. Learning basic spirit practitioner arts will prepare you for element attribute arts. As for attribute-less practitioner arts, you should learn those first. You are at the age where your body can withstand learning how to use spiritual energy. You must prepare well. After all, you are the only one who has yet to display any combat prowess," the patriarch warned.


    "How am I supposed to progress my cultivation in that peaceful environment?" Guo Yang asked.


    "It is not as peaceful as you make it to be. You have three element attributes, the envy of most practitioners. No doubt, you will make many friends and enemies. Some will attempt to be closer to you to rely on you. Others will seek to eliminate you to prevent our clan from growing stronger. Most children of the more powerful clans are haughty and will seek to challenge you to humiliate you. School is considered a den of vipers," Guo Jing answered. "Not vipers of the body, but the mind. I already know you are a cunning child. You will not be disappointed there."


    "Can I choose my classes?" he asked.


    "All classes are taught by a single teacher. You will only have the same class as your sister. Your group is the most talented of the three different school grades: freshman, junior, and senior year classes. Not all the students took the awakening ritual in the same area you did. They were all spread out, but the children with the most powerful influences and connections were in your group of fifty something children. There are five classes per year. You are randomly assigned a classroom, but try to look out for your sister. You are in Class 1-E with the other students who survived what happened after the ritual," Guo Jing said.


    "What? I thought there were more. Could they have been killed off?" Guo Yang asked, his grandfather nodding soon after.


    "They may have awakened the spiritual energy, but it does not guarantee your body can handle it. You were confined to your room for a week to survive that dangerous period," the patriarch answered. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, you go to your first day at Tang Arts School for Practitioners."


    "Yes, grandpa," he bowed and left. He sat on his bed and went over his memories. All his hereditary memories had practitioner arts used by snakes. He had to imagine himself using them with his human body. As a snake, he learned how vital movement techniques were. It was how he escaped, and later chased, other magical beasts and humans. He never did encounter a demon, but was confident he could have killed them before.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    For combat practitioner arts, his current cultivation allowed him to use only one technique of his earth and water attributes. It was called the Stone Breaker Art. Instead of his tail being covered with rocks, his fist or spear would be, the small rocks combining into a small boulder that explodes when expelled from the body. For water, he had his Moon Slicer Art. It was a technique that required a flickering movement to send a wave of water that slices in the shape of the moon. That would require a flicking motion of his wrist or spear.


    So long as he thought of his limbs like his snake body, he had an easier time interpreting his hereditary memories into human practitioner arts. Silently practicing in forming them in his room, he smiled with delight as he discovered he could manipulate his spiritual energy as he wished. He knew he could pull off the practitioner arts and fell asleep, satisfied. He never used light attribute arts and would take his time learning those. The next day, his sister rushed her two brothers to their first day at school.


    "Yay! We''re finally at school. You guys better not do anything embarrassing. I''m talking about you, Guo Yang," Guo Mei said as the three siblings arrived in front of a white wall with a gold gate before them.


    Guo Lin sighed as he followed his enthusiastic sister inside. Guo Yang and his siblings wore black pants with white jackets that had an emblem of a gold lotus on both shoulders and back. A crest was on where the heart would be, when the jacket was worn and zipped, with his classroom number and a bronze dragon underneath. Only students with element attributes had dragons beneath their class number.


    Freshmen had bronze dragon emblems, juniors had silver, and seniors had gold. As he had three element attributes, his bronze dragon crest had three heads. This was a way to differentiate students from one another and inspire friendly rivalries with other students. Some let it get to their heads and those students always became failures before they graduated. Why? It was because they didn''t train as hard as others and were ultimately left behind. Guo Lin waved goodbye to his siblings as he headed to Classroom 1-C.


    "Hi," Guo Mei greeted as she walked into her classroom, some students staring at her crest before staring at her. Since she had a dragon, she had element attributes and it even had two heads. They were also shocked to see a boy behind her, with black hair and sand colored eyes, with a three-headed bronze dragon crest.


    "Two of the Guo Clan''s triplets are here," a boy whispered while another nodded in agreement.


    "Now, now. Settle down," a woman said as she entered the room, the children sitting on empty seats. "My name is Lei Xuan and I will be your teacher this year. It seems that six of our twenty students have element attributes. Quite the number of talented students, but that is just it. Talent. Without hard work, that talent gifted by the Heavens would be wasted. Those who don''t better work hard or you will be left behind. My job is to teach you basic practitioner arts. Those require a strong mind to cultivate spiritual energy and a strong body to harness its power."


    "Thus, you will all be forced to spar with my magical beast everyday during school hours. You will learn how to fight, how to improve your techniques, how vital body refining is, and how difficult it is to be a practitioner. I do not believe in sitting on desks and lecturing all day. We train for seven hours a day with a one hour break during noon time. That is your lunch time and only rest period. Are we clear?" she asked.


    "Yes, Ms. Lei," the students said while Guo Yang rolled his eyes and stared at the clouds above.


    "Good. Until noon, you will familiarize yourselves with your classmates. Also, decide who you want to represent Class 1-E as class president. After an hour past noon, report to the combat grounds and prepare for your training," the teacher said and left the classroom after noting the six students who had bronze dragon crests.


    "Alright. We should decide who is class president. Naturally, it should be me," a girl said, flashing her three headed bronze dragon crest.


    "That doesn''t mean anything if you don''t know any element arts," Guo Mei said as she stood up. "No one likes a bully. A president is someone who is supposed to be a role model, not necessarily a noble."


    "Do you know who I am?" the girl asked, two others with single-headed bronze dragon crests rising to stand behind her.


    "No, but I know one thing: I''m stronger than you," Guo Mei said as lightning crackled around her fists as she took out her sword.


    "You know fighting is not allowed in the classroom," the girl said as she and her two friends took out their own swords.


    "Please don''t fight. I don''t want to be punished because of you," a boy with glasses said as he was the last of the talented students, besides Guo Yang. He also had a single-headed bronze dragon crest below his class number.


    "What about you?" the girl asked as she stared at Guo Yang. "Who do you support as class president?"


    "No one. I don''t deal with weaklings," Guo Yang said and suddenly turned his head upwards and walked to the window.


    "Hmph. You have more element attributes than me and you''re walking away," one of the boys behind the girl smirked, everyone rolling their eyes as Guo Yang was walking away from the girl and not him.


    "I just don''t want to get involved," Guo Yang said as he pointed up. "It seems the third year students have already started all the fun."


    "Involved with--" the boy began but cried out as a student came crashing from above, slamming the boy into the ground.  Guo Mei and the others looked up and saw a hole reaching all the way to the third floor''s ceiling.


    "Now I am class president of Classroom 3-E," a voice boomed as they all saw an older boy sprawled out on top of the other boy. Even the desk and chair Guo Yang had was destroyed.


    "Like I said, I didn''t want to get involved," Guo Yang sighed as he checked for their pulses, no one hearing him as they tried to see who spoke while he grabbed their hands and put his hand over their noses. "They''re alive, but their bones are broken, fractured if they''re lucky."


    "Someone get the nurse," Guo Mei cried, bring their attention back on the ground as she stared at the other girl. "You can be class president. I actually want friends. No one likes to follow someone who hasn''t proved herself."


    "You!" the girl started but the other boy held her back as he and another student helped carry the two boys after a nurse appeared.


    None of them had noticed, but Guo Yang had released a small mist into the nostril of the boy who had yelled ad him while checking the boy''s pulse. The mist came from a vial of poisonous herbs he had in his inter-spacial ring. Vials were small and easy to hide in one''s hand. Everyone was busy gazing at the hole in the ceiling when he had done the deed. The boy would not die, but we would be in a short coma for a few days.


    "Grandpa was right. School isn''t so bad," Guo Yang muttered and left to the cafeteria as he ignored the other students who made introductions. He only cared about two things: cultivation and his way of life. He only respected the strong, when he was not at the peak of mortal cultivation. None of his classmates were strong enough for him to recognize as a friend or ally. He played with two inter-spacial rings between his fingers, the two belonging to both boys.


    After emptying them into his own ring, he crushed them with his spiritual energy to leave no trace behind. As a magical beast with hereditary memories, tampering with inter-spacial rings was easy as demonic magical beasts were the ones who taught the other three races how to make them, the art long lost after they all died.


    Cunning, not brute strength, was the way survival for a snake. Even if he was human, he didn''t like to reveal his true strength and preferred subtlety to take out his enemies. He put one boy in bed for a few weeks while stealing both boys'' possessions and none would be the wiser. The two boys can only blame themselves for disrupting his cloud watching after the teacher''s little speech was over.

 Chapter 4: Unspeakably Important Lesson

    Writer''s Note: Next chapter posted tomorrow. Enjoy.


    Chapter 4: Unspeakably Important Lesson


    Guo Yang entered the cafeteria and looked around. No one was there. It was nice and quiet, save for the fighting in the classrooms nearby. He rubbed his hands and stared at the food, taking a tray and piling it with all kinds of magical beast meat. Unlike his siblings, he could survive on a meat only diet. Naturally, he protested when he had to eat vegetables. Snakes were not vegetarian, at least he was not.


    He stared at the door as students walked in, all third year students. Like his own class, very few had dragon crests. Only one human had spiritual energy of note: a girl with long red hair with pure fire attributes. He shrugged, as students could not fight students of other years, and returned his attention to his meal. She would have been an interesting opponent. One of the boys saw him looking at her and shouted at him.


    Guo Yang took out a vial of poisonous herbs and smelled it as if it were a treasure. Enraged at being ignored, the boy shouted louder. Guo Yang turned to him and yawned before smelling the vial again. The ground cracked under the boy and students that entered the cafeteria stared at him as he stormed to Guo Yang.


    "Did you not hear me?" the boy roared.


    "I did and didn''t care," Guo Yang smiled. "This vial is more interesting than you. You just don''t get art. Screaming boys? How is that interesting?"


    "Give me that! Just what the fuck are you smelling? You lowly first year. I''ll bet this is thing isn''t even that expensive," the boy snapped and Guo Yang grinned as the boy stole and smelled the vial.


    "Did I forget to mention it is rather hazardous to smell the mist of the vial? Oh. I supposed I forgot to mention that," Guo Yang chuckled as he retrieved the vial and sealed it, storing it away as the boy was as still as a statue. "White porcupine powder. Made by mixing a rather poisonous herbs commonly found by homes of porcupine magical beasts. My grandfather brought it to the select herb garden only harvested by me. It is not poisonous in terms of taking your life. It is more like a paralytic poison caused by smelling or touching the herb. I bring it with me to admire the smell. It actually has a nice fragrance. Pity the range is short and very hazardous to other people. Well, you can only blame yourself for yanking it out of my hand."


    "Robert!" a boy cried and rushed to him.


    "Oh, a foreigner. It seems he did not know the Guo Clan''s means of business. Tut tut. No wonder he was so shameless and made a scene," Guo Yang shrugged.


    "Cure him!" the boy shouted.


    "Is that anyway to ask for a favor? He did it to himself. What would I gain by him doing it? Nothing. Third  years are not to cause conflicts with first years and vice versa. He yelled at me, threatened me, insulted me, and took my vial. I don''t think he deserves to be cured. Don''t worry though. The cure is sold at the Alchemist Association for a measly twenty thousand demon spirit coins.


    "What? You carry that around?" the boy cried, everyone turning to him in shock.


    "What are you talking about? I just grounded the herb after harvesting it. I don''t know how to make the cure," Guo Yang smiled. "You see this face. It''s the face of someone who doesn''t know any alchemy. I just harvest and grow herbs. That''s all. Of course, I heard wind attribute practitioners could cleanse the poisonous mist from his body. However, the process is quite, messy. Sometimes, they take out more than what was put in. Nasty business that one. You might want to hurry. His heart will paralyze in thirty minutes. Again, his problem caused by his unacceptable behavior."


    "There must be a way to cure him!" the boy cried, the students leaning  forward with interest. This was a much more entertaining scene that bloody fighting as they were barely teenagers and unused to blood and violence.


    "Of course there is. I might not own a cure, but I can take the poison out of him. However, nothing is free unless it is caused by your own fault," Guo Yang smiled as he clapped his hands. "Let me just say I have no concern for money and delight in all treasures magical. Oh, you have twenty eight minutes now. Tick tock."


    "Evil!" the students muttered as they shivered gazing at the smiling, seemingly innocent boy.


    "Is that my little brother?" Guo Mei asked incredulously as the first years all arrived, only the second year students still fighting with each other. "Guo Yang, what are you doing?"


    "Mind your business. Little brother is making a transaction," Guo Yang snapped. "Friend of Robert, I wouldn''t just stand there and contemplate my options. You have none. Twenty six minutes now. Uh oh. Is his breathing accelerating? He''s panicking. The tension is just too much for him, but you can save him."


    "He should be class president," the noble girl said, all the other students nodding. He was talented and incredibly cunning. He just might make a better leader if he wanted the position.


    "Ah, twenty three minutes. I really wonder if you and this Robert are truly friends. I know I would not take seven minutes to say four simple words: What do you want?" Guo Yang said, motioning with both hands with each of the four words. "You''re quite evil. Hanging out with someone stronger than you and running away when it suits you. You''re a real nice guy."


    "What do you want?" the boy gave in, his heart heavy as all the students shouted at him to say the words as they wanted to know what happens next.


    "Those are very beautiful words. Your friendship is truly inspirational. What do I want? It''s simple really. A question for a question to resolve a situation. Let me ask you eight words in exchange. What do you think someone like me needs?" Guo Yang asked.


    Some people coughed blood upon hearing his words. He was really too much, but he was right. He did nothing wrong and the boy, named Robert, did. He didn''t need to save him, but the boy would die without him. By saying those eight words, the other boy would have to make a truly horrifying offer to save Robert. Some third years knew the boy and Robert''s relations. Just as Guo Yang surmised, the other boy followed Robert around as he was strong. The other boy was backed into a corner and had no choice but to save Robert or risk losing any friends he had in school.


    "I have.....a jar of demon crystals. They can increase cultivation for darkness attribute practitioners," the boy said.


    "What''s you name?" Guo Yang asked.


    "Tristan," the boy answered.


    "Ah, Tristan. Well, sorry to say that I don''t have that element attribute. Sorry. You have to hurry. You may have...sixteen minutes but I''ll need longer than a few seconds to cure him," the boy urged, the almost all the students fooled by the regret in his voice. Guo Yang was looking more like someone trying to be helpful, but the more wise students knew he was just pressuring Tristan with the time limit.


    "That little...he''s not even that strong," Guo mei said, but Guo Lin stepped forward and whispered to her. "Big sister, Guo Yang isn''t as weak as you think. You didn''t feel it as you were envious of me, but I felt enormous amounts of spiritual energy within Guo Yang as he awakened. It amounted to a practitioner who cultivated for over a dozen years. I think he''s actually been cultivating, in secret, since he was born."


    "That''s impossible," Guo Mei whispered.


    "I''m not the only one who noticed. Dad was mad at Guo Yang, right? Well, dad paid attention to him and also confirmed my suspicions. Why do you think dad did not bother him lately?" Guo Lin asked, his sister''s eyes bulging as she learned the truth and stared at her youngest brother in shock and awe.


    "I have this bottle of monkey wine," the boy said, tightening his fists. "The gourd is a magical treasure that holds a incredible ability of a limitless capacity to store three types of liquid put within. Up to three chambers are within the gourd, the main chamber left empty. I only have monkey wine inside one of the two sub chambers. It will give you incredible strength and increase your body''s toughness. This gourd''s special ability would make it priceless to beer and wine experts. However, I only have seven barrels of monkey wine put inside the gourd. However, it is still worth a lot of demon spirit coins, way more than twenty thousand. The price of the gourd aside, a single barrel of monkey wine is three thousand demon spirit coins each."


    "But honor, not money, is the issue. Are you truly a good person so as to make this sacrifice for your friend? Are you not so selfish as to keep it to yourself?" Guo Yang asked and smiled as the boy grudgingly took out a rainbow colored gourd and took out the blood binding, giving it to Guo Yang with his nails biting into his free hand. "That''s a good boy."


    Guo Yang bound it with blood and took a swig. Upon binding the gourd, he learned Tristan told the truth. Three magical chambers were in the gourd, each one''s capacity seemingly infinite. However, only each chamber could contain a single type liquid and could not be mixed. If he died, whatever was in the main chamber would be destroyed, the empty chamber and chamber with monkey wine left intact.


    He would have to be careful in what he placed inside and put the most valuable liquid in the main chamber. That way, he would have the last laugh if they killed him and found their efforts for naught. He had such a satisfied look on his face and tapped Robert on the chest. He stored the gourd and started to walk out of the cafeteria.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Wait! You said you would heal him!" Tristan cried.


    "Did you not see me tap him? Look again," Guo Yang said and everyone stared as Robert fell to his knees panting loudly as he clutched his chest. "See? I''m a man of my word. You can''t do business without trust. Otherwise, who would risk buying and selling goods with such a person? I thank you both for teaching me the value of having respect and concern for others. I really enjoyed this unspeakably important lesson. You both are truly wise and an inspiration for me, a lowly first year. Robert and Tristan, I thank you both for teaching this first year. I will be sure to engrave it in my heart."


    All the students were frozen speechless, even as the second years came long after Guo Yang left. They had truly learned that words could be a more dangerous weapon than fists. Guo Yang had Tristan in the palm of his hand and struck without mercy. Also, he had triple attributes and no one could believe he was weak to antagonize two third year students.


    "Ugh. That might be the longest human conversation I ever had. So troublesome but wine does taste good," Guo Yang shrugged as he drank more monkey wine. "I used to eat and crush monkeys. Who knew they could make such powerful, spiritual wine? I would have had legions of them as my servants to make this wine. I should take care when picking what to fill the other two chambers and not accidentally replacing the wine with something of lesser value."


    An hour past noon, his classmates arrived at the combat grounds and saw Guo Yang staring at the giant blue phoenix behind their teacher. The phoenix was as tall as a giraffe, scaring many children while Guo Mei was scared for an entirely different reason. After all, she knew her brother''s inexplicable hate for birds. He would never answer why he had such feelings, just ensured that he never went too far in hurting them.


    "Oh my god! That''s a mythical type magical beast! Our teacher must have some sort of background. Even the more powerful clans of the city struggle just to possess one mythical type magical beast," the boy with glasses said, taking out an encyclopedia on magical beasts from his storage ring.


    "What kind is it?" a student asked.


    "Um. Let me see. Let me see," the boy muttered and his eyes widened as he found the page. "Phoenix type magical beast. That''s a Blue Heart String Phoenix. Known attributes: wind and water. Native to the northern lands of our Tang City''s continent: Pangu. A phoenix of the snow mountain regions. It specializes in freezing its prey before breaking frozen skin, hair, and metal with blades of wind. Method of combat: flee on sight. Close combat means certain death."


    "Why is it called Blue Heart String Phoenix?" Guo Mei asked but Guo Yang answered.


    "It is known for its innate ability to make its heart covered in strings of near unbreakable ice. If you kill the phoenix without destroying the heart, the phoenix will be reborn," Guo Yang growled.


    He remembered fighting three of them before, losing many of his precious scales as he discovered they kept resurrecting and returning to kill him a week after with each death. It was only after he discovered their weakness, that he could finally kill them. That innate ability is just one of many reasons why mythical type magical beasts were the strongest over all others.


    "How do you know that weakness?" Professor Lei Xuan asked. "Very few people should know that."


    "I''d ask you the same thing. How''d you even get your hands on one of them? Either you, or whoever gave you the phoenix, must have stolen into one of their nests and taken its egg," Guo Yang replied. "Does anyone have flame attribute spiritual energy?"


    "I have only wind," the boy with glasses said. "My name is Sun Yi, commoner. My father is the Tang City''s head librarian."


    "I am Gu Zhou and this is Lady Mu Xing," the boy behind the noble girl said. "I have the water attribute while my brother, Gu Zheng, had the darkness attribute. He was injured by that boy who smashed through the third and second floor and crashed on him. Lady Xing has fire, light, and wind attributes."


    "It is why I am a noble. I apologize as my actions before were unbecoming of one. I am a noble because my father is one of the noble clans distantly related to the emperor and one of the top ten clans in the entire Song Dynasty. In Tang City, my Mu Clan is the top and I possess the light attribute, the most scared of all with the fastest speed and healing practitioner arts in history," the girl said.


    "Do you know any fire attribute arts?" Guo Mei asked, being polite as the girl no longer seemed arrogant.


    "I only know how to make my spiritual energy possess the fire attribute. I don''t know any element practitioner arts," she shook her head.


    "And know you get along good. Today''s lesson ends if you can make contact with my phoenix. Be warned. Phoenix and dragon type magical beasts are the ones with the most pride and hate to lose," the professor smiled as the phoenix shrieked as it spread its beautiful sky blue wings.


    As the students charged forward behind Guo Mei and Mu Xing, Guo Yang stayed back as he closed his eyes and had his hands across his chest. One palm rested on the other and slowly separated as a sphere of sand, earth, and rock rose from the ground and formed in between them. Element attribute arts required a certain level of understanding and becoming one with them.


    "This one is talented. He''s already attuning himself to the earth. He should be experimenting and making his move soon. What earth practitioner art will he use?" Lei Xuan thought as the other children charged at the phoenix, only to be swept away with a single flap of its wings.


    Guo Yang could feel the vibrations beneath his feet as his sphere began to revolve and glow. His eyes still closed, he could see white images, feedback of the vibrations his sphere made. The phoenix was flying, but he could sense where the wind made contact with the ground. He opened his eyes as he located the area directly underneath the phoenix and sphere expanded. It covered him in sand, earth, and rock and he vanished in a flash. Lei Xuan was surprised as he seemed to appear in random places between his former location and the phoenix.


    "He''s using earth type movement arts!" Mu Xing cried, everyone gasping as Guo Yang appeared and disappeared past them. The movement skill he was using was known as the Snake Specter Art, an earth type practitioner art that saved his life countless times when he was a weak little snake. Later, it became the reason even dragons and phoenixes feared him. His current range was limited to five yards, but it was enough to anger the phoenix.


    The phoenix shrieked and made gusts of wind, Guo Yang barely dodging them. He always teleported to areas where the earth felt the least amount of wind, his eyes seemingly glowing with a sand-colored aura. He moved as a snake did, never straight and seemingly mysterious changes in direction.


    Annoyed, the phoenix closed its wings and suddenly burst them out. Ice seemed to cover the very ground around it with a blast of freezing winds. However, Guo Yang had appeared behind it, using his Stone Breaker Art to encompass his fist with small rocks.


    "I really hate birds, but I hate your kind even more!" he screamed and expelled the fist of rock at the square of its back, sending a small, magical boulder between its wings. He obviously used more spirit energy than his body could handle and lost consciousness, regret in his heart as his vision turned dark right before the small boulder hit the phoenix. The phoenix barely felt a thing as Guo Yang fell onto the ground. Angered, the phoenix turned to him but was stopped by Lei Xuan.


    "Is he your class president?" Lei Xuan said as she ensured Guo Yang was alright.


    "No, I am," Mu Xing said, the students seeing the professor sigh.


    "You have much to prove if you are the class president. The boy is alright, just fainted due to too much spirit energy consumed at once. You were all supposed to lose and I would explain the cultivation stages, as they applied to you now. However, student Guo Yang succeeded and made contact with my phoenix. Today''s lesson is over. Guo Mei, please take your brother home. Class is dismissed," the professor shook her head, still shocked as she rode her phoenix out of the combat grounds.


    "I hate it when Guo Lin is right. Now both of my little brothers are stronger than me. I have to tell our parents and the patriarch about this. Maybe they''ll even teach me privately," Guo Mei said, determination to grow strong in her heart as she carried her brother home with Sun Yi''s help. Sun Yi was impressed and decided to be friends with Guo Yang as he was both strong and smart.


    "Whoa! What happened to little brother?" Guo Lin asked as he soon appeared behind them as they left the school.


    "It''s a long story," Guo Mei said as he helped Sun Yi carry Guo Yang while Guo Mei walked in front of them. "Still, youngest brother looks like a normal boy when he''s asleep."


    "I''m afraid that''s the only time he will be," Guo Lin sighed and the three laughed as they headed to the Guo Clan''s territory.

 Chapter 5: Unexpected Loot

    Writer''s note: A little early but enjoy. Next release will be a while as I have midterms.


    Chapter 5: Unexpected Loot


    "What happened?" Guo Jing roared as he saw his two grandchildren and an unknown boy enter his pavilion with Guo Yang still unconscious. "What happened to Yang''er?"


    "We had to fight a Blue Heart String Phoenix today. He used some kind of earth attack and movement practitioner art to land a blow on the phoenix. He just fainted from exhaustion," Guo Mei explained as Guo Yang groaned.


    "Ugh, where am I?" he groaned as he shook his head, his body feeling a little weak as he looked around. "Oh, I''m at grandpa''s house. I suppose I must have overexerted my body with too much spirit energy consumption. It seems I''m not at the level where I can use my element attribute arts freely."


    "Spirit energy in wine?" Guo Jing frowned as Guo Feng and Ji Ting arrived, seeing Guo Yang drink a milky white wine full of spirit energy. "What is that?"


    "It''s monkey wine. It contains spirit energy and tastes quite good," Guo Yang answered.


    "What are you doing!" Ji Ting snapped, Guo Yang turning to her. "You are just a child. You cannot drink wine!"


    "It''s in my new magical treasure. I can do with it what I please," he replied, sipping some more and began to meditate to restore his spirit energy.


    "Listen to your mother. You will only drink that monkey wine if you need to replace your spent spirit energy. It will be even easier to improve your cultivation in that exhausted state," Guo Jing said, Guo Yang sighing as his body restored to an acceptable level.


    "Where did you learn those practitioner arts? We did not hand you any manuals for any practitioner arts," Guo Jing asked.


    "I learned it from a snake," Guo Yang answered, telling a half truth as it did come from his hereditary memories.


    "From Red Shadow?" Guo Jing asked as he looked at his snake.


    "No. I learned by observing the magical beasts at the Alchemist Association while we ventured there to sell the herbs on some days. I studied their movement and how they manipulated their spirit energy," Guo Yang answered, stunning them all.


    "Theoretically, it is possible but very difficult," Sun Yi said as he adjusted his glasses. "Ah, sorry. My name is Sun Yi and I am a classmate of Guo Mei and Guo Yang. I''ll, uh get going now. See you guys tomorrow."


    "Did you do something at school?" Guo Jing asked.


    "Hmm? What do you mean?" Guo Yang asked.


    "I never saw you buy that gourd or monkey wine," Guo Jing said.


    "I, uh, received it from an older class man in return for a favor. You see, I noticed a girl with very powerful cultivation and stared at her to assess it for three seconds? Then, I returned to my meal but some idiot older student yelled at me. I think he was jealous. All I did was ignore the man while smelling my poisonous powder in a little vial. While I was enjoying its fragrance, the idiot named Robert snatched it from me, insulted me, and took a whiff. Is it my fault that he became paralyzed temporarily and nearly lost his life? No. The range of the vial''s mist is not even a foot long and even the smell dissipates. It is a nice, shallow scent that I was enjoying until he came," Guo Yang smiled, chills going down everyone''s spines.


    "And how it ended with you owning that gourd?" Guo Feng asked.


    "I, uh, told his friend that Robert would die unless he bought a cure. It is worth twenty thousand spirit coins, but we were too far and he was evidently too poor to buy it. So I told him I would cure him in exchange for something that I needed. He gave me this gourd as that means of transaction to cure his friend. Did I have to save him? No. Did I save him? Yes. He turned out alright, his friend was not publicly exposed as a spineless weakling, and I got this gourd filled with seven barrels of monkey wine," Guo Yang laughed.


    "What else did you get?" Guo Jing asked.


    "What do you mean?" Guo Yang asked as everyone looked between the two, confused.


    "You''re a smart boy, too smart. There is no way you would be satisfied and have fun with only one item. If there is one thing I know, as a master of a snake magical beast; snakes are very cunning and always attack when they are certain of pulling off the kill. There must be other prey you met before that Robert character," Guo Jing said, everyone nodding as it made sense.


    "I guess I underestimate you, grandpa patriarch," Guo Yang smiled. "You''re right. I did get more than that gourd, but I''m pretty sure no one found out."


    "How did you get those?" Guo Feng cried as Guo Yang deposited five, meter high, eggs. They were obviously eggs of magical beasts and everyone turned to him in shock.


    "You know, even for me, there is no way to tell what is inside these eggs. I doubt whoever owned these knew either. Trust me, no one knows more about magical beast eggs than me," Guo Yang smiled evilly, reminiscing about his times as a snake and creeping into magical beast dens and breaking many of their eggs. The taste was....addictive for a snake. Very addictive.


    "What do you want to do with these eggs?" Guo Jing asked.


    "Well, I planned on eating one," he said, stunning them all.


    "How could you? It''s a magical beast egg," Guo Mei began.


    "That is more delicious than most magical beast meat and milk. Trust your youngest brother. I know these things," he smiled. "Well, I could give my siblings one each, keep one for myself, give one to the sub branches, and eat the last."


    "No. You will give two to the sub branches. You can''t eat magical beast eggs," Guo Jing said, Guo Yang outraged but keeping calm as he did not have the power to do as he wished. Yet.


    "What else did you get?" Guo Feng asked.


    "If you press any further, then I will cease harvesting poisonous herbs," Guo Yang said through gritted teeth, even Guo Lin and Guo Mei figuring out he was angry despite the calm face. "You and Guo Lin pick one and leave. I....am angry. Grandpa patriarch, you will take two eggs after I make my pick. I will remember this day."


    "Sorry," Guo Mei and Guo Lin said as they each took an egg and hastily left.


    "I will be by the pond in the backyard of the pavilion, sorting out the rest of my loot. If you two go anywhere near me, or anyone really; you will all be poisoned. I guarantee, no one else will know the cure. Come, Red Shadow," Guo Yang growled at his parents as he drank some monkey wine, stored the gourd and one egg in his inter-spacial ring, and stormed out.


    "Come here," Guo Jing said but was shocked to see the snake ignore him. It slammed its tail on Guo Feng and glared at Ji Ting before slithering behind Guo Yang. "Are you alright?"


    "I''m fine, father," Guo Feng said as he coughed blood. "I..don''t know what''s going on? I think I worsened the relationship with my son, even more than it already had. I did not expect him to be so strong, or so smart either."


    "Yes, you paid more attention to Guo Lin and Guo Mei and their active sibling rivalry. Perhaps treating Guo Yang as a sickly, crippled child due to his weakness to cold weather was the reason for it. He and I get along fine. He calls me grandpa," Guo Jing said. "Although, knowing him, he might be angry at me for a few hours before calming down."


    "I told you to pay more attention to him," Ji Ting snapped, her husband looking at the floor as she did do so, many times. "However, he had her help him keep Guo Mei from hating Guo Lin for displaying more talent than her. He was also to blame for the bad relationship between Guo Yang and his mother.


    Guo Yang would never admit it, but it had a small, small influence in how he treated them. After all, he did see his own mother being eaten by a hawk magical beast and never knew his father. Love was foreign to him. That was the biggest factor. He was always hiding and having to eat weaker prey, or weakened predators. Once he became strong, he had to slither and escape from those who sought his magical beast core.


    His body was broken, his mind under stress, and danger was worn like a mantle for nearly every year of his life. Family? He trusted the snake magical beast of his human grandfather more than his new family. Snakes really lived one of the harshest of lives as the number one delicacy for avian magical beasts with phoenixes at the very top. His human parents'' interactions with him were minor and nearly insignificant compared to his past life''s experiences.


    "Exalted One, why did you let them take your prize?" Red Shadow hissed.


    "Whoever said I had only five? It seems the two human boys I robbed were quite rich. Well, these particular eggs are sold in the magical beast shop for one thousand demon spirit coins each. It is because these eggs are camouflaged to look the same through formations, displayed in large patches to trick customers in thinking they have a big chance in picking a very powerful magical beast," Guo Yang said as he took out two more. "I suspect the third year student''s ring contained almost all these eggs. I also got a few thousand spirit beads and a few spirit crystals. Quite the unexpected loot. I figured the two boys were nobles, as most are proud and willing to fight to be class president. Turns out, I was right."


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story."Exalted One is quite cunning. What do you plan to do now? My human master might have suspicions on how you learn your practitioner arts," Red Shadow asked.


    "Don''t worry. You know how we snakes deal with humans. We never make the same mistake twice," Guo Yang said. He looked at one of the two eggs he kept aside and gingerly set it at the edge of the pond while he looked at the other two and cracked them. He closed his eyes and swirled his arms and hands in opposing circles, ending at his chest. The yoke from the egg rose out of the egg shells and vanished as the pure spirit energy entered his mouth. After repeating the process on the second egg, he let Red Shadow eat one of the baby magical beasts within the eggs and ate the other one. He frowned as he discovered it was a baby dragon, but then smiled as it meant he would consume dragon blood. His luck was truly great!"


    Spirit crystals contained more spirit energy than spirit beads as they were not filled with spiritual energy, but crystallized versions of it. He did not know who possessed them but knew that if he was discovered to possess them, many would kill him for it. Spirit crystals were exceedingly rare and valuable. He put thoughts on the spirit crystals aside as he was not at the cultivation stage where he could truly benefit from them. Grabbing a few handful of spirit beads, he began to cultivate.


    Due to his neidan, his absorption rate was just too fast. Even the spirit energy from his surrounding seemed to surge into him. The pond rippled and the blades of grass waved as his body seemed to suck in all the spirit energy in the area. Such a surge of spirit energy immediately alerted Guo Jing and Guo Feng as they raced out to see what caused it. They gaped as three wisps of spirit energy surged around him, one for each element attribute he had. Rings of rock, water, and light soon appeared around his body as he continued his cultivation.


    "Im, im, impossible," Guo Jing said as he stared at his grandson.


    "What is it?" Guo Feng asked.


    "No. I can''t believe it. Did he consume dragon blood? He must have!" Guo Jing said and turned to his son. "Do you understand what is happening? Guo Yang is forming a Yin Yang, heaven and earth, divine tattoo! This is no lesser, ordinary, or higher ranked divine tattoo. See how his body changes? His bones'' densities will harden and his cartilages will improve by leaps and bounds. Even his muscles, organs, and skin will undergo drastic changes!"


    They watched as the wisps multiplied while the rings enlarged and formed a cocoon around Guo Yang. Li Ting soon arrived and she also gasped upon seeing it. Behind her was Guo Li, the wife of Guo Jing. She had been in closed door training and came out after almost twelve years due to the commotion Guo Yang was causing. She too, was shocked to see the cocoon.


    "Guo Feng, make sure no one enters anywhere near this pavilion! No one is to know or spread knowledge of what is happening here!" he yelled, Guo Feng nodding as he left to carry out the order. "That smart rascal! He must have eaten a magical beast egg! I see one by the pond. He would have wasted such a magical beast, but he did not contract with it and make it lose its wonderful effect. A heaven and earth tattoo. This is just too much."


    "That''s Little Yang?" Guo Li asked as she stared at the cocoon. "What happened?"


    As Guo Jing described what the triplets did while she was away, Ji Ting yelled as they waited past midnight and saw a glowing crack on the cocoon. "The cocoon is breaking!"


    Save for a ring, Guo Yang emerged completely naked as the cocoon shattered. He grew three inches and his muscles had become more lean with less fat in his body. His sand colored eyes now had a golden luster and his black hair fell past his shoulders. Instead of a normal dragon with a lizard body and wings, a serpent-bodied dragon appeared on his back with the head of a dragon, white catfish whiskers, red scales, brilliant deer antlers, and a jade colored man extending from the top of its head to the tail.


    "What manner of dragon is this? It looks like snake!" Guo Jing cried, never seeing pictures of such a dragon before.


    A black pillar of light fell on Guo Yang, lifting him up three feet as Guo Feng arrived with Guo Mei and Guo Lin. Guo Mei had an owl magical beast while Guo Lin had a manticore magical beast. It looked like a small lion cub with bat wings and a scorpion tail. Normally, everyone would be happy with joy to discover a clan member with a mythical type magical beast. However, their attention was solely on Guo Yang. No one but them saw an image of that exact dragon appear in the sky, their eyes widening as their gazes followed its fall from the Heavens and enter Guo Yang''s body.


    They covered their ears as an inhumane shriek sounded in their minds. It was as if they were hearing the cry of a mother dragon as it saw its child for the first time. White horns appeared behind the top of Guo Yang''s ears and the pillar of light faded. They did not know it, but every living creature in the Pangu continent and every dragon and snake magical beast in the world had heard the shriek in their minds. However, only the dragons and snakes knew what it meant.


    "So that is the first dragon snake the Exalted One should have been," Red Shadow hissed as the wisps disappeared into Guo Yang''s body and then saw the broken egg. "Uh oh. The Exalted One liked that egg."


    "No one is to speak of what happened here. No one is to know he formed a dragon body. Divine tattoos are not uncommon in powerful clans, but dragon bodies and Yin Yang divine tattoos are. Do you understand? Our Guo Clan will be endangered if this leaks out," Guo Jing said, everyone nodding violently as Guo Feng hastily covered his son''s lower body.


    "What about the school?" Guo Feng asked.


    "Tell them he will take a week off due to the strain from his spirit energy consumption. It is acceptable as he used element attribute practitioner arts," Ji Ting said answered. "Father-in-law, will my son be alright?"


    "Yes. He is to sleep in my guest room. No one is to disturb him in this week''s time. I only heard a similar shriek in my mind thrice. It was from the three talented children, out of the ten, of the emperor, the news publicly announced," Guo Jing shivered. "No one can know of this. No one. This dragon shriek sounded different. It had to. I never seen such a dragon. Divine tattoos are strange, so we might be able to make it pass off as an ordinary or lesser divine tattoo."


    "Finally, a worthy rival," Guo Lin said innocently, Guo Mei hurt as she realized her brother never considered her as such. All but Guo Jing left the pavilion, Guo Li formally meeting her older grandchildren for the first time since helping their birth.


    Many thousand miles away, movement in a giant, golden pavilion took place. Many servants and guards rushed through many smaller buildings, as if to check on something. Within the grand hall of the largest pavilion, many generals and ministers stood before a man on a white wooden throne as he wore a black robe with five gold dragon coiling around his limbs and chest.


    "What happened? Head of the palace guards, which of my other seven children formed a Yin Yang divine tattoo?" the emperor of the Song Dynasty roared. His empire encompassed the entire Pangu continent, making his empire the largest and most powerful over the fifteen continents.


    "Your Imperial Majesty, I am afraid none of them have formed a Yin Yang tattoo. Of the seven who did not have one, five had already formed higher and ordinary ranked divine tattoos. It is not possible for them. As for the last two, their backs remain barren," a guard in a luxurious gold dragon armor shouted as he knelt on one knee.


    "What!" he roared, slamming the left arm rest of his throne into dust. "How can this be? I want soldiers sent into every one of the empire''s provinces. Someone must have seen a radiant pillar of golden light. I want that person found and brought to me. He either submits and is married into my family or is annihilated alongside his entire clan! I don''t even care if he is a member of a sect or academy! Find the person with the Yin Yang divine tattoo!"


    Unaware of the activities of the palace, the members of the main branch of the Guo Clan secretly celebrated because of their two powerful triplet grandsons of the patriarch. One had a Yin Yang divine tattoo and the other not only had four element attributes, he had a mythical type magical beast. Only one person did not celebrate as she gazed at the moon, a tiny owl nibbling on her hand. Unbeknownst to everyone, she actually fused lightning and darkness to make black lightning.


    "I...I can''t lose. They need to see me, recognize me!" Guo Mei said as darkness seemed to swallow the world around her. "I need the power to be stronger than my brothers. To show them that I am worthy to walk alongside them with pride. To be known as Guo Mei, not their elder triplet."


    "And what would you sacrifice for such power?" a voice whispered into her ear.


    "Anything. I can''t be left behind," Guo Mei said as saw a giant, crimson eye appear before her, a giant mass covered in darkness as it gazed down at her.


    "Embrace the darkness child. Harness that variant lightning. It is your birthright, your power. Child of the Darkness, accept my power and you will form your soul realm and gain power beyond your imagination. Embrace your destiny. Embrace your fate as a harvester of souls," the eye said and Guo Mei''s screams were silenced as it fused into her body, even her soul bound magical beast affect by the unknown darkness.

 Chapter 6: The History of Cultivation

    Writer''s Note: Midterms over for now. Sorry for the wait. Hope you like reading myths. Divine tattoos will also be explained in this chapter. Next chapter will be released tomorrow. Enjoy.


    Chapter 6: The History of Cultivation


    "Huh. My body really feels great," Guo Yang said as he stretched.


    A week had passed since he formed a Yin Yang divine tattoo. He woke up a half hour after the tattoo had formed and spent the last five days adjusting to his new, improved body. It felt so comfortable and powerful, he cringed sometimes. It was as if he were a ghost that found a better host body to inhabit. When he woke up, he learned about the history of cultivation.


    --------------------------


    Legend had it that the Mortal Realm, Immortal Realm, and Divine Realm were once one complete realm. There were many versions of how the realms used to be, but the people of the Pangu continent believed in one particular one. Legend had it that the one realm was once known as the Yin Yang Realm. Seven beings, known as the Elemental Sovereigns, ruled over the Yin Yang Realm.


    The Yin Yang Realm was peaceful until two Elemental Sovereigns waged war. The Elemental Sovereign of Lightning wanted the seven to be the kings and gods of all life that began to appear in the Yin Yang Realm. The Elemental Sovereign of Fire said that the minor life forms should be free to live as they wished and the two Elemental Sovereigns waged war. Many worlds and species were lost during their clash. In the end, the Sovereign of Lightning was slain and the Elemental Sovereign of Fire scattered its body all over the Yin Yang Realm. The Elemental Sovereigns of  Light, Water, Wind, Earth, and Darkness remained neutral through the war choosing to help neither side.


    None of the other Elemental Sovereigns discovered the hidden plot of one of their own until the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness made its move. Using its very omniscient life force, it divided the Yin Yang Realm into the three known realms of today. The weaker worlds were divided between an infinite number of galaxies and universes into what is now known as The Mortal Realm. The Immortal Realm contained life forms created by the very Elemental Sovereigns. The segregated realms could allow one to ascend to the higher realm upon reaching a certain level of spiritual cultivation.


    The five living Elemental Sovereigns were segregated into the Divine Realm so that no more worlds would be destroyed. It was not a realm of divinity, like some other legends claimed. The legend of the Pangu continent, named after the Sovereign of Darkness, knew the truth: the Divine Realm was actually a prison. It was because Pangu had the power to see into the souls of the other Elemental Sovereigns and discovered that they were dissatisfied with the Yin Yang Realm. They wanted to destroy all worlds and begin it anew. That was why they did not interfere with the war. It was Pangu''s sacrifice that saved all life, but Pangu regretted to imprison the Elemental Sovereign of Fire with the others as Fire was the only one without thoughts of utter annihilation of life.


    After the death of Darkness, known as Pangu; the true creators of the Yin Yang Realm appeared. It could not possibly be described by legend and was simply known as the Heavens. The Heavens created sixty three Sovereigns, nine for each of the seven elements. They would oversee the Immortal Realm and prevent any life from freeing the Elemental Sovereigns. The only way to be a Sovereign was to kill one. The Heavens made a decree that those of the Immortal Realm could not descend into the Mortal Realm.


    The Heavens also decreed that no life form should ever possess the power of the fragments of the Sovereigns. These fragments were golden blood from the bodies of the Sovereigns that fell onto the Mortal Realm. It is said that golden rain signified the death Sovereign. Those who possessed them would suffer tribulations from the Heavens. It was because their fates would be seized by their own hands, their talent for cultivation magnified and would gain power close to a Sovereigns. Such power would sow chaos in both lesser realms. The Pangu continent was said to contain fragments of the dead Elemental Sovereign of Darkness. Only there, would gold rain fall as it was the life force of the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness that divided the Yin Yang Realm into three.


    The Immortal Realm was said to contain pieces of the body of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning. People believed that fragments of that dead Elemental Sovereign also lied in the Pangu continent. One thing was clear: those who gained their power would set the imprisoned Elemental Sovereigns free and sow chaos in the Yin Yang Realm. Not even the Heavens will be able to preserve life if the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning is resurrected.


    People believed in the legend as the most powerful practitioners were said to be blessed by gold rain in several records and journals of their respective clans and hometowns. When the day turns into night by the way of black clouds, a tribulation would be preventing the immortal ascension of one who claimed the power of the Sovereigns'' golden blood. Only nineteen have been recorded in history. Their fates in the Immortal Realm forever a mystery.


    --------------------------


    "No matter how many times I read it, I still can''t believe such a thing," Guo Yang muttered as he read the copy of the legend his grandfather gave him.


    "Ha. Believe it, Yang''er. The Guo Clan has long believed that we have the blood of one of the two dead Elemental Sovereigns in our veins. It is just buried deep inside us. The earliest record of the clan founder''s wife stated that he died upon awakening the power of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning. The imperial clan also claims that their blood contains that of the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness. Lots of other clans believe their own versions of the legend of the origin of cultivation. Those other legends are all lies. Now, can you guess what the divine tattoos are?" Guo Jing asked.


    "Could they be connected to the Sovereigns?" he asked as his two elder siblings entered and sat to listen to the patriarch.


    "Correct! Good. I don''t know how, or why, but you and Guo Mei both have Yin Yang divine tattoos. Do you know what this means? Divine tattoos mean that your bodies have transcended and possess the power to absorb the power of the Sovereign''s golden blood. Each drop of Sovereign blood creates life, even creating mountains, rivers, or forests as they touch the ground. The higher tier your divine tattoo is, the more power you can absorb from the Sovereign''s blood. Lesser and ordinary divine tattoos mean you can absorb a small amount of the Sovereign''s power, but you are most likely to die from the Heaven''s tribulation.


    Those who have higher divine tattoos can survive, but those with Yin Yang divine tattoos have the power to potentially rival the Sovereigns themselves. It is they the Heavens fear because if they kill a Sovereign, they have the power to break into the Divine Realm or return to the Mortal Realm. With enough numbers, they can shatter the barrier between realms, reunite the Yin Yang Realm, and potentially aid the Elemental Sovereigns to slay the very Heavens and truly become gods of unlimited power," the patriarch sighed. "You two are in grave danger. Do not let anyone know you have Yin Yang divine tattoos, especially the imperial clan. Lin''er, I strongly believe you will develop a Yin Yang divine tattoo as you have the four basic element attributes. It is you I fear for the most as all people of higher clans know that those with four element attributes are guaranteed, guaranteed, to develop Yin Yang divine tattoos."


    "You''re scaring me grandpa," Guo Lin said.


    "Don''t worry. You forming a Yin Yang divine tattoo might not happen so soon. You might even ascend before it does. For now, there is no reason to be afraid," Guo Jing smiled as he tapped his grandson''s shoulder. "Guo Yang, behave in school this time. Your first day is truly unacceptable. As your siblings have magical beasts, why don''t you head to the magical beast shop and buy one of your own? Owning a magical beast has many benefits to your cultivation."


    "How is cultivation classified anyway?" Guo Mei asked.


    "Ah, an excellent question. Your parents will handle it from here," Guo Jing said as Guo Feng and Ji Ting arrived, thanking him as it meant Guo Yang had to spend time with them.


    "How was my wife''s assessment on Guo Mei''s transformation?" Guo Jing whispered.


    "Too terrifying. Based on what Guo Mei said, I can only believe that a fragment of Pangu actually formed self-consciousness and went inside her. Her power over the darkness element is unrivaled, even turning into dark forms of other elements. She can even fuse lightning into darkness to make true black lightning," Guo Feng whispered. "Mother said she needs to see you and discuss what happened. This is a grave matter."


    "Alright," Guo Jing said and left as the parents smiled and sat across their children on the mats spread over the room.


    "Children, cultivation is classified into seven levels, much like how there are seven elements," Guo Feng began. "The first level is the easiest to pass, if you have the necessary innate talent to cultivate. Of the three of you, Guo Mei and Guo Yang entered the second level due to their Yin Yang divine tattoos. The first level is known as the Energy Stimulation stage. The second level is known as the Spirit Forming stage. The second stage is when you truly must cultivate with diligence."


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Is it that hard?" Guo Mei asked.


    "It is," Ji Ting answered. "Right now, your body cannot contain much spirit energy as you have not created your Spirit Realm. If you meditate and close your eyes, all you see is darkness, like any other mortal. The second stage requires you to create a realm to contain your spirit energy. If you have no element attributes, your spirit realm will be void of any elements, only wisps and mists visible within. Surprisingly, both Guo Mei and Guo Yang have already formed their Spirit Realm and only need to convert their spirit energy to form the elements within."


    Within the empty Spirit Realm of Guo Yang was the red serpentine dragon that was his Yin Yang divine tattoo. It currently flew in a circle around the neidan, the marble appearing like a moon while spirit energy it refined appeared as an aurora. Within Guo Mei''s Spirit Realm was the giant crimson eye, a halo of darkness around the eye like an ice ring. However, their spirit realms were both void of any elements on the surface.


    "The third level is known as Element Adept stage. This is the stage that your father, grandfather, myself, and many people in the city are stuck on. Why? We do not have element attributes. We must cultivate to the peak and forcibly intake pure elemental spirit energy and risk a single tribulation bolt of lightning to gain an element attribute. Otherwise, we are stuck as the practitioner must reach the state known as being one with the elements. Another way is through contracting with a magical beast and waiting for it to reach the fourth level and gain one of its attributes," Guo Feng said. "Red Shadow is at the peak of the Element Adept stage and your grandfather will either receive the fire or darkness attribute. Once he reaches the state of being one with the elements, he can finally breakthrough to the fourth level. Your grandma, Guo Li, is the only member in our Guo Clan''s history to reach that level. Now you know why our clan is not that powerful."


    "Is this true?" Guo Yang asked the snake as it coiled behind him while he leaned back against it.


    "Yes, Exalted One. Human classifications are like this. Contracted magical beasts have our own cultivation with some advantage and disadvantages when compared to free magical beasts, as you had once been," Red Shadow hissed, everyone else just hearing the snake hiss and unable to interpret what it said.


    "So it is true. Interesting," Guo Yang nodded as Ji Ting and Guo Feng sighed.


    "The fourth level is known as the Meteor Vessel stage. It is in that stage that we can contract with middle ranked immortal magical weapons, armors, and items. You were given low ranked immortal swords and spear, right? You can make, use, or bind middle ranked immortal treasures at the fourth level. It is called the Meteor Vessel stage as your Spirit Realm enlarges and meteors will flash through the skies, possessing holy spirit energy. This is the stage where you convert spirit energy into holy spirit energy, preparing your body to become that of an immortal," Guo Feng said.


    "Let me warn you that Tang City''s guards are all at the fourth level. The real weapons of the Gold Lotus Armory make middle ranked magical treasures. This is also why nobles have some disdain as commoners decide to join the Lotus City  Guards to gain access to middle ranked immortal treasures," Ji Ting said. "As for the fifth to seventh levels, we do not know much of them as our clan has never reached those levels. We only know the names of practitioners who reached those levels. Practitioners at the fifth level are called Earth Mortals, they are called Sky Mortals at the sixth level, and the last level are called Heavenly Mortals."


    "The Immortal Realm is the combination of a countless number of planets so don''t expect to wander the planets and galaxies in the Immortal Realm. That is why Sky Mortals visit other worlds as they are no longer restricted to the earth of their home planet. It is said that the matriarch of the empire is in the sixth stage, a Sky Mortal. However, she cares not about his clan or this realm and even tolerated the near annihilation of her clan long before it founded the Song Dynasty," Guo Feng shuddered. "Okay, now you know the cultivation levels and the history of how it began. You can all leave for the magical beast shop and help Guo Yang pick a magical beast. Guo Mei and Guo Yang, you must ask the shop keeper about how to raise your magical beasts."


    "Okay dad," the two elder siblings said as Guo Yang just nodded and was the first to leave.


    "I will be the strongest in this world. I have the power of the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness. I know it," Guo Mei muttered as she stared at the backs of her little brothers.


    As Guo Lin pulled ahead, Guo Yang turned back and said, "So that eye in your Spirit Realm is a fragment of the Elemental Sovereign that gained consciousness? Is that how you got your Yin Yang divine tattoo?"


    "How do you know that?" she gasped as Guo Lin talked to the guards to prepare an escort.


    "You think I didn''t see?" Guo Yang smirked. "Which of us least likes to hang out with strangers or our parents? I was there the whole time, watching. You screamed, yet no sound came out. A pillar of light fell, but it was also black light as mine had been. The only difference was I did not hear a shriek in my head. Neither did Red Shadow. It was interesting to hear an alternate version grandpa patriarch told me. You know, it does take more than a half hour to set up a private party."


    "You''re not going to tell anyone?" she asked.


    "Why would I do that? It would spoil the fun. However, you must have paid a price. I just anticipate to witness exactly what it is," Guo Yang smiled and walked ahead.


    "He could complicate things for us, for you," a voice spoke in her head. "What do you think will happen if people found out you are destined to harvest souls? You must collect fragments of what I was. Train hard and absorb the other pieces of me."


    "He''s my brother. I can''t kill my own family," Guo Mei shook her head.


    "Come now. Practitioners need to let go of the mundane. Forget your mortal relations and pursue the path to true power. Let the whole world know who Guo Mei is. Let them see you in their eyes and worship the very ground you walk on. Let them offer you their souls," the voice whispered. "Let the darkness consume you. Embrace it. Embrace me!"


    "NO!" she screamed and everyone turned to her in shock, Guo Yang narrowing his eyes.


    "Sis?" Guo Lin said, concerned.


    "Sorry. I....I think I need some rest. Go shopping without me," Guo Mei said and ran home.


    "What was that about?" Guo Lin asked.


    "Maybe that thing females struggle with?" Guo Yang said, thoughts swirling in his head and reached a conclusion.


    "Big sister is a girl," Guo Lin nodded. "Never noticed before. She was always training like a maniac."


    "She might very well turn into one," Guo Yang muttered as he and Guo Lin entered a carriage and were escorted to the magical beast shop.


    "Breaking news! Breaking news!" a boy shouted, Guo Yang ordering the carriage to stop so he could listen. "Breaking news! The imperial guards are coming this way! Anyone who has information of a golden pillar of light that appeared one week ago will be awarded ten million demon spirit coins!"


    "What? Guards, get me a paper from that boy," Guo Yang said, a gold paper handed through the carriage window in less than thirty seconds.


    "What''s wrong, little brother?" Guo Lin asked.


    "It seems the emperor is interested in golden pillars. Heh. I suppose it might have been my Yin Yang divine tattoo that alerted them, not Guo Mei''s. I''m pretty sure the reward will increase as they would have sensed the Yin Yang divine tattoo of hers using some method," Guo Yang said as he handed the paper.


    "What would happen if I formed mine?" Guo Lin asked, knowing his little brother was smarter.


    "I think they would marry you off to one of the emperor''s children as a measure of control. You know how rich and powerful people are. They always love to consolidate their power and use any means to stay on top. Who knows? Maybe one of the princesses might be pretty? Course, she could be a fat or too short or tall. You can''t judge appearances either," Guo Yang sighed.


    "Why not?" Guo Lin asked, never having entered a relationship.


    "I wouldn''t know. I never dated anyone," Guo Yang said, the truth for both lives. "One thing I do know, politics is a dirty thing. No doubt, they must be cunning and constantly fighting to be the next emperor or empress. They might look beautiful, but have a nasty personality. She could be fat, but be the nicest person in the world. Humans have many....layers and can''t be judged without an ample amount of time personally analyzing them."


    "You know, grandpa said the same thing about herbs in the garden," Guo Lin said, Guo Yang laughing upon hearing the words.


    "Remember one thing: the only person you can truly trust with any matter in the world is yourself. You should only ally with the powerful and tolerate them. The weak? Unless they are of use, or potential use, don''t bother with them. They will hold you back," Guo Yang said.


    "That''s a rather lonely thing, isn''t it?" Guo Lin asked.


    "It was," Guo Yang said, Guo Lin looking at him curiously as the carriage pressed on.

 Chapter 7: The Imperial Guards

    Writer''s note: The next few chapters will feature the third year of school after a two year time skip, like a real arc would. I don''t know how long this final year of school will be, before the triplets go to sects or academies. I will also be writing a side project, but expect this story to release chapters more frequently than the side story. No worries. Enjoy.


    Chapter 7: The Imperial Guards


    "We have arrived, young masters," the guards said and opened the carriage door.


    "Finally here. I''m going on ahead," Guo Lin cried as he ran in, two of the ten escort guards running behind him.


    "Four of you take the carriage somewhere. It is blocking the road," Guo Yang said, four guards nodding as they and the clan''s carriage driver left the area.


    "Young master!" the remaining four guards cried as they took up a formation behind him.


    "Hmm?" he frowned and turned back, eyes widening as he saw around a hundred soldiers in the sky wearing black armor with dragon shoulder guards made of gold with another gold dragon emblazoned on their chest plate. "Those are not members of the city guard. They''re flying?"


    "Young master, those are Earth Mortals. They can fly, but cannot leave our planet like Sky and Heaven Mortals," a guard whispered. "We heard stories about them in the taverns. Those are the soldiers of the Song Dynasty''s imperial guards. Those are not regular soldiers of the army."


    "All will hear and obey the will of the emperor!" a man roared as he flew forward, everyone hastily bowing on both knees with their heads to the ground. Their arms were stretched before them, palms on the ground. Guo Yang hesitated before he did as the others did, kowtowing before some stupid gold scroll with the emperor''s words inside them.


    "Long live the emperor!" the people cried, the people in the buildings silently watching.


    "A week ago, the emperor has sent an edict to collect information on a golden pillar. However, another has been detected using the imperial clan''s secret method. Those with any information on two people with Yin Yang divine tattoos are hereby ordered to report immediately. A reward of one hundred million demon spirit coins will be awarded for verified information regarding the two individuals. All people with divine tattoos are hereby ordered to step forward for immediate inspection. Those who refuse will immediately be executed along with two generations of his or her clan. By the will of the emperor of the Song Dynasty: Shen Wukong," the imperial guard roared.


    "Crap," Guo Yang cursed and immediately closed his eyes. Within, the red serpentine dragon flew around the neidan. While everyone stood up and gazed around at the members of the powerful clan, Guo Yang meditated on the street, hastily absorbing spiritual energy from his surroundings.


    His neidan trembled at the sudden surge of spirit energy. The aurora brightened as a small pond formed. Slowly, the pond expanded and soon became a lake. Meanwhile, a rock was created in the night sky, becoming bigger and brighter to resemble a tiny moon.


    Guo Yang hastily swallowed spirit bead after spirit bead, forcibly draining spirit energy. earth began to form on the surface, the lake steadily increasing and deepening as the earth became thicker and expanded outward. The night sky was indeed marvelous as it truly resembled a night sky with the moon''s light shining on the serene lake.


    Breathing deeply, Guo Yang willed the dragon to slumber in the lake. The red serpentine dragon complied and actually dived in. It was then that Guo Yang realized that the red serpentine dragon was actually made of spirit energy of a nature not found in the Mortal Realm. Like the crimson eye that spoke to Guo Mei, the red serpentine dragon was made of Yin Yang energy. Opening his eyes, Guo Yang coughed blood and sighed as he stopped tampering with his Spirit Realm and quickly calmed his body. The neidan was truly his priceless treasure. He would not have created his Spirit Realm to such an extent without it.


    "Young master, you reached mid level Spirit Forming Stage?" the guards gasped. "Congratulations."


    "Guo Yang," Guo Lin cried as he ran outside, running to his brother''s side. "What do we do? What do we do?"


    "I''ll be fine. You''ll see," Guo Yang said and turned to the skies. "Imperial guards, I have a ordinary divine tattoo."


    "Why not call it a lesser divine tattoo?" Guo Lin whispered as one of the guards flew to him.


    "It encompasses my entire back and has a serpent dragon on it. Shush. Here he comes," Guo Yang snapped as the guard stood before him.


    "What is your name?" the guard asked as he took out a scroll.


    "Guo Yang, sir," he answered, the guard frowning.


    "You''re not registered here. Show me your back and prepare for inspection," the guard said, his voice rising as three others appeared behind him. Guo Yang took off his robe and adjusted his pants as he turned his back to the guard. The guards murmured as they saw the strange dragon. Guo Yang''s eyes narrowed as they sent their spirit energy inside him, probing his Spirit Realm. No one can possibly detect his neidan, evident as not even his parents and grandparents detected it when he was born.


    "That''s a high divine tattoo alright. It encompasses your back and contains a strange creature. However, the creature is not in your Spirit Realm," the guard said. "You must have formed the divine tattoo within the last two days?"


    "Y, yes. I needed time to recover, according to my grandpa patriarch," Guo Yang nodded as he put on his robes.


    "Yes. It seems to be so. A copy will be given to the city governor. You won''t need to register anymore," the guard said as one flew to him.


    "Reporting. Besides six unregistered divine tattoo owners of various levels, there is no one with a Yin Yang divine tattoo," the guard said.


    "We fly to the next city," the guard said and the people sighed with relief as the guards disappeared from view.


    "Guo Mei cloaked her Yin Yang divine tattoo? No, there is no way she could create her Spirit Realm to the same level as me. The eye. It must have been the eye, but how? She has a sibling rivalry with Guo Lin, my human brother oblivious t her jealousy. I''m sure she now feels the same inferiority complex towards me. If what I saw was true, she might lose her mind and attack me. I must make plans to prevent that," Guo Yang thought as Guo Lin turned to him.


    "What about Guo Mei?" he whispered.


    "It seems she also found a way to prevent them from discovering the truth. Enough of this. We head inside the shop now. I might take a while so browse for food for your magical beast and her blasted owl," Guo Yang said, the two followed by four guards as they walked inside. The last two guards stayed outside, eyes peeled for any suspicious characters that would want to go inside.


    Back in the Guo Clan patriarch''s home, Guo Mei was surrounded by her parents and grandparents. All of them had relieved faces while she sweated from fear. None of them guessed how Guo Mei managed to pass off her divine tattoo as an ordinary divine tattoo, a crimson eye with shadows that covered almost her entire back. She was shivering and Ji Ting looked at her daughter, worried.


    "What''s wrong? They left," Ji Ting said.


    "It''s the whispers. It doesn''t stop. It never stops!" she screamed as a black of darkness pulsed out, pushing them all to the wall while her grandma frowned and resisted it.


    "It whispers to you? That can''t happen! What didn''t you tell us?" Guo Li asked her granddaughter. Elders of the sub branch clans rushed in with several guards as they felt the surge of spirit energy.


    "No! No, stay away!" Guo Mei screamed as tentacles of darkness sprouted from her back as she fell on her knees. They seemed to have a mind of their own and coiled around each of the elders and guards before anyone could do anything.


    "Souls! Souls! Souls!" an unearthly voice shrieked from Guo Mei''s mouth, her eyes covered in wispy black shadows. The elders and guards all screamed as the spirit energy was drained out of them, even their skin and bones dried as their blood was also drained from their bodies. The dark tentacles had an eerie shade of crimson as the elders and guards fell on the ground, lifeless.


    "What have you done?" Ji Ting cried. "Dear? What are you doing?"


    "That thing is not our daughter! It took her over! We must slay it!" Guo Feng roared, taking out a heavy sword. "Forgive me, Guo Mei."


    "HAHAHAHA! She cannot fight me. Her fear drove her to hide, embracing me! She is part of the Darkness now. Only Lightning remains to claim her," the voice laughed and caused Guo Mei to walk backwards, towards the shadows. "Do you believe me now, Guo Mei? They cannot understand you. They fear you because they are jealous. They cannot be what you can. Follow me and the whole world will kneel. They have all abandoned you. You are lightning touched by darkness. The darkness has been tainted by the desires of lightning."


    "D, da, daddy....why?" Guo Mei said, returning to normal as she sniffed her nose with grief.


    "Guo Mei?" Ji Ting gasped. "I''m still here. Don''t go!"


    "Mommy?.....I...can''t fight it," Guo Mei said as the dark tentacles disappeared.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Curses. It seems her body is too weak to endure. I''ll have you take good care of her, for now. I must thank Guo Lin. I always found a body but it did not possess enough darkness in his or her heart. You should know the only way to save her is for her to taint other fragments of the Darkness to evil. Lightning has evolved and will rise again. The others will be freed and the Yin Yang Realm will be reunited once more! Her jealousy of Guo Lin''s powers made this all possible. HAHAHAHA! It is only a matter of time. The next time you see the Snake, tell him that I will show him how much fun I am the next time I take control of this body," the voice of the crimson eye laughed, its laughter fading until only silence remained.


    "Snake? Could it be that Yang''er knows about it?" Guo Li frowned as she checked her husband, relieved to feel a pulse. Her son and daughter-in-law didn''t feel it, but Guo Li knew her husband protected them by spreading out his spirit energy and took the brunt of the dark spirit energy pulse.


    "Guo Mei!" Ji Ting cried as she hugged her only daughter, Guo Mei crying as she buried her head into her chest.


    "I..I''m sorry I lied. I was scared. It seems to be sleeping. What do I do if it wakes up?" she cried, her mother at a loss for words.


    "Mother-in-law?" Ji Ting asked, the two turning to Guo Li.


    "I...I don''t know. I think Yang''er might know a way. That boy is extremely smart for twelve years old. Whatever was inside her also mention him. Now, Guo Mei, what didn''t you tell us that happened the night you got your Yin Yang divine tattoo?" Guo Li narrowed her eyes.


    "I..." Guo Mei began and told her story, shocking her parents, Guo Li, and Guo Jing as he regained consciousness.


    "What?" Guo Yang gasped and turned to the direction of the patriarch''s house. "Something called to me."


    "Why hello, young master of the Guo Clan. Welcome to Tang City''s Pet Shop of Magical Beasts," a man smiled, distracting Guo Yang''s thoughts as he turned to him. "Is there a particular magical beast you are looking for?"


    "I want to buy all the snake magical beasts you have," Guo Yang said, stunning the man.


    "Snake magical beasts are strong but take too long to cultivate and are very difficult to raise. Pardon my words, but only a fool would choose a snake magical beasts. I understand you may wish for one as they are cheap, but it would be best to choose something else," the man said.


    "Are you the owner?" Guo Yang asked, an innocent smile on his face. "Is there anyone else here?"


    "Besides my two assistants upstairs, there is no one but another boy who has two escort guards wearing the same armor as the ones behind you," the man said.


    "Take me to the snakes," Guo Yang said and turned to his guards, light spirit energy gathering in his eyes. "You are tired. You need to close your eyes and rest. Rest. Rest."


    "We''ll be here, young master. Don''t worry. The two guards outside will protect this place from suspicious characters," the two guards said and fell asleep.


    "Hypnotism. Heh. Light practitioner arts has its uses," Guo Yang laughed as he had used the Light Puppet Art. Unless the victim completely trusted you, it only worked on those with lower cultivation. The victim can only do or say things he already knows and the more complex, the more difficult to succeed in using the light practitioner art.


    "These are all the snakes?" he asked as the owner led him there.


    "Indeed. Some of them are rather feral and had to be trapped in cages," the owner said. "The ones to my left are toxic while the ones to my right are the ones with superior bodies."


    "I see. You collected quite a lot," Guo Yang said as he stared at the snakes. There were all kinds of snakes with different lengths and patterned scales. Some had feathers, horns, spikes, and even more than one head. They all looked abused and angry within their cages. Guo Yang turned to the man and smiled.


    "You did good. Very good. It seems my spoils will be great. Come a little closer. I don''t someone to see me take out so many demon spirit coins and mark myself as a target for theft," Guo Yang smiled like an innocent little boy.


    "Of course. Now the amount of money is...." the man began but Guo Yang unleashed a red mist from a vial that appeared, entering the man''s eyes, ears'' nostrils and mouth.


    "Huck...huck...." the man coughed and grabbed his own neck as he gasped for breath.


    "Snake poison. My own original. You see, I was a snake magical beast. I was treated as food and a source of magical beast core by greedy humans. I put my brethren, who suffered under magical beast contracts, out of their misery. The poison that entered the seven orifices, the openings in your head; is my poison powder. Contrary to belief, not all poisons take life. There are some just a teeny bit scarier," Guo Yang said as he kicked the man.


    "You....you," the man chocked.


    "Me. Me. Me.  It''s too bad I can''t kill you. You won''t remember a thing. The poison I used was created by studying poisonous magical herbs. It attacks the memory and makes you comatose. When you wake up, you won''t even remember how to walk or talk. Think of it as a fresh start to treat snakes better," Guo Yang said as he pat the man as he went unconscious and turned to face the magical beasts. "Now, which of you has a similar poison? I will let you free and you can eat the man before the city guards show up. Any volunteers?"


    "Neidan?" the snakes hissed as Guo Yang manipulated the spirit energy in his hand to reveal the shape of the neidan in his Spirit Realm. "The Exalted One lives!"


    "I will serve. I am old and dying, as my cultivation is too weak to increase my lifespan. I suffered the most and was captured first. I thank the Exalted One for this gift," a snake with white, frail scales with a black pattern hissed, dipping its head in respect as he freed it and set it upon the man.


    "Ah, the receipt. Hmm. Let''s just take it from his own inter-spacial ring. I''ll also take some items while I am at it," Guo Yang muttered and took five minutes to do the deed. "I cannot take all of you, only the eggs of snakes with the most potential. However, I will free you to kill the avian magical beasts who are imprisoned here. Do not kill the boy who is my age and his two guards. There deaths will bring me trouble."


    "Thank you, Exalted One," the snakes hissed and rubbed their heads on the back of his hands before slithering off. Guo Yang picked ten magical beast eggs. He stored them in his inter-spacial ring and was about to leave when he noted two things. "Wait. Let me take things of interest before you proceed upstairs."


    "Yes, Exalted One," one of the snakes said and relayed the order.


    Guo Yang headed to the back of the area and opened the door. Sure enough, he found cages and cages of mice. They would serve as food for his five snakes and stored them in his inter-spacial ring, letting them free so the snakes could enjoy a little hunt before eating them.


    "I don''t need to bind these snakes as I can brand them with my neidan. I can use it to inject my poisonous spirit energy inside them to control them. I still need a magical beast....but my five snakes are better," Guo Yang said considered the five snakes eggs he chose thanks to the other snakes'' guidance.


    Two of the five eggs were hydras. Of course, they were female. Hydra milk was exceptionally valuable and increased one''s spirit cultivation. Hydras also regenerated their heads and had stronger scales. Most of all, each head would breath a different element, up to three heads per hydra. They had no obedience but his neidan would take care of that. He chose one flying snake magical beast. Flight was imperative to escape or chase enemies below the Earth Mortal stage. The final two were poisonous snakes that could also breathe on land or beneath the water''s surface.


    Why poisonous snakes? Guo Yang had once used a unique cultivation that required poisoning magical beast flesh before eating it. The neidan would absorb the poisoned spirit energy of the meat and convert it into richer spirit energy while simultaneously improving his own poison. Guo Yang called it the Toxic Jade Emperor Cultivation. Him, kowtow to a human emperor? Much less his fucking scroll? No. If anyone was going to bow, it should be the emperor! How dare he mess with Guo Yang''s peaceful life?


    "Well, interesting life," Guo Yang said as he closed his eyes while he let the snakes roam upstairs and yelled, "Guo Lin! Run! The snakes broke out and are escaping! RUN!"


    "Be careful young master!" the two guards upstairs cried as the two sleeping ones shook and awoke. Hastily, they all left and lingered as the city guards solved the chaos and inquired them as to what happened. After three hours, they were released and the two brothers were allowed to ride their carriage home.


    "You bought five snake magical beast eggs? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to contract with one, alone?" Guo Lin cried.


    "Relax. You saw how Red Shadow obeys me more than grandpa patriarch. I''ll be fine. More importantly, something might have happened at home. Remember? Guo Mei?" Guo Yang said.


    "Ah, right. Driver, hurry and take us back home!" Guo Lin roared as Guo Yang clapped his hands together.


    "Poison and trickery only get me so far. I need to start training," Guo Yang thought as the carriage picked up speed.

 Chapter 8: The Dark, the Divine, and the Spear

    Writer''s Note: Well, time to start the first true arc. Like I said, this will encompass the senior year. The triplets are in their third year and will soon turn fifteen, the age sects and academies start recruiting. How many chapters will it be? I don''t know. Thanks for reading.


    Chapter 8: The Dark, the Divine, and the Spear


    Two years had passed since the imperial guards made their visit. Two years passed for the three triplets to train and prepare for their sect or academy days. Each one walked a different path from the other. Each one became the stars of the academy and were both feared and respected. Due to those two years, each triplet was known by a moniker before they became third year students.


    Guo Mei was known as the Dark Queen. Ever since that day, part of her personality died. She became cold and extremely dangerous. She wore darkness as her mantle, light twisting around her as if to avoid her. In sparring sessions, only Guo Lin and Guo Yang fought with her as she never held back. Her speed was extremely fast, even the Blue Heart String Phoenix no longer able to hold back in regards to speed. She had reached late Spirit Forming Stage and had already killed dozens of homeless people without anyone knowing. She had forgotten how to smile after one year of killing others to drain their soul and blood to keep the crimson eye in slumber. She also learned the Guo Clan''s lightning element practitioner arts, making her combat prowess more destructive and even faster than before. No one sparred with her after being hit by her lightning. Only Guo Yang knew how powerful her lightning practitioner arts really was, sparring with her at night as she used her black lightning''s true form.


    Then, there was the second triplet: Guo Lin. He was known as the Divine King. After a little over a half year, he finally got his Yin Yang divine tattoo. His cultivation skyrocketed and is currently at the peak of the Spirit Forming stage, surpassing his elder sister. His control over the four elements had also reached a knew level, doing what others could not: element fusion. Even the imperial clan took note of this, elevating the status of the Guo Clan and sent an invitation for Guo Lin to enter the Royal Academy. In terms of power, he was the strongest of the triplets and always traveled with his manticore.


    Finally, there was Guo Yang. Only one word described him: terrifying. He followed an extremely rare and dangerous path: poison cultivation. He controlled five snakes that were all at the peak of the Spirit Forming Stage and was the only triplet to reach the Element Adept Stage. They all guarded his room and the poisonous herbs, listening only to his commands. His eyes were still the color of gold sand, but his hair soon had strands of jade. He absorbed so much poison, his hair had changed color and made his spirit energy toxic by nature.


    On the center of his forehead, a crescent moon appeared on his head made of spirit energy. It was the result of his Spirit Realm and how his light resembled the moon and its affect on the oceans instead of the sun and its burning light. Known only to him, he had the unique ability to control gravity and create invisible mirrors of moonlight to become invisible. Now, he could do something akin to a snake''s camouflage.


    His control over his three elements were nothing short of astonishing. He used element practitioner arts no one had ever seen before. Also, no one was able to figure out how and where he learned them, even more confused as they could not copy them completely and made inferior practitioner arts. He also became the undisputed spear master in Tang Arts School for Practitioners. No one could teach him the spear and no one could beat him in a match. To the public, he was known as the Spear Wraith due to his spear technique and the earth attribute movement skill known as the Snake Specter Art.


    "Where is Guo Mei and Guo Yang?" Guo Feng asked as he appeared before his father with Guo Lin beside him, Guo Lin with a muscular build and handsome face.


    "Guo Mei already left this morning to kill more of the homeless. My wife is supervising her and ensuring there are no witnesses. I saw Guo Yang head out back, after giving me this month''s batch of poisonous herbs. He must be sleeping beneath the peach tree by the pond with his favorite snake, Red Death," Guo Jing answered.


    Red Death was a red snake with orange diamond patterned scales along the side of its body. with affinity to fire and lightning. It looked like the smallest snake of the five, only seven inches long. However, it had tiny black wings on the sides of its head and could enlarge to its true size: a twenty two foot long, six foot thick snake. Surprisingly, its venom turned out to be more potent than the four poisonous snakes he had. It was called Red Death because it could breath fire that included an acidic affect, both burning and melting what its flames touched. Its venom from its fangs were even more toxic.


    "His final year in school is the most important and he is sleeping in on the first day?" Guo Feng asked.


    "Guo Yang is the most mysterious of his siblings. From his poison cultivation method, to his element practitioner arts and spear techniques; no one can even fathom how he learned them all," Guo Jing sighed. "It is only the first day. Why come here with Guo Lin?"


    "There have been many developments over the past week. It seems that the structure of the school has changed. I don''t know why, but rumors have spread that three of the emperor''s clansmen will be attending the school. One is rumored to be the favorite niece while another is one of his two sons with the Yin Yang divine tattoo. Rumor has it another of his children is in attendance, the child that became the fourth offspring to have a Yin Yang divine tattoo and is currently enrolled under an alias. Many powerful clans have recently moved to the city to get their children to attend the school," Guo Feng answered.


    "How do my favorite grandchildren, the only ones of the main branch, come into this?" Guo Jing asked.


    "It is said those three and my three children will be six of thirty children under a retired captain of the imperial guards! There are now three hundred students per year, thirty per class. Almost all the new students are transfers. It seems this year, our Guo Clan must be more alert as others will try to get close to the emperor''s children and see Guo Lin, Guo Mei, and Guo Yang as a threat. Some clans are also envious of us and might target them," Guo Feng answered. "By getting close to them, I mean the potential to fall in love with each other and form marital ties with the imperial clan."


    "Love?" Guo Yang repeated as he entered the room with Red Death on his shoulder. "One shouldn''t even think about love with such weak cultivation. Without power, someone will just take your love away."


    "I heard the emperor''s niece are both pretty though," Guo Lin said, his face turning red.


    "Don''t you get it? You''re being set up to marry into the imperial clan. It seems they are not so confident you will accept the invitation to the Royal Academy in a year''s time," Guo Yang answered, Guo Jing nodding in agreement.


    "In any event, Guo Mei will have to feed on the souls of the mice you breed to feed your snakes," Guo Feng said, Guo Yang shrugged as mice did have amazing reproduction rates. A few dozen a month was no loss at all.


    "There is also going to be a tournament. It seems the city governor would like to use this as an opportunity to win some favors with the imperial clan. No doubt, the first years are banned as their cultivations are too low. You must be careful of the other third years as they have more experience and knowledge on practitioner arts," Guo Feng continued as he faced his sons. "Guo Yang, this is also a good opportunity for you as representatives of various sects and academies will be watching. Guo Lin already got accepted, so you and Guo Mei will have to place as high as you can. The results of this tournament also ranks the students overall. If you face the emperor''s son and niece, try not to injure them or concede."


    "I refuse. If they are weaker than me, then it would be in their best interest not to fight me. Me? Forfeit? Never," Guo Yang said.


    "Alright, enough. Yang''er gets the message. You two better head out now. You will see Guo Mei there by the time you arrive," Guo Jing said, Guo Yang shrugging as he donned his school jacket with a three headed gold dragon crest and the number of his class, Class 3-B, above.


    "We''re off!" Guo Lin said and created a giant sword of rock which he and Guo Yang rode as he made it fly to the school. His manticore had developed giant bat wings and flew behind them. Guo Lin and Guo Yang were only in the air, flying because of Guo Lin''s wind attribute and not their own power.


    "It seems this year will be noisy," Guo Yang said, Guo Lin looking ahead to see a giant crowd before the gates of the academy. Transfers could not enter the school until after the entrance ceremony for first year and transfer students. This was the new rule to prevent the school from being thrown in chaos as people try to meet the imperial clansmen and try to discover the identity of the supposed second child of the emperor who also attended.


    The crowd stared as the two brothers arrived before the gate. They had to move aside as the guards roared at them and stared at the two boys. Some cried out as they identified one of them due to a manticore magical beast that landed beside the blonde boy. They had all known the identity of Guo Lin due to his Yin Yang divine tattoo and highly gifted talent of four element attributes. He even had the unique ability to fuse his elements to create a more powerful element practitioner art outside the normal seven.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "The other must be the Spear Wraith," the crowd murmured as they also knew Guo Yang. Guo Yang was the sole supplier of poisonous herbs to the Alchemist Association in the Tang City branch of the nationwide organization. He also specialized in poison cultivation, the absolute terror of all practitioners as fighting them was always life threatening.


    Most of all, he was known to element practitioner arts no one had ever seen before. People who tried to follow and spy on him would be poisoned to death by the red snake magical beast that always accompanied him. Not even the Alchemist Association created a cure for the poison as it always disappeared before they could examine the bodies.


    "So those are the two father asked us to investigate," a boy in a giant gold carriage surrounded by guards noted. The crowd was centered around them but stayed twenty feet away as the guards killed anyone who went closer than twenty feet without warning. There was no doubt that the son and niece of the emperor were inside.


    "That boy is Guo Lin? He does seem strong, but his...little...brother is more powerful," a girl noted, pausing as Guo Yang was taller than Guo Lin. "Guo Yang was his name, right? Uncle said we had to discover where he learned his techniques and pay respects to his master."


    "That Guo Yang is rumored to be extremely cunning, people claiming it to be on the level of devils. We won''t be able to discover the truth, but someone else will," the boy said. "I hope both of them are strong enough to spar with me. I have to surpass older brother and sister."


    "Respects to the seniors," second year students said, revering them as most third years were only at the initial stage of Spirit Forming. Only the children of rich and powerful clans could fight them by depending on magical treasures as Guo Lin and Guo Yang had none besides the sword and spear they received after their awakening ritual.


    "Big sis!" Guo Lin cried as he and Guo Yang entered the classroom, the manitcore shrinking to the size of an adult cat as it entered through the window as it followed its master''s scent.


    "You two saw the crowd?" Guo Mei asked, the light twisting aroundher before she noticed and withdrew her spirit energy inside herself.


    "Don''t be so down, sister. You need to smile. I can''t be the only normal triplet," Guo Lin grinned.


    "So says the only practitioner, in history, to be able to fuse an element by himself," Guo Mei said. "I''ll start smiling if I ever beat you and Yang in a duel."


    "Or until you see a guy and remember you''re a girl," Guo Lin muttered, a few students in earshot laughing silently as they greeted him. Guo Lin was not arrogant despite his superior talent and was the most approachable.


    "You!" Guo Mei started but Guo Yang appeared before her in a flash.


    "You should calm down," Guo Yang said as he caught her wrist, Guo Mei paling as she felt him drain her spirit energy. The loss too much, her legs wobbled and she fell to her knees, Guo Yang looking down at her. He let go of her wrist and she stayed slumped on the ground, unable to gather any strength.


    "I really hate that water practitioner art: the Coiling Spirit Drain Art. You literally grab the opponent and drain all the spirit energy from the blood of the target," Guo Lin said.


    "It''d be worse if it was a snake. After doing this, the prey would not have the strength to resist and have its organs and bones crushed to a suitable size for swallowing," Guo Lin shrugged. "Not all practitioner arts have to hurt people. There is always something scarier and far more suitable for different situations. Do not limit your self to palm and fist techniques. Well, I''m the only one who can as I know my own practitioner arts."


    "Ugh. She got heavier," Guo Lin grunted as he carried her to a nearby seat, Guo Mei glaring at him with rage.


    "Alright, settle down!" a voice roared as a man in his late twenties entered the room. "My name is Guan Hai, a retired imperial guard captain of His Majesty, Emperor Shen Wukong. The transfer students of Class 3-B will be coming shortly, ten of them to be precise. The twenty of you are in my class due to my personal request of only teaching the best this school has to offer."


    "Teacher, what cultivation level are you at? Is it true imperial guards are at the Earth Mortal Stage?" a boy asked, his name being Sun Yi. He was the boy with glasses in Guo Yang''s first year class.


    "Of course. I am a late Earth Mortal. In this whole planet, the number of Sky Mortals can be counted on two hands, only three of them publicly known to the peons of the cultivation world. One of the Sky Mortals is the matriarch of the empire and the empress dowager. She is the pillar of Song Dynasty. Just know that she exists and is the reason no other empire or nation dares attack our Pangu continent," the man said. "The day you reach the Earth Mortal Stage, your appearance is returned to your late twenties and your lifespan does not just extend. It will become indefinite."


    "What will we be doing to prepare for the tournament? My dad told me about it," Guo Lin asked.


    "You will all compete to determine the top eight students in this school. Besides the top three receiving an award, you will be the eight representatives against nine other schools for a nationwide tournament. Tang City is just one of ten with members of the imperial clan. However, only this school will have a child of His Majesty in attendance," Guan Hai said.


    "What''s the purpose of this? This has never happened before," Guo Yang asked.


    "You are the one known as the Spear Wraith? Interesting. You are already at the third level of cultivation: the Element Adept Stage. Well, change is coming. The demons and devils are rising, invading human and magical beast lands. Our next generations of the Pangu continent must be strong enough to endure the coming war," Guan Hai answered. "In this world, strength is power absolute. Without power, you will die a dog''s death should an expert seek you out. Weakness cannot be tolerated. Most of the other four classes will be occupied by transfer students who are at late Spirit Forming stage. No doubt, they seek to enter the prince''s good graces. Let me warn you all now: he and the emperor''s niece are also at the Element Adept Stage."


    "I have to train harder. I have to be the best this year," Guo Lin said through his gritted teeth. "I can''t keep losing to Yang."


    "How amusing. It seems I can go a little harder this year," Guo Yang thought.


    "Everybody rise to greet the new students," Guan Hai said, everyone standing and turning their heads to the door but Guo Yang who just yawned and stared at the clouds out the window. A boy and a girl walked in first, spreading their spirit energy to detect the cultivation of the students in the room. Only one blocked their spirit sense, the two turning their heads to see Guo Yang.


    "They are at the Element Adept Stage. I could not block their spirit sense," Guo Li muttered, other students nodding in agreement as a giant snake appeared from the inside of collar of Guo Yang''s jacket. It enlarged to a twenty two foot long, six foot thick snake and hissed at the two, red vapor seen inside its mouth.


    "Easy now. We have to try not to accidentally kill others this year," Guo Yang said, the snake narrowing its eyes at the transfer students before landing on Guo Yang''s desk in its tiny form.


    "You must be the rumored Spear Wraith: Guo Yang. I have heard of you and that you cultivate using a poison practitioner method. I understand you are a master of the spear. We must exchange pointers sometime as I use dual swords," the boy said as the girl stared at Guo Lin. "Ah, and this must be the Divine King: Guo Lin. The only practitioner, in history, to fuse more than one element without needing another. My father is most interested in your future."


    At this moment, Guo Mei recovered her spirit energy and lunged at Guo Yang. Guo Yang smirked and disappeared, appearing behind her with his hand grabbing the back of her head. She screamed as a cold energy burst from his hand. Guo Mei fell to the ground, cursing as she was so cold and shivered violently. His eyes narrowed as black energy permeated from her body. Before it could form what Guo Yang suspected, he kicked the side of her chest and slammed her to the wall.


    "Control your blood lust. Is your training for naught?" Guo Yang asked as Guo Mei glared at him and realized what she did.


    "What just happened?" Guan Hai asked, staring between both children.


    "Her control is rather...unstable. It has affected her personality as well. Ask anyone. She has been like this for two years now," Guo Yang shrugged as he helped her up.


    "Are you trying to reveal your Yin Yang divine tattoo? Grow up and keep your inferiority complex in check. Do you want to be imprisoned by the imperial clan?"  Guo Yang said to through his spirit sense, an act akin to telepathy.


    "So," Guo Lin began, breaking the silence. "Who are you guys?"


    "I am Shen Xiao and this is my cousin, Shen Hua. As you might have guessed, my father is the emperor of the entire Pangu continent. Nice to meet you," the blonde haired boy smiled, the girl with orange hair nodding in turn.

 Chapter 9: The Battle Royal

    Writer''s Note: Next release this Saturday as I got stuff and not a lot of time to write. Enjoy.


    Chapter 9: The Battle Royal


    "Alright. The thirty of you will now proceed to the combat grounds for a battle royal with all the second and third year classes," Guan Hai said, shocking even the prince and the princess as she was related to the emperor and part of the royal family. She was just not a candidate for the throne so not many people considered to call her princess.


    "Right now?" Mu Xing cried, the noble girl also being in the same class as Guo Yang and Guo Mei again.


    "The tournament between the eight schools is in three months. You must prepare for nothing short of victory. I need to see your capabilities now in order to make proper training regiments," Guan Hai answered and turned to Guo Mei. "You are eager to fight, yes? You''ll have plenty of that today. I want Class 3-B to fight the other classes first. I only want my class to own the top three ranks. You do not want to know the consequence for failure. I especially want the five of you to take the top eight spots. You know who you are. With your cultivation, failing to take those spots will result in immediate punishment. I will redefine your imaginations of what hellish training really is."


    "Is killing allowed?" Guo Yang asked. "I am practice poison cultivation."


    "No. However, the tournament between the five schools allows it. You want to kill? Do it there," the teacher answered.


    "It''s not that I like to kill. I just hate holding back all the time," Guo Yang shrugged and was the first to leave, stunning the ten transfer students while the other nineteen sighed as they already knew all about his poison cultivation.


    "You guys are transfers?" Guo Mei said as she walked past them. "Besides the children of the imperial clan, you will all lose. I will make sure of it."


    "Those two don''t really get along with others. Don''t feel offended. They have the strength to back it up," Guo Lin laughed as he followed his siblings while the other students followed him out in turn.


    "What do you think of them?" Shen Dong asked Guan Hai.


    "Guo Lin is indeed powerful and has a normal personality without arrogance in his heart. His sister is like her element: cold and dark as if she were made of shadows. She must feel inferior to her younger siblings. As for the last one, he is the one to watch out for. Based on the reports before ordering our transfer here, his practitioner arts resembles that of snake magical beasts. That snake of his is also a variant I have never seen and he is said to own four more snakes. Without poison practitioner arts, you must be wary of his element arts and spear techniques. Because he follows poison cultivation, he has no need for attribute-less practitioner arts like other students," Guan Hai answered. "In terms of challenging you two for the first and second top ranks, only the brothers can challenge you. Guo Yang is also in the third level of cultivation while Guo Lin can fuse elements together to create his own unique element practitioner arts. The sister evidently cannot control her power and relies too much on her speed and element attributes. She will be no contest for the top three ranks."


    "What do we do, cousin?" Shen Hua asked.


    "We take out the other classes first. When we and the triplets are the top five, we defeat Guo Mei first and fight them one-on-one. You will fight Guo Yang. Let me take care of Guo Lin and his manticore," Shen Dong answered and turned his head at a noise.


    He saw the snake stare at him and fly out the class in Guo Yang''s direction. Shortly, Guo Yang learned of their plans. He only sighed as the snake did not hear of them speak who the third member of the imperial clan was. It seemed he would have to find out in the battle royal.


    "Whoa! So many people," Guo Lin said as the triplets walked onto the combat grounds, seeing other students in large groups based on their classes. However, the second year students were more united as they were weaker than the third years.


    "All the second year students decided to team up to take down each class of third year students. Smart," Guo Yang commented as he gazed over the students. "You guys go fight the third years. I''m going to have fun squashing these second year students. Not every day do I ever get an opportunity to just let just let loose."


    "Just don''t kill anyone," Guo Lin warned as he gazed into the stands. "Hey...that''s mom, dad, grandpa, and grandma! They knew the school tournament was today and didn''t tell us!"


    "So that''s why grandma made me end this morning''s training early," Guo Mei nodded. "We''ll be fighting with our Class 3-B students. Don''t lose, Guo Yang. I need to pay you back."


    "Heh. You''re welcome to try. Just expect to fail," Guo Yang shrugged as he was the only third year to walk toward the second year students while the other third year students decided to fight each other first. They only saw the second year students as cannon fodder and didn''t even have them in their thoughts.


    "Ah, Guo Lin and them saw us," Guo Feng sighed as he, his wife, and the elders of the Guo Clan sat in the stands, younger children of the clan waving banners to support the triplets.


    "Guo Yang is going to fight the one hundred and fifty second year students?" Ji Ting cried, shocked.


    "Oh, calm down. He is in the third level and none of those second years, transfer or otherwise, are even at the Spirit Forming Stage. Only their numbers qualify those brats to be a decent warm-up for Yang''er. Still, I''m surprised he''s attacking from the front. He never fights head-on," Guo Jing said, curious.


    "I know why," Guo Li said, turning to her husband. "Guo Yang just sees them as stress relief. He will spend little spirit energy to defeat them as the difference in cultivation is two levels. So young and at the third level of cultivation. He could have already graduated and left for a sect or academy."


    "That''s why he is fighting all those kids? Because he is saving his spirit energy? I don''t think so. My son and I don''t get along, as well as a father and son should, but I do know his personality by now. He is just like a snake. He is fighting them all to instill fear into the hearts of the other third year students. He will break the bodies of those second year students so as to make his future opponents surrender before he even lifts a finger at them," Guo Feng said. "I''m sure members of the more powerful clans are realizing this by now."


    "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the combat grounds of Tang Arts School for Practitioners. I am retired imperial guard captain and current teacher of Class 3-B, Guan Hai. We have gathered here today to witness the emergence of the top eight and top three students. Three will receive a prize from the school while those three and five others will represent the school in a nationwide competition against the other top nine schools in the Pangu continent," Guan Hai began, the crowd awed into silence as many could not sense his cultivation. "As a Earth Mortal, I guarantee your safety in the stands. This battle royal will determine the top eight most powerful practitioners of the student body. Without further ado, let the match BEGIN!"


    As the third year classes clashed instantaneously, Guo Yang just smiled at the second year students. All of them drew their weapons and sweat dripped down their brows as Guo Yang took out his sword and witnessed Red Death in its true form and all its glory. Red Death slithered behind him, acting as a barrier to prevent people from interfering or escaping. Any third year who had other ideas was instantly smashed into the walls beneath the stands, Red Death''s tail breaking nearly every bone in the third year''s chest and back with a casual flick.


    "Ah, being outnumbered like this brings me back to my glory days. It is as if it is me against the world again. This feeling of being at the top and gazing at the insects below is truly gratifying. I really thank whoever came up with this tournament. Don''t worry, juniors. This senior is only going to break a few bones short of your life," Guo Yang cackled maniacally as his spirit energy burst from his body.


    "W, what? A third year student at the Element Adept Stage?" a transfer cried out. "I thought only the imperial clans had such prodigies."


    "Stand firm! We outnumber him. Everyone use long range practitioner arts!" a boy screamed, people who knew such arts standing at the front of the hundred and fifty and focusing all their spirit energy at Guo Yang.


    "Yes! It is this feeling! This feeling! Come! Attack me all at once! Do it!" Guo Yang roared, grinning from ear to ear with ecstasy. "Let me show you how futile your efforts are."


    Guo Yang laughed as he condensed his spirit energy into his body, letting it explode outward as he roared. All the practitioner arts and projectiles that flew toward Guo Yang were incinerated, a blast of spirit energy slamming into the second years. Many of the weaker students fainted upon impact, crashing deep into the wall behind them. Some coughed blood and rolled twice on the ground before landing on their backs. Guo Yang had used the light practitioner art: Viper''s Dominance Art. It was a simple practitioner art that expelled light spirit energy, the damage dependent on the cultivation of Guo Yang and his targets.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "HAHAHAHA! Do you see it now? You are nothing to me. Nothing. You should have forfeited when you had the chance. Since you are on the stands of the combat grounds, your lives are mine!" Guo Yang laughed. "I can''t kill you, but you will know the consequence of facing me. No matter how much you beg and scream, no can help you. I can;t use the point of my beloved spear, you''ll all die. So, you can only prey your bones don''t break when I use the butt of the spear. You won;t die, but you''ll certainly feel like dying."


    Guo Yang took out his Moon Lotus Spear, twirled it to the blunt end of the spear, and charged to the sprawled second year students. He was like a fiend among a war zone, bodies and screams filling the air where he passed. He smashed their knees, smacked their arms, and crushed their legs. He tossed them up in the air with his spear and hit them as if they were a baseball.


    They could do nothing as he was in the third level of cultivation, the difference in power the same as Heaven and Earth. The crowd cringed and many cried for him to stop, only be even more horrified as they heard him laugh with glee as the students tried to resist him.


    "Your brother is evil, Shen Hua noted as she fought the other third year classes alongside the other two triplets and Shen Dong.


    "Don''t saw it like that. Little brother''s finally letting loose. He never fights like that as all the other students were too scared of him. With your presence here, many idiotic students transferred and it resulted in this situation as they knew nothing. Heck, you have the cultivation to do the same," Guo Mei shrugged.


    "But we wouldn''t do it," Shen Dong said as the four of them saw another three bodies fly in the air and crash onto the ground. "I would at least let them forfeit or knock them out. Him? He is just....toying with them."


    "Brother isn''t that simple-minded. He uses what he calls psychological warfare. By doing this, none of the third years are trying to fight them and are forced to fight against other third year classes. He ensures his victory and many more future victories as less students would challenge him. That is what brother is doing," Guo Lin said as he did a shoulder tackle on another student, the student crying as his bones broke and fainted before crashing on the ground.


    "Evil," Hua nodded as two third year classes were quickly defeated.


    "Red Death, let''s join the party," Guo Yang grinned, letting go of a student he held by the throat as he and his snake rushed into a class of third years. His spear was covered in rocks as he used the Stone Breaker Art. As he smashed through some students, he condensed and shot out a boulder of rocks that exploded against students who clustered together at the back. His snake used its tail to flick screaming students into the walls, sometimes crushing three or four students at once as it coiled around them and constricted its body.


    "Too ruthless," Ji Ting muttered.


    "That''s the way of practitioners," Guo Jing laughed. "Go, Yang''er! Show them your might! Hey, why the fuck aren;t you cheering your fellow clan members?!"


    "C, cheers for the young master!" the Guo clansmen cried as they waved their banners, the faces of many powerful clans turning dark. Some had already expected this, but many new clans and organizations that had their young children transferred did not expect such....carnage.


    It was as if they were sacrificing their children to a mad, sadistic beast. Even now, many curled their hands into fists as Guo Yang laughed maniacally and smiled as his body was doused with blood. How could they know that this exact scene was what made Guo Yang truly appreciate cultivation.


    In the past, battles like this made him smile. He was the hunter now, toying with his prey instead of being the hunted. No schemes, no worries. Just him utterly destroying his enemies. He was like a snake on the verge of immortality, no equal to challenge his wrath.


    "W, wait!" a student cried as he was the last of his class while only Class 3-B remained and began their infighting. "D, do you know who I am? My father is a duke!"


    "So, like I give a rat''s ass what a duke is. Let me tell you, rats don''t taste as good to a snake as they do a cat. Ugh, fuck," Guo Yang said as he sneered with disgust as flashes of memories swirled in his mind. "Yeah. You made me remember something unpleasant. Grit your teeth or risk losing them."


    "D, did you not hear me? My father is a duke!" the boy shouted, pointing at his father.


    "Oh, pray tell, what is his name?" Guo Yang asked.


    "My dad is Lu Jin. I am Lu Jing," the boy said, looking arrogant as he rose to his feet.


    "Oh, well that esteemed duke can''t save you," Guo Yang grinned, his snake stealthily slithering around them to the boy''s back.


    "Y, you would harm me?" the boy cried.


    "I just can''t kill you. Nothing says I can''t break you. Harm you? That''s not enough for me," Guo Yang grinned, spirit energy bursting from his body.


    "W, wait! You are in the third level of cultivation, right? I have this Dark Hell Fruit that can only be used to assist in breaking to the fourth level of cultivation: the Meteor Vessel Stage. If I give it to you, you can''t harm me," the boy said as he took out a black pear with purple and red dots across the skin.


    ".......it does sound tempting. Fine, I agree," Guo Yang said, the boy delighted and handed the fruit.


    "What?" the crowd, Guo Lin, Guo Mei, Shen Hua, and Shen Dong gasped. All of them were speechless as they did not think Guo Yang would take the bribe.


    "Y, you....accepted it?" Guo Lin asked, stunned.


    "Well, he did say I couldn''t," Guo Yang and gestured to them. "But you six can."


    "There''s only four of us," Shen Hua said, confused.


    "How could you neglect their presence. Did two more not fight beside me and Guo Lin?" Guo Yang grinned, Lu Jing paling as he looked around and only saw the manticore.


    "AUGHHHHH!" Jing screamed as a snake loomed over and swallowed him whole.


    "I said no deaths!" Guan Hai said and paused. "Ah, how cruel."


    "Yup. Hey, Red Death, spit him out. He ''s not your lunch," Guo Yang shrugged and acted regretful as Jing was spat ot and crashed onto the ground, making a small crater in the process.


    "You! You hurt my son!" Lu Jin roared.


    "I did not," Guo Yang said as he stored the fruit away. "Hey, do you not have eyes? This snake is not bound to me by a soul contract. He is NOT my magical beast. I merely....tamed it."


    "He speaks the truth. The snake has no master," Guan Hai said and checked Lu Jing. "The boy lives. Covered in spit and with several fractures, but lives."


    "That stuff can''t be washed off. Those clothes are ruined. Trust me," Guo Yang sighed. "But hey, he qualifies for the top eight. Shouldn''t you be grateful? Besides myself and the four others, he is ranked six due to my....benevolence in saving him for last."


    "You...." the duke said but could say no more as Guo Yang was right. The crowd did not know whether to laugh or cry as they stared at the sad boy covered in snake saliva. He didn''t look like someone who should celebrate in attaining the sixth rank.


    "Lu Jing is indeed ranked six. Congratulations to him....I suppose," Guan Hai shrugged.


    "Yup, I''m a nice guy," Guo Yang nodded as if he did not do anything wrong, some members in the crowd coughing blood as Guo Yang truly did not feel any remorse for the mayhem he caused. Many stared at the Guo Clan and wondered how exactly did they raise him.


    "What? Guo Lin turned out okay," Guo Feng snapped, some nodding as that was true.


    "HEY!" Guo Mei shouted and Shen Dong took the opportunity to hit her in the solar plexus. Guo Mei doubled over and coughed saliva before falling unconscious.


    "Well, I guess that makes her ranked fifth?" Shen Hua said as she scratched the back of her head. One of the two who got the seventh and eighth rank was her cousin. No one noticed her cousin''s true cultivation or how her cousin was defeated.


    "I got pretty boy. You fight the princess to determine third place," Guo Yang said as he walked to Shen Dong.


    "But I want to rank first or second," Guo Lin complained as he stood beside his brother.


    "How does 100,000 demon spirit coins sound?" Guo Yang asked.


    "Add a 150,000 more and some spirit pills," Guo Lin haggled.


    "Alright," Guo Yang shrugged, giving them to Guo Lin who happily stored them in his ring. "Try not to lose. You do have a disadvantage, but you can fuse elements. Think how you can use that to control the battlefield, even changing it to give you an advantage."


    "Right. Good luck," Guo Lin said as he and Shen Hua moved to the side as she and Shen Dong had a similar plan.


    "It''s been a while since I faced someone stronger than me. Can I enjoy this battle?" Guo Yang smiled as Red Death moved to the side by Guan Hai. "It''s just you, me, your great sword, and my spear."


    "I can accept nothing but first place," Shen Dong said as he brandished his giant sword and the two charged with their weapons, their spirit energy blazing a trail glowing trail behind them.

 Chapter 10: Duel between Element Adepts

    Writer''s Note: Got two midterms this week (Tuesday and Wednesday) so I don''t know when I will release chapter 12. Next chapter (11) will still release on Monday. My side story is still normally released every two days as I already wrote several chapters long ago. I actually started writing The Night Hunters before this story, but I liked straight up xianxia novels than a mixed-genre. Hope you enjoy the chapter.


    Chapter 10: Duel between Element Adepts


    A large explosion of spirit energy erupted as a trail of sand colored spirit energy and gold spirit energy collided as the two weapons connected. The ground cracked beneath Guo Yang''s feet as he blocked Shen Dong''s great sword. Great swords were also called heavy swords because they were mainly used with two hands due to their immense size and weight. These were weapons designed for overwhelming power, not the speed and finesse of a light sword.


    "Impressive! You might be the first to block my sword besides my brother," Shen Dong praised as he slashed again, the wind propelled forward due to the force. Guo Yang''s eyes narrowed as he used the Snake Specter Art to appear behind Shen Dong, his spear thrust forward. However, Shen Dong actually let go of his sword, turned back, and slashed downward with the heavy sword with extremely fast reflexes.


    Guo Yang narrowed his eyes and used a poison practitioner art: Paralysis Mist Breath Art. It was a practitioner art used to temporarily paralyze the enemy to escape a sudden death. This was one of the few practitioner arts he created for his human body, an original practitioner art of his own mimicking the innate abilities of the prey who had used similar methods to escape him. When it came to poison practitioner arts, only one was a true snake practitioner art while the rest were his own original he created after so many years of studying poisonous herbs and magical beasts in both lifetimes.


    "Ugh," Shen Dong said as he forcibly broke the paralysis but Guo Yang was already out of range. "What element practitioner art was that?"


    "None, but not a basic practitioner art either. It is a poison practitioner art," Guo Yang grinned. "I can''t kill you, but I can defeat you without resorting to my lethal practitioner arts.


    "He finally used one," Guo Jing muttered.


    "What''s a poison practitioner art?" Ji Ting asked, many in the audience also straining their ears as the two boys circled each other and imagined each others next moved.


    "Only those who practice a poisonous cultivation method can use such practitioner arts. Each one who can is said to be a peerless genius. It is very difficult to make your own practitioner art, but it is much easier to make poison practitioner arts. However, it is very dangerous as you can poison yourself. One must eat and develop immunity, or enough resistance, against several types of poison. It is the most flexible of practitioner arts, with many various ways they could be used. However, it is not the most powerful and has restrictions," Guo Jing said. "You saw what he used, right? He called it Paralysis Mist Breath Art. It is creates a small mist cloud that could be countered by wind practitioner arts. In short, each poison practitioner art can be countered by an element based on what it is. Poison practitioner arts have as many strengths as it does weaknesses, but there is no denying it is the most lethal. Even the spirit energy of the practitioner is poisonous in nature."


    "So it''s like that," Ji Ting said, the rest of the crowd nodding as they heard it. "Have you seen him use many of them?"


    "I have and it...scares me. He uses poison practitioner arts more so than his three element practitioner arts, but no one can survive them so he lacks a suitable opponent," Guo Jing said, a trace of fear and awe in his voice.


    "Why cultivate down that path?" Shen Dong asked.


    "Let''s just say that I was once a being above the elements and leave it at that. Prepare yourself. Since you overpowered even me, you must be at middle Element Adept stage. I''ll show you why I chose poison cultivation," Guo Yang said.


    "Sorry, but I don''t take chances," Shen Dong grinned and lifted his hand into the air, a gold symbol appearing from between his eyes. Guo Yang looked up and saw something that he hadn''t seen in centuries.


    A golden phoenix emerged from a bright rune circle that appeared in the sky. It was over twenty feet high and had a azure feathers on its head that appeared as if it were a crown. It''s beak and talons were as white as snow and it radiated an aura of majesty and power. Red Death could not help but shrink back as it recognized the phoenix, slithering behind Guan Hai.


    "Behold my magical beast: the Heaven Swallowing Phoenix," Shen Dong said and paused as he saw a complete opposite reaction from Guo Yang than he expected.


    "YOU! YOU FUCKER! Kill! I must kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!" Guo Yang roared with rage, expelling jade spirit energy from his body as his blood lust skyrocketed. Concerned, Guan Hai stood in front of Shen Dong and stared at Guo Yang.


    "Come! Come to your master!" Guo Yang roared, four snake magical beasts appearing as Red Death slithered to him. The crowd was in utter chaos. Guo Yang controlled four magical beasts without a contract. How could he have tamed so many and there were all more powerful than Guo Lin!


    "Restrain him and make sure he stays out of my way. I...will kill that fucking bird!" Guo Yang roared as he ordered his snakes to attack Shen Dong.


    "What are you doing?" Shen Dong cried, Guo Lin and Shen Hua staring at them in shock.


    "You shut up! You''ve no idea why I hate that particular bird. That....feathered freak! Vengeance. I must have vengeance," Guo Yang roared and the ground beneath him trembled under his immense spirit energy.


    "I cannot interfere," Guan Hai said and stepped aside as the five snakes attacked Shen Dong.


    "Cousin!" "Yang!" Shen Hua and Guo Lin cried simultaneously as they ran to them.


    "Stay out of this!" Guo Yang roared and stomped on the ground, unleashing a giant wave of earth and rock at the two. It was the earth practitioner art: Pulse Rock Wave Art.


    "You know human practitioner arts!" Guo Lin cried, shocked as the wave overwhelmed and crashed into him and Shen Hua. As Guo Lin was at a lower cultivation than Shen Hua, he was further back and was able to avoid most of the earth and rock wave as he and Shen Hua ran to them. He was hit after Shen Hua but was still knocked unconscious.


    "Shen Hua is defeated. She is rank 4. Guo Lin is defeated. He is rank 3," Guan Hai said as he observed what happened and was able to judge the outcome accurately.


    "You hurt your own brother?" Shen Dong cried as he fought back against the snake, the snakes unable to overwhelm his as the phoenix soared toward Guo Yang.


    "Silence, human! You know not the power I possess! I''ll finish with you after I kill that thing!" Guo Yang snarled and toxic jade mist seeped from every pore in his body. Slowly, it turned into a jade armor that covered him from head to toe.


    "Spirit Armor!" Guo Jing cried, rising to his feet as many other powerful practitioners also rose to their feet in shock. Who was Guo Yang? How was he able to make spirit armor? Who was his master? Many powerful practitioners decided it would be best to slay the boy before he made the Guo Clan rise even higher.


    "I don''t care if my body cannot handle making this, I will kill you!" Guo Yang roared, a memory flashing through his mind as he leaped at the phoenix with his spear covered in poison spirit energy.


    "I did it, mommy! I killed my first prey," an adorable little gold snake with jade eyes and sand colored feathers on the back of its head hissed as it returned, a bulge protruding in its body.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Good job, little one. Remember, hunting your prey requires patience and exploding your strength into a focused motion. Life and death is determined with that one move," a bigger snake about three hundred feet long hissed, its black forked tongue tapping the smaller snake on the head. Its eyes widened as it heard a loud shriek, turning its head to see three phoenixes as large as a mountain.


    "This snake is giant. Fit for the three of us to eat for days. We can also feed the fledglings with its meat!" one of the Heaven Swallowing Phoenixes cried.


    "What about the tiny one?" another cawed.


    "Forget it. I bet my beak will crush it just by touching it. I also detect other snakes similar in size. No use hunting trash," the largest of them answered.


    "Slither away, little one. Escape!" the mother hissed and turned to the cave behind it. "Take your kin and escape!"


    "No," the tiny snake hissed as one double its size bit into the small snake and joined dozens others as they fled. Dozens of snakes of all kinds of species slithered as their guardian fought against the giant phoenixes. Many were killed by the backlash of energy that surged from the battle. The tiny snake crashed into a tree and lost consciousness. As it awoke, all it saw were broken trees and giant boulders of flesh everywhere, gold scales on some of them.


    This was the true reason Guo Yang hated phoenixes above all other birds. True, he hated Blue Heart String Phoenixes, but he hated Heaven Swallowing Phoenixes the most. He lost his mother and never knew the feeling of love after that, also closing off his own heart. In his life, he killed the other two but the leader already ascended to the Immortal Realm. He killed each and every phoenix of that species, and stopped when he thought he killed them all.


    "I can''t allow it to happen!" Shen Dong cried, blasting the five snakes into the walls with the side of his heavy sword and charged at Guo Yang''s left flank as the phoenix and Guo Yang clashed. The phoenix was also an initial Element Adept, like Guo Yang, and both were pushed back. Guo Yang snarled angrily and used his Moon Slicer Art to sends moon blades of water at the approaching Shen Dong as he ran to the phoenix.


    The phoenix spread its wings, feathers made of light spirit energy surging toward Guo Yang like a storm of arrows.


    "Fuck you!" he roared, using his Viper''s Dominance Art to destroy the feathers with the shock blast of light spirit energy. Some of the crowd cried out at the explosions of energy pushed some of them back.


    "Stop!" Shen Dong cried as his heavy sword was covered in flames as it slashed down at Guo Yang as the latter readied his spear for a throw. Spirit energy swirled into the spear, making it a giant spear of jade. The air around it seemed to shriek and even the ground and his own clothes turned to stone and shattered into countless pieces under the spirit energy.


    "Vengeance is mine! Take my current ultimate, poison spear, practitioner art, Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art!"  Guo Yang shrieked and threw his spear. Because of the wind being propelled as Shen Dong slashed his flaming heavy sword, the trajectory of the spear changed. Guo Yang used his ice practitioner art, Frost Snake Prison Art, to shield himself within a sphere of ice. It suffered many cracks, but did not break as Shen Dong slashed at him. The practitioner art was mainly used to capture prey, but it was used to defend himself instead.


    "NOO!" Shen Dong cried as he turned to his magical beast. As if sensing impending doom, the phoenix flew upwards. Because of Shen Dong''s interference, the trajectory meant to run through the phoenix''s chest area by the neck was changed to beneath the left wing as the phoenix flew, taking several feathers with it and turned the wall into stone. Several cracks formed around the spear and some of the feather of the phoenix turned to stone and fell off. However, the spear missed the flesh in the wings and the feathers could easily be replaced over a few days.


    "You piece of shit! You saved it!" Guo Yang roared as he broke through the ice prison and saw the result. He covered his own fist with the Stone Breaker Art and expelled the rocks to form a small boulder that shattered on the back of the relieved Shen Dong. Shen Dong cried out as he fell to the ground and Guo Yang prepared an axe kick to smash the fallen Shen Dong''s head into a meat patty.


    "This tournament is over! Shen Dong is defeated and is ranked second. Guo Yang is the victor," Guan Hai said, making Guo Yang pause as the latter felt the spirit energy of Guan Hai. The crowd roared with applause. Many relished the excitement and large scale practitioner arts. Some received insights and immediately left to meditate on them as others stared between the spear in the wall and Guo Yang.


    "Yang''er!" Guo Jing cried as Guo Yang sprayed blood into the air as his spirit armor vanished. Clearly, Guo Yang used a forbidden technique to form the spirit armor that augmented his spirit energy. He was willing to risk his very life to kill the Heaven Swallowing Phoenix. Guo Jing caught Guo Yang as he fainted and started to fall backwards.


    "Quick, grab Mei''er and Lin''er! Get their weapons and let''s leave with the snakes," Guo Jing ordered as several powerful practitioners moved forward.


    "A forbidden technique to make spirit armor! I must have it!" one cried as he surged forward. However, Guo Li stopped him as she was at the peak of the Meteor Vessel Stage.


    "You dare to commit crimes in front of me, Guan Hai!" the Earth Mortal roared, causing the greedy practitioners to stop as none of them could face such a man. Many were in clans with many elders at the Meteor Vessel Stage, but Guo Lin was at the peak, like their patriarchs, and Guan Hai was an Earth Mortal. None of them dared to fight now as it was different than just Guo Li fighting.


    "Thank you, Ancestor, and we apologize for the mayhem my grandson caused," Guo Jing said and they all left.


    "I''ll take your head for assaulting my grandson," Guo Li snapped and ripped off the man''s head with her bare hands, taking the weapon and spirit ring of the greedy practitioner who was the first to make a move to Guo Yang.


    "That''s acceptable," Guan Hai nodded and helped Shen Dong up as the phoenix struggled to land on the ground. "Prince Shen Dong, I think it''s best to leave your giant phoenix out of the academy for a time. This Guo Yang obviously has a deeper grudge against this particular race of avian magical beasts even deeper than the rumors and reports."


    "It has lost some of its feathers and won''t be able to fly. A grounded bird is a dead one," Shen Dong nodded and sent the phoenix back where it came from. "Guan Hai, did I really lose?"


    "If Guo Yang were not consumed with rage and did not use lethal practitioner arts, it would have been your victory as you clearly had the advantage. If you kept your distance, instead of summoning your magical beast, victory was already yours. However, you can''t change the past. You made it into the top eight. That is what matters most," Guan Hai nodded. "Go check on your cousin and the third member of the imperial clan in your dorm. I ensured it to be guarded by retired imperial guards. I''ll also send some to secretly protect the Guo Clan. Imperial Majesty is interested in Guo Lin because of the Yin Yang divine tattoo and Guo Yang supplies poisonous herbs to the Alchemist Foundation that also supplies our own army with their elixirs and poisons. Guo Yang has already saved many lives and killed many more, indirectly, by supplying the poisonous herbs or ground poison powder. Their safety will be assured for the competition."


    "Good. I need to defeat my elder brother and sister. I know I can''t win one-on-one. Let''s take Shen Hua back," Shen Dong said and the duo left the chaos for the remaining staff of Tang Arts School for Practitioners to resolve.

 Chapter 11: Facing the Past

    Chapter 11: Facing the Past


    When Guo Yang woke up, he was in the main hall of the patriarch''s pavilion. His entire body wracked with pain and the taste of blood was in his mouth. His spirit energy was in disarray and he quickly calmed it through his neidan. He heard gasps as his spirit energy calmed and noticed he wasn''t alone.


    "So you''re all here," Guo Yang said indifferently as everyone stared at him. He stared at his snakes and they knew to leave to guard the poisonous herb garden. He took out the rainbow colored gourd and drank the monkey wine.


    "Yang''er, you went too far today. You actually displayed your might and bullied those below your cultivation. I can understand you did it to strike fear into the hearts of the third year students, but you also attacked your brother and tried to kill the magical beast of the prince," Guo Feng said.


    "So I wasn''t wrong in what I saw. It still lives...." Guo Yang snarled.


    "Yang''er! Why go so far? I know you hate avian, but you said revenge this time. Revenge for what?" Ji Ting asked.


    "Is it because you reincarnated?" Guo Li asked, everyone staring at the matriarch in shock.


    "It''s true?" they all cried as they saw the shock on Yang''s face.


    "How did you know?" he asked.


    "I am powerful, at the fourth stage of cultivation. I know that making poison practitioner arts of your own making is not difficult, but making element practitioner arts is too astonishing. I also watched you over the past two years and Jing has watched you grow up. It wasn''t until today, that my suspicions were confirmed," Guo Li answered.


    "Reincarnated?" Guo Feng and Ji Ting gasped.


    "Lin''er and Mei''er were meant to be twins?" Guo Feng asked, staring at his mother in shock.


    "No. However, it is because of him that their talents are so high. Since the snakes respect Yang so much, I made inquiries through several friends of mine. Yang, you should be that snake that reached the immortal stage a thousand years ago. You would have been the first to ascend, but you chose rebirth," Guo Li said, Yang staring at her with his fists clenched.


    "So this is why you never grew close to us, were friendly to snakes, and hated birds. No wonder, no wonder your mother and I could not get close to you," Guo Feng said.


    "It''s not the only reason. We focused more on mediating the inferiority complex of Guo Mei towards Guo Lin," Ji Ting snapped.


    "So the truth is revealed," Guo Jing sighed. "No wonder you''re cultivation is so monstrous. You already knew practitioner arts and what kind of training would suit you. Still, why hate the Heaven Swallowing Phoenix so much?"


    Guo Yang stared at the sky and said softly, "I was only a few days old. I had caught my first prey, a mouse, and appeared before my mother......three of those fucking phoenixes came and not only butchered my mother to feed their fucking children, they desolated my home and slaughtered all the snakes I ever befriended. I...closed my heart and pursued immortality. I...killed so many avian magical beast only to fuel my hatred. Eventually, I slaughtered almost the entire race and thought only one escaped by ascension. Today, I learned I was wrong. Still, I slaughtered entire species of eagle, crow, vulture, and phoenix magical beasts. Even if a thousand years has passed, there should not be many of the other species."


    "Slaughtered entire species?" Guo Feng gasped.


    "Could it be, you are that snake from legend? The Sand Feather-Maned Gold Tyrant Snake?" Ji Ting gasped. "You were the terror of the world for many centuries and indeed disappeared. You also destroyed many sects, academies, kingdoms, and empires."


    "They attacked me and pursued to attain my magical beast core," Yang scoffed. "A few hundred million is no loss to the world. Actually, many magical beasts were thankful as their populations were allowed to rise because of fear from me."


    "To think the very snake that created the Snake Era was actually reincarnated as my grandson," Guo Jing realized. "Still, you are my grandson and you are not at the apex of power anymore. Humanity progressed during your absence and you are very much weak than they are. A lot can change, and did change, over a thousand years."


    "You have a psychological problem. Your hate of phoenixes sets aside your rationality. You need to learn to let go of the past. Don''t run from it. Your hate is your means of escaping it. Embrace it. As a snake, killing must be all that you know. You probably never interacted with others. Humans live and thrive in societies. We also make more enemies. Should you not learn to control your rage and hate, your enemies can use it against you. They will know this if they had seen what you did today," Guo Li warned. "You can''t keep closing off you heart. Evidently, it only increases the pain."


    "How can you believe all this? Yang used to be a snake on the verge of ascension? How does that make sense?" Guo Feng cried.


    "We have thought about this matter for a long time, me especially," Guo Jing shook his head. "You dwelt too much on the others, especially Guo Lin. If you had paid a better attention to your youngest son, instead of frustrated on how to become closer by your own means, you would naturally reach the same suspicions."


    "I....was wrong," Guo Feng sadly admitted and was startled as his father was right.


    "I will leave my magical beast in the courtyard. You are to tolerate its existence and learn to let go of your hate. It will follow you everywhere and you are currently not its match," Guo Li said to Guo Yang.


    "It....what is it? It can''t be..." Guo Yang began until he saw his grandmother''s wicked smile.


    "I have two magical beasts. Both are phoenixes. The Guo Clan is not the strongest, but that doesn''t mean I''m not. It is just that my husband''s clan has too weak potential," Guo Li grinned.


    "Hey! It''s not our fault that our talent is low at birth!" Guo Jing said. He was sixty years old and finally reached the Meteor Vessel Stage through his snake magical beast. Sadly, he was the first of the Guo Clan''s bloodline to ever reach that cultivation stage. Guo Li just married into it but entered the fourth stage over a dozen years ago.


    "Face the past or be consumed by it. You decide. Go out onto the courtyard. The rest of us need to speak to Guo Lin and Guo Mei about their misgivings," Guo Li ordered and Yang''s eyes seemed empty as he walked out.


    "Face the past or be consumed by it....." Guo Yang muttered as he sat by the pond, staring at his reflection. "My past consists of several centuries. That human expects me to let such a long grudge go? Does that human realize how many I''ve killed? How many times my life was in danger? However, she is right about my enemies being able to exploit it. It seems I must make some covert efforts. Red Death, bring Red Shadow to me."


    "Yes, Exalted Master," Red Death hissed and slithered off, returning with the large snake shortly after.


    "Exalted One," Red Death dipped its head. "You summoned me?"


    "It seems my rage went too far. I need to make preemptive measures. You must have known what happened in the arena, your master being Guo Jing. Tell me, how extensive is the city''s water supply? How are they segregated?" Guo Yang asked.


    "Exalted One?" Red Shadow hissed in confusion. "Well, the city has sewer gates that filter the dirt. There are several valves which open and close to distribute fresh water. Each human land has its own water tank where the humans extract their water. Exalted One, you can''t mean..."


    "Naturally, I must take action on those who plot against me. I have a poison that takes should be delayed until sunrise. That is usually when the water supply is drained for use. Well, poison is medicine and medicine is poison. Medicine, prescribed incorrectly, is a poison. Poison, if applied correctly, is a medicine. Alchemy and poison are one and the same, like yin and yang. I''ll put in medicine into the water supply, its content too much for a safe dosage. Some will live, many more will die. Find out the identities of the people who tried to attack me from the stands. There are many garden snakes in the city, tolerated as they scare mice away. Use them," Guo Yang ordered.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Yes, Exalted One," the snake nodded and slithered away.


    Later at night, Guo Yang learned of who and where the people who targeted him lived. Some of them lived in brand new houses while others were forced to buy some of the poorly built houses as there were no inns or houses available.


    Those people would be his main targets. Those areas were abandoned, even by the homeless because of Guo Mei. She killed a few here and there, but the numbers gradually reached a decree that even idiots would notice many gone. As more homeless mysteriously died, or went missing, in those areas; it was quite easy to kill someone in that area at night.


    Guo Yang handed the garden snakes several small vials. In each vial was medicine made by his jade spirit energy. He was forbidden from making elixirs due to the toxicity of his spirit energy, but that did not mean he could not make them. Spirit pills were powdered balls, making them easy to dissolve in liquid. He sneaked through the streets, using his Light Puppet Art on the guards or people near the wells.


    He smirked as he dropped little green pills into each well in the area. By morning, the color would be blended into the water and no one would be the wiser.


    When morning came, many would wake up to a nasty surprise. Not only was the water tainted, the air would be as well. There would be no spirit energy or smell detected until sunrise. If they awoke to survive the air, the water would finish the rest.


    "Just like killing wolves and deer," Guo Yang rubbed his hands as he returned home, seeing Guo Mei arrive behind him as he heard footsteps.


    "What were you doing outside during the dark?" Guo Mei asked.


    "I could ask you the same thing. The only difference is that I know what you did and you don;t know what I did. If you find out, let me know," Guo Yang smiled and left to his room, accompanied by Red Death and Red Shadow.


    The next morning, many people screamed in the poor areas of the city. The homeless were not the ones who died this time. Now, cultivators from outside the city died in those areas. No one discovered that the air was toxic, the effect long gone.


    However, people discovered that the water was poisoned and closed all the water valves leading to the area. No one was able to identify the poison, but the Alchemist Association was ecstatic. This poison was unlike any they had seen, not even being dissolved in water. The poison still existed in the water


    The water was drained and the wells emptied and burned to be replaced soon after. However, not even the homeless decided to return to the area. Many had died before, but most people did not care if they died or went missing.


    "Guo Yang!" Guo Li and Guo Jing roared as Guo Yang appeared in the patriarch''s home with his parents and siblings.


    "What?" he asked.


    "Did you poison the water?" they asked.


    "Hey, does snake poison actually spread in the water? Poison, I know. Besides, I heard people died in their sleep and did not even drink the water. Does snake poison do that?" he asked, smiling innocently.


    "Y, you had to do it! You were out last night!" Guo Mei said, everyone staring between them.


    "So were you. How many people did you kill this time? Three? Five? Oh wait, maybe thirteen?" Guo Yang grinned.


    "How did you...?" she began.


    "Someone had to follow you to clean the mess. Red Shadow and Red Death enjoyed the meal. I thank you on their behalf," Guo Yang said as he did a mock bow. The snakes did in fact follow her to ensure she did not see him poison the wells. He needed an alibi. He got one.


    "So it wasn''t you. No doubt, the Alchemist Association will also know it wasn''t you," Guo Jing pondered.


    "Of course. You know, my canine teeth don''t have venom. None of my teeth do and I don''t even have a poison gland in my mouth," Guo Yang sighed. "I got my spirit energy and my snakes. That''s all I got, save for the poisonous herbs. Of course, you and the Alchemist Association know the poisonous herbs in my garden. In fact, I''m thinking of buying building a stone house in the empty area behind the garden. The soil is dead and the air is toxic to the rest of you. I practically come here everyday anyway."


    "That....is alright. Go ahead. We need to meet with the City Council to discuss the deaths. Guo Mei, you''ll need to find a different area to hunt for souls for next month. Let''s go, Jing," Guo Li said and the couple left at once.


    "It wasn''t you?" Guo Lin frowned, seeing Guo Yang nod and followed his parents.


    "It was you. I know it was you," Guo Mei said.


    "It was," he admitted, stunning her.


    "Why didn''t you admit it?" she asked.


    "There is a time to speak and a time to not speak. This was one of those times the situation calls for the latter action," Guo Yang said as he stopped beside her, facing the door as she faced behind him.


    "Why?" was all Mei could say.


    "I am not one to tolerate my enemies. In the real world, where safety is not guaranteed, one must ensure to kill all enemies or potential enemies. The most ideal victory is a victory to end all battles. With them mysteriously assassinated, and all the dead and missing homeless which will soon garner attention; I''d watch my back if I were you. I don''t need to eat souls. You do. Keep your emotions in check to stop the hunger or risk exposure and eventual execution," Guo Yang whispered into her ear and left the house, Mei falling to her knees in shock and fear.


    "We have gathered here to discuss the deaths of the people who died here. Their estimated time of death was between one o''clock to nine o''clock in the morning," a member of the Alchemist Association said as Guo Li and many patriarchs arrived at the scene of the crime. "We suspected poison at first, but discovered signs of powder residue. Unfortunately, they could not be extracted for study."


    "How did they die?" Guan Hai asked, Shen Dong and Shen Hua with him as it would be easier to protect them by his side.


    "Most died by a nerve gas. I suspect it had to do with the pill. Might have been many kinds of pills. You see, even spirit pills at too high a concentration is akin to poison," the man said and pointed to a guard. "See this man here. He was supposed to guard the well but was all the way by the houses. This was no accident. These people were indeed murdered. Pills accidentally falling into one well is one thing, but all the wells in the area had powder residue. If the toxic air did not kill them, drinking the water did."


    "Who would kill them and why?" a man asked.


    "There have been rumors that many homeless died or went missing over the past two years. Whoever was in charge of the area didn''t really seem to care. Their deaths are even more mysterious, nothing to do with poison or medicine at all," the alchemist answered. "Perhaps this is a new killing method. Perhaps there is another assassin. Whoever did this killed a lot more people than his intended target and knew this would happen. I have informed the City Guards and they will investigate all their actions in the city over the past few days and weeks. Perhaps that will provide us with the clues we seek."


    "So this wasn''t Guo Yang," Guo Jing said as he and his wife rode Red Shadow home.


    "If it''s not him, we could ask for his aid to identify the poison," Guo Li nodded. As they returned home, Red Shadow slid past Guo Yang on the way to the patriarch''s house with the two masters on his back. Red Shadow winked at Guo Yang and Guo Yang made a subtle nod.


    "Sometimes it is those covert actions that shine the brightest," Guo Yang laughed as he left for the gardens.

 Chapter 12: Imperial Guard Training

    Writer''s Note: Midterm month is over. Finally. Reminder: only his parents and grandparents know if you paid attention to the names in the part where his origin is revealed. Only those four, besides the snake magical beasts, know. As it confuses some people, I will include the clan names in some scenes where there is more than one person with that first name or is the older relative of MC. Writing stories is not easy but I continue regardless. Well, Happy Halloween!


    Chapter 12: Imperial Guard Training


    "I know he was the one who did it! He admitted it to me himself!" Mei vented to Lin.


    "Whoa! Calm down. We both know little brother is devious, even twisted, but he is not evil," Lin shook his head. "Grandma and grandpa confirmed it was not him two days ago, right? If they, practitioners of the fourth level, said so; it must be so. Yang is just an initial Elemental Adept. How could he deceive grandpa and grandma. I don''t believe you."


    "He needs to be punished!" Mei said.


    "What about the dozens...no, hundreds of people you killed over the past two years? Let''s assume he did admit it, he could do killing on such a scale in a single night? Impossible. You''re letting your inferiority complex takeover and influence irrational thoughts in your mind," Lin sighed. "Look, you are way faster than me but how do I always beat you? Sure, you are at late Spirit Forming while I am at the peak. So? People cultivated for years but they are weaker than others right? It is how we understand the spirit techniques we know and how we apply them in combat."


    "What happened to my little brother and how did he become a sage?" Mei said, her eyes narrowing.


    "Truthfully, Yang bro told me," Lin laughed. "Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes and ask my opponent how I lost. You don''t as you have too much pride. Little brother is right, you are the eldest but the most immature and childish."


    "If only father thought that way, he''d get off my back," a voice said, revealing a black haired boy with some streaks of jade hair arriving behind them. "They''re calling for us."


    "Right," Lin said and rushed out to the patriarch''s house.


    "Is what he said true?" Mei said as she looked at Yang. "Is it my pride?"


    "Pride is good but leads to arrogance. Being humble is good but too much leads to cowardice. You have too much pride and it blinds you as it turns into arrogance. We''ve been telling you that for so long. Why now do you consider it?" Yang asked, mildly curious. "What you have inside you brings me much envy. You have power, but it is wasted on you. Your cultivation should be faster, you should be stronger. It is time you saw reason. If I was ever in your position, I would spit on myself in disgust."


    "You don''t know what it''s like to be weak!" she shouted.


    "Weak? WEAK! You know NOTHING of weakness! Have you ever seen someone you love die, powerless to even damage the shit that the enemy craps out? Have you ever seen everyone you know and love die and felt the pain of being the lone survivor? Weak? Say that again and I will kill you instead of that fucking eyeball in your Spirit Realm!" Yang roared grabbing her throat and choking her in rage. "I am weak. My current state is weak. I know what terror feels like. I know what it feels like to run away from your enemies in humiliation. I know what it is liked to be scorned and mocked for being weak. I''ve been stepped on, pissed on, bit, clawed, and smashed into the ground without mercy! You know nothing of the pain of the weak. Nothing."


    Yang threw her, augmenting his strength and she crashed through the wall and into the backyard of the patriarch''s house. Lucky for her, she was not in the area where Yang built his home with poisonous herbs surrounding it. Yang spat in disgust, angry at how blind humans were. They ruled the land, destroying it to build their empires. They thought they were weak? Humans were always near the top of the food chain, seeing most magical beasts as resources for alchemy and cultivation. The bodies of magical beasts are even mutilated and violated to make magical weapons, armors, and items.


    "Mei''er, what happened to your neck and robes?" Ji Ting asked as Mei and Yang entered the house.


    "She tripped," Yang answered, Guo Feng spitting the tea in his mouth.


    "Bullshit," his grandparents and Guo Feng thought.


    ''Why''d you summon us, grandpa?" Lin asked.


    "Besides the identities of a boy and girl ranked seventh and eighth, you three are in the top five. Lu Jing, Shen Dong, and Shen Hua already started their training. Yang''er. it seems they train to defeat you in particular," Guo Jing smiled.


    "I don''t remember exactly how I beat that prince. Everything just darkened when that fucking bird showed up," Yang smiled innocently.


    "More like all hell broke loose," Guo Feng muttered.


    "The point is, you triplets will be training under that retired imperial guard captain. Yang''er, you won the tournament and ranked in the top three. You will also get your award as well," Guo Li said.


    "I got a spear, I got my techniques, and I got money. What kind of award would make my human heart go aflutter?" Yang exaggerated with his arms, both palms on his face with his mouth open in shock. "I feel so....excited."


    "You don;t have much magical items," Ji Ting said.


    "Ah, you really don''t know?" Guo Yang giggled. "Here''s a riddle for you. A long time ago, there was a giant snake strong enough to shatter the world. It mysteriously died but its body fused with its soul. It entered the fabled reincarnation cycle. People tried to find it but only found barren lands where it once lived. The snake became myth and was forgotten by time. However, even the snake could not access his worldly possessions when he was reborn. Where oh where did his belongings and soul go?"


    "A snake?" Lin frowned and laughed. "Ah, you made a joke. Wow. Never thought you''d be the type to joke."


    "It is a nice joke, isn''t it?" Yang laughed while stressing the fifth word. "Only a snake expert would get it and he might just cough blood in shock."


    Guo Feng, Ji Ting, and Guo Li looked at Guo Jing. Guo Jing cleared his throat and began to think. Red Shadow, which laid down to the side of the room, knew the answer immediately and looked at Guo Yang with shock. Yang noticed and put a finger to his mouth to silence the snake.


    "Just stop. Let''s talk about school again," Mei said, her brain hurting as she could not figure it out.


    "Yes, let''s not think about it for now," Ji Ting agreed. "You three will undergo extensive training. The results in the national tournament will help you and Yang get recommended to the best academy or sects."


    "I will train vigorously and get first place," Mei said clenching her fists. "There are other people besides Yang and Lin. No one can beat my brothers but me."


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings."At least she improved," Lin whispered to Yang.


    "Meh, it''s acceptable. If she thinks more like a beast and less like a human, she would be better able to utilize her speed-oriented battle style as most humans prefer power," Yang shrugged.


    "All of you go to academy now. You will be spending the next two and a half months there training," Guo Jing said.


    "For the national tournament?" Yang asked.


    "Yes. Mei, you are my biggest worry. You must control the urge to feed on souls," Guo Li said. "Remember the chants and incantations I taught you. Any sign of the eyeball stirring, immediately stop what you are doing and do as I instructed."


    "Awesome! Boot camp to get stronger! I can definitely reach Elemental Adept under the training. Let''s go!" Lin said and was the first to run home to pack his things.


    "Red Shadow, tell my snakes to keep to the protocol. Bring Red Death to me," Yang said, the large snake hissing and left to do its orders but paused as Yang changed his mind. "Wait, leave Red Death. Bring Shadow Fang and Moon Scale to me."


    "Shadow Fang, I know, but who''s Moon Scale?" Lin asked. "Why them?"


    "A new born hydra. I have been feeding it experimental drugs and it is already at the second stage," Yang grinned. "I have many hydras now. Some died while others are not yet ready to be revealed."


    "That is the real reason you wanted area for the house! They gave birth and you have been hiding them!" Guo Jing cried.


    "Hey now, nothing wrong with building a snake horde. The five I have are powerful mind you, but the numbers are lacking. Shadow Fang was the one who gave birth and will feed milk to Moon Scale," Yang explained. "Moon Scale is small but has extremely high affinities for ice. Its skin is vastly superior to its mother."


    "Skin?" Mei frowned.


    "What? You think hydras have scales. They''re not exactly pure-blooded snakes. Oh, you never visited the poisonous garden so you never seem them. Well, I''ll go get packed," Yang said and left.


    "Well, the eight of you gathered here today because you are the top eight this academy has to offer," Guan Hai said as the eight gathered. "Now, state your name, school rank, and cultivation."


    "Sun Yi, rank 8, middle Spirit Forming Stage. I have a single wind attribute," a boy with glasses said as he stepped up first.


    "Sun Yi? You''re ranked eighth?" Mei gasped as she and Lin looked at him.


    "Fortunately, Guo Lin knocked me out after he blasted four of us classmates at once. I barely managed to retain consciousness before fainting as I heard the teacher say my name and rank," Yi grinned.


    "Sima Qing, peak Spirit Forming Stage, ranked 7 and my attributes are water and wind," a girl said with long brown hair tied to a braid to her back with bright green eyes.


    "As strong as me?" Lin frowned.


    "So she is the member of the Shen Clan," thought Yang. "Princess maybe, possibly a daughter between the emperor and a concubine if she is the same age as Shen Dong."


    "I was knocked out by Shen Dong, by a surprise attack, after the other classes were defeated," she answered.


    "Surprise attack indeed," Yang muttered, Guan Hai and Shen Dong''s eyes narrowing as they realized Yang discovered the truth.


    "Lu Jing, initial Spirit Forming stage, and ranked 6. I have a single fire attribute," Jing said as he glared at Yang as if he imagined he could kill him. Yang smirked and released killing intent, making Jing pale with fear and move a few feet away.


    "You''re the weakest and you only got the sixth rank because of me. Of course, an accident can occur and incapacitate you thereby replacing you with someone else. You never really know. Lots of...accidents...happen," Yang grinned malevolently.


    "Guo Mei, rank 5, and late Spirit Forming Stage. My attributes are darkness and lightning," Mei said and turned to Yang. "Don''t scare him."


    "You control your hunger and I''ll cut back on my....advice," Yang replied.


    "Shen Hua, rank 4, and initial Elemental Adept Stage. My dual attributes are light and darkness," Hua said, stunning Mei and Lin.


    "It''s possible for someone to have both those attributes and not die?" Lin cried. "As expected of the imperial clan. No doubt, you used some methods to survive and continue your cultivation."


    "Let''s not waste time," Guan Hai said.


    "Uh, right. I am Guo Lin, rank 3, and at the peak Spirit Forming Stage. My attributes are earth, water, wind, and fire," Guo Lin said.


    "So you are the rumored son of the Guo Clan with four elements," Lu Jing said, obviously one of the transfer students by his remark.


    "Shen Dong, rank 2, and middle Elemental Adept Stage," Shen Dong said, surprising everyone but Guan Hai, Shen Hua, and Yang. "My attributes are fire and lightning."


    "Guo Yang, rank 1, and middle Elemental Adept Stage," Guo Yang said. "My triple attributes are water, earth, and light. I am a poison cultivator so you don''t want to come in contact with my spirit energy either."


    "You advanced?" Lin and Mei cried.


    "Forbidden techniques has its advantages. The stimulation of spirit energy, sometimes you keep part of that power inside you," Yang grinned. "Creating a spirit armor.....it obviously has rewards to come with its risks and penalties. Once I become a Earth Mortal on the fifth level of cultivation, there won''t be a risk anymore."


    "How did you learn such a technique? Could we learn it?" Sun Yi asked.


    "It is a poison cultivation technique. It is called the Forbidden Sky Poison Armor Art," Yang denied. "By the way, I don''t see that phoenix anywhere. It still croaking, er, chirping?"


    "Yes. It won''t be able to fly for a while as some of its feathers were destroyed," Shen Dong said. "I think its best not to summon it near you. No offense, but I can;t stop you by myself."


    "Sometimes anger and hatred leads to irrationality. I apologize for attacking you," Yang said but to Shen Hua and Lin.


    "Uh, I suppose I can accept that," Lin said who was surprised.


    "Do you have something against avian magical beasts?" Shen Dong asked.


    "See those black and white hydras back there? Those are just two snakes of my snake horde. I like to think myself as their master, lord, guardian, and breeder. They hate birds as I do. I don''t have to make them my magical beasts so while I don''t get any benefits of added spiritual energy or elements, nothing happens to me if they die," Yang grinned as he rubbed his hands. "I think it''s best for all of us to not see a bird anytime soon."


    "Uh, not possible," Mei said she she pointed back. "Granny''s phoenix is watching us, or you."


    "That old crone. Interfering and messing with me," Yang thought darkly as he saw a bright red phoenix.


    "We''re under orders to help Yang with his...anger management issues," Mei grinned evilly. "I told the phoenix where we would be training before I left."


    "I''ll get you for this," Yang growled. "Trust me. You won''t see it coming and will regret doing that."


    "Don''t worry. That phoenix will help me in case my hunger can;t be sated," she smiled back.


    "I just love being the middle triplet. The entertainment is killer," Lin sighed to the other five and Guan Hai. "So, what do we do now?"

 Chapter 13: The Demon Instructor

    Writer''s Note: Releases are every two or three days. Just saying. The training begins.


    Chapter 13: The Demon Instructor


    "Now? We start your training," Guan Hai said and drew Yang''s and Mei''s attention. "First off, I now know your cultivation and affinities. Needless to say, those with affinities are more likely to become strong. However, their training is divided and they comprehend and increase their skills with those elements at a slower pace with the more affinities they possess."


    "So I can master my fire element faster and defeat Yang?" Lu Jing asked.


    "Heh. Dream on," Yang snorted.


    "Oh? You mean to say that my thinking is incorrect?" Guan Hai asked. "And just how long have you been training?"


    "If I were to say for over two millennia, would you believe me?" Yang smirked. "I don''t need your training on comprehending the elements. I just want the prize I''m due and I''m out."


    "Oh, shame. That behavior will get you killed. You must change," Guan Hai said and his fist met Yang''s chest faster than he could react. Yang spat a small trail of blood before he crashed into the wall.


    "Will you change?" Guan Hai asked as the other seven moved out of the way and moved together.


    "Scary," Mei said, Lin nodding in agreement.


    "Fuck," Yang cursed aloud as he got out of the hole in the wall only to have his face slammed to the ground by Guan Hai.


    "Will you change?" Guan Hai asked.


    "You anger me!" Yang roared and released his spirit energy, the air sizzling from the poison as Yang stared at Guan Hai as he got up. He used Viper''s Dominance Art but combined it with his poisonous spirit energy without holding back. Guan Hai waved his hand and the spirit force was neutralized. Yang narrowed his eyes and sent twelve moon blades of water using the Moon Slicer Art. Guan Hai sighed and broke them with his bare hands.


    "You must change. You know alot of element practitioner arts, I admit that. However, you don''t use them efficiently," Guan Hai said. "You have not comprehended the level of Understanding the Elements."


    "Comprehension? I''ll show you comprehension!" Yang roared and closed his eyes, spirit energy surging to his body like a vortex.


    "What''s happening?" Mei asked as the ground began to shake as Yang''s body began to glow with light.


    "Impossible, he''s only fourteen and he''s reached the level of Understanding the Elements?" Shen Dong gasped, Hua and Sima Qing also shocked. As his father was a duke, Lu Jing also knew what it meant. Sun Yi''s father was the city''s head librarian. He too, knew what Understanding the Elements was.


    "You know what Yang''s doing?" Lin asked the the ground now only quaked beneath Yang, Guan Hai narrowing his eyes as if he was waiting for something.


    "Understanding the Elements is not something we can just reach. It means we have been exposed to the element so many times, we can control the element to a degree. What Yang is doing is actually controlling all the light spirit energy and earth energy and harnessing them to himself. The thing is, it''s even higher than most people I''ve seen! Even most Earth Mortals do not create such a disturbance in the natural spirit energy," Shen Dong explained.


    "Element practitioner arts is a complex version of it and is more focused and have many effects. With element practitioner arts, we can use the element in ways it was never supposed to be used  in accordance with nature. An example would be teleportation. That Snake Specter Art, as Yang calls it, is use of the earth element on an advanced level. What Yang is doing now is a more simplified but powerful application of spirit energy!" Shen Hua concluded as Yang had his right arm covered with tiny rocks and sand while his left hand glowed with light.


    "I will show you the true terror of light and earth. I will also show you a neat surprise," Yang said and appeared next to Guan Hai faster than a blink of an eye. Guan Hai''s cultivation was two cultivation levels above and easily blocked Yang''s left punch.


    Lin and the rest could only see a blur around the imperial guard as Yang punched and kicked while constantly changing his trajectory and movement. When Guan Hai moved back, Yang stopped momentarily and stomped the ground, spikes of earth appearing to cover twenty feet of ground around him. Guan Hai easily shattered them and took to the sky, but Yang was already there in a flash, a small tower of earth beneath him to suggest he catapulted himself.


    "Earth and light fusion element art: Terra Destroyer Art. I just made it up just now," Yang said coldly and had a giant boulder high above his head that spun so fast, it appeared like a sun. Light was distorted around it and gravity seemed to increase. Yang pointed at Guan Hai and the artificial sun was wrapped in light and sped toward the imperial guard like a comet. Guan Hai dodged it just before it would hit him and appeared behind Yang, drop kicking him to the ground. Yang formed a small crater in the ground seconds before his fusion practitioner art smashed into the wall.


    Everyone gasped as a large explosion occurred from the impact. If the Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art was his most powerful practitioner art, this fusion art was his most destructive. A crater fifty feet in diameter replaced what used to be a piece of the wall as well as a few rows of stands that were previously above the wall section.


    "You are strong," Guan Hai approved as Yang spat blood as he pulled himself out of the crater. "It is no wonder you know so many element practitioner arts. I don''t believe the rumors of you having a hidden master. It is because you reached the level of Understanding the Elements. Your training will be fun."


    "Uh, then what about us for this near three month training camp?" Lin asked.


    "You seven don''t have as much spirit energy as Yang. Even you, Shen Dong, do not. It is because your body is not strong enough to harness and possess more spirit energy. Spirit energy does not condense in your Spirit Realm alone. It also condenses within your blood, bones, cartilage, and organs. One example of you using your body at a higher level is adrenaline. For that, I need one of my partners," Guan Hai said and a ten foot tiger with red stripes and a gold horn appeared. "Here is your first lesson: you must run around the academy faster than my tiger. If you don''t, some of you goes into his stomach. You run until sun down. Have fun."


    "What?" Sun Yi spouted and paled as the tiger roared and lunged at them, Sun Yi turning fast enough so that the tiger''s claws only grazed him.


    "Blood! He;s not joking! RUN!" Lu Jing screamed and the seven ran out of the training grounds with a feral tiger right behind them, narrowly missing their backs with its claws with every swipe.


    "You''re a demon," Yang said as he stood up, eating a medicinal pill from his storage ring.


    "You disapprove?" Guan Hai asked.


    "No. Running in fear does agitate the body. There are no breakthroughs without pain and trials," Yang said.


    "Speaking from experience?" Guan Hai asked.


    "You can say that. So what''s my training?" Yang asked.


    "Since you reached the Understanding of the Elements and have the highest cultivation with Shen Dong, your training will be different. Your body is strong and your affinity with the elements is monstrous. You also seem to have plenty of combat experience and a cunning mind. If it wasn''t for your twisted personality, you''d be perfect," Guan Hai commented truthfully.


    "Sounds fair," Yang nodded as he glared at his grandmother''s phoenix. "So what''s my grand prize all things considered?"


    "You tell me," Guan Hai said as they heard a blood curling scream followed by a string of curses. "Must be that Lu Jing boy. That duke spoiled him so."


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You guys have something called hidden weapons. I want to learn how to use one," Yang said.


    "Why?" Guan Hai asked, curious.


    "A snake''s best weapon is subtlety and surprise. A hidden weapon contains and relies on both elements. Hidden weapons could be used to take out people, especially if I infuse them with my poisonous spirit energy. It could also be used in times where the opponent is vastly superior or knows my practitioner arts and fighting style," Yang answered.


    "An assassin I killed long ago used an interesting magical tool. It was these," Guan Hai said as he took out a grey colored bracelet with a single sapphire embedded on it.


    "What is this?" Yang asked.


    "That is a magical tool used to create daggers out of thin air. These daggers can only be held by the owner of the bracelet and disappears five seconds after it cuts flesh. If flesh is cut with these daggers, black poison is injected into the body. If not cured after seven days, the target dies. Not only that, the poison spreads by feeding on spirit energy in the blood. Only you or a very powerful alchemist can cure you," Guan Hai said. "Bind it and see if you can recognize the poison."


    "Interesting," Yang said and bound the bracelet, wearing it around his left wrist. He summoned a dagger and admired its curved edge before cutting his palm and sucking the black poison into his mouth. His body trembled and he sat down in lotus position. He closed his eyes and began to circulate the spirit energy in his body.


    "So the rumors are true, poison cultivation requires poisoning yourself to advance. Since he advanced from the battle royal, he must have poisoned himself through that forbidden technique to make spirit armor," Guan Hai noted as he saw a jade light dimly emanate from his body. His eyes widened as the poison seemed to disappear into Yang''s Spirit Realm.


    "Truly mysterious poison," Yang said as he coughed blood, black impurities within. "So poison from magical treasures are different from biological poison. This one''s effect was as you claimed. It could be considered a supreme poison and a useless poison at the same time. Seven days is too long. A poison expert could poison himself to cure poison with poison of equal strength. Surprisingly, it is a dark element practitioner healing art that could cure the poison. Light element healing arts would just agitate it."


    "So you are immune to the poison then?" Guan Hai asked.


    "Yes. However, I did not experience much pain as I have devoured more lethal poison than this. However, it is the first poison from a magical treasure. There are not many after all," Yang said and Guan Hai nodded in agreement.


    "You improve by devouring poison. Is that also what you do with the poisonous herbs?" he asked.


    "Yes. However, I prefer eating magical beast meat infected with their poison," Yang answered.


    "You lack the aptitude with your spear compared to Shen Dong. You are indeed the best spear specialist in this city. However, you haven''t tasted much blood with the spear. Only through life-or-death experiences can all your training be utilized and perfected. So your training will be to kill magical beasts at the late Element Adept stage with your spear. You are no doubt a poison supreme expert. Thus, you can only rely on your elements when fighting with your spear."


    "That kind of training, the fear and rush is what I used countless times before," Yang agreed as he remembered his past.


    "For now, let''s play some chess," Guan Hai said and a table and two chairs appeared out of nowhere with a board with several lines craved on it. Atop the table were two small bowls, one containing black stones and the other containing white stones."


    "Finally done," Lin said as he arrived. Only Shen Dong had no scratches or blood on his robes. Lu Jing, as heis cultivation was the weakest, had many.


    "Eh? Yang is still here?" Mei said as she and the others arrived while a smug looking tiger appeared and rested beside his master.


    "You shouldn''t tease them too much, old friend," Guan Hai said as he stroked the tiger''s head. "Hmm. Seems I lost this chess game twice now, the difference in stones even increased by two. What frightening strategy."


    "My first time playing and all I wanted was to box his white pieces in. I just baited him and made my tiles look like a coiling snake, if I could," Yang thought as he faked a smiled and nodded when he noticed the others. "You''re back? Not too much blood missing?"


    "You didn''t train?" Mei asked, angry.


    "I ate poison. Would you care to try?" Yang grinned evilly as he saw her pale. "Besides, my training will be more advanced than yours. You are training your cultivation and probably learning more practitioner arts. Me? I am practicing my spear techniques. I rely too much on my spirit energy and waste too much when using it alongside my spear. If my training succeeds, my Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art will ascend a new level. I should also buy regular steel spears. I don;t want to throw my spear and suddenly need it later. I must admit, my martial arts is lacking compared to my knowledge on practitioner arts and the elements themselves."


    "And usually it''s the other way around. What a freak," Sun Yi laughed. "Glad we''re not enemies."


    "I will beat you," Lu Jing said. "My fire practitioner arts will be so strong, earth and water will not smolder it."


    "You see, now that is determination but also restraint," Lin snickered to Mei.


    "Shut up before I consider making you my next meal," Mei said and their grandmother''s phoenix flew and landed beside Yang.


    "Infernal bird!" Yang said, using his Snake Specter Art. However, its master was at the Meteor Vessel Stage and easily kept up with his teleportation. It seemed to chirp and taunt him as his fist and feet kept missing. Even when he drew the Moon Lotus Spear, he kept missing.


    "Damn bird," Yang cursed as he returned to his seat, the phoenix still mocking him. With his back to the phoenix, everyone else saw a small grin curl on his face. Small mirrors seemed to appear as crystals on his skin and robes. As the sun shined its last before it set, Yang disappeared.


    "What?!" Shen Dong and the others cried and saw Yang appear as he did a right uppercut on the bird''s beak. The bird''s head moved upward and Yang used his Stone Breaker Art to smash the phoenix''s chest.


    "Heh. Stupid bird. I won''t kill you. I still need my human grandmother," Yang thought.


    "What kind of practitioner art was that?" Lin asked.


    "Light element art: Mirror Mirage Art. As I loitered around, I noticed many women admiring their faces in the mirror. It only reflects light and you cannot see the wood or metal behind the mirror''s lens. Thus, I made my body as if it were a mirror and used the light spirit energy to appear invisible. Of course, it is difficult to use in darkness, but I can manipulate natural light and use the practitioner art more efficiently during the day," Yang answered. "Never really tried it out before. Invisibility is different than camouflage."


    "You became invisible? Such a practitioner art is possible?" Sun Yi said and was incredibly impressed.


    "He is indeed more than he appears. Even Guan Hai is impressed," Shen Dong whispered to Shen Hua, both her and Sima Qing tactfully nodding slightly.


    "Our main concern is the tournament in three months. We have the rest of the year to complete uncle''s mission," Shen Hua said.


    "I will try to get closer to Guo Yang in the meantime, but I suspect he already knows who I am," Sima Qing whispered.


    "So long as we can determine his goal, our mission can be considered complete. Either way, that Guo Lin with the Divine Tattoo must be pulled to our side," Shen Dong said and they all stared at Yang who yawned before he sipped his tea that he and Guan Hai enjoyed while they played chess.

 Chapter 14: Unwanted Guests

    Writer''s Note: Currently planning on a new side story. Xianxia, of course. Still deciding on a setting for the world. A plot, I have in mind already. Next chapter release is planned for Saturday.


    Chapter 14: The Unwanted Guests


    "That Guan Hai''s a demon," Jing said as he and Sun Yi laid back on the ground, exhausted. "Two weeks and all he''s done is force us to run around the school with that accursed tiger. I swear it smiles every time it draws blood from us."


    "We''re better off than Yang," Lin said, pointing behind himself. "Yang has to fight three magical beasts of the same cultivation, at the same time."


    "At least he gets to keep the magical cores from the beasts he kills," Mei sighed as she and the three others arrived. They looked back and saw Yang impale an elephant magical beast from beneath the trunk. The elephant shrieked once before Yang twirled in the air and impaled the elephant through the side of its head. Beside them lay two tigers, one with its head bleeding a few feet from its body.


    "Seeing that still scares the hell out of me. Just how can he do that?" Jing muttered as they saw Yang rip out the core from the elephant''s head and take a bite out of the core as if it were an apple.


    "I can honestly say I have never seen such a barbaric way of absorbing spirit energy from a magical core," Shen Hua agreed. "He''s getting better with the spear. It seems more natural than when he fought Shen Dong."


    "Mei, where did the professor train you?" Lin asked her as she was the only one not running after three days.


    "I was sparring with Yang. Teacher said I have more spirit energy than all of you, save Yang. However, I lacked fighting experience. Yang beat my skin black and blue for two hours before resuming his individual training," Mei answered. "I also learned more about lightning. Lightning is fast, but it also has destructive power. Teacher has been training me to utilize the power of lightning along with its speed. I literally have to strike the dummies multiple times.


    "Those can only be destroyed by someone of the Meteor Vessel Stage. Cultivation weaker than that would only make tiny scratches which are immediately repaired with ease," Sun Yi noted. "It can repair any damage of that level as it is not strong enough."


    "I know. I was forced to keep striking the same spot over and over again. Slowly, I can feel my sword harness the power of lightning. I need to condense it into one point and make it burst wildly at the intended target," Mei agreed.


    "You''re not at the level to combine the fast aspect of lightning with the destruction aspect of thunder. Lightning and thunder are one and the same, but are also different. Focus of the strength aspect before you fuse them into the destruction aspect," Yang sighed as he appeared, unable to endure her ignorance.


    "You know about that?" Shen Dong asked, surprised. He, himself, specialized in the strength aspect of thunder.


    "These are the laws of the elements. I reached the level of Understanding the Elements in all elements. However, I am currently able to only use three," Yang said.


    "Wait, we can gain more element attributes?" Lu Jing asked.


    "Do you have a high ranked Divine Tattoo?" Yang asked.


    "No. I have the low ranked," Lu Jing muttered silently, Sun Yi also nodding.


    "Then my special method is impossible for you. Even if you qualified that requirement, your Spirit Realm could not endure it. Only I can do it," Yang grinned.


    "It''s not possible unless you drain the spirit energy of a legendary artifact," Shen Dong shook his head.


    "Mei, what is the one element practitioner art I use that you hate the most?" Yang asked.


    "Coiling Spirit Drain Art. That light element art drains the spirit energy from my very blood," she answered.


    "Precisely that element art. You see, draining spirit arts are incredibly dangerous and more powerful than they seem. If your body is blessed by the Divine Tattoo, or my own unique method (the neidan); then you can take the element art a step further and literally drain the soul along with the spirit energy. Refine the soul in the Spirit Realm to gain the talent of the victim. Fight against Heaven''s Will to possess talent above your birth and fate," Yang said.


    "Draining the soul?!" they all cried, paling with fear.


    "We''ve been fighting for a long time, me using this element art on you many times. Tell me, dear sister, do you hunger lately?" Yang grinned.


    "What do you mean? Of course I get hungry. I eat my meals and......oh," Mei gasped and Lin also stunned with shock.


    "You really should thank me. Well, I thanked myself," Yang said holding up his free right hand as the left held the spear loftily. Blue lightning crackled on his fingertips, different from Mei''s black lightning.


    "It''s blue?" Lin frowned. "Wait, that''s the lightning attribute!"


    "I don''t need to kill someone if their innate talent is extremely high. Mei has a high ranked Divine Tattoo," Yang began lying about Mei''s Yin Yang Divine Tattoo. "Naturally, I just need to siphon enough of her soul to make her talent mine. However, her Spirit Realm has a particularly resistant aspect."


    "The Eye of Darkness," Lin and Mei thought.


    "The blue lightning is due to it being unnatural and my highest element affinity is water. After all, most poisons are like mists or liquid in nature. It is obvious poison and water element have a symbiotic relationship. After all, the body is mostly water and the poison always involves the blood or organs which is liquid or sustained by it," Yang grinned. "If I used the Coiling Spirit Drain Art on someone else, it would take many lives. Many lives. It wouldn''t be a problem though. It is easy to make enemies."


    "You have the potential to learn all element attributes?" Guan Hai asked as he appeared.


    "No, no. That is impossible. The world is made of Yin and Yang energy. The world itself is made of fire, water, wind, and earth. In ancient times, they believed it to be made of five elements. Those five elements were fire, water, wood, earth, and metal," Yang said.


    "Eh? Five elements and metal is one of them?" Lu Jing asked.


    "Yes. Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal strengthens Water, and Water nourishes Wood. Five elements that benefit each other. They can also harm each other. Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal chops Wood. These are the ten basic relationships between the elements that also cross with the other elements. Those elements are what breathe life on the planet. The other elements are just a result of those clashes. Nowadays, people assume it is the wind as many dream of flight like the birds and dragons. Earth does bear metal and people classify the ore as part of the earth. That is why people assume there is only four basic elements," Yang answered.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "It does make sense," Sun Yi said. "Since you are saying Yin and Yang energy make up the world and the world is created through five elements; then you refer to the body as the world?"


    "Precisely," Yang said. "The body can only contain two types of spirit energy. Any more and it breaks. The world is made of five elements, so the practitioner can only have five element affinities at most. I now have four: earth, water, light and lightning."


    "I also plan to find a fragment of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning to augment my power," Yang thought but did not say it aloud.


    "How do you know this?" Guan Hai asked.


    "I read," Yang said simply. "I read a lot as a child. I didn''t need to wastefully display my natural fighting prowess when I already know I am strong. I also had a body weak to the cold before the Awakening Ritual. That is another reason to stay indoors with a brazier by my side to keep me warm."


    "No wonder you looked down on us," Lu Jing said. "You already know so much."


    "Humans are....a race of bursting vitality. You constantly advance in cultivation and civilization. You forget tradition as you constantly explore the unknown. Me, I move at my own pace," Yang assessed. "What do you know of fire?"


    "Fire destroys and burns," Jing answered.


    "No. Fire also creates and melts. Fire melts metal and certain seeds only sprout once the ground is razed by fire. Fire sustained man and allowed their civilizations to rise and survive the cold winters in higher numbers. Fire brings light in the darkness and is also fluid as water," Yang shook his head. "People say the planet is mostly water. However, that is the surface. Beneath the earth lies fire. Lava and magma is fire and earth in harmony, turning into liquid. It is the blood of the world."


    "But darkness eats away at the world, at me," Mei said.


    "Fool. Darkness is also full of life. Certain animals thrive in darkness, afraid of the light as we are of darkness. Darkness is ever-present in light, evident by the shadows beneath us. Darkness is the most plentiful element, the whole galaxy wrapped in its cold embrace. The sun takes but a small part. Darkness also sustains us. Every time we close our eyes, we see only darkness. We do not see the flesh inside our eyelids, only darkness. With the absence of sight, other senses can also grow at levels above a normal person. Darkness is not only a curse, but a blessing. Too many people associate it with evil because it is more convenient to be and many religions make it so. After all, most religions see the light element as holy in itself and not the dangers it also carries," Yang laughed. "There is no such thing as good or evil. You are conforming them to your own sense of morality and ethics. Do you think animals believe this way? Higher human intelligence makes us arrogant and assume it is so."


    "He''s right. You can''t be afraid," Lin said, Mei silent as she heard the words.


    Yang moved away from them and sat down, meditating. Changes appeared in his Spirit Realm. Blue lightning now crackled above the land, now a giant island with tiny rivers surrounded by a large body of water. The moon shined brilliantly and the night sky was beautiful with the distant stars and streaks of blue lightning. The addition of the lightning attribute brought no chaos to his elements.


    "The ideal fifth element would be fire, expanding land and mountains by creating a vast volcano," Yang said as he opened his eyes. "Cultivation will be slowed with an additional element attribute."


    Yang rose to his feet, blue lightning crackling around his legs. He began to tilt his body to and fro until he became a blur. The blue lightning rose and crackled all over his body. Slowly, he started moving forward and backwards with tiny steps. Suddenly, he stopped and then burst forward. Sand flew behind him as he moved throughout the training ground, the other students shocked. He was using a lightning element art so soon?


    "Soaring Volt Dragon Art," Yang sighed. "That''s a good name. Not only is my speed increased, I can accumulate the speed into bursts of strength. Wrapped in lightning, my very touch paralyzes."


    Yang decided to control his speed and test it by weaving through the line of dummies at the far side of the training grounds. He would run left or right, constantly changing his direction and speed. He stopped at one and began to practice accumulating the speed of his kicks into raw power. The ground crackled and small sparks sizzled the wood and steel dummy which constantly repaired similar to self-regeneration.


    "Now that is what Yang meant," Shen Dong said to Mei. "Slow down your body and increase the speed in a precise location, turning it into an unstoppable force. Your youngest brother is truly an enigma."


    "I give up trying to beat him," Mei sighed. "I have to face the darkness and truly make it my own power."


    "Mei," Lin said as he saw Mei return to her temporary dorm for the two and a half months.


    "I''m returning back to my dorm. Qing, come with me," Shen Hua said and the usually silent Sima Qing followed her.


    "Don''t you two weaklings go anywhere," Guan Hai said as Sun Yi and Lu Jing also headed back. "You two spar against each other. Whoever loses will be in charge of sharpening the claws of my tiger."


    "Crap!" Lu Jing cried and attacked Sun Yi immediately. The two began to fight a desperate battle as Lin and Shen Dong stared at Guo Yang.


    "Your brother is not only strong, but wise. Do you know why he hates birds?" Shen Dong asked.


    "Dunno. My grandma suspected that they might have pooped on him as he was a child. Maybe he was jealous that they were free and he could fly while he suffered and had to travel with the warmth of a brazier. I was too young to notice," Lin answered and saw Yang grin at the phoenix with a glint in his eyes. "Yang! Grandma said the next time you attack her phoenix, she''ll have the Guo Clan sub branch members let their avian magical beasts rest here."


    "Tch," Yang said through gritted teeth and spat on the ground. He went over to his hydras and began sparring with them, dodging as their many heads tried to bite him.

 Chapter 15: Settling Loose Ends

    Writer''s Note: Next chapter release planned for Monday. I try to invent new ways an element can be used. Of course, I am also improving the other triplets. That way, the story gets a little more interesting.


    Chapter 15: Settling Loose Ends


    "You''re not precise enough," Yang laughed and smashed his fist into his sister''s solar plexus. She doubled over and fell to the ground, coughing and rasping for air. "It''s a been a week and you still rely too much on your speed. The only good thing you''ve done is reach the level of Understanding Darkness."


    "Did you kill your fifteen magical beast quota for the day?" Guan Hai asked as he appeared.


    "Those things? Too easy," Yang laughed, his mastery of the spear clearly advanced. "What is the status of the others?"


    "Sun Yi and Lu Jing entered late Spirit Forming Stage, Guo Mei reached the peak and Guo Lin is currently preapring to break into the Elemental Adept Stage," Guan Hai said. "Sima Qing already reached initial Elemental Adept," Guan Hai answered.


    "No doubt, she used her resources as a daughter of the imperial. Not only that, she must be one of the emperor''s children with a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo. The emperor....I forgot about him. Perhaps, in the future, the hierarchy of the palace should undergo some...changes," Yang grinned.


    The next day, Yang was resting in his room when his sister burst in. Her face was pale and she was obviously wounded as he saw her bloodied arms. The veil that covered her face was ripped, but still hide her facial features.


    Yang knew Mei only wore it when she had to hunt souls. Lately, she killed to collect the souls. It seemed she was plotting something with the souls. However, she was injured this time.


    "What happened?" he asked.


    "I was killing three homeless to devour their souls and convert it into my Spirit Realm. With enough souls, I can enter the third cultivation stage. However, I did not expect to encounter a noble who was hellbent on exacting justice. It seemed he was a uncle of one of the people who were poisoned to death. He came from out of town and thought I was the perpetrator," Mei answered.


    "And he''s following your blood trail here. Shit," Yang cursed. "You go bandage up and rest. Leave the idiot to me. Did anyone see you?"


    "Him and four others. They are all at the Element Adept Stage and he is a forty something man at the Meteor Vessel Stage. He seemed tired from racing here from out of the continent, from what I gleamed. He is resting with the four in a luxurious manor with red tiles in the northern district," she answered and quickly left.


    "Meteor Vessel plus four. There are also servants to consider. Moon Scale and Shadow Fang, we''re going hunting," Yang said and the two hydras hissed and followed their master out. The two hydras followed their master as Yang willed the blood into his hand. Slowly, the blood trail formed a sphere in his hand as he followed the trail. He arrived where Mei had escaped and saw several blood stains and cracked walls and road.


    He covered the whole area with water, save for around him and his hydras. He focused lightning into his feet and stomped, the lightning spreading and entering the water. Sizzling sounds were heard as the whole area was electrocuted. He breathed at the water and it froze, shattering into countless pieces as he snapped his fingers.


    Whatever evidence there was only existed in the blood sphere floating above his free hand. Very few were capable of what he did due to his Understanding of the Elements. He also had his hereditary memories and his own centuries of memories.


    He condensed the blood sphere, hardening it until it became a metal ball of blood. He opened his mouth and the spirit energy seemed to drain from the blood ball. It slowly shriveled and vanished as it lost all its spirit energy. The blood from the area, before he destroyed the evidence, did not only contain her blood. It seemed his sister wounded one of the four near the noble.


    This was good because he had the man''s blood. Fresh blood of a practitioner was different to magical beasts. They could memorize and track the spirit energy signature of the person whose blood was lost. He ran through the streets, killing a guard who saw him and left the corpse to his hydras as he arrived in front of the red-tiled house. The hydra appeared a few minutes later while he was lost in thought of how to proceed.


    "Master," the hydras said as they dipped there heads and saw Yang grin.


    "Take these vials and throw them in every window you see. Do not break the vials in your mouths," Yang warned.


    "What do the vials do?" the hydras asked.


    "Some are contain itching powder, some contain gases that cause you to cry uncontrollably, some cause paralysis, and most kill," Yang answered as he made dozens of vials appear before them. "Go nuts."


    Yang rushed into the front yard as the vials flew in the air. He teleported behind each guard and beheaded them before they could notice. Not even the maids and servants outside the house were spared as he watched the vials break through the windows.


    Crashing and screaming began to resound and Yang spread out his spirit energy over the house. Soon, mirrors of light appeared as sweat poured down his brow. The mirrors began to vibrate and all sounds were cut off from the outside. The mirrors slowly merged to form an invisible dome over the house. His hydra stopped flinging vials as they ran out and quickly ran to their master''s side.


    "Breathe your poison inside and send your spirit energy into me to seal the dome," Yang ordered and the hydras released toxic purple fumes from their mouths into several holes that appeared before their heads. The poison could not escape the dome and entered the house through the broken windows. The hydras began to pour their spirit energy into Yang as the dome shrunk and forced the poisonous fumes inward.


    "Fuck. Not lethal enough," Yang cursed as he sensed one man inside manifest spirit energy. The house shook and exploded as a bleeding man appeared from the explosion and cracked the dome with his two swords. yang and his hydras were sent flying after the man struck the dome three more times, shattering it.


    "Get rid of the poisons and the bodies. I''ll handle the Meteor Vessel practitioner," Yang ordered and raced toward the man with his Moon Lotus Spear in hand.


    "You runt! You challenge me at your cultivation?" the man roared and his two swords clashed with Yang''s spear. Yang felt his arms numb as he was sent back ten steps as he crashed backwards.


    "Hmph. Just wait until one particularly nasty vial''s effect takes hold," Yang muttered as he readied his spear. He teleported around the man, stabbing and slashing with his spear. He paused momentarily as the man missed and stomped his feet, tiny spikes of earth appearing and piercing the bottom of the man''s feet.


    "Fuck," the man cursed and was about to leap back when Yang used his Paralysis Mist Breath Art. The man breathed some of the poisonous mist and felt his muscles slow down. Yang took opportunity to use his Moon Slicer Art to create more wounds. He lowered himself into a stance, covering his spear with rock. He leapt forward using lightning to increase his speed.


    "Stone Breaker Art, explode!" Yang roared as he exploded the rock around the spear as he hit the man square in the chest. The man screamed as the rock fragments pierced his chest in multiple places. Yang tossed aside his spear and grabbed the man''s arm, twisting it. The man cried out as his back was turned and Yang put his free hand on the man''s head.


    "Coiling Spirit Drain Art," Yang growled and started to drain the spirit energy of the man. He quickly released his hand only to use his other hand as the man frantically swung his arm backwards. Before the man leaped back, Yang did a push kick and then a sweep kick to knock the man to the ground.


    Yang used the Stone Breaker Art around his feet and jumped on top of the man, impaling him with his feet that have turned into two lethal spears of stone.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Impossible," the man said as he realized he could not recover his spirit energy over time.


    "The more you bleed, the more spirit energy you lose. With the vial I made, it kills off your access to your Spirit Realm. That is why you lost," Yang said as he mocked the man. Yang coughed blood. He knew it was a result of straining his body. "Tonight, you are the first I kill with this technique."


    Lightning crackled around his left hand as ice began to cover Yang''s fingers. Yang grinned evilly and a lance of ice appeared in his hands. The very air sizzled as lightning and ice fused into one, a jade mist of poison appearing. The man''s eyes widened as Yang stabbed the lance into the man, pinning him into the ground with the two spears of rock.


    This time, the man did die from being impaled as the ice lance pierced the center of his chest. The poison then began to act, actually devouring him cell by cell.


    "This art is one using bacteria poison, poison that targets the very cells. The more powerful you are, the faster the poison spreads as it uses your own spirit energy to kill you. All I need to do is nick you once. I leave the two pieces of rock and the ice lance as a message. That and your your wrecked house," Yang spat and walked away as all the flesh, bones, hair, and skin were destroyed. Even the man''s clothes were destroyed.


    "Master," the hydras hissed as Yang fell to his knees. He had used too much spirit energy to make the dome and received internal injuries when it shattered. His hydras were also distributing their spirit energy into him. The forcefully broken distribution also injured him further.


    "Cover the ground with your acid Moon Scale," Yang said as he rode Shadow Fang. Moon Scale not only had poisonous fumes, half of its heads could spit acid. Moon Scale covered the ground with its poison, dissolving the ground to reveal the soil and dirt beneath. Whatever blood and sweat could be found were destroyed.


    "Yang," Mei cried as she saw her brother appear in the grounds, his face pale and with shirt breath.


    "It is finished. They''re all dead. No witness live to tell the tale of your deeds tonight," Yang rasped. "I need time to recover. No one ids to disturb me tomorrow."


    "I''m sorry. I messed up," Mei said.


    "What were you planning with their souls?" he asked.


    "I wanted to make a cage with their souls. I gathered enough by collecting a thousand souls. Grandma told me about it. That''s why I killed so many. Most of the souls were kept away so the Eye of Darkness''s hunger for souls was always barely sated," she answered.


    "A beast only becomes more dangerous when it is trapped in a cage," Yang warned.


    "I know. That is why grandmother is buying materials for a forbidden ritual she read about. It will pit my soul against the eye and only one of us will remain. If I win, the Eye only becomes a catalyst for my growth without any side effects. If I lose, the Eye of Darkness will takeover but is limited by my cultivation due to the cage. It can easily be slain then," Mei answered. "With the Eye subdued, there is no question I will surpass you."


    "But I have a neidan that also stimulates my poison cultivation," Yang thought and smiled.


    "I''m guessing you won''t need to kill others anymore?" Yang grinned.


    "No, but I imagine it won''t be me on a killing spree from now on," Mei said. "Grandma does not believe I will ever surpass you. Even mom and dad no longer lie to me and said the same to my face, and I don''t know why," she said.


    "Best you don''t find out. I already scare you. You don''t want nightmares for the rest of your life. Believe me, the secret is that terrifying," Yang laughed and ordered his hydras to retreat to his room.


    "What is Yang hiding?" Mei thought as she watched him and his hydras disappear.


    "Mei?" Lin frowned as he appeared a while later. "Are those bandages under your sleeves?"


    "I was injured. I''m fine. Ensure Yang does not get disturbed. He expended too much spirit energy. I imagine he was inventing a new practitioner art," she answered.


    "He is a genius," Lin agreed. "I wanted to tell him that I can fuse fire and earth to make lava now. The gap in power is only widening big sister."


    "Not for long," she smiled and left Lin alone.


    "Did she not wonder why I came out? Did she not notice I am an initial Elemental Adept now?" Lin sighed. No one had noticed a man silently observing from the start. It was precisely the retired imperial guard captain: Guan Hai. He quickly left and appeared in Shen Hua''s room, Shen Dong and Sima Qing already there.


    "Guan Hai reports to the Little Majesties," Guan Hai said as he knelt on one knee.


    "Report," Shen Dong said.


    "Yes, Prince Shen Dong. Guo Yang has indeed mastered his spear, fully integrating it with his element arts perfectly. He and his two hydras destroyed the residence of the man who witnessed his sister kill someone. As per your instructions, I ensured no reports reached the officials," Guan Hai said.


    "Also, his poison arts seemed to become even more cruel and lethal. They now target cells and can destroy the body utterly and completely. He defeated and killed the man in the initial Meteor Vessel Stage," Guan Hai reported.


    "So my guess was wrong. Guo Yang was not the one killing the homeless," Shen Hua said.


    "Yes, cousin. However, Guo Yang should be the one who poisoned the entire closed off section of the city. There should be no doubt now," Sima Qing agreed.


    "There''s more. This is something that should interest you three," Guan Hai said.


    "Speak," Shen Dong ordered.


    "I saw the girl, Guo Mei, collect souls," Guan Hai reported, stunning the three royals.


    "A soul reaper? That''s impossible. All the fragments of the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness are either sealed or absorbed by the powerful clans in secret. The only one unaccounted for, besides the Heart of Darkness is..." Shen Dong began.


    "The Left Eye of Darkness, the eye which was the first to develop a sentient mind of its own. Well, it is the only Eye of Darkness as it assimilated the Right Eye before it disappeared. It also contains knowledge of where the other Fragments of Darkness are sealed," Shen Hua finished.


    "If that''s true, she is one of the two unaccounted practitioners with a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo!" Sima Qing concluded.


    "What are your orders?" Guan Hai asked.


    "You''re not reporting to father?" Shen Dong asked.


    "No. I and my clan owe our lives to Concubine Li. She is your mother, so I owe my life to you. I am also retired. I have no reason to report to the emperor," Guan Hai said.


    "Aunt is a powerful practitioner who is the only concubine to reach the Earth Mortal Stage," Shen Hua agreed. Of her uncle''s concubines, only Concubine Li treated her like family. It was why she asked to accompany Shen Dong and became part of the emperor''s plans.


    "What about you, sister. We have different mothers," Shen Dong asked Sima Qing.


    "If news gets out, only chaos will roam the land as everyone will attempt to attain the Fragments of Darkness. News spreading will only hasten the apocalypse," Sima Qing answered.


    "Great. Now we have to watch all three triplets," Shen Dong sighed.


    "True, but now we can enlist their add and making you the new crown prince will be easier," Shen Hua said.


    "Eldest brother is the crown prince but a perverted, fat ass. As for Second Brother, he has a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo but he is too violent and bloodthirsty, aiming to conquer the world. However, both are father''s choices to replace him for when he becomes a Sky Mortal and focuses on his cultivation to immortality," Shen Dong agreed.


    "They cannot be allowed to replace the emperor. Perhaps the cunning of Guo Yang will assist us. If we provide the necessary incentives, he will comply. However, we must expect to follow even the most ridiculous and harmful methods and give him complete trust," Guan Hai said.


    "Yes, and that scares me the most. However, for the empire; those two cannot be candidates for the throne," Shen Dong agreed.

 Chapter 16: The Eye and the Snake

    Writer''s Note: I got a major midterm Thursday. The next release is planned for Saturday as writing a chapter consumes a lot of time. If I have the time, it will come out on Thursday. Priorities. Also, I am currently writing the fifth chapter of Tales of the Gold Immortal, but probably won''t release chapters 1-5 until I have written ten. I only put the prologue out to reserve the title and show a small taste of how I will write it. Someone also wants me to write a Star Wars fan fiction for fun. A few people actually private messaged me. I never wrote a sci-fi story though, and don''t know why they want me to. I can only say that I am a big fan of Star Wars, but Episode 1 was the worst movie. I only liked Darth Maul and even read how he became Darth Maul. The book is way more epic. I have expectations. Anyway, I''ll try to research a bit and see if I can really write a few chapters at least. Sorry for the long notice and here''s the chapter.


    Chapter 16: The Eye and the Snake


    Yang''s body was strangely uncomfortable as he entered his dorm room. It was as if his skin was crawling, every pore reacting to a sudden change. Yang''s eyes widened and he immediately sat down to cultivate the spirit energy in his body. Within the ocean of his Spirit Realm, the neidan was finally stimulated. An image of a snake big enough to swallow the world appeared in his mind, the snake with gold scales, jade-colored eyes, and feathers the color of sand behind its head.


    Yang''s eyes opened, turning into jade as his body shined with a gold radiance. His skin began to show scaled patterns all over his body, appearing see through in color as the gold radiance burst it from his body. It looked exactly like snake skin! It was as if Yang had shed his skin, like he did many times ago. He grew a full six inches and his hair was jet black, a few close strands near the front of his head the color of sand. His Yin Yang Divine Tattoo was there, but the serpentine dragon was now jade in color with golden eyes. The cat fish whiskers and beard were a mix of dark green and black and the color of the hair from the top of its head to the tip of its tail were also the same mix.


    His body was more muscular but stream-lined. In his robes, he appeared like a monk but with a muscular physique. His face seemed to look eerily serene, masculine in appearance but with an appearance of a man who looked down from the heavens. His hair fell to the center of his back and his skin was incomparably harder than before when pressured. His Spirit Realm doubled in size.


    However, a major change happened! That same dragon that was his Yin Yang Divine Tattoo suddenly appeared in his Spirit Realm, flying in a circle around the neidan that floated into the air and became as a moon. Images began to stream into Yang''s head, causing him to ache with pain. His eyes widened as the images imprinted themselves in his mind. He could become the serpentine dragon!


    The whole Pangu continent shook, sending tidal waves to far distances as the ground trembled and cracked. Even fissures formed, but the areas near Gold Lotus City felt nothing. Suddenly the skies became dark with black clouds. Only the people outside or cultivators of the Meteor Vessel Stage and above sensed the disturbance. Tribulation lightning crackled and struck random places. Suddenly, many tribulation lightning centered above Gold Lotus City, the dorm room of Yang in particular. The neidan suddenly released an enormous amount of spirit energy inside Yang, forming a sphere of jade energy that protected him as a tribulation lightning slammed into it.


    It was absorbed by the energy and drained into the neidan. Suddenly, Yang changed form into a ten foot long, two foot think jade serpentine dragon. He released a sudden roar that was heard throughout the city. He flew into the sky, half-conscious and driven by instinct. Lightning crackled on his body and Yang suddenly started to laugh. The laughter soon emanated throughout the continent, scaring many people and causing all the magical beasts to tremble. Some places were mysteriously protected by the sudden changes.


    As if the Heavens allowed him to, Yang''s voice thundered throughout the world, "I AM FREE! Hahaha! I AM THE WORLD SERPENT ONCE MORE! ALL WILL SUBMIT!"


    Suddenly, the night sky cleared and Yang reverted into his human form as he slammed into the ground. Meanwhile, Guo Mei was in her room. Her consciousness was in her Spirit Realm. In there, it was a land of pitch darkness, illuminated only by lightning that flashed and streaked in the sky. Also, there was a crimson orb in the center of her Spirit Room. However, it was no orb! It was the crimson iris of the Eye of Darkness!


    When tribulation lightning struck, it also slammed into her. It was drained into her Spirit Realm and injured the Eye of Darkness. It wailed in agony, ripples appearing in the darkness. Suddenly, a cage of gold light began to appear along with countless of jade spirits in the forms of men, women, and children. These were the souls of the dead Mei collected. They converged into the cage, the color turning into a glowing jade.


    The Eye of Darkness was enraged. How dare the girl fight her! How dare the snake evolve against all odds and cause tribulation lightning to strike Mei, the Eye forced to drain it to protect its host. How dare the girl trick it! How dare the girl use its meals as a weapon to seal it!


    "You dare challenge me?!" the Eye roared, the Spirit Realm shaking from its wrath. "I gave you talent! I gave you the means to be what you are!"


    You ruined my life! My power is not one gained by my own training but is a curse you granted to me!" Mei roared, a clone of her body made by her consciousness appearing before the Eye as they both floated in the sky. "You are not invincible, as you believed. The tribulation lightning struck you. I don''t know why it did, but its arrival signifies your end. I will seal you and destroy your consciousness."


    "I am you and you are me! We are flesh! We are darkness!" the Eye screamed.


    "No. I am much more than that," Mei said as she waved her arms, the souls fully fusing into the cage as she chanted. "Gone are the days of the Era of the Elemental Sovereigns. Lightning has fallen and the Darkness has sealed the Elemental Sovereigns. It is the salvation of the realms. It does not possess evil. It is only a shadow. Gone are the days of its existence. It is gone. It is gone."


    "NO! I won''t be quelled by some little bitch! I fused with the Right Eye! It is my destiny, our destiny, to rise and become the new Elemental Sovereign of Darkness and undo the mistake of the Prime! We are destined to free the Elemental Sovereigns! You cannot defy it! YOU CANNOT!" the Eye roared and banged against the cage to no avail as it felt its energy sapped from its flesh.


    "I am not your bitch or anyone''s tool! I am me! I am Guo Mei!" she roared and several Chinese characters formed, the words the exact copy of the chant she had made. It soon landed on the Eye, the Eye screaming as its consciousness was destroyed. The jade caged began to shrink and soon entered the Eye. The crimson iris turned to jade and the Eye became a beacon in the darkness of her Spirit Realm. Soon, light shined and revealed the night sky. The stars shined their celestial brilliance and the Eye became nothing but a catalyst for her growth.


    "I am free. I am me. I am not just darkness. I am light!" Mei said and her body shined with light before her consciousness faded. She was a rare case of having affinity to both light and darkness. Unbeknownst to her, she caused the whole continent to shake as well. Every person with a Fragment of Darkness, or those that were sealed and undiscovered by all, all felt the changes caused by Guo Mei. The Eye of Darkness was subdued. Even those with rare artifacts that detected the Fragments of Darkness also learned the truth.


    That day would forever be known as the day of the Eye and the Snake. One snake was reborn and transcended into a dragon unlike any other. Another was a Vessel of Darkness that became light and subdued the darkness. No one suspected it was the same snake that chose reincarnation that became what it was always meant to be in the Immortal Realm. No one suspected his elder triplet was that same Vessel of Darkness. Only four knew the truth that night, and they were the parents and grandparents of the two triplets.


    The whole continent was wrapped with chaos for an entire week. The empire was forced to use its soldiers to return order during the chaos. Several people also traveled to the Pangu Continent, suspicious of its activities. Dragons all over the world started to act up, wondering what the new dragon was and where it could be found. Practitioners also convened to Pangu in the hopes that the seals over the other Fragments of Darkness had weakened so they could be found. The world no longer doubted the continent''s legend of the history of cultivation. It could no longer afford to after that night.


    Yang had awakened three days after that night, Mei two days after. All eight recruits were given leave for a day for the academy to be restored. Mei and Yang were summoned to the patriarch''s house, Lin not minding as he became enraptured with fusing opposing elements together. His grandfather told him he would soon gain access to the secret powers of the Yin Yang Divine Tattoo, a feat unprecedented for a practitioner with any ranked Divine Tattoo below the Earth Mortal Stage. The parents and grandparents of the two remaining triplets paused before the interrogation began.


    "Explain what happened that night," Guo Jing said as the four elders stared at Mei and Yang.


    "Do I have to?" he asked.


    "Yes. You caused this chaos! There is no way it wasn''t you," Jing said.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Hey, I never called myself the World Serpent before, right? I was never even a dragon in the first place. The Yin Yang Divine Tattoo depicts what I should have been," Yang lied.


    "Explain the change in height! Explain the strand of sand-colored hair!" Guo Li, his grandmother, demanded.


    "I made a breakthrough in my poison cultivation. I was busy recuperating. Next thing I knew, lightning fell from the sky and blasted me out of my own room. I woke up two days after and learned of all the chaos," Yang said, already guessing what he caused to Mei. "Besides, I never had an inclination to rule the world. Isn''t that what submitting means? From what I know, humans become masters of magical beasts by two ways. One, making a peaceful contract which is usually successful with the weak and young. The other is forcefully beating or discouraging the magical beast and forcing it to submit to a master-servant relationship."


    "That is true....but that doesn''t mean you weren''t once an existence above all others," Guo Feng, his father said.


    "Let me ask you this, am I human?" Yang asked.


    "Yes," Ji Ting, his mother answered. "You were born from my wound. You are my son."


    "Good answer. Tell me, do look like a snake, much less one that is the size of one able to call itself a World Serpent?" Yang asked.


    "That''s....right," Guo Jing amended. "Then what is the World Snake?"


    "Hell if I know," Yang answered. "A thousand years did pass. Lots of things can happen in a thousand years."


    "You''re not telling them the truth?" Red Shadow asked with a hiss, silenced by a glare by Yang.


    "Even Red Shadow does not know and asked me. It and other magical beasts sensed the presence of a powerful magical being, but I can''t possibly be it. Look at my cultivation. Do I have the power to make my voice thunder across the continent, much less the world? I don''t think so. I am pissed though. My belongings in the dorm were turned to ash," Yang said.


    "Guo Mei then. What happened? In your case, there is no dispute that it was you who caused the secondary round of chaos that night," Guo Jing said.


    "I don''t know what happened in the beginning, but I was preparing the ritual grandma told me," Mei said, Guo Li nodding in support of the fact. "Tribulation lightning struck me and forced the Eye of Darkness to drain it, injuring itself in the process. I only remember sealing it and destroying its consciousness. I gained the light element and fainted after my success and changes in my Spirit Realm."


    ''You do have a strange ability to have both light and darkness now. I don''t know how you are without pain, but your story must be true," Guo Li said.


    "People have been arriving in the Pangu Continent since that night. What will happen to the kids?" Ji Ting asked.


    "People are calling it the Day of the Eye and the Snake. News has spread of the Eye of Darkness being subdued. No doubt, it is the work of one who wishes to use others to find the other Fragments of Darkness," Guo Feng continued.


    "Yang''er is unrelated to this and Mei''er has sealed the Eye of Darkness. No one will be able to detect the Eye within her anymore. That ritual should make it so," Guo Li said.


    "We can only hope no trouble comes to Gold Lotus City. Well, the prince and niece of the emperor is here as well as a retired imperial guard captain at the Earth Mortal Stage. We can only worry about Lin''er now. He will soon unlock the secrets of his Yin Yang Divine Tattoo before the Earth Mortal Stage. His value will absolutely skyrocket. We must increase the security in our clan''s city district," Guo Jing answered. "Feng''er, go and release my orders to the clan about the security. Also, give today''s quota of herbs to the Alchemist Association early and tell them that we can still provide poisonous herbs."


    "We can?" Guo Feng asked.


    "Of course. Yang''er invented a poison detoxification device that absorbs the poison in the air around you," Guo Jing said as he held up a strange black stone with poisonous gases seen inside the permeable stone. "It is a curious thing. No idea how it is made, but the poison destroys the poisons in the air around the herbs. Of course, stronger poisons cannot be neutralized.


    "How did you make it?" he asked.


    "I dunno. After I awoke, knowledge just appeared in my head. Maybe it came from the tribulation lightning?" Yang shrugged which was mostly true. He was able to survive because of the neidan refining it as it drained the lightning to protect him.


    "In any event, the good news is that Mei''er does not need to kill anymore," Ji Ting sighed with relief. Mei glancing once at Yang who smiled.


    "You two return home and get some rest. My phoenix told me of your rigorous training and Yang''er is behaving himself," Guo Li said.


    "Yes, the threat of more avian magical beasts watching over me is utterly terrifying. I am very amused by this," Yang said sarcastically. "You do realize I don''t give a shit and can kill them as I wish?"


    "My phoenix is at the Meteor Vessel Stage. You cannot possibly kill it and it can forcibly expel your poison from its body as its cultivation is higher than yours. It is also smart enough to avoid the vials containing your many external poisons," Guo Li said.


    "Oh, grandmother. You truly underestimate my power. Not all poisons need to be in the body to kill you," Yang smiled malevolently.


    "Yang''er, you must listen to her and behave. You might anger a supreme expert when one visits the city," Ji Ting warned.


    "I know when to display my strength and who I shouldn''t anger. I was a snake magical beast once. Our true danger is our cunning," Yang replied and left with Mei behind him, pausing when they arrived in front of Yang''s parent''s house as Yang no longer lived there but escorted Mei. Clearly, he knew he would have to address her concerns and already knew the right words to say to lead her into his goal.


    "You are going to kill people now," Mei said. It wasn''t a question she asked and knew the answer.


    "You get me. Yes, I will kill people now. My strength is weak. Things are coming into motion, and we will need to be prepared," Yang said.


    "We?" Mei frowned.


    "We are siblings and you hold a Fragment of Darkness. If anyone can detect a Fragment of Lightning, by means of its Elemental Sovereign energy; than it is you. Your life will be filled with danger. I relish it, the feeling a part of me from my centuries of running from stronger enemies and predators. I am also above such trivial creatures, their potential dwarfed by my own. By being with you, I can drain the spirit energy and life force of the many powerful humans and magical beasts which seek to kill you for the Eye," Yang answered. "I am all powerful."


    "Are you a narcissist?" she asked.


    "Me? Hahahaha! No. It is because I am the World Serpent. I am the first serpent dragon," Yang said staring into her eyes. "We need each other to survive. You need my knowledge and power and I need that Eye inside you and the greed that comes with it. People will eventually discover who you are, or that you have a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo. Mine is undetectable, but yours must surely be noticed by the imperial guard by now. They are plotting something. That Sima Qing should also be one of the emperor''s many daughters. I feel it is a good decision to stay in the Mortal Realm now. I am the strongest snake in existence and I can still appear human. Ah, how fun."


    "Sima Qing is the princess?....Well, she must be. If you say so, it must be true. I already knew you were the dragon Who else could have been? Still, are you suggesting we delve in imperial politics?" Mei asked.


    "How, so you have gotten smarter as well. That''s a good sister," Yang mocked as he pat her head.


    "Stop it," she snapped and looked at him.


    "Okay, fine. Yes, I want to delve in human politics. From all the rumors and intrigues, it resembles a den of snakes. So many lies and deceptions, all for the ultimate prey: the throne. It makes me feel....nostalgia. I think that''s the general human term," Yang admitted. "So, will you cause havoc in the world with me?"


    "Is that a proposal?" she asked.


    "No idea what that is, but it is an accord," Yang grinned. "This world has become too tame. The dragons slumber and the avian multiply in numbers ten times the amount I slaughtered. Immortality calls for me, beckons my very soul. Soon, the demons will make their move. They have to. You subduing the Eye has accelerated their plans. Whether you admit it or not, you just might have caused the beginning of the end of human dominance and became the hallmark for the rise of the demons. They will seek you out. They will turn you and you will be there Demon Empress. I was never a demonic magical beast, just an ordinary snake that became extraordinary against my own will. Life does that to you."


    "Is that truly the price of my freedom?" she asked silently.


    "The whole world is changing with news of what you and I did, you in particular. You and I are involved. You can''t run from it either. That is one destiny you cannot change," Yang answered.


    "....Fine. Let''s do this after we graduate. We''ll go to the Royal Academy and learn in the palace alongside Lin," Mei said.


    "He is not involved with us. He was born talented and with a innocent life. There is no reason to have his childhood ruined as ours was. Let him enjoy the comfort and support of his family. I..am truly envious of him, you know. I don''t feel a particular connection to humans. I''ve lived too long and already died once. There is an emptiness that can never be filled, an injury that can never heal. Rest now. We''ll meet with the prince and hear them out. Let me do the talking then," Yang said and left her to go back to his private house in the poisonous garden.


    "What sad words," Mei said, realizing he had truly suffered more than she ever did. "I guess Lin is the lucky triplet after all. I guess that was the real reason I was jealous of him."

 Chapter 17: Reaching an Accord

    Writer''s Note: I believe I passed my midterm. Unsure of when the next one is. Expected release of next chapter is Tuesday. This chapter was fun to write. You now have a brighter picture of the general situation of the palace. This could be considered the last chapter of the first arc in a xianxia? Maybe.


    Chapter 17: Reaching an Accord


    "Our training is finally over! Hell yeah!" Lu Jing screamed to the sky, the other seven sighing as they heard him.


    "This kid actually survived, even reaching late Spirit Forming," Yang yawned as he appeared from his repaired dorm room. He had been practicing his serpent dragon shifting and his snakes total length was seventy feet long and five feet thick. It seemed to be the limit of the Element Adept transformation. If he could, he would sleep in that form too as it felt all too familiar and comfortable. Almost.


    The serpent dragon form got rid of the catfish whisker, the hair mane over his entire body replaced with  and dragon beard. It looked more like a snake now, but its deer horns had changed into three horns, two on the sides of his head while another was at the top of his head. It seemed even his serpent dragon form was like his lost snake form, constantly improving and evolving.


    "Late Element Adept and only 14 years old," Guan Hai noted as he stared at Yang. The boy was too talented, even for a poison cultivator as he did not seem to consume new kinds of poisons like they did. Guo Mei and Guo Lin were middle Element Adepts. The oldest triplet was surprisingly talented.


    However, the most powerful was Guo Lin. For some reason, the boy actually awakened his Yin Yang Divine Tattoos power and not even most poisons affected him. Guo Lin combined fire and earth to make lava, earth and water to make mud, augmented his fire with wind, and was even able to fuse his four elements into an unstoppable force. His growth seemed to rival his siblings. Still, Yang always won his spars against both triplets.


    "No matter how powerful I get, I can never beat you," Lin grumbled after Yang knocked him into a wall.


    "Sure, you invent new ways to use your elements, but you keep inventing without implementing them into your combat style. Its like giving a baby dozens of swords: utter waste of time and resources," Yang answered. "What''s the point of learning new methods if you can''t even use them effectively? That is the risk of learning too many element spirit techniques."


    "Like you don''t?" Lin replied.


    "I know sixteen element arts, each with their own specific use that do not coincide with each other," Yang answered.


    "Sixteen? I only remember counting fourteen," Mei frowned. "Stone Breaker, Moon Slicer, Snake Specter, Light Puppet, Coiling Spirit Drain, Viper''s Dominance, Paralysis Mist Breath, Pulse Rock Wave, Jade Poison Desolation Spear, Frost Snake Prison, Forbidden Sky Poison Armor, Terra Destroyer, Mirror Mirage, and Soaring Volt Dragon Arts."


    "You kept count?" Yang laughed, scratching the back of his head as the others and Guan Hai never saw the ice, lightning, and poison art he used to kill the Meteor Vessel practitioner he called the Disintegration Lance Art and one he invented and could only use in his serpent dragon form. It was a lightning and ice art known as the Slaughtering Dragon Art.


    "What are the other two?" Lin asked.


    "Other one. It''s actually fifteen," Yang said as he pretended to count with his fingers. "And you don''t want to know. Frankly, it would strike fear and horror toward all poison cultivators as it is the ultimate goal of all poison art."


    "Incurable, invincible poison that kills you almost instantly with a single moment of contact," Shen Dong answered as he appeared with Sima Qing and Shen Hua, Lin Dong glancing at Sima Qing. Yang sighed as Lin still didn''t figure out Qing''s true identity.


    "Hi Qing," Lin smiled.


    "Hello Guo Lin," Qing nodded back.


    "Forget this idiot, how did you know about that?" Mei asked Shen Dong.


    "Shen Hua and I live in the palace. Swords and practitioner arts aren''t the only dangers in the world. Sometimes, it is a borrowed sword or poison. Some are untraceable and undetectable, but take too much time. A poison that is not only quick, but incurable, is the ultimate poison. There wouldn''t be enough time to prove it could be cured and no time to save the victim," Shen Dong answered.


    "The six of you agreed to help my cousin become the next emperor. Don''t worry, we will ensure you are justly rewarded at the end," Shen Hua said, staring at Mei and Yang in particular.


    ------Three Days Ago, at Sima Qing''s Room------------


    "Your Highness, it seems that Guo Mei and Guo Yang are approaching," Guan Hai said as he was in the room with the three royals. Shortly after, they heard two knocks on the door.


    "Who is it?" Qing asked.


    "We all know it is me and my elder sister. Just let us in, princess," Yang answered. "I hate the rain, rain during the night especially.


    "Please sit," Qing said as Yang and Mei were let into the room by Guan Hai, Mei jealous of how spacial the room was. It was more like eight dorm rooms combined into one giant living space.


    "Nice room you got here," Mei observed as she and Yang sat on the couch.


    "Would you like some tea?" Guan Hai asked.


    "We came here for business. Imperial business. Matters in regard to your father, uncle in regards to Shen Hua," Yang waved aside. "You came here for a reason. No doubt, you wish to attain the throne. You must be at a disadvantage as a human emperor would never let one faction gain too much power. That power would be my brother, who possess a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo of the four modern elements. Another reason would be how dangerous I am and your discovery of my sister''s secret: one of the two people in hiding with a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo."


    "You seem to know everything," Shen Dong sighed.


    "No. I do not assume to know everything. I just have a rather clever and devious mind. I admit I am immature because I always desire what I want, getting it through any means possible. However, I do not know who you are competing against. There is the crown prince, but there should be another obvious faction. An emperor cannot tolerate another with more influence than his own. No doubt, even his greatest generals and prime minister are watched from the shadows," Yang denied.


    "You came to us with a goal. We would like to hear more before we give you an answer and determine if your mission was a success, whole or in part," Mei added.


    "Success in part?" Shen Hu frowned.


    "Over the past few days, it is obvious my brother likes her," Mei said, waving her head in Qing''s direction. "He knows to not involve himself with you, but has not realized who you really are."


    "And you''re not telling him?" Qing asked, confused.


    "The love life of our brother is not our concern and connections with the imperial clan is not without benefits," Yang answered. "But that is in regards to the clan and my brother. As for myself, there is none. I cannot answer for Mei."


    "Thus, we came here to learn of your plans and the overall situation. If there is something to be gained, worth the risk and effort; then we will assist you like Lu Jing and Sun Yi," Mei said.


    "You know they are helping us?" Shen Dong gasped.


    "It is obvious," Yang scoffed. "Lu Jing, that weak idiot, is the son of a duke. Naturally, the duke would consider who to side with. Dukes are powerful, but the empire encompasses the whole continent. There would be more dukes than one has fingers, for such vast amounts of land. As for Sun Yi, he is smart and his clan would indeed aspire to transcend their status."


    "I''m guessing he told you all this?" Shen Hua asked Mei.


    "Of course. We are siblings. We also know something about each other. While he cares not that I know, his secret scares me. Terrifies me in the event he casts aside his feelings," Mei said, the four staring at Yang who shrugged.


    "Feelings are fleeting. They are bound for change, like time. So, what is the situation in the palace? What is your mother''s position among the consorts and the power held by the Eastern Palace, the influence of the crown prince?" Yang asked, avoiding the subject.


    "You would really help his Highness?" Guan Hai asked.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "I am not one to let an opportunity go to waste. Of course, it must be worth the risk, time, and effort. The palace is a den of vipers. Those vipers are those with greed, lust, and betrayal carved in their hearts. Some lust for the consorts, some consorts even sleeping with them to increase the power of their faction. Some ministers desire higher offices. Even generals would desire more power and be affected by the size of their army, even incline to have a private army of their own," Yang began, pausing as he imagined the chaos.


    "Such an environment, with the schemes of the royals, would be so much.....fun. It is an excellent place to nurture my deviousness to attain certain objectives that were previously impossible," Yang smiled malevolently. "I care not who sits on your throne. I don''t even care for this empire. Cultivation requires you to cast the mortal to attain the immortal. Those who think otherwise are not true practitioners. I imagine you, Guan Hai, are such an individual who desires immortality. Am I wrong?"


    "It is one of the  reasons I retired," Guan Hai nodded.


    "Then I will begin. The emperor, my father, is Shen Wukong. He is at the peak of the Earth Mortal Stage. Has been for years. My mother is the third concubine and is the medicinal expert in the palace, dwarfing the chief healer. However, the emperor favors the first and second concubine. They are twins, but only the first concubine can bear children. She is the favorite and is the mother of the crown prince. The crown prince is perverted fatass who even slept with his own aunt, his mother''s twin sister. He lacks any talent in cultivation and is thirty four years old. The empress is in charge of matters within the palace, like the eunuchs, maids, and concubines. She is the mother of second brother. He has a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo and is at the middle Meteor Vessel Stage. He is currently twenty five," Shen Dong answered.


    "Disgusting," Mei shivered.


    "There are other concubines and only beautiful maids would be accepted into the palace," Yang agreed. "Cultivation wise, the younger brother is the problem, or half brother. However, the empress does not have the emperor''s favor. It seems the ties of power are balanced. This can only mean we must deal with those influenced by them. Either that, or we use a borrowed knife to take them down for us. Is there a prince who has the next highest influence in the empire?"


    ''That would be fourth brother. He has the most influence over the army and is a well-known practitioner when he roamed the lands," Sima Qing answered. "He is the last with the Yin Yang Divine Tattoo, as the fifth might have been assassinated."


    "We could make use of him, as a puppet, and take him down when he no longer has any worth," Yang pondered aloud. "What are your current plans?"


    "I aim to have Gold Lotus City place first among the nine competing city schools. This will get me noticed and awarded by father. After that, I aim to have the minister or rites and commerce on my side," Shen Dong answered.


    "One to spread your name and the other to partake in important matters. This is good. However, you need to shine. To shine, you need disaster. For disaster, the people must suffer. Can you bear the suffering of some to rise in power?" Yang asked. "How determined are you to prevent those two incompetents from being the next emperor?"


    "I cannot let them ruin this empire," Shen Dong answered.


    "Would you move as directed? Would you say as instructed? Would you lower yourself to obey me?" Yang asked, looking him in the eye.


    "If it means becoming the emperor, I would even make a blood contract with the most vile of demons to save my people," Shen Dong answered.


    "So the resolve is there, what about the price?" Yang asked. "Sister, any demands?"


    "I want to know where a Fragment of Darkness is sealed," Mei answered.


    "You would bring disaster upon us all," Shen Hua gasped.


    "She would not. If my suspicions are correct: she has the Yin Yang Divine Tattoo because of a pact with the Eye of Darkness. She might even e the one who subdued the Fragment of Darkness," Guan Hai interrupted.


    "As expected: you realized her secret," Yang narrowed his eyes. "Still, the offer has been made for her cooperation. Do you accept her terms?"


    "Have you truly subdued and destroyed the consciousness of the Eye of Darkness?" Shen Dong asked first.


    "It is how I got my affinity for light," Mei answered, a ball of light flickering in her hand before it vanished.


    "Then I accept your term. However, there are practitioners from the world over that have come to the Pangu continent. We must wait for such a time that they are gone and won''t come back," Shen Dong said.


    "That''s fair," Mei shrugged, the need for power not immediate. She would have more time to collect more souls.


    "And you terms?" Shen Hua asked Yang.


    "I do not know as of this moment. Still, you must agree to give me what I ask in the future," Yang said.


    "I have no other choice. There is no one with such a manipulative mind so as to blend in the palace without suspicion. I assume you know how to act appropriately?" Shen Dong asked.


    "I bow to no one," Yang said. "If I cannot accomplish my mission with my cunning, my poison will finish the job without question. There is no more terrifying expert in poison than me."


    "I do not disagree with that," Shen Dong said as they both rose to shake hands.


    "So we have an accord. The next few years are going to be so much fun," Yang smiled. "I trust you''ll look the other way if some people go missing? My sister and I require souls."


    "Souls?" Qing gasped. "How could you bear messing with the dead?"


    "They''re only human. Who cares?" Yang thought but said, "Souls are the purest form of mortal spirit energy. Harnessing their power is infinitely more effective than that of spirit pills and magical beast cores."


    "We''re just letting you know in advance. Good luck in your training," Mei concluded and the duo left the royals and retired imperial guard in shocked silence.


    -------Present Day--------------


    "The two-and-a-half months of training is over. There is only half a month until the tournament and we have much ground to cover. We could take a teleportation array in the city, but it is best to hone your skills in the real world. We will be traveling incognito. Say your farewells to your loved ones. We leave the city tomorrow at dawn," Guan Hai said, narrowing his eyes at the celebrating Lu Jing.


    "Finally, I get to leave the city," Sun Yi sighed. "I must prepare my books and alert my father."


    "I got to have enough money," Lu Jing said and the two boys rushed out of the training grounds.


    "I''ll go shopping for some convenient clothes," Sima Qing said.


    "I''ll join you. I''ll also need such clothes," Lin grinned and the two left as well.


    "Are you going to take your snakes?" Shen Dong asked.


    "Only Red Death. It would be too...inconvenient to bring my hydras seeing as I agreed to cooperate. I''ll need to think of the long term from the first visit in the capital. I am young and need to be underestimated and over-looked. Red Death can shrink and hide in my robes. He will suffice," Yang said.


    "He doesn''t really get along with others," Mei apologized in his stead.


    "You seem to improved your relations with him," Shen Hua noted.


    "Like you, I am also being used. I know it. He knows it. And we all know the same is in regards to you. I changed after being freed of that horrible Eye of Darkness. I can predict his goal. He will help you, bringing you to a better status than you are as of right now. Of that, you do not have to doubt," Mei said.


    "What about you? What is your goal in all this, besides another Fragment of Darkness?" Shen Dong asked.


    "I also have my own secrets from my brothers. I will just let you know this: make my brother cry and my brother is the least of your worries. I wield the power of a Fragment of Darkness. There might be side effects, but I will punish you," Mei said and left after her declaration.


    "Does she mean Guo Lin or Guo Yang?" Shen Dong frowned.


    "Guo Lin as he is seduced by Shen Qing as Sima Qing. I just can''t see Guo Yang crying. He seems to have the whole world in the palm of his hand," Shen Hua answered.


    "I agree. We must center our attention to the first and third triplet. Our mission to draw in Guo Lin is already a success. We just have to break the truth of Qing''s identity without ruining the romantic interest," Guan Hai nodded as Mei disappeared from view.

 Chapter 18: The Adventurers Guild

    Writer''s Note: Hello all. The next chapter is planned for Thursday. In this chapter, we learn more about the world as they prepare to leave for the capital. Oh, if you discovered the importance of one of the side characters at the end of the chapter, or guessed it; I applaud you. I tried to make it subtle. Enjoy the read.


    Chapter 18: The Adventurer''s Guild


    "Now you three behave yourselves," Ji Ting cried as she hugged her children. "Try not to kill another human, if you can help it. Even bandits are human."


    "Are you crazy? You think I''ll let live anyone who tried to kill me? I would not have massacred all those people a few months ago if I had such foolish thoughts," Yang scorned in his thoughts.


    "I''ll try to keep under control," Mei said.


    "Yang?" Guo Feng asked.


    "If they die, their defense wasn''t adequate. Their deaths were their own fault," Yang shook his head. "Bandits are scum. They deserve to die, slowly and painfully."


    "Don''t be like him, Guo Lin," Ji Ting said. "You are still an innocent child. You stay that way."


    "I''ll try mom," Lin nodded.


    "I''ll need to slowly break in the habit," Yang thought. "That way his mind doesn''t break later on in life."


    "You will not make him like us," Mei whispered as they left the house before Lin.


    "I had no intention. His upbringing is too fragile compared to ours. I know my own mind broke and I was filled with rage and hate. A part of me still is. Bandits is the start for a stable foundation. He''ll know and learn to kill if the situation demands it. He''s not a child. He is a teen too," Yang said.


    "The love struck idiot," Mei muttered in agreement. "What''s the use of love if you lack the cultivation. Just get strong and take a wife then."


    "You already have such thoughts? Humans truly are weak to their own feelings," Yang said.


    "You''re human now too," Mei retorted.


    "If only you knew just how wrong you are," Yang thought as they waited at the front gate of the school.


    "Seems some of you had a rough goodbye," Guan Hai said as he saw Sun Yi, Lu Jing, and Guo Lin with red eyes.


    "I was up late reading. I don''t know if I packed enough books," Sun Yi said as he adjusted his glasses.


    "I...I didn''t cry," Lu Jing said, his sniffing betraying his words.


    "When are we leaving?" Yang said. "I packed my essentials already."


    "We are making a quick stop. It''s time you got exposed to the world outside your city. You all probably never left in your whole lives," Guan Hai said. "We''re going to the Adventurer''s Guild. You will be more exposed to the world. You''ll also meet mages there."


    "Mages...." Yang scowled. "I hate those bastards."


    "You''ve met one?" Shen Dong asked. "They''ve only been coming to our continent since the Day of the Eye and the Snake. They usually live in other continents were magic is not frowned upon. In our empire, we recognize them but it is an absolute truth that a practitioner is superior to a mage."


    "What exactly is a mage?" Mei asked.


    "Allow me," Sun Yi said. "Mages are humans born with no meridians suitable for cultivation. They are classified by nine ranks and the top rank, or tenth, rank called the Saint level. Rank One to Rank 8 mages are all inferior to practitioners of the same overall strength. The true mage threats are the Rank 9 and Saint Mages."


    "They''re fragile, their bodies as weak as a non-cultivator. Once you get in close range, they''re nothing," Yang said. "You should all know a basic movement skill. Master those and those scum are easy executions just lined up for your slaughter," Yang said coldly. "Be it a practitioner or mage, they all look the same with their heads cut off. Just remember to not underestimate them. Their methods of fighting are not martial arts. One thing you should remember, being a mage is expensive. Thus, killing a mage is a profit."


    "Cold words aside, he is correct," Shen Hua agreed. "Why are we going to the Adventurer''s Guild?"


    "We will get information of where the bandits are along the route to the capital. I did say you will hunt bandits for combat experience. You will also get connections to other continents as well as information about them. The Adventurer''s Guild is an independent organization from the nations of the world. If you wish to travel the world, it is the best asset to have," Guan Hai said. "The best training is one in which you journey and experience the horrors and dangers of the world."


    "Doesn''t the Adventurer''s Guild have a test?" Sun Yi asked.


    "The receptionists there will explain it all. Let''s get moving," Guan Hai said and led them away from the academy. After twenty minutes, they arrive before a two-story building in the outskirts of the city near the west gate. They noticed many people going in and out of the building. Some wore robes, some wore lavish armor, and some just wore strange, foreign clothes. It was quite a bizarre sight.


    "Hello. Are you here to turn in a quest?" a female receptionist asked, looking at Guan Hai.


    "Oh no. I am an A rank adventurer," Guan Hai said as he showed her a gold card.


    "You were an adventurer?" Shen Hua asked.


    "Let''s just say I had a life before I entered the palace and was invited to the palace guards after a certain quest that saved the empire''s important....luggage," Guan Hai said and turned to the receptionist. "I am here to register these eight kids. I''ll pay the fee."


    "Very well. You eight, please enter the door to your right. You will be tested there soon after," the receptionist smiled and gestured to the door by the counter. "You will be tested one by one."


    "I''ll go last," Yang said as he went to a desk and sat down.


    "Hey kid. You ain''t a member yet. Get off the desk," a man said as he and three others appeared.


    Yang grinned and lunged at them. One gist broke the mouth of one man as he kicked the solar plexus of another, causing the man to throw up his breakfast. The last man''s eyes widened in surprise as he saw a spear point between his eyes, Yang rolling his head.


    "You people are only at the Spirit Forming Stage. You think you''re my superior?" Yang said as he smashed the man''s face with his spear, hitting the back of the ankle with the butt of the spear to make the man back flip onto his face. He bent down and grabbed the man''s head by his hair. "I have more combat and killed more people than you can ever achieve in your pathetic lifetime."


    "Ugh," the man groaned as Yang slammed his head on the floor.


    "Yeah, I''ll go last," Yang grinned as he leaned back on the chair where he sat last. No one did anything to him as strength was the law of the land. They were shocked to discover someone so young already at the Elemental  Adept stage. After an hour, it was finally Yang''s turn. No one ever returned, so Yang assumed they were waiting for everyone inside so as to not reveal what the test was.


    As he walked through the door, he appeared in a long hall. Past the door was a giant room with the others seated on the right. Three people stood at the left side of the room with a long, rectangular desk before them. He walked to the center of the room and faced them.


    "First name and clan name?" one asked.


    "Yang of the Guo Clan," he answered.


    "Fighting style?" another asked.


    "I use a spear as my main weapon," he answered.


    "If you saw a village under attack by bandits, what would you do?" they asked.


    "Kill all but one of the bandits. Then, I would follow the bandit to their headquarters and wipe them out," Yang answered.


    "Have you ever killed someone?" a man asked.


    "Yes," Yang sighed. "What kind of test is this? Let''s justfight and get it over with. I know only one of you is at the Element Adept Stage. If I beat him, I want his guild rank."


    "Cheeky brat!" the middle man said and rushed toward Yang. Yang simply stood there and then a red blur came from his right sleeve and landed on the man''s neck. It was a bright red snake. The man''s eyes widened as he reached for his neck, feeling the poison spread. Yang grinned and took out his spear, smashing the man in the face. He used his Moon Slicer Art to cut several wounds, deep enough to leave scars, on the man''s chest.


    "Ah, initial Element Adept. Another man who assumes I am at the Spirit Forming Stage because of my age. Do you not have spirit sensitivity? Can you not sense the depths of the power of my cultivation. Do you really have no eyes?" Yang mocked as he grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him in the air. "I am fourteen years old and a late stage Element Adept. You look around thirty. You should be ashamed."


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Henry!" the man on the far left of the desk cried and looked at Yang with fury. Yang recognized that look and smirked as the man lunged at him. However, the man did not see Red Death extend to its full size of an eighty feet long and seven feet thick snake. The man was bitten from the center of his chest.


    "Oh, he''s not food. Put the Spirit Forming man down. I''ll find you lunch later," Yang ordered, the snake spitting him at the previously poisoned man, Yang healing them soon after. "You attacked me, my snake and I retaliated. You can only blame yourself for your humiliation."


    "You won''t challenge me?" the final man asked.


    "Unlike them, I have eyes. You are someone at the late Meteor Vessel Stage. You are probably the top practitioner here. I''m no idiot and I did not do anything wrong. All I asked was for a challenge and he attacked me without address," Yang grinned.


    "He''s acting evil again," Shen Hua sighed.


    "Not evil, but devious," Mei said. "He means to use their defeats to reach the C rank. He wanted to prove that he had the necessary strength to be at that rank, avoiding the trouble of doing missions to get the rank altogether. Not only that, people will find out he did this and those of the C rank will challenge him. He will either beat them up or kill them, taking their items as a reward. This is my youngest brother. This is how he operates."


    "Yang has always been devious. He never really showed it until that day in the cafeteria," Guo Lin nodded. "His power and skill is not his most dangerous aspect. Not even his poison is the true danger. The true danger is his intelligence. He is beyond cunning. He has the people around him wrapped around his fingers, even if they don''t know it."


    "That''s our future," Shen Dong, Shen Hua, and Sima Qing (Shen Qing) thought in unison as they glanced at one another.


    "You have proven yourself at the C rank, maybe even B rank. However, that is just based on your cultivation. I will give you a D rank, not an F or E rank," the man said, giving Yang a gold card with his name, cultivation, rank, and other information on it. "It seems your performance two and a half months ago was no fluke."


    "I suppose it will do. I can always do a C rank promotion mission, is that right?" Yang asked.


    "Indeed. The ranks, from lowest to highest, are F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. There are many different kinds of missions. Not all people at the C rank are necessarily at the Element Adept Stage or mage equivalent. Now, I and Guan Hai will discuss the matter of the bandit hideouts and recent raid locations on the way to the capital. You may all leave now."


    "This little card does so much?" Yang sighed as the eight of them left to buy some armor and weapons while Guan Hai was at the Adventurer''s Guild. Everyone went in different directions, save for Sun Yi.


    "Did you get what I asked?" Yang asked.


    "Of course. Naturally, no one knows of my connection to you," Sun Yi grinned as he adjusted his glasses. "No one ever sees the man in the background."


    "So this is the book you spoke of?" Yang asked as he skimmed through it. "Hmph. So this is the book on the history of the creation of the Song Dynasty. A clue to the location of some Fragments of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning should be in here. You did good."


    "Of course. It is with your assistance that I even became an initial Spirit Forming stage practitioner before the tournament. You recognized my intellect from the day we met and we planned from the shadows," Sun Yi smirked.


    "Strength does conquer all, but blind strength fails in the end. Not even my sister knows of our affiliation. Did you find where the Blue Heart String Phoenix of our old teacher is kept?" Yang asked.


    "Of course. Here is its magical core," Sun Yi said. "I thank you for giving my clan poisons. So far, the Book Keepers has been getting good business. Who would expect librarians to be assassins? We have gained much treasures from our targets and many spirit coins from our clients. Here is the crystal card. Within is this month''s cut."


    "Ah, it''s good to be rich. I suppose this is one thing magical beasts and humans have. Are you certain one of the bandit hideouts has the snake magical beast I am searching for?" Yang said as he pocketed a five inch magical core and a diamond card into his storage ring.


    "Yes. I also inquired about Lu Jing''s personality, as you requested. I''m positive my acting fooled everyone," Sun Yi nodded.


    "Good. I was once the sovereign of this world. I was once at the peak and looked down at my enemies and laughed. I was the World Serpent, but I was not ready to embrace immortality in the Mortal Realm. I was afraid of the unknown. I was too attached to this world," Yang began as he stared at the sky while they walked through the street.. "This time, I am not. This time, I will make the world kneel before me as I once did a thousand years ago. Until then, collect new poisons for my cultivation and more snake magical beasts."


    "Is the war going to begin?" Sun Yi asked.


    "Not yet. Only the search. The eldest of dragons and magical beasts should know what the two words, World Serpent, truly means. Humans who excel in research should also know. They will come with their personnel to the Pangu Continent. Some already have. My numbers are too few. Now, the prince finally believed himself to be successful of my help. With him on the throne, I will have more forces under my control," Yang laughed.


    "Yes. I hope you will not remember the last term of our agreement?" Sun Yi asked.


    "Of course not. I will leave the crown prince for you to kill. As you said many weeks before, he is a pervert. He must have raped many maids with his lust. Your words about the second prince was also correct. That man has also pocketed cultivation resources which were supposed to be given to the army. Both are plagues in this world and you will have their heads. In this matter, what I do won''t arouse the suspicions of Shen Dong. It is Shen Wukong, the emperor, who is the problem. Your spies are within the palace, no?"


    "They are. The roots of the Book Keepers goes deep. The Sun Clan was once one of the many imperial clans that used to rule a kingdom in the Pangu Continent. The Shen Clan destroyed many kingdoms, like my own clan''s, and united the continent under one ruler. We also want our vengeance," Sun Yi said, his knuckles turning white as he clenched them so hard.


    "Our first mission is to pull the fourth prince forward and make him noticed by those two idiot princes. Shen Dong will slowly rise and no will care what happens to the two eldest princes when they fall from grace. I trust all their information will be available when we arrive in the capital?" Yang asked.


    "Of course. You should also visit some of the palace maids. Only the most beautiful are chosen and are also ready to attend your bedside, if they were to be told of your power and influence," Sun Yi nodded his head.


    "Nothing wrong with mating for pleasure. During our visit to the capital, we must be sure to break the influence of many of their supporters as possible. You also got accepted to the Royal Academy. I also got accepted but have not given my answer. It is probably yes as the academy is near the palace. No one will notice me helping Shen Dong from the shadows. When our arrangements are being made, ensure that we are roommates and to have a secret passage made to connect us to the palace and another entrance within to connect to Shen Dong''s room. Only the latter passage should be known to him. Go now and tell your father," Yang ordered.


    "Yes, My Lord," Sun Yi said and left. They were currently in front of an alley in the area and three people had heard their conversation, paling as Yang grinned at them.


    "Red Death, I do believe I found you your lunch I promised," Yang said and screams soon sounded deep within the alley. So far, he would only have to worry about contingencies to the plan and eliminate those incompetents in his way. He smiled as Red Death was swallowing the men in its body and stored the other two corpses to feed to the snake later.


    "They are a little weak master," Red Death said as a huge bulge appeared in its body. "Not enough spirit energy in their flesh. It won''t take long to digest."


    "Don''t worry, Red Death. We will be hunting bandits outside the city soon. My only worry is that you will get fat," Yang said and laugh maniacally as he headed to the west gate, people staring at them with horrified expressions as they could only imagine the bulge in Red Death.

 Chapter 19: Green Willow Village

    Writer''s Note: Hello! Applied for a job so my releases might change. The new side project is going well but will have random releases as this is my main story and priority for my free time. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Too much going on for one chapter. Haven''t left a cliffhanger in a while anyways, and the next chapter will have some surprises. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.


    Chapter 19: Green Willow Village


    "What is that smell?" Mei said as she wrinkled her nose. "Why did we join this stupid caravan?"


    "It will lead us to Green Willow Village, children. It is our first stop and the place where the bandits are rumored to live nearby. So many caravans attacked, but the village remains as it was. Something is happening there. Perhaps a Spirit Guardian resides there," Guan Hai said, the others sighing as they followed a caravan of fifty carriages. Hundreds of guards of the Spirit Forming Stage patrolled around the caravans. To common folk without cultivation, they were a scary sight indeed.


    It had only been two hours since they left Gold Lotus City when Guan Hai returned, but the three girls and Lu Jing were fed up with the odors of the camels some merchants rode. They were exotic, but dirty beasts. They all noticed Yang not complaining since they first set off.


    "Yang, are you not disturbed by the smell?" Mei asked and they all noticed a glowing pink lotus in his left hand as he rode on Red Death. "What''s that flower?"


    "Ah, this thing? It is an Illusion Blood Lotus. It''s smell is most powerful and is actually quite dangerous. As the person is intoxicated by the smell, they cannot see that the lotus is slowly growing and they are trapped in a pleasant illusion, their body becoming fertilizers for the lotus," Yang grinned. "Of course, poison does not work on me but you are welcome to try for yourself. Would you like a lotus?"


    "No. No," Mei said, shaking her head.


    "No? Shame," Yang grinned as he used his hands to direct the fragrance to his nose. "I can''t even smell those animals. You seven should have been more prepared. Even Guan Hai bought mask to block the scent."


    They all turned to see Guan Hai with a gold mask covering his nose and mouth. They could tell it was a magical treasure because he could breathe even though there was no holes in the mask to filter the air. Guan Hai could only smile beneath his mask and the seven others were forced to endure the smell until they arrived atop a hill overlooking a village.


    "That, children, is Green Willow Village. It seems the rumors were true. See that willow tree in the heart of the village? Its branches glow green and we can see it from atop this hill. Earth and water spirit energy is strong and dense here.  Sima Qing, you have affinity for water. Guo Lin and Guo Yang, you have affinities for both earth and water. You should be able to notice the dense spirit energy. Close your eyes and feel the spirit energy around you. See where it leads," Guan Hai instructed.


    "It leads to the tree," Yang said, the other two nodding in unison. As they closed their eyes, they could feel the spirit energy around them. It was in the air they breathed, the ground they tread upon, and the light that shined on them. A large river could be detected, seen in the distance. The earth and water seemed to gravitate to the tree.


    "It is strange. Something is beneath its roots. Something ancient, powerful," Yang said as he opened his eyes. "It is a false Spirit Guardian. It is my belief that the bandits attack the caravans for more than their riches. They need blood, preferably a corpse."


    "Is it stronger than my manticore?" Lin said, eager to summon his magical beast. Those bound to magical beasts could hide them away in their Spirit Realm, both protecting them and strengthening them. Mei''s owl was an owl ten feet tall. It could no longer ride on her shoulders or live in her parent''s backyard.


    "It must be. I don''t care for the artifact. I only desire the branches. The whole village is aligned with the bandits. The village is a facade. It is how they learn of the caravan routes," Yang said. "I say we kill them all. I only sense those of the Spirit Forming Stage there. Only their numbers is a problem. I can poison the river, kill many before we strike as well as weaken the tree and the secret within its roots."


    "We cannot do that! There are women, and children, there," Sima Qing said as the caravan passed ahead of them.


    "And what do you suggest we do? Allow the bandits to keep killing others? They know the crimes of their husbands and fathers. The condone it and thrive because of it. Do not they think they are innocent! In this world, even children are reduced to thievery and murder," Yang snapped.


    "Yang," Lin said as he stepped between them.


    "Fools," Yang said and spat on the ground. "I''m going to poison the river. I will see them dead and their treasures, mine. Stay here if you cannot do it. Your soft-heart idiocy will only get in the way. Sun Yi, I leave it to you to make a ring of fire to entrap the village. You too, Lu Jing."


    "I''m not going to do it," Lu Jing said, but Yang grabbed him by the throat and lifted him in the air.


    "I wasn''t asking you. I was ordering you. The very reason you are here, and trained under a retired Imperial Guard Captain at the Earth Mortal tier, was because of me. You owe me your future. We both know it. Go now, before I really get pissed off," Yang growled and threw Jing on the ground. "You are not killing them, I am. You''re only enclosing them. This is an obstacle you must face in life. A practitioner is not without enemies. The longer you go without your first kill, the more your mind will break later on, when it matters. Bandits are scum, wanted dead or alive. No will care if they die. No one. If you cannot kill a bandit, how can you kill a practitioner who threatens the people you love? We live in the Mortal Realm. We are bound to die through the passage of time, our lifespan extended through cultivation. In the end, you are alone. You were always alone. It is only when you walk the path of cultivation, will you truly realize the depths of my words."


    "You speak with words beyond your years. You are right though. No one can help you on the path of cultivation. Others can only guide you," Guan Hai nodded. "Do not worry about the bandits currently outside the village. I will punish them as it is my duty."


    "Then this will be easy," Yang said and directed Red Shadow to the distant river. "I give you two, Sun Yi and Lu Jing, an hour''s time to create the ring of fire around the village. The rest of you, disappoint me."


    "I will also form the river of fire. It is my duty, as prince, to punish those who break my imperial father''s laws," Shen Dong said. "I will form the ring of fire from the north."


    "Come, Mei. Leave the two girls here," Yang said and Mei immediately joined Yang atop Red Death. "You two, keep being blinded by your generic thoughts. You are not in a palace. This is the world, the real world. You are fools to turn your eyes away from the cold, hard truth."


    Yang said no more as Red Death slithered to the river. It took twenty minutes to reach the river and Yang smirked as he saw fire in the distance. He knew Sun Yi would do it, but Lu Jing was still not within his grasp. Yet. Controlling the son meant controlling his father, Lu Jin. Lu Jin was a duke, one of the few in the Pangu Continent. Control over him would make it easier to make Shen Dong assume the throne.


    "How do you plan to poison the river? How will it affect the tree?" Mei asked.


    "The river runs through the village, beneath the roots of the false Spirit Guardian. If my guess is right, it is a magical beast currently in the midst of laying its eggs. If that is so, there is only one magical beast I know that survived in this area, before I died. It was known as a River Lion Turtle. With the head of a stone lion and the body, gills of a fish on its neck, and the body and shell of a turtle. It is amphibious but dies if its gills dry up," Yang grinned.


    "I never heard of such a magical beast," Mei said.


    "Of course not. Lion turtle magical beasts have difficulty reproducing and live in solitude, nerve to be found by the eyes of another creature. This one was drawn to the spirit energy in the land. Most likely, it is the ancient, powerful object I detected earlier. The tree is a facade made by its shell. Such creatures are what gave rise to the legends of moving islands. This one is weak. Probably at the Element Adept Stage. It explains why it is so....small and with a lone tree," Yang said and took out a large vial with a volatile purple and black liquid within.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "What is that? It''s like it is alive," Mei gasped.


    "It is alive. It grows in the roots of a Black Eel Grass. Black Eel Grass nurtures poisonous herbs and enriches the soil, protecting it from the poison. It will seek living cells, like a parasite. It will poison the river, spreading to taint all who partake of it. It will appear invisible, a predator hiding in camouflage. All who partake of the water will be poisoned, slowly drained of spirit energy and then their very life," Yang grinned as he released the liquid into the river.


    "Such a deadly poison!" Mei gasped.


    "No. It takes too long to die from it. It is also easy to cure. However, most people notice it too late before they make a cure," Yang said. "The weaker you are, the faster it kills. It will only weaken the River Lion Turtle. In a half hour, we strike upon the first cries of woe. We will enter through the river. My snake is immune to such weak poison."


    "Right," Mei nodded as she took out her sword while Yang brandished his spear.


    "I must have the tree branches. Those of the Meteor Vessel tier are able to wield middle ranked immortal treasures. I''ll need the branches for my spear''s shaft," Yang grinned.


    "So that''s why you didn''t care. What about the eggs?" Mei asked.


    "It is easy for me to neutralize the poison. We can sell the eggs or have it bind to one of us. A practitioner can have a maximum of three magical beasts, but having three chosen too soon is bad," Yang said.


    "Will you ever bind a magical beast?" Mei asked as she saw the black and purple poison disappear ahead.


    "I can only plan the future. I cannot see nor foresee it. Everything we do is a variable. Every person we kill could have been part of a infinitely many alternatives in the future. We can only predict and plan," Yang said, eyes narrowing. "As I suspected, the whole village is that of bandits. Can you not feel the spirit energy? People are dying. Those guards are dying. Probably poisoned. The people are too weak to kill them so quickly."


    "I...I can sense it. It''s like a cold vice is taking hold of me. The spirit energy in their bodies.....it''s like they''re crying," Mei shivered. "What is this?"


    "This is what you should have felt, but the Eye of Darkness blinded you from this feeling. It did not allow you to use your spiritual senses. When a life form dies, the spirit energy dies with it. It is blasphemous to the Heavens. The Heavens locked the Elemental Sovereigns in the Divine Realm to protect life. Yet, we take life to ascend to the Immortal Realm. This is what I read in that book grandfather gave me," Yang answered and laughed. "Heh. How ironic is that? We are our own worst enemy after all."


    "I sense many humans dying now. I am ready to depart, master," Red Death hissed, Yang nodding and jumping on Red Death as it slithered and floated on the river.


    "Let''s go. You can collect souls and I can get my dues," Yang grinned, Mei nodding as she landed on the snake.


    The snake hissed as it floated down the river, Mei gasping as she saw the black and purple liquid avoiding Red Death as it appeared to poison the snake. Mei narrowed her eyes as she saw bodies up ahead, recognizing the silver and red armor of the caravan guards sprawled all over the floor. Her heart ached as she saw women and children clawing at their throats, gasping for breath.


    However, she had killed before and decided it was a mercy to kill them. Yang smiled as he watched her kill them and take their souls. She had been molded well. Sun Yi was the first, his and his clan''s thirst for vengeance was very easy to manipulate and take advantage from. Guo Mei was his second, slowly influencing her while she fought the Eye of Darkness for control.


    He grinned as he saw men stare at him in horror, sensing the poison within them due to the neidan in his Spirit Realm. He brandished his Moon Lotus Spear and charged at them. Red Death sprang out further down the river, men shrieking as its poisonous fangs skewered them before it spat them to move on to the next human. Yang used his Snake Specter Art, teleporting between the men and women as he pierced their throats.


    He would smash their knees before beheading them with the spear head. He would laugh as their blood sprayed on him, the threat of death making him feel alive. They tried to outnumber him, but the poison weakened them. He was also someone at the late Elemental Adept Stage. They were all easy for him to kill regardless. His eyes slightly widened as he saw Shen Dong, watching him kill mercilessly.


    "It would seem I underestimated how much he adored his father. This complicates things," Yang muttered. He planned to have the emperor assassinated, but Shen Dong would know it was him and get revenge. He would have to plan to make rifts between the two eldest princes and the emperor.


    "You entered the city?" Yang asked as Shen Dong walked to him, covered in blood.


    "I had to kill the bandits," Shen Dong said. "We going to the tree?"


    "Yeah in a minu--" Yang began as he heard a scream, seeing Mei fly through a door. He turned around and saw a green glowing branch retract in the distance. "Fuck. The River Lion Turtle still has some strength. You use your lightning element arts and target the river. I need to slowly make walls of earth to blackade the river from going under the tree."


    "Get up!" Yang said as he helped Mei to her feet. I need you to heal yourself with the light attribute practitioner arts and then head to the roof a good distance away. I need you to count how many branches the tree has. They are the main offensive of the River Lion Turtle."


    "I''ll try," Mei said, a small stream of blood going down her mouth. "My ribs are bruised, but I should be fine."


    Yang nodded and yelled, "Red Death, protect Shen Dong as he blasts lightning into the river. Secrete your poison into it too!"


    "Yes, master," Red Death hissed and went into the direction Shen Dong disappeared to.


    Yang walked to the river and breathed deeply. He focused his spirit energy into his left foot and slammed into into the ground, using his Rock Pulse Wave Art. The ground shook and the river slowly began to clog as the ground and dirt fell into the river.


    With enough ground to form a small pile, Yang used his spear to break down the doors in the nearby houses and began stabbing them into the river. After a few minutes, the river was blockaded by three walls of doors secured by the large mound of dirt clogging the river. He repeated the process on the other side of town. He could hear screaming and wailing outside the village, knowing it was Gun Hai killing the bandits.


    After he looted the dead bodies of the villagers, merchants, and caravan guards; he ran toward the center of the village. He noticed the tree grow larger and saw Mei panting as he saw her up ahead.


    "Yang!" she cried. "I spotted eighteen branches. The way they move is unpredictable, never stabbing in a straight line. The branches would glow slightly brighter before it changes direction. The branches also avoid each other by three feet, not able to entangle upon each other. Red Death has lost some of its scales and I noticed a shell beneath the tree. I think you are right about it being a River Stone Lion."


    "Eighteen branches and strong enough to break Red Death''s scales. Must be at the peak Element Adept Stage," Yang cursed. "Ancient magical beasts are stronger than humans at the same cultivation. It''s strength equates to an initial Meteor Vessel practitioner. Get those two cowardly girls to provide backup. Tell them that if they don''t come, I''ll leave Shen Dong for dead."


    "Right!" Mei nodded as she summoned her owl. The owl cocked its head to the side before she got on its back and flew into the sky.

 Chapter 20: The River Lion Turtle

    Writer''s Note: Here is the new chapter. Twenty chapters! So much work. I suppose I''ll have to make a glossary soon. I should also introduce a few long term nemesis for Yang. After all, the whole empire will be watching him soon. Again, releases are every 2 or 3 days unless there are RL issues. Enjoy the read.


    Chapter 20: The River Lion Turtle


    "So much death," Lin muttered as he felt several spirit energy sources disappear in the village as he watched from atop the hill with Qing and Shen Hua. He could not bring himself to be a part of the slaughter, but he still witnessed the horrors of it. He didn''t know who was in the wrong or right now.


    "Your sister draws near, incredibly fast," Shen Hua said, disturbing his thoughts.


    "She''s on the back of a giant owl," Qing said and the trio looked to the sky, seeing Mei approach them on her owl.


    "Mei! You''re back. What''s wrong?" Lin asked as the owl landed, Mei getting off and walking to them.


    "All the bandit villagers are dead. We were too late to save the caravan and the guards. As Yang suspected, they were all killed. That is no village of innocents," Mei answered. "Qing and Shen Hua, Yang needs your help to fight the River Lion Turtle. He confirmed the tree''s true form. I need to get Sun Yi and Lu Jing."


    "What about me?" Lin asked.


    "Yang did not call for you," Mei said.


    "I have no qualms fighting a magical beast!" Lin cried. "I''m not that innocent! I have killed magical beasts, not wild ones, but I have killed them."


    "It''s true, Yang gives you little credit. However, this is an ancient magical beast. It''s power is comparable to an initial Meteor Vessel practitioner, but it is like fighting multiple practitioners due to its eighteen branches. Yang does not want to risk you," Mei said.


    "And he will risk us?" Qing frowned.


    "He could always leave His Highness for dead, kill you two, and manipulate Guan Hai. It is my belief that Yang has some kind of playing card against Guan Hai. I doubt he even knows what secret Yang has," Mei shrugged. "In the end, you two must help. Lin, you can come but don''t bring out the manticore. My owl will also be sent back to the Spirit Realm. We cannot risk the loss of our magical beast. We can only have three in our lifetime."


    "I''ll take us there on my manticore," Lin said, his manticore appearing as a gold formation appeared above him and on his forehead. "I will fight alongside my brother. It is the job of the elder to protect the younger."


    "And he is older than most of our clan''s ancestors," Mei thought silently but said nothing as she nodded and got on her owl to get Sun Yi and Lu Jing.


    Back in the village, Yang barely arrived in time to see eighteen glowing branches stab at Red Death and Shen Dong furiously as Shen Dong sent lightning into the river through channeling his spirit energy into lightning as it traveled down his great sword and into the river. Yang closed his eyes and used his Moon Slicer Art to send dozens of water crescent moon blades at the branches.


    The branches were barely scratched by the blade, the wood repairing itself quickly. There was no such thing as the wood element for humans, but there was for magical beasts. The one human exception was Guo Lin, if he could learn to fuse earth and water to make wood. The branches seemed to have an intelligence of their own, nine of them changing direction to stab at him.


    Yang used his Soaring Volt Dragon Arts to strike at the base of the tree at incredibly high speeds, blue lightning crackling around his body. However, the tree merely shuddered and he only stabbed his spear an inch into the tree. Yang coughed blood as three tree branches pierced his back. Desperate, he used his Viper''s Dominance Art to blast them all away. The three branches were blown out of his body and Yang turned invisible through his Mirror Mirage Art. He retreated back as he assessed the tree and the branches.


    The branches were not intelligent, attacking whatever the base of the tree targeted. River Lion Turtles had a figurative third eye. That fake third eye was the lone tree on its back. It could only form one tree, but it was ten times stronger than any other tree and could actually be used like a weapon. The trees, or tree, on the backs of lion turtles represented their life force. No tree, no life. That''s what made the River Lion Turtle vulnerable and invincible. It had to keep its gills wet or died, but its tree was hundreds of times stronger and more durable.


    Yang disliked River Lion Turtles as they were a scavenger race, not at all like a hermit like the other lion turtles. This one was exceptionally powerful, despite its weak cultivation, due to the artifact it had in its possession. Still, his aim was the branches. He would kill it regardless.


    The nine branches stabbed at him, aiming for different parts of his body. He could not damage the tree, so he could only attack the main body. Yang dodged the branches and jumped atop one to propel himself forward. He tossed his spear at the tree, three branches quickly coiling around it to block the spear. He yelled as he focused all his spirit energy into his hands as he landed by the river.


    "Frost Snake Prison Art!" Yang roared, submerging both hands into the river. Ice began to spread and slowly formed an orb of ice beneath the small land where the tree rested on in the middle of the river. Yang heard a roar and was blasted back, the ice sphere cracking as it completed forming. Yang coughed as he shook his head.


    The tree branches all rose into the air, stabbing downward at Shen Dong at fast speeds. Yang ran to the tree and used his Coiling Spirit Drain Art, elated as he drained vast amounts of spirit energy at high speeds. The tree branches stopped abruptly, barely touching the scales and skin of Red Death and Shen Dong. Yang stopped his practitioner art as the branches stabbed at him. He waited until the last second to use his Snake Specter Art and teleported fifteen yards above from where he stood, the tree branches accidentally stabbing the trunk of the tree.


    Yang retrieved his Moon Lotus Spear and aimed at the point of contact where the branches pierced the tree. Green spirit energy swirled around him and his spear and made the very air appear to cry out in anguish. The green spirit energy began to condense at the spear head as green acid poison seemed to drip from the spear.


    "Jade Poison Desolation Spear Art!" Yang roared, throwing the spear at the multiple, tiny holes in the tree trunk as the branches removed themselves. The land beneath the tree quaked as the River Lion Turtle finally got out of the water. Lightning from Shen Dong''s great sword was seen blasting it as the tree on its shell began to turn white as it was dying from the poison. Yang quickly severed three branches from the tree, storing the branches into his storage ring.


    "I will not die!" the magical beast roared, stunning Yang.


    "You can talk in human tongue?" Yang gasped and saw a black glass orb beneath its body as it rose from the river. It was definitely an ancient relic as it contained its own spirit energy.


    "How dare you fight me and kill my minions?" the lion turtle roared. "Who do you think you are?"


    Yang scrutinized the River Lion Turtle. It had many breaks in its skin, several burn marks all along the right side of its body. Occasionally, he could see a black and purple vein pulse from its body. It was definitely weakened and its branches could no longer be used.


    "Why did you do all this? Why ally yourself with bandits, those human scum?" Yang asked, watching the lightning and two different poisons spread across its body.


    "I am wisdom. I am power! I made the bandits great, draining the spirit energy from the blood of their victims and enemies. For three hundred years, I persisted and am at the peak of the Element Adept Stage. I already have the power of a human practitioner of the Meteor Vessel Stage, but now you have weakened me so! I will devour your corpse and your soul!" the magical beast screamed.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "You are weak and pathetic. Look at yourself, you''re not even bound to a human. Yet, you rely on them so. So old, yet your cultivation is too weak. That ancient relic must be the reason you still have such a body vibrant with vitality. Your branches were far more lethal than most others. Yet, you are not wise. A real lion turtle would have granted their branches intelligence. You were afraid, and only let your trunk develop intelligence. You were afraid, that your mind would succumb to their power and lose control of your body," Yang spat.


    The River Lion Turtle coughed blood, glaring at him and laughed, saying, "You think you defeated me? I am not the master of this village. It is inside me! It is inside me!"


    "I know. This was the bandit village I was looking for," Yang said and stared at its stomach. "You bastard, why the fuck aren''t you killing that weak shit? Come out and face me!"


    The River Lion Turtle''s eyes widened with despair and let out a regretful howl before its stomach exploded, dying at that very moment. A rainbow colored snake came out and expanded to a five hundred foot long, twenty foot think snake.


    "It appears the message was true: the World Serpent lives," the snake hissed in snake tongue. "You''ve come for my neidan. My snake breed is famous for making it at the Spirit Forming Stage at such a weak cultivation."


    "Of course. Nine neidan form a perfect core for cultivation. Especially since humans can see into their own Spirit Realm, I gain more power with each neidan. You weak thing, you manipulated a River Lion Turtle? How low have your breed fallen?" Yang said, the snake looking down with disgrace.


    "I could not cultivate further. I needed the blood of those with spirit energy, and the humans'' many magical treasures. I broke into the Element Adept Stage, but I needed the River Lion Turtle to break into the Meteor Vessel Stage so I could breakthrough by devouring its magical beast core. Alas, to think the World Serpent would personally ruin my plans," the snake hissed. "Are you going to kill me?"


    "Yes. I aim to stand at the peak of the world once more. My heart was not ready before. Now, I am ready to embrace immortality. I have two forms now. I have no worry of being hunted for my magical beast core as I have none," Yang said reaching his hand toward the snake. "Don''t worry. The poison of my spear should have already entered your body. You''ll die at the hands of snake practitioner arts made human."


    "Sovereign," the snake rasped and fell onto the ground, its body disintegrating from the poison to reveal a tiny rainbow marble. Yang picked it up and placed it against his chest. The jade neidan in his Spirit Realm shined and the rainbow neidan entered his Spirit Realm.


    Slowly, the two neidan revolved around each other. Due to a second neidan, his Spirit Realm doubled and he was able to absorb more spirit energy from around himself, no longer needing to meditate to cultivate spirit energy. He sighed with relief as he stored his spear in his storage ring. Red Death slithered into the river and deposited four things from its mouth as it returned to him shortly afterwards.


    "You''re late," Yang said as he heard three different sets of footsteps behind himself.


    "You knew I would come?" Lin asked, surprised.


    "You also have an inferiority complex. I expected it as much. Like I said, those four things are of no concern for me. Three of them contain the eggs of the River Lion Turtle, the last being an ancient relic.


    "So that will be mine?" Shen Dong asked as the eight of them gathered together after ten minutes.


    "It will help you as you need victory in the coming tournament," Yang said. "As for those three eggs, sell them. That breed of lion turtle is weak unless you live in an island nation or live in a village by the water. Without water, it will die."


    "Any idea what the relic is?" Shen Dong asked, showing it to him.


    "Do I look like I know? Just because I am cunning and know much about practitioner techniques and magical beasts, does not mean I know everything. I have as much exposure to magical items as a child. I don''t use any after all. Neither do Guo Lin or Guo Mei. Our clan is not that rich," Yang shrugged.


    "Now that you mention it, Lin and I do only use our swords we got from the Awakening Ritual," Mei nodded in agreement. "However, I fail to see how an orb is useful for combat. I don''t want it either."


    "It seems the battle is ours," Guan Hai said as he appeared beside them. Quite a few of those bandits were at the Element Adept Stage. However, I found no magical treasures on them. It is very suspicious. I also checked their hideouts. I found nothing there."


    "They were broken down to be used for cultivation. A magical beast''s breakthrough to the next realm of cultivation is much more difficult than it is for humans. The two magical beasts, a River Lion Turtle and a Rainbow Blood Snake, drained the magical treasures of all the spirit energy. Thus, they were destroyed. However, these two lacked so much talent, it almost makes me want to cry out of disgust. Almost," Yang sighed.


    "Magical beasts can do that?" Shen Hua asked.


    "Well, they are not human and cannot use most magical treasures," Yang shrugged. "Most keep them just to use to absorb spirit energy the same way humans collect magical beast cores to absorb spirit energy. You guys go on ahead and try to see if there are any treasures and food we can salvage from the buildings. I''ll need to rest to recover my strength."


    "Right, I''ll also scout ahead to see if there are any bandits I missed," Guan Hai said, speeding into the air.


    "It would seem this was a success," Sun Yi said as he stayed behind to guard Yang while he recovered.


    "Yes, but I underestimated the magical beast. I had no idea it was a River Lion Turtle. It took a while to discover that the snake was inside the magical beast. I forgot the compression ability of certain snake magical beasts, like Red Death. It appears I need to reassess my plans so as to not overlook obvious details that would otherwise be considered insignificant," Yang said. "Any other bandit locations we should concern ourselves with?"


    "No, but there is a town with suspicious activity. We should reach it in about a week," Sun Yi answered.


    "Oh? What seems to be worthy of note?" Yang inquired.


    "People are disappearing and many foreigners appeared in the area. Also, it seems the dead are walking there. It is my believe that a necromancer has taken reside there, working with the mayor of the town. The necromancer gets his sacrifices and the mayor gets the money. I also read reports of demons in the area," Sun Yi answered.


    "If it is a necromancer, he might be making a magical weapon of extreme evil, actually creating a magical item that would radiate death energy. That metal could be used for my spear. Either a metal, or a crystal," Yang grinned. "Is it on the way?"


    "No. We have to go under the mountain. It is actually an underground city. Several tunnels contain magical beasts there. It is a shortcut to the capital, but deemed too dangerous by the Adventurer''s Guild," Sun Yi answered and took out a yellow talisman. "I also communicate with my agents using this magical treasure. This is how I receive their reports, either written or verbal."


    "What''s the route we are supposed to take?" Yang asked.


    "We''re to take the mountain trail that goes a little way to the south before we continue proceeding west. The mountain trail is steep and there is a series of bridges we need to cross. No magical beasts are there, so it is relatively safe," Sun Yi answered.


    "We cannot collapse the bridges, so contact your agents. Tell them to attract magical beasts along the path. Kill some of the travelers and merchants, letting some live so as to spread the tale of terror. Because we travel with three members of royalty, Guan Hai is sure to change the route to the shortcut through the underground city to ensure their safety," Yang ordered.


    "Understood. It will be done," Sun Yi bowed and proceeded to instruct his agents while Yang meditated to recover his spent spirit energy and heal the various internal wounds and bruising.

 Chapter 21: Shedding Ones Self

    Writer''s Note: One tough midterm later. Oh, and some parts might have a bit too much gore details as I explain many ways a man can die a few breaks down. We get to see Yang''s thoughts when he is not among the others. What goes on his head as he sees the world as a human? I believe that character development must happen. This chapter will change everything. I cried a little while writing it. Whether people like it or not, it is my story. I want to explore the world I wrote. This is how I chose to do it. Enjoyed or not, thanks for reading so far.


    Chapter 21: Shedding One''s Self


    "The caravan is lost and n bandits are left. Let''s leave this gods forsaken valley," Shen Hua said.


    "Gods?" Mei frowned. "You are religious?"


    "No, but there has been a new rising religion. People claim that the White Dragon will protect us from the World Serpent, the terror that destroyed several cities and kingdoms over a thousand years ago. After the events of The Eye and the Snake, researchers of the ancient times have dug up records of its terror," Shen Hua said.


    "Oh?" Yang said, grinning inside. "It existed?"


    "Ah, right. You love snakes," Lin nodded and turned to Sima Qing. "Do you know about the World Serpent too?"


    "Why do you ask me?" she asked.


    "I may not have dirtied my hands and inexperienced in love, but I am no fool. I am Yang''s older brother. You must be the imperial princess. Sun Yi''s background, I know since the first day of school in my first year. Lu Jing, everyone knows his dad is the duke. That means the imperial who came to the academy under an alias must be you," Lin said, stunning everyone.


    "She is?" Lu Jing cried, Yang rubbing his head half disappointment and half irritated.


    "Yes. She is my sister," Shen Dong said. "Anyway, legends speak of a gold snake large enough to wrap itself around the Pangu Continent ten times with jade eyes that tore into the soul and sand-colored feather on its head like a lion''s mane. It had the power to tear open the earth and create tsunamis, its affinity over earth and water above any snake in recorded history. It disappeared a thousand years ago. People assume it either failed ascension and died, or did ascend."


    "I read about that too. I believe the snake was at the peak Sky Mortal Stage for the last thousand years, finally at the Heavenly Mortal Stage! According to the transmission bead mother gave me, the researchers back in the capital say that there are no initial, middle, late, or peak Heavenly Mortal levels. It is just the Heavenly Mortal Stage. Everyone knows Sky Mortals can exit the planet and travel the stars. The legends of the Elemental Sovereign of Darkness is true, so the legends of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning is true," Shen Hua said.


    "Are you somehow saying that the World Serpent intends to absorb the powers of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning? Since it has the power over water and earth, all it needs is the power of lightning and light. Lightning represents the tribulations and light represents the very Heavens. Perhaps a fifth element is necessary. Like a human''s Spirit Realm, there must be an element that can sustain and balance the four elements," Sun Yi said, fixing his glasses. "Are you suggesting the creation of the element of wood as well?"


    "That''s impossible. Even Guo Lin has to combine water and earth to manipulate wood," Guan Hai said as he joined the conversation, bringing an open air carriage and two horses. They used to belong to the merchants but were no longer needed.


    "That''s not a bad idea," Yang said, everyone turning to him as they rode the carriage toward the mountains to the west. "You see, the World Serpent is suspected of a high affinity for water and earth. With the power of lightning and light, it is as if it holds the power of the planet and the Heavens. All it needs, is a balance between the earth and sky. Like yin and yang, there must be a balance. Thus, wood represents that balance. Wood grows with the help of the earth, water, and light. Lightning brings with it, the rain. Snakes also thrive in jungles and marshes.  If it possesses the power of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning, the holy power of the Fragment of Lightning might make it be the first life form to naturally possess affinity for wood."


    "I''ll have the men search for more clues," Sun Yi said with a slight nod to Yang as the others brooded over Yang''s words.


    "We must kill the World Serpent. Such a thing might wreck chaos and mayhem on the land once more," Shen Dong said, the two other members of the Shen Clan nodding as Guan Hai stroked his beard. It took two days to reach the village near the foot of the mountains. Yang and the others had the food from the village, enough food to provide a city for years.


    The bandits really valued three things: money, weapons, and supplies. Money and weapons spoke for themselves. They valued food because the bandit village was the central hub for all the bandit hideouts in the valley. Many merchant caravans were also poisoned and killed as they made rest stops in the village. Naturally, Yang and the others took all the demon spirit coins, supplies, and the few lower ranked immortal treasures.


    Due to Yang insistence, he only chose the millions of demon spirit coins instead of any lower ranked immortal treasures. He did not want to rely on them and would soon reach the Meteor Vessel Stage. That is the stage where he could bind and use middle ranked immortal treasures.


    The others noticed that many people were disheartened and angered in the city. Guan Hai frowned as he secured a stable and area for the carriage and horses as the others entered an inn for a warm meal before setting off to the mountain path. The inn was full of people with multiple wounds and scratches on their weapons. Yang and Sun Yi smiled a little as they knew the plan had succeeded.


    "What happened to cause such a scene?" Guan Hai asked as he sat with the teens and ordered their meal.


    "Ah, a tragedy has happened," a waitress said as she gave them their drinks. "Many magical beasts at the Spirit Forming and Element Adept Stage have run amok in the area near the bridges. So far, they only destroyed the first bridge, but no on dares to tread any further. Many have died and there was no way to retrieve the bodies. No one knows why this happened."


    "Yang, you know about magical beasts. What''s up?" Mei asked.


    "Well, I know snakes," Yang said. "As far as behavioral patterns are concerned, the magical beasts might be in the area because they are scared or there is a rare treasure in the area suitable for magical beasts. My guess, the treasure should be somewhere above the mountains. If this is true, there are many more magical beasts further down the pass."


    The entire inn became silent as the waitress asked, "Are you saying that passing those magical beasts at the area around the first bridge is not the only danger?"


    "Well, yeah. So many magical beasts in one place, it is sure to attract many more magical beasts. Magical beasts become strong by two methods. One, they become stronger as they age. It is the slowest but easiest method. The second method would be devouring life forms with spirit energy and magical beasts actually form magical beast cores. Those cores are the physical equivalent of a Spirit Realm. The difference is that one could absorb their power. I''m afraid those near the first bridge might just be the weaker ones," Yang shrugged. "If you''re lucky, you die quickly. If not, you get eaten alive. Piece by piece, you''ll be bitten until you die. That is, assuming the magical beast has teeth. That''s also assuming there is only one. Just imagine running into a whole plain full of magical beasts with sharp fangs and claws. Whew. Just picturing them tearing and biting into one''s skin is horrifying. Don''t get me started on magical beast without teeth."


    "If it doesn''t have teeth?" Sun Yi asked, the people in the inn already pale-faced.


    "That''s where things get real interesting. If it is a snake, it can constrict around your body. Your breathing accelerates as the snake''s cold scales press against your skin. Your arms and legs will be the first to break, the pain from the first few fractures making your mind blank with pain. Then, it breaks your ribs. Your breathing becomes too fast and your lungs burst as your ribs pierce them while your rib cage shatters. By the time it swallows your head, you would be praying you were already dead if you were alive. The rush is very exciting. Your only consolation would be if it bit you. You would either die violently as the poison ruptures your blood vessels or the poison paralyzes you and you get swallowed alive. Just imagine the pain of dying while being digested and without any ability to move a single muscle. At least, only one snake could kill you that way, at a time," Yang said.


    "If it''s a flock of fucking birds, you know you''ll due under more than one. The cowards always travel in flocks. First, their talons would claw upon you. Those talons are not straight, but curved. They will Three talons will hook down in you, a bottom fourth used as leverage as they pull out chunks of bone and flesh. As soon as they can tell you cannot resist them, they will peck upon you with their beaks. Just imagine it. It''s just like vultures flying in the desert sky above you, taunting you and waiting for your mind to crack and show weakness. The moment when you fall to the ground in despair as they fly down upon you with their talons raised to your face," Yang said, not showing any signs of anger which surprised his Mei and aroused suspicion. "That kind of death, is worse and more painful than being run through with a weapon." "There''s also---"


    "No more! Please," the waitress said as many also cried out in fear and covered their ears, evidently changing their minds in banding together and braving the danger.


    "Let''s get out of here. This is someone on a whole other level of terrifying," a man cried.


    "Mommy, I''m scared," a boy cried as he rushed to his mother hugging her. "Will daddy be okay?"


    "He will be. He must be. Let''s go and see if there is any news," his mother said.


    "Okay. So long as daddy and mommy are with me, I won''t be scared," the boy sniffed and puffed his chest before grabbing his mom''s hand as they left.


    "Let''s leave too," another man cried and everyone paid for their meals and started to leave the inn. Yang watched them go in silence, the maid trembling as she did not want to hear more. Their actions made Yang frown, but no one saw but Mei.


    "Hey! Where''s my food? I''m hungry," Yang said after a moment, the waitress nodding violently and rushing into the kitchens. This was a young boy who saw the true terrors in the world and not one she would dare anger or mess with.


    "Sorry for the wait, sir," the waitress stuttered as she appeared and gave them their meals, bowing too many times before she left them to their meal.


    "Ah, people can''t stand to hear the truth these days. It is best to hear them so as to prepare your heart when you see it happen to someone else. You could lose your lunch if you''re not prepared," Yang said, Shen Hua''s face turning green.


    "I think I''ll eat later," Shen Hua said, Sima Qing nodding as she left with her.


    "I better check on them," Lin said.


    "No, we''ll go check on them," Shen Dong said and the two boys left.


    "Tut. Tut. Probably never killed someone yet," Yang said as he bit violently on a chicken leg. "Man I love chicken. Don''t you guys love chicken? It can''t taste better than pork or beef no matter how its cooked or what sauce covers it."


    "I prefer beef," Sun Yi said as he cut a steak.


    "Pork BBQ on a stick can''t be beat," Lu Jing said. "I killed a few slaves in the gladiator ring and saw some people die. It really is like how you described."


    "Does the capital have an arena too?" Yang asked Guan Hai. Guo Mei did not know what to think. Yang no longer seemed to care about his hate for birds. Something was wrong. He was too....calm.


    "Sweet and sour sauce makes everything better," Yang said, eating some chicken pieces covered in the sauce before turning to Guan Hai with everything swallowed down. "So, what''s the plan? We can''t exactly fly over the mountain. There might really be avian magical beasts, or even a dragon can show up."


    "We can go under the mountain," Sun Yi suggested, Guan Hai narrowing his eyes as he cleared the area in front of him and set down a map.


    "Traveling beneath the mountain will take us to the capital four days before the tournament. It would save us two days, but we have to travel through the Mines of Gorgas before reaching the Underground City of Gorgas," Guan Hai said. "I''d rather not travel there, but we can''t be late."


    "You''re an Earth Mortal. What''s the problem?" Mei asked.


    "There''s something down there. Something ancient. Not even the imperial army visits the underground city to collect the many decades of taxes owed. Bandits also make their living there and there have been reports of people going missing there," Guan Hai said.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "What are we waiting for?" Yang said as Red Death swallowed some steaks. "The prince needs his victory."


    "Tell the others we are leaving at dawn and to rest," Guan Hai said, Lu Jing nodding as herushed upstairs. "I will buy the necessary supplies in the morning, and will also rest after I send a message to the 3rd Concubine about the situation."


    "This is bad. Look at his reaction," Mei said as only she, Sun Yi, and Yang remained.


    "I have a plan," Yang said.


    "You have a plan?" Mei asked.


    "No," Yang said, stunning Mei as Yang never joked. "Go check on Lin and keep a closer eye on him. As he found out about Qing, he might suspect something about your and me."


    "Right," Mei said and only Yang  and Sun Yi was left.


    "Sun Yi, thank you. Now, go and rest," Yang said, Sun Yi frowning with confusion and nodded before leaving. As he left, Yang took out a vial, Red Death pausing its lunch as it looked at the vial. It was a poisonous vapor which instilled sleep for a good ten hours. Of course, Red Death was immune to such a weak, harmless poison and thought nothing of it.


    "Things are going according to plan, Supreme One," Red Death said as it turned its attention to him.


    "Supreme One? No, other snakes are more powerful than me now. World Serpent will do. And yes, things are going according to plan. That little mess up in the village brought unexpected rewards. I got wood necessary to make a spear of the middle immortal rank. I just need the metal, and I now have millions of demon spirit coins. I think it''s time I went to an auction," Yang said.


    "Is that the true reason Sovereign only wanted the demon spirit coins?" Red Death asked.


    "Of course. There are always contingencies and there might be a treasure sold in the auction that could positively and negatively affect my plans in different hands" Yang said and paused as he stared out the window. "Red Death, what do you see out there?"


    "People?" Red Death answered.


    "Yes. People. The more I travel this world, the less I see it as I once used to. I...had parents but have no love to them. Yet, I seem to care for my sister enough to care about her problems. She''s supposed to be a tool," Yang said as he stared at the clouds. "What am I doing here, Red Death?"


    "Isn''t master aiming to conquer the world?" Red Death asked.


    "To what end? I will ascend. The more I think about it, the more conflicted I become. I have a new form, a serpentine dragon, but I am not who I once was. I cannot level mountains or split oceans. I cannot kill phoenix magical beasts stronger than me, but I no longer have to rely on my poison for everything," Yang said.


    "You did not voice these thoughts before," Red Death noted.


    "Did you see those people run? They thought of me as evil. I....was always alone. Always alone. I would see others and envy them. Did you know? I seldom destroyed cities. I only destroyed military cities, only killing the guards of a city and wrecking homes. I did not kill humans with families for I had one and lost it. I had parents in this live, yet I felt nothing for them. I have siblings, but I see them as tools. I ask you, am I evil?" Yang asked.


    "Master," Red Death said before Yang continued.


    "I could not see past the hate, past the me who only saw the horrors and suffering of this world. I ruined many lives, taking their happiness away like mine was. I...am changing this country by being the old me. I am no fool. Shen Dong must have plans of his own. I even named you Red Death. I tame snakes, never making a magical beast contract. I am still alone. I see this now," Yang said, sighing and closed his eyes. Red Death''s eyes widened as it felt a change in its body. "You are free, no longer tamed."


    "Master, I have known you since birth. I think you freed me somehow, but I know not what to do," Red Death said.


    "Bring a male human back from the kitchens," Yang said, Red Death nodding as it became its full size. It returned with a human who had a bump on his head and was unconscious.


    "What are you doing?" Red Death hissed as it saw Yang inject his spirit energy into the man.


    "Kill him," Yang said and Red Death bit into the man''s neck the man waking up only to silently scream before dying.


    "Go to the horde. You are at the Element Adept Stage. Those weaklings won''t be able to kill you," Yang said and burned burned the body with poisonous vials, taking out a storage ring and putting most of his demon spirit coins and one of the five branches of the tree he got inside it. He also put most of the supplies from the bandit village inside. He bound the storage ring, replacing the one on his finger. Yang placed his original storage ring onto one of the dead man''s fingers after he unbound the ring. Finally, he placed the Moon Lotus Spear on his palm, his blood on the spear head as he set it down.


    "Are you faking your own death?" Red Death realized.


    "I have changed. A snake isn''t evil. It just is. It lays in the shadows, never in plain sight. Guo Yang is in plain sight. He is the chore of this group of participants. He is the most renown in Gold Lotus City. The old me, before I lost my first mother, was never like this," Yang said, breaks in his skin appearing. Red Death stared in awe as he peeled off his skin, revealing new skin and his hair had become more vibrant.


    However, he did not look like Guo Yang at all. It was as if he physically shed his identity. Yang coughed blood violently, spreading his blood all over the floor as a neidan appeared. It was not his jade neidan, but that of the snake he killed.


    "I don''t understand. Why do this?" Red Death asked as Yang turned to leave and saw Mei there.


    "I knew something was wrong," Mei said, seeing her brother changed and left a note on the table.


    "Why did you come down? You should all be sleeping," Yang said and saw that she had black spirit energy radiate around her head at a thin layer. "Your control improved."


    "Why do this?" she asked. "Did grandma''s therapy truly work?"


    "No," he said and moved to pass her but she blasted him back with her spirit energy, shocking Yang as she was at the middle Element Adept Stage. "You...hid your cultivation even from me?"


    "Why did you change? How did you change?" she asked. "I heard everything. There is something you''re hiding. What is it?"


    "Don''t mind it," Yang said, his hair now red as his eyes were the color of sand. "Just let me go."


    "No. What is it that makes your heart ache?" she asked.


    "My heart aches? My heart aches?" Yang laughed manically, tears going down his eyes. "That''s right. My heart aches! I felt pain as I watched that son hug his mother. I felt pain as I looked into his eyes and saw the same fear I had when I was about to lose my own mother as he was scared for his father.....I saw myself!"


    "Yang..." Mei began.


    "Me! I saw me! I saw a weak, scared little boy who relied on the warmth and protection of his parents. It was all he had, what I had. I lost it all! ALL! I spent years crying in misery, that pain and grief turning to rage and hate. It was not just toward the birds, it was to the whole fucking world!" Yang said, tears going down Mei''s eyes as well.


    "You must have been young and scared," Mei said and saw Yang grab a chair and throw it against the wall, seeing the chairs limbs scatter in all directions.


    "I was alone! I was hunted. I was beaten. Parts of me was eaten as I fought for my life. The part of me explaining about the birds, it was how I almost died! It was how my mother would have died! Did you know? I thought having feelings made me weak. I forgot hate and anger is also a form of showing feelings. It twisted my mind, letting me do whatever I needed to do to get what I wanted. I never saw the result of my actions," Yang shouted.


    "You were just a snake. You didn''t have to feel all that," Mei said.


    "Exactly! I''m not a snake anymore! I was raised a human! My hate and anger showed signs of weakening, allowing my feelings to return! Since my Yin Yang Divine Tattoo changed, I started becoming like the old me. I was the World Serpent again. However, it did not feel like me. Did you know, I felt disgust for bandits. The old me would not even spare a thought. I felt envy and jealous of the warmth between the mother and son. Something changed in me slowly and it suddenly burst, like a broken faucet!" Yang cried as he broke a table with a bang of his fist. He fell to his knees crying. "Why? Why do I feel my old pains? Why? Why?"


    "Yang," Mei said as she went to him, pulling his head into her arms as she knelt on both knees before him. "We humans are emotional creatures. We seek love. We seek affection from others. Whether it is their admiration or fear, love or hate, respect or envy; we seek it all. Our intelligence is on a higher level. Emotions, we always attempt to understand it. Sometimes, that emotion fades as we age. It is okay to cry. You haven''t cried at all. Let it out."


    "I can''t. I feel like I am betraying myself as I keep crying. I have to stop," yang said, tears still streaming down his eyes.


    "Then let me cry for you," Mei said, her tears falling onto his head. "You''re not alone. You have me, your sister. The note I placed on the table will make others believe someone killed you and took me away to be sold as a slave. It would mock the others for boasting how it made them all fall asleep and do all this under their noses. Let''s leave the Pangu Continent and explore the world. I don''t believe the Pangu Continent holds all the Fragments of Lightning. The Elemental Sovereign''s body was shattered, right? It must be all over the world unlike the Fragments of Darkness."


    "You would leave the others behind?" he asked, stunned as they stood up and looked at each other. Mei discarded her Gold Lotus Sword and scattered some of her possessions on the floor to make it look like a struggle. Then, she turned to Yang.


    "I know what I have inside me. Others will target our clan to possess me and take the Eye of Darkness for themselves. That''s why so many experts came. However, no one knows the truth. As you said, the world is cruel. There is bound to be others who would even kill their own sons for power. You want to leave, so I will go with you. Let us see the world together," Mei said, holding out her hand. "Let''s live the lives we should have before all the pain. We can return, one day. Are you ready, little brother?"


    Yang breathed deeply several times and took her hand. "Alright. Where will we go first?"


    "South. I heard there are bounds of land where mages and practitioners live. We can learn magic and become true adventurer''s," Mei said as she dropped her guild card on the ground. "We are fifteen. We have our whole life ahead of us."


    "We must go to the capital," Yang said after a moment.


    "Why?" Mei asked.


    "The auction house. We''ll need rare artifacts and they should be sold in an auction house if it is based in the capital. Most of the merchants are going to take the northern path around the mountains. It will take three weeks, but we will arrive in the capital safely. By then, the tournament would be over. I am confident Guo Lin will succeed. My death and your capture will finally influence him to pursue cultivation. His mind is not fragile. He will not go down the path of vengeance with Shen Qing beside him," Yang said.


    "We could also create an alias for yourself as you don''t look like the old you. I''ll have to change my appearance somehow," she said.


    "No. No one has seen your face in the capital and your spirit energy is in the midst of fusing with that of the Eye of Darkness. Otherwise, there would be no way you would be awake from my sleeping gas. When we apply for a guild card, we''ll also accept a mission to the southern continent. In this way, we''ll have a connection and an easier time traveling there," Yang said.


    "We will do as you say, brother. I''ll keep my name though. I''m not so quick to adapt as you," Mei said. "Well, shall we go?"


    "...thank you," Yang mumbled, Mei smiling and pretending she didn''t hear him as she lead him outside. Red Death was watching silently. It smiled as it became small again and slithered toward the kitchens, planning to leave through a different path.


    "This is how one sheds one''s self. To finally leave the past, and cast its pains aside to look forward. It seems master finally found what held him back in the Mortal Realm: a place to belong and be free of the pain that haunted him. The pain of loss and the fear of being alone. The World Serpent will return. This time, he will be a true king and not a lone tyrant. In the meantime, I will gather our brothers and sisters, The dragons and phoenixes remember the World Serpent. His rage and fury protected us  and cared them to the point of never hunting us, whilst he lived. Perhaps this time, he will lead us into a better future," Red Death hissed and slithered through an opening into the kitchen.

 Chapter 22: The Capital

    Writer''s Note: Been busy with papers due and finals coming up. Geez. Enjoy the chapter.


    Chapter 22: The Capital


    "How you guys holding up back there?" a man asked as a large caravan proceeded out of the mountains.


    "We''re doing fine," Mei answered, putting a wet towel on Yang''s head. Yang had a strong fever, sweat forming and covering his brow. His eyes were shut tight, groaning in his deep sleep. A woman in her late twenties was in the carriage with the two duo, helping Mei care for Yang as a little girl and boy watched.


    "He is doing alright. The lad has done something which went entirely against his spiritual self. He is on the verge of victory in the war inside his own mind," the woman said, a practitioner at the middle Meteor Vessel Stage. "It is strange. Such a metamorphosis does not occur so early in life. What has your friend done to cause this?"


    "He cast aside his past," Mei said.


    "The hold of the past must have been strong then," the woman said as she pat Yang''s cheeks to absorb the sweat into the wet towel she also held. "It''s been almost three weeks since you joined our caravan. This young man is at the peak of the Element Adept Stage, you are also at the same cultivation level. It is good to have such childhood friendship."


    "Yes. Lance Wang and I have been friends for a long time," Mei said, the Guo siblings choosing this new alias for Yang as they were to go to the southern continent where the mages lived. This way, Yang would be considered part of both continents and explained his red hair color.


    "It must be true. A metamorphosis this long, it''s as if he is a human becoming a dragon," the woman nodded. "We should be at the capital soon. He should awaken before then. Lance will be fine. You should both be careful though. Some don''t like foreigners ever since the Day of the Eye and Snake."


    "Of course," Mei said, staring silently at Lance. "We''ll be fine. We''ll be leaving the Pangu Continent soon."


    "Hoping to learn magic too, are you?" the woman asked, Mei nodding.


    "We experienced much pain here. It is good to have a fresh start and explore the world, learning its ways. Doing so, we will be more powerful than we ever could have been," Mei said and noticed Yang open his eyes.


    "....Mei.....I''m thirsty," Lance rasped, Mei quickly giving him a cup of water.


    "I presume the war within you is over?" the woman asked, Lance nodding silently.


    "Good. My grandchildren and I will return to our carriage now. Make sure he rests until we enter the capital," the woman said, the duo murmuring thanks as the three outsiders left.


    "I am finally at the initial Meteor Vessel Stage," Lance sighed, feeling raw power inside his body. "I can now draw spirit energy from the stars."


    "Yes," Mei nodded as she helped him lean back against the wall of the carriage. "What was it like, the metamorphosis?"


    "It was...horrible. I can''t express it in words. There are none. My personality remains the same: cold and heartless. The transition will take time. Being human is difficult. It affects my mentality more than I would like to admit," Lance sighed. "I need to rest. Maybe I can sleep this time."


    "Alright," Mei said, seeing Lance close his eyes. "I guess it was too much to expect him to change right away."


    A few days later, "Lance, it''s time to get up. We''re here."


    "So this is the capital," Lance said as he gazed at the golden wall before him.


    "Not exactly. This is the outer walls. Most of the farming and armed forces live here," a guard riding a horse beside them answered as Lance and Mei poked their heads through the windows of the carriage. "The outer area of the city is fifty miles long. The real city is past the inner walls. It''s shaped like a large oval, the actual city only encompassing half of it with the palace laying against a huge mountain range."


    "What about invasion from the mountain range?" Lance asked.


    "Impossible. Magical beasts at the Meteor Vessel Stage reside all over the surface of the mountain range, the inside of the mountain covered with traps and a labyrinth. The weakest palace guard is at the initial Meteor Vessel Stage and all of them are equipped with magical reloading crossbows. Land, air, or underground; nothing can threaten the city," the guard said. "We are going inside soon. Our job of escorting you is over. Have fun in the capital."


    "Thank you," Mei said and she and her brother left the carriage and stood in line. Guards would check them in ten minute intervals. Lance was getting irritated at the constant inspections but the city guards were all at the Element Adept Stage. He would be imprisoned against so many of them as he just became an initial Meteor Vessel Stage practitioner.


    "State your business in the capital?" a man with a large scroll and quill asked.


    "We''re going to go to the auction house and apply to the Adventurer''s Guild," Lance said.


    "Foreigner?" the guard asked.


    "Half. I was born here, but my mother wasn''t. My name is Lance Wang, family name of Wang," Lance answered.


    "Explains why it''s just the hair then. Thought you dyed it," the guard nodded and gave them silver passes. "These passes are given to visitors. You are allowed to stay one month in the capital. The fee for entry is 15 demon spirit coins, 30 demon spirit coins for a month extension."


    "That won''t be necessary," Lance said, giving the guard 30 demon spirit coins to pay for them both. "We''re only here for the weekly auction. The big one is once a week, right?"


    "Yes it is. Tomorrow in fact. Follow the road down and take the third path on your left. It''ll take you to the Adventurer''s Guild. You can''t miss it," the guard said and waved his hand. Ten guards nodded and allowed Mei and Lance to head into the city. "Welcome to Gold Song City, the heart of the Song Dynasty."


    "The big city sure is different. Look at all the vendors!" Mei cried, admiring all the merchandise of the shops and stalls on display.


    "We''re not here to go shopping," Lance sighed and headed to a man selling BBQ. "I''ll buy three sticks."


    "That''ll be eighteen demon spirit coins," the vendor said, exchanging the sticks for the money. "Storage ring. Not bad."


    "Yes. Do you happen to know the results of the inter-academic competition?" Lance asked, five demon spirit coins in his hand.


    "Ah, yes. Gold Lotus City was the victor. Some kid named Guo Lin was first place, a prince and princess taking the next two ranks," the man answered, smiling as he got the coins.


    "Thanks for the info," Lance said, handing a stick to Mei as he finished one quickly and took his time eating the second.


    "Lin won. That''s a relief," Mei said as she headed inside a shop. Lance frowned as he saw that it was a mail carrier shop.


    "What are you doing?" he asked.


    "Writing a letter to say that I''ve escaped the man who kidnapped me and currently finding out clues to who is in charge of the criminal ring the kidnapper worked for. I am letting them know that I aim to take it down and won''t return home anytime soon," Mei answered. "I''m letting them know you''re alive, the two of us separated as I could not save you from a group of slavers at the Meteor Vessel Stage."


    "Why do that?" Lance asked.


    "Because mom and dad will cry their hearts out. They do love you, you know," Mei said.


    "I suppose. Not used to the whole emotions kind of thing. I am still inclined to not care," Lance shrugged. "Get on with it then. Let''s head to the guild."


    "Wait up!'' Mei said as she quickly finished the letter and paid the shop, an emblem of an eye, sun, and lightning bolt on the letter on the top left of the envelope. Mei was sure her family would know it was her.


    "I can never understand sentimental thoughts. Is it really necessary to send a letter now?" Lance asked mildly as they walked down the road as they saw the third path on their left. "Have you thought of an alias?"


    "Yes. My first name will still be Mei. I''ll use your alias''s last name, Wang, and pose as your cousin," Mei answered.


    As Lance and Mei walked in, people stared at them. Lance had the hair color of a foreigner and both of them were not even adults. Most of the guild members didn''t bother to check their cultivation, but the smart ones did. They were utterly terrified. The two only looked around fifteen and they were both at the Meteor Vessel Stage? They could practically be palace guards with their cultivation!


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Heh. Look at that foreigner. Wait, he looks like one of us. It''s just his hair. Ha! A half mutt huh?" a man laughed, his friends around his table laughing as the smart guild members paled with fear. Most of them were at the Spirit Forming Stage, a few at the Element Adept Stage. It was because the Adventurer''s Guild was not popular in the Pangu Continent  and most guild branches were formed in the other continents. The Adventurer''s Guild in the Pangu Continent only formed just over a century ago. The prejudice against foreigners was exactly the reason.


    "Calm down. Don''t fight them," Mei said, holding Lance''s arms as he glared at them.


    "Yeah kid. Don''t fight us. You''ll be beat up. Run along to mommy now," the man laughed, his friends roaring with laughter.


    "Mei, let go before I hurt you too," Lance said, Mei quickly letting go as Lance smiled at the gentlemen. "You guys look like you make enough to get by. You must have a lot of stuff. Give it to me or watch as I rip your arms off."


    "This guy," the man laughed pointing at Lance. "Thinks he is so tough. Just what is his cultivation to....."


    "Oh gods. Meteor Vessel Stage?" one of his friends gasped, pale white with fear. "It has to be. I can''t sense his cultivation."


    "It can''t be. What do you know? You''re only a Spirit Forming practitioner. I''m an Element Adept. Now, let''s...." another friend scoffed and fell back on his chair. "It''s true! Boss, he''s a Meteor Vessel practitioner!"


    "What?" the man frowned and turned to Lance, chocking as Lance appeared before him in a flahs and grabbed him by the throat.


    "You know, I''m having a hard time adjusting to the changes over the past three weeks. Feeling pity for others, having to care about people''s feelings, and being a good person. It''s fucking annoying. How do you people deal with this shit? Do I have to be an idiot kid and grow up to understand it?" Lance mocked as he lifted the man in the air. "Fuck. I'',m taking your arm now."


    "Wait!" a receptionist at the desk cried but was too late as Lance ripped out the right arm of the man. "He''s left handed!"


    "Oh. Then it''s both arms then," Lance said and mercilessly ripped out the other arm before turning to the friends. "Save yourself the pain and tell me which one is your sword arm."


    "Wait! Wait! Here is my storage bag. I''ve unbound it. Take it. Take it," a man cried, the others falling suit as they unbound their storage bags and gave it to him.


    "Lance!" Mei cried, Lance turning to her.


    "What? Is what I''ve done illegal? This idiot boss and I are both cultivators. According to the law, as I understand it, it is legal if one party enrages the other. So long as it does not involve murder, fighting is allowed," Lance said.


    "You are trying to be a better person. This is not how you do it," Mei sighed.


    "I didn''t torture the bastard. What more do you want? I didn''t even poison him," Lance said, a green haze appearing in his left hand.


    "That''s just spirit energy," a woman in the building said. "How is that poison?"


    "I am a poison cultivator. My very spirit energy is poison," Lance smiled, the people backing to the wall as Lance smiled at the man he chocked. A burst of cold came from his hands and the man was encased in ice from the neck down. "I can''t kill you. Against the law, you see. I am also attempting to be a better person, so I won''t kill you outside the city either. No point anyway. You got no arms. Unbind the storage ring you have and I will use my light element healing art: Radiant Touch, to heal you."


    "You know a human practitioner art?" Mei frowned.


    "Hey now. Just because I don''t use them, does not mean I don''t learn them either. Those bandits had quite a few practitioner arts manuals. I merely took a few without you guys knowing about it," Lance shrugged and looked at the man. "What''s it going to be? Your arms or your stuff? Frankly, I can just inject my spirit energy around your arm. It will become corroded by my spirit energy and no one would be able to regenerate it, spreading the poison instead. Of course, that''s just the second option. The first is ideal, I think. No?"


    "My arms," the man sobbed. "Please give me my arms."


    "Of course," Lance said, snapping his fingers and the man was still held by the throat. The ice was gone and his arms were back. Surprisingly, there was no blood or arms to be found anywhere as the man unbound his storage ring.


    "What just happened?" a man cried, even Mei stunned.


    "Ah, people. I am trying to change, no? I merely used my Light Puppet Art. There is a Radiant Touch Art, but I never learned it.


    "But, but I saw you rip out his arms. We all did," the man''s friend cried out.


    "My Light Puppet Art is hypnotism. What the mind sees, the mind believes. It also helps to have people hear what I said," Lance smiled and turned to Mei. "Mei, am I the brute type of fighter?"


    "No. Far from it," she replied immediately. "We didn''t look at your eyes though."


    "Indeed, but don''t humans use a medium to entrance others. When something exciting happens, don''t you focus on precisely that so as to avoid the details. When I chocked the man, what did you look at?" Lance asked.


    "Your right hand," Mei said and her eyes widened as she stared at the red storage ring. "You used your storage ring as the medium!"


    "Bingo. Er, I believe that is the word," Lance shrugged as he let the man go, the poor guy gasping for breath. "Did you see water around the man as I encased him in it? I can create water out of my spirit energy, but I cannot freeze anything without water already being there. The devil is in the details. Magic is a form of deception, er, hypnotism. Magic does exist after all."


    "So you couldn''t rip my arms out," the man glared as he caught his breath, a chill running down his spine as Lance smiled at him.


    "Oh, you poor stupid man. Do you honestly believe a Meteor Vessel Stage practitioner cannot rip out the arm of a man with a lower cultivation? Save for the whole freezing in a block of ice, I really did show what the old me would have done. I think that''s progress," Lance nodded, pleased with himself.


    "That is...progress," Mei admitted, scaring more of the people in the guild. "We came to register to the guild. At our cultivation, I believe we qualify for a C Rank license."


    "Yes. Please come with me," the receptionist said quickly, hoping the calm the situation and restore order.


    "Here. I only wanted the storage ring of the man who insulted me," Lance said, returning the storage bag to the man''s friends. If you want to make friends with a racist asshole, he better damn well have the strength to back it up. In this society, strength does it. In others, not so much. You might not want to leave the Pangu Continent if you stay with this ass."


    "Yes. Thank you," the men sighed with relief as they got their storage bags back.


    "You didn''t keep them?" Mei asked as he walked back to her side.


    "I already checked. It''s not hard. They had nothing of value. Even a storage ring costs 10,000 demon spirit coins. Storage bags cost a measly 100," Lance shrugged, many growing silent with shame as even 100 demon spirit coins can last a scrooge for a month.


    "Week 3," Mei wrote in her journal as she completed her guild test and waited for Lance. "Lance makes some progress. He did not kill a man and returned some storage bag. Some negative progress was the fact that he uses more devious methods to trick the mind of others. He uses hypnotism with his words now. He jokes now, but it is too scary and the time and place is not suitable. Is Lance Wang, a more emotional human, better than Guo Yang? That remains to be seen, for now."


    "Got the damn license. Now we can go to the auction and ditch this empire," Lance said. "I never did explore the planet. I''m actually getting kind of excited."


    Mei scratched out some words before following Lance. "....<del>to be seen, for now.</del> He exhibits more of his emotions albeit in a cold manner sometimes. However, he is more curious about the world."


    "What are you waiting for? We need to book an inn to rest for the auction tomorrow," Lance frowned as he stood at the door, the people in the building silent with awe and fear. Fear for him as a person, and awe in respect to his cultivation at his young age.


    "Just writing in my diary," Mei said, Lance tilting his head.


    "You have a diary. I suppose you''re a girl after all," Lance nodded and went on ahead.


    "Hey! What do you mean by that?" Mei shouted as she stormed after him.

 Chapter 23: The Auction House

    Writer''s Note: Been busy due to coming finals and research papers, some I did already. Also had job interview so I am joining the work force! Yay......Well, I will give a brief POV of Guo Lin before continuing on with Guo Yang ---> Lance Wang''s story. What would you buy at an auction? I would buy a spear, but Lance only needs metal to finish making his spear.


    Chapter 23: The Auction House


    -----POV of Guo Lin---------


    "And so we return home," Sun Yi said in silence as the party returned to Gold Lotus City. It had taken them two and a half weeks to return home, immediately leaving when the tournament ended.


    "What do I tell my parents?" Lin said as they passes the city gates. "Mei''s been kidnapped and Yang is dead. Maybe Red Death got taken to be a snack for a magical beast of the kidnapper. I can''t tell them. I can''t do it."


    "Something''s wrong," Sun Yi said, the group pausing as he took out a jade talisman.


    "Is that a transmission talisman?" Guan Hai asked.


    "Yes. I had spies in many places. As you might have guessed, it was my spies who blockaded the bridge," Sun Yi smiled awkwardly as Guan Hai''s face changed.


    "It was you? Why?" Shen Dong demanded.


    "You remember us killing the necromancer? Well, that''s why," Sun Yi said, holding up a hand to listen to a message from the talisman. "That''s strange."


    "What is?" Shen Hua asked.


    "A letter arrived in the mail carrier shop in the capital. It was addressed to the Guo Clan. The sender was a girl at the Meteor Vessel Stage," Sun Yi frowned. "The sender on the envelope is an eye, a sun, and a lightning bolt."


    "Guo Mei!" Lin shouted, grabbing the talisman. "She escaped the kidnapper? How is she? Is she coming home?"


    "Give me that!" Sun Yi snapped and took the talisman back. "The spy opened the letter. It says she won''t be coming home....Holy shit! Guo Yang is alive!"


    "He''s alive?" the others and Guan Hai cried out, shocked.


    "Impossible. We have his storage ring with all his poisons and I checked the body. It contained his spirit energy," Shen Dong shook his head.


    "It is possible if you inject spirit energy into the body. The body was also burned beyond recognition," Guan Hai said.


    "You''re an Earth Mortal. Can''t you fly there and forcibly bring her back?" Guo Lin asked.


    "I cannot. The distance is too far. If she is to chase Guo Yang''s kidnappers, she won''t stay in the capital long. Without any clues, it''s impossible. Still, she reached the Meteor Vessel Stage before you all? Even Prince Shen Dong?" Guan Hai frowned.


    "It must be because she mastered her control over the Eye of Darkness. It is a powerful cultivation resource and, I presume, the reason she has a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo," Shen Qing answered, Guo Lin nodding as she looked at him.


    "I don''t have to tell my family now," Lin rejoiced.


    "Your brother''s still enslaved," Sun Yi said, Lin sighing as it was the truth.


    "Can your spies follow her?" Shen Hua asked.


    "No. They cannot detect her cultivation as she is at the Meteor Vessel Stage," Sun Yi shook his head. "The spy also doesn''t know what she looked like. He only got the letter and is part of the group who performs safety checks on the letter for dangerous items via spirit sense. It''s strange though. My spies tell me Yang''s snakes were released and all left your clan''s territory. That should be proof that he is dead."


    "Could it happen if his cultivation is sealed?" Lu Jing asked.


    "It is possible. They are not contracted to Guo Yang''s soul they are not his magical beasts. However, I don''t know much about magical beast taming," Guan Hai said, shaking his head.


    "I hope they''re alright. I better tell my family though," Lin said, going into the city with the others behind him.


    -------------Back in the Capital----------------


    "Good morning Lance," Mei smiled as she saw her brother at the first floor, eating chicken dumplings and a bowl of egg noodle soup. "Such a plain breakfast?"


    "Nothing wrong with chicken," Lance shrugged, biting half a giant dumpling from his chopsticks before eating the second half. "You do know what we are going to do today, right?"


    "The auction," Mei answered.


    "Yes, and we will leave the city soon after. I''ve no doubt some rich snobs will send men to follow and steal from us if we buy the more expensive items. We should also buy a disguising or illusion type magical treasure to change your face. It is...inconvenient," Lance said as he attempted to find the right word.


    "I don''t look bad," Mei said, taking out a mirror to fix her hair.


    "...whatever," Lance said silently and looked her in the eye. "We cannot afford to risk being discovered. Your face is a problem. We need it fixed. Unless....you are willing to partake of preferred alternative."


    "What''s that?" Mei asked, paling as he grinned evilly.


    "Oh, well. It''s like this. Snakes study the bone structure of our prey so as to accurately bind, constrict, and crush the prey to death with an assurance of no retaliation. Long story short: I break the bones in your face and mold it into a new shape," Lance said.


    "NO!" Mei said, her voice silencing the inn. "Ah, sorry everyone. Sorry. Lance, look at what you made me do!"


    "I did nothing. You asked and I answered," Lance said, Mei grumbling as she ordered her food and stabbed it violently with her chopsticks. Lance sighed and took out a white-hooded cloak and gave her a bronze mask, the mask only having slits for her nostrils, eyes, and mouth. There was no other feature on the smooth mask.


    "What''s this?" she asked.


    "Your face, for now," Lance said. "Found it among the magical treasures of the bandits. The most useless treasure as it does nothing. Not even offering protection. The only thing magical about it is that it stretches as you open and close your mouth. That''s it. I spit on the incompetent idiot who created it. It''s so stupid, I nearly vomited when i found out its effect. Break it and burn it once we buy you the item we need. Such a thing makes my eyes bleed with disgust."


    "Alright," Mei said, slightly offended as it would be her temporary face. An hour later, Lance and the disguised Mei appeared before the gold and black building known to be the biggest and most luxurious auction house in all the Pangu Continent. Lance had changed into a robe made of an Element Adept Black Tiger''s fur. The black and orange-striped robe did not draw much attention as they were at the biggest auction house. Naturally, people were expected to have such clothing.


    "Halt. We do not allow the poor to come here," a guard said as he stopped Lance and Mei.


    "Oh. Really?" Lance said as used his Stone Breaker Art, his right arm turning into a giant blade which pierced through the guard''s chest. Lance spat with disdain and flung the guard at the crowd behind him, snapping hsi fingers to shatter the earth blade and spread the man''s blood all over the crowd and floor.


    "You get in my way, and I kill you. You dare block a practitioner of the Meteor Vessel Stage? Fucking Spirit Forming, judging me by my age. Do you think I am trash, like you. Do you not have eyes? Do I look like my cultivation is not strong enough to simply kill a black tiger magical beast of the Element Adept Stage. Do I look like I need to buy this cloak? Use you spirit sense and tell me I''m wrong," Lance snarled at three guards which rushed to him.


    "Meteor Vessel?" many in the crowd paled, gasping as it was true. Lance had to be a descendant of a rather powerful clan, to be at the fourth tier of cultivation at such a young age. He only looked about fifteen! Mei sighed. Lance didn''t need to kill the guard, or even resort to use his earth practitioner art. He wanted a show and he enjoyed it.


    "You didn''t have to kill him," a guard said.


    "He barred my way. I am a practitioner. In our world, the strong trample the weak. Always. A thousand years ago and a thousand years from now: the truth will never change. It has just expanded to political power, humans no longer primitive beings of intelligence. However, the power of cultivation stands above all things. That is how it was, how it is, and how it will always be," Lance said, pushing the guards aside as he walked into the building.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "For the mess of my master," Mei said, giving a hundred demon spirit coins. Guards looked at the masked female and Lance. If the slave, what they assumed Mei to be, easily gave a hundred demon spirit coins; Lance was definitely from a clan they could not afford to offend. He might be a noble''s hidden child, maybe extended royalty.


    "That was quite the entrance," Mei muttered as Lance entered the gates and proceeded into the giant building. "Was that necessary?"


    "You obviously live in a small world. This is the largest auction house in the continent. Only the rich and powerful can be allowed entry here. Maybe people can enter the smaller auction rooms, but the main building is where only the richest and strongest can bid. We had to display our status. The sacrifice of a worthless guard with no eyes is nothing compared to the goal. Humans are wrong. Some are but a means to an end. That is their destiny and the destiny of the weak. You want to avoid this? Become powerful. Become strong. Do not trample over others. That is cowardice," Lance began.


    "Face them head on and destroy them utterly. Defeat only means future battles. Destruction is the end. In the end, destruction is the way to enter the Heavens," Lance continued. "Cast aside mortal affairs. Destroy your enemies that seek to block your path. Follow in the ways of the world and learn its laws. That is true cultivation. That is what it means to be a practitioner. Remember it. I failed. That is why I am here. We are not like them, content with the Mortal Realm. Am I wrong?"


    "No," Mei said. "But what you ask is hard. Very hard. Are we buying a V.I.P. Box?"


    "Of course. You see, while you slept, I went shopping. I also bought a memory crystal. Within it, I inscribed some practitioner technique I know that took me a while to convert to human capacity. It is sure to get us a V.I.P. Box," Lance grinned. "It is called Violet Transformation Art. It absorbs the fire essence of the very sun and allows you to cultivate the sun''s far more powerful spirit energy instead of the spirit energy around you. For fire element practitioners, such a thing is beyond priceless, worth kingdoms."


    "And you''re selling it?" Mei asked. "I thought you don''t need money."


    "I don''t, but ten spirit demon coins is equivalent to one gold demon coin, the currency of the continent we are to go to. We can exchange our money, in secret, at the Adventurer''s Guild. However, I am depositing them into the guild where I can withdraw the balance from any guild branch all over the world. In this way, exchanging currency is never an issue," Lance answered. "Remember, not all continents and currencies accept the same currency. In the southern continent, they love coins made of gold demon bones over spirit demon bones."


    "Hello, young master. What business do you have at the Gold Song Auction House?" a man smiled.


    "I am here to bid in the main auction house as well as to sell this," Lance said, handing a memory crystal. "This is a low grade memory crystal. After one use, knowledge of the practitioner art is imprinted into the mind and can no longer be used or taught as it also provides a special energy to allow the body to tolerate it."


    "This will certainly raise the price. Come with me," the man smiled and the siblings followed the man into a hidden room with multiple guards in middle grade armor. It seemed that the guards were at the Meteor Vessel Stage within the auction house itself. A fat man with a short, pointed beard appeared a few minutes later to inspect the crystal.


    "Senior Jiang, the assessment?" the man asked.


    "This, this is extraordinary! Absolutely extraordinary. Young man, do you know what this is?" the man asked, looking at Lance with awe evident in his voice.


    "Of course I know what it is. I''m the seller. However, I do not have affinity to fire. I have no use for that thing, nor does my clan," Lance said. The Guo Clan did need it, but were not at the strength to defend themselves and prevent their clansmen from being kidnapped and having the practitioner technique stolen after intense and extensive study. "I trust no one will know I am the seller? My family will be watching. They are always watching."


    "Of course. Of course. Mr. Lu, this will be one of the twenty items to be sold here today. Make it number 14. Young master, please follow me to your V.I.P. booth. I assure you of the highest quality service and the highest bid possible. However, I''m sure I do not need to say that as fire element practitioners are among the most numerous, being one of the four main elements of the modern era," the man, surname Jiang, smiled warmly and gestured out the room. Mr Lu sweat heavily as he knew the consequence of selling such a crystal. Spreading news would quickly attract many people and he had to ensure its absolute secrecy. He personally seen both the young man and his slave at the Meteor Vessel Stage. His clan was certainly not one to trifle with if a slave at the Meteor Vessel Stage dare not attempt to escape.


    "Follow us," Lance said, not even looking at Mei to uphold their fake status. Seeing Mr. Lu sweat, he knew the man was thinking very hard how to advertise the crystal without exposing the seller.


    "Yes, master," Mei bowed her head and silently followed. She had never been to an auction house and this was suppose to be the most lavish of them all. She feared for them both as there would be many wishing to capture Lance should he buy n expensive item or expose that he sold the crystal. The auction was to be held late afternoon. As it was early morning, there was plenty of time for the news to spread throughout the city.


    "Please wait here," Mr. Jiang smiled. "Servants will come with refreshments and food shortly. Rest assured, no one will be able to disturb you until the auction starts. The black screen around the box blocks all sound and view, disappearing when the auction starts."


    "Thank you," Lance said as he sat down, noticing the black screen all around the V.I.P. box he was in. Like the man said, he could not see the other side or hear anything. "Here is also a deposit of one hundred million demon spirit coins. I believe a guarantee deposit is required, right?"


    "Of course. Young master is most wise and experienced. The servants will arrive around noon to deliver your lunch in a few hours. Thank you for coming to the Gold Song Auction," Mr. Jiang smiled and bowed low.


    "Lance!" Mei said as the man closed the door as he left.


    "What?" Lance asked, confused. "Something wrong?"


    "This auction will definitely be visited by the crown prince. He is a pervert and slaves are sure to be sold here, those deemed of high quality," Mei said.


    "How is that my problem? Don''t tell me, you want me to save every person who is to be bought as a slave?" Lance asked.


    "No. What I''m saying, why don''t we kill the crown prince?" Mei asked, stunning Lance.


    "Aren''t you the one who told me to be a better person? Now, you want me to do exactly what the old me wanted to do? You''re sending me mixed message here," Lance said.


    "Our clan is under Shen Dong''s banner. We are better off with the crown prince dead," Mei replied.


    "And how the hell do we expect us to do that?" Lance asked.


    "I don''t know. You''re the one with the schemes," Mei retorted, Lance sighing as he shook his head.


    "Leave the thinking to me. Just sit there and wait for lunch," Lance said and stroked his chin. "It was true that the Guo Clan was under Shen Dong''s banner, but his little brother was in love with Shen Qing. He would be a good brother by killing Shen Dong later and making Guo Lin the new emperor, right? It was the so-called filial piety if he elevated the status of his clan, right? He read it in a book somewhere. It must be so.


    He spent three hours devising a plan as well as escape routes outside the city should the greedy people in the auction prove too difficult to kill and render him unable to kill the crown prince.


    "It shouldn''t be evil if I do it for family and not myself, right?" Lance muttered, but Mei did not hear him as servants arrived with lunch.


    -----------------------


    Writer: Finals this week and I start my new job soon. My last final is on the 10th so next release might be the 11th. Just a head''s up.

 Chapter 24: Only Money Talks

    Writer''s Note: Freedom! Finals are over and my first training session at a big company is tomorrow. Will try to keep the releases at 2-3 days. No guarantee on dailies due to the new job  and difficulty writing chapters as they are also time consuming. I think I spend 2-4 hours writing one chapter unless it''s a huge trail of thought. Next release is expected to be Sunday. As always, thanks for reading and experiencing the journey of this story with me.


    Chapter 24: Only Money Talks


    "Here is another bottle of cider for you sir," a servant said as he brought another bottle. "The auction will begin shortly as all twenty items of this month''s mega auction have been finalized. Sir''s auctioned item is Item Number 12. The screen will be dropping momentarily."


    "Thank you," Lance said as he sipped some cider. "What is Item Number 1, the highlight of this month''s mega auction?"


    "It is the body of an Earth Mortal rank magical beast, complete with its magical beast core," the servant said, Mei gasping as Lance sighed.


    "Sir is not interested?" the servant asked.


    "All my treasure of my past life is in my neidan. It contains the bodies of thousands of Earth Mortal magical beasts. Their bodies are the only treasures that interested me as I used their cores to become a peak Heavenly Mortal and nearly ascended," Lance thought and shook his head to the servant. "Such a thing only invites death to whomever buys it. I do not wish to be one of two dogs fighting over a bone only to die as I see it taken by a third."


    "Sir is very wise. The screens will be dropping now. You will now be able to see and hear what happens outside the box, and vice versa," the servant bowed and the black screens blocking the V.I.P. Box were lowered. Many people murmured and Lance could see other rich people in their boxes, seeing only the bottom of three above him.


    In total, there were ten. Six at the lowest, three in the middle, and one to form the top of the pyramid of V.I.P. Boxes overlooking the stage and numerous buyers below. The crown prince would definitely be in the top box and the five other people at the bottom of the pyramid did not concern him. If he and Mei were to be attacked, it would be from one of the people in the middle row above them.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gold Lotus Auction House! Without further ado, let''s get to it. I am your curator, Jackie. We begin with Item Number 20. a bracelet hailing from the western region of our Song Dynasty. It has the ability to change one''s appearance and hide their spirit energy to pose as an ordinary human. The starting bid is 200 demon spirit coins," a man in a bright pink tuxedo smiled, his gold mask glistening as people raised their hands to bid.


    "3,000!"


    "3,050!"


    "4,500!"


    "100,000," a young voice said, people below staring back to see Lance lazily raise a hand. "What are you people looking at? We''re wasting time here. I''ve been here all day. Let''s get on with it."


    "100,000 going once. Twice. No takers? Sold to the young man in V.I.P. Box 7. Thank you for your purchase," the curator said, the cart with the bracelet exchanged with another cart with a white statue. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Item Number 19: The Libido Statue. Women with cultivation below the Element Adept Stage will beg to partake of the night activities with the buyer. Also, it has the unique effect of absolute perfect protection and makes your...fluids.....incapable of having a son or daughter so long as you partake of the night activity within a hundred feet of the three foot statue. The starting bid is 500 demon spirit coins."


    "What the hell are they selling?" Mei muttered, Lance chuckling as many bids were placed. As expected of the rumors, the crown prince won in the end, shouting joyfully after spending 2,000 demon spirit coins.


    "A painting, a gourd, and a magical beast of the Element Adept Stage. Truly, you sell anything here," Lance commented as Item Numbers 16 to 18 were auctioned off at above a 100,000. Truly, the people here were too rich. Of course, there was only a single type of currency. There were only demon spirit coins. The empire did not have paper money or higher valued coins in their monetary system. There was only demon spirit coins accepted in the Pangu Continent.


    "Item Number 15 is a very rare great sword. Once used by an Earth Mortal practitioner, it was broken in the center after beheading four practitioners at the peak Meteor Vessel Stage. Although broken, the sword is still of worth to be used as a sword despite the giant hole in the center of the blade," the curator said, gesturing to a black hilt sword with a gold skull guard and pure black blade. "The blade can still be salvaged to make a middle immortal ranked treasure or weapon worthy of the Meteor Vessel Stage."


    "It''s a little big but I can shrink the blade. I could also salvage enough metal to make a few daggers," Lance muttered before saying, "100,000."


    "120,000," a man in the V.I.P. Box 8 said, staring at Lance.


    "150,000," Lance shrugged.


    "180,000!" the man roared, glaring at him.


    "280,000," Lance smiled.


    "500,000!" the man roared, banging his fist on his chair, the crowd below gasping.


    "750,000," Lance said, the man jumping to his feet.


    "1,000,000! Just try to bid higher boy!" he shouted, many people below extremely envious.


    "It''s all yours," Lance smiled, the man nearly spitting blood as he realized he was fooled by Lance. The man was infuriated and Lance smiled. The man would definitely come after him and Lance could simply kill the man and take the great sword from him. He wouldn''t have to pay a single demon spirit coin for it. It was a win-win for Lance.


    "Sold to the man in V.I.P. Box 8 for 1,000,000 demon spirit coins," the curator said, disbelief on his face and everyone could tell he didn''t expect it to be raised so high. It was supposed to be the following items that were intended to be sold at that high price.


    "That''s not what a normal person would have done," Mei whispered to him.


    "Normal? I am the farthest thing from it. My soul isn''t even human. Besides, I can always kill the man later. I made him angry enough," Lance smiled wickedly.


    "You''re trying to be a better person," Mei whispered.


    "I am. I proved I am the better man in an auction bid. I also chose the better option of letting the sheep partake of the grass for a bigger meat to butcher. Isn''t this how a guy becomes a better person? I made the correct choice," Lance laughed. "I already got you that damn bracelet. You pay me 200 demon spirit coins and I''ll decide to let the man live."


    "But I don''t have any money. You took it all from the bandits instead of any magical treasures and weapons," Mei replied.


    "Then that''s it. If you can''t even afford to pay me 200 demon spirit coins, don''t talk to me about one million," Lance shrugged as Item Number 13 and 14 was sold. He rubbed his hands as his item was finally being auctioned off. Finally, the bids reached over 1 million! He was sure to make a profit now!


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat for you all today. This low grade memory crystal contains the cultivation techniques of a fire element practitioner of the Earth Mortal Stage. As we all know, fire element cultivators gather spirit energy from the environment around them. However, what if the fire element practitioner were to absorb the violet fire essence of the sun? The starting bid is 5 million demon spirit coins," the curator smiled, an uproar soon followed.


    "The fire essence of the sun? Such fire element cultivation methods exist?" one cried, flabbergasted.


    "Why was this item ranked so low? As it was inserted into a low grade memory crystal, it should be ranked even higher!" a man nodded, sweat pouring down his brow. "An expert came. A real expert came."


    "7 million!" a man shouted.


    "9 million!" another cried.


    "15 million!" another bid.


    "17 million! That cultivation method will raise my status to no end!" a woman cried.


    "Peh! Damned woman. No one will take it but me. 21 million!" a fat man cried.


    "This is fun. This is a fun time," Lance grinned as bids reached 30 million.


    "How is that?" Mei asked.


    "Look at them down there, at each others'' throat like rabid dogs. They more they bark, the more the money flows. In this building where money talks, the rich talk and the seller makes a profit," Lance said as the bids stopped at forty million.


    "40 million going once. Twice," the curator began until someone in the three V.I.P. Boxes of the middle row raised the bid.


    "50 million," the man said, silencing all others.


    "50 million going once. Twice. Sold for 50 million to the man in V.I.P. Box 2 for 50 million demon spirit coins," the curator beamed.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Not bad. That''s worth 5 million gold demon coins by the southern continent''s currency exchange. Should be enough spare change," Lance nodded.


    "Spare change? Just how many demon spirit coins do you have?" Mei whispered, stunned.


    "The bandit village was the main headquarters of the bandits. It is geographically placed in front of the mountain path connecting the eastern region of the Pangu Continent to the capital. Each and every merchant caravan would be rich. Just think about how much money they had the longer the bandits lived there?" Lance whispered, Mei''s breath accelerating as she could only imagine how many demon spirit coins he had and multiplied it.


    "You cheated us! You could have bought those priceless magical treasures with that amount of money. No wonder you chose to keep all the money in exchange for no magical treasures. You thieving snake!," Mei hissed, the servant in the V.I.P. Box standing far away at the door and unable to hear them.


    "No matter where you go, two things talk in our world. They are money and power. Money in terms of currency and power in terms of cultivation or the mage equivalent. With money, you become the loan shark who rules all but has to buy people to protect your investments. With power, you can take what you want but fall to the level of banditry as you lack the money to buy what you want. With money and power, you are the king. You do not have to take what you want and have the power to protect what you have," Lance grinned. "Me? I prefer to be a king than a loan shark or a bandit. You? You have the power but lack the money. You are a bandit in the making."


    "That is a rather vain way to view things," Mei commented.


    "That''s life," Lance said as he sipped some cider while Item Numbers 8 to 10 were sold off. "Why do you think children of noble clans are arrogant assholes? It is because their clans have the money to buy cultivation resources and the elders and patriarchs to provide the power to protect them. It''s that simple, its vain," Lance shrugged.


    "Now, Item Number 7 is a book from the southern continent. It is a continent of mages and magic. Thus, this book contains multiple spells and a cultivation method that allows even a practitioner to also become a mage," the curator began, silencing the audience. "It also contains practitioner techniques as well. It is called the Necromonicon, the book of necromancers. Written by a late Earth Mortal who delved in the mystic of magic. It also comes with mysterious black chains where the necromancer refines souls to control the unbreakable chains. The starting bid is 30 million demon spirit coins."


    "Take this," Lance said to the servant, taking the storage ring of the servant and transferring 300 million demon spirit coins into it, ensuring a total bid of 400 million.


    "50 million!" a man cried.


    "70 million!" another said.


    "100 million," the crown prince above said, silencing them all as none dared antagonize him.


    "Hmph. A pervert prince silences your tongues? 150 million," Lance smirked, causing others to look at him in shock.


    "Who the hell are you to bid with me? 160 million," the crown prince, unable to see Lance below.


    "And so a bitch barks. How annoying. 170 million," Lance said.


    "Who are you calling a bitch?" the crown prince shouted.


    "What does a dog say?" Lance asked.


    "Woof?" the crown prince frowned.


    "And so you''re my bitch. You barked and your cultivation is weaker than a slave. How do I know? My slave is a female of the Meteor Vessel Stage and you barked when I commanded. If you''re not a bitch, how is your cultivation weaker than a slave whose status is even less? Too funny," Lance chuckled. "The crown prince barks when I ask. Truly like a female dog barking in seeing its master. You must have bought the Libido Statue as you''re dick was too small. Not that I measure my own, I''m not that desperate. Still, it seems you''re not much of a man."


    The people below could not stifle their laughs as the prince shook with anger, saying, "You dare mess with me? 180 million! You better silence that mouth or I will have my men rip out your tongue!"


    "181 million," Lance smiled. "Are you trying to start a fight? Here? Of course, you can''t start a fight here. How will His Imperial Majesty feel after discovering you wasted so much money buying a Libido Statue? The second highest bid was 4,500, but you bid too high. I mean, I''m rich and all but you bid 100,000 against 4,500. Isn''t that being like a gold digger who sold her body to a big pocket? You gave my slave quite the shock, right slave?"


    "Yes, master," Mei said. She didn''t care anymore as it was the crown prince. Seeing the prince so lustful, perverted, and wasteful; she would have disowned such a boy if she were his mother. She had no qualms about Lance''s plan to kill the man to let Shen Dong ascend the throne.


    "Then I bid 200 million! Let''s see who goes any higher than that!" the crown prince roared but was stopped by a royal guard.


    "Your Highness, the emperor said you can only bid higher than 200 million on the main item being auctioned. You cannot pay for for it," the guard said.


    The crown prince grit his teeth and bid, "200 million. Beat that!"


    Lance laughed maniacally and said as he held a single demon spirit coin in his hand, "200 million raised 1 lone demon spirit coin."


    "This fucking bastard!" the crown prince roared, stopped as he attempted to go over the rail and attack Lance down below.


    "And so, the second target will come," Lance whispered as he sat on his chair, rubbing his hands with glee. "We''re done with this continent and will return as our true identities in the future. No one will know it was us. HAHAHA!"


    "We''re going to kill him openly?" Mei asked.


    "You want to save the innocence of beautiful women everywhere? Gut the jerk and stomp his head into a meat patty," Lance laughed.


    "What about the guards?" Mei asked.


    "What about them? If I threaten to poison the whole city, how could they stop us? They have a prestige to uphold and ambassadors of foreign nations to protect in the capital or risk war," Lance said as the curator looked around.


    "Are there no other bids? Sold to the young man of V.I.P. Box 7 for 200 million and 1 demon spirit coins," the curator said, people stifling laughs at the absurdity while many hated the perverted prince and wondered why the hell the emperor made him crown prince. Eldest didn''t mean greatest and this pervert was an insult to eldest children everywhere.


    "A magical bracelet, profit of a hundred million, a book of the dead, and broken great sword," Lance noted as he had his glass of apple cider refilled. "Only six items left. Should be fun."


    "We already made enemies of two V.I.P. groups," Mei sighed. "We''ll make them all our enemies at this rate. Well, the palace cannot interfere as they have other priorities. I Better slip away while I can."


    "Mei," Lance said, disrupting her thoughts as she walked to lean ear towards him. "Leave this place and exit your disguise. Meet me by the caravans. They should have left by noon. Catch up to them and travel with them. I''ll catch up after I settle my affairs. I got one man to rob and another to behead. I might have to kill their companions and run from the guards. You''re not me. You''ll die. What I have done is not evil. They threatened me and will attack me first. Their death is necessary to win all future battles."


    "You could have done all this with as little blood shed as possible. You could have assassinated them," Mei sighed.


    "And spoil the fun? We need chaos in the capital. The crown prince needs to die publicly. The emperor will be forced to attend with the damage to imperial reputation due to the pervert prince and attempt to bring another child in the spotlight so people forget his shame," Lance said.


    "He''ll recall Shen Dong to the capital to do some public task that the people will approve of," Mei realized.


    "The crown prince is dead, Shen Dong and all the other children have their status raised, those children will fight over who would lead the next faction to fight against the second prince, and the emperor benefits from the infighting as rival factions would keep their powers in check. In the end, the crown prince is just another name forgotten by history," Lance smiled. "Just because an action is taken in public, does not mean the consequences are immediately known. Many things happen in the shadows when we least expect it. The way to win, while among this den of vipers, is to control what happens. If you want something done, make the first move and make all the changes on the battlefield. Then, their lives are yours for the taking. Mei, you know me. I never lose. Never. In the end, I always win and my enemies are the ones who bleed. Go now, before they decide to have people stalk us."


    "Yup. Negative progress. The sadistic narcissist is back again," Mei thought as she bowed and left the V.I.P. Box.

 Chapter 25: A Treasure Worth a Kingdom

    Writer''s Note: And so, we reached the climax! Lance makes preparations and Item Number 1 is finally up for auction. It really hurt my brain as I tried to make each auction item better until the finale. Action to come soon? I guess I have to practice my battle chapter skills. I have a seven hour training session today and my hours will be decided then. The next chapter might release Tuesday. No promises. It''s a whole new step in life for me now. Geez. Enjoy.


    Chapter 25: A Treasure Worth a Kingdom


    "Is there any way to retrieve my items early?" Lance asked the servant as he ushered him forward.


    "Of course. Upon doing so, the money you deposited will be accepted by the auction house," the servant asked.


    "How much do you make a year doing this?" Lance asked.


    "10,000 demon spirit coins," the servant answered.


    "Rather lucrative. A thousand can last a family for a little over a year. How would you and your friend in the V.I.P. Box, the one with the guy who bought the great sword, to make a million demon spirit coins a piece?" Lance grinned.


    "I would love to make that," the servant smiled, his voice getting lower.


    "This vial contains an odorless poison it. Have the servant drug the man''s alcohol. It will drug the man and make him sleep for about ten minutes. The time interval is short due to its effectiveness. After forty eight hours, he dies. Then, disguise yourself as the man using the bracelet I won and make it public of you accepting the great sword early. When it is complete, give me my treasures and I will give you the usual auction card. Inside will be 306 million demon spirit coins. You and your friend can have 1 million each and the auction house will get 4 million, for a job well done and silence. The 300 million will raise my deposit to 600 million. Catch all that?" Lance asked. "If you and your friend complete this, I''ll also give you each an additional 10 million and the auction house will keep the profit of the skill sold. Do we have a deal?"


    "Of course," the servant smiled. "The bracelet, great sword, and book of the dead will be given to you shortly. The auction house thanks you for your generosity."


    "Then you may go," Lance said. He did this so he could automatically leave the auction house as others would expect him to take a while to retrieve his items and money.


    The auction house would be sure to have some sort of monitoring magical treasure to prevent corruption by the servants. By giving the auction his profits, he ensures their silence on the matter of the theft as well. Only the man who pissed him off loses as the auction house would have proof that they gave him the great sword.


    "Money talks," Lance said, smacking his lips after sipping more cider. He watched as Item Number 6 and 5 were sold, grinning as the servant returned with the task completed. He couldn''t tell Mei about this. That was the main reason he sent her away. He was trying to change. He had to look the part.


    "Item Number 4 is an exquisite slave duo from a continent to the far east," the curator said, unveiling a giant canvas to reveal a woman and a magical beast with collars on their necks. "Feast your eyes on beings from the continent to the far east. These are beings whose potential surpasses the Meteor Vessel Stage! They have the potential to become Earth Mortals, at least. This is guaranteed by the Gold Lotus Auction House. The girl''s bountiful curves and cultivation at the middle Element Adept Stage at the age of seventeen, combined with the magical beast at the peak of the Element Adept Stage; these two are a true wonder."


    "I must have that woman. The magical beast could be another guard," the crown prince said, smacking his lips. Unlike Lance, none of the other V.I.P.s dared bid against the crown prince. It was because they cared about their mortal affairs and their connection to the empire. Lance didn''t. That is why only Lance has the possibility to ascend. Mortal affairs didn''t hold him back.


    "I bid 200 million," the crown prince said, staring at the direction of Lance''s V.I.P.  Box.


    "200 million going once. Twice. Sold to the crown prince for 200 million," the curator said, the crown prince banging his fist as his ploy to make Lance waste so much backfired on himself.


    "Why did you not pay for them?" the crown prince roared.


    "I frown upon buying slaves," Lance said and thought. "Besides. When this is over, I''m gonna kill you anyway. Mei will need a friend and I could use a magical beast."


    Lance did change enough to desire a woman''s companionship, yet. However, he needed to have his first magical beast. He was the ultimate snake magical beast, so he didn''t need one as he could tame them all. He was the World Serpent. They had no choice but to kneel before him.


    If he was to be a World Serpent, he would prove his might by having an avian magical beast. It would also serve to control his snakes, being his executioner in times of rebellion. However, it would be his third. He still needed time before he could accept possessing one. A snake that controls a bird is to prove his dominance over the bird.


    The magical beast beside the girl with the body that drew a man''s lust was a panther magical beast. It was a magical beast of speed, a fighting style that disagreed with Lance. Those who wielded spears used overwhelming strength, reflexes, and the flexibility of the shaft of their spear to kill others. This panther would serve to substitute for the speed he lacked in combat. He had never eaten such a panther before, nodding his head as it must be a variant magical beast. He could see the envy in the eyes of the V.I.P. Boxes of the lower row. They obviously wanted the woman for sex and the magical beast for being a variant.


    "The mortal must be cast aside or forever remain. Ascension is above the mortal and the Heavens cast their tribulation on the unworthy," Lance muttered, his eyes glancing at the woman before watching the panther leave. Attaining both would also serve as information about more of the outside world. In the future, when he opened up his feelings, the Libido Statue that makes a man temporarily impotent and ensured safety would be a nice past time to enjoy with the woman.


    "To experience puberty again is torture," Lance sighed as he watched Item Number 3 get bought by a woman in V.I.P. Box 2.


    "We will now auction Item Number 2. Ladies and gentlemen, Item Number 2 is none other than a mana stone," the curator smiled.


    "Mana stone? Those are things which can increase cultivation for mages! It is the ultimate tool of mages as it stores mana," a man below cried.


    "Fool! There''s more to it than that. A soul stone can store spirit energy and fuel one''s practitioner arts. However, a mana stone can store mana and allow a practitioner to absorb it to become a mage. Mana is an even higher form of spirit energy, the pure essence of the world! Even most elite mages only have a staff with a soul stone. Mana stones, those things are treasures above treasures!" another cried.


    "I can use that for my spear. Mages use staffs and a spear is similar. I can have it within the broken gap in the giant blade after I decrease the size," Lance thought and said, "210 million!"


    "220," a man in V.I.P. Box 4 cried.


    "250 million," Lance said.


    "300 million," the man in the box said, growling at Lance.


    "350 million," Lance said. He had to have it. Mana stones were rare, even in his day. Not only that, they collect mana on their own. They were the equivalent of refueling magical beast cores at the Earth Mortal Stage! His body would fuel his practitioner arts and the mana stone would fuel his mage arts. It was perfect!


    "455 million the man said, veins bulging on his temple as it was his limit. People cried out as 455 million was a monumental amount to them. Were these people not going for Item Number 1? To a practitioner, a mana stone was just a trinket.


    "500 million," Lance said as he didn''t want to take chances. None of the other members of the V.I.P. Box decided to bid either, the man above roaring with anger. Lance stared at the red sphere with red aura wisps emanating from the sphere as runes rotated within. It was his. It was meant to be. Those other people just wanted Item Number 1.


    "500 million going once. Twice. Sold! Congratulations to V.I.P. Box 7," the curator said, just imagining the commission he and the auction house would get before the money was transferred to the seller. 500 million was too low, worth only 50 million in the continent to the south.


    However, this was the Pangu Continent and they had no cultivation resources for mages. Magic was a foreign thing. Besides, the complete corpse of a Earth Mortal rank magical beast, that was a true treasure in their eyes worth a kingdom. It would allow them to break past the near impenetrable bottleneck between the peak Meteor Vessel Stage and the initial Earth Mortal Stage. The whole body needed to be refined and this was a complete body with its magical beast core!


    "I''m leaving," Lance said silently after he got the mana stone and had all the items he needed in his storage ring. "The auction house can keep the rest of the deposit, you keeping ten percent of it. Just ensure no one reports what I looked like. They could not see me from below. I do not want to be followed."


    "Of, of course." the servant whispered excitedly and checked the hallway before Lance exited. Lance bound the bracelet to himself, changing his appearance and clothes before exiting the auction as he asked to be thrown out as a trespasser would. The servant nodded as most commoners were not allowed in the main building and Lance successfully escaped.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    He waited by the front gate of the auction house, biding his time to see the crown prince. He would have to act fast and kill faster. He had paid the auction house to tell him where the secret exit of the auction house was. The crown prince was sure to use that exit. With no witnesses, he would kill the crown prince and his entourage before making his escape.


    Finally, the crown prince appeared at the old cemetery just four blocks away from the auction house. With a halberd at hand, he rushed toward them using his Snake Specter Art. He killed two of the guards before the crown prince noticed him. He couldn''t use a spear as people might recognize his fighting style when he used poison practitioner arts.


    "Who would dare attack me?" the prince roared, his personal guards at the peak Element Adept Stage. They numbered fifty in total and they took a defensive formation before the prince. "You! You must be the crazy trash who bid against me. Men, capture him so I can personally castrate him and make him my father''s latest eunuch!"


    "Yes, Your Highness," the guards said and ten stayed by him as the rest rushed forward. They drew their swords and charged, Lance keeping them back with the reach of his halberd. A halberd was the weapon of a general, meant to take on multiple enemies at once.


    "What are you doing? Kill him!" the crown prince roared as Lance beheaded three guards. It seemed the prince''s own father expected little from him, not assigning even the weakest of palace guards and sending a platoon of city guards instead. The slave girl and magical beast watched as lance fought the city guards. They were excited as they obviously did not want to be enslaved to a pig prince.


    "Cannot use any unique practitioner arts," Lance muttered as he broke three swords with the side of the halberd''s blade before smashing in the face of one of the guards with the butt of the halberd.


    He constantly teleported around and among the guards, taking off limbs and even heads. A solid formation was a necessity for large groups, but such organization is chaotic if the weakness of the formation is discovered. In a formation, people tended to guard the heart of the formation. They were the first of Lance''s victims before he switched to the ordinary guards.


    "So you killed my guards. Courting death!" the crown prince roared as Lance killed all fifty of the guards, the ten guarding the prince no match to Lance''s cultivation and spear mastery. "We may be isolated here, but my father gave me this!"


    "Some kind of apple," Lance muttered as he saw a gold and black skinned apple taken from a small bag from the crown prince''s storage ring. The apple, alone, emanated vast spirit energy.


    "Should I meet my slayer, my father said to eat this. I will temporarily increase by a whole cultivation tier. I will become a late Meteor Vessel practitioner. No cultivation for a month is worth killing you. Be grateful," the crown prince screamed as he bit the fruit. A black and gold aura covered the fat prince as large amounts of spirit energy converged on the crown prince. "Other than an Earth Mortal, no one can face me!"


    "There must be more in that bag," Lance muttered as he saw the prince put it back inside his storage ring as the prince took out a golden blade.


    "Die!" the crown prince roared as he ran forward, the sword raised high. Lance spun around, using his momentum and hips to swing the halberd down low at a faster speed than the crown prince. The crown prince howled as Lance''s halberd pierced an inch in but no further.


    "Even his muscles are reinforced albeit very poorly," Lance muttered. After all, it was not the prince''s real cultivation so there was no way to use such vast spirit energy very efficiently. The whites of the prince''s eyes turned red, tears of blood going down his eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. A fruit enabling one to temporarily increase their cultivation by an entire tier, such a thing would have a monumental strain on the body. With the imperial family''s vast resources, only a month of recovery was indeed possible. Furthermore, the crown prince was weaker. If Lance ate the fruit, the danger and penalty would be even greater.


    Lance twist his hips to the left as he made a rising slash with his halberd as the crown prince delivered a downward slash. The two blades collided and Lance was pushed back three steps, coughing blood once. Lance blocked a sudden quick attack with the shaft of his halberd only to be pushed back before the woman and magical beast. Lance narrowed his eyes and cut off the collars on both.


    "You will serve," Lance said to the magical beast, the panther sensing his deep spirit energy. It knew it was no match to Lance and bowed its head. The contract was made and Lance removed the slave rune on the panther''s forehead with a thought. Lance then turned to the crown prince, letting the sword stab into his chest slightly to bite the crown prince on the neck.


    "Fiend," the prince roared as he pushed Lance back, Lance with a grin on his face to reveal blood and flesh between his teeth. Lance turned to the woman and used the spirit energy within the crown prince''s flesh to smear the slave mark on the woman.


    "I''m free?" the young woman gasped, looking at Lance in shock as he spat the flesh out. "How? It should not be possible."


    "I used his spirit energy to wipe it off. Due to that strange apple, his flesh contains too much spirit energy," Lance grinned, the prince outraged. "Loot the bodies of the guards and wear this white cloak and emerald mask. Follow me if you want to live free."


    "Yes," the woman said and she and the panther went to work on the bodies.


    "Who do you think you are to do this?" the crown prince said, Lance frowning as the prince tapped the medal on his luxurious white tiger robe.


    "The second prince sends his regards," Lance said as he rushed forward, the prince howling as he heard the name of his hated rival and ambitious little brother.


    "That son of a whore! That fuck will never get what''s mine by birth!" the crown prince screamed as he dodged a strike and smashed Lance''s face with the side of the blade. Lance shook his head as the butt of the halberd smashed the ankle of the crown prince. The crown prince jerked to his right and widened his eyes as he saw a leather shoe before his eyes before it smashed into his face.


    "A broken nose for a slap," Lance spat, the crown prince wiping the blood from above his mouth as Lance tossed a storage bag from his ring to the woman and panther as he whispered to them. "Put the items inside and get out through the south gate. Buy the fastest horses you can and meet up with the merchant caravan. There should be a girl named Mei. Hide with them for now. Let no one follow you."


    "Yes," the woman said, the panther growling at the crown prince before it left its master.


    "The royal guards closest to the city will come. They will be at the initial Meteor Vessel Stage. You cannot escape!" the crown prince said as he mocked Lance.


    "And that little thing on your robe recorded every sound we made," Lance said, stunning the crown prince. "You can die now and give me your storage ring!"


    Lance used his Mirror Mirage Art and vanished before the prince''s very eyes. The prince hastily turned around but saw nothing. He coughed blood and looked down in shock as a blade covered in a jade, acidic poison burst from his chest. The spirit energy in the crown prince''s body disappeared rabidly as the prince gasped for breath.


    "Im, impossible," the crown prince coughed.


    "Funny how useful invisibility really is. I never teleported. I just charged and run your body through with the halberd. Don''t worry. There won''t be a body to find," Lance said as the prince''s body began to melt.


    "I...didn''t record anything. It....was...all...all sent to my father," the crown prince said as Lance crushed the medal on the princes'' robe, leaving the halberd in the prince as the prince fell to his knees.


    "Hmph. I know. You were meant to transmit those words," Lance said as his hand was covered in a spike of earth through his Stone Breaker Art.


    "You...are helping a....dif... different prince," the crown prince realized with despair. His killer had him wrapped around his finger. Everything he did was futile. All for naught.


    As Lance severed the finger wearing the storage ring and emptied it, he smiled as he punched the crown prince on the face with the spike. "Thank you for your patronage. You have served your purpose."


    The prince''s body shuddered as the head was pierced through by the massive spike of earth that shattered and exploded what remained of the head.


    "Your Majesty!" four men cried as they appeared in the distance, seeing Lance. "Kill the traitor! Kill!"


    "Send word to the gates. Seal up the city!" another cried, a third shouting to secure the crown prince''s body as the fourth ran off in a different direction. The remaining two palace guards were indeed at the initial Meteor Vessel Stage.


    "Tch," Lance said as he discarded the bloodied robe and used his Mirror Mirage Art to disappear. He grit his teeth in anger as the palace guards, with their vast experience, realized he became invisible and still tracked him by following the compression on the grass and dirt as Lance ran out the cemetery.

 Chapter 26: Song Dynastys Most Wanted

    Writer''s Note: Very early for my usual post but I got work......Well, the crown prince I introduced early on in the story has arrived and passed. With him gone, changes will come to the palace. The second son will rise to become the new crown prince. The fourth prince will soon enter the spotlight as the candidate most likely to challenge the second prince. The third prince is unknown and the fourth prince, Shen Dong, is that much closer to the throne. I''ll try to release the next chapter on Thursday. Enjoy.


    Chapter 26: Song Dynasty''s Most Wanted


    "Move out of the way! Move!" the royal guards shouted as Lance quickly excited the old cemetery and arrived at the inner city districts. As the crowd hurriedly moved, one of the palace guards used a water element art to spray water all over the crowd.


    Lance cursed as the water revealed glass over his body reflecting sunlight and hastily bound the bracelet to change his appearance. The palace guards never did see his appearance up close. Right now, he looked like a black-haired man with a small beard growing under his chin.


    "That must be him!" one of the two palace guards roared as the third stayed behind to look after the corpse as the fourth had already left for reinforcements.


    "Moon Slicer Art," Lance roared, crescent moon blades soaring at the two palace guards six feet in diameter. Lance followed up with an earth practitioner art: Pulse Rock Wave Art. As the two palace guards blocked the moon blades, a tidal wave of earth and stone roared toward them as Lance stomped his right foot onto the ground before rushing into a nearby inn.


    "City Guards, he killed the crown prince! Get him!" one of the palace guards ordered as the the two combined forces to block the rock wave with their fire and water element arts. The nearby guards nodded and rushed into the inn. Lance had already ascended the stairs to the sleeping rooms and used his Viper''s Dominance Art, blasting open all the doors with his spirit energy. He used his Mirror Mirage Art, turning invisible as he broke his disguise back to Lance Wang. The palace guards and pedestrians all saw the ''face'' of the man who killed the crown prince.


    As the guards rushed up stairs, Lance entered one of the rooms and closed the door. He stopped his practitioner art and turned back, stunned as he saw a bathing woman in a hot tub stare back at him. His eyes narrowed as two people appeared by the door, their blades held upside down as they positioned themselves before the woman.


    "Turn invisible. Quickly," the bathing woman said, the three surprised as they heard the city guards.


    "Open the doors and search! He entered one of the rooms!" the voices said, Lance quickly harnessing his spiritual energy and turned invisible as one guard entered the room, his face stunned by the beautiful young woman before him.


    "How dare you enter My Lady''s room as she bathes," one of the woman''s bodyguards roared, the city guardsman''s face reddening as her words brought back his senses.


    "Apologies. Did you see a man about five foot six with black hair and a black beard beneath his chin?" the city guard asked, his composure restored.


    "No. As you can see, I am bathing and my bodyguards are women," the woman in the bath tub answered. "What did the man do?"


    "Apologies for the interruption. You might hear this on the street later, but the man committed high treason for killing the crown prince. At least, I heard the palace guards say so. There is no official announcement of His Highness''s death," the city guard said, bowing low and quickly shutting the door behind him as he left.


    "Why did you not sell me out? You could have gotten a reward," Lance said, stopping his Mirror Mirage Art.


    "I have no loyalty to my mother''s homeland. They made her a slave after her noble family fell from grace. Besides, I figured you to be the man in V.I.P. Box 7. The same man who mocked the crown prince for buying the Libido Statue. You do realize that a statue making you impotent means your dick will not....glorify itself....and grow with your perverted desires?" the woman asked.


    "I know. The Libido Statue, the real one, makes a man impotent. Sterile. That way, the woman does not give birth. he crown prince must have wanted it for its absolute protection. You know, no sexual disease or whatnot. Like I told him before: he wasn''t much of a man to buy such a thing," Lance shrugged. "I mean, the statue makes a woman below the Meteor Vessel Stage attracted to you, but your mating part will not enlarge. I never did mate, but having a woman without properly mating with her seems...disappointing."


    "So you will give it to me," the woman said. "Such a thing must be destroyed."


    "Magical treasures can be altered. I can substitute impotency with sterility. All it takes is a good amount of spirit energy control," Lance said. "Three women at the Element Adept Stage. If you''re not loyal to the Song Dynasty, why come here?"


    "To carry out the mission you completed," the woman answered.


    "You were going to kill the crown prince? At your cultivation?" Lance asked, incredulous. His heart relaxed as he sensed the spirit energies of the palace and city guards head off in different directions from the inn.


    "We had our methods. He is a perverted man. An illusion would suffice once he had me, alone, with him in his chambers," the woman said.


    "Why kill that perverted fat ass? For a rival nation or empire, such an incompetent living to assume the throne would have been the better option. Killing him would not be good business," Lance assessed.


    "One of the women he enslaved into his harem was my mother''s sister. His death is personal," the woman answered. "You killed him so consider us even. It would have been difficult, not impossible, for me and my bodyguards to escape after the assassination."


    "Then I''ll take my leave," Lance said, but the woman held up her hand.


    "Join me. You said you could alter the Libido Statue. Prove it. My bodyguards will now return to their rooms," the woman said, Lance stunned.


    "....Yes My Lady," the two bodyguards said, also stunned as they left the two alone. As Lance grinned and took out the Libido Statue, quickly bonding with it to learn how he could use it so as to alter it; changes were happening in the palace.


    "WHAT! What happened to Shen Bu?" a man in a golden tiger fur robe roared as his fist banged onto his white wood and gold throne. "What happened to my first born son! My first child! He was a lousy, perverted fat ass, but he was my son! MY, Shen Wukong''s, SON! The son of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty!"


    "Your, Your Majesty. You must calm yourself," the head eunuch said. "Your actions on how you react to this will be assessed by Your Majesty''s enemies. Future acts might happen in the future. The killer might have been employed by the enemy. An investigation must be made in secret."


    "No! Someone killed my son! My son! I want him found! If the killer is not brought to me by sundown, I will have the families of my son''s bodyguards executed for their incompetence! Find him! A reward of one billion, no, one hundred billion demon spirit coins will be given! Even those foreigners will assist after they realize the reward''s price after they calculate the currency exchange rate for their homelands! In fact, my son''s harem will be given to whoever brings me his head! Find him! Now!" the emperor roared. "Go!"


    "Yes, Gong-gong understands," the eunuch said, stating his title in the palace before he left. As the head eunuch delivered the news, the ministers and generals were shocked. None of them liked the crown prince, even those who sided with him, but someone actually killed the crown prince. A hundred billion bounty and the harem of the most beautiful women in the palace, dwarfing the beauties of the emperor''s own harem; that was proof how much the emperor loved and tolerated his eldest son.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    There was no question the emperor would have indeed made the crown prince his successor. Some silently made offerings and thanks to their ancestors for allowing justice to fall on the perverted prince. Many parents and women silently celebrated the death of the most notorious rapist and some believed the empire was entering a new era. None of them realized the man in question was actually a reincarnated World Serpent in the body of a teenager who just had sex with a woman he met bathing in a hot tub.


    After three hours, Lance was fully dressed and bathed. He looked out the window, seeing many people rush toward the central plaza in the capital. It seemed there would be a mass execution. This was the perfect moment to escape. If the emperor had not gone mad with rage, he would have not made the mass execution so large as to thin out his security.


    "Leaving so soon?" the woman asked, staring at him. "I was having such fun. It seems you were right about altering that statue. Mm."


    "Having hormones is not bad. They could be controlled," Lance laughed. "Thank you the pleasure of your company."


    "Will you ever return to the Pangu Continent?" she asked.


    "The day I decide to have it razed and usher a new dynasty, perhaps," Lance said and left.


    "He''s an interesting one, a man with many secrets," the woman said as the two bodyguards appeared. "Did you investigate him, as I asked?"


    "Yes. He is registered at the Adventurer''s Guild as Lance Wang," one of them said. "D Rank Adventurer as it is the highest one can apply to be without doing any missions whatsoever."


    "The crown prince is really dead. His head was cut off and the families of his security guards are scheduled to be executed any minute now that the sun has begun to fall," the other concluded. "What will My Lady do now?"


    "We return home and report to Imperial Father. Now is the time to takeover some of the land in the Pangu Continent as its head, the emperor, is in disarray," the woman said, watching Lance Wang disappear in the distance. "Take note of him too. He will make a nice toy for my grandmother. She has eternal youth as she is a peak Earth Mortal and will be able to uncover the boy''s secrets."


    "And the reason you slept with the boy?" the bodyguards asked.


    "He was hot. His body radiated an ancient power. He might even have a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo," she answered as they packed up and vacated their rooms.


    "What a day," Lance said as he approached the city gates.


    "Halt! No one is to leave the city during the mass execution by the order of His Majesty," a guard said.


    "I was never here. You never saw me. You saw the suspect you were told about on your way home after your shift. Take a three hour break. You are very tired right now. Your muscles ache and your eyelids feel heavy," Lance said, using his Light Puppet Art to hypnotize the guard and went through the gate without much trouble at all.


    That day, over eight hundred people were sentenced to death. The emperor, Shen Wukong, had gone mad with rage and the Song Dynasty lost one tenth of their rule over the Pangu Continent before the emperor settled down. They eventually took over their lost land, but three weeks had passed and the killer was as good as gone. Their spies informed the emperor that none of the invading nations had a hand in his son''s death.


    As Lance had calculated, the second prince had become the new crown prince and the fourth prince was recalled back to the palace from the front lines. The real reason was for the emperor to allow the existence of an opposing faction to the new crown prince so as to balance the power among his heirs. Lance had reunited with Mei who was both happy and unhappy when she met the female slave and magical beast panther a few hours before she met Lance.


    "We''re finally leaving the Pangu Continent," Mei said as they arrived in a port city and took a commercial ship to the southern continent. "Lingqi, are you sure you''re okay traveling with us?"


    "Yes. Master Lance saved me from a life or slavery. Who knows what my life would have been like had the crown prince brought me to his palace," the seventeen year old answered. "I also wished to venture the world. It is best to travel with my savior than on my own. I would be enslaved again because of my beauty."


    "That''s for damn sure," Mei muttered as Lance had given her the bracelet he bought at the auction. Lingqi''s body was too enticing for her age. Thus, they had bought another disguising magical treasure from the rich caravan they traveled with. It paled in comparison to Mei''s as it could only change one''s body shape and the color of one''s hair and eyes.


    Mei''s bracelet could let her be any female of any size and color, to the last detail. Even her spirit energy could be changed to appear as another. Still, it served its purpose to make Lingqi appear as flat as a board. Mei was inwardly jealous of the girl two years older than her. Still, Mei''s cultivation was higher so it didn''t matter as she could protect herself.


    "How does it feel to leave the Pangu Continent? You''ve spent two lifetimes there," Mei asked.


    "I don''t know. It''s all I ever knew. In truth, there was much I didn''t know. I didn''t know about the Elemental Sovereigns of Darkness and Lightning. I hardly visited a human town, before I razed it. All I did was run, hunt, and cultivate. It was just...where I lived," Lance answered. "I have no loyalty toward it."


    "I feel sad and excited," Mei said, gazing back at the port city as it disappeared from view. "I feel sad as I am leaving my parents, Guo Lin, and the rest of the clan behind. I feel excited as I feel like a true adventurer, exploring the unknown and foreign."


    "Is that how a person is supposed to feel?" Lance asked, Lingqi and Mei looking at him curiously.


    "They do not understand who you are, or what you''ve been through," the panther purred through their mental link. As it had become his magical beast, it naturally learned of its master''s true identities as some memories entered the panther''s mind.


    Lance grinned as he stared at the water. Perhaps the panther was right. He did have centuries of memories. He outlived many empires and magical creatures and enemies. There was no civilization for him to grow attached to. He had only started to experience emotions he thought he had lost since being human.


    "Lance seems...different than most people. He''s kind of like a sociopath," Lingqi said to Mei.


    "No. Not really. His past is complicated. We will be heading to the southern continent, not the eastern continent. You''re okay with that?" Mei asked.


    "We''re adventuring the world, right? We''ll see my homeland, eventually," Lingqi said. "My dad was from the Pangu Continent. I left home to find him and ask why he left my mother alone. I learned he was dead as his clan actually kidnapped him but committed suicide as he could not escape before they tried to marry him to another woman."


    "That''s kind of romantic," Mei said. "He still loved your mother."


    "Yes, but he is dead," Lingqi sighed. "So Lance willl study the Necromonicon he bought?"


    "Most likely. If it can help one gain enough power to ascend, Lance would do it," Mei nodded as the two stared at the panther and Lance by the ship''s starboard side. "I can never get Lance completely. He''s an enigma. Sometimes he makes progress, but old habits die hard. Just be sure not to do anything he forbids. Death would be a mercy. Trust me."


    "Right," Lingqi said as the ship''s sailed along the wide.

 Chapter 27: Necromancy

    Writer''s Note: Well, here comes the next phase of Lance''s life: magic. Lance dives into the mysteries of necromancy as the ship sails on. Release is early today as I got work at 9:30am today. Not much time to write as I hit the sack when I get home. Well, I try to release every two to three days. This chapter has two big changes. I''m sure, near the end, the second change will surprise you all. nothing like a little bit of insanity to liven things up. Enjoy.


    Chapter 27: Necromancy


    "We''re still at sea?" Lance asked as only two hours passed since they left the dock.


    "What''d you expect?" Mei asked. "There are also dangers within the sea. We have to avoid deeper waters and travel through the protected routes. Captain said it''ll take a few weeks to get to the continent by ship. The routes have been unsafe as something has been happening in the oceans. The captain talked about leviathans and water dragons being particularly hostile since....the Day of the Eye and Snake."


    "Then I will head to my room," Lance said, taking out the Necromonicon from his storage ring as he went inside the ship and entered his room on the second floor down. The panther curled against the door as he closed it behind him, preventing others from entering the room and disturbing its master.


    "Black dragon leather cover and the writing seems to be made with the blood of various creatures and humans. Not my style of decor, but it''s unique," Lance said as he sat in the center of the room, his back leaning against the bed as he opened the book on his lap.


    "To whomever possess this book: this is a book that allows a practitioner to learn necromancy as they cultivate to immortality. To continue reading this book is to accept the reality that the world is full of death and to see the world through different eyes. The world of the dead is different than the world of the living. Necromancy is the bridge between the two worlds. It is because those that die do not ascend, but descend into Abyssal Realm. It is there that the souls are damned for eternity, live for eternity, or chosen to be reborn into a new life," Lance said as he read the book aloud. "Well that''s something new. Never heard of the Abyssal Realm."


    "It exists master. I have the hereditary memories of my immortal ancestors from when they were alive and dead," the panther purred. Lance scratched the back of his head as his hereditary memories only had memories of the living. Souls had to come from somewhere.


    "To follow the path of necromancy, one must create a sea of souls. Souls will be the foundation of your mana. Those with affinity to water will have the easiest time to make a sea of souls. It should lay in the depths of your Soul Realm. The sea of souls must be deep enough, and your cultivation must be strong enough to shackle the souls. Those who fail to shackle the souls to the depths of the sea will become wraiths, undead beings with a collective mind made of several souls. Your existence will cease to exist, your soul not even able to head into the Abyssal Realm. To attempt this, one must be a practitioner of the Meteor Vessel Stage," Lance stated.


    "Wraiths are....vicious creatures master. Their spirit energy is practically infinite. Only through close range, can you kill them. To kill them permanently, you must use soul-targeting attacks. The physical body, they could sacrifice one of their countless souls to regenerate or several dozen to remake the body," the panther said, a shiver running down its spine. "Not many magical beasts have soul-targeting techniques and most humans also decline to learn them."


    "Necromancers do not bring back the dead, they rip apart souls and use the foreign spirit energy to imitate life from corpses. Exceptionally powerful necromancers can actually rip one soul of a freshly dead corpse and reanimate it. However, the entity will be neither dead nor living. The might of the necromancer is determined by how many souls they harvest. Whenever a living entity dies, they leave behind bits of their soul as the majority enters the Abyssal Realm. The bit of the soul left behind are their memories. Unless they are granted eternal life in the Abyssal Realm, their memories will never return. Exceptionally powerful souls are excluded from this rule, almost all of them either demons or magical beasts," Lance continued.


    "To form the sea of souls, one must close his eyes and immerse his consciousness into his spirit sense. Sense the spirit energy around you. All things are connected. All life is connected. Spirit energy is soul energy. The souls of the dead are around you. Sense them. See the world through your spiritual sense, not your eyes," Lance said and then closed his eyes and followed the instructions.


    He was in his Soul Realm. A boundless ocean surrounded a large island, five smaller islands formed around it to form a pentagram circle as they surrounded the large island where the volcano fumed. The volcano erupted, its lava entering the seas. He followed the lava into the depths of his soul, imagining turning them into chains. His spiritual sense emanated from his body, wrapping the ship. He could sense the spiritual energy around him.


    He could sense the spirit energy of the sailors. He could see spirit energy seep out the bodies of the practitioners aboard the ship. None of them could sense his spirit energy, but Mei. She seemed to be a cold, dark hole in the center of the ship, sometimes turning into a warm beacon. Then he could sense them. He sensed the soul energies.


    The ocean was nothing but a giant graveyard. Survival of the fittest reigned supreme in its waters. Fish ate shrimps and whales ate sharks. Sharks feasted on fish and the fish fed on each other. He could sense their souls. He could sense the residual spirit energy of their souls as they left their corpses. He could sense it all. Slowly, his spiritual sense began to grab them, the soul energies screaming as they were dragged into his body. Dragged into his Soul Realm.


    "What''s going on?" Mei shivered, the other practitioners scared stiff as they could hear the souls screaming. The screams shook them to their very souls. Some practitioners fainted outright. Other coughed blood and wondered what was going on. None of them were capable of sensing the souls, yet the screams were as if they sounded next to their ears.


    "What''s going on?" Lingqi asked as she and Mei shared a room together.


    "It''s the souls. Lance is actually sensing the souls of those long dead, grabbing them with his spiritual sense. I never knew spiritual senses had such applications," Mei whispered, terrified. "Usually, there are souls around us, but he is draining multiple of them. Their screams begin to collect and their numbers become large enough to be heard by others besides Lance. There must be countless souls."


    "No! I don''t want this!" a woman sobbed. "Somebody make them stop!"


    "What''s happening? What are those screams?" a man said.


    "It''s the end. My pap was right. It''s the end," another man shivered, holding his daughter and wife in his arms.


    All the people who did not faint had gathered onto the deck. They felt safer clustered together. The captain and his sailors tried to maintain order. Children cried and spouses embraced. Eventually, the screams died down. However, no one dared to move until an hour after.


    "Lance! Lance, what did you do?" Mei said as she ran to his cabin, frowning as she heard a growl on the other side of the door. The panther pawed at the door, opening it to allow the two females in and nudged it close behind them.


    "Mei," Lance said, opening his eyes and staring at them as they entered the room.


    "What did you do?" Mei asked.


    "I did as the book instructed. For a practitioner to be a mage as well, I must have a sea of souls. The ocean is full of the dead, even their corpses piss and crap a part of it. It wasn''t hard to find residual spirit energy of the souls. I merely harvested them into myself," Lance answered. "It is formed. It won''t happen again."


    "You could be lying!" Mei shouted.


    "Once the sea of souls is formed, there is no need to absorb living souls. The sea of souls is the beginning. Its purification is the next step. Turning the residual souls into an ocean of mana. The only evil done is to form the sea of souls. The screams you heard were not really from the souls. The screams you heard will be rips in the Mortal Realm. These rips are because you drained the soul fragments. These fragments were meant to exist until the end of time," Lance said, showing Mei the passage in the book. "They weren''t souls. You just thought they were souls. There is no way to grab souls with spiritual energy. I just grabbed the spirit energies of the souls. Even your spirit energy, I drained. You can call it your life force, if you will."


    "Not souls, but the life force of the creatures on and around the ship," Mei muttered.


    "Yeah. I also made a breakthrough in my cultivation with all that life force," Lance grinned.


    "You entered the Middle Meteor Vessel Stage!" Mei gasped, sensing the increase in cultivation.


    "It is the power of souls. You know of this. You did it once before," Lance waved. "Leave me be. I must research my new magic in order for us to survive in the southern continent."


    *Grrr*


    Mei and Lingqi stared back to see the panther bare its fangs at them. Clearly, it was ordered to make them leave. Mei stared silently at Lance and then at the book.


    "Maybe it was a mistake. You could have learned other magic. It didn''t have to be necromancy. It''s not evil, but it is scary and ancient power," she muttered. She knew what Lance absorbed weren''t true souls. The real souls were in the Abyssal Realm, but its power was ancient and mighty. This would be the only time Lance would drain living souls, Lance reassuring her it was only this once.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "You gained considerable power, master," the panther said.


    "Yes. It''s only a pity only my sister was at the Meteor Vessel Stage. Most of the dead were at the Energy Stimulation Stage, the first and weakest cultivation level," Lance sighed. "It might have been premature to use it here, instead of a tomb or cemetery."


    He let the panther rest as he returned his attention to the Necromonicon. It described the way for someone without the water affinity to form a sea of souls. That process was even more mysterious and extremely painful. He would have to deliberately drink enough blood after drinking a certain concoction to gain affinity to water. Then, the process was the same as what he had just done.


    As he changed the pages, he found the pages that interested him. Magic was different than cultivation. For necromancy, there were several branches of necromancy for one to learn. One branch allowed a necromancer to materialize spirits and use them to hurt others with bacteria poison. Another branch of necromancy allowed him to turn his mana into bones. He could create bone fields, bone spears, and other objects with the shape of a bone.


    One of the more basic forms of necromancy was summoning. Through mana, he could summon a bone minion from the Abyssal Realm. As he got stronger, he could summon more bone minions. There was more, but he was not strong enough to learn them.


    "Imagine the mana materialize in front of me. Imagine a cage of bones appearing," Lance muttered as he stared at the candle wick on the shelf beside his bed. He closed his eyes, imagining a bone cage trap the candle wick. He opened his eyes and his sea of souls stirred. Suddenly, a bursting sound appeared and four bones appeared, around the candle wick. They represented the four main columns, smaller bars of bone appearing to create the image of a cage around the candle wick.


    ""How bizarre. It doesn''t seem to be affiliated with the elements," Lance muttered, tapping the bones. They indeed felt like bones. After a while, the bones disappeared but four holes remained from where the four original bones appeared. He opened the drawer and looked at the bottom, seeing no hole or crack there.


    "The spell was called Bone Cage. It is a spell primarily used to entrap the enemy. It is unbreakable and lasts for as long as the mana is supplied beyond the mana required to form it. Indeed, it is not affiliated with the elements," Lance noted. "The power to harness the spiritual energy of the soul, it is profound indeed."


    "So that is necromancy?" the panther asked.


    "I''m not sure. I need to research it more," Lance said reaching to turn the page. Suddenly the blood on the book surged with spirit energy. The blood rose into the air and burned his palms. Lance screamed as the pain seemed to grow and affect his Soul Realm. As a mysterious brand appeared on both palms, something began to stir within his Soul Realm.


    Shocked, Lance was forcibly withdrawn into his Soul Realm. His body appeared to be in the midst of cultivating through meditation. As Lance gazed around in his Soul Realm, his spiritual body began to descend for once. He could do nothing as his body moved hovered above the volcano. A cool sensation filled his body as he descended into the lava and floated before a jade marble which seemed to be the heart of his Soul Realm.


    "My neidan," Lance muttered. "Since when did it descend into the volcano?"


    Lance frowned as his body then proceeded out the volcano, wrapped in a jade energy as he descended into the ocean. As he got deeper, his eyes widened. In the depths of the ocean was his sea of souls. It was there that he saw shapes of white energy shackled by chains made of lava.


    "One looks like a panther and that one looks like Mei. Most of these souls are aquatic creatures. There''s even a leviathan and water dragon!" Lance gasped as he saw the true form of the residual soul energies. It seemed that draining even a small portion of life force would augment his power.


    "YOU! SNAKE! It''s all YOUR fault!" a voice screamed, Lance looking around in shock.


    "What is that voice? Who are you?" Lance shouted and held his breath as he saw a form shackled by a chain of lava. What really shocked him was that it was in the form of an eye.


    "The Eye of Darkness. I drained even your life force from within Mei''s Soul Realm?" Lance frowned.


    "The pain brought me back! It brought me back! Other soul energies too! The dragons, leviathans, and I curse you! Curse you!" the Eye screamed. "How dare you take a piece of our souls! How dare you take our soul energies! We will break free and devour you! We will be a wraith! We will!"


    "Silence," Lance spat and the lava chains even constricted at his thought, causing the Eye more pain. "You''re not a true Fragment of Darkness. The real one is within Mei. You''re just a piece of whatever consciousness your soul''s spirit energy had left. As soon as I can control the sea of souls, I''ll be sure to drain you dry."


    "Curse you! Curse you!" the Eye screamed as Lance descended even deeper. Whatever dragged him into his own Soul Realm seemed to be at the base of the lava chains.


    Lance dived deeper and deeper, seeing the chains enlarge and grow warmer. Water sizzled around him as he could see the chains converge in the distance. There, at the bottom of it all, was a red and orange striped neidan. The jade energy around him began to disperse, entering the red and orange neidan.


    "A neidan. A red and orange striped neidan," Lance muttered and saw a small child with lava shackles around his wrist and ankles. However, he did not seem like a bit of a person''s soul, but the entire soul. He was not made of white energy and looked real. What''s more, he looked like Guo Yang when he was seven years old.


    "Who are you? What are you?" Lance asked as the child looked up at him. Unlike the child form of Guo Yang, this child had flaming red hair and orange slit irises and pupils.


    "I am you. I am the you that is tattooed on your back by the Heavens. I am the you that you transform into to become a serpentine dragon. I am the you that was the World Serpent," the child smiled. "I am the second half of your soul. You soul was too powerful to be reincarnated into a human fetus. The Heavens split you, us, into two. I am your power and the reason the neidan and the corpses within are locked away. You should know what I am. I brought you here because you could finally hear me, sense me."


    "That''s impossible," Lance said.


    "It is time we became whole. The mana within this place finally unsealed me. Now, we can be what we were always meant to be. The metamorphosis can be complete. All the pain, all your happiness and sadness; it is time you embraced it," the boy said, the lava shackles disappearing as Lance''s hand outstretched to the boy''s by a mysterious force.


    "What will happen after this? What are you doing?" Lance asked.


    "I am giving back the good you kept locked away. Emotions is not a weakness. It''s time for us to play in the world again. I am the human you, the human soul you finally accepted. Let''s play," the boy said, grabbing Lance''s hand.


    "Master?" the panther frowned as Lance seemed to meditate in midair. Lance slowly straightened and stood on the ground, opening his eyes.


    "Hello panther. It is nice to meet at last," Lance smiled, spirit energy pulsing around his body as Lance rolled his shoulders as a throne made of bones appeared behind him. "We are one again. I am complete. We are going to have so much fun in the southern continent, you and I. Magic and practitioner arts. I will burn brighter than the sun."


    "Lance! Lance!" a girl cried, the door bursting open as Mei and Lingqi stormed in. Her eyes widened in shock as they saw Lance sit on the bone throne, his red hair black again but with chains of lava wrapped harmlessly around his arms.


    "It is good to see you, Mei. I had another breakthrough. The metamorphosis is complete. My personality could use some work though. I trust you''ll help me?" Lance asked, Mei and the others staring back at him in shock. "Oh, don''t be afraid. I am just fusing fire and earth to create lava. I awoke the fire affinity. Isn''t this great?"


    "What happened? He''s so different. Some of that rude and narcissistic tone is still there, but he seems more...like a real teenager," Mei gasped. "What happened to you? Are you Guo Yang? The World Serpent? Lance Wang?"


    "I am all three. I just accepted myself. It took fifteen years, give or take a few months, to embrace the humanity," Lance grinned. "I''m sorry for everything. I was incomplete. Please don''t blame me for what I''ve done and will happen from now on."


    "What did you do?" Mei asked.


    "I fused with myself. I am the brother you should have had. I am the brother you always had. I''m finally both and I really miss our parents. I would apologize, but I also feel nothing for them. They were never there for me when they thought I was sickly. The brazier and snakes were my only friends then. You, you were there sometimes. Thank you," Lance said.


    "No way! No way!" Mei said, stepping back in fear. "Double soul fusion?"


    "You must be really confused right now. Don''t worry. I won''t hurt you. The previous me would have had some, intimate thoughts with you though," Lance smiled to Lingqi, the latter more terrified of the current Lance Wang. "Dammit. I feel all excited inside, like a caged child finally freed. I think I''ve lost a bit of my sanity."


    "Now you, I know," Mei said. "I don''t know whether to record this as progress or a nightmare. Lance Wang with a screw loose in his head. Both childish and scheming. Merciless and playful."


    "I really don''t understand what under the Heavens is going on," Lingqi muttered, the panther nodding in agreement.

 Chapter 28: Attack at Sea

    Writer''s Note: Hello! My work time frame is unchangeable and sometimes I barely come home just to sleep and wake up for a few hours before work again. Either way, releases come as when they come. What kind of setting should my new side story have? So far, none of the side stories clicked like my main. My seasonal ends Jan 2, I believe, so releases should be back to normal then. The ship continues sailing on and encounters another problem. This time, it is not Lance''s fault. Enjoy.


    Chapter 28: Attack at Sea


    Three weeks had passed since Lance''s two halves fused together. The lava chains could appear at will now. Lance would using them atop the deck like whips. Furthermore, it was as if the lava chains had a mind of their own. They constantly burned or dimmed, grew or shrank, and the chains could also spray molten lava if Lance desired.


    Lingqi learned the truth and was horrified and shocked when she first learned of Mei and Lance''s past. She learned Mei and Lance, formerly Guo Yang, were the cause of the Day of the Eye and Snake. The panther, still unnamed, had already seen glimpses of its master''s past and was not shocked at all. It took Lingqi three days to adjust to seeing Mei and Lance as human and not monsters.


    Of course, Mei had to take precautions. Unnoticed by Lingqi, Mei''s dark spirit energy invaded and hid inside her Soul Realm. If Lingqi had traitorous desires, Mei''s spirit energy would react and self-destruct. Lingqi''s cultivation would be damaged and she would be easily killed by Mei or Lance without much resistance.


    Mei did not know it, but her constant observations of Guo Yang and Lance had changed her slightly. Her experience with the Eye of Darkness had also changed her. However, these changes only made her more cautious and not devious or evil. The Eye of Darkness was nothing but evil, and Guo Yang was just devious.


    "Still at your usual spot I see," Mei said as she found Lance sitting on a bone throne at the bow of the ship. At his side was the panther and he had a skeleton snake on his lap.


    "Do you know what''s great about the undead?" Lance asked as Mei appeared beside him. "They don''t need to breathe. They don''t need to be bathed or fed. They don''t even sleep. The only problem is that undead minions consume quite a lot of mana to make. In terms of mage cultivation, I am at the mage equivalent of the Spirit Forming Stage. It must be because my practitioner cultivation is tied to my magic that my mage cultivation is accelerated. Still, the best part is that I don''t need to spend mana to sustain bone minion summons."


    "How many did you make?" Mei asked looking around and seeing none but the animate skeleton snake.


    "It''s been three weeks. Naturally, the amount of minions would be short. That is, if I summoned bone humanoids. Tinier creatures, consume barely any mana at all. Also, my red neidan has its own ability. While jade neidan absorbs spirit energy without me needing to meditate, the red neidan can convert my spirit energy into mana if need or with a single thought," Lance said. "Let''s just say that fishing won''t yield you anything during this voyage. There might be treasures in the sea and nothing will be tolerated to find them."


    "You made a bone shark?" Mei asked.


    "No. No," Lance said, sighing as he shook his head. "My mastery over magic is not that profound. I merely made a few dozens of bone fish to make a school of them. Even a creature at the Element Adept Stage would be eaten alive. More than one, I''ll lose a few fish," Lance shrugged and turned to his panther, an orb of fire appearing in his hands. "Eat this. As my magical beast, we are bound by our souls. Just having the elements of darkness and wind is not enough. Fire will suite you well. Become a variant."


    "Yes master," the panther purred and ate the ball of fire. Immediately, scorching heat spread over its body and its fur displayed cracks on its body, flames appearing from within. Lance flicked his wrist and a bone cage appeared below the panther, catapulting it into the sea.


    "Such a thing, why did you do it?" Mei asked, stunned.


    "To survive in the world, strength is necessary. Look at all that I have done. Is it not vastly different than the world you knew? We are entering a land, a continent, where such magic is common. Their powers are not bound by the elements. There are similarities, but it is also vastly different. Even the warriors of that land will have a different path to power than us cultivators. They use mana, you use spirit energy, and I use both. I am being prepared," Lance said. "Are we not on an adventure to explore the world? To do so, you must learn of it. Adapt to it. The world you knew is gone. We are the foreigners now. Our power is the one that is alien and dangerous. Necromancy is uncommon, but practiced in that land. Tell me. Are you prepared?"


    "What about Lingqi?" she asked.


    "Think about it. The auction house said they had the potential to reach the level of Earth Mortal, not to be one. It is my belief that the Eastern Continent from whence they came also has their own path to power. Magical beasts are the same regardless, but humans are not. Have you ever seen Lingqi cultivate spirit energy or fight while she has been with us?" Lance asked.


    "No. I haven''t, but she claimed her father was from the Pangu Continent. She must have cultivation similar to ours," Mei answered.


    "However, she was born and raised there," Lance smiled as he stood up, his bone throne disappearing as he turned to face her. "My dear sister, i encountered three people after I slayed the crown prince. All of them were women and one was especially....hospitable. She was their mistress and her two bodyguards appeared from the shadows. I detected no spirit energy from them. At all. Otherwise, I would not have had by back to them. So tell me. Is my assumption wrong?"


    "Then what am I to do? Become a mage?" Mei asked.


    "Oh no. According to some books I liberated from the passengers of this commercial ship, being a warrior is akin to a practitioner. A party should really only need one mage unless the party numbers more than ten or you lack a healer. Clerics, they call them. Unlike us, only a cleric can heal other people besides themselves," Lance grinned as he handed her two books. "This will help you blend in well."


    "It seems you know much about the world," Lingqi noted as she walked up to them. "It''s true. The methods of each continent are usually different. It is because the source of energy is different for each part of the planet. Of all the continents, the seventh continent is the most strange and dangerous. That, is your Pangu Continent. It is because the amount of spirit energy is incredibly denser and more pure there than in the rest of the world."


    "You heard us talking?" Mei asked.


    "Yes. I didn''t mean to pry. However, I did not know how to approach you all on the subject," Lingqi answered. "He is right about warriors of the southern continent. Only two continents are known by the names of a compass: south and east. It is because they are the two largest continents of nine. Your Pangu Continent is but the smallest continent wedged in between the two. Warriors of the southern continent also have mana, but cannot use it to cast spells. They use mana in a different manner, using it to augment their physical prowess or magical items."


    "In other words, you will be an unstoppable warrior princess," Lance laughed. "Crushing skulls here, decapitating there. Pretty much all the stuff you did before but without the practitioner arts."


    "That''s it?" she asked.


    "Mana is also strange in that it makes your body stronger, faster, and more beautiful as you become stronger. Even a woman with embarrassing body lines would become a top beauty as the mana would dissolve the excess fat and leave the curves as they should be. Well, to men''s eyes," Lingqi said. "My continent has a similar method. It explains why my body is so...lustful."


    Stolen story; please report.


    "That''s for damn sure," Lance nodded, thinking of his first time back at the capital. "They''re alright. Anyway, the panther should finish having its fun soon. Then it''s on to round 2. I sense many life forms up ahead. They seem clustered, according to my spiritual sense. I reckon they''re pirates. We''re gonna have so much fun killing them all. I wonder what treasures I''ll find this time."


    "Pirates! Pirates! Man your stations. Arm the mana cannons! Get your asses moving!" a sailor cried from above the sail as he spotted a pirate ship with his magical telescope.


    "How many clicks?" one of the sailors asked.


    "About eleven on our starboard. They''ll be here soon!" the sailor answered.


    "Everybody on starboard. I want all windows on the star board side boarded and secured. All civilians are to hide below deck. Those who can fight are asked to stay topside. We''ll focus on long range assaults and try to damage their sails," the captain roared as he appeared on the deck.


    "Welcome back. I imagine it was successful?" Lance asked as the panther leaped aboard.


    "Yes master. I have successfully attained my third attribute," the panther said, its black fur now with a streak of scarlet around all four of its ankles.


    "Good. We will have them put to the test soon. Pirates are coming. My undead fish will take care of those who try to jump ship. They will also drill a hole in which I will enter. Their treasures should be of use to us," Lance grinned.


    "We''ll come with you," Mei said, Lingqi nodding.


    "Can any of you breathe underwater? I can. I have the affinity for it. I will leave it to you to assault them from above. Try to keep the fight contained on the deck while I secure enough of their cargo. Panther, you will secure this ship''s deck and help the sailors on the defensive," Lance ordered.


    "Yes master," the panther bowed its head.


    "I don''t like that you''re going alone. You''re not going to do anything reckless, are you?" Mei asked.


    "Let''s just say, I would ensure they still have their life boats. They''re going to need it," Lance grinned and jumped ship, vanishing beneath the ocean''s surface after a dive.


    Lance spread out his arms and let the water flow around him. Skeletal fish, white fire burning inside them to symbolize flesh, arrived and swam beneath him. Lance closed his eyes and began to meditate, controlling the water around him. After a few spans of breaths, he arrived before the hull of a black ship covered with barnacles near the bottom.


    "Seems these pirates don''t take care of the hull. Barnacles ruin the wood of a ship after all," Lance said as he put a palm on the hull. A lava chain appeared around his right arm, burning the water before it followed the arm in a spiral. The chain then drilled outward and a hole appeared in the ship.


    "Kill anyone who falls from this ship," Lance ordered the minions before going inside, using his ice element art to seal the hull. He looked around first, eyes narrowing as he saw two men look at him in shock as they had heard water rush in.


    "IN---!" a pirate began before Lance appeared behind him by teleportation, breaking the man''s neck from behind with a squeeze as he side kicked the other pirate in the solar plexus. The pirate coughed and drooled uncontrollably as he fell onto his knees and gagged. Lance took out the broken great sword he bought and beheaded the coughing pirate with ease.


    "Well then. Time to get pilfering," Lance said cracking his knuckles as he proceeded in opening all the crates he could find. No matter what it was, he checked it first for anything note worthy. Those of value, he stashed into his storage ring. Then, he proceeded up the stairs to the next level. He noticed less crates there as well as several crates of food and rum.


    "Alcohol?" Lance frowned as he checked the food before storing them. He paused as he ran past a few cells near the stairs up. A man in chains stared at him, his beard and hair dirty and stuck together from being imprisoned so long. The man looked up and saw that Lance was dressed differently than his captors.


    "You. You''re not one of them. You can free me!" the man cried, overjoyed. "You got to let me out. They sank my ship and kept me hostage all this time.


    "Why did they want you? You some kind of noble?" Lance asked.


    "No. No. Look, I got a key. It''s the key to a chest in the captain''s cabin. The damned pirate bastard stole the chest from me but couldn''t find the key. See, the key isn''t an actual key but a small marble. Enchanted and the like. I can give it to you if you free me," the man begged.


    "I don''t see a key," Lance said, the man quickly grabbing the bars as he made a subtle glance at his own belt. "Ah, I see. So you have the key. Must be something valuable. Sounds like trouble to me."


    "Wait! I can help you. I am a a mage of the southern continent. You look like a smart lad. I can get you accepted into a mage academy," the man said but cried out in pain as Lance grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled hard. The man''s face hit the cell bars, the man holding his face in pain as Lance pulled on the belt''s ornament on the buckle. The man looked down in shock as Lance took the black marble on the ornamental belt buckle.


    "I read a lot of books as a child, in that library. The hero always does something stupid and lets the witness live or an enemy go. I''m not that naive. Sorry," Lance said as he ran his great sword through the bars and pierced the man in the stomach, the giant blade destroying most of his organs before Lance pulled it out.


    "Master, the fight has begun. We''re exchanging fire from the mana cannons," the panther said through their mental link. Lance later heard several booms and was blasted back as a massive hole appeared a few feet above him. He looked at the nearest window and leaped through, his great sword back in the ring before his body dived into the sea. As his fish minions escorted him back, he saw a few pull back to kill some pirates who fell overboard.


    "Welcome back," Mei said as Lance appeared back on ship, the two crouching down as another blast appeared around them. "Find anything?"


    "When their ship reaches ours, I need you to sneak into the captain''s cabin and find a chest. Stash any chest you see as well as any treasures. Don''t let anyone know what you''re doing. Cover yourself in darkness. We don''t want people to suspect anything. Something of value was stolen by the pirates. Some troublesome people might question those aboard the ship when they come for it," Lance said. "Oh, and steal a mana cannon. I want to study those."


    "I''ll handle that," Lingqi said as she appeared with the panther.


    "Then we have our objective. If anyone''s suspecting you, kill them too," Lance said. "The whole world is against us. Think of it that way. We have no allies here, and greed lies in the hearts of men. Do not trust even the sailors."


    "Is it always like this?" Lingqi asked as she and Mei waited with the sailors for when the pirates try to board with planks.


    "Sometimes. This can be considered less...bloody and not Lance''s fault. Those pirates are to blame," Mei said as the pirate ship sailed and arrived a few dozen feet parallel to the merchant vessel.


    "This is gonna be fun. Kill them all gents," a pirate laughed as they slammed planks onto the ship while others rode ropes and dived onto the sailors below.

 Chapter 29: Black Sails

    Writer''s Note: Seasonal work over. SORRY FOR THE WAIT. I stopped all writing since I posted the last chapter. Had work from mid afternoon to midnight every day since I posted the chapter. Every two-three days release will be back on track. Been thinking of a xianxia/ sci-fi side project during my meal hours. Combining the two is more work than fantasy xianxia. Also saw Star Wars and I liked it. Now, just waiting on that Independence Day sequel. Anyway, the pirate ship has begun their assault on the deck of the commercial ship. Lance tasks Mei to steal into the pirate captain''s cabin to steal all the valuables, the mysterious chest the top priority. However, no sea or ocean contains just one pirate vessel atop its waters. Where you find one, you can expect more. Enjoy.


    Chapter 29: Black Sails


    "Pirates on deck! Do not let them down below!" a sailor cried as their swords clashed with the pirates'' weapons.


    "Go. Go one floor down and jump out the window to theirs. They should have mana cannons on the flanks of their ship. You are at the Meteor Vessel Stage. It shouldn''t be hard to push the cannon back with your spirit force and let the others barge in first.. The panther and Lingqi will rush in and provide the distraction you need to enter and slip away unnoticed. The goal remains the same," Lance began as he held Mei back.


    "I will attack the deck of their ship and attempt to lure out the captain and first mate. You have until the time they''re both dead, or the pirates decide to retreat. Go now!" Lance ordered as he summoned dozens of tiny bone mice as the pirates attempted to head to the ladder leading below deck.


    "Be careful," Mei said as she ran below deck, Lingqi running behind her.


    "Target the weaker ones first and let the other pirates see you eat their flesh to instill fear into their hearts. You and Lingqi must blaze stronger than the sun," Lance said and the panther dipped its head and followed the two soon after.


    "Guns! Take out the guns. Use your magical cores of the first stage! We''re attacking a ship from Pangu!" a pirate shouted, Lance''s eyes narrowing at the strange weapons they pulled out from under their shirts. The weapons were pieces of wood and metal shaped like the cannons. They were in the shape of a rectangle with three-fourths of its length a long barrel. A shape of a lunar eclipse was on the back of the gun with the pirates holding the gun with one hand under the barrel and another on a small grip.


    "Fire!" a pirate roared as he and a few others loaded a small magical core where the shape of the lunar eclipse was, the core shining as a loud bang resounded. A tiny mist burst from the barrels as a small beam was fired from the guns. Lance''s eyes widened as sailors cried out, the beam entering their bodies without resistance. He narrowed in surprise and bewilderment as he was unscathed by three beams that hit him.


    "Fuck! That one''s someone at the Spirit Forming Stage!" a pirate yelled. "Pangu Continent''s second cultivation stage."


    "You idiot! He''s at the fourth stage! That''s a fucking Meteor Vessel! Why the hell is he here and how the fuck does he have mana inside him?" another cursed as he shot down a sailor. "Get the captain and first mate!"


    "So these guns are incapable of hurting someone of a higher cultivation? It seems it''s inferior to mana cannons," Lance muttered as two lava chains swirled from his wrists. Lava sizzled and wood burned as the chains began swirling toward the pirates.


    "So many fucking mice! Somebody shoot a mana cannon at him! Get your arse on those cannons and fire!" a pirate yelled, this one larger and more muscular than the other pirates. Lance narrowed his eyes as the man dodged the lava chains, ignoring the screams as the lava chain blasted and melted the pirates on point of contact. Faces burned and arms flew after they were dismembered.


    "That must be the first mate," Lance noted as he crossed his arms, the chains following the flow of his wrists and crossing as the pirate raised his sword as he leaped toward Lance. The pirate cursed and leaned his head back as far as he could, landing on his ass and back as Lance ran past him.


    Pirates screamed as Lance made the chains smaller and whipped them toward the pirates on his path. The mice scrambled onto the planks and assaulted the deck of the pirate ship as Lance burned off the forearms of two pirates and took their guns.


    "How do I use this thing?" Lance said as he pointed at a pirate and nothing happened. Annoyed, he spun the gun in his left hand and smashed the side of the gun onto a nearby pirate''s head. Holding the other gun with both hands, he saw a small metal bar within a ring beneath the end of the barrel closest to the eclipse shape. He looked around and saw a pirate kill a sailor more closely, noting the pull the small bar with  his right index finger.


    "This core''s too weak," Lance muttered, replacing it with a core of a magical beast of the Element Adept stage. He pointed the gun at a pirate and let out a gasp as he felt a minor recoil before seeing a crystalline beam penetrate and shatter inside the chest of the first pirate he saw. His lips curled as he heard screams below and began lashing his lava chains wildly all around him after tossing the gun into his storage ring.


    "Who the fucking hell is burning my ship?" a voice roared, two doors flying from its hinges as a man in a black trench coat and pirate hat stormed out of his cabin. His eyes narrowed and the fire from the lava-burnt wood reflected from his eyes as he saw Lance. "A brat who barely finished sucking his mom''s tits is messing with my ship? MY SHIP? What the fuck are you gents doing? How could you let him on my ship? Johnson, you''re the fucking first mate! How the hell is he on my ship?"


    "He''s dangerous captain. He''s a Meteor Vessel Stage practitioner from Pangu, and he''s even a necromancer!" the first mate cried, leaping aboard the ship as he roared at the pirates. "The hell are you looking at? You going to kill the landlubbers or what? The captain and I can just take all the treasure."


    "We''re not the ones who landed on his own ass in fright," one pirate muttered as he raced past the first mate.


    "Anyone else want to say something funny. Really, I''m all ears," Johnson snarled as the pirates loaded their guns and quickly continued the assault after they saw Johnson grab the sailor''s neck from behind and snapped it like a twig.


    "As expected of pirates: your methods are crude and ineffective. All you did was inspire mutiny down the road, when you are revealed to be at your weakest," Lance mocked as he made his lava chains thinner and hotter as they dug into the wood. "Are you my toys to experiment on today? There''s not enough...bodies. I have a theory about souls, but there are too few of you."


    "Kill him," the captain began but his first mate did not move. "Johnson? Why aren''t you moving?"


    "My feet....they burn!" the first mate screamed, the captain noticing the wood blackening around his feet.


    "Burst," Lance grinned and his chains suddenly surged and expanded, blowing up the first mate''s feet and legs to a few inches below the knees.


    "How did you do that?" the captain gasped as the chains wrapped around the arms of the first mate. The first mate screamed as the lava chains tightened until there was no more flesh, cloth, and bone to burn. With this, the first mate would not be a threat any longer.


    "Well, that''s his problem. His cultivation was too weak, equivalent to the peak Spirit Forming Stage. You are about the equivalent of a middle Element Adept practitioner, but a warrior from the southern continent. I can sense the mana inside you. You''ll suffice as a test subject," Lance smiled as the lava chains disappeared.


    The pirate captain roared and brandished a sinister, barbed axe as he ran toward Lance. Lance had his arms outstretched, not caring for the pirate as orbs of water appeared and floated above his palms. The water surged as the crimson neidan converted his spirit energy into mana, his body directing the mana into the floating water orbs. Sweat poured down Lance''s brow as the water began leaving the orbs, condensing five feet before him as the captain ran around the steering wheel and descended the eight stairs to the deck.


    The water began to release a cold aura as it began to frost and turn to mist. As the pirate arrived a few feet before the condensing water, the orbs were completely drained and began a corporeal form of Lance''s serpentine dragon body.


    "Necromancers of the Darkness deal with the dead. Necromancers of the Water deal with the living. Feel despair and tremble," Lance laughed as he moved his arms toward the captain. The serpentine dragon roared, stunning all the pirates and sailors as they turned their heads to the source of the roar. The pirate captain''s eyes trembled as he had never seen such a thing before.


    "W, ,w, what kind of dragon is that? That''s not shaped like a lizard," the pirate captain stuttered.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Lance said nothing as the dragon coiled up into the air, a frosty mist radiating from its body before it coiled down at the captain, its mouth opening as it reached the captain''s body. The pirate''s body jerked violently, the everyone on the decks of both ships completely stunned into silence as the ghost dragon disappeared into the body.


    "AUGH!" an ear-piercing scream sounded from inside their minds, many ears popping and people on both ships fainting as the ghost dragon emerged from the body with the ghost of the captain in its jaws. The body of the pirate captain fell onto its knees, the body living but without a soul. Lance then motioned his hands and one hand formed a fist as the other grabbed the fist.


    "Oh gods," a sailor gasped.


    "What are we seeing?" a pirate rasped.


    "C, captain," Johnson said, his vision blurred from the blood loss but still strong enough to sense the mana of his long time friend and captain. It was supposed to be a simple raid after their last raid made them enter the big times. They never expected this. Not this.


    The ghost dragon spat out the ghost of the pirate captain, the ghost actually the soul of the captain.  The pirates let go of their weapons as they lost the will to fight while Lance grabbed the ghost. The pirate ghost turned into a small flame the color of snow and water within Lance''s grasp.


    "Consumption of mana is too taxing. Still, this is a complete soul. According to the Necromonicon, I can use the soul and create a bone golem with complete control over it. Not a shred of free will will exist and the pirate becomes a puppet to live for all time. The sad part is, the golem is indestructible and only I can give his soul peace. If I die, he''ll stay as a golem for all eternity. I need to find a way to integrate magic into martial arts. It''s clear, through the existence of warriors who use mana and mages, that it is incomparably difficult to become both. Perhaps I should make a short spear so that one hand can cast magic as I use my practitioner arts and martial arts with the rest of my body," Lance muttered, oblivious to the pirates and sailors as he was immersed into his revelation.


    "We surrender. Just let us live from him," a pirate said to a nearby sailor, the other pirates nodding in agreement.


    "What do we do?" the sailor asked his captain as Lance looted the living, soulless body of the pirate captain.


    "Ah shit," Lance said as he stored the flame inside the ring of the dead captain, realizing what he did as he heard the sailor. "I should have used a regular dragon. No one else had seen that type of dragon outside Pangu. The people below deck should not have seen anything. That solves that problem."


    "What''s going on?" a sailor asked as the bone mice scurried over the decks of both ships. The mice swarmed and at least two jumped and attached themselves to the chest of the sailors and pirates.


    "Ah....so this is to me my fate," the captain of the sailors sighed as realization dawned in his eyes.


    "What''s going on? Let go of me," a sailor cried.


    "We surrendered. I don''t want to die," a pirate whimpered.


    Lance''s expression was indifferent as he snapped his fingers. Each of the bone mice positioned themselves where the heart would be and blew up. All the pirates and sailors on deck died as the bones of the mice minions became transparent and exploded into bursts of pure mana. There was no fire, just strong surges of mana destroying everything within the blast radius.


    Lance''s knees became weak and he struggled toward the mana cannons, storing them as well as the storage bags of the pirates. He already had a gun and did value it much at his current cultivation. As he managed to stumble across the planks and collapse onto the commercial ship, the pirates and sailors below the decks of both ships had arrived.


    They paled at the devastation on both ships but noticed most of the bodies were from sword wounds. They guessed a magical beast had passed by and took some of them for lunch before fighting each other again. Mei had arrived from below the deck of the pirate ship as she chased some pirates, killing them before scurrying toward the pirate captain''s cabin.


    "We''re being robbed. Back to the ships!" a pirate said as he saw Mei sprint up the stairs, ramming the side of the steering wheel to partially destroy it as she ran inside.


    "Don''t let them get away! They might bring more ships!" a sailor said. "Somebody find the captain too!"


    "I thought he was fighting on deck?" another frowned before he was distracted by a pirate.


    "Panther, come to me. I spent too much energy," Lance ordered through his mental link.


    "I will be there with the Lingqi shortly, master," the panther answered at once.


    "Die!" a pirate said shooting his gun at Lance but saw the crystallized spirit energy beam shatter against Lance''s body. He paled as Lance was not harmed in the slightest.


    "Impudent scum!" the panther roared, the pirate only hearing a great roar as the panther appeared like lightning. Its white teeth dug into the man''s throat, the pirate gagging as he fell onto the ground due to the weight and force of the panther.


    "Victory!" a sailor yelled and the sailors cheered as the sailor held the head of the pirate captain. None of them saw Mei pass by and the sailor in question did not know why the pirate captain just stayed on his knees the whole time the pirates fought.


    "You did something," Mei said, her comment not a question as she had heard the roar and saw too much damage and not enough bodies.


    "The mast is not damaged, much. We need to leave. I can sense mana fluctuations a few miles out. Well, my bone fish do. It seems beings made of mana are highly sensitive to it," Lance rasped, leaning on the panther as he got to his feet.


    "Sailors, we need to flee. Let the ship be and set sail! There are more coming!" Mei shouted after a moment.


    "What about the captain?" a woman asked as she appeared on deck. "Anyone see my husband?"


    "Mana cannon got him. I''m so sorry," Lance rasped, acting pitiful as he covered his eyes with his palm. It looked like he was crying, and the woman fell to her knees in shock and grief.


    "Barry, you''re first mate. You''re captain now. Orders, captain?" a burly man with wounds on his legs asked as a slightly shorter man stared back at him in shock.


    "Someone get topside on that mast and use the magic telescope. Somebody get the compass. I need our bearings and the location of the suspected pirates. All sailors with strength of the second stage and above, I want you all on oars. The rest of you clean up the mess and toss the bodies overboard. We....need to lessen the load if pirates are truly on pursuit," the man said, his voice and confidence rising with each sentence. Sailors were prepared for this. Pirate attacks were uncommon, but deaths were not. The ship always had to be prepared for the loss of her captain.


    "You heard the captain! Clean that mess and get on those oars!" the man''s closest friend said, his voice moving the other sailors to action as they muttered apologies to their dead crew members and the previous captain''s wife.


    "They didn''t have to die," Mei said as she, the panther, Lingqi, and Lance entered Lance''s room.


    "No, that was my fault. I was immersed in testing my theories and did not plan ahead. I created a scenario where I risked exposure of my identity if news ever reached Pangu. The identity of Guo Yang," Lance admitted. "You get the chest?"


    "Take it," Mei said, tossing a small chest the size of a melon at Lance. "Can we escape those pirates?"


    "We should be able to. We had ample enough warning. I released my bone fish minions as I cannot control them if they move a certain distance from me. However, they are far and even with a practitioner or mage on board; this ship has its own. It''ll take a few hours. I need rest. I cannot do what I did a second time," Lance sighed as he stored the chest in his storage ring.


    "So you admit you were wrong," Mei commented.


    "I can kill even you just fine. My lava chains do not consume my own spirit energy or mana. I just cannot alter them beyond their normal length and mass without it," Lance snorted. "Admitting one''s mistake is not something shameful. It is the act of pretending you did an action without shame, that is dishonorable. To admit even one mistake is better than none at all. Without acceptance, there can be no progression. Only stagnation. I am to enter the Realms of Immortals. The opinions of mortals, I really could care less."


    "So that is your aim. It is no wonder, all your actions. I see it now. I understand. You have no attachments to this world. If you did, they are not many," Lingqi said.


    "There is no power without sacrifice. In my doing so, I enjoy the world less than you and perceive it through different eyes," Lance said, the others silent as they left the panther and Lance alone to rest and recover his strength. The commercial ship quickly set sail away from the pirate ship as two others were verified heading in their direction.

 Chapter 30: Retaliation

    Writer''s Note: Hello! Lance and the others succeed in slaughtering the pirates, but located two more inbound. Lance is immersed in his discoveries during the fight and is currently recuperating his spirit energy and mana. Mei and Lingqi leave Lance and his panther alone as the commercial ship attempts to outrun the two ships with black sails. Note: releases are every 2, 3, or 4 days. It has been on the synopsis for a long time. It is hard to write a story and quite taxing. Enjoy. I am experimenting slightly with this chapter. In the next chapter, there will be less of this kind of chapter unless it adds to the story. Thanks for reading so far.


    Chapter 30: Retaliation


    "What the hell happened here? Where''s Garvin''s head?" a pirate with a black trench coat and giant black hat frowned.


    "The body seems without injury. The only thing wrong about it is the two long cuts on the neck. Whoever cut off Garvin''s head was not the killer. Such an uneven cut, Garvin would have had more injuries before his head would get cut off. I don''t detect any foreign substance, mana, or spirit energy within his body," another pirate captain frowned, their ships docked on the flanks of the wrecked ship.


    "Captains, there are more bodies below deck. Sword wounds, claw marks, and bite marks are on all the bodies. Since more bodies were found near the window, I suspect people entered the ship from the commercial ship''s window below deck. Spirit energy and massive damage was discovered on one of the mana cannons. Someone of the Meteor Vessel Stage of the Pangu Continent must have done it. No Elemental Adept can damage a mana cannon," a pirate reported.


    "Most of the loots are gone too. Even some of the rum and wine are gone. There''s also a corpse found in one of the prisoner cages, a hole the size of a watermelon in his chest," another pirate reported.


    "Captain, the silver and black chest is gone," a third pirate reported.


    "Fuck. Whoever killed the prisoner managed to find out about the key. Must have been fooled to thinking he''d be released and showed the key as insurance. Whoever killed him was cold-blooded enough to kill him and take the key. Might be the same guy who killed Garvin. As for Johnson''s corpse, it''s evident this person is also at the Element Adept Stage. However, why are there no wounds on Garvin?" one of the pirate captains pondered aloud.


    "Who gives a shit, Garret. Bastard killed Garvin and took the chest. We had to ambush that secret envoy with all three ships of us brothers. Eldest brother was the weakest, but he was the most experienced. He would have checked the commercial ship to gauge the passenger and crew''s cultivation, spirit energy or mana. They killed our brother, slaughtered his men, and stole his loot. We need to hoist the sails, man the oars, and kill them all," the other pirate captain roared. "Get ready to release the sea wolves."


    "Gary, have you gone mad?! Those things cost a fortune and you want to waste them on a fucking merchant vessel?" Garret shouted. "The price of losing one...."


    "means nothing compared to avenging our brother. Big bro is dead. I''m the head captain of our fleet now. Some of the sailors should be dead or injured. Our goal is to slow them down enough for a pincer attack with the mana cannons. Once we sink the ship, we''ll know the face of the bastards who killed Garvin," Gary snarled.


    "How do we know who killed him?" Garret asked.


    Gary smiled maliciously and said, "They''ll be the ones who survived and escaped to our ships. We kill the sailors, beat the men, rape the women, steal their stuff, and sell the good looking passengers to the highest bidder at Pirate Cove."


    "Now that is a pretty picture. The women we captured from the envoy have started to lost the life in their eyes. I so love resistance and breaking hope and minds," Garret grinned. "You better reimburse me for the sea wolves, little brother."


    "I''ll let you have first pick of the women and 55% of the treasure," Gary grinned and the two pirate captains carefully and tenderly took their oldest brother''s body and sunk the ship. Within a few minutes, they hoisted the sails and manned the oars, their killing intent focused solely on the merchant vessel.


    --------Back on the Commercial Ship-------


    "That reckless, merciless, narcissistic, psychotic, and dumb idiot," Mei cursed as she burst into her and Lingqi''s cabin.


    "You should calm down Mei. It already happened. You''re a cultivator. You should understand the unspoken rule between those with power and those with less of it," Lingqi soothed as she sat on her bed. "Yes, he killed people. However, a lot more people would be dead without his plan of sending us to attack the pirates below deck by surprise. A lot more sailors would have died."


    "Because of necromancy, he treated that pirate captain like a test subject. I heard that scream. We all did. I remember the first time it happened. He played with souls again. This time, it was a lone soul''s scream with an even more horrifying effect. He did not absorb traces of a soul. He did something to the pirate''s complete soul. I can''t say anything to him though. I also killed many more people at once," Mei sighed as she sat on her own bed with her back against the wall.


    "We all killed innocent and guilty people. It all depends on how you view it," Lingqi said. "The only thing you have to ask yourself is if it was necessary. Did Lance kill them out of joy or amusement? No. He killed the sailors on deck because they witnessed something that could have blown his alias. However, what he did was expected of the World Serpent. There were many stories of him in the past. Most of them, made today''s incident look as...tame...as a baby tossing its food at the wall."


    "I did not know that stories of him existed outside of the Pangu Continent," Mei gasped, curious.


    "Of course they did. It iis not every century that a creature attempts to ascend to the Immortal Realm. The amount of people who have are mostly human. Lance was the World Serpent, a magical beast snake considered the most powerful and the most dangerous in all of recorded history. It was also proof that any creature with hereditary memories has the possibility to ascend, making them more valuable to humans and demons alike. To most people, the World Serpent is a scourge of history and the creature reputed to kill the most humans in any one continent. To my people of the Eastern Continent, he was a living god and the embodiment of power, determination, and resolve."


    "Tell me more," Mei asked, wonder in her heart.


    "There is one story deemed credible as it came from an ancestor who originated in the Pangu Continent. Long ago, there was a giant golden snake with jade eyes and sand colored feathers on the back of its head. It was currently feasting on the body of a dragon, the dragon''s corpse crushed as the snake''s body was coiled around it. The dragon''s head and body were already within its mouth," Lingqi began.


    "A group of practitioners of the Earth Mortal Stage saw the dragon and snake and greed crept into their hearts. They numbered forty two strong and were members of the sect of the nearby city. The dragon''s blood, alone, was worth tens of thousands of bone demon coins. To see such a creature in being devoured by a snake of gold, how could greed not cloud their judgment and take hold of their hearts. They assumed a grand formation and attacked the snake as it finished feeding on its wings and began on the hind legs and tail. The dragon''s lower body was destroyed and a single scale of the snake cracked as fire, water, wind, and light crashed onto its head," Lingqi continued.


    "The World Serpent roared in anger, its meal ruined. It destroyed the mountain and buried the practitioners in its wake. How could they stop a creature at the peak Sky Mortal Stage? Its anger still not sated, it turned its attention to the city. It roared and spoke in human tongue. It spoke of how humans were blinded by greed and that their arrogance had a price. The World Serpent said it would be their last and final lesson. Those outside the city watched with dread as the snake slithered to the city and created pillars of earth and boulders of water. The land shook and the sky cried rain without clouds. The World Serpent was the unquestioned sovereign of water and earth. It had no equal and destroyed eight more cities before it vanished without a trace. That, Mei, is true destruction. What Lance did today was necessary. What the World Serpent did, was not," Lingqi said as she finished her tale.


    "So, my brother did all that. He told me of his younger days. What you said must be true. He was a gold snake with jade eyes and sand colored feathers. He''s different now. Whether that''s good or bad, we need to make sure he doesn''t become what he once was. Immortals should pursue power, but they must also value and respect life. He does not believe that," Mei sighed and gazed at the roof.


    "You can change his heart, but his soul remains. If he truly is the World Serpent, he chose reincarnation instead of ascension. However, that does not mean his soul is human. Only half is and I believe, in the last few days, those halves merged into one complete soul," Lingqi said. "Changes are evident, but there is no telling what changed and what didn''t. Right now, we conserve our strength. Lance said he detected two ships with his spirit sense. That means they will come. If my thoughts are correct, these pirates might send sea wolves after us."


    "Sea wolves?" Mei frowned. "What are those?"


    "Dangerous...things....neither living nor dead. They are the scourge of the Southern Continent. They are very expensive and only those at the Meteor Vessel Stage equivalent can harness their power. If Lance detected two ships, that means they were friendly. We''re not dealing with regular pirates. We''re dealing with a small fleet," Lingqi said. "We need to get to Lance. He has affinity to water. He''s the only one who can stop the sea wolves."


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Mei nodded and the two girls ran towards Lance''s room. Lance was currently meditating, many ideas swirling within his mind as he recovered his spirit energy and mana. He had many ideas with what to do with the soul flame. As the room swayed with the ship, he felt himself becoming one with ship. He felt his body sway with the waves. There was mana within the waves, within the ocean. He let his senses flow and tried to connect his mana with the mana of the ocean.


    "Lance! Lance!" a voice cried, Lance wrinkling his brows as his mind was disrupted from the trance. He narrowed his eyes at the two teens who barged in.


    "What are you doing? I said not to disturb me," Lance growled, the panther baring its fangs at Mei and Lingqi.


    "We have a problem. I suspect the pirates might send sea wolves after us," Lingqi said.


    "Sea wolves?" Lance said, tilting his head in confusion. "What are those?"


    "Water spirits. They are mana given form and life in accordance to an element. They are the work of mages known as summoners. They transform their mana and assimilate it to an element, giving it life. Those spirits are held within special orbs and sold for hundreds or thousands of gold demon coins. Sea wolves are one of the more common ones. They run atop the water''s surface as if it were the ground. The only way to destroy them is to disrupt the water that makes up their bodies. Each of them has a Mage''s Mark inside that acts like a magical beast core. Destroy the mark, destroy them permanently," Lingqi explained.


    "So what''s the problem? Why need me specifically?" Lance frowned.


    "The marks never stay in one place. They swirl inside the spirit in an unpredictable pattern. Only someone with affinity to water can attempt to manipulate the sea wolves and halt the mark long enough to allow people to destroy it," Lingqi said.


    "Wait, you Mage''s Mark. Does that mean I have one too?" Lance asked. "Can I replace the mark with my own?"


    "It is possible. Only a summoner can create a spirit, but no one uses spirits against another mage as they could be stolen," Lingqi answered and gasped. "You mean to take one for your own, but it consumes a lot of mana to change a Mage''s Mark into your own."


    "What about a soul containing the mana of its previous life?" Lance grinned.


    "Another experiment?" Mei shouted.


    "Either I test it on the water spirit and destroy the soul in the process, or I store it inside a golem to make it an indestructible tool for all time. Even with my death, it will not be destroyed and become a living statue. The soul is completely aware, but unable to do anything. Would you have me doom the soul for all eternity?" Lance grinned. "Whose idea is the greater evil? Yours or mine?"


    "Sea wolves! I see sea wolves five nauts out!" a sailor cried, Lingqi and Mei''s face darkening at the news.


    "Well, we can discuss moral dilemmas later. Right now, my plan stands," Lance laughed as he raced to the deck.


    "In oars! Close or bar all the windows. Force the sea wolves to attack from the deck! We need all fighters and sailors to defend the ship! If there are any with affinity to water, we need your help or we all die!" the new captain roared, many passengers cursing the rotten luck they have on this voyage.


    "Eight sea wolves spotted! 2 nautical miles out! One and a half now," the lookout cried.


    "Since I have my panther, I need two. One to experiment and another for assistance in battle. I cannot expose my practitioner arts and haven''t learned to mix my martial arts with mana yet," Lance ordered as the panther, Lingqi, and Mei arrived behind him.


    "They''re here!" a sailor cried as growls sounded all over the ship. The ship tilted as several strong impacts landed on the port and starboard sides of the ship. After a few more impacts, geysers shot into the air and revealed eight wolves made entirely of water as they landed on the deck.


    "Destroy their Mage''s Mark!" the captain cried, the sailors using the guns they took from the pirates. However, the bullets could not penetrate the dense water of the sea wolves. The Mage''s Mark within the sea wolves were glistening runes of light that indeed moved within the water spirit in an unpredictable pattern. The blood of the sailors sprayed into the air as the sea wolves clawed and bit them, their blood even entering the sea wolves.


    "Water magic is mostly defensive, but water spirits are nearly invincible because of it. The blood will only make their defenses even stronger," Lingqi said.


    "The sea wolves are only targeting the sailors. The Mage''s Mark must allow them to be controlled. Not only will their defense heighten, the pirates'' goal is to slow our ship down by reducing the number of sailors. We need to stop them now!" Lance said and the other three burst forward, clashing with the sea wolves.


    Lance had his lava chains appear, a sickening smile on his face. He reached out and wrapped one of the sea wolves with the lava chain. As the sea wolf assumed it could escape, the water of its body had made contact with the lava. The lava hardened and prevented the wolf from escaping. Lance lashed out with his other lava chain, the Mage''s Mark destroyed as the chain whipped unpredictably.


    "When a chain or whip cracks, they start slow and then accelerate as they strike. How could its path be predicted," Lance smiled as the water spirit fell apart and became a puddle of water on the deck.


    "Get off me!" Mei roared as two wolves bit into her legs. Light radiated from her body, turning the head of the sea wolves into steam. As the water spirits attempted to regenerate their heads, their form became smaller. Mei shouted as she lifted her sword, light cascading the deck as she slammed it at her feet. A globe of light emanated from where her sword pierced the deck, the intensity of the light destroying the two water spirits utterly.


    Lingqi and the panther were not at the Meteor Vessel Stage and had a harder time dealing with the sea wolves. Lingqi wielded two daggers, but her main element was fire and wind. Her fire was easily doused when slashing the sea wolves and her wind only disrupted the makeup of the bodies of the sea wolves, the sea wolves regenerating to the same size as the amount of water was not reduced.


    As Mei was consumed with rage, she quickly assaulted another sea wolf that was slightly crimson in color. It was evident the sea wolf had killed or injured a lot of sailors. Lance only smiled as he used the mana in his body to penetrate the body of one of the sea wolves he caught with a lava chain. As the sea wolf abandoned its left hind leg to escape, it shrunk and there was less area for the Mage''s Mark to swirl in.


    "Curious," Lance muttered as his mana made contact with the Mage''s Mark, forcing the water spirit still. "These summons are like my bone minions. However, they also possess their own mind and stop attacking to preserve their own life. There''s a pirate holding an orb on one of the two ships. He can''t see through their eyes, but he can spread his spirit or mana sense through the sea wolves. Interesting. Break for me!"


    "NOOO!" a human voice cried from the Mage''s Mark as it twisted and changed form and color. Previously the color of azure, it was now cyan in color. The Mage''s Mark appeared in the form of a human skull, noting the type of mage who now owned the water spirit.


    In order to finalize his control, Lance took out the soul flame of the pirate captain and consumed it. Mana surged within his body and he directed it inside the sea wolf. The sea wolf surged with power and became even larger than it had been before it arrived. Lance smiled as he felt an incredibly new feeling. It was no wonder the water spirits were expensive. He felt as if he were the sea wolf. He could feel the deck beneath its feel as if it were his own feet. The mana sense of the sea wolf was even greater than his own, a feeling of an ancient power held within it.


    "It''s as if I''ve become the water," Lance laughed and turned to another sea wolf. "I must have more!"


    ---------On Garret''s Ship--------


    "NOOOO!" the pirate captain cried as he lost another connection to his eight sea wolves. However, he felt it was because of a mage. A mage capable of controlling water actually overwrote the Mage''s Mark of the summoner he paid to possess the sea wolves. His face paled and his heart broke as he lost all eight of his sea wolves.


    "FUCK!" he screamed at the Heavens.


    "Captain?" his first mate asked nervously.


    "Take out the communication bead and tell my little brother I only slayed a third of the remaining sailors. He owes me eight sea wolves and the top five women on that fucking ship! Tell the men to haul oars, even the fights. I want us to attack the flanks on that ship and blast it to the Nether Realm! NOW!" the pirate captain roared.


    "Aye, Cap," the first mate said and turned to the rest of the pirate crew. "Get your asses on those oars before I gut you with my sword and throw you overboard you useless lot!"


    "That fucking chest better be worth my older brother''s life and the cost of eight sea wolves," the captain snarled as he grabbed a pirate by the collar. "Bring me two of the women from the convoy and drag them into my cabin. I need to calm my mind by fucking them. As we draw close, aim the mana cannons at their sails and guide the ship to their port side. As my brother''s ship arrives on their starboard side, destroy that ship with every mana cannon we got."


    "What about their loot and rum? The women?" the pirate asked before the captain roared with rage and broke his neck before throwing him overboard. "You! Over there! I know damn well you heard the words coming out of me mouth! Get to it!"


    "Captain," the pirate stuttered and hurried to the first mate to relay the orders.

 Chapter 31: Hard to Starboard

    Writer''s Note: Hello! Had a cold and could not finish it yesterday. Lance tames two sea wolves and their former master is livid. Lingqi fears the pirates have more up their sleeves as they even used eight sea wolves, worth hundreds to thousands of gold demon coins, to slow the commercial ship down. Also wrote prologue for new story. Once I write a few chapters, I''ll decide to post it then. Enjoy.


    Some ship terms. Port= left. Starboard= right. Hull= body of the ship. Stern= rear of the ship. Bow= front of the ship.


    Chapter 31: Hard to Starboard


    "We''re currently heading to the nearest island to acquire reinforcements. The pirates should be upon us by the time we are in sight of land. I need all passengers to be prepared to fight for their lives. The pirates will definitely focus the fire of their mana cannons on any life boat," the new captain told the passengers.


    "Are you crazy? The closest islands are part of the Mad Demon Chain, a chain of islands under constant assault by demons and demonic magical beasts. Magical beasts aren''t the only dangers anymore," a learned merchant cried.


    "Certain death trails behind us. If they used sea wolves, they must have mana cannons of the caliber to use Elemental Adept magical beast cores. They''ll destroy the ship and pick us off as we swim. That is the result of not heading for the islands," the captain said with a strong voice. "Pirate attacks are common. We can only curse our luck that a pirate fleet chased us after we survived."


    "Demons? They exist in this age?" Lance said, the only memories of demons from his hereditary memories of ancestors from time immemorial.


    "The only continent they don''t exist in is the Pangu Continent. A hundred years after your failed ascension, the demons hiding in Pangu surfaced. They found the Right Heart of Darkness and one demon rose to become the first Earth Mortal of Pangu since a few decades before your attempted ascension," Lingqi said. "Of course, that is according to legend."


    "That doesn''t make sense. Why didn''t they come out before?" Lance frowned.


    "You devoured every living creature at the Earth Mortal and Sky Mortal Stage in Pangu. It was how magical beasts cultivated quickly and you were the supreme expert. Not only in Pangu, the world lived with the fear that you would leave Pangu and rule the world. That was why you were called the World Serpent," Lingqi answered. "Furthermore, your existence forced the continent to be unable to trade with other nations and continents. Progression of civilization and cultivation stagnated because of you."


    "I did all that? Wow. I never knew," Lance laughed as he and the others watched the passengers and sailors scramble to prepare themselves. "You know a lot about me. Why?"


    "Ever since your rise to power, before you vanished, snakes ran rampant around the world. Your previous life was known as the Serpent Age. People made temples. You were both a god and devil. In the Sky Mortal Stage, magical beasts gained human form and the few Sky Mortal Snakes spread your name as they unleashed their rage and anger at the world," Lingqi answered.


    "We could become human?" Lance gasped.


    "No. It is merely a shape-shifting ability. Body and soul, you are still a magical beast. After you vanished, snakes were hunted to near extinction and the world gradually forgot you and the snakes became as low as they had been prior to your rise. When people learned of the Day of the Eye and the Snake, people began to remember the legends of the World Serpent and the Fragments of Darkness. Who knew a Vessel of Darkness and the reincarnated World Serpent would be my salvation and not my damnation? It''s kind of funny and unbelievable," Lingqi said.


    "How many Vessels of Darkness are there?" Mei asked. "Is that demon still alive?"


    "That demon is the new undisputed supreme expert, obtaining both the Left and Right Heart of Darkness. A third of the world is lost to demons and demonic magical beasts. It is at the middle Sky Mortal Stage and the existence of five humans at the initial Sky Mortal Stage are the only reason it hasn''t ruled the world," Lingqi said. "Besides you, there is only the demon known as Mohaga the Moon Slayer. It is said that Mohaga absorbs the power of the moon and is invincible during the night."


    "That little gnat was a demon? It was a magical beast before. So that weird taste of flesh meant it was a demonic magical beast?" Lance muttered, no one hearing him as a sailor cried and pointed at two directions.


    "Land ho!....Oh god. They''re so fast! The pirates will be in firing range in ten breaths!" the sailor cried with despair.


    "Everybody get down! Aim all mana cannons at the stern of the ship to the bows of the two pirate ships!" the captain cried.


    "We need to move to the bow. It is the furthest from the stern, the back of the ship," Lingqi said.


    "Why? It''s just mana cannons. What''s the harm?" Lance asked as three loud explosions occurred behind him.


    "A collective force of mana cannons can combine together to even eradicate people of your cultivation," Lingqi stressed.


    "A super cannon. You''re talking about a super cannon. Seriously? Maybe the spirit energy within the cores could somehow harmonize, but that doesn''t mean--" Lance began as another blasted against the stern. "I suppose I should makeup a backup plan."


    "Backup plan? Aren''t you going to defend the ship?" Mei asked and gestured to the sailors and passengers. "What about all these people? They need us."


    "We need to survive. What? Do you expect to become a supreme expert and solve everyone''s dispute? There are too many fights all over the globe. Do you expect to solve them all? Do you expect to save everyone? Face the truth, Mei. No matter how much you want me to change, the world won''t. This is the world of immortals. Your little fantasy has made you conceited and blind," Lance said.


    "We''ll talk about this later. Right now, we have other priorities," Mei said and sighed before looking at the three others. "Look, I get it. I just thought that by changing Yang into Lance, I might be able to change myself and redeem myself for the past. There has to be something you can do."


    "The ship is doomed. Our only chance is to fire back with our own mana cannons. I don''t know what will happen when the opposing energies clash in different directions. There will be an explosion for sure. What kind, well, you make the call. I don''t care about these people," Lance shrugged and Lingqi and the panther looked at Mei.


    "If that''s our only hope to save them," Mei sighed, feeling as if a burden was lifted from her shoulders. She seemed different now, slightly more powerful. Her spirit energy seemed to naturally gather around her.


    "She seems to have made a breakthrough of sorts," Lingqi whispered to Lance. "It''s similar to your own transformation, but less drastic."


    "Hmph. She''s nothing like me. I can still kill her without much effort. Just move the mana cannons to the starboard side. They must aim to flank us. It is obvious that they are aiming for the mast, but can only hit the stern of the ship. Tell the captain to focus all mana cannons on the right side and prepare to go overboard. We''ll lose the ship anyway, but we can take one down with us and make our chances to escape a little bit higher," Lance ordered, Lingqi nodding as she ran to tell the captain. "Panther, go with her in case the captain needs some encouragement to follow my orders."


    "Yes master," the panther purred and sped off after Lingqi.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I want all mana cannons focused on the star board side now! Any sailor or fighter not on a mana cannon better arm themselves with one of the pirates'' rifles. I want all civilians not fighting prepare to ride the lifeboats and escape. We''ll position our starboard side at the pirate ships while our port side faces the island. The ship will act as a shield as the lifeboats break for land. We live or die today, ladies and gentlemen. Get moving and prepare to abandon ship or abandon life and hope," the captain ordered and the sailors rushed to position the mana cannons on the right side of the ship.


    "Take the one at dawn. The one at sunset is more dangerous. You won''t get attacked by pirates during the day. They don''t got the balls. Fucking whore. When I get home I swear I''m knocking the teeth out of that woman," a merchant cursed, Lance mildly amused.


    "You wife?" Lance asked.


    "My shrink. Trying to get back on my feet after the drugs," the merchant said. "My wife said I had an anger problem. Said she''d leave me if I didn''t know how to stay calm."


    "You help the passengers get on the lifeboats in a calm manner, you''ll be on the first one out," Lance said, the merchant''s eyes twinkling and the two shared a laugh.


    "Nice work," Mei noted as all the mana cannons were positioned on the starboard side.


    "Don''t get too excited. Merchants are those who prioritize their lives. If their life is at stake, nothing would stop them to get away with their valuables. You just have to know which people to direct and which ones you shouldn''t. Observation before decision. That is how you win," Lance smiled evilly and stared at the two pirate ships as the captain''s cabin was finally blown apart.


    "They''re moving apart. They aim to flank us!" the sailor atop the mast reported. "They got oars out."


    "That''s a relief," Lingqi said, Lance turning to her.


    "Why''s that?" he asked.


    "If they got oars out, that means they are prioritizing speed. With the recoils of the mana cannons, the sailors below would have difficulty moving the ship. They won''t be firing at us," Lingqi said.


    "Good. If they got oars, I got bones. I''ll be at the bottom of the boat. Don''t worry about me. You guys just prepare for the assault on the starboard side and keep watch on the other ship. As we make hard to starboard, the other ship will be at our stern. Stay near the bow during the assault," Lance said, rushing downstairs.


    "What does he mean by bones? The bone fish?" Lingqi asked Mei.


    "I try not to think about it. Asking only makes you dread it more," Mei said, moving to the front of the ship.


    "They''re going to blow up the ship. They''ll blow up the ship. I got bones. I got bones," Lance muttered as he took out the Necromonicon. "This is gonna be fun. Oh so much fun. Come out little wolf. It''s time to begin the fireworks."


    A sea wolf came out of his storage ring and howled. Lance also took out a mana cannon and bone began summoning bone snakes. The floor became heavily submerged in fog and the temperature in the room dropped to freezing. Lance took out a magical beast core of the Element Adept Stage and admired it before inserting it into the cannon.


    "A lot of people will die today. Me, my girls, and my cat will live today. We gonna take a swim and gut some rats. We''ll make a killing and make off with their stash," Lance sung and hummed as he began finishing his preparations.


    On the deck, the sailor atop the mast slid down and said to the captain, "They are beginning to cross to us. It''s time."


    "Hard to starboard," the captain said.


    "HARD TO STARBOARD. Put your backs into it. Haul in oars on our port side. Load the cannons and prepare to fire on my mark," the first mate cried, the sailors and passengers falling silent upon hearing the orders.


    A few yards away, Gary stared at the merchant ship with disgust. His eyes widened as the commercial ship started to take a hard right. That meant they predicted their flanking attack!


    "Haul in oars! Do not augment your bodies with spirit energy!" Gary cried, but his ship moved too fast and was too difficult to steer to starboard. Gary cursed as he saw Garret''s ship attempt to take a hard right as well, only to have the bow of the commercial ship slam onto their port side.


    "Fire! Aim at the mast and the hull! Sink that ship down with us!" the captain of the ship yelled.


    "NO! We can''t lose another ship! All hands fire at our starboard,: Gary screamed.


    "We might hit our own allies, captain," his first mate said.


    "But it won''t sink! Just fire! We cannot lose another ship. Think of our loot on it!" Gary roared, the pirate paling and yelled at his men to fire at will. Gary and his pirates suddenly felt their ship quake as they heard an explosion below deck.


    "What happened?" he screamed.


    "We took damage to our hull! We''re taking in water," a pirate shouted from below deck. "Wait, there''s something coming towards us, in the water. Oh gods! It''s a sea wolf! A sea wolf! Its body is covered in some bone armor! It''s flanked by dozens of snakes made of bones!"


    "Necromancer, but how did he gain control of a sea wolf?" Gary cursed as screams happened below deck.


    "Gather at the hull and close that breach! Aim our rifles at the sea wolf and take it down!" his first mate cried.


    "Belay that! Kill the master, kill the sea wolf. See that hole near the surface by the stern? Damn bastard blew a hole in their ship to damage our own! He knew the ship''s doom and is attempting to prevent us from helping our mates on my brother''s ship! Aim all mana cannons at their stern! Sink it down!" Gary roared.


    "But the crew?" his first mate muttered but followed orders. After a few screams, several small bangs were heard below deck and Gary could see a sea wolf run back to the commercial ship as their mana cannons blasted the stern apart. He laughed as the ship tilted backwards and began to sink, amused as the sailors and some resistant passengers leaped onto his brother''s ship.


    "Hmm?" Gary frowned and his eyes widened as he saw lifeboats currently speeding toward the island. "They fucking got us! Their main goal was to abandon ship after all! Aim the mana cannons at them!"


    "They''re out of range captain," his first mate said as a bloodied pirate came on deck. "Should we go after them?"


    "No! We help my brother and his crew. Then, we rain our mana cannons all over that beach. I will not have us dock on anyone of that accursed island chain," Gary said, superstitious as all pirates were.


    "Captain!" the pirate wheezed. "The bone snakes, they seemed to carry weak magical cores and exploded by overloading their bodies with energy! The explosion damaged some of our mana cannons and some of our crew were killed. Captain, the explosions made several holes in the barrels of rum."


    "The rum?" the captain and first mate gasped. Pirates cherished three things: rum, treasure, and freedom on the high seas. Rum took away their mental struggles for living as pirates. It was like gold to them.


    "Plug those holes and save the rum! Take some of our crew and plank the holes in the hull! We can''t help the others," Gary ordered through gritted teeth. If he helped his brother and his ship sank due to the length of time it took to save them, then his crew would mutiny and he''d be dead. They had their own loot and skins to worry about.


    "I''ll stay on the ship and help control the water from getting in. Take half of me crew and get on those lifeboats. Go to my brother''s ship and kill that necromancer. The sea wolf returned to that blasted ship. Also, find the chest they stole," Gary ordered.


    "Aye. I hear that. We''ll get revenge for Garvin," the pirate nodded and half of the crew took their swords, axes, and rifles and started to load the lifeboats onto the water.

 Chapter 32: End of the Struggle

    Writer''s Note: Hello! Gary''s ship is badly damaged and cannot continue forward to assist the pirate crew on the other ship. Meanwhile, Lance''s plot succeeds and Garret''s ship takes heavy damage. However, Gary succeeds in sinking the merchant ship and sends half of his crew after Lance and the others. Now, they stall for time to let the fleeing passengers to escape to land. What price must they pay? Why is the island so feared by Gary and some of the passengers of the merchant ship? Enjoy.


    Chapter 32: End of the Struggle


    "Forward! We must secure a way off the island! The other ship can''t come here. We must secure the deck before their reinforcements arrive!" the captain roared as he and the sailors assaulted Garret''s pirate crew. The passengers who stayed behind to fight also yelled and charged.


    "Where''s Lance?"Mei cried as she slashed a nearby pirate across the throat.


    "Over there!" Lingqi shouted and Mei saw Lance by the bridge, lashing his way into the captain''s cabin with his lava chains melting and burning all it touched. Pirates screamed and burnt meat filled the air around him as he kicked the door down and made his way inside.


    "The other ship is not moving! However, they''re sending reinforcements!" Lingqi cried, realizing now why the captain made the order. "Whatever Lance did, it worked."


    "FIRE!" a voice screamed inside the captain''s cabin, followed by a loud explosion. The ship rocked and all eyes turned to see a teen fly in the sky and crash onto the deck. Mei''s eyes widened as she saw it was Lance who was on the deck, groaning as his chest was badly burnt. The top three pairs of ribs could even be seen touching his sternum.


    Lance coughed blood twice as the same voice roared, "Get the mana cannons out there and shoot him again! He''s a fucking Meteor Vessel and probably the one who killed Garvin!"


    Lance put his right hand on his chest as he lifted his left hand into the air. He screamed into the air and a dark purple water orb appeared and floated above his left hand. Soon, sailors and pirates both felt as if something was wrenching their very souls. At her cultivation, Mei could actually see green, tear-shaped lights come out of the hearts of the sailors and pirates and enter the purple water orb.


    "What is this sorcery?" she gasped as the water orb shined and broke. The water fell onto Lance''s chest and the deck. Lance''s wounds began to heal and even the deck that got drenched by the water began to shine and become as radiant as newly cut wood.


    "This is soul magic, the most miraculous and forbidden type of magic," Lingqi gasped as Lance''s wounds completely healed. Meanwhile, the sailors, pirates, and even a few passengers felt light-headed and their knees wobbled. Because of their numbers, only an insignificant amount of their soul was drained. However, most of their energy was drained in the process.


    "You made me bleed! You made me bleed!" Lance roared as he stood on his feet, his mana surging wildly. The rei neidan within his Soul Realm trembled as it began to surge and convert wave upon wave of spirit energy into mana. The tortured souls within the depths of the Sea of Souls wailed in pain as more of their energy was forcibly ripped and drained from them.


    To this day, it could be said that Lance hardly felt any physical pain from his enemies. A tough fight or two, but not to the extent of so much damage at once. It reminded him of his days as a snake, slithering in fear as birds would claw and peck at him viciously. Parts of him were eaten and those traumatic experiences were ingrained in his heart.


    Fear.


    It was an emotion he had never felt in a long time. Frustration was felt when he fought a Meteor Vessel Practitioner who witnessed Mei kill people. Envy and rage was felt when all people were forced to kneel and kowtow when imperial guards once came to inspect the Divine Tattoos of the people of Gold Lotus City. He had no felt fear in so long.


    This time, he wasn''t afraid of birds or humans. He was not afraid of the cold cages which imprisoned him when he was weak and defenseless against human trappers. He was not afraid of tiny chicks who looked at him as he was dropped in their nest as if he were lunch.


    He had nearly died and was afraid of Death, itself. Five mana cannons shot into him at once, combining into one powerful beam of spirit energy.


    "He''s still alive," Garret cursed and stepped onto the deck, eyes reeling as he saw Lance practically unharmed. "WHAT? Those cannon beams blew open his chest! How the fuck did he heal so fast?"


    "Who the hell''s Garvin? Who keep yelling his name, but I don''t know the guy," Lance said, Mei and Lingqi noticing him buy time as the panther stealthily approached the edge of the deck. The panther licked its lips as it stared at the sea.


    "You don''t even know who he was?" Garret roared as his men positioned the mana cannons. "He was the captain of the pirate crew you slaughtered. You killed him!"


    "In position," a pirate whispered and Lance curled his lips as Garret momentarily took his eyes off him to confirm. He used his Mirror Mirage Art and vanished before Garret looked back.


    "Where did he go? Where is he?" Garret roared as the panther leaped off the ship, its body covered in flames as it lunged at Gary''s first mate who was in the leading lifeboat sent help Garret.


    Garret turned his head as he heard screams and cried out as he saw a giant sword appear before him. He hastily dodged out of the way and a huge crash resounded behind him as the great sword pierced through the mana cannons behind him. Due to the great sword, the formation was broken and some pirates howled in pain and agony as some mana cannons rolled onto their feet or banged against their shins.


    Lance appeared exactly where he had disappeared. He only knew how to swing a sword. He merely used brute strength when he invaded the first pirate ship and looted it. This time, he threw the great sword as if he were throwing a javelin or spear.


    "You probably thought I lost my nerve, right?" Lance inquired Mei and Lingqi, both nodding in agreement. "Well, I did. You go kill the pirates and save the sailors. I don''t care about them. I''m going to make Garret my next test subject. He''ll know the meaning of pain."


    Lance teleported beside the pirate and kicked him inside the ruined captain''s cabin. As he made his own way inside, he lashed out his lava chains and killed the pirates rolling on the floor in pain from the mana cannons. Screams and metal clashed all over the ship and on the ocean''s surface.


    The panther was having the time of its life. Its claws tore and gored several pirates and each of them had the talent to cultivate. It was a pity their meat did not feel as savory and tender as their cultivation was too weak, but the panther had them all to themselves. Most of all, they were living. Most animals preferred their prey alive than dead. Humans would consider the act barbaric as they were incapable of eating most animal flesh raw.


    "My little brother will avenge us both. You''re stronger than us, but he will kill you in the end. He''s a smart pirate!" Garret said as he backed against the wall with his hands and butt on the floor.


    "You pirates thought to destroy us by flanking. How simplistic. You call that intelligence? Not only that, he''s too busy saving his own ship with half of his crew. The other half, I permitted my panther to partake of as an all-you-can-eat buffet. No one can help you now. If he was truly heartless and determined for vengeance, he would have destroyed this ship with mana cannons and picked off the survivors as they swam for shore. If he was truly smart, he would have sent his men after our own lifeboats and used them as hostages. That is using your head. You''re both fools," Lance mocked.


    "Then kill me! I ain''t going to beg for my life like a coward! I died a free man! Free from the empire!" Garret roared, Lance''s eyes narrowing.


    "Now we''re getting somewhere," Lance said as his lava chains disappeared and grabbed the collar of the pirate as a black and silver chest appeared in his left hand. "Now, tell me where you got this from and what''s inside it. Also, is this empire you speak of a part of the southern continent?"


    "Laddy, you have no idea of the true power moving behind the scenes. Tell me, have you ever heard about the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning?" Garret asked.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Of course I know of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning. Lightning is one of my five elements," Lance answered and let the pirate go, picking up the great sword and pointed it at him. "What''s an Elemental Sovereign got to do with this empire you spoke of? Is this chest a part of it? I''m not going to lie. I aim to kill every pirate that came from both ships. If you tell me, I''ll let you live. Talk or I''ll torture you mind, body, and soul until you cry and beg to tell me. Tell me I''m lying."


    "A monster like you, why would you lie to someone like me? What''s inside that chest is one of five things the empire desperately needs. That empire is Malikutas, Black Sun Empire. Your life, my life; none of that matters. They''ll do anything they want to reach their goal," Garret said and began to talk about a particular empire in the southern continent.


    "They''re fleeing beneath the deck! Kill them all! Those with rifles, assist that panther and snipe those pirates on the lifeboats. If you''re a poor shot, aim for the lifeboats. They''re a bigger target," the captain roared as the battle dragged on outside the cabin.


    "I don''t hear screaming and Lance is not out here. Did something go wrong?" Lingqi asked.


    "No. I sense two spirit energies within the cabin. He''ll be alright. No screaming might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, it means less bloodshed. Let''s focus on killing the pirates so less sailors and volunteer fighters die doing so," Mei answered and stabbed a pirate in the heart.


    "You five salvage some wood from our sinking ship. A ship does not sink in seconds. You two ladies, please assist them. With your cultivation, I''ll need one of you leading the charge below while the other helps retrieve our supplies below deck," the captain asked.


    "I''ll lead the charge. My cultivation is higher. You go get the supplies," Mei nodded, Lingqi dashing to the sinking merchant ship. The panther returned to the ship, its fur, teeth, and claws covered with blood not of its own. It didn''t take a magical beast or a beast tamer to see a smug smile on the panther. Save for the humans, the panther was clearly having fun and enjoying the battle.


    "Master," the panther said mentally as it dipped its head.


    "We have a situation. We are not going on the island. We''ll assault the other pirate ship undergoing repairs," Lance said and got on the merchant ship and a school of bone ship appeared on the surface, making a small path to the other ship. "We need to leave now. They''ll be too busy making repairs. Kill the weaklings first. Let my bone-armored sea wolf deal with the captain. That little captain is only at the middle stage of the Element Adept Tier. Go."


    "Yes master," the panther said and sprinted across the bone fish, a sea wolf covered in bone armor racing after it.


    "Mei! Lingqi! We''re leaving. Head to the third pirate ship! We''ll...sink it before they send further reinforcements," Lance said.


    "Mei''s below deck. I''ll get her," Lingqi said as she appeared on deck with some crates of fruit. She set the crate aside and went below deck as Lance went on ahead toward the last pirate ship.


    Lance ignored the screams, putting the pirates out of their misery with a quick lava lash to the neck. They were decapitated and died before their body registered the pain fast enough to scream. He stared silently at whom he supposed was the captain, tilting his head as the sea wolf snapped the man''s neck and absorbed some of the man''s blood. With a wave of his hand, the sea wolf returned to his storage ring and he used his practitioner control over the water element and closed his eyes.


    Blood was water and ocean water contained diluted blood of countless ocean creatures. Letting his spirit sense flow, he detected the spirit energy within the bodies of the pirates and willed them off the ship. The panther stared in wonder as even tiny drops of blood levitated in midair before going overboard. The panther felt amused as it drank some floating drops and streams of blood before they tipped overboard.


    "Thank you for your help. You saved many lives today. Both of you," the captain said and bowed his head respectfully as Mei and Lingqi returned to the deck. Perhaps, with the pirates dead, our journey will--"


    "Captain! There are demons ashore! They''re.....killing the passengers who got off the ship," a sailor cried, his face pale with fear.


    "Demons? You''re joking. That island is....part of the Mad Demon Chain!" the captain gasped and took out a magic telescope. "It''s true! There are demons. Actual demons. Could the island here be one fallen to the demons completely? It was a mistake to assume this island had a human fortress still standing. We must make haste to shore!"


    "We''ll never make it Gabriel! They''ll be dead before we cast the first lifeboat onto the ocean," the first mate said.


    "No. We are responsible for their safety. We must--" Gabriel began before the first mate grabbed his shoulder and shook him.


    "Gabriel! Cousin! We cannot save them. We cannot save them! You risk the lives of those on this pirate ship if you do!" the man cried as a sailor rushed to them.


    "Captain, the pirate captain of this ship was found in the captain''s quarters. His, his...." the sailor began but could not continue.


    "Speak man. By the gods, speak!" the captain roared.


    "Captain, the man''s heart was carved out yet he still lives. I, I don''t dare investigate such sorcery. He''s all chained up though," the sailor said.


    "I know that magic. That''s necromancy. The heart is carved out but the person still lives. It is through a dark blood magic that the heart is covered and preserved with mana. So long as the heart beats, the man cannot die and serves with absolute obedience to whoever possess the heart," the first mate said. "I saw it back in the southern continent. That''s how the slave masters control the gladiator slaves in the arena."


    "Blood magic?" Mei gasped, Lingqi shrugging.


    "What?" Lingqi said as everyone turned to look at her. "Hey, certain types of blood magic is tolerated to control war prisoners, high profile prisoners, and slaves. It''s quite common in the eastern continent."


    "That''s....true," Gabriel nodded and saw Lance wave a head as he checked the third ship with his telescope. "It seems the third ship is no longer a threat. The supreme expert over there must have single-handed killed them all with his magical beast and sea wolf. Oi, lad, bring the pirate captain here."


    A little later, the sailor returned with the pirate captain and said, "Here he is captain."


    "Why chase us to the extent of even entering the waters of Mad Demon Chain?" Gabriel asked.


    "I ain''t saying nothing. Filthy government dog," Garret said, spitting at the man''s shoes. "I gave my information and the boy let me live. Should have accepted death. Bastard actually used slave magic and carved out my own heart. I can''t escape, hurt you people, or commit suicide. Mind you, I ain''t going to kill myself. Rather die on the seas fighting than take my own life like a coward."


    "Do pirates have cells in this ship?" Gabriel asked.


    "Yes captain. There are a few cells. Quite a few slaves too. They were all women. They....had lost all life in their eyes. They''ve been raped so many times, they begged us to kill them rather than live on with such shame. Some were even impregnated. It was horrible. We killed them and tossed them overboard with the pirates," a sailor reported.


    "You did the right thing. That island is overrun with demons and we''ll catch disease from the corpses. It is unfortunate that even our brothers had to be tossed overboard. Men, we''ll never sail this route after this," Gabriel sighed sadly.


    "Do we take both ships?" his first mate asked.


    "No. We''ll take apart some of one ship to repair the other. Take some men and sail to that other ship. Begin taking it apart and sorting the supplies there as we sail over. This ship has less damage toward the bottom of the hull. We can replace the mast of this ship with the other one. Salvage the flag from our merchant ship. Once we reach port, we''ll repaint this ship and stay beached until its fully repaired. Honest sailors can''t keep using a pirate ship," the captain said, the others silently touching their right chest with their left hands as they saluted toward the dead passengers on the beach.


    "No matter how great the plan, lots of people still die," Mei sighed sadly as the sailors cleaned the ship and set sail to the other ship.