ã€ŠMyth: Legendã€‹


 Volume 1 Chapter 1: Supreme

    The sky is filled with an uncountable number of clouds, so numerous that it seems like the crests of white waves against the blue sky. This spread out into the horizon as far as the eyes can see.

    Two figures floated on the clouds, as white tendrils swirled around their feet. One cloth in splendid white, while the other in blue.

    The white figure held a saber, while his opponent in blue a sword. These weapons were not ordinary and had magnificent auras. Auras that easily froze and even killed lesser beings without as much as a blink of an eye.

    Above them a vortex was already forming, the energies from this two pugilists created havoc in the atmosphere, too terrible and defying for mere mortals to comprehend.

    Their Qi was so tremendous, it circumnavigated the entire world as it spread a million leagues and beyond. The ground shook in response to the oppressiveness.

    This world had since lost its inhabitants ages past, nothing lived here, not even insects or vegetation, and all that was left were empty dried out husks.

    Over tens of millenniums, it was the survival of the strongest and only these two beings left were the epitome of their own empire. It had been millenniums in the making for them to finally face each other. The world could no longer bear with even each step they make. Hence the time has come to see who shall be the final victor.

    ¡°Brother Long,¡± The man in splendid white finally spoke to the other, ¡°You are the victor, I could never imagine our levels to be vastly different even though you are my junior by more than a millennium.¡±

    With this said the man in splendid white collapsed on his knees, there was no visible injuries nor even blood.

    ¡°Brother Hu,¡± the blue cloth man called Long replied, ¡°It is unfortunate that our society has dictated this ending, victory is but hollow in this dead world.¡±

    ¡°Brother Long, it is unfortunate that I will not even see the other plane, where our ancestors have gone. It would have been a pleasure to enter the halls of Asura. However my soul is no longer whole, there is no means for me to enter the next plane.¡±

    Long looked with a questioning look, even as Hu continued, ¡°Your prowess is overwhelming, and given no choice my soul force was used to counter it. Now there is insufficient soul energy left, recovery is impossible in the Qi-less world.¡±

    Long did not speak further, fully understanding the implications. If he himself had suffered sufficient damaged to his soul, there was no means to recover in this Qi-less world. It would mean being unable to move on into the next plane.

    Long was not about to insult Hu, but imparting Qi for his soul to recover. The lines between victor and defeated were very clear, utter destruction would be preferred, over having your opponent show kindness.

    A moment later, Hu¡¯s body started to fade, his body was dimming, and soon it became translucent. The surreal image of him flickered a few times before vanishing.

    Long sighed regrettably at this, and turned around. With just a thought, he arrive at a blink in his Clan Hall.

    There he moved to his garden at the plateau, which overlooked the wide expanse of the Dragon Kingdom.

    There he look with sorrowful eyes at the land which bore no semblance to its former glory.

    To the east, the edges of a hyper caldera could be seen, lined with volcanoes that constantly spew forth lava and magma in an endless stream. Geysers sprouted and thermal springs boiled endlessly as the aquifer layer surprisingly has not dried up, but made poisonous by the sulfur and other toxic gases in it.

    To the west, Tsunamis over a few hundred feet raced over the ocean and crash ceaselessly onto the land, as a result of constant earthquakes that ruptured and split the ocean bed. These Tsunamis gouge out the ocean floor and brought reefs and corals the size of mountains onto the shoreline.

    To the north, a Hyper Hurricane system constantly swept the earth bringing lightning and thunder the made a spectacle of light and sound. The endless rains flooded the once fertile plains of this region forming raging rivers. The unstable pressure system cause massive tornadoes a few leagues wide that plunge through the water logged land, digging up debris and leaving a path of destruction behind, coupled with the unbelievable wind speeds of the Hurricane, the tornadoes raced throughout like a bat out of hell.

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    To the south, laid the burnt out land of ashes. The environment was grey everywhere, not even a piece of charred remains of the once magnificent forest could be found. Everything that could be burned was burnt, river streams were dried and the surface long since cracked becoming sandstone, legacy of the massive drought which last for centuries absorbing all the moisture and bringing raging temperatures which could incinerate any living being.

    This planet is dying, and has been so since the early footings of beings with the ability to absorb Qi. With each new generation the surrounding Qi has been absorb endlessly.

    What once was the world¡¯s ability to auto-replenish its Qi, from the soil to the vegetation to the microorganisms that lived in the surroundings became totally destroyed, as the power of the Qi absorbing beings became immense, the land could not even recuperate itself. The continuous absorption created patches of dead zone, and with each generation, duels to claim new living land increased.

    Genocides were widespread across the stars where clans fought to gain new Qi zones, until the entirety of the world and its colonies had not a single source of Qi left.

    In its dying breathe, only two were left, the final legacy of two clans, the Tiger and Dragon clan. All former glory gone in ages past, even now only one reigned supreme, but it was a tasteless victory.

    Long entered the clan seclusion zone, and started to meditate. Soon in no less than two centuries this world and its colonies will end. Its ending will create a chain of events and lead to a hyper-nova in the galaxy.

    This was not a small world, it was huge in comparison to its colonies which only span 5,000-10,000 leagues, and this world is 1 million leagues in circumference. Its sun was only 10 times its size.

    It was the capital of the known system, which encompasses a network of other colonies within various solar systems that has long since been exhausted of Qi.

    With the collapse of this world, the impact in its system will gouge out a substantial portion of its own sun and create a chain event leading to an enormous after effect that will destroy a massive part of the galaxy it was in.

    Long needed time in seclusion to gain a new form of awareness, in order to avoid perishing with the world.

    Even with unparalleled abilities, this was the only way to ensure his soul survived and moved on.

    For no less than a millennium Long never went overboard in all his duels, and allowed his opponents a fair passage to the afterlife.

    Hu¡¯s soul destruction, was extremely regrettable. Even if his soul was not excessively damaged, there was simply insufficient Qi repair it.

    If it was ten centuries earlier, it could have been avoided due to lingering Qi, which could repair it.

    Now Long was all that is left, and he thought of stories told since his youth. It was of a myth passed down through the ages.

    He was not even sure, if this was true. It spoke of how the last person standing in the world, will receive a special gift.

    It was the gift from an entity called ¡®The Creator¡¯, and it made the last individual attain soul-deity.

    The super-natural law of the world, did not allow souls who have moved on, to re-enter this plane of existence.

    However ¡®The Creator¡¯s¡¯ gift supersedes this law. It allowed one who have attained soul-deity to be reborn.

    With this in mind, Long entered seclusion.

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 2: Longs soul

    As night turned into day and days turned into month and months into year and years into decades, the time has finally come for the apocalypse.

    In the seclusion area, a bright facula rivaling a small sun appeared, this incandescent spot was Long¡¯s soul.

    It is now already in another different plane of existence and within a few moments it was suddenly looking at the galaxy from faraway. Not long after, a tiny burst in the galaxy could be seen, and like a domino, the small burst created a chain reaction. In less than a split second, a huge hyper-nova consuming a quarter of the galaxy formed, what remained where the world had been was a little void the size of a pin prick, its look can be deceiving from a distance, but it was hardly anything but small.

    Since every soul is immortal, Long¡¯s soul was no exception. However the difference is Long¡¯s soul was unlike the normal soul which was the result of dying. His was now a soul-deity, the final gift from the Creator.

    Even as Long pondered at his own existence, he stretched out his consciousness but could not find others like him, but somehow he knew he wasn¡¯t alone. He could feel a distinct awareness engulfing the whole universe.

    Besides the soul being immortal, time was also of little meaning to it. If he wanted he could dilate or contract time as he wished, with the only restrictions imposed by the Creator that he could only move forward in time and not back.

    Hence from his vantage point, he observed many wonders and mysteries in the galaxy. It helped broaden his knowledge immensely. He saw numerous habitable worlds in the galaxy and found many of them had primitive beings which had not started to cultivate Qi.

    He was in no hurry to be reborn and he decided to find at least one world with an equal development to his old world, before it was worth considering to reincarnate there.

    As he observed, he contracted time and hundreds of millions of years flew pass. The vacuum that was just a pin prick had now formed into a massive black hole that has gathered more stars towards it. A few twirls were beginning to form as it pulled the stars and gases, an obvious division between it and the galaxy it was in began to emerge.

    Long was looking at the inconceivable birth of a new galaxy. Even as he observed at the new energies clashing between the zones of separation from the new and old galaxy, he marveled at the infinite amount of Qi being released, it was dense beyond comprehension.

    It was said during the peak of Long¡¯s old world, the Qi was so dense you could drink it like water, in comparison this Qi that appeared could be compared to the density of a neutron star.

    Hundreds of millions of years turned into a billion years, soon two distinct galaxies could be seen. If the formation of these new galaxies amazed him, it paled in comparison to what he saw at the outer edges of the infant galaxy. There was a hyper-planet already formed. The immense amount of Qi pulsating from this new world was astronomical, it even radiated across the infant galaxy and encompassed the parent galaxy, and it even stretched way beyond into the stars.

    This new world was a million times bigger than his old world. Its circumference was a trillion leagues. This world was stationary and not revolving as had his old world and any other planet.

    Instead there were an uncountable number of moons and tens of thousands of suns that were in geosynchronous orbit around it. There were even vast amounts of meteors and asteroids forming 2 distinct asteroid belts, the 2nd belt orbiting farther away at a perpendicular orbit to the 1st. This created a cross pattern if the world was seen from afar.

    The moons and the suns were not all orbiting around the equator, rather they orbited at even spaces across its longitude. Each orbital lobe had numerous suns at intervals that brought day and night to its surface. The suns that were orbiting either at the equator or near it, took up to 20 years to complete an orbit.

    Even more intriguing is that each sun had its own solar system parallel to the main planet, the solar systems even had habitable planets.

    By looking at the planet in its entirety, the tens of thousands of suns looked too close to this world, however it still took at 8 - 12 minutes for light to reach its surface. The difference in time for the sun rays to reach created special regions as well as unique climate and weather systems.

    Long continued observing the spectacular marvel that is this new world.

    This world had oceans that dwarf even the largest solar system spread across its skies. Land masses were so huge that it defined logic, these stretched across the surface of the world.

    The soil was covered with vegetation with an unthinkable number of species. Even the polar caps was rich in vegetation that grew in vast multitudes. There was hardly any spot of this new world that was devoid of vegetation, vegetation that numbered in the billions of species. Even the oceans, deserts, swamps, tundra and many other harsh environments had their own special species which could bear the extreme environments.

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    From that point in time and in another 10-20 million years, creatures of all sorts began to slowly appear and covered the oceans, the land and the skies. Mythical creatures with enormous Qi begun living in this world, but had little interactions with others and only kept to their species. In another 5 million years, humanoid beings started to appear within this new world. They were primitive, but they had the ability to cultivate Qi.

    Long was really amazed. He was only a few thousand years old before becoming a soul-deity, but his race was considered an ancient race, with a history spanning over a billion years, and there was no record of any planet achieving what this new world had.

    Even in the billion years that he was observing, there wasn¡¯t anything that was close to this.

    As he looked with intrigued he contracted time again, then a million years passed and primitive beings appeared. These primitive beings started to spread across the lands, and the beginnings of various civilizations had begun to take root.

    Within a few thousand years, huge empires were born, even some of the solar systems orbiting outside this world had been colonized. Before reaching 80 thousand years into their history, their technology, culture as well as gigacities has advanced and since surpassed Long¡¯s old world.

    However Long was not satisfied, the beings here were in his opinion thrash, as even within a hundred thousand years, not one of them had properly cultivated their Qi to his satisfaction. One could say he was a perfectionist.

    Every person wanted to enter their own paradise, each have their own personal version of it. Long wanted a world better than his old one, a new world that exceeded its beauty and magnificence at its peak. He want everything to be perfect in this new world.

    As Long still refused to be reborn into this world, he notice time immediately begun to slow down, he could not contract time anymore, and years no longer flew pass.

    Gradually it reached a point where time was again normal for him. Right at this moment, Long felt a distinct awareness, and he somehow knew it was the Creator. No words were conveyed, but he clearly comprehend he needed to move on.

    Only after a while he had an epiphany, perhaps things does need to be what he wanted, but what he needed.

    Upon realizing this, he was no longer bound to that single spot he was throughout the aeons. Immediately he was on the surface of this new world. Thus he began roaming it.

    After centuries of wondering, eventually something caught his eyes, in an oasis on one of the colonies, there was a couple that looked exactly like his parents.

    The male was a well built and fit man in his 8th decade, he had a decent height of over 7 and a half feet. The women who seems ageless was nearly 7 feet and she had skin as white as snow and an oval face with tear drop eyes.

    The male is the chieftain and blacksmith in this oasis of one of the colonies. The colony itself was not a small world, in fact it was the size of Long¡¯s old world. However as this new world was a million times the size of his old world, the colony was only a dot when compared to it.

    Long could be reincarnated into any family he chose, ones befitting of his past legacy as Emperor and ruler of the Dragon clan. He could be the Imperial Crown Price of the largest empire on this new world, but all these were meaningless now to him.

    It doesn¡¯t matter if they were small town folks, or even if they were poor, the thing that mattered is that they were exactly like his parents.

    Their striking resemblance to the parents he loved so dearly was too much of a coincidence to ignore.

    His parents were the main benefactors to his prowess and strength. The parents that loved him and provided all he needed, parents he swore he would protect, parents he lost too soon and too early in his life.

    The Dragon clan was close to annihilation when he was not even a thousand years old and his parents passed on their own Qi to strengthen him, eventually dying before they could see their son crush their enemies and brought back the glory of the Dragon Clan.

    He could never forget them, and seeing the couple, it brought back a flood of emotions and feelings.

    Long instinctively knew they were not his actual parent, however his heart could not overcome the emotions that were rising up. He did not want to base his choice to reborn on a fluke of the universe.

    It was not until the couple had move somewhat over 100 years old that Long finally realize that it was either now or never.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 3: Xiaoxia (Little Hero)

    It is a joyous occasion in the Chen family, Chen Daquan had finally added a new member to his house hold.

    The arrival of his new born son marked the beginning of a new era in the Chen clan. Tears streamed down the rugged face of Daquan as he looked into the eyes of his new born child. Beside him was his dear wife Chen Wanmei.

    ¡°What shall we name our child?¡± Wanmei asked her husband.

    ¡°We shall name him Chen Zhen Xia,¡± replied Daquan.

    Both of them were truly happy, no doubt Daquan was in his 133rd year, Wanmei herself was not much younger at 123rd year.

    However the couple had been married since Daquan was 73 and Wanmei 63. It was a norm for many of the long lived races to have a child by their 90th year, unless one is a Fan Ren who are married by their early twenties and have many children before their thirties.

    Unfortunately the heavens had not bless them and they had remained childless since this day.

    Daquan and Wanmei belonged to a race of beings called the Sha Mo Ren, and lived in a desert environment.

    Their race lived easily to 400 years. Therefore they were still in the youth of their lives. They were considered an ethnic group and it was ranked above the main race in Yuan Zhong.

    The main race of Yuan Zhong were the Fan Ren who had an average lifespan of 100 years and are spread throughout the worlds due to their rapid reproduction.

    They made up over 90% of almost every empire. However the ruling races were from the higher ranked ones, as in the case of the Sha Mo Ren in Hu Yuan Empire, however only a small amount were Royalty, some held minor appointments, while the rest were just normal citizens.

    Chen Daquan is the town chief as well as a blacksmith by profession. The town is known as the Black Iron Anvil Village, once the home to the influential Chen clan who is now defunct.

    It is a 5th tier town, but only because of its size of over 140,000 inhabitants. In fact it was rather famous in recent years, and was very close to being upgraded to the next tier. It actually grew from an 8th tier village into a town during the past century, however the residence still kept the ¡°village¡± in the town name as a fond remembrance of its roots. It is the colony¡¯s no.1 blacksmith supplier due to Chen clan¡¯s capabilities.

    The name of Chen clan as top notch blacksmiths are known throughout the colony, and some of its unique products even made it to the Hu Yuan Empire in the main world.

    The current Daquan inherited the Chen clan¡¯s knack of processing rare minerals and ores even though his classification was only average. He was currently at Expert Craftsmen Higher Level.

    It is rumored that Daquan was easily a Grandmaster, as even Master level blacksmiths could not process or handle the materials he could.

    Many guessed he did not really want to increase his level officially, as to do so would mean needing to move to a bigger town or city, as the empire deemed necessary.

    Grandmaster class professions are usually limited to Knight tiered cities onwards as per regulations from the empire.

    It was something Daquan never considered, as Black Iron Anvil Village was the town he was born and married in, and nowhere else will be home for him.

    The colony they are on is called the Hu Yuan 1st Colony, and there were over millions of outposts and villages, hundreds of thousands of towns and tens of thousands of cities of various tiers.

    ¡°Mei Er it is a blessing that the heavens have granted our prayers and delivered onto us a healthy baby boy!!¡± Daquan exclaimed.

    ¡°Yes my beloved, I have finally been able to do my duty as your wife,¡± Wanmei replied.

    ¡°Ah do not be silly, all these years by my side, you have already more than fulfilled your role as my wife.¡±

    ¡°My beloved, thank you for all these years for taking care of me and loving me, where other lesser men would have already given up and taken love in the arms of another.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, I Chen Daquan, am not the sort of man to forsake his woman in any times. No matter the moments of good or bad, you will be the only one I care for ¡­ of course and our new addition to the family,¡± Daquan replied cheekily with a side note at the end.

    His boyish smile made him look like a teenager who had just teased a girl in the park.

    Looking at her husband, Wanmei felt overwhelming love for him and hugged her son closely as she raised to kiss Daquan.

    Daquan looked almost embarrassed and said softly ¡°Wanmei, we shouldn¡¯t be doing this in front of our son, here look! He is looking at us and smiling!¡±

    ¡°Ah! Husband, he is too young to even understand, I think he is just smiling in happiness to have such a loving father as you.¡±

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    ¡°And such a loving mother as you!¡± added Daquan.

    **********

    Days turned into months and soon half a year has passed. Zhen Xia was given a pet name Xiaoxia by his parents, and wherever they went they incessantly brought him along.

    Daquan being village chief and blacksmith, usually worked at the smithy, producing special ordered items from around the Hu Yuan Empire. He left the overall running of the town to his wife, who was much better at organizing and management than he was.

    So Xiaoxia was alternated between the Town hall¡¯s office and the smithy.

    With technological advances, the smithy was neither hot nor sweaty as one could imagine, in fact it was relatively cool and airy.

    One day into Xiaoxia¡¯s 7th month, Daquan was processing a piece of molten metal for a new order when suddenly a loud ¡°BA DA BOOM!!¡± was heard.

    The entire smithy was shocked and everyone took cover, thinking an explosion had occurred in one of the arc furnaces, as there was smoke everywhere.

    Daquan was shocked and extremely worried as he rushed to the spot where he had left his son¡¯s cradle. But woe be to him, Xiaoxia was not in the cradle!!

    ¡°Xia Er!! Xia Er!¡± Daquan scrambled around looking for his son.

    By this time, Wanmei had already arrived at the scene, and the entire village had heard the commotion coming from the smithy. She was extremely worried for both her husband and son.

    However nothing could be seen immediately at the smithy as there was a thick layer of smoke. The people inside could not see where exit was.

    All Wanmei could hear were the shouts of Daquan calling out for Xiaoxia, she immediately activated the emergency ventilation device that was situated right at the entrance.

    Soon the smoke lifted, and she could see Daquan looking around the vast smithy for Xiaoxia.

    Even as the smoke cleared, everyone¡¯s eyes were soon looking at a corner of the smithy where the tesla furnace was.

    The tesla furnace is the pride of the Black Iron Anvil Village, it had the capabilities to smelt even the hardest and densest materials in Hu Yuan 1st colony. It was extremely rare to find one on any other colony, although there were many spread out in the main world.

    Only a blacksmith who could handle all types of minerals and ores in the 1st colony was granted this and Daquan was that person. This furnace was bestowed by the Hu Yuan Empire based on Daquan¡¯s abilities. Even higher class blacksmiths could not completely manage to handle all the ores.

    Standing before the tesla furnace was Xiaoxia, with a blacksmith hammer on one hand, looking at a piece of extremely hot glowing purple material.

    Daquan and Wanmei quickly rushed towards their son, as only a few in the smithy and they knew how dire the situation was. This was no ordinary mineral, but adamantium.

    ¡°Xia Er, stop!!!!¡± scream Daquan and Wanmei in unison as they desperately tried to stop him.

    ¡°BA DA BOOM!!!¡± another explosion occurred.

    Another thick layer of smoke suddenly filled the smithy once more, but was quickly dispersed as the emergency ventilation device was still on.

    As everything became clear again, Xiaoxia look at his parents with a look full of questions. Then he suddenly smile.

    ¡°Ba Ba, Ma Ma!!¡± Xiaoxia called out, dropping the hammer with a dull ¡°bong!¡± and ran with his stubby undeveloped legs and hugged Wanmei.

    He was still smiling his cute little smile which totally robbed Daquan and Wanmei of their breath and they just hugged him. Totally forgetting the crisis they had just went through.

    At the same time Daquan said and pointed to the adamantium ¡°Wanmei, our son is unbelievable, he manage at his age to lift a Myalithium hammer weighing 50 catties and managed to temper that adamantium piece¡±

    Wanmei looked at the adamantium piece and could see two markings where the Myalithium hammer had left their impression.

    Both parents looked with wide eyed surprise at their son, not only was he strong, he could even speak and walk!

    With the thoughts of what happened in the smithy at the back of their heads. Both Daquan and Wanmei were actually speechless as they walked back to the Chen clan residence with a smiling Xiaoxia in tow.

    The other blacksmiths were still in amazement and all had the jaws wide open, some even manage to reach the floor.

    Needless to say after that day, Xiaoxia became somewhat of a legend in Black Iron Anvil Village.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 4: 90 leagues

    Xiaoxia looked out the window of his room, the sky was clear and he could see the 3 moons in the sky above, he could also see the Kraken Ocean on the main world, in fact the main world covered half the expanse of the sky.

    Xiaoxia is now 5 years old, he could not remember his past life as Long. All he could remember was opening his eyes to see his mother and father, and the kiss they have while he was in his mother¡¯s arm.

    He could also remember the time at the smithy¡¯s where he had mimicked his father¡¯s actions on trying to temper a shape out of hot alloy. Only that turned out to be a disaster, as he did not know what he was doing or how to properly use the equipment.

    Since then, he had learnt the language fluently. As well as been taught by his parents on how to cultivate Ki.

    He learnt that both his parents were Adept Realm Expert Tier for a long time now, and could not break into the next realm. Also they have successfully opened ? of their meridians and were able to reinforce their bodies with Ki.

    However since he was very young, his parents only taught him how to cultivate Ki at his Ki center. As Ki reinforcement stunted the growth of children below 7 years old.

    Xiaoxia was aware that many people in the Black Iron Anvil Village view him as a genius amongst genius.

    They marveled at his intelligence, being able to walk and talk at 7 months as well as lift the 50 catty Myalithium hammer without even having any Ki.

    Xiaoxia could be said to be a true genius.

    In fact Xiaoxia knew from observing other children that he was not normal. He could easily understand as well as undertake tasks his peers were not able to do.

    Rather unbeknownst to him or anyone else, Xiaoxia was born with a very special trait. So rare that it can be compared to finding that proverbial elusive sand on the beach a thousand leagues wide.

    Even when Long¡¯s soul entered this vessel, he did not phantom the miracle that was the creation of this body.

    However Xiaoxia was not wondering about it, in fact he was looking forward to meet his cousin Xiuxiu.

    ¡°Xia di!¡± shouted Xiuxiu.

    ¡°Hello Xiu jie!!¡± Xiaoxia replied with a ear to ear grin. He like to accompany his cousin, it was never boring.

    Xiuxiu at once took a liking to Xiaoxia when he was born, she treated him like a precious baby doll. Over time she was amazed by his capacity to learn and apply what he learnt, as well as his physical prowess. This made life easier for her when required to do menial task by her parents, task that should be done by household staff which they had in abundance.

    Xiaoxia had no other relatives, besides Xiuxiu¡¯s family from his mother¡¯s side. Xiaoxia¡¯s maternal grandparents disappeared once his uncle and mother had entered adulthood and his mum never spoke about them.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s father was the youngest sole survivor of the well-known Chen clan who had once been given the title ¡°Imperial Blacksmith¡± catering only to the Imperial family. He was too young to join the war effort against the Empire¡¯s enemies, and the entire Chen clan of over a few thousand members perished when their base was destroyed.

    The only other that were close, were the Ling clan. Ling Han Wei was the Captain of the 3rd Imperial Calvary who took Daquan into his care. He was close to Daquan¡¯s father and the Chen clan during the war. He was also a Sha Mo Ren, and currently around 300 years old.

    He visited Xiaoxia¡¯s family every year and was the key person in helping Daquan revive the Chen clan¡¯s blacksmith legacy. It has been a while since he visited.

    Since visitors to the Chen family were very few and in between, Xiaoxia usually spend each day either cultivating his Ki or expanding his knowledge learning the blacksmith trade or town administration.

    Otherwise he looked forward to meeting his cousin in the town square and today was that day.

    Xiuxiu was a girl of 7 years, with two pigtails and currently taller than Xiaoxia. Xiaoxia¡¯s parents treated her like a daughter and frequently gave her presents.  Xiaoxia also treated Xiuxiu with fondness, she was the closest family around the same age.

    What the Chen family trio was really happy at that moment was her really good results in the recent Ki talent ceremony. Apparently Xiuxiu¡¯s Ki talent is rated at Gold 1st Tier, which is as high as it gets in Black Iron Anvil Village. She is on par with the highest ever recorded.

    Xiuxiu had two older brothers who were 10 and 11 years old now, the Chen side of the family did not really like them. They were stuck up and held their noses high in the air. It was only due to Wanmei who had married Daquan that Wanliang (Wanmei¡¯s brother) got a certain position of power in Black Iron Anvil Village.

    Xiaoxia felt they were douche bags, as they had never treat Xiuxiu well. They also return yearly on academic breaks will full of pomp and pride, as they were the ¡°upper¡± students in the school.

    They also never ceased to rub in to all the other kids in town that their Ki talents were both Silver 8th Tier, the highest ever for almost 50 years.

    Since they were now in school, they have not heard the news. Xiaoxia can¡¯t wait to look at their faces when they found out about Xiuxiu¡¯s Ki talent.

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    **********

    Three main system exist in Yuan Zhong, they are Profession classifications, Ki talent and Ki realms.

    Professions are grade according to their proficiency in their area of expertise. Certain professions requires Ki, e.g. Blacksmiths. While others like Merchants do not. Each area of expertise has their own specific criteria to upgrade to the next level.

    Ki talent, is a system of potential. The growth potential as well as speed of growth. For example with no Ki talent, the person could only achieve max of mid tier apprentice Ki Realm when they graduate, and perhaps not even reach Duelist Intermediate Realm before they pass on, whereas a Gold Ki talent could reach Adept Ki Realm when they graduate and be in MasterExpert Ki Realm before they passed on.

    Ki realms, is basically a measure of an individual¡¯s strength. Caste system exist visibly from towns with more than half a million populations onward (Tier 7+). Districts in these towns are segregated according to Ki realms enforced by walls and checkpoints, however if one have sufficient Profession class they could also access these areas.

    Lower Tiered communities have the same caste system, but since erecting walls and creating checkpoints will take a large part of their budget, it is loosely enforced, as compared to the bigger cities who could afford it.

    **********

    ¡°Xiu jie, what shall we do today?¡± Xiaoxia still grinning as his cousin approached.

    Xiaoxia knows his aunt and uncle were bias against Xiuxiu, she was a female and could not carry on their Wan family name. Moreover they were rather irked that her two brothers whom they have pampered spoilt are ranked lower than her for their Ki talents.

    ¡°Oh Xia di, my father asked me to fill up 10 vats of water today.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed frowning.

    1 vat was 3 feet high with a diameter of 2 feet. It was around 9 cubic feet of water. The bucket that was given to Xiuxiu could contain only at most 1 cubic feet of water. To make matters worse, the nearest well in the desert was half a league away, making a round trip 1 league.

    ¡°Xiu jie, how can they do this to you? It will require you no less than 90 round trips to fill up the 10 vats.¡± Xiaoxia was upset at seeing Xiuxiu being treated like this.

    ¡°Ah Xia di, it is ok. It will stop once school starts in 2 months, besides I can take it as a form of training¡± Xiuxiu replied with a big smile.

    ¡°Want me to help?¡±

    ¡°Of course!!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!!!¡±

    Between sleep, meals and lots of talking, it took them more than a week to fill up the 10 vats.

    **********

    Soon the days passed as Xiaoxia did Ki cultivation. His Ki reservoir was not big and only understandable due to his young age.

    But according to Ki lore, with proper Ki cultivation, regardless of age, it can grow. Therefore, Xiaoxia is determined to achieve a larger Ki reservoir.

    Sooner than expected, the time for Xiuxiu to leave for Black Iron Regional School arrived, and with tears in Xiaoxia¡¯s eyes he bade farewell to his cousin.

    ¡°Oh Xia di, you must achieve good Ki cultivation and join me in 2 years¡± Xiuxiu spoke with tears as well.

    ¡°I definitely will Xiu jie!! When I do I will protect you!!¡±

    ¡°Haha, I sure hope so! Bye Xia di, remember to work hard and take care!¡± with a wave of her hands, Xiuxiu entered the spatial transportation device.

    The spatial transportation device blinked once and went dark. It made travelling throughout the Hu Yuan Empire a simple task. Even though Black Iron Regional School was in the same region as the town Xiuxiu was in, it was actually 4651 leagues away. Black Iron region in itself was 20,000 leagues wide as well as long, and considered only one of the medium size provinces in Hu Yuan 1st colony.

    Xiaoxia turned around, as he left the vicinity of the spatial transportation device, he felt a little emptiness. However it only made him more determined to improve himself before joining the school.

    He understood school life from the conversation he had with other residence in the village, and knew that even with a meritocratic environment, the strong always ganged up to bully the weak. Even though he did not view Xiuxiu as weak, he was sure being from a lowly 5th tier village, she would be bullied or in a position where others from higher tiered communities will look down on her.

    Her two brothers were snobbish douchebags who treated her like a servant whenever they returned from school during the week long breaks between academic years.

    So from the day he learnt about Xiuxiu¡¯s situation, he wanted to protect her even from her own family. For him to do that, he needed to gain strength, it was the law of the jungle in the world of Yuan Zhong.

    Besides titles, money or influence, everyone respected absolute strength the most.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 5: Ki Talent

    Xiaoxia paced about nervously, what has happened to Xiuxiu? It has been 2 years since she left and not since has there been any news from her.

    During her first year in school, he tried asking her family, but they didn¡¯t even bother to answer. Her family has since moved out of town and neither Xiaoxia¡¯s parents nor anyone in the village knew where they moved to.

    Even after asking other children who attended the same school, most replied that they have not seen her since the first few weeks of her attendance.

    Xiaoxia was very worried, he could not do anything to change the fact there was no news about Xiuxiu.

    Worries aside, he soon forced himself to become calm and continue Ki cultivation.  He had be instructed on his 5th year by his parents, and by that year, his Ki reservoir had already doubled.

    Within his 7th year, Xiaoxia¡¯s Ki reservoir has doubled again in size. It was four times what it was initially. He also learnt some blacksmith processes and started spending more time in the smithy.

    Xiaoxia was born strong, but the strength did not grow in proportion with the years, rather his strength grew slowly. However amongst the young generation, he has the highest mental capacity and strength, only teens who are very near adulthood could manage these blacksmith processes, even then it took them quite some effort.

    Adults themselves were put to task for some of the processes, although they could manage most easily. Therefore once again Xiaoxia was quite the main topic of discussion among town folks.

    Also the time is drawing near to the Ki talent ceremony, it was the moment to measure his talent. Xiaoxia was worried what his level would be, as deep in his heart, he would not want to disappoint his parents.

    He was also extremely competitive and from all the information he had gathered, he discovered that there are many other Ki geniuses among his peers.

    Children from the main world as well as the larger cities and towns had already taken their Ki Talents and the results were already posted via spatial communications to the Town Chieftain, Chen Daquan.

    Daquan had looked with some amazement at the results before posting it on the Town Hall notice board. It was really unparalleled for the Hu Yuan Empire, no one had ever seen such results before.

    <hr />

    TOWN HALL NOTICE:

    Hu Yuan Empire Ki talent Results as of 3rd Moon,

    Year 107,931 (107th Era)

    Total communities tested: 57,159,288

    Special Class: 2

    Titled Class: 20,000+

    Metal Class: 1+ million

    Earth Class: 10+ million

    Wood Class: 70+ million

    No talent: 200+ million

    <hr />

    Hu Yuan Empire is considered among the top 100 empires in Yuan Zhong. Among them, many had at least 10 colonies in the thousands of solar systems orbiting the main world, the stronger ones even in the hundreds.

    The Hu Yuan Empire¡¯s population slightly exceeds a hundred trillion, however it wasn¡¯t even comparable to the no.1 Empire who almost 5 times its size.

    Usually having just 1 Special class in an empire for any given era was a blessing, but now there were 2, and it was within the same year.

    Rather, to add to this unprecedented event, the combined figures for all Empires was not even 200 per era. If you calculated, there was only a 20% chance to have one each year in the world itself. With more than 10,000 Empires, the chance was less than 0.02% per Empire per year.

    The number of those who attained titled class was also twice the normal amount. However not all was peachy, as in this year, the number of no talents was almost 3 folds. Normally wood and earth class talents made up the bulk of the Ki talent candidates.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    So with these figures, the pressure Xiaoxia faced was indescribable. Black Iron Anvil Village was among the last few communities that will be taking the test, as such even his peers were worried they will end up among the 200 over million children who had no talent.

    Try as he may, Xiaoxia had difficulties sleeping that night, his young body broke out in cold sweat, as the day¡¯s weariness slowly encroached he finally managed to enter into slumber.

    **********

    ¡°Xia Er!¡± Daquan called out.

    ¡°Yes father!¡±

    ¡°Hurry we need to arrive at the village square now, and we are late!¡± he father shouted in alarm.

    ¡°My husband, give the boy a little room, he is already nervous as it is,¡± Wanmei gently told Daquan.

    ¡°Ah, I am even more nervous than him,¡± Daquan replied.

    ¡°Mum, Dad I am ready, let¡¯s go!¡± Xiaoxia excitedly called out, no doubt feeling nervous, he could not let his parents worry.

    ¡°Haha, he is really our son,¡± Daquan remarked.

    So the trio left the Chen clan residence and made their way to the Village square. Amongst the crowd there were many children who are taking their Ki Talent Ceremony at the same time.

    They were the children who were born in the same year and needed to attend the annual ceremony before attending Black Iron Regional School in 3 months. However compared to Xiaoxia, the rest of the children were short and some way shorter.

    Black Iron Anvil Village town consisted of Sha Mo Ren and Fan Ren. The Sha Mo Ren are a higher ranked race as compared to the Fan Ren, but in return the Fan Ren reproduced much faster. The Sha Mo Ren were the ruling race of Hu Yuan Empire.

    Due to the characteristics of higher ranked races, children grew up at a much faster rate. Also with the rich Ki environment, even at the colonies which had a slightly less dense Ki concentration level as compared to the main world, all children could walk and talk by age 3, and everyone had the ability to comprehend complex instructions and cultivate Ki by age 5.

    As a result, by the time they were 7, they easily had heights up to 5 feet. Compared to Fan Ren who were the majority in this world, their children only grew up to 4? feet at most by age 7.

    As for Xiaoxia, he was 5? feet.

    Sha Mo Ren starts puberty by around age 8-9, and children have been known to have exponential growth spurts till they reach age 12-13.

    By this time the males will have reach over 6 feet, and the females over 5? feet. Moreover when puberty ended, they will be lanky and thin, and over the years as their bones strengthens and muscles grow, they will put on more mass.

    It is not uncommon for fully grown Sha Mo Ren males to be over 8 feet and their females to be over 7 feet as they fully mature. Only by the time they are in their early 20s will the full features of the Sha Mo Ren can be seen.

    As with the traditions of the world, the Ki talent ceremony is always conducted by an examiner. Since Xiaoxia was the towns chieftain¡¯s son, he was the first in line for the test.

    Having the honor to do so was not what Xiaoxia wanted, as he preferred it to be less conspicuous and rather have his test taken in private.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, do not worry, as long as you work hard you can break Ki Duelist within 100 years, even if you have no talent!!¡± Daquan shouted in encouragement.

    ¡°Daquan that sounded more discouraging rather than encouraging,¡± Wanmei smiled sweetly at her husband, knowing well he was as nervous as their son.

    However Xiaoxia did not even hear the cheers coming from his father, nor the surrounding encouragements from the crowd.

    As he approached, he was instructed by the examiner to place his palm onto the measuring device.

    The device suddenly flared.

    ¡°Bzzzz ¡­ bzzz ¡­ pssss¡­¡± and went totally dead.

    ¡°NO TALENT!!¡± proclaimed the examiner.

    Copyright ? 2015, LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 6: No Talent

    Black Iron Anvil Village is part of an immense oasis with land masses that created islands in the middle of it.

    The islands were connected with various bridges that marked the entire landscape of the town.

    Even as houses and shops spotted this town, there were still parts of the oasis that was not developed as the population had not reached a level where it was warranted.

    Fauna as well as various species of air, land and water creatures filled the beautiful landscape, filling the entire scenery with sounds and sights.

    It was miniscule in comparison to other communities in the main world. A world so huge, light took half a year to circumnavigate it. Many areas were still uninhabited and no one bothered to move there as the existing communities still had plenty of space left to grow.

    At this moment in time, the air was still, it was silent and not a single living thing moved.

    ¡°NO TALENT¡± suddenly a sound broke through.

    It was the Ki talent examiner who announced yet another time for the whole town to know that Xiaoxia had no Ki talent.

    A chilling breeze swept pass the town hall, and everyone was shocked.

    ¡°Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!¡± Xiaoxia shouted and turned as he ran away from the ceremonial area.

    He could not comprehend why he had no Ki talent.

    ¡°Xia Er!¡± both Daquan and Wanmei were the first to react and chased after him.

    Soon there were whispers going through the crowd, everyone was as amazed, they had held Xiaoxia in high regards and even thought him a genius amongst geniuses based on his extraordinary feats.

    Now it seems the heavens were not recognizing him, or perhaps it was jealous of his abilities.

    However life still moved on and the ceremony had to proceed for the rest of the children present.

    **********

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± Wanmei softly patted Xiaoxia¡¯s head. They were back at the Chen clan residence. It had been a day since the ceremony and although his parents hope he could recover from it himself, but their concern got the better of them.

    ¡°Do not worry, you still have a bright future ahead of you.¡±

    ¡°No mother, everything is ruined, how can I live in this world?¡±

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± his father interrupted. He had been home since the previous day, worried for his son.

    ¡°A man does not need Ki talent to be a man, a real man faces all challenges and live on to pursue what his heart desires. You may fall down time and again, but perseverance in these times will polish you. The day will come when you will look at all this and laugh at them, for then nothing could ever bring you down again.¡±

    Xiaoxia looked at his father, he was amazed at the depth of these words. Usually his father was a little goofy and simple, but these words showed a new side to him.

    ¡°Yes Xia Er, do not be down, there are countless people till this day who have made significant contributions to society without Ki talent,¡± his mother added.

    ¡°And you have no need to worry, take all the time you need to reflect on the path you have to take now. I will gather all the resources and contacts I can to help you in any way possible to realize this path,¡± he father promised.

    ¡°But I do not know what to do,¡± Xiaoxia replied. ¡°I always wanted to have the strength to protect those I love.¡±

    ¡°Oh Xia Er,¡± Wanmei hugged her son. Daquan was moved and speechless as he hugged them both as well.

    ¡°Chief!!!¡± they suddenly heard a call.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Daquan replied.

    ¡°Lord Maling has arrived!¡± a towns guard appeared at the doorway to Xiaoxia¡¯s room.

    ¡°Please show him to the clan hall!!¡± Daquan replied urgently.

    So Daquan left Wanmei and Xiaoxia in the room as he headed to the clan hall.

    Hardly any time had passed as Daquan along with the Lord were hurriedly walking towards Xiaoxia¡¯s room.

    Upon entering the room, there was happy countenance on Daquan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± he said.

    ¡°Meet Lord Maling, he has some information that will make your day,¡± The person he introduced looked younger than him and was a little taller.

    Xiaoxia felt Maling¡¯s Ki Realm was superior to both his parents by a large gap, but this person didn¡¯t feel like a Lord at all, it felt more like a rogue to him. His impressive aura did little to change Xiaoxia¡¯s perception of him.

    ¡°Greetings young friend, your exploits have even reached my ears,¡± Maling greeted Xiaoxia cheerfully.

    ¡°Ah, Lo¡­Lord Maling,¡± Xiaoxia stammered as he return the greetings, cupping his hands and bowing while feeling a little guilty for belittling Maling in his thoughts.

    Maling is a Bestowed Knight, a commoner given the Knight title and control over a region, only commoners who have went above and beyond the call of duty were bestowed Knights, and everyone in Black Iron Region knew him as a hero and Lord of Black Iron Spire. He had valiantly performed beyond his station in the past major conflict which more than a hundred years ago.

    There are many other types of Knights in the Imperial guards and Military, but not all of them were Lords of Regions, albeit most of them have lands and castles. While there are others who only hold the title for notable contributions to the Empire.

    Ling Han Wei was one of the other Knights, although not a bestowed Knight, he held the tile of ¡°Captain of the 3rd Imperial Calvary¡± with more than 100 other Imperial Knights, with a total of 1 million troops under his command. The post had the equivalent of a General¡¯s stipend.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Maling was also close to Ling Han Wei, and at times treated the Chen clan favorably, this was even before the Chen clan was decimated leaving behind Daquan as the sole survivor.

    ¡°I was made aware of your situation from reports received at Black Iron Spire,¡± Maling went on to say, Black Iron Spire was the regional capital.

    ¡°It seems somehow the measuring device had ceased functioning,¡± he further explained.

    ¡°Cease functioning?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Yes, the reason why I am here is because this is not the first time it has happened on the 1st colony before. Similar incidents have happened on many occasions over the eras.¡±

    ¡°M ¡­ Lord Maling,¡± Xiaoxia had almost forgotten the honorifics before he spoke ¡°How did it cease functioning?¡±

    ¡°Haha, young child, I do not pretend to know the details, only the makers can inform you on this. However you have to thank your lucky stars you were not last in line for the test. It was only because the device failed to measure anyone else¡¯s Ki talent that the examiner became suspicious and tried it himself. Of course needless to say nothing happened.¡±

    ¡°You mean he had no talent?¡± Xiaoxia was still confused, apparently his head was still refusing to believe the situation that happened earlier on.

    ¡°No silly child, it meant that the machine broke. Since he reported it in full details, the only explainable reason was that you broke it.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± this time Xiaoxia totally forgot Maling¡¯s station and blurted out loudly. In a split second he realized his mistake ¡°Sorry Lord Maling, I was rude!¡±

    ¡°Haha, no worries my young friend. It was not your fault, as far I know, your talent may have been too much for the device and it broke. I personally came to bring you to the colony¡¯s capital, Crescent Lake,¡± Maling announced.

    ¡°Too much for the device? But Lord Maling, how can this be,¡± Wanmei who was keeping silent, decided to speak up and ask.

    ¡°It¡¯s simple, this devices are really old, if the talent exceeds its capacity, then it will break. Of course it may have been a coincidence or even a faulty device¡± Maling said and continued, ¡°The examiner has already request for another device, and we will be sending over a replacement as soon as one is available from test being done elsewhere.¡±

    Without pausing he added, ¡°However, since we do not know the cause, I will not risk breaking another device.¡±

    ¡°Lord Maling has informed me you will be under his care for the journey over there,¡± Daquan informed his family.

    ¡°That I will be, we can¡¯t afford to lose more precious devices can we?¡± Maling grinned and winked at Xiaoxia

    **********

    Ki talent devices were in no ways easy or cheap to produce. Hu Yuan Empire only had about 300 thousand units needed to measure hundreds of millions of children.

    The units used to measure the far reaches of the empire were lower grade ones, even then the cost of producing one was worth the ransom of a Gold class city.

    The higher capability devices are restricted to the Examiner General¡¯s branches situated in most Colony Capitals as well as Kingdom Capitals, they were deemed too precious to be transported around.

    There was only 1 such device that was capable to measure Special class talents and it is kept under heavy guard and security in the Imperial treasury of the Empire.

    Such was the case, as the cost of this device was more than a few kingdoms combined.

    **********

    ¡°Come Xiaoxia, lets us go.¡±

    ¡°Yes Lord Maling.¡±

    ¡°Just remember to close your mouth,¡± Maling jested.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah ¡­ nothing,¡± Maling replied with a mocking look in his eyes.

    As they arrive at the village spatial transportation device, Maling took out 2 stunning azure crystals, everyone who looked was amazed, as they were Ki crystals of very high value.

    Most of them had only seen cheap crystals that were used to travel a few thousand leagues, but these were in another class of their own.

    ¡°Hmmm, Xiaoxia, I hope you are worth the effort to bring you to Crescent Lake,¡± Maling looked at him with a doubting look in his eyes. No one can blame him as he had a quirk.

    ¡°Lord Maling, how come we are using these, don¡¯t we normally use the dull grey ones for spatial transportation?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Well my young friend, Crescent Lake is on the other side of this world, to travel 500 thousand leagues would require more Ki as compared to travelling within Black Iron, those dull grey ones simple won¡¯t do,¡± Maling replied.

    Xiaoxia had read up on Ki crystals and their various shades and colors, the highest quality he has seen so far were the neon green ones used to power the tesla furnace. It even required 20 of them and is said to be very costly.

    ¡°Now hold on to this,¡± Maling handed over one of the azure crystals to Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia nervously accepted the crystal and treated it with utmost care, it was 2 ranks above the neon green ones. In proper crystal rankings, each rank was 100 times the value of the previous rank. Which meant the azure crystal is 10,000 times more valuable than a neon green crystal.

    ¡°Okay as you enter the spatial transportation device, hold the crystal close to your chest, the transportation device will do the rest,¡± Maling instructed. ¡°Okay let¡¯s go!¡±

    Without replying Xiaoxia just nodded and followed Maling through the spatial device as he tightly held the crystal against his chest.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 7: Peanuts

    ¡°Whooooosh!¡±

    Two figures appeared in the dead of the night, apparently stepping out of thin air. These two were Maling and Xiaoxia. At the same time and thereafter a few thousand others popped up at various spots nearby.

    No one took heed as it is common for the spatial transportation hub. The new arrivals proceeded to the arrival checkpoint to register their credentials and purpose of visit.

    As each person approached the symbols on the ground before each checkpoint it gave a momentary flicker and a hologram will appear in front of the checkpoint staff.

    It showed in comprehensive details bio-metrics, race, origins, allegiances, past travels, familial roots and connections, profession, Ki Realm and other relevant information.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Maling let out note of slight discomfort, his had a slightly green cast to his face.

    ¡°Lord Maling, are you ok?¡± Xiaoxia asked while looking at the now dead Ki crystals, all that was left was a colorless transparent sphere.

    ¡°I am fine, are you ok?¡± Maling replied and asked in return.

    Xiaoxia nodded, the moment he arrived, he was in awe of the city. Lights stretch out as far as one can see, and they looked like earthbound stars. Majestic skyscrapers filled the skies and even in the middle of the night people filled its streets.

    The whole city was alight, illuminated some form of contraption. The opulence and extravagance of the illumination was not lost on Xiaoxia, back in his town, there was no such opulence and illumination was used in bare sufficiency.

    Maling grinned to himself as he looked at Xiaoxia, however he also had a quizzical look.

    ¡°Young friend, do you not felt anything when we arrived?¡±

    ¡°Lord Maling, nope, should I be? Do you want this back?¡± Xiaoxia asked passing the now used crystal back.

    ¡°Oh never mind, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Maling replied, which a wave of his hands.

    The hub was immense and surrounded by energy barriers, there were around a hundred such hubs catering to the gigacity they were in. Crescent Lake had almost 3 billion inhabitants and the city stretched out from its center almost a thousand leagues in all directions.

    Every hub was designed to have a clear view of the city, the planning team and designer wanted to show off the splendid views to new arrivals here.

    On a daily basis tens of millions of merchants and others constantly travelled between various parts of the colony to Crescent City. Besides people, unimaginable amount of cargo and goods were transported at bigger hubs. The number of hubs were barely sufficient, due to the constant maintenance down time of a large number of hubs at any given day.

    ¡°Lord Maling, how long will we be here for?¡± Xiaoxia asked. He first hoped that if more time was spent here he could perhaps explore the city a little as he parents had given him 2 neon green Ki crystals as trip expenses.

    After seeing a single trip costs an azure crystal worth 10,000 neon green ones, he wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to stay for long.

    ¡°Once you earn enough to leave this city,¡± Maling tried to antagonize him further, somehow knowing Xiaoxia was a little anxious of costs now.

    Much to Xiaoxia¡¯s surprise, he soon found out that Maling was 207 years, much older than his parents. He knew he had taken part in the last major conflict a hundred years before, but never guessed he was that age. Xiaoxia knew a few others in his town who were around 200, and they looked much older.

    As they moved from their arrival spot to about three hundred yards to their right, they approached an array of check points with various signs catering to various groups, ¡®Merchants¡¯, ¡®Residences¡¯, ¡®Non Residences¡¯, ¡®Military Personnel¡¯ and a host of others.

    However Maling was heading towards one without any markings. It looked like any other, except it was situate on the far end, quite a distance from the main checkpoints.

    ¡°Lord Maling!!!¡± a sentry saluted as they approached.

    ¡°Ah! Shhhh!¡± Maling hurriedly covered the sentry¡¯s mouth looking embarrassed, all eyes in the hub suddenly turned and were looking at them. Maling avoided announcing his station wherever he went, as he was a commoner by birth. He still did not adjust properly to his higher station even though it has been many years, and he avoided public functions or interaction with crowds.

    ¡°Sir, your arrival is timely, Her Royal Grace Arch Duchess Amelia has only just disseminated instructions for your presence!¡±

    ¡°Oh? How did she know I was coming?¡± Maling arched his one of his eyebrows in question.

    ¡°Sorry Lord Maling, we are not privy to such information,¡± the sentry replied.

    Without saying anything else, Maling nodded and walked past the checkpoint with Xiaoxia in tow.

    As they exited the checkpoint, they entered a lobby that was finely built, from the polished floor to the intrinsically chiseled statues that covered the walls. The ceiling had a mural that actually mimicked the skies above.

    Towards the north east side as they entered, there was a rather lavish dais, it had precious metals and gems engraved and set into it.

    As Maling and Xiaoxia stood on the dais, there was a light emitting from Maling¡¯s insignia on his collar that was in sync with the same color the dais gave off. Within a blink they have arrived somewhere else.

    **********

    ¡°Hmmph that rascal Maling, always moving around and never replying to my summons,¡± vented Amelia to her chamber maids. The maids however knew better than to reply.

    This is the Arch Duchess Amelia, princess of the Imperial family by birth and granted the title Arch Duchess by her 1st century.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    She is 184 years old now, but still had an ageless beauty common females her race. The Hu Yuan Empire is rule since antiquity by the Sha Mo Ren. Only about a dozen of so empires had a history like theirs.

    ¡°Blingaling!!¡± a short crystalline sound came from the door. The door maid look through a visor and slowly opened it.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, Lord Ma has arrived as per your request!¡± an Imperial Guard announced. Imperial Guards only serve members of the direct royal family. The Emperor had other siblings, but they were not considered his direct line, and did not have claim to the throne.

    ¡°Show him to the private meeting hall,¡± Amelia replied.

    **********

    If the view of the city at night had amazed Xiaoxia, being at the palace of the colony capital was jaw dropping, in fact his jaws managed to reach the floor.

    The palace was the highest structure in the whole capital and the view of the city stretched out into the darkness, a view more splendid than what he had saw earlier.

    Upon arriving at the palace transport hub, they had to traverse another 3 more checkpoints within the humongous structure before reaching the Arch Duchess¡¯s private meeting hall.

    Xiaoxia found out later it was designed to hinder trespassers.

    The hall was situated on one of the upper spires that made up the flotilla of others that raised up like needles in the sky.

    ¡°All kneel for Her Royal Grace the Arch Duchess of the Hu Yuan Empire, 12th in line of succession by decree of his Imperial Majesty Emperor Qing!¡± a grand voice announced.

    Upon hearing this, all present knelt and Maling as well as Xiaoxia followed suit.

    ¡°Maling you bastard!¡± Amelia shouted the moment she appeared onto the throne.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, I do not understand,¡± Maling replied.

    ¡°Leave us!¡± Amelia told the Imperial guards as well as her other attendants.

    ¡°Yes your Royal Grace¡±, they replied in unison and shuffled out the main door.

    When all of them left, Amelia turned to Maling and Xiaoxia ¡°You two, rise!¡±

    ¡°Thank you your Royal Grace!¡± Maling acknowledge and gave a mischievous grin in the direction of Amelia as he stood up.

    ¡°Ah! You are incorrigible,¡± Amelia laughed.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, you look as beautiful as they day we first met,¡± Maling slightly bowed and flattered Amelia.

    ¡°You scoundrel, no need to flatter me, I have been trying to contact you for over ten years now and you never even reply to my summons.¡±

    ¡°But your Royal Gr¡­¡±

    ¡°Cut with the pleasantries, there is no one here, just call me by name.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but Amelia, I really was busy with regional duties.¡±

    ¡°Excuses! Are you trying to go back on you promise!!!¡±

    ¡°No I am all for keeping it, but it is not within my power,¡± Maling lamented.

    ¡°Oh is it? Anyway I have good news for you,¡± Amelia replied.

    ¡°Good news, erm, your definition of good news is sometimes skewed,¡± Maling jested.

    ¡°Grrrr, is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is, every time you gave me ¡®good¡¯ news, I end up doing something tiring and troublesome.¡±

    The last 3 times Amelia gave him good news was 50, 60 and 90 years ago. All were rank promotions from Knight > Knight Lieutenant > Knight Captain > Knight Major.

    It all involved forming his own Knight crops and training them, as well as regularly serving as a deterrence against rampaging beast at remote areas, where precious resources were being mined and gathered.

    ¡°Well its different now, as per entering into the Ki Grandmaster Realm Expert Rank a decade back, you are now qualified and have been bestowed the title of Viscount of the Empire,¡± Amelia smugly said, noticing Xiaoxia had widened his eyes a little on hearing that.

    ¡°What! This means more travel! Ugh! Oh No! This means spending more azure Ki Crystals!¡± Maling responded unhappily.

    ¡°Azure crystals? Pfft, those are peanuts, you will get sufficient monetary compensation as well as a bigger coffer for your new status. Besides no one asked you to travel the way you do,¡± Amelia replied.

    Maling could only nod at this.

    ¡°Oh by the way, you are now in charge of our colony¡¯s Scarlet Condor Province.¡±

    ¡°Nooooooooooooooooooo!¡± Maling could only cry inwardly.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 8: Weird

    Xiaoxia stood silent as he listened to Amelia and Maling¡¯s conversation. He somehow felt small and inconspicuous in their presence. At the same time noticing Amelia¡¯s aura was comparable to Maling¡¯s.

    However when Amelia had noticed him earlier. She had thought that Xiaoxia was Maling¡¯s squire in attendance and didn¡¯t think of it much even as she sent off her personnel.

    ¡°Young friend, just who may you be?¡± Amelia asked warmly, taking a motherly tone to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Young one greets her Royal grace, my name is Chen Zhen Xia and I am from Black Iron Anvil Village,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Ooh, Brother Ling it is not like to you to pick up kids and move around,¡± Amelia look at Maling with a questioning look then turned back to look at Xiaoxia, maternal instincts abound.

    ¡°Ah sorry about my manners, I chance upon an anomaly during a Ki talent ceremony and it happens this young friend is the root of it, he is now in my care,¡± Maling candidly replied.

    ¡°What anomaly?¡± Amelia looked interested, turning back to Maling.

    ¡°He apparently caused a measuring device to fail, as this device that was used in other communities with no problems, we could only surmise it was an inherent fault or his Ki talent overwhelmed it. However to be prudent I have brought him here instead of waiting for a replacement, who knows if his Ki talent is really overwhelming, another device will be damaged,¡± Maling truthfully replied.

    ¡°Overwhelming Ki talent? Never heard of it, even Special class Ki talent children couldn¡¯t damage a device,¡± Amelia said skeptically, turning back again towards Xiaoxia with a warm look.

    ¡°Well devices are really expensive and there is no way my office could replace one on a whim easily,¡± Maling kind of objected.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I will arrange for my people to bring one over now,¡± Amelia activated something on her throne, and within the next breathe a relatively young man appeared and knelt while cupping his hands towards Amelia.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, as you summoned.¡±

    ¡°Shi Min, this is Viscount Ma of Scarlet Condor Province, recently promoted and his young friend Xiaoxia, they have a matter that requires immediate attention, please bring the Ki talent device to this meeting hall as soon as possible,¡± Amelia gave the order.

    ¡°Yes your Royal Grace¡± Shi Min still knelt cupping his hand and then turned to Maling.

    ¡°Congratulations my Lord on your promotion, I have long heard of your exploits since I was born¡± Shi Min said, then he turned back to Amelia.

    ¡°If I may so leave your Royal Grace,¡± Shi Min still kneeling asked.

    Amelia waved once and Shi Min hurriedly shuffled out of the meeting hall.

    ¡°Splendid young man you have there, Fan Ren?¡± Maling asked.

    ¡°Yes and a rather capable one at that, he have reached Ki Master Realm Lower Tier, and only in his early twenties, he is my quartermaster,¡± Amelia informed Maling.

    ¡°Ah a genius among Fan Ren! It is such pity they are a short lived race, only the past legends in Fan Ren history could live beyond 500 years old, sadly not one has been discovered in the past era¡± Maling sadly shook his head.

    **********

    Most races in Yuan Zhong have a peak age, however with each breakthrough in Ki realm, their lives extend by a proportional amount. The reason Maling and Amelia look younger than they should.

    The biggest jump is between Ki Grandmaster and unknown realm, it takes a tremendous amount of effort and resources as well as an innate understanding of one¡¯s abilities to break through this realm.

    The reward for accomplishing this effort is well worth anything else, as it significantly increases a person¡¯s life expectancy by many folds. On top of this their Ki stamina increases by leaps and bounds and many who achieved this have developed their own unique skills and abilities.

    This was the Holy Grail especially for the Fan Ren who were the shortest lived race in Yuan Zhong. Within the hundred thousand year history of Yuan Zhong, there were Fan Ren who achieved the unknown realm and lived till about 500 years, and the very rare occasion where some even lived for more than an era.

    But its effects were greater for higher ranked races, who lived easily over an era when they broke through this realm.

    There were many well-known individuals from the higher ranked races who have achieved Ki Grandmaster Expert realm and have their names recorded in their empires annals. Unfortunately many lived out their lives at this level.

    In official recorded history, the total number of those in the unknown realms only numbered slightly above 20,000 across all races. An insignificant number compare to the quadrillions of inhabitants living today.

    **********

    Without needing to wait long, Shi Min reappeared with an entourage carrying a big trunk. The trunk was 5 feet high and 7 feet wide with a depth of 4 feet. It was transported on a floating platform. Around it were members of the Imperial guards who guarded Amelia.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace,¡± Shi Min called out, and knelt in front of Amelia, all the other knelt in unison as well.

    ¡°Bring out the device and prime it,¡± Amelia ordered.

    As they begun to remove all the clasps as well as restrains on the chest, a large object appeared.

    It did not even bear any resemblance to the one used to measure Ki talent in Xiaoxia¡¯s town. That was a small portable device and this was many times bigger than it.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    As the device was being assembled, many contraptions could be seen being inserted in a myriad of spots on it.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace! Am I actually seeing this?¡± Maling let out a whistle of amazement. Falling back to honorifics in the presence of Amelia¡¯s subordinates.

    ¡°Hahaha! Of course, I am after all the most precious great granddaughter of the Imperial Emperor¡± Amelia laughed as she haughtily replied.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, Lord Maling, sorry for my interruption may I ask what is it?¡± Xiaoxia was a little confused.

    Even before Amelia had a chance to reply, Maling answered him,

    ¡°Young friend, even if I only heard of it, it is clear to me what we are seeing here is the latest line of Ki talent measuring device, its efficiency and capabilities far outstrips the one in the Imperial Capital, even though it is made of lower grade materials. However it is just as valuable, due to the astronomical difficulties to produce one! In fact the entire Yuan Zhong only has less than 30 of them and¡­¡±

    ¡°And they could succinctly measure not only your Ki talent but suggest as to which path you should take in life¡± Amelia cut in, a little annoyed with Maling for answering before her.

    ¡°Path in life?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°If I may? I have more experience in this compare to your Royal Grace who only have one path,¡± Maling, smiled his most charming smile at Amelia, knowing she was annoyed when he answered before her earlier.

    Amelia nodded for him to carry on, a little frustrated, but knew very well that , Maling in comparison has more experience in matters pertaining to life choices.

    ¡°Young friend Xia, do you know what the difference is between Ki Realms and Professions, as well as the talent measuring system?¡± Maling asked.

    ¡°Yes my Lord, I learnt this from my parents.¡±

    ¡°Good so I will skip that part. Let me quote one right from experience. For example there is no measuring system for military strategists, no doubt Hu Yuan Empire¡¯s top Field Marshals and Generals all have Ki realms mere mortals are not capable of, majority of them do not excel in war time strategy. It is not to say they are idiots or anything, but as compared to our top military strategists, they really pale in comparison¡±   Maling cast a quick mischievous smirk at Amelia when he said the last sentence.

    Amelia could only roll her eyes as Maling continued.

    ¡°Moreover, do you think that there are measuring systems for being street smart with good instincts?¡± Maling asked.

    Xiaoxia thought for a moment and shook his head.

    ¡°Correct! You may be the smartest person in one of the finest academies, brought up in the highest standards of chivalry. But when chucked unto the streets with nothing but your wits, you would not be able to survive. On the other hand a person who doesn¡¯t have the education or standards of chivalry, but is street smart with good instincts will survive without a problem.¡±

    ¡°But Lord Maling, is there a path for a street smart person?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Yes there is, any empire has a need for such people especially when it comes to monitoring their neighbors.  There are even a few street smart people in very high station who have helped the Empire avoid disaster,¡± Maling replied and continued,

    ¡°At the end of the day, this are but just two examples, there are many other paths that does not correlate with the interest of the empire, many may be of personal benefits or even beneficial to a community or your family. The rare ones are those that can benefit the world¡± he added and still continued,

    ¡°In the past it was not a simple process, talents in such areas were not easy to come by, and many have been overlooked. However with this new measuring device it have made it easier, from what I heard, there are plans to make more portable versions for lighter use similar to the size of the devices used in Black Iron,¡± Maling ended his explanation while looking at the device, with a profound look of respect.

    Xiaoxia nodded and went back to looking at the device, assembly was now almost complete, and they only needed to prime the device before it can be activated.

    His heart jumped when he saw them taking out a Ki crystal, it was this size of a man¡¯s head, and the one he used was only 2 inches in diameter. This Ki crystal was also a few ranks higher than the azure crystal, it was incandescent vermillion with red tendrils of energy surrounding it. Even where he was standing he could feel its aura.

    Even Maling was looking at it in appreciation, in fact everyone was, with the exception of Amelia who had a nonchalant attitude.

    Once the crystal was place in the device, Amelia approached and placed her right hand on the device and it suddenly came to life.

    ¡°Without the touch of someone approved by the Emperor, this device will never activate,¡± she explained and continued,

    ¡°Come young friend, step over here,¡± she beckoned to Xiaoxia gently.

    Xiaoxia obediently took a few steps and stood on the dais.

    As he stood there he could feel a rush of energy in his surroundings, and it circulated his entire being. He felt the energy coming from the machine and interacted with his Ki center. The sensation of floating took over, and then it suddenly just stopped.

    Thinking it was another failure, he quickly looked at Amelia and Maling, but they were not looking at him, but at the hologram on the console of the device.

    ¡°Weird!¡± both of them said in unison.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 9: An official request

    <hr />

    Name: Chen Zhen Xia                     Race: Sha Mo Ren

    Allegiance: Hu Yuan Empire            Origin: Black Iron Region

    Age: 7

    D.O.B: 10th Day / 1st Moon / Year 107,924 (108th Era)

    Residence: Chen Clan compound, Black Iron Anvil Village, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire

    Next of Kin: Chen Daquan (Father), Wanmei (Mother)

    -END OF PAGE 1-

    Ki talent: Positive -ERROR- unknown value

    Talent category: Positive -MULTIPLE ERROR- unknown value

    Life path: -MULTIPLE ERROR- unknown value

    Summary: -MULTIPLE ERROR- undefined loop

    -END OF REPORT ¨C

    <hr />

    Amelia and Maling could only stare at the report. They had absolutely no idea what is happening with all the ¡®errors¡¯ in the report.

    ¡°Argh! He broke it again! I am not going to pay for it!¡± Maling said as a matter of fact, totally forgetting the honorifics at this point.

    ¡°Relax you rascal, no one needs you to pay for anything,¡± Amelia glared at him.

    ¡°Young friend do not worry, one thing for sure is you have talent¡± Amelia kindly told Xiaoxia while pointing out the ¡®Positive¡¯ printed besides the Ki talent.

    Xiaoxia was relieved, some talent was better than no talent.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, perhaps you can ask Shi Min to take the measurement,¡± Maling remembered the honorifics this time.

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Amelia replied.

    In a moment, Shi Min¡¯s results came on the hologram.

    ¡°Everything looks ok, let¡¯s try others,¡± Amelia selected some of the entourage as well as Imperial guards.

    When everyone finished, the results were all within expectations.

    ¡°This is really weird, the device is definitely functioning, however it cannot seem to be able to measure our young friend¡¯s talents and others,¡± Amelia remark, curiosity clearly shown in her eyes.

    ¡°Let us try again,¡± She indicated expectantly for Xiaoxia to step on the dais.

    After 2 more tries, she gave up.

    ¡°Ah, this is going nowhere!¡± Amelia said in frustration.

    Looking at a device at the other end of the meeting hall, she motioned for the device team to pack up the device and leave the hall.

    Turning to Maling and Xiaoxia she extended an invitation ¡°Tonight you shall stay in the palace and tomorrow morning I will be contacting the Artisan City. That is all, I will be leaving now.¡±

    Activating a device on her wrist, she vanished leaving Maling and Xiaoxia on their own.

    ¡°Lord Ma, young master Chen, please follow me to your quarters,¡± Shi Min bowed and waited on them.

    ¡°Well young friend Xia, guess this trip is getting more worth it as time passes,¡± Maling grinned at Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia just nodded in his usual demeanor, still happy that at least now he knew he has talent.

    **********

    Morning came unexpectedly fast, for Xiaoxia he still felt somehow the day¡¯s events has worn him out, he did not sleep till much later that night and only managed a couple of hours before the sun rose.

    ¡°Lord Maling has arrived!¡± the guard outside his room announced.

    ¡°Oh I totally forgot,¡± Maling said as he entered the room

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiaoxia was still in a dazed, raising his head sleepily at the entrance of Maling.

    ¡°Black Rock is at the other side of this world, it is now night there, what you are experiencing is spatial lag,¡± Maling explained.

    ¡°Lord Maling, then why is it you are all bright and sunny?¡± Xiaoxia had a hint of annoyance in his voice due to sleep depravity and being woken up by Maling.

    ¡°Haha, I am 207 years old my young friend, I have been trained in the military as well, a soldier sleeps whenever he cans regardless of the environment,¡± Maling replied.

    ¡°Here take this now and take these later tonight,¡± Maling said as he passed a few vials to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°What are these?¡± Xiaoxia asked a little confused.

    ¡°This pale yellow one is what I like to call a ¡®wake me up¡¯ remedy to help with your sleepy head. The others have a commercial name called ¡®Sweet Dreams¡¯ and works as the name implies.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me! Hurry up and get dress and from today onwards drop the honorifics and call me Maling,¡± Maling replied adding, ¡°I have been hearing too much Lord this and that since yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Oh and forget the shower, we do not want to make Amelia wait,¡± he added as an afterthought.

    Xiaoxia quickly jumped out of bed and headed behind the changing screen to change. He discovered the clothes he was wearing were no longer there, and replaced with another set that look refined and expensive.

    ¡°Ah I would have guessed she felt all motherly after seeing you,¡± chuckled Maling upon seeing Xiaoxia coming out behind the changing screen.

    Even though it was seldom mentioned, Xiaoxia was a striking and handsome young man, he still had baby fats and added to his features, it could melt the heart of any motherly figure. However he was more concerned with the matter at hand.

    ¡°Maling, these are really fine clothes, do I have to pay for them?¡± Xiaoxia asked immediately took a liking not using honorifics.

    In the meantime he did not know how much they cost, but was willing to spend the 2 neon green crystals he had. Even then he did not have a clue about prices in the world.

    ¡°You are an invited guest of the Arch Duchess, everything is covered. The Imperial family¡¯s reputation will be ruined if it was found they were charging invited guest for staying in the Palaces,¡± Maling said and quickly added, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone hear you saying this, it is quite an insult for them.¡±

    Xiaoxia nodded and followed Maling as he walked out into the corridor.

    A little distance from the guest quarters, there was a dais that transported them to the private dining hall of the Arch Duchess.

    This was a huge palace, its massive structure spreading over a few leagues, its compound was triple its size and surrounded by an energy barrier reinforced wall a few hundred feet high. Moving from point to point needed spatial transportation devices in the form of dais.

    The guest quarters were in the south wing, roughly a league away from the private dining hall. Since many other areas of use were spread throughout the vast area of the Palace, spatial transportation devices had to be installed, and for aesthetic purposes they were in the form of a dais

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    With the advent of personal spatial devices, senior ranked officials and key household staff each had one, allowing access depending on their clearance to parts of the Palace. The Imperial guard garrison had access to strategic areas within the palace not accessible by others.

    Only the Arch Duchess¡¯s high grade personal device could allow her to access any point in both the city and palace without restrictions. Any distances longer than the city limits will cause the device to break under the intense stress and pressure generated as a result of latent energies released when spatial warping.

    These devices were not issued to guests, hence Maling and Xiaoxia used the dais with assistance from the palace staff to traverse in the palace.

    ¡°Lord Maling, young master Chen has arrived!¡± announced the herald.

    ¡°Leave us,¡± Amelia told her staff.

    When the staff all left, Amelia turned to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Did you sleep well? Are you hungry?¡± she asked Xiaoxia with an expression of concern.

    ¡°Yes, your royal Grace!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed.

    ¡°Haha, he was born hungry,¡± Maling jested.

    ¡°Shush, don¡¯t bully the kid,¡± Amelia reprimanded Maling. Turning to Xiaoxia she said, ¡°Please call me Aunty, your Royal Grace coming from you makes me feel ancient.¡±

    ¡°Yes Aunty!¡± Xiaoxia grinned and smile, looking sweet and innocent. This totally melted Amelia¡¯s heart, and her face blushed with happiness.

    ¡°Ok let¡¯s eat, and later we will have a conference with the Artisan¡¯s city MeisterSchloss,¡± Amelia quickly declared.

    The spread laid out on the massive dining table was stupendous, numerous types of pastries, dairy products, eggs dishes, selection of different syrups and treacle, puddings, breads, croissants, sausages, fresh fruits, hot and cold beverages and a whole myriad of fresh vegetables and other farm produce.

    Soon heaps of food vanished. But it is not surprising, the males of the Sha Mo Ren were big, their appetites even bigger. Moreover Xiaoxia was a growing child and he had an almost bottomless stomach.

    On the other hand Amelia was also not a small women herself, being a little over 7 feet, although slender and beautiful, it hide her voracious appetite perfectly.

    ¡°Ah! That perfectly hit the spot,¡± exclaimed Maling, he alone accounted for more than half of the food eaten. He was nearly 8 feet, taller than Xiaoxia¡¯s father.

    ¡°Well are you sure? I will ask my maids to clear the table away and get right down to business,¡± Amelia said.

    ¡°Erm, ahem, then again I think I will take another bite, who knows when the extra energy is need,¡± Maling quickly added, while helping himself to an unidentified hot brew.

    Shortly all three of them had ate to their limits and even as the maids cleared table, the food was already being quickly digested.

    Without much delay Amelia got right down to business, ¡°I managed to send a message to MeisterSchloss last night and was alerted earlier this morning that a conference with spatial communications has been arrange, it is almost time, lets us move to another area.¡±

    Amelia motioned for one of the attendants to escort Maling and Xiaoxia, while she herself activate her personal device and disappeared.

    The three of them met up in another room which was smaller as compared to all other rooms, it had a few luxurious seats surrounding an oval desk and what looked like a mini dais right in the middle. This looked like the ones Maling and Xiaoxia used throughout the Palace, but much smaller and its design was more intricate and elaborate.

    ¡°Ok you two sit close to me,¡± Amelia instructed.

    She then took out a Ki crystal that was azure in color and inserted it into a receptacle that was in front of her, and a stream of light ran from the receptacle to the dais.

    ¡°Bzzz¡­.Bzzzz¡­Bzzzz¡­. ttrrrriiiinng¡± the dais sounded.

    ¡°Hello my dear Arch Duchess, it has been awhile,¡± a large hologram had appeared floating above the oval desk. In it a vague figure could be seen, and its voice clearly heard.

    ¡°Your Eminence, not too long actually,¡± Amelia replied with a smile.

    Soon the image sharpened and a figure of an old man appeared, it was obvious he was neither Sha Mo Ren nor Fan Ren. Beneath his ancient looks, he had a midnight blue tinge to his skin as well as upswept eyebrows and ears.

    ¡°Oh is that so, I must be getting old,¡± the old man replied, apparently making a light joke.

    ¡°Haha, my dear old man. You were born old,¡± Amelia jested.

    ¡°Hahaha that may be true. So what can I do for you young princess,¡± the old man asked, he seemed very familiar with Amelia and very soon dropped all honorifics.

    ¡°First please allow me to introduce Lord Maling, recently promoted Viscount of the Empire, and ruler of Scarlet Condor Province. This young friend is young master Chen,¡± Amelia introduced Maling and Xiaoxia to the old man.

    ¡°You two,¡± she said turning to them ¡°This is Grandmaster Artisan, Vice Lord of MeisterSchloss, His Eminence Menon,¡± Amelia announced to them.

    ¡°Your Eminence,¡± both Maling and Xiaoxia stood up and bowed while cupping their hands.

    ¡°Huhuhu, enough with the honorifics, this old one is only a glamourized blacksmith,¡¯ Menon replied.

    Xiaoxia look quizzically at him.

    Seeing his looks, Menon replied ¡°Well it¡¯s true, I am a blacksmith by trade, just that I have many more years than all the other younglings to polish my skills.¡±

    ¡°Menon is part of the Moon Elves,¡± Amelia added.

    Xiaoxia nodded still unsure what it meant, as besides what he learnt from his parents, he only knew about the Fan Ren and Sha Mo Ren. Although he heard about other races.

    He was not educated on other races, as there was not much literature in his town on these matters.

    Rarely does a person from another race appear in his town, perhaps once every few decades, but none since the day Xiaoxia was born. Other than that it was just Sha Mo Ren and Fan Ren.

    ¡°Hmm looking at his face I guess this young one still doesn¡¯t know much about the world, there will be another time another place for this. So let¡¯s get down to business, what do you need from this old one?¡± Menon asked Amelia

    ¡°Please take a look at this,¡± Amelia attached the information from Xiaoxia¡¯s tests to him.

    ¡°OH!!! Interesting, this is very interesting!!¡± Menon exclaimed, his facial features seeming to light up and made him look much younger. His hand had also started trembling.

    Looking at Amelia, he said with a serious countenance ¡°Amelia on behalf of MeisterSchloss, I will like to officially request this young man be sent here immediately, all cost will be borne by us.¡±

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 10: Getting Ready

    There was a moment of silence between Amelia and Maling when they heard this. Xiaoxia was still in the dark, he couldn¡¯t really follow the dialogues between them.

    ¡°Menon, I will see to it that he will arrive shortly once everything is arranged, my staff will contact your office when we are ready,¡± Amelia said, breaking the silence.

    ¡°Understood, take care,¡± Menon said, and the hologram faded after that.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, seems like you have become a person of interest for the much vaunted MeisterSchloss,¡± Maling informed him.

    ¡°I do not understand,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Well it is common for our empire to request MeisterSchloss to send their Artisans over, but there hasn¡¯t been any record of MeisterSchloss asking us to send someone over,¡± Amelia informed him with a gentle voice, a 180 degrees to the voice she uses with Maling.

    ¡°We even requests training for some of our own like Amelia over there, who doesn¡¯t know how well she has it,¡± Maling replied with a joke.

    ¡°Oh just shut it. Anyway young friend Xia, you will be in the care of Menon for this trip, Maling and myself will not be able to follow you,¡± Amelia glared at Maling while telling Xiaoxia the plan.

    ¡°This is true I will not be able to guide you, since I have been promoted to Viscount and Lord of this bird blood something province, I will be swamped with work and perhaps die along the way, but hey it¡¯s a promotion,¡± Maling sarcastically added.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we wanted to go or not, besides having our duties to carry out for THE EMPIRE, it was clear only you were invite and not us,¡± Amelia emphasized ¡®the empire¡¯ clearly for Maling, who was an excellent warrior as well as strategist. But he always drags his feet when it comes to administrative stuff, which he surprisingly excels in, although everyone could do without his constant complains.

    Leading Maling and Xiaoxia to the antechamber, Amelia beckon to one of the maids and spoke to her briefly.

    Awhile later, Shi Min, an older man, as well as military officer appeared.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace you summoned?¡± they knelt and said in unison.

    ¡°Yes have you arranged for what I asked?¡±

    ¡°Yes your Royal grace,¡± the answered.

    Shi Min passed the requested item to Amelia, while the older man passed her a device.

    At the same time she indicated to the military officer and turn to speak to Xiaoxia, ¡°Young friend Xia, please come here.¡±

    Xiaoxia obediently approached.

    ¡°Please stretch out your hand,¡± the military officer spoke.

    Xiaoxia stretch out his hand and the officer place an object which quickly diffused onto the back of his hand. A glowing rune appeared and slowly faded without a trace.

    Still looking as his hand he turned around as Maling said ¡°That is a high grade registration tag, without this you will not be able to use the inter-system spatial transportation systems. Only ranking members of the empire, elites of society or extremely rich merchants could be granted one.¡±

    ¡°Also to travel to MeisterSchloss, you need a unique identification registration pre-approved by them, and only high grade registration tags have them. The one your parents registered for you on your birth is a common one that is unable to do so,¡± Maling added.

    ¡°Minister Lee, have you informed MeisterSchloss the prearranged time?¡± Amelia asked the older man.

    ¡°Yes your Royal Grace,¡± Lee replied.

    ¡°Xiaoxia this is a high grade quantum-bag, please harness it to your belt, it has the biggest capacity of its kind and there are some items contained there for your trip as well,¡± Amelia passed Xiaoxia what looked like a tiny bag.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace,¡± Shi Min cried out looking a little anguished.

    ¡°Shush¡± Amelia replied and continue, ¡°Here is a universal spatial bank, usable at any establishment, if there are some establishment who cannot process this, tap on the top here to withdraw the necessary amount.¡±

    As Xiaoxia held out his hand to receive the device, Amelia covered both of her hands and clasps the device and his hands between them. The device gave a warm glow and there were some inscription on it that changed.

    After passing the spatial bank to Xiaoxia, Lee¡¯s face turned to green.

    Xiaoxia could not help but notice the faces on Shi Min and Lee.

    Amelia notice it as well and said to Xiaoxia with some affection, ¡°Do not worry about them, these are my personal travel pack and spare change whenever I need to go somewhere. They should be just sufficient for your trip.¡±

    ¡°Your Royal Grace what last you for a few days may last our young friend for life, Haha!¡± Maling laughed out, remembering to add honorifics in front of others.

    Upon saying this Amelia motioned for her staff to leave the room.

    Maling whistled as he looked at the card as well as the quantum bag.

    ¡°10 Imperial diamonds, 20 Imperial Rubies, 1,000 Rhodium, 5,000 Gold, 100,000 Silver!¡± Maling exclaimed looking at the card, he could read the inscription stating the amount it held as well as stating the owner of this spatial bank is Xiaoxia.

    ¡°High grade personal spatial communications device, High grade personal spatial transportation device, 2 lower grade vermillion crystal, 5 lower grade scarlet crystals, 10 lower grade light purple crystals, 100 lower grade azure crystals, 500 lower grade light pink crystals, 1,000 lower grade neon green crystals. Spare clothes, weapons, armor ¡­ ooh ¡­ yummy a month¡¯s supply of Imperial cuisine in stasis containers ¡­ and what is this?¡±  Maling was wide eyed while going through everything and exclaimed at the end.

    ¡°That you bum is a sole plate,¡± Amelia replied her tone towards Maling the same since the previous day.

    ¡°A sole plate?¡± Maling asked while grunting and struggling with effort on a pair of items that materialize out of the quantum-bag, they looked like something someone cut out of a pair of big shoes, albeit the material look suspiciously familiar to Xiaoxia.

    He eventually dropped them with a loud ¡°thud¡±.

    ¡°They are made of premium refined Myalithium, top of the line reverse gravity device created in MeisterSchloss,¡± Amelia replied.

    ¡°They are controlled by this,¡± Amelia replied taking out a device that looked like a pair of gloves, except the material was extremely thin and transparent with what looked like metallic webs crisscrossing around the material.

    Xiaoxia understood what it meant when a material is ¡®premium refine¡¯, basically from what he learnt from his father, a material had a few grades from low to premium refined.

    ¡°It was something created a few era ago, long replace by low grade personal spatial devices,¡± Amelia added

    The personal device Amelia have is a high grade one. The vast majority of inhabitants uses the much cheaper low grade personal spatial transportation device to warp to the nearest spatial dais hub (like subway stations) within a 5 league radius of their homes to move about the city. These normal citizens¡¯ spatial transportation devices were only restricted to public access dais.

    ¡°Besides many still use this sole plate in MeisterSchloss, as it is fun and the view is wonderful,¡± Amelia warmly smiled, while remembering her younger days spent in understudy there.

    ¡°Only problem is it is so heavy you literally have to fly into your house or have a secure landing platform built, you do not want your precious sole plate to be stolen,¡± she added.

    The Myalithium hammer lifted in his 7th month was just high grade and this premium refined Myalithium was 2 grades higher thus 10 times heavier. It was often called Black Iron and found in abundance in Black Iron region, with lesser quantities in other colonies and even on the main world.

    ¡°But why Myalithium, wouldn¡¯t it be better to use something light?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Actually it is the reverse, the heavier and denser the material, the more effective reverse gravity works, as the name implies it is reverse gravity, so as much as a material is heavy and dense, once reverse gravity is used, it is as much lighter and less dense in reverse. Myalithium is by far the cheapest to mass produce, and been heavily used on our military warships and other floating contraptions,¡± she answered in summary.

    Xiaoxia nodded, and left it as it is. However he asked out of curiosity, ¡°Who is Menon and what are Moon Elves?¡±

    ¡°They are another race of beings, more superior to the Sha Mo Ren and they can live over an era without being in Unknown Realm, only less than a handful of other races are more superior. They are also have a close cousin the Nature Elves,¡± Maling helpfully answer.

    ¡°Menon is he is one of the 6 elders in the Council of MeisterSchloss, also being the oldest. I could only guess his age, since he was already very old when I first met him,¡± Amelia added.

    ¡°That is true, however even amongst the 6, they are still not the ruler of MeisterSchloss. All of them are Vice-Lord, little is known of who the actual Lord is, and even according to our historians, it is still the same Lord since 4 eras ago,¡± Amelia further pointed out.

    ¡°So what we can deduce is there is a high probability he is above Grandmaster Artisan which is an Enlightened,¡± Maling surmised.

    ¡°An Enlightened?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Even I do not know the details, except according to the Divine laws, an Enlightened has to have mastered more than one elemental alignment,¡± Amelia replied honestly.

    Hence the trio continued their discussion waiting for the appointed time to approach before sending Xiaoxia off.

    Xiaoxia soon found out more about other matters, like the reason why Amelia treated Maling as such. A little amazed that Amelia still had hope Maling kept a promise, even though it had been 90 years since. The promise to marry her once he had achieved at least Arch Duke.

    Of course Amelia felt that impossible. He could not achieve such high status in current times of peace. To gain titles faster, he had to prove himself on the battlefield again.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Coupled with the fact he constantly dragged his feet every chance he had when it came to administrative duties. By the time he even had the glimmer of hope being an Arch Duke, Amelia felt she would have died unwed and childless.

    Amelia loves children, having personally helped out in children¡¯s shelters and orphanages regardless of her status. Her disposition towards Xiaoxia was only natural as she also had a very deep maternal instincts and always wanted to have children. Unfortunately she blame Maling as the cause of all her woes.

    But she grew up in admiration for Maling during the last major war, and feelings like these do not weaken but only grow stronger over time. Hence she never thought of marriage to anyone else.

    The Emperor had rejected various suggestions from other family members including her parents to marry her off to another Empire for political gains. He loved Amelia as his most precious and favorite great grandchild, and decided to let her make her own choice.

    He treated her differently based on the fact she had never once asked for anything and have achieved many accomplishments on her own merit.

    She only accepted favors from the Emperor when asked, and never took the initiative nor gave any suggestions or hints she wanted something.

    Thus the Emperor took a proactive step and made it a point to know everything about Amelia¡¯s life, including who she likes or what she needed help on.

    As such, she was given the rule over 1st colony, when the Emperor found out she have fallen in love with Maling.

    In fact Maling¡¯s promotion was not a matter of favor and it was totally based on his own merits. That is why the Emperor was more than impressed with Amelia¡¯s choice. If it had been otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even thought of letting her leave the main world.

    With regards to Maling, Xiaoxia grew accustomed to his flippant attitude, he knew very well Maling was a beast on the battlefield, and aside his endless streams of complaints, he was beyond exceptional in his administrative prowess.

    He also had big issues using spatial transportation. Everyone regardless of who or what they are consumes a pill to prevent spatial sickness for vast distances, however Maling refuses to do so. That was the reason the Amelia¡¯s statement when they first arrived at the palace.

    This was much to Xiaoxia¡¯s chagrin, as Maling didn¡¯t or rather forgot to give him the pill. The second time he had forgotten something relating to Xiaoxia (the first being the spatial lag).

    For the pills, if it were a short distance like from Xiaxia¡¯s town to Black Iron Spire, then there wouldn¡¯t have been any need, as the effects were negligible. But they were talking about hundreds of thousands of leagues, and people have been known to be sick for days after forgetting to self-medicate.

    Maling was reprimanded viciously by Amelia, who rough him up a little as well. Maling also apologized to Xiaoxia. Soon everything was hunky-dory again.

    In the little time they had, Xiaoxia found himself growing fond of Maling, even though he was older than his father and could nearly be his grandfather. There was a brotherly aura around Maling that made Xiaoxia comfortable in his presence.

    Minus some characteristic flaws and a roguish countenance, Xiaoxia found he could trust Maling with his life.

    As the conversation moved on, Xiaoxia also gathered more information on MeisterSchloss. It was one of the few independent nations in the world and it was ruled by a council of six elders from the different elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind, Wood and Light.

    Only at Artisan level could a crafts person unlock their elemental alignment, even then ? of them won¡¯t have one initially. Eventually all will achieve this over time, some even as late as Grandmaster Artisan level.

    He discovered as well elemental alignment was not limited to Artisans and Special Class Ki talent children had the dormant ability as well.

    When their conversation topic had changed to MeisterSchloss, Amelia had given a book on the brief history of MeisterSchloss to Xiaoxia, it look suspiciously like a children¡¯s book with colored illustrations and big words.

    Books Xiaoxia had outgrown by his 5th year. But he sat down and started to read this book.

    **********

    The city of MeisterSchloss is currently bigger than any city in the world, it was founded in the 29th Era. This was before the profession system was started.

    The founder was a crafts person, who started with only a small outpost.

    It was on a small island, only a dot on the map around 4,000 x 5,000 leagues. No one was living here, but the craftsman chose it for its strategic location.

    On all sides of the ocean were a biggest empires in the world. There were many others as well. The crafts person was smart, he knew spatial transportation devices were extremely inefficient during this era.

    But if people were to make a stop at his outpost, and move on from there, it will take less than ? of the required Ki. Thus this was very beneficial especially to merchants, who could save on the costs of Ki crystals, which were more expensive they were then as compared to now.

    The craftsman was close friends with 3 of the biggest empires, he had done many important and vital things for them over many years. The 3 major empires supported him and protected him. They also acknowledge his claims to the island. This was easy, as there was no natural resources here. None of the empires bothered with it.

    The craftsman lived for many years, and lived to see the outpost grew into a village, and from a village into a town and from a town into a city.

    Even after the craftsman was gone, the city continued to expand. During a certain era, six elemental factions within the city built their city on the island surrounding the main city.

    By connecting these new cities with a line on the map, it will form a hexagon.

    Very soon the whole island was populated and it expanded into the ocean. But building over water was very inefficient and costly for them. They had pushed the limits till it could not be done anymore.

    At this time, a very smart Grandmaster Artisan proposed for the city to expand vertically instead of horizontally. Everyone agreed.

    So even up to till today the landscape of MeisterSchloss is filled with skyscrapers, and its people rejoiced.

    By this time MeisterSchloss was already famous for being the center of knowledge exchange, as well as a hub to exchange and obtain materials and goods not available their hometowns.

    Even now the magnificent city still continues to grow.

    **********

    It was a little after midday that the Amelia as well as Maling and Xiaoxia were at the Palace¡¯s spatial transportation hub. It was unlike other hubs who had either localized destinations or main world destinations.

    This hub could access any hub at any destination as long as the proper access has been granted.

    Xiaoxia could see the obvious difference in the materials used. This gate was more elegant and well-crafted as compared to the other mass produced ones.

    ¡°Young friend the time has come,¡± Amelia look at him with a little sadness in her eyes.

    ¡°Hey young friend Xia, remember to contact me anytime you need help!¡± Maling said as Amelia approached Xiaoxia.

    Amelia passed Xiaoxia a cylinder containing three lower grade scarlet crystals. Xiaoxia¡¯s eye widen a little.

    ¡°It really far you know,¡± Maling told him, seeing his expression and went on saying, ¡°It a breeze, I have already contacted your parents and you should do so as well when you arrived at MeisterSchloss.¡±

    ¡°I will Maling,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°And do not forget to take the potions the spatial lag is just as bad there as it is here,¡± Maling cautioned him.

    ¡°You can contact my palace if you need to find me,¡± Amelia offered as well.

    ¡°Thank you Aunty, thank you Maling,¡± Xiaoxia bowed cupping his hands.

    ¡°Ok it¡¯s time to enter, or it¡¯s gonna cost another extra crysta,¡± Maling warned.

    Xiaoxia turned around, gripping the cylinder closely to his chest and took a step.

    He immediately vanished from there. In a few moments a huge trunk appear at the spot where Xiaoxia had been standing.

    ¡°As expected, Menon really does keep his promise,¡± Amelia remarked.

    She opened the trunk and at the next moment was rather shocked.

    Contained in the chest were 5 high grade vermilion Ki crystals and about a dozen or so devices that was unfamiliar.

    ¡°Wow! They did really mean it when they said they will bear all the cost,¡± Maling let out a big exclamation.

    Taking out the note left in the chest, Amelia and Maling read it together.

    ¡°To the Arch Duchess Amelia, thank you for sending your young friend over, here is your repayment, and as a token of our friendship here are 12 prototype portable Ki talent devices.

    Menon.¡±

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 11: MeisterSchloss

    Amelia and Maling were not looking too happy at the moment, when the trunk arrived Amelia was rather please, Maling on the other hand was excited at the value of it.

    However something dawned on them, and both felt guilty about it and had no one to blame but themselves.

    They had forgotten to give the spatial medication to Xiaoxia.

    **********

    ¡°Whoosh!¡± a child arrived in a blink on one of the designated spots in the spatial transportation hub.

    He look a little disorientated, and he had the looks of a lost puppy when he finally got his bearings.

    ¡°Master Chen!¡± a middle age looking man approached.

    ¡°Welcome to MeisterSchloss, I am Captian Jongbae of the houseguards, please follow me,¡± Captain Jongbae bowed once before moving off to his left.

    Xiaoxia did not follow him, looking a little weird. Suddenly he let out a huge ¡°BURRRRP!!¡±

    After that he let out a big sigh of relief, as Captain Jongbae was looking rather surprisingly at him.

    ¡°Sorry Captain Jongbae, I think I ate too fast for breakfast today,¡± Xiaoxia replied, he did not puke but there was too much air in his belly.

    (Back at the palace Amelia and Maling were still worried.)

    ¡°Ah its ok Master Chen, many people still feel the effects of spatial travel even though they had taken the medication,¡± Captain Jongbae replied.

    ¡°Oh I was not given any,¡± Xiaoxia answer honestly, a little disappointed this time both Amelia and Maling had forgotten.

    Captain Jongbae looked even more surprised but managed to retain his composure quickly, ¡°Ah, my apologies Master Chen, please kindly accept this and follow me.¡±

    Captain Jongbae gave him something that looked like a large cookie.

    ¡°Oh thank you Captain,¡± Xiaoxia accepted it happily, once he bit down onto it, a rich sweet flavor exploded into his mouth.

    ¡°It will help you settle the feeling,¡± Captain Jongbae spoke as he led the way.

    ¡°Mmmphrghh,¡± Xiaoxia acknowledged with his mouth full, he wasn¡¯t going to say he didn¡¯t need it since it was really delicious.

    They approached a platform to the west of the arrival spot, passed a checkpoint and boarded what seem like a floating carriage. It was not a small craft, and had plenty of space to fit two dozen easily.

    ¡°What is this thing?¡± Xiaoxia asked curiously.

    ¡°Master Chen this is called a gondola, it uses our reverse gravity technology,¡± Captain Jongbae replied.

    Xiaoxia felt rather excited, he had wondered about flying after seeing the sole plate.

    ¡°Please put on this harness, it¡¯s to prevent you from falling out of the gondola in case the weather suddenly changes,¡± Captain Jongbae indicated to a leather strap with a metal clip.

    Soon they floated above the hub and at once Xiaoxia was in thrall of his surroundings.

    MeisterSchloss was really a city of skyscrapers. Crescent Lake had its fair share, but it could not compare to the amount and scope of those he is seeing right now.

    ¡°Master Chen, do you like the view?¡± Captain Jongbae smiled while asking Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia nodded and looked around. They continued to gain altitude and quickly moved off. Then a muffled boom could be heard and he immediately felt a force pushing him back, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

    Soon Xiaoxia could see further into the horizon, even then there was no end to the city. They continued to gain speed even as the buildings and landscape sped past.

    ¡°We will be heading towards the Elder¡¯s compound,¡± Captain Jonbae informed him.

    ¡°How far is that?¡± Xiaoxia asked, they were moving really fast, and he could hear the tiny sound of wind behind the transparent shimmering protective shield.

    ¡°We will be there in a few minutes, it will be a few portals away,¡± Captain Jongbae announced.

    Xiaoxia wanted to ask what he meant, but it was not necessary. Their gondola was approaching something that looked like a floating spatial transportation device.

    He could see a few others below that had people appearing every now and then, flying through the air.

    ¡°Below us is the public access hub for individuals without personal crafts, the one in front of us is for small crafts, there are others for bigger crafts in other areas,¡± Captain Jongbae informed Xiaoxia, seeing the excited looks on his face as he looked all around.

    ¡°I have a sole plate, given to me by Arch Duchess Amelia,¡± Xiaoxia informed him, gesturing at his quantum bag and the sole plate materialized.

    ¡°Ah Master Chen that is a very high quality sole plate, the Arch Duchess must really like you,¡± Captain Jongbae smile while giving his compliments.

    ¡°I would like to try it sometime,¡± Xiaoxia said in anticipation.

    ¡°It would be my pleasure to introduce you to some of our younglings here, they are very proficient in using them,¡± Captain Jongbae promised.

    In a short time, as they conversed, they had passed a few portals and soon arrived at the Elder¡¯s compound.

    ¡°Master Chen we have arrived,¡± Captain Jongbae informed Xiaoxia.

    ¡°That was a very good trip,¡± Xiaoxia was gushing as he said that, he was really excited.

    ¡°I am glad you enjoyed it, if you may, the Elder Menon is waiting for us,¡± Captain Jongbae replied and quickly led the way.

    They arrived in short notice at a decrepit looking compound with heaps of materials and other knick knacks that overflowed the pile they were in. There were many things that looked like incomplete contraptions as well as bodies of flying crafts that definitely have seen better days.

    It looked really bad, and Xiaoxia wondered if they have gone to the wrong place.

    ¡°Ah Welcome Young Master Chen,¡± a voice welcomed him from behind.

    Xiaoxia turned around and found Menon peeking out from a pile. He looked even older in person than over the hologram.

    ¡°Your eminence, thank you, it was a real pleasure being here,¡± Xiaoxia replied while bowing.

    ¡°Teeheeeheee .. cough .. cough .. please call me Menon, I remember telling you before,¡± Menon wheezed a little before he replied.

    ¡°Sorry Your Eminence, I meant Menon,¡± Xiaoxia immediately apologize.

    ¡°Haha, good boy, so how was your trip?¡± Menon asked.

    ¡°It was amazing and exhilarating!¡±

    ¡°Well I am glad you like it, much better than traversing around on spatial portals and missing the beauty of your surroundings, something those empires would never understand,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°You may leave us,¡± he told Captain Jonbae and some guards who had followed.

    ¡°Yes Your Eminence,¡± Captain Jongbae bowed once and left the compound.

    ¡°Now my dear boy, what shall I call you?¡± Menon looked at Xiaoxia and asked.

    ¡°My family calls me Xiaoxia, so does my cousin,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Good, now Xiaoxia, can you please follow me,¡± Menon asked as he plucked out something from the pile he was rummaging through and walked towards an archway behind Xiaoxia.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    As they entered the archway, a haphazard scene was spread out in front of Xiaoxia, it was even more chaotic then where they had been.

    ¡°Come come, stand over here,¡± Menon motioned for him.

    The moment Xiaoxia stood where Menon indicated, he suddenly appeared in a large room that was extremely neat and had a few large contraptions and devices placed in an orderly fashion.

    In a moment he was joined by Menon.

    ¡°Hah, surprised?¡± Menon immediately ask, seeing Xiaoxia was looking at some of the contraptions in the room.

    ¡°Yes Sir, this place is different from what I expected¡± Xiaoxia honestly replied.

    ¡°Teeheehee, cough cough, everyone feels the same, this is my glory room, and those are a few of the stuff I have invented with the help of some of my fellow Artisans,¡± Menon replied and continued, ¡°and some of these are going to help you today.¡±

    ¡°Help me?¡± Xiaoxia asked, he did not see any device here resembling the one at the Palace.

    ¡°Yes, help you. First come over here and give me your hand,¡± Menon instructed.

    Xiaoxia walked over and stretched out his hand. Menon took it while closing his eyes, in a moment he opened it with a look of respect.

    ¡°My my, just what I thought,¡± he said himself.

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°No nothing is wrong, in fact everything is very good,¡± Menon replied.

    Sitting down at a desk tucked away in a corner of a room, Menon took out a device and did something to it, then Xiaoxia heard a voice coming from it.

    ¡°Yes sir what would ya like?¡± the voice asked.

    ¡°Yralim, please bring food and drinks for two and my favorite malt beverage, oh and one of us is a kid .. cough cough,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°Yes sir, we know ya a kid,¡± was the raspy reply and there was a click and the sound stopped.

    ¡°That was the Elders¡¯ mess hall,¡± Menon told Xiaoxia without being asked, looking a little crestfallen after what the voice known as Yralim said.

    ¡°Thank you Sir, I haven¡¯t eaten lunch yet¡± Xiaoxia replied, it was already eight hours since he had his last meal.

    ¡°Ah just as well, come let us proceed while waiting,¡± Menon said.

    Soon various contraptions and devices gathered in an endless stream on one of the desks.

    When Menon was done, a knock was heard on the door.

    ¡°Ah that must be lunch,¡± Menon turned towards the door and opened it.

    Xiaoxia was a little surprised at what he saw at the doorway.

    The figure standing at the door way was shorter than him, but had a full grown beard and a large bulbous nose. His arms and legs were short but powerfully built.

    Otherwise he looked just like a Fan Ren who had been squashed vertically.

    ¡°What ya look¡¯n at?¡± the person asked, noticing Xiaoxia looking at him.

    ¡°Uh nothing sorry,¡± Xiaoxia quickly replied, immediately looking away.

    ¡°Ah Yralim! Don¡¯t be rude to our guest,¡± Menon reprimanded Yralim.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be have¡¯n nobody stare¡¯n at us like freaks ya know,¡± Yralim said as he started removing food from the trolley he was pushing onto an empty desk in the middle of the room.

    As soon as Yralim left the room Xiaoxia asked Menon, ¡°Who is he and what is he?¡±

    ¡°Yralim?¡±

    Xiaoxia nodded.

    ¡°Oh he is our chef, I think an Artisan, but that was a long time ago, may be a Master now,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°Uh huh, I mean what is his race,¡± Xiaoxia nodded again and asked.

    ¡°Oh one of the Zhu Ru Ren, they are mostly mountain dwellers, their cousins are the Shan Dong Ren who mostly live in caves,¡± Menon replied and added, ¡°A rather durable and sturdy race, their constitution is very high as well.¡±

    Xiaoxia did not pursue the matter and instead quickly joined Menon who was already seated at the table where the food was.

    ¡°Nothing too fancy, and it pales in comparison to what you have at the palace, but it tastes of home, help yourself,¡± Menon smiled helping himself to the food.

    Xiaoxia looked at the food, they look normal enough, not as aesthetically pleasing as those he had at the Palace, but he didn¡¯t care, as he was hungry.

    When he took his first bite, he was amazed, the looks of it totally belied its taste. There was also a refreshing spiciness to it, and he was perspiring a little from it as he ate.

    Very soon they were almost finished with their food and Menon summoned a maid to clear up the table.

    Once they were alone, he started arranging the contraptions and devices he took out.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, I have felt a very intense flow of Ki coming from you earlier when I measured your pulse, there are a few things I need to confirm with these,¡± Menon informed him as he pointed to about 6 items he had chosen from the earlier pile.

    ¡°Will they be able to finally let me know what I need?¡± Xiaoxia asked with a worried look at some of them, they looked like tools of torture to him.

    ¡°Oh yes they will and more,¡± Menon replied.

    As they start with the first device, it took almost an hour to complete the whole process. A couple just needed Xiaoxia to place his palm on it, the rest required sticking nodules to parts of his limbs. The most horrifying one was where it involved plenty of needles that had to be inserted into various points of his body.

    He was breaking out in cold sweat when the first needle was inserted, but strangely enough, he did not feel any pain.

    Menon was muttering happily to himself as he finished and let out a wheeze (he tried to whistle but failed) as he saw the results.

    Xiaoxia was curious about the results as well, but did not try to move and remained totally still. With so many needles sticking out of his body, he was afraid any movement will bring intense pain.

    In less than the time it took for Menon to insert the needles, they were all removed quickly when the test was done.

    ¡°Good ..aaghh ¡­ cough .. cough¡­ very good,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°Come Xiaoxia sit over here,¡± he motioned.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡±

    ¡°Xiaoxia, first I have to say thank you for your patience. Not many have the patience to go through such a long process ¡­ aaggh .. ahemm,¡± Menon told him, while clearing his throat.

    ¡°Thank you as well Menon, I will do anything just to know my Ki talent,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Ok, I will let you know, but first let me ask you something,¡± Menon said with a serious expression.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 12: And the results are

    MeisterSchloss is a unique city. The heart of the city reaching a few hundred leagues in radius did not have much skyscrapers.

    If one was to look at a map, the skyscrapers are found from the perimeter of this massive island city, slowly leading into the heart.

    Prices of property were cheaper at the perimeter, hence when they started building skyscrapers, it started from there and slowly inched its way inwards.

    Xiaoxia had arrived at the city¡¯s perimeter and made his way to Menon¡¯s compound situated just before the city¡¯s heart.

    MeisterSchloss had moved all their public long distance spatial hubs to its perimeter, it was for strategic purposes. This was due to certain political threats in the empires that were surrounding them.

    At this point in time, oblivious to the outside, two individuals were in a discussion. One that would affect the life of one of them.

    ¡°Menon I am sorry, I don¡¯t quite understand,¡± Xiaoxia was saying.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, I am asking you if you ever thought of moving away from Black Iron Anvil Village, or rather the Hu Yuan 1st colony,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°Menon I got that part, but I need to know why?¡± Xiaoxia debated.

    ¡°Xiaoxia I am asking this question, because I would like for you to attend school in our academy,¡± Menon told him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t, I still need to look for my cousin at Black Iron Regional School,¡± Xiaoxia rejected, still remembering there was no news about his cousin.

    ¡°It is not something I can decide on my own and I have yet to contact my parents for the past few days,¡± he added.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, your potential will be wasted there. Let me tell you what I learnt from your results.¡±

    Taking out the readings, he further explained, ¡°Your Ki talent is unmeasurable not because you do not have talent. It is unmeasurable because you have a special physique.¡±

    Xiaoxia nodded somehow expecting it based on his experience in the village but letting Menon continue.

    ¡°Added to that, the results have shown that you have an extremely high mental capacity, the highest we have record in aeons.¡±

    Xiaoxia nodded again.

    ¡°To top it all, you have some things which are very remarkable,¡± Menon ended while waiting for Xiaoxia to speak.

    ¡°What things? Are they bad?¡± Xiaoxia asked, suddenly feeling afraid.

    ¡°No no no, not bad but very remarkable. On top of having a special physique and mental capacity, your results have many similarities to results we have obtained from people in the Unknown Realms,¡± Menon replied, while waiting for the impact of what he just said sink into Xiaoxia¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°You mean I am in the Unknown Realm?¡± Xiaoxia quickly asked, understanding only a half of what Menon was implying.

    ¡°No, while you exhibit remarkable similarities to people who have entered the Unknown Realm, your actual Ki Realm is not even Apprentice Realm Tier 1,¡± Menon answered him.

    Upon hearing this Xiaoxia immediately felt crestfallen.

    ¡°But as talents go, I daresay you are not below Special Class,¡± Menon added.

    Immediately Xiaoxia¡¯s face lighted up.

    ¡°However,¡± Menon quickly added again, ¡°It would be a total waste for you to attend school in Black Iron, they simply do not have the resources and know how to harness your potential.¡±

    ¡°But Menon, I really need to know what happened to my cousin, and the decision does not rest with me,¡± Xiaoxia explained his situation.

    ¡°Well boy, what if I promise you that MeisterSchloss will spare no effort to find your cousin and we will speak to your parents as well regarding this matter?¡± Menon asked.

    ¡°Only if you can promise telling me the moment any news is found on my cousin, and my parents can visit me regularly,¡± Xiaoxia made his demand, knowing having his parents visit him regularly will be very costly and he thought this would be a deal breaker.

    ¡°Fair enough, it is a deal,¡± Menon agreed with a smug grin, knowing Xiaoxia didn¡¯t think he would agree.

    Xiaoxia at that moment felt lost for words. He only felt he dug his own grave at this point.

    ¡°We shall contact your parents once it is day over there,¡± Menon replied, looking at some gadgets that showed him the time it was on Hu Yuan 1st Colony.

    **********

    ¡°Mother! Father!¡± Xiaoxia call out the moment he saw them on the hologram.

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± his parents replied in unison.

    ¡°How are you my son?¡± Daquan asked.

    ¡°I am fine father, how are you and mother?¡± Xiaoxia replied and asked.

    ¡°We are both doing well, is everything ok over there, we heard from Lord Maling you have been requested to MeisterSchloss,¡± Wanmei answered.

    ¡°Yes, this is his Excellency Lord Menon, Vice-Leader of MeisterSchloss. He needs to speak with you regarding something,¡± Xiaoxia introduced Menon.

    ¡°Hello parents of Xiaoxia,¡± Menon greeted them.

    ¡°Hello your Excellency,¡± Xiaoxia¡¯s parents both greeted him and bowed.

    ¡°You are too courteous, please hear me out,¡± Menon spoke to them.

    ¡°Due to unprecedented events, and on behalf of MeisterSchloss your son Chen Zhen Xia has been ¡­ argh ¡­ cough .. cough ¡­ whheeze ¡­ ac..accepted into our academy. We will be offering you as his parents regular visits, expenses are borne by MeisterSchloss,¡± Menon officially informed them without haste.

    ¡°Your Excellency, this is an honor, but we will like Xiaoxia to be close to us as he is studying,¡± Daquan replied, and Wanmei nodded as well.

    ¡°Parents of Xiaoxia ¡­ ahem.. cough..wheeze¡­ahem¡­ you will be wasting your son¡¯s talents by insisting he remains there. His Ki talents is beyond what we understand. Aside from being Unique, his talents even makes Special Class ones look normal,¡± Menon said and continued before Daquan and Wanmei could object.

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    ¡°I strongly believe there is no academy more capable than ours to groom and polish his talents. Our academy is fully equipped to nourish his growth. If that is not important for you, then I will send him back,¡±

    Menon ended his speech this time not coughing in the middle of it, and ended with a nite trying to guilt Xiaoxia¡¯s parents into accepting.

    ¡°We understand, please allow us some time with our son, we need to discuss this as a family,¡± Daquan requested.

    Menon nodded in acknowledgement, and left the room. After he left, Wanmei asked her son.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, are you fine with this?¡±

    ¡°Mother, I do not want to be here and be away from home,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°But if what Lord Menon said is true, it will be a waste for you to return,¡± Daquan replied.

    ¡°Yes, this is very true my dear Xia Er. It is not a matter of whether you would like to come back. What is really important is if you would really wasted your talents here, then will you not be able to achieve your dream to protect those you love,¡± Wanmei asked him.

    ¡°Yes, this is so true Wanmei,¡± Daquan agree, then looking at Xiaoxia he said, ¡°Xia Er, your father knows you are young, and reluctant to move away from home. Your mother and I feel the same as well. However we do not want you to regret losing out on this opportunity, it is rare for people here to attend an academy outside of Black Iron, but none have went to the main world.¡±

    Xiaoxia did not reply, he knew it was true.

    ¡°Since we can often visit you, I guess it isn¡¯t so bad, since even if you attended school here, you can only come home once between academic years,¡± Wanmei added.

    ¡°Yes mother, as you wish,¡± Xiaoxia replied, things are not turning out the way he expected it.

    ¡°Moreover he is the Vice-leader of Mastersauces, by reputation alone he would not hastily insist if he wasn¡¯t sure about you,¡± Daquan added, not being able to pronounce the city¡¯s name, but he knew its reputation well enough.

    Xiaoxia could not refute this, rather he was also forcing himself not to giggle when he heard his father trying to say the city¡¯s name.

    ¡°So it is decided, you shall study at the Artisan City,¡± Daquan finally said, not using the name MeisterSchloss as he couldn¡¯t really pronounce the name of the City.

    ¡°You can call Lord Menon in,¡± Wanmei told Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia went out the door into the antechamber and found Menon lounging on one of the chairs.

    ¡°Menon my parents will like to speak with you,¡± Xiaoxia told him, feeling a little down.

    ¡°Oh well, I hope it is good news,¡± Menon replied, actually knowing the answer just by observing Xiaoxia¡¯s body language.

    ¡°So Parents of Xiaoxia, what is the decision,¡± Menon asked loudly as he entered the room.

    ¡°Lord Menon, we have decided to place Xiaoxia into your care, please look after him,¡± Daquan replied on behalf of Wanmei and himself.

    ¡°So be it, let it be recorded that from this time forth, Xiaoxia will ¡­ agghh .. wheeze .. wheezee¡­ cough cough ¡­b..b.be under my care, I will be his guardian and will be fully responsible for his well being up to his graduation from our academy,¡± Menon said as he color changed a little and added ¡°I shall arrange for all lodgings, meals and other necessities, you do not have to worry.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Lord Menon,¡± Wanmei gave her thanks, somehow a little worried that Menon was not in the best of shape to look after Xiaoxia, but she relented.

    ¡°I will leave you with Xiaoxia and proceed to arrange the details with my staff,¡± Menon said, and left.

    So the Chen family were once again alone. Xiaoxia¡¯s parents noticed their son was not really happy with the decision and spoke to him at further length.

    They informed him on various development over the past few days he was not in town. It warmed him up a little and soon he spoke of his experience with Maling and Amelia.

    His parents were very surprised when he had told them Maling had been promoted to Viscount and will be governing Scarlet Condor Province.

    They informed him that Black Iron Region was actually under Scarlet Condor Province, and with Maling on the seat, it will spell good news.

    This is due to Maling¡¯s reforms. When he took over the reins of Black Iron Region, he made what was one of the poorer region into a dominant powerhouse.

    Proper infrastructure that were in dire need was built and access to villages and towns were made readily available by expanding the spatial hub network, bigger spatial devices were also placed at key areas where large amounts of cargo had to go through.

    Trade begun to flow into the region and towns like Black Iron Anvil Village grew as a result.

    Hence with him in control of Scarlet Condor Province, the various regions who reported to him will be much better off than they were under the previous person.

    If they were surprise at Maling¡¯s promotion, they were shocked when Xiaoxia showed them the items he had received from Amelia.

    Wanmei who dealt with all the town¡¯s administrative duties, was speechless at the total value of the items Xiaoxia received.

    When she rounded off the value, it turned out to be more than a few decades worth of the town¡¯s earnings after taxes.

    Xiaoxia did not do much bookkeeping while he was learning town administration, as it was mainly done by his mother. As such he was still a little ignorant on the matter of money. He only knew the ranks of Ki crystals and their value as compared to each other.

    Hence after hearing more information from his parents on the subject of money and its importance in society, Xiaoxia made a mental note to learn more, and to learn it really fast.

    Xiaoxia asked many things of his parents, one time asking about Xiuxiu, but the only reply was they didn¡¯t know and have also been trying to reach her.

    After that their conversation had trickled down to mostly silence, his parents reluctantly bade him farewell, Xiaoxia himself also felt a pang of sadness when the conversation ended.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All right reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 13: Instructor Wei

    Xiaoxia woke up earlier than expected, the room was still dark and the sky had an orange hue to it. Between the gaps of the skyscrapers, the sun could be seen creeping slowly above the horizon.

    It has almost been three months since his arrival at the Artisan¡¯s City of MeisterSchloss. His parents had visited him regularly over these few months. However they could only stay a few days before returning to Black Iron Anvil Village.

    Within these few months, he had learnt how to use the sole plate. Captain Jongbae had introduced him to his nephews who did a good job at teaching Xiaoxia how to properly control the contraption. Captain Jongbae¡¯s family nucleus was rather big, and he had plenty of nephews and nieces, a common trait for the Nan Han race.

    He used this to travel frequently to Menon¡¯s compound where he had learnt many useful things. First he learnt about the value of money and what the average cost of items were in Yuan Zhong.

    He then learnt what his test results meant, they were mostly elemental alignments, mental capacity, Ki talent and other related results.

    Next he learnt certain blacksmith skills from Menon, skills his father did not have. He easily understood them and was able to create some items with them. But what he wanted to learn most was Menon¡¯s Earth alignment.

    However he did not have any chance to learn the Earth alignment skills from Menon, as there wasn¡¯t any chance. Menon had simply avoided the questions Xiaoxia asked and he did not use any skills or processes that showed the Earth alignment.

    At first, Xiaoxia pursued the matter for another week or so, but afterwards he just let it go, as he could see Menon was adamant about not wanting to discuss it.

    So rather than being all depressed over this matter, Xiaoxia started on a trial and error basis to repair some of the stuff that were piling all over Menon¡¯s compound.

    Very soon and much to Menon¡¯s surprise, he started taking apart many items and reconditioned a wreck of a flying craft all by himself.

    Xiaoxia had salvaged and repaired the craft by referring to many notes and manuals that he had accessed in Menon¡¯s office. It took him a little over a month to complete the overhaul.

    As he laid in bed, he thought about bringing this flying craft out for a test ride, however that will have to wait.

    ¡°Ah today is the enrollment day,¡± Xiaoxia said to no one in particular.

    Groggily sitting up, he headed to the shower and prepared himself for the day ahead.

    He still recalled about three months back the terrifying experience of having been declared ¡®NO TALENT¡¯ and still shuddered at the thought of it.

    But that was in the past, and today he was entering the Academy of Six Elements. The premier Academy known throughout many empires as one of the best around.

    It is situated 1,200 leagues north of where Menon had given a residence to Xiaoxia. It was actually one of his old storage places.

    After thoroughly emptying the place, Menon sent some Artisans to remodel it, now it was nothing short of a techno junkie¡¯s dream home.

    The whole house is filled with the latest contraptions and gadgets and had top of the line devices installed. It is powered by the latest Ki power plant which had custom grade Azure crystal cells powering it.

    After preparing, Xiaoxia put on his uniform which was sent to him a week earlier. A distinct chevron with a small ¡®SS¡¯ symbol made of custom grade vermilion crystal was attached to the point of his left collar.

    In his opinion it was rather gaudy, as it marked him as a double S grade Ki talent student. This was totally unheard of, since a single S was the maximum on the Ki talent charts. He didn¡¯t want to stand out, but it was the Academy¡¯s rule that everyone should display their chevrons.

    Looking in the mirror, Xiaoxia said to his reflection, ¡°You can do it!¡±

    However not seemingly convinced enough, he did it a few times. Then he felt as if someone was looking at him. He turned around to find Captain Jongbae grinning at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like,¡± Xiaoxia quickly said, face turning red.

    ¡°No problem young friend,¡± Captain Jongbae replied while still grinning.

    Within these three months, Captain Jongbae and Xiaoxia had grown rather close. Having meals, exploring the immense city and on occasions grabbing parts for Xiaoxia¡¯s side projects.

    Later seeing that he was haphazardly flying around on the sole plate, Captain Jongbae passed Xiaoxia some Ki manipulation manuscripts, but otherwise did not instruct him. Hoping it would keep him distracted and kept out of mischief up till the day of enrollment.

    Xiaoxia read them greedily, his was extremely curious and learnt many things exceptionally fast. Even without instruction, he managed to ascend into Apprentice Realm 3rd Tier.

    When Menon found out, he was not that impressed, kept insisting he would be much better once he attended school. On the other hand Captain Jongbae was very happy for him.

    However the fact that Xiaoxia was still very naive besides his capacity to learn was very apparent. He did not understand figure of speeches and idioms, as people back in his hometown spoke in simple layman terms.

    But he was learning quick and was influenced by the people he interacted with. In these three months, he was more extrovert and independent.

    One of the main influence was Captain Jongbae, older than he looks at 75 years old. Whenever he could, he would visit Xiaoxia or accompany him in one of his endeavors. Today happened to be one of those times.

    ¡°Hey Senior Jongbae,¡± Xiaoxia called, having dropped the Captain part over the weeks.

    ¡°Yes young friend,¡± Captain Jongbae asked.

    ¡°Want to race me to the Academy,¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°You are on, last one there is buying dinner! Hahaha,¡± Captain Jongbae replied as he hopped onto his two man flying craft.

    ¡°Ok, on the count of three¡± Xiaoxia hurriedly put on his goggles and face mask, and then counted, ¡°One ¡­.. Twoooo ¡­.. Threeeee .. wheeeeeee!¡±

    Two shapes, one small and one big zipped through the sky. In a fraction of a second a small sonic boom was heard, followed later by a louder one.

    ¡°Wooooohooooo,¡± Xiaoxia screamed as he exceeded the sound barrier. He flew past other flyers who looked like they were frozen in time as his speed kept accelerating.

    Xiaoxia had discovered some theoretical calculations and tweaks that were proposed a long time ago. It was an effort to offset the widespread use of spatial portals in cities around the world, as the sole plate was losing out in market share. Unfortunately the proposal was shelved.

    He found them among the stacks of books and scrolls in Menon¡¯s office and salvaged stuff to modify his sole plate. This was the 5th attempt and it has produced amazing results.

    Captain Jongbae¡¯s flying craft was left in the dust and was soon out of sight as Xiaoxia sped headlong at speeds that was unbelievable.

    He approached the floating public access spatial portals one after another in a relatively short time span. The first was 5 leagues from his home, and the rest between 5-10 leagues from each other.

    He needed to traverse about 11 of them before he reached the one taking him directly to the Academy.

    At these speeds, he literally had to fly parallel to the ground to avoid being bent over backwards at his waist. He also paid for a custom made suit with 10 low grade neon green crystals.

    The suit protected him, as his skin was scrapped raw rather quickly during his first high speed test. During that time he also realized that if any debris were to have hit him, it would be really bad.

    There were many fail safes in public access spatial hubs throughout the world, so accidents like bumping into someone who had just arrived at a hub was not possible. The portal entrances will not work if there is a person or persons within a certain proximity of the exit at the other end.

    Even then Xiaoxia slow down significantly whenever he neared the spatial portals, and once he exited and was sure there was no one blocking the way, he blasted off at full speed again.

    It took him less than 10 minutes to arrive at the main portal leading to the Academy and just in time as the Ki crystals for the sole plate were almost depleted. The sole plate at high speeds was extremely inefficient, but well worth it for the fun.

    Around 8 minutes later Captain Jongbae arrived.

    Getting off his craft he looked at Xiaoxia with a certain amount of respect, his face filled with perspiration and breathing loudly, ¡°Haha, that is a magnificent piece of sole plate you got there, I have never seen anything going so fast around here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I cheated, this sole plate has been modified by me,¡± Xiaoxia grinned boyishly, unlike Captain Jongbae he was still in perfect shape.

    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder my flying craft couldn¡¯t even catch up,¡± Captain Jongbae replied, still breathing heavily. The intense concentration while flying at high speed can really take a toll.

    Together they walked towards the registration station set up before the spatial portal. In the vicinity of the portal, there were many other children who were gathered, most looked to be about the same age as Xiaoxia wearing the Academy¡¯s colors, while the remaining looked older and were in a myriad of other uniforms.

    ¡°Well we should register with the staff at the counter,¡± Captain Jongbae informed Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Xiaoxia!¡± a familiar voice called out of the blue.

    ¡°Menon!¡± Xiaoxia noticed Menon walking towards him with another individual who was covered from head to toe with a long hooded cape.

    ¡°Let me introduce to you Instructor Wei, one of the lead mentors in the Academy,¡± Menon introduced the person by his side.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Chen Zhen Xia pays his respect to Instructor Wei¡± Xiaoxia bowed and cupped his hands towards Instructor Wei.

    ¡°So this is the boy you have been talking about?¡± a feminine voice asked Menon, while under the hood a smile can be seen as she softly murmured, ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°Boy come with me,¡± Instructor Wei motioned for Xiaoxia to follow her, in a rather condescending way.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, Instructor Wei will accompany you through the portal to the school grounds, if there is anything feel free to contact me,¡± Menon said as he waved while hurried moving away.

    ¡°Young friend, dinner on me the next time we meet,¡± Captain Jongbae called out as he waved as well and left in pursuit of Menon.

    ¡°I will! You two take care as well!¡± Xiaoxia shouted to Menon and Captain Jongbae who were already quite a distance away, not wondering why they were in such a rush.

    Xiaoxia then hurriedly caught up with Instructor Wei at one of the booths.

    ¡°Boy place your hand with the registration ID tag over here,¡± Instructor Wei motioned to a contraption on the booth.

    Xiaoxia placed his hand over it and the rune he saw at the palace appeared. A glow encased his hands and he could feel a warm sensation, in an instant it was over and he notice the rune had changed a little. Then it faded away just like it had before.

    ¡°Boy you are now registered. Now, let me inform you that Lord Menon asked a favor from me to look out for you and ensure of your proper welfare,¡± Instructor Wei spoke in a very cold tone that somehow sent shivers down Xiaoxia¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Given the extenuating circumstances, he has the full backing of the MeisterSchloss Council of Elders. So I will play it by ear as long as you do not cause more trouble than you are worth,¡± she added.

    It might have been the light playing tricks on Xiaoxia¡¯s eyes, because even as she continued the next sentence she somehow grew much bigger and her presence became extremely foreboding, ¡°Boy do you understand?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Yes Instructor Wei!¡± Xiaoxia answered unaware that his body reacted instinctively by standing straight with his stomach in and chest out.

    ¡°Good, since we understand each other. Please do not go around telling anyone about this, I have enough headaches with those special class disgrace of society in the Academy,¡± Instructor Wei sneered at the word ¡®special class¡¯ and almost sounded like she spat.

    Normally Xiaoxia could feel a person¡¯s aura, in the three months he spent here, there wasn¡¯t anyone in particular who had been worth noting. But now after meeting with Instructor Wei, he realized that she could possibly be the highest he have met so far.

    ¡°Good! This Academy staff all based a student¡¯s value on their merits. However, we cannot stop the strong from bullying the weak unless a live is at stake, nor can we stop the socially inadequate from being ostracized. You will do well to remember this. Are you clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes Instructor Wei,¡± Xiaoxia replied in exactly the same way he had previously. Fully comprehending it as he had the exact same thoughts for Xiuxiu two years ago.

    ¡°Excellent, it seems you have a glimmer of hope,¡± Instructor Wei gave a passing compliment and continued, ¡°Do not forget you are a fry in a big pond. There are things that you should live and let live, sometimes needing to strike while the iron is hot and on many occasions its always better that you live to fight another day¡±

    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Instructor Wei once again had that foreboding presence.

    ¡°No, Instructor Wei,¡± Xiaoxia blurted, immediately shrinking away. He actually wanted to say yes.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Instructor Wei lost her composure a little, apparently never hearing anyone saying ¡®no¡¯ to her under such a scenario.

    ¡°Boy what do you not understand?¡± if she was angry it did not show, but her tone had a hint of irritation to it.

    ¡°I do not know how to fry a fish in a pond, are we learning blacksmith skills? Also I do not live to fight but to protect,¡± Xiaoxia blurted out what he honestly felt, feeling rather proud of the last few words.

    ¡°Boy are you stupid?¡± Instructor Wei was a little shocked at his reply, then she place her hands over her eyes and wondered if she should cry or laugh.

    ¡°Boy come over here,¡± she finally broke her demeanor, and had a suspicious tone to her voice.

    Xiaoxia was still oblivious to what had just happened. As he approached, Instructor Wei immediately took out a oblong prism and swipe it over his right hand.

    A hologram immediately appeared as she tilted the prism to adjust the viewing angle.

    <hr />

    Student Name: Chen Zhen Xia                        Race: Sha Mo Ren

    Allegiance: Hu Yuan Empire                            Origin: Black Iron Region

    Age: 7

    D.O.B: 10th Day / 1st Moon / Year 107,924 (107th Era)

    Residence: Chen Clan Hall, Black Iron Anvil Village, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire

    Next of Kin: Chen Daquan (Father), Wanmei (Mother)

    Ki talent: Verified ¨C SS class

    Elemental Alignment: Verified ¨C Information Classified

    Mental Capacity: Verified ¨C Information Classified

    Ki Realm: Verified ¨C Apprentice Realm 3rd Tier

    Martial Affiliation: Unverified ¨C none

    Martial Instructor: Unverified ¨C none

    Ki Cultivation Instructor: Verified ¨C Chen Daquan, Wanmei

    Ki Stamina: Verified ¨C Information Classified

    Ki Quality: Verified ¨C Information Classified

    Recommendation:

    Instructor Wei appointed as mentor, under the authority of Grandmaster Liu Yiyang.

    Verified by:-

    ¡¤        Elder Menon, MeisterSchloss Council of Elders, Artisan Grandmaster, Earth Alignment.

    ¡¤        Captain Jongbae, MeisterSchloss Captain of the Homeguards.

    ¡¤        Grandmaster Liu Yiyang, Chairman ¨C Academy of the Six Elements.

    Vouched by:-

    ¡¤        MeisterSchloss Council of Elders

    ¡¤        Arch Duchess Amelia, 12th in Succession, Sovereign of Crescent Lake Colony Capital, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire

    ¡¤        Viscount Maling, Sovereign of Scarlet Condor Province, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire

    <hr />

    Only three things stood out for Instructor Wei when she read the transcript.

    ¡®Unverified ¨C none¡¯

    ¡®Unverified ¨C none¡¯

    ¡®Instructor Wei appointed as mentor¡¯

    She almost shouted out in frustration and her hands were shaking with rage!

    ¡°Damn that Menon, he had this all planned!¡± Instructor Wei cursed under her breath.

    Copyright ? 2015 LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 14: Academy of the Six Elements

    Menon felt a cold chill penetrating his body. He sneezed a few times even as Captain Jongbae arrived.

    ¡°My Lord, is it wise to have used Instructor Wei like this?¡± Captain Jongbae was asking.

    ¡°This is the only way, she would not have accepted it easily if anyone was to ask her,¡± Menon replied, having rushed off once he left Xiaoxia in Instructor Wei¡¯s care. Afraid if he were to be even a step slower, he would have hell to bear.

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t she just ask the Academy¡¯s Chairman to rescind the appointment?¡± Captain Jongbae was also looking a little worried. Instructor Wei¡¯s temperament was famous even among the Military.

    ¡°My dear friend, since Chairman Liu Yiyang exercised the ¡®Extenuating Circumstances¡¯ clause to appoint her, there is no way for the Academy¡¯s Council of Elements to rescind it so soon,¡± Menon replied with some hint of confidence, but still not convincing enough.

    ¡°Sigh, I hope she doesn¡¯t take it out on Xiaoxia,¡± Captain Jongbae stated with a slightly worried expression.

    **********

    Instructors in the Academy do not take disciples who have not proven themselves. Students had on an average goes through 3-4 years of rigorous training, difficult tasks, competitions, examinations and progressive lab results.

    The lab result were taken upon start of school term, midterm and end of term. It was used as a chart to monitor the improvements of the students across each academic year.

    Students who have achieved the basic requirements for discipleship will approached Instructors for acceptance. Some students achieve the requirements sooner than others. On rare cases there are exemplary ones who make it in only two years.

    Many Instructors do not even take on disciples, preferring to instruct general classes. General classes are students who do not obtain discipleship and consists of 10-20 students.

    Hence students who qualifies for discipleship trained very hard and fought with each other over available discipleship spots.

    There is also the expulsion/resignation of disciple regulation in the Academy. It states clearly that if by midterm the Mentor is unsatisfied of his/her disciple¡¯s results or vice versa, they can lodge a formal expulsion/resignation hearing during a meeting of the Council of Elements.

    The Council of Elements are the top Instructors from each Elemental alignment. Most have at least served the Academy for 200 years. During the hearing, both parties will bring forth evidence.

    The Mentor will produce sufficient evidence for grounds to defend/prosecute while the disciple produces evidence against it. If the disciple is not expelled or resigns successfully, he/she will be granted the opportunity to seek a new Mentor instead of returning to general classes. The opposite is true if the disciple fails to make his/her case.

    As for the ¡®Extenuating Circumstances¡¯ clause, it is not widely known and only a small number of Instructors roughly know what it was. As Instructor Wei was not among those who knew, she was in the dark when Menon said ¡®under extenuating circumstance¡¯.

    Instructor Wei never had a single disciple, so no one bothered explaining the clause to her, nor were there any students under this clause who wanted her to mentor, due to her infamous temperament.

    However even the Council of Elements knew only half the details. This was the information they were given:-

    <ol type="$type"></li>

    <li>S Class Ki talent; or</li>

    <li>If not S Class Ki talent, minimum one or more abilities that far exceeds those of an S Class Ki talent; or</li>

    <li>Information classified ¨C Vice / Chairman only</li>

    <li>Information classified ¨C Vice / Chairman only

    </li></ol>

    Menon¡¯s test results showed that Xiaoxia easily met the first two, but unlike the others under this clause, he was appointed a Mentor. In addition he was only a freshman.

    The clause declares that no expulsion or resignation is allowed for two years. Hence all those under this were very cautious and carefully gathered more information before they requested Mentor-ship from an Instructor.

    By norm, it took one academic year before the Instructor¡¯s capabilities as well as character can be seen. Hence it was usually after this period that these children under the ''clause'' made their move.

    Under normal circumstances, no Instructor will accept anyone who have not at least had 2 years of Academic qualifications.

    **********

    ¡°You are lucky Boy,¡± Instructor Wei had arrived back at the antechamber outside the Council of Elements office. She wanted to petition for an expulsion, but unfortunately could not.

    ¡°Seems like I am stuck with you for two years,¡± Instructor Wei lamented and said quietly, ¡°Damn with this.¡±

    ¡°Instructor Wei, I am sorry for disappointing you.¡±, Xiaoxia stood up from where sat waiting and apologized.

    ¡°There is nothing to apologize, a man should not ¡­. Ah forget it, I doubt you will understand,¡± she was about to quote another idiom, but thought the better of it since, he was a country bumpkin with no formal martial arts training or alliance.

    Children on the main world were sent to dojos after they could start cultivating Ki. The dojos taught not only martial arts, they also taught idioms, phrases and other literature to their students.

    On top of that, each dojo belonged to an alliance. Big clans have formed together to create alliances. They usually represent a type of martial art like Imperial Sword Alliance who uses the sword, Alliance of the Iron Fist who practice fist stances, Silver Spear Alliance who uses Spears, as well as other similar ones.

    Alliances practice a body and mind culture, and they were all very powerful and wealthy, they have experts training the children¡¯s Ki and physical development and top scholars educating them.

    It was not Xiaoxia¡¯s fault he did not understand Instructor Wei¡¯s many idioms or phrases, it was due to the fact that the society and culture on the main world and the Academy were on a totally different scale than back in Black Iron Anvil Village. There Xiaoxia would not have been sticking out like a sore thumb.

    ¡°Boy so you are called Chen Zhen Xia?¡± Instructor Wei asked as if to confirm.

    ¡°Yes Instructor!¡± Xiaoxia confirmed, he instinctively stood at attention whenever she spoke to him.

    ¡°Can you relax a bit? I am not a child abuser,¡± Instructor Wei noticed that Xiaoxia was very stiff.

    ¡°Sorry Instructor I could not help myself,¡± Xiaoxia replied, easing a little but still tense.

    ¡°What are you usually called?¡± Instructor Wei ask, finally cooling down somewhat after her outburst earlier in the day. She took a sit opposite Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I usually go by Xiaoxia, my parents call me Xia Er,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Good, I will call you Xiaoxia, since we are not formerly Mentor and Disciple yet,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°As I do not know what you are capable of, I will not accept you as a disciple yet, regardless of what the Academy has decided. Are you clear?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°However since I am appointed officially as your Mentor, you will be receiving training from me, on occasions I will personally assign you to someone. As for the Disciple matter, you will not qualify until I am truly satisfied with your performance,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°In the meantime, continue to address me as Instructor or Instructor Wei. For today I will only brief you, assign your dorm and give further instructions,¡± she informed Xiaoxia and continued, "and this is for you."

    She gave him a token which had a polished chrome-like surface. On it were a pair of crossed sabers etched over a pair of angel wings. At the top of the token was a ¡®W¡¯. It was made of a special Rhodium alloy.

    ¡°This token has my personal crest, its shows that you are under my care, if people asks just tell them I am only your Instructor, not your Mentor,¡± Instructor Wei warned.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Anyway that Menon bastard is avoiding me, but I managed to contact Captain Jongbae, he will be arranging for your essentials to be brought to your dorm¡± (At where Menon was, one could here sneezing and wheezing and coughing)

    ¡°Thank you Instructor.¡±

    ¡°Put on the token and this,¡± she passed Xiaoxia a shawl, which he hung around his shoulder. The weather was not even cold, but the shawl did not cause any discomfort, so Xiaoxia did not object.

    ¡°Thank you Instructor,¡± he said with a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I did not give you that out of affection, it¡¯s to cover that obscene thing on your collar,¡± Instructor Wei pointed to the chevron clipped to the tip of his collar.

    ¡°That thing will attract far more trouble than it is worth for you,¡± she cautioned him.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Here are the brochures for the freshmen, it should guide you to your dorm,¡± a few articles were passed to him, ¡°You can join the welcoming festivities and do whatever you like. Just do not get into any trouble, you cannot afford that now,¡± she added.

    Xiaoxia nodded, placing the items into the quantum bag Amelia had given him.

    ¡°Tomorrow at the 6th hour, go for breakfast and meet me at my office at the 7th hour, are we clear?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°You can find directions to my office at the information kiosk situated around the campus. That is all, you may leave,¡± Instructor Wei waved her hand dismissing him.

    After Xiaoxia had left, Instructor Wei quickly headed towards the Vice Chairman¡¯s office.

    **********

    The Academy of the Six Elements is an immense place. It was like a city in itself. The main campus grounds were already bigger than Xiaoxia¡¯s hometown, and he have not even seen the other campus that were connected.

    The festivities were in full bloom and the entire place was overflowing with people. There were plenty of activities going around, with students and their families milling about makeshift streets lined on both sides by booths.

    Fireworks filled the sky with an amazing brightness even though it was day. Confetti were strewn all around as gadgets spewed them out in large amounts over certain intervals.

    Activity club members shoved pamphlets into the hands of passing freshmen and some clubs even physically had their members carrying freshmen to their booths.

    It was a scene of utter chaos, but everyone seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.

    Xiaoxia at the moment was looking at a gigantic holographic image that was floating above all the festivities.

    Academy of the Six Elements

    Welcomes all freshmen and their families!!

    Even with our strict criteria the number who were accepted and enrolled this year is astounding.

    <hr />

    Enrollment statistics 15th Day, 6th Moon

    Year 107,931 (107th Era)

    Total application: 20,007,913,811

    Accepted: 1,301,274

    Transferred Students: 21,715

    Absentees: 2,103

    Grand total enrolled: 1,320,886

    ------------

    Special Class: 5

    Titled Class: 396,265

    Gold Class: 924,621

    <hr />

    He was amazed at the numbers, it was nearly double what the brochure had mentioned. Previous year¡¯s statistics were all recorded in one of the information brochures.

    Within the information provided, the Academy of the Six Elements was comparable to a Knight class City. The brochure also stated that the majority of the population here were not the students.

    The official teeth to tail ratio for Instructors were 1:10. The ratio for the support staff were 15:1. Apparently the most powerful and advance military force in the world only had support staff at 1:10 ratio. (the front number is the teeth and the back number the tail, the tail are the students, the teeth are the support staff)

    The brochure went on to proudly announce that the Academy took care of all the needs of its students, and since many of them were young children, it had required more support staff than any other Academies in the world.

    It had all the required amenities to support and cater to 10 million students. Based on figures last year, the school had almost 8 million students, taking away the graduated seniors and adding the current year¡¯s freshman, it did not quite reach 9 million, but it was still a stupendous figure for Xiaoxia.

    While looking at the hologram, suddenly a figure zipped right through it,

    ¡°Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± it screamed.

    ¡°Quick! Catch him or he is going to kill someone!!¡± there was a shout, followed soon by two figures chasing after the figure.

    ¡°Someone stop that guy!¡± another shout could heart.

    ¡°Yaaaaah!!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!!¡± ¡°EEEeekk!!!¡± screams filled the air as the figure flew through the booths and pedestrians.

    Xiaoxia immediately knew what was going on. He hurriedly ran in the opposite direction and found what he was looking for.

    <hr />

    REACH FOR THE SKY!!

    Come join us! Uncle Sem Wants You

    The Grand Flying Club

    <hr />

    There was a middle age man standing there with various older looking students, but Xiaoxia did not notice them. He immediately spotted a sole plate, took the glove, hopped on and took off after the figure.

    ¡°Whoosh!¡± suddenly a gush of wind burst out from the spot Xiaoxia left, blowing off the toupee on the middle age man, who just stood there with his mouth ajar.

    ¡°Hey what are you doing?!! Thief!¡± an older student shouted, finally reacting to what just took place. But he was too late, and no one could reach Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia accelerated the moment he stepped on the sole plate, forgetting he did not have any protective gear on. Quickly gesturing at his quantum belt, he took out his goggles which almost flew off against the force of the wind.

    Hurriedly slowing down and putting them on, he blasted off again. At that time a warning sound emitted from the glove, one too familiar to him. The sole plate was running out of energy.

    Not bothered, he continued at maxed out speed and quickly managed to catch the figure who was haphazardly struggling with the sole plate, an obvious sign it could not be removed.

    While avoiding most of the flailing limbs, he managed to grab onto the person. As he had spent a significant amount of time on the sole plate, he knew exactly what to do.

    He immediately grabbed the other person¡¯s gloves and ripped it off the clenched fist with just brute strength.

    The person scream once and went silent. At the same time the person¡¯s sole plate went dead in the air.

    Xiaoxia quickly braced himself for the extra weight and tried to make a soft landing and he needed to do it quick, the beeping from his gloves was rapidly increasing in frequency. This meant shut down was imminent, but he had nowhere to land, it was filled with people everywhere.

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Xiaoxia shouted, ¡°Get out!! and hurry!¡±

    He was so close.

    ¡°Beep beep beep, bleeee¡­ee.ee.e.p.¡±

    ¡°Whoompppphhhh,¡± he crashed.

    ¡°Errrggh!¡±

    Xiaoxia opened his closed eyes expecting the worst, but he did not feel any pain or anything. Rather he felt he was sitting on something soft.

    ¡°Eeerrrghh, get up off me!!!¡± a muffled voice was heard.

    They had landed on an oversize costumed mascot. It belonged to one of the activities club.

    Carrying the unconscious person while getting off the mascot, Xiaoxia took off the face mask and goggles.

    It was a she.

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 15: Training

    ¡°As his assigned Instructor I demand to know what the exact details are!¡± Instructor Wei shouted while slamming her hands on the desk causing it to creak loudly.

    An ancient looking man was sitting behind the desk, he calmly looked at Instructor Wei whose features were mostly hidden under the hood.

    ¡°I do not have the authority to disclose this matter to anyone, the Chairman himself won¡¯t either. Please stop pursuing this,¡± the man replied.

    ¡°So it¡¯s going to be the blind leading the blind? Do I need to buy a white cane as well?¡± Instructor Wei asked sarcastically.

    ¡°Instructor Wei, I suggest you take a more formal and respectful tone with me,¡± the man replied calmly.

    ¡°Formal? Respect? You were still sucking your thumbs when I was already roaming the world. Respect is earned, not gained by your title as Vice Chairman!¡± Instructor Wei purposely emphasized certain key words to make her point.

    ¡°Instructor Wei, I admit that perhaps I am not worth your respect and that you are my senior in the outside world. However in this Academy, it is not about you or me, it is about this office,¡± the Vice Chairman replied, his demeanor still calm.

    Instructor Wei was about to retort but held back. What the Vice Chairman said is true, the offices held by both the Vice Chairman and Chairman are to be respected regardless of who is in office. It was a legacy that everyone respected, and she better than anyone should know.

    ¡°The only way to get answers is from the MeisterSchloss Council of Elders,¡± the Vice Chairman offered an alternative to her.

    ¡°Menon? What has that buffoon have got to do with this?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Due to a certain agreement, our Academy has a gag policy on all matters regarding the student Chen Zhen Xia,¡± he replied, there was a glint in his eyes, seemingly trying to communicate something more than just what he said.

    ¡°I see, then I will leave,¡± Instructor Wei replied, walking towards the door, ¡°I apologize for my behavior.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize, the me of my youth would do exactly the same thing in your shoes,¡± the Vice Chairman replied with a mysterious smile.

    ¡°Take care of yourself boy, you aged too much over the years,¡± Instructor Wei replied with her back towards him, already entering the antechamber.

    As Instructor Wei was alone in the antechamber, she muttered under her breathe, ¡°That damn bastard Menon again!¡±

    Leaning back on his chair, the Vice Chairman closed his eyes, thinking of his youth. It was a wild one filled with adventures, mysteries, dungeons, romance, destruction and mayhem.

    Many of them had a slender tall female cloaked from top to bottom hiding all her features, the only part that could be seen were her lips.

    Even as he was reminiscing, the door leading into the hallway closed, on it was a door plaque.

    ---

    Academy of the Six Elements

    Vice Chairman

    Wanping

    ---

    **********

    ¡°Beep beep beep beep.¡±

    ¡°Mhhprrghh!¡±

    ¡°Wham! Crash! Pling ling ling.¡±

    The sound of something hitting the wall rang throughout the apartment, followed by the sound of glass breaking and shattering onto the floor.

    The glow of the sun could barely be seen, as it ascended slowly while still hidden below the horizon.

    It was Xiaoxia¡¯s dorm. To be more correct, his penthouse. The brochures did not lie about the Academy taking care of its students.

    ¡°Sir, are you awake?¡± a voice called out over the telecom, another device which Xiaoxia is beginning to hate.

    ¡°Mmmpprrgghhh.¡±

    ¡°Sir, if you are late, Instructor Wei is going to be very upset,¡± the voice calmly replied.

    Xiaoxia bolted up immediately, he was actually having the best dream of his life, when suddenly the image of Instructor Wei shattered the scene with a spiked mace while smilingly wickedly at him.

    ¡°I am awake!¡± he called out, hurriedly getting out of bed and heading for the shower at the other end of the room.

    At this time a young man entered the room, dressed in black pants, long white sleeved shirt, a maroon vest and a black bow tie. It was his personal butler.

    ¡°Fred, did you help me get what I asked?¡± Xiaoxia asked as he entered the shower.

    ¡°Yes sir, the package is on the dining table,¡± Fred replied.

    At this time another person entered the room, she was a middle age lady dressed in a conservative maid outfit. She started to make the bed and tidy up the room. At the same time clearing up the remains of what was once an alarm clock.

    Xiaoxia spent just 10 minutes in the shower and quickly got out, drying off himself then putting on his uniform.

    ¡°Thank you Fred, thank you Miley,¡± Xiaoxia thanked his butler and maid as he left the shower and walked into the dining area.

    ¡°Anthony, so what do we have today?¡± Xiaoxia asked as he took as sit at the dining table.

    ¡°We have croissants, pastries, eggs, streaky bacon, cheese, smoked fish, sausages, fresh fruits, bread and beverages,¡± Anthony replied.

    ¡°Get me everything,¡± Xiaoxia was already salivating.

    Without so much as a word, Anthony immediately took out a large covered platter and place it in front of Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Haha, you really know me,¡± Xiaoxia said, opening the lid to find everything inside.

    ¡°Sir, you are one of my best gourmand, I feel honored to have someone eating everything I cooked,¡± Anthony replied with a smile while pouring some beverages into various glasses and cups.

    Anthony was a Master Artisan, or some would say a Master Chef. His level was not below Yralim, Menon¡¯s chef.

    ¡°You are welcome! But the truth is your cuisines are really good,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Thank you sir,¡± Anthony graciously bowed at the compliment.

    In the meantime, Xiaoxia was looking at the package Fred had gotten him.

    ¡°I really hope this works,¡± Xiaoxia muttered to himself. Looking at a package on the table, he wanted to give it to the girl he rescued.

    During that time he hurriedly left the scene to avoid trouble, so he did not know her name.

    But he readan article in the Academy¡¯s bulletin mentioning the incident. It contained the girl¡¯s name and reported that she had broken and dislocated all her fingers during the incident.

    Xiaoxia felt bad, as he knew he was the cause of her injuries when he ripped off the gloves from her clenched fist.

    He had asked Fred to find out where her dorm is and plan to visit her after classes today. The address was on the package, she is living in the Gold Class Ki talent dorms.

    **********

    Every student is given a private dorm room, the sizes ranged from normal dorms at 200 square feet to the 2,000 square feet penthouses. The d¨¦cors even at the low end dorms were ostentatious and the higher end ones were exceedingly opulent.

    Nearly 9 million students lived in the dorms throughout the campus. The dorms were huge monolithic skyscrapers that plunged into the skies. The smallest had a base size of 5 acres and up to the biggest at nearly 10 acres.

    Their heights easily topped out over 2,000 feet for the smallest structure and over 4,000 feet for the bigger ones.

    The Academy provided all students their own personal staff that catered to their well being. Personal butlers, maids and chefs were just some of them, there are others as well.

    S Class students were better off than the rest, they had a personal chauffeur and flying craft assigned to them.

    Moreover the penthouses throughout the various student dorms were S Class only restricted areas, even Instructors could not access them unless clearance was granted.

    The entire population of nearly 160 million staff were also living on campus. Their housings were also massive and rivaled the student dorms. Although at a far lesser luxury level, there were much more of them as compared to the student dorms.

    ***********

    ¡°You are early today,¡± Instructor Wei spoke as Xiaoxia arrived at her office.

    ¡°Yes Instructor, I just found out I am able to use my personal spatial transportation device to travel within the Academy¡¯s spatial portal,¡± Xiaoxia replied showing her the device.

    ¡°From what I understand, only high grade personal devices qualifies,¡± Instructor Wei stated a matter of fact.

    ¡°Yes Instructor, this one was given to me by the Arch Duchess Amelia of Crescent Lake City¡± Xiaoxia added.

    ¡°Good, from tomorrow if you arrive earlier and I am not in yet, cultivate your Ki over there till I arrive,¡± Instructor Wei pointed to corner of her office where a platform was. It had a mat on it that look well used.

    Sole plates were banned in the Academy due to various past fatal accidents. There are spatial gates situated every around the campuses, but the dorms were rather far from them. It was by chance that one of the brochures mentioned the use of personal spatial transportation devices, just when Xiaoxia was looking for a way to easily move about.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Come, follow me I want to introduce you to someone,¡± Instructor Wei said and was already leaving the office.

    Xiaoxia quickly followed Instructor Wei as they walked down the hallway. They soon approached another section of the Instructor¡¯s offices and entered one.

    ¡°Tell the Instructor I am here to see him,¡± Instructor Wei informed the attendant as they entered the antechamber.

    ¡°At once Milady,¡± the attendant replied, moving into the other room.

    As they waited, Xiaoxia was very curious, there were many gadgets, flying contraptions as well as sole plates hanging around the antechamber. There were also a large number of literature on the shelves that covered every wall.

    The antechamber they were in was bigger than Instructor Wei¡¯s office. Xiaoxia wondered how big the office will be.

    ¡°Milady, the Instructor will see you now,¡± the attendance informed her as he re-entered the antechamber, ¡°Please follow me.¡±

    Instructor Wei entered the room with Xiaoxia behind her. As they entered the room, Xiaoxia was staring with eyes wide open at the amount of gizmos and gadgets, the number of them surpassed those in the antechamber.

    ¡°Welcome to my humble abode!¡± a man¡¯s voice was heard, his back was facing them and it seems he was occupied.

    ¡°As we spoken, this is the boy I wanted to introduce you to,¡± Instructor Wei replied without any formality.

    ¡°Huh boy? What boy?¡± the man asked, but was still busy with his stuff.

    ¡°Did you forgot the damn thing I spoke to you about?¡± Instructor Wei furiously asked.

    ¡°Woah woah wait a minute,¡± the man turned around, suddenly standing still as he look at Xiaoxia.

    ¡°You!¡± he pointed a finger at Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Me?¡± Xiaoxia was confused.

    ¡°Yes you! That boy I saw at the welcoming festival,¡± the man replied excitedly.

    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Instructor Wei was also confused and questioned Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him Instructor Wei,¡± Xiaoxia replied honestly.

    ¡°How can you not? You took one of my prototype sole plate and flew off. You even saved one of my members,¡± The man smiled in reply.

    ¡°Well my member now, not at that time though,¡± he added.

    ¡°Ah! Toupee man!¡± Xiaoxia cried out suddenly, remembering the middle age man who was in the booth of the flying club. He had lost his toupee at that time.

    ¡°It is Instructor Sem to you young friend!¡± Sem asserted his position, his face a little embarrassed.

    ¡°So you two met before?¡± Instructor Wei asked, trying to hide a grin after hearing Sem being called the ¡®toupee man¡¯.

    ¡°Not exactly Wei jie, it was an emergency situation,¡± Sem answered while addressing Instructor Wei on a very informal basis.

    ¡°Sem, so do you recall now why I am here?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Yes yes give me some time, hmmm,¡± Sem was thinking, suddenly his eyes brightened up and he said, ¡°Ah! I remember, you want this boy to be educated similar to what the martial arts alliances do for their children.¡±

    ¡°Yes, and you already agreed,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    ¡°Wei jie, can it be another time, I am busy with something now, pretty please,¡± Instructor Sem pleaded, his hands now holding on to the stuff he was busy with.

    ¡°No Sem, I cannot live another day if this boy here is not properly educated,¡± Instructor Wei rejected his pleas and insisted, ¡°Today after classes you will educate him within the best of your abilities, and continue to do so daily till he is no longer a country bumpkin.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, boy what is your name?¡± Sem turn to looked at Xiaoxia and asked.

    ¡°My name is Chen Zhen Xia, people call me Xiaoxia, my parents call me Xia Er,¡± Xiaoxia replied bowing and cupping his hands.

    ¡°Ah such fine manners, Xiaoxia will you like to join my flying clu¡­.¡±

    ¡°Not now Sem, we are on a very tight schedule,¡± Instructor Wei interrupted with a stern voice.

    ¡°Wei jie, you take the fun out of life,¡± Sem replied, putting down the stuff he was holding while looking very sad.

    ¡°I will try to get you something for your hair to grow back,¡± Instructor Wei promised.

    Sem¡¯s eyes brightened and quickly said, ¡°Thank you Wei jie you are the best!¡±

    ¡°Ok its settled then, I will leave now, Xiaoxia will come later once classes are over.¡±

    ¡°Ok, see you later Xiaoxia,¡± Sem replied and wave at them while they left. As Xiaoxia glanced back, he could see Sem trying to put that stuff on his head.

    Instructor Wei and Xiaoxia next moved to the training hall where they proceeded to the highest level. This area had multiple training rooms that were reserved only for S Class students.

    Picking a room, Instructor Wei place her right hand over a panel and the door opened. Then Xiaoxia changed into a training attire at one of the changing booth inside.

    ¡°Xiaoxia how long has it been since you started here?¡± Instructor Wei asked, as he came out.

    ¡°It has been exactly 2 weeks Instructor,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Good, I want you to move over there and start to cultivate and under no circumstances should you stop or move, do you understand?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied. He moved to the right side of the room where the cultivating platform was, and started to cultivate.

    Xiaoxia had neglected cultivating Ki since he started using the sole plate, most of his free time was spent flying around in it. So when he was asked to cultivate Ki in front of Instructor Wei, he was a little rusty, and the Ki absorbed was very little and low in quality.

    Instructor Wei was a little furious and ordered him to cultivate Ki every single day in the training hall.

    With the assistance of technology, the training area had a much higher concentration of Ki as compared to the outside. At the end of the first day, Xiaoxia had already polished his cultivation to its original state.

    In the next 13 days, he already surpassed his previous self by a huge margin, he is now able not only able to increase his Ki reservoir, he is also able to refine and absorb higher quality Ki.

    ¡°Not bad, do not stop until I ask you to,¡± Instructor Wei complimented him, while measuring and checking his stats. She did this by pressing three fingers at certain points on his wrist. The measurements do not require machines like Menon whose Ki Realm was not high enough.

    ¡°Ok, now I want you to move your Ki slowly around your body.¡± She instructed.

    Xiaoxia slowly tried to circulate his Ki around his body, starting from the Ki center and moving up into his chest and slowly into his arms.

    Suddenly she pulled back her right hand with a sharp gasp. At exactly the same moment, Xiaoxia felt a tremendous surge from his Ki center, rushing through his body and into his arms before dissipating into the surroundings.

    ¡°You can stop now,¡± Instructor Wei had already stepped back a few feet, and asked, ¡°Xiaoxia, have you learnt any martial arts during these two weeks?¡±

    ¡°No Instructor, I only picked up a few manuals from Captain Jongbae about 2 to 3 months back,¡± Xiaoxia answered.

    ¡°Let me look at them,¡± Instructor Wei took the manuals as Xiaoxia unloaded from his quantum bag. She could feel the numbness in her right hand from the Ki surge.

    ¡°These are just basics, are you sure there is nothing else?¡± Instructor Wei asked, while rubbing her hand to rid it of the numbness.

    ¡°Yes Instructor, these are all the manuals, I read them and followed the instructions during my time in the city.¡±

    ¡°Did Captain Jongbae also instruct you?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°No, I learnt them myself,¡± Xiaoxia replied, in a split second he remembered something, ¡°Instructor!¡±

    At this point, Instructor Wei did not care that Xiaoxia almost forgot to address her correctly. She had not expected the backlash, as far as she recalled there wasn¡¯t any incident that was even close to this.

    She did not place any form of defense when she measured his stats, even the Academy did not teach this to their older students.

    If she only been a split second later, the backlash would have ruptured at least three of her major meridians, damage that took a long time to heal even with the best resources.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, we will immediately start to train, only cultivate your Ki when you are in your dorm room,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.  She had to start his training this instant.

    She did not understand why and how he did it, but Xiaoxia had jumped to Duelist Realm 7th Tier. It was too soon too fast.

    13 levels, at the speed he is going, only one thing came to her mind.

    "He is going to kill someone if he does''t learn to control his Ki now."

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 16: Meridians

    ¡°Again!¡± Instructor Wei demanded.

    Xiaoxia started gathering his Ki and directed them to his left fist and pushed out. He was trying to control it, but all his Ki just surged out and lashed towards where his punched.

    ¡°Boom!¡± the training dummy 10 feet in front of him turned to smithereens.

    ¡°Again!¡± another dummy appeared where the previous one was.

    ¡°Boom!¡± the same result occurred, and yet another dummy reappeared.

    ¡°Change to your right fist, again!¡±

    ¡°Boom!¡±

    The practice started since morning, after Instructor Wei narrowly avoided sustaining serious injury. She showed Xiaoxia a few techniques and taught him some theories, they were to control the flow of Ki that was released.

    ¡°Change to your left index finger, go!¡± Instructor Wei ordered.

    ¡°Piak!¡± this time the dummy remained intact and swiveled around its base, rotating a few times before stopping. An indentation the size of a fist could be seen on its right upper torso.

    ¡°Ok stop, that¡¯s enough for now, go have your lunch, rest and be back here in an hour¡± Instructor Wei noticed the time and continued, ¡°Later we will recap this morning¡¯s lesson.¡±

    ¡°Yes and thank you Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia bowed from his waist, glad that it was over.

    He did not feel any form of exhaustion, only a little bored due to the monotony of repeated actions. He did feel somewhat invigorated after expending Ki, as the continuous adrenaline and endorphin rush was addicting.

    One day on the main world is 30 hours (it¡¯s on the compendium) Xiaoxia had train a little before the 7th hour after their visit to Sem¡¯s office. It is now the 15th hour, he was training for 8 hours straight.

    **********

    ¡°One order of Zingmadon with battered taters and an ice Chocachic!¡± the waiter shouted over the massive crowd in the student¡¯s restaurant. (Read the compendium for what those are)

    Xiaoxia always wanted to visit the student restaurants for some time now, but never really got to it. There were over twenty thousand of them everywhere on the campuses, but barely enough to cater to all the students.

    Everything was free, since the school fees themselves were astronomical. Fortunately many students were sponsored by their Empires upon acceptance and entry to the Academy of the Six Elements.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s school fees were paid by MeisterSchloss as part of the agreement, and arranged by Menon.

    Today after training for 8 hours straight, he built up a massive appetite and decided to finally try it out. First informing Fred to cancel the one in his dorm.

    Upon hearing the waiter¡¯s shout, he could not help but drooled. To make matters worse, the menu was in lack of a better word, amazing.

    There were tons of items on the menu and Xiaoxia had no idea what he wanted, usually his meals were decided and prepared by Anthony, he did not make it a habit to specifically ask for anything.

    ¡°Is this table taken?¡± a male student was asking. Indicating to the empty seats around the table Xiaoxia had taken.

    ¡°Um, no it¡¯s available,¡± Xiaoxia replied. Due to his SS Class status, he had no problem getting a table in the crowded restaurant. The Ma?tre d¡¯h?tel at the entrance was wide eyed when he saw Xiaoxia¡¯s credentials, but promised to keep it a secret.

    ¡°Hey everyone come here, this place is free!¡± the guy shouted to his friends.

    Soon a group of male and female students came over and quickly occupied the table. There were a total of 7 of them.

    ¡°Hello my name is Winfrey,¡± the guy introduced himself. His Chevron indicated he was a Titled class, and the strips on his sleeve show that he was a freshman as well. There were some other things on his chevron, but Xiaoxia paid no heed to them.

    ¡°I am Xiaoxia,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, never seen you around,¡± Winfrey said, sitting down after introducing himself.

    ¡°Ah, I was not well for a few weeks, and just started,¡± Xiaoxia lied, he was told to do so in these types of situation by Instructor Wei.

    Soon everyone exchanged formalities and started to order lunch from a waiter. All of them were freshmen.

    The 7 of them were from various parts of the world, most of them were from Empires that were across the ocean from MeisterSchloss. However one of them was from another Empire on the other side of the world.

    ¡°Sir, what would like?¡± the waiter asked Xiaoxia who was the last to order.

    ¡°Erm, I am not sure, can I have one of everything they ordered?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Woah! Are you serious?¡± a girl named Charlotte asked, a little amazed. She is rather small and one of the Yue Ri Ren.

    ¡°Haha, its ok Char, if he can¡¯t finish it then it¡¯s off to the galley to wash dishes,¡± one of the guys called Sima replied. He is from the Feng Shan Ren, whose empire is on the other side of the world, and he was almost as tall as Xiaoxia.

    ¡°That¡¯s true Xiaoxia,¡± Winfrey agreed. He is a Ma Shen Ren, average looking with no special traits.

    ¡°You mean they will really do that to us?¡± Xiaoxia was taken aback when he heard the news.

    ¡°Yes it is, it¡¯s in the rules and regulation handbook, meow,¡± a girl called Mingyue responded. She is one of a pair of twin sisters are from the Bao Ya Lei, both of them have feline features.

    ¡°Meow?¡± Xiaoxia did not know what it meant. There were no small size felines in this world, most were big and ferocious creatures.

    ¡°It is their habit,¡± Sima informed him.

    ¡°Yeah, it means nothing,¡± Charlotte added.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I will have one of everything, we can share some among ourselves,¡± Xiaoxia turned to the waiter and ordered.

    ¡°Yes sir, one of everything they ordered!¡± the waiter responded, not even reacting to Xiaoxia¡¯s order, while repeating the total orders to confirm.

    Once it was confirmed he did not shout like the other waiter had, instead he was heading directly to the order counter to submit the order list.

    ¡°So tell me Xiaoxia, where are you from?¡± Winfrey asked, he was clearly the leader of the group.

    ¡°I am from Hu Yuan 1st colony, Black Iron Anvil Village, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Xiaoxia proudly announced.

    Upon hearing this, one of the girl''s expression showed some interest. She is the only Gold Class in the group, and the tallest among the girls. Charlotte had inform Xiaoxia that she was from the Tai Ping Lei.

    Noticing this as well, Charlotte asked Xiaoxia, ¡°You are from a colony and a village?¡±

    Xiaoxia replied, ¡°Yes and no. My town is called ¡®village¡¯ because the people used that as a fond remembrance of its past, we are a 5th Tier town close to becoming 6th Tier.¡±

    ¡°Ah I see, Libby is from a 5th Tier town as well. She was bullied before we interceded and trashed the bullies,¡± a guy named Corian replied, he was from the Nature Elves who looked like the Moon Elves, except their skin was fair. Corian was referring to the girl from Tai Ping Lei.

    Soon they were discussing Xiaoxia¡¯s background and wanted to know about the colony, they were all born in the main world and never experienced travelling to another planet.

    In the meantime their order arrived as well, and they were shocked at the appetite of Xiaoxia, he did not even leave a single remnant of food behind. Some of the others even had difficulty finishing their meals and gave it to others who could finish it. Most of it ended up in Xiaoxia¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Wow, you can really eat!¡± Charlotte exclaimed, as Xiaoxia finished his drink.

    ¡°It is common for my people to consume large amounts of food,¡± Xiaoxia honestly replied, however hiding the fact that even with the Sha Mo Ren¡¯s hearty appetites, he was consuming 3 to 4 times what a normal person his age does.

    ¡°You are really different, meow¡± Minglan said, she is the twin sister of Mingyue.

    ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Xiaoxia asked, he tried not to stick out, remembering one of the many advises from Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Hehe, pay no heed to her, we are all different in our ways,¡± Charlotte said upon noticing Xiaoxia was a little uneasy.

    ¡°Yeah, we are all different, no need to be worried about that,¡± Sima agreed.

    ¡°Well I guess we will be moving off now, we need to get some stuff and prepare for training this afternoon,¡± Winfrey informed as the rest of them stood and prepared to leave.

    ¡°Me too, I am heading to the training hall as well,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Great, we can go together,¡± Winfrey answered.

    They left the restaurant, and looked at some of the shops along the way to the spatial portal. All the children were happily chatting, and joking as they moved around.

    In front of a particular shop, Charlotte and Libby who had seen its window display were smiling from ear to ear and quickly entered. The rest stood outside and were still chatting away.

    At this moment, Xiaoxia noticed his one hour was almost up, ¡°Oh I need to go first, I am afraid I do not have time.¡±

    ¡°Ah! That is too bad, you can go ahead first, if you do not see us at the training hall, we can meet up for dinner at the same restaurant,¡± Winfrey regretfully replied.

    ¡°Yeah, we usually eat there for lunch and dinner, it¡¯s the most convenient for us,¡± Sima added.

    ¡°That¡¯s true, if you do not see us, you can contact us as well, we all stay at the Phoenix Dorm, our names are on the registry,¡± Winfrey informed Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I will do that, see you all later!¡± Xiaoxia waved goodbye, activated his personal spatial transportation device and was gone.

    ¡°Oh wow, he has a high grade device,¡± Corian was impressed.

    ¡°Yeah this guy isn¡¯t as simple as he looks,¡± Sima agreed.

    The others who are present, looked on with dumb founded expressions, they did not have the calm demeanor of Corian and Sima.

    ¡°What happened? Where is Xiaoxia?¡± Charlotte asked when she and Libby appeared later, she noticed a few of them had vacant expression.

    **********

    Menon was grumbling, he did not want to do this, there was no way he was going to face that women again. Unfortunately he had no choice, not after the message Captain Jongbae relayed to him from Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Oh well, no point avoiding it, I may as well get this over now rather than later,¡± he grumbled to himself, picking up his stuff, shoving them into a quantum bag, and left his office.

    **********

    ¡°Xiaoxia, tell me what you learnt today,¡± Instructor Wei was saying.

    ¡°I learnt to circulate Ki in my body and push it out as a force.¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Poof!¡± Instructor Wei knocked Xiaoxia¡¯s head with one of the manual he had passed her.

    ¡°Idiot, anyone can do that, you are supposed to learn to control your Ki, focus it and project it. Did you forgot what I taught you just this morning?¡± Instructor Wei scolded him.

    ¡°My my, Instructor Wei, no need to abuse a child. What would the parents say if they found out the instructors were hitting their children?¡± a familiar voice came from the door.

    ¡°Menon!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed, seeing Menon standing at the door to the training room.

    ¡°Hah! You bastard, you finally got the guts to see me?! How I train my student doesn¡¯t involve a scumbag like you,¡± Instructor Wei angrily responded.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I really did something bad you know,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°To hide the fact that you already appointed me and later pretending to want my assistance is not something bad?¡± Instructor Wei asked with an incredulous look.

    ¡°Look I know it was wrong, but faced with the situation, there was no one else of proper caliber to handle it besides you. You would not have agreed to anything if we asked, so I did what I had to do,¡± Menon tried to reason.

    ¡°There are hundreds of thousands of instructors in this school, why does it have to be me?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Instructor Wei, it is for that reason which we cannot mention, which is why you were chosen,¡± Menon replied, not mentioning exactly what that it was.

    At this statement, Instructor Wei was silent. She did not retort nor was there any snide remarks, she momentarily seemed lost in thoughts.

    Xiaoxia got the impression they were not saying many things in front of him, as if there were some secrets between them. He felt the same way when he was in Sem¡¯s office.

    ¡°I won¡¯t pursue this matter, but you owe me big time for this transgression, I will decide everything once you do what I asked,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°Fair enough, but let me warn you nothing here goes out the door,¡± Menon cautioned her.

    ¡°Sorry Instructor Wei, Menon. But may I ask what is going on here?¡± Xiaoxia interrupted.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°I am here to check your meridians,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°My meridians? How?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Oh I need to do just one test,¡± Menon was already removing equipment from his quantum belt as he answered.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s face clearly blanched upon seeing the various equipment on the table.

    ¡°No worries my young friend, you won¡¯t be a human pin cushion this time,¡± Menon had a wide grin as he replied, noting Xiaoxia¡¯s expression.

    ¡°I need to do something, I will back in a short moment,¡± Instructor Wei said as she left the room.

    Once she left, Menon turned to Xiaoxia, ¡°So how is school life treating you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice, I met some friends in the restaurant today,¡± Xiaoxia told him, "and I am going to meet them for dinner later."

    "Ah, its always nice to make new friends,"Menon remarked, and started to ask other questions which Xiaoxia candidly replied.

    The conversation continued, mainly focused on the past 2 weeks Xiaoxia was in the Academy. Menon noted with some dissatisfaction on how things were going between Xiaoxia and Instructor Wei.

    At the same time, Menon was setting up the machine, and everything was settled shortly. After that, he started sticking many nodes onto Xiaoxia¡¯s body and limbs, similar to the time they did the tests at Menon¡¯s office.

    When they were just about done, Instructor Wei walked in.

    ¡°So is everything ready?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes we can start the test now, just let me connect this,¡± Menon replied.

    He took out an object in a metal case with a pair of large forceps, the object was totally black and it looked like a shadow.

    Xiaoxia immediately felt the hairs on his body prickling as if his life was being sucked out the minute the object was removed from the case.

    ¡°How did you get that?¡± Instructor Wei asked, sounding startled.

    ¡°This? Oh bought I off someone in the city,¡± Menon answer unconvincingly.

    ¡°Bought it off someone? Do you take me as a fool? People do not go around carrying Void crystals on them,¡± Instructor Wei chastised Menon.

    ¡°Look if you do not believe me fine, but the fact is I really bought it from someone in the city, although the circumstance in which it came about, is between MeisterSchloss and that person in question,¡± Menon replied, not budging.

    ¡°Fair enough, but why use this? Isn¡¯t there another simpler way?¡± Instructor Wei, sounding dissatisfied with the answer, but understood enough to stop asking.

    ¡°Instructor Wei, it¡¯s better to show you than to tell you,¡± Menon replied, shrugging off her question.

    Once he inserted the Void crystal, he click a switch on the machine. Immediately it came to life.

    At that precise moment, Xiaoxia felt the Ki draining from every part of his body. It was flowing into all the nodes that were placed at specific spots.

    ¡°Krrrrrraaaacccccckkkkk!¡±

    An ear splitting noise was heard a little less than four minutes into the test. Taken by surprise Menon slammed his palm onto a large circular button at the top of the machine. Immediately the machine stuttered and went dead, only the holographic device connected to it was still displaying the information.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damn!¡± Menon exclaimed as he was looking over the machine and discovered the place where the sound originated from.

    When Menon turned the machine around, Instructor Wei and Xiaoxia could see the hatch which covered where the Void crystal was, had bulged outwards. It look like it was caused by a minor explosion inside the container.

    Taking some crude looking tools, Menon started banging away at the hatch. In a short time, the hatch broke open and only the shattered remains of the Void shard could be seen.

    ¡°Errrggh, it is destroyed! My precious crystal!¡± Menon was really upset at the current situation.

    ¡°Well you can only blame yourself, no one asked you to use a Void crystal,¡± Instructor Wei was gloating at Menon¡¯s misfortune.

    ¡°You will know why in a while,¡± Menon still did not tell her why. He was still looked extremely upset as he approached Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Menon asked, looking a little concern.

    ¡°I am great, it was really invigorating!¡± Xiaoxia replied excitedly. When his Ki started draining, his adrenaline immediately kick in, follow just a while later by an endorphin rush.

    ¡°Oh interesting,¡± Menon¡¯s eyes betrayed how much more amazed he was than his words.

    ¡°Old fool, isn¡¯t it time to tell me everything?¡± Instructor Wei insisted.

    ¡°I will once we get our young friend out of these, both of you need to know anyway,¡± Menon answered her, while removing the links on Xiaoxia¡¯s body. Xiaoxia immediately started to help remove them as well.

    Once he was no longer hooked up to the machine, he was sitting on the cultivating platform, already changed into his training attire.

    ¡°Ok I have spoken to you before about your test results yes?¡± Menon looked at Xiaoxia and asked.

    ¡°Yes Menon, you said it was similar to people from the unknown realm,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Chh! I wouldn¡¯t find it surprising, since all his information was classified,¡± Instructor Wei said nonchalantly, no seemingly interested in this information.

    ¡°Ok, that was then, but that was just the preliminary observation, I did not have sufficient information to re-confirm it,¡± Menon replied while adding, ¡°Look, if I wanted to hide the information, I wouldn¡¯t even be allowing his SS Class title to be shown.¡±

    ¡°So you said preliminary result, then where is the final one?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Yes what is the final result?¡± Xiaoxia interjected, suddenly worried it was bad news.

    ¡°See it for yourself, I just found the final piece of the puzzle last week to confirm the findings,¡± Menon replied, passing a print-out to Instructor Wei and Xiaoxia.

    <hr />

    .

    .

    Ki talent: Verified ¨C SS class

    **Elemental Alignment: Verified ¨C 7 elements

    **Mental Capacity: Verified ¨C Unmeasurable Genius

    Ki Realm: Verified ¨C Apprentice Realm 3rd Tier *

    (*author''s note: this is the old information when the test was done at Menon''s compound, it is not the current test which is measuring something else)

    Martial Affiliation: Unverified ¨C none

    Martial physique/aptitude: Verified ¨C Unmeasurable Genius

    Martial Instructor: Unverified ¨C none

    Ki Cultivation Instructor: Verified ¨C Chen Daquan, Wanmei

    **Ki Stamina: Verified ¨C beyond Unknown Realm

    **Ki Quality: Verified ¨C beyond Unknown Realm

    .

    .

    <hr />

    (**Author''s note: this is a measuring system for potential, according to the compendium. Hence the values are not current or actual but possible in the future)

    Instructor Wei went silent, even as Xiaoxia had a look of amazement on his face.

    ¡°This is precisely the reason why we have a gag policy on Xiaoxia¡¯s result,¡± Menon replied, "and also the reason why the Void crystal has to be used, it would not work with normal means."

    ¡°You could have told me,¡± Instructor Wei meekly said, it was not often someone received a shock like this.

    ¡°Would it had made any difference, you still have to use every single experience you gained over the millenniums for training this child,¡± Menon stated.

    ¡°No, if you had told me earlier, I wouldn¡¯t be in a position where I almost got myself killed,¡± she replied, realizing she made a grave mistake earlier thinking only 3 of her major meridians will be destroyed.

    ¡°I would also immediately start his training the day he enrolled. We were very fortunate that Xiaoxia did not kill anyone else before he could learn to properly control his Ki,¡± she added.

    ¡°Sorry but what is this martial physique/aptitude thing?¡± Xiaoxia suddenly interrupted their conversation, pointing to the part where the words were.

    ¡°That is something that was left out before I updated the device,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°So why are you still testing me, if you already have all the measurements?¡± Xiaoxia ask curiously.

    ¡°That is because I suspected something else,¡± Instructor Wei interjected.

    ¡°Yes, after receiving her message, I realized something as well,¡± Menon agreed, as he walked towards the holographic device. Connecting another device to it, a larger hologram appeared displaying something that looked like a Xiaoxia¡¯s body.

    ¡°Huhuhu, this is astounding!¡± Menon remarked, he was smiling with his mouth wide open while moving his head erratically as he looked closely at the readings.

    Instructor Wei was almost mimicking him. The both of them stopped and looked at each other. Then Instructor Wei nodded towards Menon.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, I want you to listen to what Menon has to say,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Xiaoxia do you know what meridians are?¡± Menon asked.

    ¡°Yes Menon, I read it on some of the martial arts manuals that Captain Jongbae passed me,¡± he answered.

    ¡°Good, are you aware of the number of meridians in the body?¡± Menon asked him again.

    This time Xiaoxia shook his head.

    ¡°Ok let me explain. Every normal being has 12 minor meridians regulating the musculoskeletal parts, 12 minor meridians regulating the elements as well as emotions and mental capacity, are you following me?¡± Menon asked.

    Xiaoxia nodded.

    ¡°Good, if you do not understand, feel free to ask,¡± Menon said and continued, ¡°Besides these 24 minor meridians, there are 12 major meridians which are linked to your major organs, including your Ki center. Then there are 8 extra-ordinary meridians which are basically Ki refining and special energy storage areas.¡±

    ¡°There is one more particular and unique meridian, we do not know the name of it, but it was theorized by our 1st Enlightened of MeisterSchloss, this theory was further confirmed by other Enlightened later in our history. So far even till today we do not know what it is,¡± Menon concluded.

    ¡°Meridians are always narrow and blocked in majority of children,¡± Instructor Wei begin her explanation.

    ¡°There are rare cases where children are gifted with a portion of their meridians unblock and dilated since birth. It takes decades of Ki cultivation and rigorous training to open them as well as dilate them. The corresponding growth in power is a result of the expansion of not only their Ki reservoir, but also by the amount of Ki that flows through these meridians,¡± she said and continued,

    ¡°The more meridians that are opened and the larger the vessels connecting these meridians are, allows an individual to exhibit monstrous abilities,¡± she concluded, allowing Menon to continue.

    ¡°Unknown Realm individuals have already opened all 24 of their minor meridians, we only know of a handful who have opened half of their 12 major meridians, as for extra-ordinary meridians there are only less than 2 we know of who have opened at least 2 of them. There may be others, but so far many have refused to be tested by us,¡± Menon said.

    ¡°I am one of the Unknown Realm that was tested, the other is someone you have not met in the Academy,¡± Instructor Wei informed Xiaoxia, who suddenly understood why she had such a foreboding presence.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, do you know why we are telling you this?¡± Menon asked.

    ¡°Yes, the meridians are important to train, by unlocking them, it allows better control and use of Ki,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Well that is not entirely correct, but I will let Instructor Wei tell you more, since she has direct experience with meridians,¡± Menon gestured with his head at Instructor Wei who continued.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, all your meridians are opened, and your Ki vessels are rather dilated. The rest of us worked very hard over the years to achieve a fraction of what you have. However you did not achieve this via hard work, as a result you do not know how to assert control over all these meridians,¡± she said to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°You need to learn to control it as soon as possible, no one among your peers have learnt to defend themselves with Ki. You can kill them easily even by accident,¡± she warned him.

    (*Author''s note: peers referring to the freshmen, not all the students)

    "With your Martial physique and aptitude, you should be able to get the hang of it sooner rather than later," Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°On top of that, the biggest mystery is the unique meridian,¡± Menon excitedly said, "You have it."

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 17: What real power is

    ¡°Xiaoxia, there are known cases among the races who have totally depleted their Ki in an instant and died,¡± Instructor Wei was telling him, ¡°This is another reason why you need to focus on controlling your Ki output in order to prevent that from happening.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand, you are only Duelist Realm 7th Tier by a stroke of luck,¡± Menon added, ¡°Everyone increases their Ki Realm based on a few factors, namely the ability to maintain Ki within their Ki vessels and meridians is one of them.¡±

    ¡°The only answer I can come up, on how you jumped from Apprentice Realm 3rd Tier to this level in such a short time, is probably the effects of having the 44 meridians opened,¡± he theorized, ¡°I am not sure about your unique meridian, there is simply no information, I can¡¯t tell if it is opened nor can I say for certain what its role is.¡±

    Menon looked rather disappointed at his own lack of knowledge when he said that.

    ¡°Currently we can only deal with what information we have,¡± Instructor Wei told Menon, ¡°You and I need to explain to Xiaoxia whatever we can with no conjecture, it will only do him harm.¡±

    As they continued explaining to Xiaoxia, he tried to visualize the meridians. With the help of the image on the hologram, he slowly began to form a mental image and after a while, was finally able to visualize the various meridian points in his body.

    According to their information, the levels between Ki Realms require meridians to be opened, dilation of the Ki vessels to be of certain size, storage of Ki in these vessels, and the saturation as well as the quality of Ki.

    He now understood why his parents where stuck at Adept Realm Expert Tier, they could only open a quarter of the meridians in their body.

    However Xiaoxia¡¯s biggest hurdle was not the opening of meridians, it was containing the Ki within the Ki vessels. Whenever he tried to do so, the Ki flows through the meridians and dissipates into the surroundings.

    Instructor Wei explained that by containing the Ki within the Ki vessels, it acts as a secondary reservoir. This not only reinforces the part of the body where the Ki is, it also allows certain safeguards. If Ki was directly drained from the Ki center¡¯s reservoir, there was always the risk of totally depleting the Ki and ending up dead.

    Menon helped by quoting another example using ancient projectile weapons, the Ki vessels were the projectiles, when one is used up, the other Ki vessels acts as other projectiles. Once the Ki within all the Ki vessels are depleted, the Ki center¡¯s reservoir replenishes them.

    That way if Xiaoxia¡¯s main reservoir was totally depleted, he still had Ki within these secondary reservoirs that will be automatically siphoned to maintain his bodily functions. One of another safeguard.

    The last safeguard unique only to Unknown Realm pugilists. They are the 8 extra-ordinary meridians, which can be used as tertiary Ki reservoirs. Xiaoxia needed to train so he could achieve these safeguards, he currently do not have the ability to properly utilize them.

    ¡°As you can see, your Ki reservoir is tremendous for your level, and unconsciously Ki is spilling out from a couple of the minor meridians near your Ki center,¡± Menon was informing Xiaoxia.

    "Will this cause me harm?" Xiaoxia cut in even as Menon was speaking, feeling worried again.

    ¡°There is nothing to worry about, your natural Ki absorption is keeping up with it,¡± Menon consoled him.

    ¡°Worries aside, to attain higher Ki Realms and ensure you do it effectively, you must learn to passively prevent the Ki from escaping your body. You need to restrict them to the Ki vessels between the Ki center and the meridians, as well as between meridians,¡± Instructor Wei further advised.

    ¡°What Instructor Wei said is very true,¡± Menon agreed while continuing, ¡°Xiaoxia, imagine if you are now Grandmaster Realm Expert Tier. Besides needing much better Ki quality, the amount of Ki required in all Ki vessels is a few hundred folds as compared to Duelist Realm.¡±

    ¡°The results showed that you have the potential to exceed Unknown Realm for Ki Quality and Ki stamina, but can you imagine the massive amount of Ki you will need to maintain all these leaks from your body?¡± Menon asked figuratively.

    Instructor Wei added more information for Xiaoxia¡¯s benefit, ¡°Just to maintain that level, you would be constantly cultivating Ki half a day, every day for the rest of your life. Worse is, if you ever reached the Unknown Realm, you would spent every second of your life just cultivating Ki and nothing else.¡±

    Xiaoxia nodded his head, fully comprehending the lesson, however there were still things he could not understand and needed an answer, ¡°I understand, however there is something I want to ask as well, it is a little off topic.¡±

    ¡°Well go ahead¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°When I took the test at Crescent Lake, it mentioned about life path, and talent category, but I do not see them in your current report,¡± Xiaoxia stated.

    ¡°Your talent category has already been answered, both as unmeasurable genius as well as beyond Unknown Realm. As for life path, there won¡¯t be one, due to the nature of your results.¡± Menon answered him.

    ¡°Bu¡­ cough ¡­ ahem, damn the medication is wearing off,¡± Menon was trying to speak when he suddenly coughed. He immediately started taking stuff out of his quantum bag.

    ¡°Cough cough cough! Ahem, urg, ahem!¡± he was coughing badly even as he was mixing something in a flask and the final result was something not very appealing, it looked like it came from a sewage.

    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Xiaoxia asked with a concerned voice, Menon gave him a quick thumbs up while downing the mixture.

    ¡°Yucks! Why do elixirs always have to taste this bad,¡± he was saying to no one in particular.

    ¡°Old man do you want to continue or do I have to?¡± Instructor Wei impatiently asked.

    ¡°Ahem, ah I feel much better,¡± Menon finally said, gesturing to Instructor Wei he will continue, ¡°Sorry about that, it really stinks getting old.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he quickly went on, noticing Instructor Wei was about to say something snide, ¡°With your results, you can choose to be whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°In fact the Ki talent class system is just a summary of your overall potential, not everyone goes into details like what we are doing now,¡± he concluded.

    ¡°True, but currently you just need to concentrate on the task at hand, it is still too early to think about these, ¡°Instructor Wei said and went on, ¡°There are many competitions, events, as well as activities you need to be involved in each year. Majority of them requires the use of Ki. We need to fully immerse ourselves with your training, I will cancel your classes with Sem.¡±

    ¡°I rather you be an ignorant county bumpkin than killing someone by accident. The freshmen competition will take place in 3 months,¡± she said and pause, before continuing, ¡°Based on the moon¡¯s position, you have 65 days to prepare.¡±

    (Author¡¯s note: kindly refer to the compendium for explanation of the date and time system)

    Xiaoxia immediately nodded his head, comprehending the seriousness of the situation.

    ¡°Ok I will be leaving now, I really wish to be able to see you train and grow, it¡¯s unfortunate but duty calls,¡± Menon said packing up his equipment.

    ¡°Ah! How am I going to explain this,¡± he shook his head while looking at the remnants of the Void crystal.

    ¡°Look for this person, he will get you what you need,¡± Instructor Wei passed to Menon a slip of paper.

    ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± Menon asked a little surprised.

    ¡°Yes it is, I do not have one myself, but if it¡¯s him, finding one should not be a problem,¡± Instructor Wei explained.

    ¡°Thank you, given the circumstances, I would never have thought you will be helping me,¡± Menon cast her a quick grin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck old man, you did a great service today, not only for me,¡± Instructor Wei actually complimented him.

    ¡°Thank you Menon, I learnt a lot today,¡± Xiaoxia added to the compliment.

    ¡°Ah well, if you two need me, you know where to find me,¡± Menon replied, almost done packing all the stuff into his quantum bag.

    ¡°Old man, just don¡¯t go doing things for me without my prior knowledge or agreement, I won¡¯t be so kind the next time,¡± Instructor Wei warned.

    ¡°Sure, I will, but you have to promise not to be so thick headed on matters,¡± Menon said as he wave his hands, activated his personal spatial transportation device, and was gone.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, go train a little more on your control. You can leave for dinner at the 20th hour and return on the 22nd hour, we will train till the 26th hour than you can return back to your dorm,¡± Instructor Wei said, this time it was her turn to leave.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    It was currently 30 minutes to the 20th hour. When Xiaoxia returned to the training hall after lunch, it was the 16th hour. The test and conversation had taken a little more than 3 hours.

    After all the explanation, he could now clearly visualize his meridians and Ki vessels. In fact he was rather eager to try the theories out.

    While standing in the middle of the training room, he drew his Ki up to the meridian just above his Ki center and below his sternum. He managed to successfully restrict the meridian from dissipating the Ki, while increasing the Ki in the Ki vessel between them.

    Next he ceased the flow of Ki to the Ki vessel, while maintaining the Ki within. It was kept there perfectly with no leakage only after a few tries. When that happened, it dawned on him that he had successfully created a secondary Ki reservoir.

    When that happened, he was overcame with a wave of exultation and cried out, ¡°YES!!!!¡±

    Now with more confidence, he slowly moved from one meridian to another till it reached his palm. The effort taken was incredible. His entire training attire was drenched in sweat.

    At this point, a vague aura could be seen on his palm, and slowly over what seemed like an agonizingly long time for him, it began to become more visible as its intensity increased.

    Applying more focus and concentration, he managed to increase its intensity, but only manage to achieve it for a short while before stopping. He did not carry on, as he was thinking about what Menon and Instructor Wei said about the leaking meridians in his body.

    He once again delve into his Ki vessels and meridians. This time he was looking for the culprits that were leaking. He found them within a short time span, and successfully restricted the dissipation of Ki. Then he tried seeing if he could passively restrict them while moving around the training room.

    He started jumping, running, shouting and shadow boxing. To someone looking from the outside, he would looked exactly like a madman. He did it at a few minutes intervals, while checking on the restrictions he place. Each time smiling in satisfaction that they were still there.

    After doing this for another dozen times or so, he was convinced of success. By this time, he had already spent more than an hour there, it was already 37 minutes past the 20th hour.

    ¡°Ah! I am going to miss them!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed, as he rushed out of the room and headed for the showers.

    Initially, he wanted to use the 2 hours to meet up with Winfrey and friends at the restaurant, followed by dropping off the package for the girl he met during the sole plate incident.

    Now with what little time he had, he decided he will head up to the restaurant and pass the package to the girl the next day.

    Taking less than 10 minutes to shower and clean up, he rushed out of the locker room into the training hall and was about to make his way to the lower levels, when he heard noises coming from a training room. He detoured just out of curiosity.

    ¡°Wham! Boom! Boom! Boom! Pook Pook Pook!¡±

    The noises were becoming louder and clearer, even as Xiaoxia approached the origin of the sound.

    ¡°Prrreet Prrreet Prrreet!¡±

    As he neared the viewing window on the door, he could hear all sorts of noises coming from inside, it sounded like there was a battle going on.

    ¡°Wham! Da Boom!¡±

    A bright flash temporarily blinded Xiaoxia as he looked into the room. When he regained his vision, he could see a figure cloaked the same way as Instructor Wei, however it was clearly someone else. The figure had broader shoulders, thicker arms, as well as taller than Instructor Wei.

    He could feel the pressure and the aura of the figure emanating even through the training room doors. The training room was designed to restrict Ki from permeating out, and Xiaoxia was amazed as well as terrified at what that meant.

    Even as terrified as he was, he was rooted to the spot as his curiosity refused to allow him to avert his gaze. He saw a distinct aura around the entire body of the figure, and two even larger aura around the figure¡¯s hands.

    When the figure stretched out its right hands and pointed at the multiple dummies in front, tendrils of energy gathered around its index finger and immediately branched out in what looked like a forked lightning.

    ¡°Shzack! Shzack! Shzack! Shzack! Shzack!¡±

    Immediately the dummies all had holes right through their midsection, the holes were charred with flames licking through them.

    Now the figure swung with its left hand fingers gathering into a fist. Tendrils of bright scarlet energy, which looked like flames converge around the fist as it punched, and blasted out.

    ¡°Boom! Wham! Wham! Wham!¡±

    A sonic boom could be heard when it was release, then a visible blast wave appeared each time a group of dummies were disintegrated one after another in quick succession. Each group had more than 20 dummies arranged behind the other group.

    Suddenly the figure vanished, appearing on the other end of the room. At this moment, it did a downward slash with its left foot from top to bottom.

    Bright white energy gathered around its feet as it swept downwards.

    ¡°Whooosh! Schhhlarrk! BA DA BOOM¡±

    Another group of dummies who were lined in a single file, were split cleanly right in the middle as if sliced with a surgical knife. The incision ran all the way from one end of the room to the other. The impact shook the entire building, and the dummies were blown upwards as the energy hit the ground.

    Xiaoxia lost his footing at that point and fell on his butt, he was grimacing but silent. His mind was still in a daze, what he saw was perhaps the most outrageous display of power he had seen in his short life.

    ¡°This is what real power is,¡± he said to himself while still on the floor, but already recovering from the visual shock.

    ¡°Creak!¡± the training room door opened a moment later.

    ¡°Damn, I think I went too far with that one,¡± the figure was saying, the voice sounded masculine.

    ¡°Thank goodness it¡¯s after lessons, no one around. Hahaha!¡± it laughed awkwardly.

    ¡°Errrggh!¡± the figure cried as it tripped over Xiaoxia, it was just about to move beyond the door.

    ¡°Ungh! Which idiot left something at the door!¡± it cried out, obviously pissed at being tripped.

    ¡°Ah! Sorry Sir!¡± Xiaoxia quickly apologized. The figure was not a student and had an Instructor¡¯s badge on it. The badge looked rather familiar.

    ¡°Who?¡± the figure was a little confused, not expecting someone to be there at this time.

    ¡°Me Sir!¡± Xiaoxia immediately stood up, bowed and cupped his hands.

    ¡°You who?¡± the figure asked while standing up at the same time.

    ¡°Student Chen Zhen Xia, freshman!¡± Xiaoxia answered, still in the same position.

    ¡°Ah don¡¯t need to be so stiff after office hours,¡± the figure replied.

    Xiaoxia raised up from bowing and faced the figure, he could clearly see that it was a man, however his face was covered by a large hood. Xiaoxia could not point a finger to it, but there was an air of familiarity to him.

    ¡°Ooh! Young man, how are you related to Instructor Wei?¡± the man was pointing at Xiaoxia¡¯s token, the one Instructor Wei gave him.

    ¡°She is my Instructor, Sir!¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense, she would have told me if she gave her token to someone,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Sir, I am sorry but do you know Instructor Wei?¡± Xiaoxia asked, a little curious.

    ¡°Young man, look at this,¡± the man point at his badge.

    At this distance, the badge was much clearer, it had a pair of crossed sabers etched over a dragons head* with a ¡®W¡¯ on the top.

    ¡°You can also call me Instructor Wei, I am her brother.¡±

    (*Author''s note, the female Instructor Wei''s token has a pair of wings. Instructor''s tokens are smaller versions of the badge. No two instructors have the same design, hence it is a dragon on this badge)

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 18: Disciple

    Xiaoxia immediately took a liking Instructor Wei¡¯s brother, he was an extremely easy-going guy and had an overwhelming brotherly feeling to him, even more so than Maling.

    However they only spent a few minutes in conversation, before Xiaoxia realized the time and rushed off to meet Winfrey and friends. Before leaving, Jay the name of Instructor Wei¡¯s brother, told him specifically not to tell anyone what happened to the room. After agreeing, they both parted ways.

    Xiaoxia almost missed Winfrey and friends who were starting to leave after eating. However they decided to stay after he arrived. Xiaoxia enjoyed his meal even as the others chatted incessantly about the day''s events.

    During the conversation, he found out they were all in the Academy¡¯s freshmen class of 1B-1892. Libby has some special abilities that allowed her to be part of the freshmen class usually meant for students with Titled Ki talents.

    This was not uncommon as many exceptional Gold Class students were also allowed to join these. When they asked Xiaoxia about his class, he honestly replied he did not know. He was still hiding his chevron beneath the shawl Instructor Wei had gave him.

    Much to his relief, they did not pursue the matter, but continued chatting after they left the restaurant. While they were shopping, Xiaoxia had to leave for the training hall.

    As usual, besides Corian and Sima, the rest of them were pretty amazed he had a high grade personal spatial transportation device* (HG PTD). This time Charlotte and Libby were there as well.

    (*Author¡¯s note: updated compendium for acronyms, please check the blog)

    He arrived back at the training hall and manage to change into his training attire before Instructor Wei appeared.

    Upon asking was there any progress by Instructor Wei, he showed her the results of what he achieved earlier. She was visibly impressed and instructed him proceed with his training.

    The remaining of the lesson was used to practice limiting his Ki to the Ki vessels on more than a few parts of his body. This took a tremendous effort and he did not last a few minutes each time.

    The rest interval between practices increased, as his Ki depleted at a rapid rate. On the other hand he kept feeling more and more invigorated due to the rush of adrenaline and endorphins.

    Instructor Wei had quickly caught on to this and gave a warning; since the adrenaline and endorphins will mask his weariness from Ki depletion, if he did not monitor his Ki reservoir, there is a high chance it would kill him.

    Hence ever since then, no matter what he did, he was also training to passively monitor his Ki reservoir, and the restrictions he placed to prevent Ki leakages.

    **********

    More than a month has passed since then, Xiaoxia was becoming well adapted to his training. He gradually learnt to maintain the Ki vessels proportional to his level.

    After classes he usually joined Winfrey and the others at the restaurant, sometimes they ate at other outlets. By now, Xiaoxia made it a habit to remove the token as well as the chevron from his uniform.

    He almost revealed his chevron one time when the shawl hiding it got hooked away onto a passing senior¡¯s bag. Now he doesn¡¯t wear the shawl and when asked, he lied citing the long process as well as cost to replace it.

    He removed the token after his meeting with Jay, realizing how easily recognizable it was. The group did not bother him about it as they do not have any mentor, and did not recognize it for what it was. However the older students were passing some curious glances wherever he went.

    The friendship among the group was getting better and he became quite close to them. Charlotte and Libby were constantly teasing him while the others teased them back. They always stayed together till late after the girls did their daily shopping, and Xiaoxia joined them whenever he could.

    All this while Xiaoxia had wanted to personally send the package to the girl he rescued, but eventually left Fred to deliver the package. Fred had left his own personal contact in case she replied, but no replies ever came.

    Today he received word from Fred to meet Instructor Wei at the first room on the right side of the hall. They had previously trained on the left side.

    As usual he arrived there early and took the opportunity to cultivate his Ki. Xiaoxia still cultivated Ki during his free time in his dorm, however the quality and saturation was not as high when compared to the training room.

    Moreover, as per Instructor Wei¡¯s instructions, it was better for him to be able to totally control his Ki before starting to rigorously cultivate his Ki again. So he did it sparingly.

    As he sat there in the training room, he could feel the higher quality of Ki being absorb, his Ki reservoir has also increase slightly. Satisfied, he did some exercises circulating his Ki around his body.

    About a few minutes later, Instructor Wei arrive at the room. She passed her right hand over a panel and training dummies appeared in the room.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, it¡¯s only another 32 days to the freshmen competition,¡± Instructor Wei informed him and continued, ¡°to capitalize on your natural physique, you should also start to learn some form of actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Before that, I want you to show me what you have learnt so far,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia answered.

    As he turned towards the dummies, he noticed that they did not looked like the previous ones he was training with. These dummies had limbs and looked like they were standing without supports.

    Not really bothered by it, he proceeded to demonstrate the lessons Instructor Wei had taught him.

    Quickly filling the Ki vessels between the meridians, he directed the Ki to his left index finger, while focusing it before releasing the Ki in a short burst.

    ¡°Poom!¡±

    There was a sharp bang on the wall at the other end of the room, he had completely missed the target.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiaoxia was confused, seeing the dummy standing now a little to the right from its original spot.

    ¡°This is a battle room, the dummies here will not be stationary like the others in the training room,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°That is beside the point, your Ki manipulation has improved by a wide margin since I last taught you this skill,¡± she added.

    Two weeks after Xiaoxia successfully stopped the Ki leakage, Instructor Wei had taught him other techniques as well as how to hone the output of his Ki. This enable the Ki to become more focus upon release. Instead of the energy dispersing over a wide area, the same energy was concentrated into a single point.

    ¡°Still too much force, it will kill your opponent, you need to reduce it,¡± she instructed.

    This time following the same sequence, he reduced the Ki in the Ki vessels to just a fraction it was before and released it.

    ¡°Piok!¡±

    The sound was less sharp as compared to the first one, again the dummy moved to avoid the energy, and it landed on the wall behind.

    ¡°Not bad, this should suffice. Only use this if you need to break the Ki defense of an opponent, which is not likely as most freshmen have not yet learn to do it. Unfortunately there are some troublesome freshmen who have already advanced to that stage by help of their Martial Alliance,¡± Instructor Wei complimented him and provide a little more information.

    Instructor Wei began gathering information ever since Menon¡¯s visit. She uncovered certain irregularities in the training for the freshmen, and found out certain Martial Alliances had trained these freshmen in areas where the Academy has not.

    It was against regulations, but the Academy did not enforce it due to the influence and power of the Alliances.

    This information was passed on to Xiaoxia, and his training was adjusted accordingly. Instructor Wei was taking a more direct approach to his training in comparison to the first two weeks, when she just left him to cultivate Ki by himself.

    ¡°Now put up a defense,¡± Instructor Wei ordered.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    This time Xiaoxia filled all the 12 minor musculoskeletal meridians and a vague aura could be seen around his entire body.

    Xiaoxia was not yet a Master Realm pugilist, who have their 12 minor musculoskeletal Ki vessels and meridians constantly filled with Ki, thus making Ki defense easier to activate. They could also maintain it without cultivating Ki.

    He is only Duelist Realm 7th tier and only manage to constantly maintain 5 of the meridians and Ki vessels. In order to achieve 12 of them, more effort was needed and it increased the rate of Ki depletion. He could not maintain them without cultivating Ki every now and then, or faced total Ki exhaustion.

    ¡°Begin,¡± Instructor Wei said to no one in particular.

    Without a word, the dummies suddenly started attacking him.

    ¡°Wham! Bam! Piak! Pok! Wham!¡±

    He was shocked initially, and got hit various times before he recovered and started moving. Even as he avoided some, most still hit their marks.

    ¡°Stop!¡± all the dummies suddenly ceased their movements.

    ¡°Look and learn,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    Xiaoxia nodded, the familiar invigorating feeling coming back. He was not bleeding nor were there any physical signs of injury. However he was a little winded and his body was aching from the various hits he took.

    The dummies really had powerful blows, being a child, he would have already been pummeled to a pulp if he was not taught Ki defense by Instructor Wei.

    Xiaoxia saw Ki gathering at Instructor Wei¡¯s feet, at the same time there was no aura around her the rest of her body.

    ¡°Begin,¡± she said and immediately started moving.

    Whenever she blocked a blow, Xiaoxia could sense a surge in Ki as an aura immediately appeared at the part of her body she used to block.

    She moved about the room at astonishing speeds, some times it seems like she was floating, other times as if she was sliding.

    This continued for another 5 minutes and every time she blocked, she immediately counter attacked with various techniques. Of all the techniques she used, Xiaoxia only knew of the four she had taught him, palm, fist, finger and foot.

    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted, and immediately all the dummies froze.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, did you see what happened?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Yes Instructor, you applied Ki to your feet to move around avoiding being surrounded by dummies. At the same time you did not put up any defense, only using them on where you want the enemy to hit,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Good you are very perceptive, but the dummies are not alive, they will hit based on what they can. People on the other hand do not always do that. So on top of putting up a defense the moment before impact, you have to predict the point where your opponent will attack,¡± she said.

    ¡°This will save a very large quantity of Ki as compared to constantly having put up a defense regardless of the situation. Once the Ki is in the Ki vessels at the 12 minor musculoskeletal meridians, keep it contained in the vessel and release it from the meridians only when necessary,¡± she added and continued,

    ¡°Like this even without having reached higher Ki Realms, you would have attained some form of defense. By properly training this, you would be able to do what I just did,¡± she concluded.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia acknowledged, while something came to his mind at this moment.

    ¡°Instructor Wei, how many types of training rooms are there?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I could not help but notice there are some others at the end of the hall, which seems larger and more heavily fortified,¡± he said, while keeping mum about meeting Jay.

    ¡°The one we are in now is the basic battle room, as you move towards the end of the hall, their difficulties increases. Most of them are only used by older S Class students who have achieved higher Ki Realms. The final and last room is where one of the exams before graduation is held, you need to last 30 seconds to pass,¡± she informed him.

    Xiaoxia was literally in admiration of Jay after hearing that. Jay was in the last room for more than a few minutes and he was not even scratched.

    ¡°Set at the highest difficulty level, it rivals some of the most dangerous creatures in Yuan Zhong, even I would not be able to leave fully intact after a few minutes,¡± she added.

    Now he was feeling a sensation of absurdness, wondering how much powerful can Jay be, compared to his sister.

    ¡°Siiiiiisssssstttteeeerrr!!!¡± an immediately recognizable voice could be heard coming from the door.

    ¡°Jay!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed at once knowing who is was.

    ¡°Psst call me Instructor Jay in front of her, she is too up tied for her own good,¡± Jay immediately whispered to Xiaoxia as he walked past and towards his sister.

    ¡°Idiot Brother, what do you want?¡± Instructor Wei was actually smiling sincerely when she greeted him.

    ¡°Awwww, is this how you greet your dearest brother?¡± he replied.

    ¡°C¡¯mere! Give me a hug,¡± Jay called out while spreading his arms open.

    ¡°Ooooof!¡±

    In respond to this, Instructor Wei¡¯s right foot was planted on Jay¡¯s face.

    ¡°Don''t touch me with your dirty hands, pervert brother, sick brother, rotten brother, psycho brother,¡± Instructor Wei mouthed off, oddly still smiling in fondness rather than anger.

    ¡°After all I have done for you? Why Heavens!! You have no eyes!! Sob Sob!¡± Jay faked some tears.

    ¡°So how do you know each other?¡± Instructor Wei immediately caught on when Xiaoxia called out Jay¡¯s name.

    ¡°Oh well, I met this chap sometime back at this training hall,¡± Jay replied, obviously forgetting his agreement with Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Instructed Wei was a little surprised and turn to Xiaoxia asking, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°He asked me to keep quiet about it, since he destroyed the last room,¡± Xiaoxia defended himself without hesitation, since the cat was already out of the bag.

    ¡°Oh! Damn, I forgot! My bad young fella,¡± Jay replied and admitted, however his demeanor was really carefree and no one knew if he meant it.

    ¡°Showing off again in front of students? Didn¡¯t you get into trouble the last time that happened? You promised not to do it again, when will you ever learn?¡± Instructor Wei chided Jay.

    ¡°Hey it was not as if I did that on purpose, there was not a single soul around when I started, besides it was after classes,¡± Jay argued.

    ¡°Ah forget it,¡± Instructor Wei said with a tone of resignation.

    ¡°Why are you here then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Can¡¯t an elder brother pay a visit to his darl¡¯n sister with no reasons?¡± Jay asked with a playful smirked.

    ¡°Sure, but you never appear whenever I need your help, so why now?¡± Instructor Wei insisted for a truthful answer.

    ¡°Well, not going to lie to you, I was a little curious about this fella over here, and since I already found what you messaged me for, I took the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone,¡± he answered.

    ¡°This fella is none of your concern, it¡¯s between me and MeisterSchloss,¡± she did not bother to explain to him.

    ¡°You are making me more curious,¡± Jay stated for that matter.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt Instructors,¡± Xiaoxia quickly interjected, ¡°But Instructor Jay, since you are here, can you tell me what techniques you were using that day?¡±

    ¡°Young fella, they are unique skills, no one else has them,¡± Jay replied, temporarily dropping the issue with his sister.

    Xiaoxia understood from past conversations with others, that each individual who have attained Unknown Realm could create their own unique skills.

    ¡°If you are really interested, you can request for discipleship under me,¡± Jay grinned widely. Much like Instructor Wei, only his mouth could be seen, otherwise his other features were hidden.

    ¡°You can dream all you like, he is MY disciple,¡± Instructor Wei objected, causing Xiaoxia to widen his eyes at the implication of what was just said.

    Copyright ? 2015, Loke Weng Tuck. All Rights Reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 19: Monster in the making

    It did not matter if Instructor Wei initially objected to being officially assigned to Xiaoxia, it did not matter if Xiaoxia was a once in a million years genius. It was a matter of principle.

    Moreover, Instructor Wei was screwed over by Menon. No doubt there was a basis to his actions, and now water under the bridge; being screwed was still being screwed. In addition to all these factors, she sincerely trained Xiaoxia for more than a month now.

    As a result, for anyone to suggest taking Xiaoxia as their disciple was akin to insulting her.

    "Idiot brother, do you realize the nonsense I had to go through because of him?" she asked incredulously.

    "Awww sowee, it was a joke!" Jay apologized in a very childish way.

    "You joke too much, thank goodness your are my brother and not someone else, bleah!" Instructor Wei stuck out her tongue at Jay after saying this.

    In the Academy of the Six Elements, Instructors avoided conflict with each other. There are a few rare occasions which confrontations ended up extremely unpleasant.

    "Hahaha! I knew you would understand me," Jay said while giving Instructor Wei a slap on the back.

    "Ouch, stop it, you do not know your own strength," Instructor Wei complained with a visible wince.

    Watching the sibling''s dialogue was very refreshing for Xiaoxia, till now the only side he saw of Instructor Wei was the exact opposite. To him she was strict and cold, even till the point of overbearing.

    "Xia Er what are you waiting for? Quick bow and greet your spanking brand new Mentor!" Jay had walked over to Xiaoxia and gave him the same slap on the back to egged him on.

    "Cough cough ahem ahem!" Xiaoxia had the wind knocked out of him.

    "Ahem! Disciple greets Mentor!" he knelt on his knees, cupped his hands and bowed towards her.

    "You may rise," Instructor Wei told him, using a cylindrical prism to swipe over his right hand, and said, "we are not officially contracted."

    The runic symbols on Xiaoxia''s right hand started glowing in reaction to the prism, certain symbols transformed and it quickly faded away.

    "Ah! this makes me want to cry, the first ever disciple for my sister, sob sob." Jay was really embellishing it and started crying crocodile tears.

    "Stop it already idiot brother, you are embarrassing me in front of my Disciple," Instructor Wei complained.

    "No worries sister, with me around you do not need to be embarrassed of anything," Jay declared puffing up his chest and banging his left hand over his heart.

    Instructor Wei could only roll her eyes*.

    (*Author''s note: its a metaphor, no one can see her features)

    Jay was grinning from ear to ear now, both Instructor Wei and Xiaoxia could practically hear the gears ticking away in his brains. He was definitely scheming something and both their guts told them it was not a good thing.

    "No no no no no, before you even think about anything please leave," Instructor Wei took a preemptive measure before Jay could utter a word.

    "Hey its not all bad, I swear on my children''s mum''s life that it would be good," Jay promised.

    "You don''t have children, and since when did you get a wife?" Instructor Wei caught Jay''s lie.

    "Oh damn, I forgot! Ok I swear upon our ancestors that this will be good," Jay reiterated.

    "Please stop! You are swearing upon people you do not know and do not even exist," Instructor Wei pleaded exasperatedly.

    "Since I have never-ever-forever taken a real disciple myself, and since you young fella is the first one for my sister, that makes you my Shizhi!" Jay said while pointing a finger at Xiaoxia, almost sounding as if he had an epiphany.

    (Author''s note: Shizhi, literal translation is teacher nephew, it sounds awful so I used Shizhi instead. It means disciple of ones sister or brother, regardless of blood siblings or clan/guild siblings)

    "Ah, idiot brother, psycho brother, I am not going to let you torture my new Disciple," Instructor Wei vehemently objected.

    "Mentor, what do you mean," Xiaoxia was curious, he adjusted the honorifics when referring to Instructor Wei accordingly.

    "Don''t listen to her, she doesn''t know what she is saying," Jay interjected.

    "Over the years my idiot brother has been in this school, there are thousands of students who have resigned as his disciple," she paused looking at Xiaoxia, letting it sink in before continuing, "even the Council of Elements have issued a suspension, preventing him from accepting new disciples."

    "It was all baseless accusations, those students were weak-spoilt-brats who could not take it like a man!" Jay denied his wrongs vociferously.

    "There were girls as well," Instructor Wei calmly added.

    "Well, they were self-absorb-petty-sluts who thought they could pass by batting their eyelids at me," Jay once again defended himself.

    "There is no talking to you," Instructor Wei said exasperatedly but insisted, "besides it does not matter if he is your Shizhi now, it won''t change the fact that I will not let you touch a single hair on him."

    "Xiaoxia! Help your Shishu, you want to learn my skills right?" this time Jay tried to gain the majority vote by winning over Xiaoxia.

    (Author''s note: Shishu, literal translation Teacher Uncle, same as Shizhi, doesn''t translate nicely, hence using Shishu. This means the older brother of the Mentor)

    "Don''t even try it, we are contracted for 2 years, and I will make his life a living nightmare, if he agrees with you," Instructor Wei was looking at Jay, but Xiaoxia knew this applied to him as well.

    "Here I will give you this," Jay took out something from his quantum bag and draped it over Xiaoxia.

    "Idiot brother, its too big for him, and it won''t wo...," Instructor Wei stopped in the middle of her speech looking at Xiaoxia incredulously.

    "I''ll be damn!" both siblings were looking at Xiaoxia now, making him feel uneasy.

    "Sorry Mentor, Jay Shishu, but what is this?" Xiaoxia was looking at the thing covering his body, it looked familiar.

    "Here this will help," Jay tapped on this quantum bag again and took out a full length mirror that reach over 10 feet.

    "Huh? Why is there a mirror in your quantum belt?" Xiaoxia asked, really not understanding who would bring a mirror along in their quantum belt.

    "My Idiot, psycho brother is a narcissist, he loves admiring himself in the mirror," Instructor Wei said before Jay could reply Xiaoxia.

    "That''s not true, and I don''t only have one mirror," he said, rapidly taking out other mirrors from his quantum bag.

    When he was finally done, Xiaoxia could see himself in the hundreds of mirrors surrounding the room. He was wearing the same thing as Jay and Instructor Wei, although it was too big for him and the hem was dragging on the floor.

    "See, the mirrors are useful right?" Jay happily said, seeing Xiaoxia using it.

    "As I told you he is a narcissist, perhaps an uber one based on the amount of mirrors he has," Instructor Wei said in disgust.

    "Bah! Don''t listen to her, she is bias against me," Jay insisted, "besides the mirrors are an important tool for my skills."

    "Skills? And why the cloak?" Xiaoxia asked, somehow not understanding the connection between the mirrors and skills. At the same time he was feeling a weird sensation from the cloak.

    "Mirrors aside, Xiaoxia do you feel anything?" Instructor Wei changed the topic and asked, just when Xiaoxia was about to voice out the sensation coming from the cloak.

    "Yes, there is a distinct sense of something from this cloak, which I can''t put my finger to," Xiaoxia replied.

    Jay and Instructor Wei were looking at each other and Instructor Wei nodded to her brother. Jay turned to Xiaoxia and said, "Xia Er, this cloak has abilities only meant for people of our race, normal people will be able to wear one but not activate its abilities."

    Xiaoxia did not understand what she meant, as he looked into the mirror, he only saw a slight figure with only his mouth being the visible feature. It was shorter than his actual height and smaller.

    "Xia Er, try to direct some Ki into it while looking at the mirror," Jay instructed.

    Xiaoxia gathered some Ki and released it slowly out of his body, he felt it being quickly absorbed through his skin. While looking at the mirror, he noticed the cloak was transforming and in a moment it was a perfect fit.

    "Pheeeeewwwwiiiitt!! Amazing, Yan mei your Disciple looks like he has some amazing potential!" Jay whistled loudly while breathlessly exclaiming in excitement.

    "Mentor, Jay Shishu! Please tell me what you mean by your race, what is this cloak and who is Yan mei?" Xiaoxia interrupted, still not sure what it all meant.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Jay lowered his cloak, he then beckoned Instructor Wei to do so as well. Xiaoxia could see their golden pupils as well as platinum blonde hair, their ears where up-swept and lobe-less like the Elves, however their eyebrows were forked at the end. Their skin was clear and whiter than porcelain, there were hints of sparkles hovering around it.

    When they removed it, Jay and Instructor Wei grew suddenly. Jay was over 8 and a half feet, and Instructor Wei was over 7 and a half feet. Both siblings were more slender than before, and the digits were not only slender but slightly longer.

    "We are from the Faerie race, in particular the Earth Faerie tribe. One of the 4 longest living races in Yuan Zhong. We are the physical embodiment of our distant cousins the Ethereal Faeries who are Mythical Beings," Jay answered Xiaoxia and continued, "Wei Yan is your Mentor''s name, you shall call her Mentor Yan, and my real name is Wei Song, but you will call me Jay Shishu."

    (Author''s note: Wei is their family name, Yan means Swallow a type of bird. Song literally translated to Jay a type of bird)

    "Other than the Elves, the other 3 races are extremely aggressive. Like us, not all amongst the 3 races bear the same aggression, however the passage of time have made a legacy for us. None of us are safe outside our borders," Instructor Wei explained further.

    "There are groups who will destroy cities without hesitation if someone from the 3 races is found there, hence we all have our own ways of masking ourselves in foreign lands" Instructed Wei concluded, while indicating to Jay to continue.

    "MeisterSchloss as well as the Academy is a neutral zone, they are powerful enough to deter most of these groups," Jay continued the narration, "however there are powers beyond imagination whose desires are aligned with these groups, therefore we still maintain disguises to avoid bringing trouble here."

    "Needless to say, we have utmost confidence in your ability to maintain this secret," Jay concluded.

    All this while, Jay''s was unlike his usual self and there was a serious undertone. Xiaoxia clearly understood the importance of what both of them were telling him.

    "Yan mei, I will train Xia Er as well," Jay spoke in a way that indicated no room for discussion.

    "Yes brother," Mentor Yan nodded, not adding her usual remarks.

    "Xia Er come here," Jay motioned for Xiaoxia to move over.

    Xiaoxia moved over from where he stood looking at the mirrors. Then as Jay was placing his fingers on to Xiaoxia''s wrist, Instructor Wei immediately cried out, "Brother beware! You need to set up a strong defense before you do it."

    Stopping himself just short of touching Xiaoxia, he asked, "How much?"

    "For this, all the defense you can muster," Instructor Wei warned, clearly remembering her near fatal mistake.

    Jay moved away from Xiaoxia and activated his defense within a split second, however it still continued to gather and grow. In a short time, the pressure emitting from it was incredible.

    "Xia Er, put up the strongest defense you can around your Ki center, and drain all the Ki from your Ki vessels," Instructor Wei quickly shouted out, doing so herself.

    Xiaoxia nodded and did exactly as she said, setting up a defense around his Ki center while draining the Ki vessels throughout his body into the surroundings.

    "Good! Now move to the platform and start cultivating, do not move till you are told to," Jay said, repeating the scenario that Instructor Wei did more than a month ago.

    "Yes Jay Shishu," Xiaoxia acknowledged and move onto the cultivating platform and started

    "Start to circulate your Ki and flow it around your body," Jay instructed Xiaoxia.

    At this point, Xiaoxia felt the tremendous pressure of Jay as he sat beside him. If Instructor Wei had not ordered Xiaoxia to set up a defense around his Ki center, he would had suffered serious damage from the intense aura.

    It was not an attack, but the defense around Xiaoxia''s Ki center was wearing out around the edges. Jay''s defense aura was overwhelming it and it was only by the slimmest of margins that Xiaoxia is able to regenerate it.

    His Ki vessels would have ruptured as well if he still had Ki in them. The Ki radiating from Jay was extremely strong and would have conflicted with Xiaoxia''s Ki in the Ki Vessels and created a disastrous effect.

    At the moment Jay moved his right hand and almost placed his fingers on Xiaoxia''s wrist, an intense silver spark shot out. Jay winced visibly, but continued to place his fingers.

    Immediately two conflicting auras emerged from the contact point; an intense golden aura emerging from the contact points on Xiaoxia''s skin, and an incandescent scarlet aura from Jay''s fingers.

    Within a few seconds, the intense golden aura from Xiaoxia started moving up into Jay''s fingers. At this point Jay was grimacing visibly. A moment later it moved up to his wrist.

    The intense golden aura stayed there for almost a few minutes before breaking through. By then Jay''s face was pale and contorted in full concentration. The intense silver aura continued slowly, heading for the elbow.

    Before it could reach the elbow, Jay tapped on the elbow meridian with his spare hand and then immediately disengage the contact.

    "Whew! that was a close call," Jay let out a breath of relief. He was turning blue and his right arm was shaking.

    "So how was it?" Instructor Wei asked in a concerned voice. She did not try it again since the first time, as it was life threatening. Seeing her brother do it made her worried for his well being.

    "Yan mei, you are talking about your brother here! This is nothing," Jay boasted.

    "Brother let me see your hand," Instructor Wei asked.

    "Nah its ok, no problem with it," Jay insisted.

    "Let me see your hand," Instructor Wei asked again adamantly.

    "Alright, alright, it will heal up immediately anyway," Jay relented and showed his hands, but still putting up a heroic front.

    The porcelain white skin on Jay''s right hand was marred with a large bruise, the skin was slightly shriveled as if it had the moisture sucked out of it.

    "Brother you need extremely high grade herbs and elixirs to recover, and it will take months," Instructor Wei informed him after examining his hand.

    "Rubbish, with proper Ki refining the healing will be much faster, ugh!" Jay again winced as he place his hands away, he was stubborn but still felt the pain.

    "Idiot brother, why can''t you be serious for more than a moment?!" Instructor Wei replied rather furiously.

    "I am sowee, please don''t be angwee," Jay replied, having fallen back into his usual demeanor and even spoke in a childish way.

    "Shishu, are you alright? How was it?" Xiaoxia was very worried for Jay and curious at the same time, "what was that golden aura?"

    Both siblings looked at Xiaoxia with a serious expression, then they placed back their hoods, returning back to their previous guise.

    "Xiaoxia, I do not know exactly why there is such a strong force within your body," Jay replied honestly.

    "The amount of energy released from that aura has nothing to do with your Ki center or Ki vessels. It is something I have never seen before," he reiterated his lack of knowledge.

    "There is something there, another meridian, right at your heart. I could not get close enough, the aura was too intense," he continued, "I can only guess and theorize that this energy is from there."

    "As for what it is, I won''t say it is Ki, or rather it is some form of Ki I have never felt or seen before," he concluded.

    "Brother, that is true, Menon had found out about a Unique meridian in Xiaoxia''s body," Instructor Wei informed Jay and explained more, "however the machines are not able to ascertain where it is or what type of Ki is associated with it."

    "These are the only things it could tell us," at this point, Instructor Wei passed the print outs from Menon to Jay.

    Jay nodded as he glanced over the printouts, there was no reaction for a while as he was digesting the information.

    Xiaoxia looked on anxiously, still wondering if there was going to be any further development.

    "Most of these results are in sync with what I learned, however they do not tell the whole story," Jay finally spoke after a while.

    "Menon''s results may be impressive from all angles, but the most impressive thing is this," Jay stopped his evaluation as he looked directly at Xiaoxia, "you are a monster in the making."

    Copyright ? 2015, Loke Weng Tuck. All Rights Reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 20: Unique skill

    ¡°Boom!¡±

    ¡°You see now right?¡± Jay insisted, as he stopped his motions while looking at the mirror.

    ¡°We don¡¯t see anything, but you admiring yourself like the uber narcissist you are,¡± Instructor Wei mocked him.

    ¡°Sorry Jay Shishu, but I still do not see what you are referring to,¡± Xiaoxia admitted his doubts as well.

    ¡°The heavens have no eyes! Why are my sister and Shizhi both retards?!¡± Jay made an exaggerated show of lifting his hands in the general direction of the sky.

    Instructor Wei and Xiaoxia were speechless after he said that, they really couldn¡¯t do anything about him.

    ¡°Mentor, isn¡¯t there anything you can do?¡± Xiaoxia asked Instructor Wei.

    ¡°I am afraid not, once he starts he won¡¯t stop,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Ok listen up, you as well Yan mei so you can get better,¡± Jay pointed to Instructor Wei, she was visibly grinding her teeth after hearing that.

    ¡°Look very closely. I will make it so slow a pea brain can see it,¡± Jay let lose a sarcastic remark, before starting to move slowly.

    ¡°Boom! ¡­¡­¡­. Boom! ¡­¡­¡­. Boom! ¡­¡­¡­. Boom! ¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Ki energy was discharged from his right hand at set intervals, each time moving slowly while emphasizing the flow of his actions.

    ¡°Do you see now?¡± Jay asked when he was done demonstrating.

    ¡°Yes, how about you Xiaoxia?¡± Instructor Wei replied and asked.

    ¡°I think I get what you are trying to show,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°So what is the exact thing I am showing you?¡± Jay asked him.

    ¡°There are some very different movements when you used your skills, however I am not sure what it does,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s called efficient movement, I already know that,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing, and yet you are still like this,¡± Jay was insinuating Instructor Wei is not up to par.

    ¡°Just shut up,¡± Instructor Wei scolded him.

    ¡°So Xia Er, you see why it¡¯s so important?¡± Jay asked Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Yes Shishu, I understand the principal behind the mirrors now,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    Efficient movement, is achieving the best possible results, while taking the shortest achievable route with each movement of the body.

    A person is unable to properly monitor his movements, therefore Jay¡¯s idea of improving his skills via mirrors was an ingenious one. Even Instructor Wei was begrudging of that fact.

    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t need it with Yan mei guiding you, but there are times where it won¡¯t be possible,¡± Jay concluded.

    ¡°Anyway, got to go! See you both sometime soon,¡± Jay tried to hug his sister goodbye, but got a boot to his face again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Instructor Wei vehemently said, as she removed her feet from his face.

    ¡°Hahaha! Oh well, see you Xia Er, remember to look after my sister,¡± Jay brushed it off and laughed, while waving goodbye to Xiaoxia and left the room.

    ¡°Good riddance,¡± Instructor Wei said after Jay left.

    ¡°Xia Er, you are going to train in the battle room to hone your battle instincts,¡± she spoke to Xiaoxia, her tone less overbearing as compared to before.

    ¡°At the same time, do not worry about the special meridian or unique skills,¡± she advised him, while explaining, ¡°unique skills is only achievable after you attained Unknown Realm, as for the special meridian, there is nothing we know or can do about it. Rather, dwelling on it will just waste what little time we have for you to improve before the competition.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mentor I understand,¡± Xiaoxia nodded.

    ¡°Try to mimic my movement earlier on when I gathered Ki to my feet,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± he replied, and started gathering the Ki around his feet.

    ¡°Ok good, now I will explain what you will do next, follow my instructions closely,¡± she began to tell him how it works, ¡°with the Ki around your feet, slowly push off from the spot. In the meantime try to maintain balance.¡±

    Xiaoxia began to push off the ground with the Ki around his foot. Nothing happened initially, but slowly increasing the amount of Ki, he was soon sliding across the ground.

    ¡°Good, now I want you to jump with the assistance of the Ki,¡± Instructor Wei gave further instructions.

    Stopping his slide, he applied a Ki reinforced jump and managed to reach half way to the ceiling. The ceiling was 50 feet high.

    ¡°Nice work, now for the rest of today¡¯s lesson, I want you to practice sliding and jumping till you have mastered it,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia acknowledge and started his training.

    **********

    ¡°Xiaoxia!¡± Charlotte called to him as he approached the restaurant, she was with Libby and Sima.

    ¡°Hello!¡± Xiaoxia smiled in reply.

    ¡°Yo!¡± Sima greeted.

    ¡°Hi Libby,¡± Xiaoxia waved at Libby, but she remained silent and just stared at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, come lets go grab a table,¡± Charlotte said.

    They walked towards the ma?tre d''h?tel and queued in line.

    ¡°How many today madam?¡± she asked as their turn arrived.

    ¡°Just the four of us,¡± Charlotte replied.

    ¡°Four? Where are the rest?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°They are busy, come let us go in,¡± Charlotte grabbed Xiaoxia¡¯s arm and pulled him along, as the restaurant host lead them to their table.

    ¡°Ooomphh,¡± Xiaoxia sat heavily, his body aching from the training that morning. He was still energetic, but his body was hurting in places he never knew he had.

    ¡°You got into a fight?¡± Sima was asking after noticing Xiaoxia¡¯s expression as he sat.

    ¡°Nope, training is too tough,¡± Xiaoxia honestly replied.

    ¡°Oh, are you training for the competition?¡± Charlotte asked excitedly.

    ¡°Erm, yes, are you all as well?¡± he answered while asking them as well.

    ¡°Yup we all have to,¡± Sima replied.

    ¡°The rest aren¡¯t here because their empires and alliances have sent people to train them, and the Academy isn¡¯t doing anything about it since it¡¯s an official request,¡± Charlotte informed Xiaoxia with a look of sadness.

    ¡°Are you guys training as well?¡± Xiaoxia asked other three.

    ¡°I do not need to train, neither does Libby. We are good as it is,¡± Charlotte smiled proudly, while Libby remained quiet.

    ¡°For me, the competition is not my style. I will forfeit on the stage, so I am not training,¡± Sima replied, Xiaoxia wasn¡¯t sure if he was joking.

    ¡°He lies! He doesn¡¯t need to train as well, since he already is good enough,¡± Charlotte cast Sima a playful look.

    ¡°Haha, doesn¡¯t matter let¡¯s all order some food I am hungry,¡± Xiaoxia replied, as usual his appetite was made much stronger after the training.

    So the four friends had their meals, and walked along the mall. Charlotte and Libby did their usual shopping, while the guys just stood around and chatted. All seems nice, but the absence of the others could be felt.

    Accordingly to both Sima and Charlotte, the rest will not be joining them till after the competition. To make matters worse, even after the competition some may not return.

    The alliances who have students among their members, are usually link intimately with the empires they are in, as such both have an active say in the training of the student. Usually they conform to the regulations of the school, however at times, the rules are bent in various situations.

    Both the alliances and empires, provide vast resources to support the student if they qualify for the Academy of the Six Elements. Their conditions are extremely strict as well.

    Students who fail to meet a set of criteria each academic year are no longer supported. It is with this in mind, those students were extremely hardworking, they spare no effort to meet and achieve every criteria.

    The same cannot be said for students whose families are able to afford the astronomical tuition fees. Some sent their children to the Academy as a public status, while some for legacy, while others just want their children out of the way.

    Besides Charlotte and Sima, Winfrey and the others did not have families who could afford the school fees. Libby was a special case, the details were not privy to Xiaoxia, he only knew she was qualified enough to be in the Titled freshmen classes.

    ¡°I hope the girls get back soon, lunch break is about to be over,¡± Xiaoxia¡¯s lunch timing has been adjusted by Instructor Wei due to the strenuous training. With this, his lunch perfectly aligned with the others, he no longer needed to leave earlier.

    ¡°Aiiiiieeeeee!!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°EEeeeeeekk!¡± suddenly piercing loud screams and many loud noises were heard coming from the south end of the mall strip.

    ¡°Someone is in trouble,¡± Xiaoxia turned towards the sound and started to move off.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Sima restrained Xiaoxia, before speaking to him, ¡°Xiaoxia, we are just freshmen, there is nothing we can do. There are plenty of upperclassmen around, if there is trouble they are more than capable to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Sima, I thank you for your concern, however I am not one who just sit around doing nothing when someone is in danger,¡± Xiaoxia replied, waiting for Sima to release his arm.

    ¡°Ok, but just don¡¯t do anything stupid, or I do not know what to explain to Charlotte and Libby when they come back,¡± Sima relented, then winked once and released Xiaoxia¡¯s arm.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, I will take care of myself!¡± Xiaoxia shouted and wave back while rushing to the scene.

    Using the technique Instructor Wei just taught him earlier in the day, he gathered Ki around his feet and rushed past many others. Nearing the origin of the noise, he could see the bodies of students as well as instructors sprawled on the ground.

    There was a group of unidentified people with masks, who were fighting with instructors near the center of the mall¡¯s south end. There was only four intruders compared the instructors who were in the dozens.

    However these four intruders were extremely strong, and killed many instructors instantly. The defeated instructors fell like dominoes one after the other, there was no one strong enough who could stop them.

    ¡°Hey you guys!¡± a very familiar voice shouted clearly amidst the turmoil, when all the instructors were almost decimated.

    Everyone suddenly stopped, and looked towards a cloaked figure standing among some of the bodies. Xiaoxia immediately knew who it was.

    ¡°Jay, what is he doing here?¡± Xiaoxia wondered to himself, thinking perhaps this was one of those groups who Instructor Wei and Jay had told him about.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± one of the intruders stopped and asked Jay.

    ¡°Me? I am just a nobody, just an employee of this Academy,¡± Jay replied.

    ¡°If you value your life, you better scram,¡± the intruder replied, apparently the leader of this group.

    ¡°I am sorry, I may be a nobody, but I am still an instructor,¡± Jay rejected the offer and move towards the intruders.

    ¡°Bastard! You asked for it, attack!!,¡± the leader shouted and all four intruders rushed Jay.

    One of the intruders started using foot techniques similar to what Xiaoxia learned, he disappeared from sight and end up at the back of Jay. Another did the same thing and appeared on Jay¡¯s right, this continued till the four of them caught Jay in a pincer attacked.

    As all the four intruders lunged at Jay, he calmly activated his Ki defense and rapidly blocked the attacks. Lashing out suddenly, his counter attack caught one of the intruders in the chest and the intruder crumpled onto the ground.

    The other three hastily retreated, they were analyzing the situation. Clearly Jay was on a different level as compared to the other instructors.

    ¡°Haha! Sorry for not knowing our strength, but dear friend, we need that child over there,¡± the leader indicated to a body lying on the ground, it was a female upperclassmen, and continued speaking, ¡°If you let us leave peacefully, we promise there will be no repercussions to this school.¡±

    ¡°Friend? Wasn¡¯t it ¡®bastard¡¯ earlier on?¡± Jay mocked the leader.

    ¡°Whoever you are, we do not want further trouble,¡± the leader said.

    ¡°You do not want further trouble? Then why did you create it in the first place?¡± Jay roared angrily, he was beginning to gather Ki.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push us!¡± the leader warned.

    Seeing the increasing Ki aura from Jay, the intruders placed something into their mouths and suddenly their auras were rising as well. However their Ki was fluctuating wildly and was not as defined nor as refined as Jays.

    ¡°Boosters? Hahaha, it won¡¯t be of any use!¡± Jay laughed at their meager attempts to fight him using enhancement drugs.

    ¡°Everyone cover your eyes and lay on the ground!¡± Jay shouted to all the bystanders looking from afar. Then he just vanished from the spot he was in and appeared behind the trio. Jay literally went ballistic at this point.

    ¡°BA DA BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!¡± an ear splitting explosion followed by various others, shook the entirety of the mall¡¯s south end. Dust blew up everywhere and bystanders within five hundred feet of Jay, were pushed dozens of feet back.

    ¡°Ergh! You¡­you¡­wil...will will...regret this!¡± a broken figure was speaking to Jay, it was the leader of the intruders. All three of them were taken out in a flash by Jay.

    ¡°I already regret arriving here late,¡± Jay snorted as he replied.

    ¡°Cough, cough, the.. there will be more of us, if..iff..if she is not ou¡­ours,¡± the leader collapsed, dead after conveying those words.

    ¡°Sheesh, is this all they have, gosh! They are weaker than I thought!¡± Jay rattled on, with a sad expression on his face, he had wanted a more challenging fight.

    ¡°Jay Shishu!¡± Xiaoxia called out to him, after picking himself up.

    ¡°Oh Xia Er! What brings you here?¡± Jay asked curiously, as Xiaoxia ran towards him.

    ¡°Jay Shishu, I was shopping after dinner with my friends, and heard a commotion coming from here, so I rushed over,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Oh no! Where are your friends I hope they didn¡¯t get caught in my skill!¡± Jay exclaimed.

    ¡°No they are fine, I left them behind and came here alone,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Trying to be a hero huh?¡± Jay grinned and slapped Xiaoxia on the back.

    ¡°Ack! Cough cough ahem ahem!¡± Xiaoxia had the wind knocked out from him again by Jay.

    ¡°Oops! Sorry,¡± Jay apologized, and at that time a shadow flew overhead.

    ¡°Whoosh!¡± it zipped pass where Jay and Xiaoxia were standing, and was soon far away.

    ¡°Instructor! They have taken her!¡± someone among the spectator shouted.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Jay cursed.

    It was the first intruder that Jay had knocked out, he regained his consciousness shortly after his companions were taken out. Grasping the opportunity when the cloud of dust was obscuring the entire scene, he crept to where the female upperclassmen was and carried her away using a sole plate.

    ¡°Shoot! I was too careless, I should not have left one alive for questioning,¡± Jay was lamenting after the fact.

    ¡°Whoosh!¡± this time a huge gust of wind blew up right beside Jay.

    ¡°Oh no! Xia Er wait!¡± Jay shouted loudly, but was already too late, Xiaoxia was in an instant a tiny spot, chasing after the intruder. Jay immediately followed on the ground.

    Xiaoxia did not think of any plan, the moment he saw the intruder on the sole plate, he immediately took out his own from the quantum bag. It is now always in there, even though the Academy banned the use of it.

    Since the previous incident with the flying club, Xiaoxia found out they can only fly in one of the Academy¡¯s various indoor stadiums. These were gigantic structures over a thousand feet high and thousands of feet in length and width. Hence he always brought along his sole plate, hoping for the opportunity to fly it in one of them.

    ¡°Ah, its been a long time! But what am I going to do?¡± Xiaoxia was wondering to himself, while actually more excited about flying.

    The intruder was very strong, besides Jay, none of the other instructors had any chance against him. Xiaoxia had to come up with something or he will end up as one of the bodies on the ground. He was catching up really fast against the slower moving sole plate, and would immediately be within range of the intruder''s attacks.

    ¡°Whiz!¡±

    Without warning, bright blue bursts of Ki attacks lashed past Xiaoxia, one almost hit him directly in the face, thankfully the distance between them was sufficient for him to avoid the rest with ease. After a while, other Ki attacks followed suit when he was much nearer, and he had to maneuver the sole plate skillfully to avoid them.

    The intruder started slowing down drastically, busy trying to take down Xiaoxia instead of moving farther ahead. This caused the gap to decrease rapidly and was soon gone. By this time, Xiaoxia had already gathered all the Ki for his defense. The strain is less pronounced now than before, because it was not constantly activated.

    Whenever he was unable to avoid a Ki burst attack, he would instantly create a high intensity defense around his hand and deflect it away. The intruder¡¯s Ki burst attacks were powerful, and soon Xiaoxia¡¯s hands started to feel numb.

    A thousand feet above ground, the struggle continued. The intruder who was injured by Jay prior to this, was tiring quickly and his reactions dull. Xiaoxia knew the opportunity will arrive soon.

    Unexpectedly, the intruder began to plummet to the ground, it looked like he had lost consciousness. Immediately Xiaoxia dived after to save the upperclassman who was held under the intruder¡¯s arms, speeding headfirst into them.

    In no time, Xiaoxia was so close he could almost touch the upperclassmen, when all of a sudden the intruder turned around and lashed out with Ki. There was no way anyone can avoid it at this distance.

    The intruder tricked Xiaoxia into following him in a headfirst plunge, making it extremely hard to maneuver and avoid Ki attacks. The intruder was sure that this time Xiaoxia will die.

    Not expecting the attack, Xiaoxia took the hit right through his chest. The pain seared through his whole body and he almost lost consciousness. Instantly he began to feel an extremely warm sensation, and he was looking at himself.

    From below the intruder was staring in disbelief, he managed to hit Xiaoxia straight in the heart, but he did not die and there was a golden aura emitting from his chest. The next moment, Xiaoxia vanished from the intruder¡¯s sight.

    Confused the intruder tried looking around and felt a pressure on his back, immediately all his Ki directed there and set up a defense.

    ¡°Do you think you can protect yourself with such measly defense?¡± the intruder heard a voice saying.

    ¡°SHZLARK!¡±

    A single intensely strong light was seen shooting across the sky, it original form was only a sliver, but the intensity of the light made it seem much larger. The color was even more magnificent, it had the hue of bright yellow gold.

    ¡°Urgh!¡± blood spurted out the intruder¡¯s mouth as he struggled to breathe his last breath. The person who he was holding onto was removed as he plummeted a little over 100 feet the ground.

    Xiaoxia could still feel the pain on his chest, he was no longer plunging headfirst to rescue the upperclassman. Now he was carrying her over his shoulders and slowly descending onto the ground.

    ¡°Woah! Xia Er, are you ok? I saw everything, what happened to you?¡± Jay was already on the ground, having given chase from the mall.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Xiaoxia replied, looking down at his shirt, there was a circular bruise visible on his chest through the torn fabric of his uniform.

    ¡°It felt like I was looking at myself from somewhere,¡± he continued and added, ¡°I saw myself teleporting behind the intruder¡¯s back and pierced through him with a golden beam.¡±

    Jay kept silent as he digested the information. Then he spoke, "Xia Er, what you did up there was not normal. It was not a foot technique, and that golden beam was not a normal Ki color."

    "I could see the intruder''s defense being set up the instant you placed your finger to his back. I am certain at the very least he was at peak Grandmaster Realm. For your skill to penetrate and go right through his defense like it was nothing, means its not just any skill," Jay explained his observations while pausing before speaking again,

    "There are similarities to certain skills I have, but its power is way more impressive, being able to take down someone who is at least three realms above you," Jay looked at Xiaoxia with admiration.

    Then his looks changed to a more serious one, "Xia Er, it would be proper to congratulate you on this, but in view of the circumstances it might not be wise."

    "You have a Unique Skill," Jay concluded.

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 21: Welcome to the Freshmen Competition

    The entire island continent of MeisterSchloss had seen the golden light, it shot through into the sky and beyond the outer atmosphere of the main world.

    Many people were amazed at it, some even cowered in fear, while others bowed their heads in prayers.

    Some colony planets who were facing that direction, caught the phenomenon a few minutes later as the light from the event finally reached them.

    About 70 million leagues away on the main world, in unknown lands, an eye opened. It belonged to a massive creature more than ten thousand feet in length and five thousand feet in height.

    It was roused from its slumber by the phenomenon as it laid on the top of a mountain range cloaked in dense clouds.

    ¡°Friends, an anomaly has appeared,¡± its thoughts reached out.

    Across the massive world, other creatures began to rouse in respond.

    ¡°It¡¯s aura is only comparable to that of a seedling,¡± replied one on the direct opposite of the planet. This creature was similar in size, it was submerged in a gigantic magma chamber beneath the planet¡¯s crust.

    ¡°But seedling grows,¡± another said, its thoughts came west of the previous creature. It was laying on the ocean floor, chewing lazily on a sea dragon which was caught as it swam by.

    ¡°There is no need to be alarmed,¡± yet one more replied, from the east. The earth shook as it swayed, creatures scattered immediately from its base, ¡°These young species do not live as long as we do.¡±

    ¡°The young ones are aggressive, over the aeons they have killed each other without thought,¡± a fifth replied, hidden deep in a labyrinth of caves. It was feasting on raw adamantium ore.

    ¡°We do not need to worry ourselves with these insignificant beings, they are but gnats that comes and goes. The one whom this aura comes from is not one like us, we who have been since the world was born,¡± the final creature said, it¡¯s thoughts a cacophony of two. This creature was hidden in the spatial void of the world.

    ¡°This is true, but there are times insignificant species have brought great calamity to this world,¡± the first creature remarked.

    ¡°Then we shall continue to monitor this being, if a threat does appear, eliminate it,¡± the final creature said.

    There was a pause and together the other five agreed in unison, ¡°We concur.¡±

    ¡°AH!¡± a voice shouted, it shattered the calm and quietness of the night.

    ¡°This is simply not working!¡± the figure cried out in frustration. It was Xiaoxia.

    It was only two more days to the Freshmen Competition, and he had train vigilantly under the guidance of Instructor Wei. During the night, he secretly trained alone.

    Slightly more than a month ago, he had saved the female upperclassmen. She turned out to be one of the princesses of a major empire across the ocean from MeisterSchloss. The incident brought about a big commotion in the Academy, as the security of its students was in doubt.

    He did not have much recollection what happened later, as he collapsed and slept for 3 days. A few days later when he woke up, he read news from the Academy''s news bulletin regarding the incident.

    The syndicate behind the planned abduction, was still not found. The empire in question, could not find any leads and all clues ended with the death of the four intruders.

    The Council of Elements, as well as the Vice Chairman and Chairman, were extremely furious with the turn of events. There was no one who could enter the Academy without being detected. They had to be in cahoots with someone within the Academy in order to remain undetected.

    If the incident did not occur at the mall where there were many people, they would have succeeded in abducting the girl. It was only by stroke of luck and bad judgment on the intruder¡¯s part that it was unsuccessful.

    The many loss of lives of both students and instructors who were involved was truly regrettable. The affiliated empires and alliances of these students, as well as the Academy had been in contact with the empire of the princess, and compensation have been agreed on.

    Jay lead the after incident report, and left out Xiaoxia''s name from it. He warned Xiaoxia to keep a low profile after what happened, as many people had seen him in battle with the intruder.

    Besides this, he cautioned Xiaoxia not to try activating or train the skills he displayed in the battle. Jay surmised this based on the two times the golden energy has appeared, once when he measured Xiaoxia¡¯s stats and during the intruder battle.

    It was only when Xiaoxia was in extreme danger or life threatening situations that it had manifested itself. Jay said that it was akin to forbidden skills and techniques employed by certain individuals in history at great costs. Xiaoxia himself collapsed as a result of the tremendous Ki required of it.

    Most of these skills required extreme measures and on many occasions the sacrifice of human lives. Some do not require it, but those came at the cost of the life essence from the individuals practicing it, reducing their own lifespans. Hence any skill or techniques requiring any of these are strictly forbidden.

    ¡°Maybe I should just forget it,¡± Xiaoxia mumbled to himself.

    Xiaoxia had tried unsuccessfully since then to access these skills, the teleportation and golden aura. He even tried to reach into his special meridian, which was at his heart, as Jay informed him earlier. Unfortunately, the meridian started to absorb Ki at an astonishing rate, causing Xiaoxia to immediately withdraw for fear of his life.

    ¡°So you are here,¡± a voice spoke from behind him, it was Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Mentor!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed, surprised at her presence.

    ¡°What are you doing so late after classes?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I was training for the competition,¡± Xiaoxia replied, not really lying, since he was training earlier as well.

    ¡°Good, I came here to pass you this and some other information,¡± Instructor Wei said and passed him a device.

    ¡°Put this on, it will register you for the competition as well as indicate your Ki Realm,¡± she added.

    ¡°Yes Instructor,¡± Xiaoxia answered and took the device.

    Placing it on his wrist, the device came to life and on its surface it read ¡®Duelist Realm 9th Tier¡¯. He had gained 2 more tiers within 30 days.

    ¡°Impressive, even though you have not been earnestly cultivating your Ki and expanding your Ki vessels, you have already risen by 2 tiers,¡± Instructor Wei complimented him.

    ¡°Thank you Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia bowed and cupped his hands.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, this year¡¯s competition is an inter-continent event, held once every 7 years. The total participants for the freshmen throughout the competition is over 3 million from more than 10,000 empires. They are the elites of the freshmen on Yuan Zhong, most have already achieved Duelist Realm,¡± she informed him.

    ¡°As such, all freshmen in the Academy who have not attained Duelist Realms are not required to attend. Attendance is compulsory for those who have,¡± she then took out her prism and a hologram appeared.

    ¡°There is more information here,¡± she added.

    -

    Academy of the Six Elements

    107,931st Year Inter-Continental Freshmen Competition

    Total Empires/Nations/Cities: 10,037

    Total participants: 3,207,318

    Format: Knockout

    Duration: 15 days

    Days to Opening Ceremony: 2 days 3 hours 28 minutes 14 seconds

    -

    It was a live screen mimicking the one situated at the main stadium, which is the arena for later stages of the competition. Detailed information of each match was in it as well, the information showed the current Ki Realm, race, academy they are from, and the empire/alliance of each individual.

    ¡°There are humanoid beings in this competition as well,¡± Instructor Wei told Xiaoxia.

    Humanoid beings were very different from the racial beings. They had looks and physiques closely resembling the racial beings, but some had extra limbs, tails and even horns. The racial beings were races like Xiaoxia¡¯s and Winfrey¡¯s group.

    The twins who are Xiaoxia¡¯s friends are not humanoid beings, they are part of the racial beings as well and they only had feline features. Their eyes (not pupils), nose bridge and cheekbones gave them feline appearances, they do not have felines ears, nose, paws, tails or teeth. The habit of saying ¡®meow¡¯ was not inherent of their race, it was something picked up by the sisters somehow.

    (Author¡¯s note: The twins are Bao Ya Ren ~ panther teeth people, even then panthers don¡¯t meow)

    ¡°You have to be careful when you meet one, especially those who have natural attacks and defenses,¡± Instructor Wei was saying.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied, having learnt that during lessons from Sem.

    After Xiaoxia became an official Disciple, Instructor Wei stopped the evening training and she managed to restart Xiaoxia¡¯s lesson with Sem. Initially Sem thought he dodged the bullet when it was first cancelled, and was very hesitant to restart it again.

    Only after Instructor Wei bribed him with the hair regrowth elixir, he finally relented and taught Xiaoxia. Sem or Uncle Sem as he likes to call himself, is a top class scholar. The lessons Xiaoxia took, broaden his horizons by many folds.

    Xiaoxia was literally overwhelmed with information, it was beyond his imagination. Sem not only taught what the alliances teaches their students, he added many other topics. These included alchemy, engineering, subjects on crafts, folklore and the world of Yuan Zhong.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    He learnt about mythical beings, they were supernatural beings who did not have the physiques of the racial/humanoid beings. There were also mythical creatures, who are limited to folklore and are rarely seen.

    The most dangerous among the living creatures in Yuan Zhong were the elementals. These were born of the elements they lived in, fire, water, wind, wood and earth. All of them attacked trespassers of their domains without provocation. There are no known elementals of light.

    The only thing that was not taught, was the dark element. In many of the studies involving the light element, passing references were made regarding the 7th element. Even Xiaoxia¡¯s test results from Menon stated he had alignment suitable for 7 elements, not only the 6 commonly known ones.

    When he inquired about it, Sem just shrugged his shoulders and said he has no knowledge of this mysterious elements. What he taught Xiaoxia was all he knew.

    The lessons proved beneficial, as he now understood most of what Instructor Wei says. Some idioms and phrases were still new, but he could roughly gauge their meaning.

    ¡°Remember, sometimes attack is the best defense,¡± Instructor Wei told Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Opponents who concentrate on attacks, usually have weak defenses and will create many openings,¡± she further informed him and continued her lesson, ¡°the strongest defense is only as good as its weakest link.¡±

    ¡°Mentor, how will I know where is the weakest link?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°It is simply a matter of observation during a battle, everyone has a tendency to over protect the weakest part of their body,¡± she taught him.

    ¡°So I will need to distract them sufficiently, in order to damage that area?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s easier said than done. The best way is to disable the person¡¯s ability to defend that area, which can be done by putting either side of their arms out of action,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°However this is mostly true for racial beings, while not always true for humanoid brings,¡± she emphasized.

    There are some who train all four limbs to defend, rare in cases among racial beings, and even rarer among freshmen. But it was not a forgone possibility, there is still a chance some of the elite freshmen in this year¡¯s competition can manage that.

    Humanoid beings on the other hand are not limited to just 4 limbs, some have extra limbs and others even tails for their defenses or a combination of both.

    ¡°The toughest ones are those who have natural defense, like the dragonians, tetsudians or crustanians. These have shells or scales growing only on the most vulnerable parts of their bodies, you may not be able to break through without killing them,¡± she warned.

    ¡°Do not use focused Ki on these areas, the idea is to create an impact to knock them out, not pierce through and kill them,¡± she instructed him and continued, ¡°The tournament regulations do not allow killing or serious endangerment, however accidents are known to happen. The penalties are very harsh, expulsion or even being held in prison by the victim¡¯s side is not unheard of.¡±

    ¡°Otherwise, against one of the races, there should not be much problem. All that I ask is for you to do your best and not embarrass me, or my brother is not going to let me hear the end of it for the rest of my life,¡± she concluded.

    ¡°Yes Mentor, I promise not embarrass you,¡± Xiaoxia placed his right hand over his heart as a sign of sincerity.

    Instructor Wei acknowledged it, then left him and exited the training hall. As she was walking towards the spatial portal, a figure appeared and spoke, ¡°So he is all prepared?¡±

    It was Jay.

    ¡°Yes, there is nothing more to prepare him for,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°You do know there is a huge risk, if he attends the competition right?¡± Jay asked.

    ¡°From what you have told me, there is no risk for him,¡± she observed.

    ¡°No not for him, but for the audiences and his opponents,¡± he answered.

    ¡°As Duelist Realm, it is compulsory for him to attend, there is no way for me change that ruling. Even the Vice Chairman and Chairman are unable to do anything. They already stuck their necks out when he entered the Academy, doing anything more within such a short time is going to arouse suspicion,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    ¡°Well I can''t argue that fact, but if it were me I rather take the chance. Unfortunately its out of my hands,¡± Jay said, as he shook his head.

    ¡°This aura of his, you said it is not done consciously. However powerful is it?¡± Instructor Wei asked, while changing the subject.

    ¡°I do not know, it is still growing and it¡¯s already on another level as compared to us. It puts to shame those whom we have encountered over the millenniums, and yes even those who could wipe out our race,¡± Jay replied seriously.

    ¡°There are many things on this damn world that could wipe us out,¡± Instructor Wei angrily said.

    ¡°But we should not focus on these, he is the most important thing now. I hate to say this, but he may be the only hope to reconcile the races if history repeats itself,¡± Jay digressed.

    Instructor Wei nodded, it was before their time, and over fifteen thousand years ago, when the four highest ranked races were almost wiped out from the face of this world. It was led by unknown entities who were extremely powerful and waged a worldwide war against them.

    Then one day, just as they had arrived out of the blue, they vanished. No one knew where they went, but they knew these entities were still around.

    ¡°In the meantime, I shall continue to observe and be alert of any changes,¡± Jay said as he turned and disappeared into the night.

    **********

    Xiaoxia woke early on the day of the freshmen competition. Fred, Miley and Anthony had not arrived.

    The previous night, the empire which he had saved its princess, sent emissaries to pay him a visit. They arrived before he got back to his dorm from the training hall, and were waiting at the forum. How they knew he was the one who saved her was beyond him, Jay had not mentioned his name in the after incident report.

    They had brought gifts and even an invitation to the empire from the emperor. Xiaoxia did not reply immediately and sent a message to Maling and Amelia, requesting the possibility if they could reject it on his behalf.

    When he woke up, it was the first thing he checked, unfortunately there was no reply from either of them. There wasn¡¯t an update on his cousin Xiuxiu as well, he had sent Menon and Captain Jongbae the information from his parents.

    According to his parents, who he had spoken to a few days before, Captain Ling Han Wei* had found out some new information. He saw Xiuxiu¡¯s father on the main world, it was in one of the cities in the Hu Yuan Empire.

    (*Author¡¯s note: refer to chapter 4 for who this person is)

    However he lost sight of him after being distracted by a nearby brawl. The subordinates he sent to follow up did not manage to find anything, hence it was another dead end.

    ¡°Argh! Not again,¡± Xiaoxia grumbled sleepily as he got up from bed and headed to the shower. He had hoped for some news, either from Maling/Amelia or Menon/Captain Jongbae.

    **********

    ¡°Welcome to the 4022nd Inter-Continent Freshmen Competition!¡± the announcer warmly greeted everyone. The broadcast was seen everywhere on campus with many holographic screens placed at all around.

    If the welcoming festivities for the freshmen was great, this made it look like child¡¯s play. There were not only 3 million participants, but more than a few hundred million students. All these students came from across the world to support their schools, as well as to open festival stands and booths.

    Uniforms of various colors could be seen, humanoids and the races mixed into the crowds as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The atmosphere was filled with hustle and bustle of all the activities and people.

    Elites from each school had lackeys accompanying them wherever they went. There were tons of fan boys and fan girls who supported their idols, as they loudly cheered and even had fan club booths opened everywhere.

    Xiaoxia hurriedly weaved his way through the crowd, trying to get to the rendezvous point. Instructor Wei had sent a message via Fred to meet her at one of the many venue points for the competition. He had slept in the bath tub during shower and woke up late, hence the rush.

    ¡°Ooof!¡± He accidently bumped into someone, causing the person to fall down.

    ¡°Sorry! Are you okay?¡± Xiaoxia apologized immediately, while reaching out his hands to assist the person.

    ¡°Yes I am fine, next time look where you are going,¡± the person responded angrily. It was a guy around Xiaoxia¡¯s age.

    As he stood up, Xiaoxia saw he was wearing another academy¡¯s uniform.

    ¡°I am really sorry, it won¡¯t happen again,¡± Xiaoxia apologized again.

    ¡°Yea it sure won¡¯t happen again,¡± the guy said and suddenly punched Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Piak!¡±

    Xiaoxia reacted immediately and blocked the punch. His defensive aura radiating from his palms, as the opponents fist radiate with aura as well.

    ¡°Haha! Good good! So there are some worthy opponents here after all,¡± the guy laughed.

    At this time, Xiaoxia notice he had an insignia on his breast pocket. The insignia was not what caught Xiaoxia¡¯s attention, but the bold ¡®S¡¯ vermilion custom grade Ki crystal on it.

    At the background a voice was repeating the same words at set intervals, ¡°Welcome to the Freshmen Competition!¡±

    Copyright ? 2015 Loke Weng Tuck. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 22: You are not the only one

    ¡°Hey You two! No fighting is allowed here!¡± a nearby instructor shouted at them.

    ¡°Sorry Sir!¡± Xiaoxia and the guy cried out and bowed in unison, perfect mirror images.

    Both realized what happened and looked at each other, suddenly smiling. Then both started laughing at once. After all, they were still kids.

    ¡°Wow, you are a Tier 9? It¡¯s incredible, you are the highest I¡¯ve seen so far,¡± the guy exclaimed in surprise, when he saw Xiaoxia¡¯s wrist device.

    ¡°You are not too bad yourself, Tier 7?¡± Xiaoxia returned the compliment, noticing the ¡®D7¡¯ on his device.

    ¡°Hahaha! Pardon my abrasive behavior, I was just bored and looking for a fight,¡± the guy¡¯s attitude made a 180 degrees turn and seemed like the near fisticuffs never happened for him.

    ¡°I am really sorry too for bumping into you,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Anyway, forgive my manners, I am Shi Feng, Hu Yuan Imperial Academy, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Xiaofeng informed Xiaoxia and continued, ¡°you can call me Xiaofeng

    ¡°Hu Yuan Empire? Me too,¡± Xiaoxia replied and quickly added, ¡°My name is Zhen Xia, Academy of the Six Elements, from 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire. You can call me Xiaoxia.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Another countrymen, but why are you in this Academy?¡± Xiaofeng asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Xiaoxia replied, then realizing something, ¡°Ah I am going to be really late, sorry Xiaofeng I have to rush off, look me up at the school administrative building, they can get you my contact.¡±

    Xiaoxia rushed off, leaving Xiaofeng behind.

    ¡°That guy, sigh, I wanted to talk to him more, it¡¯s so boring,¡± Xiaofeng looked crestfallen.

    ¡°Hey Xiaofeng! Why are you looking so down?¡± a girl approached him, she was about his age.

    ¡°Ah! Qing Shijie! You just missed one of our own,¡± Xiaofeng told her.

    ¡°Huh? It doesn¡¯t matter, everyone here is feiwu,¡± Qing Shijie snorted with an arrogant expression.

    (Author¡¯s Note: Shijie ~ translated as teacher elder sister, basically means a fellow female disciple who is above you in ranking, or one who is older than you.

    Feiwu means trash, but it sounds better and more authentic using this.)

    At this point, the sunlight reflected off her insignia, it had an ¡®S¡¯ vermillion custom grade Ki crystal on it as well.

    She came from a Royal City and her father is King of one of the kingdoms, a great grandnephew of the Emperor. Her great-great grandfather is the Emperor¡¯s brother.

    ¡°This guy could be the same as us,¡± Xiaofeng informed her.

    ¡°What are you talking about? There are only 2 ¡®S¡¯ class in Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Qing Shijie exclaimed, clearly not believing Xiaofeng¡¯s words.

    ¡°No, that is not true, my father who is close to the Arch Duke in the Imperial city, mentioned one more ¡®S¡¯ class who was requested by MeisterSchloss. He was not officially included in the list for unknown reasons,¡± Xiaofeng replied.

    ¡°Who cares?! It¡¯s not like there is anyone else who can challenge me, I am the only one who can win this competition,¡± Qing Shijie sneered in contempt.

    ¡°You are not the only one,¡± Xiaofeng said.

    ¡°What? Are you saying some country hick is on the same level as me?¡± Qing Shijie was shocked, on her wrist device, a ¡®D8¡¯ was seen.

    ¡°No he is Tier 9,¡± Xiaofeng replied, holding a grin back.

    Qing Shijie was younger than him, but only because of her status and skills, and all her other peers called her Shijie as well. In actual fact, most of them spoke badly of her behind her back, due to her arrogance and the contempt she had for them.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, no one can be better than me!¡± Qing Shijie angrily stomped her foot and took out a PCD*. She was contacting her father.

    (Author¡¯s note: Personal spatial communication device, it¡¯s on the compendium under spatial devices.)

    ¡°Oops, I should not have said that,¡± Xiaofeng realized immediately, his dad had told him this information was restricted and only a few in the empire knew.

    ¡°My dad said there is no such thing, and even if there was, he would know all about it,¡± Qing Shijie looked angrily at Xiaofeng, after getting off the PCD.

    ¡°Phew,¡± Xiaofeng muttered under his breath, if word got out, he and his father will be in trouble for leaking this information.

    ¡°I am sorry, maybe I saw wrongly,¡± Xiaofeng pretended otherwise.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Qing Shijie replied, once again in a voice full of contempt and arrogance.

    **********

    ¡°Where is she?¡± Xiaoxia asked no one in particular, the crowd was huge and he could not see Instructor Wei. The stadium was fully packed by supporters of their respective academies.

    There were about 900 single matches today per stadium across the campus, and there were about 170 stadiums. All the stadiums were huge structures, with capacities for over five hundred thousand spectators.

    The area for competition was more than 600,000 square feet. Each stadium had 10 battle platforms about 40,000 square feet for one. Every battle was limited to 10 minutes. In the event both competitor was still standing at the end, five judges assigned to each battle, will vote for the winner.

    ¡°Xia Er!¡± Instructor Wei shouted out across the crowd, spotting him as he was looking everywhere for her.

    ¡°Mentor!¡± Xiaoxia answered and hurriedly weaved his way towards her.

    ¡°Good you are here, take this and wear it,¡± Instructor Wei passed him the Academy¡¯s chevron, however this had only a single ¡®S¡¯ on it. His other one had double ¡®S¡¯.

    ¡°You need to wear this, we cannot afford for you to wear the other one,¡± Instructor Wei said and continue, ¡°Until you have the ability to fend off any aggressors, wear this and you do not need to hide it.¡±

    Instructor Wei explained the Academy had registered him under the ''S'' class instead of double ''S'', as it was unprecedented and will create a butterfly effect. This was something they had to avoid at all cost.

    ¡°Thank you Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied, taking the chevron and putting it on. In the meantime, he also took out the Mentor token and place it.

    ¡°Good, now your first competitor is from one of the other empire, he is Duelist Realm 3rd Tier,¡± she informed him.

    ¡°Is there anything I need to look out for?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°No, there is nothing in particular, he is a Title class and there is not much information about him from the intelligence network,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°Intelligence network?¡± Xiaoxia asked more surprised than confused.

    ¡°Yes, this is a competition, and people pay good money for information on their opponents, also there are bets going around for each match,¡± Instructor Wei grinned.

    It looked like she wants to bet on the matches. Xiaoxia was a little abashed, he felt Jay would have fit the picture of a gambler not Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like this, we do not earn enough as it is. Our monthly wages are peanuts compared to your tuition fees,¡± Instructor Wei told Xiaoxia off.

    ¡°Sorry Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia apologized.

    ¡°Don¡¯t dwell over it, your match will started at 30 minutes pass the 8th hours, you have another 20 minutes to prepare,¡± she told him and lead him to the competitors¡¯ locker.

    While walking towards the locker, he met Charlotted and Libby.

    ¡°Hey Xiaoxia! You going up soon?¡± Charlotte asked immediately after she spotted him.

    ¡°Um, yes. Oh and this is my Mentor, Instructor Wei,¡± Xiaoxia replied and introduced Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Oh wow! You have a mentor? What¡¯s this! ¡®S¡¯ class?!¡± Charlotte was both surprised and shock, not only at Xiaoxia having a Mentor, but also the ¡®S¡¯ class chevron on his uniform.

    At this time Libby was whispering something to Charlotte, and Charlotte¡¯s face became even more flushed.

    ¡°D9?! You are Duelist Realm Tier 9?¡± Charlotte asked again, looking at Xiaoxia¡¯s wrist device. Apparently Libby had noticed it before Charlotte and told her.

    ¡°Um, yes,¡± Xiaoxia replied with an expression similar to a deer being caught in the headlights.

    ¡°Ladies, I am sorry, but we have to leave first, his match is beginning soon,¡± Instructor Wei said and lead Xiaoxia away.

    ¡°See you later!¡± Xiaoxia hurried after Instructor Wei, as he waved towards the girls.

    Charlotte was just standing there with a dumbfounded expression, while Libby was her normal self and looking at Xiaoxia quietly as he disappeared from sight.

    **********

    ¡°Will the first group of contestants please enter the arena!¡± one of the organizers was saying.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Xiaoxia was in the middle of 19 other participants for the opening single matches at the stadium. Two gigantic hologram faced each other at both ends of the stadium. Even more holograms were placed strategically outside the stadium grounds for spectators who could not find seats in the stadium.

    As they walked out into the competition grounds, their images were supersized on the screen. Xiaoxia quickly averted his face when the screen was moving pass him. He was still rather camera shy and hoped it wasn¡¯t broadcast at all.

    He was on the 6th platform in the arena, as he approached, he saw that his opponent was already standing there.

    ¡°Greetings, my name is Jack, Academy of the Springs, Empire of Springs,¡± Jack greeted Xiaoxia as he stepped into the battle dais.

    ¡°Greetings and nice to meet you, I am Zhen Xia, Academy of the Six Elements, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Xiaoxia greeted him back.

    After both of them greeted each other, the referee entered the ring and summarized the rules,

    ¡°No killing or serious endangerment, no hitting the opponent on their family jewels, no use of forbidden skills or weapon, no unregistered weapons, maintain proper pugilist honor at all times and finally have a good duel!¡±

    Both of them nodded their heads and returned to their corner, Jack was the blue corner, while Xiaoxia was the red corner. The battle dais was 200 x 200 feet and had sufficient room for a proper battle. There was a shimmering energy shield surrounding the entire dais, preventing stray Ki attacks during the match from hitting the crowd, and at the same time preventing any stray objects from the crowd from hitting the competitors.

    After waiting for all the other competitors to be at their respective battle dais, the referee signaled for both Jack and Xiaoxia to approach the marks where they should start.

    When they were positioned, Jack and Xiaoxia faced each other fifty feet away, standing on the assigned marking on each side of their zone.

    ¡°Once I give the signal you may start,¡± the referee instructed them.

    ¡°Yes Sir,¡± both of them replied.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡± the referee blew his whistle.

    Immediately Jack gathered his Ki and threw a concentrated Ki burst at Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Pooossh!¡±

    Xiaoxia did not moved, and deflected it with his bare hands. He didn''t feel even the slightest tingle.

    ¡°Damn!¡± Jack exclaimed and immediately jumped backwards.

    In an instant, Xiaoxia vanished from his sight, and before Jack knew it, he was laying on the ground.

    ¡°Phreee! Winner, Red side!¡± the referee announced, he actually paused for a moment before blowing the whistle, not sure what had happened right at that moment.

    The entire stadium did not react in an instant, as it took sound 3 to 4 seconds to reach the farthest seats in the stadium. Once it did, it was a deafening silence, as the all eyes present looked in amazement at the 6th platform and the holograms.

    On both the gigantic holograms, Xiaoxia¡¯s name as other details were broadcast for all to see. Fortunately the Ki talent class was at ¡®S¡¯ realm instead of his actual one, as arranged by the Academy. It also showed the entire duration time of the battle, and it was an unbelievable number.

    The entire battle had only taken 5 seconds. An ear splitting roar erupted just a moment later when it finally sank it what happened. Everyone was cheering ¡®Zhen Xia! Zhen Xia! Zhen Xia!¡¯ as Xiaoxia walked off the stage.

    Even all the other competitors were distracted by the whistle and the cheers, and the referees of these matches had to call a pause to the duels. They only restarted the match when the noise receded.

    **********

    ¡°Wow, he is awesome!¡± Charlotte was slapping Libby¡¯s back in excitement, causing Libby to cough incessantly.

    Libby whispered something in Charlotte¡¯s ear and looked away a little red in the face. At this moment Charlotte eyes sparkled and grinned an evil smile at Libby.

    ¡°If you want him you gotta fight me for it! Heheheheh!¡± Charlotte told her and laughed impishly.

    Libby grinned and gave a thumbs up on that, making it a deal.

    **********

    ¡°Damn, that was too one sided!¡± Jay was complaining.

    ¡°What do you expect?¡± Instructor Wei replied, she was standing with him hidden away near one of the upper skylights on the roof.

    ¡°Well at least some punches or kicks. Nothing at all, just a chop to the neck and bye-bye,¡± Jay said in disgust.

    ¡°There will be more challenging matches later, this is just to get rid of the chaff,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    ¡°Bah! I know, just disappointed from the lack of show, these guys are supposed to be the elites of their academies and empires!¡± he replied shaking his head.

    ¡°The Academy of Springs is not known for their combat skills, they are more known for their manipulation of Ki for healing purposes,¡± Instructor Wei informed.

    ¡°I know that as well, stop trying to teach me things I taught you!¡± Jay sound as if he was offended, except for the smile on his face.

    ¡°Idiot brother,¡± Instructor Wei responded with a grin.

    **********

    Qing Shijie was shocked, the battle was too fast even for her to follow. This Zhen Xia guy was from the same empire as she was, and to make matters worse, he had a higher Ki realm than her. The final insult is that he is a country bum from some desolate unknown town in the 1st Colony.

    Even with the replay on extremely slow speeds, it could only manage to capture an extremely vague blur of his movement. This was the only evidence of him moving behind his opponent. It did not even capture how he did it, or the blow that resulted in the win.

    She refused to accept it, it was going to be a huge loss of face for her. She had arrogantly claimed that she will win the singles competition hands down, since the Champions for the past 5 centuries did not even reach Duelist Realm 8th Tier when they won.

    Not only her face, her reputation as well will be tarnished if she did not bring back the trophy. This Zhen Xia guy is going to be the biggest hurdle of all for her. She had to do something fast or it will be too late.

    She is not going to just sit around and wait for things to happen. She had started cultivating Ki at 5 years old with the best resources available, and reached Duelist Realm 5th Tier even before she started in the Hu Yuan Imperial Academy. She managed to gain a Tier almost each month with the most advance cultivating platform available in the world. All these efforts and time will go down the drain if nothing is done.

    Behind her stood Xiaofeng, he could hear the gears ticking in her head and smiled to himself. He really wished she was not going to do what he thinks she will.

    In his hands was an intelligence report from his father¡¯s spies, it had taken him less than a 10 minutes to gather the information. After all his father is Hu Yuan Empire¡¯s Senior Interior Minister and Advisor, and have a comprehensive network of spies working for him to ensure the safety of the Empire.

    It indicated that the beloved great-grand daughter of the Emperor himself is backing Xiaoxia. The Arch Duchess Amelia was no pushover and she had the political power and influence to become the ruler of the 1st Colony.

    At the same time she had enough political juices to even have a King removed and retired, so that the previous ruler of the 1st Colony could take over that kingdom. It was not something anyone could do.

    Even if it was all done by the Emperor himself, it showed that no one could go against the Arch Duchess Amelia. No doubt Qing Shijie¡¯s father is a King, he was far down in the succession line and not even the direct family of the Emperor, and he was just a great grandnephew.

    The Arch Duchess Amelia was 12th in succession, even closer when the time comes. The reports showed that the Imperial Crown Prince who was her grandfather and even her father will step aside if Amelia claimed the throne. Even the other Imperial members in higher succession will not have such favors done for them.

    ¡°Xiaofeng, will you please excuse me, I need to communicate with my uncle privately,¡± Qing Shijie told Xiaofeng.

    ¡°Of course my dearest princess,¡± Xiaofeng bowed mockingly and quickly left the room, noticing with delight that Qing Shijie was furious when he said that.

    Once he left the room, he murmured to himself, ¡°She is going to get herself in a whole lot of trouble.¡±

    Copyright ? 2015, LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 23: Amelia

    It is the third day of the competition, the numbers of competitors for the singles tournament had been reduced to a quarter at the start of the day. During the first day, half of the competitors were knocked out and reduced to approximately 1.5 million.

    The second day required each match winner to participate in 2 matches, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Of the 1.5 million who made it the first day, half that amount progressed into the afternoon matches.

    During the afternoon matches, many forfeited as they went all out in the morning matches and failed to conserve their energies. At the end of the second day only about 375 thousand remained.

    In order for them to progress further, they had to win four matches each day from the third day onwards. It was an agoge* system, where only the smartest, toughest and strongest could achieve glory.

    (*Author¡¯s note: agoge is the system where Spartans used for their men. It was similar to a coming of age ceremony, but the impact was more profound.)

    **********

    ¡°You have done very well for the past three matches,¡± Instructor Wei complimented him.

    ¡°Thank you Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia responded while cupping his hands.

    The matches on the second day finished just as fast as the one he had on the first day. Xiaoxia¡¯s fan base appeared immediately after the first day, and he received many fan mails from older students wanting to be his sworn brothers and sisters.

    Many of the fan mails from the older girls had borderline ¡®younger brother complex¡¯. Some even going as far as to offer transferring to the Academy of the Six Elements to take care of him.

    Of course there were some hate mails, and they all came from guys who were jealous at the attention he was getting from girls they liked. It was not surprising as the majority of Xiaoxia¡¯s growing fan base are girls.

    ¡°There are four matches today, if you meet a tough opponent, take your time and conserve your energy for the remaining ones,¡± Instructor Wei advised him.

    ¡°Mentor, from the information you gathered, is there any way to know who the next three are?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Getting confident are we? You shouldn¡¯t count your chicks before they are hatched,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Sorry, I was just wondering,¡± Xiaoxia apologized.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok, even if you win this next match, I would not know who your next opponent is, till an hour before the match. All opponents are randomized now, you will only know who it is at the final few stages of this competition,¡± she informed him, and continued, ¡°It is a way to limit the abuse of knowing who your opponent is beforehand.¡±

    ¡°Abuse?¡± Xiaoxia asked, not clear of the implications.

    ¡°Plenty of money is being waged on matches, certain syndicates have been known to use despicable means to ensure the matches ends up in their favor. There are also students who will gang up to beat an opponent before a match just to ensure victory,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°With just an hour, most participants are already in their locker rooms, and security is high there. This will prevent any mishaps from happening before a match. For the later stages, the number of participants are small enough for security to be deployed to protect them individually,¡± she concluded.

    Xiaoxia nodded at that, and focused his attention on the information of the next opponent. She was a Duelist Realm 4th Tier, similar to one of the opponents the previous day. However this was the first time he had to fight a girl and he was reluctant to do so.

    ¡°Do not go easy on her, even if she is a girl. It will be an insult to her, the pugilist code does not differentiate gender when it comes to duels,¡± Instructor Wei warned him, noticing his looks as he read the information.

    There was over 10,000 empires with many cultures and beliefs, and the pugilist code is one in which everyone who practice the martial arts abides by. All man who abides by this code knew it well, it was not the same as never hitting a woman.

    ¡°You should leave for the competitor¡¯s entrance, its almost time,¡± Instructor Wei told him, giving a thumbs up and left the room.

    ¡°Yes Mentor, thank you,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    While walking to the competitor¡¯s entrance, he was wondering how the rest of his friends were faring for the competition.

    **********

    ¡°I forfeit,¡± the girl said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± the guy replied.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡± the referee blew the whistle.

    Within seconds the entire stadium exploded with the shouts of disapproval, boos and jeers. It was the first match for Xiaoxia, and everyone was expecting to see the splendid techniques he used in the earlier matches. They were not even paying attention to the other 9 battle dais in the stadium.

    ¡°Blue side wins!¡± the referee announced.

    ¡°Hey! What is the meaning of this?¡± Xiaoxia felt aggravated as he called out after her, it was not honorable to forfeit a match without doing anything.

    The girl ignored him and already gotten off the dais. Xiaoxia wanted to chase after her to demand an explanation, but the rules disallowed the interactions of participants 10 minutes before and after a match.

    Shaking his head in while calming down, he walked back towards the competitor¡¯s lounge. There he met Instructor Wei who was sitting beside a stranger.

    ¡°Xia Er, come take a sit,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia answered and sat next to her.

    ¡°Well met young Master,¡± the stranger spoke, she was a lady who looked like she just passed her teen years.

    ¡°I am the undersecretary for her Royal Grace, the Imperial Arch Duchess, Amelie,¡± she started before adding, ¡°My name is Xu Mei.¡±

    ¡°Undersecretary Xu is here as an advance party, to pave the way for her Royal Grace¡¯s visit,¡± Instructor Wei informed Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Aunt Amelia is coming?¡± Xiaoxia asked Xu Mei.

    ¡°Xia Er! Where are your manners, you should address the Imperial Arch Duchess as her ¡®Royal Grace¡¯,¡± Instructor Wei reprimanded him, she was his Mentor and it reflected badly on her if he did not show the proper manners.

    ¡°Ah, Instructor Wei, it is by order of her Royal Grace that he calls her ¡®Aunt¡¯,¡± Xu Mei kindly informed her, while turning to Xiaoxia, ¡°Yes her Royal Grace wishes to spectate your matches.¡±

    Unseen to anyone, one of Instructor Wei¡¯s eyebrows shot up in respond to what she heard.

    ¡°Xia Er, just how close are you to her Royal Grace?¡± Instructor Wei asked, rather curious.

    ¡°I was only at her palace for about 2 nights,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Oh? It seems you made a very good impression of yourself,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I don''t know, but I think she just loves children,¡± Xiaoxia shrugged his shoulders, having this knowledge only because he joined the conversation Amelia and Maling were in.

    ¡°Young master, you discount yourself too much. Her Royal Grace wouldn¡¯t give any child her personal quantum bag as well as a universal spatial bank,¡± Xu Mei smiled in respond to his sentence.

    ¡°Personal quantum bag and universal spatial bank?¡± Instructor Wei asked, her hands were trembling slightly.

    Xiaoxia was beginning to feel that Instructor Wei is not all that he suspected her to be. Apparently she had materialistic tendencies.

    ¡°Yes, but that is a confidential matter only between young master and her Royal Duchess. He is not allowed to reveal the contents in them,¡± Xu Mei informed Instructor Wei, noticing her demeanor.

    ¡°Ah, no problem, it¡¯s not likely anyone would ask,¡± Xiaoxia quickly responded, as he felt a cold chill emanating from Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Then I will make my move, there are many things to arrange before the Imperial Arch Duchess arrives tonight,¡± Xu Mei stood up, bowed and left the room.

    When she left the room, Instructor Wei was seething, ¡°Who the hell does she think she is? In my whole life no one had ever insinuated that I will go against my principals just for money!¡±

    ¡°Mentor, do not mind her, I will share anything I have with you,¡± Xiaoxia offered.

    ¡°Xia Er, you are a good boy, how can I ever make it up to you,¡± Instructor Wei¡¯s attitude suddenly changed and her tone was dripping with honey.

    Xiaoxia at that point felt he had made a grievous mistake.

    **********

    ¡°Mm! This is life,¡± Xiaoxia breathe out deeply, as he snuggled on his couch laying his head on the armrest.

    The remaining three matches ended without any controversy and the results did not deviate much from the previous ones. Xiaoxia won all of them without breaking a sweat.

    This evening, he was invited to the guest residence of the Academy for visiting dignitaries. Amelia would be arriving with her entourage at the 21st hour, giving Xiaoxia 2 more hours to rest and prepare after his final bout ended.

    ¡°Knock knock knock! Its me sir,¡± there was a knock on his door and Fred announced it was him.

    ¡°Fred? What time is it?¡± Xiaoxia asked sleepily, having dozed off.

    ¡°Sir may I enter?¡± Fred asked.

    ¡°Um, yes sure,¡± Xiaoxia replied, quickly getting up.

    ¡°Sir, I suggest you change quickly, you have important guest here,¡± Fred said as he enter the room.

    ¡°Huh? Ok ok,¡± he quickly got off the couch and slipped on a new shirt as he made his way out of the room.

    ¡°Xiaoxia it¡¯s been a while,¡± a familiar voice said.

    ¡°Aunt Amelia! I thought you would be here later,¡± Xiaoxia looked at her with surprise.

    ¡°Travelling with an entourage is troublesome, and they take too long going through every detail,¡± she replied.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°How are you?¡± Xiaoxia asked while taking a sit in front of her.

    ¡°Same old same old, that bastard Maling would have come if it wasn¡¯t for some intrusion of wild beast in a key region,¡± Amelia updated him and made an additional remark, ¡°I can see the Academy has been treating you well,¡±

    ¡°Yes, they provided everything for me,¡± Xiaoxia replied and turned towards Fred, ¡°Can you please have some refreshments brought for us, and leave us alone after that?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. Your Royal Grace if I may?¡± Fred acknowledged and asked as he bowed towards Amelia.

    ¡°Yes please carry on,¡± she answered.

    When he left the room, Amelia said something to Xiaoxia¡¯s surprise, ¡°What an outstanding spy.¡±

    ¡°He is a spy?¡± Xiaoxia asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yes, there are always subtle signs to look out for if you know where to look,¡± she said smiling at him.

    ¡°I would never have guessed,¡± Xiaoxia admitted.

    ¡°Do you think Menon would just leave you to the Academy without being able to monitor your progress?¡± Amelia asked.

    ¡°I am sorry, I do not understand,¡± he honestly had no idea what it meant.

    ¡°You are a very important subject for Menon, he needs regular feedback to update his notes,¡± Amelia enlightened him and went on, ¡°His studies on racial beings are extremely limited, and he falls short on the number of Unknown Realm volunteers. When you came along, it was the greatest opportunity of a lifetime, he now have the perfect candidate in a perfect environment for his research.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I always wondered why he went through all the effort to bring me here,¡± Xiaoxia now comprehend why Menon even risked offending Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Knock knock! Its Fred sir,¡± the door opened and Fred entered with some refreshments. He left them on the lounge table, bowed towards Amelia and headed out the door.

    Before he could close it, he quickly turn around and announced, ¡°Your Royal Grace, the guests you asked for has arrived.¡±

    ¡°Send them in,¡± Amelia motioned for Fred to go ahead.

    Two children about Xiaoxia¡¯s age entered the room.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace,¡± a boy bowed down, when he saw Amelia. It was Xiaofeng.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace,¡± this time a girl bowed down, her eyes were wide with amazement when she saw both Amelia and Xiaoxia together. It was Qing Shijie.

    ¡°Xiaofeng! How have you been?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°You know them?¡± Amelia interjected before Xiaofeng could reply, while turning to the other children, ¡°You may rise.¡±

    ¡°Thank you your Royal Grace,¡± both replied.

    ¡°Aunt Amelia, I only know the boy, but have no idea who the girl is,¡± Xiaoxia answered Amelia¡¯s question.

    ¡°What impudence! How dare you call her Royal Grace ¡®Aunt¡¯! You don¡¯t have the right to refer to me as ¡®the girl¡¯ as well!¡± Qing Shijie loudly rebuked Xiaoxia in a voice full of arrogance and contempt.

    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Amelia shouted, both Xiaofeng and Qing Shijie turned visibly pale at that moment.

    ¡°Qing Huiling, you do not speak when not spoken to, and kneel when you are in my presence,¡± Amelia demanded.

    Tears of anger were in *Huiling¡¯s eyes as she bit her lips and knelt in front of Amelia. Xiaofeng did that as well.

    (Author¡¯s note: I will be using Huiling for Qing Shijie this point onwards.)

    ¡°Shi Feng, you may rise,¡± Amelia told Xiaofeng.

    At this point, Huiling started to rise as well, but then Amelia raised her voice immediately, ¡°Not you, continue kneeling.¡±

    Huiling was trembling in anger, with tears almost overflowing from her eyes.

    ¡°Aunt Amelia, should we really be doing this?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, you will understand in a moment,¡± Amelia promised him.

    ¡°Shi Feng, do you know Xiaoxia?¡± Amelia asked.

    ¡°Yes your grace, we met at the carnival during the opening day of the competition,¡± Xiaofeng replied.

    ¡°No what I meant is do you know,¡± Amelia emphasized the word ¡®know¡¯.

    Realizing what she meant, Xiaofeng replied, ¡°Only very recently your Royal Grace.¡±

    ¡°And I am to take it you did not inform her?¡± Amelia asked Xiaofeng while pointing towards Huiling.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, Princess Qing have ordered me not to bring up Xiaoxia¡¯s name regardless of anything,¡± Xiaofeng replied.

    At this point Huiling was staring daggers at Xiaofeng.

    ¡°Huiling, just so you know. Xiaoxia has been proclaimed a national treasure by mandate of the Emperor and any unsanctioned acts against him will be treated as treason,¡± Amelia informed Huiling.

    At this point Huiling eyes were wide opened as she realized what was just said. She almost started to speak, but held her silence.

    ¡°You may speak,¡± Amelia noticed at that time.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, I really did not know,¡± Huiling mumbled softly.

    Xiaofeng was shocked too, he was not privy to this as well, nothing was in the report regarding this matter. More worrisome was that he had struck out at Xiaoxia only a few days back.

    ¡°Now you do, your uncle and his subordinates are currently held in prison for planning to cripple Xiaoxia because of you,¡± Amelia notified her.

    At this point tears streamed down Huiling¡¯s face.

    ¡°Aunt Amelia, isn¡¯t this too harsh? They did not know,¡± Xiaoxia interrupted at this point, he himself was surprised, but felt the punishment too harsh.

    ¡°Xiaoxia they have to be an example to others. It doesn¡¯t mean that anyone in the royal courts could do anything they wish against their own people. There are laws protecting the people of Hu Yuan, and these bastards should have considered it before they made their move,¡± she informed him and continued, ¡°The law is created to protect the people, it is just as bad if it were someone else, even if their target was not you."

    ¡°I understand,¡± Xiaoxia replied, injustice was not tolerated among the local populace, let alone those who had power. It was truly much different from other areas of the world where corruption is widespread. Xiaoxia learnt this in his lessons with Sem.

    ¡°Huiling, do you know what you did wrong?¡± Amelia asked.

    Huiling just nodded her head, too embarrassed and ashamed to speak.

    ¡°I did not hear you,¡± Amelia said.

    ¡°Yes your Royal Grace,¡± Huiling softly mumbled.

    ¡°Good, you may leave. Do not let me catch you doing anything otherwise, I have my people closely watching you,¡± Amelia wave her away.

    Xiaofeng was about to leave as well, but Amelia stopped him as he turned.

    ¡°Shi Feng, she most probably won¡¯t trust you anymore, however I need you to keep an eye out as well,¡± Amelia said to him after Huiling had left. This was much to his relief, as he thought she held him back for trying to punch Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Yes your Royal Grace,¡± Xiaofeng replied, and with Amelia¡¯s permission left the room as well.

    As Amelia and Xiaoxia continued their conversation, Huiling had reached the ground floor. Xiaofeng did not catch up with her, as he decided to wait till she left the dormitory¡¯s grounds before leaving himself.

    ¡°I will have my revenge for this insult!¡± Huiling thought angrily to herself. She decided that the only way to get back at Xiaoxia was to destroy him in the competition.

    The competition is sanctioned by all empires who sent their representatives, it was a fair duel. If Xiaoxia was injured in a duel, the opponent will not be held accountable, hence Huiling wanted to ''accidently'' kill or seriously injure him.

    **********

    It is the fourth day of the competitions, midway through the singles tournament. Xiaoxia is waiting for Instructor Wei to arrive with information on his first opponent, it was a few minutes away till the system announced it.

    Once the opponent was known, Instructor Wei had to obtain additional details from the information brokers, they would send it to her as instructed.

    At this point, Xiaoxia was thinking back on the previous night¡¯s event. Huiling did not have the look of ever giving up her plans. He had a gut feeling she will somehow find a loophole and exploit it.

    Amelia also knew that Huiling was very stubborn, and it wasn¡¯t the first time she had done something terrible to someone. At her young tender age of 7, there were numerous families who were destroyed by her. She told Xiaoxia to watch his back.

    Her father who is a king, pampered his only daughter shamelessly. She took this opportunity to rid those who she did not like, regardless if they have offended her or not. The worse part, is that numerous people in the palace were removed and sent to remote areas of the kingdom. It was just because she did not like the way they look or speak among other minor things.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, the information for your next opponent just arrived,¡± Instructor Wei appeared at the doorway, her voice breaking the reverie of Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Mentor, who is it this time?¡± Xiaoxia asked once he gathered his thoughts.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Humanoid Being,¡± she replied.

    Copyright ? 2015, LWT. All rights reserved.

    <hr />

    Hello everyone.

    I will like to take this chance to apologize to the readers.

    Please note this chapter was placed as chapter 22 previously.

    This is wrong, and the actual chapter 22 is now out and in proper ordering. Please refer to it.

    Once again, I  am really sorry for this mistake.

    Rgds

    WT

 Volume 1 Chapter 24: Interesting

    ¡°To be more exact a Nosferatian,¡± Instructor Wei informed him.

    ¡°Thank you Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    He learnt from Sem, that the Nosferatian are a one of a handful of humanoid beings who bear striking resemblance to the racial beings. They have slit eyes and tails, and their canines start getting longer when they reached puberty.

    They are an agile people and have superior intelligence. Their combat abilities are excellent as well, younglings go through rites of passage in extreme environments in order to be known as a proper individual in their communities.

    ¡°You need to be wary of their tails, it can both be used as a weapon and shield,¡± Instructor Wei cautioned him.

    Xiaoxia nodded and asked, ¡°Mentor, are there any know weaknesses for them?¡±

    The lessons from Sem, gave detailed information on many different beings in Yuan Zhong, however it fell short in actual combat situations. These were handled by the various Instructors in the Academy, who instructed the proper ways to handle different opponents.

    ¡°They have the same weaknesses as the other opponents you faced, however their agility, strength, reaction time and superior intelligence, will make them much harder to face than others from the same Ki Realm,¡± Instructor Wei enlightened him.

    ¡°Mentor, what about his previous opponents?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Based on the past six matches, he won all of them with overwhelming victory,¡± Instructor Wei said and passed him the information slip.

    Xiaoxia eyes only focused on one name on that list, it was Charlotte. She had been the humanoid being¡¯s 5th opponent, and the results showed that the match only lasted 2 minutes. The duel was stopped due to the inability for one side to continue the match.

    ¡°Mentor, do we know what happened for this match?¡± Xiaoxia asked while showing Instructor Wei which match he was referring to.

    ¡°No, I did not ask for full details or recordings of the match,¡± Instructor Wei replied and asked in return, ¡°Is there something troubling you?¡±

    ¡°Mentor, the girl in that match is my friend. Based on what I know, she should be competent enough not to have suffered a crushing defeat,¡± Xiaoxia informed her.

    Charlotte did not train like the others not because she wasn¡¯t sponsored by an empire or alliance, it was actually due to her abilities. Everyone in prestigious academies had a head start in their Ki Realm, due to the trend of families providing the best resources for their children, and Charlotte was no exception.

    The only exception was Xiaoxia, who entered the Academy at Apprentice Realm 3rd Tier. It was laughable, as most of the Titled Class freshmen were already close to achieving Duelist Realm when they registered for the Academy.

    ¡°She is at least Duelist Realm 2nd Tier, just below this humanoid being,¡± Xiaoxia added.

    ¡°Xia Er, most humanoids can take down opponents who are slightly higher in tier than them. Their natural born abilities are comparable to a few tiers ahead of the racial beings,¡± Instructor Wei said and further added, ¡°Although your opponent is Duelist Realm 3rd Tier, depending on how well he honed his natural abilities, he should be comparable to a 6th or 7th Tier.¡±

    ¡°The only exceptions are the Daemoniacs, who are very rare. They exhibit abilities that are very similar to mythical beings and elementals. These humanoids can take down opponents a whole realm higher than them, sometimes even more. Fortunately according to records, there is none in this year¡¯s competition,¡± Instructor Wei summarized.

    ¡°I understand Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied, his mind still thinking about Charlotte.

    Xiaoxia forgotten to check on his friends the previous day, it was mainly because he was distracted by swarms of fans rushing to speak with him. On top of that, Amelia had visited him and their conversation lasted till he almost fell asleep talking.

    **********

    ¡°Xiaoxia! Go for it! Win all your matches! Beat the hell out of all the others! No mercy!¡± a clear voice shouted out over the noise of the stadium.

    Xiaoxia heard it clearly as he was approaching the battle dais and looked towards the direction where it came from. He saw Amelia beside Instructor Wei and Menon at the VVIP area, she was standing with one foot on the railings and the other on the ground.

    In her hands was something that amplified her voice, and whenever she shouted her support, it could be heard clearly and loudly in the entire stadium. This created much embarrassment for Menon who was trying to act like he wasn¡¯t there. How Instructor Wei took it was unclear, as she seemed to be shrinking from sight when Amelia was shouting her support.

    The rest of her entourage had slightly red faces, their Imperial Arch Duchess was acting like a hooligan in front of the hundreds of thousands of spectators in the stadium, and millions more who were watching the broadcast. But no one dared to say anything.

    Xiaoxia could only shyly smile and scratch the back of his head as he moved to the platform, it is the 3rd one in the stadium. As soon as he entered, his opponent was already waiting.

    ¡°Competitors please come to the center,¡± a referee instructed them, he was different from the ones Xiaoxia had seen previously. This referee was from the Nature Elves and he exuded a commanding aura.

    ¡°Greetings, my name is Vlad Aluc, School of the Night, Race of the Nosferatian, Nation of the Night,¡± Vlad greeted Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Well met, my name is Zhen Xia, Academy of the Six Elements, Sha Mo Ren, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Xiaoxia responded in kind.

    Vlad¡¯s eyebrow shot up when he heard Xiaoxia was from a colony. The humanoid races in Yuan Zhong were not high in population, as such they do not inhabit any colonies. Hearing that someone was from another planet was one which generated much interest amongst them, especially so for the younger children.

    Hidden among the rafters, a figure in the shadows was observing the Nosferatian, thinking to himself, ¡°What a troublesome opponent.¡±

    It was Jay. Unlike Instructor Wei, he had fought many times with their kind over the millenniums.

    ¡°You should be careful, this guy is no walkover,¡± Jay thought.

    ¡°No killing or serious endangerment, no hitting the opponent on their family jewels, no use of forbidden skills or weapon, no unregistered weapons, maintain proper pugilist honor at all times and finally have a good duel!¡± the referee was saying. It is the standard proclamation before each match, only the ¡®family jewels¡¯ part was changed if one or both the competitors are girls.

    ¡°Competitors please take your positions, you have ten minutes,¡± he concluded.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    Vlad immediately vanished from his spot. It almost caught Xiaoxia by surprise, as he instinctively moved to his left, feeling a force strike out on his right, where his chest previously was.

    ¡°Ha! Good reflexes!¡± Vlad said as something shot out from behind him and stabbed at Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Boom!¡± Xiaoxia ducked in time to see the battle dais¡¯s energy shield shimmering from a Ki attack shot out from Vlad¡¯s tail.

    This time Xiaoxia took the initiative and used his foot technique to appear on Vlad¡¯s bind spot and at the same time striking out with a downward slashed of his left hand.

    ¡°Whoosh! Poom!¡±

    It was blocked by Vlad¡¯s tail, however the impact caused him to be pushed a few feet away.

    ¡°You have good reflexes as well,¡± Xiaoxia returned the compliment given earlier.

    Vlad smiled as he started circling and observing Xiaoxia. His stance changing to a more aggressive one.

    Xiaoxia took up a defensive posture and mimicked Vlad by circling. He did not underestimate Vlad and it was clearly the right thing to do.

    At this point Vlad lunged directly at Xiaoxia, at the moment he almost reached him, he suddenly detoured and appeared on the left and send a kick into Xiaoxia¡¯s mid-section.

    Xiaoxia immediately raised his left thigh and activated his defense as the blow slammed into it.

    ¡°Poom!¡± the impact was not great, but it managed to push Xiaoxia a couple of feet away.

    ¡°Nice Ki defense!¡± Vlad¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Vlad did not stop and strike with both his left hand and tail. Ki energy surrounded them as it hit Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Piak! Piak!¡± it was deflected by both Xiaoxia¡¯s left and right hand.

    ¡°Is this the best you can do?¡± Xiaoxia asked, clearly being able to block or dodged the attacks. His battle senses already heightened in the short time the duel had started, every second enabling his eyes to adjust to the speed Vlad had.

    ¡°It¡¯s only just beginning,¡± Vlad said, as he retreated back a dozen feet of so, while continuing to observe Xiaoxia.

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    Xiaoxia did not hesitate and dashed at him head first, at the moment of impact, he struck out his right fist.

    Vlad grinned as he raised his defense to block the blow.

    At this point Xiaoxia did the unexpected and jumped in a half somersault over Vlad, in a split second while directly overhead, he pointed his left index finger at Vlad¡¯s exposed right shoulder and release a controlled burst of focused Ki.

    ¡°BOOF!¡±

    ¡°Errrggh!¡± Vlad grunted as the Ki attack hit his right shoulder, it slumped immediately as it was dislocated.

    While landing on his feet, Xiaoxia immediately sent a right kick into the exposed back of Vlad.

    By this time Vlad knew Xiaoxia was behind him and used his tail to repel the attack, again the force caused him to be pushed several feet away from the point of impact.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡± the referee blew the whistle while motioning for both of them to stop.

    ¡°Competitor are you able to continue?¡± the referee looked at Vlad noticing the dislocated shoulder.

    ¡°Yes this is nothing,¡± Vlad said, while at the same time his aura was gradually increasing.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the referee asked again.

    Suddenly strong Ki energies burst forth from Vlad as an intense glow surrounded him. After the glow dissipated, the wrist device indicated ¡®D6¡¯. He had somehow risen 3 levels in the match.

    ¡°To think I needed to resort to this,¡± Vlad spoke with some form of regret.

    At this time Xiaoxia was a little worried, Instructor Wei had told him that Vlad¡¯s people could take on someone 3 to 4 tiers above them. Given that Vlad is now Duelist Realm 6th Tier, it would mean he can take down someone at the peak of the 9th Tier or perhaps even Adept Realm lower Tier.

    ¡°Pop!¡± a clear audible sound distracted Xiaoxia¡¯s train of thoughts.

    ¡°See I am all fine now,¡± Vlad told the referee as his shoulder popped back into place, not even a hint of pain on his face.

    ¡°Ok, you may continue at the whistle blow,¡± the referee had backed away when the burst of energy rushed forth, and was standing more than 2 dozen feet away. His face bearing a look of surprise.

    Back on the rafters, Jay was thinking, ¡°So now the real fight begins, Xiaoxia you better go all out.¡±

    In the meantime, Menon was only staring at Vlad, his eyes gleaming and he could only think, ¡°I want to experiment on him!¡±

    Amelia did not even care, she was still loudly shouting her support, seemingly with never ending enthusiasm and energy, ¡°Xiaoxia crush him! Show him who is boss! Destroy that tiny puke!¡±

    Among the four of them, one was silently cursing, ¡°Damn it! I hope I don¡¯t lose all my money on this!¡±

    It was Instructor Wei.

    Back on the dais, the referee had motioned for them to return to their start position.

    ¡°You better bring it with everything you have,¡± Vlad grinned impishly at Xiaoxia, hinting he won¡¯t go easy on him.

    ¡°It will be my pleasure,¡± Xiaoxia replied smiling at the same time. He was mentality removing the barriers in his thought process, the ones Instructor Wei placed when she cautioned him of his powers killing someone.

    Against Vlad, it was not necessary. He wasn¡¯t a normal opponent, and if Xiaoxia did not go all out now, he will be in danger himself.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    Once again Vlad took the initiative and looked as if he materialized at Xiaoxia¡¯s left side, he left an after image at his original spot.

    Totally caught by surprise at the increase in speed, Xiaoxia activated all his defense at once, not knowing where Vlad was going to hit.

    ¡°BA BOOM!¡±

    The impact was tremendous and a small but visible shockwave rippled away from the point of impact.

    ¡°Boof!¡±

    Xiaoxia was thrown unceremoniously by the impact onto the ground some thirty feet away, a little winded and bones aching all over, but otherwise not sustaining any serious injury.

    ¡°I got to say, really nice Ki defense you got there,¡± Vlad complimented Xiaoxia yet again, visibly impressed.

    ¡°Thank you, I can say the same for your Ki reinforced attacks,¡± Xiaoxia returned the compliment again, while standing up.

    This time Xiaoxia did not hold back and from where he stood, shot out two focused Ki blast from his right and left index fingers in rapid succession

    ¡°PIAK! DA BOOM!¡±

    ¡°BOOF!¡±

    ¡°Ungh!¡± Vlad managed to barely deflect the first blast with his right hand, but could only block the second one with both his left arm and tail. The first deflected blast slammed into the battle dais¡¯s energy shield, causing a crack in it, while the second one slammed into Vlad¡¯s defenses.

    ¡°This is amazing!¡± Vlad smile excitedly, it did not however masked the pained look on his face.

    At the same time, he shot out his own Ki blast from his tail and right hand, at that time he was already pushed back forty feet or so from Xiaoxia. As he attacked with his right hand, he winced a little from the damage as a result of deflecting Xiaoxia''s attack.

    ¡°Boom! Boom!¡±

    The attacks were not powerful, and both of them missed Xiaoxia, as he dodged acrobatically over the floor of the dais.

    ¡°Damn it stop moving around like a monkey!¡± Vlad was starting to get frustrated, Xiaoxia was too agile for him to fight long distance.

    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±

    Vlad relentlessly shot out Ki blasts in Xiaoxia¡¯s direction, but all of them missed as Xiaoxia was skillfully avoiding them. Sometimes he floated and slide, while other times he used his natural physiques to perform jumps, backflips and others acrobatics to dodge.

    ¡°BOOF!¡±

    Instantly Xiaoxia retaliated from the last barrage by sending another focused Ki attack at Vlad, this time Xiaoxia noticed something.

    The focused Ki was blocked at the last minute by Vlad with his left thigh.

    ¡°Arrgh!¡± Vlad cried out, as he fell to his knees momentarily. He stood up instantly with a wince while biting his lips.

    ¡°You will regret this!¡± Vlad screamed as his aura raised again, this time his Ki realm did not increase, but the aura had a threatening feel to it.

    Instead of setting up a defense, Xiaoxia immediately lashed out with Ki blasts using punches, instead of the focus Ki he used earlier.

    ¡°BOOF! BOOF! BOOM!¡±

    ¡°ARRRGGHHH!!! EEERRRGH!!!¡± Vlad screamed in pain, as he blocked two with his left arm again and fell to his knees, the third narrowly missing as it flew overhead and hit the energy shield.

    Just as Vlad fell, a fourth was heading straight for his face. Xiaoxia panicked at this instant, it would kill or seriously injure Vlad if he took it head on.

    What was worse, is that Vlad did not have any defense set up and was unaware of the fourth attack heading for him, as he was grimacing in pain with his eyes shut.

    ¡°WHAM! CRACCCK!¡±

    ¡°BA DA BOOM!¡±

    The fourth attack miraculously changed direction in midflight and slammed straight into the energy shield where the crack was earlier. It broke cleanly through and detonated against the wall below the spectator¡¯s stand, causing all those nearby to cringe in fear.

    Somehow Xiaoxia managed to link with the forth attack and redirected its path in the nick of time.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡± the referee immediately blew the whistle.

    ¡°Red side is unable to continue,¡± the referee proclaimed, immediately knowing over the course of the battle that Vlad had damaged his left arm on the first blocked and it was now broken after being hit twice in a row. On top of this he could clearly see other damages to Vlad''s left thigh as well as right hand.

    Xiaoxia had already noticed the damage to the left arm earlier, as Vlad was guarding his left arm and did not engage in close combat. By blocking another attack with his left thigh, Vlad had suffered additional damage and his movements were effectively sealed.

    Only 3 others watching the duel were not thinking about this, they saw the fourth attack being redirected. There was no outside elements involved, and not one of them could even do it. It was a new skill for them.

    They were Jay, Instructor Wei and Menon, all three of them had the same thought, ¡°INTERESTING!¡±

    Back at the VVIP stands, Amelia was hysterical at the outcome of the match and her shouts and cheers got more rowdy and soon vulgarities were being spewed.

    Copyright ? 2015, LWT. All rights reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 25: Teach me

    ¡°BOOM!¡±

    ¡°I need more control!¡± Xiaoxia vented.

    It is now late in the night of the 4th day, the remaining three opponents he earlier fought after Vlad, did not really put up a fight. Their abilities were lacking and far from what Vlad had to offer.

    At this moment, Xiaoxia was trying to re-create how he linked with the final attack and controlled its direction remotely. During the debrief of the match, Instructor Wei, Jay and Menon, constantly questioned him about this. Menon even went as far as to suggest bringing some equipment and gadgets to test him.

    Xiaoxia rejected Menon¡¯s offer, with the backing of Instructor Wei who did not want to jeopardize his later matches. Jay was actually all for it, as he felt it would at least answer all of the questions they had.

    Amelia who was with them was the only one who showed genuine concern for his well-being. Xiaoxia had sustained various bruises and his body was aching all over after the match with Vlad. The other three were not really concerned, since they learned way back that Xiaoxia had an abnormal healing rate.

    Although the rate of healing was not in the realm of the unimaginable, it was relatively fast and he was more or less himself again by the time of his last match.

    In the meantime, deep in Xiaoxia¡¯s thoughts, he was also extremely curious about this ability, and made various excuses to retire early when the final match ended. After a quick meal in his dorm, he immediately headed for the training hall.

    **********

    ¡°POOM! POOM! POOM!¡±

    ¡°Just a little more!¡± Xiaoxia urged himself.

    He could feel a lingering sensation of Ki as the energy left his body and extended into the surroundings, but was not able to follow it after it left his body. However after 3 hours of grasping at straws, he managed to pinpoint the Ki. He could vaguely feel the path it took, but otherwise was unable to see it.

    In his lessons with Sem, there were theories and suggestions that some mythical beings as well as legendary creatures could see Ki trails as it moved out of the body. It is believed that in the history of Yuan Zhong, there were many accounts of racial beings who were born with abilities to see it as well.

    However after a quick consultation with Sem before he left for the training hall, he had informed Xiaoxia that the closest to this today, were those who performed the healing arts. It was not the same thing, but they could see Ki flows and paths in the body.

    However seeing Ki paths and trails aside, both Menon and Sem stated there was no known record of someone controlling Ki remotely after it left the person¡¯s body.

    ¡°Young friend, I knew I would find you here,¡± a raspy voice said, as Xiaoxia was lost in thoughts.

    ¡°Menon?¡± Xiaoxia replied, both surprised and irked at the same time.

    He did not want to be left alone with Menon, things have a habit of going according to the flow of Menon¡¯s desires.

    ¡°I have a theory, perhaps it will help you,¡± Menon suggested.

    ¡°Theory for what?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, I know you are curious about to how to control the Ki once it leaves your body, I could tell it from your reaction when we were talking about it during the debrief,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°No I am not thinking about that,¡± Xiaoxia lied without blinking an eye.

    ¡°Well .. cough .. cough .. ahem! Wait,¡± Menon started coughing in the middle of the speech, while beckoning Xiaoxia to wait, he whipped out a vial that looked like sewage water and gulp it all down in one go.

    ¡°Ahem! Sorry, it¡¯s getting worse,¡± Menon replied, and continued, ¡°Now young friend, if that¡¯s the case, why else would you have made an excuse and left early only to come here?¡±

    ¡°Erm, you know I, erm, well it¡¯s like this, I mean, uh, ok I lied,¡± Xiaoxia struggled a little trying to find an excuse before finally admitting.

    ¡°Haha, sometimes you can be read like and open book,¡± Menon quoted a popular phrase.

    ¡°So what is this theory?¡± Xiaoxia asked, somewhat curious.

    ¡°Ok, sit down while I theorize,¡± Menon suggested.

    Xiaoxia took a seat rather unwillingly, because he felt he could almost grasp the feeling of the Ki path and trail, before Menon distracted him. As such he wanted to continue practicing before he lost that feeling.

    ¡°I have requested someone to join us, I will ask her to join us before I continue,¡± Menon said, turning towards the door and motioned at someone outside.

    A tall lady walked in, she was old but look far younger than the ancient haggard looks of Menon.

    ¡°Greetings young friend, I am Yulia, Grandmaster Artisan, Light Alignment, MeisterSchloss Council of Elders,¡± she introduced herself.

    ¡°Chen Zhen Xia greets Senior Yulia,¡± Xiaoxia cupped his hands and bowed at Yulia.

    ¡°No need to be ceremonious young friend, you can call me Yulia, we old folks prefer it this way,¡± she smiled a warm smile, while her eyes sparkled with a youthful exuberance, making her look way younger.

    ¡°Yulia is a Grandmaster Healer, she is one of the best in Yuan Zhong, and nearly into the Unknown Realm,¡± Menon gave more details to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°You exaggerate too much old man,¡± Yulia smiled as she spoke.

    Xiaoxia had no idea what race Yulia was, she looked like one of the typical races, however she was taller than most women and even taller than Instructor Wei. She is even taller than his father at seven and a half feet.

    ¡°Well young friend, this old man asked me to help him in something with regards to Ki paths,¡± Yulia looked at Xiaoxia while saying this and continued, ¡°He informed me that apparently you are able to control Ki once it exited your body.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it was the only one time, and it was only due to a spur of the moment action, not something I done knowingly,¡± Xiaoxia affirmed what Menon told her.

    "I see," she responded, while looking at Menon.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, I theorized that there is a possibility it involved your extra ordinary meridians,¡± Menon said after nodding at Yulia.

    ¡°Extra ordinary meridians? Then does it have anything to do with my special meridian as well?¡± Xiaoxia asked, thinking it was another one of those special meridian abilities.

    ¡°No, and both of us can say this for sure,¡± Yulia answered for both she and Menon.

    ¡°Yes, this is true, more than 65 thousand years of recorded history in MeisterSchloss, we have interacted with many races, humanoids and some mythical beings. There are many who could see the trails of Ki once it exited a person¡¯s body. These individuals have one particular extra ordinary meridian unlocked, and none of them had a special meridian,¡± Menon enlightened Xiaoxia as Yulia continued where he left off.

    ¡°They are called the 8 extra ordinary meridians, due to the fact they are not unlocked in any sequence or order. Unlike the other meridians which must be unlocked one after the other,¡± she informed Xiaoxia and continued her narration, ¡°when this particular meridian is unlock and its ability honed, you can trace the path of Ki with your sight. We theorize that there must be a corresponding extraordinary meridian which is in tandem to this, allowing the control of Ki once it leaves the body.¡±

    ¡°Do you know the other details on extraordinary meridians?¡± Menon asked, he only gave a brief summary of it when he tested Xiaoxia the last time.

    ¡°Yes I learned it during my lessons,¡± Xiaoxia replied, having touched on the topic during one of the lessons with Sem.

    Extraordinary meridians, not only serves to specially refine Ki for Unique skills, one of its other purposes was a tertiary Ki reservoir. The tertiary reservoirs enables special Ki be stored, as the Ki center¡¯s reservoir only stores Ki absorb from the surroundings and nothing else.

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    What is known of special Ki, is they are elemental aligned energies. This was how Jay managed to manipulate lightning as well as fire when he destroyed the battle room.

    But most importantly extra-ordinary meridians do not have a fix position in the body. It varies from person to person. This is one of the key reasons why everyone who has unlocked their extraordinary meridians possessed skills unique only to them, when they reached Unknown Realm.

    There are many similarities in the skills as well as differences. It can be the color, the microseconds it takes to charge, the intensity and more which can be the same and yet at the same time totally different.

    ¡°Good, Yulia is going to read the flow of Ki in your body. For this we do not need machines or equipment,¡± Menon added much to Xiaoxia¡¯s relief.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do that last time, instead of making me a pin cushion?¡± Xiaoxia asked petulantly.

    ¡°Young friend, I can read and see flow and paths of Ki in the body, but I cannot tell your potential or other things,¡± this time Yulia replied on Menon¡¯s behalf.

    ¡°Thank you Yulia,¡± Menon grinned as he explained, ¡°today, all I need for you is to try an grasp the action you did during the final moments of the duel. Yulia will read the flow and see if it¡¯s as we theorized. It¡¯s going to take a while.¡±

    **********

    It is now the 6th day of the competition, there were only 256 competitors remaining. At the end of the 3rd day, a quarter of the winners withdrew from the competition. On the 4th day more than half of the winners did the same, and the 5th day saw even more forfeits. These led to extra matches being held to accommodate the forfeited ones.

    The tournament took a heavy toll on the competitors, as they were only children and many did not have the discipline and stamina to reserve their strength for subsequent matches. However this is the norm, and based on the competition¡¯s history, some of the tournaments had ended a day or two earlier than scheduled.

    The fifth day was uneventful and Xiaoxia managed to overcome his opponents with some ease. One forfeited, while there was another who was a humanoid, but proved to be far less capable than Vlad.

    At this moment, Xiaoxia was looking at the remaining names and details on the list, as expected none of his friends were on it. He asked Fred to check on their competition status before he left for the training hall on the night of the 4th day, and received it just this morning.

    Charlotte, as Xiaoxia knew beforehand, lost her match against Vlad on the 3rd day, while Sima was true to his words and forfeited his first match. Libby forfeited on the 4th day for unknown reasons.

    The twins did well and both lasted till the 3rd match of the 5th day, while Corian and Winfrey lost their final matches on the 3rd day. It was not really expected, as they were considered one of the better freshmen in the Academy of the Six Elements.

    However there was a trend in the losses, it seems 5 of them lost to humanoid beings. In fact, of the remaining names and details he was looking at, over 60% of them were humanoid beings.

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± Instructor Wei called him as she entered the room.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°In today''s matches, there is a high chance at least two of your opponents are humanoid beings,¡± she informed him.

    Xiaoxia clearly understood, based on the mathematical possibilities. There was even a chance that all of the matches will be against humanoids.

    ¡°According to the details, most of the remaining humanoids are Dragonians, Tetsudians and Crustanians. This is expected, as they have the highest natural born defenses among all others,¡± Instructor Wei mentioned this as she looked through the list.

    ¡°There are some others who will give a good fight, but like Vlad, their attacks are good but weak on defense,¡± she added, and further advised him, ¡°So you will need to ¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Xiaoxia was barely hearing her at this point, his mind was directed to the match with Vlad when she mentioned his name. When he thought of Vlad, he automatically thought of the previous two nights he was with Yulia and Menon.

    They were still engaged in trying to understand the process of controlling Ki movement outside of the body, and actually managed to mimic it with surprisingly good results.

    With Yulia¡¯s guidance and Menon¡¯s suggestions, Xiaoxia managed to connect to the Ki outside of his body during the middle of the 2nd night. Yulia had helped greatly in reading the flow of Ki in Xiaoxia¡¯s Ki vessels, and managed to pinpoint the location of where the suspected extraordinary meridians involved were.

    Xiaoxia still could not see the Ki trail, but now he could distinctly sense and connect to it. There was a fair amount of progress after that, and he could effectively change the course of the Ki attack in midair up to 50 feet in diameter.

    His control was still inefficient, as it meant controlling Ki in the Ki vessels at regions his Ki Realm was not up to. At his current Ki reservoir size and Ki Realm, he could only maintain constant Ki in the Ki vessels of up to 6 of the minor meridians.

    In order for him to manipulate the Ki in his body to these extraordinary meridians, he needed to release the Ki from the 6 minor meridians and at the same time contain the Ki in the Ki vessels up to the extraordinary meridians.

    This expanded a ridiculous amount of Ki, and his Ki reservoir was only left with a fraction of its original after using the technique a few times.

    ¡°¡­¡­. therefore you just have to go all out from the begi¡­. And why are you here?!¡± Instructor Wei was saying to Xiaoxia who was lost in thoughts when she suddenly raised her voice.

    This abruptly brought Xiaoxia back to his senses, and he looked up to see what was bothering Instructor Wei. Looking at the doorway, he notice Jay grinning straight at him.

    ¡°Yo! Shizhi, how has it been going?¡± Jay asked as he ignored his sister.

    ¡°Jay Shishu I am fine, how are things with you?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Well besides running away from my sister¡¯s creditors, I am doing well,¡± Jay grinned teasingly at Instructor Wei when he said that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go around spouting nonsense, I do not owe anyone money and in truth I am chasing some for money!¡± Instructor Wei said indignantly.

    ¡°Haha! I am joking! Relax will you?¡± Jay laughed out loudly as he gave a jovial slap on the back of Instructor Wei. She immediately ducked and avoid it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me with your dirty hands!¡± Instructor Wei demanded.

    ¡°Aw! Come on, you are no fun,¡± Jay almost manage to sound a little hurt.

    ¡°Jay Shishu is there anything you are here for?¡± Xiaoxia asked, normally Jay would not appear if there wasn¡¯t something he wished to discuss, and this is one of those times.

    ¡°Xia Er, it has come to my knowledge that you have managed to recreate the technique you used during that fight with the humanoid,¡± Jay stated a matter of fact in a more serious tone.

    ¡°Huh? How did you know? Yes I did so last night,¡± Xiaoxia asked and replied.

    ¡°I got my sources,¡± Jay smirked, pretty proud of himself.

    ¡°My brother has been stalking you ever since he met you,¡± Instructor Wei ratted him out.

    ¡°Ah! What a bad word to use, I never stalked him, it was just observation! Observation, not stalking. I am not a pervert!¡± Jay loudly defended himself.

    Xiaoxia could only grin at the bickering siblings.

    ¡°Anyway, more importantly, Xia Er,¡± Jay reverted back to being a little more serious, while saying, ¡°that technique you used? I want you to teach me.¡±

    Copyright ? 2015, Loke Weng Tuck. All Rights Reserved.

 Volume 1 Chapter 26: Hit me

    ¡°There is no way we can help you with this,¡± Menon told him outright.

    ¡°Why?¡± Jay asked, thinking if anyone could do it so could he.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of how capable you are, but you just do not have what it takes to do it,¡± Menon insisted.

    ¡°Just point me in the right direction, and all will be hunky dory,¡± Jay grinned while saying this, still rather adamant about learning that skill.

    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s just not possible, in the first place you have never tried it before, and to make it harder, we do not even know where that meridian is on you,¡± Yulia joined the conversation, seeing that Jay refused to back down.

    ¡°I agree, and the fact you only have 2 extraordinary meridians unlocked, mea¡­.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 3 extraordinary meridians, I unlocked another since the last time I volunteered to be your lab rat,¡± Jay interrupted and updated Menon.

    ¡°Ok three, so in like two thousand years? You only mana¡­¡±

    ¡°One thousand nine hundred and sixty seven years to be exact, I opened it about 30 years back,¡± Jay interrupted again.

    ¡°The numbers are just arbitrary, and stop interrupting me!¡± Menon responded, a little exasperated.

    Jay and Menon each belonged to one of the top 4 races, they had similar lifespans and an average person of these races could live to three thousand years. When the Unknown Realm was unlocked, it increased that by many folds.

    Unfortunately, Menon has not reached the Unknown Realm, hence he looks worse for wear when compared to the Wei siblings.

    Jay is in fact a thousand and five hundred years older than Instructor Wei and almost eight hundred years older than Menon. Menon on the other hand was around seven hundred years older than Instructor Wei.

    ¡°That is the exact problem, you only have three opened. From what we understand, the time and effort taken to unlocked an extraordinary meridian one after the other gradually increase and multiplies. It is highly possible you may not be able to open another before you enter heaven,¡± Yulia explained.

    ¡°I understand that part. My idea is simple, lead me in the right direction like how you did Xia Er and I will be set from there,¡± Jay replied.

    ¡°I have been trying to tell you this from the beginning, it¡¯s not so simple. You have five locked extraordinary meridian, means there is only a one in five chance its either one. However it took you almost two thousand years to ope¡­.¡± Menon was trying to say more, but Jay interrupted again.

    ¡°One thousand nine hundred an¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright whatever! It already took you that long for the third, the forth is even longer, and Yulia is right, you may be dead before its opened, not to mention what I said earlier,¡± Menon told Jay in a rather exasperate voice.

    ¡°Damn! You could have just said so from the start!¡± Jay cursed, turned around and left while putting on a show of being ridiculed.

    ¡°We did!¡± both Menon and Yulia were thinking the same thing.

    **********

    With a bit of luck, Xiaoxia¡¯s first opponent was not a humanoid, it was another of the races and the highest Duelist Realm he had met to date. She was a Duelist Realm 6th Tier, but her battle prowess was not honed and could neither defend not counter against him.

    Xiaoxia been through very tough training with Instructor Wei in the battle room. They had progress into the middle ones down the hallway and the dummies were much more difficult than they had on the 1st battle room. As they progressed, dummies gradually became much faster and attacked in random patterns; it was close as it gets to real life battles.

    It was a training he was extremely thankful for, as most students had good Ki Realms but lack actual combat experience. This enabled those with lower Ki Realms who had actual experience to defeat them, and it was a widespread thing especially among the races. Many children were complacent when it comes to power and actual combat.

    Xiaoxia was already abnormally strong since young, and this training boosted it. Given he was born with a God given physique, it also vastly improved his agility, stamina, constitution and reaction.

    ¡°Xia Er, the next opponent is a Crustanian, you should know what to do,¡± Instructor Wei told him.

    ¡°Yes and thank you Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    Crustanians¡¯ defense were considered the 3rd highest in the competition, the only others who were better are the Dragonians and Tetsudians. The common thing was all had sufficient natural protection on their weak areas, making defeating them a chore.

    Instructor Wei had proceeded to demonstrate effective measures against them the previous night, as a result Xiaoxia had to postpone with Menon and Yulia.

    The training was beneficial, as Xiaoxia only learned the anatomy during his lessons with Sem. During the practices with Instructor Wei, she increased the defenses on the dummies so it would be three times that of the Dragonians who are widely considered as having the best natural shield.

    Xiaoxia managed to break through the dummies defenses with his focused Ki attacks. Although sometimes he would miss the mark as the dummies moved around in random patterns. However the results were notable.

    ¡°Good, there is nothing more I can show you now, just make sure to observe carefully during the battle,¡± Instructor Wei advised him.

    **********

    ¡°Competitors approach the center please,¡± the referee instructed.

    Xiaoxia calmly moved to the center while looking at his opponent. The Crustanian had little semblance to the racial beings, it walked on two limbs but had four arms. There were feelers protruding from its forehead, and the entire skull was covered in a translucent shell instead of hair.

    Instead of skin, it looked like it was covered in armor plating. It had a short fanned tail, that look like a shield jutting it out from its posterior. On top of that, instead of hands with a thumb and four fingers, it had what looked like pincers. The only thing that was familiar, were its eyes and face.

    ¡°Is this thing really 7 years old?¡± Xiaoxia¡¯s mind was reeling with that thought, the thing in front of him looked older than his parents. He had seen images depicted in the books from his lessons, but it did not prepare him for this.

    ¡°Hellooob! Myy Naame is Briabel .. blurgb ¡­ ¡°

    Xiaoxia did not understand a single thing after that, he only caught the name Briabel. Foam was coming out of its mouth as it spoke and it was a disgusting sight for Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Well met, my name is Zhen Xia, Academy of the Six Elements, Sha Mo Ren, 1st Colony, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± Xiaoxia did the normal introduction.

    ¡°No killing or serious endangerment, no hitting the opponent on their reproductive organs, no use of forbidden skills or weapon, no unregistered weapons, maintain proper pugilist honor at all times and finally have a good duel!¡± the referee made the standard statement, changing the ¡®family jewels¡¯ to reproductive organs.

    The problem is during Sem¡¯s lessons, he did not mention where the reproductive organs were for the Crustanians. Apparently he deemed Xiaoxia too young to learn about the birds and the bees.

    ¡°Sorry referee, I do not know where his reproductive organs a¡­.¡±

    ¡°Meeeee blurggb grriirrlll¡± Briabel suddenly interrupted as foam spewed out from her mouth, and indicated to somewhere between the joints of the limbs she was standing on.

    ¡°Ok, I hope there is no further questions. You may take your positions,¡± the referee said, while looking a little embarrassed. In fact he did not know about that either, and worse was he shared the same thoughts as Xiaoxia on Briabel being a boy.

    Standing at their positions, both opponents faced each other. Xiaoxia had trouble looking at Briabel, as her habit of spewing foam from her mouth was making him lose his focus. But he knew from the details Briabel was a Duelist Realm 7th Tier, the highest ever opponent he confronted.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly,¡± Xiaoxia thought as he used the foot technique and appeared on Briabel¡¯s exposed back.

    ¡°Whooosh!¡±

    To his surprise he missed, Briabel had moved off suddenly to her left. She had an ungainly sideways movement that was astonishingly fast.

    ¡°Blurggh, hee hee hee heeblgurgh,¡± some sound came from her.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Are you trying to laugh?¡± Xiaoxia said, a little irritated at that.

    He did not stop and used the same foot technique. This time he did three direction changes in mid stride to confuse her.

    ¡°Bam! Bam! Bam!¡±

    All three of his blows hit their marks, but Briabel shifted slightly each time, so they hit the densest shielded part of her body.

    ¡°Whoom!¡±

    In a sudden counter attack, one of her arms lashed out at Xiaoxia. He immediately raised his Ki defense and blocked it with his right arm. The blow pushed him a few feet back.

    Immediately turning her whole body towards where Xiaoxia was, she gave something like a smirk with foam coming out her mouth.

    ¡°You blurgh blugrgh b ¡­ ose!¡± she screamed out something incoherent, spewing more foam around.

    There was a spike in Ki as all four of her limbs lunged in the direction of Xiaoxia. Four intense Ki attacks blasted towards him, he dodged one and had to block the other three, as the distance was too close.

    ¡°Whoosh! BOOF! BOOF! BOOF!¡±

    The surprising thing was not the Ki attacks, but it¡¯s after effects. Ice formed over Xiaoxia¡¯s right and left arms after he blocked them.

    ¡°Elemental Ki attack!¡± he blurted out in amazement, as he use the foot technique and backed away about forty feet.

    The stadium went hush, all the spectators were stunned. Elemental attacks were limited to those in the Unknown Realm, it was extremely rare and almost unheard of for someone to have it before then.

    ¡°Damn! There was not such information in the details, freaking hell!¡± Instructor Wei was cursing in her mind when she saw that attack.

    ¡°Blurghs hehehe blgurh!¡± Briabel continued grinning and saying incoherent things.

    ¡°Grrr!¡± Xiaoxia¡¯s amazed reaction changed immediately, he was getting pissed off by Briabel.

    Angrily he let off a sequence of focused Ki attacks with his index fingers, these were aimed directly for Briabel¡¯s joints. According to Instructor Wei, his focused Ki attacks should have no problems in breaking through and disabling the opponents limbs.

    ¡°BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Wham!¡±

    Three of the attacks missed their target and slammed into the platform¡¯s shielding, as Briabel¡¯s amazing sideways movement weaved right and left causing them to miss. However Xiaoxia made a gamble and shot the fourth attack in the direction opposite of the third.

    ¡°ABLURGHAAHH!¡± Briabel screamed.

    She had moved sideways to her right to avoid the third attack and shifted back again to her left, catching the last attack right between her left arms. It was below the upper left arm and directly above the lower left arm on her torso, there the armor-like plating cracked wide open and raw damaged flesh was exposed.

    "BLUGRHFIDIDIIIEEE!!" she screamed in painful anger.

    Immediately her Ki spiked, and Ki energy blasted at Xiaoxia from her uninjured side. She was also moving rapidly and chasing Xiaoxia, who was avoiding her attacks and backing off.

    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±

    The battle dais¡¯s shielding rippled incessantly as all the attacks missed Xiaoxia and hit it.

    Xiaoxia was hard pressed at this moment, at this distance he could still avoid all the attacks, but that wasn''t the issue. The element Ki was causing the ground to freeze and proper footing was beginning to be a problem for him.

    ¡°If only I can get her cloo¡­.whoa!¡± right at the instance while he was thinking, he slipped on the icy surface and fell flat on his back.

    ¡°BLURGHEHEHEHEHE!¡± there was a shout of something that sounded awfully triumphant, as Briabel immediately blasted more Ki attacks at him.

    ¡°WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!¡±

    The impacts caused a flurry of ice to form around Xiaoxia and soon a thick mist surrounded the area. Gradually, the mist dissipated as the attacks stopped.

    At this time Briabel was expecting to see the limp figure of Xiaoxia laying on the ground. She had actually turn bright pink in her anger and there was no longer foam spewing from her mouth.

    But instead of a broken limp figure laying on the ground, a figure was standing with its arms in a crossed position. Somehow Xiaoxia had recovered in time to block the attacks, the aura of his defensive Ki was glowing intensely.

    When Xiaoxia fell, he immediately sprung up again. This was the lesson he learnt in the battle room. The dummies were ruthless and will pummel him to a pulp if he did not recover in time. It is now instinctively built into his very flesh and bones.

    ¡°Hey seafood! Is that all you got?¡± Xiaoxia taunted Briabel, who actually does look a lot like the shellfishes he had eaten on the island continent of MeisterSchloss.

    ¡°Phreeee! No insulting remarks like this!¡± the referee warned, while also trying to hide a grin.

    ¡°Sorry sir!¡± Xiaoxia responded.

    ¡°There will be no other warning, you may continue¡± the referee added, as Xiaoxia nodded again.

    But the damage was already done, this time Briabel¡¯s color went from bright pink to red in a heartbeat. Her aura begin to rise and blood started dripping from her injured side. Oblivious to the bleeding and pain, she lumbered forward with her amazing speed.

    As she got closer, she shot out Ki attacks with her uninjured side. These were avoided by Xiaoxia.

    ¡°AARGHBLURGH!!!¡± Briabel shouted in frustration.

    ¡°Hey you,¡± suddenly Xiaoxia shouted at her.

    She immediately paused with a questioning look on her face.

    ¡°Come,¡± Xiaoxia said, standing there with his defense totally down.

    ¡°Hit me! I won¡¯t move, hit me with your best shot!¡± he further taunted.

    Briabel did not trust him, so she decided to get as near as possible before launching her most devastating attack. This attack will probably drain all her Ki, but victory must be attained at all cost.

    Xiaoxia had created a distance of more than a hundred feet between them as he avoid her Ki attacks and constantly moved out of the frozen areas. It was not something he wanted, as both sides could defend easily against long distant attacks at this range.

    He continued standing there as Briabel sprinted in her weird gait towards him. In a blink of an eye, she covered over 30 feet, and was about 70 feet from Xiaoxia. As the number gradually decreased, Ki was building and could be felt from both of them.

    60, 50, 40, it was close, but Briabel wanted it to be closer.

    30, 20, 15, 10 ¡°BBBAAAAAANNNNGG!¡±

    Between the distance of over a hundred feet and the Ki attack, it took less than 5 seconds.

    ¡°Whoosh! BOOM!¡±

    When the first Ki attack connected, the area surrounding it and the two opponents immediately clouded up. As the area cleared, Briabel was laying on the ground, while Xiaoxia was still standing less than a feet away.

    ¡°Phreee!¡±

    ¡°Red side is unable to continue, victory to blue side!¡± the referee announced slightly impishly as he was really forcing himself not to laugh as Briabel was a bright red color.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Xiaoxia pumped his right arm.

    When Briabel attacked, Xiaoxia countered with his own Ki blast. The two opposing forces collided with tremendous impact. The resulting cloud immediately blinded both sides, but Xiaoxia had released a reduced focused Ki blast at the same time.

    Gauging where she was, he used his Ki control to remotely divert it to the back of her neck just below the skull. The impact cracked the armor-like plating and knocked Briabel out.

    His normal focused Ki attacked had broken away her armor-like protection and damaged the flesh underneath . Hence he controlled and limited the focus Ki blast he sent towards her necked, or it would probably had killed her.

    The entire stadium exploded in cheers and applause, and Amelia was screaming her head off again. Instructor Wei and Menon had slipped away beforehand, not wanting to be associated with Amelia, while Jay was no where to be seen.

    Only one figure standing above the crowds on the far end of the stadium was not cheering.

    "Savor your victory, you will regret it soon enough," it said.

 Volume 1 Chapter 27: To the Quarter Finals

    Briabel was the toughest opponent of that day, but Xiaoxia still struggled for the remaining two matches. He expended too much Ki when he slipped and was forced to activate a strong Ki defense against the incoming onslaught of attacks.

    In addition to this, the Ki burst that countered Briabel¡¯s last attack and the redirected focused Ki, left him with little to spare. If the match continued farther, Xiaoxia by then will totally deplete his Ki reservoir and his life will be on the line.

    The next opponent after Briabel was a Tetsudian, its armor was tougher than Briabel¡¯s, but it lacked speed. Thick shell like protection covered its front and back, and it had a stubby tail that did nothing useful. What was most troublesome, is that it could retract its head and limbs into its body.

    It took Xiaoxia some effort to disable the opponent, but managed successfully after a few minutes with well-placed focused Ki blasts. The Tetsudian was out for the count when multiple blasts hit its torso. The focused Ki blast did not penetrate the shell, as Xiaoxia could not afford to expend too much Ki, but it generated enough impact for its effects to be felt.

    The last opponent for that day was Xiaofeng, and he forfeited the match without contest. Xiaoxia actually looked forward to it, as he felt Xiaofeng would put up some challenge, and was disappointed when it did no go the way he wanted it.

    The day ended early for Xiaoxia, and he left the stadium at the 16th hour. He spent four hours resting and met up with Menon and Yulia to further hone the redirection of Ki technique. It would come in handy in the later stages, as it had already proven against Briabel.

    **********

    In the minutes before midnight of the 6th day, two figures met up in a secluded place. One was obviously a child, the other an adult.

    ¡°Are you sure this is ok?¡± the adult was asking.

    ¡°Yes its only restricted and not forbidden,¡± the child replied.

    ¡°There is no honor in this,¡± the adult stated.

    ¡°Who cares! When it comes an enemy, no honor is needed. Innocent defenseless people are killed in war, is there any honor in that?¡± the child angrily said.

    ¡°But it was before their time, we shouldn¡¯t hold them acco..¡±

    ¡°Enough! As long as I live, I will never let them off,¡± the child interrupted, and walked off into the night.

    **********

    It is now the 7th day of the singles competition, 32 contestants remain, and there will only be 3 matches for each winner. From this day, all winners will be given a title at each stage.

    For the winners of the round of 32, they will be move on to the last 16 and will be given the ¡®Elite 16¡¯ title. After winning the last 16, winners will proceed to the Quarter Finals and the title of ¡®The 8 Lords¡¯ will be bestowed.

    Winners of the Quarter Finals will proceed onto the final day. On the 8th and final day of the tournament, there will be 2 matches for both the winners and the losers. After the semi-finals, a 3rd and 4th place match will be held before the finals.

    The final four contestants will be known collectively as ¡®Si Shou¡±. The fourth will get the title of ¡®Gui Xian¡¯, the third ¡®Qilin¡¯, the second ¡®Feng Huang¡¯ and the champion ¡®Tian Long¡¯.

    ( Shi Shou ~ 4 legendary mythical creatures of Chinese folklore, it is prevalent in Japan as well. Certain Buddhist / Taoist countries have similar creatures. ¡®Gui Xian¡¯ Tortoise Diety, ¡®Qilin¡¯ or Kirin, ¡®Feng Huang¡¯ Phoenix, ¡®Tian Long¡¯ Celestial Dragon.)

    These titles are highly regarded, and it plays a big part for the children, as it meant more benefits financially, politically and academically. It is however not permanent, and the titles can be challenged.

    Due to the nature of it being held once every seven years, peers or juniors can challenge the title holders any time before they graduate. On their final academic year when they are 15 years old, an Inter-Continent graduation tournament will be held. If they managed to defend their title, it will be permanent.

    Many title holders of past tournaments are key members of public and private sectors. Almost all of them are held in high regards, and many have their names recorded in the histories of their cities, nations or empires.

    It also enabled students in the Academy of the Six Elements to expedite the Mentor-Disciple contract. Instead of waiting a minimum of 2 academic years or more, they could apply to an Instructor for Discipleship once they had a title.

    Other academies have different benefits, but most importantly, it is the sense of accomplishment that is the most beneficial for these students. Something that cannot be taught, but earned through one¡¯s own self.

    **********

    The matches for the day were held one after another on a single stage, and Xiaoxia''s match was the first. Regrettably his opponent forfeited, as he sustained injuries he could not recover from. This promoted Xiaoxia immediately into the last 16, achieving the title ''Elite 16''.

    Instructor Wei was looking at the information on the round of 32, Xiaoxia was grouped on the right side and had the opening match. Since then a few others matches have been done,

    Of the sixteen in Xiaoxia''s group, there were two Dragonians, one Nosferatian, two Lythians, and a few others from the races, who have yet to compete.

    The other side of the table did not fare any better and had almost the same number of humanoids, but there were no Dragonians in that group. This may prove to be the easier side, however there is twice the number of Tetsudians who are no walkover themselves.

    Instructor Wei was looking at one name in particular from Xiaoxia¡¯s side of the group. It was Princess Huiling, and her first opponent was a Lythian. With her abilities, she should be able to win against her highly offensive opponent.

    The Lythians were humanoids who value attack over defense. They are covered entirely with a grey colored fur, have the usual four limbs and a bushy tail. Offensively, they fight with claws extending from both their hands and feet, as well as a snout full of sharp teeth.

    Her battle will be the last match for the round of 32, just before Xiaoxia''s final 16 match.

    If she won her next two matches, she will be Xiaoxia¡¯s quarter-final opponent. Instructor Wei decided to keep this from him till it was an actuality. She heard from Amelia on what Huiling tried to pull off, and there was no point in distracting Xiaoxia till then.

    ¡°Xia Er,¡± Instructor Wei called for him, as she placed the information script on the table.

    ¡°Yes Mentor,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Your next opponent will be a tricky one. Do you know anything about the Calmareese?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°I learnt it during one of Sem¡¯s lessons, aren¡¯t they the humanoids with tentacles growing from their backs?¡± Xiaoxia replied and asked.

    ¡°Yes, they bear similar features like the races, but the tentacles is what sets them apart,¡± she informed him.

    The Calmareese were another one of the humanoids who bear remarkable resemblance to the races. Except for their skin color and the tentacles, everything about them was similar.

    ¡°According to the details from the information mongers, your opponent is a high class Calmareese,¡± Instructor Wei added.

    ¡°High class? I did not learn this,¡± Xiaoxia asked and stated.

    ¡°They are the Calmareese royalty, and their tentacles are more versatile as compared to the lower classes. Unlike the lower classes who can only reinforce their tentacles with Ki, the high class Calmareese are able to project Ki energies with it,¡± she informed him.

    ¡°Oh wow!¡± Xiaoxia could only remarked surprisingly.

    ¡°If the Dragonians are the epitome of defense in this competition, the high class Calmareese are the epitome of attack,¡± she further added.

    ¡°Mentor, ten avenues of launching Ki attacks is a plenty to avoid. What is the best case scenario for me?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°I think I mentioned this before, the more offensive an opponent is, the more chances its defense is weak. Most apply the principal of the ¡®best defense is a good offense¡¯, and this is the area you must capitalize on. This is as much as I can impart to you, or I may as well fight the competition on your behalf,¡± Instructor Wei replied and left it to him to figure out the details.

    ¡°Thank you Mentor, I will observe my opponent carefully,¡± Xiaoxia bowed towards Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Xia Er, by getting this far you have already showed all the thanks in the world to me,¡± Instructor Wei complimented him and advised him, ¡°You should cultivate all the Ki you can before the match, it may be required.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Xiaoxia nodded and headed to the cultivating platform in the room, he only started using it on the 6th day. It proved extremely useful, as he was able to rapidly regain the Ki he expended.

    **********

    His opponent was rather tall for one of the races, most of them were not even five feet. But this boy who was facing him was over five and a half feet.

    Luquoes was not a tall youngling himself, being hardly four feet, but with his tentacles assisting him, he rose up to about 6 feet.

    ¡°Greetings, my name is my name is Zhen Xia, Academy of the Six Elements, Sha Mo Ren, 1stColony, Hu Yuan Empire,¡± the boy introduced himself.

    ¡°Luquoes, Academy of the Eight Diagram, The Empire of the Eight Seas,¡± he replied, sounding a little nonchalant.

    ¡°So this boy is a Duelist Realm 9th Tier, pretty good for a racial being at this age,¡± Luquoes thought to himself.

    Xiaoxia was observing Luquoes, and it seemed like his opponent was bored. This intrigued him more than angered him. In all appearances, Luquoes looked like a young boy below seven years old. He will be considered pretty small for someone his age among the races and comparable to the Fan Ren.

    The only thing that caught Xiaoxia¡¯s attention was the writhing tentacles sprouting out from his back, and they looked suspiciously like the seafood he had in MeisterSchloss. Xiaoxia was wondering why humanoids have the tendency to look like food, and was not paying attention to the referee who was making the standard speech for the match.

    ¡°¡­.nd so you may take your positions,¡± the referee was saying.

    Luquoes was gathering Ki in all his tentacles even as he took position at his side of the zone, he wasn¡¯t going to go easy on this opponent. He went easy on all the others, as they were really not worth the effort.

    This boy on the other hand, had some remarkable victories in his previous matches, and could prove an interesting opponent. He wondered how the boy was going to fight against him. Even at 7th Tier, Luquoes have defeated some of his academy seniors who are in Adept Realm Lower Tier.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    Luquoes immediately braced himself and viciously fired ten Ki attacks at Xiaoxia who stood fifty feet away.

    Backing off right at the whistle blow, Xiaoxia dodged left then right and right again, and was soon more than a hundred feet from Luquoes.

    ¡°Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!¡±

    It was the right decision, as at the exact instant, ten Ki attacks blasted onto the spot where he was. Fist size impressions were made on the ground and dust rose up from the points of impact. The area became hazy, but did not affect visibility as both of them could still clearly see each other.

    By this moment, the two contestants began to move rapidly and covered the entire area of the battle dais, they released Ki attacks at each other even as they both dodged and changed directions mid stride.

    ¡°What polished reaction and agility, but it is exactly as I thought, ¡± Luquoes was thinking, as he continued widening the gap between them. He fired off two more Ki attacks while he was moving.

    ¡°BAM! BAM!¡±

    They were immediately countered by Xiaoxia¡¯s own attacks, and the two colliding Ki energies set off a loud bang that could be heard loud and clear throughout the stadium.

    ¡°Ranged attacks are getting nowhere,¡± Xiaoxia monitored the situation.

    Luquoes can release ten Ki attacks at once, while Xiaoxia only two. This is a big disadvantage for Xiaoxia, especially in ranged attacks. Luquoes could clearly counter Xiaoxia''s attacks by judging their paths from a distance.

    Even if Luquoes''s individual Ki attacks were much weaker than Xiaoxia¡¯s, he could fire multiple attacks to nullify a single one of them.

    But all is not lost, as a plan begun to form in Xiaoxia¡¯s mind. He is beginning to notice something every time he shifted to the opposite direction Luquoes was facing.

    Luquoes was smiling inwardly as he got Xiaoxia exactly where he wanted. Close combat was not his thing, even though he had eight tentacles in addition to his two hands.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be able to do anything from this far. As long as I keep up this distance, it will be a battle of attrition,¡± he thought inwardly.

    By keeping Xiaoxia at a distance with ranged attacks, his stamina and Ki will be depleted much faster as he used his physical strength and foot technique to acrobatically avoid the Ki attacks from Luquoes.

    Sometimes more energy was expended as Xiaoxia had to block these attacks with his Ki defenses. In addition, he was firing off his own Ki attacks as well.

    Ultimately, he was going to run out of Ki way before Luquoes, who was just moving to increase the distance and firing off Ki attacks.

    Xiaoxia confirmed his suspicion during the last barrage from Luquoes, after he fired off the Ki attacks, there was momentary pause before he shifted to face Xiaoxia who had skilfully dodged and used his foot technique to appear on the far left of Luquoes.

    There were even more obvious signs of weaknesses and Xiaoxia planned to make it work during the next barrage from Luquoes.

    In order to do that, he needed a distraction first.

    Gradually Luquoes felt the battle was in hand and victory would be near, he did not change his tactics and fought constantly from a distance. As long as Xiaoxia was not close enough, Luquoes had no problems at all.

    However even as he was feeling that victory was close, his opponent suddenly fired off his own barrage. They were not fired all at once, but timed extremely close. These attacks appeared to be random and were much weaker in intensity as the ones before.

    ¡°So he hopes to get me with a lucky shot,¡± Luquoes thought to himself, while a hint of pity showed on his face for the opponent''s desperation.

    Immediately he tracked the attacks with his eyes and sent off his own attacks to counter them in midair.

    ¡°BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!¡±

    When the attacks collided, a cacophony of sounds erupted and at the same time bright flashes were released. The intensity of the light discharged from more than a dozen explosions were enough to temporarily blind Luquoes.

    ¡°Got you!¡± Xiaoxia said to himself in a low voice, while shutting his eyes momentarily to prevent being blinded.

    As he released the barraged, he prepared his foot technique. Just before the attacks collided, he poured a tremendous amounts of Ki towards his feet and launched himself towards Luquoes.

    He had never done it before and the force took the breathe out of him as he zipped over a hundred feet to the right side of Luquoes. Xiaoxia almost tripped from the great force as he arrived slightly behind Luquoes, and made a roundhouse kick to the midsection of his back.

    Luquoes recovered quickly from the temporary blindness, only to sense Xiaoxia on his right slightly behind him. He is now less than two feet away.

    Turning instantly towards him, he lashed out with his tentacles and at the same time brought up his Ki defenses.

    An unfortunate thing happened right at this moment and all Luquoes could do was shout, ¡°OH SHIT!!¡±

    Just as Xiaoxia predicted, Luquoes¡¯s tentacles were all jumbled up, as every one of them tried to change their direction and attack him at the same time. Even much better, is that Luquoes¡¯s Ki defenses were totally lacking.

    ¡°WHAM! Crack!¡±

    Xiaoxia¡¯s kick broke his shield and landed straight in the middle of where the tentacles sprouted from. He could hear an audible crack, as it dislocated their joints.

    Luquoes¡¯s did not even scream and his eyes rolled back instantly as he fell into a sprawling heap, his tentacles twitching even in his unconscious state.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    ¡°Red side unable to continue! Blue side wins the match!¡± the referee announced loudly, with a look that indicated his clear appreciation of the battle.

    The entire stadium suddenly erupted in a loud roar, even as the event announcer declared over the broadcast.

    ¡°Congratulations to Chen Zhen Xia, awarded title of ''The 8 Lords'' and first to qualify for the Quarter Finals!¡±

 Volume 1 Chapter 28: And so it begins (Imminent Danger?)

    The round of 32 as well as the last 16 progressed for the remaining of the morning, and there were now 8 remaining contestants. A four hours hiatus was implemented before the quarter finals and all title holders from the ¡®Elite 16¡¯ as well as ¡®The 8 Lords¡¯ were invited for a luncheon gala.

    Not all attended, as some took the opportunity to recover from earlier matches, while others simply could not because of their injuries. Still the majority of them made it.

    ¡°Congratulations on participating in the last 16, and even more accolades to those entering the quarter finals and attaining the title of ¡°The 8 Lords¡¯,¡± a wiry gentlemen dressed in the latest fashionable suit welcomed them.

    ¡°We are the Merchant Alliance sponsors for the tournament, and warmly invite you to our gathering,¡± his assistant said.

    ¡°I am Pierre, and this is the lovely Miss Genevieve,¡± the gentleman called Pierre introduced himself and his assistant.

    The Merchant Alliance is the biggest alliance in Yuan Zhong, it spans across the entire world and even reaches all the colonies surrounding it. Their size, wealth, and influence, outstrips many smaller empires and even put major ones to shame.

    Albeit being the biggest, they do not have the power as compared to the Artisan Alliance or the R&D Alliance. These are among two of the oldest alliances in the world, even before MeisterSchloss was founded. Their HQ long since moved to MeisterSchloss.

    The Merchant Alliance was created by the founder of MeisterSchloss, and all its ruling members are part of the Artisan and R&D Alliances. Unlike the martial arts alliances, the Merchant Alliance accepts members who are currently in another alliance. This is also true for most other non-martial arts alliances.

    There is only one alliance which precedes all others, it¡¯s presence shrouded in mystery and myth. Everyone knows of this alliance, but no one knows where it is or what it does. They were only referred to as ¡®The Lost Alliance¡¯, for even its name was a mystery.

    Legend tells of this mysterious alliance and its members, none who wore any crest or markings. Their abilities were like magic and they did many great things throughout history. Bards sing of their deeds and parents often told stories about these heroes to their children.

    Even if its members were here for the luncheon, no one could possibly know. The galas held for the remaining freshmen in the competition, were attended by other individuals, organizations and alliances. Invitations were sent throughout the world for these galas, and hefty entry fees were paid.

    This was the chance to lure the young ones to their alliances or organizations, and did not mind the entry fees. By having a good report with their parents or guardians, they more or less bribed their way to the children.

    It is known that over 95% of the title holders have shown great abilities when they graduated. More often than not, they maintained these titles throughout their academic years, even when faced with numerous challenges for their titles.

    ¡°Look at all these leeches walking around,¡± Instructor Wei said disapprovingly.

    ¡°Well, you cannot blame them,¡± Menon told her, as he placed away a vial which previously contained a vile looking concoction that Menon gulped down.

    ¡°Mentor, why do you say this?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    He invited his parents for this event, but unfortunately they could not make it as Black Iron Anvil Town has been promoted to the next Tier after Maling took over. The influx of more residence to the area, expanded its population and economy. This was no small feat and it is all thanks to Maling who is now the Viscount of the Province, which Black Iron Region is in.

    Therefore they allowed Instructor Wei and Menon to be his guardians for these occasions.

    ¡°You see these people? They basically want to leech you dry of you talents and dump you once you grow old and worthless to them,¡± Instructor Wei almost spat when she said that.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too judgmental young lady,¡± Menon chastised her.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s not their fault, every one of them needs this. Many parts of the world is still unexplored and people with talents are highly sort after to assist in these areas,¡± Menon explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s what armies are for,¡± Instructor Wei rebuked.

    ¡°Menon, I only understand a little from what I learn from Sem. But the books do not fully explain why is it that as powerful as the empires are, they do not deploy their troops to these areas for exploration?¡± Xiaoxia asked him.

    ¡°There are many reasons for this. Firstly we must consider the expenses maintaining an army beyond your borders, you need plenty of resources for this. Secondly there is problem of politics, almost every empire has at least a few neighbors and it will definitely create an alarm if you start maneuvering your army,¡± Menon explained, pausing for Xiaoxia to absorb it before continuing, ¡°Third, which is linked to the second, you do not want to leave your empire shorthanded, as even the most friendly neighbor may take advantage of that.¡±

    "On top of that, unlike the past, empires no longer do it themselves, and leave it to individuals, organizations or alliances to handle these matters. That is why there are so many of them here now," Menon concluded

    ¡°I see, so by using others, it will be safer and cheaper for these empires,¡± Xiaoxia responded.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as this,¡± Jay replied out of nowhere, as he suddenly appeared.

    ¡°Jay! What brings you here?¡± Xiaoxia asked happily, he always felt better with Jay around.

    ¡°I was invited as a special guest,¡± he replied with a wide grin.

    ¡°Idiot brother, don¡¯t embarrass us today, or I am never talking to you¡± Instructor Wei warned.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Jay winked at Instructor Wei, who rolled her eyes, before he continued, ¡°As compared to a large army, it is much easier for a small group of people to move undetected in unknown territories. It is easier to hide a few than to hide an army. The biggest problem is there are many areas in the world where you simply can¡¯t bring an army."

    ¡°Which also brings us to the point of deniability, a group of unknown individuals wearing nondescript clothes can get away with anything. An army would easily give away which empire they are from,¡± Menon nodded in acknowledgement of Jay¡¯s arrival, as he continued where Jay left off.

    ¡°Deniability?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, you are too young to know certain things. There are unexplored lands with vast resources coveted by many empires, they will not stop at any means to claim it, even if it means wiping out an entire population of its indigenous people,¡± Jay replied, seeming to know this topic intimately.

    ¡°That unfortunately is very true, and no written records of these events are ever taken. We only know them from experience, they are not written in any history books. If they were, I would not know about it,¡± Menon added.

    ¡°Moreover, it¡¯s not only these, your talents in battle is the not only thing that matters. In later academic years, those who have titles have all shown remarkable abilities in areas such as crafts, research and others,¡± Jay digressed and informed Xiaoxia, as he continued, ¡°The mental capacity of title holders is greater than the others, of course this doesn¡¯t mean that the ones without titles are hopeless. But to be able to be disciplined enough to last so far in the competition, goes a long way to prove your aptitude.¡±

    ¡°I think I understand,¡± Xiaoxia replied, and before he could say anything else, an arrogant voice cut into their conversation.

    ¡°So country hick, I am surprised you managed to even get this far,¡± it was Huiling.

    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Jay asked, a little intrigued with her first statement.

    ¡°It¡¯s Princess for you uncouth people,¡± Huiling replied.

    ¡°Princess? So what?¡± Jay replied smirking.

    ¡°You will learn your proper place or regret yo¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah Senior Jay!¡± a gentlemen approached their group and interrupted Huiling right in the middle of her speech, surprisingly she did not utter a single word and looked rather worried.

    ¡°Bogard!¡± Jay exclaimed loudly as he hugged him in a bearlike embrace and slapped him on the back.

    ¡°Cough! Cough! Ahem! Damn it Jay, you do not know your own strength, you almost knocked my lungs out!¡± the man known as Bogard replied immediately after he was released.

    ¡°Haha! Sorry man!¡± Jay replied candidly.

    ¡°So who are these people?¡± Bogard asked.

    ¡°Ah sorry! I forgot my manners! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Imperial Crown Prince of the Hu Yuan Empire, next in line to the throne, Crown Prince Bogard! My best pal!¡± Jay announced loudly with a wide grin, as he indicated for them to introduce themselves.

    Xiaoxia was looking at him in amazement, he looked exceptionally young, and the best part was, he is Amelia¡¯s grandfather!

    ¡°My Lord, I am Menon, Grandmaster Artisan, Council of Elders, MeisterSchloss,¡± Menon introduced himself, while Bogard shook his hands.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    At this point, Bogard seemed distracted as he noticed Instructor Wei.

    ¡°Ah! Yan Mei! It¡¯s been such a long time!¡± Bogard exclaimed and walk over to hug her. She did not complain or reacted the same way she did towards her brother.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Bogard,¡± Instructor Wei replied, with an obvious smile on her face.

    ¡°Oh! And who might this young man be?¡± Bogard asked as he settled his eyes on Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia did not notice the looks from Bogard, as he was observing Huiling who by now was totally ignored after the appearance of Bogard. She looked extremely flustered in the meantime.

    ¡°Xia Er, his Imperial Highness is asking you a question,¡± Instructor Wei nudged him with her elbows.

    ¡°Oh? Oh! Sorry! My na¡­¡±

    ¡°Xiaoxia! Oh yes that wonderful boy my grand-daughter has been speaking about,¡± Bogard recalled immediately.

    ¡°So young man, I heard from her you have done our empire proud,¡± he added.

    ¡°It is nothing your Imperial Highness,¡± Xiaoxia replied modestly.

    ¡°Nonsense! Our Huiling here has done just as good and she won¡¯t stop telling everyone how awesome she is,¡± Bogard rejected his modest reply, while indicating that Huiling, who was now standing behind him, was making a mountain out of a molehill.

    At this Huiling continued bowing her head while biting her lips, all this time not even daring to say anything. In her mind, she was screaming bloody murder and really wanted to kill Xiaoxia for putting her in this position. She did not care if it was her own doing, she just needed to lash out at something, and he was the perfect target.

    At this moment, a couple approached their party, one was a middle age man, the other a woman of indiscernible age.

    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± the man and woman bowed towards Bogard.

    ¡°Ah! Nephew! How good for you to join us, come meet my best pal Jay,¡± Bogard introduced the couple to Jay.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Lord Jay, we have heard of your wonderful deeds for the Empire,¡± the nephew greeted Jay.

    ¡°Huiling, what are you doing here?¡± the woman asked when she noticed Huiling standing behind Bogard.

    ¡°Nothing mother,¡± Huiling replied.

    ¡°Oh? This is your daughter?¡± Jay asked, while an evil grin began to form.

    ¡°Ah yes Lord Jay, she is our most precious only child, Huiling,¡± the nephew replied.

    Huiling was trying to hide, she was in big trouble now. She did not know who Jay was and how he was connected to Xiaoxia. To make matters worse, she had insulted him, and now she found out that he have been a great benefactor for the Empire and the best pal of the Imperial Crown Prince.

    ¡°Oh by the way, I think your daughter is going to face my Shizhi in the quarter finals,¡± Jay said in an offhand manner.

    ¡°Is this true?¡± Bogard asked Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I am sorry your Imperial Highness, I have not been notified of this,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Yes Bogard, his next opponent will be her,¡± Instructor Wei answered for him.

    ¡°Ah! This is most unfortunate, it would have been good if it was the finals, then the Hu Yuan Empire can proudly lift its head, telling the world the two best freshmen are ours,¡± he said with a note of regret.

    ¡°So this is Chen Zhen Xia?¡± the nephew asked, his eye bearing some form of menace. After all his brother was sent to prison because of him.

    ¡°He does not need to reply to you,¡± Instructor Wei stood in front of Xiaoxia, glaring at the nephew. She roughly know about the involvement of Huiling¡¯s family in trying to cripple Xiaoxia during the tournament.

    ¡°Oh? What am I missing?¡± Bogard asked.

    ¡°My friend, it¡¯s nothing that concerns you, come let us go drink!¡± Jay grabbed Bogard, as they laugh heartily and moved off to another area. At this time Bogard gave his nephew a passing glance that spoke volumes.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± the nephew cursed under his breath. Amelia had promised not to tell anything to the Emperor or her grandfather, as long as his brother remained in prison. She kept her promise, and apparently now it doesn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°Come you stupid girl, you do not know the damn problem you have gotten all of us into,¡± the nephew scolded Huiling as he moved off.

    ¡°I am sorry for this, please forgive our rudeness,¡± the wife replied as she hurriedly followed after Huiling and her father.

    **********

    Xiaoxia was trying not to think about it, but he will be facing Huiling in less than a few minutes for their quarter-final match.

    The luncheon was an utterly boring affair, people from all walks of life had approached his small group, and tried to start a conversation with them. The only interesting thing that happened, was when one of them mistaken Menon for his dad, and Instructor Wei as his mum.

    He almost died laughing after that, as it meant that Instructor Wei and Menon were husband and wife. Something that will never ever happen.

    Xiaoxia was smiling at this, but his thought quickly changed to the unpleasant encounter with Huiling and her parents. His guts told him this was not the end of it, even after the quarter-finals.

    A loud voice penetrated his thoughts, as he was brought back to reality.

    ¡°The next contestant needs no introduction! He is the highest realm among all others and have won amazing victories against tough opponents. Everyone, welcome Zhen Xia!¡± the announcer declared in a theatrical voice.

    The whole stadium immediately roared in approval and cheers, even as Xiaoxia walked onto the single battle dais in the middle of the stadium.

    ¡°GO XIAOXIA!! Go go go go go !! Smash that spoilt brat and show her who is the man! Dominate this match!¡± Amelia was shouting crazily over her voice amplifier.

    She did not attend the luncheon, calling it a pompous show of wealth. Her other reason was to avoid Bogard, who dotted too much on her to the point of being unbearable. Bogard had an extreme affection for all his children and grandchildren, and he treated them like babies even though they are adults over hundreds of years old.

    ¡°Go HUILING! Crush that country hick and win this match!¡± another equally loud voice was heard over the crowds, it was Huiling¡¯s father.

    Then the announcer proclaimed in an even louder voice.

    ¡°Everyone lets welcome the flower of the competition, one who needs no introduction. The beauty amongst the thorns! Her Highness, the Princess Huiling of the Hu Yuan Empire!¡±

    The announcer was bribed by Huiling¡¯s father, and he thought it was harmless, since it was only an announcement.

    The crowd went silent for a moment, then in an instant many started swearing and cursing the announcer.

    ¡°Who the hell is this? Is the announcer bribed?¡±

    ¡°What is with this nonsense?¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness, is he blind? How is that a flower?¡±

    ¡°The announcer must have been bribe!¡±

    ¡°Remove him!¡±

    ¡°Puke! Beauty???! Remove the announcer!!¡±

    It was an unexpected outcome, the announcer was horrified. He did not expect an innocent announcement to have gone this way. Even before Huiling stepped nto the battle dais, the announcer was replaced with another.

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! We apologize for the wait. Let us welcome again Princess Huiling of the Hu Yuan Empire!¡±

    The new announcer said, as he tried to soothe the crowd over.

    ¡°BOOOO!!! BOOO!!!¡±

    ¡°Get out of here, how dare you bribe the announcer?!!¡±

    Little did Huiling¡¯s father know, majority of Xiaoxia¡¯s supporters were girls, and by bribing the announcer to say such things, it had the opposite effect instead.

    Xiaoxia was hardly aware of the commotion around him, as he was formulating a plan of action. He knew Huiling was no small fry, and she have been very capable to progress so far into the competition. From the details he received from Instructor Wei¡¯s information monger, she had defeated a Dragonians easily.

    Huiling was gnashing her teeth as she walked towards the battle dais, she could already see Xiaoxia waiting there. What made her more irritated besides the sight of him, was the commotion and insulting comments from the crowd. She needed to smash something right this instant and fast and right now.

    ¡°No! Crushing him won¡¯t be enough, I need to humiliate him till he cries for mercy, or my surname won¡¯t be Qing!¡± she swore to herself.

    Even as she entered the battle dais, her leather bracelet was emitting a terrible aura, something that Xiaoxia could feel, but unsure where it came from.

    ¡°A family heirloom! Hahaha, the heavens have given me a blessing in disguise! It would have been very nice just to kill her, and now it¡¯s going to be so much sweeter prying it off her cold dead corpse¡± a figure hidden in the shadows thought to itself. Light from sky reflected off a spectator¡¯s placard and shone on it momentarily, revealing who it was.

    It was the child who received the restricted item, in the dead of the night on the 6th day of the competition.

 Volume 1 Chapter 29: The battle with a princess

    Xiaoxia did not understand why Huiling insisted on locking horns with him. As far as he can tell, he did not provoke her, or said anything to have caused this unwanted hostility.

    At this point, her aura was filled with killing intent. Strangely there was another unmistakable malignant aura mingled with hers, and its presence more formidable and overwhelming than her own.

    -

    ¡°Oh damn, I overlooked this,¡± Instructor Wei could sense the additional aura in the battle dais as well.

    She made another glance at the details given to her by the information mongers, and under the registered weapons and articles section, there was an item registered by Huiling before the start of the competition.

    The details were sketchy at best, and the only thing known is that it was a ¡®Family Heirloom¡¯.

    Contestants could register any articles or weapons for their matches, however almost none of them did so. This is primarily due to the inherent difficulty and astronomical costs to obtain an item of suitable benefit.

    On the other hand without a higher Ki Realm, or proper technique, trying to battle with one, is comparable to opening a tap for your Ki to gush out ceaselessly.

    ¡®Family Heirlooms¡¯ are uncommon but not rare, however their costs are far greater than usual. The only class of articles and weapons above them are the unique and legendary types, these are considered priceless, and no fortune in the world could obtain them.

    Forbidden articles and weapons in the competition are those that do not require the person¡¯s abilities or techniques to use and causes direct harm by means of a third party effect. These includes but is not limited to articles that have poison, life steal/absorb and its own source of Ki.

    ¡°Xia Er, you must be careful, if she could use this item, it means she has capabilities that far exceeds all your other opponents,¡± Instructor Wei was thinking, hoping that he realizes it as well.

    -

    ¡°Contestants approach me,¡± the referee said.

    Both Xiaoxia and Huiling did as instructed, while not taking their eyes off each other.

    ¡°No killing or serious endangerment, no hitting the opponent on their reproductive organs, no use of forbidden skills or weapon, no unregistered weapons and articles, maintain proper pugilist honor at all times. Contestant Huiling, do you have anything to declare?¡± the referee made the usual speech, however this time it included ¡®articles¡¯, and he asked if Huiling had anything to declare.

    This was standard in every competition in Yuan Zhong, as it was only fair if both opponents knew what the other had. It was asked this time, as Huiling had a registered article, unlike other times when none of the contestants had one.

    ¡°Yes, this leather bracelet is a family heirloom. It adheres to the criteria set forth in the competition,¡± Huiling informed the referee while indicating to the bracelet.

    ¡°Contestant Zhen Xia, you have been duly notified. If you wish to challenge this, the match will be postponed and the proper procedures will be applied, before a future time is announced for another match today,¡± the referee informed Xiaoxia.

    When a participant decides to object to the match being carried out for any reason, he or she will have to present their findings to the tournament advisory board. In this case, if there is sufficient grounds for successful objection, Huiling will have to battle without her family heirloom.

    ¡°No I do not challenge this,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    He did not see the reason to, and was wondering to himself how bad could it be. If it met the competition criteria, it would mean it was under the fair use policy, and thus he did not need to worry about any unfair advantages.

    Little does he know, the other two opponents she had used in on, the Dragonian and the Lythian, had the exact sentiments as him. They lost overwhelmingly because of this. He did not realize its danger as Instructor Wei hoped he would.

    ¡°Xiaoxia! Challenge it! This competition is not about wealth!! It¡¯s about skills!!!¡± Amelia was heard shouting above the crowd.

    Her sentiments were mirrored by everyone in the stadium, especially those in higher Ki Realms who could feel the malignant aura emitting from it.

    ¡°Boo!!! Get of the stage b*tch!¡±

    ¡°Get lost!¡±

    ¡°Show off!¡±

    ¡°Despicable!!¡±

    ¡°@#$!%^&!!!!¡±

    Xiaoxia¡¯s fans filled the entire stadium with loud jeers and angry cries. If the earlier insults hurled at Huiling after the announcement was bad, the current ones could turn the most seasoned criminal pale.

    Huiling seemingly remained calm, even as she ignored their taunts. In her mind she was boiling with rage, but now these spectators were not the cause of it. She is facing the boy she detests, and she is going to pay him back a million folds for this.

    ¡°If there is nothing else, contestants please take your positions,¡± the referee announced.

    Huiling walked towards the spot indicated on the ground, and turned around to face Xiaoxia. Looking at him, made her want to smash his face into a bloody pulp.

    In her whole life, she had never been denied taking immediate actions against someone. When she did not like someone or if they said something a tiny bit wrong, they will be gone in less than an hour. It was unprecedented that Xiaoxia had lasted so long, and the humiliation in the form of Amelia made her deliriously mad.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    She did not even blink, as she applied her technique after observing Xiaoxia for a split second.

    Xiaoxia had information from Instructor Wei, that Huiling was adapted to both close and ranged combat. The only normal advantage he had over her was his God given physique and Ki Realm with little else.

    The details she gave, indicated Huiling entered the Duelist Realm way before him. This gave her an advantage, as she was able to train and hone her abilities in this realm way before him.

    She had been training even before she entered the Hu Yuan Imperial Academy, and before Xiaoxia came along, was known throughout the world as the freshman with the highest Ki Realm.

    -

    Once the whistle blew, Xiaoxia took off with his foot technique. By applying tremendous Ki to his feet, he launched himself towards her in a direct assault.

    He earlier practiced the full Ki launch of the foot technique immediately after leaving the luncheon gala. Although it was less than an hour, it proved rewarding, as he grasp how to avoid being tripped by bracing himself.

    Having almost fallen flat on his face using a full Ki launch during the match with Luquoes, he decided to hone it properly. It will be one of the more useful techniques he could use constantly in battle.

    With this, he arrived almost instantly to face Huiling where she stood, but a totally unexpected situation occurred. She was behind him instead.

    -

    ¡°Take this a**hole!¡± Huiling vehemently cried out as she plunged her fingers towards Xiaoxia¡¯s exposed back.

    Her hand was flat opened, and a red aura surrounded it. The aura formed a sharp apex as all her fingers gathered closely, and the edges surrounding her fingers tips tapered off. It resembled a blade.

    She could feel her fingers sliced into him like a hot knife through butter, but he seemed to blur at the point of contact.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡± the referee immediately blew his whistle.

    ¡°No usage of vulgarities!¡± he warned and continued, ¡°No further warning!¡±

    Huiling just nodded but didn¡¯t utter a word, her prey was not in front of her.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    -

    ¡°Drip, drip¡±

    Blood was trickling down Xiaoxia¡¯s right upper arm, he had underestimated Huiling. He only managed to avoid her attack by the skin of his teeth, but still could not totally get off unharmed. The instant he realized she was behind him, he dodged to the left, causing her attack who was aimed directly for his upper spine to miss and slice into his arm.

    ¡°Darn she can use foot technique as well,¡± he lamented, while picking himself up from the ground.

    He used another full Ki launch when dodging and did not brace himself, tumbling more than 30 feet to his left.

    Xiaoxia was definitely faster than Huiling when it came to the same technique. However it took him longer to cover the distance between them, than it took for her to avoid it and arrive behind him.

    The distance between contestants, when they faced each other at the start was fifty feet. It took Xiaoxia comparatively more time to cover this distance, as compared to Huiling who needed less. As he nearly reached his intended destination, she perfectly judged the timing and moved less than six feet to his back.

    ¡°Blue side, are you able to continue?¡± the referee asked, seeing the blood dripping down from Xiaoxia¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    He took a vial from his quantum bag which contained a purple liquid, and showed it to the referee. The referee placed it in a device on his belt, then removed it and gave it back while giving his approval.

    At this point, Xiaoxia applied it on his gaping wound. The pain was intense as the liquid made contact with it. It was far worse than what initially caused it and Xiaoxia gasped audibly. Within seconds, the wound no longer bled, but it still hurt and the wound was still present.

    The liquid staunched the blood flow, but it did not heal the wound. It was against regulation to use healing elixirs in a match. This was the reason why he showed it to the referee before applying it, as a caution against being accused of using a healing one.

    ¡°Phreeee! Phreeee!¡± the referee immediately blew twice, something both Xiaoxia and Huiling never encountered before.

    ¡°Match suspended five minutes for consultation,¡± he announced, and with a thoughtful expression on his face, moved out of the battle dais.

    -

    Huiling was furious, she had missed the opportunity to cripple Xiaoxia. Even worse, the match was suspended for five minutes, this will enable him to formulated a plan.

    He is going to apply similar techniques again, and one of them is bound to finally get through.

    ¡°What¡¯s the freaking problem with the referee?¡± she cursed under her breath.

    It was very unusual to suspend the match, and this is perhaps the first known time in the competition it has been done.

    -

    Five minutes came and gone quickly and the referee returned from where he went.

    ¡°Contestants approach me,¡± he instructed.

    Xiaoxia and Huiling walk towards him from where they were previously waited.

    ¡°After a consultation with the advisory committee, the match will continue,¡± the referee said.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time!¡± Huiling responded loudly, and before she could turn to take up her position, the referee announced.

    ¡°Contestant Huiling, you are hereby warned and penalized for serious endangerment. Under my advisement, the advisory board has reviewed the earlier incident. They found irrefutable evidence, that you were deliberately aiming to cripple your opponent with an attack that could sever his spinal cord. If you do not abide by the regulations again, no matter how minor, this match will be forfeited. Furthermore, your title of ¡®Elite 16¡¯ will be removed if you do not win this match fairly.¡±

    Huiling blanched visibly, she wanted to claim it was an accident if ever asked, unfortunately the advisory board had evidence against it.

    ¡°Boo!!! B*tch!! Get the @#$@ off!!¡±

    ¡°Oh my #@$@ Goodness, what a S!#$!!!¡±

    The spectators were already upset when she injured Xiaoxia, but now that it was made known she had intended to cause him grievous harm, they burst out in obscenities.

    Items were being thrown towards Huiling from all areas of the stadium, most could not reach and even those which did, bounced off harmlessly against the shielded battle dais.

    ¡°Kick her @$! Give her a good beating! Rip her to shreds! Slap her silly!¡± Amelia was now heard screaming her voice out loudly over the amplifying device.

    In the meantime, Huiling¡¯s father was nowhere to be found. Before then, he was vociferously challenging Amelia in a shouting match for their respective side.

    By now Xiaoxia realized he needed more time to observed Huiling, he only knew very little of her battle abilities. Although he thought it likely she had a slower foot technique and reaction time.

    That aside, her brilliance was clearly shown when she perfectly judged the timing to counter his approach.

    There was one thing that was really bothering him, somehow she could generate Ki to a level where it could slice through his Ki defense easily. This was no small feat, as for their level, Xiaoxia had an extremely strong Ki defense.

    ¡°Contestants take your positions,¡± the referee was saying, as Xiaoxia turned his attention backed to the match.

    ¡°Remember a fair fight from you and no more breaking the rules,¡± the referee added as he looked towards Huiling.

    Huiling was rather bothered by the turn of events, she intended to seriously harm and cripple Xiaoxia right from the onset. It had backfired and no matter how much she wanted to do it again, it will be impossible without breaking the rules. She could only nod in agreement to the conditions set by the referee.

    However she had achieved an unexpected consolation. The incident earlier had made her opponent worried, and she could tell this just by looking at him.

    It is definitely going to be her victory.

    ¡°Hah, that scrub is so slow, I easily got behind him without even much effort. I overestimated him too much. Pfft, he is just one of those Ki Realm retards who are only good at cultivating realms, but a total trash when it comes to combat,¡± Huiling thought to herself.

    She readied herself in her position, preparing something she planned.

    -

    Xiaoxia''s face is now showing some pain, the adrenaline and endorphin that was rushing through his veins earlier wore out during the five minutes wait. In his pre match excitement, his elevated heart beat overdosed him with both of them, and he felt only a little pain as the attack sliced his arm.

    It is a three inch long wound that almost reached his bones, and it will definitely leave a scar. This needed medical treatment as soon as the match ended.

    On the battle dais where they waited for the whistle, there were a few scenarios playing out in Xiaoxia''s mind. But unlike what Huiling suspected, he did not only form one plan, but various ones. He will not make the same mistake again.

    He had underestimated her, and made a bad judgement call that resulted in his injury. So all that is left now is to wait for the whistle blow.

    ¡°Phreeee!¡±

    In what seemed like ages, the whistle finally blew, and he launched himself with the foot technique, an exact duplicate of what he did earlier.

    ¡°Pfft! That idiot still thinks this will work! Let¡¯s see who is better,¡± Huiling smiled evilly while thinking this, as she put her own plan into action.

 Volume 1 Chapter 30: The battle with a Princess(2)

    ¡°I will surprise him with something totally different, it is so obvious he is expecting me to repeat my earlier actions,¡± Huiling thought to herself.

    She channeled Ki into the bracelet on her right wrist, and as it flowed from there to her hand, an intense scarlet aura surrounded it.

    Xiaoxia redirected his path fifteen feet before reaching Huiling. When he glanced at her, he could see a look of surprise on her face, even as she changed her direction while raising her hands.

    In the next second, intense scarlet Ki streams shot out from her palm in a conical area towards where he is.

    ¡°BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!¡±

    Hitting nothing but air, the ground shattered as chunks of it flew everywhere from the point of impact. Craters up to a feet deep were gouged out from where the Ki streams hit.

    Huiling applied her own foot technique and shifted off to her right side, as she let off another barrage of Ki attacks towards where Xiaoxia moved to.

    She was startled when he changed his direction, it was against what she previously thought. Even more so when he did a repeatedly.

    ¡°BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!¡±

    Her attacks missed him again, as he was no longer there.

    She kept moving with her foot technique, assured that no country hick is going to be able win her in a competition of foot techniques.

    -

    It is not going exactly as planned, however it was more or less working.

    ¡°As I thought, she is slower than me,¡± Xiaoxia confirmed his earlier observations.

    This time he let off a few focused Ki blast towards her whenever he changed direction.

    ¡°WHAM! WHAM!¡±

    She blocked it with her right hand, and somehow the her Ki defense seemed impenetrable. It did not even flicker when the focused Ki attacks hit it.

    ¡°Something is wrong,¡± Xiaoxia was trying to understand the reason to Huiling¡¯s attack and defense prowess.

    -

    The spectators¡¯ galley had been expanded onto the stadium field, and it is now just a hundred feet from the single battle dais in the middle of it. This allowed the stadium to accommodate over a million spectators.

    In the front VVIP section, while Amelia was screaming her usual support, Instructor Wei was becoming a little suspicious and looked towards Menon.

    ¡°Old Man, are you thinking what I am thinking?¡± she asked him.

    ¡°Yes, I have been observing that young lady, and it seems peculiar that there is such an unpleasant aura coming from her. What is more peculiar is that bracelet she is wearing, it is very likely made from a mythical creature,¡± he told her.

    ¡°I thought so as well, it would explain why she is able to develop her attacks and defense to such a level,¡± she agreed.

    ¡°There is however a big problem, the more she uses it, the more her mind will be influenced by its primal instincts,¡± Menon informed her.

    ¡°That is none of my concern, I only worry how is Xia Er going to overcome this. Besides I still cannot put my finger to how she is able to use it,¡± Instructor Wei opined.

    ¡°My only guess from what research shows, is most probably the innocence of a child¡¯s mind, that made it accept its owner. There are many similar artifacts who are known to work only for children, and remains attached to them even as they grow older,¡± he added.

    ¡°Innocence? Don¡¯t make me laugh, how in the world is Huiling an innocent child? From what I was told, she was born rotten,¡± Instructor Wei relayed the information Amelia had told her.

    Amelia did not even pay any heed when this was mentioned, as she continued shouting her support oblivious to her surroundings.

    ¡°Perhaps, but it is the only explanation why it would work on her. Besides no child is born rotten, its only their upbringing. I daresay whatever we hear she has done, may be to her it¡¯s the right thing. Right and wrong is a matter of perspective,¡± he enlightened her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t teach me how to suck eggs old man,¡± Instructor Wei retorted.

    -

    ¡°Impossible!¡± was the next thing to come to Huiling¡¯s mind.

    Whenever she tried to approach Xiaoxia, he would vanish from the spot and appear somewhere else. She had been trying to get close to him to finish him off.

    It did not dawn upon her that perhaps he is faster than she is, and it only made her more frustrated and reckless.

    She began to pour Ki into the palm of her hands, while applying her foot technique to avoid Xiaoxia¡¯s focused Ki attacks.

    As the energy flowed into her palm, it became brighter and brighter, and within a short duration it¡¯s glow was half as big as she was in person.

    The referee sensed something was amiss and immediately pulled out a device from his belt. After activating it, a thick energy barrier formed all around him.

    He could defend it without its aide, but that will just bring unwanted attention. Not something he needed, and definitely not something his organization would appreciate.

    Being careless was no stranger to him, and he learnt it through the hard way. It was perhaps the best kept secret that he is actually much older than anyone else present there.

    -

    ¡°Hmmm, that guy looks awfully familiar, I definitely know him,¡± Jay said to himself, as he observed from his usual spot in the rafters.

    His attention was drawn to the referee when he activated the energy shield. While looking at him, Jay¡¯s mind refused to accept the fact the referee is that someone.

    ¡°Nah! That is not possible, I think I made a mistake,¡± he mumbled, as he turned his attention back to the match. It is getting really exciting.

    -

    Xiaoxia felt a huge aura gathering around Huiling, it felt vaguely similar to something he saw a few months back. This current aura is not comparable to the one from the previous time, but it¡¯s purpose is definitely the same.

    Back then he saw Jay unleashed his abilities and annihilated the battle room, all the skills he used was for a very simple reason. It was solely meant for destruction.

    He immediately faced towards Huiling and poured as much Ki as he could generated to the front portion of his body, while crouching down protecting his head and other vital organs.

    ¡°Damn it, what is she trying to do?!! Ergh!¡± he swore, as he winced in pain.

    His right arm was radiating pain throughout his body when he immediately activated his Ki defense. The flow of Ki aggravated the wound and blood began to seep slowly from it.

    He was swearing, because he knew the attack that Huiling was going to do, will most probably create havoc on the battle dais. What was even worse, is that the energy shield would probably not be able to handle this attack.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    -

    "Damn! Everyone take cover!¡± Instructor Wei shouted loudly, noticing it as well.

    By amplifying and transmitting her voice with Ki, she could be heard in the entire stadium instantly. It is one of the techniques limited only to people in the Unknown Realm.

    It was too late for most of those who were nearer to the dais, as they had no idea what it meant. On top of this, their reaction time was really bad.

    The moment Huiling stopped moving, she raised her palms overhead and sneered towards Xiaoxia, it was all or nothing for her. The blue Ki from her left hand mixed with the red Ki from her right, causing a purple facula at their point of contact.

    ¡°BA DA BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!¡±

    The explosive energies collided and rained out innumerous shards of purple Ki, as it wrecked the shield of the battle dais and bombarded into the spectators. The Ki shards flew over a few hundred feet and gradually dissipated, but not before hitting everything in their path.

    Amongst those closest, many could not avoid the Ki shards as it smashed into them and they crumpled onto the ground, suffering terrible injuries.

    -

    Xiaoxia could feel the impacts of the Ki shards behind his Ki defense, as its intensity fluctuated against the onslaught. It worked perfectly and it held up against the attack, albeit barely.

    By tightly crouching and concentrating all his Ki defense to the front, he was able to use less Ki to set up a much stronger and concentrated shield for the smaller area. He would have been hard pressed to do so while moving or standing up.

    The multiple impacts of the Ki shards drove him dozens of feet away and he almost tumbled over. The whole stretch of the ground behind him was undamaged, while the rest of the area was pockmarked with craters.

    -

    ¡°Haha! I win! There is no one who can withstand that,¡± Huiling declared to no one in particular.

    There is a twenty feet radius around her which is free from damages and dust. Beyond this, the entire field was choked with a wall of dust, and distant coughs and wheezes were heard from the spectators.  The visibility was close to zero, and she did not know Xiaoxia had successfully defended against the attack.

    Her knees wobbled, as she sank to the ground. The bracelet did its job perfectly well, but took its toll. It turned her right arm greyish-purple and the skin surrounding it looked withered and dead.

    Huiling was not too concerned, modern healing could repair this damage in no time. Moreover she will recover with no side effects. There were past occasions this happened before, besides the immense costs involved, there was nothing for her to worry about.

    ¡°Huh?¡± she exclaimed, as a figure rose up slightly to the left in front of her.

    ¡°It must be the referee,¡± she concluded, however feeling a little confused how he could survive the point blank blast.

    The referee was still hidden in the cloud of dust, and he did not suffer any damages. It was not him that Huiling saw.

    ¡°This is rather unfortunate,¡± he murmured, things are not going well.

    He made a slight movement and vanished from the spot.

    Xiaoxia noticed earlier the only area that was free from the suffocating dust was directly ahead of him. He stood up and moved over to avoid breathing in more dust.

    -

    The moment he entered the area, he was looking at the shocked face of Huiling. He immediately noticed a few things, one of them being that she was sitting on the ground, and the next was the ugly greyish-purple look on her right arm.

    Forgetting the competition was still ongoing, he approached with his guard down, trying to extend an offer of help. He was brought up in a good family and knew the ways of chivalry, hence it was a natural reaction when he saw Huiling in that state.

    -

    She was extremely shocked at how this country hick managed to survive the attack. The Ki shards that rained out in the hundreds of thousands, would have turn anyone into shreds. Although individually their power was weak and barely comparable to the Ki blade she used to slice his arm, their sheer numbers would have made up for it.

    The last straw for her, is when he approached her with sympathy in his eyes, she hated it beyond more than anything in the universe.

    "How dare he look at me with sympathy!!!!", right at this instant she lost all semblance of human control and went rabid on him.

    -

    Xiaoxia was about eight feet away, when he noticed something terribly wrong. Huiling¡¯s eyes turned crimson right this moment and she shot out at a tremendous speed from where she sat.

    He instinctively reacted to it and sidestepped, as her left hand clawed at his face. The next thing he knew, she was lunging at his neck with her teeth, as a loud snarl came from her.

    Turning his whole body to avoid this, she flew passed him and landed on three of her limbs. The right hand limply flailing around as she move erratically. It was a very pitiful sight.

    She was not using any Ki, and everything she is doing now was something that Xiaoxia have never experienced before in his whole life.

    ¡°RARH!¡± she roared out, and went for his jugular once again.

    This time Xiaoxia twisted to his right and fluidly brought down his left hand on the back of her neck. At this, she landed in a heap with her body twitching in spasms.

    **********

    It took more than a couple of minutes for the dust to settle and visibility to be restored back on the dais. By then anyone could see Xiaoxia was the only one left standing, with his right arm bleeding again.

    It took another few more minutes for it to sink in, as a substitute referee was sent to declared the winner. The chaos that happened earlier, as well as having no idea where the previous referee went, added to the confusion and the delay.

    ¡°Red side unable to continue!¡± the substitute referee announced and added, ¡°Blue side wins!¡±

    The crowd who were shocked into silence at the terrible event earlier, roared in appreciation. They totally supported Xiaoxia, and they viewed him as the hero who took down the villain Huiling.

    **********

    ¡°What an unexpected result, it could not have been better! I owe you one Chen Zhen Xia, you did my job for me. Now the only thing left is to finish it,¡± the child thought, as it took out the restricted item and headed for the medical facility.

 Volume 1 Chapter 31: Unexpected

    Xiaoxia instinctively flinched, as Yulia placed her hands on his wound.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, its already hard to heal it without you moving,¡± Yulia sternly chided him.

    It is only natural, since he have never suffered a similar injury before. To top it off, he was only seven years old.

    ¡°Xiaoxia, bear with it,¡± Amelia who was sitting beside him said with a look of concern.

    They were in the medical facility of the competition, and Menon had offered Yulia¡¯s help in healing his wound.

    Instructor Wei was not present, becoming furious at the outcome of the battle. It was a gross oversight on the advisory board¡¯s part, that allowed such a dangerous artifact to be used in the match.

    Menon accompanied her as Xiaoxia¡¯s sponsor and the representative of MeisterSchloss. The competition is organized by the Academy of Six Elements, and it is within the borders of the continent city of MeisterSchloss, which gave him certain influence in matters pertaining to the competition.

    Even if the advisory board was made up of a hundred representatives from around the world, they had to give him some face. After all, he was not only the Vice-leader of MeisterSchloss, but a key member of the Artisan Alliance as well.

    ¡°Oh my! This is interesting,¡± Yulia suddenly said.

    A soft soothing glow begun to appear around the wound on Xiaoxia¡¯s right arm, it was the same golden glow that appeared previously.

    Instead of clashing with Yulia¡¯s white healing aura, it assimilated it into itself. What happened next brought both amazement and wonder on Yulia and Amelia¡¯s faces. The wound closed up rapidly, and on the now unblemished skin, there wasn¡¯t a single evidence it had suffered damage before.

    ¡°Huh? What is i¡­..¡± Xiaoxia was about to ask, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming lethargy and slipped into a deep slumber.

    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Amelia questioned Yulia with some alarm.

    Not immediately replying, Yulia continued placing her hands on Xiaoxia, then with a look of satisfaction responded, ¡°He is doing fine, and just sleeping. The healing that just happened, took an amazing amount of his Ki. I did not even need to use much of mine.¡±

    **********

    A figure blinked into sight on the roof of a tower. It was cloaked in a shroud of illusion, looking around to ensure there was no one there, it slipped into the tower.

    As it cautiously moved around, it stopped every now and then and seemingly whiffed a few times in the air. After doing this for a few minutes, it appeared disappointed and retraced its steps. Once it reached the previous location where it appeared, it disappeared again.

    Moments later it reappeared at another location, repeating the same actions it did earlier. The figure seemed to be searching for something, and it looked distracted.

    Right at this instance, an obscure figure materialized out of the blue and lashed out at it. It caught the first figure right in the guts, which sent it flying more than twenty feet back.

    ¡°Still not paying much attention to your surroundings huh?¡± the second figure said, as it approached the first.

    As it stood in front of the first figure, the shadows of the surrounding buildings no longer hid it¡¯s features. It was the referee from Xiaoxia¡¯s quarter-finals match with Huiling.

    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t expecting such a welcome,¡± the first figure replied candidly, a soft glow emitting from his torso where he erected his defense right at the moment of impact.

    Taking off its hood, it suddenly grew in height and size. At that moment, Jay is now standing where it was.

    ¡°Ancestor, long time no see!¡± he greeted the referee happily.

    ¡°Shush! Not so loud, there are ears and eyes that can hear everywhere,¡± the referee responded in a low voice, his lips hardly moving.

    (Author¡¯s note: eyes that can hear, is literally referring to people who can read lips)

    Jay immediately closed his mouth with a look of embarrassment, and motioned in some unknown sign.

    The referee nodded in acknowledgement, placed his left hand on Jay¡¯s shoulders and both vanished from sight.

    It one were to look and observe closely, it was not the foot technique Jay was using earlier, neither was it the same as Xiaoxia¡¯s ¡®golden aura teleportation¡¯. It was something totally different, yet extremely similar to a commonly used technology. It is spatial movement using no devices or anything, but one¡¯s own Ki.

    **********

    ¡°How can you idiots be so damn careless?!¡± Instructor Wei was cursing and swearing.

    ¡°We have no idea it was capable of this,¡± the spokesperson debated.

    ¡°It would have warranted at least some investigation!¡± she retorted, while further emphasizing her argument, ¡°Are you all that blind and trashes that could not even feel the aura it was emitting?¡±

    ¡°We di..¡± the spokesperson was about to reply when a motion from another on the board interrupted him.

    ¡°Allow me to answer this,¡± the other member replied.

    ¡°And who th¡­.¡± Instructor Wei was about to release another string of insults, before Menon stopped her and indicated for her to wait.

    She was about to dismissed this, but not before noticing the look on his face. Having known him for over more than a thousand years, she immediately decided to stop. It was the look that he used only in the most dire of situations.

    ¡°In case you are wondering, I am the current leader of the Merchant Alliance. Grandmaster Artisan, Water and Wind Alignment, Leonard,¡± he introduced himself, while noticing the exchange between Instructor Wei and Menon.

    ¡°Well met my friend,¡± Menon replied.

    Leonard was no small fry, being an Artisan, and on top of being Merchant Alliance leader, he was also the member of the Artisan Alliance. It was the same alliance Menon is in, but in terms of influence and power, Menon could not compare to him.

    Regardless that Menon is a key member in the Artisan Alliance and the Vice-Leader of MeisterSchloss, he is not their leader. Thus it was advisable not to unnecessarily aggravate Leonard without due diligence.

    ¡°Well met indeed, dear friend,¡± Leonard greeted him back.

    While neither were really friends, it was the sake of putting on a front and political reasons that direct their choices of words. While Menon could not compare to Leonard in many areas, he still had the juice to create some disastrous situations if there was conflict.

    ¡°My dear Instructor,¡± Leonard continued, ¡°As you are aware, it is not in our best interest to have this happen here. We were assured that this item in particular, was only used to reshape the Princess¡¯s Ki. There was no signs or indications that it could do more than this from her other matches, as suc...¡±

    ¡°We do regret this, and I am sure that a suitable conclusion will be made known to everyone,¡± this time another person interjected before Leonard could say more, he was looking towards Menon with a smile.

    ¡°Ah, Master Ouyang,¡± Leonard acknowledged the person who cut into his speech.

    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion, but the rice has already been cooked,¡± Ouyang apologized to Leonard, before continuing his speech, ¡°There are many people who have been injured because of our error, and on the board''s behalf, I apologize. By misleading us, the guilty party will face the consequences. In the meantime, the contestant Qing Huiling, disregarded the warning of the referee and took another reckless course of action. For this, her title of ¡°The 8 Lords¡± will be revoked, and I am sure those among us are in agreement.¡±

    After Ouyang had said that, there were murmurs of agreement coming from the members of the board. The only person who had a different opinion, was Leonard, and he had a sour expression on his face.

    ¡°If you will excuse us, we will be discussing this among ourselves. I hereby guarantee that you will have a satisfactory answer within the hour,¡± Ouyang promised.

    Instructor Wei and Menon nodded, and took their leave. Once outside the chamber, Instructor Wei turned to Menon.

    ¡°Who is that Ouyang? I have never seen him before,¡± She asked.

    ¡°He? Are you sure?¡± Menon asked back.

    ¡°Of course, I remember a face when I see one,¡± she angrily replied.

    ¡°You will be surprise, he is little Yang Er,¡± Menon told her with a big smile.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°What THAT Yang Er?¡± Instructor Wei asked incredulously.

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s been over a few hundred years. But our dear student is now the Artisan Alliance¡¯s leader and one of the R&D Alliance¡¯s elder,¡± Menon informed her, and Instructor Wei could only nod her head in surprise.

    She remembered that Yang Er was a spoilt ¡®S¡¯ class Ki Talent student of the Academy roughly 800 years ago. He was the typical ''S'' class hooligan, who bullied others and even made girls cry.

    His ''S'' class Ki Talent was a key factor to her dislike, there was nothing more worse to Instructor Wei who detested them. To her, the ¡®S¡¯ class are a bunch of buffoons that were self-entitled and exploited their preferential treatment. Before she met Xiaoxia, all of them proved a nuisance and have crossed paths with her numerous times over the years.

    Menon had tried to put in a few good words for Ouyang over those years, however Instructor Wei was adamant and refused to accept him under her wings. But now in reality, she could not begrudge the fact he had turned out much better than expected.

    ¡°Something must have happened to him during those years,¡± she said.

    ¡°Yes, and it changed his perspective of life for good,¡± Menon replied.

    ¡°So what changed it?¡± she was curious, in her experience people do not change easily.

    ¡°Well, he met someone,¡± he informed her.

    ¡°Who? And you need to stop waiting for me to ask, just tell me everything,¡± she responded irritably.

    ¡°I expected you to know, Ouyang was after all one of your brother¡¯s disciples that resigned. It was something he never thought would be possible, and he had great confidence he would be the one and only to succeed,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Hah! Not likely, no one ever will. My brother is a beast, and when it comes to learning from him, even I will not want to train under him,¡± Instructor Wei retorted.

    ¡°But you know, Jay did mentioned that if Ouyang could have lasted another two more months, the boot camp would be over, and the real training would have taken place. It would be comparatively much more easier by then,¡± Menon still tried to put in a good word for Ouyang.

    ¡°All these doesn¡¯t matter anyway, and what does, is that the current situation is resolved in a fair and just way,¡± Instructor Wei digressed.

    She knew better than to hold it against Ouyang anymore, and she let it rest. Actually she was rather abashed that her ¡®idiot¡¯ brother, could successfully change the attitude of someone like Ouyang. It was not something she could have done, and it wasn¡¯t from not trying.

    **********

    Half a world away, Jay and the referee appeared in a makeshift room. It was enclosed on all four sides by what looked like earth, and there were a few ventilation vents. The furnishing was minimal with a thick layer of dirt on them, and no entryways were present for entry or exit.

    Once they arrived, Jay immediately knelt and cupped his hands to the referee, ¡°Junior Jay, 5,391st member of Wuming greets the 48th Ancestor, Senior Gu Di.¡±

    (Author¡¯s note: Wuming means nameless, and Gu Di means Ancient Earth. I left it in its Chinese Hanyu Pinyin as it sounds better than the English equivalent.)

    ¡°You can dispense with the formalities, there is no one here,¡± Gu Di instructed him.

    ¡°Ooooh! So this is where you have been hiding for the pass three thousand years!¡± Jay at once dispensed with the formality, and exclaimed as he stood and looked around.

    ¡°Nope, there are more of these around,¡± Gu Di informed him.

    ¡°Where were you all these year?¡± Jay turned back to him and suddenly asked.

    ¡°Here and there and everywhere,¡± Gu Di responded nonchalantly.

    ¡°Senior, everyone has been looking for you, there are things that needs to be decided and it can only be done by you,¡± Jay tried to impress on him the implications of his disappearance.

    ¡°Jay, you got much to learn, those are just words that a youngling like you will use,¡± Gu Di smiled at Jay.

    ¡°Fine! Use the ¡®I am older than you¡¯ card to belittle me,¡± Jay retorted, obviously hurt by that remark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s just that there are many capable ones in our group who can manage just as well,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°But the others are so boring and have no sense of humor,¡± Jay lamented.

    ¡°Haha! That was not a requirement to be selected, besides its their loyalty that matters the most,¡± Gu Di remarked.

    ¡°Pfft! They became more constipated with a plug up their sphincter when you disappeared,¡± Jay complained.

    ¡°Anyway, it is up to them. Has a new Predecessor been select?¡± Gu Di digressed, while asking.

    ¡°No, and isn¡¯t it a rule that unless there is irrevocable evidence of your death, it will not happen?¡± Jay reminded him.

    ¡°Bah! Semantics!¡± Gu Di exclaimed, and added, ¡°Basically no one wants to be held accountable!¡±

    ¡°Jay, how far have your own training and the others progressed?¡± Gu Di continued by asking, while walking towards a cupboard and took out a decrepit looking porcelain cup.

    ¡°I managed to unlock my 3rd extraordinary meridian about 30 years back, as far as I know the highest among the rest are only at their 4th one,¡± he informed Gu Di.

    ¡°We are still lacking, there isn''t many of us strong enough to be a deterrence if history repeated itself,¡± Gu Di shook his head, as he cleansed the cup under a trickling stream of water on one side of the makeshift room.

    (Author¡¯s note: repeat of history with reference to chapter 21, this is what took place 15,000 years ago)

    ¡°That might not be true,¡± Jay¡¯s face took a serious expression.

    ¡°You mean to say that boy?¡± Gu Di responded, somehow knowing who he meant.

    ¡°Which boy are you referring to and how would you know?¡± Jay was curious.

    ¡°That Chen Zhen Xia boy, he displayed certain abilities over the course of the competition, which I myself am not able to comprehend,¡± Gu Di informed him, and added, ¡°While he is interesting, I seriously doubt he is the one I am looking for.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Jay asked a little confused.

    He still could not comprehend the reason why Gu Di would be at the Freshmen Competition. What made it more interesting, was why he appeared after all these years at that exact location.

    ¡°Jay, there are certain things which require an explanation that you are just not in the proper position to know. I was alerted to an anomaly recently by an entity, and it pointed to the Academy of the Six Elements¡± Gu Di enlightened him.

    ¡°Hmm, I suspect the anomaly that happened, is when Xia Er displayed an ability that I can only hypothesized,¡± Jay told Gu Di of his suspicion, and added proudly, "He has recently been acknowledge as my sister''s Disciple and hence my Shizhi."

    He did not ask who or what the entity was, as it was something that Gu Di mentioned was beyond his station to know, and he knew better than to question further.

    ¡°Interesting, tell me more,¡± Gu Di turned his attention towards Jay, the porcelain cup now filled with green colored liquid.

    ¡°Xia Er has all his meridians opened, in addition to this, he has the special meridian. I do not know exactly how it relates to the anomaly, but he exhibited a golden Ki of unknown origins a few months ago. He used it to apply an unknown ability to teleport without using spatial Ki movement, and another ability which killed an opponent three realms higher, it only left a small half-inch wide wound on the body,¡± Jay narrated the incident, while pausing to allow Gu Di to absorb the information and continued,

    ¡°The ability that killed his opponent, was a blazing golden hue that stretched for thousands of leagues. The intensity itself was blinding, and from reports I gathered after the incident, it was clearly witnessed even from as far as the colonies.¡±

    Gu Di glanced at Jay with a discerning look, he could tell Jay was not making this up. It filled the gaps between the holes from the information he gathered up to this point. Gu Di took some time to think, as he digested the information and decided what it would mean for the future.

    ¡°This is unexpected,¡± he finally said.

 Volume 1 Chapter 32: Not fit to be a parent

    At the next level of the medical facility, there were numerous guards patrolling the corridors. They bore the crest of the Hu Yuan Empire, and each had a blue sash slung across their armor.

    These are the royal guards of the 19th Kingdom, the personal body guards of the King. His name is Qing Buhui, eldest great-grandson of the Imperial Arch Duke, great-grandnephew of the Imperial Emperor and cousin to Amelia.

    (Author¡¯s note: Buhui means no regrets, there are some of you who understand mandarin, it is not ¡®don¡¯t understand¡¯ or ¡®not likely¡¯)

    He paced irritably inside a private VVIP guest lounge, muttering under his breath. The outcome of the battle was not expected, neither was Amelia¡¯s involvement with the opponent. The outrageous bribe he paid to the Merchant Alliance was in jeopardy.

    ¡°King Buhui,¡± a voice called out to him. It was Leonard.

    ¡°Leonard, how kind of you to visit,¡± Buhui greeted him.

    ¡°My Lord, we should perhaps find some privacy,¡± Leonard informed him.

    ¡°That we should,¡± Buhui moved towards an adjacent room and indicated for the guards to leave.

    When they entered, he ordered a staff to bring some refreshments as he made himself comfortable.

    ¡°So is everything in accordance?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I am afraid not,¡± Leonard replied.

    ¡°What do you mean?! I paid you handsomely for this, you are supposed to make sure everything is settled without a hitch!¡± Buhui tone immediately rose.

    ¡°Buhui, that amount is arbitrary. I only did you a favor to try and smooth things out, our relationship ended the moment you did not keep to your side of bargain,¡± Leonard calmly said.

    ¡°How dare you call me by my name! Guards!!¡± Buhui fumed and shouted for his guards.

    ¡°If you do not want to risk your throne, I suggest you recall them,¡± Leonard¡¯s demeanor was still calm, however his voice contained a malicious undertone.

    The guards who immediately entered at the call of their King, were reluctantly dismissed by Buhui.

    ¡°Good, you should really keep that temper in check,¡± Leonard smiled at him, there was no sense of sincerity in it.

    ¡°If you continue to be impudent, I will not hesitate to kill you myself,¡± Buhui threatened as he gathered Ki and moved his hands towards his Ki weapon.

    ¡°Buhui, I do not need to show you any respect. Who do you think I am? One of your people? I am the Merchant Alliance Leader, and if you value your throne, I suggest you stop threatening me, sit down now and listen carefully,¡± Leonard raised his voice this time, his calm demeanor replaced with contempt.

    ¡°You dare to orde¡­.¡± Buhui was trying to make his own point, when Leonard took out a holographic device and activated it.

    Buhui¡¯s face paled the moment he saw the recordings on the device.

    ¡°I wonder what will happen if someone at a higher station than you sees this, I think it most likely your life will be at stake besides the throne,¡± Leonard casually spoke.

    The recordings played various scenes of the 19th Kingdom in the Hu Yuan Empire, it showed many hidden meetings Buhui had, as well as horrifying scenes of death and depravity that he was involved in. They went as far back as fifty years.

    ¡°How and why did you do this?¡± Buhui asked, as he sat heavily on a chair. His eyes contained a haunted look.

    ¡°You can only blame yourself, who do you think the Merchant Alliance is? You went back once too many times on your words, and many of my members got the short end of it. Do you think there are no repercussions? I can stop all mercantile trade in your kingdom, but no, I won¡¯t reduce our coffers because of this. I am a practical man, as long as there is business, I am all for it,¡± Leonard enlightened him, while continuing, ¡°You made too many enemies, even under your own roof, and thanks to that I am able to gather all these information. I will be a fool to enter a deal with you without any preparations.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Buhui asked in resignation.

    ¡°All you have to do is keep your mouth shut on the origins of the bracelet, if you kept to your part all this would not have happened,¡± Leonard said.

    ¡°It is not my fault, that brat did it herself. I have no part in it, you saw it yourself,¡± Buhui defended himself.

    ¡°Really? I am afraid that will fool anyone but me. I have been monitoring you for a long time now, everything the princess does, has been part of your devious plan and constant manipulation. You have been twisting her mind and body since she was young, poisoning her thoughts that it¡¯s alright to do anything and get rid of anyone she doesn¡¯t like,¡± Leonard looked at Buhui calmly even as he said this.

    ¡°Do you want me to show you the other recordings I have? The ones where in order to test her, you manipulated her mentally into getting rid of all her royal entourage? How about the one just yesterday when you told her it is ok to go full out with the bracelet? Yes, I know about that, but don¡¯t be mistaken I was smoothing things out with the board only because of you,¡± he added.

    Buhui was silence this whole time, he could not hide the evil schemes or how he manipulated and harmed Huiling into doing all his bidding. Leonard was just too smart for him, and he could only sit there silently, waiting for closure.

    ¡°You and your runt have created an unpleasant scenario, and they have launched an investigation into the bracelet. I am doing this because of self-preservation, and I deem it wise for you to keep you runt under a leash as well as have your mouth sealed. If they find anything in connection to me, you will have hell to pay,¡± Leonard threatened him.

    Buhui could only nod his head obediently.

    ¡°Oh and she is no longer one of ¡®The 8 Lords¡¯, you can only blame it on yourself. In the meantime, do not try anything rash, the Merchant Alliance has a farther and wider reach than you can ever imagine. You will be gone before you can plan anything against me,¡± Leonard concluded, turned and left the room.

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit!¡± Buhui constantly cursed in his mind, even as his hands shook uncontrollably.

    **********

    Amelia left Xiaoxia in the care of Yulia, as she exited the room. There were campus security guarding the area tightly, who were assigned by the tournament officials based on Xiaoxia¡¯s status as a semifinalist.

    It is to prevent any harm from coming to him, as there are people in underground syndicates and circles who wished to gain monetarily by betting in the matches against him.

    She paid no heed to them, and walked towards the end of the hall. There, an middle age gentleman was waiting for her.

    ¡°Minister Shi Lang, it¡¯s an honor for you to arrive so shortly,¡± Amelia greet him.

    ¡°Ah your Royal Grace, the honor is all mine,¡± Shi Lang greeted her in return.

    ¡°How is your son?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Shi Feng is doing fine, it was smart of him to forfeit the match. There was no chance of even winning,¡± Shi Lang replied.

    ¡°Hahaha! That may not be true, your family has abilities only limited to your bloodline,¡± Amelia smiled knowingly at him.

    ¡°Ah! There is nothing we can hide from you. But it is useless on the battlefield,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°Hah! You are too humble, so have you brought what I requested?¡± Amelia complimented and asked him.

    ¡°Yes, this is all the information we managed to gather since he was on the throne. We managed to find some hidden devices recording events in his palace, but so far are unable to determine who the perpetrators behind these are,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I presumed you left them alone, and already obtained the information in them,¡±

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, you are very perceptive,¡± Shi Lang confirmed her deduction.

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    ¡°You are too kind, after all I once held your office,¡± she smiled knowingly at him.

    ¡°Ah! That is something I do not know,¡± Shi Lang looked a little surprise.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s not something many know, but since you are in charge now, you may as well have this information,¡± she offered.

    ¡°Thank you, your Royal Grace,¡± he bowed in thanks to her.

    ¡°That is not necessary, come we have to make our move now,¡± Amelia instructed him.

    She took the device offered by Shi Lang, as they moved to the next level.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Amelia paused in midstride and asked in amazement, the details and information in the device were beyond belief.

    ¡°I am afraid this is undeniable,¡± Shi Lang sympathized, he had the same reaction as well when it first came to him.

    **********

    ¡°Instructor Wei, Lord Menon!¡± Ouyang greeted them as he arrived.

    They were in the private guest lounge of the Artisan Alliance.

    ¡°Master Ouyang, it¡¯s nice for you to join us,¡± Menon greeted in return, while Instructor Wei acknowledge with a nod.

    ¡°The discussion is over, and I am pleased to announce that a proper course of action has been decided,¡± Ouyang informed them.

    ¡°Good, give us the details,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    ¡°Wait, before that, are you sure there is no problems? Leonard did seem like he was going to let slide,¡± Menon interrupted.

    ¡°He does not have much say in this matter, majority of the board are trying to protect their collective behinds in this situation,¡± Ouyang replied.

    There were spectators in the front row of the stands, who belonged to many empires and some held high stations. Many were caught by surprise at Huiling¡¯s attack, and sustained various injuries.

    The advisory board needed to quell the situation immediately, in order to avoid having the blame pushed onto them.

    ¡°We have launched a full investigation into the matter, and this is the bracelet that she was wearing,¡± Ouyang continued, while showing Menon the bracelet.

    ¡°Oh my! This is not made from a mythical creature like I suspected, and now I am fully certain what it is,¡± Menon exclaimed, as he inspected it with trained eyes.

    ¡°It is not? Then what is it?¡± Instructor Wei asked.

    ¡°Wait. Ouyang how much do you know about the Plains of the Damned?¡± Menon indicated for Instructor Wei to wait, while asking Ouyang.

    ¡°Not much, not many people are brave enough to enter that zone,¡± Ouyang shrugged and answered.

    ¡°Old man, are you saying this is related to that region? Is it from them?¡± Instructor Wei questioned him, suspicion raising in her voice.

    ¡°Yes, look at this,¡± he said, as he took out a small vial and pour a drop of its content on the bracelet.

    The bracelet gave a soft glow and its surface changed from a brown leathery material, to something tinged in green with bright red spots. It looked more like raw flesh than leather.

    ¡°Someone went into a lot of trouble to make this look like a leather artifact,¡± he informed both of them.

    ¡°Lord Menon, could it be?¡± Ouyang¡¯s eyes were wide opened now, and his voice mirrored Instructor Wei¡¯s suspicious tone.

    ¡°This my dear friends, is made from the Ki center of an elemental beast. One which was removed while it was still alive, or else it will never be able to retain its abilities,¡± he finally concluded his findings.

    **********

    Gu Di and Jay arrived at the medical facility, just as Menon made his discovery.

    ¡°Senior, are you sure about this?¡± Jay whispered quietly, his lips not moving.

    Gu Di gestured his certainty without saying a word, and motioned towards Jay who placed his hood back on. They started walking into the facility and proceeded to the floor Xiaoxia was in.

    ¡°Halt! Who are you?¡± a security personnel asked as they approached Xiaoxia¡¯s ward, he was stationed at the beginning of the hallway.

    ¡°I am Instructor Jay, the patient¡¯s Shishu,¡± Jay informed him while showing his crest.

    ¡°I am sorry, you have not been registered as an official visitor. There is no indication of you besides his Mentor and other sponsors,¡± the security was looking at a contraption on his forearm.

    ¡°This is getting nowhere,¡± Gu Di said, as he placed his right hand on Jay¡¯s shoulders and both of them vanished from sight.

    ¡°I am afrai¡­¡­ Where did they go?!¡± the security looked back up to find them missing, he immediately alerted the others.

    He accompanied the others and first checked with their colleagues guarding Xiaoxia¡¯s room, they did not see anyone enter. Hence they started to search other areas of the facility.

    ¡°I want to learn this!¡± Jay exclaimed, as they arrived the next moment in Xiaoxia¡¯s room.

    ¡°Perhaps in another ten thousand years,¡± Gu Di grinned impishly at him, much to Jay¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°Jay?!! Why are you here, and who is that?!¡± Yulia almost shouted, shocked at seeing him and another man appear right in front of her without even entering the door.

    ¡°Ah, beautiful Yulia, this is my friend Gee,¡± Jay flattered her, while lying about Gu Di¡¯s name.

    Gu Di was rolling his eyes at the lame name Jay just gave him.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, why are you here?¡± Yulia asked again, impervious to his flattery.

    ¡°Just visiting, nothing much,¡± Jay told her flippantly.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Yulia said.

    Just as she was about to turn, Gu Di was already beside Xiaoxia and placed both his hands on his chest, directly above his heart. A blue aura begin to form in an instant.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Yulia screamed.

    **********

    ¡°BOOM!¡±

    The door imploded and flew into the room as a figure cloaked in a threatening aura entered. It was Amelia, and her face was filled in rage.

    Behind her, the personal body guards of Buhui all scattered limply on the ground, many twitching in a semi-conscious state. Amelia had blasted her way through them to get to Buhui.

    ¡°Amelia?¡± Buhui immediately looked up recognizing his cousin at once. He was covered in splinters and debris from the disintegrated door.

    Upon seeing her in her aura, he instinctively reacted and placed his own Ki defenses. It crumbled immediately as she approached and grabbed him by his collar. She lifted him up with one hand and slapped him incessantly till both sides of his face became swollen and turned purple.

    ¡°Amelia stop!! Why are you doing this?¡± Buhui screamed in pain.

    She did not respond and threw him onto the ground. The impact brought forth a gush of blood from Buhui¡¯s mouth, as it ruptured his organs.

    Without even blinking, she lifted her right foot and slammed it down between his legs, aimed directly for his jewels.

    ¡°PUCHI!!!¡±

    ¡°ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!¡± Buhui screamed the moment they ruptured, rolling incessantly on the ground in agonizing pain.

    How he still manage to be conscious was beyond anyone¡¯s guess, however it did not stop. Amelia proceeded to blocked all his meridians with Ki, disabling his movements and continued stamping on his jewels.

    Soon a bloody mess appeared between his legs, he was long gone with whites showing from his eyes. A trickle of bloody foam flowed from his mouth, as he gurgled in labored breath, he lost consciousness as soon as the second blow connected with his jewels.

    ¡°You Royal Grace, STOP!¡± Shi Lang shouted, and rushed towards her.

    His intervention was timely, as the next blow was heading directly for Buhui¡¯s temple. It would have been a death blow for sure.

    ¡°HE IS NOT FIT TO BE A PARENT!!!¡± Amelia screamed in unabated rage, as Shi Lang struggled to pull her away.

 Volume 1 Chapter 33: See the world

    Blood covered his entire body, most were not his own, as he laid back on his throne. He knew what happened but could not stop wondering, ¡°Who am I, why am I here?¡±

    A golden hue encased him, as he thought of the day¡¯s battle, it laid waste to yet another huge portion of the enemy¡¯s army. Many of his own were lost, but it was a price they were willing to pay.

    Most called him ¡®Lord¡¯, while others who seemed like family called him by name. It did not feel right, it was not him.

    Energies began to intertwined from the golden hue into his flesh, as the wounds healed and regenerated. This energy, it seemed strange, yet familiar to him.

    He was frustrate in the meantime, as whenever it seemed like he finally recalled something, it slipped away just as he was able to grasp it.

    **********

    ¡°How is Xia Er?¡± Daquan asked Maling, his concern reflected in Wanmei¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°He should be alright, he sustained a wound during his last match,¡± Maling answered, while facing the couple.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s parents and Maling have been receiving updates and recordings on his progression in the Freshmen competition, his parents felt faint each time they viewed the battles and the close calls in many of them.

    Today it was a different matter, no matter how busy his parents and Maling were, they needed to make this trip to MeisterSchloss and then on to the Academy of the Six Elements.

    It is bright and early on the Hu Yuan 1st colony, and Maling had arrived just moments earlier to inform them of the need to travel at once. Xiaoxia has been injured and is now in a medical facility, but it was not the main reason why they needed to leave immediately.

    Details were not forthcoming and Amelia had sent instructions for them to be there urgently.

    ¡°I am sorry, there is nothing more I can say, her Royal Grace Amelia did not give much details. But rest assured he should be fine,¡± Maling guaranteed them.

    He then turned around to instruct his staff, who were to help with the day to day running of Black Iron Anvil Town during Daquan and Wanmei¡¯s absence. Then he turned and passed a sealed document to one of the lieutenants.

    It was orders to his second-in-charge to follow up on many matters pertaining to Scarlet Condor Province, it was not a good time to leave at this moment. However the summons from Amelia made it very clear that it was not something trivial.

    **********

    Amelia was still brooding over the earlier event hours ago, what Buhui done with Huiling and others were extreme and inhumane. This angered her more than his treasonous acts which was included in the report Shi Lang passed to her.

    After her outburst, she immediately made contact with the Imperial palace and obtained what she needed. She then planned to request Maling to aide her in settling this problem, while in the meantime, she wanted Xiaoxia¡¯s parents to visit him after he sustained the injury.

    The planned was somewhat changed and delayed, when Jay appeared and told her Gu Di¡¯s plan. She only just managed to contact Maling before being brought here.

    Amelia was not the only one whose plans were derailed because of this. Instructor Wei and Menon had their hands full with the origins of the bracelet. They were almost making some headway, when Jay appeared after his visit to Amelia, and gave them the news.

    ¡°I need you all to understand, that matters are not as simple as they seem,¡± Gu Di was telling them.

    Amelia, Menon, Instructor Wei and Jay were standing near each other, while sitting unobtrusively in one corner was Yulia. Menon and Amelia insisted that she needs to be included.

    They were all brought to an unknown cavern by Gu Di, whose actual name and purpose was still not made known to them. The curiosity of how they arrived there quickly ended, when he reiterated his intentions to take Xiaoxia away.

    ¡°You still have not told us who you are, besides my brother calling you senior,¡± Instructor Wei retorted.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, you can call him Gee¡± Jay said while he turned to looked at them, ¡°You all have my word that he can be trusted, and what he is asking for is justified.¡±

    ¡°No, I do not see why we must! How can we trust someone who doesn¡¯t even want us to know who he is?¡± Yulia interjected.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s beside the point, the child¡¯s parents are not even here, we cannot decide for them,¡± Menon reminded them.

    ¡°The child¡¯s parents must not know, or it will only put them in harm¡¯s way,¡± Gu Di warned.

    ¡°They are his parents, and they have every right to know,¡± Amelia spoke up this time, she was already agitated by the earlier events involving Buhui.

    ¡°It is exactly because they are his parents, that they should never know,¡± Jay retorted, his voice raised in defense for Gu Di¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Even if his parents are here and they agreed, I as his Mentor will not. You are also forgetting that he still needs to be educated!¡± Instructor Wei voiced out loudly.

    ¡°Yan Mei! Why are you siding the¡­¡± Jay was trying to say when Yulia interrupted him,

    ¡°I do not see how we should trust you, if you cannot trust us. There is no point in believing someone, who takes his own actions without prior notice to those concerned. ¡±

    Yulia¡¯s stance was brought about by what happened at the medical facility when Gu Di place his Ki aura over Xiaoxia¡¯s heart. She demanded an explanation, and never received a reply.

    ¡°I apologized for that, time is of the essence, and the more time we waste, the more the others will solidify their decisions and it will be all for naught,¡± Gu Di sincerely told to Yulia, and included more information for everyone¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°Since only by knowing who and what I represent will you listen, I will like to give a fair warning that there are consequences. Therefore before I divulge any further details, are you prepared for this?¡± Gu Di cautioned them and asked.

    The rest knew exactly what he meant, they were no strangers to the intrigue and espionage this world contained. Without looking at the others, each nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Good, then I trust that you know to keep this even till your death,¡± Gu Di emphasized its importance.

    After looking at each and every one of them in the eyes, Gu Di then turned with his back facing them, and sighed before saying, ¡°We are Wuming, or better known as ¡°The Lost Alliance.¡±

    The reality hit them all at once, and they could only widen their eyes in surprise.

    (Author¡¯s note: ¡°The Lost alliance¡± reference to Chapter 28)

    **********

    Daquan, Wanmei and Maling appeared at the spatial hub a few hours passed midnight in MeisterSchloss. They were neither tired nor sleepy, as it is still morning on the 1st colony. It had taken them over 4 hours, from the time Maling informed them till they arrived.

    While the actual trip via the portal was instant, Daquan and Wanmei needed to prepare their belongings as well as things for Xiaoxia.

    They made conversation, while waiting in an antechamber. Compared to Maling who looked a little green around the edges, both Xiaoxia¡¯s parents were like little kids in a toy factory.

    Having visited Xiaoxia before, it was not their first trip to the continent city, but they still remain amazed by the size and scope of it.

    ¡°Welcome to my humble abode,¡± a familiar voice called to them, after they waited for about an hour.

    ¡°Lord Menon!¡± Daquan greeted him with a wide smile, while Wanmei and Maling did likewise.

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    ¡°I pray you are all comfortable and did not wait too long,¡± Menon spoke, as three ladies entered the room behind him.

    ¡°Yes we are, and it was not a long wait¡± Maling replied.

    Thereafter, Daquan, Wanmei and Maling greeted the new arrivals and eventually broke up into smaller groups as they mingled.

    ¡°So you are Xia Er¡¯s Mentor, we have never met, but it is wonderful to finally meet you,¡± Wanmei was speaking to Instructor Wei.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too Madam,¡± Instructor Wei smiled, there is something about mothers that made her warm up to them.

    They began speaking more on Xiaoxia, as the night wore on.

    About an hour later, Amelia announced, ¡°Gentlemen, If you will excuse us, the ladies and I will be discussing things amongst ourselves in private.¡±

    After she spoke, the ladies excused themselves and entered the adjoining room, while the men headed out into the hallway towards the opposite room.

    ¡°Maling, wait a while, I need to discuss something with you first,¡± Amelia called out to Maling, before he left with Menon.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, as to what do I owe this pleasure?¡± Maling smirked towards her as he replied and approached. The antechamber was now empty and they were alone.

    ¡°No time for games, there are two things I want arranged immediately. Menon will give you more details on one of it. In the meantime for the other matter, the details are inside here,¡± Amelia¡¯s look was serious enough for Maling to immediately change his demeanor.

    ¡°The Imperial Sigil!¡± Maling exclaimed in utter surprise, as Amelia passed him a prism.

    The Imperial Sigil, is the mark of authority used only by the Emperor himself, no other form of seal and authority supersedes this. It is rarely seen and used only when the Emperor himself presides and mandates on an issue. It is vastly superior to the Imperial Seal, which is used for court appointments or foreign diplomacy.

    (Author¡¯s note: Court appointment, meaning promotion of royalties or others. It does not mean arranging for a meeting or scheduling an appointment.)

    ¡°Yes it is this important,¡± Amelia replied, there was a hint of secrecy in her voice.

    ¡°This is the only time, I have ever asked my great-grandfather to preside on an issue with such urgency,¡± she continued and informed Maling.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Maling nodded, as he took the prism.

    ¡°I shall then take my leave and join the ladies. There is no one I trust more than you to handle this, I have already done as much as I can,¡± Amelia impressed upon him how much this meant to her.

    When she left, Maling activated the prism and browsed through the details. It contained a few recordings as well as a plethora pictures, one in particular seemed vaguely familiar, however he was too distracted by the scope of it all to pay it much heed.

    Unfortunately, the person in the picture, was someone Xiaoxia had been trying to look for all these years, it was Xiuxiu.

    **********

    ¡°Good Morning!¡± a voice called out.

    ¡°Mmmmm¡± Xiaoxia responded sleepily.

    He was shifting around on this bed, somehow it felt different, but he could care less. In his dreams, he was somewhere unlike anything he have seen. It started strangely, with the devastation of war, but gradually changed as the dream progressed.

    He flew across unknown landscapes that bore a sense of familiarity. How it seemed familiar to him was beyond his understanding, as there were many differences in this world compared to his, like how this world only had a single sun and moon, or how it seemed to be revolving around it''s sun.

    (Author''s note: Read chapter 2 for the details his actual world)

    There was also no distinct timeline in the dream, he could sometimes be in someplace with a lush landscapes full of life, and yet at another moment he will appear somewhere totally devoid of life.

    He saw many faces, and even his parents, or people who looked like them. They were somehow different and not the parents he know.

    ¡°Thud!¡± in his restlessness, he fell out of bed.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Xiaoxia was a little confused, it was not the nice carpeted flooring of his dorm. Right under him now, was cold hard-packed earth.

    Sitting up sleepily, he rubbed his eyes to rid them of the bleariness, ¡°Fred, what time is it?¡±

    ¡°Fred? Who is that? Hmm, If I am not wrong it¡¯s around the 13th hour,¡± someone replied.

    Now even more confused, Xiaoxia turned his head towards the voice, the sleepiness gone from his eyes.

    Sitting on a wooden chair, was a man who he did not know. The man was looking straight at him with a look of amusement.

    ¡°Who a¡­¡± Xiaoxia was about to ask when the stranger interrupted.

    ¡°Who am I? I will let you know once Jay returns from the town,¡± he replied, seeming to read Xiaoxia¡¯s mind.

    A short while later, Jay returned carrying some things, as he set them on the table.

    ¡°Shizhi! Good morning!¡± Jay smiled from ear to ear when he saw Xiaoxia.

    He was not wearing his cloak and Xiaoxia have forgotten how much taller and bigger he was without it.

    ¡°Jay! Where am I? And who is this?¡± Xiaoxia asked, looking around curiously.

    ¡°Please allow me to do that,¡± the stranger said and approached him.

    He moved his hands towards Xiaoxia, who instinctively flinched and took a step back.

    ¡°Do not worry, I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± the stranger said.

    Xiaoxia looked towards Jay who gave a thumbs up. Trusting Jay¡¯s judgment, he did not flinch or retreat this time as the stranger place his hand.

    What happened next was beyond Xiaoxia¡¯s capabilities to understand, it was as if a connection was made between the stranger and him. He instantly knew who the stranger was, as well as his past. Without a single word uttered, they communicated.

    A certain part of history that this stranger known as Gu Di knew, was imparted to him. It showed many details of the group he is in and what they represented. Even more intriguing was the recent events which happened.

    He saw how he was asleep for three days and what had transpired between his parents and the others. It was as if he was looking at them, when they reluctantly agreed to place him under Gu Di¡¯s care.

    The reasons for these were made clear to him, it was not something mere words could describe. He felt the emotions passed on to him, as he understood the need for him to leave the Academy.

    Upon reaching the end this as Gu Di originally intended, something gave way and a flood of other memories and information poured into his mind. It is right at this point that Gu Di grimaced slightly as he immediately removed his hand.

    ¡°Zhen Xia, you really surprised me,¡± Gu Di grinned, as he looked at Xiaoxia. He did not expect information to be drained out of him forcibly.

    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Gu Di asked to confirmed if what he did had worked.

    ¡°Yes, you are the 48th Ancestor of Wuming, Gu Di Wang, currently in your 23rd millennium,¡± Xiaoxia replied, having gained new memories and knowledge from the connection.

    (Author¡¯s note: Wang means King)

    ¡°Why did I bring you here?¡± he asked Xiaoxia.

    ¡°To train me in the real ways, to gain experience and see the world,¡± Xiaoxia replied, there were other reasons made known to him as well, but these were the ones that stuck out the most.

 Intermission: End of Arc 1, beginning of Arc 2

    Heyo all,

    First I will like to thank all readers of this free WN.

    I do know this is not to many readers liking, but I still thank you for taking the time to read some of it.

    While there are errors all over the chapters, it is still in the 1st Edition un-revised state.

    I do not know if I am ever going to have the time to go through them,  as I am on a tight schedule in RL, constant prolong power outages and a host of issues in this country I am residing in.

    This novel is planned for 10 volumes, each approximately 30 chapters (give or take).

    But it will not end with just this, the World of Yuan Zhong is a huge world, and I have some drafts (4 of them) which are already on the drawing board, but set aside till a further date.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    It will perhaps be a long while before they appear. But their titles and certain information are already on my blog.

    While Star Wars or LOTR or other famous world it is not, I do hope the readers will still continue to be interested in this world over the years!!!

    Once again thank you all for the support and taking the time to read this simple novel.

    Cheerios

    Rgds

    WT

 Volume 2 Chapter 1: Not a boy, not yet a man

    On the fateful day of the quarter finals in the medical facility, medical physicians and staff busied themselves over a patient who was admitted a few hours earlier. She arrived in an unconscious state, and her entire right arm was shriveled with an ugly purple bruise spread throughout it.

    All of a sudden, they were distracted by a commotion coming from outside the room, and were urgently called away to attend to what looked like a brawl. The people who were injured are soldiers from the Hu Yuan empire, but this isn''t what shocked the first responders.

    In a room just down the hallway from where the female child was admitted, they saw a man twitching in spasms on the ground. His groin was bleeding heavily, and he was unconscious. When they removed his clothes to staunch the blood flow, they were terrified to find nothing resembling his family jewels.

    To add to the confusion, the Academy¡¯s security as well as the Hu Yuan soldiers swarmed the area in heightened alert after that incident. It was a smorgasbord of bodies, as each claimed control over the area and wanted to secure it.

    It hindered the progress of the medical staffs, as they tend to the injured. However order quickly resumed, once the head nurse shouted for the non medical personnel to get out of their way.

    No one paid notice to a small child barely hidden in the shadows, clutching on to a device. He was lying in wait for the opportune moment to carry out his plans. This was the day sweet revenge will belong to him, he was after all going to kill the princess.

    However much to his chagrin, the security and the soldiers did not leave and blocked all paths to her room. To make matters worse, Imperial Guards led by a man under the direct orders of the Hu Yuan Emperor arrived in the middle of the night and took Huiling and her father away.

    Just as they arrived unannounced, they departed without notice. The child in the pretense of being her friend, could not find any clues even as he tried to ask the remaining personnel.

    He left the medical facility seething, his plans thwarted and cursed under his breath, ¡°Even if it takes me a million years, even if the world comes to an end, I will have my revenge!¡±

    Gritting his teeth, he moved off into the night. Morning will be arriving shortly and it has been a long day, he needed to rest his weariness.

    Being constantly angry was not an easy task, and he gradually calmed down in the time it took for him to reach his rundown apartment in the outlying district. It was about a thousand leagues from the Academy¡¯s medical facilities, and even with spatial portals, took him over an hour to arrive there.

    It is then he realized that all is not lost, and it will actually be better if his target have forgotten the terrible deeds she has done. In his mind twisted with vengeance, a scenario played out. Revenge is after all a dish best served cold.

    *********

    In another part of the campus, around the time the Imperial Guards arrived at the medical facility and took Buhui and Huiling away, four people were in the private chambers of a luxurious mansion. It is the guest house provided by the Academy to Amelia and her Imperial entourage.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s parents, as well as Menon and Amelia were in a heated debate. This was the second meeting they had, with a long intercession between to allow Daquan and Wanmei to privately discuss further.

    The intercession also allowed Amelia and Menon the chance to continue their respective investigation of what happened during the day.

    ¡°We cannot allow this to happen!¡± Wanmei said, she had been leading the discussion while her husband remained quiet for over an hour.

    ¡°Please Madam Chen, you have to understand, by allowing him to continue here or bringing him back to the 1st colony is not an option, it will only do him harm¡± Amelia tried to diffuse the situation.

    The gathering earlier at the Menon¡¯s place did not turn out as expected. When the ladies and men separated into their groups for the purpose of requesting Xiaoxia''s indefinite leave of absence, they expected Daquan to be the one who will strongly object.

    However it was Wanmei who turned out to be the more aggressive of the couple. Daquan did voice out his grievances at the onset, but he soon became less vocal than his wife.

    ¡°Madam Chen, I am sure the safety of Xiaoxia is your utmost concern. Like her Royal Grace said, there is no other option, if we want to ensure he even have the slightest chance in life,¡± Menon reiterated what they have been discussing for the past few hours.

    They were then told of the unknown entities that almost wiped out the 4 major races 15,000 years ago*, and how it is without question they still existed.

    (AN : Reference to Volume 1 Chapter 21)

    Menon explained that Xiaoxia was unique in a way that he poses a great threat to these entities¡¯ plans. Without exposing what Gu Di have told them in its entirety, Amelia and Menon went into a little more detail as how these entities either wanted Xiaoxia dead or within their ranks.

    Previously, during the long intercession, Daquan and Wanmei discussed between themselves and decided not to allow Xiaoxia to be taken away. However they were not really set in their decision, as deep down inside, they knew if they did that, it would be putting the life of their son at risk.

    ¡°I want a guarantee that by doing so, he will remain safe, that¡¯s all I ever cared about even if it means not being able to see him now or in the future,¡± Daquan who had been letting Wanmei do the talking, finally broke his silence.

    He is a practical man, having grown up practicing the art of the blacksmith who relishes in the practical rather than theoretical.

    ¡°There is honestly no way we can give total guarantee he will be safe, these entities are not ones that will allows us to say so,¡± Amelia replied with sincerity, and nodded towards Menon to follow up.

    ¡°While we are not able to do so, as representatives of MeisterSchloss and the Hu Yuan Empire, we can assure our utmost diligence in protecting your son,¡± Menon continued where Amelia left off.

    It was not an exact lie, given the secrecy of the situation, it was the best both he and Amelia could come up with.

    After finding out that Gu Di is the leader of Wuming, a legendary group whose members are written in songs and told in children¡¯s stories, all of them no longer had doubts when he related his findings on the current situation.

    Gu Di stressed that he was not the only one making a move on an anomaly which happened, in addition to the unknown entities who devastated the four major races, there were at least two other groups of similar nature, who wanted the anomaly for themselves or destroyed.

    He is now sure that it is related to Xiaoxia, after examining him in the medical facility. Therefore with this in regard, he needed to move fast or risked being out-maneuvered by others.

    Jay being present during the anomaly was a blessing in disguise, as he is a member of Wuming. Unfortunately even though he kept Xiaoxia¡¯s name from the after-incident report, somehow the information got out, and the empire whose princess was involved, got word of it*.

    (AN : refer to Volume 1 Chapter 20 and 21)

    The facts were few and theories abound, but what Gu Di divulged, was enough for the five of them who gathered earlier in the day to know its implications and seriousness.

    Amelia and Menon themselves decided to take the lead on the matter pertaining to convincing Xiaoxia¡¯s parents, but not before discussing it with Instructor Wei and Yulia.

    The four agreed on which parts should be left out, just to maintain clear lines between what to tell the Chen couple and what not to. It was also partly to keep the secrecy that they agreed to intact, without compromising much of the facts when presented to Xiaoxia¡¯s parents.

    Jay himself did not get involved in the other four¡¯s discussion, as he kept his usual distance. He just needed to ensure Xiaoxia was safe by personally being in his room. Instructor Wei and Yulia joined him after leaving Amelia and Menon.

    It was now up to the two who represented their respective empire/city to convince Xiaoxia¡¯s parents, and they hoped it will succeed.

    ¡°There is nothing more to say, other than to accept,¡± Wanmei responded grudgingly.

    When Daquan spoke up earlier, his feelings mirrored hers. Her arguments were not really groundless, after all she is a mother, and Xiaoxia is her son. It was something only a parent would know.

    But she had to concede to the glaring fact, that they simply did not have what it takes to protect Xiaoxia themselves.

    ¡°I am truly sorry it has to be this way, I cannot imagine how you are feeling now,¡± Amelia apologized.

    She always wanted to have her own children, but did not. Even then, she could not imagine how it exactly felt by not being able to protect or see your own child.

    (AN: reference to Volume 1 Chapter 10 on how Amelia loves children)

    The four of them remained silent, as the time passed. It was Amelia who broke the silence, having another matter to discuss.

    ¡°Daquan, Wanmei, it is extremely regrettable under the given situation, but I have another request,¡± she said.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Daquan asked in a resigned tone, no other request could be much worse than the one they had just agreed to.

    ¡°Due to extenuating circumstances, there is someone I need you to look after,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Who might that be?¡± he responded.

    ¡°It is the last opponent your son fought, the Princess Qing Huiling,¡± Amelia said and continued, ¡°Please do not look poorly on her, there is something that prompted her to hurt Xiaoxia. She is a victim of circumstances, and currently her life may be in danger.¡±

    During the long intercession, Menon managed to dig up some information on the Elementals and the bracelet that was made from them. The news was not good, apparently people who have used items made from any parts of the Elementals, usually have their minds stripped of sanity and die eventually. It is a gradual process, which took a certain time frame to achieve.

    According to the hidden recordings unearthed by Shi Lang, one showed how Buhui received the bracelet and was warned of its effect. He did not pay it heed, and cajoled Huiling into wearing it since she was five years old. The time which she had worn it, was more than enough to cause irreversible damage.

    (AN: Shi Lang reference in Volume 1 Chapter 32)

    Huiling should have sufficiently recovered from the blow that knocked her out, but she did not and when her vitals were last checked, it seemed to have deteriorated even more. This more or less proved Menon¡¯s findings, and according to the records, some survivors did not die but remained in a catatonic state for the remainder of their lives.

    Amelia almost went ballistic again when she was given this information, and she stormed off looking to put an end to Buhui¡¯s life. She regretted just destroying his family jewels, when she should have killed him instead.

    But he was a King, and thankfully Maling who was at the medical center held her back. She may have been forgiven for beating him till an inch of his life, but not for directly killing him.

    Amelia had a soft spot for children, and while previously she disliked Huiling for being a spoilt brat, the situation have changed.

    ¡°I do not understand, why us?¡± Wanmei responded.

    ¡°You do not have any obligations to do so, and there is no right for me to ask this of. However just like the situation Xiaoxia is in, Huiling¡¯s life may be in jeopardy as well. She needs constant attention due to her ailments, and there is no better surrogate parents I can look for than you,¡± Amelia honestly informed her.

    It is true that she looked upon the Chen couple as extremely competent parents, it was reflected in the manners and upbringing of Xiaoxia.

    On the other hand, it was also true that Huiling¡¯s life may be in jeopardy. Although it may not be just from the effects of the bracelet, as there are subtle hints people involved in its origins may want her dead.

    Even if Huiling may remained unconscious or catatonic or even have no knowledge of who these people are, they will certainly want to tie up loose ends.

    At this point, Daquan was about to say something when Wanmei placed her hands on his. There was something in her eyes that spoke volumes to him.

    ¡°How is this child? Will she require anything special?¡± she asked.

    She was still a mother after all, and this was someone¡¯s daughter, a young child the same age as her own.

    ¡°She is still unconscious, but not because of what Xiaoxia did. It is something that have been happening for some time. There isn¡¯t any requirements so far, but I cannot say for certain in the future,¡± Amelia replied.

    Upon hearing this, Wanmei looked at Daquan. After a brief moment, he replied, ¡°We accept.¡±

    **********

    A few weeks have passed since those events took place. The weather has turned colder as the orbital ring rotated and slightly increased the distance of the suns from MeisterSchloss.

    (AN: The suns rotates around the world, refer to Volume 1 Chapter 2, and there are multiple suns. The Academy is within the continent city of MeisterSchloss)

    The freshmen competition since ended without any hitch. The singles Champion was a Dragonian, and the team matches was won by the Academy of the Six Elements.

    Xiaoxia still maintained his ¡°ShiShou¡± title, but due to the circumstances, he will not defend it if challenged and will forfeit it automatically. Fortunately no one knew about this yet, hence it will still be his until that happens.

    (AN: refer to Volume 1 Chapter 27 for explanation on ShiShou and the title challenge)

    The advisory board have revoked Hu Yuan Imperial Academy¡¯s rights to participate in future competitions for the next one hundred years. They found King Buhui to be guilty of falsifying the abilities of the bracelet, and bribing certain officials in the competition to cover it. These officials have been punished accordingly.

    The Hu Yuan Empire in response have launched an official appealed against the decision to revoke their rights, citing King Buhui solely responsible for this disgraceful act and that it was carried out without their knowledge.

    In the meantime, the investigations of who gave the bracelet to Buhui was still on going, but the lead in the hidden recordings led to nowhere and it was a dead end.

    Gradually the dust began to settle after the competition, and life flowed back to normal, groups of students were bidding each other farewell. They have not survived the litmus test that was the freshmen competition and sponsors withdrew their support for the continuation of their stay at the Academy of the Six Elements.

    The tuition fees were just too high, and many had to leave once this happened.

    Only one group apparently were not saying their farewells, they were a group of seven freshmen who seemed engrossed in conversation. Besides a single Gold Class Ki Talent, the rest of them were in the Titled Class.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I wonder where Xiaoxia is?¡± one of them ask, it was Charlotte.

    ¡°Yes I guess we all do, it¡¯s hard to believe he kept his ¡®S¡¯ Class status a secret all these times,¡± Winfrey replied with some envy.

    ¡°He is really good, meow! It was amazing to see his quarter finals match! Meow!¡± Mingyue one of the twins excitedly said.

    The others nod their heads in agreement to this. All of them had caught the broadcast of the match together in Winfrey¡¯s dorm. It was the biggest one among them and they made a mess of it as usual, much to the chagrin of Winfrey¡¯s personal staff.

    ¡°I daresay he would have been the Champion if that girl he met in the quarter finals did not cheat and injured him,¡± Corian was saying, rumors of the bracelet already begun to spread like wildfire after the match.

    It was something they all felt to be true, since they viewed all Xiaoxia¡¯s other matches as well. They could pretty much gauge when it came to the singles competition, Xiaoxia was indeed peerless.

    ¡°I wonder if we could visit him now?¡± it was Libby, and the others opened their eyes in amazement.

    Libby never spoke up in the group, she only whispered into Charlotte¡¯s ears whenever she had an opinion.

    ¡°Huhuhu! Seems like our dear Libby is coming out of her shell,¡± Charlotte impishly said, nudging Libby playfully.

    At this Libby turned bright red in embarrassment, it was only known to Charlotte that she had a puppy crush on Xiaoxia.

    The others in the group did not catch on to this, and her question was not answered, as their attention was directed to the approach of an Instructor walking towards them.

    ¡°There has been a challenge, you will be facing your opponents in a couple of weeks. Let¡¯s make them regret this,¡± the Instructor told them, his features were hidden by a hood and only his mouth could be seen. On his cloak there was a crest with a single lightning etched over a condor, on top of it was the letter ¡®W¡¯.

    ¡°Yes Instructor!¡± they responded and rose up as they left the area.

    A strong wind blew across the square and as their shawls fluttered in the wind, one could see a low grade Vermillion Ki Crystal of the Team Match Champion¡¯s buttons on each of their uniforms.

    (AN: team match title holders are similar to singles title holders and have same regulations for challenges, refer to  volume 1 chapter 27 for title and how can challenges be done)

    **********

    Maling was pacing furiously in his office, he was going through the information that Amelia had passed him a few weeks earlier and noticed a horrendous oversight.

    It contain a few thousand pictures of children, and majority of them were already identified and what remained were only a handful. Amongst those remaining, one stood out, it was Xiaoxia¡¯s cousin.

    Menon have spread word through his network to find her a few months ago, and in Maling¡¯s efforts to bring King Buhui secretly to the 1st colony for exile, he overlooked it.

    More than two weeks ago a search of Buhui¡¯s palace grounds revealed less than half of these children. While others were found at various locations throughout his kingdom, the total number was only a little over half of those missing.

    In the preceding days, the children who were found dwindled and there was concrete evidence indicating Buhui was not working alone. This became more apparent as in certain areas, there were signs that large group of children were moved hastily.

    Maling berated himself for this oversight, it caused him to miss the opportunity to inform Xiaoxia about his cousin''s whereabouts before he left.

    When Amelia passed the information to him, Xiaoxia was still in the medical facility, and if Maling knew about this earlier, he could have left a note informing Xiaoxia. It would definitely have given him some closure, as long as Maling did not include what may have happened to her.

    As to what have actually happened to others, Maling was still in disgust when he thought of it. Buhui not only tortured children and experimented on them, he also did the same thing to his own daughter.

    Princess Huiling was starved when she was two years old, and constantly treated like a donkey after a carrot tied to a stick. By age three, the whipping began, and by age four the mental torture from sleep deprivation started.

    Just before she turned five, she was suddenly shown overwhelming ¡®love¡¯ and pampered rotten, it was by then the brainwash fully came into effect. Once that happened, she was manipulated by Buhui to carry out horrid deeds to those she did not like.

    Then about this time she was given the bracelet, and it honed her Ki abilities unnaturally fast. Being consumed by this power, she fell more into the mind games of Buhui, whom she thought really loved her.

    Other children were not so fortunate, and many died. The older ones were experimented in other ways, and beside dying, many became mentally unstable.

    Those who were going through puberty were forced to reproduced, and their newborn babies experimented on as well.

    (AN: Read Volume 1 Chapter 5 for the rough age people on this world go through puberty)

    It was these acts that drove Amelia to crush Buhui¡¯s ability to have more children. He was really not fit to be a parent.

    Besides these atrocities, Buhui had secretly colluded with other empires to siphon off a huge portion of wealth from the empire. He not only lined his pockets by doctoring the books, but he also gave classified information on the Hu Yuan Empire''s intelligence network to others.

    Among those information, many contained top secret information privy only amongst the high ranking members of the Imperial Family. Some even contained the details of security in the Imperial City.

    It was treason, regardless of who the person was. Hence it was not an issue for the Emperor to imprint his Imperial Sigil on the prism Amelia obtained.

    It was a direct order to exile Buhui to the 1st colony in secrecy, under the direct purview of Amelia. His imprisonment will be handled by Maling, who will see to his needs.

    In the meantime, the Emperor¡¯s only wish, was for Buhui not to be imprisoned like a lowly criminal, but somewhere of simple comfort which he will spend the rest of his life.

    The Queen, Huiling¡¯s mother, was stripped off her title, and ejected from the royal family. Although she did not carry out those misdeeds, she was just as guilty for not exposing Buhui.

    There was still many things about the other children that are unknown, as well as the extent of Buhui¡¯s treasonous acts which are not fully uncovered. With this Maling headed to where Buhui was.

    The Emperor only expressed not to imprison Buhui like a lowly criminal, but it did not forbade them from torturing him for more information. If torture was forbidden, it would have been clearly stated.

    ¡°I do hope he tells me everything before it is too late,¡± Maling said to himself, as he activated a personal spatial transportation device and vanished.

    **********

    Instructor Wei was looking at the training nonchalantly, it was a general class containing about 20 odd freshmen. They were going through the motions in simulated battle.

    It has been 7 weeks now, and she still missed her only disciple. Although she had never shown or spoken about it, she have grown fond of him and somehow felt there was a connection that would last for ages.

    ¡°Cousin!¡± a voice called out from behind her.

    It was Brum, a distant cousin. He is younger than her by more than a thousand years, and often disappeared from the Academy whenever he felt like it. However he was not a bad boy, and she could have a decent conversation with him, unlike her own brother.

    ¡°Damn, starting to miss that idiot brother as well,¡± Instructor Wei mumbled under her breath, somehow missing Jay who vanished with Xiaoxia.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Brum asked cheerfully.

    ¡°Nothing, and what brings you here cuz?¡± Instructor Wei asked, it was not often Brum would approach her if he had nothing in mind.

    ¡°Oh it was something I wanted to discuss with you and bro,¡± Brum smiled.

    ¡°He is not here and I have no idea where that idiot went,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°Relax sis! It doesn¡¯t matter, I have a great proposition for you!¡± Brum exclaimed excitedly and added, ¡°How would like to help train the match team champions?¡±

    Instructor Wei looked up at Brum, not sure if he was serious or not. She guessed he should have known by now Xiaoxia was her disciple, but even then he should know she did not simply accept taking on new students to personally train.

    ¡°No, I just lost my disciple, so just leave me alone,¡± Instructor Wei dismissed his offer.

    ¡°Oh so it¡¯s true! Come on sis, just have a look,¡± Brum stuffed her hands with a few printouts, as he said that.

    Everyone started looking for Xiaoxia, after the announcer during the semi-finals have regrettably informed the crowd he forfeited the match. The search was fuelled by his massive fan base of over zealous females, who wanted to know what happened. It lead to many rumors and soon news got out he was missing.

    Instructor Wei was about to hand back the printouts, when she noticed a girl¡¯s face on one of them. It looked very familiar, and out of curiosity she started reading the details.

    Her name was Charlotte, and Instructor Wei finally remembered her to be a friend whom Xiaoxia have told her before. Back then, Charlotte was a Duelist Realm 2nd Tier and Xiaoxia had claimed her to be competent against a humanoid being. She lost that match due to the inability to continue.

    What was interesting is that this girl is now Duelist Realm 4th Tier, she had progressed rapidly by two tiers in just a span of 7 weeks.

    (AN: refer to Volume 1 Chapter 24 for reference when Instructor Wei came to know about Charlotte)

    ¡°Come on sis, if we can help them maintain Champion status in this Academy for another eight years, we will be rich!¡± Brum was smiling from ear to ear excitedly.

    While he was a little immature, and just Ki Grandmaster Lower Realm, but he did just managed to grab the contract of the ''Freshmen Team Match Champions''.

    If he could help them win all their challenges before they graduate at age 15, the Academy will award their Instructor/Mentor with a huge bonus.

    (AN: they are currently 7 years old)

    Instructor Wei¡¯s sullen expression perked up suddenly upon hearing the word ¡®rich¡¯, that and the fact one of the girls was someone her disciple knew and praised, immediately changed her mind.

    ¡°So when do we start?¡± she asked.

    **********

    Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, and months turned to years. Soon the events of the past were forgotten by many, except those who were personally involved.

    Brooding silently, Maling was looking at the main world in the sky. It is now seven years after that incident at the Academy of the Six Elements, Buhui have endured the tortures for the initial few days, but eventually spilled his guts. However it was too late by then, and the information all lead to dead ends.

    Even seven years later, nothing new came out of it. No more children were found, the last they managed to find was already more than 3 years ago.

    He still could not find those in cahoots with Buhui, thus still could not find the remaining children. It also meant he could not find Xiaoxia¡¯s cousin who still remained missing.

    In his hands was a printout containing more disturbing news, they have finally found Xiaoxia¡¯s uncle Wanliang and his family, and further investigation lead to Wanliang admitting selling Xiuxiu to someone.

    In exchange for selling Xiuxiu, Wanliang and the rest of the family were offered a tremendous bribe and moved to the main world.

    -

    At around same time, over in Crescent Lake, Amelia was just about done on the report Maling had sent her. She shook her head in disbelieve, how can there be parents like these living in the world.

    Seven years ago, she thought she would never meet another, but she was proven wrong.

    Maling had requested to bring Wanliang and family back to the 1st colony, in order to question them. It was possible they could identify the person they sold Xiaoxia¡¯s cousin to.

    This would help make some leeway into the now cold investigation of finding the syndicate who tortures and experimented on children.

    She placed the report down and pressed a button on her desk, within moments a young man appeared.

    ¡°Shi Min, I need you to expedite this request for me, treat it with the utmost urgency,¡± Amelia told her quartermaster.

    ¡°Yes Your Royal Grace,¡± Shi Min bowed.

    ¡°You may leave,¡± she waved her hands.

    As soon as he left, she got up from her chair and prepared to leave Crescent Lake. Today was a scheduled day for her to visit Huiling.

    Huiling was at Daquan and Wanmei¡¯s place, they have been caring for her these past seven years. The couple themselves were fine, and Amelia spoke with them on a regular basis over the spatial communication device.

    ¡°That poor girl, I wonder when will she ever wake up,¡± Amelia sighed deeply as she took out her HG PTD.

    (AN: refer to compendium under spatial devices for the meaning of these acronym)

    **********

    As he floated while looking over the vast seas, a familiar smell filled his nostrils. It was from the blast of salty sea air in his face, one he missed since he left MeisterSchloss seven years ago.

    He was rather tall for his age, standing almost a little under eight feet. The device under his shoes hummed quietly as he started to dart across the sky enjoying the refreshing sea air.

    Most of his past seven years were spent in the middle of the forest, while it was calm and soothing, the perfect environment to train in, it somehow did not contained the excitement that is the sea.

    He marveled at the waves as they crashed ceaselessly on the shoreline. Each wave rose over thirty feet in height before crashing down in a loud boom over the rocks.

    Soon he spotted a tiny fishing village, a few fisherman were returning from their morning routes.

    ¡°Look a flying man!¡± one of them shouted.

    The device he was using was rarely used anywhere else in the world, and only used widely in MeisterSchloss.

    As he got closer to the village, it created a commotion, as more people pop out of their huts to see what it was about.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a man, he looks too young,¡± another said, just as the flying man landed in the middle of the village.

    ¡°Well lets agree to disagree, he is ¡®not a boy, not yet a man¡¯,¡± yet another replied.

    As the flying man disengaged the device¡¯s harness, he looked at the people in the village and introduced himself.

    ¡°Hello everyone, I am Xiaoxia, are there any fishes you can sell me,¡± Xiaoxia asked with a wide smile.

 Volume 2 Chapter 2: The power of the mind

    ¡°Ooof! This is heavy,¡± Xiaoxia complained, as he chugged a huge sack full of harvest from the sea. Most were dried and salted, while some were fresh.

    The people of the fishermen village were extremely friendly, and sold him their produce for prices that Xiaoxia considered ridiculously low. When compared to establishments further inland and on other parts of the world, it was cheaper by a few folds.

    Thus he went a little overboard with the purchase and ended up with a huge sack larger than his own person, it weighed almost as heavy as he was. Price aside, he loved seafood, it was a taste acquired only during his short stint in MeisterSchloss and the Academy of the Six Elements.

    Unfortunately with the extra load, he was not able to fly at full speed with his sole plate. Xiaoxia had tweaked the sole plate over the years to accommodate for his growth, and while it could easily fly a few times faster than the speed of sound, it could only now only manage a fraction of it with the extra weight.

    He was in no hurry and is still making good time, as he head towards his destination about fifty leagues from the shore. The area was covered with ravines, gorges, streams and waterfalls. It was a small paradise in itself, a place inaccessible by foot or spatial transportation portals.

    It took him around an hour to reach his destination that happened to be a cavern, which was hidden behind the curtain of a waterfall. It was further obscured from above by the crowns of tall ancient trees, that expanded for more than a few thousand feet.

    Light hardly penetrated into the land below, but the plants and other life forms thrived in their multitudes. It was a bio-luminescent wonderland, filled with colors and hues that befuddled the mind. In the night it multiplied by many times, as nocturnal species started to go about their lives.

    This was one of the many places of solitude Gu Di have made his home over three thousand years of absence from society, and over the past seven years, Xiaoxia have seen many of them.

    Even as they traveled, he continued his lessons in life with the help of Jay and Gu Di, as well as academic studies from literature gathered over the aeons by Wuming. Gu Di have kept most of them tucked away in various quantum bags and devices. Xiaoxia have not met any other Wuming members besides those two, but he knew he was in good hands.

    His Ki training progressed rapidly, something Jay is always envious about. Gu Di once cracked a joke, saying Jay was not smart enough to progress his Ki rapidly, because he was dropped head first on the floor when he was a baby.

    That could hardly be any farther from the truth, which was as simple as Jay just didn¡¯t have the proper meridians unlocked.

    On the other hand, Xiaoxia has always been physically strong since birth, it did not grow exponentially with age, but it still grew. It is another thing that Jay was envious, as at the tender age of 14, Xiaoxia had physical strength that surpassed him, if barely. It had already surpassed Gu Di by a long way, since strength is not one of Gu Di¡¯s racial trait.

    However when it comes to Ki strength, Xiaoxia still paled in comparison to Jay. There wasn¡¯t even a need to compared it to Gu Di, who was simply in a class of his own.

    The race from which Gu Di originated, is now extinct. They were the one of the original races, who had tremendously long lives, but drastically low birthrates. Their life span far exceeds those of the four major races.

    But he claimed it was not a racial trait that made them long lived, nor was it inborn that he achieved his abilities. He theorized that there was a few simple reasons for his people¡¯s long lives and abilities, which are - food for the body, food for the soul and food for the mind. It all had to do with the proper nourishment.

    He had explained a while back, that all things living in the world of Yuan Zhong contained Ki. The ingredients used for food were made from living things like plants or animals, they all have a certain amount of Ki in them. The type of Ki is unique to each ingredient, and the need to properly achieve harmony among the ingredients is vital, if proper nourishment is to be obtained from them.

    Therefore, meals were always prepared by Gu Di, and it was always something special, as he strongly encourage on having good meals to enforce his theories. The meals ended with a delicious green liquid drink made from leaves of a certain plant.

    Besides food as a form of nourishment, the were others that Gu Di emphasized on. These ¡®nourishments¡¯ came in the form of reading, properly resting, solving puzzles, meditating, physical training and many more. They complimented each other in a way that Xiaoxia was never taught before.

    Soon it became apparent that there was a trend to all of these, and it seemed like they are heading more towards the general direction of capitalizing on Xiaoxia¡¯s mental capacity.

    Even seafood have been known to be ¡®brain food¡¯, as such Gu Di have brought them closer to the coastal areas with every new relocation.

    ¡°You are finally back!¡± Jay groaned in despair as Xiaoxia enter the cavern.

    It was remarkably bright in there, with light emitting from the bio-luminescent moss covering the entire wall.

    ¡°I am sorry it took so long,¡± Xiaoxia apologized, as he placed the sack of seafood aside. He sympathized with Jay, as he himself was already hungry and needed plenty of food.

    (AN: reference to Volume 1 Chapter 16 on how Xiaoxia ate a few times more than people of his race who are big eaters themselves)

    ¡°Ugh, you smell! Are we having seafood again?¡± Jay complained.

    ¡°Stop complaining, this is one of the reasons why your brain is as small as a pea, and you are unable to progress any further,¡± Gu Di chided him.

    ¡°Pfft, there is no proof in that,¡± Jay retorted, as he took out some meat jerky and chewed on them.

    Whether he was talking about the size of his brains, or if seafood actually made a difference, no one knew.

    Gu Di paid no heed to Jay, as he took the sack and dragged it to his makeshift kitchen. He then took out its contents and looked at them with a thoughtful gaze, before gathering the plants harvested from around the area, and started to prepare their meal.

    Meanwhile, Xiaoxia moved off to one side of the cavern to meditate. It is similar to Ki cultivation, but the process was much more complicated and it involved more than just simple refining and absorbing Ki.

    By using this method, he rapidly became Grandmaster Realm Lower Tier just the year before, a feat only unique to him. There were no one else who have been known to achieve this level at such a young age.

    (AN: The year before meant he was 13, check compendium for Ki Realms)

    When he broke into the Grandmaster Realm, he could constantly maintain all 24 of his minor meridians and the Ki vessels connecting them. On the other hand he could also maintain the same for 3 of his major meridians. While it is still not possible for his extraordinary ones.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Gu Di frowned upon this method of containing Ki between the Ki vessels and meridians, and he felt it a very primitive way to manipulate and handle Ki. However, he decided only if Xiaoxia showed significant progress in his meditation technique, will he then instruct him on a new way, so now he left it as it is.

    In the meantime, Xiaoxia knew what his Ki Realm was, by using the device he still had from the Freshmen Competition. There was once in the first year since they left, when Gu Di saw him using it, and gave him a look of disapproval, but he did not take it away.

    (AN: the device from the competition indicates a person¡¯s Ki Realm)

    Instead he promptly gave Xiaoxia a long lecture on how thrashes of the world relied on measuring Ki Realms to judge a person¡¯s worth. He also went the whole nine yards on how it only serves to boost the already humongous egos of many pugilists who are blinded by it.

    Although Xiaoxia knew what he meant, curiosity still got the better of him, and whenever he felt he made a breakthrough, secretly checked with the device.

    He was going to use it again soon, as he felt extremely close to achieving another breakthrough. This time he have have been grasping along the edges for a prolonged duration, and it meant that it could be a significant one if it took this long. It has almost been a year, the longest so far, since his last breakthrough.

    Sitting at the side of the cavern in a lotus stance, he started to calm his thoughts, and began the process of delving into his body and mind. When he first learnt this technique, he was constantly plagued by the thoughts of his family, friends and Instructor Wei.

    The first few months were the toughest, and it even affected his sleep. Neither Jay nor Gu Di did anything to help, and they left him to overcome this by himself. It was something Xiaoxia knew only he alone have to achieve.

    It was a part of the training, if he could not pass this stage, what is to say of those in the future. Hence he toughed it out, and eventually pulled through. He learnt from Gu Di, that the mind was like a muscle, and by constantly exercising and training it, it¡¯s strength as well as capacity will gradually increase.

    Moreover it is a way to train the major meridians that were connected to the brains. Everyone has 12 major meridians, and they were vital to every living person. Each person who could cultivate Ki, was born with their first major meridian fully opened, and it was at the Ki center.

    There were 9 other major meridians that are connected to all the major organs in the body and sub-connected to the minor ones. Besides the one at the Ki center and the other 9 for the major organs, the brain was the only one with 2 major meridians.

    In normal cases, each of the 9 major meridians were opened only a tiny fraction since birth, this is to allow for natural bodily functions. Of the two situated at the brain, one of it was totally closed. With it opened and properly trained, it enabled the individual to achieve higher cognitive brain functions and special abilities.

    (AN: refer to volume 1 chapter 16 on some reference to meridians)

    Gu Di have already demonstrated how great the two major meridians of the brain were, as he could use spatial movement with Ki alone. He did not require those devices which are commonly used, and relied instead on his own cognitive abilities and Ki.

    He informed Xiaoxia that the fundamental structure of those devices, were actually mimicking what he and others like him could do. With all of Xiaoxia¡¯s natural meridians opened, he could apply the same abilities as Gu Di.

    (AN: Natural meridians refers to the 24 minor meridians, 12 major meridians and 8 extraordinary meridians. It does not include the Unique Meridian, which is not considered natural)

    In addition to this, when Xiaoxia first met Gu Di, they connected on a telepathic level through Gu Di¡¯s hands, and communicated information and emotions via Ki. It could only be done when both sides have their 2 major meridians of the brain opened. It was also a form of spatial communications. If fully trained and honed, communicating instantly with each other all over the world without seeing or touch will be possible.

    ¡°¡­..out of ideas ¡­ fish meat ¡­¡±

    Xiaoxia jerked opened his eyes suddenly, he could hear vaguely Gu Di¡¯s voice in his mind.

    Looking towards where Gu Di was, Xiaoxia initially thought somehow Gu Di accidently bumped into him and made physical contact, hence he could hear the voice.

    But Gu Di was dozens of feet away in the cavern, muttering to himself as he cooked. He was not exactly the grand figure that came to mind, when told that he was the leader of Wuming, a legendary group of heroes. The heroic image and legacy of Wuming instantly dissolved when Jay was added to the picture.

    Forcefully pushing those images that crept into his head, Xiaoxia shook away the distraction and went back to meditate, feeling that perhaps he was mistaken about the voice.

    ¡°¡­ the vegetables cannot be added too soon ¡­ nutrients, vitamins and natural occuring ¡­¡±

    Within moments, he could vaguely hear Gu Di again. This time he did not stop, but concentrated delving farther into his body and mind.

    In what seemed like a long time, a dam suddenly burst, and he was washed away in a flood of energies. Yet he did not open his eyes, no, he could not open them now even if he wanted.

    He was drawn into himself further, and could see a large facula in what seemed like a featureless environment. A large network of streams containing energies, which looked like lightning passed in rapid succession across the entire space that surrounded him. It looked like a gigantic cobweb that was haphazardly made with no distinct patterns.

    They all connected to the large facula, which seemed to pulsed mysteriously. It did not feel threatening, but had a familiar warm feeling to it.

    He was observing this marvel, when out of the blue it dawned on him that he was looking into his own mind. Prompted by his own awareness, he reached out to touch it, and instantly the world exploded.

    When he open his eyes after finally being aware of his surroundings, he saw Jay staring at him with his mouth wide opened. The meat jerky he was chewing slowly slide from his mouth and landed on his feet.

    At the same time, some stuff were floating in the air and came crashing down, but Xiaoxia had no idea why it was such.

    ¡°Congratulations! Finally! It¡¯s only been like what? Seven years?,¡± Gu Di¡¯s voice which previously had been vague and almost like a whisper, could now be clearly heard in Xiaoxia''s mind, as if he was right beside him.

    Xiaoxia turned towards him, he was still dozens of feet away in the makeshift kitchen. But now he was looking at Xiaoxia with a smile.

    "You have just gained the power of the mind," the voice of Gu Di told him in his thoughts.

 Volume 2 Chapter 3: All work and no play

    ¡®The power of the mind¡¯, these words constantly replayed over and over again in Xiaoxia¡¯s thought process for the remainder of the day.

    Details were not fully forthcoming, as Gu Di himself only knew a limited amount of what it encompasses. As far as he knows, it not only allows for individuals to use spatial movement and spatial communications with their own Ki, it increased the number of innate senses and heightened them to an extraordinary level.

    Gu Di emphasized that all Xiaoxia needed now was to practice and train for it to become second nature. He also needed to train how shield his mind too, because If he didn¡¯t, enemies with the same abilities may pick up on his thoughts. This is also one of the reasons why he knew Xiaoxia had gained ¡®The power of the Mind¡¯, without being told.

    It was like how Xiaoxia managed to hear Gu Di¡¯s voice in his mind, except Gu Di was not doing it subconsciously, and could have shielded it easily. He didn¡¯t, since Xiaoxia was not a threat, and he had to spread his consciousness over a wide area, in order to monitor and guard against trespassers.

    It was one of the many additional abilities linked with the innate senses, due to access of the brain¡¯s higher cognitive functions.

    Jay on the other hand, could only grasp the fundamentals of the conversation, and grumbled constantly. This was because after thousands of years of trying, he still could not unlock the two meridians in his brain that allowed access to the higher cognitive functions. With this regard, he was like any normal person, unable to communicate with his mind, or apply spatial movement.

    No doubt his combat abilities were already beyond outstanding, and Gu Di have complimented him more than once. Jay was still not satisfied, for in the past he have faced multiple enemies who have such capabilities.

    During these life and death confrontations, there was a glaring disadvantage, as his opponents could communicate among themselves and move spatially, he only managed to survive by the skin of his teeth, because of his power and superb battle instincts. Therefore he yearned to be able to gained ¡®The power of the mind¡¯, just to even the odds out.

    ¡°Jay here have the ability to use five elements, which makes him the perfect sparring partner for you,¡± Gu Di was complimenting Jay and informing Xiaoxia.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t he in the Unknown Realm, how would that be considered a perfect sparring partner?¡± Xiaoxia was asking incredulously, he was only a Grandmaster Realm, and had once seen Jay¡¯s destructive powers.

    (AN: reference to Vol 1, Chapter 17)

    ¡°There is only so much you can learn fighting against wild beast, and how far you can go without endangering yourself. Jay is perfect because he won¡¯t kill you, unlike a wild beast who will,¡± Gu Di informed with a thoughtful expression.

    For the past seven years, Xiaoxia has been honing his own battle skills and talents against creatures in the wild. It graduated from low level ones to high level ones. He have yet to face those beyond high level.

    In the world of Yuan Zhong, wild beasts are categorized into various levels. Xiaoxia was given a detailed description of them by Gu Di, it was the first time he have seen such classifications.

    -

    Wuming Clan

    Strength classification of wild beasts and creatures.

    Research data collected in the 19th Era *Updated 73rd Era*

    Beasts classification:-

    Low Level Beasts ¨C Strength grade 1-9, comparable to Apprentice Ki Realm

    Mid Level Beasts ¨C Strength grade 1-9, comparable to Duelist Ki Realm

    High Level Beasts ¨C Strength grade 1-9, comparable from Adept to Master Ki Realm

    Elite Level Beasts ¨C 3 levels (low, mid, high), comparable form Grandmaster to Unknown Realm

    Elemental Beasts ¨C comparable to a full unit of Grandmasters or two Unknown Realms.

    Mythical Beasts ¨C strength unknown, 24 species known to exists.

    Unique Beasts ¨C strength unknown, 12 different individuals known to exists.

    Other Categories:-

    Beast Lords ¨C can be found commonly, strength can be up to a ten times higher than their underlings.

    Beast Kings ¨C rarely found in most branch-habitats, can only be found in the original main habitat. Possesses the strength of at least two beast lords.

    Beast Saint ¨C strength unknown

    Beast God ¨C strength unknown

    Side note

    There are evidence and traces of beasts that can only be categorized as Legendary, no known sightings or actual interactions have been confirmed.

    -

    (AN: an Era is 1,000 years, refer to time and date compendium.

    AN 2: Mythical beasts are not to be confused with Mythical Beings. Mythical Beings are considered superior high class beings and are distantly related to some of the racial beings.)

    Gu Di only allowed Xiaoxia to fight against those who were beneath his level, so that his life will not be at risk. If he were to battle beasts who were of similar or higher level, there is no guarantee he will return alive. It was a precaution that both Jay and Gu Di exercised, as they did not always monitor his training.

    Unbeknownst to Xiaoxia, both of them have exhaustively surveyed each training area in order to ensure the beasts were suitable, before they left him to his own devices. He was placed in the middle of beast filled lands with nothing but the bare necessities to survive, while having to make his way in the direction they told him to.

    He completed each task within a week, and returned exhausted from it. He hardly rested for more than a couple of days, before setting out again. During those sessions, he battled throughout the day, while in the night he meditated before resting.

    After a single sequence of repetitions, Jay will handle the debrief, while Gu Di checked for any signs of physical, mental and Ki improvements. They will then relocate and repeat the whole process.

    During these seven years, Jay constantly advised him on efficient ways to handle different types of beast. Gu Di on the other hand instructed him in minute details of how to adjust and polish his abilities.

    Today will be the turning point, since Xiaoxia attained ¡®The power of the mind¡¯. Gu Di have expected it to happen later rather than now, and although he jested it only took Xiaoxia seven years to attain it*, he was in fact really amazed.

    (*AN: reference to the previous chapter, towards the end when he said that)

    This is one of the reasons why he is going to place Xiaoxia under the direct tutelage of Jay, who have experience fighting people with the same abilities. Another was Jay¡¯s combat abilities, which is close to being the best.

    But before this was set in stone, Gu Di had another issue at hand. He wanted to show Xiaoxia a new way to handle Ki, so he can practice it while sparring with Jay.

    ¡°Xia Er come with me,¡± he instructed.

    Gu Di led Xiaoxia to the back of the cavern, leaving Jay to himself. There he took out a water skin and some items before proceeding to speak.

    ¡°Xiaoxia do you know why things started to float around when you gained that power?¡± Gu Di asked*.

    (AN: reference is in the previous chapter)

    ¡°No, I am still thinking about it,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Look,¡± Gu Di simply said.

    Taking some of the items, he placed them on the ground. It a matter of seconds, they started to float. They hung in midair for a while before gently settling on the ground.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Xiaoxia asked in amazement.

    ¡°It applies the same principal of your sole plate,¡± Gu Di answered him.

    He went on to explain that not only the spatial devices, but various other technologies in the world of Yuan Zhong are made by copying the abilities of people who had ¡®The power of the Mind¡¯.

    The technology used for Xiaoxia¡¯s sole plate is called ¡®reverse gravity¡¯, it relied on the weight and density of the material. The heavier and denser the material is, the better it can float when reverse gravity was applied.

    The items that Gu Di chose where all metals who had high weight to density ratio, and some were made with a mixture of Myalithium*.

    (AN: refer to compendium for Myalithium)

    At the time Xiaoxia connected fully with his higher cognitive functions, all the items dense enough which surrounded him, began to float. This of course caught Jay¡¯s attention, and from theory knew what it meant. Therefore his expression was not uncalled for, when he realized his Shizhi just upped him in advancing into a further stage.

    (AN: reference to previous chapter where Jay was dumbfounded the moment Xiaoxia gained the power)

    Taking yet another item from his quantum bag, Gu Di handled what look like a pair of boots. They were unlike any boots Xiaoxia have seen, and have a thick lining of material on its sole.

    ¡°Take this, it is a boot that was quite fashionable when it was made. The material on its sole has no name but is made from an alloy with one of the densest material known in this world,¡± Gu Di said as he handed them to Xiaoxia.

    Xiaoxia thanked him, and inspected the boots. They were unusually heavy, and besides the sole of the boots, the other parts where made from some material that was extremely soft and felt comfortable to the touch.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°I do not expect you to immediately learn how to reverse gravity, but once you do, those boots will come in handy,¡± Gu Di informed him.

    After all, Gu Di wasn¡¯t expecting him to pick up everything at once, and picking up spatial communications immediately, on the day he gain the power was something really unexpected. He was really tempted to copy Jay and call Xiaoxia ¡®Little Monster¡¯.

    Jay started calling him this after the events of the day, and it isn¡¯t clear when he is going to stop. It has already been a whole day since he stopped referring to Xiaoxia as Xia Er or Shizhi.

    ¡°Xia Er, tell me what you know about manipulating Ki, Ki vessels and meridians,¡± Gu Di asked, after passing him the boots.

    Xiaoxia nodded and explained in as much details what Instructor Wei had taught him, and while doing so suddenly thought of her. However he quickly dismissed the feeling and went further to explain other things he learnt, including his special meridian and the extraordinary meridian used to remotely control Ki attacks.

    ¡°Pfft, those ways to handle Ki and train it are really primitive ways to do it,¡± Gu Di snorted.

    He did not mention about the special meridian or controlling Ki attacks remotely. Over the years he already explained what he knew to Xiaoxia on those two matters.

    Gu Di have managed to use his Ki aura on Xiaoxia without a backlash because it was not an aggressive aura, the previous two times that Jay witnessed it happened, was when there was a substantial threat. As long as the Ki helped Xiaoxia in any way, the special meridian will not lash out with the golden aura.

    For the matter of controlling Ki attacks, Gu Di unlike Jay, have witness this a few times in the 28 thousand years he has been around. Hence it was not unique, but just uncommon.

    (AN: refer to vol 2 Chapter 1, he is in his 28th millennium)

    However at this time, Xiaoxia''s mind was not on those things, but on what Gu Di just said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what everyone has been taught? Don¡¯t you and Jay do the same as well?¡±

    ¡°We do not, members of Wuming are all taught another method the moment they become one of us,¡± Gu Di explained.

    ¡°Does this mean I will be one of you?¡± Xiaoxia asked, it was a question that always nagged at him over these years. He was after all a child who have heard stories about them.

    ¡°That depends on the situation, and at the end of the day, it¡¯s all up to you,¡± Gu Di explained, but digressed, ¡°But that is still too early to say, in the meantime you need to concentrate on just learning, training and practicing.¡±

    Xiaoxia¡¯s determined expression, show that he will.

    If there ever was a complain about Xiaoxia, it was that he is extremely studious as well as hardworking. Even during the days at MeisterSchloss, when he was engrossed in his flying thrills with the sole plate, he still spent many a sleepless night learning all about it and tweaking it to pseudo perfection.

    There was never a single day in his life, where he have spent in total relaxation. It was always training, studying, learning, experimenting and a host of other stuff that is bound to come up. He was different from other children his age, but he did not know this.

    Back at the Academy, he fit in well with Winfrey and the others. He thought they were just like him, but he could not be more wrong. While the others took every single opportunity to skive and relax, Xiaoxia was either in the training hall with Instructor Wei or with Sem for his evening lessons.

    It was against the theories of Gu Di, as one of them included resting properly. All these years he mandated the need for rest, but Xiaoxia secretly trained behind his back. Gu Di knew about it, but did mention anything, since it was of little use to force him at that point.

    However things have changed since this day, and he was going to ensure it after he explained a few things.

    ¡°Look at this,¡± Gu Di took the water skin and showed Xiaoxia.

    He went on to squeeze the bladder, which caused water to flow out from the nozzle. Then he grab it lower in the neck with his other hand, causing water to remain at the upper parts.

    ¡°This is what you have been doing, imagining the water here at the upper portion of the neck, is where you have maintained Ki in the Ki vessels. And here you will notice there is nothing between where I grabbed and the remaining water in the bladder, it just like the empty space that is left behind after you filled your Ki vessels with Ki from the reservoir. This gap takes time to fill, regardless if it¡¯s even a micro second,¡± he pointed to the space between his hand and the bladder.

    After that, he systematically poured water out while demonstrating his point till there was no longer any water left.

    ¡°Now look here, there is nothing left in the bladder, and what is left is all here at the neck. This is exactly what you have been taught and it is inefficient and really lousy. It is not a safeguard at all. Now I am going to demonstrate something else to you,¡± he continued.

    (AN: reference to Vol 1, Chapter 17 for this as well as the below)

    This time he refilled the water skin and repeated the previous actions. But this time, he forcefully squeezed the neck where the water was retained, and it spurted out.

    ¡°Imagine this is the Ki you are using from the Ki vessels, what you just saw is your Ki spilling out. Now look at this,¡± he explained, while further demonstrating.

    This time he released his grasp on the neck and forcefully squeeze on the bladder, a larger amount of water came.

    ¡°Now this is what you are taught not to do, which is not true. Do you see how much more powerful the Ki is when used directly from the Ki center? Storing Ki in your Ki vessels may seem like a smart way to do things and keep you alive, but it is actually the stupidest idea anyone could think of!¡± Gu Di exclaimed, by this time Jay have already walked over, noticing Gu Di getting more animated as he delved into his explanation.

    Gu Di then constricted the nozzle and forcefully squeezed the bladder again, and this time a concentrated squirt of water quickly shot out from it and went quite far.

    ¡°Did you see that? Let¡¯s say the nozzle is the meridian at your Ki center, if you can control the size of it and force Ki through it, the results will be enormous. I hope you understand what I am trying to tell you before I continue,¡± Gu Di informed him.

    ¡°Yes I do, but only partly,¡± Xiaoxia replied, momentarily distracted by Jay is now sitting on the ground chewing nosily on a meat jerky.

    The demonstration Gu Di showed, explained certain things that Xiaoxia understood. It showed that there was a lag in Ki manipulation timing because of the gap between the Ki center and Ki vessels. Every time the Ki level in the reservoir depleted, the gap increased and it took a longer time to reach the Ki vessels.

    On the other hand, the Ki vessels were not sufficient enough to deliver the proper power as it exited the meridian. The last demonstration showed that power can be obtained by directly using the Ki from the Ki center through a the Ki center''s meridian. It also showed if proper manipulation of the meridian''s size is attained, the resulting Ki will have much more explosive power and distance.

    ¡°Would this not be a danger for me if I suddenly exhausted all my Ki?¡± Xiaoxia asked, it was the main thing that he could not comprehend.

    Being able to maintain Ki in the Ki vessels was what Instructor Wei taught, as this served as a safety measure against an exhausted Ki reservoir.

    ¡°This is what I was going to continue on,¡± Gu Di replied, and went on, ¡°Xia Er, do you know about the body¡¯s natural Ki absorption?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told about this before and learnt it during my days at the academy,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    He was taught that every life form has the ability to absorb Ki naturally, this is what keeps them alive. Even if a person is not a martial artist and did not cultivate Ki, they could still absorb Ki in a natural way from their surroundings. It helped keep their body functioning properly.

    ¡°This is what you are going to train as well, by enhancing its function to its limits, you need not worry about dying from exhausting your Ki reservoir,¡± Gu Di informed him.

    ¡°With your new found power, you will be able to achieve this much faster than normal,¡± Jay who was just sitting idly helpfully added, while Gu Di nodded in agreement.

    Xiaoxia¡¯s eyes were now beaming with anticipation, he can¡¯t wait for the opportunity to learn new things. It was already wonderful he got access to his higher cognitive brain functions, now he did not need to worry about dying from Ki exhaustion.

    ¡°So when do we start?¡± he asked excitedly.

    ¡°Not today or this week,¡± Gu Di replied smiling.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiaoxia did not understand, normally any Instructor or Elder would want their juniors to train constantly.

    ¡°You my ¡®Little Monster¡¯ are going on a vacation with us,¡± Jay grinned impishly, he had waited long enough for one himself.

    Gu Di had discussed plans with Jay earlier, on the need for Xiaoxia to relax and settle his mind. It was one of the theories that Gu Di believed will promote a more conducive mindset, it will be beneficial once Xiaoxia restarted training.

    ¡°Anyway, you have been training constantly every day, using even your rest days to train. I have stood by silently for a while now, but now I will not allow it. After all, all work and no play will make you a dull boy,¡± Gu Di spoke out in a manner that left no room for discussion.

 Volume 2 Chapter 4: Zero to Hero

    One moment they were in the middle of the forest, the next they arrived on an island. It is a tropical paradise, filled with lush greenery and soft grass. The air was amazing as the sea breeze gently caressed their skin.

    ¡°This is the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza, the most highly regarded tourist destination in the world,¡± Gu Di informed them.

    Jay and Xiaoxia have never been to this place, and they could only stare in disbelief as they moved towards the population center. It is filled with the buzz of activities all around, and people everywhere were barely clothed. Many of them seemed to be involved in a myriad of sea activities.

    What made their jaws dropped, were the women who are dressed in skimpy outfits that paraded their skin for the world to see. Some were daring enough to wear what seemed like thin lines of fabric, that barely to covered their womanly parts.

    The men were more clothed, but most if not all left their torsos exposed. Some of the men looked like they were wearing loincloths and nothing else, exposing the bulge of their family jewels without any care in the world.

    There were also a number of humanoid beings in the mix, who looked rather comical dressed in similar fashion.

    ¡°Welcome to Paiza! Join our undersea exploration team!¡±

    ¡°The freshest seafood in the world!¡±

    ¡°Enjoy our special discount rates for rooms!¡±

    ¡°The latest in fashion, check us out! One for One offer!¡±

    There was a loud cacophony of voices, that fought for customers in the strip mall. It is where the trio of Gu Di, Jay and Xiaoxia were going through, and stretched as far as the eyes can see. Conveniently located just three hundred feet from the beach, it is filled with tourists.

    Picking up several tourist brochures along the way, Xiaoxia read many interesting facts on the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza. It consisted of over a hundred thousand islands, over 95% of them were just small plots of land a few hundred thousand square feet in size, while the remaining ones all had volcanoes and were substantial enough to establish communities that ranged from small villages to huge cities.

    The trio were currently on the biggest island, which is commonly referred to as the Main Island of Paiza. It is almost circular in shape and had a diameter of about a thousand leagues, and right in its middle was a mega volcano.

    (AN: 1 league = 5.556Km, or 3.45 miles. For future reference please refer to the compendium on the website)

    The mega volcano is called Olympus. It is a stratovolcano, which rose over seventy thousand feet, and its caldera is about a hundred leagues wide. It now lay dormant, and the brochures stated many places of interest on it, which Gu Di insisted they must go.

    Spotted along the entire foothills of the mega volcano, the local populace operated resort establishments called Onsen. The Onsens contained natural hot springs, which consisted of various minerals dissolved in them. These minerals contained many types of Ki, which are therapeutic and good for the health.

    Higher above sea level, nearly fifteen thousand feet and up, there were also plenty of snow resorts along the slopes of the volcano. The air there was much richer, and it contained a much higher density of Ki than elsewhere. This was unique, as usually at higher elevations, air become much thinner and harder to breath.

    It came to being, when lava and magma formed the volcano, they brought extremely dense Ki from the deep under the crust up onto the surface. When it cooled, it formed a rocky basaltic surface, which did not promote plant life, hence the Ki was left to gradually diffuse into the surroundings. This Ki created a phenomenon, that made the air rich in elements like oxygen and nitrogen.

    But the jewel of it all, is the lake right in the middle of the crater. Natural veins of underground hot springs fed into the caldera and formed the lake, and to capitalize on this, the nation started a tremendous effort that went into the construction of the only resort there.

    It was started and completed in the 30th Era, while being constantly upgraded over the millenniums. Currently it could serve up to a million guests in all its massive structures, as well as cater to over a hundred million day tourists on its ground.

    The lake and the resort were in a depression twenty thousand feet below edges of the crater and its climate is unique. Even at this elevation it is not constantly cold, and even have four seasons.

    Spring came when the underground thermal system heated the lake for sufficient steam and humidity to form clouds overhead. The edges of the crater were twenty thousand feet above the lake, however the were the tip of the volcano that is seventy thousand feet above sea level. Therefore the clouds were trapped at that altitude within the crater, and they brought snow and ice that melted into rain before it reached the surface of the lake.

    As the heat gradually built up from the lake, Summer arrived. It is the wettest season, as steam and humidity constantly rose into the sky, creating more clouds that caused it to rain almost constantly. It is also the lull season for tourists.

    During the summer months, humidity overflowed over the edges of the crater, and rain constantly cooled the surface of the lake. When it became cooler, Autumn came, and it heralded the start of the peak tourist season. It still rained, but not as much, and tourist arrived in flocks during this time.

    Another few more months passed before what little rain turned to snow. The heat that constantly overflowed over the edges of the crater, lost its battle against the frigid cold of the high altitude. Winter arrived without hesitation, and a snowy wonderland came to live at the lake.

    Then the whole cycle repeated itself, as the heat gradually built up in the lake and brought about Spring.

    While the underground thermal system, altitude, lake and depth of the crater caused the special weather phenomenon, various forms of toxic gasses were trapped by it. Many new technologies were invented just to filter and pump out the gases.

    Massive underground tunnels were also built into the side of the volcano during its early construction, to feed power lines and maintain a waste disposal system. Potable water was obtained from the lake itself via a special filtration system. Another system recycled sewage water, before reintroducing it to the lake.

    The biggest attraction of it all, was it aquatic plants and life forms. These grew at such a rapid rate, that the lake was almost choked to death and its ecosystem destroyed. It was only by the fortunate arrival of people to the lake during the 30th Era, that managed to bring save it from the brink of extinction.

    Succulent and nutritious dishes were made from the thousands of species that lived in the lake. Every ingredient here was harvested from it, which included the condiments unique only to this place.

    Due to this, it was marked as one of the ¡®must go even if we die¡¯ places by Gu Di. Upon arriving, he passed both Jay and Xiaoxia a detailed itinerary of their proposed three months stay there, and this was one of the highlights.

    While they start with a week of total rest and relaxation, the remaining period will be used train and take advantage of the density of Ki there.

    ¡°Jay, you should remove your cloak and blend in. Wearing it will just bring more suspicion, and no one is foolish enough to do anything rash here,¡± Gu Di advised Jay.

    (AN: refer to Vol 1 Chapter 19 why he needed the cloak, and what it does)

    While walking, Gu Di filled in the gaps of information on the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza. It is a nation built from its vast wealth of natural resources, as a result of the lava and magma that formed it. The lava and magma brought up precious metals, gems and Ki crystals from deep beneath the bowels of the world and deposited them at the surface, creating the archipelago.

    As a result of this abundance, Pairidaeza controlled over half the world¡¯s economy. They also had the world¡¯s biggest Ki crystal production. It powered all sorts of technology, and without Ki crystals, nothing could work.

    The world will be held at ransom, if conflict or war were to happen to the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza.

    Hence all the top Empires protected them, with treaties as well as memorandum of agreements dating as far back as the 35th Era. On top of this, Pairidaeza had its own formidable forces equipped with the best money can buy.

    Due to that no one dared to do anything foolish here, even if they were enemies of the Earth Faeries, who Jay is part of*, or people who have ill intent towards Xiaoxia.

    (*AN: reference to Vol 1 Chapter 19)

    Stolen story; please report.¡°Little monster, you should go and enjoy yourself with people your age, while we adults go do what adults do. You can join us later in the evening,¡± Jay grinned happily at him, while in the process of removing his cloak as Gu Di advised.

    ¡°Just do not go secretly train somewhere, and that is an order,¡± Gu Di who was already walking off, shouted over his shoulders as he waved.

    ¡°Here,¡± Jay passed a card like device to Xiaoxia, and added, ¡°This is where Gu Di have arranged for us to stay, if you can¡¯t find it, just ask around. According to what he said, it is a rather famous hotel.¡±

    ¡°Thank you Jay!¡± Xiaoxia smiled from ear to ear, and waved as Jay took off in the opposite direction of Gu Di.

    Xiaoxia was actually happy to be left alone, and instinctively wanted to run off somewhere and started training secretly. It was in direct disregard for Gu Di¡¯s order, but Xiaoxia felt that as long as he didn¡¯t get caught it wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Once Jay had disappeared out of sight, Xiaoxia immediately turned and looked for a place to secretly train. Then it hit him.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    It took him only a second to realize it.

    ¡°Where the heck am I going to train in all these?!¡± he grumbled to himself.

    All around him was filled with the hustle and bustle of life. He couldn¡¯t even see beyond the structures that sprouted everywhere, and the only thing visible was the commanding presence of the mega volcano in a distance.

    He continued looking for a while, before being resigned to the fate, that perhaps this was why Gu Di brought them here. There isn¡¯t any place he could see that would allow enough privacy to train.

    Sighing with some regret, he started to mill around the various strip malls. He avoided looking at girls who were dressed in those scandalous outfits, as it kindled a weird reaction in him. But no matter where he looked, all strip malls were filled with them.

    Thinking perhaps if he moved further inland, people will be attired more conservatively, so he took out his sole plate and flew inland. It surprised many of those who saw it, but a group of girls were staring after him.

    Then they hurriedly took out their own sole plates and followed.

    **********

    He flew for almost an hour inland, however it was crowded everywhere with people that were dressed exactly the same as those near the beach. He even witness things that he simply could not understand.

    In some areas, women were standing in front of some shops and dressed in even more scandalous outfits, ones that Xiaoxia could see right through. Men would walked pass and looked at them appreciatively, and on occasions, entered the shops with these women.

    However Xiaoxia was not curious enough to find out and left for another area nearby. This time it were men who were clothed scandalously, some were even in their baby suit, and women were doing the smiling and looking. Some women entered the shops with these men, it was similar to what happened at the previous area.

    Xiaoxia who floated above the buildings while staying out of sight, was too distracted to notice a group of girls approaching. One of them was complaining vociferously to another.

    ¡°Come on, we do not need ask someone like him. He is even into men, how disgusting!¡± she said.

    ¡°We have no other choice, its either this or something worse,¡± another replied.

    There were four of them that followed Xiaoxia on their sole plates, all of them looked slightly older than Xiaoxia.

    ¡°Sir!¡± the girl in the lead suddenly spoke up, trying to gain Xiaoxia¡¯s attention. She had to called him a few times before he responded.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiaoxia mumbled finally, distracted from his reverie.

    ¡°Yes we are calling you, have you no shame to let a girl call you more than once?¡± a redhead girl was telling him off, she was from a race Xiaoxia is not familiar with.

    ¡°I am sorry!¡± he immediately apologized by bowing from the waist.

    Seeing his awkward reaction, two of the girls started to giggle, .

    ¡°I am Meiling, these are my friends Cailing, Carol and Jane,¡± the lead girl who was platinum blonde introduced them.

    She was the one who had been calling out to him earlier.

    ¡°Uh, ah, nice to meet you,¡± Xiaoxia greeted them while, not looking directly at them.

    The girls were dressed rather scandalously as well, it was something called a ''Two Piece Bikini'', which Jay had told him earlier with a cheeky grin.

    All of them were well endowed and when they moved or giggled their girlish giggles, their womanly parts jiggled and left Xiaoxia with a flaming red face.

    He did not know why he felt like this, and to make matters more complicated, there was a fiery sensation erupting from his groin.

    ¡°EEEEEEeeeewww! Gross he is becoming aroused just by looking at us!¡± it was the same redhead who told him off, she was introduced by the platinum blonde as Carol. She was actually seizing him up, when she noticed something particular happening near his groin region.

    ¡°Shush! Anyway nice to meet you, you have not told us your name,¡± Meiling dismissed Carol¡¯s words as she reminded Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I am sorry! My name is Chen Zhen Xia!¡± Xiaoxia apologized loudly and bowed from the waist again. This action, caused the other two, Cailing and Jane to giggle even more.

    While Xiaoxia did not feel anything about mingling with girls when he was at the Academy of the Six Elements, now it is a totally different thing. He have grown into a teenager and his hormones were raging.

    He did not know how to react to it, and when he saw scantily clad girls so close to him, his mind was only filled with ¡®do not look¡¯. It distracted him enough not only to make him look like an idiot, but it actually made him one.

    ¡°Aw this is so sad, he is actually quite cute,¡± Jane was whispering to Cailing, who just giggled again. It seemed like she only knew how to giggle.

    Xiaoxia''s hearing is actually very good and he could clearly hear them, it did not help, as it made him even more nervous.

    ¡°Let us go somewhere, this is not an area for us,¡± Meiling spoke again, indicating for Xiaoxia to follow them. They were after all in a red light district.

    The girls turned and flew off somewhere, with Xiaoxia following them.

    This time it is much more worse, as the posteriors of all four girls were very well defined and developed. Xiaoxia felt as if he could never be the same again, even as he tried to maneuver the sole plate to follow, while trying to avoid glancing at them.

    When they reached their destination about an hour and a half later, Xiaoxia was already perspiring. Flying straight while not looking straight was tricky business, he had to constantly adjust his flight path to avoid the structures the girls were weaving their way through.

    The place they brought him was rather run down, but compared to the outside, the inside was lushly furnished and the seats that surrounded a hearth were plush and looked extremely comfortable.

    Plopping herself onto a seat, Meiling invited Xiaoxia to take a seat as well.

    ¡°Zhen Xia, you need to be in our team,¡± Meiling said the moment Xiaoxia sat.

    Before she could say anything else, Carol interrupted her.

    ¡°Ling, I think we should at least test him before we commit ourselves,¡± she said.

    ¡°Test? Your team? For what?¡± Xiaoxia was confused.

    He did not even know why he was here and how he ended up following them. His thoughts were still jumbled, as he constantly reminded himself not to look at them.

    ¡°We need a guy in our group qualifiers, it¡¯s the Sole Plate World Cup!¡± Cailing excitedly informed him. She has been eyeing him with expectant looks since earlier.

    ¡°I am sorry? The what cup?¡± Xiaoxia asked again, he heard what she said, but did not understand what she meant.

    ¡°The Sole Plate World Cup, it¡¯s a sole plate competition, the winners will be the champions of the world,¡± Jane answered.

    ¡°Oh my goodness, he is just a zero. Come on do we really need him? He doesn¡¯t even know a thing about the World Cup!¡± Carol vehemently objected.

    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t know, then we will teach him. Everyone has to begin somewhere, and all champions start from zero to hero,¡± Meiling said, her tone clearly showed her to be the leader of the small group.

    At that tone of voice, Carol did not reply and remained silent, but after a while, she simply nodded her head and the other two followed suit.

    Everything seemed okay among them at this point, and they proceeded to tell Xiaoxia further details of how the competition is like.

    The only problem now, is that no one seemed to be asking about Xiaoxia¡¯s opinion on joining the team.

 Volume 2 Chapter 5: Zero to Hero (2)

    Later that evening, Xiaoxia related the days happenings to the others.

    While Gu Di managed to stifle his laughter for a few minutes before finally succumbing, Jay laughed hysterically from the onset and tears of laughter freely flowed down his face.

    ¡°Little monster, that is why you are here in the world,¡± Jay told Xiaoxia, while barely able to hold it together.

    It took him a moment to calm down, before he dived into puberty as well as the birds and the bees. It was done without any tact and even Gu Di felt flustered by it.

    Words could not describe how Xiaoxia looked when he was told about these matters, and to say he was traumatized is an understatement. He was shocked to learn that girls did not have a ¡®pee pee¡¯ like boys, and more terrified when told how babies come into the world.

    He still could not comprehend how girls could contain ¡®milk¡¯ in their chest when they had babies. To him milk was from animals, and it is a very healthy drink.

    While it answered a lot of questions, like how six year earlier he started sprouting hair all over, there were still many that he couldn''t comprehend.

    ¡°All right, I hope you keep your thoughts out of this. It will only serve to distract you when you train,¡± Gu Di cautioned him after Jay was done with his explanation.

    ¡°Yea, just don¡¯t be too concern about it. It¡¯s only natural,¡± Jay winked.

    Soon the conversation led to the topic of whether Xiaoxia should join the girls, and Gu Di felt it was not an ideal situation.

    He emphasized the need for Xiaoxia to rest at least a week before considering anything else. While relating what happened, Xiaoxia mentioned that the girls wanted him to join them daily, in order to train for the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯. It was going to take place in a month and a half time, and it was hardly considered sufficient enough to practice as team.

    ¡°No, you must tell them you can¡¯t make it for at least a week, and whether you join them to train thereafter, is all depending on this,¡± Gu Di suggested the course of action.

    ¡°So I should accept it if they agree?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°If they agree, there isn¡¯t any reason not to,¡± Gu Di replied.

    Gu Di knew what the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯ is from past experience, and felt that it will be a good chance for Xiaoxia to measure his growth. On the other hand, he will easily reject it if it meant Xiaoxia could not rest for that week.

    Xiaoxia looked a little sullen at this, while he loved flying and the chance to see some action in a competition, it was not the reason for his demeanor. He felt a little sad that he could not practice with the girls immediately, especially Carol.

    She was the redhead who called him a zero. This is a very unflattering way to indicate that someone has zero IQ or thrash, and it was a common phrase among teenagers on the island.

    Carol is tom boyish, rash, brash and prone to a rather quick temper, but instead of the other three girls, she was the only one that came to Xiaoxia¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I have to go tell them now, the deadline for the team registration is before midnight today,¡± Xiaoxia said, as he left the suite.

    They were staying in the best suite available at one of the island¡¯s top resort hotel, it was acquired by Wuming centuries ago, and left under the management of a local family. It wasn¡¯t apparent whether the family was connected to them.

    From there to where the girls lived, took slightly less than an hour. Xiaoxia was not thinking about Carol now, but what the girls explained to him about the World Cup.

    **********

    The ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯, is an annual five person team event, which lasted for three days. Each team must consist of at least one of the opposite gender, or they will not be able to register.

    Registrants were then made to participate in preliminary tests, to ensure they are suitable to enter the tournament. There were a myriad of tests involving the abilities of maneuvering a sole plate, as it was after all a contest for that purpose.

    While the abilities to maneuver a sole plate is vital, the tournament is also a pseudo ¡®Battle Royal¡¯. The final team with at least one member left, were the champions. Although it hardly happens, and has been modified over the years.

    Instead during the past few centuries, the Champions were usually the ones who have obtained the highest point score within the time limit.

    There was no rule of fair play here, which allowed any item to be used, and neither was there a stringent age limit. This made it difficult for younger teams to score points against others who had members nearly a thousand years old. Hence it was usually the older teams who had the higher points.

    Besides the Champions, there were top 10 prizes. These prizes were extremely lucrative, and every team ruthlessly employed any means possible to gain them.

    One system of points allocation, is when contestants successfully obtain special items at designated areas. These areas are guarded by flying beasts which were of an uncertain class and strength.

    The added difficulty, was that each item was placed in hard to reach areas which required superb maneuvering skills to access. The passageways were tight and highly dangerous with jagged edges, and some were even rigged to exploded in the presence of the participants.

    To make matters complicated, all such areas were considered ¡®no-holes-barred¡¯. Teams can stab each other in the back, as they becomes distracted maneuvering or while battling the flying beasts. Otherwise, they have to officially challenge each other outside these areas.

    Taking out other teams is highly encouraged, and points given for defeating any member of the opposing teams, is comparable to a single special item. Likewise, points can be deducted into the negative for losing a team member.

    The only rule that is strictly enforced, is the compulsory requirements that all contestants are to maintain a minimum of fifty feet above the ground, and special detection tags will be given to ensure they do not violate this. Any individual found not conforming to this, will automatically be disqualified.

    The tag is also used as a location beacon for observer drones that flew around to cover the progress of the contestants, which in turn will be broadcast for the world to see. There are many fans, pundits and a plethora of others who watch the event, and remained glued to these broadcasts when the World Cup began.

    As it is organized annually, it is even more popular than seven-years-once Inter-Continent Freshmen Event. Which is being held the same year, at a later date.

    (AN: the Inter-Continent Freshmen Competition is held every 7 years, and it has already been seven years since the last one.)

    **********

    ¡°I do not like the way he steals glances at me, thinking I did not notice. I tell you, this guy is a psychotic pervert,¡± Carol was complaining, while inspecting her sole plate. It has been giving her some problems lately.

    She thought she felt Xiaoxia¡¯s gaze falling on her occasionally, while they were telling him all about the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯ earlier in the day.

    ¡°I think you are just imagining, I have been looking at him since he arrived. He didn¡¯t even show the slightest interest in a bum like you,¡± Cailing argued.

    She agreed with Jane who had considered Xiaoxia to be cute, and was constantly looking at him like a piece of meat.

    ¡°I think that is beside the point, lets discuss what is more important,¡± Meiling interjected and digressed.

    ¡°From what I can see, his sole plate is a high quality one which is heavily modified,¡± Jane observed.

    ¡°But who did it, is the thing we should be asking,¡± Meiling said.

    ¡°That is impossible to tell, but he was flying too fast for even us to follow. It did not look like he was even putting much effort,¡± this time Carol joined in.

    In the meantime, Cailing was smiling dreamily in her own world, barely aware of the conversation that was going on. She was momentarily distracted from it by knocking on the door.

    ¡°Knock Knock Knock Knock!¡±

    It was a staccato of four knocks which the girls taught Xiaoxia if he returned. They had a reason to do so, as they were avoiding someone.

    Cailing immediately jumped up and opened the door to greet him.

    ¡°Hey cutie, what took you so long?¡± she asked as he walk into their abode.

    ¡°Sorry, I was a little tied up with matters,¡± Xiaoxia replied much to Cailing angst, as he did not react to being called ''cutie''.

    ¡°It is ok, there is still a few hours before the deadline,¡± Meiling told him, before asking, ¡°So have you decided?¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Earlier, while explaining the World Cup to him, the girls already considered him part of their team. They did not even consult Xiaoxia, who was befuddled and confused at that time.

    Thankfully he eventually came to his senses, and told them he could not join them, or give them an answer till he informed his seniors.

    It brought them all back to square one, as Carol lambasted him for wasting their time. Meiling and the others, just kept their silence. They were rather displeased themselves, but held back and let Carol alone handle it.

    ¡°Yes, I will join you. But there is a condition,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Anything you want sweetheart,¡± Cailing was literally purring at him, while Jane giggled.

    It was rather fortunate Xiaoxia did not know what Carol was doing or implying, else he would have gone off the deep end again.

    ¡°Shush! What condition will that be?¡± Meiling asked while she motioned for Cailing to behave.

    At this point, Xiaoxia was feeling a little hot beneath the collar, as the girls were giving him an expectant look. He did not feel like telling them the facts, and wanted to tell them otherwise.

    ¡°Erm, I can join you. But I can¡¯t practice with you, not until a week later,¡± Xiaoxia¡¯s voice became softer with each word, and it finally became a barely audible whisper.

    ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t you speak out clearly like a man,¡± Carol loudly chided him, she did not have a good impression of him.

    This made him more miserable, as she was the last person in the room he wanted to give a bad impression.

    ¡°I said, I can join you, but I can¡¯t practice with you until after a week,¡± this time fueled by her words, he spoke up a little louder than expected.

    ¡°Why? We do not have enough time as it is,¡± this time Jane joined the conversation.

    She was not the only one, as the other three questioned this as well.

    ¡°I am really sorry, but my senior gave clear instructions that unless you are agreeable to this, he will not permit me to even join the tournament,¡± Xiaoxia explained, hopefully by pushing it on Gu Di, the girls will let it go.

    ¡°That is not an excuse, you should have told us outright if you can or cannot. Now there is no time to look for another, where are we going to find someone else at this point?¡± Carol further insisted.

    ¡°But I can still join you after a week,¡± Xiaoxia argued.

    ¡°We already do not have much time to train, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the previous person wanted something disgusting, we would not ha¡­OUCH!¡± Carol was cut short in the middle of her speech by Meiling, who kicked her suddenly.

    ¡°I am sorry, but as you know we really do not have much time to train and prepare,¡± Meiling calmly told him, repeating what Carol had just said.

    It seemed for a moment Carol had said something which she should not have. But Xiaoxia paid this no heed as he replied,

    ¡°Yes, I know this very well. This not something I can avoid either, it is something that was already decided when I arrived on the island.¡±

    ¡°Sweetheart, but we need to know if you are good enough,¡± Cailing purred.

    ¡°I am not sure what it means to be good enough, but I am confident in my skills with the sole plate.¡±

    However this led to nowhere, as Carol once again debated the fact that it is more likely that his sole plate is a high grade one that he has the confidence. Of course the other three girls seemed to agree with her at this point, because the higher the quality of a sole plate, the much better it will handle.

    It got to a point when Xiaoxia just literally blew up in their faces, he could not understand why they had to argue with him. He did want to join them, and was very sincere in all his replies to them, however they kept pursuing the matter and did not let it rest.

    ¡°Fine! It you cannot accept it, then don¡¯t. Good luck in finding someone,¡± Xiaoxia blurted out exasperatedly.

    By then, he was not even thinking of impressing Carol or getting in her good books.

    The room went silent at that outburst, all four girls were looking at him with a ¡®are you kidding me¡¯ expression. It took them a moment to recover from the unexpected outburst, but when they did, they whispered among themselves, before Meiling finally turned around and spoke,

    ¡°Then we shall agree to this, we have to hurry it¡¯s already getting late. We need to get to the registration counter immediately.¡±

    Whether it was a good outcome, Xiaoxia did not know, as all of them kept their silence after that. They did not even speak to him as they left their abode and flew towards the registration counter.

    Xiaoxia was behind them all this time, and he whispered his thanks to the Creator that they were at least decently dressed this time.

    Nights were cold at that part of the world, and the girls have changed into much warmer clothing. Xiaoxia did not actually feel it for some reason, he was dressed in the usual garb, a simple tunic and pants.

    Over the years, his wardrobe only contained duplicates of the same ones, and he hardly wore anything else even in the dead of winter. Gu Di and Jay likewise were dressed pretty much the same in any environment.

    He had never given thought of it before this day. While teaching him about puberty, the birds and the bees, Jay included the reason why in certain places, people are dressed almost close to nothing.

    The days in places like where they were, was a little unbearable due to the heat, and the materials as well as the little articles of clothing allowed the constant breeze to cool the body.

    On the other hand, during the night, the temperatures dropped instantly to a freezing point, and they had to keep warm or suffer certain ailments.

    Whether it was a satisfactory answer, Xiaoxia did not know. He only knew he felt the same anywhere he went, and since the other two were also unaffected, guess that it was perfectly normal.

    Unknown to him, he could actually survive in the hottest desert or coldest winters, only due to his meridians. Since all of them were opened*, the body could naturally defended itself against the weather. It is similar to how a person perspires when it is too warm or shivers when it is too cold, except in Xiaoxia¡¯s case, the meridians and Ki flow in his body protects him from it.

    (AN: all of them refers to the normal meridians a person have, it does not include the special meridian unique to Xiaoxia)

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±

    A scream pierced the night, and shattered the thought process of Xiaoxia.

    Startled, he looked right ahead where it originated from, only to see Carol already plunging towards the ground. They were about five hundred feet in the air, as they flew towards the registration counter, in order to avoid most of the rooftops that got in the way.

    Xiaoxia himself lagged a little behind, caught up in his own thoughts and was approximately seventy feet away from the group when that happened.

    Without thinking, he immediately dived after her, smashing the controls of the sole plate as he activated the acceleration mechanism he installed.

    ¡°BOOOM!¡±

    A tremendous earthshaking sonic boom was heard, as he instantly sped towards her, while skillfully avoiding the obstacles that protruded out from the surrounding structure.

    He grabbed her just as she was within a hairsbreadth of impaling herself on a metal pole, which was jutting out from one of the structures.

    The other girls were too shocked to react at that instant and could only look with amazement at what just happened.

    ¡°Wow, he just saved her!¡± Jane exclaimed the moment she recovered.

    ¡°Word!¡± Cailing agreed, using another term common to teenagers on the island.

    ¡°Agreed!¡± Meiling smiled in relief.

    Carol was not looking directly at Xiaoxia with her face averted, he was holding on to her tightly. She did not know what to say, and she never had a guy so close to her. Her face was flushed and she felt a little breathless at that time.

    In the moonlight, the features of Xiaoxia really stood out, and she somehow felt Cailing and Jane were spot on in their assessment of how he looked.

    In her mind, the stories of her childhood came alive, there was an image of a knight in shining armor who was a legend in the lands. He was tall, handsome and had all the courage in the world. He did great deeds and saved damsels in distressed.

    At that precise moment, there was only one word in her mind which slipped out of her mouth, ¡°Hero.¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 6: The four letter word

    As Xiaoxia is almost 8 feet tall, it did not occur to the girls that he was younger than he looks. Usually in the world of Yuan Zhong, men of the racial beings, would have only grown to around seven feet at the end of puberty which is around 13 years old.

    They will still continue to grow, albeit slowly and reached about 8 feet by the time they are in their early twenties. Hence the girls always thought Xiaoxia to be around that age, despite his youthful and boyish appearance.

    Since they presumed he was around that age, it came as somewhat of a huge shocke when he wrote his details down for the registration.

    Even the registration clerk, was a little surprise he was joining. This is because, children in the world do not graduate until they are 15, and he was still 14. It meant to say he was either skipping classes or did not have proper education. But she still accepted it, seeing there was no stringent age requirements.

    The only one who felt a little awkward was Carol. Including her, the girls are 19 years old, and it meant she was older than him by five years.

    Although it may not seem like much as they grew older, but 5 years now at this tender age is a huge difference. It could be clearly seen in the na?ve straightforwardness of Xiaoxia, who still have not experienced life as they have. This made Carol uncomfortable, due to what transpired earlier.

    About two hours earlier, after Xiaoxia saved her from the fall, she started having an aching sensation in her heart whenever she saw him. She still refused to accept what it meant, and kept her usual fa?ade when speaking with him.

    The other girls knew better than to pursue that matter with her, even though it was quite obvious how she felt. Her actions and words may belie the fact she is starting to have feelings for Xiaoxia, but her eyes and facial expression couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You are only 14?! How are you so tall at 14?!¡± Carol exclaimed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was born this way,¡± Xiaoxia was defending himself.

    Jane and Cailing were their usual selves, as they giggled at the exchange of the two. While Meiling in the meantime looked a little worried.

    For Xiaoxia to be so young, meant a few things.

    ¡°Zhen Xia, you have not graduated from school right?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No, I only spent a few months at the Academy of the Six Elements,¡± Xiaoxia replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to us!¡± it was Carol who retorted.

    All the four girls had incredulous looks on their face, and it is only natural. The Academy of the Six Elements is widely known as the best in the world of Yuan Zhong, and every year over tens of billions of children applied for it.

    The acceptance rate is tiny, and out of the multitude, usually less than a million were chosen. Sometimes it went over that, but only on rare occasions.

    ¡°I am not, see,¡± Xiaoxia took out a prism device from his quantum bag and swiped it over the back of his right hand.

    It still bore the hidden runic sigil of the Academy, which recorded all his information and details. It began to glow and a hologram appeared out of the prism.

    ¡°Word! ¡®S¡¯ Class!¡± Cailing immediately reacted when she noticed it.

    The other girls follow suit, their eyes falling on where the details were on the holographic image.

    ¡°But you did not finish it right? You said you were there only a few months. So if you still had that runic sigil and nothing else, means you ran away and never studied anymore!¡± Carol accused him, apparently recovery from the amazement before the rest.

    While it was more or less true except for the last part, Xiaoxia did in fact had one of the best education money simply can¡¯t buy. Gu Di may not looked like it, but being in his 28th millennium, he actually knew plenty of things, and taught them to Xiaoxia. On top of this, Jay was an instructor at the Academy as well.

    To make it much better, the entire literature collection of Wuming were with Gu Di. They were all contained in quantum bags and similar devices. These book and scripts were collected over the aeons by Wuming, and many were rich in information not obtainable elsewhere.

    ¡°It is not a matter I can discuss, and I did studied after I left,¡± Xiaoxia responded, trying not to go into further details.

    ¡°Fine, but besides studies, are you actually trained? This competition is extremely dangerous, and may not be suitable for you. You may even die,¡± this time it was Meiling who spoke and asked.

    The other two girls, Jane and Cailing were nodding their heads in sympathy behind her. They had puppy eyes looking at Xiaoxia, showing their concern he may actually die in the tournament.

    ¡°I may not be the best pugilist, but I am certain I can hold my ground when there is a need. I will not let you down, you will see in a weeks¡¯ time,¡± he promised.

    ¡°So be it, we will meet you again then. Just do the usual when you arrive,¡± Meiling replied, referring to the door knock. The she waved and left.

    The other three followed suit, and Carol was seen biting her lips as she left.

    The sight of the girls leaving, made Xiaoxia feel a pang in his heart. A string of emotions settled on him when his eyes trailed Carol, as the group disappeared into the night. Sighing a little with regret, he turned and headed back to the hotel.

    **********

    ¡°RISE AND SHINE!¡±

    Gu Di¡¯s loud morning greet reverberated in the entire suite.

    ¡°Hmmprggh,¡±

    Xiaoxia was still sleepy even though he had slept for more than 10 hours that night. The time difference here was not so much different from where they had been. However he was having the best dream of his life, and being rudely awaken was not appreciated.

    ¡°Hmmm, what time is it?¡± he grumbled as he sat up on the bed and looked at Gu Di with squinted eyes.

    Gu Di had unceremoniously pushed the curtains wide opened to let the sunlight in. This immediately brightened the dark room and caused Xiaoxia to squint.

    ¡°Time for breakfast and out first excursion! Come on hurry up, and don¡¯t take your time to wash up. We need to leave as soon as possible!¡± Gu Di was rather excited when he said that.

    According to the itinerary, the first business of the day was to get up bright and early and head to the mega volcano. There, they will spend a day languishing in one of the Onsen. It was situated around twenty thousand feet up on the slopes of the Volcano, unlike most of the others who were much lower.

    This will be followed by three nights stay at the volcano¡¯s resort in the crater, and its name was ¡®Gateway to the Heavens¡¯. Being the tallest volcano / mountain in the world, and the highest resort to ever be built at that elevation.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    (AN: the volcano is over 70 thousand feet, and the resort is 20 thousand below its peak. This make it 50 thousand feet above sea level. Refer to Vol 2 Chapter 4 )

    ¡°Where is Jay?¡± Xiaoxia asked, noticing Jay was not in his room.

    The suite was not only the best in the hotel, it also have 5 individual bedrooms with full amenities in each.

    ¡°He left to grab breakfast at the hotel¡¯s restaurant, and we are supposed to join him now. Stop delaying and go wash up and get dressed,¡± Gu Di mothered him, even as he was stuffing thing into his quantum bag.

    It took only 5 minutes for him to wash up, and put on his usual tunic and pants. When he left the bath, and met Gu Di again, there was a frown on his face.

    ¡°I forgot, here these are for you. You should throw those away, since now we will be in proper civilization for the next 3 months,¡± Gu Di passed a set of clothes to Xiaoxia, while dumping more out from his other quantum bag.

    All of them were shirts and shorts, similar to the fashion of the island. The shirts were what Gu Di called ¡®T-Shirts¡¯ and the shorts were ¡®Beach shorts¡¯ which had colored patterns and lines on them. Some of the shorts reached below his knees.

    ¡°And put these on, your feet will go rotten in those here,¡± Gu Di pointed to the pair of tanned hide shoes Xiaoxia was wearing, while passing him something he called ¡®flops¡¯ or ¡®slippers¡¯.

    The humidity on the island was astounding, and only the constant breeze made it unnoticeable. However if a person still wear shoes here, the gathered humidity in it, will cause them to have foot rot. It is the result of fungi and mold which thrived in the heat and humidity contained in them.

    After he hurriedly changes, they met Jay at the hotel¡¯s restaurant, and Xiaoxia¡¯s world at once seemed like heaven. The buffet spread was a smorgasbord of variety, and stretch for more than a hundred feet on large tables that was situated right in the middle.

    There was a mountain of pastries and a wide selection of breads. Meat of many kinds were place on one end, while seafood of all types were on the other. Cheese of many hues and colors were situated near the pastries, and there was also an uncountable variety of rich creamy jams and pastes.

    Fresh fruits as well as vegetables were situated at the salad bar, which in itself did not lose to the variety of the others. The beverage area was just as amazing, and even ambience was great.

    Xiaoxia immediately dove into the richness of the spread and grabbed all the food he could stuff onto a huge plate. Very soon, he was into his fifth helping and feeling a little bloated, when Jay and Gu Di finally asked him to stop.

    ¡°Here take this, it will help you digest and also nourish you,¡± Gu Di said while passing him a yellowish beverage.

    It was chilled and had what looked like cubes of ice, and there were many tiny bubbles seemingly appearing out of nowhere in it.

    The beverage went down really well, and it had a citrus taste to it. It is also really sweet and Xiaoxia drank it all in one gulp.

    ¡°Wow! What is this? It is really good!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed loudly.

    Even at the Academy of the Six Elements, there wasn¡¯t something like this. The multitude of restaurants there boasted one of the best crossed-culture cuisines in the world, and even then he have not tasted something like this.

    ¡°This is what the local people call peenaple juice,¡± Gu Di said, and went on to tell him of its origins.

    Besides peenaple, the island boasted many flora and fauna unique to it. They were all rich in special Ki that had stellar nourishment values.

    However, due to them being just enough for the nation¡¯s own use, there was no export of it to other places. Even if there was, the cost to apply for a license to export them was astronomical. Hence only by visiting that area, could a person enjoy its taste.

    ¡°BURP!!¡±

    Xiaoxia immediately closed his mouth after letting that out, and while he was embarrassed doing it in front of the entire restaurant, it made him felt much better and no longer bloated.

    ¡°Haha, come lets relax for a bit after all the food we ate,¡± Jay said, as he let them off to another spot location in the hotel.

    It was a small caf¨¦, tucked right in the corner that only catered to CIPs of the hotels. Jay found this earlier when he left the room.

    (AN: CIP = commercially important persons)

    ¡°A pot of hot Macha with some cookies please,¡± Gu Di ordered, being familiar with it, since unlike Jay who found it earlier, he has been here before.

    A clay pot with a familiar greenish liquid in it was served to them. It was the liquid that Gu Di usually served them after each meal.

    ¡°This is called Macha, it is basically made from a leaves of a special plant. It promotes longevity and is known to cure certain ailments of the body,¡± Gu Di further informed them.

    They spent about half and hour there as their food digested, and immediately headed out to the Onsen. Gu Di had made prior arrangements for them to soak in its hot springs.

    They arrived in good time and even before the appointed time, and it was a beautiful sight. The Onsen was huge and easily cover a few hundred hectares.

    Steam can be seen rising everywhere, even as snow came down alongside the springs. At the altitude of 20,000 feet, the entire area was blanketed in snow and ice.

    Upon entering the main structure, they were ushered off to private changing rooms. Here, according to Gu Di, they had to strip and cover themselves with a towel and make their way to the spring pools.

    It did not come as a shock, when Xiaoxia saw one end of the pool occupied by another group, who consisted only of women. Gu Di have mentioned this to them earlier.

    The group of women were all nude, however the steam rising from the hot spring obscured anyone in it.

    This was in fact welcomed by Xiaoxia, as he did not feel good when it comes to women and their exposed skin.

    Soaking himself into the hot spring, he felt the soothing waters ease away the tension of his body. It was a surreal sensation, as he did not know his body was that tensed.

    As he let the sensation overcome him, his mind began to wander, and it always contained the image of a redhead girl, with white porcelain skin, and big brown eyes.

    He knew it is not a simple feeling, and it was more like the four letter word type.

    He is in LOVE!

 Volume 2 Chapter 7: This is what life is

    He was standing in an underground chamber, in what looked like a dungeon. The guards were looking at him, with looks meant for convicted criminals.

    Wanliang was pissed at being abducted in the middle of the night. He was even blindfolded, and went through a spatial portal without any potions to ease the transit.

    He was sick and turned green from the effects of spatial displacement, and is still currently suffering from it. He had no doubts it was the handiwork of some jealous business rivals, who were doing it in order to get rid of him.

    After all, his business has been quite successful, thanks to the huge influx of capital a little over nine years ago. It was when he sold his daughter to someone claiming to represent a king.

    It didn¡¯t even occur to him, that this was perhaps somehow related to it. According to what he knew, no one should be able to find out.

    After all it was a king they were talking about and there probably wouldn¡¯t be anyone who had the influence or power to offend him. Besides, it was not as if Xiuxiu was reported missing, hence no one would care.

    He was going to bribe his captors when they arrived. He felt that if it boils down to cash incentives, he could offer his captors double what they were given. It shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, since all his competitors combined wouldn¡¯t be as rich as him.

    He was in the middle of scheming how to get out of this, when a tall lady appeared. Her looks were stunning, and he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off her.

    ¡°What the hell are you looking at? Do you want me to order my men to dig your eyes out?¡± she demanded and asked.

    Wanliang did not understand the hostility, and neither did he understand why she was angry at him. He was wondering why would his captors be agitated, even though they already had him. He tried to see if it was about money.

    ¡°I will pay you two times, whatever they offered you! I won¡¯t be like them, I will pay upfront before you release me,¡± he tried to ease the situation by negotiating.

    What he was actually thinking at this point, is that even though he was abducted, his rivals did not pay the abductors. It was only the possible route, as hiring thugs like this group, who seemed more like professional mercenaries, would not have come cheap.

    ¡°How dare you talk to her Royal Grace in such a manner!¡± a guard smacked Wanliang¡¯s face, and it caused his mouth to bleed.

    When he heard ¡®Royal Grace¡¯, Wanliang¡¯s eye bulged out from their sockets, and he wondered aghast if the impossible have happened.

    ¡°I am sorry your Royal Grace, I did not mean to say that!¡± he dropped to his knees immediately and kowtowed to her. He was good at groveling, since it got him where he is today. Unfortunately, that is not something that will work with this lady.

    ¡°WHACK!¡± ¡°ARRGGH!¡±

    This time it was not the guard, but the lady, and she kicked Wanliang in the guts causing him to scream. Blood began gushing out of his mouth, as his spleen ruptured.

    His mind was reeling, and he was confused as to what made him deserve this. Even if there was a possibility that word got out on his dealings with the king, it should not be this bad.

    As he lay on the ground whimpering, the lady repeatedly kicked him, till he almost fainted. She was about to crush his family jewels, before a man stopped her.

    An expression of relief was clearly seen, even on Wanliang''s mangled face.

    ¡°shank uu surr sha..¡± he grovelled weakly, thanking the man.

    He grovelling ended abruptly, when he got kicked in the face. This flipped him head over heels on the ground. When he finally stopped rolling, only the whites of his eyes could be seen.

    Bloody foam was coming out of his mouth, as a guard went over to check.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, Milord, he is still alive,¡± the guard almost said it grudgingly

    ¡°Good! I want to repeat this for a few more days, till I am satisfied,¡± the woman replied.

    As she turned and left the dungeon, the man said to her.

    ¡°Amelia, I think I should handle this."

    ¡°No! Maling, I want to handle this myself!¡± Amelia told him.

    Not arguing, since it was pointless, Maling followed her as she left.

    The initial questioning of Wanliang, took place on the main world. The information was hindered from reaching Maling¡¯s hands in time, and when that happened, extradition was not forthcoming.

    Only with Amelia¡¯s help, he managed to wrest Wanliang from one of the royal cities. Wanliang was not an easy man to extradite, as he had wealth that created substantial influence there.

    (AN: a royal city is a tier below the Imperial city, and at the same time on par with the colony capital. Refer to compendium)

    Maling was the one who gave Wanliang the final kick to the face, it could have been much worse.

    Wanliang did not know that Maling have sworn to kill him just a few days earlier. This was when Maling received his confession about selling his daughter.

    **********

    Menon was having difficulties trying to get the trader to speak, it hampered his investigations into Elemental farming.

    From what he understood, it is not a simple task to hunt an Elemental, let alone carving out it¡¯s Ki center while it was still alive.

    It will help cover a certain part of the frozen investigation into where bracelet came from. It was the one, which Huiling wore during the quarter finals of the Freshmen Competition.

    The trader he was speaking to, could find all sorts of stuff onn the black-market. He also had many other contacts in the underworld. Although his name was never known, everyone knew about him.

    It had taken all but a little over seven years to finally arrange this meeting. The trader was highly suspicious, and did not respond to Menon¡¯s approaches years before. Even the reference of Instructor Wei, who highly recommended him to Menon, bore no fruit.

    What finally made the trader meet with Menon was a deceitfully simple thing, it was the exchange of information. Sometimes, information is worth even more than actual wealth.

    However, Menon was not foolish enough to give him what he wanted, till he gave what Menon wanted.

    ¡°It is simple, my information is more beneficial to you, than yours is to me,¡± Menon was saying.

    ¡°I disagree, letting you know the source behind farming the Elementals, might jeopardize my life. That alone is worth more than your information,¡± the trader argued.

    The information Menon is offering, is the source of Void crystals. Over the years, Menon had discovered various sources for Void crystals. He would hire specific miners to mine them.

    It didn¡¯t come cheap, as Void crystals absorbs Ki from anything. It needed to be stored in specialized containers, that nullified its potency. These containers themselves costs a fortune.

    Even by offering the location of some sources to these miners as trade off, he still had to fork out an obscene amount of money for just a piece. The one that was destroyed seven years ago, when he tested Xiaoxia, was worth the ransom of an empire.

    The miners whom he hired, had specialize means to obtain them. Menon could only guess how they did it, and even though his really wanted to know, he did not pursue it.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    After all, it was the miners¡¯ bread and butter. He would be an idiot to think they would share their technique with him.

    He did formulated a theory and invented a device himself, although it is nowhere near what he suspects the miners are able to do. In terms of efficiency, it was also far from perfect. But it can still do the job sufficiently.

    This is what he has kept up his sleeves, as a trump card for the negotiations. There was even a hidden use which he was quite proud of.

    ¡°Here, this shall settle our business,¡± he placed the device on the table.

    They were in a private room, at one of the high-society clubs of MeisterSchloss.

    ¡°What is this? Can it resurrect me if I died?¡± the trader jested, knowing fully well no known item can resurrect a person.

    ¡°Funny you should say that, while it cannot bring back the dead, it does applies a similar principal,¡± Menon replied.

    The trader did not respond, but looked at him with doubtful eyes.

    ¡°The only reason why this deal seems lopsided to you, is because even if you knew where the sources were, you had to fork out a huge amount to hire miner¡¯s,¡± Menon said and continued, ¡°With this you can skip all the costs and do it yourself.¡±

    ¡°You conveniently skipped the part of the similar principals to resurrection,¡± the trader interjected.

    ¡°Got him!¡± Menon thought, he intentionally left that out. It was a troll move, once the trader bite onto the details for the device, the negotiation was as good as finalized.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s simple, Ki leaves body, you die. Ki doesn¡¯t leaves body, you survive,¡± Menon explained the concept in a way fit for very young children.

    The trader was a little irritated by that, but he allowed him to continue.

    ¡°This device, while shielding itself from the Void crystal, maintains sufficient Ki in your body for you to survive the mines,¡± Menon continued, then taking out another contraption, ¡°This is its energy source, it is shielded as well and requires a medium grade vermilion Ki crystal to use.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you are giving me a one of those as well?¡± the trader asked.

    Even though medium grade vermilion Ki crystals are not even a fraction of what a Void crystal cost, they were still very expensive.

    ¡°Deal!¡± Menon immediately said, and the trader nodded.

    Menon was smiling smugly, he didn''t even needed to tell the trader what the other hidden usage was.

    **********

    The seven of them were totally exhausted after their training session with Brum and Instructor Wei. Brum himself was already a bad enough, and including Instructor Wei, it was hell.

    ¡°Ok! You all can go and rest, remember the previous victory was an easy one. Do not let it go to your head!¡± Instructor Wei told them.

    Brum added a few more words, and dismissed them. He was very happy they have managed to won all the challenges over the past seven years.

    One more year, and the lucrative purse money for the Instructors/Mentors will be theirs. He simply could not wait for that to happen.

    In the meantime, the teenagers all mumbled their thanks, and moved off to the showers. They were Winfrey, Charlotte, Sima, Corian, Libby, Mingyue and Minglan.

    It has been seven years since Xiaoxia vanished. Anyone would have forgiven them if they forgotten him. However that was not the case, these seven still spoke fondly of him.

    They trained hard, as they constantly strived to improve themselves. It was something which Xiaoxia have inspired them, when they saw his matches in the competition.

    Training was tough, but it made them rapidly climb the scales of the Ki Realms, and all including Libby, were already in the Ki Master Realm lower Tier.

    Their previous challengers were from the Nosferatians, and it was a complete victory for them.

    The Nosferatians were humanoid beings, who boasted abilities that can boost their Ki Realms. On top of this, they have superior strength, reaction, mental capacity, and constitution, when compared to the racial beings.

    They did not however, have the cohesiveness of the seven. Their teamwork was almost telepathic, and spectators were in awe, when they saw the flawless execution of the battle plan.

    The seven were hence known as the ¡°7 Saints¡±, and their fame spread far and enveloped the entire world.

    If there wasn¡¯t the basic rule of limiting challenges to a bi-monthly event, they would have been swarmed every second of the day by challengers, who wanted to make a name for themselves.

    ¡°You guys do ahead, we need to speak with Mentor Brum and Instructor Wei,¡± Charlotte called after them.

    She then grabbed Libby¡¯s hands, as both girls went to look for the other two.

    Instructor Wei still did not take on another disciple after all these years, but she was still registered officially as Xiaoxia¡¯s Mentor.

    Soon the girls caught up with Brum and Instructor Wei, who seemed to be in a light conversation.

    ¡°Yes, what is it you pretty little things want?¡± Brum greeted them.

    He was fond of them, and treated them like his own children. However when it came to training, it was no longer the case.

    Instructor Wei on the other hand, just nodded in acknowledgment of their presence.

    ¡°Mentor, Instructor. Libby and I need to request for special time off, it is official Academy business,¡± Charlotte informed them.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Brum asked, he usually does most of the talking in these cases.

    He did not mind, since it was an official Academy business, challenges could be postponed till they returned.

    It was related to the club Charlotte and Libby had joined, shortly after the freshmen competition. It was something they both decided to do, taking after the one person they both have a crush on.

    It has been a long seven years, but those feelings simply don''t fade away, after all it was their first love.

    The club is called ¡®The Grand Flying Club¡¯, and it is Instructor Sem who is in charge. It is also the club which Xiaoxia had prevented from getting into trouble, when he save the life of a princess from another empire. She was wearing one of the clubs sole plates, when it went rogue.

    ¡°In about a month¡¯s time, with the flying club, we will be joining the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯,¡± Charlotte excitedly informed him.

    **********

    At this time, Xiaoxia was still soaking himself in the hot spring, looking at the deep blue sky. His thoughts were no longer on Carol, as his mind moved on .

    It was jumbled with mostly food, and certain bits and pieces of images that popped into his head. That he missed he parents, was one of them. On the other hand, it was something he could not dwell upon, as it is necessary.

    It will only bring harm to his parents, if the people who were looking for him knew he was in contact. Hence he tried not to think about it.

    It took him a few moments to relax again, and enjoy the therapeutic calm of the springs. The group of women had left earlier, and all was calm. Jay and Gu Di were hidden in the steam, and no sign of them were evident either.

    He closed his eyes, as the weariness of seven years seep away.

    ¡°Ah! This is what life is,¡± he thought, as he drifted away into slumber.

 Volume 2 Chapter 8: It has only just begun

    Carol was in a bad mood for the past three days, Xiaoxia had left for somewhere and there was no way to contact him.

    They needed to train, and it needed to happen sooner rather than later.

    No doubt she has feelings for him, but it was not something she is brooding over. She has her fair share of crushes and flings, and besides, he was too young for her.

    Not being a local, was also another issue. Her past relations with outsiders, have given her sufficient experience on that matter.

    It is only a matter of time before they left, and some even wanted to bring her along. But Carol refused, there is nowhere better than home.

    ¡°We need to go now, and how is your sole plate?¡± Meiling said out of nowhere, breaking Carol from her reverie.

    Back when Xiaoxia rescued her, her sole plate had failed, causing her to plunge.

    ¡°Nothing Jane couldn¡¯t fix,¡± Carol replied.

    Jane is their group¡¯s engineer, while Carol trains them. On the other hand, Meiling was their strategist, and is the leader of the group. Finally the person they depended on when it comes to battles, is Cailing.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been looking too chirpy these few days,¡± Cailing suddenly pounced on the spot left of Carol.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing that concerns you,¡± Carol retorted.

    ¡°Haha! It¡¯s about that boy huh?¡± Cailing smiled, pushing the matter.

    ¡°I already said, its none of your business!¡± Carol this time raised her voiced in irritation.

    ¡°Relax! No point getting your panties in a bundle,¡± Cailing smiled impishly.

    ¡°Anyway, that is beside the point. We need to equip ourselves with the proper weapons and devices, or face total defeat like we have the previous 2 tournaments,¡± Carol digressed.

    She was overall in charge of their training, and deemed that they are still lacking in the area of weaponry. The previous two years was a very bad showing for them, when compared to the time they first started.

    All four of them came from a local academy, and took part in their first World Cup the moment they graduated. They even made it to the top 50 spot in the rankings, and gained valuable sponsorship from many advertisers.

    However the preceding two years were really bad, and they did even make it into the top 100. New hybrid weapons, using both Ki and ancient technology, were beginning to make the rounds in the world.

    They were fortunate with their lives, only because their opponents have used stun devices, as well as concussive devices to disable them. Many others were not so fortunate.

    It was not uncommon for deaths to occur at the World Cup, as there was no regulations against killing. Due to this, It is the most barbaric competition to be held in Yuan Zhong.

    That and being organized regularly every year, made it the top event in the world.

    ¡°Meiling and I need to go somewhere, I need your sole plate, while mine is being repaired by Jane,¡± Carol told Cailing, noticing time has gone by quickly in her reverie.

    Cailing did not even say anything, as she happily passed her sole plate to Carol, her eyes twinkling in mischievousness.

    ¡°And stop giving me those looks! Nothing is going happen and I am will make sure of it,¡± Carol snapped.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly, before it gets dark,¡± Meiling cut into their exchange, a look of urgency appearing in her eyes.

    ¡°Are you sure its ok?¡± Carol was asking.

    ¡°Sure! Perhaps you could not see it, but the things he did in a fraction of the time it took, is inhuman. There is no way anyone could believe it, even if we told them,¡± Meiling answered, thinking she was talking about letting Xiaoxia join.

    ¡°No, that is not what I was referring. I mean is it ok to do this and procure these things? Besides the obvious fraud, the things we are going to buy with it, can easily kill someone, just as easy as it can defend us,¡± Carol told her.

    ¡°Oh! I am sorry. And yes, It is. We won¡¯t be so lucky every time and be able to survive. Besides this, if we do not get at least top 50 this year, we will lose our sponsors,¡± Meiling replied, realizing how off she was with her initially statement.

    Sponsors pay their teams very well, and it goes to explain why there are many who fought for higher placing even if they could not get top 10.

    The top 10 spots were regularly dominated by well-established teams, and some even formed their own alliances to train individuals especially for this. They place as many teams as they can to gain sponsors.

    The word cup is a huge business, thousands of quadrillions of rhodium exchange hands easily. Many businesses placed advertisements on the teams they sponsored.

    Local shops and businesses grew exponentially every time there was a World Cup.

    (AN: the value of currency in the world of Yuan Zhong are as follows, rhodium>gold>silver>copper)

    The teams themselves, have a huge following worldwide.

    It is a fact that no other event was this great, and even the freshmen competition paled drastically in comparison.

    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s only because you agreed that we are doing this,¡± Meiling added.

    ¡°Yes, I hope it is really worth it. I don¡¯t feel good having done this to him,¡± Carol replied.

    When they were paying for the registration entry fee, she noticed that Xiaoxia had a peculiar card. It just took a tap on it for money to appear.

    It is a universal spatial bank, and she had stolen it from him.

    After all, the girls were really good at distraction and pick-pocketing others. They were all orphans, that scrapped through life and school by earning from this method.

    They were going to commit fraud, by bringing the card to a shady technician and have it tweaked to their details. After this, they were going to purchase the new hybrid weaponry with it.

    Since Xiaoxia was so na?ve, and won¡¯t be expecting this, they have nothing to worry about when he rejoined them. Even if he did, it was for the sake of the World Cup, and they were sure he will overlook it.

    **********

    Universal spatial banks, are uncommon devices only owned by VIPs and CIPs of various banks around the world.

    (Very-Important- Person, Commercially-Important-Person)

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    They employ a similar spatial technology like the quantum bags, where a finite void and space is created for storage.

    The difference is that the spatial bank employs spatial communications, to update withdrawals, deposits and other forms of transactions.

    It has tiny nano void crystals, the size of dust particles, which absorbs Ki from its user, to employ the spatial technology.

    Quantum bags on the other hand, absorbs Ki from the natural surroundings, to employ its technology.

    *********

    At about the same time, in another part of the world, it is currently night. A figure lay in hidden in the shadows of an alley, waiting for its victim.

    It has been waiting for hours in the deserted alley, and it did not even moved an inch.

    A while later, voices could be heard heading towards it, and it tensed suddenly.

    ¡°Finally,¡± it thought to itself, as a few men were walking towards where he hid.

    All of them looked like professional mercenaries, who were armed to the teeth. Even from where the figure waited, he was downwind from them, and could smell their alcohol soaked breath.

    There is a total of five of them, and the target is right in the middle.

    With drunken gait, these five were singing in their tone deaf voices. The lyrics were obscene and most were directed at what they would do to women.

    ¡°How appropriate, today you will die singing that,¡± the figure said to itself.

    When the group of drunks passed only a few yards where the figure was, it zipped out of its hiding place and headed right into the group.

    In one pass, two of the men were down, their throats slit opened. They could not even utter a single word, as their vocals chords and jugular were cut right to the neck bone.

    Even as they grasp in shock at their spurting wound, the other did not have time to react, before the figure made another pass.

    Another two went down in similar fashion, and the last remaining man was the one the contract was out for.

    ¡°S .. st .. stop! Wait!¡± the man cried out, falling on his buttock as he tried to moved backwards.

    The figure did not say anything, but continue moving towards him unhurriedly.

    The last man desperately tried to launch Ki attacks at the figure. But all of it was in vain, as the figure easily side step those attacks.

    His Ki defense was also useless, as the figure drew a weird looking stiletto and pierced it right into his heart. He could only scream a short scream, before it was cut off, with a penetrating slash across his throat.

    The ground began to pool with the scarlet blood of all five men, who are lying close to each other. If it wasn¡¯t for the unmistakably iron like smell indicating it was blood, anyone could have mistaken it as pools of water in the dark of night.

    ¡°A few more times, and I can finally have my revenge!¡± the figure thought in exultation.

    It was a he, and he was the young child that was seeking revenge against the Princess Huiling. He is now a hired assassin, working for one of the many assassins guild.

    He was given the code-name ¡®Xue¡¯, which could mean snow or blood. It was a perfect fit for his ice cold personality, and swift killing methods that always left a pool of blood.

    He chose assassination as a fitting job, in order to hone skills in this area, so that he could be ready this time when he confronted the princess.

    Today¡¯s contract was extremely pleasing, the target was the leader of a small band of mercenaries. The leader had methodically raped, tortured, and murdered women and young girls alike.

    His whereabouts were not known, and it was a pure stroke of luck that Xue managed to find him. It seems his appetite for women and young girls have not been abated by the execution demands of his native empire.

    He continued his demented ways even in other empires, and it left trials of breadcrumbs which Xue initially had extreme difficulties following.

    Xue have been in the same town by chance, when the mercenary leader raped and murdered the town chief¡¯s daughter. The modus operandi was clear as day who did it, and it gave Xue who has been following his trail for over a few months, a chance to finally vent his frustrations.

    Having not killed someone in a few months, was like telling Xue not to breathe. It was extremely suffocating and he was barely able to hold on before lashing out at innocent people.

    He was not a murderer, but he worried someday his lust for revenge will overwhelm him with unwanted blood-lust.

    However, these thoughts were not in his mind right now. He was counting how much more contracts he needed to fulfill, before he could buy the information of Princess Huiling¡¯s whereabouts.

    The assassin guild he was in, were alerted to the fact, that Xue wanted information about this. It was about two years earlier, that they have obtained a credible source.

    Unfortunately the information will not come cheap, even though he is one of their members. He have joined them six years ago, after failing to enter the year before, due to the lack of skills.

    By constantly training with the restricted relic, he grew remarkably in that year. But it was still lacking, and if it wasn¡¯t for the fact he had that relic, they would not have entertained his membership.

    It was made of an alloy of Void Crystals, and could penetrate any Ki defenses like a hot knife through butter. The handle was specially fabricated to prevent the user from suffering its effects.

    It made assassinations of certain powerful Ki Realm targets a breeze, and Xue have killed his fair share of Grandmaster Realm Lower Tier pugilist.

    He is Master Realm Middle Tier now, at the age of 16. He needed a little more push, before he can achieve Expert Tier. Once there, with his relic and current skill set, he could take down anyone below Unknown Realm.

    The more he thought of things, the more he became happier. Soon he realize something, and a big smile formed.

    ¡°To be more exact, two more times, and she is mine! Things has only just begun! It will be interesting soon enough!¡± he said out loud, while walking off into the night laughing.

    ¡°Hahahahahahahahaha!¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 9: The food you eat

    It is now the third night of their vacation, and Xiaoxia was having the weirdest meal of his life. The trio of Gu Di, Jay and him just arrived that evening. The next thing on everyone¡¯s mind, as to have a hot meal.

    The schedule was actually only to spend a night at the Onsen, but Gu Di changed the plans on the eleventh hour. He seemed to be enjoying it more than the others.

    They were further delayed the following day, when he insisted on soaking in the hot springs another time, before departing for the crater resort.

    The ¡®Gateway of the Heavens¡¯, apparently did not boast a hot spring which was better than the one they were in.

    Besides, as Gu Di said, they were going to the resort only for the food. There was also one other thing, but he did not go further into details. He have reserved private dining rooms, in some of the available restaurants there.

    Xiaoxia was too distract with his meal, to remember asking Gu Di about the other thing. He noticed that the itinerary in particular, had a slot which just said ¡®hike¡¯. It was unlike the others, where clear details were specifically given on what they were going to do.

    ¡°How am I supposed to eat this?¡± he asked, poking at his meal with a fork, and the substance in the bowl just sluggishly slipped off it.

    In the bowl, there was something with a mucus like texture, and looked extremely similar to snot. It contained pieces of something, which looked suspiciously like dried flesh.

    ¡°You are supposed to drink it,¡± Gu di answered him.

    Jay was also looking at that dish with some disgust, and snapped, ¡°Drink it? I wouldn¡¯t drink anything that isn¡¯t grog!¡±

    Gu Di downed his third helping, while smirking at the other two. His looks spoke volumes, and it indicated that they did not know what they are missing out on.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t what it seems, and its actually one of the more beneficial dishes here,¡± he enlightened them, while pointing vaguely at the other dishes on the table.

    Both Jay and Xiaoxia were looking at him as though they had been ridiculed, because the other dishes looked just as bad. Many of they seemed like they were made from some weird swamp creature, that is common in the marshlands of MeisterSchloss, while others were the stuff of nightmares.

    ¡°Besides, this is Hasma, and it is made from the Ki rich fatty tissue of a snow frog,¡± Gu Di added.

    (AN: Hasma was a Chinese dish which was only served to the Emperor, google it. The real life version doesn¡¯t have Ki in it.)

    They didn¡¯t even bother to ask further. Xiaoxia then decided to take a leap of faith, while Jay just sat there nonchalantly.

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Xiaoxia held his breath while pouring the Hasma down his throat. Moments later, his eyes suddenly went wide, ¡°Oh?!¡±

    The dish was unlike anything he expected, and it went down surprising well. A sweet taste erupted in his mouth, while the pieces of what looked like dried flesh, had a fruity tangy taste that gave a good balance.

    ¡°Nice isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Di asked, smiling knowingly at him.

    ¡°Yes, it is! What is this?¡± Xiaoxia asked, taking a piece of the flesh like thing and observing it.

    ¡°That is dried Joojoobees, one of the naturally growing flora in this area,¡± he informed him.

    (AN: Joojoobees is a paradox of Jujubes aka red dates, another widely used herb in Chinese tonic soups)

    Seeing Xiaoxia gulped down the dish, Jay followed suit. Finally they both had a few more servings before helping themselves to the other dishes. It did not take Xiaoxia and Jay much time to reduce the pile.

    There were long reptile like creatures, which offered a flesh so silky, that it slid down the throat smoothly. The aroma emitted from it was delicious. The tender white flesh was marinated with something exotic, and had a quaint spiciness to it.

    Another dish looked like an angry red bug, it was huge and its body was almost half the size of Xiaoxia. It looked somewhat like the crustaceans he had eaten before, but this was unlike any he have seen. It had twelve limbs, and was perfectly circular.

    It yielded a pinkish flesh that was rich and flavorful, and this time the condiments and sauces gave it a rich tangy sweet and sour taste. There were slivers of some leaves in it, which let off a refreshing minty taste.

    The most outstanding of all, was a dish smack in the middle of the gigantic dining table. It was an oversized fish, or rather it looked like a fish, and was about 10 feet in length. The thing that really set it apart, besides the fins and the scales, were a dog like snout and two webbed front feet.

    When it arrived, it was caked in a thick mud-like crust. The detailed description on the menu, stated it had been layered with thick coating of volcanic mud. Then, in the depths of the dormant mega volcano, where there is still some degree of thermal activity with exceedingly high temperatures, it was placed for over a week to slowly bake.

    Images and information in a brochure, showed a vast oven like cavern, where it was baked. There were tens of thousands of these placed neatly around the cavern. Recorded temperatures there, were easily enough to cook a person alive in less than an hour.

    The mud coating and the scales, retarded the cooking process. This also helped keep the meat moist and succulent. It can remain in this condition for over two weeks, while hardly losing any heat.

    The restaurant chef who served the dish, had to literally chisel off the thick mud coating at one side of their private dining area. The week long bake, made the mud as hard as bricks. Eventually chunks of it came out, and the glistening silver scales of the fish could be seen.

    Once all the mud came off, it was carried by 4 persons and placed onto the dining table. It was extremely heavy for its size.

    Before it can be eaten properly, the servers have remove the scales on it. The moment a scale was slightly peeled back, there was a loud hiss, as the heat, pressure and hot air escaped through the gap.

    It caused a burst of overwhelmingly rich fragrance, that quickly filled the entire room. The smell still lingered on the body, even for customers who had eaten it the previous day.

    The meat was red, similar to the Bovmatadon widespread all around the empires. However, the similarities stopped there.

    (AN: Bovmatadon, an animal similar to the bison. But these are ten times the size.)

    Unlike the tougher meat of the Bovmatadon, this was heavenly in comparison. It was so succulent and rich in marbled fats, that it literally melted in the mouth.

    A rich meaty flavor exploded once it was bitten, and there was no hint of any condiments or ingredients used to prepare this dish.

    The taste buds were tingled with sensory overload, and it was no doubt deserving of the number 1 dish of that particular restaurant. It was also the most highly sought after, and very expensive.

    Hundreds of millions of visitors arrive at that restaurant each year, just to get a taste. It was exceedingly hard just to get a piece of its meat, not to mention an entire ¡®fish¡¯. Tens of thousands of these, were hardly enough to cater to all.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    How Gu Di managed to secure private dining areas, was totally beyond the other two. All they could care of now was looking forward to the next meal.

    ¡°Any grog to wash it all down?¡± Jay was asking, slumped on his chair, with a protruding belly. It looked really weird on his well-toned body.

    ¡°What is this grog you are talking about?¡± Xiaoxia asked, he was similarly bloated.

    ¡°That my little monster is something you can only experience after 18 years old, you wouldn¡¯t be permitted to partake it no matter where in the world you are,¡± Jay replied.

    He went further to explain that grog, was made from various types of ingredients. Mainly it comprises of 50% alcohol, some citrus fruits, naturally aerated water, a sprig of dried tree bark and sugar.

    ¡°They don¡¯t have that here, but there is something even better. Besides anyone of any age can consume it,¡± Gu Di told them, while motioning to a waiter.

    He indicated something on the menu, and the waiter opened his eyes in slight surprise. The waiter then exited the room, and whispered something to his colleague at the door.

    In a matter of moments, a regal looking gentleman entered, and had a barely audible conversation with Gu Di. Both Jay and Xiaoxia¡¯s ears were growing larger by the moment as they tried to eavesdrop on the conversation.

    The dining table was really enormous, and was thirty feet in diameter. The three of them were spread evenly around it, and even had to speak louder due to the distance between them.

    ¡°¡­ rare ¡­ expensive ¡­ upfront ¡­ tomorrow ¡­¡± were the only thing they could grasp from it.

    ¡°How much is everything?¡± Gu Di finally said out loud.

    The regal looking gentleman paused for a moment, and whipped out a tablet. It looked very simple, but had a glowing screen on it.

    ¡°That will be a total of, 1 Imperial Diamond, 3 Imperial Rubies, 371 rhodium, 210 gold and 917 silver,¡± he eventually surmised.

    Without a word, Gu Di whipped out a card similar to what Xiaoxia has. But unlike his, Gu Di¡¯s card was made purely of a transparent material. There were shimmering lights shining in it as well.

    The regal gentlemen, who by now Jay and Xiaoxia figured to be the manager, was dumbfounded by its presence.

    ¡°At once Milord,¡± the manager said, after quickly recovering his composure and left hurriedly.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Xiaoxia quickly asked.

    ¡°This? A spatial bank,¡± Gu Di just shrugged.

    ¡°I know, but why is it different from mine?¡± Xiaoxia pursued the matter.

    He already knew his card was missing, and he guessed that the girls may have taken it. He did not even consider it stealing, as he knew they were desperate to win the World Cup. Hence he was not really bothered over it.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a matter of loyalty and longevity,¡± Gu Di just vaguely offered an explanation.

    Unbeknownst to the other two, the card that Gu Di flashed, was made from cut Imperial Diamonds, and its status was a million folds more than what Xiaoxia had.

    Amelia who have given Xiaoxia his card, was only qualified for a rhodium one. While the next higher was Imperial Ruby and finally Imperial Diamond.

    (AN: 1 Imperial Diamond=1,000 Imperial Rubies; 1 Imperial Ruby=1,000 rhodium; 1 rhodium=1,000 gold; 1 gold=1,000 silvers; 1 silver=1,000 coppers)

    ¡°And our meal is more than 1 Imperial Diamond?!¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed.

    The entire Black Iron Anvil Town, before it was 6th Tier, only had an average income of 500 Imperial Rubies and change per annum. This made their meal worth more than 2 years of its total income.

    (AN: Black Iron Anvil Town was a Tier 5, with 140,000 odd residence. It has been promoted to Tier 6 during the time Xiaoxia was in the Academy, when it exceeded 150,000 residence.)

    While Xiaoxia had more than 10 Imperial Diamonds given to him by Amelia, plus other precious valuable Ki crystals, it was still an exorbitant amount to pay for a meal..

    ¡°It is a respectable price, you will spend more at places not even serving one of a kind dishes,¡± Gu Di explained.

    He went on to further reiterated, that over the thousands of years he explored the known places of the world, he had eaten even more expensive meals.

    It is not even considering the inflation rates over the millenniums, and their prices will have no doubt gone up even higher.

    ¡°Well, that is true, I have my fair share of crazy places with prices that are out of this world,¡± Jay agreed.

    He have spent the earlier half of his life exploring the known world as well.

    In recent years and lately, it occurred to Xiaoxia that the emphasis on food was becoming more pronounced as time went by. It became more obvious with this trip.

    ¡°Senior Gu Di, is it my imagination, or has there been more frequent attention to food consumption lately?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I am glad you know, it is one of the foundations of my people. It is not merely a simple theory, but more of an actual result orientated fact,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°I do not argue the point, it have been nice to eat well every now and then. But as far as I know, it doesn¡¯t seem to be having any particular benefit for me,¡± Xiaoxia debated.

    He has been eating the specially prepared meals by Gu Di for the past seven years, and it did not seem like there was anything to it.

    His abnormal growth from Adept Realm 9th Tier to Grandmaster Realm Lower Tier, could be easily explained by his God given physique.

    ¡°You will find out soon enough, it may not be apparent now, but when the time comes you will appreciate it all,¡± Gu Di offered.

    While over the years, Gu Di had previously went into many details on proper nourishment, they all seemed like a matter of simple conjecture even till this day.

    ¡°Besides, tomorrow, you will know some things are not just plain old training and relaxation. It¡¯s also about the food you eat,¡± he added.

    They were scheduled for a hike, according to the itinerary. While Xiaoxia wanted to ask more details, he was redirected to another topic skilfully.

    The more he tried to bring the matter back into perspective, the more details were less forthcoming. Hence he decided to give up, and wait for it to actually happen.

    The only piece of information he got, was that they were heading to the mountains.

    The edges of the crater, formed a mountain range, rising 20,000 feet above the resort and lake. It encircled the entire area, and from above it can be seen causing a bowl-like depression.

    Their destination was the direct opposite of the resort, approximately over 80 miles away. Xiaoxia did not know how much distance was going to be covered on feet, and how much by spatial transportation.

    ¡°On the other hand, I am almost certain that you will not want to leave once we get there,¡± Gu Di smiled at him mysteriously.

 Volume 2 Chapter 10: Surrounded

    Even though he was barely lucid the night before, Xiaoxia woke up earlier than expected. Contrary to what he have expected, there was no lethargy or drowsiness and he felt really energetic.

    Little did he know, the scrumptious meal they had for dinner the previous evening immediately proved beneficial for him.

    ¡°I wonder if the other two are up,¡± Xiaoxia said to himself, as he got off the bed.

    This time the rooms they had at the ¡®Gateway to the Heavens¡¯ resort, were individual suites. Although it was not as big as the suite they had near the beach, it was even more luxurious to the point of being ostentatious.

    It was not something he was unfamiliar with, since his dorm at the Academy was designed and furnished likewise.

    Hopping quickly into the shower, he decided to go look for them after he freshened up.

    It didn¡¯t take long, and in matter of minutes he was at Jay¡¯s suite. He ranged the doorbell a few times, but there wasn¡¯t any answer.

    Dismissing it on the chance that Jay still had not recovered from his drunken stupor the other night, he left for Gu Di¡¯s instead.

    Before he could reach the other suite, a hotel staff caught up with him, and told him Gu Di sent word to meet him at one of the resort¡¯s caf¨¦.

    It did not take long for him to navigate the labyrinth of corridors and hallways to reach his destination. There were many spatial dais that expedited the process, although he did made a few wrong turns.

    ¡°Good morning, you are up early,¡± Gu Di greeted him when he arrived.

    ¡°Morning Senior, have you seen Jay?¡± Xiaoxia greeted in return and asked.

    ¡°Oh, he did not return from some matters since last night,¡± Gu Di replied.

    Xiaoxia was rather amazed at this, because Jay was almost out of it last night. The special drink that Gu Di ordered towards the end of their meal, was highly alcoholic and Jay simply loved it.

    The name for it is ¡®Zi Xian Jiu*¡¯, a type of traditional herbal wine.

    (*AN: Purple Immortal wine)

    It was brought in a large mason jar, about two feet in height and a feet in diameter. The wine was a clear bright purple color, and what really caught Xiaoxia¡¯s attention, were the things soaking in it.

    There looked to be various forms of insects and small creatures at the bottom of the jar. According to Gu Di, all the essence and Ki from these creatures are now absorbed into the wine.

    The brew was matured for over two centuries, and is extremely difficult to produce. Without the right amount of balance in the ingredients, it would spoil in less than a day. But if perfected, it could last for centuries.

    The wine itself was made from special fruits harvested only within the crater of the volcano, and it had special properties that enabled it to absorb the essence and Ki of those creatures.

    Jay had just taken a sip, and acquired a taste for it immediately. In less than a span of an hour, he had consumed over half the jar by himself.

    The wine was so sweet, that Xiaoxia had no problems downing his first glass in one go. It was not instantaneous, but about a minute later, he felt a warm sensation overflowing throughout his body.

    By his third glass, his head started to feel really light, and at the end of his fourth glass, his eyes were already losing focus.

    He could only remember stumbling in a haze like daze back to his suite. On the other hand, he clearly recalled the image of Gu Di literally dragging Jay back to the suites.

    ¡°Oh? Is there any problem?¡± Xiaoxia asked curiously.

    The itinerary and schedule, clearly mandated that this was a ¡®all play and no work¡¯ week for the three of them. Hence besides Jay being worst for wear, he should not be attending to ¡®some matters¡¯.

    ¡°Nothing that you should worry, now go have yourself some breakfast before we leave,¡± Gu Di dismissed the question, while expertly changing the topic.

    Xiaoxia knew by now not to ask any further, he learnt over the years there was no point doing so from Gu Di¡¯s tone of voice.

    His mind was soon distracted by other matters, as he inspected the spread of the caf¨¦. To call this a caf¨¦ was actually a huge understatement.

    It was easily a giant convention hall, filled with mountains of food all over. There were no less than a hundred of selection of different types of food categories.

    As most guest usually sleep in till the late morning, Xiaoxia had easy access to all the choicest dishes. He did not need struggle with others over the selection, like he did the previous days at other breakfast venues.

    Breakfast was done in less than half an hour after Xiaoxia stuffed himself crazy, and they left the resort for the mountains.

    ¡°I guess Jay won¡¯t be joining us for this,¡± Gu Di said as he placed his right hand on Xiaoxia¡¯s shoulder.

    In a blink, they appeared in a middle of a jungle.

    It is so dense, that light was blocked by the crowns of ancient trees. The plant flora and fauna here were unlike anything Xiaoxia have ever seen. They all gave off a uniform yellow bio luminescent, rather unlike the ones at the area they were just at four days ago.

    More amazing than just their shapes and sizes, were that all of them were almost transparent, and Xiaoxia could look right through them. Vein-like streams of slightly denser and brighter yellow light, can be seen flowing through all the plants and creatures there.

    It seemed to Xiaoxia, that he was in a nirvana for crystal life forms.

    ¡°Okay, from here on we need to trek twelve leagues to our destination,¡± Gu Di¡¯s informed him, as he lead the way.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just transfer us there?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    He didn¡¯t see the reason why they had to travel by feet. His initial amazement of the surroundings, was quickly overcame by irritation and despair.

    Due to the unique nature of the crater¡¯s weather system, the land thrived with many varieties of insects. Thus the entire jungle was filled with a typical species of blood sucking insects, that left noticeable welts on his exposed skin.

    ¡°This is very special area, found only in a very few parts of the known world. Spatial movement is impossible here, and this is as close I can get without being interfered in the process,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°If that happens, you will never know where you end up. For all I know, we can even end up in the bowels of this world and burn to death. Only spatial communications is barely usable, but that won¡¯t be the case as we go further in,¡± he added.

    Xiaoxia nodded, he had just obtained ¡®The Power of the Mind¡¯ about four days ago. Unfortunately, because of the effort and Ki it took, he have not used it since that day.

    In the last seven years, due to his curiosity on Gu Di¡¯s ability to use spatial movement, he have looked up and studied a little more of it from the vast resources of Wuming¡¯s library. Therefore he knew what Gu Di was saying.

    Spatial movement is limited to the size of an individual¡¯s Ki reservoir, as well as the higher cognitive function of the brain. If a person does not have sufficient Ki, he will not be able to teleport himself very far.

    At the same time, if he is distracted or the higher cognitive function is interfered in some way, the results may be disastrous. Being teleported to an unknown place is one, and the other could be destruction of the body at the cellular level.

    The same goes for spatial communications, the more Ki a person have, the further he could communicate.

    While the effects of interference are not as disastrous as using spatial movement, it could still stun or numb the mind. This could incapacitate a person at the worst possible moment, especially during a heated battle.

    While thinking about these, Xiaoxia gritted his teeth and continued trudging.

    For almost three hours, they only travelled a little over 5 leagues, due to the dense foliage. Xiaoxia had no idea where they were, and only Gu Di seemed to be aware of it.

    Suddenly a piercing thought shot through his mind, ¡°Stop! And prepare your defense!¡±

    Without even needing to ask why, he instantly brought up his defenses. At the same time, a dark cloaked figure lumbered into view.

    It was Jay, and from the silhouette, Xiaoxia could see that his left arm is gone.

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    ¡°We have been followed, ten of them, all unknown realms. I managed to kill three, before getting away,¡± Jay gasped, as he fell on the ground.

    ¡°How many with abilities?¡± Gu Di asked, as he calmly remove many items from his quantum pouch.

    ¡°At least 2 that I know of, I could only sense the remaining seven vaguely. I couldn¡¯t confirm, as I was ambushed from behind. They have some cloaking devices, and I was totally unaware of them till I got hit,¡± Jay grimaced in reply.

    ¡°This is going to be really troublesome. Here take this, it should stop the pain and allow you to fight. Did you get your arm back?¡± Gu Di passed a vial to Jay, while asking.

    ¡°Yeah, there is no way I am leaving a piece of me behind,¡± Jay answered with a ironic grin.

    ¡°How did they know we on this island? And how is there so many unknown realms gathered in one place?¡± Xiaoxia had too many questions to ask at this time.

    Seeing Jay seriously injured was one thing, having an entire arm chopped off was another.

    ¡°It is not time for questions, we need to be on alert,¡± Jay chided him.

    Gu Di said nothing. He was now attending to the stump where Jay¡¯s left arm was, and within a matter of seconds, the wound was cauterized.

    As the pain gradually faded, Jay¡¯s complexion turned for the better, and eventually took about another few minutes for it to return to normal. He was extremely pale when they first saw him.

    Xiaoxia did not need to ask how Jay found them, as even spatial movement left a certain signature behind. Only someone as trained as Jay, knew where and what to looked for.

    It was akin to the inborn tracking sense of some creatures, and it made Xiaoxia curious again. In the past he had always wanted to ask about this, but there was simply no opportunities to do so, and currently it wasn''t the right time.

    Xiaoxia switch his focus and began scanning his surroundings, afraid that the enemy would appear any time.

    Gu Di was currently engrossed with other issues and not thinking about these.

    ¡°How long?¡± Gu Di asked.

    ¡°Just by their competency alone at getting to me, it could be anytime,¡± Jay informed him.

    ¡°Then I guess we need to make a detour,¡± Gu Di shrugged, apparently still not overwhelmed by the situation.

    Xiaoxia was not in the same mood, he was still in shock at what happened to Jay, and did not share the same calm countenance of Gu Di.

    ¡°So this is the matter he was busy with,¡± Xiaoxia stated, realizing this is what contributed to Jay¡¯s absence earlier at the resort.

    The other two did not answer, but just nodded. Soon strange contraptions began to appear one after another from their quantum pouches, and many were placed back. Finally, both Gu Di and Jay had an item each in their hands.

    ¡°Here, take this,¡± Gu Di passed the one in his left hand to Xiaoxia.

    ¡°This is a specialized Ki weapon, it is not like the ones you usually see. They do not rely on Ki crystals, but on your own Ki. With your competency at Ki manipulation, it will not be a problem for you to operate it. Just flow your Ki into the weapon, and the rest is as simple as using it,¡± he advised.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a legendary item?¡± Xiaoxia stated more than asked.

    He have learnt sufficiently on this topic, from his lessons with Sem at the Academy of the Six Elements.

    Legendary items were the epitome of all artifacts, they were rare to the point of being priceless. But what him more impressed was the following sentence by Gu Di.

    ¡°No, they are simply beyond that. What we have here are ancient artifacts made by some of the top artisans in Wuming, and each is crafted to the specific traits of an individual. The one I passed to you, is most attuned to your traits. I am afraid other than that, there is nothing else you can use.¡±

    While he said that, he motioned for Jay to pass his left arm to him. The arm was wrapped crudely in some fabric and was soaked in blood.

    Gu Di took out an item which looked like a large container, and placed the decapitated arm into it. Then he returned it to Jay, before preparing to lead them again.

    ¡°What is that for?¡± Xiaoxia asked, just as they were above to move off.

    ¡°This?¡± Jay asked in return, indicating to the now containerized arm.

    ¡°Yes, what is that for?¡± Xiaoxia repeated.

    ¡°Oh, I am going to get it fixed back again. This is a stasis container, and it should stop the rotting process before it is done,¡± Jay answered, and placed it into his quantum bag.

    ¡°We can go more into details later, now we need to move and get out of here. It¡¯s best not to stay in one place for too long,¡± Gu Di interrupted their conversation and chided them, his voice now had a hint of urgency.

    The other two nodded sheepishly, immediately remembering the situation they were in and realizing their complacency.

    They continued in what seemed like the same direction for an hour, before Gu Di again raised his hand.

    ¡°Sigh, I guess we need to battle,¡± he stopped and suddenly said.

    ¡°RAT TAT TAT TAT TAT!¡±

    Out of nowhere, loud bangs could be heard, as various projectiles the eyes can barely follow, hit the ground before them.

    There was an unmistakable ominous sensation emitted from the embedded projectiles in the ground. They were all made from void crystals.

    ¡°You are totally surrounded! Surrender or die!¡± demanded a lone figure, who stood on the lower braches of an ancient tree.

    ¡°Hah! An ambush? You should have just attacked when you had the chance, and tell me one reason why we should!¡± Jay retorted.

    At this, other figures began to appear, surrounding the trio. While this happened, Gu Di move closely to Xiaoxia and whispered very softly,

    ¡°Whatever happens, do not use any spatial movements or communication, the interference field in this area here is a hundred folds more intense than before. Defend yourself the best you can, do not save your Ki, and don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t die that easily.¡±

    He went on a few more sentence, quickly disseminating the necessary information, especially on how to use the Ki weapon. Then as quickly as he spoke, he fell silent.

    ¡°Yes senior,¡± Xiaoxia whispered back, he knew the gravity of the situation immediately.

    The fact that Gu Di had not communicated via spatial communications, was clear indication the area had a very intense interference field. Even if Xiaoxia did not know how to use or efficiently apply them, there was a chance it could just activate out of desperation.

    With regards to the last part, the situation simply did allow for reserving Ki, it was a life or death situation. This was further emphasized by the use of weapons, which unlike hand to hand combat had a higher chance to deal a killing blow.

    The only thing he did not understand, was what Gu Di meant by he won¡¯t die that easily. Unfortunately, now was not the time to think about it, and he placed his trust in him.

    Keeping these words in mind, he shifted into a defensive stance and gathered his Ki. All his nerves were tingling, as adrenaline pumped into his veins from the sheer intensity of the situation.

    He would not use the Ki weapon till the last minute, as it was still hidden in his hands. It would be an element of surprise, as Gu Di has instructed.

    It has been a really long time since he last fought a real person, and while he was frightened, he was also eager for some action. It was a paradox of emotions.

    The enemies were all in the unknown realm, but they did not seemed to have the matching oppressiveness Gu Di was currently exuding from his body.

    Among all present, Gu Di¡¯s aura was the most overwhelming, but it did not seem to bother the seven assailants.

    Jay¡¯s aura was only slightly less intimidating, and it surpassed what Xiaoxia felt way back in the past when they first met.

    There was a moment of calm as the two groups observed each other, with neither making a move. The silence was deafening, as each waited for the opportune moment to strike.

    Even as Xiaoxia was planning the most probable course of action, Gu Di vanished from his spot, and somehow appeared at three places, right behind the enemies.

    Not a split second passed, and Jay did likewise. The battle has begun.

 Volume 2 Chapter 11: Unknown Realm

    Of the three Gu Di attacked, 2 died immediately. The last one managed to react in time and vanished just as Gu Di got behind him. Jay on the other hand only killed one, while the other two dodged his attacks.

    As fast as Gu Di and Jay were, the assailants were hardly considered walkovers and they launched their counter attacks.

    Even as the three dead assailants tumbled to the ground, one of the remaining four appeared in front of Xiaoxia. He lashed out his fist, aiming directly for the head.

    Xiaoxia reacted just in time and dodged the blow, while fluidly dropping into a crouched position with a leg sweep.

    ¡°Got him!¡± he thought excitedly as his leg almost tripped his attacker.

    However it did not turn out as he expected, and his assailant leapt clear of it. Instead the assailant got beside Xiaoxia in an instant, and kick vehemently at his midsection.

    Twisting his body, while raising his arms and Ki defenses, Xiaoxia blocked the blow as it landed.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± he thought.

    While it look like it was going to hurt, it was a feeble strike at best. He barely felt the impact on his arms, as the Ki reinforced kick connected.

    Feeling something is a little out of place, he decided to test a theory forming in his mind.

    ¡°Wham! Boof! Bak! Bak! Bak!¡±

    Xiaoxia continued blocking and dodging his assailant¡¯s blows, allowing some of them to connect. The theory seems to be holding so far, and he was very certain it could be so.

    The test solidified his suspicion, that he is somehow on a higher level than the assailant. This meant he is in the Unknown Realm now. He had amazedly skipped two tiers and entered into the realm.

    Right at that moment, while he was momentarily distracted by this thought, his assailant whipped out a weapon, and lunged towards him stabbing at his abdomen.

    Coming right back to his senses, it was immediately obvious to Xiaoxia that this isn¡¯t something he could block with his bare hands. The weapon was emitting a terrible Ki, and the Ki surrounding it was rather intense. It was made to pierce, and from the looks of it, there wasn¡¯t any doubt it could do the job efficiently.

    Reacting without thought, Xiaoxia activated his own weapon by pouring Ki into it. There was an intense rush, as the weapon greedily absorbed the Ki.

    The weapon Gu Di passed him, was basically a sword hilt. There wasn¡¯t a blade or any defining features that showed what it is. Just by grasping it in his hand, it remained sufficiently hidden and out of sight.

    ¡°ZZHHLLLAAAARRRKKZZZZZ!!!¡±

    Xiaoxia did not even see what form his weapon took, as he slashed upward diagonally to counter his assailant¡¯s weapon.

    A bright white path cut across the assailants weapon, shattering it.

    ¡°How?¡± a look of surprise showed in the assailant¡¯s eyes.

    He could not stop his own momentum forward, as Xiaoxia¡¯s weapon slashed downwards this time.

    ¡°A ¡­ Ah ¡­¡±

    The assailant¡¯s shocked cries were cut off, as he was split in half from the shoulder to the waist.

    ¡°What the?¡± it was Xiaoxia¡¯s turn to be surprised.

    He did not expect the weapon to deliver such a fatal blow. What was in his hands now, looked like a sword. It is about 3 and a half feet in length, and its width is two inches wide.

    To a certain extent, it was transparent, and gave off a white glow. It emitted a vibrant feeling, that made it seem as if the weapon was happy. The most unusual thing was the streams of visible Ki, flowing through what looked like veins. The shimmering fluctuation of these Ki flows, made the sword looked almost like a living entity.

    ¡°BOOM!¡±

    A loud explosion distracted him, and directed his attention away from the weapon. As he look towards the origin of the explosion, he could vaguely see Gu Di battling two of the assailants off to his left.

    Jay was nowhere to be seen in the dense jungle, but sounds of his battle could be heard coming from another direction.

    Xiaoxia made a mental note to ask Gu Di more about the weapon, and went off to find Jay. He will not be needed in Gu Di¡¯s battle, since it looks like he have it under control.

    Even if Gu Di¡¯s opponents have special abilities which is spatial movement or communications, it was extremely dangerous for them to use it in this area. The interference field will either kill them, or stun them, either way it will prove fatal in the battle.

    Jay on the other hand, had just lost his arm and plenty of blood. While he may look okay now, he is not. He would be at a distinct disadvantage, even when facing a weaker opponent.

    He only managed to kill the previous one, based on the element of surprise. The same technique will not work twice.

    In the meantime Xiaoxia have a plan when he finds Jay¡¯s whereabouts. It is related to some things he discovered in the past seven years, which even Gu Di and Jay are unaware. He was also thinking of something he wanted to test out.

    Part of the plan, was something he could not even achieve when he was in the Academy, as he simply didn¡¯t have the ability.

    Another part of this plan, even left him visibly drained of Ki back then. But times have changed, and he is no longer Adept Realm 9th Tier.

    Finding Jay¡¯s location was not difficult, as the direction where the sound came from was obvious. Thus Xiaoxia did not immediately approach, but carried out his plan.

    It only took a few minutes, and he was almost done with the last piece of his strategy, when the unexpected happened.

    ¡°Yarghh!¡± Jay¡¯s voiced screamed out.

    Not even pausing to think, Xiaoxia dropped what he was doing and zipped towards the scream. It was only a matter of seconds, when he nearly arrived.

    Hidden in the dense foliage, about thirty feet away from where Jay was fighting, he could see no imminent danger. He let out a breathe of relief, but it was cut short when he looked closer.

    Where Jay¡¯s left arm was, the stump have begun to bleed profusely. His face was turning pale, and he started to sway unsteadily on his feet.

    (AN: he lost his left arm in previous chapter)

    ¡°No longer cocky now are we? You should have just surrendered when told. Anyway, this will be sweet revenge for my brothers!¡± the assailant was saying, his voice dripping with malicious intent.

    He is dual wielding weapons, similar to Xiaoxia¡¯s opponent, albeit Xiaoxia¡¯s opponent only had one. Moreover those on the current assailant looked more intricately designed, and was not as crude.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that to my face when I killed three of your kind in the first round, and one just now?¡± jay snorted and spat on the ground.

    The assailant didn¡¯t even bother to reply, as he went on the offensive.

    Numerous blows were exchanged, and it became apparent to Xiaoxia, that the assailant was constantly aiming for Jay¡¯s left side.

    In the meantime, Xiaoxia chose not to interfere, as it may cause an unwanted distraction for Jay. He needed to wait for an opening, to be absolutely certain his plan worked flawlessly.

    Very soon Jay¡¯s footwork gradually became heavier, and a moment later he lost his stamina and collapsed on the ground in a daze.

    The assailant who was only about fifteen feet away, was overjoyed and said aloud, ¡°Now why don¡¯t you lay there nicely and wait for me to kill you!¡±

    He started walking towards Jay, certain nothing will stand in the way of killing him now. By the looks of it, his victim didn¡¯t even have the strength left to stand, let alone escape.

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    ¡°No! You should be the one!¡± Xiaoxia suddenly shouted.

    He burst out from his hiding place and flew straight at the assailant, while reaching out with his Ki to the surrounding area.

    ¡°Fhat the wuck?!¡± the assailant uttered in confusion and surprise.

    He did not expect any reinforcements for Jay.

    ¡°Wham!¡±

    Although he was caught by surprise, he still reacted sufficiently to block a kick aimed towards his chest. The impact was tremendous and drove him more than a dozen feet back.

    ¡°Ugh! How did you escape? That¡¯s impossible!¡± he exclaimed.

    The reports indicated Xiaoxia to be a Grandmaster Realm Lower Tier, there was no way he could have defeated and escape someone in the Unknown Realm.

    Xiaoxia chose not to answer him, after all he was the enemy.

    ¡°Hah! Doesn¡¯t matter, you picked the wrong opponent today! Do you think you can defeat me? Someone who took your Shishu Jay down?¡± the assailant proudly proclaimed.

    At this, something clicked together in Xiaoxia¡¯s mind, ¡°This guy knows too much!¡±

    ¡°Who told you he is my Shishu? And how did you know I won¡¯t be able to escape an Unknown Realm? How did you even know where to find us?¡± he blurted out a string of questions.

    The assailant¡¯s body language implied he said too much, as he instinctively stiffened after being asked these questions.

    ¡°Hahaha! Guess I said too much, the orders were to bring you back alive. But if you continue to resist, I would have to kill you,¡± the assailant threatened.

    ¡°I will consider going back with you, if you answer my questions,¡± Xiaoxia insisted, while lying.

    He had no need intentions to do so, and neither was it to delay or anything, since his plan could be carried out immediately at any time.

    However, he did harbor some hope that perhaps the assailant will tell him something useful.

    ¡°Boy, we make it a policy to keep what we know private and confidential. We wouldn¡¯t want others copying us and stealing our business won¡¯t we?¡± there was a twinkle in the assailant¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Then I guess the talk is over,¡± Xiaoxia said, knowing it was useless to ask further.

    ¡°Then prepare to die, you and your Shishu,¡± the assailant said nonchalantly, as he took up an offensive posture.

    Xiaoxia didn¡¯t even care for any posture, and attacked immediately. Using his foot technique, he tried to mimic what Gu Di and Jay had done earlier.

    While he managed to create 3 after-images, they were not as solid or clear.

    ¡°Hah! You think such poor attempts will work on me?¡± the assailant scoffed.

    On the other hand, the intended use of the after images were perfect. The assailant did not suspect what is happening at this point, and the after images effectively block the view behind them.

    Hence the assailant had his back turned towards them, as he faced the actual Xiaoxia. He did not see what was coming.

    ¡°WHAM!¡±

    ¡°URGH!¡± the first hit him below his rib cage, at where his kidney is.

    ¡°WHAM! WHAM!¡± the other two followed shortly, one in the head, knocking him out cold, and the other at the base of his neck.

    What hit the assailant, were three intense Ki energies. Together, they lifted him far off his feet, causing him to smash into a nearby tree with terrific force.

    His Ki defense was shattered instantly from behind, and he was already out of commission after the first Ki energy hit. The second knocked him out, and the third was the one that killed him.

    Landing in a heap at the bottom of the tree, blood can be seen flowing from all his orifices. Blank lifeless eyes stared into the crowns of the tree, clearly indicating his death.

    He have died by Xiaoxia¡¯s special skills, controlling Ki remotely, or as Xiaoxia liked to called it ¡®RC Ki¡¯.

    Xiaoxia have sufficiently mastered Ki manipulation in the past seven years, and he can create free standing Ki energy globes, as well as highly dense Ki.

    While the density of the Ki and the energy globes were the ones who killed the assailant, it was all thanks to ¡®RC Ki¡¯ that made it work. Without his extraordinary meridian that made ¡®RC Ki¡¯, he would not have been able to create free standing Ki energy globes.

    As Ki dissipates quickly, he had to constantly feed the Ki-energy-globes Ki via the Ki trails connected to them. The higher the density of Ki in the Ki energy globes is, the less feeding is required. But if starved for too long, they would not be as powerful or effective.

    He could also adjust the focus of the Ki before it impacts, which is why he was able to shatter the defense of the assailant. The only downside, was that he still couldn¡¯t hone his Ki into razor-like sharpness.

    On the other hand, it was also thanks to his preparation it all worked out. If he had blindly rushed into battle, there will be insufficient time to generate enough Ki density in the energy globes. Hence by preparing them in advance, he solved that issue.

    He placed these energy globes roughly a hundred feet surrounding the battle zone, and they were connected to him via his extraordinary meridian which can connect to Ki trails.

    The distance he can manage to remotely control these Ki energies have grown by leaps and bounds since his Academy days, and a hundred feet is well within his limits. Training and practicing it during his trips in the wilderness, have improved the Ki required to use it.

    The final piece of the plan, was meant to be a test, as well as the coup-de-grace. He had meant to connect his extraordinary meridian to remotely control the Ki weapon, but fell just short of it before rushing to aide Jay.

    Feeling a little regret he wasn''t able to test the last part, he knelt beside the now unconscious Jay. He then quickly removed a first aid kit from his quantum pouch, and started applying first aid to the wound.

    After cleansing the stump where Jay¡¯s left arm was with medical disinfectant, he applied a salved that healed and cauterized the bleeding.

    Next he poured the contents of a vial into Jay¡¯s mouth, then closed it while pinching his nose. This caused Jay to subconsciously swallow the fluid. It was an elixir meant to prevent any infections.

    Ensuring there was nothing he missed, he carried Jay and placed him somewhere inconspicuous, before heading to find Gu Di.

    On his way, he took out and equipped the bracelet he wore for the Freshmen Competition, it indicates the wearer¡¯s Ki Realm.

    ¡°ERROR! BEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP ! ERROR!¡±

    It did not help, and he took it off.

    In Xiaoxia¡¯s mind now, there was an enormous amount of questions,

    ¡°What Ki Realm am I? I killed two of the Unknown Realm easily, I should be unknown realm! But is this so?¡±

    ¡°Who are these people? Where are they from? How did they even find out our whereabouts after seven year?¡±

    ¡°What is with this weapon? It feels almost alive!¡±

    He was in a state of chaotic questions, when he nearly walked straight into a lady standing directly in front of him.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Xiaoxia exclaimed.

    The lady in front of him did not look dangerous, nor did she give off a threatening aura.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked, pointing straight at his Ki weapon.

 Volume 2 Chapter 12: My Wife

    A few minutes before Xiaoxia killed his second assailant, Gu Di¡¯s battle was taking longer than expected.

    ¡°These two are not too bad,¡± Gu Di grinned while thinking to himself. It would appear as if he was enjoying this.

    In the middle of his thought process, he quickly dodged a blow aimed for his upper torso, while applying his foot technique to counter position himself and attack.

    However he was intercepted halfway by the other assailant, and made a sudden detour and appeared a dozen feet or so to his left. He weaved expertly through the undergrowth and obstructions, before pausing to re-assess the situation.

    The two opponents did not follow suit, as the area he entered was even more cramp with dense overgrowth than where they have been before. It would not be easy to approach Gu Di, without extremely risky maneuvers.

    While Gu Di was far superior in strength, his two opponents compensated with their ingenuity and flawless teamwork.

    It was very obvious these two assailants operated very well as a team, and their synchronization spoke volumes of their partnership.

    There was no signs of any means of communication, and it was a fact they couldn¡¯t be doing so even if they had special abilities.

    They were not communicating spatially, as the interference field in that area would have stunned their minds. This would leave them vulnerable, and opened to Gu Di¡¯s attacks.

    Moreover, their weapon is well suited for the environment they were in.

    Both of them were equipped with some sort of Ki weapon, that bore a strong resemblance to a primitive no Ki weapon called a ¡®dagger¡¯. They were nearly a foot in total length with the blade making up half its length, and could be easily handled in the dense overgrowth of the jungle that surrounded them.

    These were also not common everyday Ki weapons found in every blacksmith, and just by the feel of the oppressive aura emitted from the weapons, Gu Di surmise that they were made from parts harvested from either Mythical or Elemental creatures.

    What was also little troublesome, is that both his opponents were ambidextrous, and wielded one in each hand. Their weapons were more effective than his own Ki weapon, which was a three feet long Ki rod with a diameter of an inch and a half.

    The length of his weapon, somewhat limited his attacks. In the dense foliage, he could not wield it freely enough to cause much of a threat, but he was about to change that.

    What the other two did not know, was Gu Di¡¯s weapon had an alternate form. Since the body of his Ki weapon, much like Xiaoxia¡¯s, was made purely from Ki, it can take on another form if the user knows how.

    All other types of Ki weapons, are made from alloys or other materials. They have a physical body and shape, which is either imbued with Ki from Ki crystals, or the rarer ones that uses Ki from the user.

    Having a weapon with no physical body, was literally beyond unique or even legendary. These weapons were very special, and there was more to it than meets the eye. He only gave a brief description of them to Xiaoxia, due the state of matters in hand.

    It required more than just minutes or hours to make him understand the specialty of these Ki weapons, and some practitioners even take up to decades to fully train and utilize all their functions.

    But he judged the weapon passed to Xiaoxia, a perfect fit for his abilities. It was not something done on an impulse, as Gu Di have initially thought of giving it to Xiaoxia after he have completed his training.

    Besides this, the area where they first confronted, was within Gu Di''s expectations. He have chose the paths that lead to more opened areas, so as to maximize the opportunity for Xiaoxia to defend himself with the Ki weapon.

    If Xiaoxia was caught in a cramp area full of overgrowth, the weapon would practically be of no proper use.

    On the other hand, Gu Di purposely led his opponents into the denser foliage, to restrict their movements. He did not underestimate them, and it proved wise.

    While it may seem like he made a mistake, as his weapon was basically useless, that was not true. He is about to head up into the upper branches of the ancient trees, where the situation will drastically improve.

    The trees rose over two thousand feet into the sky, and it became more suitable for combat the higher it went. Nearly three quarters of the way up, it is more open than where Jay and Xiaoxia had battled.

    Much to the assailant¡¯s irk, Gu Di was constantly grinning, and it made them extremely frustrated. They gave chase, just as he leapt into the branches.

    As they climbed higher, it got brighter as well. The overhanging branches thinned, and sunlight became more abundant. It seemed the increasing space and clarity, made the assailant¡¯s teamwork even more pronounced, as their fluid combination easily had Gu Di where they wanted.

    However, their blows were either dodged or blocked without any effort.

    Meanwhile, Gu Di was being able to use his weapon more frequently, and soon the assailant¡¯s hands were beginning to go raw from the impacts of the exchanged blows of the weapons.

    Eventually the spaciousness of their surroundings grew more, and finally reached a saturation point. This is when they decided to unleashed their trump card.

    As they surrounded Gu Di about twenty feet away, they threw their Ki weapons at him. It was not a last ditch attempt to kill him, but it was a technique only unique to the both of them.

    It was their special technique, that made them a force to be reckoned with amongst their own. It was also what placed them in the higher echelon of their organization, and it has been prearranged that they will be taking on the strongest, who obviously is Gu Di.

    Applying this technique, the four Ki weapons flew at incredible speeds towards Gu Di. They were all aimed at vitals parts of his body, and it would mean instant death if any connected.

    Unexpectedly, Gu Di disappeared from the spot and ended up beside one of them. He swung out with his own weapon, aiming a crushing blow towards the skull.

    The swing was halfway through, before he noticed all four of the weapons changing direction in midair. They now flew directly where he is.

    Stopping his attack immediately, he leapt back about two dozen feet.

    Casting a glance towards the weapons, he now noticed red lines attached to them from the assailant¡¯s hands.

    They were rope weapons.

    Each Ki weapon was connected to a thin wire attached to the assailants'' hands, and Ki flowed through them, making them much tougher than usual. It also enabled the assailants to redirect their paths as and when necessary.

    (AN: you can google for Chinese rope darts, these weapons are similar, albeit thin wires are used instead)

    ¡°Ooh, this is getting exciting!¡± Gu Di thought, his expression reflecting his feelings. A normal person would have thought him mad, if placed in a similar position.

    As the assailants repeatedly tried to kill him using the rope weapons, Gu Di somehow avoid all of them, and even managed to counter attack.

    The assailants barely managed to avoid these counter attacks, only because of their teamwork and weapon advantage. Each time Gu Di was about to deal a fatal blow, he was forced to back off by the well planned strategy of the duo.

    It stretched on for a while, and Gu Di¡¯s expression was becoming more ecstatic.

    From the assailants point of view, they were more shocked than angry with Gu Di¡¯s expression. It was their ultimate technique and they could not kill him even after so many tries.

    In fact, they were beginning to panic. There was a clear indication now, that Gu Di was basically toying with them for some unknown reason. It was also obvious that he is not using everything he have to defeat them.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Finally after what seemed like ages, Gu Di stopped forty feet from the two assailants and loudly proclaimed, ¡°I have enough fun for today, it¡¯s been a long time since I moved my body like this. Now tell me who you are working for and how you know where we are, or you will not leave this place alive!¡±

    ¡°Ptui!!We rather die!¡±

    One of the assailants spat insultingly and replied, and the two of them immediately rushed Gu Di after he said this.

    What happened next did not even take a second.

    When both the assailants were within twelve feet of Gu Di, one of them suddenly split into two right down the middle. The other reacted just in time, to see his right leg amputated at the knee.

    ¡°ARGH!¡±

    He fell over a three dozen feet onto a giant branch, and laid there in pain and confusion. Blood gushed out in huge spurts from the wound, as the artery, veins and blood vessels lay exposed from the amputation.

    The cut was so clean and precise, that it seem an extremely fine and sharp surgical blade was used.

    The surviving assailant turned his head in agonizing pain and stared at Gu Di, and what he saw made him dumbfounded. In Gu Di¡¯s hands, there was now a glowing red whip that was approximately fifteen feet in length.

    The rod was no longer there, and the assailant had no idea when Gu Di changed his weapon. Even then, he could not have done it in the split second it took them to reach twelve feet of him.

    ¡°Are you going to tell me now, or is death the only way?¡± Gu Di asked him, having move closer and standing on the same branch a few feet away.

    ¡°Besides, that is to repay for what you did to my Junior,¡± he added.

    ¡°Ugh ¡­ ungh ¡­ Even if I know, I wouldn¡¯t tell you,¡± the assailant gasped a few times before answering.

    His eyes was filled with pain and there was something else showing in it. It was desperation, and it was clearly at its peak.

    ¡°Now don¡¯t be stupid and try to escape with that, you should be well aware this is not somewhere you can use it. You will onl¡­.¡±

    Gu Di¡¯s caution was cut off halfway, as the assailant vanished right in front of him. It was not a foot technique, but spatial movement.

    The two of them who attacked Gu Di, were the ones that Jay sensed to have abilities, and the abilities in question, were the same as what Gu Di and Xiaoxia have.

    It is ¡®The Power of the Mind¡¯.

    ¡°Damn that stupid fool, blind loyalty is idiotic!¡± Gu Di cursed.

    At the exact instant the assailant vanished, he appeared on the edges of the Main Island of Paiza. He grimaced and took a few short painful breathes, but suddenly his eyes opened in horror.

    ¡°SHHHHHIIIIIIIIIII¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Boooossshhhhhhhhhhhzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!¡±

    He could not even scream his curse to its end, as his body imploded and shattered into an infinite pieces.

    ----------

    Right about the time the assailant imploded, Xiaoxia met the tall lady.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She asked again, still pointing at the activated Ki weapon in Xiaoxia¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Ki weapon ma¡¯am,¡± Xiaoxia chose to be respectful instead of being rude.

    The lady in front of him looked about the same age as Amelia, and she did not seem threatening or bear any ill intent towards him.

    ¡°How did you get it? And who are you?¡± She continued asking.

    ¡°I am sorry ma¡¯am, I am not at liberty to tell you this,¡± Xiaoxia apologized.

    Given the situation he was just in, he made the choice not to tell her.

    ¡°You will tell me, or you will never get out of this jungle by yourself,¡± the lady¡¯s voice raised a notch, clearly getting upset.

    Her eyes looked more curious as the seconds ticked by, and Xiaoxia was intrigues by this, but still held his ground.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am if you were to attack me, I will have no choice but to defend myself,¡± Xiaoxia warned.

    ¡°Silly boy! If I wanted to harm you, I would have done so during your previous battle. If I have any ill intent, I would have taken your friend a hostage and demanded your answer as a ransom!¡± the lady¡¯s voice took an incredulous and insulted tone, laced with a hint of anger.

    ¡°You saw?¡± Xiaoxia asked in surprised.

    He did not even notice her presence during the battle, and it was odd, as his awareness of the area was what he believed to be all encompassing.

    It was a another new trait he learnt during his years spent in the wilderness, meant solely as a pre-cautionary warning against attacks from wild beasts.

    (AN: refer to Volume 2 Chapter 3, just before the beast classification, on the topic of training in the wilderness)

    ¡°Pfft! Of course, a baby like you was making too much noise, that even the deaf a thousand leagues away could hear,¡± the lady snorted in a very impolite way, unbecoming of a woman.

    Xiaoxia was a little embarrassed at this, while he was a little exuberant from defeating two opponents in the Unknown Realm, he knew exactly what she meant.

    It was of course an exaggeration to imply that the noise could be heard by a deaf a thousand leagues away, but it was more or less true the battle was noisy.

    While the explosive impact sounds the Ki caused, may not have been heard beyond a few leagues, it would have definitely exposed their location to any assailants sent as reinforcement in that area.

    ¡°You should have just used that weapon, it is more discreet and totally without any sound,¡± she continued chiding him, like a mother would a child.

    Xiaoxia did not know how to reply to this lady, and the only things that came into his mind, were retorts that would get him nowhere.

    ¡°Besides, I said you will never get out of this jungle yourself. I did not say I will harm you, and instead I am willing to offer my assistance in helping you get out of here, if you told me how you got that and who you are,¡± the lady concluded.

    Xiaoxia was about to reply, when he was interrupted by a welcomed voice.

    ¡°Oh, I see, so you two have already met.¡±

    It was Gu Di.

    But unlike Xiaoxia''s feelings of relief, the lady seemed to think otherwise.

    ¡°You! Where the hell have you been all these years?¡± the lady demanded the moment she saw Gu Di.

    ¡°Erm, here and there,¡± Gu Di replied without details.

    ¡°You better tell me, or you will live to regret it, and who is this boy?¡± she demanded again.

    ¡°Will it really matter? I have been to too many places and done so many things, that standing here in the middle of nowhere, will not be a conducive environment to talk about such matters. Why don¡¯t we head back to your place, where it is more appropriate?¡± Gu Di smoothly deflected the question and changed the topic.

    The lady was giving him a suspicious looks, then her eyes widen and there was a hint of raw anger in them, ¡°Oh my GOD!! Why are you changing the topic and not telling me who this boy is???!! Don¡¯t tell me he is your bastard sons!!! You damn bastard!! How can you do this to me?? I who have been so faithful to you??!!¡±

    Xiaoxia was a like taken aback by this outburst, it seemed Gu Di and this lady knew each other very well, perhaps even more than he can imagined.

    ¡°Erm, sorry to interrupt, but Senior, who is she?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°Oh! Sorry my rudeness. Xia Er, meet my wife,¡± Gu Di introduced her, while turning to his wife, ¡°Xue Er, meet Xiaoxia, not my son, but someone under my care. He is ¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    The rest of the dialogue was lost to Xiaoxia, he was mind-blown by these two words - ¡°My Wife.¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 13: The past seven years

    Xiaoxia was still speechless a few hours later, as they entered the sanctuary of Gu Di¡¯s wife. It is more remote than expected, and no one will easily find where it is.

    Situated halfway up the mountain range, the climate here is comfortably cozy. It was early autumn in the crater, but nevertheless, still a stark comparison to mountains in other parts of the world. These mountain were bitterly cold at this altitude.

    They were on a gradual incline, and getting there was not as tiresome as one would expect. It was abundant with top soil, another characteristic not usually found at this height. This made the trees and other vegetation grow in abundance, although less dense and congested as compared to where they were fighting.

    Xiaoxia had seen various mountainous areas on the island continent of MeisterSchloss, and most of them have steep slopes with little soil. This made the landscape on those mountain ranges bare and inhospitable.

    This is also true for the outer side of the current mountain range, which unlike the inner side, was strip bare of soil and rather steep.

    ¡°Welcome to my humble abode,¡± Xue Er announced, as they approached a barely maintained structure.

    It was a simple looking cottage, tucked between a trickling stream and a few large basaltic boulders. However, once they entered the front door, it was nothing less than amazing.

    To Xiaoxia, it seemed he have walked into a dreamland.

    The scene that spread out as far as his eyes can see, contained endless meadows with small grazing creatures. The vast blue skies were filled with white puffy clouds, and sweet melodies filled the air from birds of many species.

    In a distance, a majestic structure rose over the horizon. It was so high that it¡¯s spires reached the clouds. It was unlike any structure Xiaoxia have ever seen or read about.

    ¡°Huh?! How come? Where are we?¡± Xiaoxia finally spoke.

    Even though he have learnt many things along the years, this was something really unexplainable. There was nothing in the books and literature he studied, that indicated any semblance of this.

    Looking quickly back where he came from, he could still see the mountain side from what looked like a door shape hole.

    It closed behind the moment Jay stepped through, who has now recovered partially. He took a while to recover and regain consciousness, and by the time he did, it was almost noon.

    With the few hours it took them to get here, it should be about mid afternoon, but this does not seem to be the case presently. In this place, there looks to be only one sun, and from its relative position in the sky, Xiaoxia guess it was around the eight or the ninth hour in the morning.

    Turning to look at Jay, he found an expression mirroring his. It looks as if it was Jay¡¯s first time here too, and he was looking everywhere.

    ¡°This Xia Er, is the 7th Void,¡± Gu Di informed him.

    ¡°As usual, this idiot haven¡¯t given any information, how like him,¡± Xue Er interjected.

    ¡°So you rather I tell everyone, and become busy attending to gazillions of guest who would definitely come?¡± Gu Di replied with a wry smile.

    ¡°Just shut up, you know what I mean!¡± Xue Er almost shouted.

    ¡°Okie dokie! Not a single word more from me,¡± Gu Di¡¯s promised, but his wry smile only became bigger.

    Over the journey to Xue Er¡¯s place, Xiaoxia just could not fathom how it was possible that as decrepit as Gu Di is, he found a woman willing to accept him. No doubt they do not look like it, and she is currently angry at him for being missing all these years, she is still his wife.

    He knew beauty was only skin deep, a popular saying learned in the Academy, but it was really stretching it for Gu Di¡¯s case.

    Gu Di is basically a hobo, with no regards paid to his personal hygiene or grooming. He was wearing the same old piece of robe, that Xiaoxia noticed on many occasions over the years. As far as he knew, that robe has never been washed.

    Splotches of dirt, stains and grease covered the entire robe, but weirdly enough it did not smell. Xiaoxia suspected Gu Di to be using some designer fragrance to negate the odor.

    And as usual, Gu Di¡¯s hair was in a mess, and he constantly scratched areas of his body not meant to be scratched in public. On top of all these, he was extremely relaxed to the point of being complacent and absent minded.

    It brought shivers to Xiaoxia thinking back to the first year, when Jay admitted numerous times that Gu Di somehow forgotten where he left Xiaoxia to train.

    Forgetting may seem trivial, but it was not, when the areas Xiaoxia was left in happened to be in the middle of the wilderness infested with wild beasts. It didn¡¯t help that the nearest civilization was their hidden dwelling, a little more than 50 leagues away.

    The final nail to the coffin, was Xiaoxia only had a flint, Ki powered hunting knife and canteen. He was not given any navigational tools, and the only instructions he received, were to defend himself and make it by the end of the week in the vaguely given direction of the hidden dwelling.

    The only saving grace, was when it comes to cooking, he is a totally different person.

    ¡°Now tell me why you have brought these two here?¡± Xue Er asked, as she brought something out from within a sleeve.

    ¡°All in good time dear,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°You better tell me later when we reached, or I am going to kick you out!¡± Xue Er warned.

    ¡°Hey! I may have neglected you over these aeons, but I will never lie to you!¡± Gu Di exclaimed with a fake look of hurt on his face.

    That look somehow seemed strangely familiar to Xiaoxia, then he realized Jay have pulled this off many times in the past. It is now obviously apparent that Jay have learned to mimic Gu Di¡¯s style over the thousands of years they knew each other.

    ¡°No! Before any of you start any discussion, I want to know what is going on and where we are now!¡± Xiaoxia interrupted loudly.

    The day¡¯s turn of events, nudged him into a more aggressive attitude. In any normal circumstance, he is usually calm and composed, unless someone or something stepped on his proverbial tail.

    The confrontation with the assailants, and his two life and death battles, would be considered more than just stepping, it was more akin to crushing his tail.

    ¡°Spunky aren¡¯t we youngling? Sure I will, if he doesn''t tell you,¡± Xue Er noted his outburst and volunteered, looking smugly at Gu Di.

    Gu Di was not even listening, as he seemed lost in thoughts.

    ¡°You can? How would you know what happened to us earlier?¡± Xiaoxia asked curiously.

    ¡°All in good time youngling,¡± Xue Er replied, much to the annoyance of Xiaoxia.

    It was the exact same thing Gu Di said to her earlier.

    ¡°Now come, gather around me and stay still,¡± she ordered them.

    No one saw fit to argue and just listened to her. Once they gathered around her, a faint warm glow begun to surround them, and shortly after, all four vanished from the spot.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The moment they arrived, Xiaoxia felt the air knocked out of him, as he gasped for breathe.

    It was not spatial movement, this he was sure of, it is more similar to something he discovered about 4 years ago. But even that did not knock the breathe out of him, this was definitely more extreme.

    ¡°Argh,¡± Jay grunted, obviously feeling its effects as well.

    ¡°Phhooooooooo!¡± Gu Di let off a large breathe, looking a little green at the edges.

    The only person not looking worse for wear, was Xue Er.

    ¡°How? Isn¡­¡±

    Before Xiaoxia could ask more, Xue Er seemed to have read his mind and answered,

    ¡°There is no interference field in the 7th Void, and what brought you here is not spatial movement. You there, the one called Jay, I will fix your arm later. But before I go any further, I want Gu Di to explain things to me as he promised.¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Gu Di expectantly, but at this time, his attention was elsewhere, and he was oblivious to their looks.

    ¡°You have done some nice things to this place, it has changed so mu¡­ Why are you all looking at me?¡± Gu Di cut short what he was about to say and asked.

    ¡°Senior you promised Dasao you will explain things to her,¡± Xiaoxia offered.

    (AN: Dasao means older brother¡¯s wife, it is a respectful term used for an older married woman, when one is close to the husband. This is not factoring age, as it would be rude to call her a grandmother or similar, since women can be offended by this.)

    ¡°Oh that, hmmm, well Jay here has been with us for four thousand years, and he crossed the threshold of certain information being restricted to him. On the other hand, Xia Er here, has similar abilities to you, not exactly the same, but very close,¡± Gu Di informed her.

    Xue Er nodded, and Xiaoxia guessed from her looks, that she knew about Wuming. At the second part of the sentence, she looked straight at him with a look full of questions, which made him feel rather uneasy.

    ¡°Similar abilities to me? How so, he is not even one of my kind,¡± Xue Er asked.

    ¡°Well seven years ago, there was an anomaly, I am sure you felt it too. Our young friend here is the cause of it, he is able to teleport not by spatial movement or foot technique. On the other hand, the Ki attack of a Grandmaster Realm Upper Tier, that hit him directly at his heart, did not even kill him. He somehow instantly healed the wound and countered with a beam energy that stretched for thousands of leagues,¡± Gu Di replied succinctly.

    ¡°Yes the whole Void felt it, but how is this possible, he is not even a Mythical Being!¡± Xue Er exclaimed.

    ¡°I know, he could even use cloaks meant only for our race. In the meantime, can¡¯t you fix my arm now?¡± Jay agreed and smiled happily at her.

    He was informed by Gu Di earlier, that there was someone that will connect his arm back. That person happens to be his wife, which made Jay even more intrigued.

    Much to Jay¡¯s dismay, Xue Er was not paying attention to what he said. Instead she was looking closely at Xiaoxia again, this time she carefully observing his features.

    ¡°Height above normal, but not extremely rare, sharp chiseled features, sandy gold eyes ¡­ hmmm ¡­ quite rare, nose, ears and everything else about normal. You looked like any person in the world, above average at most, but how is it you have such powers?¡± she said in detail, then asked Xiaoxia.

    ¡°I am sorry Dasao, it is a question that never came to my mind. I guess it is heaven-sent,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°But there is something I think it¡¯s time to show Senior, Jay, and even you,¡± he added.

    At this, Gu Di¡¯s eyebrow raised a notch, and Jay also looked at him curiously. Xue Er, not knowing what to expect, maintained her usual demeanor.

    Approaching a full length opening in the wall, Xiaoxia could see they were brought somewhere high above ground. He suspected it was the tall structure that rose into the clouds, but he is currently not concerned about that.

    Raising his right hand, he pointed his right index finger slightly above the horizon, and concentrated for a moment.

    Abruptly, an intense golden beam shot out from his fingers and covered an incredible distance in a split second before slamming against what seemed like a barrier, thousands of leagues away.

    The beam burned brightly from a concentric focal point in the center, which was about an half an inch in diameter. But due to its intensity, it made the beam visually look about twenty feet in width.

    Xiaoxia immediately began to have flashbacks when he employed this skill, it always happens when he was training it. When that occurs, he could envision being in someone¡¯s body, looking at a strange foreign world.

    However this time, the outburst of energy was totally unexpected, and as a result, the images were more intense. It blurred the lines between reality and dream, and he could see images superimposed onto the ones in reality.

    This skill and the teleportation manifested again, due to the stupidest oversight in one of his wilderness training. He almost got himself killed at that time by wild beasts, but after decimating the pack of vicious creatures, the skill and teleportation strangely remained unlocked.

    Moreover, unlike the previous occasion, the beam was extremely tiny and he did not lose consciousness after it happened. He tried unsuccessfully to reproduce it for some time, and even though months passed by, he still labored towards it.

    When he finally managed it, it was well after a year of trying.

    It appeared then, as it did when it saved him from the wild beasts, as a tiny barely visible beam that could only reach less than a hundred feet away. He could also teleport only a few feet, and this took plenty of effort and Ki, hence he trained sparingly to avoid being unable to protect himself in the wilderness.

    This was the reason why he could never have imagined it to be magnified to such an extent from then, and Ki was still continuously rushing out of him like a burst dam.

    ¡°Stop!! You will destroy the Chaos Barrier!¡± Xue Er screamed out.

    ¡°Huh?!¡± Xiaoxia muttered, still muddle headed and under the effects of the flashback.

    ¡°I SAID STOP!!!¡± Xue Er screamed in his mind.

    The scream rravaged through his entire brain, stunning him immediately and knocking him unconscious.

    When he woke, he was still a little sore from the stun and puzzled, but he could tell from the shadows, that a few hours have already passed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked groggily.

    ¡°Sorry, I had to hit you with a psionic attack. It was either that, or risk creating a hole in the Chaos Barrier. You do not need to ask what it is, how I did what I did or where this is, I will explain all these now. Once I do, I want you to tell me what happened to you in the past seven years, the other two could only tell me so much,¡± Xue Er told him.

    Xiaoxia nodded, there was nothing much he can say at this point.

 Volume 2 Chapter 14: The past seven years (2)

    ¡°I belong to one of various types of Mythical Beings, a Void Being. We live in the space between this world, a pocket space created all around the surface of the planet. While it is still in the same world, reality and existence, it is in another dimension or so to speak. There are many kinds of Voids, with many types of characteristics, but all are not fully synced with the world outside. We are now in the 7th Void, named so, because it was the seventh one, which early non Void beings discovered at the infancy of the world. It has a time dilation, approximately four times of what is on the outside world. Hence every day that passes here, equals to four on the outside. There are other Voids that have extremely dense time dilation or contractions, and there are those with hardly any. BUT like I said a little earlier, not all are synced,¡± Xue Er explained and paused, allowing the information to sink in before continuing.

    ¡°The Void, is the key thing that enables spatial travel, but which particular Void in question, is still not something we know of. All we do know of is that time contraction there is SO dense, only a mere fraction of a nanosecond is required to traverse its entirety. This particular void, has an almost infinite entries and exits, a unique occurrence for all Voids that we have discovered, and this is what makes spatial travel almost instant. While I cannot claim to know how those with ¡®The power of the Mind¡¯ are able to move spatially through all these entries and exits, researchers and inventors somehow managed to mimic us and created spatial devices. On the other hand, you must have suspected what I used to bring you here is not spatial movement, and you are right,¡± she looked directly at Xiaoxia, then went on with her narration.

    ¡°Firstly, the interference field outside, is caused by the rift connecting to the 7th Void. There are about less than a hundred other known places with interference fields, which suggests rifts to other Voids. But Void gateways come in many sizes, most not even man size, and many are even smaller than a child, therefore even if their general location can be pinpointed based on interference fields, their exact locations are not easy to discover. On the other hand, my people suspects the numbers to be in the thousands. These places are a universal anathema for any persons or devices deploying spatial travel or communications, but that is only true for the outside world. In the Void the interference field is nonexistence, it¡¯s another unexplainable situation, but such occurrences just do not happen. Even though there is no interference, spatial movement and communications cannot be use, as you simply are not able to open an entry to another Void within a Void. Then again, for yet another mysterious reason, the higher cognitive brain function still enables communicating directly via telepathy instead of spatially. There is an automatic switch in the cognitive powers, and it is the reason why I was able to stun you. Also due to this, I was able to transport us here, but like Gu Di mention, it is a special trait unique only to my people,¡± Xue Er was looking at Gu Di this time.

    Her looks turned for the worst, as he seemed to be concentrating on other things in the surrounding, rather than her.

    Feeling a little irritated, but not letting it get to her, she continued her pseudo lesson with Xiaoxia. It actually benefited Jay too, since he was similarly new to this whole thing.

    ¡°The Void Beings uses astral projection of our Ki, to places we want to go. By forming Ki at the destination, and applying our unique trait, we are able to switch places with where our Ki is. Going into technical terms is not within my expertise, there are people for these explanations amongst the Void Beings. Before you ask, all I can say is you won¡¯t have a chance to meet them. They are recluse and hardly interact even among our people, needless to say someone from another origin,¡± she paused, summon a small mug in midair and took a sip from it.

    ¡°This is also another use of astral projection of Ki, you can not only transport yourself, you can basically summon any item within your limits. Now, after talking for so long, I am more interested in the ability you just manifested, and what Gu Di said earlier about having similar abilities like me. Tell me more about this, and what you have been doing about them these past seven years,¡± Xue Er concluded.

    Xiaoxia nodded, what she have told him, basically answered most of his questions. There were still some he wanted to know more about, but she clearly stated she wasn¡¯t the best to answer them.

    Unwillingly setting them aside, he took a moment to decide where to start on his experience with his own abilities, and how the seven years with Gu Di and Jay went.

    ¡°I am not a good story teller, and please forgive me, if it may all seem haphazard and chaotic,¡± he started.

    Xue Er nodded, while Gu Di went off to the far end of the room, paying no heed to their conversation. Jay on the other hand, started chewing on another meat jerky, and seemed to be looking forward to Xiaoxia¡¯s part of the conversation.

    ¡°About seven years ago, I was in the Academy of the Six Elements, and got involved in saving someone from a group of kidnappers. During my chase on the last and remaining survivor, I was meant to have sustained a fatal attack. The time that event took place has a few memorable moments, but other than those, most of it still remained blurred and vague. At that particular point I almost died, I can recalled seeing myself from a third person¡¯s perspective. How I managed to kill someone vastly more powerful than myself, or why I said those words when I did it, is still something that bugged me over all these years,¡± he told Xue Er, taking a drink from his canteen, suddenly realizing he was thirsty.

    ¡°Jay was there for the incident, and tried to cover up my involvement. It was all for naught, as a certain empire, whose princess I saved, managed to unearth my part in it. Matters got a little more confusing at that time, when Gu Di suddenly appeared a few months later, and insisted that I leave immediately. I was told things about how much danger I am in, and how much harm will befall my parents and people surrounding me, if I were to have stayed.¡±

    Xiaoxia took a long pause, while thinking of what to add next. The other two remained silent, as they waited for him to continue.

    ¡°Where Gu Di took me during that time, is still not somewhere I know of, neither did Jay Shishu have information of where it was. Basically in less than a couple of weeks when I first departed the academy, my training started. I was only given some advice from Jay, on how to handle the various possible species of wild beasts in that area. To say during those times I never harbored the thoughts of running away, or just simply giving up, would be a lie,¡± he said, while admitting his intentions.

    ¡°As time passed, Gu Di would check on me every now and then, and somewhere in the 4th month, he told me to change the style of cultivation. It seems effective, and I eventually applied it during my trips training in the wilderness. It took some time to master what I was taught, but after some trying times, I managed to achieved this new method. Gradually by the third year, we have moved on to areas with a denser population of wild beasts. It is by a mistake on my part that I accidentally and finally unlock the abilities I showed during the incident at the Academy.¡±

    He paused again, looking at Xue Er, who seemed lost in thoughts, but she indicated for him to carry on.

    ¡°What happened was an honest mistake, I did not realize what I was doing, and Jay Shishu did not give me any warning about this. I almost died,¡± Xiaoxia looked a Jay, who was grinning at him apologetically.

    Not harping on the past, since it wasn¡¯t entirely Jay¡¯s fault, he continued the story, ¡°It was during the middle of the third year with Gu Di and Jay, that I was training near a lake, and saw some large schools of fish. Seeing no harm in trying to catch them, I dove in to grab a few. The scent and aroma of these fishes were really good, and I cooked them slowly over an open fire along the shoreline. Unfortunately, this was a lethal combination. It was only after I managed to survive my near death experience, that Jay informed me of the particularities of the beasts in that area. A certain pack, loves the scent of fishes, and another were attracted to open flames. But that is not all, even worse things were to come.¡±

    He took another drink from his canteen before proceeding.

    ¡°I knew I was in a very dangerous situation, when the first pack of wild beast arrived. These were the ones attracted to the scent of the fishes, and they were all lined up behind the tree line that was about twenty feet from the shore. Judging them not a threat, since most beast avoided open fires, I turned my back to the lake and faced them, while positioned behind the flames. This was the first of many chain of unfortunate events and judgment errors, that led to the penultimate disaster. There were flying creatures that were attracted to the open fire, and already in the sky above me. I did not notice them, as they hardly made any sound,¡± he shook his head, thinking back on how he did not even exercise the necessary caution at that time.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Almost at the last instant, I avoided a strike from what I now know as a Stone Roc. The first one hit the ground with thunderous impact, and re-launched itself into the sky, just before another two of these giants dived towards me. I mean, these are humongous birds, and their wingspans were definitely more than thirty feet!¡± he exclaimed, getting a little excited narrating this part, and his throat became exceedingly dry.

    Taking another quick gulp from his canteen, he quickly picked up where he left off.

    ¡°Seeing the Stone Rocs attacking me, the pack of wild beasts joined the fray, and I was surrounded on land by them, and from the sky by the Rocs. Soon the dozen or so Rocs, and the two dozen or so that formed the pack of wild beast, who Jay informed me later are dire wolves, attacked each other. I thought this gave me the opportunity to escape, and dived into the lake, thinking to hide underwater and swim away to safety. This was a very bad mistake, the blood dripping from the Rocs and the dire wolves, got into the lake as they tussled over me at the shoreline, and attracted a pride of Lion fish. They may make one of the best tasting dishes, but alive they are no pushover. One of the lion fish managed to close its jaws onto my left leg, and in the attempt to get out of the water, I did not notice a Roc who dove and grabbed onto my right shoulder with its talons. While the Roc tried to drag me out of the water, another Lion fish clamped down on my right lower leg, these two eight feet fish, weighed me down to the extent the Roc was only able to half drag me onto the shore. Not to be outdone by those two types of beasts, two dire wolves grabbed me on each arm the instant I got dragged onto the shore, and all three beasts types almost tore me into pieces,¡± Xiaoxia shuddered, when he recalled that experience.

    ¡°Anyway, what I think finally activated the ability, was when another Roc dove down on the pileup, and ripped my throat out. I mean I still do not know how I am alive, I felt its beak tear out my throat, and I couldn¡¯t even scream. The next instant, golden light was beaming everywhere, killing the six creatures who were on me at the spot, then I teleported around finishing the remaining who were in sight. It did not even take more than a minute to kill all those creatures, and when the golden light finally subsided, there was not a single wound on me,¡± he concluded that part of the story.

    Before he was about to explain how far he have went exploring the skill, he heard a muffled laughter from Jay¡¯s direction.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny Shishu!¡± Xiaoxia voiced out, a little hurt.

    ¡°I am really sorry, I do not know whether I should laugh or cry, I have never ever heard of anything close to what happened to you. I mean come on, how the heck can someone be as unlucky as you and at the same time be so lucky?¡± Jay couldn¡¯t stop grinning, while forcing down an outburst of laughter.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, please continue with your experience,¡± Xue Er told him.

    When Xiaoxia turned to acknowledge, he noticed that she was trying desperately to hide a grin.

    Rolling his eyes to the heavens, Xiaoxia gritted his teeth, sometimes he really couldn¡¯t understand adults, on more than one occasion he discovered they seemed to find perverse happiness and joy in other¡¯s suffering.

    ¡°I did not mention this to Gu Di or Jay, as I felt it could have been a one off thing, but this did not turn out to be the case. On occasions, while training at a later date and another place, I will notice a golden hue appearing whenever I was in a threatening situation. After about three months of such occurrences, I suspected that it was something that I perhaps could control. Since early on, at MeisterSchloss, Menon who is one of the elders there, indicated that it could be related to my unique meridian, which is situated near my heart meridian, I meditated by delving only at that area. It took me 23 months to finally progress to the point where I can produce a tiny beam of golden energy, and teleport a few feet. It is not even close to what you saw today, and the teleportation is in short useless. I do not even know why today¡¯s demonstration of what I learned, was so explosive. I was going to tell Gu Di and Jay eventually after our one week break, but it seemed better to do so earlier,¡± he finally concluded.

    (AN: According to the compendium on Time and Date, 1 year is 20 cycles of the moon, each cycle represents 1 month, each month is 20-26 days.)

    Xue Er did not respond immediately, after he completed his story. She was taking a while to digest the information and spoke up after a few minutes.

    ¡°Gu Di, I accept him. As for Jay, I will do as according to what the clan wishes,¡± she said, while looking at Gu Di.

    His timing is immaculate, and he was already listening in to the conversation, just as she made her decision. Earlier, he was not even interested in it, as he was going through the new stuff Xue Er have collected over the three thousand years in his absence.

    ¡°So I guess this is what the trip here is about, to train here?¡± Xiaoxia interrupted Gu Di, just as he was about to respond to Xue Er.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be training here, not after you almost destroyed the Chaos Barrier. Which reminds me, do not ever do that again, or everything here will be eaten up by the primal energies of the world. That barrier is a natural existence which each respective Void zones have. By damaging or destroying one, it will spell doom for that particular Void area. You cannot even begin to imagine what it means,¡± Xue Er answered.

    ¡°With regards to the training thing, she is right, you will not be actually training in that sense. What you are going to do is not the same as the past seven years, it will be more to develop your mind,¡± Gu Di confirmed, and continued, ¡°As for the Chaos Barrier, no one knows how it comes about, nor is there any scientific or paranormal explanation for it. In the meantime, the remaining 3 nights will be spent relaxing here. The Ki is too amazing to just waste our time doing anything else, than soaking in it!¡±

    ¡°This is true, it is definitely the reason why the amplification of your ability became so pronounced. Oh and it may be a few days too late, but congratulations on entering the Unknown Realm,¡± Jay added and congratulate him.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    ¡°You can use that particular Ki weapon right? Well if you can, it means you are already there,¡± Jay replied.

    ¡°Oh now that Jay mentioned it, I forgot to tell you this, but also by successfully unlocking the 2 major meridians in the brain, you have already entered the unknown realm,¡± Gu Di further informed him in an absent minded way.

    ¡°As usual, this idiot doesn¡¯t say anything till it¡¯s already happened or long since overdue,¡± Xue Er lambasted him, and added, ¡°and it is not 3 nights, it is 12 nights. Time here is dilated by four times, and my question is why only such a short period?¡±

    ¡°That because our knight in shining armor here, have been charmed by four girls who convinced him to take part in the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯. He will return once that is over, and start his internship here,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°That barbaric tournament? My God! Is it still in existence? I thought it would have long died off with the plunging popularity of the sole plate!¡± Xue Er exclaimed.

    ¡°That is old news, it almost did. Sole plate is hardly used anywhere now except a few nostalgic cities in the world, and the tournament only survived because of mass media and advertisement. Just how long are you out of touch with the world?¡± Gu Di informed her and asked.

    ¡°Since you left me with the kids and disappeared for 3,000 years,¡± Xue Er retorted.

    Jay and Xiaoxia¡¯s eye bulged out immediately upon hearing that. Both shared a look, while staring at the decrepit, absent minded and totally lack of responsibility Gu Di. In their minds, they were thinking the exact same thing.

    ¡°Gu Di, a father? Oh my God, how is that even possible!¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 15: Going to be a real problem

    She stood silently watching from afar, as the man collapsed in the middle of the road. It happened at the heart of the city, in the middle of the day, and very soon created a commotion.

    In a few minutes, many well-meaning people were trying to assist him. It is all for naught, as he was dead even before he hit the ground.

    The girl observed a while longer, and left just before the authorities arrived.

    Taking out her PCD, she contacted her associate. It was a successful mission, and in a few weeks¡¯ time, her unit will be given a well-deserved holiday.

    (AN: PCD ¨C personal communications device, under spatial devices in the Compendium)

    ¡°Yin, mission accomplished. Your work is done, rendezvous at alpha one niner,¡± she spoke over the com.

    ¡°Roger,¡± a mellow voice replied.

    ¡°Breep, Breep,¡±

    The device gave two beeps, before the line was disconnected.

    (AN: Yin, derived from Yin and Yang, can also mean Shady/cloudy)

    As she walked down the alleyway, scars could be seen riddled across her exposed shoulders.

    ¡°I wonder if they are going to ask us to do something during our holidays,¡± she thought.

    The news from above, was that this would be the final mission, before they were entitled to a much anticipated holiday.

    Even though it may be a simple holiday for her team, she knew from her few years of operations, that there is always a deeper motive behind everything. She suspected the holiday might be just a cover, for a plan already in motion.

    She shook her head when she thought of this, as most teams comprises of only young kids ranging from 14 to 17 years old. This is the perfect age for being invisible, as no one really pays much heed to them. It also meant that holidays, were a much needed time for play and fun.

    There was simply not enough of this going around, hence many children succumbed to the pressure and become mentally unstable or insane. The is most common, especially in children assigned to carry out the assassinations.

    While she is not an assassin, and did not kill the man in the earlier scene, she have her fair share of pressure and stress. This is because she and others like her, were deemed to be more suitable in coordinating missions. It is akin to a team leader, and the responsibility is very high.

    Mission failures, usually met with extremely severe punishment. These meant public whipping, humiliation and mutilation.

    While there were some fresh scars on her body from a couple of failures, there were many older ones as well. She could not remember how these came about, as she could only recall up to a certain point in time.

    That particular point in time, was the first day of her induction to her current team. She remembered waking up one day in a military styled barrack, and told that she will be known as Ux. The next thing she knew, was that she was immediately assigned to a team, and her duties were observations.

    In less than few months, her unit assessments, earned her a promotion to be the team coordinator. The  previous coordinator made a bad judgment, and was dead as a result of it.

    Their target at that time, hired counter surveillance experts who discovered their plot. This led to the team being exposed, and the counter surveillance experts meticulously who most of them were and killed them.

    She and another 2 only managed to survive, due to their roles. If they were in roles that required more involvement, it would have been a different story.

    These roles, did not consist of direct contact with the others in the unit. Hence, the counter surveillance team could not connect all the dots and kill them.

    On the other hand, it also a blessing in disguise for them, as these roles were considered the most despised ones in the team.

    They did not share the same level of benefits as the others. Hence in retrospect, it was worth eating less and being bullied, as it meant preserving their lives for the time being.

    ¡°Reee tee tee¡±

    The beep on her PCD alerted her to an incoming message, it was expected. After all, besides her team, there were usually one or two watchers.

    These watcher, were not part of the team, but individuals working directly for a certain organization. It is the organization, that runs all the teams.

    The watchers hide in plain side, and no one knew who they were. But their roles are the most simple, as they only relay the success and failure of each mission back to the people in charge.

    While this could be done just as easily as from the coordinator¡¯s PCD, somehow it is not allowed.

    It is a standing procedure, that all teams can only receive incoming communications from the organization. Outgoing communications to them were strictly forbidden, and even if the team wanted, they did not know how.

    These messages were all encrypted, and there was no way to establish a return address for outgoing communications to the organization.

    At this time, she was seriously thinking of sending a reply to give them a piece of her mind.

    The message on the PCD, was as she suspected earlier. It is not going to be a simple holiday, there is more to it than they are willing to tell her.

    But she was no fool, as the event taking place where her team was going to have a holiday, is known on a world wide scale.

    She was still staring at her PCD, as she entered a building.

    ¡°Tango Sixer Sixer, congratulations on mission success. We will be sending your team on an all-expense paid holiday to the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza. Enjoy the world cup and relax all you can. You all deserve it.¡±

    **********

    Menon was not happy, he have to travel to one of the main competitors of MesiterSchloss.

    The information he received from the trader pointed in that particular direction. It seemed the party who is involved in the farming of Elemental parts, was also heavily acquainted with the underground society of illegal activities in the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯.

    This party, is supplying illegal intoxicants, weapons, taking illegal bets and other matters which are not allowed by law.

    This booming business, is due to the number of visitors arriving for the World Cup. Many do not only go there due to the World Cup or because it is a top tourist destination.

    They take the opportunity of the chaos resulting from the sudden increase in visitors for the World Cup, to deal in all areas of illegal businesses.

    The law enforcement there, will be too overwhelmed by the billions of tourists and their safety, to be able to carefully monitor those engaged in illegal businesses.

    It is also the annual World Cup that is slowly stealing away Artisans, researchers and merchants away from MeisterSchloss.

    While the amount is not clearly visible on a year on year basis, it accumulated to a rather substantial amount over the past hundred years.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The only saving grace, was that every time a World Cup happens, the sale of Sole Plates manufactured in MeisterSchloss increased.

    Other than that, MeisterSchloss did not have a very cordial relationship with the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza.

    ¡°Dongbae, please arrange a meeting with the council,¡± Menon motioned to the captain.

    ¡°For what reason should I tell them?¡± Captain Dongbae asked.

    ¡°We need to send an official request to attend the World Cup,¡± Menon replied.

    He sounded a little irked and irritated.

    On top of not having cordial relations with Pairidaeza, MeisterSchloss did not receive an invitation to attend the World Cup.

    Every other empire, nation and independent city, have already received theirs.

    ¡°Just tell them that I will be going on an official capacity to support the Academy of the Sixth Element at the tournament,¡± Menon added.

    His investigation into the Elemental farming has so far been kept a secret. It was not that he didn¡¯t trust the other Elders in the council.

    It was that he didn¡¯t trust the people who are working under them. This is becoming more apparent as time goes by, and he have already found many agents over the years working for various people among their staff.

    He did not want what he is doing, to get into the hands of someone malicious.

    ¡°Yes your Excellency, I will proceed now,¡± Captain Dongbae replied.

    As he left, Menon focused his attention on a report he just received from Amelia.

    **********

    Amelia had just sent Menon the report on her results with Wanliang, when she received disturbing news.

    Before this, she was feeling a little regretful on how easy they obtained the answers from Wanliang.

    He awoken much later, after being kicked in the face by Maling, and started singing like a canary.

    A few in-house interrogators have verified that according to Wanliang¡¯s vitals and demeanor, he could not have been lying.

    Amelia did not readily let it go, as she really wanted to torture the hell out of him. Even Maling supported the idea, but eventually both cooled down enough to think it through.

    Both knew that to torture him any further, would be an injustice in itself. This will be against their own principals, and it would only bring them to Wanliang¡¯s level.

    Although she is still very distracted by it, the current matter at hand is going to need all her attention.

    ¡°Get Lord Maling immediately, tell him to come right this instant! There is no time to lose!¡± Amelia urgently told her chambermaid.

    Pressing on her HG PCD, she contacted Shi Land in the main world.

    ¡°You Royal Grace, what an unexpec..¡± he was cut short by Amelia who had no time to lose.

    ¡°Shi Lang, sorry for the absence of pleasantries. I will be arriving at the Imperial Capital in less than an hour, I need you to find out some things as soon as possible. Please check your messages the moment this call is over, it is a matter of utmost importance.¡±

    ¡°Uh?... Yes your Royal Grace,¡± Shi Lang answered, just as Amelia hung up.

    ¡°Where is that damn Maling, and what is taking him so damn long!¡± Amelia shouted at no one in particular.

    She did not realize that it was only mere seconds that she sent her chambermaid to summon Maling who was half a world away in Scarlet Condor Region.

    Flipping over the report again, she read it once more.

    ¡°To Your Royal Grace,

    Yesterday evening, international standard time zone on the 25th hour, our system algorithm detected that the Universal Spatial Bank you assigned to an individual known as Chen Zhen Xia, has been illegally tempered with.

    The full amount deposited in the card, has emptied. The origin of this tampering is in the City of Paiza, of the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza.

    If this is an error, please ignore this message, else please contact our nearest branch to lodge the necessary report.

    We do hope you have a nice day.

    One World Bank

    Hu Yuan Empire Main Branch¡±

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Amelia cursed out loud.

    While in the past seven years she did toy with the idea of finding Xiaoxia¡¯s whereabouts, this is not how she wanted to get the information.

    It is not the bank¡¯s fault for sending it via open channels to her, as this is done regularly for every other person as well. It is a security procedure that happens, when a card has been compromised.

    They also did not know, that certain people were looking for Xiaoxia. By sending this to Amelia, they have inadvertently pointed out his location to everyone in the world.

    (AN: this is not the reason Xiaoxia¡¯s group was attacked, the previous attackers got their information elsewhere, and it will be explained in a later chapters)

    ¡°Where is Maling? Time is of the essence!¡± Amelia fumed.

    They had to go to the Imperial Capital now, and later on to the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza.

    **********

    The though suddenly came to him, as he realized something amiss.

    ¡°Dasao, how is it you never get attacked by the golden energy?!¡± he blurted out, just as Xue Er was trying to explain other things to him and Jay.

    ¡°Oh, what is that?¡± she asked a little confuse.

    ¡°Why would the golden energy attack me?¡± she added.

    ¡°Whenever there is a clear and present danger, it will react to that threat, and you did attack me with a psionic wave,¡± Xiaoxia told her.

    ¡°I have no idea, nothing happened. Are you sure of this?¡± Xue Er answered and asked back.

    ¡°Yes I am very sure, only if I am consciously and subconsciously certain you are not a threat to my life, then it will not react,¡± he replied.

    (AN: during his battle with Huiling, and when she sliced his arm, he consciously and subconsciously did not find her a threat)

    ¡°How comforting,¡± Xue Er dryly said.

    ¡°I am sorry Dasao, this is not meant to offend you. But I was on very high alert after the confrontation with those unknown assailants, and even till now I am,¡± Xiaoxia told her truthfully.

    Turning to Jay, he did not even bother asking, as Jay was literally scratching his head at that question.

    When he looked at Gu Di, he could tell that Gu Di was seriously thinking it through. There were moments it looked like Gu Di was about to answer the question, but whenever that happened, he would open his mouth as if to answer, then close it again, as if he wasn¡¯t sure.

    When the answer finally came, it was not what Xiaoxia expected.

    ¡°I am afraid I do not really know for sure, and this is going to be a real problem.¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 16: Giant wolf like thing

    ¡°What do you mean when you said this is going to be a real problem?¡± Xiaoxia asked slightly alarmed.

    ¡°Well from what I know, your special ability is what has kept you alive for so long. Now it seems like it isn¡¯t working like before, and that will pose a real problem in the future, if you are in a life threatening situation again,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°But this is the Void, it may not be working due to this. On the other hand, if I knew about your special ability not surfacing as normal, I would not have allowed you to fight alone against the assailants we encountered,¡± he added.

    Xiaoxia blanched when he heard this, and was rather upset when he replied,

    ¡°So you were hoping for my special ability to come to the rescue in the event something unforeseen happens? Isn¡¯t this being too complacent?¡±

    ¡°Well, complacent or not, the fact is that your skills and Ki realm have already progressed beyond theirs. I would know, since I have been monitoring your progress all these times. There was only a slim possibility that you could have died, but like I just said, I would have done so otherwise if I knew,¡± Gu Di replied.

    ¡°So you knew I have entered the Unknown Realm? What else are you not telling me? I prefer if you just go ahead and tell me once and for all, at least I wouldn¡¯t be distracted by all these when in a life and death situation,¡± Xiaoxia said.

    Although he was not angry, he wasn¡¯t calm either. Questions popped into his head, when he was battling his first assailant, and this almost proved costly.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the unique Ki weapon Gu Di passed to him, he would most likely be dead or kidnapped.

    ¡°To answer your first question, off course I would know about your progress. I have been doing it since day one, there is no need for me to use that primitive device to check your growth,¡± Gu Di answered.

    ¡°There is actually not much to tell now, since you already know most of what transpired. Besides this, I honestly do not know who these assailants are. The only information from our sources, is that a group of individuals were snooping around, hence Jay was sent to figure out their origins. As you know, they rather die than tell us how they found our whereabouts,¡± he went added.

    ¡°Then what about this? I get the feeling you have not told me everything about it,¡± Xiaoxia asked as he took out the Ki weapon and activated it.

    What happened next, almost knocked the socks off the other three.

    A huge shockwave blasted out around Xiaoxia when the weapon absorbed his Ki, and the blade grew so large, that it seemed he was wielding a tree.

    The ethereal looking blade began to deform and disappeared entirely, instead what appeared in its place was something totally unexpected.

    A huge figure, nearly 15 feet in height, 25 feet in length, with a bushy tail almost 12 feet long, stood directly in front of Xiaoxia.

    It seemed of the same material that Ki weapon had, when he used it to kill the assailant. The white nimbus that surrounded it, blurred its profile and made it seem almost surreal.

    The figure bore a striking resemblance to wolf family, but somehow it wasn¡¯t one. There was nowhere in the world, where one as big as this even exists.

    The giant wolf like thing, took one look at Xiaoxia, and lumbered towards him. This caused Xiaoxia to flinch, and raise his arms to protect himself.

    Amazingly, it only nudged its muzzle against Xiaoxia, and looked like it was expecting something. When Xiaoxia did nothing, it nudged its muzzle this time at his quantum belt.

    ¡°Oh my God! How is this even possible?¡± Xue Er was the first to recover from the blast, and asked in shock.

    She looked in shock towards Gu Di, and saw an expression mirroring her own. At the same time, Jay was just as surprised.

    ¡°I do not know,¡± Gu Di said, still confused and unable to collect his thoughts.

    At this time, the giant wolf like thing was nudging it¡¯s muzzle against Xiaoxia¡¯s quantum bag repeatedly. The force of the seemingly gentle nudges were more strong than one would expect, and they literally felt like being shoved roughly by a strong person.

    ¡°What do you want? I have nothing that you need!¡± Xiaoxia blurted out, he felt exasperated by all the nudging.

    He was getting less frightened and more daring as the seconds ticked by. This creature did not seem to mean any harm, if it did, Xiaoxia would have long been dead.

    The giant wolf like thing looked at Xiaoxia with questioning eyes, and it paused a moment. This time it nudged again at the quantum bag and looked Xiaoxia straight in the eyes, before licking its chops.

    ¡°You want to eat something in this pouch?¡± Xiaoxia asked.

    Seemingly knowing what he said, the creature¡¯s ear perked up, and it sat on its hind legs with an expectant looks.

    Xiaoxia then rummaged through his quantum bag, and took out the food contained in the stasis container, that Amelia have given him years ago. It may have been a very long time, but thankfully stasis containers keeps all manner of things preserved in perfect condition, even though decades have passed.

    These were opened and all placed in a bundle on the ground before the giant wolf like thing, as Xiaoxia was not going to feed it from his hands. Although this thing did not looked like it meant any harm, he did not want to risk unnecessarily sticking his arm near the terribly sharp looking teeth.

    The creature sniff at the exposed food and snorted in disgust, it seemed very unhappy with what it was offered. Standing on all fours again, it nudged again at the quantum pouch.

    ¡°What do you want? This is all the food I have!¡± Xiaoxia told the giant wolf like thing.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.He looked at the other three, who by now have recovered from the blast, but they did not help much. All three of them just gave Xiaoxia the shoulder shrug, indicating it is not within their scope of understanding.

    Then a thought suddenly struck him.

    Turning his quantum bag upside down, Xiaoxia emptied half the Ki crystals in his possession onto the ground. This immediately looked to please the giant wolf like thing, as it pounced greedily on them. In a matter of seconds, all the crystals were cleaned from the ground.

    Xiaoxia made a wild guess, that turned out to be correct. He theorized that since the creature was most probably what the Ki weapon became, it would perhaps prefer Ki crystals over real food.

    ¡°Is this the thing you have not told me about the Ki weapon?¡± he turned his attention towards Gu Di.

    The giant wolf like thing, seemed to be satisfied with its expensive meal, and have went off to the far side of the massive room. It sniffed a few times at one particular spot, turn in a circle a couple of times, before lying down and closing its eyes.

    ¡°No, this is something I myself have never seen before. While your Ki weapon is supposed to have an alternative form, this is not it. The Wuming clan predecessor who used this weapon more than 60 thousand years ago, is obviously not alive to tell us anything else. The only records, were that it was originally a poniard, and the alternative form was a long sword. Needless to say, trying to trace the artisan who made it will be pointless as well,¡± Gu Di answered, still looking at the creature.

    ¡°Judging by what happened, I daresay you have already uncovered the alternative form,¡± Gu Di added.

    ¡°The alternative form is a long sword? But that¡¯s the only form I saw, I did not see the form of the poniard when I used it,¡± Xiaoxia informed Gu Di.

    ¡°Are you absolutely certain? According to what I know and what is recorded, there has been no incident where the alternate form appeared without first achieving its original form,¡± Gu Di asked to reconfirm.

    ¡°Yes I am very sure, and I know what a poniard looks like. It was definitely not a poniard, when the blade materialized the first time I used it,¡± Xiaoxia confirmed.

    ¡°I am sorry to break up the conversation, but I think this is something important,¡± Xue Er interrupted.

    She was in deep thoughts, the moment she recovered enough to grasp what happened. Even though the answer was not forthcoming in this particular situation, her people have experienced things not seen in the outside world.

    ¡°Correct me if I am wrong, Xiaoxia, you mentioned that this special ability of yours was extremely weak, when you practiced it before. But somehow it became stupendously strong here in the void?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, besides the first time it happened, the other times could not even compared to what happened today.¡±

    ¡°For the Ki weapon, was it the same?¡± she asked further.

    ¡°I suppose so, it looked like some glowing white sword that was not fully transparent, but close to it. The length was only around 3 feet odd, and it was definitely not that creature over there or as huge as the bole of a tree,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Although I cannot say how that creature appeared, I can sort of explain what is happening with this outburst of power. But there is someone who can explain this in a much better way than I can, and It will not be hard to seek an audience with him,¡± she informed him.

    ¡°No! Not him, oh God please! Of all people, he is the worst!¡± Gu Di complained loudly and pleaded.

    ¡°Why not, he wants to see you anyway. Besides the kids are there as well, you should at least pay them a visit,¡± she reasoned.

    Gu Di could not say anything else, not wanting to meet the person he dislike is one thing, but not seeing his children is another.

    ¡°You there, Jay is it? Come, it¡¯s time for me to see to your arm,¡± Xue Er motioned for Jay to approach.

    ¡°Hah! Finally, I have been sitting in corner being an extra, while all you important folks were doing some serious talking,¡± Jay grinned impishly at her.

    ¡°If you remain sarcastic, I will let it rot in stasis for the next few thousand years,¡± she glanced at him with a no nonsense look.

    ¡°Sorry!! Please help me with my arm!¡± Jay fervently apologize immediately.

    Xiaoxia was a little amused now, all of them were somehow no longer disturbed, or wondering about the giant wolf like thing. Even he himself was not thinking about it, and whenever he tried to focus his attention on how weird the situation is, it slipped away.

    ¡°Besides who are we going to visit?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Once Jay¡¯s arm gets attached back, we are going to meet my dad,¡± Xue Er calmly replied, vaguely motioning somewhere with her hand.

    There wasn¡¯t much conversation from her from this point onwards, as she concentrated on Jay¡¯s arm. In the empty moments, Jay filled the void, by talking mostly on Wuming and his own experience. Gu Di eventually added a few parts to the story, and corrected Jay¡¯s version of Wuming¡¯s history.

    All four of them did not realize that the creature was looking at them from semi-closed eyes, it was observing Xiaoxia in particular, and felt a strange kinship with the person who brought it to this place.

    Unknown to anyone alive, let alone the four who seemed to have totally forgotten about it, the creature possessed a special trait. It had an aura that can be used at will, to manipulate even strong minds to disregard it¡¯s presence.

    This made the creature seemingly unnoticeable, even it if was in direct line of sight. It was also the reason, why none of the four were now asking or wondering how the creature managed to appear.

 Volume 2 Chapter 17: Just the beginning

    ¡°It is bored here, I think I will go with the girls,¡± one cloaked figure spoke to the other.

    ¡°But cousin, who is going to help me train the other five? They don¡¯t really take me seriously, and its only because of you, that they are even willing to tolerate my training schedule!¡± the other cloaked figure argued.

    They were Instructor Wei and Brum, who were planning what to do with the other five, while Charlotte and Libby were away for the ¡®Sole Plate World Cup¡¯.

    Since it was official Academy business, there is a valid reason for them not to accept any challenges for the team¡¯s title. Even if they were given a few days break, both of them did not want the students to rest for too long.

    Hence Brum had drawn up a rigorous training schedule, even in the absence of Charlotte and Libby. It only gave the other five team members 3 days to rest before it started.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see a problem, they should be okay with the schedule. I see them as being just as motivated regardless if they do or do not have a break,¡± Instructor Wei replied.

    ¡°Besides, if they can¡¯t even maintain the discipline to follow this schedule, then they are not fit to hold on to their title,¡± she added.

    Brum just frowned and nodded, as he grudgingly agreed to what Instructor Wei said. While he was initially reluctant to let the two girls take part in the World Cup, he could not in good conscience deprive the Academy of two of their best flyers.

    While Charlotte and Libby have trained hard with the team to defend their title, they are also naturally gifted in the use of the sole plate. Since the departure of Xiaoxia, they have made huge progress in the flying club, and are respectively the captain and vice-captain.

    It was an honor bestowed on them during their 3rd year at the academy, and it was very rare. Captaincy is usually given to seniors or 7th year students, and it was and still is an unprecedented case.

    (AN: Senior ¨C 8th and final year)

    ¡°So train your disciples properly while I am away,¡± Instructor Wei said.

    She then turned and left, preparing to look for Instructor Sem. He is the person-in-charge of the Academy¡¯s team to the World Cup, and she needed to get his consent to join the entourage.

    ¡°I wonder how much winnings I can get there this year,¡± she thought, as soon she entered the trans-campus spatial transportation dais.

    **********

    Menon groaned miserably when he received word from the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza, his guide will be someone he literally wanted to wipe off the face of the world.

    To make matters worse, he received news on the possibility that Xiaoxia¡¯s location may have been made known publicly.

    Somehow, someone have taken the universal spatial bank device from him, and illegally hacked it to withdraw every single penny.

    This in turn activated the anti-fraud device, which coincidently was created by the R&D alliance situated in MeisterSchloss.

    Menon felt that the stupidest thing was that not only this bank, but all others transmitted these warning via open channels. While they were not entirely at fault, as the R&D alliance was the ones who invented the system, they could at least exercised some precaution and added a third party encrypted spatial communication.

    ¡°It just a few thousand imperial diamonds to get that system, why the hell are they so miserly when it comes to this?!¡± he complained out loud to no one in particular.

    The fact of the matter, is all the major banks with aeons of legacy, have paid hundreds of thousands of imperial diamonds ages ago, to have the universal spatial bank system. A few thousand just to including this additional security was a drop in the bucket for them, but apparently there was a conspiracy to stinge on what Menon considered a vital part of the system.

    ¡°Captain Dongbae,¡± Menon spoke over the local communication system.

    ¡°Yes your Excellency,¡± Dongbae replied.

    ¡°Please get me that item, I may have to use where we are going,¡± Menon instructed him.

    ¡°Sir, are you sure? It may be considered an act of war if you ever use it on foreign soil,¡± Dongbae asked doubtfully.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I ever use it, the reasons will be enough to avoid all out confrontation,¡± Menon assured him.

    ¡°Yes Sir, I will arrange it at once,¡± Dongbae acknowledge.

    ¡°Oh and one more thing, see to it personally, do not get anyone involve,¡± Menon added.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Dongbae answered, and disconnected.

    Turning around, Menon sorted through a huge stack of gizmos piled up on a table in front of him.

    He carefully selected a myriad of weird looking devices, some which look like the stuff nightmares are made of.

    ¡°Time to get these old bones tuned for battle,¡± Menon thought sullenly.

    *********

    Xue received news from the guild that his next target will be at the Sole Plate World Cup. The client have offered an unusually large amount, which is equal to the price of 100 average jobs.

    20 members will be involved this time, and the only orders for this job was not to kill.

    Every member is to operate independent of the others, and the first person to successfully procure the target will be given the purse money.

    While it is not rare, since there were many past instances of such bounties, it usually meant infighting and death.

    The assassins¡¯ guild could care less if they killed each other, as long as the job gets done. It also promoted a sense of competitiveness, something that the majority of its members love.

    On the other hand, this was a method to weed out the incompetent ones, and paved way for the rising stars of future generations.

    Realizing this was not just any bounty, Xue decided to exercise some caution. Not including himself, there will be another 19 just like him.

    He planned to bribe one of the guild bounty administrator, to gather information on the others. It is vital to know about the them, since he is certain with the information and his skills, he could take them all out and claim the bounty for himself.

    This will set him back by a huge margin in his plans to find the whereabouts of Huiling, but he decided it was a calculated risk worth taking.

    If he was successful, and even after buying the information, it would meant he would have way more money than he could ever use.

    This would prove useful to re-established his village, and retire into obscurity, once Huiling has been disposed of.

    ¡°Another welcome turn of events, just when I needed it,¡± he smiled inwardly.

    Activating his HG PSD, he blinked out of sight and started his journey to the guild headquarters.

    (AN: HG PSD ¨C high grade personal transportation device)

    **********

    Wanmei was rudely awaken by a crash in the other room, it sounded like someone had broken into the house via the window.

    Hurriedly rushing to the scene, she found no glass in the room, and it was empty.

    Alarmed, she looked out the window, to find the flower garden right in front filled with broken pieces of the window panes and shards of glass.

    There was a trail of blood leading away into the streets, and she could roughly make out a slim figure limping away into the darkness.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Rushing back into the house, she immediately contacted Daquan.

    ¡°Daquan! The princess have woken up and ran away, we need to find her as soon as possible!¡± she almost scream into the communications device.

    ¡°Huh? What! She finally woke up? Did you see where she went? I will gather the men right now to look for her!¡± Daquan responded hectically.

    He was up very early, and tended to town matters. The days were getting much busier and he needed the extra hours during the early mornings, just to be able to keep up with all the work load.

    It was now a usual occurrence, since the tremendous and constant influx of people to the town, due to the policies set in place by Maling.

    Wanmei in the meantime, have switched from town administrative duties and changed to full time housekeeping. This also enable at least one of them to keep an eye out for the wellbeing of Huiling.

    Hence Wanmei and the majority of the town were still asleep when the princess ran away.

    ¡°Immediately contact the Arch Duchess, she needs to know this right now,¡± Daquan instructed her.

    ¡°I will, just find her please, I cannot imagine what she is going through right now,¡± Wanmei answered.

    Disconnecting the communication device, she immediately contacted Amelia.

    **********

    It was less than half a day, since Amelia and Maling rushed to the Archipelago Nation of Pairidaeza. They were welcomed with the bright sunny weather, and strong salty sea breeze.

    ¡°This is unacceptable, we need to know who did it and we need to know now!¡± Amelia was demanding an answer from the branch director.

    The duo are currently in the main branch of the One World Bank in Paiza.

    ¡°I am sorry your Royal Grace, it is an ongoing investigation, and according to our laws, we are not allowed to disclose any information till the perpetrators have been proven guilty,¡± a man with a receding hairline apologized profusely.

    Amelia is a high profile client of their bank, and they knew about her very close relations with the Emperor of the Hu Yuan Empire. While not the biggest empire in the world, they still held considerable influence in the world¡¯s political arena to warrant utmost respect.

    ¡°What manner of excuse is this? Do you want me to blacklist your bank from my empire? Or would you rather me closing my account and encouraging all my contacts to do so as well?¡± Amelia threatened.

    The gold card she gave to Xiaoxia was considered pocket change to her, while in reality she was close to becoming an Imperial Diamond card holder.

    That with the total referrals she influenced into opening accounts with One World Bank, consisted of a substantial proportion of the banks readily liquefiable assets.

    ¡°I really am sorry, even if the board of owners allows this, or everyone in the bank for the matter, local legal protocols simply will not permit us to,¡± the branch director apologized yet again.

    He had been doing this countless times for the past 20 minutes.

    ¡°So you are just worried about your collective asses, and will not pay heed to what I need? A life is at stack here!¡± Amelia raised her voice another octave.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, I think this is a matter best settled with the interior force,¡± the branch director suggested.

    ¡°Why would I go to them, when you hav¡­.¡± Amelia was about to retort when Maling interrupted her.

    ¡°You have an incoming call,¡± he said, while pointing at her personal communication device.

    ¡°It can wait, I do not need to be distracted now,¡± Amelia glared at him, annoyed at being stopped halfway through her retort.

    She did not even look at the device attached to her belt harness.

    ¡°No it can¡¯t, its royal blue,¡± Maling insisted.

    When Amelia heard the term ¡®royal blue¡¯, she quickly dismissed the branch director with a wave of her hand.

    Bowing quickly before leaving the private meeting room, the branch director almost looked happy.

    Disengaging the personal communications device from her belt, she looked once at the flashing blue lights on the screen, before connecting.

    ¡°Yes Wanmei, how can I help you?¡± Amelia asked, with a tinge of irritation in her voice.

    Royal blue was the color chosen, as well as the term used, in the event something important with regards to Huiling is at hand.

    At this moment, Amelia thought it could be an update from the couple on Huiling¡¯s current situation. These updates were frequent, and usually there was no flashing royal blue lights when they contacted her.

    However there were times, when either Daquan or Wanmei have accidentally activated the wrong signal while contacting Amelia. This is the reason why Amelia thought it was another false alarm.

    ¡°Your Royal Grace, purple rose have bloomed and the wind have swept it away!¡± Wanmei¡¯s erratic and louder than usual voice burst out of the communication device.

    ¡°What?!!¡± both Maling and Amelia responded at once.

    ¡°Confirm last message!¡± Amelia instructed.

    ¡°Purple rose have bloomed and the wind have swept it away!¡± Wanmei¡¯s voice repeated the last message again, this time her voice sounded more urgent.

    ¡°Understood, the gardener will be sent over right now,¡± Amelia acknowledged.

    Disconnecting the line, her expression became even darker.

    ¡°Shit! Of all times this have to happen!¡± Amelia cursed.

    ¡°I agree, so what is the plan now? Both are equally important, but there are two of us,¡± Maling asked and ended suggestively.

    ¡°There is no choice, you need to head back and settle the situation there. I will settle the other situation here on my side, and please contact Shi Lang for me. I need to know if he have done what I asked him to, when we were at the Imperial city,¡± Amelia told him.

    ¡°Sure, just pay no heed to the situation back home, and concentrate here. I am after all very good with plants,¡± Maling winked boyishly at her.

    Amelia only rolled her eyes in disbelief, wondering how Maling could still joke in the current situation.

    ¡°Just go already, purple rose needs the gardener soon,¡± she chided.

    Nodding his head, Maling left the room in a rush.

    ¡°Now whose bright idea was it to name me the gardener? They must not know me very well,¡± Maling thought as he hurried to a nearby spatial dais just outside the room.

    It is his codename for all matters regarding Huiling.

    Purple rose, is Huiling¡¯s code name. The term bloomed, meant she have awaken, while the term ¡®the wind have swept it away¡¯, meant that she disappeared and her whereabouts are unknown.

    Plenty of thought and planning went into the effort of keeping Huiling whereabouts a secret, and it became apparent that this was the right choice only after a couple of years.

    Shi Lang¡¯s spy network, which is spread throughout the world, received various information on a few individuals who were interested to find her. Who they were, no one knew. It was one of the many things Amelia asked Shi Lang to look more into earlier that day.

    ¡°Damn all these to hell, why is it bad things always comes at the wrong time?¡± Amelia shouted out exasperatedly in the now empty room.

    She did not know, that it was just the beginning.

 Volume 2 Chapter 18: Never bear fruit

    As time flew by in in the 7th Void for Xiaoxia and the others, less than a few hours went by in the outside world.

    They were currently in transit to an exit, that will lead them to somewhere within the outside world. This in turn, is just a short walk to another entrance which will lead to another Void.

    Gu Di¡¯s in-laws and children, were not living in the same void as Xue Er. They are in another void with a much denser time dilation field.

    Xiaoxia found out that in terms of measureable age in the World of Yuan Zhong, Xue Er was much younger than Gu Di, and even Jay. According to the official calendar, she around but not yet 3,000 years old.

    But this is not the actual number of years she have lived.

    She spent a third of her life in the other Void, before shifting to the 7th Void. This other Void, has nearly 8 times the time dilation when compared to the normal world. This meant she was about 8,0000 years old, when she moved.

    Since the 7th Void has 4 times the dilation, it means the balance 2 thirds of her life spent there, equates to another 8,000 years.

    In total Xue Er has been living for around 16,000 years.

    The time dilation effect was something that really intrigued Xiaoxia, the possibility of having more time just by being in the Void is a tempting reason to stay even longer.

    What Gu Di said earlier, about him not wanting to leave when he arrived was very true.

    Unfortunately, Xue Er gave Xiaoxia the bad news,

    ¡°It may be tempting to live here for the rest of your natural life, but you are not a Void Being, and there is no way you can stay here for more than a few months.¡±

    She went on to further explain that the meeting with her father, will give more details into all the questions he has.

    However, her father was not an easy man to make an appointment with. Thankfully, because of their familial relationship, the chances were much better compared to others.

    He is a revered seer in the Void, and usually seers do not meet with just anyone. The seers knew many answers to the mysteries in the Void as well as the world, since information has been passed down from master to disciple via a technique called soul-connect.

    Xue Er went on to explain that soul-connect, involves something akin to the higher cognitive brain functions, but is much more complicated than that. Only seers and potential candidates possesses this innate ability.

    The ability allowed a seer, to basically impart his or her life skills and knowledge to their only disciple. It can only be done once, and once done, the seer will no longer retain any memories or powers.

    This is also one of the main reasons, why it is only done in the final days of the seers life, before he or she leaves for the afterlife.

    The benefit of this, is that all skills and knowledge passed down from seer to seer, is just as fresh as it have been since the distance past it was gained.

    There were many lines and sects of seers, and Xue Er¡¯s father, belongs to a line of seers that has been around since the 9th Era.

    He has the collective knowledge as well as skill set of all his predecessors, and it is believed that whatever knowledge his lineage has, way exceeds those of Wuming.

    ¡°Besides, this is why Gu Di is not letting you guys stay here for more than 3 months in actual real world time. It is also the reason why he himself doesn¡¯t spend a prolong amount of time in the Void, all non-Void beings have a tendency to lose their minds here,¡± Xue Er explained a little more.

    Thought it was a simple explanation, Xiaoxia have hoped for a bit more.

    ¡°You said earlier, that you can sort of explain what is happening with me. Maybe you can give me a rough idea, nothing too in depth, since your father is going to do that. At least it is a sta¡­¡± he responded halfway, before his attention was diverted.

    He was distracted by the giant wolf like thing, who was looking at him with an expectant look. It was tagging along with them, as they travelled on strange looking mounts that looked like overgrown fowls.

    Due to the tremendous Ki required, Xue Er was not able to transport the four of them the thousands of leagues to the point of exit. Hence they needed to travel via mounts to an airfield, where there were airships for hire. It was roughly 40 leagues from where Xue Er¡¯s tower was.

    In the meantime, something was nagging at Xiaoxia¡¯s mind, and in the past hour or so, he was becoming more aware that somehow he was losing focus on the giant wolf like thing.

    While it was not apparent at first, his brain is starting to reject the suggestive aura from the creature, that is making it unnoticeable.

    ¡°More Ki crystals?¡± Xiaoxia asked the giant wolf like thing.

    Even though it could not speak, Xiaoxia mysteriously knew what it wanted.

    Grumbling a little, he took out a few pieces of crystals and threw it one by one at the giant wolf like thing. It jumped playfully and snatched each piece precisely in mid-air, surprisingly making no sound or even ground tremors when it landed.

    ¡°Sorry for the distraction, can you please tell me now?¡± Xiaoxia directed his attention back to Xue Er.

    ¡°No problem, I was trying to find a simple way to tell you what I suspect is happening,¡± she replied.

    The other three, still did not suspect a thing, and were not alarmed or intrigue by the giant wolf like thing. It¡¯s aura is still working as intended on them.

    ¡°The Void is the origins of forms and types of Ki in the world, it is also where Void crystals comes from. While absorbable Ki here in on another level compared to the outside world, it still cannot compare to the magnitude of unabsorbable Ki here. Don¡¯t get me wrong, when I say unabsorbable, I mean for us living beings, not for non-organics or other life forms,¡± Xue Er said, taking a pause to think then continued.

    ¡°Now Void Crystals are one of those non-organics that can absorb these unabsorbable Ki. It also creates a phenomenon, where Ki crystals are made. When this occurs, they somehow cross the boundaries of the Void and appear in the outside world,¡± she added.

    ¡°I suspect, you somehow have abilities similar to a Void Crystal, and your ability to absorb Ki, is not only limited to what can normally be absorbed. This is what makes your power ridiculously overpowered here in the Void,¡± Xue Er further enlightened him.

    ¡°At the end of the day, this is just the fundamentals laymen explanation. It is rough around the edges and doesn¡¯t explain a whole lot in details, but you did mention you wanted a rough idea,¡± she concluded.

    ¡°Then what about that giant wolf like thing?¡± Xiaoxia asked, somehow he finally managed to do so.

    ¡°Huh? Oh that? I don¡¯t know, never thought of it, not worth explaining anyway,¡± she finally brushed off the question, treating it as if it was minute and trivial.

    Seeing her reaction, Xiaoxia became a little more suspicious.

    Besides Xue Er¡¯s nonchalant attitude towards the giant wolf like thing, Gu Di and Jay were just as oblivious to its presence.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Whenever Xiaoxia¡¯s mind was lucid enough to brush off the aura¡¯s influence, he would approach Gu Di or Jay and talk about the creature. But whenever he did it, it always seems like they did not realize it was there, till it was actually mentioned.

    Even as he was thinking this, his mind slowly lost grasp of what he was thinking, and soon his thoughts drifted to the surroundings. It is after all, a very beautiful place.

    The giant wolf like thing, looked closely at Xiaoxia, respect shown clearly in its eyes. In its existence even before the birth of mythical, humanoid, and racial beings, it have not met anything that could brush off the suggestive aura to camouflage its presence.

    ¡°What impressive mental capacity! This pup is really special,¡± it thought.

    **********

    It is a little over 4 days since Xiaoxia went off to do his stuff, and the four girls were now on a remote island far from the city of Paiza.

    The island was about 59 leagues in length and 37 leagues in width, with an active volcanic mountain range rising 29 thousand feet above it. The mountain range dominated the central part of the island, and ran from one end of it to the other.

    It is now totally void of any natural resources, long since stripped away by mining corporations. The saving grace, is that it still have plenty of flora and fauna.

    Not having natural resources, did not matter to the girls, as it made this island much cheaper than the other hundred thousand or so out there.

    This island is called S14-A91, now owned by them. They could change the name if they wish, but chose not to, as the cost was astronomical.

    Naming the island, cost even more than the island itself. It was something no one could understand, and yet no one even bothered to asked why.

    The girls have actually wanted to take out sufficient money from Xiaoxia¡¯s universal spatial bank, to purchase the weapons and perhaps some other parts and equipment for the World Cup.

    Unfortunately, the shady technician made an error and withdrew the entirety of its amount at one go.

    Therefore after buying the stuff they required, they somehow got into a discussion about the future, which ultimately led to talk about the balance of the vast wealth they now had.

    One thing led to another, and suddenly out of the blue, a decision was made to purchase an island to train in.

    It will be the base their future Sole Plate guild, and the girls were already actively recruiting potential members.

    ¡°How much do we have left?¡± Meiling was asking Cailing.

    Besides being the most capable fighter among them, she was also really good at accounting.

    ¡°Well, after the purchase of the required stuff and this island, we have a little over half of it,¡± Cailing replied.

    ¡°We need to be in the top 50 to be able to earn back what we spent, if we include sponsorship deals and other advertisement revenues, somewhere in the top 75 to 80 should be sufficient,¡± she added.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t get lower than top 50 this year, or our current major sponsor will dump us. It won¡¯t be easy to find another so soon,¡± Meiling responded.

    Just at this moment, Carol and Jane approach from the south, they were out exploring the island.

    ¡°Heya Lings!¡± Carol called out.

    (AN: meiLING, caiLING, so Carol called them Lings)

    ¡°Word!¡± Cailing returned the greeting.

    ¡°Hi,¡± Meiling replied, and added, ¡°So how goes everything on the south side?¡±

    ¡°Like what they said, the south side has a respectable size residential area. Most of the buildings are really run down, but that is to be expected, since it was centuries ago they were abandoned. But those are only for the tall apartment blocks, as for the houses where the higher management once lived, they are still sturdy and fit for living,¡± Jane replied.

    She is their expert technician, and she knew beyond just sole plate modification and repairs.

    The island they purchased, even cost less than the weapons they were going to train and use in the World Cup.

    It was abandoned close to 8 centuries ago, after all the natural resources have been bled dry from it. No one wanted to buy this island or even make it into a resort. Thus the price hit rock bottom.

    There were many factors which led to this, and the first, was due to the residential area. There, most of the tall structures were already near the point of collapse, and just clearing them away will be a huge cost.

    Secondly, the underground tunnels that once led to the rich deposits of natural resources, crisscrossed and spanned the entire island. It made the underlying ground very unstable, and extra cost will be needed to stabilized these areas.

    Lastly, the island was among the outer ones, and it was not as protected as the inner islands, who were safe from severe weather systems, or the occasional tsunamis.

    All these made the chance of getting a buyer minuscule, but it was different for the four girls.

    They grew up on an island similar to this, which was another abandoned mining town. However there the population was much denser, as it was very close to a major fishing city.

    The 4 of them did not care about these stuff, since they had sole plates, and could always avoid poor weather, and dangerous unstable grounds. The only thing they cannot avoid, is getting the place up and running.

    ¡°The Spatial hub is running very low on power, we need to replace it with a new Ki generator. I calculate another 3 to 4 times of usage before we are stuck with flying back where we come from. In the meantime, of all the sturdy houses, I earmarked ones which will fit us perfectly,¡± Jane informed the other two.

    ¡°And we need to get this shifting all done as soon as possible, or we can¡¯t begin training when that boy returns,¡± Carol added.

    The other girls nodded, they really tried not to think about it, since they have shamelessly used almost half his money.

    They continued to remain quiet after this while looking at each other, when Meiling finally broke the silence,

    ¡°When he returns, we must apologize immediately. I know over these few days we have been avoiding mentioning his name or talking about it, but he is going to be in our team, so we better just get it over with at once.¡±

    ¡°Okay let¡¯s not waste any time, we need to go back and prepare all the necessary things to move!¡± Carol interjected, trying to change the subject.

    Cailing and Jane just smiled impishly at her, giving a ¡®I know you know¡¯ look.

    Carol just rolled her eyes to the sky, while thinking, ¡°I must put an end to this, no point tormenting him or myself on something that will never bear fruit.¡±

    With this, she flew off towards the island¡¯s spatial hub, followed by the other three, as they made their way back.

 Volume 2 Chapter 19: More deaths

    ¡°There has been an awakening,¡± a cacophony of two thoughts spread its awareness across the outside world.

    In a short while, others began to respond.

    ¡°We did not notice this,¡± a creature of epic proportions said, it is hidden among the clouds on a mountain range.

    ¡°It happened in our domain, who else besides us is able to detect anything in the expanse of the Void,¡± the first creature informed it.

    ¡°This will prove a serious threat to us, how many and of what origins and form does it take?¡± another creature of massive size joined the conversation, it laid beneath the depths of the ocean.

    ¡°As far as we know, there is only one, and its origins are unknown, but its power is unquestionable. It takes the form of a puny primal wolf,¡± the first creature told them.

    ¡°There is only one of them, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to destroy it before the others appear,¡± replied a fourth, it opened its massive maw, as it fed on magma within a chamber, deep beneath a volcano.

    ¡°Our powers are rendered useless in the Void, you may need to handle it,¡± said one more to the first creature, while it lumbered further into the depths of a cavern near the border of the planet¡¯s crust and the outer mantle.

    ¡°That may not be a wise decision, if it can retain its powers in the Void, this will prove an extremely dangerous situation for you to face it alone,¡± the wisest amongst them finally entered the conversation, its limbs swaying in response to alert.

    ¡°We wield the elements of light and dark, no single foe should be beyond our abilities. The only troublesome thing, is that the seedling with the anomaly, is somehow involved with it,¡± the first creature replied.

    ¡°Like you said, no single foe should be a challenge to ANY of us. Even if that seedling is involved, his powers are miniscule, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± the creature hidden in the clouds opined.

    ¡°I concur, his most recent episode a few years ago, was extremely lacking. It was not even a noticeable fraction of what he showed for the first time,¡± the magma eater advocated.

    ¡°That has changed, he is no longer a seedling. The powers he just displayed today in the Void is worrying, and it is considerably more powerful than we have thought,¡± the first creature replied, in its weird cacophony of two voices.

    ¡°You said this happened in the Void, if that is the case, I can safely say his powers is what awakened one of them,¡± the wisest amongst them interjected.

    ¡°We are not exactly sure, but according to what you say, that may be a possibility. The awakened one, appeared shortly after that seedling almost destroyed a Chaos Barrier,¡± the first creature surmised.

    ¡°Was the barrier fully destroyed? If not how did the awaken one enter into this realm? There has got to be a connection, else it is unchartered territory for all of us,¡± the ocean creature responded.

    ¡°While that is a fact we do not know for sure, there is definitely a connection between the seedling and the appearance of an awaken one,¡± said the wisest one.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I shall proceed with my own plans,¡± the first creature informed them.

    The rest of the creatures paused for a moment, then all replied at the same time.

    ¡°So be it.¡±

    **********

    Ux stared off into the ocean, the team have arrived on Paiza.

    Under the direct order of the organization, they were all to let their hair down and relax at the premier destination of the world.

    While she never questioned the organization¡¯s authority, or the punishment carried out for mission failure, she always wondered who she really is.

    It was and still is self-preservation, that she obeyed every command without question. This unlike many cases of disobedience within the ranks, allowed her to survive this far.

    Compared to the thousands who die every year, be it mission related or punishment related, being able to survive beyond 2 years is very uncommon. For Ux, she have survived for over 4 years, and that is considered rare.

    While it is rare for someone to manage such longevity within the organization, there were others who have survived longer, and even made it to the upper echelon of the organization.

    At this moment, she was lost in thoughts, enjoying the cool breeze of the ocean air.

    All this time, she failed to notice an old man looking at her from a distance. He seemed rather engrossed at staring at her, but left soon after another man approached and spoke with him.

    -

    ¡°What is it that is so important, that the toad needed to see me for?¡± Menon asked irritably.

    He just arrived at Paiza¡¯s main transportation hub, and noticed a young female who looked very familiar to him. When he was about to make the decision to approach her, Dongbae have informed him of the summons.

    ¡°I am sorry your excellency, it seems the crown prince wishes to tell you that in person,¡± Captain Dongbae replied.

    ¡°Pfft, he doesn¡¯t deserve that title,¡± Menon scoffed.

    ¡°Your excellency, while I have no idea what is going on, please try to calm down, this is not MeisterSchloss,¡± Captain Dongbae whispered in hush tones.

    Menon muttered some curses under his breath, and turned back towards the girl he saw.

    She was no longer there.

    **********

    Xue left the guild in a bad mood, the information he acquired at an obscene price, while proving to be useful, also gave him some worrisome details.

    Among the other guild members who are participating in this pseudo-bounty-competition, there were 3 who are in the top 10 of the guild rankings.

    Xue himself was a only a little within the top 50, which means those 3 had to be much more superior than him. The others were hardy worth noticing, as none of them were even in the top 100.

    However something was nagging at him, the top 10 do not get involve with this type of menial bounties. If this particular bounty was 100 times more valuable than normal ones, then the bounties those in the top 10 usually accept, are themselves another 100 times more valuable than this.

    It also shook his confidence, as he thought among the top 50, accept for the top 10, he could take all of them on and emerge victorious. His confidence initially was overwhelming, but now it is not.

    To make matters worse, they were not the only Assassins¡¯ Guild involve. There was at least one more guild, confirmed to have interest in this bounty.

    Another 2 are known to have been contacted by the contractor, but their involvement is still unconfirmed.

    The final nail that sealed his miserable mood, was the identity of the target and a previous engagement.

    Apparently, there were 2 individuals in the Unknown Realm spotted with him. Their exact abilities were unknown.

    The Assassins¡¯ brotherhood, the founding body of all Assassins¡¯ Guild, have sent 10 elite members specifically chosen for the job.

    All have not reported back, and are presume to have failed the mission. The verdict from the council, was that all must have died, else there would at least have been a little communication.

    ¡°Damn it all to hell!¡± Xue cursed.

    The money he saved so hard just to buy the information on Huiling, has almost been dried up buying this information.

    The possibility of success is zero to none, and he could not withdraw from the assignment, or risk being expelled from the guild.

    If he was expelled, he would not be able to join another guild, due to the black-mark. He is also ill suited for any other careers, which meant he will probably find it hard to earn a living.

    ¡°There is only one thing I can do,¡± he thought, as he disappeared behind an alleyway.

    **********

    Three females appeared at one of the many transportation hubs in Paiza, and they all wore clothes which displayed a crest of significant fame.

    They were Charlotte, Libby and Instructor Wei.

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    ¡°Instructor! Let¡¯s go have some fun!¡± Charlotte chirped happily.

    Libby smiled and nodded in agreement, hardly speaking a word in Instructor Wei¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Girls, I have to handle something now, you can carry on and have some fun, but please keep out of trouble,¡± Instructor Wei told them.

    It is now a little over three weeks till the World Cup, but all teams were not due till 2 weeks before the tournament. It is a usual practice for teams to arrive then, in order to acclimatize themselves to the climate and environment.

    The 3 of them were here earlier, because Charlotte have insisted on relaxing a little before practicing in earnest for the World Cup. She managed to coax Libby to agree, but was rejected by Sem.

    Having been there, when the girls asked to be in Paiza earlier, an eureka moment befell Instructor Wei. She basically threatened Sem, so that the three of them could go earlier.

    She also managed to ensure that the 1 week advance visit, would be fully sponsored by the Academy for ¡®research¡¯ purposes.

    ¡°Now time to find that sports bookie,¡± Instructor Wei said to no one in particular, the moment the girls were out of sight.

    -

    ¡°Hey Libby, don¡¯t you feel a little warm here?¡± Charlotte asked.

    Libby shook her head an uttered a barely audible, ¡°No.¡±

    Unlike Charlotte, Libby was accustomed to the barely bearable heat of the run¡¯ah desert, place of her birth, home of her people. The slightly warm weather was nothing to her, and she actually appreciated it.

    She found MeisterSchloss to be bitterly cold and always hid beneath thick layers of clothing.

    Charlotte on the other hand, was perspiring like mad, and streams of sweat literally rained down from her skin. She found MeisterSchloss¡¯ weather to be a hint above the cool limit.

    It was not their first time in Paiza, since they have on occasions taken part in previous competitions over the last few years.

    ¡°Come lets go garb ourselves in some local fashion!¡± Charlotte dragged Libby off into one of the many large gateways to various strip malls.

    Along the way, they passed many other students from other academies, who had the same idea they had, to enjoy the world¡¯s no.1 tourist destination before the World Cup.

    ¡°I do hope we can get into the top 1000 this year,¡± Charlotte said cheerfully, while arm in arm with Libby.

    Whether she was serious, or just saying it for the sake of it, was not clear to Libby, who just nodded.

    While many Schools and Academies take part in the World Cup, many do not even make it to the top 1000 in the rankings.

    Due to no ruling on killings, the Yuan Zhong Academic Board strongly insisted that all student participants give up on the slightest indication of an overwhelming opponent.

    This insistence, kept the death rate of participating students to the minimal, and there were years when not even a single student died.

    It also made it so, that most participating academies do not even last till the end of the first day, of the 3 day competition.

    While there is only one official ranking throughout the board, there was also an unofficial one for schools. This was formed as a tribute to schools, who were mostly made up much more younger participants on average, compared to the amateur and professional teams.

    Likewise, advertisers and sponsors swarm top ranked schools who participate, hoping to become their sponsors. It was huge money as well for schools.

    While the Academy of the Six Element¡¯s club have been approached before, not a single sponsor nor advertiser have successfully contracted them.

    The Chairman, made it clear that accepting offers such as these, was in all honesty degrading for an Academy of their wealth and status.

    ¡°Hah! Top 1000? You can¡¯t even clear 5,000 last year!¡± a voice loudly ridiculed Charlotte.

    She immediately recognized the voice, and knew exactly what to say next.

    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this the beggar team from Paiza School for the Nations,¡± Charlotte retorted.

    Facing the person who spoke those word earlier, she looked at their familiar outfit.

    ¡°Is this the best you can do? Runt of the schools?¡± a young boy asked sarcastically.

    ¡°I see, beggars like you still can¡¯t learn proper manners. Oh? What is this? I spy another few more new pieces of fabric holding your hobo clothes together,¡± Charlotte responded in kind.

    She was referring to the new sponsor and advertiser tags that were sewn all around the other teams outfit. Every single available exposed area of their team uniform, seems to be covered with a piece of logo or advertisement.

    The exchange of insults and sarcasm lasted for minutes, before the young boy was lost for words. Still not letting it rest, Charlotte who seemed like she can go for another few hours, continued hurling insulting and degrading remarks at him.

    Unable to find new and creative ways to respond, the boy¡¯s anger slowly and gradually built up to the point of breaking. When it finally did, he scream loudly and lunged towards Charlotte.

    ¡°DIE BITCH!!!¡±

    ¡°Whhomp!¡±

    Surprisingly, he did not even move an inch, before an invisible force lifted him up from his feet and blew him backwards into a few low lying shrubs.

    While obviously winded and a little shock, the boy glared at another person in his group.

    ¡°Why the hell did you do that for?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Shut up, didn¡¯t your parents told you never to hit a girl?¡± the other person replied, he was a slightly older boy.

    ¡°How dare you speak to me like this, I will make sure you get punished!¡± the young boy replied and was gathering Ki energy.

    Before he could complete what he wanted to do, another blow struck him squarely on the jaw, knocking him out cold.

    ¡°My apologies, I am Mark, 7th year student. Also the new captain and advisor for this team,¡± the older boy apologized and introduced himself to the girls.

    ¡°Hi and bye,¡± Charlotte replied, while quickly walking away with Libby in tow. She did not care for other guys, especially if they were not Xiaoxia.

    Libby looked a little worried and said something in hushed tones to Charlotte, when they were no longer within range of the other team.

    ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± she asked to confirm.

    ¡°Yes, it is definitely him,¡± Libby quietly replied in her soft timid voice.

    ¡°What a small world, looks like this is going to be an interesting year,¡± Charlotte replied.

    The older boy who introduced himself as Mark, took part in the Inter Continent Freshmen Competition. He was involved in the Team competitions, and would have been assured absolute victory if it wasn¡¯t for something.

    That something that stole the trophy away, and made The Academy of the Six Elements team champions, was that Mark, or known by another name then, single-handedly and intentionally caused extreme harm that killed half the team members of another team in the quarter-finals.

    The referee of the match, could not even react in time to notice what happened before it was too late. By the time he blew his whistle, and got Mark disqualified for breaking the rules, the rest of the opponent¡¯s team who were not dead, were already seriously injured.

    It is generally agreed, even by Charlotte and the team, that Mark and his team had showed enough dominance to claim the champion¡¯s title easily. They still could not imagine what made him lose it and went out of his mind during the quarter finals.

    While this is the Sole Plate World Cup, and not the Freshmen Competition, there were still battles being fought, and since there was no ruling against killing others, it made Charlotte a little uneasy.

    ¡°Guess there is going to be more deaths in this years Sole Plate World Cup," she thought.