Chapter Two

Ye Long stepped into his grandfather's study. It wasn’t as big as the studies he had seen in his previous lives, but it was big enough for this village. There are a couple of reasons why Ye Long wanted to come to this study. One reason is to learn more about this world. He must know if their are still people who cultivate and if he was just unlucky to be born with broken meridians. Two he needs to learn how to write. Ye Long already understands how to speak, but he needs to be able to put words on paper. If one knows how to do that, they will go a long way in life. Lastly he needs to know

Ye Long looked around the room for a moment. There were three shelves full of books, a globe showing the world, and a map. Ye Long first decided to look at the map, he needed to know how this continent looks. As long as he can understand that, then his knowledge will shoot up.

Looking at the map - which was fairly long, it was at least two times bigger than all of the continents he has been on. The continent was divided into eight sections. Each one was a different color, and each had a name on it.

Ye Long looked at the biggest one. This section was at least two times bigger than the other ones, but it had it’s back against the water. The name of that section was He. The second biggest was Fe. Third Li. Fourth was Lin. Fifth was Shen, sixth Wei, seventh Sho, and eight Ye.

‘Ye… Ye… matches my name. Could we be from there?’ Ye Long asked himself as his finger touched the map. After his finger touched the map, the borders for each section moved. The Ye section was faced off against the Shen, Wei, and Li sections. When his finger touched the map, the Ye section got small while the other three got bigger.

‘This map… it seems to work in real time.’ Ye Long thought to himself.

The map he was looking at was not a normal map. When a part of a land is taken over, the map will update itself, so everyone knows how much land they have. Ye Long made an assumption that these sections were at war with each other, and it seemed the Ye section was on the losing end.

If the Ye section disappeared, what would happen then?

Ye Long really hoped he was not in the Ye section at all. He guessed that in at least ten or eleven years time, that place would be gone. If he was really in the Ye section at that time, he was sure he might get caught up in the war and die. He couldn’t have that.

Ye Long shook his head as he stepped away from the map. He walked over to the globe that was on a table.

When he was on earth, he had seen tons of globes before. However he had to say, this one definitely takes the cake. A globe this size shouldn’t even be called a globe. It was at least three times bigger than the one of earth. Just thinking of the amount of continents this globe could hold shocked Ye Long.

Unlike most of the earths he was on where most of the planet was taken up by water, this place was taken up by mostly land. That or it was close to being fifty-fifty. There were six oceans on the globe, and eighteen continents.

Ye Long studied each one and memorized their names. He didn’t know if he would ever leave this continent, but he needs to know the others. One reason being that if he ever wants to leave this one, he’ll need to know which direction to head in for the others. Not to mention that it would be stupid of him to not know the names of each continent.

Ye Long was in the body of a four year old boy. Sure it was his body, but it had the same four year old functions. As long as he jammed everything into his brain from an earlier age then they would be stuck there for a long time. He would definitely be an early bird in this life.

He might forget what he learned the next day, but he would study it all again. No matter if he forgot what he learned next week, he would study it once more!

Ye Long looked at the three shelves that were filled with books. ‘Which one to start with…’ he asked himself.

He thought over it for a moment before deciding to start with the left shelf. He approached it and glanced at the books that were displayed on it. It was filled with at least twenty different books. If he were to read this shelf alone, it would probably take him a few days.

Ye Long stretched his body out before grabbing the first book. It was a basic language book. He’s four and he is new to this world. It is better if he learns this language and any other while he still can. The more proficient he is at it, the better it will be later on.

‘In this life, I shall not fail!’ He told himself.

Opening the book to the first page which was title ‘Introductory’ he started reading. Reading in general would let him increase his knowledge as well as his reading speed. If he couldn’t become a cultivator in this world, he could become a scholar. That or a strategist for some king somewhere.

This world had a total of six languages. There was the Hen language, Zhou language, Solin language. Lanix Language, Qin Language, and Zu Language. Each language was mostly spoken in certain continents and from certain races.

Ye Long already learned just from reading the introductory that their were six languages. Now he learned that their are certain races as well. Their was the sphinx race, beastman race, human race, elven race, pixie race goblin race. There were at least ten others on the list as well.

This world was filled with different races. Ye Long wondered if it would be taboo for a human to have a child with one of the other races. He decided to put it in the back of his head for now and ask his grandfather later on.

Ye Long started studying the Hen language first. Just looking at it made sense to him. This was the language he could read and talk in. He thought about changing to another language, but opted not to. He should not skip anything.

It felt like hours passed by. Ye Long was sitting down with his eyes glued in the book. Every so often he would pronounce a few words and write them down using hand strokes in the air.

Suddenly he yawned for the third time since he started reading. His body was somewhat numb so Ye Long got up and stretched his body. His stomach started growling so he walked out of the study.

“Grandfather, did you make anything to eat!” Ye Long asked.

He walked into the living room where he first met his grandfather. His grandfather was seated in his chair dozed off.

Ye Long sighed to himself. It seems he wouldn’t be eating anything yet.

Suddenly he turned his head and looked out the window. It was dark out. The moonlight was shining down and letting a little light into the room. It was only then that he understood that he spent a long time studying. He was so immersed in it that he forgot about the time.

He laughed at himself and strolled to his room. He already understood that he wouldn’t get fed tonight, so it was better to try again in the morning. He opened his room door and laid down on his bed. He ran all the knowledge he studied through his head a few times before he finally dozed off.

He didn’t have a single dream that night. He woke up feeling fully refreshed, but his stomach still growled. His nose smelt something good in the air so he rushed to find out what it was.

Ye Long found his grandfather in the kitchen pouring a cup of milk. On two seperate plates were some meat. Ye Long rushed to the table and sat down.

“Grandfather you’ve made a feast today!”

His grandfather laughed. “Indeed, we both went without eating yesterday thus we need our strength to work hard for another day.”

“En!” Ye Long said.

His grandfather slowly sat down a cup of milk by Ye Long and then slowly took a seat as well. Ye Long started stuffing his face.

“Slow down it’s not going anywhere.” His grandfather spoke.

Ye Long’s mouth was full of meat so he started chewing. Next he took his cup of milk and downed it along with the meat. It seemed like it got stuck in his throat because he started coughing.

“It’s not, but I am!” Ye Long told his grandfather.

His grandfather was a bit surprised when he heard Ye Long tell him that he was going somewhere. The only time he ever heard Ye Long say he was going somewhere was when he went to get something for him. Other than that, that boy never stepped foot outside.

“Where are you going?” He asked him.

“Training!” Ye Long replied before stuffing himself full of meat once again.

“Oh.. ok.” His grandfather slowly said.

When Ye Long told him that he would begin training, his grandfather didn’t really believe him. What sort of four year old would train? No, what sort of training could a four year old do?

Ye Long hurriedly left the table as soon as he was done with his food. He went outside and to the back of his house.

Ye Long noticed a giant tree in the back of the house. This tree was old and sturdy, it was perfect for his training. He couldn’t use the Qi in the air to further his strength, so he had to go the old fashion way.

During one of his past lives, Ye Long was a student at a well known dojo. It was called Re. During it’s peak, it was considered one of the top three most famous, but slowly fell down due to the lack of members.

Ye Long was one of the five hundred disciples, but he could only be considered the peak of all the low class disciples. His strength was enough to beat all low class disciples, but not enough to beat even the lowest middle class disciple.

Re dojo was a type of martial arts that focused on reversing the flow. It would take your opponent's strength and use it against them. However there were a few moves in the Re techniques that allowed you to be the one to attack.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

In total, the Re dojo had a total of two stances. One was for attacking and defending, while the other one was for pure attack. In total there were thirteen moves.

Ye Long played back all the moves he had learned or seen from his fellow disciples. He nodded his head while taking the first stance. He spread his legs apart while raising his hands. Next he started moving his arms around slowly, and throwing out a few punches or kicks here and there.

After ten minutes the speed picked up and went faster. Ten minutes after that, his speed increased once again. The speed stayed constant after that and it seemed like his hands were creating afterimages. Sweat was dripping down his body and it felt like his muscles were being ripped apart.

Not only was the Re style good for attacking and defending, it was also good for increasing your strength. Your stamina would build up as well as your speed.

Ye Long continued using different techniques until his body finally collapsed down.

Ye Long laid on the ground with his body spread out and was heavily panting. Even the air he sucked in hurt his lungs. They made it burn with pain, but he knew that this was only the first step.

After resting his body for thirty minutes or so, Ye Long forced himself up. His muscles ached, but he endured it.

‘Must continue!’ He told himself.

Ye Long took off his shirt. His pale white skin was full of bruises and marks left from all  the bullying he went through. He himself didn’t mind it and took another stance. The first stance he took was the one for attacking only, now he would use the one for attacking/defending.

He closed his eyes and an image of an old man appeared. He had a long white beard along with a white robe. His jade green eyes were extremely sharp. This person was his master.

What Ye Long was doing now was something he learned a long time ago. It was shadow fighting. If he imagined the strongest person he knew, he would then begin to fight against them. In all of Ye Long’s lives, this person could be considered one of the top four strongest. Once Ye Long beat this old man, he would move on the the next. He would repeat that until all of his masters were finally defeated. Ye Long knew that once he beat them all, that would mean he completely mastered the Re fighting style.

Ye Long bowed to his master before taking his stance once again. His master took a stance, but the instant he did his arm moves like a serpent. Ye Long was only four years old so his body wasn’t like it use to be. If this was the other him, he would be able to see the blow coming. However it wasn’t the other him, it was the four year old one.

Naturally his eyes weren’t use to that kind of speed. However they would adjust if he continues to see it and do it himself. His master's hand struck his chest and Ye Long went back.

It didn’t hit him, but the image was too real. Even if he didn’t feel any pain, he still had to take this serious. If he didn’t, then this wouldn’t be called training. It would only be called playing.

His form got messed up when he went back, so he hurriedly took it once more. The old man’s hand flashed once again striking at Ye Long. It was the same one as earlier, Ye Long moved his left arm to blow it. His arm rotated the blow making it miss him, and used the same force to attack his master.

His hand struck out and made a Pua sound, but his master countered with his own. Ye Long’s fist was shot down causing all his momentum to suddenly stop. His master's hand struck up gliding past his arm and attacking his shoulder.

Ye Long’s shoulder went back and the next moment a fist was right in his face. He opened his eyes and shook his head. His body was drenched in sweat and he was breathing hard.

Shadow fighting used more of his strength than practicing by himself. When he fought against his master and he was struck in the face, he lost. The image of his master disappeared with the lose as well.

Ye Long grabbed his shirt that was on the ground and walked back into the house. His grandfather looked at him weirdly for a moment.

“What sort of training did you do?” He asked him.

“Nothing much, just shadow fighting.” Ye Long replied.

“Shadow fighting?” His grandfather asked confused.

In all of his life he has never heard of such a thing. Naturally his grandson shouldn’t know of it either.

Ye Long was taken aback by this. He thought that this world knew of shadow fighting so he just casually said it. Only when his grandfather asked did he understand that this world didn’t know of such a technique. It was that, or this village was really out there and cut off from the rest of the world.

Ye Long really hoped it was the latter. If that was the case then that would explain why his grandfather never knew of such a thing.

“It’s when you imagine a strong person. After that you and that person begin fighting each other. Only the attacks aren’t real and only a shadow.” Ye Long explained.

His grandfather stroked his beard for a moment. “Strange, why would someone do what, when you could do Image training instead…”

“What is Image training?” Ye Long asked.

In all of his lifetimes, he has never heard of such a thing. He imagined one standing in front of a mirror and fighting themselves. When he thought of it, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll show you.” His grandfather spoke.

His grandfather cracked his next and took a deep breath. His cane glowed black for a moment before black smoke rose one meter away from him. It slowly went away and what was left was a person who looked like Ye Long.

If Ye Long didn’t see it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe that he had a twin in this world no matter what. However someone or something that looked exactly like him had appeared right in front of his eyes.

His grandfather looked back at Ye Long. “Go ahead and attack it.”

Ye Long threw his shirt on a chair not to far away from him. He then approached the other Ye Long and threw a punch. When the punch hit, it actually hit him. The other Ye Long went back a few inches before it threw a punch back at the original Ye Long. Ye Long was stunned, this image of him felt so real.

Even it’s attacks are real. This was hundreds of times better than shadow fighting!

The image of Ye Long disappeared and his grandfather coughed a few times. Ye Long looked at his grandfather and gave a slight smile.

“Grandfather, what was that?” He asked.

No matter what, no matter how many lives he has lived. He has never in his life heard or seen of such a technique.

“I told you, it’s Image training. You image someone and use your mana to create an image of them. The time they last depends on the amount of mana you have.” His grandfather explained.

“Huh? Mana?”

“Yes, it’s the essence we magicians use. However this old man hear is only of the lowest grade thus I cannot hold an image for more than three minutes.”

“Whats mana? Is it like Qi?” Ye Long asked.

“Qi? I’ve heard of no such thing. However when a person is born, they are born either being able to sense mana or not being able to. If you can sense it, you’ll feel it in the air. When you breath it feels like your body is being recovered at an incredible pace. If you meditate your mana surges through your body and increases. With it you can use magic.” His grandfather explained. “If you aren’t born with it, then you’ll never be able to sense it. No matter how much you try, you’ll never be able to. Thus you are a normal civilian.”

Hearing what his grandfather said, it began to make sense to him a little. No wonder he couldn’t absorb the Qi in the world. Sure it might be there, but this is a world filled with magicians. If magicians use mana, then they cannot use Qi. Only martial artist use Qi. If this world is filled with magicians then it’s no wonder his meridians were broken. The heavens weren’t against him, it was just the way the world was!

“So can I learn?” He asked.

“No. I’ve checked before, and you are unable to learn magic.”

Ye Long sighed. “Why?”

This time his grandfather sighed. “In this world, the probability of one being able to sense mana is extremely low. Look in this village, there are at least two hundred people but I am the only one here who has magic. I might be only able to use Image, but I am still weak. Those who are born being able to sense mana would have a better life than others. Or so most would assume. However even we have a ranking. Those of us at the bottom are treated the same as normal civilians while those at the top are treated as kings. However for one to have the strength of a king is extremely low. The number of them could be counted on two hands.”

Ye Long school his head. “Ok, if I can’t become a magician i’ll forge my own path.” After speaking Ye Long went to take a bath. After that he went back to the study to learn more of the world.

His grandfather was seated in his chair and sighed to himself. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have lied, but I feel it’s better this way. Out in this deserted land, no one would even come here. It doesn’t matter even if you have talent, no one would outside this village would take notice of it….’ his grandfather told himself.