Xi Shu

June 15th, 2028, Mt. Huaguo, Inner Mongolia

And finally, I have arrived! It shouldn’t take more than an hour to get into the cave and set up camp behind the waterfall. It was crazy getting here through all the panic and mayhem, I’m surprised the local governments between here and my home were as relaxed and permissive, they certainly have the capability and the resources to make it difficult to move around the country, I wonder if they know what is coming? It was evident that things were already starting to break down the further I got from the cities. People are flocking away from the areas affected by the Aether machines. The central Government has not yet locked us all down, but I know it is only a matter of time before we are all under lock and key.

Here it is, the waterfall in question, I do not remember it being quite so large. It definitely did not have glowing moss and, no…. Is that cannabis growing everywhere?? Through the deluge of water, I walked as quickly as my legs would carry me safely to the other side. Where I promptly noticed that where there once was a small broken altar to a long-forgotten god, now stood a 10-meter statue of a monkey man with a toothpick behind his ear, that honestly looked as though it was staring at me with a mischievous smirk on his face. I spent the next hour getting myself settled in and starting to meditate in front of the ugly monkey statue that was made from one giant piece of flawless black stone.

I started to concentrate on my body and the flow of my energy and the energy around me. I know it sounds crazy, but it feels much different than it ever has, and I have been meditating this way for over 30 years, it almost feels like there is cold water flowing through me and circulating through my body into my extremities, and then when I cannot contain it any longer, I stop and pull all of the water back into my abdomen and there it calms, and it sits there, stable and nourishes me in a way I’ve never felt before. I open my eyes and as they focus on the dimly lit cave, I throw up so violently, I fall on my knees. I assume it is the water I felt circulating needing a way out. No, the stuff that came out of my mouth, from the depths of my stomach, was black as tar and kind of the same consistency. As I finished heaving out everything I’ve ever eaten, I also noticed I was covered head to toe in gooey black sweat. I had also pissed my pants a nice brownish black colored piss that smelled like burnt tires.

Overall, I was a nasty fucking mess, I guess this is what Master Xan meant in his postscript. I ran into the waterfall to use it as a freezing cold shower to cleanse myself from the disgusting fucking mess I had become.

Xi Shu

June 16th, 2028, Mt. Huaguo, Inner Mongolia

There can be no way I was meditating for 33 hours, it felt like two maybe three hours tops. This is certainly a new path; I just hope it’s the right path for me. Moving around I seem a little bit faster, and I can’t stop thinking about things that never would have occurred to me before today. I feel, smarter, I guess that’s the only way I can describe it. I feel like I know where my body needs to be before it needs to be there, and I feel lighter. Maybe because I threw up 26 pounds of puke just a few moments ago.

After a few hours of sleep, 7 bottles of water, 2 quarts of rice, 1 kilogram of smoked pork and steamed vegetables. I resumed my meditation. I cleared my mind as I have been trained to do over many years of martial arts training, all around the world. I then started trying to circulate and absorb the “water” through my body, into my limbs and out to the tips of my fingers and toes, to the top of my head, to the bottom of my feet, until I could feel it in every cell of my being. I then funneled all the pressure into my lower abdomen and like Magick, it stayed there and calmed into a small pool, the size of a walnut.

Then of course, I noticed I was covered in sticky black goo sweat and I had pissed in my pants a blackish brown urine that seems to be made of burnt tires and death. The smell made me violently throw up until I was just sitting there dry heaving into the darkness. Once I maintained my composure, I got up and walked into the waterfall, I also noticed the 10-meter statue was now maybe 2 meters tall and was kneeling…… That was a curious development……….

Xi Shu

June 20th, 2028, Mt. Huaguo, Inner Mongolia

World Quest - Xi Shu

-Help restore the XIA nation on Terra- 500,000 exp & Terran Lordship

-Assist the other human survivors in retaking Terra from the Evil Draco Empire- 500,000 exp & Epic title

Well, I certainly didn’t think I would get a world quest from the system within the first ten seconds on re-integration. How am I supposed to restore the Xia empire? What is an evil Draco Empire?

Wow, this is really a thing. Where did the statue go? How did it become so bright in here? I looked around the cavern that had been my home for the past few days, I noticed the waterfall had turned yellow, red, and blue, without mixing in the lagoon below. That was a very strange development.

I felt much heavier, like the water circulating inside me was denser than just moments before. After the announcement I was seriously worried I may turn into some sort of horrible creature from dark myths. The first thing to do, is examine my UI and find out as much information as possible. If like the letter said I will grow in strength, then I wonder what I’ve accomplished over the past few days. But before I could examine my UI, I heard the most annoying laugh I’ve ever had to endure.

“Ha, ha, ha, little Yellow Prince, how I have dreamed of this moment, stuck inside of that miserable statue for the last 3000 years. Welcome my newest student, prince…… Well, are you going to tell me your name or am I going to have to Examine you?” I heard from the darkness.

“First of all, who are you? Where are you? And what do you mean Yellow Prince?” I asked the darkness. “You. You are the Yellow Prince, look at your UI when we are finished here, and you will see for yourself. My name is Sun Wukong, please just call me Wu. I have long ago shed the characteristics I once shared with the monkeys of this world. So, Wu seemed to fit this humanoid body more, thank you. Your name is?????” the darkness replied.

“I am Xi Shu, and I was told to come here at this precise moment to meet a guide to set me on the path to enlightenment.” I said with conviction. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, are you really serious? You may find enlightenment, but it is not what I’m selling here young prince. Here I will help you learn how to survive, how to grow, and how to thrive. I see you are well versed in the circulation of your Aether.” Wu laughed.

“Is that what is moving around in my body?” I asked

“Yes, and after watching you for a few days, I’d say you are going to do great things. Let’s dive into your user interface and see where we are, and where I can help.” Wu said.

-Notification-

~you have gained 4 points of Wisdom

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

~you have gained 3 points of Intelligence

~you have gained 6 points of Strength

~you have gained 2 points of Luck

~you have gained 8 points in Agility

~you have gained 8 points in Dexterity

~you have gained10 points in Perception

Name: XI SHU (YELLOW PRINCE) Level: 0

Profession: Monk

Race: Human (XIAN) Bloodline: XIAN (PURE)

Age: 30 Weight: 95.26 Kg

Experience: 0 Height: 1.854 Meters

Exp to next level: 50 Class: TBD

Bloodline Provides per level: +2 Agility, +2 Dexterity, +1 Constitution

Health: 420 Aether: 360 Stamina: 680

Health Regen: 8.4 per min Aether Regen: 11.6 per min Stamina Regen: 13.6 per min

STRENGTH: 13 AGILITY: 17

CONSTITUTION: 8 INTELLEGENCE: 9

DEXTERITY: 17 WISDOM: 11

CHARISMA: 4 PERCEPTION: 18

LUCK: 8 (10)

SKILLS / ABILITIES: UNARMED COMBAT (Kung fu, Muy Thai, Karate, Aikido, Taekwon do, & Ninjitsu) – LEVEL 75

SWORD (Jian) – LEVEL 50

AETHER CIRCULATION – LEVEL 16

Attribute points available: 0pts

“Well, young Prince, you are certainly going to be one to watch! You have gained 4pts in wisdom, 3 pts in intelligence, 2 points in luck, 6 points in strength, and 8 points each in both Agility and Dexterity, and a whopping 10 points in perception before gaining access to the intergalactic system! Congratulations!!”.

He instructed me to acknowledge the notifications; and my god did it hurt, I felt the synapses in my brain firing all at once to compensate for the growth, I could see how this was going to change me in every way, my muscles becoming denser, my joints and tendons hardening and becoming stronger and more flexible, my understanding of simple concepts broadening.

I could get used to this. It looks like I gained an enormous amount of growth from meditating for the past 5 days, I’m excited to see how far I can push myself to grow. I am not however, excited at the prospect of billions of people dying to reset the population to “acceptable” levels. Who’s to say what an appropriate population is for any given planet. Immediately recognizing this man before me as THE Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, the god.

I dropped to my knees, and asked “Who makes the decision to reset our population level? And who decides what an appropriate level is?”

“The Intergalactic Council of the Collective is the governing body that oversees the functioning of the system and the planets it inhabits. They are responsible for making intergalactic law, enforcing those laws, and providing order throughout the universe. So, if anyone is to blame for the recent actions taken here on Terra, that is where I would start.

Now as new members to the collective, your race will have the opportunity to sit on the council. First, you must make sure you are able to take control of Terra after the Tribulation and the Stabilization. If Terran humans’ control 51% of the useable land here on Terra two years after Stabilization has finished, the seat is yours. The lease on Terra for the next 12,500 years is yours as well,

provided your people can afford to pay the cost of the lease annually, which should be no problem.

Payment is made in Aether Crystals, which are the most common currency in the cosmos, and are becoming abundant here on Terra. By the end of stabilization this planet will be covered in them from the core to the surface of the planet.

I would assume the population reset is thanks to the Draco representative Tessulon, the Star Conqueror. The Draco are a vindictive and spiteful race, and they are itching to retake the planet which, after culling, will be a much easier task.

What the Draco forget however, is that the Pleiadeans, the Atlanteans, the Gnomes, and the Orkanish will all ally with the indigenous people here on Terra, making it a much more difficult task.

Now that we are acquainted, please stand, and be welcomed to my home.” Wu said. As he said that, a large stone wall behind the altar disappeared in a puff of green smoke and a small house surrounded by glowing plants appeared.

“You are an amazing human young prince; you have managed to learn to circulate your Aether to open your Aether pathways all by yourself. That is quite an accomplishment, let alone circulate to the point you have developed a small Aether pool. Quite impressive for a mere beginner. You will soon learn how to control the Aether inside you and all around you, I have no doubt. It will be my pleasure to help guide you onto the path of true Aetheric mastery. Once we are finished young Prince, you will have the ability to do things you once thought impossible.” Wu told me.

“Master Wu, I am honored to be here and have the opportunity to learn all you have to teach me. Master, may I ask a few more questions of you before we begin?” I asked, humbly bowing to the floor. “Of course, young Prince, ask what you will, I will answer as I am able.” Wu replied.

“What is a Xian? Am I from another planet?” I asked first.

“XIA Major is the home planet of your direct ancestors; you have a pure bloodline that reaches back to the first Yellow Emperor. He was the first of his kind to ascend past a certain level. He then went out among the stars to start a new civilization for his people.” Wu explained. He went on to say, “Honestly, none of us are “GODS” we have just ascended in levels to a point our longevity and our ability to manipulate the Aether around us, makes it appear as though we possess immortality and have god like abilities. Which we do, to some extent, but we are all very much mortal.” Wu rambled.

“As is the First Yellow Emperor, he had long since disappeared from XIA major to the expanse of the universe where only the most powerful entities in existence dare to travel. While traveling among the stars, he came across this planet, Terra. He also saw that there were humans on this planet. Humans being enslaved by the dreaded Draco Empire as a result of treachery and deceit. He could not stand by and allow the transgression to continue. He came back with a large army of master Mages, Swordsman, Conjurers, and Healers who were some of the best and brightest warriors from Xia Major. A battle commenced lasting hundreds of years. Your ancestor, The First Yellow Emperor, freed millions of humans from subjugation and slavery.” Wu then went further to say.

“They all lived here on Terra in an area known as the XIA Empire, there was peace, prosperity, and harmony with nature. This era lasted thousands of years, until the dreaded Draco found them and stamped them out with the help of the hated Drow, and the cruel High Elves from planet Avalon as well as the Anunnaki who are feared through the cosmos, from the planet Nibiru.” Wu reported.

“The Yellow Emperor heard the news and declared all four races to be enemies of XIA Major and would receive no support if any of them called on XIA Major for help through the intergalactic council or any other outlets in the cosmos. As a result, there has been no representation of XIA Major on this planet in 5000 years. Until now.” Wu finally finished.

“What level are you, Master?” I asked humbly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so look. Think, Examine Wu.” He replied. So I did, and…..“Wow you are level 2321!!! What is the highest level you’ve seen?” I asked, amazed.

“One of the ancient masters, one who you may have the privilege of meeting, was level 5290. And that was over 3000 years ago. He was the most wise and powerful human I’d ever met.

He resurfaced sometime later as the royal Mage to a king in Europe named Arthur or something, this man was going by the name of Merlin the Wise.

Legends say he may have some High Elven blood, which would explain his extraordinarily long life and mastery of the Aether. I also distinctly remember that he was constantly smoking cannabis to further his Intelligence and Wisdom progression, as well as helping him to master the Aether around him.” Wu replied. “Smoking cannabis, like weed?” I asked.

“Yes, the sacred cannabis plant is growing back there by my house, look closely. All true masters either steadily smoke the mystical herb or use it alchemically to produce life extension pills or perception tinctures. You can also create salves and edible powders that can repair damaged Aether pathways. I’m not sure there is a more sought-after herb in the known universe.” Wu told me. I looked deeper into the area around his house and sure enough there was a small ganja forest growing all around his house, and it was glowing a bright blueish green.

“Young Prince, I suggest you get some sleep, we have much to do, and our time is limited. Please come to my home, smoke some of my fine cannabis, rest, relax, and get some sleep, I will wake you up when you’ve rested enough to proceed. Wu went on to explain that we were in a place of time dilation, one day here behind the waterfall in Wu’s domain is equal to one hour in time on the other side. It went into effect at 12:00am June 20th, 2028, he also explained how it would help to further my training without losing precious time during the tribulation. Then, I went to sleep, in a bed, it was amazing.