(Author: Hello! I'm back! It's finally time for book 2 to start! Agemo became a third stage Spirit Shaman and trains under the Overseer, also called Bone Demon, for five years, nine months in the outside world. Agemo returns home after three years, real world time, for his thirteenth birthday and the Lu Clan competition. From now on, he returns to his identity as Lu Shu as he no longer needs an alias. Enjoy.)
----------------Chapter 1: Return Home--------------------
A youth was practicing his blade techniques on the grass in front of the palace with the view of the universe in the background. A four foot dragon, ten feet in length, was sleeping a few yards away and crescent moon blades of water sliced the air from every slash of Rain Slayer. The dragon grew big quickly, as all dragons did. However, Agemo barely aged over the nine months besides getting a little taller. An elderly man watched silently as he approached the youth.
"You seem to have improved much. Your Radiant Howl technique looks more natural for you to use now. No doubt your other techniques have also improved," the Overseer smiled. "Still, to spend five years here and only reach the fourth stage of Spirit Shaman......your cultivation is just not as impressive as the last one I taught a few centuries back."
"Overseer," Agemo bowed as he wore a white shirt with black pants and shoes. "How can I hope to compare to an ancestor with higher demon blood purities than mine? Is the nine months already over?"
"HAHAHA. Indeed it is. At least now, your cultivation can compare with geniuses of your age. However, to call them geniuses....Ha! Their cultivation stage is meaningless to your own strength. Perhaps you can contend with Spirit Shamans of the sixth stage," the Overseer laughed as he tossed him a green jacket with a bone dragon on the back. "Your jacket is complete. It is made from the scales of an ancient Emerald Steel Dragon. I added a little something to remember me by on the back. There are also metal plates on the shoulders made from an ancient metal not found on your planet. The three plates on both shoulders should offer more protection."
"Thank you, Overseer," Agemo bowed and put on the jacket while he went on both knees and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your teachings. I don't know how I can repay such kindness."
"No need to thank me. You were interesting to watch as I trained you. Remember, show kindness to others and do not be arrogant and let your pride overtake you. Mercy to the enemy is to invite death. If you can kill him, do so if there are no witnesses. If you are in public, defeat him in such a way that you will win all future battles. You have that innate demonic ability. People will believe it is a spirit sealing technique. They do exist, but very rare to find and even more difficult to train," the Overseer advised. "Also, change that Rain Slayer name to Arctic Emperor. The blade is metal ice and contains death energy. You must do your best to kill the Hyperion with the blade. They are man-eating monsters and the humanoids have infiltrated the human lands and hide among them. As a true Archon, you can see detect their spirit energy and see them for what they are. You must kill them. They are a blight on the planet."
"Yes, Overseer. Thank you," Agemo said and looked at the dragon. "Let's go Bahamut. It's time to go home. What's my name again? Oh right. It's Lu Shu."
"That brat," the Overseer laughed as he waved as the boy left. "Train well, Lu Shu."
The dragon woke up and nodded at Agemo. The thirteen year old went on the dragon's back and they left the pocket dimension. The dragon roared green flames into the sky as it left the lake and mountain. Shu stretched out his hands as he enjoyed riding his dragon in the sky. The Spirit Knights that guarded the capital had received prior notice about a dragon of Bahamut's description and did not attack. After five minutes, Bahamut landed in front of the palace steps that lead to the main hall that led to the palace. Many ministers and royal guards came from the buildings next to the palace to greet Prince Shu.
Lu Shu grinned as he saw four familiar people rush out of the palace. Lu Yi was smiling in his golden dragon robes as Lu Rong felt tears down her face upon seeing her second son. Lu Mei and Lu XIng were also happy to see their little brother. They stared at the Emerald Steel Dragon and were obviously shocked. Lu Yi was also shocked as he was able to tell that Lu Shu was at the fourth stage. He knew his son worked hard and the imperial family members hugged as they were reunited with the second prince at last.
"I feared you had forgotten to come home in time to celebrate your birthday and the Lu Clan competition," Lu Yi laughed.
"Why does it have to be on his birthday. I don't approve. Why is your hair blonde, why are you so tall, and why do you have horns?," Lu Rong pouted as she held her son tightly.
He must have practiced an Archon technique," Lu Xing guessed but didn't know the whole truth. "This is good. He must be at the third stage or higher. Our family has another Practitioner at last. At least now, he can be recognized as a Practitioner. Those cousins of ours won't dare underestimate Lu Shu now."
"Those sub branch members and your brother and sister dare to challenge our youngest son on his own birthday. Not to mention those delegates from the city-states. Are they trying to rebel?" Lu Rong yelled at Lu Yi. "I'll have them all chained and have them executed for high treason. Challenging him is expected, but to demand the Lu Clan competition to occur on his birthday, they mean to humiliate us. If it were up to me, I would summon legions of fire elementals and watch them burn."
"Nonsense. It's just them acting out of jealousy. They don't amount to much anyway," Lu Yi shrugged. "My brother and sister are both Spirit Knights and the sub branches don't even have one Spirit Master among them. They're just acting out. No need to mind them seriously."
"They are trying to humiliate our family. After failing to defeat Mei and I, who are top class mages and geniuses among geniuses; they are trying to regain their face by challenging Shu," Xing sighed in agreement. "You must be careful, Shu. They will likely target you."
"I understand," Shu nodded as Bahamut changed into the size of a baby's fist and nestled on his head. "Hm? Oh, Bahamut must be tired."
"You have a magical beast and you're younger than me," Lu Mei said as she was slightly jealous.
"Come with me. It's time you met the Great Ancestor," Lu Yi whispered as he ordered everyone to return to their duties and led Lu Shu to the underground chamber. "You must be respectful at all times."
"Yes, father," Shu said as they entered the chamber and saw the fifteen ancestors, the ancestor at the top of the pyramid formation to the back of the chamber dressed in black.
"Lu Shu greets the ancestors," Lu Shu said as Lu Yi said the same with his own name.
"Oh. This one has potential," one of the fourteen lesser ancestors smiled. "Great Ancestor was right to allow you to accept the Bone Demon's summons. To learn from an Overseer is a truly lucky thing."
"You old fart. Didn't you also learn some centuries ago?" another laughed. "I can sense the demon stone in his skull. It resonates with our own. He is a true descendant. Pity it's only the large one."
"He has a spirit reactor? It even absorbs the planet's life force and he has two types of energies," another admired.
"Wait, I sense something in his shadow. Is it a puppet? Truly?" one said.
"Honorable ancestor, are you Lu Feng?" Shu bowed.
"HAHAHAHA! I was right. You must have met that Seto. Good to know he's still alive. I reckon he's a Spirit Sage as well. Kid had talent," Lu Feng laughed. He must have sent me a letter. Where is he now?"
"He owns a shop in the Korgar Auction House in the Kasara Kingdom. He asks to give the Honorable Ancestor this letter," Shu said as he retrieved the letter from his storage bag.
"Hm. He is a Spirit Sage. The wraith he sold to you lies in your puppet. He said he gave you a puppet as a gift, but did not indicate their fusion. The Overseer must have done so. Thank you," Lu Feng said as he grabbed the letter with his spirit energy and read it.
"So you are Lu Shu," an ancient voice rasped, silencing the chamber.
"Yes, Great Ancestor," Shu bowed. "I am Lu Shu, son of Lu Yi. I am a Spirit Shaman of the fourth stage and have attained a true Archon body through the [Titan Creator] body technique."
"Yes, I see. You also have a magical beast already. That is good. You have dual spirits. White Ocean Tiger spirit is quite rare. You are a God Eater already, yes?" the Great Ancestor asked.
"Yes, Great Ancestor. I also took two flying moon blades from the corpse of a humanoid Hyperion," Shu answered.
"I recognize the purple flames from the blades. The energy should have transformed into flames now. No doubt, the Overseer told you to hunt the Hyperion. Those purple flames are the same color as their Spirit Pulse. I know you have abnormally high spirit sensitivity. You can even detect Spirit Pulses as you can discern their actual location," the Great Ancestor noted. "Humans are gold, demons are red, magical beasts are green, and Hyperion are purple. They are the four life forms on this planet. Hyperion humanoids are known for their face-shifting abilities. They can look like anyone else, but their physique and stature remain the same. Do not falter and kill them without hesitation."
"Yes, Great Ancestor," Shu said.
"I will give you a ring. First, give the Crimson Ring, that is currently disguised, to Lu Feng. He will fuse it with the disguised vermillion ring," the Great Ancestor said.
"This ring is now a skull ring. It will detect Hyperion as well as act like a mentor. It can talk to you. Might be a little too sentient. You don't want to know how many sacrifices were made to make it," Lu Feng said as he got the two rings, fused them, and gave it to Shu.
"Thank you," Shu said as he put on the ring.
"Glad to work with you partner. I'll be here if you need advice," the skull said before it became as still as a statue.
"I will give you this pearl. It contains the soul of demon nobility. It will assist in your cultivation and reveal its power in time," the Great Ancestor said and tossed a snow white pearl with a black, serpentine spine curving into a spiral inside it.
"Thank you, Great Ancestor," Shu said and put it on his chest, watching it sink into the depths of his soul lake as it merged into the Mystic Stone.
"You already have a magical beast," Lu Feng said as the other fourteen resumed cultivation. "You have received the Great Ancestor's gifts. Good luck in the Lu Clan competition. One day, you will lose all that human lineage in your body and truly awaken the power of the Snow Emperor Pearl, the pearl that contains the soul of demon nobility. It is one of the reasons our Great Ancestor escaped from the Immortal Realms. He killed a few Demon Emperors. One day, you'll learn of how Immortals are ranked. For now, settle for the Mortal Realm limits of Spirit Sage or Fiend Immortal. Thank you for the letter and good luck to you."
"Many thanks, Honorable Ancestors and Great Ancestor, for your kindness," Lu Yi said and led his son out until they were in his throne room. "Whew. So many Spirit Sages in one room and a Demon Emperor rank among immortals. You truly don't realize how powerful they are. To receive the Snow Emperor Pearl, I don't know whether to laugh or cry."
"He is worthy of it," the ring said as the cover flipped up. "My name is Spook. Anyway, it is a rare thing. To actually strip the soul from the body and transform it into power. It's quite frightening how powerful a Golden Earth Fiend is. HAHAHA! This will be an amusing hunt,"
"Charming fellow," the emperor noted as the skull became still. "Tomorrow is your birthday and the guests and our relatives have already started to arrive since yesterday. No doubt, they'll know you have already arrived. Rest now. Tomorrow, we feast and you will display your might and strike those bastards into their place."
"Home sure is the liveliest place to be," Shu sighed as he gazed at the moon when night fell.
"Krrrruuuuuu?" the dragon asked as it tried to speak as it left his head and perched itself on the balcony outside his room.
"Funny guy. I wonder when you can speak," Agemo wondered aloud as he pat Bahamut in its tiny form. "Wraith, appear."
"Yes, master. You summoned me?" the white puppet asked as it left Shu's shadow and stood behind him, wisps of darkness permeating from its body.
"The palace will have guests during my birthday feast tomorrow. Hide in the shadows and prepare to intercept any who would dare try a sneak attack during my fight when I am challenged. There are bound to be those with hidden weapons who want to see me suffer an unfortunate accident during my fight," Shu ordered.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"Yes, master. Am I permitted to kill them?" Wraith asked.
"Do as you see fit with them," Shu waved and Wraith nodded before disappearing into his shadow.
"Do you have any advice for me, Spook?" Shu asked.
"Be wary of your competitors. They will make the first move and defeat someone publicly known to be strong. They will try to intimidate you and provoke you with words. Do not let it get to you and remain calm. Like a predator stalking his prey, you must be patient and bide your time," Spook advised as the skull animated while it spoke. "Those people are sure to be arrogant and have superior strength among their peers to challenge you during your birthday celebration. If there really are delegates from city-states, and relatives from your clan, coming to challenge you; they would bring their best so as to not lose face or honor."
"Do you sense any Hyperion? I don't want to use my spirit sense here and provoke someone if they detect it," Shu asked.
"There is one," Spook answered. "It lies to the east, still in the palace. It is among several others."
"One of the ambassadors then. Might be from out of the country," Shu noted as he stared at the East Wing of the palace. "Must be a humanoid. Can I kill it?"
"No. It is much too powerful. In Mortal terms, it is at the strength of a Spirit Knight," Spook answered. "Each member of the main branch of your clan, that has met the Great Ancestor, should have a ring such as I. I can communicate between them and the rings on the Honorable Ancestors who are in the hidden chamber with the Great Ancestor. I will alert your father's ring first. The emperor should be sending people to quietly put the Hyperion down."
"Good. Thank you," Shu said as Spook became still once more after a laugh.
Agemo sat on his bed and withdrew four types of elixir pills from his storage bag before gazing at the talisman in his pocket. It was the same talisman he bought in the auction back in Kasara. While he was in the pocket dimension, the talisman kept making elixir pills full of dark, lightning, water, and ice spirit energy. He had been eating the elixirs to master his technique faster. He would quickly get used to vary levels of spirit energy use when performing his techniques.
The dragon slept under the moon light while Shu starting eating the elixir pills and began refining it into his body. With each elixir pill, he felt stronger and could envision the technique in his mind, endlessly practicing them until the elixir pill was completely refined in his body. He opened his eyes and gazed at the fourth elixir pill. This pill contained the life force of the planet in a higher concentration level than directly absorbing it.
He ate the elixir pill and the scorpion tattoo would glow as the energy went straight into his spirit reactor as it refined into spirit energy that his body could use as it went into his soul lake. Over the five years he trained in the pocket dimension, the life force of his planet changed the soul lake a random pockets of wisps of blue green mist emanated the same color as the planet's life force. Satisfied, he stopped his cultivation and went to sleep.
"Welcome. Welcome," Lu Xing greeted as the guests began arriving for the feast the following morning. "Please take a seat. Welcome. Thank you for coming to Lu Shu's thirteenth birthday."
"Welcome, please sit and enjoy the entertainment. The emperor and my brother will be arriving shortly," Lu Mei greeted as she showed them their seats.
Of course, the ambassadors from other countries sat closer to the top of the steps in front of the palace, followed by the delegates from the city-states, and with the members of the Lu Clan at the end of theplaza toward the entrance. They all sat on the left side of the main plaza, to the right of thelarge table at the top of the plaza where Emperor Lu Yi would eat with his family in front of the palace at the top of the steps. The other side of the plaza consisted of the Yan Empire's ministers, generals, and representatives of various houses. Empress Rong was already sitting at the table of honor as she smiled and greeted the guests while waiting for her children and husband to arrive. There were just too many people to fit into the throne room and the Lu Clan competition would also take place soon after.
"Remember, Lu Shu, to be respectful at all times. Only display your spirit force when you are challenged. There are many important people today and many more Practitioners," the emperor said as he and Lu Shu were in the throne room inside the palace behind the plaza. "The center of the plaza is where the competition will be. Don't worry, my mages will cast barriers so people in the seats will not be harmed. Remember, you must not kill anyone. I don't want to deal with my ministers who will argue about the deaths if you caused them. Do not bring your dragon and puppet in the fight. Leave them near your seat. Of course, make sure your puppet watches for any devious activities. I cannot interfere. You can only rely on yourself."
"Yes, father. I will do as you say," Shu nodded as he wore a gold shirt with black pants and gold striped shoes.
"You're not wearing the imperial garments," Lu Yi noted and his eyes narrowed upon seeing Lu Shu's green jacket with metal plated shoulder pads. "Ah, that's why. Of course, the symbol of the Overseer. That is sure to intimidate them. What is it like to have horns? I don't have any. What about the demon stone in your skull? Can you feel it when you touch your forehead?"
"The horns feel uncomfortable sometimes, but my hair usually covers them. As for the stone, I can only feel it when I press my forehead a little. Otherwise, my forehead seems as smooth as any other. It just feels like a part of me," Shu answered. "However, I feel an increased hunger for meat. I've been eating magical beast meat a lot lately. I seem to be unsatisfied with any other kind."
"Carnivorous," Lu Yi laughed. "No doubt, your tastes will continue to change. Soon, it will not bother you to eat human meat when your demonic genes finally takeover your body. Interesting. Well, we can't keep your guests waiting. Remember to smile politely and mind your manners while you eat. It is a pain, but we are royalty and must act with a certain etiquette during official occasions. Some people will be unhappy with their seating arrangements. Chief among them, will be my brother and sister. They are bound to be the first who will interrupt our feast. As far as their children are concerned, you can do anything short of killing them. Oh, and no dismemberment. Your mother enjoys it too much and will not settle for just one limb getting cut. She is quite mad they changed the date of the competition to today and knows they can't wait until the feast is over. Frankly, she has never been more enticing."
"Uh, alright. I'll keep the dismemberment to the minimum, father," Lu Shu nodded nervously as the duo walked outside the plaza.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Lu YI has arrived! He is accompanied by Second Prince Lu Shu," one of the royal guards roared, causing everyone to stand and bow deeply when the father and son arrived and stood before their places.
"Long live Emperor Lu Yi. Long live the emperor. The Yan Dynasty is eternal," everyone in the hall repeated five times until they sat down.
"HAHAHAHA! Welcome, friends and dear ones. Today is the celebration of the thirteenth year since my second son and third child, Lu Shu was born. I thank you all for coming from such a long distance to join me in this special celebration. Now, let us feast and enjoy the entertainment," Lu Yi roared and clapped his hands.
"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty," they all bowed and the feast officially began. Servants and maids brought the food and drinks while dancers entered the hall and began their routines. Of course, each of them were young beauties that caused several men to helplessly glance in their direction. Today, Lu Shu sat on his father's right, instead of Lu Xing who sat to Lu Shu's right, while the queen and Lu Mei sat on the emperor's left. Many ambassadors and delegates would walk up to the table to toast with the emperor. The emperor allowed them to toast to Lu Shu but did not allow him to drink as he was a child and was going to compete in the competition.
Emperor Lu Yi and Empress Lu Rong faked smiles as they eyed their relatives at the end of the plaza. They kept wondering who would make the first room. Lu Shu didn't care as all he thought about was the magical beast meat in front of him. He ate, in an orderly fashion, with his chopsticks as he began putting the pieces of meat into his mouth. Occasionally, he would drink water to wet his mouth before resuming his meal. Lu Xing shook his head at seeing his brother so at ease and the two began to talk about Shu's travels while the puppet sat beneath his chair as the dragon leapt onto the table and also ate the meat. No one dared to disrespect the dragon as they were sacred in the Yan Empire. Especially the golden dragons, which were the symbols of the empire.
"Honorable Ancestor," Lu Yi stood up in surprise as he saw Lu Feng. "What brings you here?"
"To congratulate your son, of course. He is my three or four time great grandson and direct heir of my own person. I also bring a gift from the Great Ancestor. He gifts Prince Lu Shu with a Saint level magical beast. This tiger cub is a Gold-Eyed Lightning Tiger. This tiger cub has not stripes yet but they will be irregular, like tribal tattoos. As it matures, its tail will develop a spikes with purple lightning crackling from them. It is ranked seven among tiger magical beasts, but they only one gold in color. You know how our clan loves gold. Happy birthday Shu," Lu Feng smiled as he handed the cub to Lu Shu."
"Aw! It's so cute. It's the size of a kitten," Lu Mei admired as the sleeping cub moved in Shu's arm. "I wanted one."
"You wanted something cute and got a Gold Radiant Phoenix, the second most powerful magical beast phoenix and second only to the Sacred Phoenix of legend," Lu Rong sighed. "You wanted it because it was cute and now it looks majestic. Tigers don't look cute as they mature. Sit down. You're drawing stares."
They all stood and bowed as Lu Feng laughed. He said he was leaving for a few years to visit his old student, Seto. He told them that the other ancestors were already in closed door training and were not to be disturbed for at least a decade. Lu Yi nodded and they all sat down as Lu Feng left. Everyone else in the plaza stared in shock as they watched the Spirit Sage leave. They did not expect to see one in the Yan Empire and wondered how many more were in hiding.
"Your Imperial Majesty, may I inquire as who that Esteemed Spirit Sage was?" one of his ministers asked as he stood and bowed politely, silencing the plaza as they also stared at the emperor's direction.
"HAHAHA! He was once known as Lu Feng, the same Lu Feng of legend who slaughtered one of ten ancient clans and reduced them to only nine. He is one of my many ancestors who are currently in closed door training. You must have heard about Spirit Sages before. They care little about Mortal Realm affairs and spend most of their time cultivating while isolated from the world," Lu Yi laughed, causing the people's hearts to seize as he implied there were more than one Spirit Sages within the Yan Empire.
Just having one Spirit Master made an empire or nation recognized. They were truly made speechless by the emperor's relaxed remark. Naturally, some city-states and ambassadors were disturbed as they had clearly estimated the Lu Clan's might. After all, Lu Yi cared little about conquest. It was obvious such pacifist behavior would make other nations see him as a weak emperor. Not only did the Yan Empire have many Spirit Knights, they learned it had several powerful hidden experts.
"HAHAHA! This is great news for our Yan Dynasty. It is sure to survive for thousands of years," the minister laughed, causing others to also laugh merrily while the rest laughed weakly.
"That ass. Of course he would make the first move," the empress whispered an hour later when one middle-aged man in fine robes stood up and bowed at the emperor.
"Brother, such a fine feast requires a higher level of entertainment," the man laughed as the hall grew silent once more. "It is unbefitting to show our esteemed guests entertainment of such low caliber."
"You dare say my dancers are inadequate, Lu Ce?" the emperor roared.
"Not at all, brother. I merely say that we begin the true entertainment. How about bouts of contest between the young Practitioners. Some of our guests would also like to test their own, I'm sure," Lu Ce smiled as the dancers quickly left the plaza as all eyes turned to the emperor to hear his decision.
----------------------------------------
(Author: NOOO Cliff hanger. Well, you all know it was coming. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The fights and mind games will soon begin. About time too. I think it transitioned well to it. Until next time!)