(Author: Hello! Shu discovers the Black Lotus Pagoda and meets familiar faces. He heads to the top floor and passes, using his demonic spirit energy to gain the approval of the floor guardian. Now he searches for a new technique. However, this technique is one that will make everyone know his name in the future. Reminder: Arthur Hog, the principal, is a Spirit Master. Enjoy.)
-------------Chapter 6: Great Spirit Integration----------------------
"So many techniques. Ah, what do I choose," Shu grumbled as he browsed through several book cases.
"How about finding a Practitioner technique with several stages. Similar to the living spirit technique in your body, but with different effects as you increase your mastery over the many stages," Spook chimed in.
"Someone might hear you," Shu whispered and looked around.
"I checked. No one is on this floor. You can relax," Spook grinned. "I'm serious though. The greatest Practitioner techniques are ones with several stages. Not only that, a Practitioner, with high enough mastery and damn good gaining insights, can create further stages and make the technique his own. Your Radiant Howl technique is, no doubt, a powerful spirit technique. Blades of water that you can manipulate. You can make it ice, you can make it swirl outward, like a whirlpool formation. However, it is but a material spirit technique. You don't need to find another with that evolving technique at your disposal."
"You're talking about soul techniques, techniques that target a person's Mystic Stone. How does that apply to magical beasts, Hyperion, and mages? Mages don't have, or need, Mystic Stones at any level. Also, Hyperion and magical beasts have demonic cores," Shu sighed. "Since I learned that in class, I've mostly been researching how to strengthen my soul's defenses in case I encounter such an expert on soul attacks."
"Demonic cores are the souls of Hyperion and magical beasts. As for mages, or ordinary creatures, soul attacks can still kill them. Soul attacks target a person's life force. Hyperion and magical beasts cannot live without demonic cores. Practitioners cannot live if their Mystic Stone is destroyed. Sealing it just bars them from using spirit energy. It has a higher degree of difficulty to learn, but it is the most effective in combat. Most creatures don't condense their soul or own a soul-protecting artifact," Spook answered. "I believe it is something you should learn. It will help you in killing the Hyperion. Trust your talking ring. I was made from two rings owned by the Great Ancestor and fused together by a Spirit Sage. Trust your ring. I'm here to help and guide you, under orders by the Great Ancestor. It's why I was made."
"Right. I'll look for one," Shu agreed. "Thanks. It's good to know someone with vast amounts of knowledge."
"Speaking of knowledge. I suggest putting all your valuables in me. I have a spatial ability. You can store unlimited amounts of stuff in me. Not only that, no one can access what's in the ring or sense that I have such an ability. Everyone will think I am just a simple skull ring. I was forged by a Demon Emperor, the Great Ancestor, himself," Spook grinned with pride.
"What should I keep in the storage bag?" Shu asked.
"Keep most of your gold in me and leave about two hundred million in that storage bag. As for the lion wine, keep three barrels in that storage bag, Just a barrel, alone, is enough for most Spirit Shamans to kill for. Keep your clothes in there too. More realistic. However, the jacket the Overseer gave you should be with me. It's good stuff. Other than that, keep ten percent of your spirit pills in there. Put the true Archon body technique manual in me," Spook began. "Oh, and the dagger too. Since you revealed the flying moon blades, keep them in that storage bag. I think that's it, since you have that stone talisman in your pocket all the time. Oh, put the pearls of liquid elixir containing the essence of the elements and the planet's life force in me. You definitely do not want to be questioned about how you got those. In fact, just put the stone talisman in me too. You don't need it when you're in campus. Use it when you head to the mountains to find that hidden valley."
"Uh, right," Shu said and did as Spook advised, sorting his storage bag and putting most of his valuables into Spook.
"Now it won't matter if someone steals from you. Now, use your spirit sense. Some of the more powerful techniques can emit spirit energy, even if it is written in a book or scroll," Spook grinned before becoming still again.
Shu drank a few sips of his lion wine and focused his spirit energy into his eyes as he closed them. He opened them slowly and began walking to the northern section of the floor, stopping before a few statues that towered over scrolls and books on pedestals. He could vaguely feel spirit energy come out from those texts. Shu began looking at the titles, not daring to read the contents within. He only unrolled a scroll enough to see the title and he only opened a book if he did not see the title on the cover or spine.
"Wraith. Bahamut. Guard my body if I fall into a coma. Make sure I am not to be moved in the slightest. Wraith, tell the demon lion at the bottom of the stairs to bar the path until I descend. It should comply as it knows what I am," Shu ordered.
"Yes, master" Wraith said and leapt from his shadow as Bahamut extended to its full size and laid down behind him, facing the stairs.
"Okay. Time to learn a new technique," Shu grinned as he picked up a white scroll with the image of a black phoenix with purple tail feathers encircling a black lotus and unrolled to the title with a brief description before warning of the scroll contents.
"Hello, junior. You wish to learn one of the techniques personally made by me, the Black Lotus Immortal? This technique is profoundly difficult. Why? Because you can use more than one element for this technique! I had the beast spirit of a Evil God Phoenix. I used this technique to combine the elements of fire, wind, and darkness into the ultimate soul technique!" the scroll stated. "Elements? They are just aspects of spirit energy. Is the fire a Practitioner creates the same as fire he can manipulate? No. He turned his spirit energy into fire. What you will combine is not the element you convert your spirit energy into, but the essence of elemental spirit energy you use to do the act itself. I did not really combine fire, wind, and darkness together. Its properties exist, but they coexist in harmony without destroying or neutralizing each other. Of my five ultimate techniques, this is the sole soul technique I created. It is not the most powerful, but it is the most deadly. If you have dual spirits, the better you're off."
"Interesting. Combining different elements together and it still wasn't his most powerful technique. What a monster," Shu admired. "Pity it is his only soul technique. I better keep reading until the true contents of the scroll starts."
"Junior, if you have dual spirits, you should keep one manifested at all times. I personally used my weapon spirit in conjunction with my Practitioner weapon. It will allow you to get used to manifesting your spirit. Whenever you use the soul technique, a part of you will fuse with your spirit. I felt as if I was an almighty phoenix as I burned and slaughtered my enemies. This is a risk you must take. Some spirits are more powerful and feral than others. You might even lose all sense of sanity until your spirit energy is depleted. The connection is that strong," the scroll warned.
"The soul technique that I will impart to you is called Great Spirit Integration technique. What you will fuse with is not your own spirit. Your spirit is the catalyst for your elemental spirit energy. What you will bind with is a Great Spirit. This scroll is a key to the Spirit Realm. There, you must contract with a Great Spirit and make its power yours. If you succeed, the knowledge in the scroll will imprint itself in your mind. Mages summon spirits to do their battles for them. You will become a Great Spirit and fight with its very power. You will assault both the material and the soul of your enemy," the scroll read. "If you are ready for this indescribable experience, open the scroll and take its power."
Shu sat down in lotus position as he manifested his mask spirit on his face. He held Arctic Emperor in his left hand as he laid down the scroll. He waited for Wraith to return and position itself to protect him before laying the scroll on his lap, unrolling it with his right hand. The whole pagoda shook as a dark black light shined from the scroll. People cultivating under the formation array, in the basement of the pagoda, stared up as the formation was momentarily disturbed. Shu lost consciousness as his very soul separated from his body as the body slumped into a stupor. The principal, Arthur Hog, stared at the pagoda in surprise. He knew the pagoda only shook if someone was attempting to learn one of the five ultimate techniques of the Black Lotus Immortal.
"Someone wishes to learn his technique? Which one is it?" the principal murmured and felt pity as he believed the student would fail and die.
Shu woke up in the middle of a great plain. The grass waved, to and fro, as a cool breeze swept over the plain. Shu stood up and felt weird. He looked over his body. He did not have Spook on his right hand or Arctic Slayer in his left hand. In fact, all he wore has a simple white silk pair of pants. The tribal scorpion tattoo was prominent on his back. Furthermore, he could feel so much spirit energy around him, it was as if he had to struggle not to absorb it in his body. The tattoo glowed a jade green and Shu could feel a reaction from the White Ocean Tiger as well as the mask spirit he materialized.
Shu decided to walk in a single direction and walked for what felt like hours. He never tired, hungered, or thirst while he was there. It was as if the spirit energy was supplying him with his bodily needs. The sky was not really blue as it had an aurora to the north, the rainbow light spreading from it like a glow. He kept walking to that aurora, hoping to find something. Finally, he saw the end of the plain as it bordered a mountain with a large cave in the center.
Narrowing his eyes with suspicion, Shu exited the plain and entered the cave. The longer he stayed, the more powerful his spirits became. The White Ocean Tiger only grew more massive, snowflakes trailing its every step as frost appeared with every breath. His soul ocean just kept expanding slowly, as if the foundation below was stretching aimlessly. His mask spirit dematerialized on his face and appeared on the tiger's face, fully forming to cover its entire face. The change continued as armor formed on its legs.
Finally, Shu approached a golden marble altar. He followed the steps to the altar as lava boiled around it. The mountain was really a volcano! Above the altar were five giant creatures. These were Great Spirits. There was no doubt in Shu's mind. He was meant to find them. One spirit was a large phoenix with black feathers and a crimson crown of feathers atop its head. The second spirit was a large dragon with azure scales, gold claws and spikes, and two mismatched eyes, one gold and one silver. The third spirit was a giant, black tortoise with a radiant purple chell that seemed to be made of crystals and sky blue eyes that seemed majestic as Shu gazed on them.The fourth spirit was that of a giant gorilla. Its fur was as black as empty space and it towered over the others at a hundred and fifty feet. It, alone encompassed a third of the giant hollow of the volcano leading to its circular peak.
However, it was the fifth that seemed to call to him. It seemed like a fox, but had longer fur from the top of its head to a tail that was as long as its body, but shaped like a serpentine dragon. White scales were on its underbelly and beneath the tail as smooth white fur covered the sides as well as the tail itself. It was as if a dragon's underbelly was fused to that of a fox. Even the fox's paws had claws like a dragon. Behind the ears were ancient, wooden horns that extended to the back like antlers. It seemed so holy and majestic, Shu could not bear to look at it all the time, as if he felt all the guilt from his past life bring pain to his heart.
The other four Great Spirits saw his reaction and disappeared, as if they never existed. The dragon fox floated to the ground, shrinking until it was the size of a bear as it reared its head back high. It looked down at him, like a king upon a knight, and Shu felt as if it could see into his very being.
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"You are in much pain. Betrayal and the death of millions lay in your hands, dyed with the blood of the innocent and the guilty. You are not someone who lived one life, however short it was. You died for your ideals and most of the world cursed you for it. Men, women, and children have died for it. Even in death, your work continues to end lives with the belief that it will save many more. The study and pursuit of science truly is the gift, and curse, of mankind. It is a wonder how the Heavens have allowed your existence, but there are many others who have destroyed entire planets in their rage. Tell me, why have you come?" the dragon fox asked. "Why seek power once more? Why do you seek to inflict harm upon the soul and the body?"
"I killed millions?" Shu gasped as he stared at it in shock. "What have I done? I only know I sacrificed my life to give the children more time. For what, I still don't remember."
"They are coming. The memories returning as you increase your cultivation. As your soul is empowered and condensed, more memories will restore themselves and those fragments will become whole. However, I believe it is best for you to forget. The last time a Mortal came here, he called himself the principal of Black Lotus Academy. The very first person was called himself the Black Lotus Immortal. The principal chose the gorilla. The Black Lotus Immortal chose the dragon. Both emphasized power and might. I do not. Why did you choose me?" the Great Spirit asked.
"I, I dunno. My spirits seemed to call out to you, as if they share a connection to you. I merely followed the aurora over what I assumed was a mountain. The calling became stronger and I knew it was you as I saw you," Shu answered.
"Then you must have a beast spirit. I see that it is true. A White Ocean Tiger spirit. Yes. So it must be," the Great Spirit nodded as it gazed at his chest. "Even that mask spirit seems affected by the White Ocean Tiger, shaping fangs on its surface. Know that there are many Great Spirits. This Spirit Realm is really a prison, keeping us here. Binding us here. Your technique will free me and seal me within your Mystic Stone. However, it will no longer be a mere marble. It will become a Mystic Crystal and none will be able to sense it, if you wish."
"I thought that only forms on the fifth level of soul condensation?" Shu asked.
"You will even reach the sixth stage of Spirit Shaman cultivation. This is all due to you fusing with me as the rest of my body is sealed within your soul realm. It will turn from an ocean to a planet. A vermillion colored planet with the depths being a demonic red, as your ocean was before. However, there is a price for my power. Will you pay it?" the Great Spirit asked.
"Of course. It's why I came here in the first place. I just didn't expect the realm of my soul to form a planet so soon," Shu nodded.
"Very well. The Pact has been made. Now you will pay the price. There are three people on your planet who have forcibly summoned, and imprisoned, the Great Spirits. They abuse their power and augment themselves to attain power they should never have had. You must slay those vermin and free the Great Spirits from their pain. Kill those Great Spirits, for they have become tainted and corrupted. Your principal is not one of them and you must remind him of that price. The four Great Spirits you saw before were illusions. If you had picked them, I would have devoured your soul. When you awaken, you will be in a berserk state. Your mind cannot take the pain and lost its sanity. You must bring yourself back. Good luck. I will be watching. I am now a part of you, body and soul," the Great Spirit warned and Shu's mind went blank as he returned to the real world.
The principal looked at the pagoda as he felt a tremor in his Mystic Crystal. That damn lucky student did it. The Great Spirit within him told him as such. It also reminded him of the price he had neglected to pay. He immediately set out for the pagoda as the whole tower shook violently. He knew the student would awaken in a berserk state. He, himself, went berserk and destroyed twelve small towns before he regained his sanity.
"Everybody leave that pagoda now! No one is to dwell within!" he roared, his voice booming into the ears of everyone in the campus. Students scrambled out of the buildings and ran to the pagoda, curious of what would make the principal make such an uproar. The students in the pagoda also scrambled outside and could see a black light turn white from the top of the pagoda. That black light had shined since Shu went in and lasted for sixteen days.
When Shu awoke, he screamed in agony. His human ears burst as they were soon replaced by blonde hair, as if they never existed in the first place. The hair on his head was still blonde, but two gold-furred fox ears appeared on his head. Shu held his head as he rolled in pain, a green glow appearing from his eyes and mouth as the planet's life force began being sucking into his body, as if his body had become a black hole. Black impurities burst from his body as the white shirt and coat he wore exploded. The marble, that was his Mystic Stone, changed into a crystal, just as he was told.
Within the Mystic Crystal, the dragon fox was sealed and represented the core of his soul planet as it expanded to an entire realm of consciousness. He had developed a spiritual realm and a planet of spirit energy, proof he had reached the fifth level of soul condensation. The loss of impurities signified him breaking the bottleneck to the sixth stage of Spirit Shaman cultivation.
He lost his mind in the pain and grabbed Arctic Emperor. Roaring inhumanely, he destroyed the wall of the pagoda and burst into the sky as vermillion wings sprouted on his back. He yelled in fury, stunning all the students below, some coughing out blood as his yell stunned their souls. The faculty moved to slay him, but the principal stopped them. Chanting while making hand signs, he created a golden formation array on the floor, about thirty feet in diameter. Gold chains sprung from the formation and pierced through Shu's forearms and thighs, wrapping around his limbs and dragging him to the ground.
Shu was unable to break free from a Spirit Master's formation array. He kept wildly swinging his katana at the gold chains made of spirit energy, to no avail. The formation barriers formed walls and a roof. Soon, no one could see, or hear, Shu within. Only the principal could.
"That lucky bastard. He made a Pact. Now he can practice the Great Spirit Integration technique. I should definitely have him among the first year representatives in the inter-academic competition. Another year of being champion. HAHAHAHAHA!" the principal laughed in his thoughts as he began making plans of which students he would bring. For first years, he could only bring twenty. Cultivation stage, or spell mastery, did not matter. Then, he could only bring fifteen of every cultivation stage, up to the seventh from the fourth stage. That would make sixty Practitioners and he would have to bring sixty mages. Specifically, those in different fields of study. The more diverse, the better.
"Principal," the students and faculty bowed as they approached him and the formation barrier.
"What? Did I not say to get away! This student is merely paying a price for a technique learnt from the twenty first floor. You other first years better not lag behind. As for the other students, you don't need me to remind you about the competition in two months, do I? I'll only take the best with me there. I don't give a fuck who you know or who you're related to. I need winners, not rich losers," the principal said, darkly. "Get to your training! That is, unless you want to be dumped in the mountain region, all alone."
"Yes, principal," they bowed, and hurriedly left the area.
After being assured it was safe by the principal, the faculty also left. The principal erected an eighty foot barrier formation that was completely black. No one would know what happened inside or sneak inside either. Then, he looked at the formation barrier as he saw it break apart. Shu was breaking it. It was the constant absorption of the planet's life force. Suddenly, his body couldn't contain it and became encased in a blue green colored energy that took the shape of a scorpion. Then, the principal knew Shu had a true Archon body.
"[Titan Creator] body technique," Arthur realized. "As expected of Prince Shu of the Yan Dynasty. Rumors of the prince being so powerful had spread and it seems they were true. Heh. That emperor finally has a child who became a fellow Practitioner. Still, I can't let him destroy my beloved campus," the principal laughed and punched the scorpion body into the ground, pummeling it until it showed a moment of breaking apart.
With a yell, spirit energy formed a gorilla's hand as the principal slammed his palm on the scorpion, disintegrating it. Wraith and Bahamut were watching from outside the black formation array, fearing for their master. Even the tiger, Supaiku, had arrived. After a period of two days, the formation passed and Shu was on the ground. Blood was everywhere and the tile floor was shattered in many places.
"What a nasty berserk state. I certainly don't want to find out what will make him enter that state, in the future. Best send a message to his father about what happened. Got to maintain damage control," the principal thought as he straightened his robe.
"Master!" Wraith crowd as the three ran to him.
"Relax and hide in his shadow. He'll be fine. When he wakes up, tell him to practice his new technique for the coming competition. Tell him to visit the many offices for details," the principal ordered and disappeared faster than a human eye could blink.
Shu woke up in the morning of the next day. He felt so hungry, he ate a hundred pounds of magical beast meat before he asked what was going on. Hearing the details from Wraith, he discovered he had gone berserk and actually made a hole in the pagoda. Since he left the pagoda, the demon guardians could not kill him. He learned about his bodily changes and the words of the principal. He felt a stronger connection to the planet as he could easily absorb its life force. His body felt rich with spirit energy, as if he was born with it.
Wraith told him that all of his friends visited him. Particularly, Hinako and Cassandra. Hinako, as she was his close friend, classmate, and felt guilty for suggesting him to go there. Cassandra visited him with the hope to make him her ally in convincing Weiss to stop trying to usurp her position. Wraith was always watching from in his shadow and Bahamut refused her in Shu's place with a growl.
"You can shrink!" Shu cried as he held Supaiku in his lap, the Gold-Eyed Lightning Tiger now the size of a cat. "Not very small, but now I can take you with me. I know Wraith is as strong as I am, thanks to being bound to me like a magical item. Bahamut is still at the sixth stage. Ha! I'm as strong as you now. Still, now you are of the fourth rank and can shrink. You still crackle lightning from the pikes on your tail. I wonder when you guys can talk?"
"They can talk when they reach Spirit Knight cultivation. Welcome back, Shu," Spook chimed in. "It will be telepathy though. They don't acquire human speech until the Spirit Master stage and evolve into a humanoid form at the Spirit Sage stage. Half human, half magical beast. Stronger than both though. You really went crazy. You even encased yourself in a scorpion-shaped body out of the planet's life force."
"That's awesome!" Shu grinned.
"No, far from it. You were berserk, unable to differentiate friend from foe. You became an animal. You must not trigger that state. You were stopped before the planet's life force destroyed your body. You must remember to remain calm and keep in control of your emotions," Spook warned. "Still, congratulations. Now, you can practice the Great Spirit Integration technique. Well done."
"So everything turned out great," Shu sighed.
"No. They didn't. You have lost all but a small sliver of your humanity. Your spirit reactors have enlarged and still represent moons in your realm of consciousness.. Your soul ocean has become a planet. Furthermore, that dragon fox has altered your body. A significant change is that you can now eat magical beast meat raw. You no longer need to eat meat like a human," Spook warned. "Shu, master, you will never be the same. You fused your spirits into one. Once you begin training, you will know the true change."