(Author: Hello! You were wondering and now she's back: Ivy Shao. It will soon be time for a new development. Sunday is over so here's the chapter. Thanks and enjoy.)

-------------Chapter 8: The Shao Clan--------------------

Three days later, the academy was buzzing with news as all the students had returned from cultivation. Many students gathered as the top ten beauties had arrived. Many students gathered in the cafeteria, anxious to see the beauties return. One of the ten beauties was a guy. He was so perfect, to the girls, they turned the Nine Beauties of Black Lotus to Ten Beauties of Black Lotus. If there was a flower boy king, he was it. Even the female professors made some questionable behaviors when he passed them by.

"They're coming," Joey grinned as he rubbed his hands with excitement. "We've been hearing abut them for so long. Now they're here."

"Boys," Mary sighed. "However, I am curious to meet the flower boy."

"I just hope he's not like Weiss," Max said, shivering. "What happened to the guy anyway?"

"His faction broke up. Also, I heard rumors that he spends most of his time trembling in his room. It's next door to Shu's old room as Shu transferred to a more luxurious dorm. The sixth and seventh stage student dorms are heaven," Bella sighed.

"Yeah, but we don't spend much time in our rooms. It's our magical beasts who enjoy the luxury," Hinako commented, already fast friends with Bella and the others.

"I heard one of the ten beauties is an earth mage," Geo said. "I hope I get to see how she uses her magic."

"Almost all of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus are the top thirty students of the academy. Beautiful and powerful. The world is truly unfair. However, most of them don't have battle experience," Hinako said. "Like most students: we are all too busy cultivating and practicing without experiencing life-or-death situations. However, one of them has. She even got accepted into the academy a year early, at age twelve. She is one of the three members of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus who are members of the ancient clans, like me."

"WHAT!" everyone, but Shu shouted, sitting down sheepishly as the cafeteria glared at them.

"You're not surprised?" Hinako asked Shu.

"I had my suspicions when you said your clan had someone who could regenerate a whole arm for someone. Mages can heal wounds and reattach arms, but most have to be an Arch Mage. If a Practitioner is healing, it would have to be someone at the Spirit Master stage," Shu nodded. "So the Sano clan is one of the nine. What clans are the other three from?"

"Allow me," Joey said as he pulled out ten cards, each of them with information on the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus.

"The hell? Where'd you get those? I thought they ran out," Daniel asked, catching the stares of everyone at the table. "What? They're hot. Can't a guy admire a girl from a distance?"

"Okay. They're names are Kristy Ngo, Isabella Rivers, Elizabeth Hong, Hannah Moon, Allison Taylor, and Crystal Cruise. They're the top six beauties, from the top down. Rank 10: Melissa Woods is the last person and I skipped, to her, because ranks 7 to 9 are all members of the ancient clans," Joey said.

"It even has that knowledge?" Jiyeon asked. "How many perverts stalked them to find out that information?"

"I dunno. They must be rich," Joey shrugged. "I only care about the weakest one: Hannah Moon. She is at the fifth stage and a third year. She's cute."

Jiyeon narrowed her eyes while Bella asked, "Hinako, who are the members of the ancient clans? Are they all from different clans?"

"One of them is my cousin. The other two are from separate clans. The ninth rank beauty is my cousin, Hailey Sano. She and I are not direct descendants of the head of our clan. Thus, we are allowed to study outside the clan. We have true Archon bodies though. All of us must if we are to defend ourselves from several jealous clans. We're not as talented. Members of the main branch will already pass already the tenth stage of Spirit Shaman before they turn twenty. Just like the rest of us, I don't think we can be Spirit Knights, Archon Phoenix in my case, before we're twenty," Hinako smiled sadly as she laid back on her chair. "All the resources are focused on the main members of the clan. Then again, they are the future of the clan and many members of the main branch are constantly at each other's throat for the head position of the clan. Most die young, either assassinated or poisoned in public."

"What are their names?" Shu asked.

"From the seventh rank down, they are Ivy Shao, Miguel Drakon, and Hailey Sano," Hinako answered.

"Ivy Shao?" Shu repeated, his eyes widening as he remembered seeing her back in the Yan Empire.

"Shu!" a girl's voice cried as the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus walked in. Four of the ten wore white jackets while the other six wore crimson jackets.

"It is you," Shu laughed as he stood up, seeing Ivy walk to him.

"Hmm? You look different," Ivy gasped, looking him over. "I knew you would come here. I thought you would have applied early."

"You're a member of the ancient clans. No wonder," Shu sighed as he shook his head with disbelief. Ivy Shao had also changed. She had straight, purple black hair that curled as it reached her shoulders. She had bright green eyes and already had a figure of envy. He looked back and saw the top six were even more beautiful. So much so that it hurt his eyes.

"I heard you reached the sixth stage already. Nice. We can compete together in the competition. I'm at the peak of the sixth stage though," Ivy smiled.

"So this is the boy," a girl with light brown skin, long black hair, and soft hazel eyes smiled. A few boys even sighed with awe as they heard her voice. Her name was Isabella, the second ranked beauty and the strongest of the ten, already at the peak of the seventh stage. She was nineteen years old, the oldest of them all. Some of the adults looked at her. Some with lust,. Others with envy. After all, the school said you had fifty years to reach the eighth stage of Spirit Shaman to graduate. However, there was an unspoken rule that said you could not call yourself a graduate if you passed after the age of twenty. The faculty also pressured those older students to transfer. How could they not?

"You're Isabella Rivers!" Kei and Kai cried in unison.

"Hello," Isabella smiled.

"Yes. This is Shu of the Lu Clan. However, he seems to have changed," Ivy smiled.

"You're not going to insist I have a makeover, will you?" Shu asked, incredulous.

"You already had a cute makeover. I love those golden fox ears. Can I touch them?" Ivy asked as she peeked below his hood.

"Oooh! I want to too!" Mary and Jiyeon cried, Bella nodding as well.

"I am not cute!" Shu cried.

"Isabella? Oh, it's a God Eater," the only boy of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus noted. "Hey there! Props for the jacket. The only good Hyperion is a dead one."

"This is my boyfriend, Miguel Drakon," Isabella smiled, causing many boys' hearts to break.

"Nice to meet you," Shu said as he and Miguel shook hands.

"I'm sorry about Lenard's actions. He is a direct grandson of the head, but not the son of the eldest and favorite son. I am, but I'm the fourth son," Miguel laughed. "I hope the dagger served you well."

"It has. Sorry if I offended you," Shu said as he showed the skull dagger.

"No worries. That spy really was just a servant. They are trained to sacrifice their lives to protect, and serve, from the shadows. As he died while discovered, he would have been executed for his failure. Because of you, he did not have to be humiliated in front of his family. Nor did he bring them shame as he died while on duty," Miguel assured Shu. "Anyway, we better head to the others, Isabella. Let Ivy sit with her friend."

"He is a dream," Mary sighed, watching Miguel go.

"He's taken sis," Max sighed.

"He's not," Bella said, pointing at Shu, who was otherwise engaged with a piece of magical beast meat and a staring contest with his tiger.

"Take it. Damn glutton," Shu scoffed and grinned as he watched Supaiku eat as he gazed at the others. "What? I thought we were eating? We made our introductions."

"Good luck," Hinako said, patting Ivy on her shoulder. "Later guys. I'm going to train until we depart."

Shu and Ivy began talking while the others were gathering their food. They talked about the strengths and weaknesses about the various magical beasts they encountered in the forest and mountains. Bella and Geo also talked with them, eager to learn more for when they would hunt there. The others would sneak glances at the remaining Ten Beauties of Black Lotus.

"So what is the grand prize?" Shu asked as he began eating dumplings.

"It is access to the Vault of Kings," Ivy answered. "Each year, the nine academies compete for permission to access the Vault of Kings. The greatest empire of the north, Jakkom, has owned the land of this entire continent since the earliest surviving record made by sentient life. Even the continent's name was changed countless millennia ago. Countless treasures exist in the imperial vault. Plus, the empire has five Spirit Sages, the largest number."

"If you only you knew," Shu thought as he thought about the fourteen Honorable Ancestors.

"The winning academy gets vast amounts of resources. Such as a billions of gold, magic tomes, Practitioner techniques, magical items, and magical beasts to serve and protect the academy. The winner of each competition gets to pick three items from the vault. Second place gets two while third place gets one. Also, the fabled Pantheon of Devils will come in a little less than ten years," Ivy said with awe and fear in her voice. "These next few years are imperative to increase your cultivation and obtain the treasures of the Pantheon of Devils. It is the utopia of all power and treasure in the Mortal Realm."

Shu's lightning blue eyes seemed to spark while he envisioned what he could gain while Joey asked, "Pantheon of Devils?"

"It is an ancient building within a separate dimension. The lone entrance and exit opens once every thousand years. It is said that a Demon God and Immortal God gamble on who would gain the treasures. The Magical Beast God is responsible for the creatures and obstacles within the Pantheon," Ivy answered. "For people like us, we can only go up to the thirteenth floor."

"How do you progress through the floors? Find the entrance to it?" Daniel asked.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"No. It is never that simple. Even though they are floors, it is really a test. The higher the floor, the more difficult the test," Ivy answered. "Some floors have multiple tests. You are trapped in there until you complete every two floors. For completing every even numbered floor, you are asked whether you wish to leave or rest for a hundred days before you continue. The prizes lay in the eleventh to thirteenth floors."

"For telling me this, I'll let you touch my ears," Shu resigned as the others stared at him. He unstrapped the hood from his collar and let the hood fall onto his back. Ivy blushed as she felt his ears. Shu had his eyes closed as he waited for her to finish.

"Done?" Shu asked as he strapped the hood to his collar. They all watched as armor on his legs and arms appeared, his countenance looking oppressive as a mask covered the lower half of his face. They swore they saw lightning flash in his eyes. Their eyes widened as the color changed to orange. They could literally see countless galaxies within his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Shu asked.

"Uh, your eyes changed color. They're orange now. I think I can see the galaxies and universes in your eyes," Joey answered. "They glow too. Your eyes I mean. With the armor on your limbs, the mask, and hooded crimson jacket; I swear you look like a villain."

"You look awesome," Kai and Kei said.

Shu stared at the reflection from the skull dagger and saw the change in his eye color. As he stared deeper, he discovered they were right. His eyes narrowed as he didn't know what was going on. He went to place his empty plates by the designated dropping area near the trash bins.

"Your eyes look like that of the Dragon Fox. You never really looked at its eyes, right?" Spook said as Shu was out of earshot. "You have the eyes of a Great Spirit now. You'll soon see things others can't."

"Something wrong, Shu?" Ivy asked as Shu returned to his seat.

"Ah, it's nothing. This is just a side-effect from the technique I learned. Same with the ears. I learned the technique of the Black Lotus Immortal," Shu laughed. "Is the Shao Clan okay with sending you here?"

"Oh. Well, I am the fifth daughter of the chief. After me, he finally had a son. Besides him and eldest sister, my other three sisters and I are not contenders for his position," Ivy smiled as she stared at her food. "Right now, the Shao Clan is preparing for the Pantheon of Devils. I was allowed to come here, thanks to my uncle. He told them about the prize. I have a chance in being one of the three people to gain access to the Vault of Kings among the students of the sixth stage. The item I pick might just save my life. Of course, I will be given other items. However, I cannot freely choose what I might get. By going to the competition, I can exactly what I want. Last year, I was third place and got a single item amongst the fourth year students."

"If it's anything similar to my clan's imperial vault, there's bound to be many priceless treasures," Shu thought.

"Mary, Max, Kai, and Daniel; are you guys going to come with us to the capital to watch the games?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Daniel nodded. "As mages are displaying their spells and theories for various spells and rituals, I plan to go to learn about them. Kai is also interested. Sorry we can't watch your matches. We'll let you guys know how Jiyeon and Geo fare by telling Mary and Max."

"I just want to watch Kei and Bella kick Weiss's ass," Max growled while Mary nodded in agreement.

"Will we be traveling together?" Joey asked.

"Yes. We are all are flying magical beasts, if we don't have one already," Ivy nodded.

"I can ride Bahamut," Shu said. "He can probably carry you all. He's twenty feet tall and forty five feet long now. He's getting big."

"Is he a serpentine dragon?" Ivy asked.

"Nah, he has a lizard body with wings. Bahamut is an Emerald Steel Dragon at the seventh stage. I don't know when he stops growing," Shu shrugged. "I can ride Supaiku as he is now as tall as a horse."

"Good because draconic magical beasts are not allowed. Draconic magical beasts are the most powerful, besides one-of-a-kind magical beasts, and are banned to give the other competitors a chance to compete. They are just too powerful," Ivy said. "Still, I can't believe you already have two magical beasts bound to you. If they weren't Saint level magical beasts, I would have thought you were too hasty."

"Well, let's meet at the gates when we depart to the Jakkom capital with the other students," Bella said. "We better make our last preparations. Bye!"

"I heard you have a true Archon body," Ivy said, as the others left.

"How do you know that?" Shu asked.

"Of course, information spreads about Practitioners who have spirit reactors. The ancient clans have always inter-married with those people to insure they don't create chaos on the planet while improving our own power," Ivy answered. "Still, you are able to rip out someone's Mystic Stone and absorb their spirit energy. Many were startled by the fact that you also absorbed the spirit reactor."

"I didn't exactly plan for that much, but I absorbed the spirit reactor," Shu nodded.

"Still, you look better now. You are no longer afraid of being bullied. Before you lost your memory, you asked me to give you a makeover. You were attacked and suffered that incident on the way to see me," Ivy explained. "Now you're even more powerful than me. As we have true Archon bodies, we can definitely reach the tenth stage of Spirit Shaman cultivation before the Pantheon of Devils. We might still be Spirit Shamans, but true Archons are much more powerful than other Spirit Shamans of the same cultivation. We're sure to get placed well. Our only issue is if we fight other scions of the ancient clans."

"Is that why you only got third place?" Shu asked.

"Yes. If we have a chance to eliminate them, the sooner the better," Ivy answered. "This year, the top sixty four won't be in one-on-one battles. Only the top sixteen. Due to my clan's connections, I found out that the Jokkam Empire wants the tournament to be more entertaining. Since, many powerful clans have sons and daughters competing, it would be more entertaining to have more trials before the main tournament."

"We'll just have more opportunities to fight them," Shu grinned.

"Not only that, members of the student's clans and families will be there. I heard that a Spirit Sage is being sent, to represent your clan, all the way from Kasara. The Ancestor's name is Lu Feng," Ivy said.

"Oh. Damn," Shu said, thinking about how his ancestor annihilated the tenth clan of the ancient clans. "Will the ancient clans retaliate?"

"No. None of our elders are confident to kill Ancestor Lu Feng," Ivy said. "He is a regular Archon, but killed several Fiend Adepts and Fiend Immortals. I don't know the exact reason, but people say the clan caused his wife to die after giving birth. Others say that he got angry after the clan tried to kill him. No one knows the true story. It was because of him that we are cautious about regular Archons. You can say we were arrogant back then. The ancient clans, of today, are nowhere like them. We even enlist the aid of mages now. All to slay the Hyperion."

"Yeah, he's scary," Shu said, looking at Spook. "But I haven't seen that side of him. Anyway, we better make our preparations to leave."

"Okay. Bye, Shu," Ivy smiled and waved as she left first.

"What do you know of the Vault of Kings?" Shu asked Spook.

"From the knowledge I obtained from the Great Ancestor, when he made my two previous forms, the Vault of Kings is really extraordinary. The empire existed before he returned to the Mortal Realm. It is no exaggeration that their vault must be incredibly vast and rich. It is a good thing I was made. Only an Immortal can see your demonic red spirit energy, unless you intentionally reveal it. An example would be that demon lion statue," Spook said. "My advice would be keep your mask armor manifested on your face. Don't materialize it on your arms and legs. Don't use reveal your wings or skull dagger. Keep your Great Spirit Integration technique a secret. Use your other techniques if you have to. Oh, and use your flying moon blades. There are grips on the crescent moon blades. The curve cuts, but you don't have to make them fly all the time. Try to keep your true fighting style, with Arctic Emperor, a secret."

"Ah, right. I forgot about those," Shu cried as he took them out his storage bag. Two, large blades floated above his hands. Each of them had purple flames and a metallic wood was between the points of the crescent moon blade. The curve of the moon was about a foot and a half long, at the center. It would be useful for close range while he could make it fly from medium to long range. It seemed that it had changed once more, as he had grown stronger.

Shu went to the store at the academy and hand them craft straps on his back for the moon blades. As he could control them with his spirit energy. He could easily unsheathe and sheathe them on his back. In his room, he held his Sentinel Bow. No changes had been made, but the two carvings were different. The top was the Armored Ocean Tiger God while the carving at the bottom was the Dragon Fox. The top he expected, and he assumed the Dragon Fox was because of a part of the Great Spirit was fused with him while the other part became the core of the soul planet in his realm of consciousness.

The bow felt powerful, so much so that he didn't think anything would be able to block the arrows. It was a Divine Weapon. He wondered if a Demon God made it. The archer could not have been human as he could fire it more than once. Since it was a Divine Weapon, he just associated it with a Demon God. Either them or a Creator God. If Demon Emperors ruled entire galaxies, it was highly probable that they could make planets. After all, Practitioner and mages could ascend and they could control the elements.

Shu put the Sentinel Bow in Spook and looked out the window, saying, "I've trained my body, soul, and techniques. Now I gotta fight once more. I can't lose. No matter if its the ancient clan scions or other powerful students, I will defeat them all. I will never yield, powerless, before my opponents. I even took my own life to buy time and took my enemies' lives with my own. I didn't let them beat me then. I won't let anyone beat me now."