In the middle of the void, a small puddle of blood started to appear. From the puddle, a hand suddenly emerged, followed by another. The owner of this hand pulled itself up to reveal a skinny young man with short black hair and blood dripping from his body. Standing up, he looked around his surroundings only to see darkness.

                    From the darkness, an oozing bloody handed suddenly stretched itself and rubbed the young man’s head, then an archaic voice sounded out “You have done well, my disciple”. The young man turned around and immediately kneeled. Soon, a bloody figure materialized in front of the young man.

                    The oozing bloody figure was gender neutral, and had a lean build with two black glowing eyes and wearing absolutely nothing. “I apologize for taking so long master”. The young man said. “I have already said that time is of no matter. Let me see them” The bloody figure commanded. The young man nodded and with his right fist, struck his left chest five times.

                    Each time he struck his chest, he would cough up a palm sized blood ball that soon changed into featureless humanoid blood figures. The five blood figures snuggled themselves to the young man and bloody figure gave an approving nod. “Very good children. Remember to treat them as if you are treating your own offspring”

                    “Yes, master” The young man said, as he grabbed all the blood figures and hug them tightly. Standing up and looking at his master, he said proudly “Master, this is where my journey truly begins. The bloody figure only laughed and patted the head of his disciple. “After mastering Formless Blood, we shall meet again”.

                    Originating from the blood puddle, a large bloody hand suddenly emerged and dragged the young man within, leaving the five blood figures starting at the bloody figure. The bloody figure looked at the five blood figures and started to do numerous complex hand seals with his right hand, that attached itself to the blood figures.

                    “I wonder which one is which? You cannot hide from me” The bloody figure said coldly. The blood figures shuddered in fear and started to run separately, all in different directions. The bloody figure laughed and shouted “RUN! RUN! I will not allow you to take advantage of my disciple!”. Its words echoed in the void and started to hunt the palm sized blood figures.

                    The young man wearing black robes was jolted from his sleep and looked around his surroundings. He noticed that he was laying down on a hospital bed with the blinds closed shut, eclipsing the room in the darkness. As he was about to get out of bed, the door to his hospital room suddenly slid opened and the light flickered.

                    He shielded his eyes from the light and when they adjusted he removed his hand and stared at the beautiful tanned girl wearing white robes standing by the door. “Rest” The girl said with a commanding tone. “I’m fine, thank you for bringing me here” The young man said and tried to get up, but as his feet touched the ground, he felt wobbly and fell forwards.

                    Thankfully, the girl was fast and strong enough to catch him and help him back on the bed. “Xian, rest” The girl repeated once again in a commanding tone, leaving him no choice but to obey her. She nodded to his decision and a triumph smile appeared on her face. Closing the door to the room, as well as the lights.

                    She laid besides him and hugged his right arm “It has been a long time since we had slept together”. “Last time we did, your dad made me go through his hell routine” Zuxian dryly said. The girl laughed at her words and slowly drifted into sleep. Zuxian listened to her soft breathing and closed his eyes.

                    While reminiscing the memories when they were still together as children, he could hear very faint footsteps. Opening his eyes and looking towards the left, he could see a silhouette of an old man. “Elder Viceroy?” Zuxian called out quietly. “You have noticed me? It seems your journey was not for naught” Elder Viceroy praised.

                    “It was difficult, but I managed” Zuxian laughed.

                    “You have grown strong, but not strong enough. Little Therese has paid a price that branded her with the title of idiotic and stupid to be with you. I hope you will not let her down” Elder Viceroy said with emotion.

                    “I won’t” He replied with confidence. Elder Viceroy nodded his words to his response and simply disappeared from the room without a trace or sound. “I must get stronger” Zuxian inwardly shouted to himself, before trying to separate himself from Therese to no avail. “I’ll cripple you…” Therese mumbled that halted the actions Zuxian and made him silently rest on the bed beside her.

                    Though Zuxian knew that she would not cripple his cultivation, he knows that there is a large possibility for her to cripple his limbs, making daily life harder, as it is. With no other option available, he silently waited for Therese to wake up from her sleep. After three and a half hours, Therese slowly woke up to see Zuxain’s sleeping face.

                    She silently got off the bed, opened the blinds to let the sunlight in, and softly shook Zuxian awake. Waking up, Zuxian positioned himself upright and shielded his eyes from the sun. After his eyes adjusted, he placed his arm down and looked at Therese “Morning”. She nodded cheerfully and held his left hand with her right hand.

                    Slowly getting out of the bed, she started to walk out of the room with him in tow. Going down the flights of stairs, they soon arrived at the entrance of the hospital where an unusual sight greeted them. Blocking one of the entrances of the hospital, a giant panda was quickly devouring a single stalk of bamboo.

                    Looking at Therese he asked, “Is that Ming-Ming?”. “Yup, after you suddenly disappeared on us, ten years ago, Ming-Ming was more brokenhearted than I was. Ever since that day, she has taken her cultivation very seriously awaiting your return” Therese explained. She took a quick glance at Zuxian, who seemed to be holding back his tears.

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                    “Ming-Ming” Zuxian shouted. Hearing a voice, she had not heard for a long time, Ming-Ming, the giant panda, turned her head leftwards and saw a familiar young man. Though this young man had grown very much, but to her eyes, she still remembered the young child that nursed her since she was born.

                    Ming-Ming’s body started shake and shrink to the size when she was baby. Cutely running towards Zuxian, who has already kneeled and caught her in his arms, she started to make sounds of joy. Standing up, Zuxian cradled Ming-Ming, as he did before. “I’m back Ming-Ming, sorry for leaving you unexpectedly” Zuxian said, but Ming-Ming was not listening at all and simply rubbed her tiny body in his warmth.

                    Placing Ming-Ming on top of his head, Zuxian patted Therese’s head and said, “I’m sorry for leaving you as well”. Therese nodded happily and two started to walk out of the hospital, uncaring for the gazes of the patients, doctors, and nurses. As they reached the hospital gates, a black car suddenly stopped in front of them.

                    The two paced themselves backwards and Ming-Ming had already jumped from Zuxian’s head and returned to her original size, gazing coldly at the black car, behind her “parents”. The passenger door of the black car opened and a handsome young man with long braided black hair and wearing red robes.

                    Once seeing this man, Zuxian, Therese, and Ming-Ming lowered their guard and greeted this man. “Have you grown so old that you cannot even give your older brother a hug?” The young man said, as he spread his arms open. Zuxian laughed and gave the young man a powerful hug and proceeded to say, “I’m home, brother”.

                    As they separated, the young man looked at Therese and said with a laugh “Sister Therese, I thank you for looking over my little brother and almost giving my step-mother a heart attack”. “No, no. It is I, who should be thanking you, Brother Huan” Therese replied. The two laughed leaving out, Zuxian, who decided it was best not to investigate the matter of their talk.

                    “Xian, we must catch up, but seeing as you are currently busy” Xing Huan looked at Therese, who he considers his brother’s “wife” and their “daughter” Ming-Ming, he continued to say, “I will be dropping this off for today”. Throwing a golden ring towards Zuxian, who easily caught it, he looked backed at his brother with an inquisitive look.

                    “Two years after you left us, father had succumbed to his wounds and passed away. Before his death however, he prepared these rings for me, you, and Little Ting, in his will. If you have time, visit his grave” After saying those words, Xing Huan entered his car and drove off from their sight. Zuxian wore the ring on his right index finger, while trying to hide and control the sadness in his heart.

                    Therese and the baby formed Ming-Ming, who was being carried in her arms, were watching Zuxian from the side, not wanting to disturb his thoughts. After a while, Zuxian lifted his sight from the gold ring and grasped the right hand of Therese with his left hand and started to walk. Watching them leave the premises of the hospital were two people, who were standing at the rooftop of the said hospital.

                    One was an old man wearing grey robes, the other was a middle-aged man wearing black robes that gave of a gold shine from time to time. In the hands of this middle-aged man was a thin medical folder belonging to Xing Zuxian. “The brat actually obtained those drops of blood” The middle-aged man said in amazement.

                    “You sent him on this hazardous journey at such a young age and you still doubted him? Can you even call yourself his master?” The old man berated the middle-aged man. “Old Roy, I was never his master in the first place. I was simply a vessel for his true master” The middle-aged man sighed.

                    “So, where did you actually send Zuxian to?” The old man asked, after a while of silence. The middle-aged man was hesitant, but since the being once inhibiting his body was gone, he slowly revealed the locations of where Zuxian went for the past ten years. As he was finished speaking, the old man was too stunned and shock to say anything.

                    “You can see now why I said those words…Old Roy, as a friend I shall leave a warning. The Zuxian of the past is not the same Zuxian of the present. He will continue to change into the personality of his master and bring death to those around him. I implore you to warn your granddaughter about the future changes” Tapping the old man’s shoulder, the middle-aged man disappeared into a rift of the void.

                    “Sadly, even I cannot convince my granddaughter of the dangers of the future” The old man mumbled and slowly started to walk towards the rooftop door to resume his duties.

                    Two blocks from the hospital, a very luxurious apartment building stands, enclosed with a steel gate and patrolled with over fifty men and woman in black suits. Around the apartment buildings was a garden to where next building was still over at the next block or from across the building itself.

                    “Isn’t this the boarding apartment for those in the White Grade Academy? You live here?” Zuxian asked and Therese nodded, then said “Yes, stay for a minute. I’ll be back”. Therese started to walk forwards, separating her hand from Zuxian’s and entered the building. Zuxian, who did not know what to do, simply stayed at the outskirts of the apartment and waited for Therese to come back.

                    Standing off to the side and leaning on the steel bars, he could feel numerous eyes gazing at him. Ignoring the gazes, he simply watched the clear blue sky, as well as the drifting clouds. Minutes passed and he had already entered a state of peace. As he considered his heart, into his dantian, he could see a very familiar scene from his past being recreated.

                    His master, the mysterious bloody figure was surrounded by five different kinds of lifeforms. Each of these life forms were in a state of change, where they were in a state of solidifying their corporeal and spirituals bodies together. Zuxian watched this in interest, but was forcefully blocked by his master.

                    When he opened his eyes again, he could see Therese in front of him carrying a black duffel bag with the strap slumped over her left shoulder. “What’s with the bag?” Zuxian inquired. “I’m moving out and moving in with you” Therese replied.

                      “Why? I am homeless” Zuxian said.

                      “No matter, we can look for a home together” Therese responded.

                    “I will be the one paying…at most I can get a small apartment. Is that fine with you and Ming-Ming?” Zuxian looked at them both and displeasure was not seen on their face. He nodded and took the bag from Therese and they departed for the real estate agency building.