"Long, long ago, there was a great storm. Not a storm such as the ones in the sky above the world. No. It was a storm within the galaxy. Lightning flashed and crackled with such intensity that shockwaves rippled through space and time. In a flash of lightning brighter than any other, a dragon came to be," Ming said.
"The Great Lightning Dragon?" Jie asked.
"Of course," Ming said with a smile, "this dragon was made from lightning, and his command over it was supreme. His attacks were too deadly for anyone to withstand, and no warrior could even land a blow upon his mighty scales. Such was his speed!
"However, despite his great power, The Great Lightning Dragon was gentle. He was swift, decisive, and a terror to behold on the battlefield, but he soon grew tired of the endless conflicts throughout the galaxy. He wished for peace, and so he came here and made a world of his own," Ming said.
Jie's eyes went wide. "He made the whole planet?" she asked.
"Yes, I told you he was very powerful. This planet is his daughter, and he named her Xiannu because she's as beautiful as a fairy," Ming said.
"So... cultivators can make planets? Could I do that?" she asked.
"When you're strong enough, I don't see why not. But, you'll have to be extremely strong if you want a good planet," Ming said with a smile.
And, when Jie was silent, he continued, "He grew attached to a woman who came to his world, and they started a family. These were my ancestors. There was very little conflict in the world at this time.
"After all, few were stupid enough to cause trouble with The Great Lightning Dragon watching over everything. He took on nine disciples and taught them all he knew.
"Each grew to be powerful cultivators in their own right. However, one of the disciples had a heart filled with treachery. This disciple was Fang Zhuyu, and he longed to dominate his master's world.
"He murdered the innocents he was supposed to protect and consumed their souls to enhance his power. He went so far as to conduct a dark ritual that would warp the world of Xiannu herself to his twisted designs. When the other disciples learned of what he was doing, they confronted him. He slew seven of them before their master arrived," Ming said.
"Then what happened?" Jie asked.
"The Great Lightning Dragon battled Fang Zhuyu. Fang Zhuyu had grown strong, but not strong enough to best his master, and Yang Shandian defeated his disciple.
"But, despite the atrocities Fang Zhuyu had committed, Yang Shandian still saw him as the disciple he'd trained over thousands of years, and he couldn't bear to slay him.
"Instead, he imprisoned Fang Zhuyu, and mourned his dead disciples. Eventually, he could no longer bear to live in the world where his beloved disciples perished, and he left. Nobody knows where he went, though many set out to find him. As far as I know, none of them succeeded.
"Things were peaceful for a time. The last disciple stayed behind and taught new generations of guardians and established temples and outposts across the universe before he too left the world. Like his master, nobody knows where he went. Although there are many rumors. Some say he created his own world and settled there to live a quiet life. Others say he journeys through the universe in search of his master.
"But now, after six hundred thousand years, followers of Fang Zhuyu have appeared, bent on freeing their master. They are unimaginably powerful, and they attacked out of nowhere. They slaughtered the guardians and their disciples. Even our strongest warriors were not their match. We don't know where they came from or why they've chosen now to strike after so long, but each is marked by the foul touch of their master.
"Already, they've begun capturing whole worlds full of people and sacrificing their souls in a dark ritual to weaken Fang Zhuyu's prison. There are vast armies and great champions doing battle against them, but his followers are too powerful, and their dark work continues unabated.
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"I was sent on a desperate mission to find a cultivator who could stand against them. Someone strong enough to stop them from freeing Fang Zhuyu and unleashing his evil upon our world."
"But you brought me instead," Jie said, looking at the floor.
"Yes," Ming said, "one of Fang Zhuyu's followers attacked and disrupted the ritual to send me to a world with powerful cultivators, and I ended up in your world instead."
"I'm sorry I'm not the warrior you hoped for," Jie said.
"Don't worry about it, kiddo," Ming said, "I know you can go far, and don't forget... you've got me too. We'll find a way. And there are others like us in the universe, trying to stop the spreading darkness. Whether by personal strength or by trying to rally great powers to our cause. Even if they do not succeed in stopping Fang Zhuyu's followers, perhaps they will buy us the time we need. Times are dark, but light shines brightest in the darkness. There is always hope."
Jie smiled and hugged the dragon tightly.
"I'm ready to train some more," she said.
Jie trained relentlessly under Ming's guidance.
Cultivating no longer knocked her unconscious, and she spent half of every day cultivating and the other half practicing the dragonfist technique and doing strenuous physical exercises that pushed her body to its limits.
Every day was exhausting, and she collapsed on a bedroll Ming had taken out of his little storage treasure box for much needed sleep each night.
Days passed this way, and days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and finally, a year had passed.
"Well done, kiddo!" Ming said, "Reaching the ninth star of the Disciple rank already? Your progress is incredible!"
Jie ran up to Ming and hugged him tightly with a bright smile on her face.
In the last year, she'd grown much taller, and stronger. Each star she'd gained brought with it incredible physical strength and speed and though she trained hard every day, her heart sang with joy.
This must be what heaven is like. She thought.
"So, hit me with your dragonfist, and let me see how much stronger you've become," Ming said.
Jie smiled and crackling energy condensed around her fist. It still didn't look like a dragon, but her qi was denser and brighter than ever before.
"Prepare yourself," she said.
Ming puffed out his chest.
Jie bent her knees and took off in a flash. She rushed up to Ming in half a breath and slammed her glowing fist into his scaly body.
A boom rang out in the temple courtyard. The shockwave sent Jie staggering backward. Birds squawked and fluttered away, but Ming remained standing without a mark on his body.
"That's very good," he said, "you're getting much stronger."
Jie laughed. "I still can't even scratch you," she said.
"I'm a much higher rank than you," Ming said, "of course you can't hurt me. You're making good progress though."
Jie smiled. "So what now? More training? A new martial skill?" she asked.
Ming chuckled. "I will indeed be teaching you a new martial skill, but I also think it's time for us to leave the temple and venture into the world. Your cultivation base is coming along impressively, but you still don't know how to fight. Not really.
"Sparring with me isn't the same as facing life and death battles and the techniques of experts near your own level. You need people around your own cultivation to spar against. We also need to get you some cultivation resources so you can continue moving forward at such a fast pace
"Mainly though, I need to take a break from training you for a while to focus fully on restoring myself. Even after this year, I'm not even close to healed... I need to focus on it and give my injuries the attention they need. For these reasons, I think it would be good to get you into a school, if possible," he said.
Jie pouted. "I don't like school!" she said and stamped her foot.
Ming frowned. "But you get to do everything you've been doing for this past year," he said.
"I'll just end up sitting in a classroom and listening to idiots. I can cultivate while you focus on healing yourself. You can train me more when you're better," she said.
"Sitting in a classroom?" Ming asked, "Why would a school waste such valuable cultivation time?"
Now it was Jie's turn to look confused. "What do you mean? I won't have to go to class?" she asked.
Ming snorted. "No school worth a shred of Essence would do that. I imagine they'll have classes on subjects if you want to go there. Mainly everyone just cultivates, spars, and takes advantage of the resources the school has to improve faster," Ming said.
Jie smiled. "Okay, I'll try it, but if they try to stick me in one of those classes I'm leaving, and I'll just cultivate while you recover," she said.
"It might be wise to learn things besides just cultivation and martial skills though," Ming said.
Jie folded her arms. "I studied subjects while I was in hospital. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I'm way beyond the school system in my old world. I just want to learn to fight and cultivate so I can get strong and help you," she said.
Ming chuckled. "Sometimes I forget that you were a monster even before I met you. Your world is more advanced in some areas, so I'd agree you likely don't need any other classes and you can focus entirely on cultivating and fighting. Let's get going, kiddo. We can continue your training while we travel."