“A word… with me?” The exhausted autumn-haired boy had to repeat August’s words in order to ensure that he didn’t mishear what was spoken.
“Yes, little brother, a word.” August answered, his gaze fell on the deep bruises that seeped down to his very bones, before bringing them back up to his eyes. “You’re struggling fairly hard, and senior Gong is still actually going easy on you.”
His eyes turned downward, as if he were silently acknowledging August’s words, “What… what can I do, fellow brother? He’s too strong for me, I’m at a loss!” The autumn-haired boy’s face was littered with uncertainty and desperation. One could easily tell that he attempted this trial far more times than he could count.
August’s gaze flickered coldly at the boy, as if any kind atmosphere he had created were shattered to pieces in that instant. His deep blue eyes stared down at the autumn-haired boy like one would stare at a young child claiming to want to swing a great sword, and though he shook with fear at the icy glare that August gave him, the autumn-haired boy felt as if he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. “That’s because you are weak.” He indifferently spoke, his words were like a poisoned blade that stabbed at the autumn-haired boy mercilessly. “You have no power here, the only place that you could possibly contend with is the mortal’s region in the northwest. But this is the land of cultivators, you will get nothing for free, your life will likely be nothing but pain from here on, you may never even make it past the peak of Refinement Realm.” He furrowed his brows as he practically maimed the autumn-haired boy’s confidence to shreds, “Do you, with such mediocre talent, really want to embarrass himself further?”
The autumn-haired boy’s eyes washed over with shame and regret. His mouth opened, but no voice came out, he shuddered uncontrollably as if he were publicly shamed ten times over. The onlookers couldn’t help but feel pity for the young boy, truthfully many of them enjoyed watching him courageously take the test many times despite his cultivation, but who were they to deny the black-haired expert that could stop one of senior Gong’s attacks with no issue? True power is what spoke in the Void Sect, and without that, one was bound to fail horribly. Even examiner Gong didn’t interfere with August’s cruel shaming of the boy, he could tell that the black-haired mystery was perfectly capable of passing the test with flying colors, he felt that he had every right to call the boy out on his shortcomings.
Despite the treatment he suffered, the autumn-haired boy didn’t back down, what’s more, he seemed to force himself to stand straight even with his trembling hands and wobbly legs. His gaze faced August with no sign of backing down, despite the look or sadness in his eyes, he shed not a single tear, as if the very thought would appall him to no end. “I... refuse.” He weakly spoke, “I refused to back down here! I’ve worked day and night, forsook many bowls of precious rice, cut my ties with many people just to be here! Brother, if I were to quit here and now, I, Xiao Bing, swear on my name that I will die the most painful death imaginable!”
The boy’s declaration to the heavens shocked the entire crowd, including the examiner, but August had another expression aside from surprise. A wide smile surfaced on his face as the cold glare he spared Xiao Bing had all but disappeared, as if it were never there to begin with. Xiao Bing’s determined expression helplessly shook a bit when he heard August’s genial laugh, “Good, good! Brother Xiao, you have thoroughly piqued my interest! If I help you become an outer disciple and provide you with the means to grow stronger, do you promise to follow through with what I do afterwards?”
Xiao Bing’s face was full of surprise at the words he had just heard, but surprise was nothing more than surprise. His determined gaze returned with a vengeance as he clasped his hands together and lowered his head to August. “Brother, if you really can help me become an outer disciple, I, Xiao Bing, will willingly accept myself as your servant! Even if the heavens themselves attack you, they will have to kill me first!”
August smiled as he lightly shook his head, “I don’t need a servant, brother Xiao, I think a junior brother will do just fine. I am August, by the way.”
“Brother August…” Xiao Bing could feel a rising warmth inside of him, the man who he thought was only there to shame him actually turned out to be the only person that offered his aid. He thought it strange how life turned out sometimes, “Thank you!”
August turned around to examiner Gong, who with an indifferent gaze said the words he told every new examinee: “You must hit me, a 7th stage Spirit Realm expert, at least once to pass the test. Twice to earn an extra 200 spirit rocks, and three times in order to earn an Earth-Rotating Pill.” He turned to the side and directed the black-haired boy’s gaze to the small wooden table where the two prizes sat. Though they looked perfectly steal-able, August could sense the second expert hiding among the crowd that likely kept an eye on the table. Truthfully it wouldn’t take much for him to take them without the two noticing, but with what he planned to do, August had no need for such petty thievery.
“Senior brother Gong, if you don’t mind, I’d like to place a bet with you.” August said.
“Hm?” The indifferent expression on examiner Gong glistened with a hint of surprise and intrigue. Far be it from him to deny a bet without hearing the contents first. “What may this bet be, brother August?”
August’s grin seemed to stretch to the edges of his face at the response, “Two bets, actually, the first is that if I beat you, you have to give me another Pill of similar grade to the Earth-Rotating Pill! Though that’s just my personal bet, you don’t really have to follow through with it. No, the real bet is that if I beat you, you make both me and junior brother Xiao Bing outer disciples, and in half a years’ time, you will have another battle with him.”
“I see… and if I win?” Examiner Gong hadn’t expected that someone as strong as August would place his bets on the man he himself dubbed mediocre, but this only made the initial intrigue grow even more.
“2,000 spirit rocks, and a tier 9 sword will be my debt to you, and I swear on my name, that should I lose and refuse to pay my dues, I will die and never reincarnate!” August confidently shouted.
The shock on the crowd’s face seemed to never disappear, it was one shocking claim after another, and now the mysterious boy wanted to place such a risky bet with senior Gong? It seemed that today’s batch of examinees were simply overflowing with confidence! Whether it was justified or false hubris had yet to be seen.
“Hahaha… good, good!” Examiner Gong laughed, it wasn’t the prizes that made him so excited, but rather the exurban amount of confidence August seemed to have for Xiao Bing. That confidence was more than enough to grab senior Gong’s full attention! “I, Qin Gong, hereby agree to the bet placed by brother August! Should I lost the bet and refuse to pay my dues, I swear on my name that I should have my cultivation crippled and be forced to live a servant for the remainder of my life! Is that to your liking, brother August?”
“Perfectly so!” He answered, like a timed bomb, the intense lust for battle that surged through his body felt like it would explode at any moment, “Brother Gong, let’s get on with the first half of the bet, be my opponent!” August summoned a Qi sword and tightly gripped it, pointing the pitch-black blade directly at Qin Gong.
“As you wish!” Qin Gong forsook the tier 5 martial arts he used on Xiao Bing for a tier 8 martial art that enveloped his entire body in a brilliant golden luster. Round yet sharp claws formed at his fingertips as even his eyes gained a beastly appearance that roared out without restraint. The pressure he emitted with the powerful art wasn’t simply at the 7th stage spirit realm, it felt as though it allowed him to beat 8th stage Spirit Realm experts, even contend with those at the 9th stage! “Wrath of the magnificent Golden Lion!” Qin Gong let out a glorious, unwavering roar that caused the crowd to shake uncontrollably, in all this time, they had never witnessed the examiner use such oppressive power against an examinee.
August’s hungry grin only grew as he retracted the blade and revealed the Qi-made tethers that connected each piece of the original blade to one another. He swung the whip mercilessly, tearing through even the air as it ripped through the pressure of the roar and aimed itself at Qin Gong. The examiner used his newfound strength to catch the whip, but the simple act of stopping the blade whip tore a small crater in the ground. Not just his high cultivation, Qin Gong concluded that August’s flesh had to be at least be nearing Earth Realm; why was such a powerful cultivator not accepted into a sect sooner? Did he hide it? Was he banished from some other sect before coming here? Whatever the case was, Qin Gong’s confidence in beating the mysterious boy was waning fast.
“Not just yet!” To add on to the pressure, August summoned a second blade whip and lashed out towards the examiner’s head. He managed to avoid the certain kill attack, but the two blades pulled back terribly fast before being thrown out once again in another pincer-like advance. His energy was burning out fast with the use of two blade whips, controlling the flow of the false Qi through the blades while directing them like a magnet towards Qin Gong’s own Qi was terribly taxing, but not a hint of exhaustion or regret could be found on August’s face. The sound of the blades tearing through the soft grassy floor while examiner Gong painstakingly avoided each and every attack by the skin of his teeth, the feeling of meticulously maintaining his Qi while also tiring out his opponent’s own reservoir; where he loathed the very thought of such actions a mere half a year ago, he couldn’t get enough of the feeling now. It wasn’t just the lust for battle influenced by Asura that made him feel such a way however, it was the pure, unadulterated bliss of living that gave him such vigor. The fact that he could fight, the fact that he was no longer some crippled trash that couldn’t fight a child at the 4th stage Refinement Realm if his life depended on it. Though he didn’t fully realize it, August would never again mock the joy of fighting again in his entire life, no matter how foolish some made it seem.
Qin Gong was at a complete loss at how to approach the merciless August. His long range attacks were practically endless, while he was more than positive that attempting to close the gap would not change the course of the fight. In the end, he knew his flesh was nowhere near as resilient as the mysterious boy, only a fool would try to best their opponent in such a fashion. With nowhere left to turn, examiner Gong knew that only his trump card would give him a chance of winning the fight.
The golden Qi that surrounded his body turned into a blood red, with his beast-like eyes following the trend. The pressure he emitted rose considerably quickly, from the 8th stage to the peak of the Spirit Realm in the span of ten breaths! August quickly recognized what was happening to the examiner, as he recalled seeing the same martial art once before after running into a pair of core disciples not too long ago. It art was called the Wrath of the Golden Lion, and was a special martial art equivalent to the 8th tier. Though it didn’t contain a real beast essence, the art itself impressively mimicked the power of the real Golden Lion. The normal art allows one to coat themselves in a thin yet powerful Qi shield in the shape of a beast, allowing for increased strength and defense. If mastered, however, it allows the user to manipulate their Qi and forcefully raise it at the least one stage. Out of all the martial arts, it was one of very few capable of forcefully raising one’s cultivation temporarily without any fatal backlash.
“Take my strike!” Qin Gong viciously roared, his peak level Spirit Realm cultivation attempted to suppress August, but the black-haired boy grinned uncontrollably as he launched himself forward towards his foe.
Xiao Bing was awe-struck by the sheer power that August possessed. He was somewhat fearful when August claimed that he wanted him to rematch Qin Gong, but those worries seemed to immediately dissipate the moment the fight began. Within mere moments he was able to suppress Qin Gong, who he helplessly struggled against, and forced him to use such a domineering technique. The autumn-haired boy felt that if he stuck with August, he truly might have a chance of contending with Qin Gong in six months’ time!
August could feel the sheer power of the strike Qin Gong threw at him, and just like with the Wyvern, he knew that a single slip-up would grant him an unquestionably fatal injury. Only this time he didn’t have enough energy to summon more blades and create a shield, nor would his strength completely negate the attack. No, if he chose to simply stop the attack, August knew the fight would simply spiral downhill for him. He barely managed to test out his human form’s power and already he had managed to find a fight in which he wasn’t sure he would win, but that fact didn’t deter the boy in the slightest; on the contrary, he felt absolutely elated that he was already being pushed to his limits, it simply meant that August could test the strength of his will! If he were so easily deterred, did he truly have the right to wield the power of Asura?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Take your strike? Gladly!” August roared in response, instead of attempting to block the attack or avoid it, he decided to respond with his own all-out attack. The passive speed of the sky wolf and strength of the Tengwan Ape formed in his dantian and traveled to his left arm, causing a near peerless pressure to be emitted from it. He smile only grew as the two neared one another with a blinding speed, his thoughts almost shot out of his mouth with the growing excitement that escaped into his eyes. Give up? Admit defeat? Not a chance! Even if my body is shattered, I will ensure my punch reaches you! I refuse to believe that I can’t outlast you!
The two shot towards each other like stars, and like a dying star, released an explosion of pure pressure that likely could’ve killed every spectator watching were it not for the second expert watching the rewards table. She jumped in front of the crowd in the blink of an eye and released her own cultivation of the 2nd stage Earth Realm, easily stopping the former from hurting any unlucky onlookers.
Only dust was left on the scene were the two collided, as if they both exploded upon impact, but the deep burrows through the ground clearly displayed where the two ended up. August was launched far backwards, into a large tree that unfortunately gained a new hole in its stomach by stopping him so forcefully. The upper portion of his chest was a painfully dark shade of purple, almost like it was caved in, while his left arm was brutally ripped and bloody; despite his rather serious injuries, the boy held a face of content, as if he were completely satisfied with the result, regardless of the outcome.
Qin Gong was in considerably worse shape, though he was conscious, he was laid out flat on the ground near the walls of the Void Sect entrance. The center of his chest was unquestionably caved in, while his right arm was completely blackened with bruises and reddened with blood; were it not for his decently high level of cultivation, the is no question that he would’ve died the moment August’s attack connected. To Xiao Bing, the Earth Realm expert, and everyone else watching, it was clear who won the match.
“The winner is junior brother August! According to the rules of the bet, he and Xiao Bing are hereby recognized as outer sect disciples! Also, in half a year’s time, Xiao Bing and Qin Gong will hold a rematch on the Stage of a Million Fists!” The Earth Realm expert turned towards August with a slight smile formed at the edges of her lips. “Congratulations, junior brother August. As per the rules, you will take ownership of the Earth-Rotating Pill and the 200 Spirit rocks.”
August returned her smile with his own, “Many thanks, senior sister. If you would, please use a portion of those spirit rocks to help senior brother Gong heal his wounds.”
The Earth Realm expert lightly nodded before disappearing with a flash, in her place, the prizes for August all appeared before him. He used the spirit bag Zhu Duan gave him to contain the items before turning his gaze to Xiao Bing, who looked at him with a newfound sense of gratitude and respect. “Little Xiao, remember this promise we made today. If you truly want to prove yourself, you must win the fight against Qin Gong in six months!” He slowly explained, the wounds he suffered kept him from talking any faster.
Xiao Bing clasped his hands together and raised them towards August, “Brother August, I swear I will not let you down! Your trust in me will not go to waste!” He rushed over to the wounded August’s side and helped him off of the tree. Using a dozen spirit rocks, Xiao Bing set his savior down and allowed him to absorb them to heal his wounds, but in reality August was simply faking the act of cultivating; with his body, he simply needed to wait for his wounds to gradually heal, though it was somewhat slower than a cultivator using spirit rocks, zero resources were needed for his process.
After healing a considerable amount, August jumped out and stretched his relaxed arms after sitting for so long. The Earth Realm expert that helped Qin Gong had once appeared in front of August with a set of outer disciple clothes, grey robes that held white symbols reading “Void Sect” on the front and “Outer” on the back. Unlike Xiao Bing’s, August’s robe came with a pair of bandaging, likely for his still bruised left arm. That bandaging served an even better purpose as well, as August recalled that a few of the guards from the Moonlight sect saw the intricate markings that his left arm possessed; though highly unlikely, he didn’t want to risk being recognized by one of the guards and reported to Tie Xuan. If that happened to occur, not even Asura could save him at the moment.
“Many thanks, senior sister.” August expressed.
“Mn.” She warmly replied, she removed a dark green orb with a light blue symbol that read “Communicate.” From her spirit bag and placed it in his hand, “Don’t be afraid to give me a call if anyone gives you trouble in the outer area.”
After handing him the orb the Earth Realm expert began to take her leave, but was briefly stopped by August, who yelled out to her. “Senior sister, what should this junior brother call you?”
As she vanished, he caught a split second glimpse of her face through the hood she wore. Her silver hair and red eyes were like the complete opposite of his black hair and blue eyes, yet something about her sat well with him. Her powerful voice reverberated throughout his mind, likely a power exclusive to the Earth Realm, that voice softly stated, “Little August, others call me the Iron Maiden of the Core area, but you may call me Li Na.”
A freshly healed Qin Gong walked over to August with a smile plastered over his face. “You’re quite lucky, brother August. Senior sister seems to have taken a liking to you.” His face became increasingly stern as he spoke, “I have to warn you though, Huli Jiaohua, a core disciple that made 5th on the core rankings, fancies her greatly. If he were to discover that you gained senior sister’s favor, he wouldn’t let you off easily.”
August let out a sigh of slight disappointment, though he knew that the Void Sect wouldn’t be so simplistic. Despite the likely large gap in strength between him and this Huli Jiaohua, August didn’t shed a hint of fear from his person. Just like with Qin Gong, the only feeling that surfaced deep within the boy’s stomach was a mix of elation and the deep desire for combat.
“Finished.” Asura confidently assured, at the same time, a wave of dragon blood entered August’s veins and quickly assimilated with his own blood. His strength grew a considerable amount, while his aura gained the small but deeply pure aura of a dragon within it. That was the power of a single Wyvern core that Asura had absorbed, she had yet to even finish with the remaining two that August gave her; thinking about the strength boost he would receive then made August release a bit of his pressure in pure excitement.
The sliver of pressure that escaped from August’s person managed to shake Qin Gong greatly. From just that, he was able to ascertain that the mysterious boy’s aura had grown exponentially in the short time he took to heal his wounds, as if the simple act had worked to rebuild his body from scratch and make it far stronger than before. Were they to fight now, Gong was sure he would need to immediately rely on the Golden Lion mastered art to even contend with August.
“Did you advance to the 7th stage Spirit Realm!?” Qin Gong asked, his words shook Xiao Bing and the crowd, almost as if the earth itself broke beneath their feet. He lightly shook his head as he placed his hand atop it, as if he were supposed to expect something that crazy to occur, “No wonder I lost to you… you’re a cultivating maniac, haha!”
“No, he’s just a little battle freak~” Asura joked, August couldn’t help but laugh with no real way to deny her words. Though thankfully no one could hear her teasing.
“Brother Gong, I just remembered that I made plans with someone not too long ago. If you don’t mind, Xiao Bing and I will take our leave.” August said, he recalled that Zhu Duan wanted him to come to his residence after becoming an outer disciple, but more than that, the insatiable desire for food that enveloped August’s body had completely overtaken his desire to fight. In that moment, the only thing that could possibly shake the boy was the mention of food, and Zhu Duan had fulfilled that condition perfectly.
“I understand, brother August.” Qin Gong laughed, he handed the boy and Xiao Bing both a wooden badge that held a special Qi within them, August’s was the symbol for 48 while Xiao Bing’s was the symbol for 49. On top of that, he handed August a white and yellow pill that held an abundant amount of Qi within it. “These are the keys to your residences, as they are protected by a Qi layer built by a Sky Realm cultivator, these are the only way to enter the residence without being torn to pieces. Don’t lose them.” Qin Gong explained, he then pointed towards the pill he gave to August, “As for the pill, it’s no Earth-Rotating Pill, but it’s known as the Spirit Comprehension Pill. While you’re cultivating, use this pill to more than double your comprehension.”
August accepted the pill without hesitation and gave Qin Gong a simple nod before turning back to Xiao Bing, “Little Xiao, let’s be off.”
Xiao Bing nodded and followed closely behind August as they dashed towards the Gaokong Mountain Range that located itself directly behind the Void Sect. The closer they got, the more beautiful the scene before August was; it wasn’t the mountain that caught his glistening gaze, but instead the sight of the four other land masses that hid behind a thin layer of clouds right before him. Each of them stood beautifully, even behind the slight haze that coated the vast sky. With the 7 land masses reaching so high above the clouds, it was common to see the formless masses scrape the mountains and even the very ground the stood on as the slowly floated across the world for many people.
August was one of few that couldn’t say he shared that experience sadly, be it his life before slavery or during, he was never close enough to see the other land masses close up or watch the float across the ground, yet they both presented themselves to the deprived boy in a wondrous fashion in that moment. The grassy fields that led to the Gaokong Mountain were covered in a thick white billow that even felt slightly wet to the touch, while Alysia and Balaur floated magnificently in view, down to the large separate rocks that floated just below the land masses, as if they had broken off but had yet to fall down. For once in his life, August could say that the world he so heavily cursed in his days as a slave was truly beautiful.
Asura was captivated by the sight just as much, though she said not a word the entire trip to Zhu Duan’s home, he could practically feel the air of somber longing that surfaced from her silent chuckle. Through all of her jokes and general lack of seriousness, August had almost forgotten that she was a millennia old demon beast that sacrificed everything for her brothers and sisters. Returning to it only to find that they split apart and simply wanted her for her power… he couldn’t hope to imagine what that felt like.
“It’s beautiful.” He said out loud, though he was really only talking to Asura.
“Yes…” Her voice trembled slightly as she responded to August. As they got closer to the mountain range, she could better feel Regele’s thoroughly corrupted life force. It wasn’t one of rage and bloodlust like he had explained to her, but instead one of anger… and unwavering, immense sorrow that covered the entire land mass that he coated in blood. An indescribable sadness washed over Asura, but the more she thought of Regele, the more she realized that the unfortunate tragedy the five created for themselves could possibly… very slightly possibly be rewritten. “And it’s all thanks to you.”
………………..
“Master Rau.” A lesser demon called, stepping over the large hole of broken planks that made up the old, barely stable mansion. Every hall in sight was covered in some sort of substance, be it blood, viscous, or smashed remains hanging from the walls. Bodies that could best be explained as “brutally maimed” littered the battered mansion like snow on the ground, with the stench of death becoming so strong it could burn the hairs in one’s nose. The crimson that coated the structure stirred the lesser demon’s vampiric urges with every whiff of iron that graced her nose. Her body almost moved on its own to the free feast right in front of her, but her mind held her back with an unwavering iron fist. She knew without a doubt in her mind, that if she so much as lifted a finger in the direction of the corpses, she would lose her undead life within a matter of milliseconds.
“Menial servant.” The man named Rau responded. His pale skin matched his menacingly golden eyes almost perfectly. Stands of long black hair fell in front of him as he turned his blood covered face towards the terrified servant, yet he ignored them, as if their slight swaying over his pupils meant nothing to him. He licked his sharp, bloodied teeth over his surprisingly clean jet-black jacket and pure white cravat. “What news might you have for me?”
“It’s about the crystals Master keeps for your four companion—.” The lesser demon was swiftly stopped mid-sentence by the vampire name Rau, who shot an icy glare that stopped her blood cold.
“I’ll say this once, knave: Be wary of what you say around me. If I determine that what you tell me wasn’t worth my time, I will feed you to my dogs.” His callous tone make the lesser demon tremble uncontrollably, even as he neared her face and held her chin up with his sharp, blood-tinted fingers. “Now, continue with your report, and pray to the god that forsook you that I don’t use you as a plaything and let my pets take turns.” Each and every one of his words send an unbearable chill down her spine as his lifeless breath hit her ear.
“M-master Rau… t-the crystal… the fifth one. It has… lit up, just like the other four are.” She stuttered, the only reason she hadn’t been harmed by the powerful vampire in any way was likely because of the indescribable shock that arose on his face.
“The fifth has been lighted!?” He asked, though he didn’t wait for the demon’s answer, “So, she has survived the impassable trial of the nine heavens, haha… that said, it’s quite redundant to consider it ‘impassable’ if she truly has passed it. No, if she truly has succeeded and survived, then that means that out of the five of us, she is—has—always been the only one that can…” The vampire called Rau trailed off in his thoughts, the presence of the lesser demon before him utterly forgotten.
“M-master?” She lightly questioned.
Rau was brought back to reality by her words, though contrary to her expectations, wasn’t furious that she bothered him. The indifferent expression that covered his face remained as such as his gaze fell back to her. “You were smart to bring this to me. You’ve the right to keep your life.” He waved his hand in a shooing motion, “Begone, I’ve other matters to attend to.”
The elated lesser demon made her way out of the mansion, but was stopped by Rau before she could reach the entrance. A lingering sense of dread build up within her as she once again asked the question, “Master Rau?”
“Ah~ I’ve almost forgotten,” His indifferent expression was completely gone, replaced by a sinister smile that froze the lesser demon in place at a glance. His rather grand clothing was replaced by an abyssal darkness that surrounded her like the night, while his golden eyes gained a bestial luster to them. “Killing the Ucide family drained a lot out of me, see? As such, I’ve become a slight… peckish, hope you don’t mind.”
That night was especially beautiful for the nearby villagers, as the Moon gained a pretty red tint that lasted a good few hours.