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Chapter 113
Camp Out

Chu Shen appeared on the edge of the road. Glancing around, he spotted a horse-drawn wagon parked in a small clearing not far from the road. Smoke trailed upwards from the other side of the wagon. Lucas and the kids were visible on the other side.

It was two days after Tai Ju had attacked him. He had run out of the forest and back onto the road after he had ran three miles away from where they had met. Then he started running to meet up with Lucas.

Of course, he called Lucas with his comm telling them the Asura Sect had stopped their pursuit. He mentioned that one of the Agni Asura had gone mad and may come after them so to be careful. However, Lucas could take care of a lone Rank 5 Assassin fairly easy. Especially since their invisibility was neutralized with their scanners.

Lucas and the teachers had decided to stop and camp on the side of the road. Since they no longer had to flee for their lives, it was better to let the kids rest for a bit then continue pushing them.

For the past two days, they had stayed beside the road. Chu Shen sniffed the air. The smell of cooked meat filled the air. Lucas and the teachers would catch some normal beasts from the surrounding area for food when they were hungry and coincidentally, they were cooking some now.

Chu Shen’s body seemed to became a streak of light, coving the five hundred feet in the blink of an eye. A couple of the kids jumped as Chu Shen suddenly appeared between them. A thud sounded as air compressed slightly from his speed making everyone glance over at him

Lucas was in the middle of serving meat from a large metal. He didn’t even look up at Chu Shen. Instead he used the ladle he was stirring the pot with to dish out a couple hunks of meat. He threw the bowl towards Chu Shen, who caught it without spilling anything.

Chu Shen nodded at Lucas before immediately started eating, not even taking the time to sit down. For the past two days, Chu Shen had only eaten some dried meat. Compared to the meal they were having, it was severely lacking.

After Chu Shen had two bowls of meat, he finally wiped his mouth and sat down beside Lucas. Lucas had given up his job of dishing out food to one of the teachers who passed out food as well. They had just gotten started so there was a lot of kids lined up.

Lucas sighed. “Well, what do we do now? I mean, what’s the plan? We scared off the Asura Sect like we planned but what’s the rest of the plan?”

Chu Shen sighed as well. “I don’t know exactly, but first I need to talk to one of the teachers. First i’ll go ahead and talk to those teachers about learning the warriors technique for expanding their meridians. After that, we need to set up a more permanent place for these kids. Then I can start helping them with opening their meridians.”

Lucas smiled at him. “You know, you really are a bit too kind.”

Chu Shen shrugged. “It’s a better character fault then some others.”

“Agreed. Anyways, I believe that if you ask around, you should find an appropriate teacher to help you with the warrior training.”

He nodded. “Well, I’m off then. See you later Lucas.” Lucas nodded at Chu Shen as he stood up and went over to the teacher dishing out food. The teacher glanced up at Chu Shen and gave him an annoyed glance.

“Go and wait in line. No cutting alright?” Chu Shen almost tripped when he heard that. Of course, he did look young but this was just too much. Not even recognizing the person that saved them all, twice! Truly the legendary tales of ‘having eyes but not recognizing Mt. Tai’ weren’t exaggerated at all.

There truly was blind people in the world. Chu Shen shook his head. “Uh, no. I am not here for food. I wanted to ask where I can find the teacher that can help me with Warrior cultivation techniques.”

The teacher glared at Chu Shen. “Wait until i’m done serving food before you ask that. Can’t you see i’m busy brat?”

Chu Shen finally couldn’t take it anymore. “What kind of tone is that to the person who saved your life! Twice actually!”

The teacher immediately reacted. “Daring to raise your voice to me brat! And to claim that you are the savior!? How bold of you! See if I don’t spank you silly for that!” He raised the ladle in a threatening manner at Chu Shen.

Chu Shen sighed. The people of this world not being able to sense the cultivation level of others sure was a hindrance. He thought back to when he scanned the assassins and warriors sent by the other sects. He had to admit, there was some benefits to him though.

Chu Shen didn’t feel like arguing though. Immediately, gray samurai armor appeared around Chu Shen. Intricate designs were visible on the armor. The surrounding kids gasped in shock and the teacher stumbled back slightly. He pointed his ladle at Chu Shen.

“H-h-how? None of the students know such a technique!”

Chu Shen rolled his eyes. “Because I am not one of your students you blockhead! Sheesh. You would think getting older would help you learn somethings but nope. I guess everyone can still be thick headed no matter their age.”

The teacher nodded rapidly. “I guess you are the savior then. My apologies for not knowing but you were only with us for half an hour. As for warrior cultivation techniques, ask for Su Gagi. He should be over there with the other teachers.” He pointed towards the wagon.

Chu Shen nodded. “Alright, thanks.” He started to walk over to where the teacher pointed at. The teacher watched him for a minute before one of the kids bumped him in the side with their bowl.

“Um. Can I please have some food mister?” Her big round eyes looked up at him with an irresistible pleading stare.

The teacher shook his head to clear it before smiling at the girl. “Of course, here you go.” He was normally very sweet with such young ones. However, he was also strict about following the rules, which was why he got so upset with Chu Shen when he broke them.

Chu Shen walked up on a group of teachers all talking with each other. He hadn’t gotten rid of his <Cancellation Armor> since he didn’t want to repeat what had happened with the other teacher.

Upon seeing Chu Shen, all of them stood up. Chu Shen looked at them for a second. “So who is Su Gagi?”

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Chapter 112
A Brothers Agony

Tai Ju swung his left foot over the horse’s saddle and jumped off the horse using it’s side like a springboard. He shot towards Chu Shen, drawing his sword in one fluid movement.

“SMILING LIKE THAT AT TAI MIN’S DEATH! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!” Tai Ju’s sword light up with silver light, becoming covered in lightning. He swung his sword at Chu Shen’s neck, aiming to behead him with one blow.

Chu Shen immediately became shocked at the sudden attack. Just what was this guy’s problem to attack someone like this? Utilizing <The Stars Dance>, Chu Shen avoided the blow, appearing ten feet away from the crazed Agni Asura. His body shield flickered into being, becoming a black shield around his body.

Gu Lan glanced over at the surprising scene. He sighed. Of course he understood that even the most cold hearted assassin would feel something after their brother died before his eyes. Of course, a true assassin would still put probabilities of success above their own emotions.

If Tai Ju needed to take his frustrations out on a Rank 4 warrior, that was understandable. However, it was indeed a bit embarrassing for an Asura Sect member to attack a Rank 4 warrior.

Gu Lan frowned. Make that a Rank 3 warrior. Surprisingly that Rank 3 warrior was already healed from his attack, and his body was also abnormally strong, making him think that kid was a Rank 4 warrior. How odd. Anyways, it wouldn’t matter when he was dead.

He turned a blind eye to the attack and rode even faster down the road. The other Asura glanced at each other but followed the Vajra Asura back towards the sect. Tai Ju’s horse stayed where it had fallen on the side of the road, from the force of Tai Ju’s kick.

Chu Shen faced Tai Ju. He held up his hands. “Whoa! I didn’t do anything to you so why are you attacking me? I mean, is this how the Asura Sect does things now?”

Tai Ju turned towards Chu Shen from where he had landed after attacking Chu Shen. “You smiled.” Came the cold, bone chilling voice from behind the demonic mask.

Chu Shen’s face became puzzled. “Huh? What does me smiling have to do with anything?”

“IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT!” Tai Ju screamed as he seemed to turn into a bolt of lightning. He shot forth at a speed that was near incomprehensible. Chu Shen reacted just as fast though. A circular shield made up of gray energy appeared before Chu Shen. Obviously this was the <Universe Shield>!

Tai Ju slammed into the shield, making it crack but it didn’t break. He stumbled backwards, blood coming from his forehead from the impact. His body shield finally flared to life. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! NONE!” Tai Ju screamed as he swung his sword at the shield in front of him.

The shield dimmed for a second after being struck by that sword. Then it became even brighter, the cracks from earlier repairing themselves. “MY BROTHER JUST DIED! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SMILE!”

Tai Ju seemed oblivious to the fact that with every swing of his blade, the lightning on it dimmed and his enemy grew stronger. After the fourteenth blow, the lightning seemed to have disappeared entirely. Unconcerned, he continued bashing his sword against the circular shield with no mana infused into it at all. Ironically, this made the shield start to weaken even though the blows themselves were weaker. For a full minute he savagely beat the shield reinforced with his own mana. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! NO RIGHT TO MOCK HIM! NO RIGHT TO BE HAPPY!”

Tears trickled down past the Agni Asura’s mask and into the folds of his clothes. His vision became blurry but he continued lashing out at the object keeping him from the one who disrespected his brother’s memory. Suddenly, the <Universe Shield> broke, shattering into pieces before fading into motes of gray light.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Chu Shen had taken off while Tai Ju had been smashing at the <Universe Shield> like a wild animal. Of course he wasn’t going to fight him! That was a Rank 5 warrior, the equivalent of a Martial Warrior. He himself was a peak Rank 3 battle mage, the equivalent of a Level 9 Martial Practitioner.

That was a difference of two ranks or two stages! Of course, Chu Shen had taken on a Rank 5 warrior before and won but that was when the Rank 5 warrior had been weakened. If he fought now and used all of his techniques, revealing his null Qi, than he could win and fairly easily at that since he was consumed with grief and rage. Without logic, it would be easy to lay traps for Tai Ju.

He had many trump cards on his person. His body’s strength was on par with a Peak Rank 4 warrior. His null Qi allowed them to fight on even grounds when it came to mana/Qi. His techniques were advanced ones that were more powerful than their ‘parlor tricks’, as Master Ti Wu had said. All of these were trump cards to use in life or death situations.

However, so what if he did kill the rank 5 warrior? There was still two more Rank 5 warriors just down the road that were much more cool headed. If he fought them, he would probably be severely injured even if he did win. Not to mention that Rank 6 warrior.

The Rank 6 warrior was too much for him to handle right now. If Chu Shen fought with him, he could put up some resistance. Enough to last for a minute or two. However, he would still die in the end.

To sum it all up, whatever the outcome of this fight, he would die. The perfect example of a lose-lose situation. So why should he stubbornly fight and reveal his secrets when he didn’t need to?

It would be better to take the opportunity to escape from that berserk Asura while he was obsessed with destroying the <Universe Shield> than to fight and die. Using <Comet Travels Through>, Chu Shen had already ran over three hundred feet away  whenever he could no longer supply Qi to the shield.

Luckily as a true martial art, it could hold it’s form for a while even without him being connected to it. As a result, Tai Ju bashed at the shield for another minute before it broke. He was so consumed with grief and rage that he didn’t even notice the abnormal Qi that made up the shield that Chu Shen had conjured.

His head swiveled back and forth, looking for Chu Shen. Unfortunately, Chu Shen was already a quarter mile away inside the forest. “AAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Tai Ju screamed as he realized that he had been tricked.

As Chu Shen escaped from that dangerous situation, he heard Tai Ju’s blood curdling scream and shivered. The last thing he heard as he rushed to meet with Lucas was the words Tai Ju screamed.

“I WILL AVENGE YOU BROTHER! EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE!”

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Chapter 111
The Plan

“He he. Chu Shen it worked. They’re gone.” Lucas voice came out of the transmitter on the ground in front of him. Chu Shen had stopped where the Vajra Asura Gu Lan had attacked him with the <Stare of The Asura>.

He had spent some time recuperating from his injury as it was too painful for him to walk very far with the burns on his chest. Plus, the entire plan they had come up with was based on subterfuge. So he wouldn’t have been much help anyways.

Chu Shen sighed in relief. “Good. I wasn’t sure if the plan would work or not, thankfully it did.”

The plan Chu Shen and Lucas had come up with was pretty simple. Pretend to be an expert and bluff their way to getting the Asura Sect to stop pursuing the kids. Of course, such a plan required great discipline.

The basis of this plan came from when they were reading in the library about mages and Chu Shen remembered a passage he read about mages having mental projections. There were even mages that specialized in creating illusions from mana and were called illusion mages by the public.

Chu Shen had Lucas ask the teachers from the caravan about it and gained some specific information that allowed them to carry out the plan. First off, the mental projection was not tangible but could still use techniques. Secondly, the mental projection could be done at a distance. Finally, the more detailed the projection, the stronger the caster.

With this, Chu Shen immediately realized that such requirements was perfect for them. With the holo-drone being able to create holograms, they fit the first criteria of being intangible. With the completely realistic image the holo-drone could create of a person, they would be perceived as a very high rank mage.

Using the sniper drones, they could pass as a metal mage. A metal mage was a mage with the innate element of metal. Their attacks were sharp and piercing, completely matching the description of a railgun attack. With that, the image of a high ranking mage was complete.

Of course, for normal people there would be one other problem. Nervousness. The assassins were experts at reading people’s body language and telling what they were feeling at the moment. If they showed any hesitation or nervousness at all, the game would be up.

However, Lucas was a cyborg. And the hologram was not a real person. Using his cybernetic brain and programming skills, creating a 3-D image of a black robed mage wasn’t tough. Manipulating the mage’s body from a distance was also not so tough.

Lucas’ cybernetic brain processed data at just slightly below the speed of electricity. With this, Lucas was able to manipulate the image perfectly, completely fooling those assassins.

Chu Shen let out a deep breath. Thankfully it worked. If they had discovered the holo-drone or the sniper drones, everything would have been over. Of course, they could have still tried to escape into the forest. However, it only had a 10% chance of success.

Chu Shen knew that in raw power they were not as powerful as the Vajra Asura. However, if they continuously used the sniper drone to attack them, then they could have killed most of the Asura with repeated attacks. Even the Vajra Asura would suffer if he was hit with twenty rounds from the railgun in ten seconds.

However, if they did then some might have escaped letting the Asura Sect know what they were up against. After all, there was only three sniper guns and twelve people. And some needed multiple shots to kill.

“So Chu Shen, what do we do now? That should have stopped those sects from pursuing us.”

Chu Shen shook his head but stopped halfway as he realized Lucas couldn’t see him doing so. “We’re not safe, not by a long shot. We may have thrown the Asura Sect off the trail but the other sects may still continue hunting us. They may believe this is an attempt by the Asura Sect to monopolize that Rank 7 Battle Mage and Rank 6 Mage.”

“If we encounter another one of those sects, we may not be as lucky as we were now. Mages are more sensitive to Qi in the air and may be able to detect the holo drone or sniper drones. It wouldn’t end well for us if that happened.”

“Go ahead and get at least another hundred miles and then lead them to the closest Magical Beast forest. Stay on the outskirts of it and set up a small camp. We can train them there.”

Lucas waited to see if Chu Shen was done. Upon realizing he was, his voice came out clearly from the comm. “Alright, will do Chu Shen. Stay safe.”

“See you later buddy.”

“You too.”

Chu Shen continued circulating his Qi to his chest, speeding up the healing process by over tenfold. Already his skin had gone from the charred skin from earlier to having a thick scab.

The heat from the <Stare of The Asura> had caused third-degree burns and minor damage to his chest muscles. To a regular human, such a burn would be life threatening and would require months to heal. To a martial artist at the same level as Chu Shen, such a burn would be considered a serious injury.

It would take them at least a week to recover to fitness. Thanks to the <Void King>  technique, his body was not only extremely tough but also changed to heal faster.

A normal martial artist’s body would accept energy to heal their body. However, their body could only accept so much energy to heal without it being detrimental to their health. The amount they could absorb and use to heal the body at once paled in comparison to Chu Shen who had tempered his body with an enormous amount of void Qi.

As a result, his body was able to heal several times faster than normal but it also required several times more energy than normal. Chu Shen stayed there healing. The next day his scar had turned into new, silver skin where the burn had been before.

Chu Shen was almost finished healing when he heard horses galloping. Glancing up from where he sat in the Lotus position, he saw the previously arrogant Asura riding towards him. Three of the Dhara Asura were gone. Now only six Dhara Asura, three Agni Asura, and the one Vajra Asura was left.

He grinned as they passed by. Watching the fruits of his labor was certainly nice.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tai Ju was incensed. His anger at his brother being killed before his eyes and yet denied revenge was barely contained. Even after he knew the killer was far above him in power, he still wanted revenge.

Tai Ju and Tai Min had joined the Asura Sect as orphans, their parents killed by bandits. The requirements for joining the Asura Sect was strict and one of the requirements was having a darkness attribute and be a warrior. Tai Ju had a minor lightning and Major darkness attribute, making him a rarity and a potentially powerful assassin.

With the increased speed and explosive power of lightning and the cloaking power of darkness, he was considered a favorite for becoming a powerful assassin. He had been called talented since he was young and used his influence to keep his brother close by his side.

A tear trickled down his face, hidden behind the demonic mask. Now he couldn’t defend his brother. His fist clenched. He decided to depart from the Asura Sect upon his return and hunt down the mage that killed his brother.

As he was consumed with grief and rage, he glanced at the side of road seeing Chu Shen grinning at them with the hole still burned through his clothes.

Tai Ju immediately focused on that grin. That mocking grin, happy at the fact that the arrogant Asura were missing. That some of them were dead. That HIS brother DIED!

He snapped.

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Chapter 110
Mental Projection

The black blade formed from the energy of three Dhara Asura struck the robed man! The Vajra Asura smiled underneath his mask. It seems as though the robed man was not as powerful as he thought. Suddenly his face froze. ‘No. No! NO! IT CAN’T BE!’

The black blade hit the robed man in the chest. However, strangely enough, the energy blade passed through his chest and continued on, slicing through the forest like a hot knife through butter. The blade cut through close to a hundred trees before it dissipated from lack of mana.

Gu Lan did not look so good. His face was pale underneath his mask, sweat dripping down his neck. The robed man glanced up. When he did, the Vajra Asura recoiled. “I warned you.” came the chilling voice of the black robed man.

The robed man flicked his wrist. Immediately three booms rang out and the three Dhara Asura that attacked him dissolved into mists of blood. A hole appeared in the ground below where their bodies stood. Rock shards flew through the air, bouncing off of the Asura members mana shields.

Gu Lan stumbled backwards. The might of that attack stunned him. It was just slightly over the power needed to overwhelm their mana shields and kill them instantly. Any less and they would have only been injured severely.

Of course, they were only Rank 4 warriors. But even he would require some effort to kill a Rank 4 warrior with their mana shield activated. The casual attack Gu Lan had used on that Rank 4 Warrior from earlier had injured the warrior. But that was under the condition of the warrior not activating his body shield. Otherwise, the attack would have only done glancing damage.

From this, Gu Lan was able to come to a frightening conclusion. Such a basic attack like <Metal Strike>  containing such tyrannical might proved that this man was a high rank metal mage! Adding in the fact that their attacks passed right through him proved one thing. ‘He’s a mental projection! This isn’t good at all!’

<Mental Projection>. The ability to make a copy of oneself using pure mana and a portion of the user’s soul. Such a projection is intangible but the copy can still use the abilities of the original, though the abilities will be weakened. It is an ability that is kept by major clans or sects and can only be learned by extremely talented people.

Only mages could make copies of themselves. It required immense control and major amounts of Qi to accomplish along with the ability to split a part of their soul and embed it inside the copy. It would at most look like an illusionary ghost at the early stages. To make a completely realistic copy like the one in front of Gu Lan required a Rank 8 mage, maybe even a Rank 9 battle mage.

His Asura sect only had three Rank 6 Warrior. Such a high Rank mage was someone they could not hope to fight against. Gu Lan would be almost instantly be killed. He couldn’t even hope to contend against such a person.

“B*STARD! TO KILL TAI MIN LIKE THAT!” One of the Agni Asura screamed at the robed man. The Agni Asura’s name was Tai Ju, the brother of Tai Min. As a result he immediately became outraged at his brother being killed. His body shield surged, causing the silver streaks to flicker brightly and the shadow to become darker.

He pointed his sword at the black robed man and a dark beam of energy a meter in diameter shot towards the man. Streaks of lightning was hidden inside the black beam, proving its hidden might.

While the black beam shot towards the robed man, a figure covered in black energy with swirls of orange darted in front of the pillar of energy. A similar beam of black energy with flames hidden inside shot towards the pillar.

However, the beam containing flames was obviously stronger. It blew the original beam back and struck Tai Ju in the chest and exploded, sending him flying backwards. His body shield cracked as he struck a tree, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

The Vajra Asura Gu Lan stood in front of the robed man with his hands up from firing the <Hidden Pillar of Asura>  back at Tai Ju. He turned towards the other Dhara and Agni Asura. “Get down and kowtow to apologize to this Senior.” Rang out Gu Lan’s cold voice.

He turned back to the robed man and did not bow at the waist like he had before. Instead he kowtowed on the ground. A rushed inhalation of breath was all the signs of shock the other Asura gave. They glanced at each other before dismounting their horses and following suit.

Gu Lan kowtowed three times before daring to talk to the robed man. “I am sorry great senior to have attacked you. I had eyes but did not see Mount Tai. Those kids, if they are under your protection, shall not be touched by Asura Sect. Please spare us.”

The robed man nodded. “I shall spare you. Leave and do not touch my disciples or their friends again.”

Gu Lan kowtowed one more time. “This Junior understands Senior.” He quickly got up before mounting his horse. Tai Ju had stumbled to his feet by now, still dizzy from the attack Gu Lan had struck him with.

Gu Lan passed by Tai Ju. “Fool!” He hissed through closed teeth. “Do not lose control and disrespect the Asura. Assassins are cut off from all feelings. Next time, I shall not save you from your own idiocy.”

The Vajra Asura then quickly rode away on his horse. The other Asura had stopped kowtowing after the Vajra Asura had and quickly mounted their own horses. Tai Ju stared hatefully at the robed man but suddenly he became frightened. The robed man had disappeared right before his eyes.

Spooked, Tai Ju mounted his own horse quickly and rode off after the other Asura. Meanwhile, Lucas was laughing his head off. Wiping away a nonexistent tear from his eye, he activated his comm system. “He he. Chu Shen it worked. They’re gone.”

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Chapter 109
The Robed Man

“Lucas they’re coming.” Chu Shen’s voice was received by Lucas cybernetic brain. He did not hear it vocally yet it sounded inside his head as clear as day. If it had to be related to something, the closes it would come would be telepathy. It was a unique ability of cyborgs, to send information straight to the digital cerebral cortex, allowing them to hear transmissions of sound without it physically being heard.

Lucas stiffened slightly in response to Chu Shen’s transmission. “How many and how strong?” Lucas said, his lips not moving despite him talking to Chu Shen with his internal radio.

“There is a Rank 6 assassin, three Rank 5 assassins, and nine Rank 4 assassins.” Chu Shen’s voice rang inside Lucas’ head.

“Alright. Should we continue with the plan of taking the kids off the road while the drivers continue on.”

“NO! These assassins are good. The Rank 6 assassin detected my soul scan even when they can’t use their own souls for detection. He was sensitive enough to Qi to detect the subtle changes from the soul scan. He’s too good to be fooled by something so amateur as that.”

Lucas frowned. This wasn’t good. They may not be able to shake these guys off after all. “So, what do you suggest?”

“I have a plan…”

……………………………………………………………………………………….

It had been five days since they had killed the men of the Ice Dragon and Golden Palm. One day since Chu Shen had encountered the Asura sect’s assassins.

They assassins were quickly catching up to the kids. Previously they had been separated by over twenty miles, twenty three if they followed the path. The kids rode wagons to try and keep as much distance between them and the assassins as possible.

Unfortunately, even with all their effort it was in vain. The assassins had top of the line horses, unlike the Rising Tide who had grabbed common horses from the stables. Not to mention the fact the assassin’s horses were unburdened with a large wagon.

The assassins had quickly gained on them in only a single day. Now, they were only seven miles away. The next day, the assassins would be on top of them. Lucas had kept track of them using the holo-drone-which was why they know how far away they were-and kept Chu Shen informed the entire time.

They had discussed how to deal with the assassins and finally came up with a final plan. Now it was time to put the plan into action.

The Asura Sect assassins rode on the horses. Their bodies rocked with the horses in a calm, unhurried manner. Obviously they were very experienced with horse riding.

Suddenly, the Vajra Asura reined his horse in. The other Asura Sect members did the same. All of them drew their weapons simultaneously and mana shields flared to life. All of their body shields were black but one of the Dhara had traces of green and one of the Agni Asura had traces of silver. Three of the Dhara Asura jumped off their horses, fading into the shadows of the forest that surrounded the rough earthen path.

The cause for their alarm was a man in a black robe, that covered his entire body and face, that had appeared in front of them. None of them had realized he was there beforehand. The Vajra Asura saw the man suddenly appear in front of them.

Normally Mana would be slightly disturbed by cloaking abilities such as the <Cloak of Asura> that the three Dhara had utilized. However, when this man appeared, the mana only fluctuated slightly at the exact moment he appeared. Unlike the continuous fluctuation of a skill when it was active. This mean the man had purposefully revealed himself through the fluctuations and his appearance. Otherwise, they would have never known that he was watching them.

The Vajra Asura stepped off of his horse, the mana shield of his activated as he approached the robed man. The Vajra Asura’s mana shield was a bright orange with bits of black swirling around inside.

He cupped his hands and bowed to the robed man. “Junior Gu Lan, Vajra Asura Level Member of the Asura Sect from White Lotus City greets senior. May I ask why you have appeared here?”

The robed man said nothing for a few seconds before he suddenly spoke. The voice was that of a middle age man.“You pursue a group of kids.” It as a statement. Like he knew exactly what they were here for.

Gu Lan was shocked, but his mask kept the robed man from seeing it. “Yes I am pursuing the remnants of the Rising Tide Sect. They have been at odds with the Asura Sect and we are here to make sure all roots are exterminated.”

The robed man kept his head bowed. “Go back. Do not continue looking for them.” His authoritative tone caused the other Asura Sect members to bristle in anger.

Gu Lan was puzzled. Exactly who was this man who ordered the Asura Sect around so casually. “May I ask senior, exactly what does this matter have to do with you.”

“I have accepted those two siblings as my pupils. I am sure you know exactly which ones I refer to. In order to get them to accept me as their master, I have to protect their fellow students.”

Gu Lan shuddered. This wasn’t good. Who knew how powerful this man was? Even with his finely tuned senses as an assassin and Rank 6 warrior, he couldn’t detect this man before he wanted to reveal himself.

At the same time, he couldn’t allow this man to block their way. Otherwise, that Rank 7 battle mage would come back for revenge. Remembering the things the Asura sect had done to them.

Gu Lan cupped his hands “I am sorry senior. But I must exterminate future problems for our sect.”

As he cupped his hands, the three Dhara Asura emerged from beside the man. All of them swung their swords at the same time, releasing huge amounts of black energy that formed a blade that hit the robed man!

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Chapter 108
Pursuit

Chu Shen was walking down the road, looking around at the forest and admiring the view. Somewhere ahead of him was Lucas along with the wagons pulling the kids. So far it had already been four days and they were easily miles ahead of him by now.

Especially since they were not planning on stopping to rest at all. Lucas would hunt down beasts and cook them ahead of the wagon so that the kids could eat and not starve.

Inside his pocket was a small coin sized broadcaster that would allow Chu Shen to contact Lucas. With it, he would be able to tell them when the Asura, Ice Dragon, and Golden Palm sects adventurers would come to him.

Chu Shen took his time relaxing and pondering while he was walking. What he was thinking of was what he was going to do in this world. So far, Chu Shen had never had a true plan when he went into different dimensions. Most of the time he was just doing whatever he wanted while trying to get stronger.

The biggest plan he ever had was to get money or get out of trouble like he had with the Black Rose Guild. This time though, he needed a plan. These kids were depending upon him.

He couldn’t accept their word for it, but at the very least they had no reason to lie to him. If the Asura sect was as bloodthirsty as they said, it was not going to end well. Going up against assassins was never a good idea.

Chu Shen could not accept the fact that these kids would die. At this point though, the grudge they had could not end unless one side died or the other. So long as the Asura, Ice Dragon, and Golden Palm Sect, especially the Asura Sect, was around then they would not let these kids survive in peace.

So what could Chu Shen do then? With the cultivation techniques he had and the radical method of unblocking meridians, these kids could become strong very quickly. With that, Chu Shen would easily let them take revenge against those dastardly sects that would kill even kids.

However, what would he do then? How long would it take to do that anyways? Two, three years? As far as he could tell, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would go to different dimensions randomly. He couldn’t depend upon being around to help them.

So he had to make the kids self-reliant. Otherwise, they would be left vulnerable and possibly in a worse position than when he had tried to help. Of course he had to do so while not completely destroying the balance of the world.

Technology, once it was shared, could not be taken back. However, since the cultivation techniques Chu Shen had were useless unless he used his own Qi, the power balance would only be affected temporarily. It wouldn’t make widespread changes.

So, what was his plan for this dimension, for these kids? Chu Shen didn’t know yet. What he did know was that he had to help them somehow. The best way he could help was by protecting them and making them stronger using cultivation techniques. Everything else would have to be planned out with some consulting with the teachers and wagon drivers.

However, he would have to act like he would disappear into thin air the next minute. Especially because he just might.

Chu Shen looked away from the side of the road. He heard something coming. Glancing back, he saw men in black clothes riding horses. Chu Shen observed them as they slowly caught up with him.

They had masks on their faces that had horns and demonic faces. Black robes cloaked their bodies with a hood covering the rest of their faces. A badge of a red man with the same demonic face as the one on their masks was on the chest of each one but some had different amount of arms on the badge.

The man in the front had a badge with six arms wielding six swords coming out of its sides. The three behind him had five arms wielding swords with two emerging from each of the red man’s sides and the fifth arm coming from behind the man like a scorpion’s tale.

The other nine men behind them had badges with four arms. All of them exuded a sense of unparalleled killing intent. Chu Shen felt all of the hair on his arms stand on edge as he felt his body turn cold. Clearly these people were dangerous, a cut above all of his other enemies.

Chu Shen waited until they passed before using his soul sense to scan them. As he did, Master Ti Wu, who usually sat down inside the Voids Hand, stood up. “Seems like my disciple might need my help this time.” He said, stroking his chin as he stared upwards, seemingly to see out of the library and into the world.

Meanwhile, Chu Shen used his soul sense on the enemy. The enemy had one rank six adventurer, three rank five adventurer, and nine rank four adventurers. Immediately Chu Shen made the connection with the badge of the red man and the amount of arms each one had.

However, as the soul sense was completed, the man at the front with the six arm badge turned around and stared right at Chu Shen. A red light flashed in the eye sockets of the man. A searing heat lanced towards Chu Shen, catching him right in the chest and sent him flying backwards. His clothes caught on fire and his skin started burning as he tumbled on the ground

Luckily, his skin was remarkably tough from the constant tempering from the <Void King> technique. Otherwise the heat may have penetrated into his inner organs causing him to become severely injured. Instead, his skin only became mildly burned. Chu Shen quickly activated his body shield, allowing his null Qi to extinguish the heat.

The red light in the eyes of the man disappeared. A rough, hoarse voice came out from beneath the mask. “Lowly characters like you should stay out our business. If you try and use that technique again, I will not be so kind as to use a mere <Stare of The Asura>.”

Chu Shen stayed on the ground and merely observed as they continued riding past him. Master Ti Wu sat back down inside the Voids Hand. “Humph. Seems like he got lucky.”

One of the men with a five arm badge rode up next to the six arm badge. “Forgive me Vajra Asura, what do you mean when you said he used a technique against us? I felt nothing.”

The man he called Vajra Asura shook his head. “As an Agni Asura I expect better. Did you not feel as though someone was staring at you just a moment ago?”

The Agni Asura expressed some confusion. “Yes, but what of it? I thought it was merely that kid being curious.”

The Vajra Asura shook his head. Three Agni Asura and nine Dhara Asura and yet none of them were sensitive enough to mana. This was one of the reasons why they could not advance to another rank even if warriors supposedly could advance forever.

“The mana fluctuated abnormally at the same time as I felt that stare. It must have been a technique of some kind. I do not know it’s purpose but it must not be good. Pay more attention to the surrounding mana otherwise the assassin may be the one ambushed.” The Vajra Asura said in an offhand voice.

The Agni Asura bowed at him. “Thank you for advice Vajra Asura. It is rare to meet one of the three backbones of the Asura Sect. However, why did you not kill him?”

The Vajra Asura shook his head. “The <Stare of The Asura> was a test. If he had not been injured at all then he may have posed a threat to us. With the damage done to him he would be the equivalent of an Dhara Asura. With me here, he would not pose a threat to us. Why kill an ant if we do not need to?”

“Your words ring true as always.” The Agni Asura said. The Vajra Asura ignored the obvious flatter and continued riding on.

The Agni Asura fell back into formation with the other two Agni Asura. The continued on their way. Chu Shen was able to hear them since they were still in earshot. It turns out they were from the Asura Sect.

Chu Shen shook his head. <Stare of The Asura>. A technique that used mana and fired it from the eyes. If he had his body shield up, he would have been able to block it fairly easy. Unfortunately he gave no warning before launching the attack.

Luckily it was a light blow combined with his strong body. Otherwise taking a Rank 6 warriors attack without armor, the equivalent of a Martial Army Cultivator, would have resulted in death or severe injury at best.

Chu Shen reached into his pocket. Taking out the broadcaster he activated it. “Lucas. They’re coming.”

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Chapter 107
The Last Piece

Chu Shen just walked past the wagons, looking at the kids. Most of them had tear stained faces with snot running down their faces. A couple of them were curled up into a ball.

Chu Shen shook his head. He understood exactly why they were so traumatized now. Such a tragic past, watching those you cared for die one after another. He was sure that he himself would be in such a state. To a normal kid, watching even a stranger die like that would be tragic.

Of course, Chu Shen had lived by the edge of the woodlands. Often the town would be attacked by Primordial Beasts and the townsmen would fight back. Unfortunately, Chu Shen had seen quite a few disciples die at the claws of the beasts.

As a result, Chu Shen had already seen just how brutal the world could be. This was the reason he had not hesitated to kill before, because he had already experienced death. Though it was a bit different killing a person than a beast, it made it easier that those people were brutal killers and deserved to die.

While Chu Shen was walking around at the kids, a pair of them stood out from the rest. The reason why was that these two were teenagers, around fourteen, but the others were around eight or nine with a few being younger. They seemed to be having a much harder time and most of the kids around them kept as much room as possible between them and the two teenagers.

Maybe Chu Shen would have gone up to talk to them, but they wagons were about to move out. He walked up towards one of the wagons. Suddenly he felt his hair stand on end and his arm grew ice cold. Startled, his hammer appeared in his hand while Chu Shen took up a defensive posture.

‘Calm down brat. It’s just me.’

Chu Shen relaxed and put away his hammer. The kids around him became frightened when he drew his hammer. It wasn’t too surprising since they had watched him kill someone with it not even half an hour ago. Trying to appease them, he smiled at them and walked a little farther away.

‘What did you do Master? Why did I feel that sensation in my arm?”

‘Well brat, its simple. I used the Voids Hand to channel my soul. Then I used my soul to scan those kids. Something didn’t sit right with me. Everyone having an element already, pre-opened meridians, or them not unblocking any meridians. All of it puzzled me.’

‘What did you find out master?’ Chu Shen immediately inquired excitedly.

‘Hmmph.’ Chu Shen could practically see Master Ti Wu grinning smugly at him. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know.’

‘Please master, please!’

‘Fine. Just remember to perfect that martial art you picked up from the library, okay brat! Otherwise you won’t get a single word from me.’

‘Alright master. Just tell me what you found out.’

‘All artificers are curious and I guess you are no exception. Anyways, I scanned their souls to find out what exactly made them so different than those other martial artists I have encountered. What I found is pretty shocking. They have mutated souls.’

‘Mutated souls is exactly what it sounds like. A soul that is abnormal. An innate constitution is just like that, but a positive mutation. A negative mutation would be not being able to absorb any Qi. As for these people….. I can say they are blessed but their curses far outweigh their blessings.’

‘What is the mutation exactly?’ Chu Shen asked.

‘As people cultivate, their souls slowly refine themselves to become more attuned to the world around them. Thus, they will gain an element. However, animals and those with innate constitutions are already in tune with their element and are therefore born with one already.’

‘These people have a great affinity with the natural elements. As a result they are born with their own element and can mix it with the world’s elements, thus creating mages. However, they do not have Soul Sense. They cannot use their soul to sense things including their own meridians. ‘

‘Okay, what does that mean exactly?’ Chu Shen asked

‘The reason those men did not react when you scanned them with your soul sense was because they could not detect you. Of course, they may feel some uneasiness like someone is watching them if the person scanning them is weaker than themselves. That is probably the reason one of them turned towards you.’

‘Anyways, they don’t unblock their meridians because they cannot see their own meridians! They can sense things to some extent, which is why they can still feel the major meridians and call it mana rivers.’

‘If I had to associate it with something, it would be like having nearsighted vision and looking at a piece of paper with large and small print. Obviously you can see the paper and if your vision isn’t too bad you can perceive the large print. But obviously seeing small print could be considered impossible.’

‘In this case, the paper is the worlds energy. The large print is the opened mana channels and the small print is the closed meridians. For warriors though… It is a bit different. They can barely perceive the medium size print and make it bigger by using ink. The medium print is obviously the opened minor meridians and the ink is of course their mana.’

With this new information, Chu Shen sunk into deep thought. According to what he had seen so far, this made perfect sense. Obviously, if there was a way to grow stronger, especially something so obvious, someone would have found it by now.

The only explanation would be that it was an impossibility. Just like how the people from Lucas’ dimension didn’t cultivate at all because of this impossibility. Because they couldn’t absorb Qi.

‘But wait master. I learned martial arts is used by channeling Qi through the meridians. So how come these people still use martial arts?’

‘That? Martial Arts? Oh please. They only know how to cover their sword in Qi and lash it out at you. If that was a true martial art being used, especially with such powerful elemental Qi, you would have been slightly injured even with your null Qi. That could only be called crude usage of power, a parlor trick compared to a real martial art.’

‘Also, those mages only have powerful attacks because it is supplemented with world Qi. In raw power, their spells can compare to a martial art. However, they can’t control them as well, plus it takes time to charge. It is true a powerful martial art can take time to charge, but it is half that of those spells of equal power.’

‘Hehe. Brat you might just be lucky though. By using your own soul sense and manipulating your Qi, you can guide these younglings mana into their own meridians. With that, they should be able to cultivate like we normally do. I would say, gathering an army from these people would be easy. Plus, by changing awful talents to limitless ones, they should be grateful enough to never betray us.’

Chu Shen shook his head at the thought. ‘No. I don’t want that kind of responsibility. All I want is to become strong enough to protect my mom and dad when I go back to my realm.’

‘Either way, I say you should let these kids cultivate. Use them to found the Void Sect again in this strange world.’

‘I did promise you master to let the Void Sect rise again. I guess letting them cultivate here would be the start. I can always visit them later using the bracelets.’

‘I like the way you think. And after we can trust them, I think I could change one of their souls to have soul sense. It’ll take some effort but it may be possible. I will have to study their souls extensively to do it. It should take a year to get all the data I need. Then I should be able to change it right away, or make a technique that allows them to gain soul sense themselves.’

‘Are you sure this is a good idea master? Letting them gain techniques from us like this?’

‘What are you worried about? This is common knowledge, though I admit it would change their life a lot. Just like sharing how to make fire. It’s so simple, but can bring a lot of changes to those who didn’t know how to before. Besides, we can use the Voids Hand to bind their souls to agree not to share information on the cultivation techniques without them dying.’

‘Alright master. I guess you do know more then me after all.’

‘Of course, that’s why I’m the master. Wait. Do you mean you actually doubted me for a second?!’

‘Uhh. Master, of course not. I, i, i just…. Goodbye master!’ Chu Shen promptly started running back to the wagons.

‘Goodbye?! I’m attached to your hand! I’m not going anywhere. Come Here!’

‘Stop it master! STOP IT!’

‘Suffer for doubting your master, you unfilial disciple!’

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Chapter 106
Rising Tide Sect

“So, can you tell us who exactly was chasing you and why?” Lucas asked, looking a bit puzzled. Beside the wagon driver that had kowtowed to them, the wagon drivers of the other two wagons started kowtowing as well. The first wagon driver, who appeared to be their leader of sorts, got up.

The wagon driver opened his mouth to speak before closing it. He glanced at the kids behind him who were still shivering in fright. “Please respected master, could we take this conversation a little farther away? I don’t want to upset the kids.”

Lucas nodded while Chu Shen followed, wanting to listen in on the story behind the kids. The wagon driver stopped out of earshot of the kids and turned to face them.

“Alright, if you must know our story than it is pretty simple. We are from the Rising Tide Sect, a fairly well off sect in the White Lotus City. The White Lotus City has four leading sects. Ice Dragon Sect, Golden Palm Sect, and Asura Sect. The Asura Sect is a sect filled with only warriors that are filled with killing, studying assassin techniques.”

“We were stronger than the other sects but we kept to ourselves and wasn’t greedy. We gained two students, twins actually, that lead to our downfall unfortunately. They were taken to us to be tested, since we are the only sect that allows all to be tested for innate talent without checking their background and they were very poor..”

“One of the twins was tested as a possible Rank 7 Battle Mage, the other Rank 6 Battle Mage. We tried to keep it under wraps but it became known not even a month later. The other sects became worried, you must know that our sects combined had only ten Rank 6 adventurers with no Rank 7 adventurer appearing. And of those ten, four belonged to us.”

“The three sects knew that a Rank 7 Battle Mage would be enough to kill their highest adventurers even if they combined forces. However, none of them were strong enough on their own. The Asura Sect had three Rank 6 assassins and the other two sects each had their own Rank 6 mage.”

“They tried to take the kids from us but we refused them. After that they tried assassination but we managed to hold them off using our Rank 6 adventurers. However…….We never expected them to combine and wipe us out.”

“We received wind of the attack before it happened and immediately sent the kids away for their protection. After all, the entire point of this attack was to kill those two kids for their potential. However…” At this point the wagon driver had tears streaming down his face.

“That d*mned Asura Sect. They used their assassination stealth techniques to infiltrate the sect. As we rode out, we saw dozens of our sect members killed by the Asura Sect before our eyes. That is the reason the kids are in such a state, even if they didn’t come close to dying.”

“The other two sects had surrounded us and were killing or capturing any members that tried to leave the Rising Tide Sect. My own brother was among those killed. We wouldn’t have made it out if there hadn’t been for the elders sacrificing themselves to clear a path through.”

“However, even as we left we were pursued by those Rank 5 warriors you saw. Some of the elders did not participate in the killing so that they could protect us from further damage. Who would have thought we would only make it ten miles before they were killed by our pursuers.”

Chu Shen and Lucas exchanged looks. This matter was not as simple as the wagon driver said. Simply put, three organizations were hunting for them and wanted to kill them. All because of some superior talent. While they digested this news, the wagon driver gradually regained his composure.

Chu Shen spoke to the wagon driver. “If we can, we wish to keep these kids safe.” He turned to Lucas. “Lucas, what can we do? We can’t leave them otherwise they may just be killed.”

Lucas immediately became surprised. “Me!? I’m the one that asks you these kinds of things. There’s eighty one kids here on the three wagons back there and I have no idea what to do with them.”

“Fine. Let me try and think of something.” Chu Shen adopted a thoughtful look and closed his eyes. Several ideas flitted through his head. Eventually though he opened his eyes.

He looked at the wagon driver. “Did you have a destination when you set off with those kids?”

The wagon driver shook his head. “Unfortunately no, we did not have a true destination. We were merely hoping to outrun the those warriors by traveling on the road.”

Chu Shen nodded. “Alright, can you tell me how safe the surrounding forest is?”

The wagon driver shook his head. “If you are thinking of hiding them here, you can’t. It is too close to the city, they would find you quickly.”

“Alright.” Chu Shen nodded. “Well then, there is only a few options and most aren’t safe. The best I can come up with is this. Take the kids as fast as possible as far as possible. Me and Lucas will scout farther back down the path and warn you when they are closing in on you.”

“Then the kids will leave the wagons and head into the forest. You and the other wagon driver will then keep going onwards to mislead them while we hide in the forest and cover our tracks. When you get by a town after the kids leave, abandon the wagons and hide until the pursuers are gone. Then come back for us.”

The wagon driver had a thoughtful look on his face while Chu Shen described his strategy. Finally he smiled at Chu Shen. “Well, I believe this is the best plan. Along with us three wagon riders there are two teachers, though they are only Rank 4 so they aren’t much help. They can help with the kids while we mislead them.”

Lucas smiled. “Well let us complete this plan then.” Chu Shen left to go look at the kids for while. There was some things he needed to check. Lucas went with the main wagon rider to help him with getting ready for the future tasks. The teachers he had mentioned were busy comforting the kids.

All of the kids were at most 9 and at least 6. Extremely young compared to Chu Shen’s age of 13 and Lucas’ age of 15. While Lucas was surveying the kids the main wagon driver came up to him and looked at the kids with him.

After a bit he sighed. “These are the greatest talents of my Rising Tide Sect. Unfortunately they are immature and pale in front of your young master. How fortunate it is to be a servant of someone like him.”

Lucas gave the wagon driver a sideways look. “What do you mean?”

The wagon driver looked back at him. “What? Aren’t you guys a master servant duo out to travel and experience the world? Most young masters of clans and sects are sent out to mature and have someone powerful guard them. I figured you must be one of them, maybe even one of those super sects?”

Lucas stared at him for a second before suddenly bursting out in laughter. The wagon driver watched him helplessly until Lucas managed to recover. He wiped a tear from his eye as he straightened up. Truly his body was a work of art, even able to mimic a tear.

“Hehe. Sorry about that. No we aren’t any young master servant duo. We are friends out traveling and exploring.” Lucas frowned as he saw the wagon driver look at Lucas’ tall muscular body before giving Lucas an incredulous look. “HEY! Just because I look old doesn’t mean I am! I’m fifteen! Puberty hit me harder that’s all!”

 

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Chapter 105
Kill

“3.2.1. Bang.”

Immediately the sound of a muffled explosion went off behind them. Of the 27 riders, 7 at the front immediately died, their bodies exploding from the inside out. Another 9 had their faces turn pale, coughing up blood and passing out. The rest seemed to immediately double over in pain but could still move.

As for why they did not all experience the same amount of damage, that part was simple. The ones in the front breathed in more nanites than the ones in the back. As a result, the explosion was a lot bigger for them.

“Ugh! What the heck is going on!? Why did they suddenly explode!?” One of the men yelled panickedly. The horses were also not let off. Over half of the horses in the front died, simply because they did not have a very powerful cultivation level.

“It must have been them!” One of the bandits yelled pointing at Chu Shen and Lucas. “They’re the only ones here!”

Chu Shen and Lucas immediately turned around to face them. “Hey! What are you going to do to those kids!?” Chu Shen yelled at them.

“Kill them of course! Run Xuan, we’ll hold them off while you kill those kids!” The bandits wheeled their horses around to face Chu Shen and Lucas. Of course, a couple were on the ground because their horses had died. All of them activated their body shield, or mana shield as it was called here.

Lucas frowned. “Chu Shen you’re the fastest. You go after that guy while I hold them off.”

“Fine.” Chu Shen took off after Xuan who was riding his horse towards the kids desperately trying to get away in the wagon. The bandits tried to stop him but Chu Shen dodged their attacks and continued on towards the fleeing bandit.

“Don’t bother chasing him, he’s only a kid. Kill this guy first, he’s more dangerous!” The bandit leader yelled. Immediately the bandits let out a roar and charged towards Lucas.

Suddenly one of the men dissolved into a mist of blood from the waist up. Not even a second later there was a loud BOOM. The horses reared from sudden loud sound. Lucas grinned. The sniper drones sure did live up to his expectations.

“What is happening! Our mana shields have no effect! This is ba-!” The man spun backwards, half his body disappeared in a spray of blood.

BOOM. The sound of the railguns projectile bullet breaking the speed of sound came half a second later.

Lucas was hit several times by the bandits as they closed in on Lucas. The blades bounced off his metal skin, causing some sparks and nothing more. Lucas grinned as the warriors faces paled.

“HAHA! This is so much FUN! Let’s do this more often!” Lucas said as he lashed out at the group of 8 warriors surrounding him. His fist broke the sword of one of the warriors before hitting him in the chest.

Like he had been hit with a cannonball, the warrior flew off through the air. His mana shield shattered with that one blow. The body shields of the bandits was different colors.

The one Lucas hit had a white colored shield. When he touched it, Lucas’ hand became covered in frost. He glanced at his hand. “Hmm. It seems like you guys do have some elemental powers. Might just make this interesting.”

……………………………………………….

“Get back here and face me!” Chu Shen yelled as he ran towards Xuan, utilizing <Comet Travels Through> to it’s max. His speed was almost impossible for someone of his cultivation level. He was slowly catching up to the horse.

“Ha! You must think I am a fool!” The bandit yelled over his shoulder. He kept riding full speed at the wagon full of kids.

“D*mn you!” Chu Shen kept running after him, slowly closing the distance. Suddenly a pistol appeared in his hand and fired a stream of fire towards the bandit.

“Crap!” The bandit jumped off his horse into the air. At the same time he drew a sword from his waist. He landed on the ground while Chu Shen stopped in front of him. Facing Chu Shen he held his sword out in front of him. “Fine, let’s fight.” A mana shield of a silver color appeared over him.

Chu Shen said nothing more as a black body shield appeared over him. He immediately took out his hammer and charged towards the bandit. The bandit similarly charged towards Chu Shen. Right as they were about to meet, the bandit swung at Chu Shen’s leg.

Chu Shen jumped over the man, doing a somersault in midair. As he did so, he used his movement to swing his hammer with deadly force. It struck the man’s back sending him flying forward, tumbling over the ground. However, electricity snaked up Chu Shen’s hammer.

The lightning seemed to cover his entire body, ravaging Chu Shen’s Qi. Chu Shen felt a slight numbness over his body as the lightning continued striking him. However, the lightning was slowly disappearing as Chu Shen absorbed the lightning with his null Qi.

“Sheesh. This guy is dangerous.” Chu Shen said shaking his head as he absorbed the last of the lightning Qi. The man got up with a smirk on his face but he immediately paled upon seeing Chu Shen standing there without a scratch.

“What! Why aren’t you knocked out!? I clearly felt my lightning mana hit you!” The bandit said pointing at Chu Shen in shock.

Chu Shen shrugged. “Too bad it doesn’t work on me.” Null Qi was indeed too awesome, with it being able to nullify any type of Qi. However, the cultivation level was still a bit too much, causing him to take longer to nullify it.

“Alright then, take this!” The bandit yelled. He lifted his sword up in preparation of an overhand blow. The sword became covered in crackling lightning. The bandit swung his sword at Chu Shen even though they were over ten feet apart.

A blade made of lightning shot towards Chu Shen, so fast he couldn’t hope to dodge. Reinforcing his body shield, he gritted his teeth and swung his hammer to try and block the blow.

With a BANG Chu Shen was tossed backwards, flying through the air. As Chu Shen landed, the bandit continued running towards the kids, still attempting to kill them. The null Qi didn’t let any of the enemies mana hit his body but the explosion still knocked him backwards. His body became slightly numb from this strike as well.

Chu Shen recovered quickly though and ran after him. The man was slightly slower than the horse he had been on. Chu Shen quickly caught up to him and swung his hammer at the bandit. The bandit ducked, having heard Chu Shen running up behind him.

Chu Shen missed his swing but went with the hammer instead of slowing down. Following it’s circular motion, Chu Shen came completely around, smashing the bandits back as the bandit stood up just in time to receive his blow.

Before Chu Shen did not use null Qi so the bandit was able to block the majority of his blow. This time Chu Shen used his null Qi to cancel out Xuan’s mana shield. As a result, he was forced to take the blow with his body.

SNAP “AHHH!!” The bandit Xuan screamed as the sound of bones breaking echoed outwards. The bandit landed on the ground a couple feet away. The bandit tried to stand up but his legs flopped around, not responding to his brains orders. Obviously his spine had snapped, causing him to be paralysed.

If it was before, than Chu Shen may not have had the strength to do such damage to a higher level cultivator. However, with Chu Shen’s increase in strength he could pose a threat to a cultivator who rashly let him hit their body. Not to mention that Chu Shen could drastically increase his hammer’s weight compared to before since he had a higher cultivation level.

Chu Shen put up his hammer and took out his railgun before walking up to the bandit. “If I hadn’t exhausted half my mana from that fight with the guards, I wouldn’t have died from just you!” The bandit spat out, along with some blood, as he glared at Chu Shen

Chu Shen nodded before lifting the railgun, pointing it at the bandit’s head. He fired it with a BOOM, making the bandit’s head dissolve into a mist of blood. A hole with cracks spreading from it appeared below where the bandit’s head had previously been.

Chu Shen glanced over at Lucas. He still had three more people attacking him. Suddenly blades of ice appeared above the three people’s heads and hit Lucas. Ice spread across Lucas’ body. The three men sighed.

This guy was a monster. Their blades bounced off of him, fire and lightning didn’t work. He was so strong that not even using Mana he could break through their shields. Not to mention how their comrades would suddenly die after that loud sound. If they hadn’t exhausted themselves so much fighting the guards, they may have been able to finish it earlier.

“Hey Lucas, can you finish up? I’m already done here.” Chu Shen yelled at him. The three bandits looked at Chu Shen like he was stupid. Obviously his friend was an ice statue, did he actually expect a response?

“Fine.” Came the curt response from the frozen Lucas. Suddenly flames shot out of Lucas’ arms and legs. The ice melted quickly. Three BOOMS echoed out and the three bandits dissolved like snow in summer. Though a bit more gory than a snowflake.

Chu Shen and Lucas went over to the wagon of kids, a bit curious as to why they were being chased. As soon as they came over, the wagon driver came out and kneeled in front of Chu Shen and Lucas.

“Thank you! Thank you! Without you, we would certainly be dead.” The wagons driver said with fervent intensity while kowtowing to Chu Shen. The kids were still crying and trembling from fright, too incoherent to speak.

“It’s fine. We loved to help out.” Lucas smiled at them.

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Chapter 104
Helping Kids In Need

Chu Shen and Lucas departed for a magic beast hunting zone, as it was called. It was forest infested with beasts that anyone could enter. The only downside was that sometimes powerful beasts would come to the forest and slaughter those it met.

Of course Chu Shen and Lucas could have flown on their jetpack to the forest. However, they had decided to enjoy a walk through the woods. Just enjoying nature instead of rushing.

They were walking and had just reached the top of a hill on the road when Lucas stopped. “Hey Chu Shen, look at that. Do you see that group of people down there? Don’t they seem a bit weird.”

Chu Shen followed where Lucas was pointing. He was pointing at a group consisting of several wagons worth of people. Actually they were all kids. Surrounding the wagons was a dozen or so armed men on horseback.

Chu Shen shook his head. “Nope, I don’t see what’s so weird about them.”

Lucas sighed. “Well do you see how anxious they look? Those guards are nervous and the drivers are urging the horses on as fast as possible. I can even see a couple of the kids crying.”

“Really? How good are those eyes?” Chu Shen asked.

“…… Good enough.”

Chu Shen shrugged. “Well it’s not our problem, come on let’s go.” He started to walk down the road when Lucas grabbed his arm.

“Wait. I see a group coming down the road. About forty of them or so.” Chu Shen looked up at Lucas before doing a double take. His eyes were zoomed in like a camera’s telescopic lense.

What Lucas said next immediately took his mind off the ridiculousness of his eyes. “I think those kids might be in trouble. That group I saw has their weapons drawn and are in a huge rush. They are riding right for the kids.”

Chu Shen immediately looked down the path himself. Squinting, he could barely make out a dust cloud that was gradually getting closer. As he was looking, he noticed the group below them started becoming agitated.

One of the guards rode up close to the wagons for a minute. Then all of the guards wheeled around and rode towards the dust cloud. As they did, the guards drew their weapons.

Chu Shen sighed. “Alright Lucas. I can see there being a problem for them, but not for us. We can’t get involved in other people’s problems.”

Lucas shook his head. “What am I supposed to do then? I can’t just stand by and see innocent kids killed. I just can’t!”

“How do you know they are going to be killed. Maybe they will only be captured.” Chu Shen knew how unlikely that would be though. Suddenly a flash of white light came from the two groups of men on horses. Turning, Chu Shen saw several of the guards had become ice statues. The two groups started to fight.

“Chu Shen, I’m going to help those kids. You can either join me or watch but you can’t stop me.” Lucas stared Chu Shen right in the eye.

They stood staring at each other for a little bit before Chu Shen glanced away sighing. “Fine Lucas, let’s do it then. I can’t really stand the idea of kids getting killed either you know.”

Lucas nodded at Chu Shen but Chu Shen made a wait-a-moment gesture with his hand. “But there is one thing I want to clarify. We have to be able to win. While I don’t want to watch kids be killed, I also don’t want to be one of those dead kids either.”

“Fine. So what’s the plan.”

“Here is what we are going to do. We leave the five sniper drones in the air along with the holo-drone and beast core drones. Using the holo-drone make them all invisible, we should be able to take them by surprise.”

Chu Shen continued his plan. “We will also be armed with our primordial pistols and railguns so our firepower should be above our cultivation level. Now what we need to do is run down there and bypass the group of kids down there.

“When we pass the men on the horses then I will scan their cultivation level with my spiritual sense while you let them breathe your explosive nanites. If they are weak enough, then we wait for them to be a little farther down the road and attack them.”

“What are we supposed to do if they are too strong?” Lucas asked questioningly.

Chu Shen shrugged. “Then we can’t do anything right away. I know you won’t accept that but hold on a second. First we make ourselves scarce and then start using the sniper drones to attack from a distance. That should give us some safety and also allow us to help out a lot.”

Lucas nodded. “Alright, it doesn’t seem like that bad of a plan. So when should we start?”

“How about now?” Chu Shen immediately started running down the hill. Lucas followed him. Both covered the distance between them and the wagons quickly. Soon they passed the wagon and had made it halfway to the fight.

Speaking of the fight, the dozen guards were already almost dead. Only two were still actively fighting with another three on the ground moaning. The other seven were already killed.

Chu Shen and Lucas started walking now, trying not to attract attention. After about two minutes all of he guards had died. However, they had not died in vain. For the dozen men had killed fifteen of the men on the enemy’s side and the rest of them looked to have spent a pretty sizable portion of mana.

The 27 riders rode towards Lucas and Chu Shen, weapons drawn and still dripping with blood. An invisible cloud of nanites emerged from Lucas’ clothes and hovered in the middle of the path.

Chu Shen used his spiritual sense on them as they approached. All of them were at the Martial Warrior stage or Rank 5 warriors as this world called it. The men passed by Chu Shen and Lucas without stopping, though one shivered and glanced at them.

Unknown to them, they had already inhaled the nanites. Even their horses were doomed. Chu Shen, however, was startled. Why didn’t they ask about the spiritual scan? Of course, they may have seen Chu Shen and Lucas as pests so they wouldn’t be bothered by such things.

But it still bothered him. Why wouldn’t they at least threaten them? Or scan them in return? Chu Shen had no answers and couldn’t even come up with a good excuse. He shook his head. It was still better this way.

They got a little bit down the road when Lucas looked over at him. “We can handle them. Go for it Lucas.”

Lucas immediately smiled. He held up three fingers and counted down. “3.2.1. Bang.”

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1. N/a

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Chapter 103
Let’s Hunt

Chu Shen didn’t stop researching there. He started looking into the specifics of how mages and warriors fight. What was the exact reason for the difference between them besides the mana network and mana rivers?

Chu Shen found out the reason quickly. Mages could fire long distance attacks but Warriors could only use melee or extremely close combat skills. It was confusing at first because there was no real reason given. However, Chu Shen remembered the soul.

The Major meridians, or mana river, was a channel that let the soul out. As a result the ability to control Qi at a long distance was given to mages. Warriors only had the Minor meridians which only let the soul out a tiny bit. This meant their ability to use Qi at a distance was severely limited.

So the differences between the two and reasons for it was found quickly by Chu Shen. Next, Chu Shen started finding out specific strategies Mages and Warriors used.

Warriors expanded their meridians allowing massive surges of Qi without backlash. As a result, warriors could use up their entire Qi reserve in one or two shots, giving them massive explosive strength but almost no stamina. It was especially true because they could not recover mana as fast as mages.

Mages however were different. Chu Shen learned earlier that Mages mixed their mana with the atmosphere and could only release small amounts of mana at once. Of course, it was because the mana rivers flowed against their own mana.

Mages had a specific system of spell casting. The spell casting system was put as this in one of Chu Shen’s books. It went in detail as to the specifics of spells since it was a very popular topic.

1>Beginning Success: Can cast spell using full chant with spellbook.
2>Small Success: Can chant from memory. (Spell Rank = Mage Rank)
3> Medium Success: Can use abbreviated chant. (Spell Rank = Mage Rank -1)
4> Large Success: Can cast using only spell name. (Spell Rank = Mage Rank -2)
5> Perfection: Can insta-cast using only mental image. (Spell Rank = Mage Rank -3)

Rank 6-7 spells only have first 4 stages. God rank (Rank 8-9) spells only have the first 3 stages.

The way it worked was pretty basic. There was a note that to successfully cast a spell using an abbreviated chant one needed to be one rank above the spell. Using the spell name needed two ranks above the spell and insta-cast needed to be three ranks above the spells rank.

An example would be this. A Rank 5 mage can cast a Beginning/Small success Rank 5 spell. However, they can only cast a Medium Success Rank 4 spell, Large Success Rank 3 spell, and a Perfection Rank 2 spell.

The reason behind this spell system was because a higher rank mage could assimilate more Qi with the atmosphere in a shorter amount of time. With that a mage could cast weaker spells almost instantly. Of course, Chu Shen realized this was correlated to the increase of the soul’s power.

Looking at this, it was true that mages would be slow to use their most powerful attacks. Especially since each chant took 30 seconds. However, each rank spell was greater than an equal rank warrior by one. So a rank 2 spell equals a rank 3 warriors attack using 10% of his mana.
Chu Shen nodded. Using this as a basis, mages were good at spamming huge amounts of weak spells, a medium variety of average spells, or one large charge up attack.

Mages also used barriers to protect themselves. Barriers was simply an artifact that created a wall of energy between the mage and the enemy. It was only one direction however and the artifact itself was very expensive. It ran of Mana Cores from Magical beasts, their version of beast cores and primordial beasts.

Chu Shen immediately became interested in the artifact. They seemed to be a more advanced version of their own Primordial Pistols. Simply put, Chu Shen and Lucas could only release the energy inside a beast core in a stream of energy.

They could control, to some extent, the intensity and duration but this was on another level. This artifact creates a wall from energy. This meant they knew how to make constructs! If Chu Shen and Lucas could improve this artifacts control system, then they could have a much better option for the body shield for Lucas and many horizons would be opened as well.

Besides that, Chu Shen found something else also interesting. Apparently everyone here was born with an element. Something that so many people wanted and could be called a genius was as common as clouds here.

Also, there wasn’t a restriction like those with normal constitutions. They didn’t have to find places with more intense elemental Qi. They could absorb Qi, or mana, normally like Chu Shen did.

Chu Shen didn’t know the reason. All he could think of was that it was normal to this realm. It was just the way they were. Maybe some sort of mutation in their soul was responsible.

Lucas stretched, immediately catching Chu Shen’s notice. “Hey, why are you stretching?”

Lucas shrugged. “Because we have been working on this research thing for almost three hours.”

Chu Shen nodded. “Okay, I get that is a long time. But why are you stretching? I mean, having a machine for a body does mean you don’t have to stretch or anything.”

Lucas stared at Chu Shen. “Ya know, I never really thought about it. Guess it’s a habit from when I still had my body.”

Chu Shen made a face at Lucas. “Well, it is a bit weird if you didn’t stretch or anything like that so I guess it’s okay.”

“Glad I have your permission.”

“Anyways Lucas, we need to get busy. As far as I can see we need to do a couple things. First, let me try and join a warriors association. The expansion of the minor meridians could be a major breakthrough. With that, I should be able to grow a lot more powerful.”

Lucas shook his head. “I don’t think we should do that. I have too many secrets for us to be joining a group or something. If they found about the primordial pistols or my robotic body I could be in trouble. Plus I still want to work on making some more stuff. If we joined a group like that then I would have to constantly be on guard. It’s too limiting.”

Chu Shen nodded. “Well i guess that is true. So joining an organization like that isn’t so good. Not unless it has some more freedom with it. So what do you think we should do instead?”

Lucas furrowed his brow for a couple seconds before his face lit up. “Of course, we do like we always did! We just need to buy you the cultivation technique for warriors. The techniques should be cheap since warriors are supposed to be rare at high levels.”

“Great, except we have no money Lucas.”

“Then we hunt down some beasts and get some cores. With that we should be able to raise enough money to buy what we need.”

“That just might work Lucas. Let’s go hunt some beasts then.”

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1. N/a

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Chapter 102
The Library

“Wow, it’s so big!” Chu Shen exclaimed as he looked around at the surrounding buildings. They were huge masses of stone and brick, towering over the streets.

Lucas shook his head. “Stop it Chu Shen. Seriously, you look like a star struck tourist. Besides, you saw bigger buildings on Sparta.”

“I know but still, doesn’t it impress you in the slightest?” Chu Shen said, glancing at Lucas before turning back to stare at the buildings.

Lucas looked at the buildings. “Maybe, but only because they actually made such huge buildings with such primitive technology. Then again, they don’t need cranes with how strong you guys are.”

Chu Shen nodded. “Yeah, some cultivators who don’t like fighting become masons, miners, all kinds of different crafts. Having a cultivator tends to make any project progress much faster than using regular mortals.”

“Makes sense. Anyways, we need to find the library if we are going to find out anything.” Lucas said sighing.

“Yeah, let’s ask.” Chu Shen ran up to one of the food vendors that was on the side of the street. Soon after he came back holding a small skewer with grilled meat and peppers on it.

“So he gave you directions and free food?” Lucas said, a bit incredulously.

“Yeah. They can’t resist a cute kid. I am still thirteen you know. Come on, the library is this way.” Chu Shen ran down one of the streets while Lucas followed, shaking his head.

After a couple turns, Chu Shen and Lucas were standing in front of a large imposing building. It was huge, made of solid marble. Huge marble columns stood in front of the building propping up a large porch. A door much too large was set behind the columns in the wall. There was a flight of stairs leading up to the door as well.

Chu Shen and Lucas walked up to the door. Entering, they found themselves inside a well lit room. Comfortable carpet was spread on the ground while sunlight streamed down from many small windows in the roof and sides of the wall.

There was large bookshelves farther into the room with some tables off to the side, most likely for studying. A lady, probably a librarian, glanced up from a book she was reading at a desk when they walked in. Putting the book down, she walked up to them. “Yes, may I help you?”

Chu Shen was about to step forward but thought better of it. After all, he was a kid and Lucas, even though he was a kid as well, looked like a burly man. Chu Shen nudged Lucas. “Go on, ask her for some books on warrior stuff or something.”

Lucas kind of stumbled forward. He reached his hand out to the librarian. “Hello, my name is Lucas. I am looking for books regarding the manipulation of the elements and other ways to fight. Specifically research on those topics.”

The librarian shook his hand, though she looked taken back by the obviously contrast between his manner of speech and barbaric looks. “Well, that is a common topic. If you go to aisle 9 and look at the third shelf from the top you should find some books on mages. The fifth shelf will have books on warriors. If you are looking for an introduction book there is some available here for the young one.”

Lucas nodded. “Yes, that would be much appreciated. Thank you.” He turned to Chu Shen. “Alright, I’ll go find those books while you read that introduction.”

Chu Shen gave his approval and let the librarian lead him to the tables set off to the side. She set down a thin book in front of him. “I think this will help you out, there is a picture book I can get instead if you can’t handle this heavy reading.”

Chu Shen almost facepalmed. Almost. He shook his head. “No I think I should be good. Thank you for your concern though.”

The librarian shrugged. “Alright then. Please ask me if you need anything. You won’t be bothering me at all.” The librarian went back to her desk and started reading her book again.

Chu Shen picked up the book. [Warriors and Mages. Interesting Facts!]. Seems simple enough. Chu Shen started reading. But he became intrigued at the ideas introduced in the book.

According to the book, there were warriors, mages, and battle mages. Each mage was decided at birth, there was no growth. Apparently each warrior and mage had something called the ‘magic source’. This was where mana was stored at. Chu Shen assumed the magic source was a dantian and mana was Qi.

Mages had mana rivers, where mana was absorbed in a river. However, each river must be forced to go into the magic source, making it bigger. Each Mage was born with a certain amount of blocked rivers, they could never make another river. It was something they were born with, nothing more.

As for Warriors, they had a mana network. It was small amounts of mana that went to their magic source from all over their body. This amount of mana was very small compared the mana rivers. However, the warriors could make their mana network expand, allowing more mana to come in at once.

Battle mages was someone with both a mana network and mana rivers.

Immediately Chu Shen became mesmerized by this. Obviously mana rivers was the major meridians! The mana network must be the minor meridians! The book however, ended there.

What did make him curious was that while there was pictures, there was none with the meridian network. Instead it was pictures of men in armor or with robes and a staff. Obviously it was images of mages and warriors.

Lucas came back holding only one book. “Here you go Chu Shen. I figured a book like this would be best. After all, its when there are comparisons that all the tiny details are revealed.” He set down the book, [Warriors Vs. Mages: Pros and Cons].

Chu Shen gave Lucas the book he had just gotten done reading. “Well this world has some interesting ideas for cultivation. Truly interesting things. You know the basics for cultivation so you should understand the significance of this.”

Chu Shen started reading the book Lucas gave him. It gave in depth analysis of warriors and mages, giving him a very accurate description of the exact powers and limitations of the people here.

Mages mixed mana with the surrounding mana using it to enhance their attacks, making it much stronger than merely shooting out pure mana. However, they had to have time to mix their mana. They also had to visualize the mana’s form. As a result they would chant to help visualize their spells. They could also fire mana over a very long distance.

Mages also could not shoot out massive amounts of mana at once. The reason was because the mana river flowing inwards blocked the mana from coming in. So they had to fight against the flow of the mana river so they compared to warrior, they would need far more mana to get an equal attack.

Warriors used their mana network to rapidly shoot out mana. They widened their mana network so that more mana could be shot out at once. It even got to the point where they could shoot out their entire magic source worth of mana in one shot.

As a result, warriors became focused on speed and shooting massive amounts of mana to beat a mages long chant time. The only downside was that a warrior could not control their mana over long distance and must get in close combat to fight.

Also, a warriors mana network would increase a warrior’s body strength far beyond that of a mages. So mages couldn’t run away from a warrior so mages could only stand and fight against a warrior of equal rank.

Compared to mages, warriors could continue getting stronger and stronger. On paper it would seem as though warriors would easily out number mages when it came to power levels.

However, in order to widen their mana network, they had to go through massive amounts of pain. The pain would also get worse exponentially. Compared to mages who only had to force a mana river to go into their dantian, a warrior had to go through many hardships to reach an equal footing.

Battle mages enjoyed the combination of both mana network and river. As a result, their spells could be cast faster or become more powerful compared to a regular mage. They were also physically stronger than mages but their mage rank would be higher than their warrior rank since they couldn’t deal with the pain.

Also, Chu Shen found out the ranking scale of the mages and warriors. They were quite simply listed into different ranks with a rank 1 being equal to a normal person. He compared it to his own power system and it lined up perfectly. The comparison he made was as followed.

Man/Tiger/Dragon = Rank 1
Student = Rank 2
Practitioner = Rank 3
Scholar = Rank 4
Warrior = Rank 5
Army = Rank 6
King = Rank 7
Emperor (1st part) = Rank 8
Emperor (2nd part) = Rank 9

A Mage God was a mage born with all 7 mana rivers while a Warrior God was one that fully expanded their mana network. However, they could only become a rank 8 at best. Only battle mages could become rank 9 and were classified as Paragon Gods. To Chu Shen, this world was interesting. Very interesting indeed.

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1. N/a

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Arc 4 [Magicians World]

Chapter 101
Look Out!

Chu Shen and Lucas waited inside the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for a little while. But eventually they disappeared again. When they did, they had reappeared in the forest outside the edge of a large open field.

“Alright, let’s go ahead and get our bearings so that…” Lucas said as he started looking around. But he was interrupted halfway.

“Duck!” Chu Shen yelled. Instantly Lucas ducked, a result of his trust in Chu Shen’s judgement. A stream of fire shot past Lucas, the fire being so hot that it left burn marks on his fake skin even when it had missed him by over a foot. The fire was in a fan pattern, spreading outwards and slicing through trees like butter.

At the same time as the stream of fire, large explosions started going off in the distance. Chu Shen glanced towards where the noises were coming from and immediately became flabbergasted.

There, on opposite sides of the field, was two large armies facing each other. In front and middle rows were men dressed in armor and wielding swords and spears.

Currently they were charging at high speeds towards each other before meeting halfway. Huge gaps could be seen in the formation. Chu Shen could see the corpse of some of them behind the charging army. But they made no sense.

Some of them had been frozen or lit on fire. Others were completely reduced to ash. What could have caused such devastation? Chu Shen could only think of a clash between an army of cultivators.

Both sides started fighting, showing frightening battle prowess. Qi surged as blades made of the elements sliced opponents in half, armor blocked weapons and warriors used formations to fight together against the enemy.

In the back, standing on large earthen walls, were rows of men dressed in robes holding staffs embedded with crystals. Compared to the robed men, the armored men seemed to outnumber them 5-1 in both armies.

Chu Shen rubbed his eyes for a second. Just what was going on? This seemed way too weird to be anything he could think of. The robed men on both sides seemed to be chanting something before all of them lifted their hands.

Immediately, a flurry of fire, ice, thunder, and various other elements surged toward the other side. One of this barrage of the elements came close to Chu Shen. Like last time this was a huge fan like wave of fire.

Chu Shen and Lucas dodged like they had done last time before looking at the battle field. The armed men on both sides seemed to be taking heavy casualties from this frighteningly powerful long range bombardment. It was too chaotic though to be sure which side was winning.

There was a robed man on one side that had been chanting for a long time. Suddenly, the man thrust his arms towards the battles and said something that Chu Shen could faintly hear.

A huge whirlwind of fire sprang up on the enemy’s army. At the same time, a man in golden armor which was on the opposite side as the robed man shot forward. The whirlwind melted men around it, lighting them on fire.

The man in golden armor spread his arms wide as he closed in on the whirlwind like he wanted to hug it. A huge burst of energy which completely shocked Chu Shen came out of the man. The energy was in the shape of a bear and gave the whirlwind a bear hug. The bear snuffed out the fire, though the man in golden armor seemed to be exhausted.

The fight continued with other great shows of power going back and forth. Meanwhile, Chu Shen and Lucas backed up away from the fight and were having a hushed conversation.

“So what do you think of this situation Chu Shen? You have some experience as a cultivator so what does it look like to you?” Lucas had a hopeful expression on his face as he stared at Chu Shen.

Chu Shen shrugged helplessly. “To be honest, I am not sure. These people, they are using fire, ice, and thunder to attack. All of these are elements. You should know only beasts can use the elements and cultivators have to be at the Natural Realm or have an innate constitution.”

Chu Shen glanced towards the battlefield. “But there are so many people out there, at least a thousand on each side. There cannot be so many with an innate constitution. At the same time, they are not as powerful as a person in the Natural Realm.”

“If I had to guess, I would say the robed men were at the Martial Warrior stage and the armored men were at the Martial Scholar stage. Some like that golden armored man or the robed man that made that whirlwind of fire might be at the Martial Army Stage.”

Lucas sighed. “So what you are telling me is that this situation makes no sense? They aren’t powerful enough, and there is too many to be unique? Great. So what do we do now then?”

“Well it’s not our fight. So how about we just try to find the nearest town. There we should be able to find some answers.” Chu Shen said. Lucas nodded and both started walking away from the huge battle.

They could still hear the loud explosions behind them as they left the area. After a couple miles, they found a large road. Surprisingly the road was congested with many wagons.

Chu Shen thought with the fight going on, they would have tried to escape. Walking up to one of the wagons Chu Shen asked them a few questions. What he found out was a bit complicated.

Those two forces that were fighting a little ways away was actually two middle class sects that had been at an uneasy truce. The reason for this truce was that there was a third sect that was bigger than they both were that was in charge of the city Buldag, a fairly large trade city. However, this third sect had been experiencing a decline in talent.

As a result, there had been a call for a stronger force to take over the city lord’s position. The Alteria Empire, one of the superpowers of this world, had decided to agree to this proposal. As a result, these two sects had declared war on each other to settle this once and for all.

When Chu Shen asked why they weren’t fleeing from the fight, the wagon’s driver laughed. He explained it quite simply. He was a small time merchant that specialized in military related items.

So when a small war like this broke out, wouldn’t they need supplies, bandages, replacement weapons and so on? The wagon driver was just making some extra coin. His safety wasn’t in danger since they wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal from a poor merchant like him.

Chu Shen finally realized why there were so many wagons. These people were only trying to take advantage of the war to sell some stuff. Lucas came up to him after he was done talking with the wagon driver. “So, now that you know what’s going on, do you know what we should do?”

Chu Shen nodded. “Yeah, we need to go to the city and learn some things. Like how can those people use the elements, what kind of power systems is here. All of those things are needed so that we don’t become caught off guard.”

Lucas agreed. “Alright then. We need to get to Buldag.”

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1. N/a

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Chapter 100
A Month Later

One month. That was how long Chu Shen and Lucas spent training and preparing. Chu Shen started cultivating and forging to earn money for Lucas to create new weapons. Lucas also became busy, hunting for materials and beast cores, inventing new weapons. It became extremely hectic.

Chu Shen advanced to become a Four Star artificer, capable of making a mid-tier Martial weapon. He also cultivated to the ninth level of the Martial Practitioner stage during this time.

Lucas, on the other hand, finally started re-equipping himself. First he equipped his body with 12 beast cores in total, all of them being class 5. 3 beast cores for each of his four limbs with another lightning beast core to power himself.

There was 2 earth cores with one in each hand. There was 6 fire cores with two in each foot and one in each hand. Then there was 2 ice cores, one in his hand and one in his foot. Finally there was 2 wind cores in the other hand and foot.

Lucas was also finally able to measure his strength. Previously he had used a Class 4 electric beast core. With it, he was barely able to match Chu Shen in strength at 60.25 tons of force. But he had upgraded to a Class 5 beast core since then!

Finally, Lucas was able to compare their strength with complete accuracy. It came out to be 90 tons, or 180,000 pounds. However Chu Shen did not slack either. Remember, each time he advanced a level, he would gain 5,000 pounds of strength! So now, Chu Shen no longer had 60.25 tons but 80.25 tons or 160,500 pounds!

Meanwhile, Lucas started advancing in other areas. The reason that the drones before were only one shot items was because they had the cheapest beast cores possible, the ones without a beast spirit. As a result, they only had one shot before the beast core ran out of energy and could not recharge.

However, he was able to buy more beast cores with beast spirits inside them. With that, Lucas was able to make four beast core drones to go with the holo drone. But what Lucas made during this time was not limited to that.

He also created explosive nanites. They were extremely small and contained a powerful explosive. The way Lucas designed them to be used, they were to be scattered through the air and breathed in by the opponent. Then the nanites would explode, leaving the opponent with severe internal injuries.

Lucas recreated four primordial pistols he had previously with various cores to be used for ammo according to the situation. He gave Chu Shen two of them so that he would have a surprise weapon.

Lucas also made a railgun, since it was so effective last time. He used a class 6 lightning beast core this time and created two of them, one for him and another for Chu Shen. Obviously the railgun’s offensive capabilities would be tremendously boosted with the increase of energy.

Finally, Lucas used class 5 beast cores for the five sniper drones he made. All of them used railguns for long range fighting. After all, Lucas may now be proficient at close-combat. But for long-range combat, he needed to rely on other things like the sniper drones

Chu Shen and Lucas had some interesting spars after that. Of course, neither of them used lethal attacks like railguns or nanites. Only Qi and beast cores was used in their fights. They fought a couple times but Lucas was finally fully equipped and Chu Shen took a break from cultivating.

It was time to settle their duel properly.

Chu Shen and Lucas faced each other a hundred meters apart with their hands at their sides. Both of them stared at the other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Lucas held his primordial pistols in each hand while Chu Shen held his as well.

Suddenly, Lucas lifted his right hand and fired a beam of ice at Chu Shen. Chu Shen immediately activated <The Stars Dance> to dodge it. Lifting up his own pistol he fired it back at Lucas.

Unlike before, it was a narrow beam that ended quickly. As Lucas and Chu Shen became more proficient with their inscriptions, they found different ways to manipulate them. For example, the channeling inscription on the primordial pistols.

It could be adjusted to fire all of the Qi inside the beast core at once. Or it could fire small portions of it, resulting in rapid fire shots with weaker power. If you could compare it to something, it would be the difference between a machine gun and a bazooka. One was a powerful weapon with one shot. The other was weaker but made up for it with continuous shots.

Chu Shen had a lightning core and an earth core. The lightning core was a powerful attack and could stun a person. The earth core trapped and slowed the opponent down.

Chu Shen fired small blasts of lightning at Lucas, hoping to short circuit Lucas. Unfortunately, Lucas suddenly flew into the air, flames exploding out of his feet.

Chu Shen frowned. “Hey no fair! I can’t fly so neither can you!” He kept up his barrage of lightning. Lucas dodged everyone of them though, flames exploding on his feet.

Lucas grinned as he returned fire with his ice and metal pistols. “What? It’s not my fault you can’t fly. Besides, you should feel honored.” Lucas suddenly fell as part of his body became extremely from the earth Qi that became attached to him.

He hit the ground with a THUD. Chu Shen smirked at him. “Oh? And why should I be honored?” He fired earth Qi at Lucas, trapping him inside an earthen shell. But Lucas merely smiled as the earthen shell exploded. Flames poured around him as he used the fire beast core in his palm to destroy the shell of earth.

Lucas fired a beam of ice from his other palm and hit Chu Shen. But the ice seemed to evaporate as he absorbed the Qi with his body shield. “Well I did take the idea from you after all. Remember, your robot at the tournament? It used the same principle.”

Chu Shen’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh yeah. Wait Doesn’t that make you a copy cat then!” Chu Shen closed in on Lucas, covering himself in armor similar to an ancient samurais. This was the <Cancellation Armor> left behind for the Void Sect’s inheritors.

Lucas fired rapidly at Chu Shen, the metal primordial pistol managing to pierce halfway through his <Cancellation Armor> before being absorbed. This goes to show the true penetrative power of the metal attribute.

Chu Shen stored his primordial pistol and brought out his hammer, holding it with one hand. Compared to before, his hammer was no longer a pure black but streaked with a coppery gold color. Obviously Chu Shen had integrated some more metals into his living steel hammer while he was cultivating.

Lucas backpedaled as Chu Shen closed in but he put away his pistols, knowing that they truly didn’t help against this energy parasite called Chu Shen. Instead, he thrust his hand into the ground and hauled up a large hunk of rock. He hit the rock with his palm, simultaneously causing an explosion with his fire beast core.

The rock shot towards Chu Shen, becoming a deadly hail of shrapnel. A round shield with chinese characters inscribed around it appeared in front of Chu Shen at a slanted angle. Obviously this was the Universe Shield! It successfully deflected half of the rock shards. The other half continued at Chu Shen but his armor was able to handle it, though it did dull significantly.

Chu Shen swung his hammer at Lucas while Lucas swung his fist at Chu Shen. Both of them were about to hit each other when a translucent barrier appeared around them both.

Chu Shen sighed. It had only been four months since he came to this realm. Compared to the previous time of ten months in Lucas’ realm it was truly too short. Chu Shen wondered, what was the reason the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion really existed? Why did it travel between realms? Was it really just a pastime of some great expert?

“Hey Chu Shen, you got everything we need? I mean, do you have my drones, nanites, and the fabber?” Lucas called out hurriedly. He had spent a long time creating those drones and if he lost the fabber…. Well, let’s just say that it would be a sad fate indeed.

Chu Shen nodded. “Yep, I carry everything with me now. I even bought a couple extra spatial rings to do it. Don’t worry. I also used the Chains of Transportation to make an amulet leading back to the forest here. We can always come back.”

Lucas grinned. “Great. Then, let’s go to the next realm already!” With that, they disappeared into thin air.

 

[End Arc 3: The Black Rose]

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1. N/a

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Chapter 99
Strengthening

Lucas left their house in the Black Night sect and headed out of the sect rapidly. Of course he couldn’t be found here, he had no authority to be here. Though with Chu Shen knowing someone high up, it was unlikely there would be serious consequences.

Chu Shen sat down in a lotus position and started concentrating. Master Ti Wu floated out of the Voids Hand and behind him. His hands lit up with a greenish blue hue before being taken over an inky black Qi. His Spiritual Qi turned into Void Qi with a single thought.

“I am starting now, get ready Chu Shen.” With enough words spoken, Ti Wu shoved his hand towards Chu Shen’s chest. Immediately the Void Qi was sucked up by his meridians and circulated according to the <Void King>  technique.

He started circulating it, increasing his strength. His strength currently was around 62,000 pounds. A normal Martial Practitioner Level 1 had 50,000 pounds of strength. With each level an increase of 5,000 pounds was seen for each practitioner.

Chu Shen, however, was currently having his strength increase tremendously. His previous maximum circulations of the Void King technique was 19 and allowed his body to become like iron. But now Chu Shen was able to circulate the Void Qi more since his cultivation was stronger.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, more and more circulations until Chu Shen reached the 19th circulation. Previously this was his maximum circulation amount. However, Chu Shen was able to push past, breaking through to the third stage of the Void King technique.

The 19th circulation gave him an increase of 1955 pounds. He managed to complete a 20th circulation, increasing his strength to 2,000 pounds. Then he completed the 21st circulation. The 21st circulation was a breaking point to the third stage of the Void King technique.

The increase of strength drastically increased to 3,000 pounds. Not only that, Chu Shen’s skin and muscles started becoming harder, like ropes of steel, granting him great defense.

Once he broke through, he circulated the Void Qi 21, 22, 23, 24, all the way to the 30th circulation before he had to stop. Chu Shen was excited, but knew that to finish the 3rd stage of the Void King technique, he had to complete 40 circulations. He was still someway off.

But what had him excited was the increase of 19,500 pounds from 62,000 pounds of force, to 81,500 pounds or 40.5 tons! Remember, currently a martial practitioner of the same level only had 50,000 pounds, or 25 tons, of force! This was almost double that of a normal martial practitioner of the same level and equal to that of a martial practitioner at the seventh level!

30 was the maximum amount of times he could cycle Qi according to the Void King technique. He could repeat this amount though, until Master Ti Wu told him to stop.

He started circulating his Qi and managed to do so 2 more times before it lost it’s effects. Now his strength was at 120,500 pounds or 60.25 tons! This mean Chu Shen was now 242% stronger physically than any normal Martial Practitioner! He was actually stronger than a level 10 Practitioner! Chu Shen knew exactly what this meant.

With his Null Qi and his immense physical strength and defense, didn’t this mean he was invincible unless he encountered an overwhelming opponent? This must have been what the Five Heavenly Mountains Sect had been afraid of.

Imagine, the nullification of all abilities except to fight someone on their strong points. It would be similar to facing a charging bull while in a dead end alleyway with no way to dodge. Unless you were lucky or had great skill, you would not get away unscathed. The Void sect sure was powerful.

Master Ti Wu, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. ‘Most people need two or three years to breakthrough into the 3rd stage of the Void King technique! Truly, Chu Shen is a cultivation genius, just like I thought. ‘

Master Ti Wu sighed mentally. Suddenly he thought of something and his eyes immediately widened. ‘Wait! If he uses up so much Void Qi training, then doesn’t that mean i’m running out as well!?’

Chu Shen left the Black Night Sect. He found Lucas waiting at a nearby restaurant. It was their agreed upon spot. Then they left for the forest and sparred out there.

Lucas and Chu Shen faced each other. “So Chu Shen, you ready to get beaten?” He asked with a smirk on his face.

Chu Shen smirked back at him. “No, but it seems like you are. Come, show me how strong you are!” Chu Shen dashed at Lucas.

Lucas crouched low, gathering strength. Suddenly he leapt forward like a spring that had been released. He shot towards Chu Shen, almost catching him off guard. But Chu Shen was able to punch Lucas in the shoulder, sending him spinning backwards through several trees.

Lucas stood up amidst the splinters of one of the trees he destroyed. He grinned at Chu Shen. “Hehe. Dragon Iron lives up to its name. It barely tickled.” He charged towards Chu Shen. “Come on then! Let’s go again!”

Lucas and Chu Shen launched flurries of blows against each other. They would throw a punch while blocking the others at a speed so fast their hands were almost invisible to the naked eye.

Then, Lucas managed to land a punch on Chu Shen’s chest. He repeated the tragic accident of Lucas, flying backwards through the forest. However, he stood up with barely a mark on him. He immediately charged back towards Lucas.

It was amazing. Even with Chu Shen’s massive increase of strength, they was still evenly matched with each other. It should have been no surprise though that Lucas kept up with Chu Shen. His body was made of Dragon Iron and Heavy Iron Gold, both of which were very tough.

Chu Shen couldn’t even make a dent in his body, though he could send Lucas flying which was extremely satisfying. Then with Lucas’ electromagnetic powered muscles, he was just as strong as Chu Shen, if not a bit stronger.

The only thing that Chu Shen could do that Lucas couldn’t was pummel him with Qi from afar. So far, that was his only advantage. If Lucas got around to recreating his weapons and stocking up on beast cores than even Chu Shen would be in trouble.

Of course, Lucas would be stuck at this level of strength until he upgraded his beast cores. Otherwise, Chu Shen would advance his cultivation quickly and leave Lucas behind.

Lucas sighed as Chu Shen laid on the ground, exhausted from their fight. Chu Shen looked up at Lucas curiously. “Why are you sighing? You could have won that if you had your beast cores.”

Lucas waved his hand. “No, it’s not that. I had the same thought which is why I’m sighing. I’m going to be real busy working to recreate my equipment.”

Chu Shen nodded. “And I’m going to be busy cultivating and forging to get the money for those weapons you’re making.”

Both of them sighed at the upcoming dreary days.

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1. N/a