Chapter 41

This Place Is Strange…

Sergeant Delgado paced in front of the medical bay. He had already taken off the scout armor and was wearing a tight fitting full body outfit made of a thick sturdy stretchy material.

Whoosh

As the door slid upwards into the ceiling another man walked out. He was the exact opposite of the sergeant. He had a mustache and black hair with hints of gray unlike the bald sergeant. The man had white skin and the sergeant had dark brown colored skin. The man wore a black suit and on the back, front, and shoulders was a patch with a red cross on it. The sergeant had on the same uniform but the patch had a white background with a black gun with 115 written on it in white.

As the Medical Officer Charles Hugh came out of the medical bay he was tugging at the portable helmet around his neck. “This d*mn thing is going to choke me someday” he muttered underneath his breath before the sergeant stopped him.

“Officer Hugh sir, how’s the kid?” He stopped for a second and looked at him before the realization struck him.

“Oh it’s you Delgado, I haven’t seen you since I had to grow an arm for you back on Heldeten. Anyways the kids alright. The antidote worked just fine and we gave him a sedative, he’ll be out for another ten hours or so.”

Sergeant Delgado let out a relieved breath. “Whew. Thank god for that. I feel so sorry for him, you know after I shot him and all.”

“Yeah, I just wonder why he’s here though. His muscle density is almost off the charts for someone his age so he must have been a heavy worlder that moved here with his family but no one we evacuated was reported as having a muscle density like this.” Officer Hugh had a contemplative look on his face as he thought over the conundrum the kid represented.

Sergeant Delgado shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe he’s adopted? Anyways when he wakes up how about letting me know ok? I want to apologize to him for shooting him.”

Officer Hugh nodded. “Sure. The captain decided to restrain him until we hit port. So when he wakes up I have to be there too to keep him calm. Hey how about we head to the cafeteria? While the kids out cold I can have a lunch break.”

“Fine with me.”

As they walked down the hallway, something completely unexpected was going on in the medical bay behind them…

…………………………………..

Chu Shen opened his eyes. He was laying down on a comfortable bed inside a weird room. The walls were white and a soft, soothing glow came from the walls. There was strange metal objects on the walls and floors. There was some reflective things hanging on the walls as well.

He tried to turn around to see what was behind him when he felt something tug at his arm. Looking down he saw there was a handcuff on his right arm attached to the bed by a chain. As he glanced around he saw that all of his appendages were chained down as well except his head.

As he looked at his settings in confusion he suddenly remembered. Poison! He had been hit with some sort of poisoned dart that had punched through his body. Turning his head he saw that the holes in his chest and shoulder had some sort of thick green paste on it.

Master Ti Wu was looking at his disciple from inside the Voids Hand soul realm. He had been observing the situation the entire time. Chu Shen’s Null Qi had started neutralizing the poison immediately though the going was slow so the poison was obviously not going to kill Chu Shen.

From the reaction of the person that had shot him, it was obviously an accident. Most likely the bug corpses was from a fight earlier and he was shot on accident. The weapons they used were very interesting. He had seen nothing like them. They were like crossbows but fired dozens of small projectiles.

This accident was unfortunate but it was an excellent opportunity to observe his disciples actions.

Chu Shen circulated his Qi. With the extra boost to his physique he pulled at the chain on his right arm. The walls started pulsing with an angry red light as it started making a creaking noise. He looked at the walls for a couple seconds before putting it out of his mind.

Concentrating the Qi in his right arm he pulled fiercely at the chain. It came off with a loud SNAP and with a CLANK it landed on the ground. He started pulling off the rest of the chains.

……………………………………………………………………………….

Hugh and Delgado were slowly wandering down to the cafeteria whenever Hugh suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong Hugh?” Delgado asked.

Hugh shook his head. “It’s nothing really, just that the kid woke up sooner than expected, probably due to his biology. Looks like you can apologize a little sooner than I thought.”

Delgado shrugged. “Ok then. Let’s go.” They both started back down the hallway when Hugh’s eyes lost focus for a second. Then he started running down the hallway. He turned back to Delgado.

“Hurry up. That kid somehow broke the restraints we had on him. If we don’t want him panicking we have to get there soon.”

Delgado immediately took off behind Hugh. as he did he started asking questions. “How did he get out? I didn’t see anything on him but jewelry.”

“I don’t know either. The restraints we had were just enough to hold him. Most likely I miscalculated his strength.”
They both had military grade enhancements to their body along with a cybernetic implant. With this almost superhuman boost they were able to get to the medical bay in a matter of seconds. What they would find inside, would change their lives forever….

1. N/a

Arc 2: Artificer’s Dreams

Chapter 40

A New Realm

“Alright men, do a final sweep of the area and then move out!”

“Yes Sir” The left overs of the 500 man strong platoon immediately spread outwards towards their assigned sections.

Sergeant Tony Delgado was suited up in the latest of humanities infantry armor, the Falcon Scout Armor III. It was a black skintight suit made of nano-carbon fiber. There was even a motor that amplified their strength by over 20 times.

As he patrolled the remains of the bug nest he kept an eye on his radar and genetic scanner. As he was patrolling he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. Nothing was on his instruments but that didn’t mean anything. The genetic scanner used DNA to pick up the locations of the bugs. However it was toggled to not pick up Drone Bugs right now. These types of bugs were easily killed so the army left them to the cleanup crews instead of hunting them down.

They had made sure less than 50 of them were on the planet so the colonists weren’t overwhelmed with their numbers. So there was still some of them on the planet.

Thinking along these lines he lifted his Needle Gun and shot out a small burst. With a sinister hiss five, 1 inch long needles shot out of the Needle Gun towards the moving target. The needles sunk into their target and as they did they released a neurotoxin that was lethal to bugs.

As Sergeant Delgado saw the target the needles had hit he winced. “Aw sh*t”. It wasn’t a bug!

………………………………………………………

As the world crumbled around Chu Shen, Ti Wu released the Void Qi he had been storing in the form of a bubble. The bubble was barely visible, ghostly even. As bits of rock slammed against the bubble it turned into a muddy colored energy before merging with the black colored Qi. As it did the Qi became more and more realistic until it formed a solid black shell.

Inside Chu Shen was staring outside at the world as it changed around him. The earth crumbled into bits of rock. The Pagoda’s all disappeared somewhere as well. The disk of land shrunk until it became no longer flat but rather a mountain floating in the air. Water came out of nowhere, forming a large river that flowed down creating a waterfall that flowed into the void of space.

Appearing on the mountain was a deep tunnel. Eventually the whirlwind of the rocks stopped. If Ti Wu had not been there then he would have indeed been crushed to death. It was almost inconceivable that something like that could happen to a martial artist however these were not ordinary rocks. The Qi inside this space could be considered extremely concentrated. The rocks had been strengthened by this dense Qi until it was even harder than steel.

Master Ti Wu said not a word but manipulated the bubble to float towards the tunnel. The sides of the tunnel was made of rock but somehow was as smooth as glass. Suddenly the tunnel opened up to reveal yet another pagoda.

Outside this pagoda was countless decorations and statues. Bits of metal, plants, jewels, and even various beast cores were used to craft the magnificent sight. Each one was unique and the ingredients were rare. Some Chu Shen had never heard of and others Chu Shen had doubted he could ever see.

He gasped in shock. Whoever had created this world was truly an expert. There was nothing else, not even a sign. He walked into the pagoda. It had three rooms. The rooms were labeled the Formation Room, Treasure Room, and Training Room. Chu Shen tried to enter the Treasure Room but before he even got close, a formless pressure forced him back. If he had truly entered he felt as though he would have been crushed.

The same thing happened when he tried to enter the Training Room. When he tried to enter the Formation Room though nothing happened. Upon entering he saw a huge formation set up. It was vast and so incredibly complex he got a headache just looking at it.

It was surrounded by a translucent barrier, obviously it was protecting the formation. Looking at it Chu Shen had a feeling that it was the formation that kept this place alive. He found a rack of chain bracelets alongside the wall. There was thousands of them. Beside them though was a jade slip. Going over he read it.

It simply said. ‘To those who have arrived at this place be grateful. It is full of surprises and mystery. I created this treasure vault that wanders the realms as an idle past time. It is a collection of all the things I forged on my journey. There is no cultivation methods here, nor martial arts. There is simply wondrous artifacts. If you can pass the test in the Training Room then you may enter the Treasure Room.”

“I know not everyone will be able to pass right away so instead you must adventure outside. Towards this means I have provided the Chains of Transportation. These chains are able to transport you wherever you wish, including across dimensions. All you must do is tap the bracelet on the ground while providing some energy.”

“It will form a unique talisman that when you touch it will transport you there. Be warned though that only ten such talismans can be made, but with how many chains i’ve made I think you can take a couple to counteract that downside. When this place transforms into its pagoda form you will be kicked out.”

“It will transport itself across various places in that dimension for a while before taking itself to another. Once it leaves that dimension the Chains of Transportation will activate and bring anyone wearing it back here automatically so you can’t get lost, unless you take it off. Don’t worry, you can always return if you wish.’

Ti Wu in his ghost form was looking over Chu Shen’s shoulder as he read it. As he did he sighed. It was indeed as that senior had said. The crazy fool had indeed carried out his plan. Well, I can use that seniors craziness to equip Chu Shen with some great gear.

“Okay Chu Shen, grab some of those chain bracelets then let’s get ready to go. Different realms means more opportunities, different people, and even different martial arts!”

“Okay master. I guess I just have to wait until then.” Chu Shen cultivated for an hour before the glowing, pulsing formation suddenly stopped. It let out a bright pulse of light. The ground started to crumble again. A barrier just like the one surrounding the formation kicked up around Chu Shen. It covered him, protecting him from the dense rocks. He floated out of the pagoda. The Pagoda was surrounded by the same barrier but suddenly it disappeared.

Chu Shen gasped in awe while Ti Wu snorted. It was a simple energy manipulation barrier. All it did was make it invisible, it hadn’t disappeared. The pagoda’s formed like last time. Then like last time a black door formed at the entrance. Surprisingly the barrier bubble didn’t float towards the door. It hovered in midair for a while but suddenly a black vortex appeared, sucking up the barrier bubble along with Chu Shen.

He appeared all of a sudden in a strange place. There was lots of rocks and ruins of buildings around. Surprisingly the buildings were made completely out of metal and stone, not wood like the ones he was used to.

Ti Wu said nothing but merely watched. He walked around for a while. Corpses of giant insects almost three times the size of a man were visible everywhere he went. There was extremely little Qi in the corpse and a very small amount in the air.

As he wandered around he suddenly heard a HISS sound. He thought it was one of those insects and started looking around. He suddenly felt something hit him on the left side of his chest and arm. Whatever it was completely penetrated through his body with minimum resistance. Even his hard as metal skin couldn’t stop it, testifying to the power of the weapon.

As he fell to the ground he felt a burning sensation all over his body. It became extremely intense. He screamed for a second before passing out. Before he did the only thing he could think of was, ‘whatever hit me was poisoned.’

…………………………………………………………….

Sergeant Delgado ran up to the kid. He was from Asian descent, that much was obvious from the black hair and skintone. He pulled out his injector and shot the kid with the antidote. Pulling off his helmet he listened for a heartbeat. He sighed in relief, there was one.

“Major! I have something to report Sir!”

“What is it Sergeant?”

“Well Sir, I found an Asian kid on the battlefield.”

“I thought the civilians were evacuated? Oh well, just bring him aboard after you finish sweeping your area.”

“Sir it’s not that simple. I mistook him for a drone bug and shot him with three needles Sir.”

“WHAT! That much could kill even you guys! And you all have immunizations for this stuff! Great, if the news gets a hold of this we’ll all be court martialed for sure.”

“He’s still alive Sir, not sure how. What should I do?”

“What should you do? Run as fast as you can and bring him aboard the dropship. Give him some of the antidote as well but hurry up. We might be able to save him”
“Sir yes Sir.” Sergeant Delgado got off the coms with his Major and immediately ran towards the dropship. As he did he started praying. ‘Don’t die on me kid. I’m begging you, don’t die.’

1. N/a

Chapter 39

It’s The End

While Chu Shen cultivated in forced isolation the teachers outside were conversing.

“Are you ready for the expedition?” Asked Chu “Stone Face” Tang.

“Yes Sir” They replied.

“Good, let’s go then.” With that the teachers along with the two leaders from both factions lept into the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

This was the true reason why they had come, not to cheer on their students but rather to seize a treasure. Most of these teachers had a deep cultivation. Upon reaching a level like this it became increasingly hard to find an appropriate weapon.

After all, who could craft weapons for those at the Nature Stage and above? No one could craft such a weapon but a six star artificer and good luck convincing those proud and aloof artificers if you were merely a teacher.

Therefore teachers of outstanding students could go to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to pick out some rewards. They could only go for two hours though, leaving the first and last hours to their students.

Master Lang and the other teachers followed them inside. When Master Lang went in he glanced at the Pagoda of Mortals. According to what he knew, his student would be in there.

Chu Tang looked back. “Master Lang, you know it’s forbidden to interfere with the students. Just follow along to a pagoda to pick your reward.” Of course Chu Tang knew of Master Lang.

A seven star artificer joining a school ran by the Chu Sect was a big deal. Because of this Chu Tang had memorized Master Lang’s appearance and was pleasantly surprised by the fact the student he was so bemused by was actually his disciple.

Master Lang nodded. “Of course Master Chu Tang is correct, I shall follow your suggestion.” With this said he flew towards the Pagoda of Natural World Mortals.

Since Master Lang was a seven star artificer gathering items such as these could be considered as both unimportant and yet absolutely crucial.

Since he could forge items like these he did not lack anything of this caliber. At the same time though by gathering these he saved time forging them and also gathered other inscriptions. To a true artificer what they desired most was to expand their knowledge. By gathering items with unique inscriptions such as these he could forge more diverse weapons and even become inspired to create completely new ones.

After a while two hours were up. With several different items Master Lang and the other teachers left to wait for their students. Outside waiting there was already seven other students who had unfortunately failed the tests at some point. Most of these were students who after gathering what they needed decided to test their luck with a higher level item.

Meanwhile Chu Liang had gathered an entire set of equipment for himself along with several spares. ‘Chu Shen can’t possibly beat me now. I have such powerful items not to mention some of these unique artifacts. There’s no way I can lose.’

As the time ran out more and more students lost their qualifications and had to leave the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. This was the reason the Majestic Sword Academy was called the number 2 school on the continent after the Imperial Academy. With the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and the items they extracted the school had enormous funds. With these funds they could buy techniques and resources for both the Chu Sect and its school.

Soon it was only fifteen minutes from the time the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would close. If the rest of the students weren’t out yet they would become trapped inside.

Out of the 50 students 43 of them were already out. Soon there was only one left. Master Lang had an anxious look on his face. Where is Chu Shen!!!!

………………………………………………………………..

Chu Shen was still cultivating when Master Ti Wu stopped him. “Chu Shen, you had better get up now.”

“Huh, why master?”

“There’s only ten minutes left now. The lock is gone.”

“Oh. That’s good.”

With that Chu Shen walked over and pushed open the door. It opened quietly. He started to walk down the staircase when Ti Wu reminded him. “Hey, if you don’t want to disappear along with this place you might want to hurry up.”

While he said this out loud internally he opposed himself. ‘Of course, that wouldn’t be a bad suggestion if that expert wasn’t lying. But I can’t trust my disciples lives to the mutterings of an old man.’

Chu Shen realizing this immediately started running. He had 7 minutes left. Soon he reached the entrance of the Pagoda of Mortals. 2 minutes remaining. He ran towards the exit of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. 1 minute left.

He was almost to the entrance. 300 yards. 45 seconds left. 200 yards. 30 seconds. 100 yards. 50 yards. 25 yards. 15 seconds. The world started shaking. The ground itself split. 10 yards from the exit Chu Shen was dodging cracks left and right. Suddenly a boulder jutted upwards in front of him. He fell down less than an arm’s length from the exit. 0 seconds left.

The exit disappeared. The world around Chu Shen continued crumbling. The black pavilion and staircase merged together to create the mysterious black sphere. Without a sound it disappeared.

Master Lang had a frozen face on. Unexpectedly Chu Shen was gone. Hurriedly he pulled out a life tablet. Since Chu Shen had bonded with it, if he had died the life tablet would no longer be bound to him. As he scanned it he found the bond was still intact with that he sighed in relief.

Chu Tang came up to Master Lang. “I am sorry for your loss Master Lang. He was a marvelous talent.”

“What do you mean. He’s still alive. Hahahahaha. He’s still alive, see, see, SEE! HAHAHAHA!” Master Lang started pointing to the tablet, insanity temporarily taking over him. Chu Tang shook his head.

Both masters knew there was no way Chu Shen would survive. To satisfy their curiosity an elder of the sect had set out to find where the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion went to. Unfortunately, nothing went as planned. All they had to do was wait five years but unexpectedly on the fourth year the life tablet of the elder had shattered.

After that it was determined that since even an elder at the Cosmos Stage couldn’t survive that no one could. It was forbidden ever since to stay on the pavilion when it disappears. Sighing Chu Tang condemned Chu Shen to land of dead.

Chu Liang had a frozen face before suddenly cracking a smile. Heavens fortune was with him! Now he could become the champion of the freshman. And no one could blame him since he planned to delay Chu Shen and not kill him. Ha. Everything turned out okay.

Soon, no one would ever remember the young genius, once called Chu Shen.

END ARC 1: Hopeful Beginnings

1. N/a

Chapter 38

Inside the Pavilion

Heading into the pavilion Chu Shen had no idea what to expect. Inside he found a whole other world.

Looking around Chu Shen found himself on a flat disk of land. It was floating among the stars, there were many buildings on the disk of land. On the side of the buildings were carved names. The buildings were enormous, thousands of feet across with multiple levels. However that was only the buildings on the left. The ones on the right were much smaller.

Looking to his left, Chu Shen saw it said Pagoda of Mortals, beside it was another building. This one said Pagoda of Martial Mortals, and yet another building said Pagoda of Natural World Mortals. Other buildings said Pagoda of Celestial Mortal, Pagoda of Demigods, Pagoda of Lower Gods, Pagoda of Gods, Pagoda of Higher Gods, and finally there was the Pagoda of Universal Gods.

Many of the students were looking around curiously. However, those members of the Chu Sect set off towards the the Pagoda of Mortals and the Pagoda of Martial Mortals. One of them turned towards the students.

“Hey, are you all going to stand there gawking? If you are in the Mortal realms go to the Pagoda of Mortals, if you’re in the Martial realm go to the Pagoda of Martial Mortals. Those are the only ones you can enter anyways, if you don’t believe me you can try and enter a higher pagoda than that, though you’ll regret.”

With that the Chu Sect member turned around and left. As he did he sighed. Now there would be more competition but if he hadn’t said anything his master would have berated him.

Hearing those words the students looked at each other. “Did you hear what they said?” “I don’t believe it they must be trying to fool us.”

With that one of the students headed toward a pagoda at the right. As he opened the door and stepped in his face turned pale and he stumbled backwards. Blood spurt out of his mouth and he fell on the ground groaning.

“Ugggh. There’s a horrible pressure in the building, I think only those at the Emperor Stage could stand up to it.” The person who had warned them had almost reached the Pagoda of Martial Mortals when he saw the scene.

“Haha! That’s the first test of the Pagoda’s. If you can’t even stand up to the pressure how do you expect to pass the test!” With that the man strode into the pagoda.

Chu Shen saw all this and then turned towards the left-most pagoda. He walked into the pagoda. As he did a formless pressure bore down on him. His body grew slightly heavier as it pressed down on him. Chu Shen didn’t even notice it. With his body as strong as it was, how could something so small bother him?

Unfortunately as he walked in he did not notice the two people who were staring at his back.

“That’s him little bro?”

“Yeah that’s him big bro. Will you help me?”

“Of course little bro, that’s what brothers are there for anyways.” Together they walked towards the Pagoda of Mortals.

There was a long hallway filled with doors. Chu Shen opened a door and looked in. There was lots of weapons inside, though they were all swords. Sensing the ripples of energy he could tell it was merely a Low-grade weapon.

Advancing down the hallway other students trickled in. Periodically Chu Shen would open a door and check on the grade of weapons. Once he opened a door with a mark on it. All the other doors had no marking on them, they were all blank. Upon seeing the marked door Chu Shen had become excited to see what it was but inside there was nothing.

Or rather, there was merely scraps of metal and broken weapons. The materials weren’t even high quality. How could the materials used to craft Mortal Weapons be worth anything? Disappointed Chu Shen closed the door.

Eventually though Chu Shen reached a stair case. Climbing up it the pressure suddenly increased. Of course even this amount could not bother Chu Shen but now he noticed it. ‘Oh, this must be that pressure they were talking about.’

Opening up a door he found there was Mid-grade Mortal weapons inside. Turning back to the staircase Chu Shen climbed up one more level. Opening up the door he nodded. It was indeed High-grade Mortal weapons.

Thinking hard he realized what he truly needed was not weapons since his living steel hammer was better than anything but rather armor. Crafting armor was actually harder than crafting weapons because each armor needed to suit the user perfectly.

As he opened up each door to glance inside suddenly someone grabbed him. A silver colored energy covered his eyes. Withdrawing his hammer he swung it wildly behind him at the assailant. The hammer whistled through the air when suddenly it was stopped.

The person spoke in a deep husky voice, obviously to mask what they sounded like. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just prevent you from getting a weapon. No personal feelings right?”

Chu Shen was tossed inside one of the empty rooms that he had seen before. As he turned around the door was shut. A muffled voice came from the outside. “We locked the door with an array but don’t worry. It will unlock ten minutes before the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion leaves. So just sit tight for a couple hours.”

Footsteps echoed as they walked away. Chu Shen was angry that something like this had happened but wasn’t too upset that he had lost. Because of the Qi covering his eyes he knew his opponent was in the Martial realm The current him, no matter how strong his physical body was, couldn’t compare to a Martial realm warrior.

Ti Wu inside the Voids Hand had been ready to make a move if they had truly tried to harm Chu Shen. Since they didn’t harm Chu Shen he didn’t reveal himself. Besides, it was only some Mortal weapons. Chu Shen could always forge some instead of picking them up like rocks at the wayside.
Chu Shen tried the door handle but no matter what it wouldn’t budge. He sighed, seemed like he was truly trapped here. Sitting down Chu Shen started cultivating using the <Voids Child> technique and waited.

1. N/a

Chapter 37

Pavilion Revealed

Chu Shen and Master Lang found themselves in front of another Thousand Miles Formation. One of the elders was in front of the formation. Upon seeing him Master Lang immediately went up to him and asked him to open the formation.

“This is Chu Shen, one of the students going to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Open the formation for me and him.”

The elder nodded his head at first but then looked sharply at Master Lang. “I am sorry teacher, but you can’t go with this student. Only certain teachers are allowed to go with the students and I am familiar with them all, you are not one of them.”

Master Lang sighed. He then pulled out a badge with a sword carved into it. The sword was golden and above it was five silver daggers. Upon seeing this the elder in charge of the transportation formations immediately drew in a deep breath. This was unexpectedly the principals badge! Seeing this meant the unknown teacher was only second to the principal herself! Inwardly he cursed.

“I see I was wrong. Please forgive me respected teacher, I shall activate the formation right away.” The elder bowed before motioning them to get on the formation platform. After making several hand-signs the formation lit up.

As the formation activated the elder asked a question. “If I may respected teacher, can you tell me your name?”

Master Lang nodded. “I am the new teacher for the advanced artificer class.” With that the formation activated completely and the whirlpool devoured both master and pupil.

……………………………………………………………

When they appeared they were in a small building. Other students were there along with five teachers. Altogether there was a total of 21 students. They were missing four.

After a short while all of the students were here. When they were all gathered a person came in the building from the outside.

“Good, everyone is here.” Unexpectedly it was Chu Tang A.K.A. Stone Face.

“I am Chu Tang, the person in charge of this expedition into the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Inside the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is numerous amounts of not only weapons but armor and unique artifacts. Upon removing an artifact from its stand you will undergo a test in an illusionary realm. It will at most cause some slight mental damage if you fail the test so don’t be worried.”

“However upon failing once you will be expelled from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and prevented from taking another treasure. Know your limits. If you try and take a treasure meant for a stronger cultivator the test afterwards may kill you instead of just damaging you slightly.”

“Do you understand?” The students all nodded.

“Good, along with you students there will also be another 25 people joining us from the Chu Sect. Don’t cause conflict with them. Follow me outside.”

Everyone left the building to go outside. There they waited for several minutes before another group led by a heroic looking man in a gold robe walked out of the building next to theirs.

“Since we are all here, let us go to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion now.” Chu Tang proposed this idea after the two groups met up.

“Yes I agree brother Stone Face.” Upon hearing this Chu Tang’s face twitched a little. Then with a flourish he walked down the path.

Soon they neared a spot on the ground surrounded by forest. There was nothing special about this spot except for the black sphere hovering above the ground.

The heroic looking man in the golden robe faced the crowd. “Alright everybody, here is the deal. Go in, pick up treasures, then leave. The academy and the Chu Sect will buy any surplus weapons you pick up inside. Also, you will only have four hours before the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion departs. Where? No one knows so make sure to leave before then.”

Meanwhile inside the Voids Hand Ti Wu was staring at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion in shock. “How could this be here.” He muttered. “That senior said he wanted it to travel all the realms but I thought he was kidding! Never did I think to this day I would encounter this here”

They were all handed devices that would beep every fifteen minutes to keep track of time. Then they all waited. None of the students knew what they were waiting for exactly.

Eventually the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion opened up with a grandiose gesture. The black sphere shimmered before suddenly changing shape. Now in its place was a large black pavilion floating in midair.

Leading up to the pavilion was a black staircase and inside was a small doorway. On the other side of the door there was nothing but none of the students doubted that something was on the other side.

“Alright students and fellow disciples. The four hours start now, go quickly now.” Chu Tang reminded them all to hurry up. The young fellows present activated the devices given to them before hurrying up the steps.
Chu Shen approached the doorway. As each student stepped through the doorway they would suddenly disappear. Soon it was Chu Shen’s turn. He stepped through the doorway and like those before him, disappeared from this world.

1. N/a

Chapter 36

Hidden Troubles & Relief

Inside one of the small huts that posed as student living there was an elderly teacher meeting with a sixteen year-old. He was dressed in a silver robe with the character for Chu on the back. (楚) If Chu Shen was here he would recognize him as one of the arrogant Dragon Stage students.

Chu Liang cupped his hands and bowed slightly. “My thanks for notifying me.”

“Your welcome. Be careful though, you are not the only one going to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. I believe your older brother Chu Goto is going as well.”

“Thank you for the information teacher, I will take my leave.”

“As you wish student.”

Chu Liang kept a peaceful smile on his face until the teacher was gone. After that his face suddenly transformed into a hideous expression. ‘With the most talented kids going to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion I am sure that guy will be there.’

‘If he gets a powerful treasure now then when the freshmen competition happens next month I am sure to lose. I can’t throw away the face of the main sect to a branch member.’

“Arrrrgh” Chu Liang howled in despair. He truly couldn’t stand this situation. Him, a proud talent of the Chu Sect, would be brought to despair by a mere branch member. While he wasn’t a superior talent he could not be called average in the Chu Sect.

Thinking back on the teacher’s words he saw a light at the end of the tunnel. ‘Hmm. If I can get a proper weapon and armor then my power would increase greatly. However if I could do so, so could Chu Shen and with his powers it’s even more likely.’

‘The only way I can get ahead of him is by making sure he gains no treasures in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.’ Chu Liang frowned as he followed this line of reasoning. ‘But I don’t have the strength. With his talent I am sure they let him pick out some good techniques from the library, not to mention he’s at the peak of the Dragon Stage while I am at the 8th level.’

‘However..’ He smiled as a sudden thought occurred. ‘If I have my brother help me we could suppress him so that he gains nothing. After all, older brother Chu Goto is in the Martial Practitioner Stage. With his cultivation level he can suppress Chu Shen to death!’

After he thought of this he pulled out a sound transmission talisman. “Hey older brother, I have slight problem I think you can help me with. See here’s the deal……..”

……………………………………….

Chu Shen stretched out his back. “Ahhh, that felt good.”

KnockKnock

He glanced at the door. He had just finished cultivating for three hours straight though it seemed he had reached a bottleneck and couldn’t advance any faster. Soon he would have to go into secluded cultivation and attack one of his meridians to fully reach the Martial Realm. Getting up he opened his door.

It was Master Lang. “Chu Shen, I received a letter from your dad.”

Chu Shen wasn’t surprised. His dad had often worried about him and cared for him deeply when he was at home. Honestly he was surprised that his dad had not sent a letter before.

“Oh? Thank you Master Lang, should I read it now?”

“Yes, after this we will be heading directly to the Heavenly Treasure Palace and I don’t think you want other people prying into your personal life.”

“You are right as always Master Lang.”

After handing over the envelope Master Lang left immediately saying, “Alright Chu Shen, go ahead and open it. I will leave you to your privacy. If afterwards you wish to share it with me you may.”

Nodding in agreement Chu Shen shut the door and opened the envelope. Upon opening it there was nothing there. The only thing there was some writing at the top. It said ‘Blood Confirmation’ and below it was a black square.

Chu Shen bit his thumb and placed it on square. Afterwards black symbols and characters appeared. All of this was due to a mystical art called Blood Messaging. Until blood related to the writer of the message dripped upon the black square on the message, the writing would not appear.

The message read as follows.

‘Dear son, I hope you are doing well in the Chu Sect’s school. I have heard rumors about you and your cultivation speed. It seems I must find that wandering cultivator to fully express my gratitude. However, something has come up. As you know I planned on waiting to rescue your mother until five years from now so that you can join me but I did not. You see, I started investigating the matter and found an opportunity. I was able to successfully save your mother from her captives but in return we must go into hiding. I will not be able to contact you nor you me. So I hope you can continue to grow stronger. In five years I will meet you on the steps of the Majestic Sword Academy. Grow stronger son, we shall both depend upon you.’

Chu Shen was shocked and started to cry. After ten minutes he recovered. He gathered himself together. It seemed as though he must indeed become stronger, strong enough to protect both his parents. After recomposing himself he walked out the door to Master Lang.

Master Lang said not a word after looking at Chu Shen’s red, puffy eyes. “Chu Shen, are you ready to go?” He pondered for a second. Over the past five days he had done some physical exercises and sparred twice inside the Voids Hand. Indeed he had successfully remastered his physical strength. Now he no longer shattered his cups when he went to drink.

“Yes Master Lang, I am ready. Let us set out for the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion

1. N/a

Chapter 35

Of Course!

Chu Shen braced himself. After all, his master was famous for putting him through extremely painful processes so it with him warning Chu Shen before hand it was undoubtedly going to be painful beyond comparison.

His master had him sit down in the lotus position. His master floated above him, a barely visible figure glowing above his head. He floated downwards until he was eye to eye with Chu Shen, if he had his eyes open of course.

His hands glowed with a greenish blue hue for a second before transforming into a sinister inky darkness. The Void Qi immediately put out his spiritual Qi, truly living up to its name leaving not even a trace but absorbing it completely.

“Get ready. It starts now.” Reaching out his hand he lightly rested them on Chu Shen’s bare chest. Earlier he had him uncover his upper body in preparation. Without a sound the Void Qi surged into his body.

The Qi entered his body’s meridians through his chest’s acupuncture points. As the Qi flowed Ti Wu gave up his control over the Qi and let Chu Shen control it. The Void Qi circulated according the <Void King> technique.

The Qi went around once and as it did it started to penetrate the outer muscles and skin like before. It would not penetrate deeper until Chu Shen had advanced his understanding of the technique.

With the Void Qi his strength increased dramatically. Suddenly it went from 4800 pounds to 4820 pounds. Every time he rotated his Qi it increased. Upon the second rotation it added on another 25 pounds and each time it rotated once more another five pounds plus the last times circulation was added. It came up to a terrifying 5225 pounds! This was an addition of 425 pounds, an almost 20% increase in his already tremendous strength!

Then the eleventh circulation came, now it added on not 65 pounds but rather 130 pounds! Almost directly doubling the last addition of strength! It made sense because upon reaching the eleventh circulation it meant that person would have reached the second stage of the technique.

The twelfth circulation added on 140 pounds! This was once again doubling the previous circulations amount. It finally stopped at the fifteenth circulation of Qi. His strength was now at 5975 pounds, that meant he had gained 750 pounds of strength just from one circulation! His strength was now at almost 150% compared to others in the same stage.

But that was not the only thing Chu Shen had gained, far from it. Let us not forget that the <Void King> technique also strengthened the skin. Before Chu Shen’s skin could be considered as hard as stone. Now his skin was as strong as impure iron. While this was not quite enough to simply let a Dragon stage warrior to bash at him with impunity, he could definitely take a minor blow without worrying too much.

Now that Chu Shen had reached his limit he had to reset himself if he wished to circulate the Void Qi again.

Ti Wu upon sensing the circulations had stopped he once again took control of the Void Qi. As he did he sensed the amount missing was almost 10%, a terrifying amount for Chu Shen to absorb. This was all the Void Qi Ti Wu was willing to spare on Chu Shen’s training and Ti Wu had calculated that this was also the limit of Chu Shen’s willpower.

Speaking of willpower….

Ti Wu thought it odd that Chu Shen had not uttered a single peep when had been absorbing the Void Qi. Even the toughest of men would have groaned in agony at the very least. Unfortunately Ti Wu had been absorbed in making sure nothing went wrong with the Void Qi to observe his disciples facial expressions.

Glancing up at his face Ti Wu saw that Chu Shen’s face had on a pleasant expression, like that of a tourist. Sensing something wrong Chu Shen opened his eyes.

“Are we going to start a second time master or should we stop here?” Chu Shen had on an innocent expression as he looked at Ti Wu.

“Tell me, did you feel anything abnormal?”

“Besides the Qi you put into me Master, no I didn’t.”

“No pain? No pain at all?”

“No master I felt no discomfort.”

Master Ti Wu had an astonished expression on his face. Slowly his eyebrows furrowed in concentration before his face suddenly showed some enlightenment. “Of course of course. Why didn’t I think of that! It’s perfectly natural.”

“What master?”

“The reason you had no pain was of course because of your Void Constitution! Your body rejects all other types of Qi except Void Qi! In order to strengthen your body it has to absorb energy. Your body rejects this energy which is what causes the pain, as a matter of fact it’s not just you.”

“Everyone rejects Qi being put into their body, it’s only natural after all it is a foreign thing. But instead because of your constitution your body naturally absorbs the Void Qi to its highest extent without rejecting it, thereby strengthening your body while not causing pain!”

“Master that makes no sense though, otherwise my Null Qi would not have caused me any pain either.”

“Oh phooey! You can’t even talk of Null Qi and Void Qi as though they are the same! Null Qi is merely an altered version of Void Qi and comparing the two is like comparing a volcano to the sun. One is filled with the impurities of earth and ash while the other is pure energy.”

“How can your body accept a watered down version of what it wants while it is filled with hints of martial Qi. It’s like an alcoholic who has tasted the finest wine then pouring that fine wine into a jug of water and then giving it to him. Of course he would accept it reluctantly if that was the only thing given to him but he would always have his heart set on that pure fine wine.”

“I would have come to this conclusion faster but since all the Void Constitution Sect members were patriarchs I never got to teach them. That’s why I didn’t recognize it straight off.”

“Thank you master for enlightening me. Do you think we should continue though?”

“Of course we should. I have enough Qi for nine more times, use it wisely.”

Chu Shen managed to complete the technique another 9 times. Now his strength had gone from 4800 to 16550 pounds in single day. However, once Chu Shen reached this point he felt like his body would burst. After he told his master Ti Wu decided to stop after the tenth circulation.

“If you try and strengthen your body anymore it might burst. Because of that we can’t train your body anymore. Use this time left to get used to your strength.”

Afterwards Chu Shen went back to his room. He still had six more days before he had to go to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

…………………………………………………..

Author’s Note: Here is the picture that my sister Kayla drew (You can see her name in the top left) Along with a picture of what I think the Majestic Sword Academy should look like provided by my fan, Darknebulous. Kudo’s to you both for the awesome pics.

Here is a link to Darknebulous’ website if you want to enjoy more.

1. N/a

Chapter 34

Just Training Is Not Enough

Without hesitation Chu Shen immediately nodded his head. After all his mother was still held captive wasn’t she? He still had to reach the Emperor Stage but if his power was weak what good could he be.

Right now while Chu Shen had a stronger body than his classmates it wasn’t by a whole lot. His body was tougher and he could lift about another 800 pounds compared to them. Though when you could lift about 4000 pounds (Or 2 tons) another 800 was significant but not game changing.

To put it in simple turns. Everyone else could lift 100% while Chu Shen could lift 120%. While that 20% more strength and body toughness was helpful it was not a guaranteed win.

“Alright brat, since you agreed just give me a half day to prepare. While you are waiting go through your normal exercise and then go to the caves of isolation for the training.”

“Yes master.”

Chu Shen went to his least favorite spot on the school grounds. There was a large waterfall at the edge of the school. Unfortunately Master Ti Wu had him train underneath the outermost edge of the waterfall.

Bracing himself Chu Shen got on the slippery rocks and went under the very edge of the waterfall. Compared to the other parts of the waterfall the power here was lacking. But that was like the comparison between a tiger and a dragon. While a dragon would win a tiger could not be taken lightly because of this.

The waterfall fell down on Chu Shen, as the water hit him it felt like needles driving into his Qi enforced skin. The water tried to pull him downwards, the pressure on his shoulders made any movement almost unbearable.

Chu Shen started practicing <Fundamental Fist Skills>, <Fundamental Kick Skills>, and <Absolute Control>. His teacher had recommended to practice the first two since the moves went through the various muscles of the arms, core, and legs. The last one anyone could guess at.

To be able to control your weapon perfectly was required for any good warrior. If Chu Shen could control his weapon reasonably good in a waterfall then he could control it flawlessly outside of the waterfall. If he was ever able to perfectly control his weapon inside the waterfall than his would have reached the pinnacle.

After his body became exhausted and sore he once again circulated his Qi according to the technique. When he had first started his Qi had only been able to penetrate his skin. Now his Qi could penetrate the muscles surrounding the skin. Not only that but he was able to circulate it up to fifteen times in a row rather than just once.

The more times you could circulate your Qi the deeper the Qi could sink into the body. Chu Shen could now be considered as reaching the middle of the second level of the technique. For every ten circulations there would be critical point before the next stage could be reached.

Unfortunately there was no longer a major increase in his strength but rather only a pound or two was added after an hour of training. Compared to his 4800 pounds of strength it was indeed lacking.

After Chu Shen had done this he went over to the caves of isolation. These were actually small caves with isolating formations set up inside. This was a specially prepared place for those who needed to breakthrough without being disturbed.

All noise could be cut off and any Qi released during the breakthrough would be contained.

Chu Shen turned on the noise cancelling formation before calling out to his master. Ti Wu immediately appeared. After studying the area around them and Chu Shen he nodded.

“Not bad kid, not bad at all. This is indeed a proper place for breakthroughs. Anyways do you know why you had such a massive increase in strength before when you tempered yourself using the <Void King> technique but now the results are lacking?”

“No master.”

“I didn’t think so. Let me explain it in a different way. When you wish to forge out the impurities of a metal you pound on it until the impurities are gone correct?”

“Yes master.”

“Well what if the metal is not pure enough but you can’t pound out any more impurities?”

“Well master, I would either make the fire hotter by adding more wood or changing the type of fire.”

“Exactly. Your body has been tempered as much as possible by the docile null Qi in your body. So instead we must either change the fire or add more fuel. Since when you get stronger your Qi will naturally become stronger and more plentiful you will be able to make more progress.”

“Unfortunately the increase of Qi from the Dragon to the Tiger stage is almost negligible. Only when you enter into the Martial Student Stage will there be a major increase.”

“So instead we will use Void Qi. I have been scraping the excess Qi from your meridians for a while now and have stored up enough. I will be injecting your body with Void Qi and you will circulate it according to the technique. Are you ready?”
“Yes master.”

1. N/a

Chapter 33

Ti Wu’s Past

“What is it Master Ti Wu, it has been a while since I talked to you.”

“Well brat that’s because I was meditating to gather void Qi. Your body makes the perfect conduit what with you naturally gathering it from the universe.”

“What?! You mean you are actually stealing my Qi from me? You truly are a ghost!” Searing pain assaulted Chu Shen’s head. As he grimaced in agony he wondered why master Ti Wu always attacked him when they met up.

“You brat! Call me a ghost one more time and you will suffer!”

“Sorry master. What was this interesting thing you were going to tell me.”

“Actually it’s only something that helped satisfy my curiosity and coincidentally you can now live a lot less cautiously. Using the void Qi from your body I was able to scan this world. Naturally I could have scanned it some time ago but I needed void Qi so as to avoid being discovered.”

“When I woke up I thought this place was a little strange compared to my memories. You see, where I come from the natural laws are stronger.”

“Natural laws?”

“Yes, it is only natural that you wouldn’t know of this since you have never been to another plane of existence before. Basically different realms have different natural laws. These laws control how much suppression is put on the beings there and also how much Qi is there as well.”

“Basically a move that could shatter a mountain in a place with weaker natural laws might not even be able to crack a pebble in a place with with much higher natural laws. For example. Here the natural laws are more than three times weaker than in the realm I originated from. This means to accomplish the same feat here than in my realm it would take one third the energy.”

“If it takes more energy to do things then why would you go there?”

“Because the natural laws are stronger there you can sense them more clearly making it beneficial to understanding the laws necessary to breakthrough to certain stages. Along with the natural laws being stronger the natural Qi is also stronger.”

“The ground becomes harder because it contains more energy. Consequently, with there being more energy you can cultivate faster and the universe gives birth to more treasures as well. Essentially cultivation becomes easier and faster along with there being more opportunities.”

“So essentially your realm was richer in Qi than mine.”

“Precisely. I got off topic though. I will allow you to use all of the Void Sects secret techniques openly instead of hiding it.”

“I never truly got that master. Why would I have to hide it anyways.”

“Sigh. This is where things might get complicated. Sufficient to say I have my reasons. As you know from the techniques you have learned my sect was incredibly strong.”

“That much is obvious master.”

“Well I have some news for you. My sect was not actually the main sect but rather a branch sect. The founder was the son of an elder in the main Void Sect that wished to become the so called tiger of the mountain. Unfortunately while he had great talent he was not a heaven defying talent like some others. Comparing his Void Constitution to other talents his was lacking though he used top tier techniques from his father.”

“Because of his desire his father granted him the ability to establish a branch sect instead and become the founder and patriarch. His father even let him keep some advanced techniques from the main sect though his son could only pass them down to other people with Void Constitutions.”

“Why would he only let his son pass it down to others with Void Constitutions?”

“Mainly because most of the techniques required a Void Constitution. Most of the members of the main sect had a Void Constitution. As you know there is a strong possibility of passing down certain constitutions to their descendants. The Void Constitution is one of them. Because of this most of the sects truly powerful techniques required a Void Constitution.”

“There even became a technique that could create a pseudo Void Constitution and those with this pseudo Void Constitution gained a Void Body. As you know a normal body cannot withstand the power of Void Qi. So instead a body cultivation technique was used and those that reached the end of the technique had their whole body down to their cells infused with Void Qi and therefore gained the ability to have a pseudo Void Constitution.”

“Unfortunately the father outlived the son because of the stage he had reached the father could be considered as unaging. Afterwards he picked a suitable candidate for the patriach position and continued his sons heritage.”

“Master, while your story is awe inspiring I don’t see how this is related to the problem.”

“Cough cough. Anyways, because of this elders support from the background our branch sect could survive. Unfortunately during the time that I was the elder we received word that the main sect had been attacked by the Five Heavenly Mountains Sect that had combined their might with several other major sects.”

“Most sects were afraid of us because of the Qi we used including the Five Heavenly Mountains Sect. They used Heavens Qi, a Qi that was unstoppable when compared to all other types except for our own Void Qi. Out of fear they wiped the main sect out and began to extinguish the branch sects so as to not let the tiger return to the mountain.”

“The elder that was always supporting us was able to help us divert the disaster. At the time of the disaster he was actually visiting our branch sect to remember his son because it was his son’s birthday. He transmitted a full copy of all the sacred arts including the secrets of the Void Body to the voids hand before asking for volunteers to assimilate a soul into the gauntlet.”

“The only one that was willing was a cranky, cantankerous elder in charge of physical training. After that he sent the voids hand somewhere while he stayed behind to fight to protect his son’s dream.”

“I doubt he survived that fight.”

Chu Shen could not see his master’s face but could feel intense sorrow and melancholy coming from him. He had no idea what to do but to continue on. While it was interesting to find out his teachers true background it was not what his teacher had been trying to teach him.

“Master. I know this is tough but what does all that have to do with me being able to use the Void Sects arts in combat.”

Inside the voids hand Master Ti Wu was staring off into space while tears trickled down his cheeks. Yes he was old and yes he did enjoy watching others suffer pain more than he should. It could actually be considered a psychological addiction that had resulted from his training his students in such a painful method like body cultivation.

However, he had lost all his friends and family in that fight. His emotions had been bottled up and truly he needed to express himself somehow, otherwise, how could he be willing to share his story with a disciple?

Upon hearing Chu Shen’s voice Ti Wu was startled out of his recollection. Killing intent came out of his eyes for a second before he stopped himself. After all, what could he expect from a little kid with no ideas of adult emotion?

Lightly brushing away the tears Ti Wu answered his naive disciples question. After all, what more could he do?

“Ahem. Anyways I thought you could come to this conclusion on your own but instead I have to tell you everything you little brat. Basically if Five Heavenly Mountians Sect was willing to destroy even the branch sects, what do you think they would do to someone who is using the Void Sects techniques?”

“Kill them of course! This is why you had to mask your techniques and also your Qi. However since we are on a different plane they are not here. Because of that no one would recognize the type of Qi you have so you can use it to its full potential. That is why I am letting you use these techniques.”
“Now that I have explained all that to you I have a special surprise for you. I can now use the void Qi I stored up to strengthen your body but it will hurt a lot. Will you do it?”

1. N/a

Chapter 32

Great Opportunity

Chu Shen was bare chested inside the forgery. His eyes were closed as he concentrated. Opening his eyes he started a fire underneath the forge. The fire was a deep purple with hints of blue on the outside of the flame.

This flame was a special flame that could only be started using the ‘Hundred Year Old Iron Wood Tree’. It was the best type of flame to be used to refine low grade treasures.

The metal on the forge gradually melted until it was a liquid. Carefully Chu Shen poured out the metal into a cast of a sword. The metal cooled and slowly the sword was visible. He took out the sword blade and placed it back on the forge and heated it up,

Taking out his forging hammer he struck downwards with the hammer, pounding out the swords impurities and hardening it. After it was pounded out flat enough he folded the sword over itself. He repeated the process ten times, making the blade over 100 times stronger than before.

After the metal was folded over he once again shaped it into the blade of a sword and placed it inside another cast. This cast also had a sword handle sticking out of it.Then he began working on another piece of metal. The metal was even harder than that of the blade.

He repeated the same process as he had done with the other blade. Then he placed the melted metal in the same cast as the other, covering the sword with the second, harder metal and placed the top of the cast over it. Then he poured all of the metal out into it and sealed the cast.

Chu Shen waited for 30 minutes while carefully listening and watching the cast. Eventually he undid the cast and peered inside. The outer covering and the inner part of the sword had successfully bonded together and had also bonded with the sword handle.

Chu Shen had finally forged a Low-Tier Martial Weapon, or at least it would be if he could set the inscription on it right. Gathering up some materials he set them up inside a beaker and boiled them. Eventually the materials melted down to become a gold metallic ink.

Using the ink Chu Shen drew several mystical runes on the sword. Biting his tongue he concentrated fiercely on the runes. If anything went severely wrong they could explode and damage Chu Shen’s soul.

After a while Chu Shen put down the ink. As soon as he put it down the ink flashed a bright gold color making it look like the sun. Then the runes faded into the black steel of the sword, becoming invisible to the eye.

Studying the sword and the ripples of power emanating from it Chu Shen nodded. It was indeed a Low-Tier Martial Weapon. As he was inspecting the sword a door opened in the forge before someone walked in.

It was Master Lang. Upon seeing him Chu Shen bowed slightly. “Master Lang, I have finished the sword.” Chu Shen was indeed surprised once he found out that Master Lang was a teacher at the academy. The way he found out was indeed a little weird.

Upon entering the Artificing Class they had everyone craft their best weapon. When they saw Chu Shen create a High-Tier Mortal Weapon they immediately sent him to an advanced class for geniuses. He was the only student in the class and when his teacher walked in he saw it was indeed Master Lang.

However, when Master Lang found out that he could now inscribe inscriptions he was overjoyed. He started teaching him in earnest and provided the best materials.

Master Lang looked at the sword and nodded. “The sword and inscription match each other very well. The hard outside will make it exceedingly sharp and strong. The soft inside will absorb shocks and allow it to bend instead of break. Altogether it is a very fine sword.”

“However, there are still some flaws in your purification methods and your control over the ‘Iron Flame’ is lacking. Study those in your own time. Now, besides your forging I can tell you have reached the 10th level of the Dragon Stage, correct?”

“Yes Master I have. I reached it yesterday so I still have to stabilize my cultivation level.”

“Excellent. You’ve only been at the Majestic Sword Academy for a month and a half and already at the peak of the Dragon stage. In that case you will indeed go. There is a special opportunity that I have prepared for you to go. Have you ever heard of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?”

“No Master I have not. Is it a store?”

“No it’s not a store but rather a trial area. Every five years a mysterious pavilion appears on a certain mountain peak for a day. No one knows where it comes from but everyone knows of it. Anyone may go in and can choose items from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion but be warned, it is not as simple as choosing random items.”

“Upon selecting a treasure there will be a trial you must pass before you take it. If you fail the trial you will be immediately rejected from the pavilion and instead lose your chance to gain more items, if you choose a trial you cannot handle you may even lose your life. The more powerful the item the harder the trial so be careful in what you choose.”

“It sounds interesting Master but what has that got to do with me?”

“Well Chu Shen, the Majestic Sword Academy along with the Chu Sect laid claim to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Every five years the allow the top 5 most talented students of the academy from every grade to enter. Since there are five grades that is a total of 25 students that will enter the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.”

“As you know you are the most talented of the Freshmen this year so you will be going. It will be open in another week and they will be announcing it privately to the students that have been selected so get ready.”

“Yes master. Thank you for the warning.”

“It was actually my job.”

“Thank you anyways. Excuse me master but I must deliver this sword to Jian Kuai, I promised him one if I could forge it.”

“Alright, go on. Just be diligent okay?”

“Yes master, I will.”

Chu Shen found Jian Kuai and gave him the sword. As a dedicated swordsman a proper sword was precious to him. He thanked Chu Shen profusely for it. Ever since the fight at the trials he had been friends with Chu Shen and for a short time rivals before Chu Shen became too strong to spar with.

After they had become close Chu Shen had gifted Jian Kuai with the items he had forged along with Bei Fong and Tai Long. The reason he gave Jian Kuai this sword was not because he valued him above his other friends but rather that he had promised the next sword to him.

Eventually Chu Shen went back to his room after talking with his friends. Suddenly a long dormant voice spoke up in his head.
“Okay brat I have some interesting news for you….”

1. N/a

Chapter 31

Mockery

A bald asian man stood in front of a classroom raving. Chu Shen had decided to take an extra class called Cultivation Breakdowns that went over different stages of cultivation. Right now it was his fifth time coming to the class and it often helped him realize how far he had to go to become a real powerhouse.

“You are vulnerable! Right now you are all still in the Mortal Realms. Until you enter into the Martial Realms you cannot adequately protect yourself. The reason for this is simple.”

“You have not unlocked your outer meridians. Once you do you will be able to emit Qi from your body like armor and survive in places you couldn’t right now. You can survive in lava, underwater, and even harsh impacts.”

“Right now the only things that separates you from a mortal is your body strength and durability. You can’t even use proper martial techniques yet. Yes, I do realize you are all practicing some form of martial art but those do not qualify.”

“Martial arts such as <Heavenly Shot> or <Absolute Control> are martial arts based off of proper utilization of your muscles or agility. Even mortals can become skilled in such techniques if they practice hard enough.”

“What really makes a martial artist stand out from mortals is Qi. Everything boils down to Qi. What enables a martial artist to destroy mountains or fly? Qi. What is used to tame beasts or create pills? Qi. What is used to forge weapons and control them? Qi.”

“Everything that a martial artist does is centered around Qi. So if a martial artist can control their Qi better or has an attributed Qi they can become powerhouses unstoppable in their stage.”

“As I am sure you all know you can release Qi right now. However, this Qi is at most a slight trickle and can only be used to power certain treasures right now like a spatial ring or even a small formation.”

“On the trial stage you all must have seen the archer with the explosive arrows imbued with Qi. This was not actually done by him but was rather the effect of a small scale array. When he reaches the Martial Realms he can use his Qi to imbue arrows and make a similar effect however right now that archer has to rely on outside help to do so instead.”

DingDongDing

The sound of chimes echoed throughout the building, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. The bald asian man turned to look at the class.

“That concludes today’s lecture. Come back next week if you want, we will be going over the differences between stages and rough power levels of each stage as well. Dismissed.”

Chu Shen gathered his notes and left along with Bei Fong and Jian Kuai. In the hallways he saw many familiar faces, many of which had signs of adoration when they looked at him.

However, the faces Chu Shen enjoyed seeing the most was those students who were at the Dragon Stage in the trials. Upon seeing Chu Shen their faces would turn red with shame.

Things had changed drastically for Chu Shen at the Academy. Because his cultivation technique was extremely suitable for his constitution his cultivation speed was unparalleled.

Barely a month later and he was already in the 2nd level of the Dragon Stage. Comparing those Dragon Stage students to Chu Shen it was like the difference between heaven and earth. They simply lost all face, it was already considered amazing if they broke through a single level in a month much less breaking through an entire stage.

Because of the mocking words they had said at the trials their face was all but tossed in the dirt by the ‘country bumpkin’ they had looked down upon. Many of the students they had jeered at now mocked them openly.

“You broke through a level this week? Too bad Chu Shen broke through three.”

“So proud and arrogant yet barely any results. You’re just like a frog in a well, unable to see how wide the sky truly is.”

“They can’t compare to Chu Shen at all, it’s like comparing dirt to jade.”

Of the five students at the Dragon Stage two actually dropped out of the Academy. After all, they were proud sons and daughters of heaven from rich and noble families. When had they ever been openly mocked like this?

They couldn’t take the loss of face and pride and so to prevent a blockage in their cultivation those that could dropped out to re-enter next year. Those that didn’t were at the very age limit that the Majestic Sword Academy would accept and couldn’t re-enroll.

Chu Shen knew of this problem and had tried to talk to his fellow classmates and ask them to stop mocking them but only a handful listened. After all, Chu Shen was a kind and caring soul and really didn’t want anyone innocent to be hurt.

Even though they had indeed said some unkind words it was as his father said. “You may steal from an enemy, kill your enemy, but never destroy a man’s pride.” It was because of these words that he sought out the students at the Dragon Stage and apologized to him.

Those that had to endure the mocking of their classmates had their hearts full of anger towards Chu Shen. In their eyes they had done no wrong and instead blamed Chu Shen completely for the suffering they endured.

When Chu Shen came and apologized to them they thought of it as another form of humiliation but accepted it with a kind face. After all, Chu Shen was now a legendary talent and couldn’t be offended too deeply but they still carried deep grudges in their heart.

 
While Chu Shen thought of the problem as being settled both Master Ti Wu and Master Lang knew it wasn’t. If they could, they would indeed make trouble for Chu Shen later on.

1. N/a

Chapter 30

The Principal

Master Lang was lead along a winding path filled with plants and medicinal herbs. The Qi here was dense, letting the local fauna flourish. Soon they reached a stately building with majestic gold trim on the outside.

A sword statue stood in front of the building. Just by looking at it you could tell it had great mysteries regarding the dao of the sword hidden inside it.

Master Lang was actually startled when he saw the statue. The elder saw his expression from the corner of his eye and smirked. This was a statue personally carved by the founder of the Majestic Sword Academy whose sword arts was legendary throughout the world back then.

With such a powerful cultivator had personally carved such a thing, how could it be simple? In truth to those who studied the dao of the sword it was indeed a great boon to look upon.

Master Lang quickly recovered his senses and acted like nothing had happened. He followed the elder inside the building, there he was lead to an office.

Inside was a woman who looked like your average grandma except for the powerful ripples of power emanating from her frail body. “Master Artificer welcome. Please sit down.”

The principal was being very polite to Master Lang, and with good reason. A seven star artificer was as rare as phoenix feathers nowadays. They were able to craft some of the most powerful weapons and had great influence.

If a clan or sect was able to secure a seven star artificer for themselves it was guaranteed that their later generations would be adequately equipped. Not to mention that most powerful artificers also dabbled in alchemy.

After all, an alchemist have perfect control over flames, and knowledge on herbs. Because of this many great alchemists and artificers had some success on both paths. Both had to have control over flame and learning herbs or materials is all that separated the two jobs.

Master Lang politely acknowledged the principal, giving her some face.

“So, I heard from Elders Li Xen and Li Xian that you were planning on staying at the academy.”

“That is correct Madame Principal.”

“Please, call me Principal Mayweather.”

“You may call me Artificer Lang.”

“I wanted ask what your disciples name is.”

“His name is Chu Shen. He is still a Man Stage cultivator.”

“Is he from the main family?” The principal suspected this was the reason they were accepted as a disciple.

“No. He is from a branch family called Misty Pass.”

“Oh. Anyways, the reason I wanted to talk to you was to inform you that he will not be getting special treatment.”

“I never expected him to receive any. However, if I can provide resources better than the academies could he be allowed to accept any.”

“Of course, we allow anyone to receive outside resources so long as they are vetted by the academy.”

“Excellent.”

“Now that we have that down, I wanted to talk to you about a proposition.”

“Go on, I am listening.”

“The Majestic Sword Academy teaches a Beginners Forger and Artificer classes but we don’t have any Expert classes on the subjects. We are quite interested in hiring you to teach these classes, of course you can sell any weapons you forge and you can set your own schedule. You would also become a teacher of the school.”

Master Lang simply nodded. To be honest this was the whole point in him coming. By becoming a teacher here, especially in a class Chu Shen would be in would be extremely good for him.

This way he could protect his disciple through official channels thereby bypassing any resentment and discrimination from outside pressure. Also, there would be less resistance from other people. After all, if it was an outsider asking for favors it was an automatic response to reject it, no one liked being bossed around after all.

Principal Mayweather sighed in relief. Now the overseer from the Chu Sect would get off her back. “Thank you Master Lang. It is a great help for all of us.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry, you helped me as well”

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

Chu Shen sighed. Finally he was done with his schedule. Of course every few seconds Ti Wu would chime in with a sarcastic comment, however these comments did indeed help Chu Shen plan out everything.

First he would have weapons class, then formation and inscription classes, artificing, and finally techniques class.

With his schedule he would have two days of classes and the rest would be for research and cultivating. Chu Shen nodded, this was the best type of schedule.

 
Taking a deep breath Chu Shen sat down and started cultivating. He still had half a day left, of course he wouldn’t waste any of it.

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Chapter 29

The School

Chu Shen and Master Lang waited for a while until all the students had arrived. He recognized the very last student as one of the Dragon Stage students. Of course the student had an arrogant look on his face.

As Chu Shen recalled the words they had said about ‘country bumpkins’ his face flushed with anger. All he wanted to do right now was wipe that smirk off his face.

However. The difference in status and strength was too great. But Chu Shen knew that he could indeed surpass him, and soon.

The elder on the left of the formation cleared his throat. “Ahem.” Everyone looked towards him. “We will now start the formation. You will each enter into the formation. Once you arrive tell the teachers there your name and they will direct you to the appropriate room.”

“As for everything else, it will be explained upon your arrival.” The elder on the right spoke up. Each elder gathered in the palm of their hands a ball of white light. It was obviously Qi. They slammed the balls of Qi into the formation on the ground.

Mystical runes inlaid on the floor with lines connecting them together lit up. “Okay students. Stand in the circles right there, then we can activate the rest of the formation.”

Chu Shen bowed to Master Lang who backed off to the outside of the pavilion like everyone else that was not a student.

The students eventually gathered into the middle of the group of circles. After they did the elder on the left and right made a mysterious symbol with their hands. Qi rumbled outwards into the formation before it suddenly activated.

A black whirlpool appeared beneath the rightmost circle. The students in that circle fell into the whirlpool before disappearing. One by one this was repeated before it reached Chu Shen.

While this happened some of the students panicked, it was quite logical to once you saw something basically devour your fellow classmates. The other students who were knowledgeable in this transportation method quickly shut them up.

The whirlpool appeared at their feet. There was a slight tingling sensation where the whirlpool was. As it moved upwards the tingling sensation spread. Where the whirlpool moved pass it seemed as though it had devoured Chu Shen, the parts of his body the whirlpool had already traversed had disappeared.

Once the whirlpool had reached above Chu Shen’s head it seemed as though him, and all the other students in his circle, had disappeared. Master Lang watched emotionlessly as Chu Shen was teleported out.

Eventually all of the students were gone. The elders both made another hand sign before touching the formation. One of the elders looked at Master Lang before gesturing towards the formation.

Master Lang stepped into the circle after he verified they weren’t teleporting him too far away from the students. One of the elders joined him before they teleported away.

After they were gone the elder that was left disassembled the formation before flying towards the Majestic Sword Academy.

Chu Shen looked around at his new settings. The whirlpool had deposited him inside a small courtyard along with the other students that were with him in the circle but no one else.

There was a middle aged man with a stern expression and dressed in the schools uniform standing in front of them. Based off the badge on his shoulder he was a teacher. “Alright students, gather over here. Okay, now one at a time tell me your name.”

One by one each person told the man their name and was then assigned a room number. Chu Shen was in Block 6 room 121.

“Now that your living areas are assigned go to them. In the halls there are some maps of the schools posted, follow them. In your rooms is a list of classes that you can each attend to.”

“We at the Majestic Sword Academy believe in cultivation free time. Each of the classes are voluntary and you may attend them on your own time. If you prefer to spend your entire time here cultivating then you may do so but you will be sadly uninformed of the outside world.”

“Also, there are things called spirit marks and spirit cards. Spirit stones are the currency at the academy here. Spirit cards are used to record your spirit stones and make transactions.”

“While we do provide some free martial techniques you must earn any others that you wish for, so work hard. That is all.”

Chu Shen was a very decisive person after working in the forge. When crafting you couldn’t hesitate and think about things but rather had to react and depend upon your ingrained thoughts.

He immediately set out for his room. After wandering through the halls and different pagoda’s he eventually managed to get to his room. It was actually a small house with a formation set in it to gather Qi letting him have twice the efforts with half as much work.

Chu Shen looked at a list of different classes, each with a day and time on it. There was a class every hour from 10-10 every day with a break for lunch. It was impossible to go to every class. There was classes on inscriptions, weapons, techniques, fighting styles, sparring classes, economy, army tactics, strategy classes, herbs, alchemy, and many other types of classes as well. It was almost limitless.

Sighing Chu Shen started planning his schedule for school.

Master Lang and the elder came out of the formation inside a spacious and very well decorated courtyard. The elder bowed to him. While Master Lang had a very special status it was most definitely not appropriate for an elder of the Chu Sect to bow to an outsider in front of a crowd.

This way both Master Lang and the elder was satisfied and saved face. “Master Artificer, while the Majestic Sword Academy has no issue with you staying here, the principal wants to meet with you.”

Master Lang, with his now familiar face of indifference, waved his hand. “Alright, I will meet with the principal. Take me to see them now.”

While the elder gritted his teeth inwardly at the way Master Lang spoke to him without the slightest hint of courtesy his outward appearance was that of a servant. “This way please, Master Artificer.”

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Chapter 28

Master Lang

Luckily no one came to investigate the noise, Chu Shen had no idea how he would explain it. Without Master Lang to look over him Chu Shen decided to go to bed.

“What the heck is this?!! Shen’er, you had better be able to explain this.”

Chu Shen groggily rubbed his eyes. His master had apparently come home and seen the hole in the ground. “Sorry master. I dropped one of my training weights on the floor on accident.”

“Sorry! That’s all you have to say! Now I have to pay for it.” Master Lang had a face of extreme sadness. “I just got paid to.” He mumbled underneath his breath. “Anyways, how did the trials go.”

“I managed to pass the trails. I even got into the top ten in my stage.”

“That’s good. Now that we have some time, I think I will have you learn a little in formations and inscriptions. Since you can’t set up either it wo’nt be of much use when you craft but it will help you identify things others would miss. It can be of much use in the martial world.”

Chu Shen nodded. Knowledge was the key in many situations, for example. If he discovered the cave of an expert and had to break through a formation to survive, it would be impossible if he didn’t have the proper strength. However, if he knew the formations weak point than Chu Shen could break it by attacking that point.

This was the difference between a dumb brat and a true expert. His master started teaching him about inscriptions and arrays for the rest of the day.

The next day it started the same way. Eventually Chu Shen begged off of his training to familiarize himself with the town. Master Lang thought it was a great idea to expand Chu Shen’s horizon and went along with him.

Unbeknownst to them a black cloaked man was following them on the rooftops.

As they walked Chu Shen became curious. “Master, I know you sought out an artificing store, did you find anything good there?”

Master Lang smiled. “Off course I did. The most important thing I did was pass the trials to become an artificer.”

Chu Shen looked at him in curiosity. “Aren’t you already an artificer.”

“It’s not that I am not an Artificer but rather a symbol to everyone else. The Imperial Artificers Guild judges artificers and gives them a rank. When you have a great success in artificing you will have a lot of influence.”

“That is the reason I became an official artificer, so that I have the influence to protect you”

“That’s great master. So what exactly is your ranking.”

“Here.” Master Lang took out a small badge. On the badge was seven stars. When he took it out he held it up high and looked directly towards the rooftop of a house nearby.

Chu Shen looked at the house but didn’t see anything. “What is it master? Do you see anything?”

Master Lang looked away from the house after a couple seconds. Laughing he shrugged. “I just saw a lowly rat on the roof. I thought there was no rats in the city but I guess I was wrong, haha.”

With that Chu Shen and Master Lang wandered down the street towards a restaurant.

On the rooftop was that black robed man. Curiously the arrogant expression on his face was gone. Instead his face was pale with sweat covering it, his entire body shaking.

After a while he calmed down. Taking a deep breath he sighed. “That man’s cultivation was scary, not to mention him being a seven star artificer. I thought there was only twelve of them left.”

“Luckily I discovered this before killing his disciple. I can imagine I would not even know I had died if I truly had tried to kill him.”

The would-be assassin disappeared into the night with a gloomy expression on his face.

Chu Shen along with his master went to the dueling arena the next day about ten minutes before noon. There in front of the dueling arena was a two elders and in front of them was a large group of youngsters.

Set up on the ground was a formation. From his studying, Chu Shen knew it was a thousand miles array. It allowed a person and several groups of people to travel a thousand miles in an instant.

Chu Shen chuckled, the intensive studying was already paying off. Turning he bowed to Master Lang. “Thank you Master for accompanying me, may we meet again someday.”

Master Lang merely slapped his back and nodded. Afterwards he walked towards the two elders.

The elders looked curiously at this person. They had never been approached by someone in the crowd before. Since he had the appearance of a close acquaintance with one of the students he had not been run off, otherwise they would not have even let him get close to the square.

Stopping in front of the elders he merely looked at them. After a few seconds on of the elders spoke up. “What is your business here? If you have none then scram!”

Master Lang stared at them before saying in an arrogant tone. “You will take me to the Majestic Sword Academy.”

“What! To be so arrogant as to order around an elder of the Majestic Sword Academy! What makes you think you have the right!” The elder spoke up in a cold, harsh voice.

Master Lang said not another word but merely pulled out a badge from his spatial ring. It was actually his artificing badge!

The elder let out a sharp hiss of breath. Unexpectedly this was actually a seven star artificer! In the elder’s eyes this man did indeed have the qualifications to be arrogant.

The other immediately spoke up, grateful that he had not been rude. “ What exactly is it that you wish to do in the Majestic Sword Academy.”

Master Lang glanced at him before replying in an uninterested tone. “I wish to establish a base there and look over my disciple.”

The elder grew curious. “Why would you choose someone like him” He gestured towards Chu Shen. “Who does not have such a high cultivation to be your disciple.”

“Talent for artificing does not strictly depend upon your cultivation level. Besides, I owe his father my life.” After saying this Master Lang departed with a wave of his hand.

 
Both elders looked at each other with a pained look. It was completely unexpected that someone would disrespect them like that, it caused some misgivings in their hearts but they did not dare voice it. An Artificer with such a high level did indeed have the qualifications to be arrogant.

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Chapter 27

Winners of the Duels

Chu Shen and Tai Long watched the duels. It was interesting to watch other peoples fighting techniques. The Man Stage duels ended with Jian Kuai winning the duels.

At the end he was injured with blood streaming down his body. However, one of the judges stretched out their hand and healed Jian Kuai with a stream of light.

It was a mystical and thought-provoking sight when Jian Kuai was covered in a ray of light. To see that golden light that induced a cozy and homey feeling whenever you saw it. It was obvious that the person in the judge box was already at the World Stage and had an affinity with light.

Once you reach the World Stage, you can manipulate the elements around you that you have an affinity for. With Chu Shen it was obviously space. He was lucky that he knew what affinity he had before reaching such a Stage.

Soon after the Tiger Stage duels began. It was far more fast paced than the Man Stage duels. Loud sounds like rocks smashing together sounded out. Eventually the winner became a man with amazing boxing skills. He was extremely fast, probably due to his cultivation technique. With his dodging skills he won fairly unscathed. He also had a pair of gloves that let him block a sword with it.

Bei Fong was also skilled. With his fan he used it like a throwing knife along with his fabulous sword skills. He lost however, to an archer who kept him at bay. Eventually with an explosive arrow charged with Qi, Bei Fong was knocked off the stage, making it to fourth place.

Finally it was time for the Dragon Stage duels to begin.

The battle was intense. Bei Fong had joined Tai Long and Chu Shen. All three of them exclaimed in awe as the fights began. Their weapons were a blur, craters appeared in the stage as they fought.

Chu Shen realized that if he himself was out there he would have been killed without knowing what had happened.

They were incomparably strong. This was a stage specifically meant for dueling. The ground was made with hardened rock and could easily withstand Chu Shens blows as he knew from his previous fights.

Now though the Dragon Stage cultivators were making cracks and craters in the stage from almost each blow. One of the cultivators was sent flying back. Before he could hit the stage he hit a blue barrier. As he hit the barrier he was stopped cold, just like he had hit a stone wall, and slid down. The impact had almost zero effect on him though.

The barrier was erected by the judges to prevent the crowd from being hurt. After the cultivator landed he bowed towards his opponent before leaving. After all, he had been knocked out of the ring and therefore lost.

Soon enough the duels ended. After that they handed out prizes. The Man Stage winner won a medallion saying he was the best of the Man Stage. Along with that they won bottle of medicine pills and a Low-Tier mortal weapon.

All the other rewards were the same for the other stages. The only difference was that the Dragon Stage also received a High-Tier mortal weapon.

Weapons are divided into different stages. Each stage is separated into Tiers and furthermore into grades as well. Mortal weapons are suitable for those at the Dragon Stage and below. A High tier weapon was best for a Dragon Stage cultivator while a Low-Tier weapon was best for Man Stage cultivators.

After that was Martial weapons. Chu Shen had never heard of any other weapons grade though Master Lang had hinted around at it while he was forging.

Pills were also separated like this but instead of Martial or Mortal Weapons it became Martial or Mortal Pills.

After the duels winners collected their prizes the elder once again stood in front of them. “Okay. Now that you have all passed the duels, please get ready. I will leave a spirit mark on each of you. You all have two days to settle your affairs before leaving for the school. Once the two days are up, meet at noon on the third day here at the dueling arena.”
“After you get here you will be transported to the schools living quarters. The teachers will explain the rules of the school for you once you arrive. Now, off you go.”

Turning towards Bei Fong and Tai Long he bowed. “Friends, it was nice to meet you. I hope we can meet again at the academy.”

Bei Fong waved his fan imperiously. “Of course. Once I acknowledge someone as my friend I never let them go.”

Tai Long bowed back. “I will spar with you again and win next time. Train hard so you don’t lose to badly.”

Chu Shen smiled back. “Of course I won’t lose. Goodbye brothers.”

Quickly Chu Shen departed back. Soon he reached the hotel. Looking around he saw Master Lang had not arrived yet.

Chu Shen called out to Master Ti Wu inside his head. ‘Master. Why haven’t you said anything for a while.’

After a few seconds a pain similar to a migraine overcame Chu Shen. While he clutched his head in agony Master Ti Wu’s voice sounded in his head. ‘You brat! Disturbing my nap to ask a trivial question.’

After a few seconds the headache stopped. After Chu Shen recovered he started talking to Ti Wu. He told him of the competition, along with the fight he lost and the friends he met. Ti Wu made him share a mental image of the fight he lost.

After he saw it he criticized Chu Shen. ‘You brat. You should have used the sleeve crossbow, you would have won for sure. Those weren’t excellent rewards but they would have been helpful.’

‘I am sorry master but I can’t. If I accidentally killed him I would have been eliminated. I am not 100% confident in my aiming.’

‘Oh I see how it is. You can throw arrows at the poor fool but you can’t use a crossbow like its meant to be.’

‘Sorry master.’

‘Oh well. Probably for the best then.’ They stopped talking, waiting in the awkward silence that followed. Eventually Chu Shen spoke up.

“Master, can I remove the weights now.”

“Eh? Oh right the weights. I guess since you just had an intensive workout with all those fights you can take a break. Go ahead.”

Sighing in relief Chu Shen bent down and hiked up his pants leg. There on his leg was a series of metal weights attached to Chu Shens leg. Master Ti Wu had him forge them during the second day of training.

He detached them and also the ones on his arms, neck, and chest. As he detached the one on his right arm he accidentally dropped it. After all he was right handed and not quite as dexterous as his left.

“Crap!” Chu Shen exclaimed before the weight hit the floor.

Crunch Thud

With a slightly muted sound and crunching of wood the weight buried itself almost 3 feet into the ground after destroying the floor. After all, dropping a 150 pound weight on the floor was going to destroy something.

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