The tale of the snake-people is a sad one.
A thousand years ago, the race was pushed out of their homelands, dragged through the myriad of battles that ravages the central plains of the continent, and into the burning sands of the Tager Desert. The snake-people are a race of Ice affinity, the scorching sands are their natural enemy, and their leaders, the Medusa Queens, have been dreaming since then to be strong enough to guide their tribe back to their homes.
To accomplish such a daunting task, the Medusa; an inherited title, all queens of the snake-people must be named Medusa; must be Dou Zong (Dou Ancestor) in strength, such a feat would put her above the local powers around the Tager Desert, the Jia Ma Empire, and allowing her to move into the Central Plains and try to make a path to the snake-people homeland. Such a feat is not as easy as it sounds, first of all, because the Demi-human races like the snake-people, despite their physical advantages, are slower than humans in Cultivation speed, and require a lot of resources, that are not that easy to achieve. Leaving apart the natural mistrusts between races, the snake-people and the Jia Ma Empire have been at odds for quite a while now, and that has only made any commerce kind of difficult.
With that in mind, you can understand that, when the cultivator that spied on Queen Medusa, when she was on the tribe's sacred pond, preparing for her ascension ritual, walked in front of the patrols of the outskirts of the Sacred Temple of the snake-people, they reacted with a mixture of disbelief and wariness. Not that the young man had an overwhelming aura precisely. Da Dou Shi (Grandmaster), and that's being overly generous, yet, something on the gait, on the aura of the young man, set all the guards on edge.
Being snake-people, they are creatures of instinct, and even if they are accustomed to the tremendously strong presence of Queen Medusa, a Dou Huang (Emperor) on her own, and the presence of the Elders around her, Dou Wang (Kings) most of them, there was something on the young man, something in his calm smile, something on his unnatural strut over the desert sands that said to the snake-people that trying to attack this young master would be akin to courting death.
Still, snake-people are not ones to be stepped on and calling whatever willpower they had, the trio of guards, lead by a strong Dou Shi (Master), grab their spears and jumped from the hiding spots among the rocks on the path to the temple, and intercepted the walking cultivator.
"Alt, human". Called the leader of the patrol, aiming with his spear to the stranger that has appeared out of nowhere, and who fitted the description that commander Yuei Mei has given all soldiers about the intruder of the sacred pond.
"Salutations, warriors", politely saluted the young man without losing his smile, something that unnerved more than one of the snake-people warriors.
The young man was too calm, way too calm for someone with four spears at his face.
"You dare to come again, after spying Queen Medusa?!"- Denounced the leader of the patrol.
"Ah", the young man winced. "I am terribly sorry for that", the cultivator bowed in apology, and that broke all the mental schemes of the snake-people that were very unaccustomed to polite and well-mannered humans.
Violence between the races was mostly the norm.
"If it could be possible, I would like to have an audience with Queen Medusa, to apologize, make amends, and speak with her about some ingredients and pills", the young cultivator revealed a rank 2 alchemist badge to the snake-people warriors.
The leader of the patrol scratched the side of his head, to be fair, the warrior would have attacked the young cultivator, just by the offense of peeping Queen Medusa, but the young man was of Da Dou Shi strength, and that was way above the patrol, not to mention how something about the young man put all of them on alert. Add to that, how polite, well-mannered, and calm he is, and the snake-people warrior was severely at loss about what to do. Like any good soldier, whenever something unexpected comes out, seek out the approval of the higher chain of command.
"Call Commander Hua She Er", called the patrol leader to one of the spear warriors. "Let her decide what to do".
"Aye", answered the warrior, before slitter back to the snake-people spots to call in for the commander.
The commander should be nearby, she was tasked with collecting the dancers of the eight tribes for the incoming ceremony of the ascension of Queen Medusa. With such an important event in motion, the snake-people was overly paranoid, and the appearance of the strange cultivator has not done any good to their overall suspicions about any possible threat to the ritual.
"What's your name cultivator?". Asked the patrol leader.
"My name is Xiao Yan", smiled the young man with black hair.
Not a couple of hours later, a slightly amused Queen Medusa was comfortably seated on her magnificent throne of jade, her tail resting on the black rocks of the top stair of the throne, with three finely crafted statues of magical serpents looming over her head, threatening anyone stupid enough to displease her.
The picture in front of her was a curious novelty, something unusual to say the least, but at the same time, Medusa was savvy enough on the ways of the world to understand that there is big heaven out there, and you will find men above your understanding even in the most remote corners of the continent.
"So, young man, why did you decide that giving the commander of my snake guard a black eye was a good idea?". The amusement, and curiosity on the royal tone of Medusa were palatable.
Surrounding her throne, the commanders of the snake guard, namely Hua She Er, Yuei Mei, and the Elder Yin Shi stared at the very unusual young man, that has not lost the smile at all during all this time, and that seating on a lotus position in front of the throne, surrounded by guards and looking as calm as a tranquil lake.
Hua She Er winced at the words, now that the redhead commander of the guard was sporting a black eye in her beautiful face, for the entire time that the young man has been on the throne, the killing intent of Hua She Er has been at full blast at him, and the young cultivator did not even seem to bother with it. Mind you that the redhead snake-woman was a Seven Stars Dou Wang, a power of the Empire on her own, yet, she was the one sporting a bruise, while the young man was, supposedly, a Da Dou Shi, barely a One Star at that.
"Oh, no, your excellency, I would never dare to attack a red jade beauty like honorable Hua She Er", quickly denied the young man, waving it as it was nothing with a charming smile. "Simply, she decided to test my worthiness to be in your presence, it was bad luck, that's all".
Blinks abound on the throne room at the words of the strange cultivator. Some of the guards around did all they could to hide their snickers, Elder Yin Shi huffed in disbelief and amusement, and Yue Mei smiled at her fellow commander, verily amused by the flirting words of the human. Hua She Er was slowly taking the color of her hair, in a mixture of anger, astonishment, and disbelief.
Queen Medusa smiled under her veil, the strange human was amusing if nothing else, yet, as a Dou Huang herself, at the peak of the rank, she was already feeling the impossible powerful soul of the young man. Among the cultivation world, the most respected profession was Alchemist, those with the ability to create the condensed miracles called pills. The strength of a cultivator soul was paramount to achieving the highest ranks of the alchemist's rankings, and, different from the cultivator rankings, the Soul power rankings had only four ranks. Human, Mortal; with 7 ranks; Spirit, and Heaven. The young cultivator was sporting a rank 2 alchemist badge from the Jia Ma Empire, but Medusa was able to perceive that the kid in front of her was way stronger than that. Not Spirit level strong, but easily at the middle to high mortal levels.
Such a high soul power would explain how in the heavens had managed a Da Dou Shi to inflict a bruise of a high-level Dou Wang. That, or the kid had a very powerful Dou Qi and an even better Dou Technique.
"First you spy on me during my bath, then you hit one of my guards", Medusa laid more comfortably on her throne, entertaining herself a bit with this unusual human. "I take that you will make amends first and foremost".
"Absolutely", nodded the young man without missing a beat, or trying to appeal to Medusa's mercy through silver words.
"Oh?". Raised an eyebrow Medusa, and was not the only one, at the brazen acceptance of the lad. "Interesting, and straightforward, how charming".
"Thank you, your excellency", nodded the young man, showing one of his rings to those around.
"May I?", asked the lad permission to take things from his ring, and Medusa nodded, giving him permission.
With a hand gesture, a couple of jade bottles, a precious method of carrying pills around, appeared on his hands, along with a scroll, a very elegant scroll that made all of the witnesses take a short breath.
"Brat", frowned Medusa, "What is that scroll?".
"Rank Eight recipe for a pill", said the young cultivator, shocking everyone in the room.
"impossible!", erupted Hua She Er at the words of the young cultivator.
"See for yourself, your excellency", offering the scroll to Medusa, the Queen easily summoned it to her, and carefully eyeing the seals and etchings on the scroll, she opened the scroll, and confirmed, much to her inner amazement, that it was the real deal. There is little need to say that the rest of the audience around was as flabbergasted as her, eyeing the seated young man with a different set of eyes first.
"First Start Pill, rank eight", nodded Medusa softly tapping with the edge of scroll her hands, "this is a wonderful present, indeed, although, despite its power, it is a bit useless for us now".
"At this very moment, it does seem that way", nodded the man to the words of Medusa, "however, it is also a wonderful backup plan, and, if your excellency is willing to indulge this humble alchemist in offering some insights and, the motive for what I have come to this desert, then maybe the queen will see it differently".
"Insolent human, what could you offer that could interest the snake-people", huffed Yuei Mei. The Elder Yin Shi has been unusually quiet since the scroll appeared, and instead, he was eyeing the young man with an unusual focus.
"This humble alchemist?. Little to nothing, I agree on that", nodded the young cultivator, cutting short the words of Yuei Mei, when he took an elder badge from the Pill Tower of the Central Continent.
Everyone in the room stiffened at the badge, now the attitude of the young man had a lot more sense. Sure, he was nothing impressive on his own, but the powers that backed him were absolutely terrifying. The Elders of the Small Tower of the Pill Tower of the Central Plains are the kind of old demons that no one in their sane mind wanted to provoke.
"But Aunt Xuan Yi, on the other hand…".
Medusa, for the first time in her life, found herself negotiating on the other side of a position of power. And, let's be honest, she did not like the sensation at all. Several plans run through her head, the use of Aunt to refer to an elder of the Tower Pill was perhaps a bluff, but the badge and echos of Dou Venerate power that it irradiated was the real deal, even if there was no close relationship, any investigation from the Pill Tower could be disastrous for her people, enough hard pressed they already were to add the animosity of such a powerful organization as the Pill Tower against them.
"Will a Small Tower Elder back up your words?. You are presenting a tremendous name to us, young man", pondered Medusa, staring at the young man with a deeper stare, all amusement lost on her tone. Something that did not go unnoticed by the rest of the presents.
"Your Excellency, allow me to offer you some insights from this humble alchemist perspective", started the suddenly way more dangerous young alchemist.
"It is true that due to the amusement of heavens we have started on the bad foot, however, and expecting that my peace offerings would be enough to make amends to my early blunders, I will like to explain the reason of my presence here".
"Due to personal reasons, I am on a pilgrimage to increase my own Cultivation and Soul power, thanks to an unexpected affinity, I am under the patronage of Aunt Xuan Yi. As an alchemist, one of the greatest boons that we covet is Heavenly Flames".
"I known, after tracking the Green Lotus Core Flame, that it is in your possession, alas, I also know about the risky, but an incredibly rewarding ritual of offering yourself to the flame, that's is why I would not insult you, your excellency, with any attempt to bargain the Heavenly Flame, before you attempt the ascension. You would never retreat from the challenge that the ritual of the ascension represents".
"However".
"It is also true that such ritual is extraordinarily risky, and the consequences of failure are also equally dangerous for the snake-people as well, for their will lose their leader, and, the only Dou Huang that they have. The tribe leaders are also Dou lings or Dou Wangs, but not equal to the true power of the Jia Ma Empire, or any of the nearby powers".
"With the cards on the table, and with the backing the Pill Tower, I will like to present a proposition to Queen Medusa, that, I hope, will satisfy all parts".
"What a silvery tongue you have", smiled Medusa, but on the inside, she was already wary of the dangerous words of this young cultivator. Unusual, would be the least of the adjectives that she was using to categorize him.
"Jade words for a Jade beauty", joked the young man without an ounce of shame, and speaking as if it was Buddhist teachings.
"I humbly ask to be a guest of the snake-people, trading with them, until the end of the ritual, and to be a witness of the ascension, if it is possible".
"If Queen Medusa triumphs, be the heavens be my witness that I wish the best to her excellency, then I will thank the Queen for her hospitality, wish her all the luck in the heavens and continue my pilgrimage".
"Should the worst come to pass, and Queen Medusa fails the ritual, then I would like to present an offer to the snake-people, in exchange of the Heavenly Flame".
A magnificent box of jade and wood appear in front of the young man, he opened it, allowing Medusa to witness the contents, something that only added more shock to the eyes of the queen, and the rest of her actual guard.
"Three Beast Transformation pills, and a Zong Breaking Pill, along with the promise of the services of a Rank Eight alchemist to make the First start Pill whenever a new Medusa is born, if the heavens wishes, I will even offer myself to be such alchemist, if I managed to reach such peaks".
Silence befalls on the room, the snake-people was seriously taken aback, and all of them were already on high alert, trying to see what was the real angle of the odd cultivator, where was the hidden dagger, where was the trap. No human has ever been so generous or clear with them unless they wanted something.
Medusa pondered the offer, it was enticing, so very tempting, but there was always a catch. In the usual game of diplomacy and honor, Queen Medusa was more than well versed, thanks to the many, many times, that she has played it, but this kid did not only speak like a master, but also went straight to the point, and presented all conditions. There was a lot of wiggling room, that was a given, all words are carried by the wind, only writings stay, but at the same time, it was a refreshing change to speak to clear and straightforward like with this man.
"Tempting, so very, very tempting…", changed her position Medusa, staring intensely at the young man, and softly leaking her Dou Qi, surrounding the room, and making even the Dou Wang of her guard struggle to kept their composure.
"But I must ask, why?. Such offers, such tremendous boons, are never without a price, or without a second intention, be frank young cultivator, be wary of offending the queen".
At this point, she was not even surprised that the young man was entirely indifferent about the presence, the dense Dou Qi of Medusa falling upon him. The power of a Dou Huang is no joke, yet, the human seemed entirely unaffected, and that dammed pretty smile of his was still on his lips. A sliver of the heart of Medusa found herself curious and attracted by this strange man. He was an interesting enigma.
"Of course, there is a why, that's a given", shrugged the young man without missing a heartbeat.
"What?". Blinked Medusa, who was not expecting such an answer.
"Your Excellency, I am from the Jia Ma Empire, so, I am interested in making the Jia Ma Empire endure as much as possible".
"What are you talking about, young man?", now Medusa was confused. What in the heavens was this crazy pretty boy speaking about.
"Your Excellency, the snake-people, leaving apart the actual tension with the humans, is practically the living bulwark of the Jia Ma Empire against the Magical Beast mountains, and any possible attack of the Chu Yun Empire, or any other Empire that may attack the Empire".
"Now, bear with me for a second, Queen Medusa, of all the sects, clans, or forces present on the Empire, what is the one that you think represents the smaller threat for the long-term survival of the Empire?".
"The answer is you, excellency, should you became a Dou Zong, even if you became the overlord of the surrounding areas, the truth is that as a Medusa, you will immediately embark on a migration to the snake-people homeland, meaning that the Jia Ma Empire is just a convenient trade partner at best, one that you will not bare your fangs at, because you have a bigger, way more juicy morsel to bite into, in the form of the original homelands of the snake-people, finally at the reach of a Medusa".
"Indulging ourselves in some dreams, in the case that your excellency achieves the dreams of the Medusa, won't you have an affinity for the Empire that, in the form of this humble alchemist, helped you achieve that?".
"So, with all that in mind, tell me, your excellency, no matter what happens, do I win, or do I lose?".
Silence covered the entire room again, all of the presents were staring at the young man as if he has grown a second head, however, Medusa did not deny the words of the young man, instead, she was giving the ideas that the cultivator had laid at her tail a lot of thoughts. The echo of truth rang with each word of the strange cultivator. Much to the internal annoyance of Medusa, the cultivator has nailed her wishes and desires, along with her long-term basic plans for the future. In the long term, Medusa agreed with the cultivator.
"How interesting", the smile under the veil of Medusa was practically predatory.
"How very interesting, you speak truth alchemist, and you have entertained this queen, and give her some thoughts to ponder about, your request is granted".
"My deepest thanks, your excellency", thanked Xiao Yan from his seated position.
"My, this queen is very tempted to keep you around as slave", suddenly spoke Medusa leaning on the throne, "if only to pick at that wonderful but strange brain of yours".
"Oh, ah, please be gentle my queen, I am very shy", embarrassingly blushed the young cultivator, flooring the entire audience that did not believe how utterly different the young man was from a second.
Yin Shi was even more stunned, when, for the first time in a long while, the honest laughter of Queen Medusa echoed in the Throne room.
"You are insane", the flabbergasted voice of the phantasmal sifu of Xiao Yan spoke in the mind of the cultivator. "I love it!". Childish joy came next, for his sifu was, at heart, a grown-up child.
"I am to please, sifu", the smile of Xian Yan was equally predatory as the smile of the Queen.
After witnessing that smile, Yin Shi had a very humane chill run all over his spine, and the blood-freezing realization that alternating his gaze between the human and Medusa: "Heavens, there are two of them"
A Week Later:
It was a beautiful night.
One of those nights with a full moon glowing on the skies that called for nostalgia, warm insensitivity from a copious amount of consumed booze, and reminiscence of old dreams washed by the relentless waves of reality.
Sitting on the stairs of the main entrance of the fortress of the Manly Steel Mercenaries, Xiao Yan indulged himself in some booze and lost himself in ancient dreams of impossible magnitude, where mortals, mere, common, mortals, shown more spine and will that the highest cultivators of this world. Where millions were sacrificed every second to survive a day more, where deranged ignoramus strangled the universe on blood, sickness, madness, and excess, where green demi-humans born for war lay waste to everything, guided by sheer simplicity and determination.
Xiao Yan, the name of the body, had nothing to do with the name of the soul, but the soul understood, way too well, that actions have consequences, and that his presence in this world has a purpose. Everything has a purpose, such as the Emperor's will, and as one of his sons, Konstantin Tesla, the soul of Xiao Yan, will see it done. Alas, it will be a good thing to actually know the purpose of his presence here.
Reincarnation was a funny business the best of days, but this one?. This one was for the books.
Anyhow, leaving apart the original crisis about where in the warp has Tesla being sent, this place was beyond insane. It has its ups and downs, and from Tesla's perspective, it was a backward primitive hellhole of psykers, until he discovered that Dou Qi had zero psyker resonance, and, until something told him otherwise, Tesla was aiming to the peak. Or, better said, for what happens next when one reaches the peak. The peak of this world is Dou Di (God) and once a cultivator has reached that rank, then the world no longer constrains him and can travel into the Thousand World, a vast, endless, universe of different worlds connected between them. Tesla had the hope that once the Thousand Worlds are at his reach, then, it will also be possible that Tesla would find a path to his home universe.
And, and way more important, Tesla will be dammed if he does not reach the peak of this bloody universe being the son of the Emperor of Mankind.
That being said, taking the long route was fine, there was no hurry, Tesla, as Xiao Yan, had all the time of the world to become a Dou Di. Sadly, the entire world was determined to put Xiao Yan through all kinds of hurdles, chief among them, the disaster that was the meeting with Nalan Yanran, the fiance of Xiao Yan, that ended up in a duel three years later. No one but Xiao Yan could blame himself for that particular botch. The Imperial Diplomats would have hit him with a thunder hammer to the face for the colossal screw-up that Xiao Yan made during that particular meeting.
Xiao Yan did not give a dam about the entire thing, if the Nalan lass did not want to be married to him, that was fine, Xiao Yan already has someone, or someone, better said, in mind. If Yanran would have come, talk the entire thing, and reach an agreement, then Xiao Yan would have had no problem with it. Divorce was a serious business in this world, it could mean a lot of social damages to the clans involved, and what Yanran did was the worst possible choice to put an end to the marriage contract between the two families. When Yanran walked inside of the hall of the Xiao Clan, strutted around, disparaged everyone, and practically humiliated the entire clan, that was the straw that broke the camel's back.
At that moment, Xiao Yan was suppressed by the ring that hold the soul of his sifu, channeling his tremendous soul strength into strengthening the soul of his sifu, otherwise, Yanran would have returned to the Misty Could Sect in multiple tiny boxes.
Anyhow, the entire thing ended up with Xiao Yan tossing the divorce papers to Yanran's face, and with the three years duel pact between them. Not a day later, Xiao Yan was already lamenting the entire thing, it was stupid, and a complete waste to all parts. Yanran was the Patriarch of the Misty Cloud Sect. A title that went the same to both genders, by the way. As Patriarch of the Misty Could Sect, it was understandable that she would be looking for the best possible partner, convenience marriages are an everyday business here, however, what she had done, was the equivalent of spitting on the face of the Xiao Clan.
And so, three bloody years wasted in training for a duel that Xiao Yan did not give a damn about, and, that no matter how it ends, will only spell even more headaches to the Xiao Clan, the Jia Ma Empire, and the Misty Could Sect. The honor was important, Xiao Yan, Konstatin Tesla, he understood and accepted that with all his heart, but this?. This was a childish tantrum with way more consequences than one could expect.
On the positive side of the balance, some of his family was incredible, a real united bunch, and to be honest, Tesla has taken quite a liking to some of the people of the clan. Others could burn in the warp for what Xiao Yan cares. For example his two brothers, the captains of the mercenary force where Xiao Yan was resting before aiming to the capital of the Empire. His newfound brothers were the example of what a good brother should be, more than one of the fellow Primarchs of Tesla could take one or two lessons from Xiao Li and Xiao Ding.
What did those two brothers do when they learned about the possible consequences of the duel between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran?.
They founded the Manly Metal Mercenary Force, so, their brother will have a place to go in case he lost.
Just for that, Tesla was ready to tear the continent, stone by stone, for the Xiao Clan.
Booze tasted good today.
"This night invites to reminisce about the past", the calm and stoic voice of Hai Bo Dong, also known as the Ice Emperor, and one of the ten strongest of the Jia Ma Empire.
"Who are you reminiscing tonight?" Old Hai asked, and Xiao Yan offered the booze pot to the Don Huang.
"Will you join me for a drink tonight, Old Hai?". Offered Xiao Yan. "Misery loves company".
With a short, almost unheard huff of amusement, the recently unsealed Dou Huang took a seat at the stairs and took the liquor pot, taking a good swing of the strong contents inside. For cultivators, a lot of booze is needed to affect them, the stronger the cultivator, the stronger must be the alcohol.
"This is strong liquor", Hai Bodong eyed the three empty pots at the feet of Xiao Yan.
"Strong enough", nodded Xiao Yan. "I am missing my childhood friend, Xun Er, she was among the few that did not treat me like yesterday garbage when my cultivation collapsed".
"Uh", noncommittally grunted old Hai and Xiao Yan snorted.
"Real poet you are old Hai", joked Xiao Yan taking a gulp from the alcohol pot.
A faint smile appeared at the mouth of Hai Bodong, to be completely honest, even if Xiao Yan has tricked him into being a bodyguard, Hai Bodong liked the young man. There was something strange about him, something that attracted people to him. Xiao Yan was not a peerless beauty, with women falling at his feet whenever he went, nor was he a powerful cultivator; well, he was but still not even at the peak of the Jia Ma Empire that was the weakest corner of the Continent; nor was he a powerful political or economical figure, yet the young man's acumen was flabbergasting.
Only Hai Bodong's experience in keeping his expression as neutral as possible, kept his jaw to impact the floor when the lad appeared at the edge of his shop, with a retinue of snake-people and waving them goodbye amicably. The eyebrows of Hai Bo Dong almost hit the top of his head when the young Cultivator related the tale of how did he managed to get the ingredient that Hai Bodong need to make the Seal breaking Pill, and, in the process, he even got a Heavenly flame, and, to almost give him a heart attack, the glorious bastard had managed to sneak the infantile body of a Seven Colors Python that was eerily familiar to Hai Bodong. The kid treated it with love and care, shocking Hai Bodong even more.
The final nail of the coffin was when Hai Bodong witnessed, first hand, how the lad crafted the rank six Seal Breaking Pill, showing mastery over the alchemist arts that spoke volumes of the talent of the young man. The young cultivator sported a rank 2 badge, but that was only because he had not time to actually attend a higher exam, and the place where the got it was a small alchemy guild near the Magical Mountain Beast, the real backing of the lad was an Elder of the Pill Tower. That was the kind of backing that will give pause to even the Emperor.
Hai Bodong was one of the founders of the Miteer Family, the owners of the greatest markets and auction houses along with the Jia Ma Empire. In that family they took pride in their skills to eye winning horses and bet on them, right now, it was an easy decision for Hai Bodong to bet on the rising star with whom he was sharing a drink. Better to be a friend than an enemy, for Hai Bodong understood that Xiao Yan was on the road to greatness.
And, being fully honest with himself Hai Bodong liked the strange young man. Despite all his power, despite all his talent, he never displayed the usual arrogant and annoying hubris of most the scions of the powerful clans and sects around the Empire, the kid resumed perfectly when he told Hai Bodong of one of the Sutras of his strong Soul Skills Dou Qi methods.
"Under the sun, all are equals".
In a world where might makes right, it was dangerous thinking to have, but somehow, the young man was able to live to that Sutra, even when he was in front of technically stronger individuals than him. Different from the Cultivation Ranks, the lad possessed a tremendous Soul Power, who was divided into four ranks instead of the common twelve of the cultivators. Among the Soul power ranks, just by being able to make a rank six pill, would automatically put the lad on Mortal Soul Power Rank 6, on the higher ranks of the second layer and close to the Spirit rank, who was more than enough to be considered the primer alchemist of the entire Empire.
Fa Ma, the leader of the Alchemist Guild on the Empire was Rank 5 Alchemist, only above the young man in the number of recipes. Xiao Yan was capable of achieving at the moment, which was enough to shock the Empire. Hardly a surprise, taking into consideration the backing of an elder of the Pill Tower of the Central Plains.
"Have I ever told you why I am gallivanting the world like this?". Asked Xiao Yan to the older cultivator, who just raised an eyebrow in answer. "Why I run like a headless chicken from the Xiao Clan home of Wu Tan city, to the Tager Desert, and beyond?".
"We all have our needs and wishes", shrugged Hai Bodong.
"If only"", the small snake of Xiao Yan exited his clothes and rubbed itself against the neck of the young man.
Xiao Yan smiled warmly, and proceed to pet the snake with a hand irradiating fire qi, something that make the Seven Colored infantile pythons practically melt in bliss. All the instincts of Hai Bodong screamed at him to be as far as bloody possible from the baby python, but, at the same time, it was impossible to do not to observe how Xiao Yan treated it like a beloved pet.
"In about two months, I have a duel with the younger patriarch of the Misty Could Sect, Nalan Yanran, about the consequences of a divorce that went completely sideways". Sighed Xiao Yan. "Tempers flared, words were said, and here I am, prancing around the Jia Ma Empire, trying to be as strong as possible to restore the honor of my clan".
"Honor matters are always complicated", sighed Hai Bodong, understanding the plight of the young man.
Hai Bodong always runs from political games, and clans dealings, that was one of the reasons why he centered too much on his cultivation and became a founder of the Miteer family. Gold was good, politics, not so much, Once Hai Bodong reached the Dou Huang rank he was mostly free from the politics but, it was inevitable to be entangled in the balance of power of the Jia Ma Empire.
Even before Hai Bodong was sealed by Queen Medusa for a decade, the Jia Ma Empire balance was tense, to say the least. The three great families, Miteer, Mu, and Nalan, the Misty Could Sect, the Alchemist Guild, and the Jia Ma Imperial Family are the big shots of the Empire, and the balance between them is the cornerstone of the Jia Ma Empire. The moment any of the powerful of the Jia Ma Empire break into Dou Zong, the Jia Ma Empire family will become irrelevant, or, subordinate to the new overlord of the Northwestern lands of the Empire. So far, the only one with a shot of reaching Dou Zong, was the previous Patriarch of the Misty Could Sect, Yun Shan, who isolated himself three years ago to break into Dou Zong.
Any cultivator worth their salt will tell you that breaking through the peak of any rank is the most dangerous moment, the higher the rank, the more difficult and expensive the cultivation becomes. That's why the higher the rank, the bigger the resources the cultivator needs. Even with the support of the Misty Could Sect, and the so-called Pill King Gu He, the attempt of Yun Shan to become a Dou Zong will, most likely, end in failure.
Sharing drinks in silence, comfortable in the presence of a friend, even if they will never call each other like that, the two cultivators reminisce about their own particular brands of misery, misdoings, and grieves. As the old saying goes, misery loved company.
By the next day, both used a flying ship to reach the Jia Ma Sacred City, the capital of the Jia Ma Empire, technically, they could have taken flight to the Capital on their own, they fly faster than the flying mystical beast used as a transport, however, Xiao Yan wanted to spend some time refining his alchemy and make up some more pills for the auctions on the Capital. Leaving apart the jackpot of the Heavenly Flames, pills are a sure way to make a fortune and to seek out some ingredients to recover spiritual strength. Xiao Yan confessed that during the rescue of a former worker of the Manly Metal Mercenary Group, he ended up burning his own cultivation, and right now, he was Dou Shi in strength at best, with his Soul power reduced to Mortal Four maybe Five. That trick that Xiao Yan pulled to raise his cultivation to Dou Huang had unexpected consequences, especially when he abused the Heavenly Flame that he had acquired from the snake-people. The grief of Xiao Yan about his own stupidity and hubris was real and honest, even if he disliked the arrogance that was the brand of most of the young masters all over the Continent, Xiao Yan admitted, much to his shame, that he has fallen into that attitude more than once.
In an ironic echo of the travel that ended up with Xiao Yan gallivanting the desert and founding Hai Bodong's retreat, Xiao Yan passed most of the time working on a lot of pills, with Hai Bodong standing guard. It was a given, that the moment that a rank four or five pills echoed around the ship, some greedy ignoramus came to sniff around, but with a Dou Huang calmly sipping tea at the entrance, they soon crawl back to whatever hole they have crawled out from.
Once on Jia Ma Sacred City, Xiao Yan relish the chance to do some sightseeing, being guided by Hai Bodong, that knew the ways to all places in the Capital, even if the man has not been there for a decade. They walked the streets, familiarizing themselves with the lay of the city, and the changes that took place in the absence of Hai Bodong. All in all, Xiao Yan was delighted to be a humble tourist for a while. Part of his brain, the side that deals with being a Primarch, was screeching at the bloody defenseless city, but of course, a war in Jia Ma Empire, with cultivators jumping around like ork rocket boyz was a bit different from what all Imperial Strategos could think off. If anything, it was like a war between psykers, but with lots of mundane meat, fodder to cover all the possible basis.
Taking mental note of seeing what the frontier skirmishes with the other Empires were about, Xiao Yan accompanied Hai Bodong to the Miteer Auction House on the Capital. The place was massive, a giant pagoda of sorts, that contained all possible merchandise, with an extra addendum of being of special interest to any possible cultivator or alchemist that could be interested in the services of the merchant house.
The building has taken a page from the book of Dou Techniques and divided their actions as if they Dou Techniques, Huang, Xuan, Di, and Tian auctions, with Tian being the real jackpots here. Hai Bodong wanted to move to the office of the overseer of the auction to speak business, something that made Xiao Yan raise an eyebrow, but considering the Dou Huang status of the old man, it was not all that surprising, he was, still, one of the top ten of the Empire after all.
Before things went a bit out of hand with the archetype imbecile with more money than brains; and a talking bird, that was a curious one; Xiao Yan have a welcome surprise in the presence of Ya Fei. The gorgeous lady of the Miteer family was an old acquaintance from the Miteer auction house at the Wu tan City. Ya Fei helped Xiao Yan there, and such debt was something that Xiao Yan was more than eager to pay, with interest. The lady of the Miteer house was delighted to meet Xiao Yan after almost three years, and she was more than impressed with what she was seeing.
Walking through the stairs, neither of them lost the chance to flirt a bit; much to the inner chagrin of Hai Bodong that couldn't believe the ways of Xiao Yan to charms the ladies around, and his luck on that front; and the delight of Ya Fei, who really liked the young cultivator, and found his new mature attitude a lot of her liking.
Ya Fei guided them to the offices of the Miteer Family on the auction house, technically it was a clan only zone, but considering that her office was there, Xiao Yan was a good friend of hers, and both, Xiao Yan and his mysterious new friend, had come to the auction house for business, it was common courtesy to talk in a more reserved place.
"Actually", smiled Ya Fei as they make small talk until they reach her office, "I am grateful to you, your pills were the key factor to complete my training at Wu Tan City, and earn a spot as a substitute supervisor to this auction. You even helped me reach the higher ranks of Dou Zhe".
"Fair is fair, sister Ya Fei", warmly smiled Xiao Yan. "Even if cultivation is not your strong point, your eyes are not only beautiful as gems, but exceptionally sharp, and you helped me, despite knowing that I could have been a losing bet".
"Oh, my, how well does brother Xiao Yan speak these days", giggled Yao Fei, hiding her smile under her fan. She really liked this Xiao Yan.
"Jade words for a Jade beauty", chuckled his catchphrase, Xiao Yan.
"Ya Fei!". The imbecile at the entrance of the auction house decided to screw up the good mood. "How you dare to bring these outsiders to the private offices of the Clan?".
Sadly, imbeciles like these were dime a dozen all over the Continent.
"Enough", Ya Fei stared at the wimp with fire in her eyes. "There are my honored guests, stop making a fool of the Miteer".
"These poor chumps?", disbelief echoed in the voice of the Miteer young master. "Is this a poor joke?".
"Ya Fei, I understand that you felt attracted to stray puppies", secondhand insulted the young master to Xiao Yan.
Hai Bodong has already walked out of the scene, moving into one of the side hallways, seemingly interested in something there. Well, Xiao Yan, could understand how boring the entire thing must look to the old man, sick and tired of the types of this fool that clogged the Continent.
Ya Fei took the wrist of Xiao Yan and walked forward, disregarding the annoying young master as if he was nothing, something that the lad did not like much, making him double the hurt conveyed on his words.
"Ya Fei, you know that these poor chumps are not man enough for you, your eyes must be very poor, if you need a man, I am more than enough to satisfy you".
Okay, that was crossing a line. Xiao Yan was not blind, Ya Fei, especially now that has taken a liking to having her hair red like the fiery spirit that she was, was a vision of beauty, voluptuous beyond the words of a poet, and draped in deliciously alluring silk of black and the colors of the Miteer house. Jade beauty was putting it mildly. However, if this worm believed that he could insult her, and by extension Xiao Yan like that, he had something coming.
Xiao Yan stopped, and eye the bastard from over his shoulder. The young master answered with more thin veiled insults.
"Please, do not be impulsive", pleaded Ya Fei, "he is a One Star, Dou Shi".
Softly freeing himself from the grip at his wrist, and tenderly caressing the hand of Ya Fei, Xiao Yan smiled with absolute confidence.
"Do not worry, sister Ya Fei".
Walking back, Xiao Yan did not even listen to whatever yapping was the young master of the Miteer clan still spouting and with a hand gesture, make him fly at him, taking by surprise, and slam a lazy punch in his chest, that sent him flying back all the way to the door of the hall.
With a passing glance and a smirk, Xiao Yan saw the talking bird that the guy carried around, was free of his cage, and fly out, repeatedly screaming about freedom.
The explosion of the Dou Qi of the young master alerted Xiao Yan that he was all out, taking a sword out of his storage ring, and went for a quick series of strikes. As a Dou Shi, the young master was not all that, but after his real battle experiences, Xiao Yan found the skills of the guy very lacking. Dodging the wide swings, Xiao Yan was about to smash the young master into the floor, when one of the energy slashes that he dodged went right at Ya Fei's face.
Now, Ya Fei was a High-rank Dou Zhe, but she was not a Dou Shi, and that means that she was not fast enough, or sturdy enough to tank the cut.
In a blink, Xiao Yan turned into living lightning, cover the distance between him and Ya Fei, and hugged her firmly against his chest, covering her entirely and manifesting a jade barrier that blocked the sword strike.
The jade dispersed into Dou Qi again, and Xiao Yan stared down at the woman in his arms. Ya Fei was stunned by the speed and power of Xiao Yan; and no little than happy to be on his strong arms, knowing that he has, literally, taken a Dou Qi attack for her; and nodded when Xiao Yan asked if she was alright.
Turning to face the imbecile that almost hurt Ya Fei, Xiao Yan started to walk, staring at the young master of the Miteer house with murder in his eyes. The young master should have perceived the incoming threat and started to swing his sword in mad slashes. Xiao Yan danced through those slashes, like a dragon soaring the skies, crushing the qi slashes with his bare fists, before stomping in front of the astonished young master, and delivering a bone-crushing double fist to his chest. The explosion of two fire dragons made of Dou Qi sent the young master of the Miteer house flying back and embedded him on the door at the end of the hall, much to the amazement of the witness.
Ya Fei giggled in joy and amusement at the sight, and at the words of Xiao Yan afterward.
"Those are some sturdy doors".
Feeling really good, Ya Fei guided her deliciously strong friend into her office, enjoying the visage of the worm that was trying to woo her in all the wrong ways, as a decoration for a door.
Ya Fei felt tremendously vindicated, for founding such a wonderful diamond in the rough like Xiao Yan was.