Chapter 13: Purple Cloud City Part 1

Lu Shu spent the rest of the day cultivating by the lake, finding a peaceful spot for his practice. He took out the white Mystic Stone and placed it against his chest, watching it enter his body. Though the Mystic Stone would make him vulnerable initially, it would accelerate his growth by housing his spirit energy. He then placed the giant demonic core on the shore of the lake and began meditating. He could feel the red spirit energy flow from the demonic core into his body. The sensation was incredible—so much power seemed to come from the demonic core, and it felt endless.

As his spirit energy started to condense, it poured into the white crystalline orb within his body. Black liquid began to ooze out of his body as he continued to absorb the giant demonic core. He had broken through to the second stage! While the first two stages are the easiest to cultivate, achieving this breakthrough so early was still remarkable. If he were a regular human and had not consumed lion wine, he would have already advanced to the third stage. Lion wine increased his strength and spirit energy foundation but also slowed his cultivation rate.

By the time the demonic core was half depleted, he had reached the mid-stage of the second stage of Spirit Shaman cultivation. He stood up and stretched; he had grown two inches, and his muscles had become leaner. Inside the white orb, an outline of a beast was taking shape. Lu Shu jumped into the lake to wash off the impurities, a huge smile on his face.

Inside his body, the white Mystic Stone had fully harmonized with him. It did not exist physically in his body but rather in his mind. Inside the orb, the red spirit energy had condensed into the form of the beast he had detected earlier. It stood atop a lake of spirit energy, which seemed bottomless due to the darkness beneath the surface, with lightning crackling in the sky. The lake represented his life force, just as magma represents the life force of a planet.

The half-drained demonic core glowed and entered his body. Lu Shu howled in surprise as it submerged into the lake within his soul, disappearing from view. The lake seemed more vibrant as the surface began to create small waves. Unbeknownst to Lu Shu, the white wing in the bead began to replicate, sending one of its wings into the depths of the lake. The wing found the demonic core and wrapped itself around it. Several more wings sprouted from the first, enveloping the demonic core with five pairs of wings.

The bead shone briefly before dimming and becoming inactive. It had bonded with him now. Whatever power it contained, only Lu Shu would be able to access it in the future. His hair had grown much longer and now reached past his shoulders. After eating some food from his storage bag, Lu Shu slept peacefully against his magical beast as it fed on some meat.

The next day, Meng Ce arrived and was relieved to find Lu Shu well. He was proud that Lu Shu had become a true God Eater but was upset to learn that Lu Shu had inserted a Mystic Stone prematurely. However, Meng Ce was pleased that Lu Shu had broken through to the second stage. He attributed this to the demonic core of the Hyperion and warned Lu Shu to use such items sparingly when he reached the third stage, or it would impede his growth and potential.

"Master, we should leave Wightwood Forest," Lu Shu said after Meng Ce explained what had happened and the events beneath the giant tree's roots in the swamp. "The Hyperion might suspect we took something from there. Besides, I killed one of their humanoid Hyperion. If a survivor recognizes me, they might bring reinforcements to search for what was missing."

"Hmm. I planned to let you stay here for a month, but since you killed Hyperion and reached the second stage, you're right. We have no further business here. We will head to Purple Cloud City. It is a city run by a duke who serves the king of the kingdom to the southeast. The Hyperion are concentrated to the northeast of the Yan Empire. Even though we are heading east, we will be safe there," Meng Ce assured. "Many young Practitioners start their journey there. You will learn much more as we explore the region and various nations. Along the way, you will read this book on formation barriers. It is a waste to learn how to create them; instead, you should focus on improving your capabilities."

"Then why learn them, Master?" Lu Shu asked as they set off toward the city. Lu Shu no longer wore white robes but a simple black robe with the hood over his head, concealing the upper half of his face.

"You must learn formations in order to break and escape them. To defeat Practitioners who use formations, you must understand them. The more you learn, the better you’ll recognize their strengths and weaknesses. Practitioners of certain sects specialize in creating formations," Meng Ce explained. "There are many mages and knights in the city. Throughout the world, there are more mages than Practitioners. A Practitioner is more powerful, but a mage has more connections. Try to avoid conflicts when we enter the city. We’re leaving your homeland, and keeping your identity a secret is more important than ever."

"I understand, Master," Lu Shu said as he received an ancient, silver book about five inches thick and began reading while his white tiger magical beast followed Meng Ce’s beast as they headed toward Purple Cloud City.

On the road, Meng Ce trained Agemo in martial arts and swordplay. He decided Agemo should continue using his alias and his real name, Meng Ce. Meng Ce was not a major general on the front lines, but Lu Shu was the second son and third child of an emperor. Although Meng Ce's name was rare, no one would recognize Agemo’s face since his features had changed and all his bullies were dead. Meng Ce taught Agemo to deflect blows with Rain Slayer. Agemo's tyrannical strength from the lion wine made deflection preferable to blocking. Despite having the Eclipse Indestructible Body, Agemo agreed, having learned not to underestimate attacks with magical properties from his fight with the humanoid Hyperion.

Meng Ce also instructed Agemo to keep his hood up. Not only did it hide his face, but Meng Ce wanted to train Agemo's spiritual perception. Eyes can see material things, but only the mind can sense the spiritual. He knew Agemo was already sensitive to spiritual energy and wanted him to hone this skill. All living creatures have spirit energy. If Agemo could learn to sense it, he could anticipate his opponent's moves based on their initial actions.

Agemo also learned about formations. Every formation, no matter how complex, always had four different sets of origin points. Most formations were based on a three-point triangular formation or a four-point square formation. Only truly dangerous formations used five-star or eight-hexagon points. In every formation, there was one strongest point and one weakest point. Determining these required sensing the spirit energy fluctuations caused by the formation.

Extremely powerful formations had a greater weakness: they required a magical item to activate. Removing the item would disperse the formation, making them hidden threats. The most dangerous formations were those based on an eight-point hexagonal or a five-star point formation. The more intricate the formation, the more challenging it was to break. Spirit energy lines flowed from the same point throughout the formation, making it difficult to identify the crucial points needed to maintain it.

Whenever the duo passed by a cliff, Meng Ce would stop and have Agemo train on the cliff for three days. Agemo had to climb using spirit energy and descend without it. This training aimed to teach Agemo when to use spirit energy and improve his awareness in finding footholds. Climbing a cliff is easier than descending because people are more accustomed to searching with their hands than with their feet. Agemo, blinded by his hood, had to use spirit energy to find footholds, similar to a submarine's sonar.

On some days, there was no physical training or cultivation. Instead, Agemo would meditate in dark areas or study water and its flow. Lightning was harder to study due to rare thunderstorms. Fortunately, Agemo had already manifested his soul in his mind and could meditate while observing lightning above his soul lake.

Under such rigorous training, Agemo naturally improved. The outline of the red spirit energy beast increasingly resembled a giant tiger. More spirit energy seemed present in his body, and he became attuned to using it naturally. Spirit energy was no longer foreign; it had become an integral part of him.

Rain Slayer also became stronger, linked to him as his Practitioner weapon. The katana blade became sharper and more forceful, though it remained as light as a feather. Due to his enhanced strength from the lion wine, Agemo became accustomed to wielding it one-handed. When facing magical beasts, he used the katana’s two-inch cross guard to pierce and bash simultaneously. He kept the sword strapped to his right side, with the gourd beneath his robe on his left. He preferred carrying it at his side rather than in his storage bag, feeling safer with it close.

Finally, after seven months and three weeks of magical beast kills and training, Agemo and Meng Ce arrived in front of Purple Cloud City.