Chapter 14 - Purple Cloud City Part 2

Agemo had his white tiger shrink to three feet in height and followed alongside him as he and Meng Ce waited outside the gates. Purple Cloud City was a place where Practitioners and mages lived and studied. Located in the kingdom of Kasara, southeast of the Yan Empire, it was a major power in the south. It was one of the few cities where Practitioners outnumbered mages, thanks to the fact that the Purple Cloud Sect had been founded by its leader, a Spirit Sage. Naturally, Practitioners were treated with respect in the city.

Meng Ce stood out with his white sage robe and his strength as a ninth-stage Spirit Shaman. He had made a breakthrough after killing two of the three humanoid Hyperion, who were also at the eighth stage like him. Facing a life-and-death situation, how could he not make a breakthrough to survive? While others might envy him, Meng Ce was inwardly troubled. Why? Because from the first stage of Spirit Knight onwards, individuals could not participate in mortal wars. You could kill an army, but you couldn't fight as part of it. If Meng Ce became a Spirit Knight, he would lose his dream of being the greatest general of the Yan Empire and be forced to live as a Practitioner for the rest of his life.

Agemo did not want to stand out so much in his black robes and went to a store that sold Practitioner clothing. He bought a dark purple cloak made from the fur of a Sand Spotted Purple Fox and wore it over a white tunic, black pants, and shoes. Robes were too thick for the hot weather. The cloak, which had a cloud-like pattern in sand-colored hues, was quite cool. It had a self-repairing effect activated by spirit energy. He didn’t like the color, but the store seemed biased towards purple variations, likely due to the influence of the Purple Cloud Sect.

He let the hood hang on his back as he followed Meng Ce around. Many Practitioners and mages roamed about, browsing for wares. His black hair with cerulean streaks had been tied back into a small ponytail to avoid covering his eyes during a fight. Occasionally, he sipped some lion wine as Meng Ce led him into the main plaza. They heard shouting and Meng Ce’s curiosity led them there. Agemo hoped to see a fight and maybe a member of the Purple Cloud Sect in action.

"I will be the one to buy that magical beast!" a young boy roared. "Who are you to get in my way?"

"I saw it first. Get out or I will kill you!" another yelled.

By the time Agemo and Meng Ce arrived, a large crowd had gathered. Agemo saw two large groups glaring fiercely at each other. One side wore dark green robes with gold seams, while the other side wore bright red robes with black seams. Meng Ce frowned as he recognized the boy yelling among those in crimson robes. It was a distant member of the Lu Clan—probably one of the children who became a Practitioner to make his own future.

"You think you can threaten me? I am Tian of the Lu Clan. You may address me as Tian Lu in this country, with the clan name second by custom. Leave the magical beast alone. The emperor is my distant uncle. He is a Spirit Master, and there are many members of my clan who are mages as strong as Spirit Masters as well. Piss off!" the boy yelled.

"Hmph. Is that supposed to scare me? We are not in the Yan Empire anymore. We are in Kasara. The emperor holds no power here. Men! Get them! Do not let them get in my way!"

"Yes, Young Master!" they cried, attacking the disciples of the Crimson Desert Sect.

"Do you wish to help them?" Meng Ce asked.

"No. I do not know him. We cannot reveal my identity here. It would only make the situation worse," Agemo muttered and turned away. "We came here to train me. I am Agemo until we return."

"I understand," Meng Ce said, watching Agemo leave. Meng Ce then stared back at the fighting and turned into a flash of light. He controlled the element of light and moved faster than they could blink. First, he did a low blow on the boy who insulted the emperor, then stole the magical beast egg from the vendor. He appeared where he initially started, with only a faint blur around his body, and vanished, reappearing in an alley ahead of Agemo.

"You got involved, didn't you?" Agemo asked, noticing the two-foot-high dark green egg. "You stole the egg? Why? Wasn't the Great Ancestor supposed to give me my first magical beast?"

"Yes, that is true. However, I had to take the egg for you. Those people might have suspected it was a dragon egg, but this is a Saint-level dragon egg. Saint-level magical beasts are the rarest and most powerful of all magical beasts. This is the egg of an Emerald Steel Dragon. They only hatch when someone pours their spirit energy into it once the egg fully matures. You should not be deceived by the white tiger you ride. Once it wore the collar, it became lifeless, a being without a soul. It only acted like a tiger because you subconsciously thought it would."

Agemo stared at the dog-sized tiger and realized Meng Ce was right. When the tiger ate or ran with him riding it, its eyes always seemed to lack the spark of life. Now he understood why Meng Ce stored the tiger in his storage bag. It was as if the tiger were a puppet obeying his every command. He had subconsciously made it act as if it had a life of its own.

"I see that you understand," Meng Ce said as Agemo stored the white tiger in his storage bag. "The magical collars do not work on the living. Do not feel sorry for it. It is already dead. Mages value such collars because they dream of having an army of minions under their command. Agemo, that Emerald Steel Dragon is not the most powerful dragon magical beast, as its rank is just above average among Saint-level dragons. However, dragons are always the most powerful of magical beasts unless they are a rare breed or variant. Keep it in your storage bag for now. Whenever you choose to bond with it, even if it is before the two and a half years before we return to the Great Ancestor, you may do so. The Great Ancestor only provides a magical beast of the Saint level if his descendant has not bonded with one already."

"I'll store it for now. I'll wait until I reach the third stage," Agemo said and stored the egg in his storage bag. "Thank you. It seems coming to this city was not a total loss. Why did we stop by here anyway?"

"To get a map to the capital. They are holding a tournament for people below the fourth stage, like you. I told you to stop absorbing demonic cores as it will impede your progress, but that does not matter to spirit pills. They are just less effective and costly. The vault did not have many, which is quite obvious. There are many prizes awarded per round in the tournament. Spirit pills are just one of the many prizes," Meng Ce answered.

"There are other ways to get spirit pills," Agemo frowned.

"True, but the tournament will allow you to fight against mages and Practitioners. This way, you can gain insight into manipulating the elements. Spirit techniques are concentrated attacks using spirit energy, but someone at the third stage of Spirit Shaman can manipulate the elements. Why? Because as your Spirit Pulse gains its true form, your body becomes that of an Archon," Meng Ce smiled.

"Archon? What are those?" Agemo asked.

"Archons are those who have the power of gods but were not meant to. The very words describe what Practitioners are. Why? Because we can manipulate the elements. You can make a bucket of water freeze into ice. You can throw daggers of lightning at someone or make yourself invisible for a time in the darkness. This is why mages fear Practitioners. However, the number of people who actually reach the third stage is rare. That is because sects are very picky about who they select. You are a rare case as you come from a powerful family. Naturally, you have the resources to reach the third stage," Meng Ce answered.

"Is that why my father is sending me to a martial arts sect?" Agemo asked.

"Yes and no. Martial arts sects are just stepping stones. Eventually, a Practitioner or mage must explore the world and cultivate alone. The path to immortality is a lonely one. Only talent, insight, and hard work will allow you to reach greater heights. No one can help you with that," Meng Ce said. "We'll buy a map of Kasara and then leave. It’s a pity we did not see a Purple Cloud City member, but you should see them all over this country. They are one of the big five sects in Kasara. Naturally, they will have sent their outer core disciples to participate in the tournament in the capital to earn prestige and honor for their sect."

"The point of this three-year journey is to open your eyes to the world. You are exploring the world early instead of cultivating in a sheltered environment for three years. I did not bring you to the outside world to fight or kill. That is just an event of circumstance when it happens. Our goal is to increase your knowledge. You might be disadvantaged against those at the third stage, but you can observe how they use their spirit and manipulate their elements. That alone is a substantial benefit," Meng Ce smiled as Agemo followed him through the market.

Once they found a suitable map, they purchased access to a caravan. At dawn the next day, the

caravan left Purple Cloud City with several mages and Practitioners. Agemo and Meng Ce seemed like loose Practitioners among the many people wearing similar robes. They would arrive in the capital in five weeks. Although it had taken three weeks and seven months to reach Purple Cloud City, the capital of Kasara was not far at all, as Purple Cloud City was almost at the center of the kingdom. Agemo and Meng Ce traveled without visiting the major cities, as Meng Ce continued to train Agemo.