Chapter 2: New Society

Before dawn the next morning, news of the execution of three clans and the discovery of the Spirit Pulse in the second prince had spread throughout the Yan Empire. While people died every day, the deaths of three clans did not cause much stir; however, the discovery of the second prince’s Spirit Pulse did. Princes were candidates for the throne! The once weak-willed, mute second prince had been deemed a cripple by many. How could he be a good prince if he couldn’t even speak?

The palace and the nobility were in a state of fear. Each of the three clans had been powerful in the empire. It might make sense to kill the bullies and their immediate relatives, but the entire clan? No one wanted to cross the second prince of Yan anymore. Many people in the capital had sneered at and thrown things at the worthless prince. He had been considered a handicap, but now he had become a Practitioner. Becoming a mage was a dream for many, elevating one to the status of a lower noble. To become a Practitioner? Even armies would stop in their tracks to let you pass if you were a Spirit Knight.

Mages were highly valued in the Yan Empire, famous for its armies of mages. However, Practitioners were fewer in number but often more formidable than any mage. Why? Because Practitioners led dangerous lives, pushing their limits to increase their cultivation. They became accustomed to death, realizing that taking others' items could be a shortcut to power. Mages, on the other hand, lived in luxurious, heavily guarded sanctuaries or academies, practicing their magic without fear.

Mages skilled in healing magic were the most guarded and sought after in any nation, functioning as walking infirmaries. Magic had no limits; many schools existed, and even raising the dead was possible. This allure made many people prefer magic over awakening their spirit energy. Why risk death when one could live a life of luxury and peace? However, mages ultimately bowed to Practitioners, an undeniable fact. Although the emperor felt regret that he couldn’t send his son to a mage academy to heal his muteness and make him a mage, he was pleased that his son had become a Practitioner.

Prince Xing was also glad that Shu was no longer mute. With Shu being sent to a martial sect, any would-be assassins would think twice before taking the risk. Princess Mei was also relieved. Despite her dislike for her brother, she loved him and envied his ability to choose his own path. As a princess, her fate was to be married off to strengthen the imperial family’s ties to another powerful force. No one knew how Shu had suddenly gained a Spirit Pulse or why he had lost some of his memories. Lu Shu had changed, and so had people’s views of him.

As Shu’s Spirit Pulse fully stabilized and formed upon reaching the third stage of cultivation, his affinities remained unknown. After he awoke and had breakfast, he was summoned to the throne room and learned more about the world of Practitioners from his new father and General Meng Ce. As far as Practitioners were concerned, there were various paths to immortality, determined by three things: their combat style, their inner spirit, and the elemental spirit energy flowing in their bodies.

Needless to say, a Practitioner had to know how to fight bare-handed. This was the fundamental form of combat, while weapons were merely extensions and alterations of their combat style. Some focused on strengthening their physical power, some on increasing agility and speed, while others emphasized defense. The weapon chosen should reflect the Practitioner’s bare-handed style. A Practitioner with a focus on strength should not use a weapon dependent on speed, such as a dagger, as it would be counterproductive.

The second aspect was what the Practitioner’s Spirit Pulse would turn into upon reaching the third stage of cultivation. During the first two stages, the Practitioner learns to detect and absorb spirit energy into their body. As the spirit energy condenses, it forms a shape upon breaking through to the third stage. Spirits are categorized into beast, weapon, and armor types, with armor spirits being the rarest and most powerful.

The larger the spirit, the more powerful the armor spirit. Upon reaching the Spirit Knight stage, Practitioners could materialize their spirit on their body, boasting the best physical and spiritual defenses. Very few people are born with the innate talent to form a complete armor spirit at the third stage. Practitioners with armor spirits were highly coveted by armies and sects worldwide. They had one unique advantage: the ability to use any spirit technique, regardless of elemental energy.

Elemental energy refers to the spiritual form of elements. Practitioners who trained in fire techniques could not practice water or ice techniques because they are conflicting elements. The elemental energy within the Practitioner’s Spirit Pulse would attack each other, leading to death. Therefore, conflicting elements cannot coexist in a Practitioner’s body. This is why armor spirits are so coveted, though they are also the most likely to be hunted by enemy sects or jealous peers.

The second type of spirit is the weapon type. Like armor spirits, Practitioners with weapon spirits can materialize their weapon spirits. However, weapon spirits are primarily offensive. As they progress, they can summon many copies of their weapon spirit, becoming a walking army of flying weapons. Weapon spirits depict the Practitioner’s fighting style and are the most numerous and diverse. They are more flexible and absorb spirit energy more easily, allowing them to advance through stages faster. While they might not learn all techniques, they can choose elements to study. The downside is that weapon spirits rarely evolve, and Practitioners with weapon spirits tend to have less potential.

The final type of spirit is the beast spirit. Although not as rare as armor spirits, beast spirits are the most tyrannical. The elemental spirit techniques they can learn are predetermined by their spirit. The more powerful and magical the spirit, the stronger it is. Beast spirits take the longest to cultivate to the next stage due to the massive amount of spirit energy they contain. They have the strongest and fastest bodies, with superior agility and reflexes. Although Shu was unaware, he had a white tiger beast spirit due to the golden pearl he swallowed. This pearl was also a variant, but that’s a story for another time. Beast spirits have the unique ability to create their own techniques based on their spirit.

After learning about Practitioners, Shu was allowed to tour the capital until nightfall, when he would enter the vault with General Meng and begin his new life as a Practitioner. The emperor wanted everyone to know that his son was no longer a mute and would become a Practitioner. He wanted them to be cautious in the future.

Once Shu became a powerful Practitioner, it would be clear he would ally with and defend the Yan Empire from rogue mages and Practitioners. Even enemy nations would hesitate to challenge a powerful country backed by a Practitioner. Mages were practically inconsequential compared to a skilled Practitioner. While mages might not be able to challenge the ruling house or army if they were a Spirit Knight or above, killing everyone else was fair game in the eyes of the Heavens. People flocked to powerful nations for security and peaceful lives.

Currently, Shu was touring the capital and browsing through stalls. Four Spirit Shamans at the sixth stage of cultivation escorted him, with ten others hiding in the shadows. People smiled and bowed politely when they saw the second prince, not wanting to suffer the same fate as the executed clans. Shu smirked slightly, noting the fear in their eyes despite their polite manners. He wondered how many of them had wronged the former host of his body. He noticed a young girl, about his age, approach him with her arms folded.

She was quite pretty, with long black hair tied in a ponytail resting on her right shoulder. Her big brown eyes had a cold demeanor, and she was tapping her foot repeatedly, as if she had been waiting for him for too long.

"Uh, were you waiting for me?" Shu asked, signaling the guards to move behind him. Being a former wandering soul, he was exceptionally sensitive to spirit energy and sensed a powerful Practitioner nearby, watching him and the girl.

"You don’t remember me?" the girl asked, her arms still folded.

"I’ve lost some of my memories," Shu replied. "I don’t remember anyone really."

"Well, I’m Ivy Shao, and you agreed to let me give you a makeover," she said with a triumphant smile. "You were bullied because you looked weak. I’m going to make you look like a prince."

"I am a prince, and I don’t want a makeover. Sorry," Shu said, trying to walk around her.

"Hey! I said I’m going to give you a makeover. Ugh, just let me do it," Ivy insisted, blocking his path.

"You must come from a powerful martial art sect," Shu said, looking past her towards the direction of the hidden figure. "I don’t know what I was like in the past, but I feel as if I’ve been reborn. I won’t allow others to bully me like the old me did. You want to give me a makeover because you’re bored. You’re empty inside and need some form of entertainment. I’m not that entertainment. You’re beautiful and come from a powerful family. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to see you like this."

The hidden figure shifted uncomfortably as Ivy said, "Fine, but I’ll see you change with my own two eyes! Where you go, I’ll follow. You’re training to join a sect in three years, right? When it’s time for you to select a sect, I’ll join it too! I won’t let a friend of mine be looked down on by others!"

Shu stared at her silently and asked, "What do you know about this world? Why do some people look different?"

They looked

around and saw people with a variety of skin tones: some with blonde skin, others with black, dark brown, light brown, sand-colored, or pale skin. Some had names that didn’t sound Chinese. Whatever Shu thought China was, it seemed that the ethnicities of his previous world existed here, carrying some of their names. One boy’s name was Jafar, while another’s was Alexander.

Here's the proofread and revised version of your chapter:

"I-I don't know," Ivy said. "They just travel from across the world, like I did. I'm not from the Yan Empire, so my clan name comes second. Will you not let me give you a makeover?"

"Heh. You still insist on that. I suppose I should allow you. The former me would have," Shu said, staring at the sky. "This world is truly dangerous. Practitioners and mages exist, and I assume magical beasts and demonic cores do as well. I need to change my mindset if I want to survive. It’s different now. I am no longer on the run, nor can I escape into the sea of stars."

"What? What are you talking about?" Ivy asked, while the hidden figure watched, startled. This was not the boy the hidden figure remembered Ivy meeting. His change was too sudden, too different.

"It's nothing. I will see you later. I have to begin my training soon if I want to survive," Shu said, nodding at her before leaving with his guards, leaving Ivy confused and mystified as the hidden figure revealed himself.

"Lady Ivy, that boy is not the same one you met," an elderly man in black and gold robes said as he appeared behind her. "He was even able to detect me. Not even a Spirit Knight can do that. Moreover, how could he have such a strong Spirit Pulse? Something happened when he drowned."

"Was it a hidden expert, grand uncle?" Ivy asked, looking at the elderly man.

"I don’t know. In any event, I do not sense any demons or intelligent magical beasts here. This empire is one not ruled by another being in the shadows. It is truly ruled by a human, but the blood of the royal family... I can detect traces of a bloodline I do not comprehend. They’re descended from something. Something not human. How else can they rule their own kingdom and have such powerful mages among their bloodlines?" the man said. "This is only my conjecture, but I believe this empire was founded by a demon ancestor, not an immortal ancestor as their records state."

"If the descendants of such a being are all so powerful, why were his family members all born as mages and not him?" Ivy asked. "He was born ordinary and had no talent in mana. Yet, he is no longer a mute and has become a Practitioner."

"Mana and spirit energy are two different things. Mana is uncommon and builds slowly as a baby matures. At the age of ten, the child can choose to be a mage or a Practitioner. They are two different things. The talent to be a mage is inborn. The talent to be a Practitioner is made. Spirit energy appears in the body through an outside source, such as an expert or a very powerful artifact," the elderly man said, shaking his head. "Why do you insist on his company? Tired of playing with the other girls here?"

"He is interesting," Ivy said, revealing her true feelings to her uncle.

"He does not remember you or your past friendship," the man said. "Come. My business in this empire is done. We must return to the clan. Are you really going to join the same sect as he?"

"Yes. If he is what you claim him to be, then his future will be very interesting," Ivy said as they disappeared into the crowd.

Deep below the palace was a hidden sanctuary where the few ancestors who had become Practitioners lived. They cultivated in secret and were the silent pillars of the empire. They cared little for the Mortal Realm but would protect it if their assistance were necessary. The emperor entered a white stone tower. Inside, statues were placed in a circular formation all the way to the top of the tower. On the base floor were fourteen ancestors in pure white robes with hoods over their faces. One man, in pure black clothes, was meditating on a throne at the end of the floor. They were arranged in a pyramid formation facing the door: the weakest five were closest to the emperor, with a row of four behind them, a row of three behind them, and a row of two behind them. The man in black was the most powerful and exuded a baleful aura, as if he were not human.

"Lu Yi, ninety-third emperor of the Yan Dynasty, greets the ancestors," the emperor said, bowing on both knees and lowering his head. "I bring news about my youngest child and second prince, Lu Shu. He is no longer a mute and has obtained a Spirit Pulse."

"He is truly not a mage? The first in twenty-two generations?" one of the white-robed ancestors asked.

"How is that possible? His blood is too diluted with human blood. He could not even be a mage, as I did not detect any mana in him when he was born," another said.

"It was true until yesterday. I know not how it happened, but the Great Ancestor's Blood stirs inside him," Lu Yi said respectfully. "I fear for his life. The Great Ancestor has many enemies and escaped here to the Mortal Realm, but they have many followers. Should they discover his lineage…"

"Lu Yi," an ancient voice rasped, silencing the room as the black-and-gold-robed man spoke. "Is his Spirit Pulse golden or red?"

"G-Great Ancestor! It is truly an honor to hear your voice. It is red. His Spirit Pulse is red. I made sure no one, not even my royal physician, inspected it. One of the Great Ancestor’s distant descendants, General Meng Ce, will be training him under my orders."

"Yes. I believe he came here once. Not a member of my direct bloodline, but a Practitioner all the same," the Great Ancestor said. "Has he been given a Practitioner weapon and spirit techniques?"

"He is to select them tonight from the imperial vault," Lu Yi answered.

"Good. Be sure to give him this ring and warn him never to take it off. It will cloud the perceptions of all people in the Mortal Realm, like the fourteen here. No one will know of his demon lineage. They will believe that his Spirit Pulse is golden, like a human’s," the Great Ancestor said, tossing a red ring with three eyes in a triangular formation on top toward Lu Yi. "When he reaches the third stage of cultivation, bring him to me before he leaves to join a martial sect. He must know, these have, about his true lineage. Many of my descendants chose to ascend to the Mortal Realm. I... will leave in a few years to return to the Immortal Realms. My wife should be finishing her closed-door training soon. She is a human, so her cultivation is much slower than that of her children and our many, many descendants. I am afraid to admit that she has the worst talent in cultivation I have ever seen. How many centuries have passed, and she is still on the ninth stage of Spirit Sage cultivation?"

"I will do as you command," Lu Yi replied and was stopped before he left.

"Our Yan Empire is small, but matters of the Mortal Realm do not matter. Once your son, Lu Xing, ascends the throne, you will stay at the palace and resume cultivating at your Spirit Master stage. Once you break through and become a Spirit Sage, you will come here and tell your son about us. However, he is never to know about Lu Shu. The fewer people who know, the better it is to maintain secrecy. To have a Practitioner of my bloodline with my blood stirring within him is truly rare indeed."

"It will be done. I thank you for the privilege," Lu Yi bowed and left the tower, sighing with relief once he exited the hidden sanctuary and sat on his throne. He was always intimidated sitting among the most powerful people on the planet, even if they were his own ancestors. The world might have forgotten them or believed them dead, but he always consulted them when it came to the safety of the Lu clan. So what if their empire had shrunk and was no longer one of the most powerful in the world? True power lay in the Immortal Realms. The more powerful the descendants, the more likely it was that the Lu clan would rule in the Immortal Realm.

"For now, I must give the ring to Lu Shu and take him to the imperial vault," Lu Yi muttered as a messenger informed him that Lu Shu had arrived an hour later. "But what should he learn? What category will his inner spirit be?"

"Summon Lu Shu and General Meng Ce! They are to meet me in front of the imperial vault!" Lu Yi ordered, and several servants and guards knelt and obeyed his command. The emperor sighed and left for the imperial vault, wondering what had happened and how the Great Ancestor’s Blood had influenced Lu Shu’s awakening.