Chapter 35 - Arctic Emperor Reigns Part 1

"Hmph. You think me a fool, brother. You are just as impulsive as you were five years ago when you made your daughter fight my eldest son, Lu Xing. Do you think I do not know you wish to regain face for her loss? Tell me, Lu Li, are you a fool like your father? Do you seek another chance against Lu Xing?" the emperor snarled.

"Of course not, Imperial Uncle," Lu Li bowed.

"Brother, why bring up the past? Your second son is a Practitioner. So too is my firstborn son. I am merely suggesting a contest between the next generations. There is no harm in that," Lu Ce smiled.

"Viper," Empress Rong yelled as she slammed her fist on the table, waking the tiger cub. "You will have your little contest. However, don't expect your son, Lu Tian, to face Lu Shu so easily. He is scum in my eyes. If your son defeats three others, he will fight Lu Shu."

"My thanks, Empress. Lu Tian will not fail you. Boy, thank the empress," Lu Ce smiled as he gestured to the center of the plaza.

A large boy walked to the center of the plaza. He was also thirteen years old but stood six feet tall. It was evident that the boy was blessed with a powerful physique. Most people who gazed upon the boy wearing a full set of silver armor could not believe he was truly thirteen. Lu Ce smiled as if he had already won. His sister, Lu Fei, smiled as she sent her daughter to the center of the plaza as well. Her name was Lu Qing. She was fourteen years old and already a beautiful young woman.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lu Yi asked as he saw his nephew and niece bow but not fight.

"My apologies, brother. I also wish my daughter to face Lu Shu. Worry not, how about we have them face ten representatives of the sub-branch?" Lu Fei bowed.

"So be it. In the end, you will learn that your children are nothing. Proceed," Lu Yi spat.

Ten members of the sub-branch stood up and bowed to the emperor before facing Lu Tian and Lu Qing. Lu Tian drew a katana with a blade four feet long. Seeing such a tall boy tower above the others with his large blade, many people felt sorry for the five who surrounded him. Then they saw Lu Qing draw two short swords as she faced the other five.

Lu Tian roared as he slashed with his katana. Two of the boys spat blood as they failed to block his horizontal slash. They were sent flying toward the guests but slammed into a barrier instead. They fell to the ground and did not get up. Lu Tian laughed as fire crackled from his body. It wrapped around his katana, and he slashed at the three remaining fighters. They screamed as they could not block or dodge in time. The crowd averted their gaze as the three ran, crazed, in all directions until the fire killed them.

Lu Qing had also easily achieved victory. While her cousin overpowered his opponents, she moved too fast for them to follow. Wind seemed to gather at her feet, and she moved so fast it was as if the five opponents were moving in slow motion. She knocked the blades from their hands and smashed the side of her swords into the back of their necks. They were knocked unconscious before they could land a single blow.

"I am Lu Tian, a genius among geniuses. I am a third-stage Spirit Shaman. Come, Lu Shu. Let me test your might!" Lu Tian laughed as he turned to gaze at Shu. "Cousin Qing, permit me to go first."

"As you wish, Tian," Qing nodded after looking at her mother.

"Oh? It's over?" Shu asked as he lazily looked away from his plate and at the stage. "Two heavily wounded, three dead, and five unconscious. You really went all out. I'll just fight you both. I'm still hungry."

"Lu Shu!" his mother yelled as she feared for her son.

"Why worry, Mother? I am at the fourth stage," Shu said, shocking Lu Ce and Lu Fei tremendously.

"What?" Lu Fei gasped.

"Impossible! How can you be at the fourth stage?" Lu Ce yelled.

"You call me a liar, uncle? There is no point to lying here," Shu said and turned into wisps of shadow.

In a flash, they saw him appear in the middle of the plaza, gazing at his cousins. A trail of shadows was left behind from where he started. He opened his arms and let out his spirit force. It blasted away his cousins, forcing them to their knees as they almost hit the barriers in front of the guests. Lu Shu sighed and drew his katana, Arctic Emperor. He brandished the blade, and wisps of baleful aura appeared. His demeanor seemed tyrannical as the baleful aura spread fear, paralyzing Lu Tian and Lu Qing. They struggled to regain their composure from the fear emitted by the aura.

"You called me out. Why do you stand still? You wanted to humiliate me, no?" Shu smirked. "Come, and show me your might. There are others who wish to fight, and I wish to see them and exchange pointers."

This made all the delegates and ambassadors uneasy. They had also brought Practitioners at the fourth stage, seeking to overpower the second prince and show their might. However, they did not expect the prince to also be at the fourth stage. Some did not mind as they were confident with their own pupils. Lu Qing and Lu Tian stood side by side as they stared at Lu Shu. They had felt jealousy and envy from their parents as they were often told to become strong to defeat Lu Shu since three years ago. He was all they talked about, and they were not praised, despite their accomplishments.

"I'll strike from the left while you strike from the right," Qing said.

"Right. I'll distract him," Lu Tian nodded as they no longer underestimated Lu Shu.

Lu Tian roared and ran toward Lu Shu. He swung his katana high and slashed it downward. Lu Shu relaxed his left hand on the katana and suddenly blurred as he appeared at Lu Tian's right in a flash of darkness and stabbed at him. Lu Qing appeared in front of the blow and crossed her swords as she tried to block it. Lu Shu's strength was too tyrannical to block, and she was sent flying and crashed into Lu Tian instead. Lu Qing quickly stood up and disappeared as wind covered her body. Lu Tian bellowed as he stood up and wrapped his katana with fire.

Lu Qing appeared behind him and became a bullet of wind as she attempted to slash him with her swords. Lu Tian also used the same move he used to kill the three opponents from earlier and sent out a wave of fire at Lu Shu. Lu Shu spun in a circle and made a horizontal slash, sending a whirlpool of moon blades made of water spiraling from his position. The wave of fire was extinguished as the water blades cut it several times, and Lu Qing was blown away as if she had been hit by a truck. She moved incredibly fast, but the power of his technique was as if she had ridden a bike into a moving truck.

"No," Lu Fei gasped as she saw her daughter slam into the barrier above the guests.

Lu Qing spat blood on impact and fell to the ground. The royal guards looked at her and told the guests that Lu Qing was just unconscious. Lu Fei was relieved while Lu Ce fumed. How could both his children be defeated by Lu Yi's sons? Why was his brother blessed with genius sons above his own children? Why? Why? Those thoughts echoed in his mind as he saw Lu Tian pale when his fire wave was easily extinguished. After all, how could his fire technique defeat a living water spirit technique, the one called Radiant Howl?

"Do you surrender?" Lu Shu asked.

"Never!" Lu Tian roared and slashed at Lu Shu.

The plaza rang as metal clashed with metal. Lu Tian desperately tried to hit Lu Shu with every blade technique he knew, but they were all deflected by a flick of Shu's katana. Lu Tian tried punching him with his fist covered in fire. Lu Shu merely blocked it by letting the fist hit his palm, which was covered with water. Lu Tian was at the third stage. Even if he was incredibly gifted among other third-stage Spirit Shamans, Lu Shu was also stronger than most people at his own stage. Lu Shu did not strike Lu Tian down and merely moved out of the way or deflected the katana instead of dodging and blocking. In the end, Lu Tian's stamina ran out, and a single palm to his chest knocked him out.

"Thank you for the lesson," Agemo bowed and sheathed Arctic Emperor.

"HAHAHA! What a show. I'd like to challenge Prince Lu Shu," a boy grinned as he stepped forward when the barrier was withdrawn to take away the cousins.

"And who are you?" the emperor roared. "You wish to challenge my son without addressing me first?"

"Ah," the boy paled as the emperor released the spirit force of a Spirit Sage. Clearly, the emperor had reached the end of his temper control.

"My apologies, Imperial Majesty. I am a delegate from Xu City. I have come on behalf of my father, the city lord. I am Liu Mang, son of Liu Bang," the boy bowed as cold sweat ran down his spine.

"Hmph. Proceed," the emperor said as he dissipated his spirit force, the crowd unexpectedly releasing their breath as they realized they had been holding their breath in shock of his power.