Chapter 48 - The Shao Clan Part 1

Three days later, the academy was buzzing with news as all the students had returned from cultivation. Many students gathered as the top ten beauties had arrived. Many students gathered in the cafeteria, anxious to see the beauties return. One of the ten beauties was a guy. He was so perfect, to the girls, they turned the Nine Beauties of Black Lotus to Ten Beauties of Black Lotus. If there was a flower boy king, he was it. Even the female professors made some questionable behaviors when he passed them by.

"They're coming," Joey grinned as he rubbed his hands with excitement. "We've been hearing abut them for so long. Now they're here."

"Boys," Mary sighed. "However, I am curious to meet the flower boy."

"I just hope he's not like Weiss," Max said, shivering. "What happened to the guy anyway?"

"His faction broke up. Also, I heard rumors that he spends most of his time trembling in his room. It's next door to Shu's old room as Shu transferred to a more luxurious dorm. The sixth and seventh stage student dorms are heaven," Bella sighed.

"Yeah, but we don't spend much time in our rooms. It's our magical beasts who enjoy the luxury," Hinako commented, already fast friends with Bella and the others.

"I heard one of the ten beauties is an earth mage," Geo said. "I hope I get to see how she uses her magic."

"Almost all of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus are the top thirty students of the academy. Beautiful and powerful. The world is truly unfair. However, most of them don't have battle experience," Hinako said. "Like most students: we are all too busy cultivating and practicing without experiencing life-or-death situations. However, one of them has. She even got accepted into the academy a year early, at age twelve. She is one of the three members of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus who are members of the ancient clans, like me."

"WHAT!" everyone, but Shu shouted, sitting down sheepishly as the cafeteria glared at them.

"You're not surprised?" Hinako asked Shu.

"I had my suspicions when you said your clan had someone who could regenerate a whole arm for someone. Mages can heal wounds and reattach arms, but most have to be an Arch Mage. If a Practitioner is healing, it would have to be someone at the Spirit Master stage," Shu nodded. "So the Sano clan is one of the nine. What clans are the other three from?"

"Allow me," Joey said as he pulled out ten cards, each of them with information on the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus.

"The hell? Where'd you get those? I thought they ran out," Daniel asked, catching the stares of everyone at the table. "What? They're hot. Can't a guy admire a girl from a distance?"

"Okay. They're names are Kristy Ngo, Isabella Rivers, Elizabeth Hong, Hannah Moon, Allison Taylor, and Crystal Cruise. They're the top six beauties, from the top down. Rank 10: Melissa Woods is the last person and I skipped, to her, because ranks 7 to 9 are all members of the ancient clans," Joey said.

"It even has that knowledge?" Jiyeon asked. "How many perverts stalked them to find out that information?"

"I dunno. They must be rich," Joey shrugged. "I only care about the weakest one: Hannah Moon. She is at the fifth stage and a third year. She's cute."

Jiyeon narrowed her eyes while Bella asked, "Hinako, who are the members of the ancient clans? Are they all from different clans?"

"One of them is my cousin. The other two are from separate clans. The ninth rank beauty is my cousin, Hailey Sano. She and I are not direct descendants of the head of our clan. Thus, we are allowed to study outside the clan. We have true Archon bodies though. All of us must if we are to defend ourselves from several jealous clans. We're not as talented. Members of the main branch will already pass already the tenth stage of Spirit Shaman before they turn twenty. Just like the rest of us, I don't think we can be Spirit Knights, Archon Phoenix in my case, before we're twenty," Hinako smiled sadly as she laid back on her chair. "All the resources are focused on the main members of the clan. Then again, they are the future of the clan and many members of the main branch are constantly at each other's throat for the head position of the clan. Most die young, either assassinated or poisoned in public."

"What are their names?" Shu asked.

"From the seventh rank down, they are Ivy Shao, Miguel Drakon, and Hailey Sano," Hinako answered.

"Ivy Shao?" Shu repeated, his eyes widening as he remembered seeing her back in the Yan Empire.

"Shu!" a girl's voice cried as the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus walked in. Four of the ten wore white jackets while the other six wore crimson jackets.

"It is you," Shu laughed as he stood up, seeing Ivy walk to him.

"Hmm? You look different," Ivy gasped, looking him over. "I knew you would come here. I thought you would have applied early."

"You're a member of the ancient clans. No wonder," Shu sighed as he shook his head with disbelief. Ivy Shao had also changed. She had straight, purple black hair that curled as it reached her shoulders. She had bright green eyes and already had a figure of envy. He looked back and saw the top six were even more beautiful. So much so that it hurt his eyes.

"I heard you reached the sixth stage already. Nice. We can compete together in the competition. I'm at the peak of the sixth stage though," Ivy smiled.

"So this is the boy," a girl with light brown skin, long black hair, and soft hazel eyes smiled. A few boys even sighed with awe as they heard her voice. Her name was Isabella, the second ranked beauty and the strongest of the ten, already at the peak of the seventh stage. She was nineteen years old, the oldest of them all. Some of the adults looked at her. Some with lust,. Others with envy. After all, the school said you had fifty years to reach the eighth stage of Spirit Shaman to graduate. However, there was an unspoken rule that said you could not call yourself a graduate if you passed after the age of twenty. The faculty also pressured those older students to transfer. How could they not?

"You're Isabella Rivers!" Kei and Kai cried in unison.

"Hello," Isabella smiled.

"Yes. This is Shu of the Lu Clan. However, he seems to have changed," Ivy smiled.

"You're not going to insist I have a makeover, will you?" Shu asked, incredulous.

"You already had a cute makeover. I love those golden fox ears. Can I touch them?" Ivy asked as she peeked below his hood.

"Oooh! I want to too!" Mary and Jiyeon cried, Bella nodding as well.

"I am not cute!" Shu cried.

"Isabella? Oh, it's a God Eater," the only boy of the Ten Beauties of Black Lotus noted. "Hey there! Props for the jacket. The only good Hyperion is a dead one."

"This is my boyfriend, Miguel Drakon," Isabella smiled, causing many boys' hearts to break.

"Nice to meet you," Shu said as he and Miguel shook hands.

"I'm sorry about Lenard's actions. He is a direct grandson of the head, but not the son of the eldest and favorite son. I am, but I'm the fourth son," Miguel laughed. "I hope the dagger served you well."

"It has. Sorry if I offended you," Shu said as he showed the skull dagger.

"No worries. That spy really was just a servant. They are trained to sacrifice their lives to protect, and serve, from the shadows. As he died while discovered, he would have been executed for his failure. Because of you, he did not have to be humiliated in front of his family. Nor did he bring them shame as he died while on duty," Miguel assured Shu. "Anyway, we better head to the others, Isabella. Let Ivy sit with her friend."

"He is a dream," Mary sighed, watching Miguel go.

"He's taken sis," Max sighed.

"He's not," Bella said, pointing at Shu, who was otherwise engaged with a piece of magical beast meat and a staring contest with his tiger.

"Take it. Damn glutton," Shu scoffed and grinned as he watched Supaiku eat as he gazed at the others. "What? I thought we were eating? We made our introductions."

"Good luck," Hinako said, patting Ivy on her shoulder. "Later guys. I'm going to train until we depart."

Shu and Ivy began talking while the others were gathering their food. They talked about the strengths and weaknesses about the various magical beasts they encountered in the forest and mountains. Bella and Geo also talked with them, eager to learn more for when they would hunt there. The others would sneak glances at the remaining Ten Beauties of Black Lotus.

"So what is the grand prize?" Shu asked as he began eating dumplings.

"It is access to the Vault of Kings," Ivy answered. "Each year, the nine academies compete for permission to access the Vault of Kings. The greatest empire of the north, Jakkom, has owned the land of this entire continent since the earliest surviving record made by sentient life. Even the continent's name was changed countless millennia ago. Countless treasures exist in the imperial vault. Plus, the empire has five Spirit Sages, the largest number."

"If you only you knew," Shu thought as he thought about the fourteen Honorable Ancestors.

"The winning academy gets vast amounts of resources. Such as a billions of gold, magic tomes, Practitioner techniques, magical items, and magical beasts to serve and protect the academy. The winner of each competition gets to pick three items from the vault. Second place gets two while third place gets one. Also, the fabled Pantheon of Devils will come in a little less than ten years," Ivy said with awe and fear in her voice. "These next few years are imperative to increase your cultivation and obtain the treasures of the Pantheon of Devils. It is the utopia of all power and treasure in the Mortal Realm."

Shu's lightning blue eyes seemed to spark while he envisioned what he could gain while Joey asked, "Pantheon of Devils?"

"It is an ancient building within a separate dimension. The lone entrance and exit opens once every thousand years. It is said that a Demon God and Immortal God gamble on who would gain the treasures. The Magical Beast God is responsible for the creatures and obstacles within the Pantheon," Ivy answered. "For people like us, we can only go up to the thirteenth floor."