Chapter 14 - The Dark & The Divine

Two years had passed since the imperial guards made their visit. Two years for the three triplets to train and prepare for their sect or academy days. Each one walked a different path from the others, and each became a star of their academy—both feared and respected. In those two years, each triplet earned a moniker before becoming third-year students.

Guo Mei was known as the Dark Queen. Ever since that fateful day, part of her personality had died. She became cold and extremely dangerous, wearing darkness like a mantle, with light twisting around her as if to avoid her. In sparring sessions, only Guo Lin and Guo Yang dared fight her, as she never held back. Her speed was terrifyingly fast, and even the Blue Heart String Phoenix struggled to match her. Having reached the late Spirit Forming Stage, she had secretly killed dozens of homeless people, draining their souls and blood to keep the crimson eye dormant. After a year of killing, she had forgotten how to smile. She had also mastered the Guo Clan's lightning element practitioner arts, making her combat prowess even more destructive and swift. No one else would spar with her after feeling the force of her lightning. Only Guo Yang knew the true power of her black lightning, as they sparred together at night, testing its true form.

Then there was Guo Lin, the second triplet, known as the Divine King. After a little over half a year, he had finally acquired his Yin Yang divine tattoo. His cultivation skyrocketed, surpassing his elder sister's, and he now stood at the peak of the Spirit Forming Stage. His mastery of the four elements had also reached new heights, allowing him to do what others could not: fuse elements. Even the imperial clan took note, elevating the status of the Guo Clan and sending an invitation for Guo Lin to attend the Royal Academy. In terms of raw power, he was the strongest of the triplets, always traveling with his manticore.

Finally, there was Guo Yang. One word described him: terrifying. He followed an extremely rare and dangerous path—poison cultivation. He controlled five snakes, all at the peak of the Spirit Forming Stage, and was the only triplet to reach the Element Adept Stage. The snakes guarded his room and poisonous herbs, obeying only his commands. His eyes retained their golden-sand color, but his hair now bore strands of jade, a testament to the amount of poison he had absorbed. His spirit energy had become toxic by nature.

A crescent moon had appeared on his forehead, made of spirit energy. This was the result of his Spirit Realm, his light resembling the moon's gentle pull on the ocean, rather than the sun's burning intensity. Known only to him, he had the unique ability to control gravity and create invisible moonlight mirrors, rendering himself invisible, much like a snake's camouflage.

His mastery over his three elements was nothing short of astonishing. He used element practitioner arts no one had ever seen, and no one could figure out where he learned them. Attempts to copy them resulted in inferior techniques. He also became the undisputed spear master at the Tang Arts School for Practitioners. No one could teach him further, and no one could defeat him in a match. To the public, he was known as the Spear Wraith due to his spear techniques and his earth attribute movement skill, the Snake Specter Art.

"Where are Guo Mei and Guo Yang?" Guo Feng asked as he appeared before his father, Guo Lin standing beside him, his muscular build and handsome face marking him out.

"Guo Mei left early this morning to kill more homeless. My wife is supervising her, making sure there are no witnesses. Guo Yang went out back after giving me this month's batch of poisonous herbs. He’s probably sleeping under the peach tree by the pond with his favorite snake, Red Death," Guo Jing answered.

Red Death was a red snake with orange, diamond-patterned scales along its sides, possessing affinities for fire and lightning. It was the smallest of the five snakes at just seven inches long, but it had tiny black wings on the sides of its head and could enlarge to its true size—twenty-two feet long and six feet thick. Surprisingly, its venom was more potent than the other four snakes'. It was called Red Death because it could breathe fire with an acidic effect, both burning and melting anything it touched. Its venom was even more toxic than its flames.

"He's sleeping in on the first day of his final year?" Guo Feng asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guo Yang is the most mysterious of his siblings. His poison cultivation method, his element practitioner arts, his spear techniques—no one knows how he learned them all," Guo Jing sighed. "It's only the first day. Why are you here with Guo Lin?"

"There have been developments over the past week," Guo Feng replied. "It seems the structure of the school has changed. Rumor has it that three of the emperor's clansmen will be attending. One is his favorite niece, another one of his sons with the Yin Yang divine tattoo, and the third, the fourth child to possess the tattoo, is attending under an alias. Many powerful clans have moved into the city, trying to enroll their children at the school."

"And how do my favorite grandchildren fit into this?" Guo Jing asked.

"It's said that the emperor's three and my three will be six of thirty children under a retired captain of the imperial guards! The number of students has increased—three hundred per year, with thirty per class. Most of the new students are transfers. This year, the Guo Clan must be more alert. Many will see Lin, Mei, and Yang as threats, while some clans will try to form ties with the imperial clan through love or marriage."

"Love?" Guo Yang said as he entered the room, Red Death coiled around his shoulder. "Love is meaningless without power. Someone will just take your love away if you’re weak."

"I hear the emperor’s nieces are pretty," Guo Lin said, his face turning red.

"Don't you get it? You're being set up to marry into the imperial clan. They aren’t confident you’ll accept the Royal Academy invitation next year," Guo Yang retorted, with Guo Jing nodding in agreement.

"In any event, Guo Mei will need to feed on the souls of the mice you breed for your snakes," Guo Feng said, to which Guo Yang only shrugged. Mice reproduced quickly, and a few dozen a month was no loss.

"There’s also going to be a tournament," Guo Feng continued. "The city governor wants to use it to win favor with the imperial clan. First-year students are banned due to their low cultivation, but be careful of the other third years. They have more experience and knowledge of practitioner arts. Guo Yang, this is a good opportunity for you. Representatives from various sects and academies will be watching. Guo Lin’s already accepted, so you and Guo Mei need to place as high as possible. If you face the emperor’s son or niece, try not to injure them—or concede."

"I refuse. If they’re weaker, they shouldn’t fight me. Forfeit? Never," Guo Yang said coldly.

"Alright, enough. Yang'er understands. You two should head out now. You’ll see Guo Mei there by the time you arrive," Guo Jing said as Guo Yang shrugged, donning his school jacket with the three-headed gold dragon crest and the number of his class, 3-B, above it.

"We’re off!" Guo Lin said, creating a giant sword of rock that he and Guo Yang rode to the school. His manticore, now sporting giant bat wings, flew behind them. They stayed in the air thanks to Guo Lin’s wind attribute.

"This year will be noisy," Guo Yang remarked as they approached a giant crowd before the academy gates. Transfers couldn’t enter until after the entrance ceremony—a new rule to prevent chaos as people tried to meet the imperial clansmen and uncover the identity of the emperor's second child.

The crowd stared as the two brothers arrived, parting as the guards roared at them. Some in the crowd cried out, recognizing the boy with the manticore as Guo Lin, known for his Yin Yang divine tattoo and mastery of four elemental attributes. They knew of his rare ability to fuse elements into powerful arts beyond the standard seven.

"The other must be the Spear Wraith," they murmured, recognizing Guo Yang. He was the sole supplier of poisonous herbs to the Tang City branch of the Alchemist Association and a feared poison cultivator. Most terrifyingly, no one had ever seen his full practitioner arts, and spies were always poisoned to death by Red Death, whose venom even the Alchemist Association couldn’t counter in time.