Chapter 22 - Imperial Guard Training (1)

"I know he was the one who did it! He admitted it to me himself!" Mei vented to Lin.

"Whoa! Calm down. We both know little brother is devious, even twisted, but he is not evil," Lin shook his head. "Grandma and Grandpa confirmed it wasn't him two days ago, right? If they, practitioners of the fourth level, said so, it must be true. Yang is just an initial Elemental Adept. How could he deceive Grandpa and Grandma? I don't believe you."

"He needs to be punished!" Mei insisted.

"What about the dozens—no, hundreds—of people you killed over the past two years? Let's assume he did admit it. Could he carry out killings on such a scale in a single night? Impossible. You're letting your inferiority complex take over and influence irrational thoughts in your mind," Lin sighed. "Look, you are way faster than me, but how do I always beat you? Sure, you are at late Spirit Forming while I am at the peak. So? People cultivate for years, but they are weaker than others, right? It’s about how we understand the spirit techniques we know and how we apply them in combat."

"What happened to my little brother, and how did he become a sage?" Mei asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Truthfully, Yang bro told me," Lin laughed. "Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes and ask my opponents how I lost. You don’t, because you have too much pride. Little brother is right; you are the eldest but the most immature and childish."

"If only father thought that way, he'd get off my back," a voice said, revealing a black-haired boy with streaks of jade hair arriving behind them. "They're calling for us."

"Right," Lin said, rushing out to the patriarch's house.

"Is what he said true?" Mei asked, looking at Yang. "Is it my pride?"

"Pride is good, but it can lead to arrogance. Being humble is good, but too much leads to cowardice. You have too much pride, and it blinds you as it turns into arrogance. We've been telling you that for so long. Why do you consider it now?" Yang asked, mildly curious. "What you have inside you brings me much envy. You have power, but it is wasted on you. Your cultivation should be faster; you should be stronger. It is time you saw reason. If I were ever in your position, I would spit on myself in disgust."

"You don't know what it's like to be weak!" she shouted.

"Weak? WEAK! You know NOTHING of weakness! Have you ever seen someone you love die, powerless to even damage the shit the enemy crapped out? Have you ever seen everyone you know and love die and felt the pain of being the lone survivor? Weak? Say that again, and I will kill you instead of that fucking eyeball in your Spirit Realm!" Yang roared, grabbing her throat and choking her in rage. "I am weak. My current state is weak. I know what terror feels like. I know what it feels like to run away from your enemies in humiliation. I know what it is like to be scorned and mocked for being weak. I've been stepped on, pissed on, bitten, clawed, and smashed into the ground without mercy! You know nothing of the pain of the weak. Nothing."

Yang threw her, augmenting his strength, and she crashed through the wall and into the backyard of the patriarch's house. Lucky for her, she was not in the area where Yang built his home, surrounded by poisonous herbs. Yang spat in disgust, angry at how blind humans were. They ruled the land, destroying it to build their empires. They thought they were weak? Humans were always near the top of the food chain, viewing most magical beasts as resources for alchemy and cultivation. The bodies of magical beasts were even mutilated and violated to make magical weapons, armors, and items.

"Mei'er, what happened to your neck and robes?" Ji Ting asked as Mei and Yang entered the house.

"She tripped," Yang answered, causing Guo Feng to spit tea from his mouth.

"Bullshit," his grandparents and Guo Feng thought.

"Why'd you summon us, Grandpa?" Lin asked.

"Besides the identities of a boy and girl ranked seventh and eighth, you three are in the top five. Lu Jing, Shen Dong, and Shen Hua already started their training. Yang'er, it seems they train to defeat you in particular," Guo Jing said with a smile.

"I don't remember exactly how I beat that prince. Everything just darkened when that fucking bird showed up," Yang said, smiling innocently.

"More like all hell broke loose," Guo Feng muttered.

"The point is, you triplets will be training under that retired imperial guard captain. Yang'er, you won the tournament and ranked in the top three. You will also receive your award," Guo Li said.

"I got a spear, I got my techniques, and I got money. What kind of award would make my human heart go aflutter?" Yang exaggerated, throwing his arms up, both palms on his face with his mouth open in shock. "I feel so... excited."

"You don’t have many magical items," Ji Ting noted.

"Ah, you really don’t know?" Guo Yang giggled. "Here's a riddle for you: A long time ago, there was a giant snake strong enough to shatter the world. It mysteriously died, but its body fused with its soul. It entered the fabled reincarnation cycle. People tried to find it but only discovered barren lands where it once lived. The snake became myth and was forgotten by time. However, even the snake could not access its worldly possessions when it was reborn. Where oh where did its belongings and soul go?"

"A snake?" Lin frowned and laughed. "Ah, you made a joke. Wow. Never thought you’d be the type to joke."

"It is a nice joke, isn't it?" Yang laughed while stressing the fifth word. "Only a snake expert would get it, and he might just cough blood in shock."

Guo Feng, Ji Ting, and Guo Li looked at Guo Jing. Guo Jing cleared his throat and began to think. Red Shadow, which lay down to the side of the room, knew the answer immediately and looked at Guo Yang with shock. Yang noticed and put a finger to his mouth to silence the snake.

"Just stop. Let's talk about school again," Mei said, her brain hurting as she could not figure it out.

"Yes, let’s not think about it for now," Ji Ting agreed. "You three will undergo extensive training. The results in the national tournament will help you and Yang get recommended to the best academies or sects."

"I will train vigorously and get first place," Mei declared, clenching her fists. "There are other people besides Yang and Lin. No one can beat my brothers but me."

"At least she improved," Lin whispered to Yang.

"Meh, it's acceptable. If she thought more like a beast and less like a human, she would be better able to utilize her speed-oriented battle style, as most humans prefer power," Yang shrugged.

"All of you go to the academy now. You will be spending the next two and a half months there training," Guo Jing ordered.

"For the national tournament?" Yang asked.