Chapter 27 - Unwanted Guests (2)

"I read," Yang said simply. "I read a lot as a child. I didn't need to wastefully display my natural fighting prowess when I already knew I was strong. I also had a body weak to the cold before the Awakening Ritual. That is another reason to stay indoors with a brazier by my side to keep me warm."

"No wonder you looked down on us," Lu Jing said. "You already know so much."

"Humans are... a race of bursting vitality. You constantly advance in cultivation and civilization. You forget tradition as you explore the unknown. Me, I move at my own pace," Yang assessed. "What do you know of fire?"

"Fire destroys and burns," Jing answered.

"No. Fire also creates and melts. Fire melts metal, and certain seeds only sprout once the ground is razed by fire. Fire sustained humanity and allowed their civilizations to rise and survive the cold winters in higher numbers. Fire brings light in the darkness and is also fluid like water," Yang shook his head. "People say the planet is mostly water. However, that is only the surface. Beneath the earth lies fire. Lava and magma are fire and earth in harmony, turning into liquid. It is the blood of the world."

"But darkness eats away at the world, at me," Mei said.

"Fool. Darkness is also full of life. Certain animals thrive in darkness, afraid of the light as we are of darkness. Darkness is ever-present in light, evident by the shadows beneath us. Darkness is the most plentiful element, the whole galaxy wrapped in its cold embrace. The sun takes but a small part. Darkness also sustains us. Every time we close our eyes, we see only darkness. We do not see the flesh inside our eyelids, only darkness. With the absence of sight, other senses can also grow to levels above a normal person. Darkness is not only a curse but a blessing. Too many people associate it with evil because it is more convenient to do so, and many religions make it so. After all, most religions see the light element as holy in itself and not the dangers it also carries," Yang laughed. "There is no such thing as good or evil. You are conforming them to your own sense of morality and ethics. Do you think animals believe this way? Higher human intelligence makes us arrogant and assume it is so."

"He's right. You can't be afraid," Lin said, Mei silent as she absorbed the words.

Yang moved away from them and sat down, meditating. Changes appeared in his Spirit Realm. Blue lightning now crackled above the land, now a giant island with tiny rivers surrounded by a large body of water. The moon shone brilliantly, and the night sky was beautiful, with distant stars and streaks of blue lightning. The addition of the lightning attribute brought no chaos to his elements.

"The ideal fifth element would be fire, expanding land and mountains by creating a vast volcano," Yang said as he opened his eyes. "Cultivation will be slowed with an additional element attribute."

Yang rose to his feet, blue lightning crackling around his legs. He began to tilt his body to and fro until he became a blur. The blue lightning rose and crackled all over his body. Slowly, he started moving forward and backward with tiny steps. Suddenly, he stopped and then burst forward. Sand flew behind him as he moved throughout the training ground, shocking the other students. He was using a lightning element art so soon?

"Soaring Volt Dragon Art," Yang sighed. "That's a good name. Not only is my speed increased, but I can accumulate the speed into bursts of strength. Wrapped in lightning, my very touch paralyzes."

Yang decided to control his speed and test it by weaving through the line of dummies at the far side of the training grounds. He would run left or right, constantly changing his direction and speed. He stopped at one and began to practice accumulating the speed of his kicks into raw power. The ground crackled, and small sparks sizzled on the wood and steel dummy, which constantly repaired itself similar to self-regeneration.

"Now that is what Yang meant," Shen Dong said to Mei. "Slow down your body and increase the speed in a precise location, turning it into an unstoppable force. Your youngest brother is truly an enigma."

"I give up trying to beat him," Mei sighed. "I have to face the darkness and truly make it my own power."

"Mei," Lin said as he saw Mei return to her temporary dorm for the two and a half months.

"I'm returning to my dorm. Qing, come with me," Shen Hua said, and the usually silent Sima Qing followed her.

"Don't you two weaklings go anywhere," Guan Hai said as Sun Yi and Lu Jing also headed back. "You two spar against each other. Whoever loses will be in charge of sharpening the claws of my tiger."

"Crap!" Lu Jing cried and attacked Sun Yi immediately. The two began to fight a desperate battle as Lin and Shen Dong stared at Guo Yang.

"Your brother is not only strong but wise. Do you know why he hates birds?" Shen Dong asked.

"Dunno. My grandma suspected that they might have pooped on him when he was a child. Maybe he was jealous that they were free and could fly while he suffered and had to travel with the warmth of a brazier. I was too young to notice," Lin answered and saw Yang grin at the phoenix with a glint in his eyes. "Yang! Grandma said the next time you attack her phoenix, she'll have the Guo Clan sub-branch members let their avian magical beasts rest here."

"Tch," Yang said through gritted teeth and spat on the ground. He went over to his hydras and began sparring with them, dodging as their many heads tried to bite him.