Chapter 21: Auction House Part 1

"Congratulations to all who have passed," Julio announced with a smile as the trail ended after another half hour.

"Seven hundred of you have successfully cleared the second trial. There are guest rooms in the northern complex behind the stadium where you will stay with your guardians. You have one day's reprieve to rest and recover the spirit energy you lost during the trials," Julio said, gesturing to the north. "From the third trial onward, you will participate alongside the one thousand mages who have passed out of the five thousand who initially started. How fun."

"I'll be straightforward. The fourth trial will take place in the royal family's personal hunting grounds. It will be a contest for obtaining demonic cores," Julio said with a grin.

"The fourth trial? What is the third trial?" someone asked, prompting Julio to laugh again.

"Uncle?" Juliet interjected, causing him to chuckle once more.

"Oh, come now, princess. Don’t make me spoil the fun," Julio smirked. "Your day of reprieve is the third trial. You see, the fourth trial is very dangerous. Your third trial will be... HAHAHAHA! It will be... HAHAHAHAHA! Reaching the second stage of Spirit Shaman cultivation. You see, of the seven hundred of you, about six hundred, give or take a few, are still at the first stage. I don’t like that. Not at all," Julio said darkly. "I made a bet with my dear sister. I will not allow the thirty-two spots that represent the Practitioners to be filled by someone who could easily be defeated by a mage. The mages will lose. They have to. She also set a ridiculous trial and ordered all mages to visit the various mage guilds today and tomorrow to pick a profession or specialization. I will not lose! If you are already at the second stage, you truly have a day's reprieve and the rest of today. If not, don’t expect to participate in the trials at dawn the day after tomorrow! The second stage is the first and easiest bottleneck to surpass. I expect results and accept only results. Get out and get to it!"

As Agemo was about to leave, Julio called out, "You there, boy, wait a moment."

Agemo turned back and asked, "Did you need something, Spirit Master?"

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"Of course I do, Shu of the Lu Clan and the imperial family of the Yan Empire," Julio said with a mischievous smile as Agemo instinctively reached for his sword. "Yes, I know who you are. I visited your father's halls once and have seen Meng Ce before. Most of all, I recognize that ring. I have been alive for over three hundred years, and I remember your twice-great-grandfather used to wear that same ring. He saved my life once. Worry not, for I will not reveal your identity here. Our nations have close ties, after all, and we both have more Spirit Knights and Masters under our command than any other nation, even the top ten nations of the entire world."

"May I ask what you want of me?" Agemo inquired.

"Your ancestor once helped me, so I can return the favor. Do not blindly cultivate to the third stage. Meng Ce should also be aware of this. There is more than one type of Archon body. The boy you defeated in the first trial is of the norm among third-stage Practitioners. Just a hint. Meng Ce should tell you more," Julio advised. "You should also know that what you have in the depths of your soul lake is a spirit reactor. How you formed it is unknown to me. Do not cultivate and make a breakthrough in front of others. It allows them to temporarily see a glimpse of your soul lake as I did when you transformed before the first trial."

"That demonic core and wings are a spirit reactor?" Agemo asked.

"Yes. Many ancient clans create their lineage's spirit reactors. It always requires a rare demonic core about a foot long. It does not come from a magical beast or a demon. Its origins are unknown. Only someone from the ancient Practitioner families would know," Julio explained. "You have dual spirits, which means you must have used a death ritual to obtain it or suffered a state of death or something close to it. You’re not bad, kid. You have a small chance, but a chance still, to oppose one of the ancient clans. They are far more talented than any human on the planet. Some are even born as Archons, Spirit Shamans of the third stage. Never cross one. Never cross one. I cannot stress that enough."

"As for the spirit reactor, it is what is causing your soul lake to expand and brim with power. Remember to form a true Archon body in the future. Maybe, just maybe, you have the chance to reach the tenth stage of Spirit Shaman and go down the Archon Fiend path instead of the Spirit Sage path. It is the only way to save your life if the ancient clans find out you have a spirit reactor. They dislike anyone who has the same potential as their own. They like being on top," Julio chuckled. "I’ve said what I needed to say. Whether you choose to heed my words or not is up to you. Enjoy the reprieve and remember: never trust a mage. They aren’t like us. Magic is... flexible and has a scope beyond reasoning."

"Thank you for your advice," Agemo said, bowing his head before leaving to find Meng Ce.

"Agemo, you’ve arrived. Nice work in the maze," Meng Ce said with a laugh after Agemo found him about half an hour later. "I’ve already secured the room. No one will be able to hear or sense anything inside. Let’s just say, I have many interesting magical items thanks to our voyage in the vault."

"What is a true Archon body?" Agemo asked.

"Hmm? You know about that already?" Meng Ce frowned. "I didn’t expect to tell you until you were ready. You see, once you reach the bottleneck, your body is restructured and changed into an immortal body. A true Archon body has about seventeen different variations. All seventeen methods are available to the public, but thirteen of them require a spirit reactor. Ancient Practitioner clans safeguard their methods for producing a spirit reactor. They are the main reason the Hyperion lose against humanity and are kept in the east. In return, the ancient clans require that anyone who forms a spirit reactor, within the agreed empires, marry within their clans. They are truly the world’s leading power and continue to monopolize it. Our empire is not affiliated with them as we are not near Hyperion territory. The Great Ancestor, as well as the fourteen other Spirit Sage ancestors, don’t need spirit reactors as their demonic blood is of the highest purity. Human methods don’t apply to them. Your blood has a high purity level, but not on the same scale as theirs. Too many generations have passed. It’s a miracle your Spirit Pulse is demonic red at all."

"I have a spirit reactor," Agemo revealed, stunning Meng Ce. "I didn’t know it, but Julio, the Spirit Master, saw my soul lake as I made a breakthrough in my cultivation. He talked about our clan and mentioned meeting you."

"I didn’t think he would remember so much about the Lu Clan," Meng Ce said. "You’re lucky it was one of our allies who glimpsed your soul lake. In the future, never cultivate so openly. As you have a spirit reactor, I’ll hand you the thirteen methods. Keep them in your storage bag and review them upon reaching the peak. There is a chance you can walk the Archon Fiend path. Tell me, how far has your second spirit progressed?"

"It hasn’t formed an outline yet and remains a bright red sun," Agemo answered, not surprised that Meng Ce knew about his two spirits.

"A sun. Then it must be an armor spirit," Meng Ce said. "However, I doubt you can use all the elements. Why? Because you have a beast spirit. Most likely, it is a non-elemental spirit. You noticed no changes in your soul lake, right? The lake represents water if waves form upon it. In your case, it is true. Lightning and the bottom of your soul lake are dark. This also proves the existence of the elements of lightning and darkness. A non-elemental spirit, so it must be."

"Is that bad?" Agemo asked.

"No. Actually, it is quite common for the second spirit to be non-elemental because it is made from death energy. It’s a shame it is not the tiger spirit that is the second spirit, but sometimes it is better to learn less to master more," Meng Ce shrugged. "As your guardian, I was informed about the third and fourth trials. It’s good you are already at the middle of the second stage. You can truly rest and prepare for the fourth trial. Since you have a day off, I suggest going to the auction house tomorrow to sell the stuff you don’t need and browse their wares. There are always vendors outside the main auditorium who sell their wares and buy lesser items outright. Don’t bother cultivating here."

"I can understand the auction house, but why can’t I cultivate?" Agemo asked.

"Heh, brat. Don’t tell me you don’t realize it? Almost all of the Practitioners are still at the first stage. What do you think that means? They are bound to cultivate here. This place is not thick with spirit energy. They will suck it all up and expand to more areas to cultivate spirit energy while the area recovers. I expect

many will fail unless they eat a demonic core or spirit pill," Meng Ce sighed. "Sort your loot and head to the auction house tomorrow. Don’t worry. The only places that allow fighting are on sanctioned ground, such as the stadium and the clearing. No one will harm you here, even if you killed their whole clan outside the city and carried their skulls in a cart pulled by a donkey. Trust me, I’ve seen it before. The survivor was livid, but he didn’t dare risk the punishment of a whole city guard comprised of Spirit Knights. I have errands to run. Good luck, Agemo."

"So you're a spirit reactor, huh?" Agemo mused as he stared at the giant demonic core in his soul lake. "It appears that the wings were somehow the catalyst. According to what I heard, there are usually methods to make a spirit reactor, but they require this giant demonic core. The wings must have had a similar effect as those methods. I thought I was already powerful for my age, but it seems there are others more gifted. This world is truly dangerous. I wonder how powerful those members of the ancient clans are?"

Agemo sighed and began sorting his loot from his storage bag. After he finished sorting what he would sell, he drank some lion wine to recover the spirit energy he had lost during cultivation, allowing the spirit energy from the lion wine to flow throughout his body. He sighed with relief as he brooded over what happened today. The tournament had been a good experience. He was able to fight other people and observe their fighting styles.

Then he glanced over the titles of the thirteen books he received from Meng Ce. Each contained one of the various methods to attain a true Archon body. To his annoyance, the first page of each book had a warning that only the ancient clans could master the methods. It seemed only they were allowed to cultivate down the fabled Archon Fiend path. Each book provided a similar description of the Spirit Fiend Path.

Normally, there are only nine stages of Spirit Shaman cultivation, with Spirit Knight, Master, and Sage also having nine stages. The spirit reactor allows for the creation of a true Archon body. With it, one can attain the tenth stage of Spirit Shaman. From then on, there are four more tiers, instead of three. However, those tiers don’t have nine stages. They just have the regular three states: beginning, middle, and peak. Advancing through each tier is incredibly more difficult than the orthodox Spirit Sage path.

**First Tier: Spirit Shaman**

Ten cultivation stages. Requires a spirit reactor to form within one's Mystic Stone. Requires a true Archon body to reach the tenth stage. Most people who attain a true Archon body are members of the nine ancient clans.

**Second Tier: Archon Phoenix**

First tier of the deviant Archon Fiend Path. Able to become one with the spirit.

**Third Tier: Archon Dragon**

Forms a Death God's domain within the Mystic Stone. To create a Death God's domain, one must absorb death energy from thousands of life forms. After absorbing so many, one can radiate killing intent like a weapon and paralyze others with fear. The Practitioner can also let their spirit force radiate from their body, using it as a gravitational force without expending any spirit energy. You could literally force others to kneel on the ground and make them call you a god. The stronger the foe, the less effective it becomes.

**Fourth Tier: Fiend Adept**

Now able to cultivate the spirit energy of the stars.

**Fifth Tier: Fiend Immortal**

Final tier of cultivation allowed in the Mortal Realm. One can choose between going to the Immortal Realms to continue cultivation or halt progress and remain in the Mortal Realm.