Chapter 72: Birth of Rivals Part 1

"It's about time you showed up," Lu Mei whispered as Lu Shu appeared, walking behind her and his parents to get to his seat.

"Silence. You know not what happened," Lu Rong snapped as the delegates continued to arrive, many of them staring at a figure they seldom saw. Many of them had heard that the second prince was quite a powerful Practitioner and a true Archon. Seeing him now, he did not match the descriptions. The delegates, who saw him in the morning, were shocked as he seemed entirely different. They could tell he was at the ninth stage, his true power hidden by his headband, but something must have happened for him to look so different.

"Ooh! Kitty!" Lu Kui shouted and Shu hesitantly passed Hao over to her. "Kitty looks like a statue. So cool."

"Shush. Behave, Little Kui," Lu Mei whispered as she pat her excited sister's head as Kui bounced up and down her mother's lap with Hao in her arms.

"Father, the thief who stole one of the three stolen living spirit techniques is here," Shu whispered as he nudged his head at one of the delegates seating to their right. It was a pale youth with golden blonde hair and bright red eyes.

"Must be a descendant. Took quite a lot of generations for someone to bind the technique successfully," Lu Yi said, snapping his fingers. A member of the royal guard, wearing bright gold armor at the Spirit Master tier bent his head low as he stood behind the emperor.

"Prepare the others. My son is going to kill that thief. Make sure that, when the time comes, no one interferes," Lu Yi whispered.

"Yes, Imperial Majesty. Your will be done," the knight said and vanished.

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"Wait for the opportune moment," Lu Yi said.

"Yes, father. If my living spirit technique resonated with him. He should know that we know. Look, he's looking at us," Shu grinned as the pale youth pales even more as the emperor and Lu Shu stared at him. He tried to get up but fifteen Spirit Masters appeared around him, causing some of the weaker delegates to cry out in shock.

"You will remain there, thief! Any who help you will die," Lu Yi growled, the entire plaza, once buzzing with excited guests and scheming delegates, became quiet.

"I am no thief!" the youth cried, standing up only to be slammed down on his chair by one of the royal guards.

"You and I both know you're wrong," Shu smiled, his killing intent manifesting into a visible, baleful aura of violet. Many powerful mages and Practitioners turned their head to him, knowing full well how many people one needed to kill to manifest killing intent.

"You dare question my honor! I challenge you to a duel!" the youth cried.

"A Spirit Knight of the first stage wants to challenge a Spirit Shaman of the ninth stage? You are even seven years older than he is," one of the delegates sneered. "It's a difference between tiers. Like Heaven and Earth. How pathetic."

"Alright," Shu said, shocking many people. "I'll play your game. What happens if you win?"

"Your empire must give my empire fifteen million gold!" the youth shouted, causing many others to roar in protest.

"And if I win?" Shu smirked. "I get your head. No questions asked. No political dispute made afterwards. Do we have a deal?"

"Hmph. We have a deal! Come! Let me show you the power of a Spirit Knight! You may be young for a Practitioner of the ninth stage, but I am far beyond your equal!" the youth mocked.

"What element is it? Fire? Lightning? Wind?" Shu asked, as he had the water living spirit technique while the ascended ancestor had the earth element.

"Of course, I am the lord of lightning!" the youth cried, lightning crackling around him, shaping into several serpents. People cried out as they believed the serpents were actually living creatures. Such power. Such control. The youth didn't even seem to expend any effort.

Shu walked toward the center of the plaza, all the people seating at the tables surrounding it, eager to see the power of the second prince. Lu Tian and Lu Qing looked at each other, reminiscing how they reacted as foolishly as the youth did. As the youth brought out a two-handed war hammer, Shu yawned as he motioned the youth to begin.

"You're not taking out your weapon?" the youth growled.

"No need. I don't see the point. You're not worthy," Shu scoffed.

"This bastard!" the youth yelled. "I, Gatral will cut off your head instead!"

The youth ran, raising his hammer and slamming it toward Shu. Shu merely placed his palm at the path of the war hammer and let it hit his palm. Everyone watched the gold robe incinerate, revealing his black armor. However, Shu's hand remained unharmed. Everyone's eyes widened as Shu seemed to suffer no damage. The youth twisted his body, doing a rising bash with his hammer at Shu's chest. Shu's other hand stopped the hammer again.

"What the fuck! It can't be! My lightning can kill Spirit Shamans like trash! Like vermin!" the youth cried as he rained a storm of lightning serpents at Shu with a wave of his hand as he jumped back. Shu held his arms out, like a boy leaning over the rails of a ship at sea to feel the breeze. Everyone watched, awed and terrified as Shu was not damaged at all. Shu smirked and used his Great Spirit Integration technique to make a sound wave, blasting the youth back. Gatral spat a mouthful of blood as he crashed against the ground twice.

"Immunity to lightning?" one of the powerful delegates brooded.

"It has to be. Damn. How did he achieve that? Resistance is one thing, but immunity?" another murmured.

"Wait, isn't that Miura Agemo?" a boy the same age as Shu frowned. It was Li Jiro, the mage from Sky Angel Academy who found the bead Shu hid in the root wall. "He's really Lu Shu, the second prince of the Yan Dynasty?"

"He's that Agemo you saw kill a humanoid Hyperion?" a man who seemed to be his uncle asked. "The rest of our ancient clans heard about him before. He's a true Archon, like your father. You're not a Practitioner so you were exiled from the clan, living with your mother and father. Luckily, I found you at Sky Angel Academy while picking up my son."

"Mages are everything to the ancient clans. They don't care to protect a mage child from a slaughter from the Hyperion," Jiro waved, not blaming his uncle as he tried to find Jiro before.

"That's Jiro, the mage novice I met a while back. He's wearing the bead necklace I hid?" Shu observed, not even looking at Gatral who kept throwing spears of lighting at him as Shu made sure his bead necklace was not showing out of his armor. "So I was right. Someone would find the bead and not the Hyperion. Now I know who has the other one. I wonder if the Hyperion know they're missing two?"

"Look at me when you fight me!" Gatral cried, despair creeping in his heart. "Look at me! Don't ignore me!"

"You only have one element?" Shu sighed. "How disappointing."