“Jingyu Taiyi, it’s been a while...”

Shin tried not to sound too listless, facing a potential heir to the current strongest clan in the Lantis Republic, but the tone of his voice naturally turned flat. It couldn’t be helped. Shin had been listening to Meijing Bingying’s ominous tales about the man she claimed to be the ‘Jester of the Lantis Republic.’ They were all stories about how Jingyu Taiyi had screwed Bingying over dozens of times due to his impish nature. Furthermore, the whole reason why Kanari and Shin were dragged down into the exhibition matches against the Luminaries was because of the mischievous manoeuvrings of the young man.

“Oh, you remember me?” The Luminary acted surprised while his body felt the toll of gravity, falling down onto the muddy plains. Then, he wore his most radiant smile and extended a handshake. “I’m honoured!”

“Haha, yeah...” Shin accepted that hand, albeit unwillingly.

Jingyu Taiyi was oblivious to the black-haired youth’s reluctance and continued his merry chat: “Shin! I can just call you Shin, right?”

“Be my guest.”

“Alright! Shin! So how are you? Are you comfortable with life on Longyu Reef yet?” The Luminary questioned, his arms holding on to his waist.

“It has been going well...” The youth tried his best to hide his lethargy, but no matter what he did, Shin’s face still contorted a little. It can’t be helped. The jester’s reputation precedes him after all. “By the way, Senior Jingyu… Why are you here?” Shin wanted to have nothing to do with Taiyi, but he couldn’t just chase the man away. At the very least, he had to figure out the Luminary’s objective for intruding on his home.

“Hmmm? You don’t know?” This time, it was the jester’s turn to be shocked. He licked his teeth before coming to a revelation. “Ah! Saint Longyu Tian must’ve wanted it to be a surprise! Haha, looks like I spoiled the fun!” It was blasphemy for one jester to mess up another jester’s tricks. Jingyu Taiyi was honestly devastated that he took the fun away from Longyu Tian’s pranks and rubbed his eyebrows in despondency.

“What do you mean?”

“The Saint told us that you wanted to train with some of the best in the Lantis Republic, so she asked us to come. Hu’er, Linji, Feifei, Ying’er and me! Ah, I shouldn’t have rushed here too quickly! I ruined her surprise for you!”

“What?!” Shin dropped the sickle in his hands and leapt forward into the bank. Those five names that Taiyi had mentioned were most likely the five top Luminaries in the Lantis Republic. Qilong Hu, Longyu Linji, Xunyu Feifei, Meijing Bingying and Jingyu Taiyi. Not only were they young cultivators that reached the Spirit Spectre realm with ease, but they all possessed overwhelming backgrounds to match their power.

Qilong Hu was part of the strongest family in the Qilong Clan. His grandparents were both Spirit Venerates and Elders of the clan. His father was a Rank 69 Spirit King while his mother was a Rank 72 Spirit Emperor and his siblings were all talented prodigies of their own right. In time, Qilong Hu was sure to succeed his grandparents as an Elder of the Qilong Clan, making his line perhaps to most prestigious of them all.

Xunyu Feifei also had a strong heritage, arguably the best one of them all. Her father was the Xunyu Clan Master, and her direct relatives all held influential positions in the Heavenly Sturgeon’s Clan. Compared to the rest of the Luminaries, Xunyu Feifei was a bonafide princess, loved by all.

Longyu Linji was a no brainer as well. Part of the main bloodline of the Longyu Clan as well as having an overachieving father, Linji was the Longyu Clan’s golden boy before Shin came into the picture.

The only Luminary that Shin was familiar with, Meijing Bingying, also had a dominant background as well. She was the heir apparent to the Meijing Clan, and her talent was considered to be the best in the entire republic. Reaching the Spirit Spectre realm at twenty-three-years-old, not many could accomplish what she did.

And finally, there was Jingyu Taiyi. His position was somewhat unique among the Luminaries because he was part of the Jingyu Clan, the de facto leader of the Eight Clans of Water. Not only did the Jingyu Clan have a living Spirit Saint protecting their borders, but they also had the most Spirit Venerates of them all, and the nominated Chancellor of the Lantis Republic was a member of their clan. The strongest Navy and the most advanced society, no one could question the hegemony of the Jingyu Clan. And Jingyu Taiyi was the frontrunner in the race of Clan Master. As much as the others in the Republic hated the mischievous deeds of the Taiyi, they had to grit their teeth and endure, in fear of offending the resident joker.

“Hehe, don’t fret! They’re not all here yet, I’d just rushed here to meet with the famed Prince of Water.” Jingyu Taiyi chortled. Then, his eyes twinkled as he remembered that Shin had been planting seeds and watering the backyard since he arrived. “Ah, but they’ll be here soon though. I hope that we didn’t interrupt your plans for the day.”

“No… I...” Shin turned back and saw Shizen with puckered lips. Shin did clear out his entire schedule to spend some time with his bosom friend, but it looks like his plans were going to be blown out of the water. Either way, Shizen understood that Shin had his responsibilities when he came to the Lantis Republic and consoled the man.

“It’s okay, I had a blast this morning.” Shizen gave his most radiant smile since coming to the Lantis Republic. “Also, giving me this project to plant a forest would aide in my cultivation and overall spiritual abilities. Finally, there’s something that I can do in this godforsaken place while you’re out and about.”

“Shizen...” Shin breathed out of his nose and tapped his friend by the shoulders. “When I’m free, I’ll come back and help you. After all...” He leaned close enough to the hobbit-like man and whispered. “I’ll need someone to consult in...” Among the sea of women that he was surrounded in, Shizen was perhaps the only glaring light that Shin had.

“Hahaha!!! Don’t worry! I’ll always be here if you need me!”

“Good!” Shin slapped the youth’s hand before finally returning to the mansion with Jingyu Taiyi in the lead.

“You two sure share a good relationship,” the jester said. “Is he your best friend from the Himmel Empire?”

Shin thought to himself for a bit, before sighing in response. “One of...” There was still one silver-haired youth, the only person that Shin could genuinely call his ‘buddy.’ Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to come with Shin, due to a variety of reasons. Still, Shin thought of him frequently.

‘Isadore… What are you doing now?’

❖❖❖

The Himmel Empire. The Imperial Palace. The Catacombs of the Ancestors.

The Imperial Palace of the Himmel Empire was many things. A home for the Emperor and the Imperial Family. A hall for the Imperial Courts to convene and discuss national affairs. The top research laboratory. The best healing facility in the entire land… The list was too long to count. However, there was one function of the Imperial Palace that hadn’t been changed since the days of the first Himmel Empire Emperor. It was the Holy Site of the ancestors from the Himmel Tribe of old.

Deep within the Palace, where the sun won’t reach, and the earth couldn’t see, there was a dark catacombs. Most members of the Imperial Family wouldn’t have the chance to visit this tomb in their entire life, and even the Emperor had to seek permission before he dared to step a single foot inside. But that restriction didn’t matter to Isadore.

The dazzling silver-haired man who resembled that of an elf of legend, walked down the spiralling stairwell, torch in hand. The pungent earthy aroma of the catacombs filled the young man’s lungs. Spider webs were the prominent decoration of the staircase. Though there were torches hung at every metre, the absence of natural light still made the archaic steps much creepier than it should have been. Still, Isadore walked down with confidence, utterly fearless of the dark. He had been down in the catacombs hundreds of times now. Even without the torches, Isadore was confident that he could find his way down.

And to go down, he did. In just two minutes, the young man reached the final level of the catacombs and also his destination for the day.

The chambers Isadore stood in was about thirty metres long and five metres high. A rather substantial room for a grave. The Himmel flag hung from all corners of the chambers, and dozens of well-carved statues spruced up the place, making it feel more ancient that it should have been. When he was younger, the young Imperial was tasked with cleaning all of those ancestral sculptures and had sent many an hour speaking to them since he didn’t have many friends. Still, the purpose of his visit wasn’t to reminisce on the past.

At the central end of the room, there was a giant Himmel Empire flag, or should one say, the original Himmel Tribe banner. It had been preserved in glass and was hung up high for all to see. Well, not that many people could come into the catacombs anyway. At the bottom of the original banner, there was an altar. There were some offerings placed onto it, and a stick of incense was slowly burning down. And to finish the package… An elderly man was kneeling right on the mat before the shrine.

“Master, I have arrived.” Isadore didn’t waste any time. He bowed down to the man with reverence in his eyes.

“Yes… I’d sensed you,” replied the man as he finished up his prayers. Boasting silver hair and green eyes, no one would doubt that the man was part of Isadore’s bloodline. The air changed when the man stood up. At least a hundred ninety centimetres tall, the elderly grandfather didn’t seem to have a single spine issue as he puffed up his broad chest. “Have you made your decision?”

Isadore shuffled his eyes up a little before reverting back to his bowed position. “Yes, I’m willing to proceed with the ritual.”

“Mmmnnn...” The old man muttered and turned around, allowing Isadore to catch a glimpse of his leathery face.

The man that Isadore called master, the man in the deepest parts of the catacombs. He was the sole being that held absolute authority in the Himmel Empire. If the Imperial Family and the Imperial Courts were at odds, just one sentence from this man was capable of silencing both of them. He may have renounced his control over mortal affairs, but no one doubted that he could be the hidden superpower that ran the Himmel Empire from the shadows.

Who was he?

Who other than the Imperial Ancestor…

The Himmel Empire had three Spirit Saints, one shy of the Lantis Republic’s and Kori Federation’s four. However, because of the existence of the Imperial Ancestor, no high executive from the other two superpowers would ever contemplate invading the Himmel Empire Why? Because the man was widely recognised to be the strongest Spirit Saint, ergo, the strongest human being on planet earth.

“Have you given up on your stupid dream?” The Imperial Ancestor inquired, his voice as dominant as can be. Regular humans, mainly descendants from the Imperial Family, would simply humour the man and agree to everything he said. After all, the Imperial Ancestor’s word was essentially law in the Himmel Empire. However, Isadore didn’t subscribe to that idea.

“No, I’ll still make the best information network the world has ever seen! That’s my oath I have made since I was just six!” Isadore shouted back.

“What a foolish dream...” The Imperial Ancestor scoffed. However, he didn’t bother to continue with a follow-up. Isadore and the Imperial Ancestor had this argument countless times, so much so that both of them didn’t bother to keep track. So the elderly man didn’t bother to retort his disciple anymore. What mattered the most to him, was that Isadore was willing to continue with the ritual and fulfil his destiny. “We’ll begin in fifteen minutes… Pray and prepare yourself...” With that, the Imperial Ancestor returned back to the altar and went back to his kneeling position.

Isadore didn’t want to argue, so he went next to the old man and knelt as well. Today was the day where his life would change forever. Those five years that he’d spent in Imperius Academy was heavenly, no doubt. He’d met with Shin, Shizen, Ella, Emma, Elrin and Kanari. They’d gone on an epic adventure. He’d experienced things that he would have never before… But in the end, his destiny as the Imperial Ancestor’s successor still caught up to him.

‘Shin… I’m sorry… I have been keeping too many secrets from you...’ In prayer, Isadore didn’t think of his ancestors or any one of those that came before him. All Isadore could think about was his bosom friend that accepted him for who he was and gave him countless precious memories.

‘When you return… I’ll tell you everything… I swear on it!!!’