All the Azure Dragons uniformly bowed their heads. They were mostly Tier 8 and 9 Spirit Beasts. Their auras were capable of choking any Rank 40 Spirit Spectres, and their spiritual pressure had the force of a thousand elephants’ weight. But Shin remained unfazed by the pressure. His face was void of any sweat, and his breathing calmed instantly under the influence of the Azure Dragons. It was as if the divine beings were surrendering their entire soul to the young man’s disposal. The Celestial Dragon greedily sucked in as much spiritual energy as it could, totally disregarding Shin’s desires, all while Shin stood up with his chest puffed out.

‘I guess… There’s no harm in accepting them...’ Shin thought. Not only was there no harm, but there were also just endless amounts of benefits for the young man. With the Azure Dragon race on his side, Shin had at least ten times the bargaining power than he had before. All the Eight Ancient Clans of Water were now tripping over themselves to influence Shin to join their faction. So, Zishen and his family’s oath of fealty was exactly what Shin needed to protect himself. Not to mention, having the fighting power of tens of Azure Dragons was an added bonus in the war with the Black Masks.

“Please rise, Senior Zishen...” Shin coughed twice and tapped on the huge draconic head in front of him. “I would be honoured to have you in my servitude.”

Delighted, the Azure Dragon cried: “All hail the Prince of Water!”

“All hail the Prince of Water!!!” Every single dragon followed suit. “All hail the Prince of Water!!! All hail the Prince of Water!!! All hail the Prince of Water!!!”

The praise soon turned into worshipping chants, and Shin’s face blushed almost instantly. Just as he was getting used to praise, the Dragons decided to kick it up a notch, basically turning him into an idol of worship. Still, there was nothing that Shin could do to stop them. The Celestial Dragon had always been an integral part of the Azure Dragon’s bloodline. Not to mention, there was one major benefit for Zishen and his family to serve Shin with all their heart…

“Mmmm… My Prince… Before we proceed with our training, I must warn you not to easily trust any other Spirit Beasts that aim to kneel at your foot.”

“Why is that?” The young man questioned, eyebrows raised and everything.

“Mmmm… The Celestial Dragon Spirit… Your Spirit… It’s special...” Zishen knew that he had to be as transparent as he could. The results could be catastrophic if Shin found out from another source that aims to devalue the Azure Dragon race. “Not only would your cultivation rate increase, Oceanic Spirit Beasts that surround you would also benefit from the Celestial Dragon’s aura. A hundred years of cultivation could be accomplished in one.”

“There’s that kind of effect as well?!”

Zishen nodded, “Yes… That’s how powerful the Celestial Dragon is. The spiritual energy that you radiate from now on would attract all sorts of Spirit Beasts. Some would be weaklings seeking salvation, while others would be powerhouses seeking predation.”

“Are you saying that...” Shin’s two hands shivered. He could tell what Zishen was trying to say next. “They’ll be coming to eat me?”

“Mmmm… That’s right...” The Azure Dragon nodded. “Though Primordial Beasts wouldn’t be that stupid, Tier 8 and 9 Spirit Beasts that don’t know better would do anything in their power to consume you and take the Celestial Dragon’s aura for themselves. Our Azure Dragon race would never harm the Celestial Dragon, since its part of our bloodline oath. But there’s no guarantee when it comes to other Spirit Beasts... So, you must be exceedingly careful...”

No one wanted to die, and one of the worst ways to meet the Tree of Life was to be consumed by a mightier being. Shin felt his throat drying up, and his eyes watering at just that thought. “I understand… I’ll be careful...”

“Good...” Zishen smiled, flashing all of his brilliant white teeth. He turned straight into the Celestial Dragon’s skull and pointed one of his three nails right towards it. “My Prince… Your Spirit has just evolved, and I’m certain that you still need time to get accustomed to it. If you meditate in the skull, the memories of the Celestial Dragon will flow right into your mind, and you’ll learn how to properly cultivate your Spirit from now on… It might take a long time, so there’s no need to rush. You can return to the Shrine anytime you want.”

Shin’s Celestial Dragon Spirit could no longer rely on the Celestial Water Mantra anymore. The young man was now sensitive to all elements in the world. Although he couldn’t properly utilise them as the Celestial Dragon once did, Shin could get some inspirations that would aid in his future cultivation progress.

“As promised, I will wake you up in three days,” said the Azure Dragon. There was a reason why Zishen couldn’t give a definite answer to how long Shin would be training. It was simply because he didn’t know how long it would take. The inheritance might take one day, or it might take a century. It all depended on how fast Shin could learn. “Mmmm… If you have any questions at all, feel free to call upon us… We will be standing by, awaiting your good news.”

The Azure Dragons all flew away, giving Shin enough space to breathe and explore the Shrine. However, instead of moving forward, the man stood there, dazed. Everything happened so fast… One minute he was taking the Trial and the next, everyone was bowing to him. His Sovereign Koi had transformed into the Celestial Dragon, and he’d learnt the true history of the world. There was so much for him to take in…

‘Whatever, let’s just take it one step at a time...’

❖❖❖

The Neutral Zone. Mythpoint Reach.

Over a million years had passed since the Terrestrial Dragon first created Terre Continent. Earthquakes, supervolcanoes, mega-tsunamis… They all attempted to break apart the colossal landmass, all to no avail. Spirit Beasts, many as powerful as Spirit Saints themselves, celebrated their dominance by occupying as much territory as they wanted. As the age of the beasts began to wane, humans copied the deeds of their predecessors and claimed lands of their own. Civilisations rose and fell, but one thing remained constant… The Terre Continent always possessed invisible borders, forged by the creatures that inhabit it.

In this era, two superpowers were sharing the Terre Continent. The Kori Federation to the north, and the Himmel Empire to the south. The entire west was infested with Primordial Spirit Beasts which had been forced deep into the Uncharted Wilderness from previous generations of humans. Finally, the east was heavily guarded by the Lantis Republic’s navy. So, there really wasn’t a place for an independent country other than the three superpowers to thrive. Well, there was only one.

After warring for thousands of years, the Himmel Empire, Kori Federation and the Lantis Republic decided to keep within their borders and to stop with the constant killings. A Neutral Zone was set up for future discussions and to help facilitate trade between the three regions. A sort of safe haven where no conflicts and battles could arise. The Land of Dreams lay firmly inside the Neutral Zone, but it wasn’t the only famous place.

Mythpoint Reach. A city that was located right in the middle of the three superpowers. It had a prime location as it was close to the eastern shores of the continent and was bordering both the Himmel Empire and Kori Federation. Its leaders were adamant in keeping their neutrality, and it hasn’t participated in any conflicts since. They kept their armies weak as a sign of submission towards their neighbouring overlords. Instead, they forged alliances with the Mercenary’s Guild, Healer’s Association and Blacksmith League. That way, Mythpoint Reach would never be looked at as a threat by the three superpowers, but an ally that was good to have around.

“Ahhh… So tired...” A burly guard yawned atop the tallest watchtower in the area. An orange glow kissed his face while the sky darkened rapidly. Over the horizon, the fiery ball that created life was now going into its daily hibernation, prompting the middle-aged man to feel a little more sluggish.

“You’re knocking off in an hour, why the long face?” His comrade held back his sneer. “I have to stay for five more!”

“Hey, I’ve been on shift for fifteen hours already! Of course, I’m tired!” The jacked man retorted, his chest muscles twitching rapidly. “Honestly, what’s the Commissioner thinking? Sixteen-hour shifts… It’s not like the Black Masks would want to take over Mythpoint Reach anyway...” The war against the Black Masks had been ongoing for about five years now. There were countless skirmishes, but till this very day, there hasn’t been a single raid on Mythpoint Reach.

“Hah… What can we do? We’re just guards…” His partner agreed as he heaved out a heavy sigh. “I just hope that the war would end soon… It’s such a waste of our time and resources.”

For those in Mythpoint Reach, the war was more of a hassle. Even though there haven’t been any conflicts near their borders, the soldiers in their limited army had to stand guard for twice the stipulated time. And since they didn’t have enough manpower, the average men and women had to work extra long hours every day.

The bulky guard placed down his sabre and took a short break on the nearby chair. “I totally agree… Hah, because of this stupid war, I haven’t spent enough time with my wife and kids.”

“Right, how are they by the way?”

“Fuck, I couldn’t even tell you that! Do you know how much I’ve missed? My son’s graduation from kindergarten, the birth of my youngest daughter… I don’t even know if Cici would find another man since I’m always sleeping at home… God, I wish this stupid war will end soon… Fuck the Black Masks! Fuck that stupid Allfather!” The guard dropped his massive back down on the chair, cursing the entity that caused this prolonged war. All he wanted to do was to stay at home and play with his children...

“Nenene, what does ‘fuck’ mean?”

“What the-!”

The two guards jumped up from their relaxed spots as a third voice entered their consciousness. A young pink-haired girl, who seemed no older than ten, sat on the railings of the twenty-metre tall watchtower. She was wearing a simple blouse and shorts. Her curious peach pupils were shining in the dying light of dusk. The two guards immediately pulled out their weapons and entered into their half-guard.

The burly man was the first to bark: “Who are you!”

“Me?” The young girl pointed her index finger at her chin. “I am Momo!”

“Momo?” The guard echoed.

“That’s right! The cute and powerful Momo! Father’s favourite child!” The girl declared. The innocence of the girl dropped the men’s caution. However, they were still unable to let go of their sabre handles just yet...

“Tell us! How did you climb up this watchtower!”

“Nenene! Isn’t it rude to ask a question when you haven’t answered mine?” Momo adorably frowned. Her bum left the metal bars, and her two feet landed right on the chair that the guard was resting on. “You haven’t told me what’s’ fuck’ yet!”

The two guards looked at each other. They didn’t know what to do in this situation. A mysterious little girl had infiltrated into their base and was demanding to know the meaning of ‘fuck.’ They were tempted to just drop their weapons and escort the girl out, but in the end, their years of training kicked in.

“Listen! I’m going to warn you only once! Put your hands in the air so that I can retrain you!” The bulky guard pointed his weapon right at Momo. So what if she was a young girl? The fact that she was capable of creeping up on them was more than enough to warrant a violent response.

Momo blinked twice. Not out of fear but genuine curiosity. “Nene, why are you so mean to me? I just wanted to know the meaning of ‘fuck’...” The girl continued to pout.

“...” There was no reply from the guards. At that moment, they felt a little guilty about pointing their weapons at a girl that wasn’t even ten yet. However, they were right to be wary...

“It’s okay! I don’t need you to find out what that means!” Taking a one-eighty turn in personality, Momo beamed with one of the most radiant smiles the guards have ever seen. “Nene, do you know what happens after death?”

“...”

“Neither do I! So… If you die and come back… Could you tell me?”

“What are you talking...” Before the guard could finish his sentence, his head flew out of the watchtower like a speeding bird. The bulky man was unable to comprehend what just transpired. One second, he was staring at the pink-haired girl, and the next, his comrade’s head was sent flying.

“Nene, your turn!” Momo declared, and the burly man felt his world turn upside down. No, his world really was upside down. The guard’s head slipped down from his neck, and he could see his decapitated body. There was still a flash of consciousness in his eyes.

‘Cici...’

His wife was the last thing that came to the man’s mind… And in just a few seconds… Everything turned dark.