The sun was clear in the sky, and made the busy street very hot and the people sweaty. There was not a cloud in sight and loud voices called out sales and other odd things from the sides of the street. Naturally, this being where the town infirmary was located, it had a high volume of people passing through each day. Many stores took advantage of this, setting up stalls and shops on the crowded street.

Damn that bastard. Could he not have sent a messenger to let me know he wouldn't come...why bother saying he'll come get me if he won't?

Xing Kai steadily felt his temper rising. He was never much of an angry person, and the loud shouts and hot weather were all normal things in his village. But he felt incredibly annoyed that he was made to stand around like an idiot for so long.

Xing Kai stomped through street, leaving the infirmary entirely. He had heard several young boys, lead by their families, talking about the militia recruitment. They had said it was at the town square.

Xing Kai blended in quite well among the heaving crowds with his dark hair and dark eyes, while wearing a black shirt and dull brown trousers. Even his new shoes were a dark ox's leather, much like the town's people's own shoes. Wearing such dark clothes was just the downside of this city, as they didn't have the minerals for dying clothes.

He didn't refrain from pushing his way through the crowds, even though his wounds were still bandaged; on the outside, the crowd could only see a normal, handsome boy, although with a very unwelcoming cold expression on his face.

After following the increasingly wider street and the growing crowds, Xing Kai reached the town square where the militia recruitment stall was set up. It was only 5 minutes away from the infirmary.

He couldn't even be bothered to walk 10 minutes? Damn it he must have expected me to get here myself, I guess

Xing Kai grumbled in his annoyance, which drew several puzzled looks.

"Everybody that wants to join, stand in a line and be prepared to present your ID"

Xing Kai frowned and looked around at the other people in the line. He noticed many carried little green cards, but there were a few poorer looking fellows who didn't. There were also some men, who looked like war refugees, they were in such poor shape. Naturally they too, didn't have an ID card.

Ohh well, let's see what happens

Xing Kai stepped out of the ring of watching families and into the line before one of the stalls. The square was far larger than his village's one, and was quite ornate. The ground was of uniform, cloudy stones, with a dull looking lead jointing them. It was a far cry from the village, which still used dirt as primary housing construction

material.

Xing Kai admired the ground and the tall stone buildings around him, while trying not to look like a complete bumpkin. Regardless, Xing Kai's young and handsome appearance, drew plenty of attention from the men and teenagers in the line, as well as the surrounding crowds. They whispered and pointed at him, some mocking him while a few pitied him.

"Poor boy must have been orphaned in the last attack"

"Little beggars and criminals like him should be forced to join the militia and contribute to the city, rather than drifting around like trash"

"He's too handsome to be from a normal commoners family...does nobody recognise him?"

"He's not from this town, I know all the big important families and their young masters, so he must have come from another town that was attacked"

Xing Kai ignored the discussions and focused on the green clothed militiamen at the end of the line. The stall at the end of the queue was manned by a few militiamen who recorded details. The recruits were then sent to the side, to one of the militiamen, who made the recruits complete a small test to see if they were in decent shape. It was at this little sandbox, where the testing was done, that a lot of eyes rested on. The recruits were showing off their fighting strength, by sparring with the testing militiaman.

Xing Kai had watched that sandy square soon after joining the queue too, until he eventually arrived at the shaded table. He stood before one of the seated militiamen with the sun shining down over his dark hair.

"ID?"

"..."

Xing Kai shook his head, like he saw the other men do.

"Do you not have an ID card?"

Xing Kai nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll put you down as homeless/criminal"

Xing Kai watched the man fill out a few other odd details.

"How old?"

Xing Kai gestured with his fingers an age of 13. He had heard from the sisters, that anyone under 13 was not allowed to enter.

"What's your name?"

Xing Kai had prepared for this, and pulled out a folded piece of parchment and showed it to the grey haired man. The man read it and frowned. He wrote the name down anyways

"Jokes aren't taken as very funny in the militia, little boy"

The man glanced upwards at Xing Kai after writing his name down.

Xing Kai reached out and reversed the parchment and placed it under the man's nose. It read the word "Mute".

"Hah, crafty kid...alright off you go. If you pass the basic test, then you'll be given basic training for a month. After that you take part in missions and you'll be an active member of the militia. Then naturally you receive more training depending on what rank you have in the militia"

The man rattled off these lines in a bored, lazy tone, but Xing Kai could make out everything he said. The man passed him a small slip from a stack by his legs.

"Next..."

Xing Kai walked away from the stall, and to one of the men standing by the sandbox. The man didn't take the slip, and just glanced at it before pushing Xing Kai rudely towards the sandbox square and went back to talking with his friend.

I wouldn't be treated like this if I was strong

Xing Kai swallowed his complaint and stepped into the sand square and faced the militiaman standing there.

"Alright boy, pick up the sword and try to hit me"

The man crossed his arms and waited for Xing Kai to struggle to lift the sword off the ground. Many men struggled to hold the sword level with the ground, and very few had actual fighting experience.

My first real attempt at combat...I don't care about honour and fairness, if you refuse to use a sword, then it's your lose...I just want to win

Xing Kai had a lot of time over the last week to understand what and who he wanted to be. In that time he realised that the things spoken about in stories just couldn't be true. He knew he couldn't live and fight like a hero, so he abandoned ideas like fairness and chivalry.

Xing Kai stepped forward steadily and pulled the large wooden sword out of the sand with a jerk that sent sand flying into the air. He had barely felt the weight of the sword at all, but attributed it to the fact that the sword was wooden.

But the other men should not have struggled so much in wielding this wooden sword...

Xing Kai gave a few practise swings with the sword in the air, twirling it around like a wooden stick. The man standing in front of him, frowned and uncrossed his arms. The others around them frowned and watched Xing Kai.

"How the hell is a little brat like him swinging around such a heavy sword when our precious son couldn't?"

"The militiamen must have exchanged the practise swords to make it fair on him. Otherwise how could a runt like him do anything."

The crowd had similar thoughts, but they had all watched the spars and could recognise the sword quiet easily...as the same one Xing Kai held with ease.

Fight like those bastards who destroyed my home...they must have some skill if the militiamen were truly lucky not to run into them, like the elder sisters said

Xing Kai hadn't actually seen any of the vile men fighting. Yet over the last month he kept having dreams and remembering things, that he certainly didn't experience himself. He simply couldn't explain how he was being fed these memories that he didn't own.

Xing Kai took a confident stance with his legs spread and his sword hanging by his side. The militiaman who faced him only saw a trace of a savage glint in Xing Kai's before Xing Kai's relaxed position turned into a rapid dash and stab at his throat.

"Damn brat"

Xing Kai kicked forward and lashed out with the sword at his neck.

"Is the kid trying to kill him?"

"How the hell did he move so fast?"

Xing Kai had crossed the few paces in a blur and the sword whistled through the air as it reached the man's neck. Remarkably the man already had his guard up, and managed to avoid the wild attack, as his instinct born from numerous battles warned him.

The man kicked out at Xing Kai's knees, looking to take advantage of Xing Kai's unstable stance to drop him.

It worked

Xing Kai exclaimed in his heart as he saw the leg sweep over the sand to his knees. Xing Kai had actually decided to merge a few different memories together for an attack pattern he thought could work. With uncanny dexterity and flexibility, Xing Kai jumped over the swinging leg and punched the man in the nose.

Good, good. Now to finish it

Before Xing Kai had a moment to consider, he was grinning unintentionally, as he fell on top of the falling militiaman. He raised his sword to the man's throat. In a single fit of inexplicable excitement, Xing Kai was already prepared to complete the scene from his memory.

Wait, what am I doing?

Xing Kai suddenly felt the strange grin on his face, and the man landing on the ground. He was sitting on his chest, and was resting the wooden sword tip on the man's exposed neck, as the poor man grabbed his bleeding nose. He was too surprised to think about his exposed vital points...he was clearly still too inexperienced.

"Arrgg, what kind of little devil are you?"

Xing Kai hopped off quickly and pulled the cursing man off the ground and walked away quickly. The man had not felt the presence of the fast sword on his neck, but everybody else had seen it clearly. They were silent and gaping with shock.

Xing Kai quickly threw the practise sword aside and left the sandbox with cries of surprise beginning to ring out in the hot, crowded square.

The man wiped his nose, only to see that all the militiamen were looking at him strangely. The crowd's loud discussions and gossiping quickly made him realise that he had lost badly to the little boy. But before he call for Xing Kai to come back, he was already gone.

How did I do that? It shouldn't have been that easy to beat a militiaman, they're not weak...or perhaps I've become stronger...

Xing Kai slipped into a group of recruits who had entered a tent at the end of the square with his head down. He quickly passed his slip over to the bored militiamen and received an armful of clothing, linens, and other odd items of necessity. Xing Kai was then directed out of the tent and lead to the militia barracks, with a group of other recruits. Fortunately nobody had seen his battle, so he didn't have to waste his energy trying to talk to them.

How did that actually work?

Xing Kai was quite confident in his agility and flexibility, but he knew he couldn't possibly have moved that fast or nimbly before. Also, he had to accept that the sword was clearly heavier than what he felt it was; he had seen too many people struggling with it. Yet how had he become so much stronger and faster?

Could it have something to do with that strange sensation I felt?

Xing Kai's eyes widened.

Could the effects of that strange blood absorption and refining have made such huge improvements to my strength? But that doesn't make sense...how could blood...

Xing Kai suddenly had a strange idea come to mind, and he froze in the middle of the street. He stared wide eyed at the ground; his heart hammered greatly, even more than when he sparred against the militiaman.

That blood...only Heart's blood is special and could possibly grant such mystical improvements...but how the hell did I absorb and refine it? Surely this mean I'm a cultivator of some sort right?

Xing Kai thought back to the stories he heard of cultivators at home, but was overcome by a sudden sharp pain as he thought about the village. He chanted to himself and jogged back to the group of recruits.

None of the villagers ever said cultivation was like this...not forgetting the Heart's blood is vital for living, and can't be taken out easily even from a corpse...perhaps it's not a cultivation method...

Xing Kai felt his excitement about being a cultivator settle down.

Anyways it's too strange for a village boy like me to be this strong...then again they don't know I'm from a village...I'll pretend I'm from a distant town that taught cultivation...that should reasonably explain my strength...

Xing Kai came up with a series of believable lies by the time they arrived at the town wall. The group of new recruits were left at the 8th training barrack, and they were told to prepare their beds and change into their new light green clothing.

Xing Kai hid his money pouch secretly under the hard bed, and kept a few coins in his shoes just in case. All the while Xing Kai felt more and more certain that he wasn't a cultivator. What kind of cultivation was that anyways? He thought that it wasn't a cultivation method and more likely a strange phenomenon that was probably common to other people too. Yet he couldn't shake off the feeling...that it was an incredible method of obtaining power.

Heart's blood contains remarkable things...if someone were to absorb that, then surely they would have great progress...but it would require a lot of deaths.

Xing Kai pondered on it for quite a while, and decided he would waited until he knew more. It didn't seem like a smart idea to expose his strength.

Soon after they were all ordered back outside of the domed wooden barrack, to listen to an introductory speech about the Nalan family militia.

Xing Kai found a seat on the stone benches near the back of the seating area. There was a large stone platform at the front, with a slim man and several men behind him.

"Alright, all of you settle down now"

The man at the front of the platform was a fierce middle aged man, with sandy brown hair and grey eyes. It was midday and many of the recruits moaned about the heat, while the militiamen stood straight and unconcerned.

"If your not silent in the next instant, you'll be placed on night watch at the forest walls"

All the recruits suddenly gulped and silenced themselves immediately. The effectiveness of just these few quiet words was shocking, at shutting them all up.

"You lot think that joining the militia will mean instant privileges...and instant power, among the town's people? Correct?"

The sandy haired man spoke slowly and clearly, his grey eyes locking onto all the recruit's eyes, men and boys alike. Nobody dared to look away at this moment.

"Yes sir" shouted back a few nervous voices. Some others shouted back disagreement to the man's question, but many just stayed silent.

"Wrong...wrong...wrong. Only the militiamen who have earned their green clothes are respected. Over the next month you'll be beaten into fighting shape. Some of you have come to learn cultivation methods... while some want to leave the town and move to the big cities...you are welcomed to do so... however only a handful have cultivated enough and achieved enough to receive the recommendation letter from me. Without the recommendation letter...how do you plan to enter the big cities?"

The man's voice filled every ear and his words captivated every mind. Truly many of the recruits aspired to cultivate for the strength needed to enter the big cities...and almost all dreamed about the legendary recommendation letter secretly.

"You should know, entry into the big cities is possible without the famous recommendation letter...however joining the national military will be far harder for us townsman and villagers...while having the recommendation from a former national military Shuzu means certain benefits are available from a big city"

The fierce grey eyed man, seemed to almost turn into a businessmen, the way he was selling the idea of the letter. His smooth confident smile fed the desires of the recruits, while the senior militiamen smiled bitterly. They all remembered the desire to gain the legendary letter, that in the big cities gave you all kinds of alluring benefits...apparently the letter had all sorts of uses, many of which were clearly dubious if you thought for just a moment.

What he's saying doesn't make sense

Xing Kai scowled the more he listened to the man. Surely leaving to go to a big city wasn't that hard for a town right? Plus Xing Kai found it unlikely that the national army wouldn't accept townsman or villagers for troops...why wouldn't they?

But these benefits from a Shuzu's recommendation sound interesting...

Xing Kai felt intrigued by the title. It seemed like he might made the right choice coming here in his opinion. He would be given cultivation materials, and also an opportunity to gain an important sounding recommendation letter that would give him benefits in even the big cities.

One should first know that the cultivation scraps from the big cities was enough to power a town for years, the big cities were that mighty. Comparing a town and the big cities was like a puddle compared to the sea.

So if this letter could really deliver some benefits, even little ones, then Xing Kai had to admit the man had ability. He could smell some lies from the man and sense a little wickedness from his eyes...but strength was strength. And this man had plenty of it apparently.

"Regardless, if your not interested in the letter of recommendation...then protecting your families and the pay should be enough to make this work satisfying for you."

Some of the recruits scoffed when they heard this. What kind of money is worth risking your life every week to guard the walls and do missions?

"It's all about the power you have in the town...the fear people have of you"

Some of the recruits muttered this not too quietly, but none of the militiamen or the fierce eyed man said anything. The nearby recruits snickered and had lewd looks in their eyes as they nodded their heads. When Xing Kai saw these expressions and heard their comments he felt a disgust rise up inside of him.

What the hell is wrong with these men? Don't they want to become strong and powerful? Why do they just want to terrorise the weak people of the town...

Xing Kai may have changed and experienced much, but he had yet to recognise the common evil in even the average man.

Xing Kai reluctantly supressed the desire to beat them up, and continued listening to the fierce eyed man.

"Naturally you all know that joining the militia is permanent, and only death, my permission, or the recommendation letter gives you the freedom to leave us. Try to escape and you'll be hunted down by the militia for desertion"

What...I didn't know this...damn it, what if I find those mercenaries and I have a chance to chase them down and kill them?

Xing Kai pressed is lips together tightly into a line and clenched his hands into fists. he glared at the militiamen, as if he had been conned, but none of the other recruits were complaining.

Now I really need that letter...and fast too. Or perhaps I could just run away and ignore them hunting me down...but I don't have the strength for that yet and I want that letter too...

Xing Kai grunted and leaned back into he cold stone bench, and folded his arms. He narrowed his eyes as the sun glared at him.

"After you've had your month of basic training you will be put into a new task force, and ranked according to your performance. If you should do well in your task force, you will be trained further and given more cultivation materials. Higher ranks will also be given if we find you to be of the required standard."

I suppose it's worth sticking around since there is cultivation materials and good opportunities to build battle experience. Cultivation, training, and battle experience...plus I can get my hands on a ticket into the big cities and their cultivation materials, if I stay.

"Of course listen to all orders given to you by superiors...unless you think that you are stronger than your superior, in which case you can fight and take his rank from him. All disputes are similarly dealt with the same way. A fight to the death at the camp grounds. These disputes can not be settled during duty."

Quite a few recruits nodded their heads in agreement with this rule, while many paled slightly. Xing Kai thought it was strange that the sandy haired man encouraged his men to fight to end their disputes. But then again, Xing Kai also felt that it was sensible to engrain a desire for strength in his men, so they would become better soldiers.

"For now, return to your barracks"

The man stood ramrod straight throughout the whole talk without a trace of a sweat breaking out on his forehead in the heat. He watched the recruits standing and

leaving the benches. Some of the recruits gathered together and talked while others walked back alone, like Xing Kai. The senior militiamen's and the fierce sandy haired man's eyes were both drawn to Xing Kai for a moment.

Xing Kai and his 12 fellow recruits quickly entered the 8th training barrack and waited around for the next orders.

"Hey kiddo, what's your name?"

Xing Kai turned to face an 18 year old boy with patches of stubble on his face. Xing Kai pulled out his parchment and passed it to him. The boy read it over, and flipped it. His frown cleared and he nodded his head.

"Oi the rest of you, this one's called Xing Kai. He's mute alright?"

The others looked over at Xing Kai but didn't notice anything special about him, so ignored him.

"Here. My name's Yu Dong"

The bristly boy passed the parchment back, and Xing Kai thanked him with a nod. He also ignored the rest of the recruits since they ignored him. It was not like he was going to go around and pass them the piece of parchment and then forcefully shake their hand.

The recruits of the 8th training barrack did not have to wait long, before they were all called out again for their cultivation materials to be supplied. They also were told their schedule for the next week, which included lessons on geography, history of the town and area, and most importantly the militia codes and battle tactics. Physical training was fitted in throughout the day.

Xing Kai and the 8th recruit batch were lead to a hall, were they all sat down on rising rows of seats before a large chalk board. it was a very basic set up, and the board mostly untouched.

An old man, with patches of white hair, but a straight tall frame, walked into the hall. He took slow steps, but they didn't give the impression of infirmity but more like the balanced, measured steps that a confident youth takes. He had a large unseemly scar running down his face and a wizened, knowledgeable bearing.

This man doesn't seem ordinary

Xing Kai leaned forward on the bench and focused avidly on the man. Xing Kai felt a familiar sensation to when he was listening to the teachers and story tellers in his vil--

Can not be weak, must not be weak, can not be weak...

Xing Kai dug his nails into his hands.

"In our Piercing Clouds country we are of the 3rd province. This province is considered the weakest amongst the 3 provinces however. There are still a number of true big cities in this province, while our town can be considered of quite decent size within this province. In fact it would be possible for in the next few hundred years to become a truly big town...if our militia was strong enough. As for becoming a big city...perhaps we could achieve it in a few thousand years..."

Is the difference that huge? Then how big are the true cities...

Xing Kai felt his throat catch as he imagined the vast scope of such a city. If this town needed hundreds of years of a strong militia just to become a big town, then what would a be required to become a city? Strangely neither the man nor the recruits were fazed by such a ridiculous difference in size; Xing Kai truly appreciated what it meant to be toad at the bottom of a well, looking up at a small patch of the sky.

"For you to understand the basics of the kind of warfare that occurs among all towns, and what our militia does, you need to remember that point. We need to supress the other town's while strengthening our own, for us to achieve such mighty heights. Your names would be forever written down in the annals of this town's history if you contribute to it's rise to greatness."

The old man's voice made a faint whistling sound, due to his missing teeth, and seemed to hypnotise the listening recruits.

"Thanks to Nalan Zhen's rule and honourable general Shen Han's leadership of the militia, we have managed to grow this far and even have gained cultivation manuals. It is with these crucial cultivation manuals that we will have enough strength to overcome the other town's and become mighty rulers of this area."

The recruits were already dreaming of lording it over on the enemy towns, and leaned forward on their seats. The old man smirked. It would truly take very little to incite the men to hate the town's that attacked them so often and so brutally.

"In our whole world, there are untold numbers of people...in the wars that make and break whole countries, millions die with ease..."

Xing Kai's heart beat filled his senses as he listened.

So many deaths...no wonder those animals were so unconcerned when they slaughtered my home...but that level of brutality is still not natural surely?

"With so many people and such vast lands, clearly there would seem to be many paths to becoming strong...so strong that you rise to the gold sky, past the dark one...so strong that the seas overturn with your hands...so strong that the earth shudders with your every step...so strong that death can not touch you"

The old man's words had everyone's heart's beating hard.

Now I'll know what I am...

"But there is such a path...the path of the Sanguinary cultivator"

Paw: This second release was to make up for the day thatI didn't release a chapter when I had actually planned to. This double release day could be turned into a triple however...if 10 people give me some kind of feedback, even a simple rating, then I will post another chapter today (6 hours left!) =)