“My name is Guan Hei,” the armored man spoke while lazily strolling toward Sai, “inscribe this name into your memory as the one who taught you basic manners!”

Sai snorted with disdain apparent in his eyes, “pardon me for being rude, but this junior has yet to even walk on the road of cultivation,” he paused while glancing at Wang Fuu in the distance, “so far, you have yet accomplished anything that is even worth mentioning next to my name!”

The veteran could only laugh in response to Sai's insult. "Whether you've just stepped onto the road of cultivation or have already reached the peak, it makes no difference in war. There are only two important things that matter in battle; victory and defeat! The loser is a loser, no matter how loud they scream out injustice."

Sai shielded his eyes from the sun and pretended to peer far into the distance. "I may be blind, Guan Hei, but I cannot help but notice the lack of both enemy troops and commanders. Perhaps, it is due to my untrained eye, but the Gao protectorate is safe with no ongoing war! Not a single battlefield of which you speak of is present.”

Guan Hei chortled in response. Instead of speaking with his lips, he decided to talk with his fists. After all, it wasn’t as though he individually wanted to beat War Sage Song’s grandson, orders were orders, and soldiers were meant to follow them. He ignored Sai’s clever quips and continued to use his superior cultivation to subdue him in front of his fellow peers. No matter how calm and serene a man was, a bubble of rage was bound to appear at one point or another.

Even though Sai raised his vigilance to a significant extent, he was still powerless in front of a well-trained warrior. His eyes couldn’t even see through the blurs, let alone attempt to counter-attack them. Each respective realm on the path to the divine was a gigantic leap in strength, especially for those who cultivated ancient arts. So, for someone who had not even stepped onto the bone-refining stage, it was a fruitless effort to fight back.

Sai was beaten back again and again until he could not even manage stand on his two feet, nor raise the blade still tightly clenched within his hands. He glared at the arrogant Guan Hei from the ground, unable to mutter a single word. The only thing that he could vividly think about at this moment would have been unheard of for him in the past. ‘For once… I actually desire strength!’

With this last thought in mind, his eyes closed and his body collapsed onto the ground. None of the lazy and arrogant expressions on his face remained, only an irritated smirk. This sight pleased Wang Fuu in the distance, resulting in a nod of approval directed at Guan Hei. None of this was a personal vendetta; it was a request made from Zhuge Song himself!

“Let him rest in the infirmary and have a few field doctors take care of him, I don’t want any prolonged injuries to dampen his cultivation in the future!” Wang Fuu ordered with a reverberating roar.

“Yes, sir!” Guan Hei responded with a nod and hurled Sai’s unconscious body over his shoulder. He then picked up the fallen blade at the side and marched toward their protectorates small hospital. It was located inside of the thick, stone walls, adjacent to the Lord Generals personal room.

He laid Sai’s tall body on a simple bed inside of the healing quarters and immediately retired with a respectful bow. The room was a stark contrast in comparison to the rest of the overwhelming buildings in the Gao protectorate. In replacement of mounted weapons and Rahvin flags, elegant paintings decorated the room along with medical supplies and a fresh scent of flowers.

An elderly man with an amiable smile plastered on his face watched as Guan Hei entered and promptly left his residence. Only after his aura completely dissipated, did the old man stand up from his chair and walk over to the collapsed Sai. He used his thumb and index finger to feel Sai’s pulse while also using his left hand to sense the energy within Sai’s dantian.

“How interesting…” a deep and archaic voice sounded out.

***

The next day, the morning sun rose into the vast sky and released its light on to the massive Gao border. The army woke up early in the morning and began their early drills, while the new recruits continued their training from yesterday. The only one who remained in bed was Sai, who could barely lift his sore body. The beatdown from the last afternoon warranted more pain in the muscles than the culmination of Sai’s entire life.

He flipped his eyelids open and observed the old man who sat to the left of him with minor vigilance. Even though he looked like your ever-day elder, the fact that he was stationed at the Gao border said otherwise. Rather, it was because Sai could feel no aura emanating from the grandpa that he was even warier than normal

“Hoho, fret not, young one,” the old man opened up with a chuckle, “I am a doctor; unlike those barbarians inside of the Gao protectorate, my sole job is to heal and mend wounds.”

Sai nodded his head and eased up a little bit, scrutinizing the man in a different light. From a spectators point of view, the elder truly didn’t look all that bad. From his amiable smile to his wrinkled and weathered facial features. He seemed like an all-around kind guy who just happened to be stationed in a war-zone.

"Regardless, whether you are wary of me or not, I have a few things to tell you, young man. "As I'm sure you're well aware of, there are many mysteries that riddle this world, including cultivation. Thus, there is something that you should be aware of."

Sai nodded.

“Each realm signifies the strength of a cultivator, but it also pushes the body one step closer to ascension,” the old man said with squinted eyes, “the realms are generally referred to as the bone-refinement stage, Martial Warrior, Primordial Enlightenment, Martial Saint, and the obscure stage. After that, however, is a level that no one in this world has reached, not even the emperor of the Central Plains — The Divine realm.”

Sai could feel his eyes tremble, “why are you telling me all of this now, elder?”

The old man gazed deeply into Sai’s eyes, “I cannot tell you everything, but know this. Your destiny is nothing short of extraordinary. Do not take the bone-refinement stage for granted, nor look down upon the use of swords!”

After his words ended, the elder shot a stream of energy into Sai’s body, revitalizing his muscles and repairing the torn tendons. It nourished Sai’s inner regions and healed him at a rate visible to the eye, causing him to quake in shock. The pain vanished in an instant and was replaced by a comfortable feeling that washed his body away in bliss. Yet, the moment Sai reopened his eyes to show his gratitude to the miracle doctor, there was no one else in the room. It was completely silent, with no sign of anyone else being present.

Sai furrowed his brows and scanned the humble, yet sophisticated room, but it was of no use. That enigmatic and familiar figure was no longer in the room, leaving the now recovered Sai alone on the bed. He ripped the covers off of his body and stood up, once again glancing around the small shack.

‘A book?’ Sai thought inwardly as he inspected the table at the very end of the room. A thick, jade book rested on top of the desk. At first, Sai thought it to be normal, but he felt as though the ancient-looking scripture was calling to him. It tugged on his innate thirst for knowledge and brought him forward, causing Sai to inadvertently place his hands on the cover.

‘The True Dragon’ Sai read as he immediately flipped to the front page, where a huge influx of words instantly caught his eye. They weren’t words describing a certain way to cultivate, nor train. No, they were both warnings and requirements that deterred the reader from continuing. It stated that not only does the one to cultivate this technique have to possess the blood of the dragon, but he also may not have cultivated any other technique prior to starting this one. Moreover, obtaining an inheritance was impossible while utilizing this martial art!

Sai gaped in shock as he read on; more and more requirements were strewn across the first two pages. Possessing a certain blood-line was already difficult enough, but being required to have no cultivation experience, inheritance, or be a female, was an entirely different story. Even Sai couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment. Ancient books generally did not lie, and the chance of him being blessed with the blood of a dragon was extremely unlikely.

With these thoughts in mind, Sai began to close the book and place it back onto the table. As curious as he was, he did not partake in things with such a low success rate. But, as Sai closed the book, it suddenly illuminated with a blinding light. The pages ignited and turned to dust within a split second, leaving only the afterimage of a two-meter-tall eastern dragon. Its life-like purple scales and yellow eyes peered down onto Sai as if he were an insect.

Sai looked back in a daze, unable to glance away. All of this happened in a mere second, and this development was far from what he had ever expected to happen. He stared in awe as the dragon floated in the air and gradually moved closer to him. Let alone escape, Sai was unable to even blink. The dragon moved closer and closer until finally, it seemed to enter his glabella, jolting the sweating Sai back.

He trembled in shock and touched his forehead with the palms of his hands, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then, as if his confusion was a spark, a huge assortment of techniques and obscure words drained into his mind. Different images entered his brain and it took him an unknown amount of time to reach a conclusion of what he had just witnessed.

‘Bone refining and Sword-ki, the way of the True Dragon…. Is this an inheritance?’ he thought, but quickly discarded the notion, ‘it’s an art, both an inheritance and a manual combined? But, it ends at the bone refining realm?’

Sai squinted his eyes and stroked his clean-shaven chin, unable to conclude what he had just stumbled upon. If the old man were still here, then he could most definitely receive a few answers, but alas.

He deliberated about the matter for a few additional minutes before the sound of knocking interrupted his train of thought. “Young master, Guan Hei has ordered you to attend morning practice,” a voice belonging to a young woman sounded out behind the door.

With a deep exhalation, Sai grabbed the slender sword at the side and walked out of the room. He decided to place any, and all unnecessary thoughts at the back of his mind — to focus on his training for the time being. Even an idiot would be able to realize that Sai just received an inheritance of some sort, one that could either be a blessing, or a curse.

‘Oh well, at least the name sounds domineering!” Sai cheerfully thought as he made his way to the training grounds.