《The Snake Immortal》Chapter 12: Imperial Guard Training
Advertisement
Writer's Note: Midterm month is over. Finally. Reminder: only his parents and grandparents know if you paid attention to the names in the part where his origin is revealed. Only those four, besides the snake magical beasts, know. As it confuses some people, I will include the clan names in some scenes where there is more than one person with that first name or is the older relative of MC. Writing stories is not easy but I continue regardless. Well, Happy Halloween!
Chapter 12: Imperial Guard Training
"I know he was the one who did it! He admitted it to me himself!" Mei vented to Lin.
"Whoa! Calm down. We both know little brother is devious, even twisted, but he is not evil," Lin shook his head. "Grandma and grandpa confirmed it was not him two days ago, right? If they, practitioners of the fourth level, said so; it must be so. Yang is just an initial Elemental Adept. How could he deceive grandpa and grandma. I don't believe you."
"He needs to be punished!" Mei said.
"What about the dozens...no, hundreds of people you killed over the past two years? Let's assume he did admit it, he could do killing on such a scale in a single night? Impossible. You're letting your inferiority complex takeover and influence irrational thoughts in your mind," Lin sighed. "Look, you are way faster than me but how do I always beat you? Sure, you are at late Spirit Forming while I am at the peak. So? People cultivated for years but they are weaker than others right? It is how we understand the spirit techniques we know and how we apply them in combat."
"What happened to my little brother and how did he become a sage?" Mei said, her eyes narrowing.
"Truthfully, Yang bro told me," Lin laughed. "Unlike you, I learn from my mistakes and ask my opponent how I lost. You don't as you have too much pride. Little brother is right, you are the eldest but the most immature and childish."
"If only father thought that way, he'd get off my back," a voice said, revealing a black haired boy with some streaks of jade hair arriving behind them. "They're calling for us."
"Right," Lin said and rushed out to the patriarch's house.
"Is what he said true?" Mei said as she looked at Yang. "Is it my pride?"
"Pride is good but leads to arrogance. Being humble is good but too much leads to cowardice. You have too much pride and it blinds you as it turns into arrogance. We've been telling you that for so long. Why now do you consider it?" Yang asked, mildly curious. "What you have inside you brings me much envy. You have power, but it is wasted on you. Your cultivation should be faster, you should be stronger. It is time you saw reason. If I was ever in your position, I would spit on myself in disgust."
"You don't know what it's like to be weak!" she shouted.
"Weak? WEAK! You know NOTHING of weakness! Have you ever seen someone you love die, powerless to even damage the shit that the enemy craps out? Have you ever seen everyone you know and love die and felt the pain of being the lone survivor? Weak? Say that again and I will kill you instead of that fucking eyeball in your Spirit Realm!" Yang roared grabbing her throat and choking her in rage. "I am weak. My current state is weak. I know what terror feels like. I know what it feels like to run away from your enemies in humiliation. I know what it is liked to be scorned and mocked for being weak. I've been stepped on, pissed on, bit, clawed, and smashed into the ground without mercy! You know nothing of the pain of the weak. Nothing."
Advertisement
Yang threw her, augmenting his strength and she crashed through the wall and into the backyard of the patriarch's house. Lucky for her, she was not in the area where Yang built his home with poisonous herbs surrounding it. Yang spat in disgust, angry at how blind humans were. They ruled the land, destroying it to build their empires. They thought they were weak? Humans were always near the top of the food chain, seeing most magical beasts as resources for alchemy and cultivation. The bodies of magical beasts are even mutilated and violated to make magical weapons, armors, and items.
"Mei'er, what happened to your neck and robes?" Ji Ting asked as Mei and Yang entered the house.
"She tripped," Yang answered, Guo Feng spitting the tea in his mouth.
"Bullshit," his grandparents and Guo Feng thought.
'Why'd you summon us, grandpa?" Lin asked.
"Besides the identities of a boy and girl ranked seventh and eighth, you three are in the top five. Lu Jing, Shen Dong, and Shen Hua already started their training. Yang'er. it seems they train to defeat you in particular," Guo Jing smiled.
"I don't remember exactly how I beat that prince. Everything just darkened when that fucking bird showed up," Yang smiled innocently.
"More like all hell broke loose," Guo Feng muttered.
"The point is, you triplets will be training under that retired imperial guard captain. Yang'er, you won the tournament and ranked in the top three. You will also get your award as well," Guo Li said.
"I got a spear, I got my techniques, and I got money. What kind of award would make my human heart go aflutter?" Yang exaggerated with his arms, both palms on his face with his mouth open in shock. "I feel so....excited."
"You don;t have much magical items," Ji Ting said.
"Ah, you really don't know?" Guo Yang giggled. "Here's a riddle for you. A long time ago, there was a giant snake strong enough to shatter the world. It mysteriously died but its body fused with its soul. It entered the fabled reincarnation cycle. People tried to find it but only found barren lands where it once lived. The snake became myth and was forgotten by time. However, even the snake could not access his worldly possessions when he was reborn. Where oh where did his belongings and soul go?"
"A snake?" Lin frowned and laughed. "Ah, you made a joke. Wow. Never thought you'd be the type to joke."
"It is a nice joke, isn't it?" Yang laughed while stressing the fifth word. "Only a snake expert would get it and he might just cough blood in shock."
Guo Feng, Ji Ting, and Guo Li looked at Guo Jing. Guo Jing cleared his throat and began to think. Red Shadow, which laid down to the side of the room, knew the answer immediately and looked at Guo Yang with shock. Yang noticed and put a finger to his mouth to silence the snake.
"Just stop. Let's talk about school again," Mei said, her brain hurting as she could not figure it out.
"Yes, let's not think about it for now," Ji Ting agreed. "You three will undergo extensive training. The results in the national tournament will help you and Yang get recommended to the best academy or sects."
"I will train vigorously and get first place," Mei said clenching her fists. "There are other people besides Yang and Lin. No one can beat my brothers but me."
Advertisement
"At least she improved," Lin whispered to Yang.
"Meh, it's acceptable. If she thinks more like a beast and less like a human, she would be better able to utilize her speed-oriented battle style as most humans prefer power," Yang shrugged.
"All of you go to academy now. You will be spending the next two and a half months there training," Guo Jing said.
"For the national tournament?" Yang asked.
"Yes. Mei, you are my biggest worry. You must control the urge to feed on souls," Guo Li said. "Remember the chants and incantations I taught you. Any sign of the eyeball stirring, immediately stop what you are doing and do as I instructed."
"Awesome! Boot camp to get stronger! I can definitely reach Elemental Adept under the training. Let's go!" Lin said and was the first to run home to pack his things.
"Red Shadow, tell my snakes to keep to the protocol. Bring Red Death to me," Yang said, the large snake hissing and left to do its orders but paused as Yang changed his mind. "Wait, leave Red Death. Bring Shadow Fang and Moon Scale to me."
"Shadow Fang, I know, but who's Moon Scale?" Lin asked. "Why them?"
"A new born hydra. I have been feeding it experimental drugs and it is already at the second stage," Yang grinned. "I have many hydras now. Some died while others are not yet ready to be revealed."
"That is the real reason you wanted area for the house! They gave birth and you have been hiding them!" Guo Jing cried.
"Hey now, nothing wrong with building a snake horde. The five I have are powerful mind you, but the numbers are lacking. Shadow Fang was the one who gave birth and will feed milk to Moon Scale," Yang explained. "Moon Scale is small but has extremely high affinities for ice. Its skin is vastly superior to its mother."
"Skin?" Mei frowned.
"What? You think hydras have scales. They're not exactly pure-blooded snakes. Oh, you never visited the poisonous garden so you never seem them. Well, I'll go get packed," Yang said and left.
"Well, the eight of you gathered here today because you are the top eight this academy has to offer," Guan Hai said as the eight gathered. "Now, state your name, school rank, and cultivation."
"Sun Yi, rank 8, middle Spirit Forming Stage. I have a single wind attribute," a boy with glasses said as he stepped up first.
"Sun Yi? You're ranked eighth?" Mei gasped as she and Lin looked at him.
"Fortunately, Guo Lin knocked me out after he blasted four of us classmates at once. I barely managed to retain consciousness before fainting as I heard the teacher say my name and rank," Yi grinned.
"Sima Qing, peak Spirit Forming Stage, ranked 7 and my attributes are water and wind," a girl said with long brown hair tied to a braid to her back with bright green eyes.
"As strong as me?" Lin frowned.
"So she is the member of the Shen Clan," thought Yang. "Princess maybe, possibly a daughter between the emperor and a concubine if she is the same age as Shen Dong."
"I was knocked out by Shen Dong, by a surprise attack, after the other classes were defeated," she answered.
"Surprise attack indeed," Yang muttered, Guan Hai and Shen Dong's eyes narrowing as they realized Yang discovered the truth.
"Lu Jing, initial Spirit Forming stage, and ranked 6. I have a single fire attribute," Jing said as he glared at Yang as if he imagined he could kill him. Yang smirked and released killing intent, making Jing pale with fear and move a few feet away.
"You're the weakest and you only got the sixth rank because of me. Of course, an accident can occur and incapacitate you thereby replacing you with someone else. You never really know. Lots of...accidents...happen," Yang grinned malevolently.
"Guo Mei, rank 5, and late Spirit Forming Stage. My attributes are darkness and lightning," Mei said and turned to Yang. "Don't scare him."
"You control your hunger and I'll cut back on my....advice," Yang replied.
"Shen Hua, rank 4, and initial Elemental Adept Stage. My dual attributes are light and darkness," Hua said, stunning Mei and Lin.
"It's possible for someone to have both those attributes and not die?" Lin cried. "As expected of the imperial clan. No doubt, you used some methods to survive and continue your cultivation."
"Let's not waste time," Guan Hai said.
"Uh, right. I am Guo Lin, rank 3, and at the peak Spirit Forming Stage. My attributes are earth, water, wind, and fire," Guo Lin said.
"So you are the rumored son of the Guo Clan with four elements," Lu Jing said, obviously one of the transfer students by his remark.
"Shen Dong, rank 2, and middle Elemental Adept Stage," Shen Dong said, surprising everyone but Guan Hai, Shen Hua, and Yang. "My attributes are fire and lightning."
"Guo Yang, rank 1, and middle Elemental Adept Stage," Guo Yang said. "My triple attributes are water, earth, and light. I am a poison cultivator so you don't want to come in contact with my spirit energy either."
"You advanced?" Lin and Mei cried.
"Forbidden techniques has its advantages. The stimulation of spirit energy, sometimes you keep part of that power inside you," Yang grinned. "Creating a spirit armor.....it obviously has rewards to come with its risks and penalties. Once I become a Earth Mortal on the fifth level of cultivation, there won't be a risk anymore."
"How did you learn such a technique? Could we learn it?" Sun Yi asked.
"It is a poison cultivation technique. It is called the Forbidden Sky Poison Armor Art," Yang denied. "By the way, I don't see that phoenix anywhere. It still croaking, er, chirping?"
"Yes. It won't be able to fly for a while as some of its feathers were destroyed," Shen Dong said. "I think its best not to summon it near you. No offense, but I can;t stop you by myself."
"Sometimes anger and hatred leads to irrationality. I apologize for attacking you," Yang said but to Shen Hua and Lin.
"Uh, I suppose I can accept that," Lin said who was surprised.
"Do you have something against avian magical beasts?" Shen Dong asked.
"See those black and white hydras back there? Those are just two snakes of my snake horde. I like to think myself as their master, lord, guardian, and breeder. They hate birds as I do. I don't have to make them my magical beasts so while I don't get any benefits of added spiritual energy or elements, nothing happens to me if they die," Yang grinned as he rubbed his hands. "I think it's best for all of us to not see a bird anytime soon."
"Uh, not possible," Mei said she she pointed back. "Granny's phoenix is watching us, or you."
"That old crone. Interfering and messing with me," Yang thought darkly as he saw a bright red phoenix.
"We're under orders to help Yang with his...anger management issues," Mei grinned evilly. "I told the phoenix where we would be training before I left."
"I'll get you for this," Yang growled. "Trust me. You won't see it coming and will regret doing that."
"Don't worry. That phoenix will help me in case my hunger can;t be sated," she smiled back.
"I just love being the middle triplet. The entertainment is killer," Lin sighed to the other five and Guan Hai. "So, what do we do now?"
Advertisement
The Desolate Era
Fate had never been kind to Ji Ning. Wracked by illnesses and infirm his entire life on Earth, Ji Ning knew early on that he would die as a teenager. What he didn’t know was that there really was such a thing as life after death and that the multiverse was a far larger place than he thought.A lucky twist of fate meant that Ji Ning was reborn into a world of Immortals and monsters, of Ki Refiners and powerful Fiendgods, a world where Dynasties lasted for millions of years. A world which is both greater… and yet also smaller… than he ever could imagine. He would have the opportunity to join them, and in this life, Ji Ning swore to himself, he would never let himself be weak again! The Era he was born into was a Desolate one, but Ji Ning would make it his era.
8 6872Tales of the Implock - A LitRPG Monster Evolution Story
Nyx - A demon, weak and small, too fleeting of a creature to survive the infernal wastes in which he was born - but after multiple brushes with death, the otherwise inconsequential demon experiences a destiny-changing encounter with an unknown and eccentric god, foreign to this world. Cast from the domains of old and conspiring gods to a land of which is sheltered from the divine, beyond the reach of whence they scheme, the impling who soon would come to be known far and wide as Nyx will find a new purpose. Born of Pride, with the fires of ambition fanned and burning deep within, Nyx will grow, learn, and evolve. From a weak and pathetic impling, to that of a mighty arch demon of untold demonic power, nothing would stand in the way of his ascent. Yet, the yearn of power might not be the only thing the power-manic demon will come to desire as he will encounter others who might just matter as much to him as the ecstasy of power does. [Info]This story features a wide breadth of characters with unconventional views, morals, and actions. There is no black and white - there is only grey. In a world where strength rules, notions of good and evil blur. The protagonist of this story is not a hero. He is not human. He is a megalomaniac demon trying to find his place in the world of which he has been discarded. This novel is my first crack at making something serious, a piece of work I can be proud of. It is a part of a bigger universe that I am creating, The Aethos, and I fully intend for this story to be professionally edited, then self-published on Amazon. The novel will continue on for a long adventure, as each arc will be made into a proper book. Therefore I heavily encourage feedback and interaction. Anything to improve my story and my writing is greatly appreciated. Thank you, and welcome to the Aethos. [Schedule] - Five chapters a week. [Discord] - Here
8 224The 8th Day
One day life is good. The next day it isn't! The boundaries between... well, whatever they're between.. have shattered! Monsters burst out from cracks in the universe, and reality suddenly begins to function similar to a game -- but not a game that anyone knows all the rules about! Magic is suddenly real, but so are monsters and death! Lots of death!And the worst part of it all? I think we did it to ourselves! We invented video games, and personally I think that great Finger-in-the-Sky picked up a console somewhere and started playing them. Since He liked what he saw, he must've declared, """"On the 8th Day, let there be Game!"But what do I know about it all, really. After all, I'm just """"The Witness"""" forced to observe it all.__________________________________________________________________________Author's Note: There's a lot of tales where characters get stuck in a Virtual Reality. """"Sword Art Online"""", """"Log Horizon"""", """"The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor"""". This is a story told with the premise inverted -- instead of a person from reality going into a virtual world, what would happen if the virtual world instead came to reality?I want this tale to speak about the aspects of the game, as it has affected the current reality, but the focus of the story should never be on the """"reality-turned-game"""" itself, but on the characters and their oh-so-human struggles, personalities, and attempt to adjust and live within the bounds of their new existence. Hopefully this won't just be a story of """"reality turned into a game"""", but instead will be something more meaningful such as a story of the strengths, perseverance, and humanity of man-kind as they try to adapt and face the unknown.*** And, most importantly, I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. ***WARNING: RATED MATURE M[18+] FOR GORE, SEX, VIOLENCE. The apocalypse isn't a pretty place to try to survive in, and neither is every scene in a story trying to describe it.
8 73Legend of the Seven
Humans were cast out of Eden for committing the original sin. Now Seven will answer, should Humanity live forever? But first, join Team Six in their rescue mission turned daring prison break from death. Author's Corner: Welcome to the Legend of the Seven series #LOTSseries, my Guardians.This is my first novel turned webnovel. I'm returning to this fictional world after a 6-year hiatus with a lot of personal growth and insight. Insights gained from being a lifetime reader.I was the kid who read Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I was the new adult who read I Shall Seal the Heavens and Ark. I've lost count of how many fictional worlds I've visited and lived through for I grew up on western novels but discovered eastern novels in my college years. This is my attempt to marry those two literary styles.It's my hope that this journey becomes more than just a book. If you're reading this simply expecting an ego power trip then turn back. There'll be action but with a lot of metaphysics and discussion on life with its accompanying issues. I strive to ground and make this webnovel relatable with verisimilitude. This webnovel is about choice. Freewill and its consequences. I give my characters autonomy to do and be themselves which sometimes leads to me rewriting and replotting because of pleasant surprises from my characters. Even the character who dies within the chapter they are introduced can have a massive impact with several ripples. So, there'll be stories on love and loss, hope and despair, but most importantly, it'll be a story. Release schedule: M, W, F - I aim for afternoon (1pm to 6pm) MST. I'm working on a project, codenamed "Guides' Sanctum", to make LOTSseries even more alive with special voice-overs, extra stories, behind the scene stuff, and so much more. But it can only come online when certain benchmarks are reached. The listed goals will help us get there. Goals:50 readers will unlock 4 chapters a week - Extra release on Thursday100 readers will unlock 5 chapters a week - Extra release on Tuesday250 readers will unlock 6 chapters a week - Extra release on Saturday500 readers and Project Guides' Sanctum comes online!Links:Lotsseries.blogspot.comSocial:@tonyswag0 - twitter@lotsseries - FacebookI'm thrilled at what is happening and what is still to come. Never be afraid to drop a comment. My DM is open. I'll work to keep this work free to access but I ask you to enjoy it from official sources so that you can be part of the discussion. There's magic in reading together to form a shared experience.Again, welcome aboard, my Guardians.
8 144Flaming Light
After an elemental distortion, humans can now wield the power of the elements (supernatural and natural). In a world where many strong people exist, a girl and some friends want to stand at the top and achieve strength powerful enough to protect life from any universal pandemonium. This is a tale of humans, beasts and beings from other worlds, this is a tale of a girl who wants to surpass the strongest, this is a tale of Flaming Light.
8 181Horror Boyfriend Scenario
Just doing for now till request. Also to note if you see any characters that you haven't seen the movie. Don't read It since might contain spoilers. Freddy Kruger Michael Myers Jason VoorheesNorman Bates Brahms HeelshireChucky Ghost faceLeather facePennywise Hannibal LectorJack Torrance Tex SawyerPyramid HeadJigsawKevinCandyman CreeperPatrick BatemanPolite Leader Vincent SinclairBrenda BatesBughuul PinheadCarrie WhiteThe Grudge (Kayako Saeki)Dracula
8 218