(Author: Hello all. Zhuang and Lingqi join the Venomous Serpent faction, a rare opportunity as outer sect disciples. They are looked down on but no one gives them much trouble. Of course, a sect is never able to the keep peace for long. Enjoy.)

Chapter 8: Learning a Lesson

Elder Shan could hardly contain his joy as two talented recruits joined his faction.

The Venomous Serpent faction was not very large, but had many powerful members. They mostly contained people who wanted to learn alchemy and loved music and peace. If need be, they fought. Once Zhuang and Lingqi learned more alchemy and music, they would follow their teacher, Elder Shan, in selling alchemical potions, healing the sick, and learning more about music in the outside world.

Both of his disciples were well versed in different aspects. Lingqi had spent most of her life learning music and could already play complex notes with ease. Zhuang had learned alchemy under the tutelage of wyrms and the many books in their treasuries. Even more astonishing, the wyrms seemed to respect Zhuang and his steel cloud wyrm hatchling despite being older and more powerful.

Elder Shan would teach them alchemy and music and allow his students to assist the other in the areas they excelled in. Doing so would allow his students to grow closer and avoid feelings of jealousy and envy as they grew together. This was a problem in other sects as there were too many students than teachers. Core disciples would teach inner sect disciples who would teach the outer sect disciples. Of course, bullying, thievery, and even deaths happened out of sight within the other factions.

The only exception of the four combative faction was the Silent Shadow faction as they specialized in teaching the ways of assassins and had close ties to the Venomous Serpent faction which made their poisons. The Venomous Serpent faction was also in charge of the transfer array and distribution of spirit grass and beads given to the disciples once a month. If one faction went to far, the whole Venomous Serpent faction would deny their services to that faction. Words were meaningless so insults were allowed. However, some words hurt more than beatings.

Zhuang and Lingqi were in the middle of making low tier paralysis and sleeping potions for the Silent Shadow faction disciples. Such potions were easy to make as it required only five strands of spirit grass and a demonic core of a magical beast with level one or two qi condensation. Such magical beasts were bred by the Venomous Serpent faction as food for their magical beasts such as the wyrms the higher members of the factions studied. Also, magical beast snakes slithered everywhere, attacking anyone not wearing a robe of a member of the faction. The magical beasts of the faction members were required to stay in the pocket or shoulder of the faction member so they are not attacked.

"Making these potions so many times, no wonder its not hard to learn how to make it on your own," Zhuang laughed as he finished making fifty paralysis potions. "How are the sleeping potions coming?"

"I used the rest of the white onion stalks to make the rest of the fifty sleeping potions," Lingqi said. "Why wear the hood of your robe all the time? The other factions can't see your horns."

"It's a habit from distributing the potions and spirit grass all the time," Zhuang answered. "Five disciples thought I was weak and tried to take more spirit grass from me. Unlucky for them we learned how to make poison powder. The outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples don't dare attack me now after seeing the poison powder kill the outer sect disciples. There's also the fact the Shuang went berserk and killed the inner sect disciple who gave them the order to steal from me. We may not be powerful, but we have our methods to deal with the powerful and weak without using an ounce of spirit energy."

"It's been four months since we joined the sect," Lingqi began. " We automatically became inner sect disciples upon joining this faction. Do you think Lily and Jian passed inner sect disciple exam to become inner sect disciples?"

"I think so," Zhuang said as he made a few poison powders using fire spider webs, a few strands of spirit grass, and a fire scorpion's tail. His cauldron glowed with a jade colored mist inside before revealing the poison powder in the bottom. Using a cauldron was a must for alchemists as it served as a vessel for the materials which became refined as they imbued their qi into the cauldron. The element attributes the alchemist had determined what he could make. Zhuang didn't use his chilling fire element qi as it was a variant and not pure. He could only make potions with water and destruction qi while Lingqi could make potions using both her water and darkness element qi.

Zhuang also experimented making potions with his death and poison qi when no one was looking. Only Lingqi and Elder Shan knew he had five element qi attributes as one was one of the most powerful elders in the sect while the other was a fellow student who lived with him. As Elder Shan only had them for students, he had them sleep in different sides of his guest room in his house. Only elders were allowed a private establishment in the sect.

"We need to give these to the disciples of the Silent Shadow faction now," Zhuang said and carefully put the potions in boxes. Lingqi and Zhuang put the boxes on a cart and Zhuang pushed the wheeled cart as they left the area of the Venomous Serpent faction. Zhuang pulled his hood forward as they passed several disciples as they made their way to the plaza where the distribution took place. In the meantime, Lingqi had a box of spirit grass and spirit beads. The spirit grass would go to inner and outer sect disciples while spirit beads were given to the core disciples.

"That must be HIM. The draconian," one voice whispered.

"Don't bother with the likes of him. He probably demonic cores to get stronger," another whispered.

"Look at that beauty with him. She should stay away from that monster," a voice hissed.

"If she was a member of our faction, I could...." another laughed, thinking dark thoughts.

"Remember the colors of their robes," Zhuang said loudly. "We'll report to Elder Shan and prevent that faction from getting services the next time."

"Okay," Lingqi said as she stared at the people who looked down on them. "They are members of the Snow Tiger faction. Outer sect disciples too."

"This b*tch!" one roared as he stepped forward. He couldn't say anything more as Shuang jumped out of Zhuang's pocket and grew to a six foot long, three foot tall steel cloud wyrm. The disciple paled as Shuang breathed a stream of ice at him, killing him. Shuang smacked his lips and began to feed on the corpse.

"Heh. Don't eat trash. You'll get constipated," Zhuang laughed, no hint of guilt in his voice. "Allow me to deal with them."

Zhuang grinned evilly as he blew a mist from a bottle from his robes. The air began to be filled with a sweet aroma. He used a potion he learned from Elder Shan. The mist was a poisonous powder that didn't kill, but took all the strength and energy from the body, leaving the poor victim unable to move or use qi as he fell on the floor.

"I may be weaker than you," Zhuang began. "But don't blame me for being merciless! You may mock me, but I will not tolerate a threat to Lingqi and myself. Didn't your faction elders warn you about our potions? Oh well. Take this as a permanent lesson learned."

Zhuang took out Nightmare and beheaded the rest of the disciples who insulted him and Lingqi. He bowed and apologized to the bystanders and told them they would be able to move in ten minutes. He returned to the cart and continued pushing toward the plaza after Shuang ate his fill and shattered the evidence using its frost breath.

"You didn't have to go so far," Lingqi said as she walked beside him.

"Perverts should die a dog's death," Zhuang said. "Besides, no one threatens my safety or freedom. I waited so long to be able to do what I want. I will not let others take that away from me. However, I do not meaninglessly make trouble for myself."

After Zhuang and Linqi gave the cart and boxes to an elder faction member, they returned to their room. Zhuang was sitting on his bed against the wall as he read one of the alchemy books he got from the wyrm valley. Yingzi did not trust Shuang but it did grow to trust the wyrm's master. Perhaps they could help them. Yingzi and Lingqi only hoped Zhuang did not think they were crazy."

"Can I ask you something?" Lingqi asked.

"Sure," Zhuang said, putting his book down. "Something wrong?"

"You are the grandson of the Yewan emperor so maybe he told you about it," Lingqi said. "As you know, Yingzi is a night breeze monkey magical beast. They are famed for their ability to sense magical treasures. A few weeks before I was recruited, Yingzi and I found an ancient ruin in Yewan. We spent a few days avoiding the traps and getting the treasure."

"And then you ran into trouble," Zhuang finished. "But how can I know about them?"

"You see, their leader was a boy our age but he had a martial spirit. It talked as if it was alive," Lingqi gasped as she remembered her encounter. "It said to give them the treasures we found as it was one of the Six and its master, the Sixth, was one of the chosen to rule the world."

"The Six!" Shuang cried in draconian. However, Lingqi and Yingzi only heard a sequence of low and high growls.

"There must be more. What did he look like?" Zhuang asked, desperate to learn more of one of Thomas's enemies. He had sworn an oath to kill the Six. However, he only knew the background of the killer as Thomas sneaked a glance before entering the portal and his doom.

"It was a blonde haired boy from the mage country of Galent. He seemed to be a noble," Lingqi answered. "His martial spirit was a golden armored bear."

"Victor Whales," Zhuang said to Shuang using telepathy this time. "That martial spirit was the one given to the Sixth. The murderer who stood in line in front of Thomas."

"Do we kill him?" Shuang asked.

"No. Killing Victor now will let the martial spirit return. We can't let the Overseers and Judges find out my identity. So far they only know a Seventh was made. There are countless others like myself who were imprisoned" Zhuang answered. "We have to wait until the Sixth fuses with his martial spirit and gains a martial body. Then when we kill Victor, the spirit of the Sixth dies with him. We can't let the spirit of the Sixth tell the other five. If any of them die while knowing my existence, they will not stop until they hunt me down."

"The Six," Zhuang said, pretending to brood. "There was one book. It spoke of a legend of Eight. Only members of the Eight can kill each other unless a martial body was formed and the martial spirit died. The legend said only six of them live at a time unless one of the dies with a martial body. Hence, they call themselves the Six."

This was true as he did read about it in a library but the legend did not know that the Eight were reincarnated from souls of other worlds.

"So that's why he lived," Lingqi said. "You see, my uncle was with me in the ruins. He fought them to give me time to escape. He killed the blonde boy first and then killed the guards. He thought it was over and turned around to walk back to where I was watching as I was too afraid to run. The blonde boy's wound healed and he stood up and killed my uncle by stabbing him in the back with one of the fallen guard's swords."

"So the legend was real," Zhuang gasped, trying his best at acting. "Lucky for you that you got recruited into this secluded sect. You're safe here. As for the youth, his name is Victor Whales. He and I have a grudge against each other. Don't worry, when he fuses with his martial spirit, although he is more powerful, he can be killed and stay dead. Although, I would have him hacked to pieces and hire some necromancer to raise his body to be a mindless servant."

"So you can help me?" Lingqi said, her eyes widening as her hopes were answered.

"Yeah. You don't have to tell me what you found. I want him dead more than you," Zhuang said darkly. "For now, we learn more about alchemy. Once we reach the twenty fifth level of qi condensation and survive our ninth tribulation, we can find Victor. By then he should have a martial body."

"We also need to find the identities of the other member of the Six and ensure they don't know Victor," Zhuang said to Shuang. "Some disciples have magical beasts wyrms. Tell them to try to find out the members of the Six. They should know we are close friends of the Ancient One and will keep their secrecy."

"Yes master," Shuang replied in draconian and left.

"Ha, my wyrm is hungry," Zhuang laughed. "Get some rest Lingqi. We have a lot to learn if we want to survive. The Six are rumored to be talented above all talented people."

"Thank you Zhuang," Lingqi said and watched as Zhuang turned back to reading his book.

"They know more than they say they do," Yingzi said to her master using their soul link, using telepathy.

"We can trust them though. After all, Zhuang doesn't seem to care about treasures," Lingqi said and went under her bed covers to rest.

"We'll know their true colors in due time. After all, the demi-human feels nothing while he kills others," Yingzi muttered and lay beside her master to sleep.

Chapter 7: Star Calamity Sect Main Page Chapter 9: Rebirth Tear