Dorian was catching odd looks left and right as he waddled down Main Street. He sighed.

Yes, I know! I look like a clown.

He was wearing a bestiary’s worth of body-parts. King Vordor feathers crowned his black cap, which had as its centerpiece a gaudy Phoenix tail-feather. His scarf was plated with drake-scales, his coat lined with the lush furs of bearskin and sandwolves alike, and a soot-gray sash wrapped around his waist.

This ridiculous getup had cost him nearly half—half!—the spending money he had left. It’d hurt to cough up the coins, but it was necessary to meet Tan Heilong’s high standards. Today he was a guest at the Heilong Family estate. He’d come under the guise of touring the Young Master’s wardrobe.

In fact, he also hoped to ‘borrow’ the Heilong family’s cultivation chambers to make his breakthrough to Profound. Oh, and nab a few treasures while I’m at it. He licked his lips. The Heilongs were known as the Defenders of Azcan, the chief power behind the Azcan military. There was no better place for weaponry and Technique manuals. If Dorian guessed right, this family sat on a minor treasure trove of resources.

And you, Young Master Heilong, will be my backdoor in.

But first Dorian had to get through the front door. He arrived at the estate: a compound hemmed in by black-iron fencing. Within, two towers rose out of the earth like the halves of a monstrous clamshell—Dorian supposed they were supposed to resemble two shields stuck together. It was a brutal and ugly structure, casting a stern, slanting shadow across its neighboring high-rises.

Then it was all blotted out by a rush of fire. A geyser of qi scorched the sky, rising higher than even the tips of the nearby buildings in a roaring triumph of heat. Must be peak-Profound, at the least. It smoked out—but not before a swarm of sand-aspect qi rushed to take its place, cascading in a dust-storm before wallowing back to the ground.

Is that fighting I see? Is the Heilong family under attack?

But the two guards at the gate hardly seemed to think so. They seemed placid enough as Dorian strolled up to them.

“Greetings! I’m here by invitation of the Young Master,” said Dorian.

A guard frowned at him, squinting at Dorian’s flamboyant hat. “You’re here for the training session?”

“What training?” Dorian blinked. “I’m here to assess the Young Master’s Wardrobe.”

They gave him a blank stare.

“…Young Master Tan Heilong? He does live here, right?”

“Oh. The second Young Master. That makes more sense.” One guard gave the other a knowing look. “You must be one of his nutjob friends,” the man grunted. Nutjob? Dorian raised a brow. …To be fair, he’s not wrong.

“Show me your IT,” said the guard. Dorian presented his token. The guard squinted at it, then gave another grunt. He thumbed a button by the gate, which swung slowly open. “Alright. Wait in the yard. The second Young Master will be with you shortly.”

Which was how Dorian found himself the biggest lawn he’d seen since he got to this plane. A well-manicured swathe of thick bluesilver grasses stretched on and on, sidling up to the gates and only disrupted by a small stone path leading up to the doors of the estate proper. There was no real reason for a family to cultivate grass in a desert other than, of course, to show off. This whole place was one big ugly boast.

But it was the persons on the lawn that drew Dorian’s attention.

Nine young men and women stood there, all attractive, well-groomed, carrying themselves with the proud statures of noble elites. Each of them were dressed in sleek, skin-tight combat robes emblazoned with differing crests, and each gave off an aura of at least mid-Profound. But these weren’t typical mid-Profound fighters. All of them exuded the auras of high-class Bloodlines.

They were arrayed in a semicircle around two duelers. One of them was Lin Zhang.

Dorian cocked his head. Huh.

She made a striking sight, her dark hair trailing her as she twirling in the air, looking every bit a stunning heroine. A sea of sand surged around her, heeding her beck and call, bearing her aloft.

She’d managed to make a nice little shield of sand-qi for herself—it swirled in a vortex, sucking in the fire-attacks and repelling them. And these weren’t little fireballs. These were full-on blasts which might even threaten an Earth Realm practitioner, backed by a mighty Bloodline.

Impressive. Even Dorian would have trouble blocking those head-on.

The one throwing them was a dark-haired youth. Tall, broad-shouldered. Dorian pegged him for a Young Master. Now that Dorian was focused on him, he felt a slight familiarity with the boy. It thrummed from his blood. Almost like a Bloodline resonance, but less powerful. Dorian scratched at an itch behind his ear. Intriguing. Is his Bloodline a cousin to mine?

This was some Tournament training session of elites, clearly. And Tan Heilong was taking his sweet time getting here. Might as well take a gander.

“Your defenses have held up admirably, Lin-lin!” laughed the youth. “But I’m afraid this is as far as you go.”

Lin laughed. “Bring it!”

“Are you sure?” The youth grinned cockily. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Lin grinned back. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll try.”

The youth’s smile took on a flirty quirk. “Oh, you’re asking for it. Here I come…”

He made a gesture. One moment there was nothing. The next, an impressive spear materialized fully-formed—a shaft of inkwell black which glowed with angry crimson runes, tipped with a massive, jagged tooth.

A tooth which also had Dorian’s Bloodline perking up. It radiated a sizzling pressure which jived with Dorian’s own. It had the same Bloodline signature as the Young Master. Threads of qi drifted between them, binding them tight to one another.

A Spirit Weapon!

It was the first Dorian had seen in this Realm. He perked up.

Spirit Weapons were only forged by the highest-Tier artificers. Each cost a fortune, and each had a stringent list of requisites—the Weapons were powered by Relics, so the host needed a matching Bloodline, often a rarity. Even then the Weapon might reject the host. But if the merge succeeded…

Then the host gets a weapon that’s like an extension of his own limbs. A weapon which grows as he grows. It was a bond made for life. The legendary Godking Houyi, He Who Tore the Suns from the Sky, was a wee lad of the Origin Realm when he picked up and bonded with his Spirit Bow, the weapon which would later become known as Aurelius. It was now the most feared weapon in all the Multiverse.

Isn’t this is a pleasant surprise? Dorian had seen his fair share of lower planes where this technology hadn’t yet been discovered. A Spirit Weapon was the crux of any God’s offense. The earlier he could bond to a high-quality Weapon, the better.

Even at this level, it gave the wielder a massive advantage.

“Demon Spear, first form!” shouted the youth, cocking the spear. Flames sparked off the shaft; the tip glowed, pulsing like embers. “Dragon Pierces the Heavens!”

Lin gave a shout of her own, clasping her hands in a hand-sign. All her sand-qi hardened, coalescing into a domed shield.

The spear blazed out. A shooting star screeched across the sky, wreathed in white-hot flames; it carved into the shield. There was a deafening bang, a blitz of vivid light, and the sand barrier ruptured. Qi

The backlash knocked Lin straight out the sky. She cried out, pinwheeling out of control.

The youth blurred into action. He blurred across the field, leapt up, and caught Lin in a princess carry, and landed nimbly on his feet. Their eyes met, the youth’s windswept hair fluttering, and a blush tinged Lin’s cheeks. Dorian snorted. It was a scene straight out of a trashy romance novel. The boy leaned in…

Then—“Io Rust?!”

The squeal came from one of the spectators, a girl Dorian was quite certain he’d never seen before. She had straight black hair, close-cropped bangs, and almond eyes which had gone wide at the sight of him.

“Huh?!” Lin leapt straight out of the boy’s arms, twirling past the boy’s puckered-up lips, and whirled around. “Su?! What did you just say?!”

The Su girl pointed a finger at him.

Then Lin caught sight of him in his clown get-up, and lit up. “Io!” She squealed.

She dashed over so fast Dorian hardly had time to brace himself. Then she leapt on him, wrapping herself around him in one big hug, very tight hug. Dorian was struck by a strong scent of lavender.

“Urk!” Dorian paled. She was much stronger than she looked. Those princess arms were crushing the air out of his lungs.

“You look so handsome in your little outfit!” she gushed, looking up at him. “What are you doing here?” Her eyes widened. “Ooh, are you a vassal of the Heilong family?”

She giggled, slapping his chest. “I should’ve known from those big black ropes you’ve got!”

“I’m not a vassal, Miss Lin. Simply a visitor,” he said evenly, trying to wiggle out some breathing space in her death-hug. He succeeded in freeing one arm.

“But it’s a delight to meet you again, Miss,” he said with a weak smile. He was still slightly confused at the strength of this reception. Since when did we get this close? “What a pleasant coincidence.”

He noticed that most of the young nobles were frowning at him. A very big man stared at him, brows furrowed. Two blonde twins with pigtails squinted at him with their arms crossed. Then there was the spear-wielding youth striding up to them, looking very unhappy with how tight Lin was wrapped around Dorian.

“Lin-lin?” he called, a deep frown on his face. “Who the hells is this jester?”

Lin frowned back at the youth, her legs still clinging around Dorian’s waist. “Oh, stop it,” she snapped. She wrapped an arm around Dorian’s shoulders. “This is the Io I was telling you about! The boy I met at the Guild!”

“Him?” The youth’s brows shot up. He wasn’t the only one. The other nobles looked at Dorian with naked incredulity.

He stalked up to them, so that he towered over Dorian by a good head. He had black, slicked-back hair and a pretty face—handsome, but in a forgettable way; the same strong nose, sharp jawline, sword-like brows. Dorian had seen this sort of Young Master a thousand times before. It was as though his features had been tweaked slightly of some basic template of handsome Young Nobles. There wasn’t enough here to be distinctive or interesting.

He even had that trademark noble sneer. Then he laughed, a throaty, forced sound. “By the way you described him, why, I’d have thought he was a hero of myth! The boy’s a runt!”

The youth’s eyes narrowed. He wore a fake playful smile, but Dorian could tell there was real fire in those eyes. “I bet I could lick him with one hand.”

Lin rolled her eyes. “This is Yu Heilong, by the way. Don’t mind him. He’s just an ass. We used to date.”

That explains a lot. Especially that glimmer of simmering rage in his eyes as he saw the adoring look Lin was giving Dorian.

“Hey! Are you free?” she said, fluttering her eyes at him. “Let me finish up this little training session—then we can go tavern-hopping! I’ve got so much to show you.”

“I can’t today, I’m sorry to say,” said Dorian, gingerly undoing the vice grip of her legs on his hips. She looked put out as he gently separated them. “I’ve got an appointment, unfortunately…”

With a Young Master who is very late. Dorian’s cheek twitched. Whose lateness is growing more inconvenient by the second.

“So. Io, is it?” Yu Heilong’s teeth gnashed. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I am the first Young Master and rightful heir of the venerable Heilong family.”

I’ve been here not five minutes, and I’ve already somehow managed to offend the Young Master of the estate! Fancy that. It seems everywhere I go lately I’m stepping on someone’s toes—and half the time it’s not even intentional. Most of it's simply due to standing out, I suppose...

Oh—and also due to the powerful women with screws loose finding him inexplicably attractive. It still made no sense to Dorian, truth be told.

“It’s a pleasure,” said Dorian dryly.

“Can’t say the same,” said Yu with a grin. Then he barked a dry laugh. “I'm joking, of course!” He clapped Dorian on the back much harder than necessary. If Dorian hadn’t braced for it, he’d have sprawled straight into the grass.

“What did you think of my spear, savage?”

“Very impressive.” Dorian figured it was the quickest route to ending this conversation.

“I’ll say,” snorted Yu, puffing out his chest. “Count yourself lucky, little buddy. You’ve just witnessed an Heilong family heirloom, forged from the bone of a fire-drake! I’ll wager you’ve never seen a weapon like that in whatever shithole you crawled out of, eh?” His grin grew wider. “Heh! I kid, of course, I kid!” Then he slapped Dorian on the back again, harder this time. Dorian nearly hacked.

Lin shot Yu an unimpressed glance. “Show-off.”

“Say, little buddy, have you ever thought about sport fighting?” Yu ruffled Dorian’s hair faux-playfully. His grin was paper-thin. “How about we go a few rounds, like real men? I’ll show you a few tricks. It’ll be fun!”

Lin put her hands on her hips. “Hey. Lay off him!”

“That’s alright, Miss Lin,” laughed Dorian. Then he smiled at Yu. “It’s kind of you to offer, but I’ll have to decline. I’m busy today.” And I frankly have more interesting things to do than to engage in masculine dick-jousting. Sorry for accidentally stealing your girl, ‘buddy’. Trust me, I didn’t mean to. “I was invited here on other business.”

“Oh come on.” Yu’s eyes hardened. “You’re really letting a girl fight your battles for you? I thought you savages were supposed to be brave.”

Lin growled at him. “I said, stop it! I’m warning you…”

Dorian was getting tired of this. It was clear this Yu character wasn’t leaving without a fight. Could Dorian take him? If he was honest, probably not—not with that Spirit Weapon on the boy’s side. What about after Dorian reached Profound? The odds might be close to even then. Even with Dorian’s expertise, Spirit Weapons really were game-changers.

It didn’t really matter to Dorian either way. Worst-case, he got a little roughed up and had to take a few healing elixirs tonight. If it got the boy to shut up…

“Maybe after my business here is done.”

“Splendid!” There was a nasty glint in Yu’s eyes. “Then I’ll hold you to it—ow!”

Lin had smacked his arm hard. She glared at him. “Don’t be a bully!” She punctuated each word with a fresh slap.

“Oww—oww! It’s a friendly match, Lin-lin, I swear! I won’t hurt him too bad…ow!”

Then, thank the Saints, the massive oaken front doors studded with metal hoops finally swung open, and out rushed Tan Heilong in a getup of furs and silks almost as garish as Dorian’s own.

He caught sight of Dorian, then Yu, and gave a high-pitched cry.

“Io! My dear savage friend! Welcome to the Heilong Estate!” He rushed over, tripping over the long trail of his robes twice as he did. He stumbled to a halt in front of him, then treated Yu to a glare.

“I see you’ve met my brother and his legion of brutes!” he sniffed. “I hope they haven’t bothered you much.”

“Not at all,” said Dorian smoothly. He strolled over to Tan’s side. “Shall we get going?”

“Yes!” said Tan with a cheer. “A day of splendor and fashion awaits!” And hopefully plundering and breakthroughs, too…

“Wait!” Lin pattered up to him, blushing. “I’ll find you after I finish practice! Wait for me? Please?”

Before Dorian could answer she leaned in and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Dorian was baffled. Seriously—when did we get this close?

She fluttered a way, bouncing happily with each step. Yu Heilong, meanwhile, was practically frothing. He looked like he wanted nothing else than to bash Dorian’s face into dust.

“Oh, you absolute hound, you!” Tan crowed, waggling his brows at Dorian.

“It’s not what you think…” said Dorian helplessly.

“Ah, blast that! I’ll have no false modesty from you. Anywho! Let’s be getting along! That great candle in the sky won’t burn forever, eh?” Then Tan nabbed Dorian’s arms and dragged him into the manor, humming as he went.