Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Hui Yue looked at the sea of flames and furrowed his brows. The killing intent inside his dantian was raging and a feeling of danger appeared within Hui Yue’s mind.

  Dodging by instinct, Hui Yue noticed how the Qi whip soared out from within the flames, followed by a heavily wounded person. Li Shing was heavily burnt, and his eyes were filled with rage as he swiftly attacked Hui Yue.

  A flash of mercilessness appeared within Hui Yue’s eyes, and the two daggers created by the newly refined Qi suddenly moved swiftly.

  The baleful aura had reemerged, and this time Hui Yue was too slow to suppress it. He was overwhelmed by a thirst for blood, a thirst to kill, and his hands brought the two daggers toward Li Shing’s neck and without feeling the slightest resistance Hui Yue suddenly felt a warm liquid spread across his hands.

  Shock filled the eyes of Li Shing as he plummeted to his knees, all the while blood sprayed from a cut on his throat. Two hands rose to grasp the wound, yet before they were able to do so, the already kneeling student collapsed onto the floor, his life vanishing into thin air.

  Everyone was silent as the fire was raged on in the arena, and then as if someone had planned a countdown, chaos broke out.

  Elders with the water affinity appeared rushing to the grounds where they used various spiritual arts to kill the fire. Extinguishing the fire took much longer than what they had expected, and a slight fear crept into the hearts of these cultivators. These were no ordinary flames. They were still struggling to grow as if the fire was created by spiritual energy.

  Hui Yue had stayed on the stage next to him the now dead Li Shing, and behind him, observing quietly, was the Academy Chairman. It would be impossible for him to escape so Hui Yue did not even attempt to do so.

  Inside of the small boy a roaring fight was ongoing. Two mental projections of Hui Yue were standing within the Qi cave; one was covered in red mist while the other was covered in a white cloud.

  A third Hui Yue, one with neither cloud nor mist around him was seated by the cave wall next to Lan Feng; he was observing the two copies of himself which were discussing whether or not killing Li Shing was the right choice.

  ‘What do you think?’ Hui Yue sighed while looking at Lan Feng, but the phoenix was staring blankly at the two discussing the issue within the Qi cave.

  ‘This is simply too weird,’ he said, his eyes opened wide the disbelief evident in his voice, ‘even if you remembered something from your previous life it should not be possible for you to have three souls.’

  ‘I have three souls?’ Hui Yue asked curiously. To him, although killing Li Shing was something which he had not wished to do, but the end result was inevitable. One day he would need to kill, and he had no faith in his ability to have won this battle had he not allowed for the killing intent to burst out and take over.

  Still, a shiver ran through his body as he remembered the feeling of cutting through human flesh, much like cutting through butter, followed by the feeling of warm blood which had drenched his hand.

  Ignoring these feelings, Hui Yue once again looked at the two versions of himself, before he slowly clapped his hands causing them both to be quiet.

  ‘Killing him was the only option we had this time,’ Hui Yue said firmly, then a smile appeared on the red misted Hui Yue while a frown appeared on the white version. ‘That being said,’ He continued, ‘I do not wish to kill people unless there is no other option.’

  This in turn caused the expressions on the two copies to switch, before they turned into mist and slowly returned to their previous positions within Hui Yue.

  Hui Yue’s consciousness walked back to Lan Feng where he once more sat down.

  ‘So you were saying?’ He asked curiously as he slid down the Qi wall. Currently his outside self was seated in a meditational pose seemingly adjusting his body to the breakthrough he had achieved; no one would interrupt a cultivator at such a crucial time.

  ‘Your soul has certain aspects that seem to have changed,’ Lan Feng said seriously while his eyebrows were furrowed. ‘These two are variations of your soul. But, somehow, I cannot sense them. They are not connected to me.’

  ‘How could this have happened?’ Hui Yue asked curiously, as he saw how the previously domineering mist had turned docile as if it was resting. It seemed that it would only activate when it was in battle.

  ‘You are the only person I know who can make your soul undergo such a odd mutation,’ Lan Feng said as if he did not believe it himself, ‘we will not get an answer soon. One day you will know why you changed in such a way. We do need to practice how to control them though.’

  Having said this, Hui Yue nodded his head and returned to his body. All the elders had surrounded him as though they wanted to stop him from going anywhere.

  “Student Hui Yue,” an ancient voice said and Hui Yue turned around looking at the Academy Chairman. A small bow was given to him.

  “You killed your fellow student Li Shing, what do you have to say in your defence?” The Academy Chairman seemed displeased with the outcome, yet he was perfectly aware that Hui Yue had no other choice than to end the battle when he had. He only had the Qi for one attack, and if he had run out Li Shing would have killed him instead.

  “I really had no choice,” Hui Yue said shamelessly as he looked at the old man. “I had just broken through to the Disciple rank, and my strength was unsteady. How was I to know that senior Li Shing was unable to defend against my attack? He rushed towards me, and I got scared. I had no other option.”

  The blue eyes which had been ice cold and filled with killing intent were now big and adorable much like a deer caught in headlights. The boy in front of the chairman looked as though he was being bullied, as if he had never done anything wrong.

  Many of the students felt like vomiting blood as they saw the innocence and naivety on his face, yet everything he said made perfect sense.

  Hui Yue had fought the entire fight while being a whole realm below his opponent, and only at the end did he break into the Disciple rank. It was obvious that the one who should have died was Hui Yue. What this young boy had accomplished was nothing short of a miracle. If he had not gone all out it would have been completely impossible for him to win.

  That Li Shing died was regrettable, yet it was obvious that he was a commoner born student who had been lucky to find a good martial skill within the Martial Art Skill Hall at the academy. Losing him was a great loss, yet having a whole tournament with no fatalities was almost impossible.

  Sparring with each other was the same as showing off their abilities and these abilities were all created for the sake of killing. The majority of the geniuses in the younger generation would not live long enough to reach adulthood.

  A sigh escaped the chairman as he waved his hand instantly motioning the murmuring people to quiet down.

  “It is unfortunate that student Li Shing passed away just as the tournament was ending. The winner this year is student Hui Yue.” As soon as the message had been relayed the old man turned around and started walking away. He had to rush back to the office to send a message to the royal family right away.

  Not only the chairman, but every major clan and family within Riluo City was thinking the same thing. Each and every one of them wished to get in good graces with this unknown little child. Although geniuses were unlikely to survive for long, he seemed to be one who could turn the world upside down, and it was a gamble that every family would take.

  Another reason was that these families actually did not care if the child was to survive in the long run, what they wanted was to get their hands on the high rank martial art skills that were currently in his possession. It seemed that he had perfected at least some of them, and anything he had perfected was something which he could then pass on to others.

  Hui Yue was, after all, only a ten-year-old boy and although he might be capable of killing in cold blood, these families all assumed that he was not trained in scheming. This was the way in which they wanted to get t
heir hands on these high rank martial art skills.

  Suddenly, the thought and the clamour around the arena focused on the martial art skills that had been sold half a year earlier and a sudden silence appeared. For a student this age it was obvious that he needed to have a teacher of some kind.

  This teacher, in turn, could not be a normal cultivator for him to have passed along such incredible martial art skills and ensure that the young child had perfected them at such an age.

  Was the Saint ranked expert who had moved through the town half a year earlier perhaps Hui Yue’s master?

  Chapter 47 - Keep My Secret

  * * *

  Chapter 47: Keep My Secret

  Following the end of the tournament Hui Yue went back to his courtyard where he locked himself inside refusing to see almost all of the many guests who had arrived. The only ones who were seen entering into the genius’ courtyard were the manager of the Black Market Auction House and a messenger sent from the City Lord’s mansion.

  Usually an outstanding genius such as Hui Yue would be a target for assassination as soon as he had chosen a faction, yet even though he clearly had chosen to ally himself with Lord Rong Liang no one dared to make a move against him as they all feared his unknown master.

  Throughout the next few months many invitations were sent to Hui Yue inviting him to visit the various nobles of Riluo City. Each and every one of these invitations got declined even the ones which invited him to the City Lord’s mansion and the Ma family compound.

  This in turn caused the Wang faction to feel as though Hui Yue might not have been reeled in by the other side, but that he had shown face to the two families as repayment for them purchasing the martial and spiritual attack skill which the expert, ‘Li Fen’, had been selling.

  Life at the academy had changed drastically for Hui Yue. Just as he had left his courtyard he noticed that there was a person waiting for him outside. A deep sigh escaped Hui Yue’s lips as he looked at the small figure in front of him.

  Wang Ju Long’s hair had grown long and was tied at the top of her head while she was wearing a beautiful black robe on her snow white skin. The fabric was fluttering around her fragile figure as the wind picked up, and Hui Yue was about to slap himself mentally. How could he have ever thought of Wang Ju Long as a man?

  Thinking about it this way made his handsome face turned grim as he understood how his feelings were the exact opposite of the ones Rong Ming had felt that fateful day all those years back. Some things were better left unknown.

  “Why are you waiting for me every day?” Hui Yue asked dejectedly as he knew that there was no way to escape this neighbour of his without her seeing him. He had tried multiple times, yet somehow she always managed to find him within mere seconds.

  In the end, Hui Yue had given up and allowed the woman to turn into his own stalker. This change had caused multiple students within the Royal Academy to loathe Wang Ju Long, as they all saw her as someone who previously hated Hui Yue, but now tried to suck up to him as he had shown his actual potential.

  Much unlike most people Wang Ju Long paid absolutely no heed to the talk of others, and she proudly stood next to Hui Yue. She never spoke just observed him quietly, and the sharp eyes always made the white-haired boy feel slightly uncomfortable. This in turn had caused him to hardly leave his courtyard, and he would barricade himself inside hoping to get just a sliver of privacy.

  “I need to keep an eye on you,” Wang Ju Long answered while her cheeks flushed pink. “I cannot afford for you to tell anyone about my secret.”

  Hui Yue had asked the same question multiple times, and although the answer had never changed Wang Ju Long’s attitude had changed throughout the months. At first she had been a very proud and aloof character, but day after day she would soften up until she had transformed into the blushing girl who was currently standing in front of him.

  Yet another sigh escaped Hui Yue’s lips as he started making his way towards the classroom where it was now time to choose another subject for the remainder of the year. A naïve hope sprung into being within Hui Yue; he could choose a subject which Wang Ju Long didn’t pick!

  ‘She will definitely choose the same as you.’ Lan Feng said with a dry voice, bursting the bubbly feeling of happiness which had started to grow within Hui Yue. A sour expression filled his face as he knew that the bird within him was right. It was obvious that Wang Ju Long would follow him no matter what subject he chooses.

  Knowing this Hui Yue had picked the subject which focused on Qi refining and eventually decided to skip out of all the lessons as he stayed within his courtyard to cultivate either alone, or with his friends.

  Having reached the Disciple rank Hui Yue spent a whole month on understanding the changes which happened to his body.

  First were the physical changes. Hui Yue had, as said earlier, grown taller and much stronger. His features had gained a slight masculinity which in turn had caused him to go from a feminine boy to a handsome youth.

  Although these changes seemed severe they were nothing compared to what happened within Hui Yue’s body.

  When Hui Yue forced the final strand of Qi out of his body in the fight against Li Shing, he had forcefully pushed his way into the Disciple rank which caused his body to become like a sponge, greedily sucking up essence from the heavens and the earth.

  This essence no longer needed Hui Yue to refine it, instead the cultivation technique which Lan Feng had taught him activated itself and kept circulating the essence until it had gained the pearly lustre which showed the incredibly pure quality of the Qi.

  His meridians had been slightly damaged during the battle, but after a few weeks of rest and constant nourishing with Qi, they had healed and become even stronger.

  The biggest change, however, was neither the physical changes nor was it the meridians, but the Qi Spiral itself. The spiral had grown to more than double the size it had before and a roaring sound could be heard from within.

  Not only had the spiral grown it had also started turning the opposite way it had spun originally. Within the Qi spiral was a copy of Hui Yue seated with his hands locked in the bird hand seal. This copy of Hui Yue was the cultivation technique which would constantly absorb and refine Qi at the highest speed possible, while still keeping the purity equal to that which had been manually refined.

  Hui Yue could even further speed up the refinement process if he were to sit down and cultivate using the same technique, yet he no longer needed to worry too much about it as his copy was keeping itself busy.

  Another big change was that the two caverns within Hui Yue’s Qi cave had turned into nine cave-ins, however seven of them were blocked by a misty shield which Hui Yue had no way of breaking past or seeing through.

  Looking at the two open cave-ins, Hui Yue had the impression that something was missing. A longing within his soul was calling out, yet no matter how much Hui Yue contemplated the subject no answer would appear to ease the longing.

  Instead, Hui Yue undergone multiple tests together with Lan Feng to understand the blood red mist and the sky blue cloud.

  The red mist appeared whenever Hui Yue engaged in battle or when danger was close by. This red mist slowly enveloped the Qi spiral where it would wrap around the Qi, giving it an overbearing strength and also help Hui Yue to sharpen his senses.

  The Qi which had been affected by the red mist would swell in size and the previously pearl white luster would have a faint red hue which seemed to be emitted from within.

  Hui Yue had learnt how to suppress this red mist with the least possible amount of focus and effort, but his current level was far too low to have any real control over it. He was unable to activate it, and he was even less capable of causing it to calm down within its cave.

  The blue cloud like tranquillity was much simpler in this aspect. The tranquillity would usually be the one which Hui Yue would activate for the sake of suppressing the killing intent. This cloud activated as soon as his consciousness came i
nto contact with it, and unlike the red mist the blue cloud when travelling throughout his meridians emits its cool and calm energy.

  While being affected by the blue cloud, Hui Yue was capable of calmly understanding and reacting to the things which were happening around him, and his sharpened senses seemed to observe everything around him in slow-motion.

  This tranquil feeling was easy to control. As soon as Hui Yue willed it the cloud would gather from the meridians and return to the cave-in where it calmly waited for the next time Hui Yue summoned it.

  Another benefit of the blue cloud was that it increased the rate of which Hui Yue and his cultivation technique could refine Qi, yet all these benefits had a downside.

  Every time Hui Yue used either the red mist or the blue cloud both cloud and mist would slowly diminish in size as the energy was used. If one energy was used more than the other an unbalance would appear within Hui Yue causing the opposing energy to leak out; this would either bring Hui Yue to the state of a killing frenzy, or a state of aloof tranquillity.