Chapter 18: Primal Chaos

Wudi was released after a few days, but that didn't mean he was healed. In fact, he was still having trouble moving. Considering Wudi's background and the fact that he was held at the Paladin Fortress by the Empire, he was able to receive the best medicine they had available for cultivators in his realm. Despite looking as if he was in decent shape, Wudi was having trouble walking. At this point, all his injuries were mostly internal, as he had suffered a palm strike from Elder Yang and the backlash from the hammer that his uncle Tian Shou had thrown toward Elder Yang. However, his condition was amazing for only a few days of rest. One could see how well the empire treated him from how fast he was recovering.

Currently, Wudi was being escorted by a beautiful woman wearing the Military robes of the Empire. Wudi smiled warily and said, "You don't need to accompany me the whole way, Mei." Li Mei smiled mischievously and said, "Oh, are you hiding something from sister Mei? Perhaps you're still in pain. Maybe I should inspect you." Wudi, still holding his wary smile, said, "Please, Mei, don't tease me too much."

Li Mei, the daughter of Li Ming, was very flirtatious towards Wudi every time they met, constantly teasing him. They were childhood friends, as Li Ming was a direct disciple of the Imperial Physician, and they often had contact. In the past, Wudi would just blush and run away from her antics, but now that he was talking, it seemed to fuel the fire even more for Li Mei. She had been doing this for the last few days on a consistent basis. Li Mei was also considered a genius in her own right, being very well-versed in medicine and boasting a cultivation level that was actually the same as Wudi's. Mei was very close to breaking through the Martial Dao Realm.

Li Mei smiled while moving closer to Wudi and said, "I think there's one spot my father forgot to inspect." Wudi looked at Li Mei and realized she was looking down towards his groin. Wudi frowned and an aura that matched that of a king passed by briefly as he said, "Enough." Wudi didn't yell it or say it quietly, but it seemed to ring in her head and she felt dominated by his aura. It was so brief but it felt like it lasted minutes, before she knew it she was standing a few feet behind Wudi as he was still walking. Li Mei whispered to herself, "The aura of a king."

In truth, she was, in fact, attracted to Wudi and was fine even if she was made a concubine, despite her nature around Wudi. She was actually extremely stern with subordinates and would often be known as a hard-ass when she was in charge of missions. She always felt that Wudi was different from others as she felt an aura similar to his father from a young age on Wudi and was greatly attracted to it.

Wudi glanced at Li Mei's expression as she caught up with him, and noticed that she had gone from playful to being in deep thought. In truth, Wudi was also attracted to Mei's looks but he wasn't in love with her. He believed that his will was strong enough to hold these desires and that he could always be himself despite any influence. He aimed to have a will strong enough to remain true to himself regardless of whether he was a devil or an angel. This was his main goal, as he knew that the Dao heart was the secret to being powerful, as it could carry him further than anything else.

Li Mei wasn't following Wudi just because she felt like it; her father had tasked her with escorting Wudi to his arranged lodging. Wudi reached his room, and Li Mei took her leave. In a secret chamber of the fortress, Commander Liu Zhiqiang, Wudi's uncle Tian Shou, Li Ming, and a few others in the Martial Divine Realm were present. Commander Liu Zhiqiang was at the peak of the Martial Divine Realm and was playing with the Gold Drum Medallion in his hand while the others remained quiet.

Eventually, Tian Shou spoke up and said, "We don't seem to have a choice in the matter, Commander Liu. We might as well send the report back to the Emperor and have him make the final decision." Liu Ziqiang sighed and responded, "The Emperor already gave his order, and the Martial Phoenix Empire is already on route. The academies of the two Empires are also sticking their nose in this mess. They are sending their own people with them."

The reason behind the Coiling Dragon Academy's prestige and its ability to stay separated from the Empire was because it was a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. Each Empire had a Coiling Dragon Academy that was primarily made up of those from the Empire they were stationed. The real Coiling Dragon Academy was located in the center of the continent, and one could only attend once they became a Core disciple in one of the Empire's academies.

The Empires typically only held techniques left behind by those who never became core disciples and went back to their factions. Those who became core disciples and left their techniques would have their techniques recorded in the main Coiling Dragon Academy. The head of the current Coiling Dragon Academy in Wudi's Empire was actually born in the Empire and was even a Dao brother to Wudi's father. Despite being on a fast track to becoming a general for the Empire, he eventually chose to head to the main Coiling Dragon Academy and eventually came back as the new head of the Academy in the Empire.

The academies, despite being stationed in these empires, weren't actually affiliated and wouldn't help the empires in the case of a war and stayed out of such quarrels. The branch academy that Wudi went to was actually quite important to the main branch because it was the only Academy that had a foothold in the Divine Demon Mountain.

Lui Ziqiang continued and said, "Those from our academy will be here soon as well, give this to Wudi." Lui Ziqiang passed over a small jade case to Tian Shou. Clearly, Lui Ziqiang wanted Wudi to recover as soon as possible. Lui Ziqiang said one more thing before concluding the meeting, "Even though we have to share the Mystic Realm with others doesn't mean we can't get the most benefits out of it. Prepare your disciples properly." Everyone nodded with serious expressions and left to prepare. Mystic Realms often had cultivation restrictions due to them being rather unstable spaces. So the disciples would be the main players in the grab for resources.

Wudi was oblivious to the discussions happening just outside his walls and was solely focused on cultivation. Wudi was given a private yard and room. Currently, Wudi is meditating due to his limited mobility. Wudi was mainly consolidating his strength after the rapid breakthroughs. It was actually Wudi's birthday during the time he was being chased through the Divine Demon Mountain, and Wudi was now seventeen.

Wudi's cultivation was impressive as most his age were just at the minor realm of the Martial Insight Realm. Wudi believed it wouldn't be long before he stepped into the Martial Dao Realm which would be incredible because most would sit at the bottleneck between the two Realms for a few years. Teacher Liang, for instance, is at the peak of the Martial Dao realm and is twenty-six currently. Teacher Liang was also considered a genius but still took till the age of twenty before advancing into the Martial Dao Realm. Wudi felt he was close and Wudi was currently circulating his cultivation technique.

Wudi opened his eyes and whispered softly, "Primal Chaos." This was the name Wudi came up with for his cultivation technique, and Wudi felt it fit very well.