The Emperor's Dilemma

"It's him!" a girl whispered to her friend as they watched a crystal palanquin being carried by twelve men. There were two crystal beams that held the palanquin from the front and back, three men would carry each side of these beams.

A young, handsome man inside the crystal palanquin waved at the crowd that formed an aisle as they approached a mountain. He was smiling as they continued to giggle and awe at him. There was only a thin sheet of white curtain that separated the man from the people outside, so everyone can still see him. When the man flashed them another smile, all the women touched their chest and swooned.

It was the moment that everyone has been waiting for, the time where the kingdom's emperor attains the highest rank of any cultivator, the Celestial status.

There are six stages of cultivation and they are as follows, Mortal, Holy, Saint, Sacred, Divine, and Celestial. The higher the rank of a cultivator, the stronger they are.

From the history of the kingdom, no one has ascended to the highest rank yet. One needed to possess thorough training and cultivation to attain such rank. Even the eldest cultivators could only wish for the rank.

However, it wasn't the case for Liu Tang. He was now headed to the Lotus Temple to cultivate so he could achieve the Celestial rank and become the first Celestial in their kingdom, even when he was only half of the age of the elder cultivators.

"Emperor Liu!" a woman cheered. "Marry me after you reach the Celestial status!"

Liu Tang smiled at her and winked, "Let's see if we can reach it."

The woman screamed and almost choked the person beside her, making Liu Tang sit back and clear his throat. "How desperate do these people get?"

"They just want to support you, sir," a male voice spoke to Liu Tang. He was riding a horse beside the Palanquin that the emperor was on. He rode a huge black stallion that had red flame marks on its body.

He sighed and shook his head. "It must be hard being this handsome, Gu Bai. Everyone wants you."

Gu Bai was Liu Tang's personal bodyguard and one of his best friends. They have been together ever since they were little after Gu Bai inherited the role of the right hand of the emperor from his father.

"What can I say, you are the only Divine ranked cultivator in our kingdom currently," a woman was the one who spoke this time. She was on the other side of the palanquin riding another horse, a white one with blue streaks of flower vines.

"Oh," Liu Tang grinned. "Is that right, Wang LiYue? I'm most good looking person in the kingdom?"

"I don't have any other choice but to respond yes," LiYue sighed jokingly. "If only those of us in the Sacred rank could match your beauty."

Meanwhile, Wang LiYue was the left hand of the emperor. She was sitting on the position just a few years later than Gu Bai had his position, but she had served the emperor with the same loyalty and faith.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the spot where Liu Tang would cultivate. This was called the Lotus Temple, a large circular building that was made of gold and stone. The floor was marble with an open ceiling that made the light from the skies could pass through.

There were twelve columns on the inner wall of the temple. Each column represented one animal of the Zodiac. These animals would help the cultivator burn Qi. The Qi, or the energy of a cultivator, will be burned by the body in the astral world. This process would enhance the physical attributes of the cultivator, granting him a more powerful body, thus reaching higher stages of the cultivation ranks.

While cultivation is a rather simple process in theory, not everyone can cultivate. There is another factor which is the compatibility of the bloodline of the cultivator. Not all humans can gain Qi, let alone burn it. Only those who have bloodline from the founding cultivators can cultivate. Liu Tang's family came from the purest line of cultivators. His ancestors were all from the founding cultivators, making his blood the purest of all the cultivators in their kingdom.

Another factor to achieve higher ranks in cultivation was how the cultivator would burn their Qi. Not all Qi burning processes was the same, and only those who have mastered a specific technique could achieve high ranks.

"Emperor Tang," LiYue called out, waking the young emperor up from his trance. "It is time."

Liu Tang nodded as the palanquin was lowered by the twelve men that carried it. He stepped out of the palanquin and walked at the center of the temple, sitting down cross legged.

"After this," Liu Tang said. "I will have the Celestial status and we can finally rise. This kingdom will never fall."

"May the heavens bless you of all the luck, Emperor Tang," Gu Bai said. Both Gu Bai and LiYue bowed before exiting the temple, leaving Liu Tang inside.

The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was entering the Astral Zone where he would burn the Qi he had gathered as a merit for doing good deeds such as defeating demons and evil spirits. When he burns enough Qi, his body would lit up and he would finally become a Celestial ranked cultivator.

However, before Liu Tang could even fully enter the Astral Zone, the ground shook ferociously. This interrupted him from entering the place, leaving his body paralyzed between the borders of consciousness.

"Liu Tang!" the door was slammed open, Gu Bai and LiYue ran inside the temple.

Their voices woke Liu Tang from his cultivation. "What happened?"

"It's Shin DongFeng!" LiYue yelled. "The Dark Eastern Wind!"

Liu Tang did not hesitate and stood. He brandished his sword and walked out of the door, yelling. "Shin DongFeng! Come out and face me like a true man, you coward!"

Shin DongFeng was sitting on his floating island. He was in his giant throne, his elbow on the armrest while he placed his head on his hand, seemingly bored. "Look at you. You look so weak. It is time that you hand over your kingdom to me. It will be then that I'll spare your lives."

"Spare my *ss!" Liu Tang retorted.

"Liu Tang–"

Gu Bai wanted to stop the emperor but he was held back by LiYue, "Let us not interfere. You know how weak we are compared to the Dark Eastern Wind, Shin DongFeng."

"It doesn't matter," Gu Bai nudged his arm off of LiYue's touch. "Our emperor needs us, you don't have to be a coward."

"Oh," LiYue chuckled. She brandished her dagger and stood beside Liu Tang. "A coward? Then let us face this bastard. It has been a long time since I fought a Celestial status."

Gu Bai laughed at this. He stood on Liu Tang's right side, unsheathing his own sword. "We have defeated one Celestial status. What's one more, right?"

Right before they were approached the large floating island, a beam of energy flashed from the skies. Everyone looked up, including Shin DongFeng. The energy swallowed the entire kingdom, perishing every single one of them.

–

Ding. Ding.

Liu Tang's eyes fluttered open when he heard the sound of a bell. His head felt like it was going to burst open, but when he touched it there was no blood or wound from there.

"What happened?" he asked himself, standing up where he found himself in a completely different place. "What's this?"

"Hey!" a woman yelled from behind the countertop. Liu Tang watched the woman's reddened face, angry at him for some reason. "Why is your service so slow? No wonder no one comes here."

With those unkind words, the woman left, leaving Liu Tang alone inside. He looked around the place. He was wearing odd pieces of clothing that was paired with a brown apron. The wall in front of the establishment was made of glass, revealing the people outside.

"What in the name of the Nine Heavens?" Liu Tang pushed the glass door and got outside, gasping after seeing tall buildings around him. The street was filled with beetle-like vehicles that ran faster than any horse he had seen.

The people that was walking through the streets had glowing glass devices on them. On some of these devices were words, some had small people on them. Liu Tang was now confused.

He went inside the establishment where he woke up from and saw a familiar face. A large man with a pair of black eyes and bluish black hair. "Y-Shin DongFeng?!"

"Where have you been?!" Shin DongFeng growled. "You have to come back inside and serve the customers coffee."

"Serve them?!" Liu Tang gasped. "But I am Emperor Liu Tang! I do not serve people."

Shin DongFeng leaned forward and smirked. "Well, not in this world. In this world, you have to make coffee and serve people to cultivate. There are no Lotus Temples, no Qi, only pastries, coffee, and tea."

"W-What…"

Ding Ding.

The door opened again, and this time a group of young female students came inside. They were talking to themselves, only stopping when they saw the two handsome men that were both wearing the brown aprons.

"Stand up, Liu Tang," Shin DongFeng smiled. "It is time to serve the customers."

Liu Tang shakes his head in disbelief. "What happened?!"