Guardian

"Puff" Weilan spitted out her apple juice, coughing a little "I don't want a guardian!" Weilan complained to her grandmother "I trained a lot to be strong, I don't need any guardian" She turned to Xueqin.

"You know the rules of the clan, Wei'Er. A guardian is necessary. I am sure he would be a perfect one for you" Xiaoran explained to her granddaughter.

Weilan glanced at Xueqin "He is not even from the family. And he doesn't know anything about us."

"Wait a moment" Xueqin interrupted "Could someone explain to me what's all this about?"

"Sorry, little Qin" Xiaoran apologized "A guardian is selected for every clan member with the Seven or Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The guardian's job is to protect the Pagoda user and the Pagoda is to support the Guardian. The Pagoda is considered a support spirit, needing to support someone to improve your own abilities, so the guardian is usually chosen by compatibility with a very close age, both of them growing together. It's a custom of tens of thousand years ago and it did not change even with us acquiring means to attack."

"So you are requesting me to protect Weilan?" asked Xueqin.

"More or less, but help would be a better word to describe it rather than protect. Helping her in the future to achieve her dreams. I am not requesting anything so noble as sacrificing your life for her" Xiaoran explained.

"Why did you want me? I lot of important people would surely jump to the opportunity to work with your clan. Why choose an orphan like me?" Xueqin asked confused.

"Is for your talent and exactly because you are an orphan." Xiaoran said "A guardian is considered and treated as part of our family, even receiving our surname and all our backing. Accepting being Weilan's guardian would make you like her brother, having the backing of the Nine Treasure Clan. We can trust any outsider with it, usually being other members of the clan with offensive and powerful spirits, but orphans is one of the exemptions."

Xueqin opened his eyes widely "So you want to adopt me?"

"Yes" Xiaoran nodded "I won't lie to you, I have my own reasons and I want you to help me in the future, but I would treat like my own grandson. Would you like it?" She smiled a little anxiously at him.

Xueqin's mind went wild, thinking about it. Over the orphanage, he was already told that adoption was the best option, obtaining a good family and name. What better family than the co-leaders of the Spirit Pagoda the Ning family? Also, Xiaoran even if a little calculative, she seemed a good person and never had tried to force him anything. If she truly wanted, there's no way that he would be able to negate except his death.

On the other hand, would he be able to see them as family and them him as such? Or it would be simply a beneficial relationship for both sides, not that it was a bad thing, but Xueqin aspired to have a true family, his sister Chi being part of it.

"I won't accept it!" Weilan jumped "I won't accept him as my guardian" Weilan pointed at Xueqin "As I will never accept anyone weaker than me" She puffed her chest in pride.

"Are you saying that you are stronger than me?" Xueqin asked lifting an eyebrow. The thoughts of the decision leaving his mind, replaced with competitivity.

"I am the heir of the Nine Treasure Pagoda Clan, having been taught all the clan techniques. I even had a full innate soul power. Who in the same age is able to contest with me?" She said arrogantly.

Xueqin stood up and glanced at Weilan "Why don't we have a match? I want to see your so-called strength." He said sarcastically.

"You!" Weilan said angrily pointing at him.

(This sure is nostalgic) Xiaoran looked at their interaction with a nostalgic smile in her face, joy and sadness reflected in it "Clap!" Xiaoran clapped her hands, taking both children's attention "As you want to proof each other, the best way would be a little spar."

""Yes!!"" Both nodded at the same time.

"Perfect. Follow me" Xiaoran stood up. Xueqin thought that they would go outside to a training room at the Spirit Pagoda or something similar, but he was surprised when they simply went to the third floor. In it, a large fighting state was already prepared, devoid of any obstacle and with some formation isolating it from the outside.

Both, Xueqin and Weilan, opened their mouth surprised.

"Since when a Tea House has a fighting room?" Xueqin asked.

"Grangran, you knew it before!" Weilan glanced at Xiaoran.

"Young people usually end up fighting, so two days ago I prepared this floor just in case" Xiaoran said "Great that in the end we will use it, no?" She smiled at the children.

Both children looked angrily at Xioran, having been controlled by her ""Whatever!"" They said at the same time, facing each other.

Over Xiaoran's hands, a pair of crystal-like guns appeared while Xueqin invoked his Golden Dragon Greatsword.

"Are you sure do you want to fight here? It would be better for you in an open area" Xueqin said.

"I don't need it to win against you" Weilan spatted.

"Without waiting more. Start!" Xiaoran shouted.

"Bang!" Weilan lifted her right hand fired one gun, shooting an energy bullet from it.

Xueqin charged at her, he swung his sword, cutting the bullet in two, making it disperse. Looking at Weilan, she was lifting her left gun, a crystal looking pagoda was floating over her head as two yellow spirit rings were under her, the second one shining.

"<2nd skill: Quick shoot>" Weilan pressed the trigger at an incredible speed, a barrage of bullets were shot from her hand, these bullets at least a 30% quicker than the last..

Xueqin's greatsword shined with golden aura, focusing Sword Intent. He swung his greatsword.

"Boom!" The bullets were not very strong and were destroyed by the wind pressure of Xueqin's sword, exploding and creating a smokescreen.

Xueqin took advantage of this smoke, he lightly side-stepped, changing his path before charging again towards Weilan who would be unable to pinpoint him. He prepared to thrust his greatsword to take care of her in one hit.

Xueqin surged from the smokescreen ready to hit Weilan, but found that Weilan had moved from her place, jumping backward as he left. Not only that, but she also had her eyes closed and her right gun was already pointing at him, never having stopped pointing at him.

Weilan's first ring shined "<1st skill: Heavy Shot>!" "BANG!" A single bullet was fired from her right gun to his stomach, but this one was far bigger than the others.

Xueqin was barely able to stop his thrust, tilting his greatsword and blocking the bullet with it. Xueqin was pushed over 5 meters by the impact, he had a bad position when blocking but the bullet was far stronger than the other ones.

Weilan didn't wait for Xueqin to recover. She lifted both guns, her two rings shining.

"Bang!" "BANG!" A barrage of bullets was shot towards him, followed by some strong ones.

Even at mid-air, Xueqin focused Sword Intent over his greatsword "<Sword Intent: Golden Dragon Climbs the Heavens>!"

"GRRRRR!" A golden dragon roared, surging from Xueqin's greatsword, shooting towards the ceiling, crashing to the protective formation.

"Boom!" The bullets clashed with the golden dragon. Xueqin's technique was weaker than what it would usually be due to him not having a good foot standing, but luckily for him, Weilan's firepower was not enough strong to pierce over it.

Xueqin landed on the ground and looked towards Weilan. She had a serious face as she had stopped firing and was quickly changing her guns' magazines, recharging her guns.

Xueqin was shocked with Weilan. He had thought she was an arrogant brat that never had fought before, but she had clearly fighting experience as her movements were smooth and calculate. Also, she showed an incredible spiritual power, being able to pin-point his position even without seeing him and being capable of using her spirit and spirit rings at the same time than the guns, being able to alternate them.

"You're not so bad" Weilan said pointing at Xueqin again "For an orphan, I said" She grinned.

"I will take it as a compliment, but I'm really shocked by you. I never expected you to be able to fight" Xueqin said "But, the play is already over!"

Xueqin charged at her, determined to use his full strength. He hadn't consolidated his Sword Domain Realm yet, and fighting against someone strong as Weilan would be a great practice.

"Again? I will tire you out" Just as she was about to press the trigger, golden light surged from Xueqin's greatsword.

"<Sword Domain: Golden Dragon>!" The golden light expanded all over the stage engulfing Weilan in it.

"Tch!" Weilan flinched "S-sword Domain?" Her eyes showed shock at this revelation. Even Xiaoran's eyes shined seeing it. It must know that the Sword God formed his own domain at the age of 14, even if it was before his boost, Xueqin being able to form one at the age of 9 it was truly a monster.

(What kind of infernal training had you pushed him, Mucheng?) Xiaoran thought.

Weilan clenched her teeth, trying to overcome the suppression of the domain "Bang!" She fired her guns, however, the bullets were less than before, the Heavy Bullets were especially affected, not being much different than the others.

The Golden Dragon Domain was based on the attribute of Ultimate Strength, being able to suppress specially strength-based techniques, making Weilan's Strength Amplification useless.

Just as she fired, the domain collapsed. It was really too much for Xueqin to keep it more than a few seconds. The truth was that it was his first time trying it with his greatsword, it could have not even formed.

Xueqin swirled his sword, exactly the same as Darkness did in their fight, golden aura surging from it "<Sword Intent: Golden Dragon Shocks the Heavens>!" A golden condensed over his sword as he thrust his greatsword towards Weilan, the strength of it having been increased due to the momentum created by the swirl.

The Golden Dragon pierced over the net of bullets, Xueqin reaching Weilan and thrusting his sword towards her.

Looking at the greatsword like-dragon approaching at her, Weilan stood calm. She let go her guns as she lowered her body. Her two rings shined as a spear appeared over her hands.

Her spear shined as she thrust it towards Xueqin's greatsword, hitting it and reflecting it enough for the golden dragon to only graze her, hurting her right shoulder a little.

Xueqin was shocked. He really didn't expect her to discard her guns and go for close combat. Even less for her to already be strong with the spear, enough to even form her own Spear Consciousness similar to the Sword Intent, making it far more threatening.

Weilan tilted her spear, this one twisted over targetting Xueqin's right side. "You lose!" Weilan smiled expecting her victory. There was no way for Xueqin to avoid it.

"Clank!" Weilan's eyes went wide shocked as her spear was blocked. But what shocked her the most was the three purple ring that had appeared under Xueqin, the third one shining. Xueqin's greatsword was divided in two, one white broadsword that reflected her spear and a black thin sword that stopped at an inch of her neck, ready to decapitate her.

"I didn't want to use any spirit skill, but" Xueqin declared "It's my win."