Chapter 1

Shin Long threw his arms up to shield his face from flying debris as he launched himself backwards.

His opponent gave a snarl of outrage, pulling its large curled horns out of the large crater its charge had left in the ground, the red aura around its body spiking with its tempers as its crimson eyes locked onto his retreating form.

The Horned Sheep, the alpha of the species located in the Holy Orchid Institute training grounds pawed one hoof through the grass, digging out a trench in the ground before pushing off with its two powerful back legs and launching itself towards him at a rapid speed.

"You're way stronger than all the others I've come across in here," Shin Long praised the demonic beast. A smirk spread across his face and his dual coloured eyes, one an emerald green the other a crimson red shone with excitement, "There's no doubt, you must have a Demon Spirit!"

While anyone other thirteen year old would retreat in fear at the massive beast that towered over six feet and two metres long, he was different. Thanks to the cultivation technique found by his late mother on a journey outside of Glory City, he'd come a long way.

And this was just what he'd been wanting for nearly a year now. The chance to get his hands on a Demon Spirit, weak or not, would be a huge boost to his power thanks to the species ability his cultivation technique granted him.

As he landed Shin Long immediately kicked forward off of the ground and shot across to meet the massive goat like beast head on.

More powerful than the other members of its species or not, it didn't change what it was. Just as they were about to meet, and the beast was about to gore him with its horns he thrust out his left hand and released a wave of spiritual energy from it, the force behind it pushing him out of the way of the demon beasts charge, allowing it to pass him by, while his other hand clenched in a fist glowed with the same power and he unleashed a devastatingly powerful punch right to the beasts side just as it was about to fully pass him.

The Horned Sheep roared in agony as Shin Long felt bones snap under his strike and the massive beast was launched through the air over ten feet before crashing into a massive tree trunk and sliding to the ground in a massive furry brown heap.

The Horned Sheep despite having a few of its ribs snapped under Shin Long's punch grunted and began to push itself up only a few moments later. the sheer vitality and strength of a demon beast was not to be underestimated, even when it came to one of the weakest species around like this one.

Shin Long wasn't idle though, he held up his hand and the small silver ring around his index finger glowed with blue light and a moment later a large curved blade appeared in his hand.

The Spatial Ring left to him by his mother years ago before she passed away was one of his most prized possessions and so very convenient.

"Hah!" With a shout of exertion, Shin Long wound up his arm and then threw the blade with all his strength. The blade split the air as it soared through it and just as the demon beast got to its feet, the blade accurately sunk into its side.

The Horned Sheep let loose a low keening rumble before its legs fell limp under it and the beast lost all control of its body.

"Even an alpha like you couldn't fight off the paralysis huh?" Shin Long grinned. He was no alchemist, and his blade wasn't really anything special. Just a curved iron piece that he'd bought for a mere ten demon spirit coins.

But the blade itself was coated in a paralytic agent he'd learned to make from the cultivation manual his mother had found and left to him. War God cultivation, his greatest secret and not something he'd be letting anyone know about until he was strong enough to fight off anyone who wanted to steal the technique from him.

Not only did it describe a lost, ancient method of cultivation within, it also came with much more knowledge within the book. Like the paralytic agent. All it took was some Zoysia Grass and Black Pool Grass fused with a fusing agent.

Black Pool grass was a well known paralytic agent, but it was incredibly weak, but Zoysia Grass was considered just a weed and none had found a use for it. Except the cultivation manual his mother left to him that had plainly described how it was a natural enhancer for other herbs.

The idea had come to him when he was working part time a few months back when he learned about its enhancement properties. And it had worked better than he ever dreamed, even just his blade lined with the fused topic had been able to bring down an alpha Horned Sheep, when a normal one usually took at least two decently strong Bronze Rank demon spiritualists to bring them down.

Using this method, Shin Long had hunted approximately two hundred and forty seven Horned Sheep over the three days he'd spent in the training area, before he ran into the alpha.

Walking over to the paralyzed beast, Shin Long pulled his blade out of his side before delivering another stab to its heart and ending the beasts life.

He quickly began dismantling the corpse as he had with every other one he had killed. He took its horns and the fur from its neck, before getting around to taking apart its skull and raking through the brain area.

"Yes! I knew it!" Shin Long cheered, pumping his fist into the air in excitement. He found the demon crystal easily, but in the centre of the brain he saw what he had been searching for. A small glowing sphere with a miniature version of the Horned Sheep within it.

He quickly stored the horns, fur and crystal within his spacial ring and lifted the item he was most excited about into the air, "A Demon Spirit!" he hissed, victory filling him up.

It was a weak tier demon spirit, worth hardly anything at all, merely around ten thousand demon spirit coins in comparison to say a low tier silver star rank demon spirit which would be worth over a hundred thousand.

But he didn't care. He was poor, but it wasn't even the money he so desperately wanted the demon spirit for. It was because of the special ability that came with his cultivation method.

Most Demon Spiritualists could only bond with one demon spirit at a time, and it was regarded as a legendary feat to bond with two, and none had heard of more than that within Glory City.

But the War God cultivation method, lost to time and found by his mother allowed for the subjugation and bonding of as many demon spirits as the user desired. It wasn't as safe as normal methods because unlike them, users of the War God method would have to defeat the beasts in a battle of will power to subjugate them and losing meant death, but Shin Long thought it was worth the risk.

No, rather the risk was just something he was ready and willing to accept if it meant one day achieving his goal.

"Let's do this then." Shin Long nodded to himself. He nimbly jumped up the tree above the corpse of the beast he had just killed and took a seat cross legged on one of the thick branches.

It was the first day of his classes at the Holy Orchid Institute in just an hour. To make the best impression, he wanted to be the strongest he could be and tower above everyone else. The more he stood out, the more opportunities that would be available to him.

He cupped his hands around the demon spirit and sunk into a meditative state. Immediately he left the physical realm behind and entered his Soul Realm. The centre of his soul. All around him was a vast realm of shimmering crimson energy.

He spread out his senses and his soul force, latching on to the demon spirit within his physical hands and absorbing it inside himself, bringing it into his soul realm.

Immediately a massive emerald green sphere appeared floating through his soul realm, and within it the raging spiritual form of his defeated foe roared, smashing its great curved horns against the sphere imprisoning it.

"Settle down!" Shin Long hissed cupping his hands together and pressing hard. The sphere around the beast shrunk and compressed. The Horned Sheep fought with all its might, raging and battering against the prison around it, but in the end, after minutes of struggling against Shin Long's hold, it gave up, bowing its head and the boy allowed the sphere to return to its normal, more comfortable size.

The Horned Sheep gave one last grunt before folding its legs beneath it and closing its eyes as it fell into a deep sleep.

Shin Long smiled, but before he could celebrate his soul realm shook as massive torrents of energy were released from the imprisoned Horned Sheep and the crimson horizon expanded further.

Euphoria suffused Shin Long's being and he suddenly found himself in the physical realm once again, a billowing crimson aura sparking with green lightning bolts sparking throughout it.

"This is amazing!" Shin Long gasped standing up and clenching his fists, "I've never felt more powerful!"

And he wasn't even using the war cry ability of the Horned Sheep that he'd gained from subjugating it! They usually used it through a crimson aura that doubled their physical attributes at the cost of stamina.

The instinctual information on how to use the ability was just there now, like he'd known how to do it all along!

Truly the War God cultivation method was unmatched! With the ability to subjugate demon spirits and drain their own soul force to make himself stronger, his dream to take vengeance on his mothers killers was well within reach!