Control

In a simple and elegant pavilion near Prince Shu's palace, a handsome man was sitting drinking tea while enjoying the peace and quiet.

Suddenly he felt a disturbance in the spiritual energy coming from the restricted area of the Royal Palace. No one other than those of the Mei bloodline were allowed inside.

It was a place filled to the brim with spiritual energy thanks to a massive spirit gathering formation so this was quite unusual.

The man frowned and flew straight up into the air and looked towards the source of the commotion. It was still a few kilometers away but he could see everything that was happening. When saw Hao Xuan and the girls his frown deepened.

'What is happening? I left the boy alone for just a few hours.'

How could he explain this matter to others?

To keep the information from spreading he sealed the entire place with his Qi so no one other than him would be able to feel the commotion anymore.

He flew over to the lake just in time to hear a thundering voice, "Understand?!"

He looked down and saw Hao Xuan in the eye of a small hurricane, sitting there with his legs crossed looking up at him.

'What's wrong with him? Did sealing his memories have a negative side-effect?' he thought inwardly but then he felt Hao Xuan's aura peak.

And in that single instance Hao Xuan broke through to the next realm, the Elementary Realm!

"How is this possible? He was on Qi Foundation third stage this morning!!" the handsome man was flabbergasted.

This speed was way too fast even for someone with a special constitution but importantly, it was extremely dangerous. The body would not be able to adapt so quickly and would sooner tear itself apart.

'Damn it, no other choice then,' he thought, quickly making up his mind.

He closed his eyes and started humming a tone, making it louder with the help of his overpowering Qi. When it reached the people below their eyelids became heavy and not a few seconds later they fell into a deep slumber, slouching on the spot.

Hao Xuan sat in the middle of the hurricane while watching it all unfold. When the sound waves reached him the hurricane slowed for a few seconds before all the energy was neutralized but it destroyed the hurricane too.

The handsome man was shocked yet again.

'Is this an ability of his?!'

When he was sure everyone else was knocked out he began his descent and slowly landed near the girls.

He gave them a quick once over but paused upon seeing the white hair on the previously blonde girl.

"What happened to her?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing she won't recover from in time. Call it a...lesson, hahaha..." Hao Xuan let out a carefree laugh.

"What are you doing here? This is a restricted area," the man calmly inquired after throwing all his curiosities aside.

Hao Xuan's lip arched upward, "I go when I want and where I want. What are you to stop me?" he asked with keen interest.

The handsome man's eyes narrowed, "Who are you? You are not Hao Xuan," he said before unsheathing a longsword.

"Me?" Hao Xuan smirked, "I was him before he was me. But now...now we are to be one and the same," he chuckled, "Before I was on the outside looking in, and now I am on the inside yet again. But I have only your meddling to thank for this outcome otherwise it would have taken a lot longer," he explained while examining himself, "So early in fact that even the body is not yet prepared, tsk."

The man stepped back, stunned. He looked into Hao Xuan's eyes and saw them change into three different colors in just as many seconds.

"Demon?!"

"No, nothing that simple," Hao Xuan nonchalantly waved his hand while getting up, "I told you, I am just as 'human' as 'he' made me out to be."

"I don't believe you," the man replied, on guard.

"You don't have to believe me, you will see for yourself in the future or...maybe not?" Hao Xuan mumbled under his breath, "Is it still changing? Time sure is a tough mistress, isn't she?" he said wearily before meeting his gaze.

Hao Xuan threw open his arms, "Once I was the whisper in the back of his mind and soon I will be the last voice of reason. I am the final 'seal' before the three become one."

He tilted his head sideways while looking at the handsome man up and down.

"You have done me this favor so let me repay it with a word of advice. If you see me again, run as far away as your feet will carry you. Because if I am unable to halt his arrival, all shall perish under his rule," Hao Xuan solemnly proclaimed.

The handsome man did not know how to react. Half of his words were nonsense and the other half felt like they were coming from someone else entirely.

'He is definitely possessed but it doesn't feel like a demon. Could it be a spirit from beyond the veil?!'

And while he was busy debating what was happening and how to deal with it, Hao Xuan was talking to himself while moving back to his position and sat down as if nothing happened.

The color of his eyes continuously switched from green to red to blue.

"Do not give in to your desires so easily, human. Have some self-control. Killing is easy, it is much harder to stay your hand. You mustn't become like him," he spoke as if giving someone a lecture.

"We must work together if we are to defeat him this time because...there will not be another. It is our last chance," he sighed, "Consider this a parting gift. Don't let us down," Hao Xuan mumbled as he closed his eyes and his body went limp.

The man stood there watching as all this was happening. After a couple of minutes he took out a bottle from his sleeve and emptied it. A white fume came out and crawled into everyone's nostrils.

Then he threw Hao Xuan over his shoulder and flew away.

A few minutes later the girls woke up one by one but they couldn't clearly remember what had happened. They looked at each other in confusion and confirmed that whatever it was, it was not a dream.

***

The handsome man brought Hao Xuan back to his pavilion and placed a spirit mark on him so he could keep track of him for the next few days. Then he sat in front of him like a statue, not moving a muscle.

About five hours later Hao Xuan woke up. The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was the handsome man sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Are you okay?" the man asked with a mixture of concern and caution.

"Um, yes? I think so..." Hao Xuan replied awkwardly.

'Why was he on my bed?? Did he do something to me while I was sleeping?!' Hao Xuan suddenly thought, covering himself with the blanket.

"Then all is well. Do you remember what happened?" he asked, ignoring Hao Xuan's strange behavior.

Hao Xuan tried to recall the events but it was a little hazy.

"I was out on a walk when I got lost and then ended up in a weird misty place. There were some girls there. I remember thinking of asking them for directions but- everything else is a blur," Hao Xuan replied with some difficulty.

The man leaned back with slouched shoulders, "You are 19 years old already, son. You need to get stronger. Even Prince Shu who is only 11 has a higher cultivation level than you. I'm going to send you to the military," he said while standing up.

"You need to get proper training and get a handle on everything. Ready yourself for...whatever is coming," the man declared in a serious tone and walked out of the room, leaving Hao Xuan stunned.