Chapter 2

On this fated day he lost everything, the flames took everything he held dear from him. All that remained for him was despair and hatred for the one who was responsible for his parents death, little did he know that the one who ultimately was responsible was none other than himself. He of course had no idea that his bold remark a few weeks ago now was paied back with everything he had.

In his despair he cried so long that his eyes wouldnt let out any more fluid, he just stared with bloodshot eyes at the place he called home yesterday. Nobody knew how much time had gone by while the boy did nothing else but sob, only one thing was clear, this scene played on for hours.

One might think he could do something against this, like, to go to the police or something. Even if there was something like this, it would only work in the face of mortals, but one would have to forget the concept of cultivation for this to really work. In this world even a Body Tempering Realm Cultivator is already much stronger than any mortal, someone at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm is able to fight equally against two dozen normal soldiers! And even those people would still be regarded as disciples so one can imagine how strong an Elder had to be, or even to be the Sect Master of a sect! Which sane man would risk offending such people just to help some mortals?

Since ancient times already, it was this way and nobody in this world tries to change it, these that could would benefit and those who would benefit didn't have the strength to change anything.One may think it was always this way, and it really appears so at first glance, but if one looks back in time a few billion years ago, there was a time when people were unable to cultivate because the world didn't have a bit of qi in the atmosphere, of course all these things for which one now uses Qi was replaced by some natural won energy, at those times called electricity, now if you would ask anyone about it they wouldnt know and would call you an Idiot. Thats just how believes changed over the times, earlier things like cultivation couldnt be called more than a dream and so it is with now and that ancient energy. It so seems from the flow of time that these two do not are compatible. This was not the only civilization, over the years there were many more but at some point they got extinct and no one knows why, just like how no one knows how Qi came to this world or how it changed animals and plants.

Some might call Qi a blessing for they got a high standing, respect, fame and power through cultivating . Others on the other hand call it a curse for it gave birth to monster beasts and got them suppressed by others just because they were not talented enough. The only fairness in this world is that this world is equally unfair to everyone, but not everyone is able to realize their potential and so they become waste themselves.

Finally after many hours the sobbing began to quiet down while the flames already ceased to exist a while ago, only now did the boy realize that it doesn't help to cry now, he had to find out why this happend, and of course make the one responsible pay for it. The only problem is, how is a bright 14 year old supposed to do exactly that? He doesnt have any background, no cultivation, no connections, no family, no money.....

All that remained was himself and no one he could rely on. Just as he was standing up footsteps could be heared from not far behind him. „Who is it?" he asks while turning around wanting to see who it is. The moment he looked behind himself he saw a tall middle aged man slowly walking towards the point he stands. He had short blond hair and his clothes looked quiet expensive. He wore a faint smile on his lips as he strolled until he stood directly in front of Lycaon. „Do you want to know why this happend and who made it happen? Do you want to know who killed them…..your parents?" the man talked slowly in a rough voice, only breaking a pause when he came to the end.

Lycaon couldnt help but look hopefull at the man for a second before hiding his excitement again, this of course didnt escape the mans eyes who started to smirk a bit now, seeing this smirk he couldnt help but start daubting the man. How would this man know? And where would he know it from? And even his timing, he was just way to suspicious for him to really want to help him. So the question now is what is it that he wants for his help?

„What do you want from me? I'm sure you wouldnt just tell me right?" Lycaon asked warily which took the man by suprise, but he still called down in no time and explained „You are quiet vigilant for someone your age, but you are right I also want something for this.". Unexceptedly he gave up trying to fool him and told him that he really wanted something, „Tell me what you want, what can I, a child with no wealth, family or strength give you?" he squinted his eyes at the man, „Thats easy, I also want the man responsible for this dead, so one could say we have the same enemy. And I know you dont have anything to give me, dont get me wrong but right now you are worthless, so how about I give you the opportunity to go somewhere you can become stronger and you get me his head in return?". Doubtfully he stared at the man asking himself where the problem lies, this was just a too good opportunity and all he had to do in return is kill the man he also wanted dead? The man before him knows apparantly quite much about him so he should know he could just ask for something else because that man would die either way so why bother making the deal worse for himself? Why doesn't he work for himself? So he could get rid of his enemy and at the same time get a worker for free. Many thoughts crossed Lycaons mind the moment the man explained himself. It was already like this for a few years, because he had to live his everyday life in the slums since he was born he had to make always quick decisions so that he wouldnt get in trouble with people he is not strong enough to fight with thats also why he sometimes notices some things others wouldnt, sadly his senses seemed to have become dull the day he offended Long Chen, maybe because he wasnt used to Cultivators? Or maybe because they were different from the people in the slums? Who knows?

„Why me? Why dont you take someone else? It should be easy for you to find others here who would do everything for power and this since long ago already, so why wait until now and ask me? And on top of that if you can make others so much stronger why not just make yourself stronger and do it yourself? There must be a problem with your method or a high risk which is why it either always failed or you are to scared to do it, as you proabably dont really care about how it happens and at what cost I suspect it's both, it has a high risk which is why you dont do it yourself and second it has only a small chance to work which is why everyone who tried it until now didnt do it already, so am I correct?" Lycaon looked at him with a cold light flashing in his eyes.

„Hahahahaha! You are quite good brat, but I have to admit you are not wrong. If it really was without risk I could do it myself theoretical but the problem is that first not everyone can withstand it long enough to gain enough power and second I wouldnt have any way to make them hold up their part of the bargain because I would need more strength than them to make them do it which would make all of it already worthless, and third even if I would risk it myself and would get the power I couldnt do it because of my image. You may not know, but I come from the city center and it is forbidden to kill others there, of course it still happens but nobody does it themselves, otherwise they might not be able to escape, so we use others to do our dirty work, well yes if subordinates had to be powerful enough and that's exactly where my problem lies, that's why i want to give you this chance, we have the same enemy, i am not saying we are friends, i would just call it business, i use you and you use me and we both get what we want." After the boy's initially somewhat baffled conclusion, he laughed and explained with an increasingly obvious dark grin on his face.

Lycaon didnt understand anything about nobles and why they would make it so complicated but just accepted it as granted. To him, the nobleman's declaration made sense, after omitting the nobleman's image and not being able to find any loopholes, he thought about how his parents suffered. However, he reluctantly accepted it to be used to repay the guilty party.

As he was about to leave with the man he spoke again „Oh and by the way we should get you some new clothes." Well this might really be a good idea he thought as he looked at his tattered clothes with holes and ash all over them which must have ripped as he desperatly struggled to flee from the man that hold him and made him watch his parents agony. He wouldnt forgive this person either, the question just was if he could find him, even though he was so close to him, he didnt pay attention to him at all, his gaze was fixed on his burning home at that time so he didnt even know how tall he was or what his build was. He could only sigh in regret and hope he would recognize him if he saw him, or he might get the information from the person behind all this, or this noble might actually know him too. Looking at his thoughtfull expression it was as if he had known this would happen. „You want to find the others that had something to do with this and take their lives as well, am I right?" he looked at the boy, who only looked a bit suprised at him and nodded silently, with a grin talking to himself inwardly *What a scary brat, already thinking so ruthless at his age, seems like I made a good winning today hehe*. Even though he tried not to show a bright grin he couldnt help his lips from curling upwards. „Dont worry when you have enough strength I will get you their names, every single one of them." Lycaon just nodded and kept going beside him deeper in the City.

Around forty minutes later they arrived at a huge building, resembling the Colosseum, the area was buzzling with people. Sometimes one could see well-dressed nobles and also some people with a crest or a symbol on their clothing. Some also wore light armor and weapons on them, but different than soldiers in the city that are guarding important places, they didnt have the City Lord's Crest, a golden raindrop, on their chest area. They are also part of Cloud Drip Sect but they were regarded completely different, the main Cultivators normally never would stand somewhere as a guard, except for special occasions. While the main guards are regarded as Cultivators with moderate strength but not enough to be an elite, they were mostly people who wouldnt go further than Body Tempering level 4, for a young man this might be much but this was the limit for their lifetime so many of them were already over the golden age for Cultivation. So as they werent excpected to further improve their status was obviously not high, but ordinary people still couldnt look down on them and had to treat them with the utmost respect. Well for some nobles this may or may not be the case depending on their strength and backing as well as for other Cultivators.

As they got closer and closer to what appeared to be a arena, Lycaon started to get nervous even thogh he wasnt sure why, „What are we doing here? Didnt you want to make me stronger?" he asked hesitantly. „Yes and here is where its going to happen, well inside not here on the street, so calm down and just follow me silently." The noble, whose name he still didnt knew, answered calmly while walking to a few guards at an empty entrance to the arena and showed them a badge, the guards only nodded and let the two move through. They walked a bit under the mans direction until they were in a room full with rusty weapons and some leather armor. „Take what you are most comfortable with, we need to take a look how much you can do at the moment and than we'll decide which method we are going to use ." he commanded. Even thogh he couldnt help frowning when hearing his overbearing tone. Lycaon still complied and did as he was told, taking a slightly bigger dagger which looked a bit less rusted as the rest and a little roundshield made of some kind of hard wood. „Wont you take any armor?" the noble frowned seening that the youth wasnt even looking at the armor he could take. „No, I wouldnt be able to move freely in all of them so I rather take the shield, I prefer not being restrained and also its just training at most I'd get some minor injuries so there is not really a need for it." he answered truthfully while looking suspiciously at the man, it bothered him that he wanted him to put armor on for training, it shouldnt be too dangerous, right? He wouldnt be send to fight someone seriously, at most only to judge his capabilities.

The man caughed a bit and nodded „You are right, lets go". They left the room and Lycaon was given at some point to a guard who should bring him to the field, so he followed the guard to an entrance of the inner part of the area and while looking around from the door, looking quiet startled, he wanted to ask the guard what was going and why so many people were up there watching, but just as he wanted to turn around and ask, he was shoved into the arena „What is taking you so long? Get in and fight already, the people are waiting!" these were the words he heared from the guard, who accompanied him until here, with and angry tone in his voice.

As he stood up from the ground it took him until another kid appeared opposit to him in the arena to understand, he was just being played, that man probably got money just for bringing him here and letting him fight others. This was a game for all these people! They probably even bet right now on who would win!

At the next moment a loud voice was heared „The battle begins, winner is as always who kills his opponent first!". Lycaon couldnt even say where the voice came from, it appeared as if it came from everywhere. But now wasnt the time for him to think about these things, he had to survive first!

At this moment the noble man who braught Lycaon grinned as he counted the 10 silvers he got for bringing him here, if he would win he'd get even 5 more. Should he lose he would have to pay 5 back, but nonetheless he still made good money today!

Back in the arena Lycaon sweated heavily, he already had an arrow from his opponent in his shoulder, it seemed that this boy was already used to how it works here and didnt hesitated and tried to kill him, also he wasnt to bad with the bow. Lycaon had tried before to get close to him but was hit in his left shoulder by and arrow before he could get close, even thogh he tried to evade, he still couldnt get out of it without an injury. Maybe he really should have got the leather armor bevor, well there is sadly no medicine for regret in this world, and if there was he couldnt afford it. Just as he thought about how he should keep going with the pain in his shoulder the vanished from his shoulder and appeared in his chest, he couldnt help looking down, an arrow was stuck in his chest where his heart should be, the boy shot at him as he thought about what he should do, he really was ruthless. But Lycaon couldnt bother thinking about these things right now.

*Am I just going to die like this? This cant be happening! I have to avenge them…* a picture of his parents playing with him surfaced in his mind as he thought about it, but soon he realized he couldnt do anything anymore and his Vision went dark…. *Mother…Father….I'm sorry, I wasnt strong enough to get revenge for you. I'm sorry* a tear flowed unknownst to him down his cheek as he lost his consciousness.