Chapter 29: Summoner War

Mu Rong Chun was true to his word. He really compensated for the damage to my shop, plus threw in a few extra relics as apologies. He actually chose summoning relics, which improved my cultivation further.

On the other hand, my antique shop had to be closed for repairs because of what Mu Rong Qiu did, so I took the chance to get some rest. Or rather, I took the time to train even more furiously than ever. Thanks to the relics that Mu Rong Chun gave me as apology, I was able to train my hellhound as well.

"You're looking good, Xiao Hei!"

I watched my hellhound, who had swelled up in size after I had trained him with the help of the relics. He still was nowhere as near as strong as Lu Bu, but I was still pleased with his progress.

And just like that, a few days passed.

My antique shop was finally repaired and I could reopen business. By then, the relics I had stored within the shop had already been sold off by Mu Rong Lao, who managed to find new buyers during the time when I was awaiting for the repairs to be finished.

As usual, there wasn't much business. Not that I minded, because the antiques were just a cover for my real job. Even so, it was sort of depressing whenever I looked at how empty my shop was. I had Mu Rong Shu return home early to prepare dinner while I switched off the lights.

"Phew…I almost forgot what it's like to run a shop."

Stretching myself, I then closed up the shop. By now, it had already turned into night. The streets were cast in shadows. Pulling the metallic grille down, I then locked them and proceeded toward the direction of home.

Then I stopped when I caught sight of a figure approaching my shop. He was staring at the signboard above, his gaze intent and his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry, the shop is closed," I apologized, inwardly feeling annoyed that he came so late. There were no customers at all earlier…if only he had shown up during the day. Or even a few minutes ago. Why did he have to come now? Maintaining a smile, I bowed politely. "If you want anything from the store, you'd have to return tomorrow."

"No, it's all right," the man said, also smiling. "It's not the store that I'm interested in."

"Okay?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was behaving so enigmatically. What a weirdo.

"Rather, you're the one I'm interested in."

"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes. "Sorry, but I'm already married. And even if I wasn't, I don't swing that way."

"Oh, no! That's not what I meant at all!" the man laughed. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes and I jumped back when something massive smashed into the ground. Withdrawing quickly, I caught sight of a noble spirit wielding a spear. He twirled his weapon before slashing at me with incredible sped. This time, I wasn't able to evade in time.

Fortunately, I didn't need to.

Lu Bu blocked the blow and sent the other spirit stumbling back. Both spirits swung their spears, clashing with such force that shockwaves buffeted the area. I raised a hand to shield myself, but stood firmly. Opposite m, the man laughed.

"I knew it! You're a summoner too!"

Our spirits exchanged several fierce blows, cracking the concrete in their exchange. Spear struck against spear, the blades and shafts hammering against each other with colossal force. Lu Bu spun his spear about before slashing at his opponent, who deftly parried the blade and counterattacked. Lu Bu moved almost similarly, spinning his spear about to deflect the spear thrust before swinging his weapon down like a cudgel. The two of them sprang apart in a shower of sparks. Skidding backward, the both of them held their ground for now. I glared at the other summoner, who simply clapped his hands in delight as he stared at my war spirit.

"Oh, you hit the jackpot. Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms era, huh? A legendary, peerless warrior who is said to be almost invincible on the battlefield."

The man smirked as he studied my war spirit, looking impressed. I snorted, my own eyes on his summoned spirit. Pushing my glasses up, I sighed.

"Aren't you the one with the jackpot? To think you summoned Yue Fei, the noble paragon of loyalty and a master in the spear."

"Heh…so you aren't just a skilled summoner. You know a lot about historical figures too."

"All summoners have to be good at history and mythologies, don't we? After all, we are summoning spirits based off legends from the past. You also recognized Lu Bu. So why wouldn't I be able to recognize Yue Fei?"

"True. Even so, it's not as if many summoners actually learn about their history or legends. We know we should do it, but there are many who are too lazy to, just wanting to summon the strongest spirits for themselves."

I watched him warily, half expecting him to launch another attack again. When he didn't, I narrowed my eyes and ventured forth with a question.

"What do you want?"

"Ah, what a surprise. So you don't know about the war?"

I couldn't help but be taken aback by his response. Staring at him blankly, I frowned. "What war?"

"You don't know about the Spirit War?" It was the man's turn to be surprised.

"Spirit War? What Spirit War?"

"Ah…you really don't know." The man shook his head. "Every century or so, you have a secret war taking place between summoners. Apparently, we are supposed to fight each other, defeat each other, and the final winner will get to step into the Spirit Realm."

"Why would anyone want to go to the Spirit Realm?" I asked, getting even more confused. It would make more sense if we were fighting for the Holy Grail, but I had never heard of the Sacred Realm before. And the place sounded suspicious to me, if I was to be honest.

"Are you kidding?" The man barked out in laughter. "Anyone who steps into the Spirit Realm has a chance of becoming an immortal. Isn't that the whole goal of cultivation? To cultivate oneself to become an immortal? If you get the opportunity to cultivate inside the Spirit Realm, you can even become a god!"

"Right…" That sounded farfetched to me. I had never heard of such nonsense before. "Well, good luck with that. I don't intend to take part in that. I have no intention of becoming a god or going to the Spirit Realm or whatever."

"Oh no." the man shook a finger at me. "Ignorance is not an excuse. All summoners will be involved in it, whether they want to or not. After all, the only way to open the gate to the Spirit Realm is by sacrificing a great number of spirits to power it up. In other words, I'll be needing your spirit to fuel the ritual to open the gate."

He then nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yue Fei!"

His spirit immediately lunged forward, but Lu Bu was on hand to intercept him. Their spears collided violently, sending shockwaves across the street and shattering concrete. Lights in streetlamps exploded, shorting out and bathing the area in darkness.

Even in the gloom, the two spirits remained visible, their qi flaring brightly around them. Their pristine armor gleamed, soft glows of gold and red, black and white contrasting against each other.

Yue Fei continued hammering against Lu Bu, twirling his spear around masterfully and executing carefully calculated strikes in intricate patterns. No normal mortal would be able to follow his moves, yet Lu Bu matched him blow for blow, almost acting entirely on instinct and parrying the deadly thrusts and precise slashes. He was able to force Yue Fei back on several instances, counterattacking when he least expected it. But the noble warrior was equal to the task, deafening himself from potentially fatal blows and deflecting them to the side.

He then dropped down and kicked Lu Bu in the solar plexus, sending the heavily built warlord crashing into a wall and demolishing the structure. Good thing this was a shopping district and everyone had closed their stores to go home, or there would be casualties. The slender spearman then turned to me, his weapon pointed directly for my chest.

"Sorry, bro." The man shrugged. "But enemy summoners are too dangerous to be allowed to live. As long as I can kill you, I should be able to ensure the demise of your spirit."

Yue Fei wasted no time in waiting for his summoner to finish his dialogue, already charging forward. I understood the tactically astute move. As long as Yue Fei could slay me, he wouldn't have to worry about Lu Bu recovering and returning for a second round.

Fortunately for me, Yue Fei never reached me.

A gigantic piece of debris – the remnants of a pillar – burst out of the pile of rubble that was formerly a wall. Yue Fei spun about and reflexively cleaved the huge projectile apart, allowing the two pieces to fall on either side of him. Lu Bu strode out, his face a mask of rage. Charging silently, he swung his spear to send his smaller and thinner opponent flying.

Yue Fei bounced several steps back, but skidded to a stop.

"Well, the opponent is Lu Bu, after all. I knew he wouldn't stay down for long."

The man shook his head, amazed. He glanced at Yue Fei, who appeared to nod surreptitiously before luging forward again.

Lu Bu stood his ground, holding his spear with both hands. He leaned forward and met Yue Fei's charge head-on, their spears reverberating violently from the clash. But Yue Fei didn't shove against his opponent and used brute force. Instead, he made use of his grater agility to flip himself up and above Lu Bu. Spinning his spear about, he attacked his foe's head from above, an unexpected angle.

However, Lu Bu was able to knock the spear aside with a thrust and counterattack. Yue Fei spun about in midair, twisting his body just enough to barely avoid getting impaled. Righting himself, he swung his own spear down, intending to make use of gravity to increase the force of his blow.

So when Lu Bu blocked the blow, the ground beneath his feet cracked and disintegrated from the sheer impact. Gritting his teeth, Lu Bu then moved his polearm, batting Yue Fei aside. The slender warrior hit the ground in a roll and got back to his feet.

"Yue Fei, activate your Divine Treasure!" the man commanded. Yue Fei dropped into a crouch and I saw a visage of the Shaolin temple appear above and behind him. An enormous amount of qi flowed into his spear.

That was right. It was said in legends that Yue Fei was matchless in the spear. Even so, I had no intention of giving up. Nor was I going to order Lu Bu to use his own Divine Treasure – the manifestation of the spirit's legends into a physical weapon or skill.

Such powerful abilities or weapons were supposed to be trump cards. Used only when you had no choice. Otherwise they might destroy the city we were in.

Fortunately, I could prevent that.

"Ugh?!"

The man jerked back when I attacked him. A yin yang symbol glowed below me while I practically slid across the ground, striking him with my palm.

"You…!"

"What, did you think we were just going to leave all the fighting to our spirits?" I scoffed. "Haven't you forgotten the most important thing about summoners? What you yourself said earlier? As long as I kill you, your spirit dies with you."

The man stumbled back, blood spurting from his mouth when I slammed my hand into his chest, sending him flying. I was about to finish him off when Yue Fei jumped down, picking up his summoner. With his other hand, he slashed his spear at me.

Even though there were a few meters of distance between us, I could see an invisible blast ripple out of his blade and hurtle toward me. I made to dodge, but Lu Bu descended in front of me and cleaved the blast apart. On either side of us, the road shattered, leaving a couple of fissures and debris behind.

When the smoke cleared, I saw that Yue Fei and his summoner were no longer present.

"They escaped, huh?"

Somehow I knew this wouldn't be the last time I saw them. If what the guy said was the truth, then this was simply the beginning.