Teacher

Unknown Location, Star Luo Continent

The beams of the radiant moon were intermittently veiled by the towering trees, casting elongated shadows that painted a scene of ominous dread and unsettling silence. " rustle...rustle....." suddenly, the tranquil silence was broken by the rustling of urgent footsteps.

As the rays of the moon's gentle glow reflected upon the source of this sound it revealed a manly figure wrapped in a cloak hurrying towards a particular opening in the distance.

" Teacher, I am here. Where are you? " after stopping at a distance the cloaked figure called out as he removed his cloak, revealing his face to the moonlight.

" Liu Khuen, How many times have i told you not to call me teacher when we meet like this? " in response a calm elderly voice echoed as a man emerged from the shadows.

Instead of replying, Liu Khuen countered, "You know why I am here, teacher? Tell me, what happened in the arena today? You and that minister told me that my spirit soul was sealed because it was too strong for the current me. You never said anything about it being able to turn me into whatever I became earlier."

The elderly man again calmly stated, "Well, it is true that the spirit soul was too strong for you. I only hid some minor details. And if I remember correctly, it was you who came crawling to us and agreed to participate in this, despite knowing that it was an initiative by the royal family, which you hate to your very core."

"But, was it really an initiative by the royal family? Because even with their muscle filled brains I don't think the royal family is stupid enough to create a bloodthirsty warrior for the sake of their military stability," Liu Khuen remarked, causing the elderly man to narrow his eyes.

Ignoring the elderly man's gaze, Liu Khuen moved behind him and continued, "And I don't think the royal family has the knowledge of creating an artificial spirit soul..." the elderly man suddenly widened his eyes while Liu Khuen's voice also changed as it continued on, "....let alone enhancing that spirit soul through God of War fragments." 

As a hand was placed on the elderly man's shoulder, the voice asked, "So, who do you really serve TEACHER?"

The elderly man, now back to his senses, instantly retreated to a different position and looked towards Liu Khuen, only to spot Nero standing there with Yamato in his hand.

"You... Why are you here? Only Liu Khuen knew this place, and how did I not detect you?" the elderly man hastily asked Nero.

To which Nero tilted his head slightly and replied with a teasing smirk, "Well, what can I say? I'm a man of many talents."

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*Few Hours Earlier*

Monster Academy Medical Ward, Star Luo City

"Shit! What's happening? Why can't I summon my soul rings anymore? I have to meet the teacher; otherwise, everything I've done, everything I've sacrificed for, will all be for naught," a frustrated voice, belonging to none other than Liu Khuen, reverberated in the empty medical ward.

"Well, I would argue that acting upon those actions would just prove that you are truly an idiot," suddenly Nero's voice sounded beside Liu Khuen. The latter's attention snapped toward the source, finding Nero leaning nonchalantly against the wall.

"You..." Before Liu Khuen could even began, Nero intercepted his words with a dismissive wave, "Don't even bother to ask how I'm here or anything like that. The only thing that matters is that firstly, no one can hear us, and secondly, you should politely tell me where you meet this teacher of yours."

"BUT I NEED TO KNOW," Liu Khuen protested, his frustration palpable, "I need to know how I can get my power back. I sacrificed so much just to get the place I deserved. Being a prince was my birthright, but it all got snatched away just because I didn't inherit their Martial soul. I trained so much and bore the pain of that damn Spirit soul, but now you're telling me that all of this is just idiocy. What do you even understand?"

"Done," Nero responded calmly, his voice devoid of any sympathy or empathy. The abruptness of his reply caught Liu Khuen off guard.

"What? Did you expect me to comfort or relate to you or something?" Nero continued, his tone unchanged. "You made those decisions, and you bore their consequences. I don't really care about your life story. There are people in worse conditions than you. So, I'm going to ask again—politely tell me what I want, or this time, I won't restrict myself."

After a few seconds of silence, Liu Khuen sighed and answered as his resolve faltered, "Teacher always told me to meet on nights of moonlight in the forest of ancient trees. The exact location was dependent on where the moonlight was most visible."

Obtaining the desired information, Nero prepared to teleport away. But just before vanishing, he delivered one final admonition to Liu Khuen. "And the reason I called you an idiot is because that spirit soul was designed to eventually devour you whole. So, try not to be a pain in the ass again."

Before Liu Khuen could respond any further Nero teleported away leaving Liu Khuen alone in the room to think and reflect upon his decisions.

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"Where is Liu Khuen?" the elderly man asked Nero once more, regaining his composure.

Nero shook his finger and countered, "We both know the question that truly weighs on your mind is: What happened to Liu Khuen's spirit soul, am I correct? After all, the reason you agreed to meet him was to check the state of that experimental spirit soul."

"Well, to burst the bubble of your expectations, that spirit soul is gone forever, disappeared into nothingness or to be precise, disappeared into shadows of my spirit soul."

"And..." Before Nero could continue, his position was immediately engulfed in a massive explosion of blood-colored gas.

"Hmph! Stupid kid," the elderly man snorted as he advanced towards the explosion's aftermath. "He probably thought that I was too shocked to take any action." But suddenly, he felt the world spinning, and found himself mid-air with a hand on his collar.

"And as I was saying, don't bother for a sneak attack as it would be meaningless in this battle," Nero's words echoed in his ear before Nero thrust the elderly man towards the ground with extreme speed.

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This is a message to all readers, some facts or info might differ from original novel. So, I only request just ignore it.

I am gonna change the information if it corresponds to the plotline I want.