TWO WEEKS TO WAR
1239 Words
[2 Weeks Until The Lion Clan Expedition Team Arrives At The Fifth Trial Continent]
"Hmmmm." Chris exhaled as his eyes snapped open. Golden core energy rippled outward, now denser than before. The air boomed like a shockwave.
"Let's wait until our guests get here. No need to go meet them. We will welcome them as we ought to." He pushed himself to his feet.
"Haaaaa!" He stretched his entire body. Shoulders cracked, fingers cracked, toes cracked, waist cracked. Each stretch felt as satisfying as eating roasted chicken, chilled Coke, and ice cream.
"While they’re still coming, let’s go test out this new power." The Naija youth smiled.
Buuuf!
He launched into the sky like a rocket, leaving a trail of white smoke behind. He dashed through the atmosphere, the breeze playing with his robe and the air pressing against his skin.
[Notice: Five Beasts At The Perfect Stage Of Foundation Building Detected At The South Side Of The Continent]
Chris chuckled. "Then that’s where we are going!"
Zooooom!
He shattered the sound barrier with a sonic boom, charging through the air like a fighter jet—zigzagging left, then right.
*Who fit believe say, Naija boy go fly one day like this. Naija to the world jor!* (Who would have believed that a Nigerian boy would fly like this one day. Nigeria to the world!) He smirked.
---
"Senior Yang." Lira bent one knee to the wooden floor, her head bowed. "You requested to see me?"
Yang sat cross-legged, facing the temple’s painting. He glanced back slightly.
"Lira. Yes, I did. You came quite fast." Yang glared, his tone cold yet engraved with a grin.
"I did not want to keep the second Elder waiting." Lira answered. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
"That’s good." His focus shifted back to the painting. "First, how are you, Lira?"
"I… I’m good, Senior Yang." She swallowed hard. Droplets of sweat dripped from her chin to the ground. Her eyes dared not gaze directly at him.
"You’re going to be joining Elder Mia, Lira. I expect to see you improve even more—especially now that you have successfully stepped into the Foundation Building realm." Yang said, his golden core aura radiating at a low level across his body.
"That… that’s… the fourth section!" She stammered.
"Yes, it is. Do you have a problem with that?" He tilted his head behind him, studying her expression.
"N… no. No, Senior Yang." Her hands clenched tightly.
"Good." Yang waved his right hand. "You may leave now."
She rose to her feet and bowed deeply. The huge, thick wooden door groaned as it sealed shut behind her.
"Such a beautiful temple." Yang studied the building carefully. "The brown paint mixes well with the white powder." He sighed, stroking his beard.
"Lumiho." He called, his tone calm.
"Teacher." Lumiho stepped out of the shadows. His reddish-brown robe was sharply tailored, and his yellow eyes gleamed under the dim temple light.
"I have a feeling that boy is alive," Yang explained. "I sensed a power far beyond this place, although it was faint. If you find him still breathing, send me a distress call immediately."
"Yes, Teacher." Lumiho answered, his left hand clenched and pressed against his chest.
"I’m certain that if you find him alive, he would kill you almost instantly—including Elder Mia." Yang glared steadily at the coin in his left hand. He spun it over and over (heads and tails). "Be sensitive at all times."
"Yes, Teacher. As you command." Lumiho rose to his feet. His steps echoed against the wooden floor.
*How can a brat at the Foundation Building realm possibly be alive? And if he is, what are the odds that he stands any chance against me, who is at the perfect stage of the Foundation realm?* Lumiho thought as he steadily approached the door.
"Lumiho…" Yang’s voice echoed.
"Yes, Teacher." He paused mid-step.
"Be careful of Elder Mia. She’s as deadly as they come." Yang waved his hand. "You may go now."
"Thank you, Teacher." He bowed.
The door groaned as it was pushed open and then closed again.
*Just a little more, and I will break into the Nascent Soul realm. Then I will become the next Grand Elder of the Lion Clan.* Yang thought, staring at the treasure exuding strange power in his hands.
---
"I’m sorry to say this, Sung. But if I find that brat first and he’s still breathing—he’s dead." Mia spoke, shattering the cold silence. Her brown eyes glowed with power, her fair skin complementing her yellow-brown robe.
"Yang ordered the boy brought back alive, Mia—not killed," Sung replied with a calm smile.
"Ha! Do you think I’m going to follow such an absurd order from a madman?" Mia raised her voice, slamming her right hand against the four-cornered wooden table.
"You know, Mia, if you are found disobeying orders—as the second-in-command of the Lion Clan’s expedition force—I will personally kill you myself." His voice dropped to a chilling warning, edged with a soft smile. His golden eyes stared too deeply for comfort.
"You used to be a threat to me, Sung. But not anymore. In these last weeks, I’ve grown far stronger than I imagined." Mia rose from her chair, staring down at Sung, who sat comfortably on his wooden seat. "Do you really think you can kill me now?" Her pink-colored Qi surged through her body, heating the air.
"Hag, do you believe a mere Core Formation expert like you can challenge a Golden Core warrior like me?" Sung rose to his feet, his aura matching hers.
Both stared intensely into each other’s eyes. The tent shook violently under the immense spiritual pressure.
"Enough, both of you." Hu sighed as he walked into the tent and took his seat. "We didn’t arrange this meeting for this." He picked up a piece of cooked beast meat from the tray and bit down hungrily.
"Well, he started it," Mia scoffed, dropping back into her seat with her arms crossed over her chest.
Sung exhaled. "Forgive me, Hu. It’s rare for me to get angry at a delusional hag." He smirked.
Mia stared, veins bulging on her forehead.
"Rather than fight amongst ourselves, let’s eat and discuss the reason why this meeting was called," Hu said, his mouth half full, juice running down his chin.
"Yeah, I agree. But why are you late, Hu?" Sung questioned.
Hu sighed. "Had to make sure no one followed me."
"Yeah, same here," Mia added, raising her hand.
"Alright, let’s begin." Sung placed his leg over the table.
"We’ve lost many disciples to this realm in just three weeks," Hu explained. "Any more and the disciples will either scatter, falter, commit suicide, or openly defy orders."
"Yeah, we see that, but we cannot do anything—especially now that Yang has gotten even stronger," Sung commented. "His strength exploded since his discovery of that unknown treasure." Sung picked up the bowl of brown soup, blew on it, and pushed out the hot steam.
"Ouch!" He screamed as the soup burnt his tongue.
"The treasure looks like it’s going to break soon," Mia added, dishing white rice from the flat plate into the soup.
"What!" Hu’s eyes widened. His mouth fell open, still full of meat, rice, and leaking food juice.
*Interesting.* Sung thought.
Streesh! Streesh!
Lightning boomed across the night sky.
- Writer
