Chapter 7: Fourth Year Gathering

"We're heading to the Warlord District?" Xin asked as the bus passed through the a large, circular wall made of black metal. Black Gate City had eighteen districts and a segregated area at the center of the city where the people with the most influence and power gathered. People called it the unofficial nineteenth district: the Warlord District.

Naturally, it was because the elite among elite lived there, fighters at the Heavenly Warlord stage. Even if the Heavenly Warlord stage was not the highest, people who reached that stage were few and considered true geniuses. A gun expert at the Heavenly Warlord stage had the power to blow up several houses in a linear formation with a single bullet. Their gun was literally a portable cannon.

"We get to go in there. Wow," Edward said as they passed through the gate. The first thing they saw was beautiful peach trees and small streams and a river. It was as if they stepped into a world of ancient China with many pavilions and pagodas everywhere. Some buildings looked different, obviously influenced by the other seventeen districts.

"We will be residing in the guest houses in the Peach Blossom Wing. Just as there are eighteen districts, this Warlord District has eight sections they call Wings. This is true paradise and the reason some people cultivate. Most cities don't have a place like this," Ms. Cao said.

"Do you live here, Shifu?" one of the three other fourth years asked, using the Chinese term for teacher.

"No. My elder brother and my parents do. I am only at the peak of the Earthly Fighter stage," their teacher laughed. "Four students of my class are of the ten fourth years. You did good to get in with Vincent, Xin, and Bing. You worked hard, Daniel Chen."

"I'm still not at the fourth stage but I'll do my best. Most people aren't anyway," Daniel grinned as their bus stopped before a large pavilion. A man in a white black tuxedo with a golden dragon on a black tie smiled and bowed as the students got off the bus.

"Welcome, fourth year students of White Dragon Academy," the man smiled. "My name is Bu Kong and I am a fighter at the mid-stage of Heavenly Warlord stage. I see some of you are even at the fifth layer. Quite a talented group. Please, come inside. We will discuss the competition there during lunch."

"Thank you," Ms. Cao and the students bowed and followed him.

"Now," Bu Kong began as they ate some food. "The Fall Gate Competition is quite popular this year. Many organizations have sent scouts to recruit potential seeds, like you. Even the the top nine organizations and the Testing Center have sent scouts. There are also underground organizations here. Thus, I implore that you don't wander off or risk being kidnapped or murdered. Bets have also been made of the many games being hosted for the competition between the eighteen academies. There is also a great prize here that has gathered too much attention. I fear you are all being used as bait, but the prize will be given regardless. For every district, the first place prize is the same. The second and third prize is awarded by the District Manager as the first place prize is awarded by the City Lord. Still, the first place prize is the same for all years and the first place prize of the fourth year and all the fifth year prizes are all priceless. It is suspicious because all three prizes of the fifth year prizes are given by the City Lord. You can say the fifth year competition will be a blood bath, the prizes bait for something bigger."

"Bait? Not good. Is it because of rival Exiles...er, I mean other cities," Edward frowned.

"Precisely. The District Manager of White Dragon District made sure I warned you all. There are three grand prizes for the top 3 overall winners of each year. The higher the year. the better the prize. Luckily you are not fifth years or you would be the target of all kinds of deceit, trickery, or assassinations. It's best you don't know what the prizes for the fifth years are as I suspect many would wish they did not join as none are allowed to drop out of the competition. For fourth years, the one you need to fear is the prize for first place over all," Bu Kong said. "The prize for the fourth years, I will tell you from third place to first place. Third place overall gets a Mazoku orb of power. Second place overall gets the bone marrow of a Nether Wyrm. First place gets armor made by dragon scales of one of the children of THE Black Dragon, the unique variant among all Mazoku black dragons that is considered a living god!"

"WHAT?" Jenny Cao gasped as the others wondered what was so special of the prizes.

"Moon Light Pill? Nether Wyrm's bone marrow?" the students asked, confused.

"Draconic Mazoku are the most powerful of all Mazoku. If they were to have a rival, it would be Mazoku phoenixes, leviathans, and devils. Mazoku lion turtles are also powerful, but they don't attack humans. Each part of a draconic Mazoku is a priceless treasure, even its brain and marrow. Especially the marrow. You all know how yin and yang energy flow through your bodies and strengthen your bones, tissues, and organs as it travels through your meridians? Well, yin and yang energy are also stored within the bone. It is pure raw power. Absorbing the soul force from the bone marrow of a dragon is more efficient and easier than absorbing it from the heart. Most don't know it as the most effective method is to absorb the soul force from a Mazoku's orb of power. Well, now you know two more ways to absorb soul force," Bu Kong laughed. "Unlike blood, the bone keeps the bone marrow fresh of all the soul force within, even through the passage of time. It can be said that walking among a boneyard of Mazoku is paradise for cultivation."

"How creepy," Catherine shivered.

"What about the armor?" Edward asked, all but Vincent and Xin excited as they specialized in the beast path and had superior physical prowess and regeneration.

"For fourth years, the first place is a single piece of Mazoku armor, akin to a superior ranked magical armor worn by those at the Heavenly Warlord stage. To anyone below that stage, the part of your body protected by the armor will never be injured by any attack. Material attack? Mage and shaman attacks? All worthless. It goes to show how deadly the children of the Black Dragon are. We can only be thankful the Black Dragon makes many children and does not care for its weaker ones," Bu Kong sighed with relief.

"What about the third place prize?" Vincent asked as all the others went to their rooms to cultivate and prepare for the games.

"You're not interested in the bone marrow or armor?" Bu Kong asked, surprised as many would want those.

"No. I specialize in the beast path and I cultivate both yin and yang energy. As I did a near two-month closed door practice, I reached the second stage of my Thunder Clap Qilin technique. My cultivation speed is quick compared to others. Still, it is difficult to absorb yin and yang energy in lots of amounts," Vincent said.

"You have qilin blood?" Bu Kong said, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "I wanted to learn that combat technique but I had no Mazoku qilin blood to finalize the changes. I found a different yin and yang cultivation method, but it is inferior to that ancient one. I'm guessing you found it in the wilderness. You are very lucky. Qilin are extremely powerful as they are part dragon. Since you reached the second stage, you must be able to use your mage abilities to create small sparks."

"Yes, ancestor," Vincent said, the term addressing respect to a person of higher cultivation. Vincent let the yin and yang energy flow to his finger tips. White and orange lightning sparked between his fingertips. He used magic in a different way than most people of the mage path, manifesting it with telekinesis at the same time so he could manipulate it.

"Not bad. Really not bad. From my cultivation, I can sense the yin and yang moving in harmony in your body. Your bones are different, and not just one piece. A full-body demon bone and all the same? I only know one, from the academy, and that is the amethyst demon bone of a demonic rain dragon. There is also a faint trace fo a third type of energy. Somehow, it is in your orb of power and forcibly controlling the yin and yang in harmony," Bu Kong observed.

"What? A third type?" Vincent sputtered, shocked.

"There are all kinds of energy used for cultivation. For our White Dragon District, all the people learn how to cultivate using yin and yang energy. The third type is not one of them though. It seems like one that belongs to a Mazoku. Still, it does not seem to be harmful and is actually assisting your cultivation. I would not worry," Bu Kong nodded.

"Good," Vincent heavily sighed.

"To answer your question, the third place prize is a Mazoku orb of power. It is the orb of a Mazoku phoenix, in honor of the Testing Center in the White Dragon District. The District Manager chose the second place prize, but the Testing Center donated the phoenix orb of power. The effects are well known. Those who absorb it will have their meridians slightly enlarged and undergo a metamorphosis. If I were you, I would aim for third place overall. Of course, those at first place can switch for one of the other two. Just be sure you don't get second or below third," Bu Kong advised. "Bone marrows of the dragon will let you breakthrough all the way to late Earthly Fighter stage, but it is used later on as cultivation progressively hardens in difficulty. The third place prize can be used now and is the ideal choice."

"Right. Thank you," Vincent said and was about to leave when he saw a familiar face at the door. "Dr. Gavin?"

"Hello Vincent," the doctor smiled as Bu Kong immediately rose to his feet and bowed.

"Welcome, Honorable Ancestor. For a being above the Heavenly Warlord state to enter my home, I am grateful beyond words," Bu Kong said, stunning Vincent.

"I was a rather adventurous youth two hundred years ago," Dr. Gavin smiled.

"T, two hundred years?" Vincent gasped.

"Of course. You know we're not completely human anymore. After you pass the Heavenly Warlord stage, you stop aging and live eternal youth at your mid to late twenties? Sounds about right," Dr. Gavin pondered aloud. "Bu Kong, my boy, you look good. Already at the middle of the Heavenly Warlord stage. Not bad. I'll have to trouble you with taking Vincent and Catherine with me. Vincent, go get your cousin please."

"Edward?" Vincent began as the doctor shook his head as if he predicted Vincent's reaction.

"He is not as compatible. Testing Center business and results of the checkups," Dr. Gavin said as he stared at Bu Kong.

"Project Meteor is in motion?" Bu Kong asked, Vincent staring at him in confusion before leaving to fetch Catherine.

"The initial stages. Please advise that one of the nine organizations, the one you are affiliated, and tell the boss that we are proceeding at last," Dr. Gavin said as Vincent returned with Catherine. "Catherine! Good. You two will come with me. Bu Kong, these two will be a little late to the Fourth Year Gathering. These kids left three days before and there should be two and a half days left. Do not worry, they will only miss the introductions on the night before the competition."

"Of course and I will alert Her with the good news," Bu Kong bowed his head.

"What's Project Meteor?" Vincent asked as they entered a white pavilion an hour later.

"Many years ago, we found a large meteor containing a rather mysterious corpse. It actually contained D.N.A. samples from another planet. It must have broken off a larger meteor that could have destroyed the world. Maybe a meteor that strayed off of a meteor shower. No one truly understands what a meteor is or contains. In any event, the alien sample was extracted. We had hoped to make super soldiers to fight against the Mazoku. This meteor has been the third greatest secret of the Testing Center since it was established. One of the nine organizations works with us," Dr. Gavin said.

"So we are going to be a part of the project?" Catherine asked.

"Indeed. This pavilion is under the jurisdiction of that power but it is really the Testing Center in charge. No one knows we are here. Bu Kong will said you were summoned to the Testing Center for a last-minute checkup and Edward was left behind. It is rather good he was incompatible as leaving him there is a good excuse to tell the spies," Dr. Gavin laughed.

"Are these pods?" Vincent frowned as he saw one hundred pods.

"Yes. These are the V-Series pods. There are forty other people who will enter those pods. For two days and one night, you will be in the pods," Dr. Gavin said. "The checkups were to obtain blood samples to test compatibility. You both passed with flying colors on each assessment. I'm not going to lie. The G-Series and M-Series had some failures but also many successes. Once we complete the V-Series, you will automatically be accepted into one of the nine powers. It is known as the Zodiac Dojo of Spires. You'll learn more later."

"With this, I can get my revenge? I can kill a dragon Mazoku?" Vincent asked as Catherine looked into one of the pods.

"I don't know as Mazoku dragons have impossibly fast cultivation, but it most certainly will get you closer to that goal," Dr. Gavin said. "You will be Experiment V-21, your cousin being V-63. We will inject you with the alien cells and you will be genetically enhanced. Each pod is specialized to the person. You will have a heart transplant with a Mazoku wolf, the same one you killed years ago. That scar is evident your body is compatible with it. Having its heart will improve your chances at survival. I just need to warn you about one thing. Revenge will destroy you just as much as your enemy. I don't know what the Mazoku dragon looks like or who your father is. Just ask yourself if it is worth it."

Vincent was led to a surgery room after he changed clothes into plain, silk white pants. He laid back on the table and was told the next time he woke up would be after the process was complete. Vincent felt tired as the anesthesia kicked in, after a shot, and he closed his amethyst and silver eyes.

"What is it?" a voice asked as Bu Kong dialed a number.

"Boss, Project Meteor will be finalizing its initial stage and is in motion," Bu Kong answered.

"Good. You survived the M-Series experiment. What are the chances of this last group of one hundred?" the voice asked.

"The two kids I met will survive, one of them exceptionally powerful," Bu Kong answered.

"None of the other eight organizations know about Project Meteor. Ensure the survivors don't leak it. The other eight organizations are satisfied with minor excursions and killing Mazoku. Our goal is to take back the planet. We need fighters willing to kill the most powerful Mazoku who would stand in our way," the voice ordered.

"I understand. It will be done," Bu Kong answered as the call ended.

"He should have woken up by now," Catherine said as two days and a night passed.

"He'll be up soon. We already completed his tests. People will be secretly watching as members of the staff in case something happens," Dr. Gavin smiled. "You two will head to the Fourth Year Gathering soon. Look, the monitor says his brain activity is increasing. He is waking."

They stared at the teen wearing white silk pants. He was currently half naked and the phoenix medallion was around his neck. Black veins could be seen beneath his skin where his heart was and his body seemed to grow leaner and develop more muscle. The experiment was a success in that he survived. Of the V-Series, only thirty eight died and twelve were brain dead. Vincent's body trembled and his amethyst and silver eyes opened.