“Hahaha! You did it!” Laughed Lord Kang’s thought loudly and finally asked, “How do you feel?”

  “Different!” Kilian replied succinctly, without really understanding what had just happened to him, and opened his eyes, “What was that transformation?”

  “You now carry two powerful, actually incompatible bloodlines within you! This should have increased your strength enormously, making you comparable to a high-level Qi-Gatherer!” The apeman explained, adding, noticing the wrinkles on Kilian’s forehead, “And once you’ve properly adjusted, you should even stand a chance against some weaker Qi-Condensators. At the very least, it won’t be easy to destroy your body, and you should be able to retreat from most dangers!”

  “This dark energy in my blood… Is that Yin-Qi? It feels similar to the power of the necromancers, only not as evil and corrupt!” Asked the boy, his eyebrows still frowning, unsure if he wanted this power in his body or not.

  “The two bloodlines that now pump through your veins originate from the dragonlords and the shadowapes! Dragons embody the pure Yang of the sun, and the shadowapes draw their power from the Yin of the moon! This Qi is not comparable to the rotten, false Yin-Qi of the necromancers, as that is impure, and I would describe it more as Corpse-Qi than Yin-Qi! They may be similar, but pure Qi of the moon does not corrupt you and is compatible with the vitality of the living! The necromancers only wish to flatter themselves by calling their energy Yin-Qi!” The thought explained, its voice growing louder, “Yet the dragonlords rejected the shadoapes, and the necromancers wanted to enslave them! Beings who use the poisoned Qi of corpses for their training and even desecrate lifeless bodies to exploit them for their own purposes are not comparable to the noble blood of the shadowapes, in whose veins the pure Qi of the moon pulses! And yet they wanted Lord Kang, an unparalleled master, to kneel before them? An act of pure arrogance!”

  “Why did Lord Kang leave Terrapin?” Kilian wanted to know more about the origin of his new power, “What happened to him, and are there others of his kin?”

  “He broke through the level of a Qi-Lord, thus reaching the apex of this world, and vanished! I don't know where he went! He left me behind in his old homeland, and whether there are any other beastmen with his bloodline, I don't know. I guess they were wiped out by the dragonlords and necromancers because they feared the talent of Lord Kang's bloodline!” The half-transparent apeman explained, first in a firm voice, then ending in a sad whisper, only to gather some courage again, “But now his blood is back, and even the remnants of the dragonlords will have to accept it, since their bloodline slumbers within you as well! Hahaha! Now I will pass on to you my master's techniques.”

  “He has broken through the level of a Qi-Lord? You said that after this level starts the training of the soul? How so you strengthen the soul?” The young warrior stammered incredulously, swallowing loudly.

  However, every new thought was interrupted in the next moment, as vast amounts of information flowed into his head and more and more Yin-Qi poured into his skin, whistling as if a storm were sweeping through the crown of a tall tree.

  An uncertain amount of time later, he opened his eyes again, and his skin shimmered black, as if it were forged from shadowsteel.

  “I probably won’t need to forge a new armor anytime soon…” He murmured, tapping his chest with his fist, and a metallic clang sounded, “Even the attacks of Qi-Gatherers from the middle circle should now simply bounce off of me, and if I combine the shadowapes’ techniques with the Path of the Ape, I should soon have the power to rival a Qi-Condensator!”

  As he looked around to search for Lord Kang's thoughts, he noticed that he was standing alone in front of a silvery shimmering portal.

  “It’s time to test my new skills!” He said, striding towards the portal and stopping just before it, “Yu Kang? Where are you? I have not yet fulfilled my part of the agreement!

  “Yu Kang?” Asked the familiar voice in Kilian’s head, “I have fulfilled my task and now need a new name… Hmmm… Since I choose to reside in your soulsea, you may call me Yu Arian, and now I need to rest. The transmission of Lord Kang’s legacy has consumed most of my energy. Go forth, defeat all the others, and show me that I made the right choice when I selected you!”

  “Grandfather Yu!” The recipient of the legacy had bowed, hovering before the portal, before he touched the shimmering light with a smile, and left behind a silent, white space, while feeling as if the face of the old apeman was smiling contentedly at him.

  “All thirty-two participants are now here!” Deidre’s voice stifled the quiet conversations of the various warriors surrounding her.

  They were inside a large palace, where countless glittering statues of various dragonmen adorned the hall, and in the center rose a large, circular arena.

  “Here in this city, the most diverse creatures used to live side by side with the newborn dragonlords, brought together by the wish for more power!” The guardian began to share ancient, little-known knowledge with the tournament's participants, “In this place, the other inhabitants of Terrapin, having proven themselves worthy through their deeds, could compete against the young warriors of the dragonmen to secure a place in the Hall of Dragons. This is also the only path that leads to the lairs of the powerful, ancient dragonlords, and only the winner of the tournament may enter them!”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  More whispers broke out, and Duncan glared venomously at the leaders of the other factions, “This place should have belonged to the necromancers countless years ago, and now I will take it! Anyone who stands in my way shall be destroyed!”

  "Mangy mutts can't help but bark!" Replied Kilian, ignoring the murderous glare of the young lord of the necromancers, whose face flushed, and the young blacksmith took a closer look at the old statues, "So this is what the dragonlords looked like!"

  His fingers glided over the intricately crafted silver scales of a statue which seemed familiar, and he felt a slight tremor in his chest, “Are you perhaps from him? Or at least from his clan?”

  “I’ll soon shut your mouth!” Hissed Duncan, looking at Deidre: “When do the fights start?”

  “Immediately!” She said, waving her hand, and two warriors, or rather female warriors, stood facing each other in the arena.

  “So you’re Kilian’s big sister?” Asked Aurelia’s seductive voice, and while Edana already held a thin, black rapier in her hand opposite her, the foxgirl smiled gently, “I’m Aurelia, will you be my big sister too? Can you put in a good word for me with your brother? For some reason, I’m growing more and more fond of him!”

  “I am Edana, a member of the Inner Academy of the Kong Clan!” Replied the human girl with a smile, adding softly, “We do work together in these ruins, but this is where the path ends for one of us, and while I can put in a good word for you, I don’t know if Kilian likes hairy women…”

  “Wrong answer, sweetie!” Growled Aurelia, her eyes slightly red, as she bared her small fangs, “Everyone admires my shiny coat of fur!”

  The nails on her hand transformed into sharp claws, and she darted towards her opponent in the blink of an eye.

  The opponent ducked under the first blow, parried the second with a strike of the dark rapier, and her free hand slid to her hip to open a small pouch.

  A snow-white wolf appeared between the combatants, and the temperature in the arena began to drop rapidly.

  The animal opened its mouth, and a beam of ice began to freeze the fox's alluring body, while a blizzard raged around Edana.

  Glistening, a small, jagged diadem of ice appeared on her head, and a white dress enveloped her body.

  Her hair lost its color, and her entire appearance was no longer comparable to the young girl she had been before.

  A domineering aura spread around her, and Connor's eyes almost popped out of his head as he stared at his beloved.

  “W-what happened to Edana and Ferga? This power is incredible!” He exclaimed, his mouth agape.

  “The Ice Princess’s legacy!” Deidre murmured, “Even her magical beast has been influenced by it. Only the soul fragment of a Qi-Lord could create something like this!”

  “Damned legacy! You were chosen by the Ice Princess of all people?” Barked Aurelia, who slowly realized how her body was becoming increasingly immobile and roared, ready for battle, “You’re not the only one with a few new tricks up her sleeve! Sea of Flames!”

  Her fur began to burn fiery red, and crackling flames grew like armor around her voluptuous body!

  Aurelia began to shine brightly, the ice around her melted in no time, and she disappeared behind a wall of flames.

  With a turn of her elegant body, the foxgirl took a few steps back, and instead of just one burning tail, nine now whipped through the air.

  “The nine-tailed fire fox! The past is reflected in the present!” The guardian exclaimed, her mouth slightly open, “In their prime, the Ice Princess and the Lady of the Fire Foxes waged a bitter battle! Are their heirs continuing it?”

  Edana sat on the white she-wolf and commanded the snowstorm with the movements of her rapier to smash against Aurelia's untamed flames.

  Ice-Qi clashed with Fire-Qi, and neither could gain the upper hand.

  With a hiss, part of the ice evaporated, filling the arena with mist, while another part flowed across the floor as water, engulfing the flames of the foxfire and extinguishing it.

  Both warriors vanished in an instant, only to reappear again and again as shadowy figures in the clouds of mist, where their weapons clashed with a loud bang.

  They fought with the power of the high circle of a Qi-Gatherer and were many times stronger than before receiving the legacies!

  First, Ferga, unable to bear the heat of the flames any longer, retreated and took refuge behind Edana's icy body.

  Kilian watched the exchange of blows with wide eyes and wondered if he could still win against the two beautiful warriors.

  He was unsure how strong his new body was and how he should use his newfound strength.

  “Can I also use the Yin- and Yang-Qi in such an explosive way, and what happens if I combine both?” He wondered, deep in thought about his new fighting techniques, and he only now realised that the fight in the arena had reached its decisive phase.

  Edana's ice grew thinner, and her diadem began to melt, while Aurelia's nine tails repeatedly rained down on the human girl like a meteor shower.

  The white she-wolf lay behind her mistress with charred fur and howled softly.

  As the last protective layer broke, just before a powerful attack struck Edana's now unprotected body, Aurelia began to smile seductively again and said, "I think that means I'm the big sister, or what do you say?"

  The white dress made of snowflakes and the icy crown disappeared, while the defeated woman replied with an exhausted smile, “Agreed! But I still don’t know if you can win Kilian's heart!”

  “You’ll see!” Said Aurelia, as her form returned to normal and she jumped to Kilian’s side.

  Her hot body, clad only in a few scraps from the fight, pressed against the young warrior, while her sweet scent filled his nose.

  “Did you enjoy the fight? Wasn’t I nice to my new little sister?” The fox girl’s beautiful violet eyes twinkled, and she decided unilaterally, “If I advance further in the tournament than you, you have to go out with me!”

  Before the now completely confused and somewhat overwhelmed warrior could answer, she asked in an icy voice and with a stern look, “Or do you actually have something against my pretty fur?”

  “Three different bloodlines already flow in my veins. What would it be like for my children?” He wondered silently and was jolted out of his thoughts by Deidre’s voice, “Winner: Aurelia! Let the next battle begin!”