Chapter 4 Territory of the White

The next day, the duo set off for the East and by the time it was noon, they arrived.

Standing before them was a great gigantic wall with gigantic gates reaching into the sky. Hundreds of hunters paraded the walls with different weapons, all dressed in white military outfit. Arranged in rows across the surface of the wall were gigantic canons. A tall tower was perched on the wall having mechanisms which were connected into the wall and gates.

A hunter spotted them and immediately shouted something Qi couldn't hear, he and his comrades saluting Dao thereafter.

There was a rumbling and cracking sound and the gates opened, revealing a large expanse of land filled with forest with a road sandwiched between.

"Welcome to Crosslands," Dao said and rode in, more hunters saluting as they saw him.

Qi had thought the Crosslands was located in a deep forest like the Monasteries, but he was wrong. This was what it meant not to count your eggs before they're hatched. The thought of this made him sigh in embarrassment.

They arrived in a small city and proceeded through the dense buildings and hubbub of people into a village. Then they came into more cities and villages and by sun set, they arrived at Hao.

It was something Qi had never seen before. The population was so dense that Dao had to go through the minor streets, the house so sparse that it could take at least weeks to demolish them.

They rode to the castle which was enclosed within a massive wall as well. The same which had happened earlier repeated itself. The hunters, tower, gates and cannons-they were all there as well.

The gate opened and a silvery chariot driven by three white horses rode out, the coach clutching the reins as if his life depended on them. The chariot stopped near them, revealing the occupant-he was dressed in a white robe embroidered with golden silk, a white perched on his head, making a part of his face concealed by darkness. He appeared to be in his middle age and had a long, white beard which he stroked in a sequencial pattern. His name was Han, the Duke of Crosslands-the military head.

"Good day Duke," Dao bowed.

"Oh! Regent Dao, back from the Boundary already?" Duke Han spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Yes Duke."

"And who's this..."

Duke Han had no name to call Qi. Perhaps he was disappointed in the scrawny looking lad.

"A huntlet-a new one. I brought him from the Boundary."

"Next time tell your 'new one' to show courtesy."

And then the chariot rode away.

"That's the military head of all the five provinces. He is next to the Elite, followed by the Baron and then the five regents from the five provinces. Well, the Baron position is vacant and there would be a tournament among the regents to chose one."

Then Dao chuckled, "A death Tournament."

Qi gulped. Dao had a way of speaking which sent shivers down his spine. Changing the topic he said, "Looks rich!"

He was referring to Duke Han.

"Looks dangerous as well. Dukes are the highest rank and they are masters of supernatural arts. Well, all six kingdoms have decided to add another rank to the military after discovering scrolls containing secrets."

"What rank?" Qi asked, even though he didn't understand the terms.

"Earl. This one would be in control over esoteric arts. Duke Han has applied for it."

They had entered the castle and the gates were closing.

"The military is splitted into two lethal units-hunters who are trained in the aspect of martial arts and shadowcasters who are taught ninja arts. Shadowcaster recruits are called shadows.

Qi assumed a shadow was the shadowcaster counterpart of the hunter's huntlet.

The castle was beautiful with statues, gardens and trees. The floor was covered with white bricks. It was unknown to Qi if that was the natural colour or they had been painted.

They proceeded into it, everybody they met turning to salute Dao.

The castle was painted white and decorated with silver lamps. An explicit grandeur.

Soon they walked through a hallway towards a large door with two hunters standing beside it.

"Regent!" they saluted and allowed him enter with Qi.

"I suppose you succeeded?" the Elite's question sounded like an optimistic statement. He had bluntly ignored their greetings.

Dao retrieved the box from his leather bag and gave it to the Elite, leaving Qi astounded. He hadn't seen the bag all along! Was it possible Dao was using his supernatural powers to hide it?

Well the Elite was a name adopted for the ruler. His real name was Hong. Elite Hong.

"You have once again shown yourself an excellent hunter-the best regent in all six kingdoms," Elite Hong said, caressing the box. "And who's that?"

"A new recruit."

"I know he's knew. I'm not blind."

Turning to Qi, he asked, "Huntlet or shadow?"

Qi gulped a mouthful of saliva and replied, "Huntlet."

"He's little unsure," Elite Hong remarked.

Dao knew what that meant and they immediately took their bows and left. As they were walking out of the castle, Qi couldn't help but ask where they were going to.

"The barrack," Dao said. They walked to the barrack which was within the castle's environment.

There were actually two barracks which were a large sparse of land fenced with brick walls, a wooden gate in each. They were the hunter barrack and shadowcaster barrack respectively.

They proceeded towards the hunter barrack, the wooden gate opening immediately.

There were hundreds of children being trained by a group of other adults.

"Who are those?" Qi asked, pointing at the adult hunters.

"Chief hunters. They are masters of martial arts and are allowed to train huntlets. Huntlets are splitted into several units, each made up of one hundred huntlets and are trained by a Chief hunter. Each Chief hunter commands a battalion of five hundred hunters."

Qi watched the huntlets engrossed in fist and sword fights. They were children like him-fearless looking children.

"Let's go to the shadowcaster barrack," Dao said and they left.

In the shadowcaster barrack, several children dressed in ninja outfits were seen either scaling, jumping and running on walls. Many of them were also walking on roles, yet others were meditating. Like the huntlet barrack, the recruits were splitted into units trained by other adult shadowcasters.

"Those trainers are known as shadow harbingers, the counterparts of Chief hunters. They each train a unit of fifty shadows and head a team of two hundred and fifty shadowcasters. Shadow harbingers are masters of ninja magic. They are more lethal than hunters."

"There's a counterpart for 'regent'?" Qi asked.

"Yeah. They are called devils. Masters of mystic arts."

"Can you beat a devil since shadowcasters are more lethal than hunters?"

"Choose your barrack and stop asking questions."

Qi fell silent, closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. Opening his eyes, he said, "Hunter."

~

The capital. Zhao city, Deathlands

"How could you let the book slip off your hands!" It was a man dressed in red robe, a red crown on his head. His eyes were fiery, making him look like a monster. This was the Elite of Deathlands, Elite Ming.

"The four shadowcasters were killed by Regent Dao," Feng said, standing before.

"Why did you send shadowcasters to do a devil's job?"

I thought it was a shadowcaster's job, Feng thought. She was very powerful when she was a shadowcaster and being taking up missions harder than this.

"I never expected he would turn up, Elite."

"Now he's got the book and the child! How do you guarantee us victory over Crosslands now that Regent Dao has screwed everything!"

What book? Feng was tempted to ask. "I'll get it tonight."

"Nonsense!" Elite Ming barked, his eyes blazing in fury. For an ordinary person, those eyes would have caused him or her to cower in fear. But Feng was well trained and the most dangerous devil in all the six kingdoms. She had singlehandedly wiped out all devils in the six kingdoms in a battle.

"Plan's changed. The Duke has discovered another artefact in the Cave of Undead. We are going after that artefact."

"Can I ask a question about the book or artefact?"

"The book is a mystical artefact which allows us to write the stories of others. The user would be a writer, plotting events like a piece of fiction. In addition, the book reveals the future, enabling the user to change it by controlling events and actions. It is called the Book of Plots. The second is a mystical ring which contains all powers-powers beyond your imagination! User can control all powers! Now, I want you to get hat artefact."

"Yes, Elite."

"And no failure this time."

"No failure," Feng smiled and vanished.

Elite Ming sighed, slumping into his throne. Soon afterwards, an ethereal voice sounded, filling the room with darkness which sucked out the whole candle lights.

"The Order Harbinger has come! Time isn't in your side, Ming."

The darkness retracted, the candles lighting afterwards. Elite Ming sighed again and began rapping the thrones arms with his fingers. If the Order Harbinger's reincarnate form has grown, then one thing is certain-he is doomed!

~

Hong stood before a black book which lay on the table in his chamber. The chamber was an enormous one with royal grandeur. It was filled with splendour, making it a glamour to behold. There was a large bed in the centre of the room with its frames made of pure platinum. Beside his bed was a platinum wardrobe which was as tall as a pole. At a corner of the chamber stood a platinum cubicle which served as a bathroom. A table clustered with all kinds of documents and books stood near the window (where he now stood).

He opened the book and on the first page appeared three words:

Book of Plots

The letters glowed brightly and then dimmed into a golden ink.

He turned to the second page and immediately words began appearing on the paper, scribbling fast with alacrity.

He grunted and read aloud, "Three months from now, Deathlands' army headed by Duchess Feng will march into Crosslands and lay siege to it. Elite Hong will be killed. One of his most trusted ally will betray him but will be slain by another trusted hunter. Crosslands will be defeated and taken over by Deathlands. All five kingdoms will be crushed one after the other and almagamated into an empire."

He wiped the beads of perspiration which had formed on his forehead. This is the future, he thought, I can change it.

Taking a quill, he dipped its tip into ink and wrote:

In a month's time, Deathlands will march into Crosslands with its whole army included Elite Ming. They will be unprepared so will be crushed like dust. The whole army will be erased from the surface of existence.

"Let's wait and see," Elite Hong smiled. He had the Book of Plots. Now he can control people's actions and outcome with it.

~

The next day, Dao woke up earlier than usual and went to take his bath. After bathing, he cleaned himself up and changed into his uniform. He combed his hair in front of the large, silver-framed mirror in his room. Done, he strapped his weapons in their sheaths and made for the hunter barrack.

Apart from the Elite who was the ruler and the Duke who had a mansion, only the regents were allowed to stay outside the barrack. They had houses of their own with servants to answer to them. But since Dao was residing at the capital, he had a chamber in the castle. This was because the regent who served at the capital had to protect the Elite, same as the devil who served at the capital as well.

He walked through the hallway which was empty most times and sometimes filled with servants who ran about greeting him as they made their ways for their duties.

By the time he got to the barrack, huntlets were already lining up to their various units for training. He saw Qi and signaled him out to the chagrin of the other huntlets.

Being trained by the Duke or a regent was something that seldom happened and when it happened, the huntlet turned out to be the deadliest among the others.

Qi ran from the line and stopped before Dao, his face clouded with anxiety. What does he want now? he thought.

Dao moved away, walking to a secluded part of the barrack.

Qi stood for sometime and then followed.

The Regent stopped abruptly when they got to the place filled with rocks and trees, startling Qi.

Dao clenched his left fist and punched a rock.

Pa!

It was like a boom, reverberating across the whole barrack. The rock shattered into smithereens, dissolving into dust.

"Dead Fist," Qi recalled. Dao nodded and proceeded to punch more rocks.

Pa! Pa! Pa!

They all shattered, turning into dust.

"Chi is the energy that runs through all living things-the essence of life," Dao paused, allowing Qi to assimilate the words. He knew that Qi had already learnt these things owing to the fact that he was a monk, but he wanted to go through every important part of what Qi was taught at the Monastery.

"It is your life force. Chi can be harnessed and controlled to achieve unbelievable feats, defying both logics as well as physics. Chi can be used for attacks as well as defense. It can be projected into solid form or manipulated. To be able to control other people's chi, you have to learn to control yours first."

"You can't control your chi without understanding it, without being a part of it. Chi runs through your veins like blood, but unlike blood it is not pumped from the heart. It is pumped from the spirit, the source of life. To control your chi, find a connection with your spirit and unlock it. Most people's connections are locked and it takes only them to unlock them. Your physical and spiritual bodies are separated by nether force and linked by chi force. This chi force allows chi to flow from your spirit into you, giving you life only. But if you learn to control the force that separates your spiritual body from your physical body, you will gain control over the chi that flows into your body."

"Why can't I destroy that force?" Qi asked.

"If you destroy the nether force, you can't control the amount of chi that flows in and you may end up dying without knowing how. It is like a gate and can be controlled with your mind. All thoughts stem from the mind, but the soul is the source of will and moral action."

"Do we have a body for mind and soul?"

"Yes. It's called astral body and soul body. With your astral body, you establish the connection and with the soul body, you fuel it. We all visualize a connection between stars and call it constellation. But if our visualization becomes sharper and stronger with s deeper connection, we can actually control the stars!"

"Uh, seriously?"

"You didn't know?" Dao sighed. "Then you're not informed."

"..."

Qi kept shut and listened.

Dao clenched his right hand into a fist. It glowed and then he punched another rock, shattering it.

"Now visualize the nether force which separates your physical body from your spirit body."

Qi closed his eyes and did as he was told. Immediately, a scene appeared in his mind. It was a dark, spiraling energy which seemed to suck life out of him. The energy had circles in it which opened to reveal a void behind the energy.

"Imagine a cannon firing at the force, tearing through it. Let the cannon be your soul body."

Qi remained in a state of meditation, his face calm. Then he could feel it.

Boom!

There was exploding which nearly destroyed his soul, killing him. He could feel it, chi gushing through his body uncontrollably.

"Now release."

Qi punched a tree, shattering it instantly.

"Now you have known how to utilize your chi in attacks. You will soon learn how to manipulate it to achieve various effects."

"Can I ask you a question?" Qi asked.

"Sure. People who are not informed ask questions alot."

Qi gulped. Was that an insult or what? It was true he was not informed, but he couldn't help it but feel embarrassed whenever it was mentioned. He soon found his voice.

"Are huntlets allowed to go to war?"

"War, no. Quests, yes. To increase their skills and experience."

"Another one?"

Dao nodded impatiently. He was become annoyed with the lad. His inquisition was too thick.

"How many martial arts do you know?"

Dao chuckled, "All regents must know at least a thousand martial arts. That distinguishes you from other huntlets who know a hundred or hundreds. Actually, I know nine thousand martial arts."

"..."

Isn't that too much? Qi thought. A while nine thousand?

"We worship the god of combats and war. Knowing martial arts shouldn't be hard."

"Amitabha!"

"To become a true hunter, one must have five elements-stealth, deduction, agility, strength and brutality."

"Stealth allows you balance in battle. It gives you absolute control over your body. Location doesn't matter as far as you are a master of body balance."

"Deduction allows you think while in action. It puts your mind in a state of constant thinking, making the enemy predictable."

"Agility makes you move with ease as if you were a feather. It doesn't matter if you're an inch from an attack, you'd always dodge it."

"Strength makes you unbeatable-it amplifies your skills. With strength comes durability and endurance, two of which will ensure a long and fierce battle, tiring the enemy at the end."

"Brutality makes you fierce like snake. It ensures an enemy is overestimated, making sure you put in all your efforts to eradicate him. Remember never underestimate your opponent or you'll be dead before the fight begins. When you overestimate your opponent, it makes it easier for you to predict their attacks. But don't confuse fear and overestimation with each other, but sometimes they work together. Remember, fight with calmness and rage. Let your body be calm but let your attacks be filled with rage."

Qi listened and by the time Dao was through, he'd forgotten most of the words.

"First, you'd learn strength," Dao said. He picked up a nearby staff and gave it to Qi who took it with a shrug.

"You've undergone all necessary training at the Monastery," Dao clenched his right fist. "Now it's time for the main stuff."

Pa!

He punched into the air, blue ripples appearing thereafter. The sound was like a cannon-very loud.

Qi arched his brow, what now?

"Hitting solid objects doesn't guarnystte strength. Solid is held together by strong bonds which can be easily separated. It is easier to crush an ice than to crush water. To be able to destroy solid easily, you need to master the art of punching air. Air is made up of weak bonds which move freely, making it difficult to be affected. But if you can bring those bonds together, you will solidify air. So you see, punching the air needs your mental and physical strength."

Qi breathed in and visualized the so-called bonds. He could see multicoloured objects floating in the air. They were of different shapes and size.

Whoosh!

The staff sliced through the air, sending a gust of wind though Dao's brown hair.

Qi tried again and again till he actually hit the air.

Pa!

The sound was like a cannon shot, deafening to the ear.

"I did it!" he shouted happily.

Crack!

Their attention turned to the staff which snapped and broke into halves.

"You did it!" Dao said with sarcasm. "Imagine you fighting your enemy and your weapon breaks, that'll be the end of you. You have alot to learn today, alot! That's why I said you're not informed!"