Chapter 2 Leonis Rex.

Darkness. Quiet, cold, lonely, desolate, darkness. was all his consciousness was aware of until a voice so distant it echoed like a whisper.

"Rex!"

"Rex Wake up!" That foreign yet familiar voice came again this time closer.

"Rex!" this time it came from right next to him.

"Irene?" a bright light suddenly shone through the darkness as he turned to the voice's origin illuminating the petite figure of the beautiful eight year old girl beside him.

"Hah, you're alive, thank goodness " she heaved a relieved sigh .

"What were you thinking going against lucious like that, were you trying to get yourself killed?" she fumed.

"He insulted my mother." he gazed blankly at the girl as he felt the severe pains running through his body, especially the bump at the back of his head which was bursting with pain .

"So you went and straight up challenged him to a duel, did you think that you could compare who was stronger between yourself and a cultivator?" she breathe in exasperation as she bent down beside him.

"I couldn't just do nothing." He said as he sat up.

"You alright? Don't feel down, you can't win every time, you'll get them back next time.

"Luckily I got here in time before things got out of hand. if lucius and his goons had gone for blood you wouldn't be feeling anything, and there wouldn't be anything anyone could do about it because he's a cultivator and you're not. And I didn't say you couldn't do anything about his insults, you could always get back at them and there's tons of ways you could do it and be the on getting the last laugh if you used that head of yours, instead of falling for their childish plots. seriously I thought you were smarter than that." She reprimanded as she helped him to his feet.

"I wasn't thinking. you're right I could've done better, but I guess you can't always win. Great that's it for round one, time for round two. Since plan action didn't work time for plan brains." He nodded palming his fist a sharp glint in his eye.

"You're going back? didn't you hear the first part of what I just said." she said dumbfounded. She had just wanted to comfort him only for this to happen.

"Of course I did. You said I could always get back at them, why?" he looked confused.

"You... Ugh. Let's just get you cleaned up, come on we're gonna be late." she grabbed his wrist dragging him off not bothering to continue stopping him from what he was thinking.

She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she also knew that that was just the kind of person Rex was. He didn't look for trouble ,but he wasn't afraid of it. If you offended him he might choose to just shrug it off, but if dared insult his loved ones in front of him, then he would throw all reasoning out the window drag you down to the grave even if he had to use his teeth he would bite you.

It was an annoying aspect about him that always made her worry, angry and laugh at the same time. But that was just the kind of person he was and that protectivness was probably what she liked the most about him.

She smiled remembering the first time she had met him.

Three years ago on a dark cold stormy night, a set of twins had just arrived in the city with their parents both with heavy injuries as they had been attacked by bandits just before they had arrived at the burning lotus city, they had nowhere to go and no one was willing to help a bunch of strangers with nothing to offer. Even the apothecaries and alchemists shut their doors in in their faces.

She remembered that enraged little five or six year old kid kick down the doors to the Alchemy Hall insulting them to their faces at their own door step, that had caused quite a commotion.

After the pair of twins and their parents had been treated he had still given them some resources before sending them off not expecting anything in return only asking that the twins would always protect each other and that would be his payment.

She had cried back then because she had never seen anything like that kind of selflessnsee before and never would ever again.

It had to be known that the Alchemy Hall was a colossus that no one in the Burning lotus kingdom was willing to offend, as it was the headquarters of all alchemists in the kingdom.

But he had done all that offending them all for someone he didn't even know for nothing in return. It had touched her and drawn her to him.

He had been bullied and warned several times to stay away from her but he never blamed her.

She was the granddaughter of a very influential alchemist from the guild but she was his only friend in the city. Rex had always wondered why someone like her would pay any attention to him, but she never told him that, it was that that had attracted her attention, and would only smile whenever she asked till today.

"Just be careful okay, and try to stay out of trouble." She said as they ran.

In the Burning lotus kingdom cultivators all had supreme status. Even the weakest ones were treated as nobility standing above all the commoners, they were capable of doing almost anything and getting away with it no matter how virtuous or vile.

That was because of cultivation. Cultivation experts had terrifying abilities. They could break walls with their hands, hear sounds as quiet as the footsteps of an ant, walk on water, breathe fire, become impervious to weapons, fuse their energy with the clouds, sustain themselves by absorbing energy instead of eating food, and even track enemies by locking down onto their souls....

Cultivators are the strongest existences in this world, so even the weakest novice level cultivators are highly respected with no one wanting to offend them. Instead they rather try as much as possible to curry favour with them.

...

A few minutes later Rex and Irene arrived at the Royal academy. The academy was a large institution created by the Royal family. It was how the Royal family found and recruited youngsters that had awakened a spirit root. In other words, those having the potential to become cultivators.

It was where all youngsters yearned for, but it only opened its opened its doors one day a month to the public.

On this day all youngsters from the age of nine and below were welcome to take the Spirit root test. Everyone at the age of nine and below had a chance of awakening a spirit root at any time but above that age you could forget about it as it was common sense that it would be impossible.

Anyone that joined the academy would immediately be given a nble title regardless of their former status.

Which meant a poor family from wherever in the kingdom could instantly become a noble family, as long as their descendants happened to luckily awaken a spirit root.

The Royal academy provided the best environment, resources an teachers for cultivation for its students, so it had a fatal attraction to the younger generation and many wanted to join. However, they had to fulfill two conditions.

One you must awaken a spirit root, This rule was compulsory or you couldn't join. It doesn't matter how much money you paid or whatever background you had. If you didn't fulfill this you could forget it.

Second you had to pay an immense sum of money to register. However not all commoners could afford this price, so they had to sign contracts binding themselves to the higher ranked noble clans and families, this way the clan would pay the fee.

You could also directly join the Royal family and join the academy free off charge but this meant becoming a direct subordinate to the Royal family and you would have to obey their orders.

Today was the day the academy opened its doors to the public, so the academy's gates were packed with children being led by their elders here to take the spirit root test.

Rex and Irene arrived here as well.