NOVEL WEB Chapter 11 – Welcome to China
Jayr POV - China - 1984
After repairing my Cloth, I spent a week gathering some supplies like material needed to repair my Cloth, and forge my own tools right now the only things they need to be complete is Athena's blessing, and then me and Seika said goodbye to Mu and Kiki, and crossed the Himalaya Mountain Range, finding ourself in Tibet, then we took a train in Shigatse, and 38 hours later we finally reached Jiujiang, in the Jiangxi Province, the closest city to Mount Lu or better know to the locals as Lushan, the Athena's Saint Training ground lead by the purple cousing of Yoda, Libra Dohko, an oval-shaped mountains are about 25 Km long and 10 Km wide, and neighbors Jiujiang city and the Yangtze River to the north, Nanchang city to the south, and Poyang Lake to the east, its highest know point is Dahanyang Peak, reaching 1,474 meters above sea level, and is one of the hundreds of steep peaks that towers above a sea of clouds that encompass the mountains for almost 200 days out of the year, but there is another hidden peak that is 1600 meters above sea level, that is Wulao.
As soon as we left the train, I hid Seika's face with a big straw hat and started cautiously looking around, making sure that we didn't catch any ones' attention to be even more careful I hid my Pandora Box in my Soulbound Territory, seeing my nervous state Seika asks "Jayr, what is going on? Why are you acting like this...?".
Seeing that, for now, we are safe, I move closer to Seika and whisper "In this country, there aren't only Athena's Saints, there is another group of really annoying people that uses Cosmo, but call it Qi, that is divided into two groups, Martial Warriors, that are able to use the Qi, and 17 Immortals, these people don't follow any gods but aims to become one, and these Immortals created and lead Sects and Clans and thinks only of their own interest and benefit, this group have what they call 12 Earthly Dao Armor that follows the Chinese Zodiac, 4 Heavenly Dao Armor inspired by the 4 Symbols, and 1 Gran Dao Armor that takes inspiration by the Qilin as the strongest one... All Martial Warrior fight to gain control over one of the Dao Armor to further increase their standing and strength causing a lot of chaos".
Still looking around I continue "But that's not the only problem, another one is that they are extremely arrogant and selfish, humans trash, that spoils rotten their young, so much that if they rape or kill someone, they help them get out scot-free, and if some poor guy tries to help their victim, and is able to beat them they will cry back to their families/masters to get revenge who will later yell at the poor guy something like 'Junior, you dare?" while finding some excuse to kill/cripple/abuse family member or love interest, if they fail another older individual that will probably be one of the stronger Immortal will come yelling something like 'This junior's talent is heaven-defying. I must kill him!!' with the same modus operandi, and this will go on until the poor guy is forced to fight all friends, families, pets, ancestors, and guys that just passed by there minding their own business... and even worse sometimes these spoiled brats come out of nowhere while you are relaxing yelling 'Do you know who I am?' with his band of asslicker, and in some way or another you always ends up offending them no matter what you do, and the cycle starts once again..."
Seika looks at me in disbelief and asks "Y... You're joking right? Something so absurd can't be true!", and with a sigh, I shake my head and says "That isn't even the worst part... Most of the time, the 'poor guy' who tries to help or is a 'victim' of these 'young masters' is also some kind of mass murderer or serial rapist himself... But in some way... He thinks that he is the good guy, and so do those around him...".
Just as I finished, from a restaurant in the distance we hear some kind of annoying voice who yells "Do you know who I am? I'm the Rat Immortal Peng Chao! Young Master of the Peng Clan! My father is the Clan Leader and Dog Immortal! And my grandfather is the great Qilin Immortal!! It's better if you give me some face and leave Long Xueying here alone, a peasant like you doesn't deserve to share the same space with her! You are just a Toad lusting over a Swan!".
But soon, after some sound of fighting, we saw a young man with maroon hair tied in a pony-tail with pale skin tone crashing into the restaurant's widows and landing on the streets as another handsome young man with wild long brown hair with tan skin tone follow after him, then the one I'm sure is Peng Chao quickly pulls out a jade stone and yells "You are courting death! Admire the power of the Rat Immortal!! If you kowtow before me I'll give you a painless death" and crush it, summoning a light blue with white outlines armor in the shape of a rat that quickly equips itself on his body.
At the same time the handsome young man pulls out another jade and says "Never! Feel the might of the Pig Immortal!" and crushing it summons a light salmon with pink outlines armor in the shape of a pig that equips itself on the young man who as he takes a Tai-Chi stance yells "I Shi Hong, the exile of the Shi Clan, the Pig Immortal will not let myself be bullied! Take my Playing the Pig eating the Tiger while a Dragon flies over the bridge and crash into Six Realms Punch!!" as he releases a Cosmo Blast in the shape of a charging pig.
(Image Here - Rat, Pig Immortals)
The asslickers try to help as one of them yells "Protect the young master at all costs!" but the blow quickly kills them all, but they were able to block the technique in exchange for their lives, and the next moment, the Pig Immortal takes advantage of the stunned Peng Chao and starts beating the Rat Immortal, who then throws some sand in his eyes and quickly flees, while his asslickers lie dead, yelling "Ho-How could you beat me up!? M-My father will know about this!!", then the Pig Immortal return in the restaurant for a few second and comes out with a knocked out lady, then calmy walk towards a nearby hotel like nothing happened.
Then I look at Seika who remains stunned in silence with her eyes and mouth wide open, and letting out another loud sigh I say "Haa... This is China... When I read about it in the library I thought that someone or something was pulling a joke..." then I discretely call for a taxi and ask him to send us near Lushan, as I carefully look around making sure that no one was taking notice of our presence 'If there is one thing that xianxia and wuxia novels taught me is... There is never only 1 young master!'.
Jayr POV - Lushan - 1984
After two hours without other incidents, we finally reach the foot of Lushan, the place where Libra Dohko lives and trains his disciples, and so we once again enter into one of Athena's training grounds, as soon as I put a step into the forest around the mountain, I let out a sigh of relief as I say "Now we should be safe from those crazy Immortals... They don't dare trespass Athena's grounds, after all, if there is something history taught everyone is to never mess with her as Athena and her Saint are strong!" even Seika seems relieved that we are now in what we could call a safe zone.
Then as we walk toward The Great Waterfall of Lushan, the place where Dohko, Shiryu, and Shunrei reside, she asks "So... What do you know about the people here?" and I quickly reply "Well, here is training another of your half-brothers Shiryu, and fun fact, like the others there is a girl here that support him and that is interested in him... Then there is the Master, Libra Dohko, he is right now 259 years old... and is as wise as he is old..." hearing Dohko's age Seika yells "Wait 259 years old!!? He is ancient!! How can he lives so long?", and at that question, I simply reply with my arms spread open "Cosmo, baby...".
After another 2 hours of walking, we finally reach our destination, a forest area surrounded by a great waterfall, in the middle of the waterfall there are several rather wide rocky points converging from both sides of the waterfall and located at different heights, on two of them located on opposite sides and at different heights, approximately 30 meters away from each other, on the right rocky point there is a small classic Chinese house, the home of Shunrei, Dohko, and Shiryu.
(Image Here - Lushan)
Looking at the incredible scenery of the great waterfall, Saika can only say "Wow..." as I tell her the myth behind it "The Great Waterfall of Lushan, since ancient times it has been said that the water cascading down the falls of Mount Lushan comes directly from the stars in the firmament, some say it is an avatar of the dragon itself, the great waterfall of Lushan contains at its base a vortex of great size under which lies the Bronze Dragon Cloth, which remained at rest in the bed of that waterfall bathed since time immemorial by the dust of the stars of the Milky Way that fell from the sky, carried by the watercourse, after receiving the continuous impact of the celestial water for an eternity, the armor became something much harder and brighter than the same diamond, that is why the constellation shield is considered the toughest of shields".
Then we slowly walk toward the waterfall, and soon we see a figure in the distance, trying to punch and kick it, but in the end, he is always swept away by the force of the water, forcing him to swim and climb up the rock in front of the waterfall and try once again, seeing this Seika asks "What kind of training is this? What is he trying to achieve?" and I explain "Master Dohko, probably asked him to reverse the flow of the waterfall, to do so he not only need a strong Cosmo, but also a strong physical force to sustain that Cosmo... While quite simple and straightforward, this method is effective, as all these tries will temper both his Cosmo and body!".
And as we come closer we finally clearly see the young man that is repeatily trying to reverse the flow of the waterfall, he is a tall young man with quite long black hair, his eyes are green, he is the exhibistionist of the main cast Shiryu, and the one that gives the most fanservice of the whole cast, in his preferred attire, half naked, and is now standing still in front of the waterfall with a rather serious contenance.
(Image Here - Shiryu)
Soon we hear an old and calm voice that says in perfect Japanese "Still having trouble, Shiryu?" and soon I look at the point of origin of the voice and saw him sitting on the higher left rocky sharp point on the side of the waterfall, what would happen if Yoda and Thanos got drunk, a very short old man, with purple skin, pointy ears, white hair, and large white beard, Libra Dohko.
But I know from the anime that his current appearance is a disguise, as he received the Misopethamenos technique from Athena, which consists of slowing the heartbeat to such a degree that it beats only 100,000 times a year, while in an ordinary man it beats 100,000 times a day so that he could keep his youthful body for many generations and guard over the dark tower in which Athena sealed the 108 Specters of Hades defeated in the last Holy War that is located about 1000km west of this position.
(Image Here - Dohko)
And trembling slightly Shiryu replies "I simply cannot do it, Master...", still calm Dohko asks again "How long has it been since you came to Wulao Peaks?" with Shiryu repling "Almost 5 years now..." and with an impassible face says "Yare Yare, even chicks learn to fly in 5 years...", hearing that Shiryu turns around and facing his master yells "But that is impossible!", and Dohko "Impossible?", Shiryu points at the waterfall and explains "Yes! For a mere human to reverse the flow of the Great Lushan Waterfall, it would go against the very laws of nature as we know them! It is a task that only the Gods themselves could accomplish!".
The old master looks at his disciple and says "Hmpf! Nowhere in the 'Laws of Nature' does it say everything must flow from top to bottom, you have to open your mind! Even the Yangtze River has been known to reverse its flow, despise its immense length!" and Shiryu "B-But Master..." but he is quickly stopped by Dohko "Silence, Shiryu! You believe this is something only Gods can do, but aren't Saints know to be harnessing the power of Gods?"
And to a stunned Shiryu he continues to explains "For these past 4 years, you've studied the truth of our universe, so this is well within your abilities! But if you really need proof that this is really possible, I would like to ask our guest if he could do a demonstration..." 'And of course a 200+ years old Gold Saint would quickly notice our presence, as soon as we step into Lushan perimeters... '.
And as Shiryu is confused by what is Master just said, I calmly step forward and do the Martial Salute, with an open left hand placed next to a closed right fist and a light bow I say "It's an honor to meet you Master Dohko, I'm Athena's Silver Saint Jayr" then I notice Dohko looking at my Pandora Box, in shock with a strange flicker in his eyes, but he quickly hides his expression once again and says "So, would you show my disciple that his task is in fact possible...".
I look at Dohko and replies "It would be my honor...", then holding Seika's hand, I use my Cosmo to teleport next to Shiryu, under his shocked gaze, 'This Teletransportation technique I learned from Mu and Kiki, reminds me of Goku's Instant Transmission, the principle behind is almost the same, but hell, Mu said that he can teleport from Jamir to another dimension and back without problems, the only downside is that you need a great deal of mental power to use it... But if I become strong enough will I be able to teleport to other Universes without the Unigate? Food for thought'.
Shiryu POV - Lushan - 1984
It's been a week since the Old Master gave me my new task, and I'm still sure it is an impossible one after all the Old Master told me to reverse the flow of the Great Lushan Waterfall, I already tried countless times, but no matter how much strength I put behind my kicks and punches, or how much I burn my Cosmo, I'm unable to do it and always find myself swept away by the strong currents.
Something like this is against the Law of Nature, only a god could accomplish this, so why is Old Master so intent on letting me do this? Is there another meaning behind this exercise? Is this to make me realize my limits? But as soon as I make my questions known, Old Master chides me, and then says that in fact, this task is well within my abilities, but how is this possible? Then he says something that catches me off guard "But if you really need proof that this is really possible, I would like to ask our guest if he could do a demostration...".
Then I look in the direction that Old Master is looking and I notice a pair in the distance, an athletic young man that looks around my age, he has messy dark blue hair, and green eyes, he is wearing normal jeans, with a white shirt but those don't hide his cleary definite muscles, but what caught my attention the most is the Pandora Box that he is carrying, showing that this young man is already a full-fledged Saint of Athena, next to him there is a clearly Asian young woman with a slim build, her face has a slender demeanor and pale tone, the style of her hair is short reaching above the shoulders and semi wavy, whose color is light brown and has dark brown eyes, strangely that woman reminds me of that rebellious guy Seiya.
After he respectfully introduces himself as Jayr, in an instant he disappeared and reappeared next to me, so fast that It makes me think that he teleported but such a thing is impossible, then he looks at Old Master and says "Master Dohko, I just have just to show him that reversing the flow is possible, right?" and Old Master simply replies "That's right, young Jayr...".
Jayr nods, with a relaxed smile on his face, he calmly walks toward the waterfall and simply dips his index finger in it, the first few seconds nothing happens, but then an immense Cosmo started generating from Jayr, so big that I felt like an ant in front of a planet, but his Cosmo isn't oppressing, but calm and peaceful I almost feel protected by it, as his body is surrounded by a calm blue aura, the waters quickly slows down until they totally stopped, then the next second, they started flowing backward, pulling up the broken branches and the unharmed lively fishes up the mountain.
To say that I'm shocked by this show is an understatement, something so hard that seems almost impossible to me, is easily done by someone around my age, then Jayr simply stops using his Cosmo and removes his finger from the water, and the waterfall's flow calmly return normal, and as he steps back the Old Master says "Good job... Did you see Shiryu? Jayr here isn't a God, but he was easily able to accomplish this task, it isn't impossible! So, do it! Reverse the flow of the waterfall!"
And as I once again face the waterfall and try to reverse its flow, the Old Master says "Stay focused, Shiryu! This immense waterfall flows down as if from heaven itself, and you must send it right back up there! Only those who have proved themself capable of such a feat are worthy of that Cloth... The mighty Dragon Cloth!".
Now with my will more firm than ever, I focus only on the task ahead, I'll try again and again, no matter of many times I'll fail, I'll try until I succeed, as I know that it is possible and that I too can do it, I'll reverse the flow of this waterfall.
Jayr POV - Lushan - 1984
As Shiryu is once again focusing on the Dragon Cloth trial, I grab Seika's hand and once again teleport, this time I appear near Master Dohko, who without turning his back, keeping his gaze on Shiryu, says "Thank you for your demonstration, young Jayr... Shiryu needed that push, with your help, he now should be able to pass this trial a year earlier than I thought".
I simply respond "I'm happy to help..." then Dohko asks "So tell me, young Saint, why did you come here?", and I reply "I'm here to seek some advice, while I have a plan, I'm not really sure if I should follow through...", Dohko let's out a sigh and turning around looks at me and says "So... what did your Cloth show you?", this time I'm really surprised by the fact that Dohko knew about my Cloths abilities, 'Sure he is old, but could he really know all 88 Cloth, hell even the Sanctuary Library didn't know anything about the Crateris Cloth and many others too are unknown... So how...?'.
Seeing my shock, Dohko looking at my Pandora Box wih a mournful gaze says "From your face you are asking yourself how could I know about your Cloth abilities... It is quite easy... the previous owner of that Cloth was a dear friend of mine... We trained together at the Sanctuary, is name was Suikyo, and I was the one that buried him together with his Cloth, as his last with... But I'm happy that his Cloth surfaced once again and found another incredible partner... So tell me what did the Cloth show you?".
With a firm gaze I only reply "Hades return, and part of his scheme..." then as his face becomes severe and extremely, I start explaining, what I "saw" and a few deductions I made from it, and how I'm moving around the globe to warn, save, and gain support, to other Saints that would end up dead even before the Holy War if I didn't do anything, I also told him my plan of using Saga's plot to temper the new generation of Saints, while at the same time ensuring that as many of them as possible survive the ordeal, and also that some Saints under Saga's lead are becoming what we swore to fight and that I wasn't sure on what to do with them.
After listening to my story, Dohko nods and says "I understand your worry... Your plan is fine as it is, but remember that time and fate are powerful forces, even the Gods are wary of them, and won't let themselves be easily manipulated, so you should always be careful of your moves as you go against those forces, but Saints are meant to fight to protect mankind and justice no matter the opponent, so go on... About your other problem, as the Libra Saint, the one who has the duty to judge the other Saint, I can tell you that should a Saint really go too far the Cloth itself would abandon him, but if you see them doing something wrong you should stop them from making a grave mistake before it's too late".
Dohko then turn around and once again watches over Shiryu, who was once again swept by the strong currents, and says "A word of advice, from one as old as me... Don't try to save everyone alone, you will just exhaust yourself, if you worry only about the others, you will soon lose sight of yourself... You are not alone, Athena and your fellow Saint are with you!".
I look at the clear sky that is slowly turning dark, as the sun is falling, and at the stars that are shining brightly and reply "Don't worry Master Dohko, I'm not so full of myself that I think that I can save every innocent life in this world... But before being a Saint, I am a doctor, and you can be sure of the fact that I will try to save and preserve every innocent life within my reach!", and as I continue to look at the star in the sky I notice that the Crateris Constellation is shining even more brightly than usual, and a smile unconsciously forms on my face.
Dohko nods, then he says to Shiryu "Shiryu! It's enough for today, go back and rest, you will start again tomorrow early in the morning", and after Shiryu acknowledges his Master Order, Dohko turns to us and says "Go and join him, there is enough space, you can tell the young lady in the house, her name is Shunrei, that you can stay here as long as you want, you have my permission", I nod and says "Ok, in exchange for your hospitality we will help you with the chore and I'll also teach this Shunrei some first aid if she wants to learn" then I lead Seika toward the house on the other side of the waterfall.
Dohko POV - Lushan - 1984
I look at the receding back of the young Silver Saint and say looking at the Crateris Constellation "Suikyo... It seems your legacy finally found its rightful successor, in fact, the Crateris Cloth felt more alive than ever, and showed him a lot about the future... Is this Athena's will?" then I look westward and see the tower where the 108 Specters are sealed, "It seems that my worst fear became true in the end... Shion died and a new Holy War will come in the next 2 years, and Shiryu will take an important place in it... I have to train once again... It seems that the world will soon need Athena's Saints once again!".
As I said this I start to burn my Cosmo removing the effects of the Misopethamenos technique, as my body once again return to its peak, I'm once again a 170m tall, slim and muscular young man with long reddish-brown hair and blue eyes and says "240+ years passed watching over the sealed specters, but thanks to Athena gifting me this technique, but my body aged only 240+ days, not even a year passed for my body, but I still have to remove some rust from it... It's been a while since I seriously fought!"
(Image Here - Dohko)
I then once again look in my home direction and in a low voice I say "A doctor huh... He also somewhat reminds me of that man... the most respected person of our era, Altar Odysseus, I hope that he won't sacrifice his life to save another as he did, that was a great loss for us all... With him, on our side, we wouldn't have lost so many people in the last Holy War... In fact, only me and Shion survived in the end...".
And steeling my resolve I once again sat crosslegged and start to meditate and slowly regain my control over my Cosmo, and my 7th sense "No rush... Now that I know what to expect I can slowly return to my peak form in time... and even stronger than before, after all, I didn't pass these 240 years doing nothing... Hades this time I will stop you, and protect my fellow Saint and Athena!".
