Zi Han tried to get some sleep, but his thoughts kept him awake until morning. Although it felt great to have an army of henchmen at his service, he could not help but wonder if he actually deserved this life.The Black Dragons had accepted Zi Han as their long-lost leader and hailed him as the Supreme Dragon, but he was still trying to figure things out, and his powers were so weak he could barely control a single element.Everything seemed way too stressful, but as he remembered that woman from his vision, his nerves calmed, and he felt an urge to delve deeper into his past.“I need to become stronger and keep digging till I find the missing pieces of my old life,” he whispered to himself as he flung away the spotless black duvet and got out of bed.As soon as the first rays of the morning sun diffused through the glass windows, there was a gentle rapping on the door.“Good morning, master,” a coy female voice greeted from the other side. “I have brought you some breakfast.”“Come in

That brief encounter with the bullies left Kwang stuttering and breathless. He had already endured enough beatings during the previous day, and he just wanted to run away as far from Tanaka and his gang as possible.“Why would you talk to them like that, man?” Kwang asked, his voice quivering and anxious. “I told you to lay low, and you just made things worse by insulting Tanaka. Are you crazy or something?”“I think it’s time for a change,” Zi Han replied with an unshakeable confidence that surprised Kwang. As the classes drew to a close, the students filtered out of their rooms and dispersed like ants, emptying the campus within a few minutes.Zi Han walked with Kwang, who was already shaking like a leaf and looking around frantically, desperate to avoid another confrontation with the bullies. Tanaka and his cronies had also disappeared, and even the janitors were nowhere to be seen. However, as Zi Han and his friend walked out of the building, a familiar voice called out to them

Kwang was the only friend Zi Han had, and he had proved himself to be both loyal and trustworthy. While Zi Han had lost touch with all his school friends, during his two years of college, he had found a reliable companion in Kwang.Zi Han knew if there was one person that he could trust with his life, it was Kwang, but the problem was, that there were plenty of powerful names and unknown figures connected to his secret. “You’re bleeding, Han,” Kwang said as they walked toward the car. “We need to go to a hospital. Let the doctors check you for concussions and fractures.”Zi Han was relieved to know that at least someone on this campus cared more about him than his car. It was a welcome change to be seen as his old self. But he shook his head.“It’s just a scratch. Don’t worry about it.”Pressing his bleeding nose with his clean kerchief, Zi Han got into his Bloodhound and opened the door for Kwang. “I have seen you groaning and screaming when you fell down the stairs, and now you ac

On Dongxiang’s orders, the junk in the backyard was cleared, making way for wooden crates and a couple of straw dummies with clay pots mounted on their heads.Zi Han’s heart raced with anxious excitement as he stepped onto the training ground, holding the scroll Dongxiang had just given him. Even though he had used an elemental skill before, he felt nervous about the upcoming challenge.“Back on your college campus, you instinctively harnessed the power of the earth element and used a defensive skill to shield yourself from harm. And by doing so, you achieved a cultivation breakthrough, allowing you to earn the novice rank,” Dongxiang explained as Zi Han stepped into the training area. Keeping his eyes on the training dummies, Dongxiang continued. “This task will be a little harder than an involuntary breakthrough. Here you will learn how to control your thoughts and use your body as a weapon. But I am sure you will pass the training with flying colors, master.”“You don’t need to cal

After a quick relaxing bath, Zi Han put on a clean white bathrobe and joined Dongxiang inside his room on the second floor.Dongxiang had already arranged for a detailed map of the city and laid it out on the table in the middle. Beside that, was a large-scale map of the country.“So, what have you got for me?” Zi Han asked as he approached the table and peered into the map.Dongxiang placed his right palm on the smaller map and smoothened its creases before beginning. “Argos is an island city cut off from the rest of Tenzing. Ming-Tao and his Red Council control most of the city, aided by the Imperial Militia. The governor and his ministers have a stranglehold over all the major ports, harbors, and railway networks. Ming-Tao’s word is law, and those foolish enough to oppose him directly are crushed like roaches.”Zi Han glanced at the map and observed the territories marked in black with an Imperial Star painted on top. They represented the areas where the governor and his council h