Chapter 5 The Icedawn Pearl

Lei Laoshi guided Qin Ming back to school, holding onto him tightly. Once Qin Ming appeared in the front gates everyone charged at him.

"Junior-apprentice brother you're alive".

"You're actually back".

"What the hell happened to you".

Qin Ming put up his hands in defense. He was being berated by questions left and right and didn't know exactly how to deal with it. "Give me a second and I will answer everything".

"Lei Laoshi we need to talk for a moment".

He nodded then the two quickly moved to a private location. "What is it, my child"?

Lei Laoshi asked this with great concern, filling his voice. He knew just how dangerous a moment this had been for Qin Ming. He also knew just how quickly he could've been killed. "It was no coincidence that he gathered up regular people. He is building a superstructure that is made out of distilled souls of mortals".

Lei Laoshi scratched his long white beard "troubling, troubling indeed. Do you suggest we go back and destroy the compound". Lei Laoshi let out a deep and hard sigh. To destroy Trinity was no easy feat.

Qin Ming gripped his chin in a similar fashion to Lei Laoshi obviously he held him in high regard. Not only was he his mentor he was also his 'father'. Why wouldn't he want to be like him? When Qin Ming was born he was left in the care of Lei Laoshi and he has raised him ever since. Yes it was true that every student was like Lei Laoshi's own progeny, but Qin Ming held a special place in his heart, because he watched him grow up through all facets of life. He watched him take his first steps, and spoke his first words. Naturally he viewed him as a father would his own son. "Master do you think it's even possible".

"Tough to say, we don't know what we are up against. Remember son, know yourself and your enemy and one would not fear the outcome of a hundred battles."

"If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat". He repeated the next line without any hesitation, as easily as one would their own name. Lei Laoshi obviously drilled this lesson into his head.

"Then what is your solution Lei Laoshi". Qin Ming was concerned this was a superstructure that would most definitely decimate a small city if it was fully completed.

Lei Laoshi chuckled lightly "my son gather as much information and intelligence reports as you can and come back when you know exactly what they are building. In the meantime I'll protect you from as many immortals as I am able. When you go to buy the reports, tell them I will pay for it and they will give you whatever you need with little trouble."

Qin Ming nodded then quickly departed. As soon as he left everyone immediately began asking questions.

"Junior-apprentice brother, who was it that took you"?

"What did they do to you? Give me names I want names I'll kill em all".

"Everyone back off, he just got out of a tense situation and gave him time to speak. Once he is ready he'll speak and not a second sooner".

The questions halted for a brief moment as the towering Augus hushed everyone. Augus all though a bit weaker than most of the students no one dared doubt his skills. Augus had fairly deep roots. He was apart of an ancient and primordial clan that could be traced back to Zhurong

the fire god and one of the Three Sovereigns of Humanity, Surien! Surien was acclaimed for giving fire to humanity. While the other helped to repair the heavens and the earth alongside Mother Nuwa herself! Even though being a descendent of Surien wasn't as awe-inspiring, as most humans were his progeny in some form or another. Although his clan had deep roots in the three realms it wasn't the strongest of the descendants of Zhurong, it probably couldn't be ranked in the millionths. However this clan was by no means weak, in the Oldjade world it was ranked as one of the top ten clans!

Qin Ming finally took a breath, relaxing slightly.

"Thank you Augus for getting everyone to relax".

Augus quickly shot a kind,warm, relaxing glance with just a hint of a burning sensation back at Qin Ming. This intent was so strong it made Qin Ming think as though every cell was on fire. "Now would you care to explain why you ran off without telling anyone at all? I was scared half to death, so was Raya, and Lei Laoshi ''.

Qin Ming looked a bit embareds his face turning red as a tomato or the sun about to set. His expression was innocent with a deep sense of hesitation. "Well you see I didn't run away so much as being kidnapped".

"HA I told you the idiot went and got himself taken away. You owe me ten copper coins Augus".

Ryu had been laughing madly "My junior-apprentice brother really is incompetent"!!

Ryu had fallen over laughing, grabbing his chest from the pain. Qin Ming looked to the side, practically dying from shame. A very quick jab was slammed across his arm in a split second. "Hey what the hell was that for an asshole"!!!

As cold as an iceberg, and as unmoving as a boulder stared Jiangsu. He gave a freezing, icy gaze at Ryu, who was once very hyper, but now turned into a scared puppy. Jiangsu stood as tall as a solitary oak and had an extremely dominating aura about him. "You want to bully my brother… but you haven't asked me if that was acceptable"

He spoke coldly and truthfully. Jiangsu would not tolerate the slightest hint of disrespect to his brother while he was around. Everyone present turned into ice, everyone was absolutely scared out of their minds. And rightfully so! Qin Ming's brother Jiangsu was undisputedly the strongest figure at the school. Even though Qin Ming had defeated him in a preliminary match Jiangsu was giving only roughly five percent of his actual effort.

In less than a second later the mood was lifted. "Well Qin Ming after Lei Laoshi left to go find you I made a venture to the Frozen Seas of the Transcendent Heavens, and I picked up this".

Jiangsu opened his palm and a crystalline heart appeared in his hand. The iceheart was thorny and had several ridges to it. The iceheart released a sharp cold; it was as if an ice spike was shot through his heart. The iceheart radiated such a polar, biting cold that freezes his cells as cleanly as a knife would chop vegetables. Qin Ming could only gasp in silence; he was too much in awe of the item in front of him. "What's it called brother, please tell me".

Qin Ming was usually a hyper child and would naturally act very childlike, however this treasure was so pretty and beautiful it was instantly able to calm and soothe his childlike heart. Jiangsu gave a very wide grin, his eyes closed as well. Suddenly the treasure was sucked back into his ring. He gently put his hand on top of his brother's head. "It's an Icedawn Pearl".

"Woooah, it's so pretty"! His eyes glowed with childlike wonder. He so desperately wanted to know more about the treasure. "What does big brother do"?

Jiangsu simpered towards him, his eyes still closed, "I can't tell you just yet, maybe when Lei Laoshi trusts you a bit more. But what I can tell you is that when I first gazed upon the Icedawn Pearl I instantly became One with Ice. After just two days I was able to form my Dao Realm, although it's a bit rough I'll be able to finish it in just a few more days of meditation".

The Dao could be broken into several parts for instance if one trained in the Dao of Ice when they gained a basic understanding of it they would be considered to be One with Ice. When one was able to control the natural flow of energy of the world one could be considered to be One with the World. When one was able to see how their Dao

connected to the natural world and the universe in all things they could be considered to be One with Everything. However the Dao Realm level was uniquely their own; it was different from person to person. One would effortlessly be able to control the space of over twenty kilometers. If one would mess it up in the slightest that Dao path would be ruined, they could never hope to ever completely master it.

Items that could instill the Dao into one's soul and allow one to be able to progress quickly into the Dao, they were not only stunning but absolutely priceless. Many people would drool at the thought of it.

Qin Ming became slightly upset "oh alright then".

Jiangsu laughed delightfully "little brother don't worry in due time I'll tell you everything"

Qin Ming traveled off into the distance after giving his goodbyes to everyone and chatting for a bit. He had a mission after all. Although he had enjoyed the company of his brothers he knew there were much more important things he should do instead.

The school was enclosed in several mountain ranges thus it made the school very low-key and hardly anyone knew anything about them. Most even thought the school was an urban legend! There was only one time this school would wow everyone. This was the Allclan Tournament every kingdom would send their schools to represent. It would host youths who barely started their immortal path. All of the contestants had to be under the age of ten. And Lei Laoshi was incredibly skilled at training students. Most importantly this would be held once every thousand years. This was the year it would be hosted, and so naturally everyone had a few whispers about them.

"The Allclan Tournament is due to start soon, you don't think…"

"Of course not, it's just an urban legend".

"I heard that the old patriarch chose that school to represent us. It must be real"!!

"I heard that the old master of theirs is one of their teachers".

Qin Ming began to blush; he had never heard just how under the table his school had been he was practically overwhelmed. "Well this is the heart of the city. I should definitely be able to find some reports on Trinity".

Everyone became deathly silent. Trinity was one of the biggest sects in the Overcloud city. They were ruthless tyrants and would kill anyone for looking at them the wrong way. So most people didn't retain any reports about them in the slightest. However the Imperial capital sets up minor bases in all of the most popular cities. The Imperial clan had long ago unified this world no matter how terrifying a sect was in a small city like this they would never dare to cause strife in front of Imperial guards. To do so was as if you slapped the Emperor yourself. Even Trinity would never be so reckless.

As Qin Ming had been walking along the city he realized just how shealtred of a life he had! He had noticed people that were deathly sick, some people were so starved you could see their bones! Qin Ming felt something deep in his heart and felt overwhelmed. This was the first time he ever stepped out of the school. He had no idea people lived like this, he felt his heart beckon him to help. What could he do to help? He put his hands together and did the only thing he felt he could! "Amitabha!"

He frantically called out his name in hopes some good fortune could be given. He knelt down to one of the people and gave out his hand. Before he could touch the man another shop owner called out. "Ay don't touch him kid. You don't know what's festering in him!"

Qin Ming stood up and looked at the man. He flashed a hint of murderous intent! He simply couldn't believe the people knew their kin was living like this. Yet they did nothing about it! The shop owner stepped back a bit. "Bah do whatever ya want kid don't blame me when ya die!

Qin Ming once more knelt down "here kind sir take this, Amitabha!"

The man turned his head to look at him. Once he saw Qin Ming hand him food and something to drink he began to cry, "you keep it! I'm on my last legs here, you'd be giving it to a deadman."

Qin Ming shook his head "nay sir I have enough as it is, you take this!"

The man hugged him and took the food, "what do you want boy. I've nothing so why help me! I can only offer you my life."

Qin Ming placed his hand on his shoulder "don't give me your life. If you must give me something, then I ask that at one point you help someone else!"

Qin Ming stood up and began to head off again "Amitabha." he said before he took his leave.

Without a second thought Qin Ming quickly made his way to the Five Treasury. Once he opened the doors he was instantly greeted by a couple of tamed dire beasts that spoke the human tongue. This still didn't stop him from feeling his heart sink. This however was instantly stripped away when he saw the many treasures this place held. All of them were comparable in beauty to the Icedawn Pearl! In fact some had auras that were even more dazzling! This was also just a minor treasury; it represented a drop of water in an ocean to the amount of wealth the imperial clan had. As a result many of the guards were just for a face. No one would dare attack this place because it was a direct attack on the Imperial clan. However Trinity could easily squash this place with a thumb. "Welcome patron welcome"!

The store graciously accepted Qin Ming "we have wares granted you have the coin to buy them".

The store keep was practically rubbing the coins between his ears, smiling deviously. He walked up to him and kindly asked "I would like to purchase manuals regarding Trinity and all of their headquarters".

The store 's face instantly changed into a much uglier version. " What do you want with Trinity? Actually don't tell me just give ten kilograms of gold".

Most reports were fairly cheap,however no one wanted to deal with Trinity so they normally made the princess insanely high. Qin Ming just gave an ugly look "why is the price so high? Do you plan to bleed me of every penny"?

The Storekeep was no longer in any mood "do you have the gold? If you don't just scram"!

Qin Ming grew impatient "fine I don't have the money but my master said he would pay any costs".

He flashed a greedy look once more "oh and just who is your master child".

"My master's name is Su Lei but prefers to be called Lei Laoshi".

He spoke honestly and kindly, however the store kept falling to his knees and began to frantically kowtow "please forgive my sharp tongue I'm an idiot please. Look, just take the report and go".

For someone of the imperial clan to bow their head so desperately it must have meant that Lei Laoshi was an insanely influential figure in the Oldjade world. Qin Ming was surprised by this, there had still been so much that he did not know about his master. Qin Ming quickly took the manual and departed just as quickly.

In but a few moments he hid himself in the mountains that had provided him comfort and protection all his life. He pushed open the door and wasted no time at all getting to his master. "Lei Laoshi I've purchased the reports. And I've also learned quite a couple of facts about our school. It seems extremely low-key and the many citizens surrounding us don't know of our existence. But Trinity also knows we exist, what type of power are they"?

Lei Laoshi's heart looks a bit heavy "yes, we are quite low-key and underground, but Trinity is quite infamous for their talents in gaining intelligence. If something happens under the sun of the golden crow the Heavens know as well, and in regards to our Overcloud city Trinity knows more than the Heavens"!

Qin Ming was secretly amazed, he had always admired the Heavens the fact that in regards to the Overcloud city Trinity knows before the Heavens and more in fact!! This simple fact was truly stunning, if an ant made a new tunnel the Heavens would know. Qin Ming had always dreamed as a boy to be a Celestial Envoy of the Heavens. He knew very well the only thing that mattered in this world was one's personal strength. If he could become stronger he would have a chance to become a General of the Heavens, if he could become a Celestial Envoy this would be splendid.

When it came to the Celestial Court of the Heavens the jobs and position could be split up into several pieces. The lowest position is Pi Ma Wen, in which the Jade Emperor tricked Sun Wukong into the position. They just work the stables and so it was an easy and harmless position which the Jade Emperor used to watch him better. The next position would be regular soldiers for the Celestial Army. These were fairly weak soldiers, however four or three of these armies could completely subjugate this world if they wanted. The next on the hierarchy would most definitely be the Lieutenants of the Celestial Armies. These Lieutenants would lead the Celestial Army into battle to conquer and subjugate worlds. All of the Lieutenants would be led by Generals; these Generals were figures that definitely could not be considered weak in the slightest. In fact they could be split into three classes, third-class, second-class, and first-class. The third-class generals are most definitely the weakest of the Generals, however they could subjugate a minor world with a single finger. The first-class Generals are the absolute strongest and only second to the Celestial Envoys. The Celestial Envoys would report directly to the Celestial Emperor, or the Jade Emperor himself! They also had the best chance of becoming the next Emperor of the Celestial court.

To become the Celestial Envoy, was something Qin Ming wanted since Lei Laoshi told him stories of the Celestial court. When Qin Ming was at the age of four his father had always told him stories of the inner workings of the Celestial Court and naturally knew many things about it. He had always wondered why his father had known so much but never wanted to question him about it.

"Well son what did you find out about Trinity". Lei Laoshi spoke quickly as he was quite curious as to what they were planning.

The mood quickly changed "it's called the Tower of God. if fully powered it most definitely could blast apart a city as big as Overcloud. We absolutely must stop them".

Lei Laoshi's face turned pale, and as white as snow. He quietly mumbled under his breath "the Tower of God".

He lifts his head "my son came closer to me. What I'm about to tell you can never leave this room. Can I trust you?".

Qin Ming quickly nods his head with excitement "yes father you can trust me".

Lei Laoshi lets out a deep sigh. He held his son tightly "about a hundred thousand years ago I was a Celestial Envoy for the Court of the Stars. I was stationed in the temple of Yang. My master was the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor was one of the Five Emperors of Humanity. He was insanely strong and even fought Surien to a stand still! When a war broke out that nearly destroyed the Three Realms it was Mother Nuwa who had been able to repair the Pangu Pillars that had been destroyed in all the chaos. One of the major weapons used was the Tower of God. This one however is much, much smaller. If it was the original it would have no problem smashing galaxies to dust. It is absolutely imperative that we destroy this tower and all of the towers that they have. Just to be safe we should take Trinity out in one go".

Qin Ming couldn't help but remained wide-mouthed in utter shock and excitement. He had always admired the Celestial Envoys, and now hearing his father was one was absolutely stunning. His heart welled up in joy; he was absolutely brimming with excitement. If his father was one then that meant he would absolutely have a chance at becoming one. His boyhood dream could in fact become reality. "This Tower of God is really that powerful, how was our side ever able to win?"

Qin Ming was the curious type and when it came to dealings with the Heavens he couldn't hear enough. Lei Laoshi smiled as he saw his child's wonder and interest. "Maybe some other time however he has to destroy those towers".

Qin Ming was instantly reminded of the actual goal "Oh right of course let's deal with that, then tell me of the war efforts".

Lei Laoshi couldn't help but smile even though the war only brought sorrow for him, there is a very good reason why he never had children of his own. However when he saw how happy Qin Ming became he couldn't help but feel joy and delight well up in his own heart. "Of course my son I will tell you everything".

They departed from Lei Laoshi's study and went over to Jianngsu. Once Lei Laoshi was insightful he quickly stood up "my greeting master".

Lei Laoshi raised his hand "greetings to you as well son. Now to our actual business. We have reason to believe Trinity is constructing several Tower of Gods, we need you to go and destroy half of them while we deal with the other half".

Jiangsu's face instantly changed "f-father , is it really wise to take Qin Ming to destroy the Tower of Gods".

Lei Laoshi laughed slightly "trust me son trust me you'll be more than strong enough I'll be there to support Qin Ming. This is a perfect training ground for him. Now we must act quickly.

He nodded then departed and so did Qin Ming, and Lei Laoshi. It took less than a day for them to make it to the first tower. "I'll deal with the pesky leader you take on the rest. If you ever encounter danger use this".

Lei Laoshi handed Qin Ming a jade talisman that turned into a blob of smoke. Qin Ming held it in his hand for a little while then put it away. He fled in different directions heading towards the barracks. Maybe he couldn't fend off attacks from the higher ups but definitely the common soldiers. So he went to attack the common people of the camp. Although he had only been training for a couple of years he had extremely high insights into the Dao of Martial Arts, which was number one in frontal attacks and defense. In the three realms it was more or less placed into the top ten in terms of offense and defense.

In a short while he made it to the barracks. He struck out his hand and with a loud explosion the building crumbled in seconds.

BOOOM!!!

BOOOM!!! BOOOOOM!!

Instantly several concussive blows sounded off in every direction. The attack had truly begun. All three of the assaults began at once. Although Qin Ming's military campaign was less so than the others. In fact of the three he was the weakest. Even though he did help somewhat his efforts were pretty much negligible. The only reason he was here was because Lei Laoshi wanted to temper him.

Qin Ming burst forth with great speed, quickly sending a fury of chops and palm blows to the several scurrying soldiers. This attack had been a surprise although they had supreme intelligence reports, they wouldn't necessarily give them to the lesser branches. It is true that Trinity was number one in Overcloud city, but it was in the top one hundred in the entire world. A puny city like this wouldn't give them much worry. Thus even though Trinity knew about the attack on Overcloud no one took it seriously. Even if they were uprooted from Overcloud the heads of Trinity wouldn't care.

The soldiers hurriedly came into formation. They looked similar to a turtle they were impeccably defended. They were a turtle with the fangs of a tiger. Even so this puny formation was nothing to Qin Ming. He sent forth his palm and several streaks of laser beams shot from his hand. Simultaneously attacking and blowing apart the several soldiers. They were completely defenseless. The soldiers might have been able to land a decisive blow if they were given the chance however he wouldn't allow them a single chance to even breathe.

He was like a tidal wave trampling over every foe before him. They were like grass underfoot; they couldn't stand under his might.

"CALL IN THE BIG THREE"!!

"CALL THE GUARDIAN THREE"!!

The soldiers were frantically calling for backup. A thousand regular soldiers couldn't do anything against him let alone a hundred. A loud yawn carried across the entire battlefield. This was an overbearing yawn that carried an awesome aura, some of the lesser soldiers even fell asleep! "Quiet down I'm trying to sleep what's all this ruckus".

"Taotie Zishan is here".

"Master Zishan".

"We're saved".

Qin Ming looks up at the figure that radiates a tired energy, but he also carries extreme killing intent. It's as if the surrounding areas become darker and darker as the shadows around him start turning into frenzied snakes. His aura turns into a pool of shadows. Qin Ming could feel his heart pinch in dread. "Oh so you had no problem killing my lackeys yet you wont fight me, pathetic".

Qin Ming carefully whispered between his tongue "Taotie Zishan".

He carefully remembered the name; he clearly had some standing in the sect. If he could take him down he would put forth some effort for the war. Obviously he wanted to beat him. His eyes glowed with anticipation. He was going to destroy Taotie. Taotie Zishan flashes an ugly smile, he speaks calmly "no one is to call Miko Yang, or that pompous asshole Tianlong Xun. I wanna enjoy pounding him into dust".

His several followers all stared blankly then gulped deeply "y-y-yes sir".

The men were absolutely terrified of his power; they so desperately wanted to run, however they were grounded by fear and couldn't move a single millimeter. "Hehehe I'm gonna have so much fun, so much fun".

He cackled loudly, he was trying to breed fear into Qin Ming's heart, his soul was very shaken and could hardly think. In an instant Taotie appeared right in front of Qin Ming and pulled his fist back. When Qin Ming looked at the dominating Taotie his heart tightened. Taotie's fist looked like a mountain range. It held such a crushing aura Qin Ming knew he would die with the fist so much as grazed him. Qin Ming acted quickly and planted his knee against Taotie's jaw. Taotie most definitely couldn't handle the force of his hit and stumbled back quite a bit.

Taotie was like a boulder, tough and unmoving. For him to move even a little was impressive, let alone a meter's length. Qin Ming chuckled to himself. He did it and he pushed him back. He could definitely hold him back. Even so his chances for victory were slim. "Alright you worm you are worth playing with".

Taotie's shadow escapes from his body like a serpent. His smile cracked into two disgusting and horrible ravines. Qin Ming continued to move forward at great speeds. One of the shadow snakes slams itself against Qin Ming's flank, tearing it apart. A trickle of blood comes from his mouth and the gaping wound in his side. He however does not stop like an unstoppable force he rams his fist into the side of Tatoie. Taotie also starts to cough up blood. The blow to his side even caused a couple of ribs to crack! Taotie laughs insanely going mad with pain. His eyes become bloodshot.

Taotie's shadow serpent comes crashing behind Qin Ming, his back has been blown apart, the clothing on his back burns and his back blistered. "ARRGH"!

Qin Ming writhed in pain he grit his teeth and continued to grip onto Taotie refusing to let go. He rammed his knee into his side. Then he rams his fist into his jaw. Taotie falls down and smirks gleefully "oh you are fun, well let me savor this a bit more".

Qin Ming jumped back a couple of meters and his heart was wrapped in fear. Regardless he quickly moved back and smashed his fist towards Taotie and Taotie sent a fist just as powerful. When the two collided, the ground smashed in a blast of pressure. The ground splintered apart and rocks started flying off in every direction. The blast went off for several kilometers; most of the soldiers instantly died due to the force of the pressure. The two smiled at each other; they were filled with bloodlust, and were filled with anticipation.

About two kilometers

Three dark figures look into a blue crystal playing the events of the battlefield. Two of the three had solemn looks however the other was jumping about excitedly like a child. "Ohuhuhu do you think brother Taotie can win, if he doesn't let me have him. Please please".

The violet robbed figure stares him down and furiously says "be quite Yunshe"!

The other one just glared coldly.