Assasination attemped(unnedited, never gonna be edited)

Unknowingly, the illustrious Du ke Ma Tianxing, though only slightly older, had carved a new shrine in the temple of Varian Long Aotian's heart.

On this fateful day, whether it was the unruly arrogance of the beastkin or Ma Tianxing's godlike command from leagues away, Varian was left thunderstruck, as if witnessing a dragon soar across the heavens. He could no longer compare his most revered uncle, Lord An Duoyun, with the Du ke—for they were heroes of entirely different heavens.

Lord An Duoyun, the Lion of the South, was majestic and awe-inspiring, masculinity incarnate. His bravery was like a golden spear that pierced through all despair. Never had he faltered, never had he cowered; wherever he walked, hearts were stirred, and morale blazed like wildfire.

But Lord Du Ke, ah—he was the embodiment of celestial wisdom. A master of commerce, inventor of arcane wonders, grand tactician of the unseen battlefield—he was shrouded in mystery, his aura laced with unfathomable magical might. He, too, was brave—but his courage was that of one who walks between lightning bolts and writes fate with a wave of his sleeve.

Some had once dared compare Lord An Duoyun and Duke Ma Tianxing to the Twin Pillars of the Stormwind Heavenly Kingdom. Varian had scoffed at the notion. But on this day, under storm-wracked skies and amidst the clash of destinies, Varian made a silent vow\...

And in this very moment, while fate lifted Du ke high above the mortal coil, placing him unknowingly upon the peak of the storm—

He was arguing.

"Heavens! Have your ancestors knocked your brains out? By the Light, how did you become an earth-level elemental mage?! Even a ten-year-old street urchin from the Arcane Sanctum of Dalaran could recite these basics!"

"Yes, yes, I'm but a feral wild mage born in the deep woods," came the dry reply. "Please, mighty Immortal Khad Ga, do instruct me kindly!"

Blinding light gathered from every direction—threads, wisps, spirals of brilliance forming a phantom body of pure azure essence. Arcane energy surged from the runic circle at Du Ke's side, flooding the translucent figure in a single, blinding instant.

The figure lifted his spectral hand, pulled back his shimmering hood, and revealed a face—young, sharp, tempered with secrets.

He was none other than Khad-Ga, once an undercover emissary of the Celestial Council of Tirisfal, apprentice to the fallen Sky-Mage Mo Diwei, and a man fated—if not for tragedy—to ascend to the heights of the Immortal Dao of Magic.

Even Mo Diwei, in his final breath, had uttered: "Khad-Ga shall be the flame that survives the ashes."

Indeed, Du Ke's first bitter discovery, upon awakening in the cursed void-realm of Kara Shan, was not demonic attack or arcane distortion.

It was hunger.

For even a slayer of gods—he who shattered the will of Sage-Sargeras, who inherited the mantle of Mo Diwei, the Arch-Magus of an Age—must eat. And if he were to perish in some dusty tower corner, starved like a beggar... surely, all of Azeroth would erupt in mocking laughter for a thousand years.

With his soul gnawed by emptiness and the cold fingers of madness at his door, Du ke remembered one thing—Khad-Ga still existed.

So, with a grim smile, he summoned his system spirit and offered five points of soul essence, and thus, Khad-Ga was resurrected—in a half-living state akin to the Shadow of Elan, a ghostly echo bound by fate.

Though transparent, Khad-Ga retained his mind and could wield magic still. Yet he now depended entirely on Du Ke's will—for his soul's lifeforce flowed through Tianxing's fingers. Should Du Ke frown, Khad-Ga could be unmade within minutes.

Naturally, Du Ke would not allow such a rare phoenix to turn to dust.

After a round of rather… vigorous negotiations, Khad-Ga was firmly installed as Du Ke's steward in Kara Shan. He became his magical mentor in certain arcane arts, his right hand, his blunt weapon, and, should the need arise…

…his expendable cannon fodder.

To the outside world, Khad-Ga called him master.

Internally, he still called him master.

In every way that mattered, Khad-Ga was now no different than a loyal spiritual beast bound by soul contract.