"My Prince, we have conducted an extensive search in the Eastern wing of the Payirci." A few hours after Shizen left for his duties, a commissioned officer, wearing an all-white naval uniform, barged into Shin's tent and saluted him with great fervour.
Shin was still in the midst of recovering from Shizen's news and had dug into the mountain of reports handed down to him. However, there were limits to how much paperwork could distract the youth. Thus, the officer's interruption came at a great time. "Any luck?" Shin asked, his fingers intertwined and supporting his heavy chin.
"Ha! We tried our best, but..." The uniformed man looked right at Shin, but he didn't dare to meet those beautiful azure eyes. The Prince of the Lantis Republic had been out here the entire day after all.
"I see," the young man threw his back against his throne. Failing to find the Paradise Heart was a norm. Of all the days Shin spent in a military encampment outside of a Payirci, he'd only received the good news twice. So, Shin was no stranger to the disappointing results. It was just that… It was a bad day to throw cold water onto his face.
"Let me do a search," said the commander as he leapt to his feet.
"My Prince!" The officer felt his heart leap out from his chest as he'd heard the words. "We can't possibly let you into that danger zone when there are so many unknown variables! God knows what would happen!" Both hands flailing in the air, the officer stopped the youth from making a brash decision. And he had a point. Shin was once enveloped by a Payirci's illusions, where he was forced to defend himself against the combined might of Junius, the Umbras and the other Black Masks that followed him.
Shin may have escaped, but it was with great difficulty and luck. Heck, Shin was even crippled from being forced to ignite the Shard before his body was ready. So, the officer's worry wasn't really unfounded.
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid." Shin chuckled. "I'd already called for Senior Zishen to escort me. I'm even bringing her along." Bingbing happily chirped while enjoying herself on Shin's shoulders. "A Tier 9 Azure Dragon and a peak Tier 8 Kamaitachi. I can bring a few guards from the military if you like. So... Do you think that I'll be in any sort of trouble?"
"No, but..." The officer shifted his eyes nervously. Yes, Shin was heavily defended. However, in the 0.00001% chance that he's injured…
"Don't worry," As if reading the officer's mind, Shin took out a scroll from his desk and speedily wrote up an executive order. Dropping his feather pen, Shin threw the yellow parchment paper into the military man's outreached hands. "If anyone questions you, give them this. No trouble will fall on your shoulders..."
"A-Ah, yes!!!" Taking multiple bows, the officer admired the floor as the young man gradually made his way out of the tent, and into the unknown…
❖❖❖
Shin walked cautiously down the wide hallways of the Payircis. It was warm and moist within this dungeon, a stark contrast to the snowy weather outside. Compared to the other Payircis that Shin had been in, this one was rife with his favourite element… Water. Fountains with lion heads spewing waterfalls were plastered all over the walls. There were a few rooms where the cultivators could only pass by breathing underwater. Poison chambers, icy hells… Even a room of pure mist. This Payirci was, without a doubt, one of the best places for the cultivators of the Lantis Republic to train in.
And for the most part, that's what they did. The Lantis Paladins consisted of Spirit Lords, Kings and Emperors. They served as the elite contingent of the Lantis Republic, taking on menaces brought on by the Black Masks. Basically, they were the Lantis Republic's equivalent to the White Knights of the Alliance. In fact, they were formed precisely to make up the deficit that the White Knights had left. Occasionally, the Lantis Paladins would serve the Alliance just as they did their nation. However, those jobs were few and far between. Mostly, they would tackle the threats that posed a direct threat to their sovereignty.
Notable figures that were enlisted into the Lantis Paladins included big names such as Qilong Hu, Meijing Bingying, Jingyu Taiyi, Longyu Linji and Xunyu Feifei. That wasn't all. Even prominent Spirit Emperors that were slated to become High Elders in the future were inducted into the order. Shin wasn't part of the new contingent, but the funny thing was… He had trained with all of them.
Shin's Celestial Dragon Aura was just too good to pass up. Each time he unleashed his Celestial Dragon, the cultivation rates of those that surrounded him would skyrocket. Among the Luminaries, Meijing Bingying and Jingyu Taiyi were about to reach Rank 60, almost three times faster than the regular rate. Qilong Hu was dethroned as the most powerful one among them as Meijing Bingying reached Rank 59 far faster than anyone could have anticipated. Her familiarity with Shin enabled her to reap all sorts of benefits, mainly the luxury to visit him whenever she pleased. That, in turn, boosted her cultivation rate tremendously over the three years. Not to mention, as it turns out, the Payircis was an excellent place to train as well!
It was created by the evilest organisation to grace the planet. For what purpose? No one knew. However, the Alliance quickly realised that the Payircis was perhaps the best place to train Spirit Spectres, Lords and Kings. Most of the foes within the dungeon were shadowy Umbras that didn't exceed Tier 8. Each time they were killed, they would respawn within a day or two, giving the young forces multiple chances to hone their skills.
Spirit Immortal Dream's original blueprints were to make the Payirci a place where young people could train, without the fear of war or death. So, no matter how much the Black Masks attempted to make the place a death trap, the essence of the structure remained the same. A mana-dense area with an endless horde of enemies to kill… It was basically a paradise for up-and-coming Spirit Users to train.
At times, Shin wanted to join in the fun as well. Unfortunately, the Lantis Republic would only allow him to enter when the place had been cleared or with the protection of at least on Spirit Venerate or Tier 9 Spirit Beast. Which wholly defeats the purpose of training. Thus, Shin could only be present to give the orders or witness the fall of the Paradise Heart.
However, at this moment, Shin just wanted to blow off some steam. Zishen, the Azure Dragon was to his side, yawning and largely uninterested in the world around him. Bingbing was the same. Even in this perilous journey into the unknown, the snowy white gerbil felt comfortable resting in Shin's warm robes. She was a little too comfortable, perhaps. They were in one of the most dangerous places in the Lantis Republic, and the Kamitaichi had the audacity to sleep.
"Mmmm… That little lass is quite carefree..." Zishen remarked. "Then again, there really is nothing here to look at..." The Azure Dragon in his human form was quite bored as well. Shin had dragged them into the Payirci in search of the Paradise Heart. However, if something like that were so easily found, the Lantis Navy wouldn't have spent over two years scouring this structure.
Over time, the Umbras had been cleared out, and their spawning rates had been managed by the Lantis Paladins. Traps were disabled, and every single nook and cranny has been mapped out. Effectively, the dungeon had been conquered. It was just that no one could find the core to destroy it.
"Do you sense anything, Senior Zishen?" Shin questioned as he held firmly onto the Spear of Aiglos. Spirit Beasts tend to have sharper senses than humans, so it made sense for the Tier 9 Spirit Beast to find more clues than himself.
"Nothing at all," the Azure Dragon replied a negative. "The Paradise Heart should be a lump of mana, and yet I don't feel a single thing. I can sense the brats a hundred metres up and below, but I feel any colossal mana point anywhere." Zishen continued to dampen the hopes of the young man.
"Maybe they'd hidden the Paradise Heart inside of a sensory-blocking fog..." Shin theorised. It didn't make any sense for the big blob of spiritual energy to just magically disappear.
"It's almost as if it's not within the Payirci itself," Zishen folded his arms and thoughtlessly blurted out.
"Not within the Payirci itself?" The Azure Dragon's words resonated within Shin's mind. 'Not within the Payirci… A training facility… A safe place… Water-elements...' As per usual, the young Prince's mind raced at a million kilometres an hour. All of the building blocks began to fall into place and in the end…
"I got it!!!" Shin cheered with a jubilant cry. Ignoring the random bodyguards that were following a few metres behind, Shin ran straight down the stairwell, his feet moving so fast that it seemed like he was walking on air.
"Mmmm... Here we go again..." Zishen made a face as if he were used to the sight and promptly followed the rushed youth. With ease, the Azure Dragon traversed dozens of metres with one step as he followed his Prince out.
In just a few minutes, Shin had already exited the Payirci and leapt straight down onto the oceans below. A layer of glacial ice, created by none other than the Prince himself, cushioned Shin's rapid fall. He could have just levitated comfortably in the skies, but Shin wanted to test something out. The Celestial Dragon flew out from his Spectre Soul, and the Domain of Dreams was automatically cast. The water elements all rushed up into the domain as the oceans slowly lost their ravaging waves.
When it comes to water, few could manipulate the water elements as well as Shin. He placed his fingers into the deep ocean and allowed his senses to spread. It started off small, but slowly… Shin began to have 'vision' of every single water molecule within a ten-kilometre radius. Every fish, every coral, every stone, every seaweed… Nothing could escape Shin's 'eyes.'
The entire soul of the ocean was stripped bare for Shin's viewing pleasure. He was searching for just one trace… Just one hint was enough… And well…
"Hehe, found it..." An impish smile crept up Shin's face. "Why am I so smart?!" The young Prince cheered himself on in pure joy. The Paradise Heart that had eluded the Lantis Republic for so long… Shin had actually found it.
Zishen flew down graciously and landed right next to his sovereign master. "Have you found it?" asked the Azure Dragon lazily.
"Seven kilometres down at a fifty-degree angle to the south," Shin replied with confidence. "There's a sealed cave with a peculiar lack of presence… What do you think?"
The old man closed his eyes and followed Shin's directions. Just as Shin had described, there was a locked cave, sealed with a thick stone boulder. No spiritual irregularities could be found, so much so that it was borderline eerie. "Mmmm, peculiar indeed…" Zishen agreed with Shin's conjecture. "My Prince, your senses have improved yet again!"
"Thanks to your tutelage, of course!" Shin beamed.
Dozens of officers ran out from the encampments on the nearby island and flew straight towards the young Prince. To accommodate them all, Shin increased the space of the ice platform he was on. Among those flying over, there was a familiar brown-haired young man. Shin curled lips twisted into a frown as he recalled the earlier encounter he had. It was still a little awkward to meet Shizen straight on, so...
"Senior Zishen, let's destroy the Paradise Heart," Shin commanded. Celestial scales that reflected the stars and radiated with pure spiritual energy broke out from Shin's milky white skin and covered all corners of the youth's body. Just like his other abilities, Shin's Spiritual Body Enhancement had undergone a drastic change as well. The Sovereign Koi scales had been replaced with the Celestial Dragon's and his ability to breathe underwater was basically unparalleled in the world now. Like a fish back in the water, Shin kicked the currents and propelled himself dozens of metres with one kick. Bingbing created her own breathing bubble with an ice sphere and casually returned back to sleep.
The Azure Dragon bitterly smiled. In the end, no matter how much more mature he'd become. Shin was still the same Shin on the inside.
"As you command, My Prince."
✵✵✵
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