"The Gates Of Chaos - Part 1."

Hao Xuan stared at the words he had penned down with a hint of glee and surprise.

Surprise because 'that' person knew he was cultivating the Chaos Energy, and gleeful because this was the first official written document he had found regarding the Chaos energy.

Ever since Hao Xuan arrived in the beast world and started walking on the road of cultivation, he had never had a formal tutor. He was provided with books, descriptions, techniques and such and had to basically learn everything himself. There was very little (if any) guidance provided by an expert, someone he could call a teacher.

There was no one he could really go up to and ask the numerous questions that bothered him. What he didn't know was filled in by his peers and other fellow cultivators of the same level.

He had to learn everything by himself and grow stronger, choosing whichever techniques and skill was provided to him.

That's why he was so eager to get his hands on the records and library of the academy. It would not only fill in the gaps in his theories but pave the way for his future in cultivation.

The headaches that had been plaguing him for the last ten hours or so subsided slightly and his mood became a bit more pleasant.

*Splash*

The lake water rippled and splashed as a white blob shot out and cleanly landed on Hao Xuan's head.

Fortis slumped down halfway and looked right into Hao Xuan's eyes, "Food??" he asked expectantly, a few of his tentacles flailing about in the air like antennas.

With a helpless sigh, Hao Xuan put away the black book and stood up.

"I'm really tired right now so you'll have to make do with these for now," he said while waving his hand.

A small mound of dried meat appeared on the ground.

"I'll make something good in the morning," he patted Fortis's creased, bald head that was obviously not happy.

"Hmph," Fortis jumped down and landed in front of the meat pile. He looked back at Hao Xuan once again before quickly looking away in displeasure and started throwing the strips of meat in his meat like it was a chore.

He finished within a few seconds and threw one last glance towards Hao Xuan that said "You're welcome" and jumped back into the lake.

Hao Xuan watched the whole thing in amusement before walking into the sleeping cabin. Salome was already sleeping on the only bed there so he laid down on the ground below.

It had been well over a few days that he had stayed awake without any rest and was actually quite tired. He fell asleep as soon his head touched the ground.

That night Hao Xuan dreamt after months.

In this dream he was a child, barely a few years old. He was sitting on a small table. To his left was a lady humming a familiar tune while cooking something.

He got up and tried to look at the stove to see what was cooking but he was too short and could only come up to the lady's leg.

"Oh, what are you doing here?" she said upon feeling Hao Xuan's tiny hand.

She picked him up and placed him back behind the small table.

"Stay here okay? It will be done soon?" she said with a smile. The sun was shining in through the window behind her so he could not see her full face, only her smile.

She tapped once on his nose and with a light giggle, returned to the stove, continuing her cooking while humming that tune that Hao Xuan had heard before but could not recall.

He could smell the ingredients one by one, the sound of the pan and crackling fire. It somehow made him feel safe, secure. A feeling he had not felt in a long time.

The sound of the stove turning off came and the lady turned around with a plate of whatever was being cooked.

"Are you hungry?" she asked gently while approaching Hao Xuan.

She was just a couple of steps away when Hao Xuan was awakened by an untimely slap.

"Huh? W-What??" he stammered, looking left and right.

"Food!"

"Meow!"

Two white silhouettes, one furry and one squishy sat a few inches away from his face resting on his chest, glaring at him.

"Aah damn it, why'd you have to wake me up," Hao Xuan rubbed his aching face.

The rays of the sun were coming in through the window and falling directly on his face.

"Food!" Fortis repeated in anger. His tentacles were flailing about anxiously.

Zhurong, on the other hand, meowed once, jumped off and walked out of the room.

"Alright alright, get off," Hao Xuan pushed Fortis away and got up.

He checked the time and was surprised to see that he had slept for more than 20 hours.

"At least the sun is up," he mumbled and freshened up.

The rain had stopped and there was not even the shadow of a cloud in the blue sky.

As soon as he stepped out, a wave of heat hit him head-on as if it was the middle of summer.

The nights on the planet were extremely long and cold, while the days were short and searing hot.

Hao Xuan covered his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness outside and was left speechless by what he saw.

The camp was on the other side of the lake and was directly facing the two dormitories so he could see everything clearly.

Groups of tens of people were crowding around the lake. All the youngsters of both genders. Dressed in loose clothing, some sat by the lakeshore while others swam freely in the water.

"What the fuck is this..." Hao Xuan muttered under his breath. It was like a scene from a corny teen movie back from earth. These people were just casually sunbathing and relaxing like they were on a holiday.

"They've been through a lot, it's only natural to want to let loose a little," Henrik's voice came from the side.

Hao Xuan turned around and saw him floating on the water not too far from him. He was on a piece of shaved wood that slowly moved to and fro. Hazel and Fulke were also nearby, each doing their own thing.

'Am I still dreaming?' he thought inwardly but then something flashed from the corner of his eye and he caught it instinctively.

It was a slip of paper with some names on it.

"Brother Ryfon said I need to give this to you. He said you would know what to do," Henrik's voice rang in his head.

Hao Xuan looked at the list again.

It had five female names and their ages in front of them.

'I almost forgot, one of these is his niece huh?' Hao Xuan thought looking at it.

"You know where they are?" he asked Henrik through spirit sense.

"The first three are in the city below. You can go check them out yourself."

"City?" Hao Xuan frowned.

"Yeah. We stop at every average-sized town and city to restock on food and spread the usual propaganda. You know, to gather people for the battles. Each institute does it.. I heard there are a few people that can use those words of power down there too. "

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