9 Awakening

BANG!

Bone staff met with scythe like legs. Sun stood his ground like a mighty oak tree, infallible and unfalling, he fought back with everything he could muster. Each swing he poured all of his strength, his eyes locked onto the spider, he never let it leave sight.

Sun's nervous breathing grew calm, his movements started flowing smoother than before as a fire burned inside his eyes. Each swing of the Man Faced Demon Spider's legs he had parried came an immediate punishment in the form of a counterattack. A staff piercing straight into the Demonic Spider's face caused it to reel back.

Sun blinked, his guts told him he needed to flee and he grabbed Yao Guai. Jumping, his legs took him up into the trees and managing to avoid an incoming poisonous glob of spit. The ball of purple sticky poison latched on the ground, sizzling sounds screamed into the air, the air itself soon started smelling foul.

The spider vanished. [Cowardly bug!] Sun raged as he looked around. Yao Guai was still fast asleep and the heat spreading around his whole body told tales of the human child's worsening condition.

[Blast it!] Anxiety eating the ape from the inside, he held Grant tightly. One arm swung the bone staff and blocked another leg creeping towards the two of them. Three more legs stabbed towards the two and Sun could only do the one thing he thought was right. He turned his back against the black spears and hugged Yao Guai tight.

From afar, the monkey's fur metamorphized into solid rock. A grey sheen enveloped his back and three scythes pounded Sun.

[Ka!] Mouth gaping, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. A ball of fur and stone flew from the tree, crashing onto the ground and the spider watched.

Sun could only feel pain. His back was stinging, he was sure the legs of the spider hadn't pierced his rock hide but he was still injured. Monkeys were known for their agility and flexibility, only gorillas excelled in strength. As good as Sun's hardening ability was, he still felt as if his lung were directly punched by three hard hands.

[Stupid spider.] Blood trailed down the ape's mouth. He stood up, readying himself to fight again albeit sustaining internal injuries that made breathing painful. He glanced back down at Yao Guai and shook his head. [I will lose… I'm sorry Yao.] It was inevitable.

The spider out sped him by a great margin. He who had only started getting stronger a few months ago possessed a hundred year cultivation in terms of power. But what was that power against the man faced demon spider who can kill even thousand year old beasts if given the right circumstances?

It had poison, its body was tough and hard as rock. The legs were spears and poison coated its whole being. To touch was to embrace death, and to be touched was to be poisoned lethally.

Sun gritted his teeth. Even if dies now he would still give it his all.

The monkey prepared himself, abandoning all thoughts of self preservation, he observed the spider. He needed to get close, if he could just get close enough to the spider's head then maybe he could use his life as bargain, a price to pay for killing the threat.

Just as when the monkey was steeling himself for a suicidal charge, Yao Guai stirred awake. His emerald eyes shone in splendidly bright, as if he had understood something. He stood up and looked at Sun who did not notice him. The spider moved and it charged directly at the two no tricks, no stealth or even poison whatsoever.

It wanted to finish thing using its scythe and spear like legs. Countless visions involving skewering the two bipedal creatures flashed in its mind. Poison dripped down the arachnophobia incarnate's fangs. It was salivating, relishing the thought of victory.

"Don't get so cocky." Yao Guai snorted. He would've panicked at the sight of a Man Faced Demon spider assaulting them but not this time.

Cards floated around the child. One of the cards flew face first into the ground and disappeared.

[Yao!] Sun screamed in surprise via mental link. The spider was only a mere few meters afar until it reached them. Yao Guai commanded.

"Trap card activate! Sakuretsu Armor!"

A purple colored card stood up from the ground. Yao Guai felt his spirit power stir and a tall humanoid monster appeared from the void. Some of its body parts were black, some resembled crystal, a suit of scales jutting out surrounded its whole frame, the monster resembled a samurai wearing demonic armor. A vicious scowling mask hung on it's face, the monster raised a claw and slashed down.

The Man Faced Demon spider was flung backwards! Four horrendous gigantic streaks of claw wounds cut the spider nearly in four pieces. The spider sagged down, dead as it fell to the forest floor. The purple card vanished, taking along with it the suit of armor as if it didn't exist in the first place.

Sun dropped his staff. A grin broke out from his cheeks and he shouted! [YAO!] Sun laughed, he seized Yao Guai into a hug, one arm choking the child as the other nudged his head fiercely.

"Ow ow ow! That hurts!" Yao Guai chuckled then escaped the monkey's hold. He flashed a grin and held out his fist. Sun punched their fists together.

"Thank you." Yao Guai bowed, he knew he had passed out and the man could deduce that something awful must've transpired for a Man Faced Demon Spider to set its sights on them.

In the face of death, a person truly shows their real identities. And sun did not run away, the monkey stood his ground.

[Mah mah~ It was nothing Yao.] Sun scratched the back of his head, his eyes wandered to the side as he felt shy. The monkey wasn't used to being thanked. A question bothered the ape.

With the threat neutralized, there was nothing to do now. Run away even more? Sun had covered enough distance away from the cave. The two buddies should be relatively safe for now.

It was then that Sun rememberred the world outside the forest. A world Yao wanted to visit badly. [What happens now?] Tilting his head, Sun questioned Yao Guai who sighed.

"I broke through to rank 11. It seems like I don't need to kill spirit beasts and now I fully understand how my martial soul works." Yao recounted. When he passed out he woke up deep in a sea of cards. A sea full of cards each having different powers.

The pressure was suffocating, he struggled to swim and reach the surface. Once he did his mind accepted new knowledge. And it was then that he woke up stronger.

"Let's leave the Star Dou forest for now. We'll head for Heaven Dou Empire"

Yao Guai concluded. Going to the empire closest to the forest for now was the best choice. He needed information and he needed to find shrek academy.

[You'll go to shrek? What's so special about shrek?] As skeptic as ever, Sun kept on asking. The allure of the human world was strong, he was curious about humans. Yao so far was special, and if those humans were the same race as Yao Guai then wouldn't there be more excellent foes to fight?

Sun's stared at the dead Man Faced Demon spider. A yellow halo floated atop its corpse and Yao Guai prevented him from trying to absorb it. The human did not want to deal with it either. Speaking about the dangers of poison.

'I'm not Tang san. I doubt I can endure the poison that thing would give.' Yao Guai gave up on the spider.

"A lot of things are special about Shrek." Yao Guai snickered as the memory of an ogre passed by. He shook his head and they started moving. Yao Guai Continued speaking as they left.

"Seven people from that place would become prominent figures in the future. The academy itself may not exist right now but if it stands, it will become the greatest academy of all."

This was the first book, the start of the series yet forty thousand years later Shrek was still the number 1 academy.

Shrek this Shrek that.

Even Yao Guai found the books a bit too much. Therefore he just read the third book and glanced at the others before spoiling himself using wikipedia.

Child with special backstory starts his soul master journey. Joins shrek then fights against this apparently evil, well established super power with thousands of years of history.

Spirit Hall, A Whole Empire and then the Spirit pagoda-Holy spirit sect alliance.

Those were just some examples.

[What if this Shrek does not accept you?]

"Simple!" Yao Guai flashed a sinister smile. "I'll join the Spirit Hall instead and proceed with plan B. And if that doesn't work well I still have plans C to Z!" Yao Guai laughed.

Countless variables littered the land, countless paths towards the apex bare, only waiting for someone brave or smart enough to take them.

'If there's a will there's a way. If the worst were to come then bring it. I don't believe I'll simply lose against anyone.'

Confidence. Self belief enveloped the businessman's mind as he and his monkey bro traversed the forest. He dared not understimate what people could be capable of but he didn't over estimate them either.

Now the child found himself growing more curious.

Hours passed and a monkey followed by a child exited the forest. A vast plain stretching into the horizon met their eyes. And at the edge of that plain were the beginnings of civilization.

"Sun get inside the card and get ready for more things to come. We have a world to rule, and this point marks the start of it." Yao Guai grinned. His ambition boosting his excitement and Sun smiled. By following his friend around, there wouldn't be a lack of strong opponents and their futures would be brighter.