Mu Region was vast, with beautiful rivers and lakes scattering its grassy lands. In the center of the region in the city of Yingmu was a large, crystal lake by the name of Mushui. Bordering Mushui was seven small cabins that made up the homes of the Shui Cultivation clan. They had large walkways built with marble walking stones between each cabin, with wild flowers growing all around. A large field for training sat to the North of the largest, most center cabin. On the other side of that field were vast forests.
Inside the largest cabin, a group of young boys all sat around a large table together, writing furiously as a woman before them talked. One boy was significantly shorter than the rest, but was probably the best dressed. He had on his best cultivation robe, one with dazzling colors of gold and scarlet. He loved to stand out amongst the crowd. This was Haoming, the cultivation clan's strongest youth. He was great at talisman magic, making sure to learn every spell in the book so he can create a powerful talisman.
Haoming sported blond hair and very fine features. He took extreme pride in his short height and petite body. Nothing mattered more to him than taking care of his body and eating healthy while also getting a great night's sleep. He would always be the first up to train, forcing his clan members to join him every single morning. Of course, none of the others really appreciate this gesture too much.
"Okay," Haoming said with a yawn, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, "do we really need to keep talking about this Li Huimin guy? I swear, you always mention him and you always say that his adventures are so great. Honestly, though, I don't really see the appeal."
"How many times have I told you?" the woman asked with a resigned sigh. This was Lin Xu, Shui Clan's lead cultivator. She had also taken him in when he was about six years old. She had promised Haoming's mother that she would watch over him and train him when his mother tried to find him a cultivation clan. He hasn't seen his mother since the day he joined Lin Xu's clan.
"Told me what?" Haoming asked, blinking a couple times in confusion as he stared at the woman. She had her hair tied back in a very tight bun, adorning plain white scholar robes. The woman narrowed her eyes at him as the boys at the table all started to snicker.
"Li Huimin is our king. We must respect him," Lin Xu told him, glancing around at the other boys. They were all starting to get a little rowdy, talking amongst themselves.
"Ma, Haoming has a point," a young man with dark blue hair spoke up. The woman looked at him sternly, but he didn't back down. This was Xinshan, Lin Xu's son. He was fearless when it came to speaking to his mother. "If Li Huimin was so great, how come we've never seen him? Or even met him? Isn't the Shui Clan a prominent clan in our world? From what I hear, he only seems to be concerned with the Lao Clan of Bi!"
Haoming nodded his head at these words. The Bi region was a region full of rich and snobby people. Which probably meant that the Lao Clan people were just as snobby and unpleasant. This meant that Li Huimin was exactly like them, right? Overly conceited and a show off? A man who showed extreme favoritism and didn't care for other successful clans. At least that's what Haoming thought.
"You guys don't understand anything," Lin Xu said with another resigned sigh. She closed the book she had opened in front of them, causing all the boys to stare at her in curiosity. "That's it for today's lesson. I can see that the seven of you have absolutely no intention of listening to me. If my own son is questioning my teachings, then I know when it is time to quit."
"Wait, Miss Lin!" one boy who was wearing glasses, a pen in one hand while the other reached out towards the woman. Lin Xu ignored him and walked away. The boy let out a small pout and looked at Xinshan and Haoming. "Now why did you have to make her mad? If you were actually listening, she was giving us a really good lesson!"
"She was talking about the same war she's been talking about for the last three weeks," Haoming said, rolling his eyes.
The other boy, their clan's oldest youth, Huang Sichao, just shook his head in disappointment before gathering up his notepad and stashing it into his waist bag. Two boys that looked extremely similar to Sichao started poking and teasing him. Sichao brushed them aside by waving his hand, telling them to go. They were his younger brothers, Xinjia and Xinchun. They took any chance they could to make fun of their older brother.
"Haoming, sometimes I question why I even consider you my best friend," Sichao said, grabbing his bag strap and clinching it in his fist as he stared at his friend. "You make decisions that I can't help but disagree with."
"Okay, then you explain to me the importance of her constantly talking about this Li Huimin guy," Haoming said, crossing his arms in annoyance. He felt like he was wasting too much time and energy just sitting here and discussing all of this. He wanted to go train more.
"Have you listened to a word she said in this lesson?" Sichao asked, staying as calm as he could. He's learned that it's best to stay calm and level headed with Haoming. "Li Huimin has sent word to all the clans to start preparing for war. The Aoki Devil is on the move. It's time to start preparing."
The Aoki Devil has been causing havoc on Meixia for the last decade. He's been wanting to take over, but no one knew what he was waiting for. He has been dormant for the last couple of years. This was the moment everyone was waiting for; for Aoki Rimu, the great Dragon Demon, to step out and declare war on the cultivation clans.
"I think Haoming just heard Huimin's name and tuned everything out," Xinshan said with a soft laugh. "I mean, he's not wrong to be annoyed. My mother does mention him alot."
"Come on, let's get to the training field," Haoming said, turning and walking away. He was bored of this conversation. If there really was a war coming, then he thought it would be best if they took action in training for it, not just sitting and talking about it.