Targaryen Who Turned Dragon

"Wake up."

Aerion opened his eyes.

That was a pretty good nap if I do say so myself. My profound energy has mostly been recovered and my body seems to have healed. Still, I feel tired and there's a continuous pain in both of my hands. I've used Draconic Heart many times today, there's bound to be some consequences for my careless behaviour.

Aerion stood up, it was time to return to the Noble Rogue Sect and join in on the feast.

"Thank you, Jasmine... I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You flatter me."

I was dead serious. Without her, I wouldn't know how to unlock my profound entrances... which means I wouldn't be able to use Dragon Soul or Draconic Heart. I wouldn't have learnt the mighty Star God's Broken Shadow. I would've lost the tournament, to summarise, I would be far weaker without her.

"Well, in any case, it's time to head out."

After feeding Daemon, Aerion walked to the mighty Fortress.

~A few minutes later~

"Welcome back to the Sect, Jun Long!" A Guard said as Aerion got past the gate.

"I hope you join the Guards, we would be glad to take you in."

"That's true. We're pretty relaxed while the Blades are very strict..."

Damn... I'm a celebrity in the Noble Rogue Sect now.

Then a blade entered the scene.

"Don't listen to the blues, if you want to be a real fighter... then join the Blades! We train our skills to the point of perfection and we take things seriously. Not like these soft, untrained and idiotic tin cans. You wonder why we win every Guards-Blades competition? Because we're better! If you want to reach your full potential then you should join the Blades."

"Ooh, very inspiring speech. I thought Blades weren't allowed to speak..."

"We speak when it's necessary, this is one of those times I must speak. I can't stand Guards..."

*Spit*

The Blade spits straight onto a Guard's helmet.

"You..."

"Speak again and I'll embarrass you."

The Blade left the scene satisfied.

"Those damn Blades... always bullying us. They're lucky most of the titans are at the feast."

Titans? They sound intimidating.

"Wait, has the feast already started?" Aerion asked

"Well... not really. They're just getting seated. Unfortunately, only five hundred Noble Rogue Sect members are invited to the Hall. Every elder, the Grandmaster, about three hundred masters and the rest are disciples."

"That's like a hundred and fifty invited disciples, right?" A Guard added

"Yeah, something like that. The remaining seven hundred masters and thousands of disciples just celebrate outside."

A thousand masters!? What the hell? And most of them are probably comparable to the earth profound realm... that's frightening. This Sect is so strong...

"You should get going, Jun Long. There's no doubt you're on that special list of invited disciples."

"Very well."

~

Aerion entered the Hall and sat down at his designated seat, which was at the very top of the table. The surrounding seats were mostly elders, very talented disciples and prestigious masters. Luckily, he sat next to faces he knew. Tai Dang and Tai Quin sat to his left and right, respectively.

Great, two people who I defeated in the tournament...

The Hall was colossal, Aerion had never seen anything like it. There was no doubt that the Hall could hold over a thousand Noble Rogues.

"So, how are your injuries?" Aerion asked Tai Quin

"Nothing permanent, I'll be back to normal in a few days."

"That's great."

"What about me?" Tai Dang asked

"No one cares about you..."

Then Tai Wentian stood up... everyone was silent.

So this is the power and influence of an Emperor profound cultivator... I imagine he's a nightmare on the battlefield.

"Congratulations to Jun Long for winning the tournament and Tai Quin for being the runner-up. There are roughly two months and a few days left before the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament begins... make use of that time, disciples. Anyway... everyone is finally seated and the food is made, it's time to begin the feast!"

~Sometime later

Aerion left the Hall, he decided that it would be better for him to join the others. The seating was very strict so it was better to just go outside. Besides, there was no point in staying... he had already eaten his food.

I'm completely full, that feast was no joke. I saw Xia outside, she was currently in a group consisting of only girls. Girl talk, huh. The ceremony is going to start in about thirty minutes, so I'll have some time to collect information to make my decision easier. To be honest, I'm currently leaning towards joining the Blades...

"Jun Long, forgive me for my grandson's actions."

I turned my head... was this the Commandant of the Guards, Tai Ming, that Tai Dang spoke of? He wore the blue robes of the guards with a beautifully decorated c.h.e.s.t plate and two decorated shoulder pads to match. That armour probably wasn't just for show, it looked quite sturdy.

"It's fine, besides, I've already given him a suitable beating."

"Hmm, I see. I hope that you join the Guards, we would welcome a man of your talents in open arms. Don't let that foolish grandson of mine sway you to the Blades, I assure you, we would treat you well."

"HAHAHAHAAHAH, THE DOG HIMSELF, TAI MING!"

A tall and intimidating man laughed at Tai Ming's offer. He took off his black mask and looked at Aerion. He looked like he was in his late forties, yet he radiated an aura of youth and adventure. He wore the black blade robe with a leather-like shoulder pad strapped to his left shoulder and a very unique and powerful looking sword tethered to his belt.

"So you are Jun Long? You sure do like the part. Here's my offer; instant promotion to vice-general, many useful resources for cultivation, missions worthy of your talent and special training."

Vice-general...? Isn't General the highest rank in the Blades? If that's true, then I would be the second in command in the Blades!

"You... have you lost your damn mind, Qiang Shi? Promoting a boy to such an important position..."

"Hahaha, and that's why my Blades will always be better! I always get the good disciples... not matter what! This "boy", Jun Long, is more talented than Tai Quin, Shu and Xia all combined! How could I possibly miss the opportunity to see him in a blades uniform? I've offered him something you wouldn't... I win, again. Well... even if you offered him the exact same deal, I doubt he'd choose the Guards anyway."

"You..."

"So, Jun Long... do you accept my offer? Of course, you do. I'll see you at the ceremony."

This Qiang Shi doesn't even wait for me to answer his questions... still, his offer is very tempting. How could I possibly reject it? He's made it impossible!

Tai Ming stood still, helpless. He couldn't match the offer... the vice-commandant was a sky profound grand elder, how could he replace him with a child? Hell, the grand elder in question even dislikes Jun Long (he's a Tai too). Tai Ming didn't want to take any risks. Meanwhile, the vice-general spot was wide open since Qiang Shi never needed one. There wouldn't be many rejections if Jun Long was promoted to vice-general as Qiang Shi's grip over the Blades is very strong. The General's victory was guaranteed!

"Unfortunately, I can't offer anything better but..."

"There's no need, I've made my decision already."

Those ice-cold words would echo in the commandant's mind every night in a few months...

~Ceremony

The Ceremony was scheduled to happen underground in a sacred place where the Sect's first members were inducted. It was in fact a temple... what was it devoted to you ask? No one knows, though, many speculated it was made for the worship of the Wind God and/or Tai Shun (the founder).

Here's how it will work:

The Blades were on the left while the Guards were on the right. It wasn't every single Guard/Blade, only the really important ones. Otherwise, they'd have to fit nine thousand people in one underground temple. The blades brought with them thirty representatives while the Guards had around a hundred. (It looked like the Guards showing off, while the Blades couldn't care less.)

Every division-less adept would be placed at the entrance, a short walk away from the Guards and Blades. Then they would line up in order of the rank they got in the tournament, lowest ranking first (those who did not participate in the tournament would go first as they didn't even get a rank). This means that Jun Long and Tai Quin would come last, creating some suspense. Then the first in the line would walk forward and choose between the Guards and Blades, the disciple would then join the formation of the division he/she chose.

Aerion stood last in line... he didn't really care, as he's a very patient young man. Still, he worried about a certain friend.

Liu Lei... I hope you choose the Blades. If you join the Guards, I won't be there to protect you from Tai Dang or his grandfather. In fact, you'll be walking straight into their hands. But since you're quite intelligent... I know you'll make the right decision.

One by one, the line was getting shorter. Eventually, it was Liu Lei's turn. Aerion looked at him but Liu Lei wasn't looking back...

~

I want to strong... strong like Jun Long! That means the only place for me is the Blades!

Liu Lei went left.

"WELCOME TO HELL, LIU LEI!" The General proudly stated

"WELCOME TO HELL, LIU LEI!" The others echoed

Liu Lei smiled. This was the best place for him to get stronger, no matter how challenging things will be... he'll strive for success. From this day forward, he promised to be a changed man. He won't be weak anymore, he'll be strong!

~

Phew, that was too close for comfort.

The Blades barely recruited any disciples, they didn't seem too keen on wasting time on trash. Trash would usually avoid the Blades anyway... but if a trash disciple were to choose the Blades, he/she would be sharpened into a great disciple through hellish training. This hellish training... it was one of the reasons the Blades had fewer members. The Guards nearly double the Blades in numbers, but the Blades have (on average) stronger disciples. Once, Qiang Shi arrogantly stated: "Every Blade is worth a hundred Guards!".

Most, if not all, Tai family members join the Guards as it's unofficially owned by them while the Blades are usually just disciples without any family background. Despite this huge advantage, the Blades still manage to keep up with the Guards through hard work! This fact made Aerion excited to join the Blades as they were the underdogs.

Tai Dang joined the Guards (nothing surprising), Cai Rong joined the Blades, Tai Shu joined the Guards, Tai Xia joined the Guards and Mo Yi joined the Guards.

Tai Xia, you too? Damn it, why are the Blades so unpopular?

Then it was only Tai Quin and Aerion left...

"I know where you're going, Jun Long. Good luck with the Blades."

"How did you know?"

"Qiang Shi."

Tai Quin went right, to the Guards. Then everyone wondered where Jun Long, undisputed number #1 adept, would go. Although he's an adept, many people think Jun Long is the strongest disciple in the Noble Rogue Sect. No one could think of any current disciple that could possibly put up a match against the one-of-a-kind genius! This small choice could affect the future of the Blades, Guards and even the Noble Rogue Sect itself! There was no doubt that Jun Long could become the future General/Commandant and even the Grandmaster! Every single Grandmaster was the Commandant of the Guards at one point of their lives... if Jun Long was a Blade and became the Grandmaster... he would be making history!

The Grandmaster himself escorted Jun Long down the steps and into the middle.

"Well, which will it be?"

"The Blades."

Aerion went left, to the Blades!

"WELCOME TO HELL, JUN LONG!"