"Your fate will not be a pleasant one when you return to the Hudson clan. I will announce you had a tough time recovering, lingering around my abode as you attempted to learn to live with your blindness."

"I become upset you are slowing the progress of my latest weapon forging and send you on your way paying no more mind to you."

"Seeing the Devil Ancestor showing no interest in you and even being perturbed having to deal with you, the elders will easily in act the next part of my plan with no further effort on my part."

"You, James Hudson, will be branded as trash by the clan!"

"A blind devil descendant, delving in a useless Soul Dao, who not even the Devil Ancestor saw any use in."

"All devilry resources to you will be completely cut off. Even your father's hands will be tied in the situation. From then on any devilry resources, you need will have to be gotten with your efforts!"

"It's easy for me to determine how my lineage will react to my stance on the issue, I know them best."

"Ha ha ha," Kogthoz gloated over his devilish plan.

"Why do I have to be trash!" I yelped. I felt wronged. I am a supreme talent, the best of the best! Rarer than phoenix tails and dragon scales!

I might even found my own James Abyss one day!

~This blind young master should be able to strut around arrogantly with the clan's full backing.~

"I hate to admit it, but it is the best way I can protect you."

"The tree that stands tallest is the quickest cut down by a storm."

"Let me ask you this. Do you know my noble devil title, little fellow?" questioned the burly devil. He hoped this conversation would bring James closer to reality.

"You're a mighty Devil Count aren't you great grandfather?" I said, feeling indignant.

My great grandfather is a dignified Devil Count lording over a vast territory where his word was law.

~Why can't I be a typical young master beloved by my clan! Whatever, I'll be the trash of the Count's Family. Arrogantly throwing my weight around to whoever crosses my path. Who dares stop my tyranny!~

"That's right, looks like they at least are teaching you, young fellows, the basics." laughed the burly devil.

Little did he know James' mind was going in a different direction.

"My official title is Devil Count Kogthoz Hudson, Lord of the Wesser Forest, Warden of the Hudson Rift. The Wesser Forest and the Hudson Rift are parts of our Clan Estate."

"Devil Count is a noble title held by devils that have reached the fifth realm of devilry."

"When I was first given this fief, I was a mere Devil Baron in the fourth realm of devilry."

"As my power and the strength of my clan has grown, so has my noble title."

The burly devil inwardly reminisced about his devilish heroics during his youth. If only there was a prologue where you could read about his escapades.

"Noble titles in the Xertzul Abyss are systematic, all connected to a specific realm of devilry."

"The strongest devil within a noble devil clan lay claim to clan landholding titles."

"All devils take up noble titles consistent with their devilry realm."

"The noble titles are as follows in ascending order: Esquire, Knight, Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquess, Duke, Arch Duke, King, and finally Emperor."

"All these noble titles have a corresponding devilry realm. Congratulations, as a member of the Hudson noble devil clan at the first realm of devilry, vein opening, you are now a Devil Esquire of the Rez'gal Empire." said the burly devil.

"Now considering I am only a Devil Count and the strongest devilry practitioner in our entire Hudson House you can see why being too talented would quickly get you killed. Devil Count is five and Devil Emperor is ten!"

"The rise of every new Devil Emperor clan is built on the bones of countless other noble houses!"

"No, noble clan that competes with us within the Rez'gal Empire would allow you to rise knowing you had such a potential future."

"So you should get used to being trash, the label will protect you far better than any guards I can send," said Kogthoz with a hint of embarrassment.

It never helped to feel weak as a devil. He was a powerful devil that lorded over many lands, but there were plenty of devilry practitioners and even members of other races more powerful than him.

"There are many powerful demon beasts within Wesser forest. They gave me this fief to reclaim these wildlands for the Rez'gal Empire."

"It is one of the many Empires in the Xertzul Abyss. Our territory lies within lands they have staked a claim to. No Empires or Kingdoms can fight us for this territory without going to war with the Rez'gal Empire."

"However, that does not prevent other Rez'gal nobles from seeking a redistribution of Empire territories."

"Officially all of Wesser Forest is a part of my Estate however most of it remains unclaimed as the demon beast inhabitants are too powerful and constantly growing in number."

"I am only a Devil Count, I suspect there are Duke level demons or stronger within the forest but I have never ventured that deeply."

I slowly comprehended what my Devil Ancestor was telling me. I awoke an inborn ability that would make me a target of clans and other powers stronger than the Hudson Estate should they find out.

For their safety and livelihood there was no way the Hudson clan could openly admit to fostering a descendant with an inborn ability.

I would have to gain all my devilry resources with my efforts. This would surely slow down my progress in practicing devilry. Considering my Dao was the lowest rung of Soul Dao anyway, everyone would look the other way.

This would be a good tempering for me and a smokescreen to outside powers. His Devil Ancestor was clever with this line of thought, however, James didn't think like other devils.

"So I can finally live my dream of being a useless, arrogant young master?"

I was ecstatic, my face brimming with glee. My chief goal in life was to be a rich noble devil, surrounded by many beauties, living my days in squaller, and looking down on the poor commoners.

"I'll make you proud, Devil Ancestor! Don't worry, I'm already ten steps ahead of you!"

I had tears of joy in my eyes. All that improve your devilry this, master your devilry that, and contribute to the clan stuff taught by his father was for commoners!

I could finally let my true personality shine. Since I would be no longer be fostered by the clan. It would be a load off my back. I was a bona fide Devil Esquire. My pleasurable days were to come.

I could morph into the useless, arrogant noble young master I was always meant to become! The entire Hudson Estate would become my playground!

"That… That… That's not what I said at all!"

The Devil Ancestor Kogthoz seemed to age 10 years listening to James spout nonsense.

It looks like he would have his hands full the next few months teaching James. He would have to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in this youth so they could enact his masterful plan. Otherwise he really would have another useless descendant in the Hudson clan.

"Can you clarify how you reach the stronger tiers of devilry," I asked.

My grand plans for arrogant young master ascension were already rolling through my head.

I would need many resources and loyal lackeys. I at least needed to know a bit about the devilry realms so he could know how to recruit my lackeys. Also to prevent me from stepping on the toes of the wrong person. Being an arrogant young master would be hard work.

"Good, it seems we are back on track. For now, you only need to know the first 2 realms of devilry which are Esquire and Knight, describing the realms afterward would only lead you astray."

"For the Knight realm you must slowly fill your veins with Devil qi. Accumulating Devil qi into your veins until they can hold no more. The Devil Esquire realm is sometimes called the vein opening realm because a devil gradually opens his veins and fills them with Devil qi."

"Once your devil veins are filled to the brim, the only method to become stronger is for you to find a place to hold more Devil qi. Devils choose then to establish their own Devil Heart. They do this by pooling Devil qi at their heart until we form a Devil Heart, breaking into the Devil Knight Realm."

"A Devil Heart can store and pool Devil qi, much like the dantians of humans. You will understand it better when you began practicing devilry. So they sometimes refer to the Knight realm as the heart establishment realm. The only realms you need to be concerned about right now are vein opening and heart establishment."

"You may wonder why Daos are important and valued so highly by devils after I have explained the first two realms of devilry to you. It would seem like the Daos devils unlock have nothing to do with practicing devilry."

"All devils have Devil qi and increasing our Devil qi is what the goal of devilry is right?" said James

"Devils can change their Devil qi into other qis based on the Daos they have mastered." replied the Devil Ancestor.

"Crafting armaments a blacksmith would need Fire qi so they would have to understand the Fire Dao. Fire qi can have unique properties depending on the devil creating it and their understanding of the Fire Dao."

"A devil with a little understanding of Ice Dao and a good understanding of Fire Dao could create Icyfire qi which could be used for different things than normal Fire qi but still is a Fire qi."

"This is where your problem comes in and why everyone in the clan will view you unfavorably."

"Devil qi isn't much different from Soul qi, they share many of the same uses."

"It's about the same as Fire qi compared to Icyfire qi. All devils no matter what Dao they practice strengthen their Devil qi by practicing devilry."

"They can use this Devil qi to perform most of the things done with Soul qi."

"To learn Daos requires hard work and effort. The ceremony opens a door to a Dao for devils that they would be proficient at."

"It not only grants a devil initial understanding of a Dao but forcefully breaks them into the Esquire realm, making them official noble devils."

"So using your chance to get free Dao understanding in Soul Dao you are a step behind everyone else."

"To use and control your inborn ability, you must learn Soul Dao. Therefore, practice and learn Soul Dao it even though it is not very helpful to devils," said Kogthoz, explaining all these things was tiring to him…