The Bloodfrost Maple loomed over us, its crimson-veined ice bark pulsing with malevolent qi, a predator in arboreal form. The clearing was a battlefield, strewn with kerberoi corpses, their ice-armored bodies melting into the snow. I panted, my sword slick with sap-like blood, Devourer's qi surges dulling my spiritual pain. Aina's barrier flickered, runes fading under the relentless assault. Tia's phantom hands and butterflies held the line, but her face was pale, qi draining fast. Ark remained cocooned, his meditation unbroken, the Maple's roots writhing beneath us, hungry for our blood.
The deep roar that shook the ground heralded a new threat. Shadows converged, and a massive kerberus—twice the size of the others—emerged, its ice armor gleaming like polished steel, its eyes glowing with primal fury. Smaller kerberoi flanked it, their growls a chorus of death. My heart sank, but Devourer's healing steeled my resolve. This was my chance to prove myself.
"Aina, focus on the barrier!" I shouted, dodging a lesser kerberus's claws.
"Tia, pin the small ones!"
"Got it!" Aina said, her hands weaving runes, the barrier flaring briefly.
Tia's butterflies swarmed, her phantom hands slamming lesser kerberoi into the ground. I charged the alpha, Dance of Embers boosting my speed, my sword a fiery arc. The beast roared, swiping with claws that cracked the earth. I rolled, striking its flank, but my blade skidded off its armor. No weak points visible.
+38 Qi
A lesser kerberus fell to my counterstrike, its qi feeding me, but the alpha was relentless. It charged, forcing me to leap onto a stunted shrub, using its height to dodge. Tia's hands pinned two more beasts, but her qi flickered—she was nearing her limit. Aina's barrier cracked audibly, a section collapsing.
"Ark, hurry!" I yelled, parrying the alpha's claw, the impact jarring my arms.
"Almost there!" he gasped, roots tightening around him.
The alpha's roar shook my bones, a psychic assault like the frost worms, but weaker. I gritted my teeth, Song of Pure Flame burning away the mental fog. I needed a plan. The clearing offered little cover, but the Maple's roots, protruding like gnarled snakes, could be used. I lured the alpha toward them, weaving between, hoping to tangle its legs. It stumbled, and I struck, aiming for its eyes. The blade grazed, drawing a howl, but no fatal blow.
Tia's butterflies swarmed the alpha, burrowing into its armor, slowing it.
"Keep it distracted!" I called, circling for another angle.
A lesser kerberus lunged, and I dispatched it, qi surging.
+42 Qi
The pain in my meridians was a distant hum, Devourer's healing undeniable. Was this its true power, mending spiritual wounds beyond its description? I needed more kills to test it. The alpha charged again, and I used the roots, leaping over them, striking its hind leg. A crack formed, sap oozing, but it spun, nearly crushing me. Flame of Life healed a gash on my arm, the pain excruciating but vital.
Aina's barrier collapsed, runes shattering.
"I'm out!" she shouted, drawing her spear.
Kerberoi flooded in, their roars deafening. Tia's hands faltered, her butterflies thinning. I fought back-to-back with Aina, my sword cleaving through lesser beasts, qi piling up.
+45 Qi
"We can't hold them!" Aina said, her spear piercing a kerberus, ice shards flying.
"Buy Ark time!" I said, targeting the alpha again.
I shifted tactics, using the clearing's edge, where snowdrifts slowed the beasts. I lured the alpha into one, its bulk sinking, and struck its neck, my blade finding a seam. Sap sprayed, and it roared, thrashing. Tia's hands pinned its legs, giving me an opening. I drove my sword into its eye, qi flooding me.
+120 Qi
The alpha collapsed, the lesser kerberoi hesitating. I seized the moment, slashing through three more, Devourer's qi soothing my meridians further. Aina's spear danced, her ice techniques slowing the horde. Tia rallied, her butterflies regrouping, pinning stragglers.
"Done!" Ark shouted, his cocoon dissolving, a vial of crimson sap in his hand.
The Maple shuddered, roots retracting, the kerberoi scattering with pained howls. The clearing fell silent, save our ragged breaths. Ark's face was ashen, but he clutched the sap like a treasure.
"We did it," Aina panted, leaning on her spear.
Tia nodded, her golden eyes weary but sharp.
"Good work, Kai."
I sheathed my sword, my body trembling, qi reserves brimming. Devourer's healing was real, my pain a shadow of its former self. But the Maple's pressure lingered, its qi watchful. Had we truly won, or was the tree biding its time?
So Yun's ship hovered above, a beacon in the twilight. We trudged back, the sap secure, the Grove's silver trees glowing under starlight. At camp, So Yun awaited, her tea steaming, her smile approving.
"Impressive, little Kai," she said, inspecting the sap.
"Two hundred points each, as promised."
I exhaled, relief flooding me. The points were a lifeline, but the fight had revealed Devourer's potential. Could it fully heal me, defying So Yun's ten-year prognosis?
My team left, but So Yun's voice stopped me.
"Kai, stay."
"Enjoyed the plums?" she asked, her tone laced with mischief.
"Poisonous?" I blurted, heart sinking.
"No," she laughed.
"Just too costly for disciples to eat so openly. I should deduct two hundred points for wasting sect property."
"But?" I ventured, sensing leniency.
"I can't stay mad at my little Kai," she giggled, her words ambiguous.
"But I fined a few greedy ones."
"Not my team?" I asked, wary.
"Just the worst offenders," she smirked.
"Now, seriously—your spiritual energy's more stable. May I?"
Her diagnostic qi washed over me, cool and probing.
"Curious," she said.
"Your healing's accelerated."
"I suspected," I said, Devourer's effects confirmed. A Heavenly technique with undocumented powers—thrilling, but chilling. The mountain plateau vision, the old master's warning—could it hide dangers? No hints in its description, but my knowledge of techniques was shallow.
"Any guesses why?" she asked, her gaze piercing.
"You don't have to answer."
"Maybe my cultivation technique," I said, summoning a flicker of Flame of Life. Half-truth avoided lies.
The tiny flame danced, easing my pain, a beacon of hope. So Yun stared, mesmerized.
"What is this? Not even the Phoenix Sect knows such a technique. Where did you get it? It's a Heavenly treasure!"
"Princess Lin helped," I said, looking away. The old Kai, a genius, had crafted it. I was just a scavenger of his legacy, unwilling to claim his glory. The Heavens might disapprove.
"Princess Lin?" So Yun's voice sharpened.
"The little Lin girl, scorned by her kin, weaker than you? Hated more than you in the Shen Clan?"
Her words stirred a pang, a mix of old Kai's memories and my own.
"The Heavens can be kind," I said.
"A talented cultivator gave her this technique, and she, in her kindness, shared it with me. There's no weak Lin anymore—only a beloved Princess Lin."
"I'm glad," So Yun said, a tear glinting, gone in a blink.
"This technique is extraordinary, but it alone wouldn't do this. Keep your secrets, Kai. Some truths stay hidden, even from the closest."
"Thanks," I mumbled, scratching my neck.
"Don't thank me," she said.
"Is your spiritual sense still as sharp?"
I paused. I'd noticed my keen qi perception but hadn't thought it exceptional.
"Sister So flatters me," I said.
"Kai, you and modesty don't mix," she snorted.
"Who else could find a sacred jade lotus by its faint qi, hidden in a thieving elder's chambers? You saved me, Kai. Without your sense, I'd be dead. I'm sorry the Shen Clan hated you more for it."
I froze. Old Kai had saved her from another clan betrayal? Her warmth made sense now, a debt I hadn't earned.
"Let's leave the past behind," I said, unease settling in.
"You're right," she said, summoning a white flower with blue petals, its qi familiar from the rabbit-hedgehog's haunt.
"Minsin Flower, rare and valuable. Find them in the Grove—twenty-five points each. Stay near, the Silver Forest is dangerous."
"Good day, Sister So," I bowed, mind on the task. Points were vital, and I wouldn't beg So Yun, despite her generosity. Relying on her too much was a path to ruin.
I stepped off the ship, the Grove's qi crisp, but three disciples blocked my path, their glares venomous.
"Kai, hold it!" Wo Yan barked, his bulk menacing.
"You cost us points!"
I recognized them—plum-gorgers, fined for my stunt. I laughed, their logic absurd.
"Something funny?" Wo Yan growled, fists clenched.
"You ate plums, not harvested, and I'm to blame?" I smirked.
"Now you want a fight. Know the arena rule?"
The sect's laws were clear, but Wo Yan's rage was blind. He swung, slow and wide. I dodged, peak Qi Condensation outclassing his early Meridian Tempering. A second attacked from behind, but my spiritual sense caught it. I grabbed his robe, hurling him into the third, their collision drawing curses.
The third was skilled, his strikes insect-like, landing blows on my ribs, pain flaring. I endured, timing a leg sweep, sending him down. Wo Yan roared, ice armor forming, spiked and crude, breaking the brawl's unspoken rules.
"Wo Yan, stop!" the skilled one shouted, but too late.
Wo Yan charged, spikes gleaming. I drew my sword, Dance of Embers surging, speed blinding. I slashed, shearing half his spikes, the ice crumbling like glass. Another strike cracked his armor, the technique collapsing, qi wasted. My blade stopped at his throat, his eyes wide with fear. His mastery was pathetic, the armor a hollow threat. Precision had won, my qi barely spent.
"Sorry, honored Kai!" he pleaded.
"Demons stole my mind!"
"Convenient," I said, scanning the crowd—Aina, Tia, Ark watching, Ark flashing a thumbs-up.
"Did anyone see a fight?"
The crowd hesitated, then Aina spoke.
"No fight, Kai. Just a rare beast."
Nods followed, the trio included. I sheathed my sword.
"Work, loafers! Plums won't pick themselves!" Aina barked.
I headed for the forest, glares gone, a fine dodged. So Yun wouldn't overlook a brawl, no matter her fondness. Wo Yan was trouble—his technique in a fistfight marked him as reckless. I'd watch him.
The Silver Forest welcomed me, its leaves rustling, the air pure. My spiritual sense scanned for threats, finding only rabbit-hedgehogs and odd birds, peaceful for once. The Minsin Flower's qi tugged, leading me to a clearing, silver grass swaying, a single flower blooming at its edge, white with blue petals. But atop a tree, a bird perched, its feathers blazing white, eyes hostile, qi mid-Meridian Tempering.
What danger did this guardian pose, and could I claim the flower without paying in blood?