Darian stared at the boulder in front of him. It was about twice his height, and several times as wide. In the center of the boulder was a cave. However, dark mist swirled around in the cave, making it impossible to see any further than a few feet into it.

This was the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow.

The boulder resided within a small forested glen a few dozen miles outside of Crescent Moon City. It was midmorning, but despite that the area around the boulder had a gloomy atmosphere. Light seemed dimmer, the air felt colder, and noises were muted. Darian wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, or if the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow was actually having an effect on the world around it.

Earlier that morning, a little after dawn, Clan River Heart arrived at the Wind Dance city estate to escort Darian and the members of Clan Wind Dance to Spiderwood Hollow. The only ones to go were Darian’s grandparents, his father, the elders, and his friends. No one else from Clan Wind Dance was allowed. If Darian hadn’t insisted, then his friends wouldn’t have been allowed to go either.

While Spiderwood Hollow was a small hidden realm, and less valuable as these things go, it was still a hidden realm. As far as Clan River Heart was concerned, the fewer people who knew about it, and where it was located, the better. No one dared to fight them over Spiderwood Hollow, but that wouldn’t stop people from trying to sneak in and stealing the resources that could be found inside.

Clan River Heart had formations and guards to keep the place safe and hidden, but it was better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough. Under normal circumstances, outsiders wouldn’t be allowed, but this was a special occasion.

Darian and his kin weren’t the only guests either. Clan Stone Pillar was there. Since their Matriarch was the one who challenged Darian to this challenge by fire, they were invested in the outcome.

Of course Matriarch Carlisa and several of her people were there as well, including Avaline Snow Heart, accompanied by another white haired woman. The latter’s inclusion baffled Darian, but he paid no heed to it. This was Clan River Heart’s territory after all. Who they brought here was their own business. At least Avaline kept her distance from Darian, which suited him just fine. He still remembered Astra’s words. The further she stayed away from Avaline, the better.

Clan River Heart had brought furniture for everyone, so that they could wait comfortably while Darian risked his life. He found this amusing, in a morbid sort of way. It wasn’t like everyone would be doing nothing. From what Darian understood, they intended to continue the negotiations, since everyone was already here. They might as well make use of the time.

“Do you have everything you need, Young Master?” Ellen asked.

Darian nodded and gave her a smile. Last night, Darian and his friends had planned for this trial by fire. At first Lucius and Vera tried to convince him not to go through with it, but backed down when they saw his determination. Since that was the case, they helped him to prepare as much as possible.

His holding bag was filled with everything he could possibly need in a hidden realm filled with venomous spider dire monsters. Medicines, antidotes, formation flags, and so on. He was as prepared as he could possibly be under the circumstances. His friends had been invaluable in that regard.

Vera knew a bit about Spiderwood Hollow, and told him everything she knew. Lucius taught him some formations he might need. Ellen gave him some pointers on poisons, and how to deal with them.

They weren’t the only ones. The rest of his kin offered suggestions and advice as well. All in all, Darian felt confident in his ability to handle what lay ahead. That didn’t mean he was unafraid. He was scared, but excitement overshadowed his fear. He would face the dangers of Spiderwood Hollow alone, without anyone around to rescue him if things went wrong. He couldn’t wait to begin.

“I wish you would reconsider,” Grandmother Astoria said, a worried look on her face.

While his kin were concerned for him, his grandparents were the most worried. Darian didn’t know if it was guilt for neglecting him all these years, or because they thought he couldn’t handle it. While he appreciated their concern, he wished they would have more faith in his abilities.

“Don’t worry, Grandmother,” Darian said. “I can handle a few spiders.”

Rather than look reassured, Darian’s grandmother looked even more worried. Grandfather Darin wore an inscrutable mask, but some of his own worry bled through.

“Just remember what we taught you,” Lucius said, squeezing Darian’s shoulder. “And you’ll be fine.”

As Darian talked with his friends, Matriarchs Ava and Carlisa approached, with Willow trailing after them.

“Cultivator Darian,” Matriarch Ava said. “Are you ready to begin?”

Darian faced her and nodded.

“Good,” Matriarch Carlisa said, clapping her hands together. “I like your spirit. Too bad you’re getting married to someone else. Otherwise, I would consider making you my fourth husband.”

Darian blinked at the woman, stunned by her words. His kin all leveled glares at her. Ellen in particular emitted killing intent. She wore a neutral expression on her face, but Darian could almost see the urge to kill rising in her.

Oddly enough, Willow glared at the matriarch too. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so odd. She was Darian’s betrothed, or would be soon enough. Having another woman claim him, even as a joke, must have been insulting.

“That joke was in poor taste, Matriarch Carlisa,” Darian’s father said in a flat voice.

“Oh, who said I was joking, Cultivator Darren?” Matriarch Carlisa asked. For a brief moment her eyes narrowed into slits, but then widened again. “But you’re right. It was in poor taste. I apologize for my ill-considered words. I hope you can forgive me.”

Matriarch Ava gave the woman a sideways glance.

“I think it’s best if we get this started,” she said in a dry voice.

“Very well,” Matriarch Carlisa said with a sigh. “Native to Spiderwood Hollow is a particular flower called the Blessing Bell Blossom. The flower is bell shaped, and is white on the inside and pink on the outside. We use the petals of the Blessing Bell Blossom to craft antidotes for various poisons. A meadow in the center of Spiderwood Hollow is the only place where this flower grows. Your task is simple, Cultivator Darian. Retrieve a Blessing Bell Blossom from the center of Spiderwood Hollow and bring it back.”

Ah, so Vera was right. She had predicted that the trial might be this. Good thing she already told him how to get to the center of Spiderwood Hollow. As Matriarch Carlisa said, it was simple.

Simple did not mean easy, however. While Spiderwood Hollow was considered a small hidden realm, that didn’t mean much. It all came down to perspective. Darian thought that the Myriad Rivers region was big, but compared to the rest of the Shattered Lands, it didn’t account for much.

Even so, this did nothing to dampen Darian’s enthusiasm.

“In that case, the sooner I start, the better,” he said.

Darian headed toward the cave. However, he only took a few steps before he heard Willow call out to him. He looked back at her.

“Cultivator Darian,” she said, her face inscrutable. “Come back alive, and I’ll consider forgiving you.”

Darian grinned at this, before turning around and entering the cave. The moment he crossed the threshold, some kind of force pulled Darian in and he fell into darkness.

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Moments later, Darian landed on solid ground and stumbled forward. After taking a moment to get his bearings, he looked around. Behind him stood a boulder that matched the one in the forested glen. Even the cave looked the same. However, the rest of the area around him was completely different.

Spiderwood Hollow was home to a forest with the tallest trees Darian had ever seen in his entire life. Most were bigger than the tallest building in Crescent Moon City, which was over ten stories high. They were thick as well. It would take several people holding hands to encircle the trunk of one of the trees.

These trees were pale white, and their branches created a thick canopy that blotted out the sky, preventing the sun’s light from reaching the forest floor. Assuming that this place even had a sun. The lack of light left everything in a perpetual gloom. This didn’t bother Darian too much, because of his realm, but it did make him uneasy.

There was little underbrush beneath the trees. Just dirt and tree roots. Some kind of moss grew on the trees, covering them in large patches like dark green blankets. The air felt heavy and stale. It smelled of damp earth and decay. Darian found this interesting since the dirt beneath his feet was dry.

Spiderwood Hollow was also quiet. Darian had spent a lot of time in the woods around the entrance to Duskfall Hall, and there was always some sort of noise to be heard. The rustling of animals in the underbrush, the wind blowing through the trees, the singing of birds. There was none of that in Spiderwood Hollow. Nothing stirred here. No animals, no wind, nothing. It was dead silent.

All in all, Spiderwood Hollow felt dead in a way that Darian found unnerving. He was used to forests being more lively than this. Even the spirit energy in this place felt lifeless. There was a lot of it, but it had a cold feel to it, which was a new experience for Darian.

“Well,” he said out loud, to break the silence. “Let’s get going.”

According to Vera, as long as he moved in a straight line after entering Spiderwood Hollow, he would get to the center. Even if he got lost, he would be fine. A wall of mist marked the edges of the hidden realm. As long as he found the wall of mist, he could orient himself and head towards the center.

Finding the boulder again would be a little more difficult. It wasn’t located along the edge of Spiderwood Hollow. Instead, it was located in the “southern” quarter of the hidden realm. Since it was the only thing that wasn’t a tree in this place, it would be easy to spot.

Just to be safe, Darian pulled out a yellow light crystal from his holding bag. As soon as he took the crystal out, it started to emit a warm yellow light. He placed it on the ground near the boulder. The warm yellow light stood out in this gloomy place, like a beacon of hope for the restless dead.

After he placed the light crystal down, Darian walked towards the center, keeping his eyes and ears open. He also watched the area around him using his mind sense. Due to his training with his friends, Darian’s mind sense was pretty powerful for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. While it couldn’t match the mind sense of an Energy Gathering cultivator, Darian was ahead of his peers in the same stage.

Despite what his other senses told him, there was plenty of life in Spiderwood Hollow. The trees were mighty bastions filled with spirit energy. While their spirit energy couldn’t compare to the spirit energy in Duskfall Hall, it was still plenty. The moss was also filled with spirit energy. Darian guessed this was one of the reagents Matriarch Carlisa mentioned earlier.

Well, since he was here, Darian might as well help himself to some. At no point did either Matriarch Carlisa or Matriarch Ava say he couldn’t collect some of the resources in Spiderwood Hollow.

Vera gave him this idea. While she didn’t know any details about the kinds of plants and materials he could find in Spiderwood Hollow, she suggested he take this opportunity to get some for himself. After all, they couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Her actions and words made it clear where her loyalties lay.

Darian prepared to scrape off some of the moss with the knife. Since he didn’t know what it would do, and he couldn’t coat his hands with spirit energy just yet, he decided not to touch it with his bare hands. As he stepped towards one of the trees, something caught his attention. It wasn’t anything obvious. He neither saw nor heard any movement, but his intuition warned him of a nearby danger.

Without hesitation, he focused on his mind sense. His perception of the world around him grew sharper, yet he still couldn’t sense what gave him such a feeling of danger. Just to be safe, Darian put the knife away and stepped away from the tree, ready for an attack from any direction.

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The moment Darian moved away from the tree, some of the moss moved and leapt towards him. No, not moss. A giant spider with a camouflaged carapace. It was the size of a small dog, with sharp looking legs and a pair of fangs dripping with poison.

As it leapt towards, the spider let out a little hissing shriek. The sound grated on Darian’s nerves.

Caught off guard, Darian dodged out of the way. The spider landed on the ground, and scuttled up the nearest tree. Its carapace changed colors as it moved. While it wasn’t invisible, the camouflage made it difficult to see the spider. This wasn’t limited to its physical appearance. Even the spider’s spirit energy matched its environment. Earlier it felt like the moss, and now it felt like the tree.

What an insidious creature.

The spider crawled out of sight, and Darian lost track of it. He remained where he was, with his fists up, ready for the next attack. His heart pounded in his chest. When the attack didn’t come, he relaxed a little, but still maintained his vigilance.

Unfortunately, Vera hadn’t known much about the Five Poison Spiders that infested Spiderwood Hollow. Otherwise, Darian would have been more prepared. From what he observed, they were ambush predators that blended in with their surroundings.

They reminded him of the first dire monster he had fought, the cat that could become invisible. While the spiders couldn’t do that, they were more powerful. The one that had attacked him just now was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, though at a realm below his.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Darian had an idea. He pulled out the knife from his holding bag. He turned his back and scraped some of the moss off of the tree. The sound of the knife against the tree’s bark sounded loud compared to the usual silence of Spiderwood Hollow.

Darian managed to get quite a bit of moss, before his intuition screamed to him that he was in danger. He immediately dropped the knife.

“Fire Fist!”

Flames burst to life, coating his fist. At the same time, Darian whirled around and punched the spider that had leapt at him from behind. It was the same spider as earlier. His idea had worked! Leaving himself open had baited the spider into attacking him. Since it was mid air, the spider couldn’t move to dodge his blow. Darian’s attack, empowered by the Fire Fist technique and the Flamebound Gauntlets, hit the spider dead on.

A crunching sound filled the air as Darian’s gauntleted fist hit the spider. Its carapace cracked. The spider flew backwards and hit a tree, before landing on its back. However, it wasn’t dead. The spider jumped onto its legs, though it was clear that it was injured.

Not wanting to lose sight of the spider again, and risk more ambushes, Darian pounced on the spider. It tried to scurry away, but its injury had slowed it down. Darian hit it again, cracking its carapace further. He kept hitting it until it stopped moving, except for the occasional twitch. Green ichor covered his arms, excluding his fists. The Fire Fist technique burned away it all away.

Darian let out a breath, before reaching down to pick up the spider’s corpse. However, in that moment, he sensed danger. Before he could react, another spider dropped in from above and landed on his arm. It let out a little his, before sinking its fang into his shoulder, causing Darian to yell out.

Hot and cold pain surged through Darian’s arm and shoulder. He grabbed the spider, ripped it away from him, and slammed it into a nearby tree without letting go of it. Darian slammed the spider into the tree again and again until it stopped moving as well.

With the immediate danger dealt with, Darian focused on the poison spreading throughout his body. Ellen’s advice sprang to mind here. Even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could use spirit energy to block off and isolate foreign substances inside his body. While this wouldn’t get rid of the poison, it would give him enough time to take an antidote.

Darian used the method that Ellen taught him. His spirit energy formed a barrier around the hot and cold poison, stopping its spread. Afterwards, he pulled an antidote pill from his holding bag. Since he hadn’t known what poisons he would be dealing with, he decided to get several general antidotes.

The pill had a faint minty smell, and when Darian swallowed it, the taste of mint filled his mouth. The antidote worked right away. The hot and cold pain eased, growing weaker with each passing second. Darian let out a sigh, and examined his injured shoulder. It was a bit difficult, due to the injury’s position, but Darian managed. His shoulder had two puncture marks. The area around them was red and throbbed with pain. Green tinted blood oozed from the wound. It smelled a little rotten.

Darian grimaced, before pulling out a fast acting Medicine Pill from his holding bag and swallowed it. The energy of the pill surged through his body, and in moments the puncture marks disappeared. The antidote had finished its work as well, nullifying the last of the poison.

Throughout this entire process, Darian kept an eye out for more spiders. His lapse earlier had cost him, and he didn’t plan on making the same mistake. Thankfully, no other Five Poison Spiders leapt out at him.

Once he was sure he was safe, Darian put the two spider corpses into his holding bag and took out supplies to clean himself up. After he was clean, Darian put the supplies away and went back to scraping moss off of the tree.

Perhaps there was something wrong with him, because his blood hummed in his veins. The attack just now had scared him, yes, but at the same time, he felt more alive than before. Suffering an injury like that, and risking death, hadn’t diminished his enthusiasm. In fact, it had increased. This was the first time he had faced danger without anyone nearby to rescue him if things went wrong.

Darian wanted more.

After he finished scraping off enough moss, he headed towards the center again. However, as Darian did so, he took a meandering path to increase the chances of finding spiders to fight.

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Avaline looked around the forest glen which housed the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow. It was a beautiful place, in a gloomy sort of way. It somewhat reminded Avaline of Mt. Frost Moon, where it was perpetually night. A wave of homesickness washed over her, and she yearned to return home. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen for several more years.

Avaline’s eyes fell on the table where the members of Clan Wind Dance and Clan Stone Pillar discussed the details of their alliance, with Matriarch Carlisa mediating between the two groups. Every once in a while, Elder Astoria of Clan Wind Dance would glance at the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow, where Darian had gone some time before. The worry in her eyes was palpable.

She wasn’t the only one. Willow Stone Pillar, who stood off to the side apart from everyone else, also kept glancing at the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow with a worried look on her face. Avaline wondered if the woman had any feelings regarding her future husband, for good or for ill. Was she worried about him? Or was she worried about his death, since it would make it more difficult for her clan to secure an alliance with Clan Wind Dance? Avaline didn’t know enough about Willow to tell one way or the other.

Not that Willow, or Elder Astoria, needed to worry. Matriarch Carlisa told Avaline about Spiderwood Hollow. While it was a dangerous place, as all hidden realms were, Darian was powerful enough to deal with most of the dangers in Spiderwood Hollow. The only real threats to his life were any Five Poison Spiders in the late or peak Foundation Establishment stage. Those were rare, and Clan River Heart took care to exterminate them whenever they showed up. After all, Clan River Heart didn’t want their own members to die when harvesting plants and reagents.

The last purge had taken place last month, so Darian should be safe as long as he didn’t do anything stupid.

Avaline then looked at the members of Clan Wind Dance who didn’t participate in the negotiations. There was Lucius Wind Dance and Vera River Heart, as well as the snake spirit beast that served as Darian’s retainer. Lucius and Vera looked worried, while the snake spirit beast wore a calm expression on her face. Avaline wondered if it was a facade.

For a brief moment, she considered walking over to talk with them and learn more about Darian. Her interest in him hadn’t faded, and she still wanted to get some revenge for the way he rebuffed her at the dinner the other night. Avaline had even taken a step towards them. However, the moment she did, she felt a gaze on her.

Avaline turned to find the cat spirit beast, who was with the elders of Clan Wind Dance, staring right at her. Her blood froze for a brief moment, before Avaline took a step back. After several seconds, the cat spirit beast looked away.

Frustration and anger welled up in Avaline’s heart. While she hated the fact that the cat spirit beast kept getting in her way when it came to Darian, there was little she could do about it. Besides, the cat spirit beast’s actions just further inflamed Avaline’s interest.

Why was this creature so set on keeping Avaline away from Darian? Did it have to do with Avaline’s mother? The cat spirit beast knew she was Immortal Frost Moon’s daughter. Did the creature also know about Avaline’s innate ability, Beguiling Charm? That would make sense, but Avaline hadn’t used Beguiling Charm even once since she came to the Myriad Rivers region. Even if the cat spirit beast was familiar with the ability, she would have to see Avaline use it to recognize it.

Still, there was no point in whining about it now. Avaline instead turned her focus towards Willow Stone Pillar. The woman was Darian’s future betrothed. Surely she knew something about him. Besides, Avaline wanted to make a friend outside of Clan River Heart. Except for Matriarch Carlisa, her hosts treated her with a deference that made it difficult to befriend any of them.

Given the way Willow acted when they sat together during the dinner the other night, Avaline knew there was no danger of that with the Stone Pillar woman. Granted, Willow might not want to be her friend, but that was a risk Avaline was willing to take.

She walked over to Willow with her handmaiden, Cordelia, in tow. One of the members of Clan River Heart who had accompanied Matriarch Carlisa chose that moment to approach Avaline.

“Cultivator Avaline,-…” the man began to say.

Avaline ignored him and continued on her way. Willow noticed her approach with narrowed eyes, before looking towards the entrance of Spiderwood Hollow again.

“Greetings, Cultivator Willow,” Avaline said when she stopped next to the woman.

“Cultivator Avaline,” the Stone Pillar rumbled.

“I thought you looked a little lonely standing by yourself, so I came over to give you some company.”

“Hmm.”

Willow’s obvious unwillingness to converse with her annoyed Avaline. She had been like this during the dinner as well. That was two people who treated Avaline this way, with Darian being the other one. What was wrong with these people? There were some in the Frost Moon Sect who would kill for an opportunity like this.

“Are you worried about Cultivator Darian?” Avaline asked. “If you are, rest assured. From what Matriarch Carlisa told me, Cultivator Darian should be strong enough to handle most of the dangers in Spiderwood Hollow. If he’s smart, he’ll avoid the bigger threats.”

Instead of looking reassured, Avaline’s words caused Willow to look even more worried.

“Is something wrong, Cultivator Willow?” Avaline asked.

“Why are you here?” Willow snapped.

Taken by surprise, Avaline reared back. The hostility in the Stone Pillar woman’s voice caught her off guard. To her side, Avaline heard Cordelia begin to growl. She surreptitiously signaled for her handmaiden to stand out. The growling stopped.

“It is as I said, Cultivator Willow,” Avaline said. “I thought you looked lonely, so I decided to keep you company.”

“I didn’t ask for your company, Cultivator Avaline.” Willow nodded towards the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow. “My future husband is risking his life in there, and I am not in the mood to deal with your chattering.”

Avaline narrowed her eyes at Willow. For a moment, she was tempted to use Beguiling Charm to get the Stone Pillar woman to open up to her more. However, she held back. Friendships built on the Beguiling Charm ability never ended well. Avaline knew this from painful experience. She wanted to be Willow’s friend. The more Willow pushed her away, the more Avaline wanted to be her friend.

She suspected it had to do with her demonic nature. While Avaline had been born from her mother’s inner demon, she didn’t know what kind of inner demon.

Besides, using the Beguiling Charm ability would draw the cat spirit beast’s attention, which Avaline wanted to avoid if she could.

“Why are you so hostile towards me?” Avaline asked, deciding to cut to the chase. “I am simply trying to make your acquaintance. In time, I hope we can become friends.”

At this, Willow snorted.

“Why? Did Matriarch Carlisa put you up to this?”

“No. Matriarch Carlisa has nothing to do with this. I am doing this of my own volition.”

“I think I made it clear that I neither want nor need your friendship, Cultivator Avaline,” Willow said. “Why don’t you try making friends with the cultivators of Clan River Heart? It looks to me like they would love to make your acquaintance.”

She nodded towards the group of River Hearts that stood nearby. Many of them were in the Foundation Establishment stage. Avaline suspected Matriarch Carlisa brought them in order to rescue Darian if necessary, or bring out his corpse should the worst happen.

Several of them, both men and women, kept looking Avaline’s way. When they noticed her attention on them, many of them smiled with fawning expressions on their faces. The rest blushed and looked away. The man Avaline brushed off earlier threw an envious glare in Willow’s direction.

“If I wanted a group of sycophants following me around, I wouldn’t have come over to talk with you,” Avaline said with a snort. “Given your surly attitude towards me, that isn’t happening any time soon. It’s rather refreshing, really. Most people are more than eager to spend time with me.”

Willow gave Avaline a dumbfounded look.

“You want me to be your friend, because I’m rude to you?” she asked in disbelief.

At least Willow knew she was being rude.

“If you want to put it like that, yes.”

“That…” Willow trailed off, not sure how to respond.

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it is.” Avaline shrugged. “You can accept my overtures, or you can keep rejecting me. I should warn you, however, that rejection will only cause me to try harder. Honestly, you should give up now. One way or another, the two of us will be friends.”

Willow stared at Avaline for several moments, before she started laughing. It was infectious and Avaline joined in. The two of them laughed for a few minutes.

“That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard,” Willow said, wiping her eyes.

Avaline smiled. Yes, coming here had been the right idea. Even if she didn’t learn anything about Darian, she still made a friend. Or at least she was on her way.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

“I…” Willow blinked in surprise. “A little, yes. You said that on purpose to make me laugh?”

“No, but I’m not above taking credit for it. Feel free to bask in my generosity.”

Willow huffed out another laugh, before she looked over at the entrance to Spiderwood Hollow again and her expression sobered. While she still looked worried, it wasn’t as pronounced as before.

“Thank you, Cultivator Avaline,” Willow said. “I needed that.” She clenched her fists. “I hate how helpless this entire situation makes me feel.”

Avaline studied Willow.

“You care about Cultivator Darian, don’t you?”

Willow looked conflicted about this.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She shrugged. “Still, I’d rather not have Darian die until I can sort out my feelings for him. He is going to be my future husband after all.”

Avaline found it interesting that Willow made no mention about the alliance. Perhaps her feelings for Darian were genuine.

“As I said, Cultivator Darian should be fine.”

The two of them fell into a companionable silence. While Avaline doubted they were bosom buddies, at least she had broken the ice, so to speak, and taken the first step.