The sun had barely risen, casting a pale light over the camp where disciples from the four sects milled about, preparing for the martial contest. The forest loomed ahead, its dense foliage shrouded in a perpetual light mist that seemed to whisper secrets to those who dared approach.

Tong Zi stood at the edge of the encampment, his fingers twitching. He scanned the faces of the disciples, searching for one particular face that had been missing for days. His unease grew with every passing moment, but he didn't show it outside.

"Elder Jiang is furious," Tong Zi muttered, eyes darting around. "Where could she be?"

He turned sharply as he heard footsteps approaching. It was Ning Jing, but her usual composed demeanor was replaced with a furrowed brow and tight lips.

"Any sign of her?" Tong Zi asked.

Ning Jing shook her head, her eyes briefly meeting his before flicking away. "No. I've been watching her for days, but she hasn't shown up recently. It's like she vanished."

Tong Zi's jaw tightened. "This is bad. Elder Jiang is ready to tear the forest apart to see if Li An is there, and teacher is getting worried. We need to find her before the contest starts."

Although he said that, Tong Zi was not very optimistic about his chances. The contest was right about to start, after all.

As if summoned by his words, Elder Jiang strode into the clearing, her face a mask of barely contained rage. Her piercing gaze swept over the assembled disciples, searching, probing. She paused in front of Tong Zi and Ning Jing, and her expression darkened further.

"Still no sign of Li An?"

Tong Zi smiled bitterly. "No, Elder Jiang. We haven't seen her."

Elder Jiang clenched her fists, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "This is unacceptable. Li An's disappearance puts us at a disadvantage. The contest is about to begin, and we cannot afford to be disorganized."

Tong Zi didn't really care about her complaints, but he also didn't like when things didn't go according to plan.

He Jian, standing a few paces behind Elder Jiang, stepped forward.

"Tong Zi," he said gently, "stay close to the Battle Elder of the Gentle Sword Sect once you enter the fog. Safety is paramount."

Tong Zi nodded, turning into the cold and proud genius of the Hidden Valley sect.

"Yes, teacher. I will."

He Jian then turned to Elder Jiang. "As for you. You shouldn't even be here. I know I said being a spy didn't matter anymore, but you will still play a role as one of the elders supervising the contest. So play your role appropriately."

Elder Jiang calmed down and put a hand over her chest. She could take revenge later on; she didn't believe that Li An had run away without the treasure in the fog.

The disciples from the four sects began to gather at the forest's edge, excited to battle and prove their worth to their sects. It would be ironic if they knew three of their sects only cared about their own profit, and the martial contest was just an excuse.

Ning Jing leaned in close to Tong Zi, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think Li An is planning something?"

Her hands were trembling. She could still remember the time Li An had blackmailed Elder Jiang. It was terrifying.

Tong Zi hesitated, glancing at the forest. "I don't know. But the mission comes first." His eyes turned a bit bloodthirsty. "If she stands in our way, I will just have to end her once and for all."

The call to assemble rang out, and the disciples lined up, ready to plunge into the woods. Elder Jiang gave a final, scrutinizing look over her disciple before addressing her.

"Remember your training, Ning Bing. The forest is full of beasts stronger than you, and the mist may confuse your sense of direction. Run towards me or the battle elder as fast as you can."

He Jian stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Tong Zi's shoulder. "Keep your wits about you, Little Zi. Run directly to the Battle Elder. We will deal with Li An when or if the time comes, but for now, your safety is crucial. You are the hope of our sect."

Truth be told, He Jian had a bad feeling about Li An's absence. Although she could just have given up, he understood that the girl was not that kind of person.

Tong Zi nodded, steeling himself for what lay ahead. As the disciples moved forward, he cast one last glance back at the camp. For some reason, he hoped for her to appear. "I wonder how she looks like."

There was a sense of curiosity in his heart towards this person who could make his teacher so worried. If it weren't for her miserable talent, Li An would very likely be much stronger than him, and bring the Gentle Sword sect to a new peak.

But alas...

She was nowhere to be seen.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Deeper in the forest, You Mei moved stealthily, every sense on high alert.

"Where is Li An? I haven't seen her in a long time, and she wasn't with the sect's main group." She was not too worried. There were few people who would dare to hurt Li An after knowing she was the best friend of the sect leader's personal disciple.

She was scouting alone when she caught the faint sound of voices. She paused, listening closely from behind a thick tree.

"She can't be far. Spread out and find her," a rough voice commanded.

You Mei peeked and saw four disciples with dark green and azure robes from the Hidden Valley and Azure Sword sects. "Are they targeting me due to my special identity?"

She did not know about Li An's importance in He Jian's eyes, so she could never have guessed that he would offer a status promotion to anyone who could defeat and humiliate her friend You Mei. He Jian had no interest in a pawn, but it was a good way to see if Li An came or not to help her.

As for the Azure Sword sect disciples, they were already enemies with the Gentle Sword sect, so they required no extra motivation.

You Mei's eyes narrowed. She knew the tone of a hunt. She stepped into a small clearing, her hand instinctively clenching into a fist. "Let's see how strong the current me is."

"Here she is!" a disciple from the Azure Sword sect shouted, emerging from the mist with three others in tow.

"You Mei of the Gentle Sword sect," the leader sneered. "It is quite arrogant of you to move alone. This will be easier than I thought."

"You overestimate yourselves," You Mei replied coolly, her arms vibrating slightly with the Bear Paw martial arts. "Come on then, let's see what you're made of."

Although the enemies were two stages above her, You Mei was not afraid.

The fight started with the cackling of a crow. You Mei dashed towards them, meeting punch with punch and kick with kick. She parried and countered their moves most of the time, but it was hard to meet eight fists with two.

The four disciples pressed hard and began gaining the advantage despite their internal injuries. You Mei understood for the first time the difficulty of fighting against more than one opponent. She was clearly much stronger than any one of them, but her stamina was running out too quickly.

"You can't keep this up forever," one of the Hidden Valley disciples taunted, his roundkick passing dangerously close.

You Mei's breath came in quick bursts, her strength waning as she deflected blow after blow. She knew she couldn't hold out much longer against their combined assault.

A punch suddenly hit her guts, making her fold over her stomach. "Argh..."

"Not so cocky now, are you?" The young man from the Azure Sword sect was just about to kick her head when someone kicked him in the groin.

A figure emerged from a tall bush behind the attacker.

"You Mei," a calm voice called out. "Need some help?"

It was You Rou.

After their duel in the outer sect competition, You Mei had met a couple times with her cousin and they were actually in quite good terms now. You Rou didn't even know about the situation with You Mei's mother, so there was no need for them to have a grudge with each other.

With a powerful sweep of his foot, he struck down one of the Hidden Valley disciples, his eyes never leaving You Mei's.

"About time you showed up," You Mei panted, a hint of a smile playing at her lips.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun," You Rou replied with a smirk. "Besides, they are not worthy of being your opponent."

You Mei sighed. "He is already slightly stronger than me. Talent does make a huge difference." She stared at the sky for a moment. "Li An, this path is truly not easy."

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With You Rou at her side, the battle quickly turned in their favor. The remaining disciples, disoriented and outmatched, fell one by one under their combined assault.

"You think you're so clever," the last Azure Sword disciple spat, backing away. "But this isn't over."

"Run back to your sect with your tail between your legs," You Rou said coldly. "And tell them I am always willing to break their eggs if they come visit me."

The disciple's face turned red with anger, but he still turned and fled into the lush vegetation. You Mei started healing her wounds, her breathing steady as she turned to You Rou.

"Thanks."

He casually waved his hand. "Don't mention it. I hate those azure monkeys."

She raised an eyebrow. "Monkeys?" You Mei was more used to the calm and polite You Rou, so she was surprised.

"Yeah, a group of them kept sneering at me for three days in a row while I was eating."

"Ugh, I would have put hot chilli in their food." You Mei chuckled.

"You wouldn't be laughing if they did the same torture to you."

Together, they walked towards the depths of the forest. After all, there would be fewer participants there, and the sect with more disciples remaining would win.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Wen He was bored. He was considered the strongest disciple in the Gentle Sword sect, so almost no one in the forest was his match. He had already disqualified at least twenty disciples.

He waved his blonde hair with a flick of his head, staring at the corpse of a Foundation realm wolf in front of him. "Where is Tong Zi? Slaughtering chickens is boring."

Wen He glanced around and caught the shadow of a man going at a speed almost as fast as his own.

"Don't run away, chicken!" His voice sounded happy, and he had a wide smile on his lips.

The figure turned around and strided with a high chin. "Who dared to call me a chicken? Show yourself!"

Wen He recognised the man in azure robes with gold chains in the sleeves. "It was me, Zhao Tian. Come and give your daddy a hug."

Zhao Tian shuddered. He was very familiar with that voice and that ridiculously handsome face. "Fuck, how could I be so unlucky!" Although he was the young leader of the Azure Sword sect, he had no chances of winning against Wen He.

He almost felt like crying. "That madman was the last person I wanted to find in this contest. I have to go to the battle elder. There's no time to play with this weirdo." He prepared to run away.

"Zhao Tiaaaaaannnnn... Little Tian, why are you running?"

"Fuck this." Zhao Tian's eyes became bloodshot and he turned around, charging at Wen He.

"Wen He," Zhao Tian called out seriously. "I've heard you're the strongest disciple of the Gentle Sword sect. Let's see if you live up to your reputation."

Wen He's smile became twisted, as if he were enjoying himself too much. "Good, good! You might be empty upstairs, but I commend you for having balls."

Before him, Zhao Tian had already arrived and thrust his fist towards Wen He's shoulder, unable to wait any longer. This thrust was like lightning, displaying the full strength of their sect's Thunder Fist spiritual technique. His muscles contracted and expanded fiercely, channeling all the spiritual energy to the fingers and the hand.

The power of a Core Formation expert was no joke. It was like a comet had flown across the sky, releasing an air explosion with a loud rumble, smashing towards Wen He's shoulder.

Facing this attack, Wen He drew two of his fingers and slashed as if they were a sword.

The punch instantly lost all of its power, like a comet smashing into the moon. Then the sword qi sent Zhao Tian flying five to six meters back.

"Oi oi oi, don't tell me that's the best you can do." Wen He frowned and looked down on him with narrowed eyes.

Zhao Tian wanted to stand up, but he felt numbness in his chest as he stared coldly at Wen He. "Instant knockout? How could it be an instant knockout?"

Wen He pinned him down on the ground with ease and sat on Zhao Tian's chest.

"How can you be so weak? If I were you, I would have just killed myself out of embarrassment." Wen He snorted.

"Y-you... b-bastard... ARGH!"

Wen He slapped his face with his hand covered in sword qi and smiled at him. "What did you say? Sorry, I couldn't hear you due to the noise."

"Fuckin' hell! Do you think I am deaf?! The forest is clearly as silent as a graveyard!" Zhao Tian did not dare to say his thoughts out loud.

"I would feel ashamed if you were to remain in the same contest as me; please surrender and save me the humiliation." Wen He mocked him in a light tone.

Zhao Tian struggled beneath him, but it was futile. Although there was only a difference of one stage between them, Wen He was a monster. The clearing lay in ruins because of his single attack; trees and rocks were shattered by the intensity of his sword qi.

"Okay, good night then."

Slap!

Zhao Tian turned limp and fell unconscious.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Elsewhere in the forest, the atmosphere was markedly different. In a clearing more towards the east, Bai Shen, the lead disciple of the White Temple, stood with a friendly smile on his lips.

However, before him lay five Spirit realm disciples from other sects, each one stage stronger than him. They were sprawled on the ground, but there were no injuries to their bodies.

Bai Shen's expression was calm, almost serene, as he addressed the fallen disciples. "Strength is not in the power of your fists, but in the peace of your heart. Seek balance, not victory, my friends."

One of the defeated disciples stared up at him with his lips twitching. "Of course you can say that. You won, after all."

The truth was that he didn't even know how he lost. A white light came out of the monk's right hand, and next thing he knew, they were lying down on the forest floor.

Bai Shen smiled gently, his eyes reflecting a profound inner peace. "Violence is a tool of the unwise. True strength lies in restraint and understanding."

"Okay okay! I get it, I surrender! Please just stop talking!" The disciple who was awake was starting to become jealous of his friends. This crazy monk was just repeating himself with other words. "That bitch didn't pay us enough for this."

Bai Shen saw the frenzied state of the disciple and helped him to his feet. "Maybe I can give him some life tips."

"Remember, the path to enlightenment is not through the defeat of others, but through the mastery of oneself."

After saying that, he turned and left, not noticing the way the poor disciple smashed his head against a rock in order to faint.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The fog thickened as Tong Zi and his group of Spirit realm disciples advanced deeper into the northern forest. The air was cool and damp, the silence broken only by their long steps and the occasional rustle of insects and other small creatures.

"Stay close," he instructed, his voice low. The disciples around him nodded, their expressions tense with anticipation.

All of them knew about the mission given by the sect leader, and they were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.

Suddenly, a tall man with blue eyes emerged from the mist ahead.

"Tong Zi," Jian Feng greeted with a bloodthirsty smirk. "I've been looking forward to this."

"Jian Feng, what are you doing here alone?" Tong Zi's eyes narrowed and he prepared to fight.

The disciples from Hidden Valley understood the young leader's intent and backed away, creating a wide circle as the two geniuses faced off. Without a word, the battle began.

Jian Feng moved first, his fingers slicing through the air with white sword qi that seemed to cut the very fabric of the fog. Tong Zi dodged and summoned poison vipers from the ground. Their fangs were dripping with purple venom that melted everything it touched.

"You won't beat me with tricks, Tong Zi," Jian Feng said, his voice calm as he slashed through the vipers with ease, his white sword qi reducing them to wisps of smoke.

"Then I'll just have to get closer."

Tong Zi charged forward, his fists glowing with very concentrated poison qi. Each punch he threw was precise, aiming to inject weakening poison into Jian Feng's body.

Jian Feng parried with his fingers, but he had to put all his focus on the battle in order to not let the poison qi slip inside his organs.

The forest around them bore the marks of their battle, trees and foliage slashed to pieces by the ferocity of Jian Feng's sword qi. Anything that survived was instantly disintegrated by the acidic venom of the vipers.

"You've improved," Jian Feng acknowledged with a grunt. "But it's not enough."

Tong Zi smirked coldly. "Let's see about that."

He feinted to the left, then spun to the right, landing a punch on Jian Feng's arm. The weakening poison seeped in, slowing Jian Feng's movements slightly. Jian Feng's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly retaliated, his fingers slashing dangerously close to Tong Zi's face.

"You won't be able to keep this up," Jian Feng said with a trembling gaze. "Core Formation isn't something you can overcome so easily as a Spirit realm cultivator."

"Maybe," Tong Zi replied, his breath coming in short bursts, "but I'm not a normal Spirit realm cultivator."

With a surge of spiritual energy, Tong Zi abruptly summoned more vipers, their numbers blanketing the sky above them.

Jian Feng's face turned pale. "This... You shouldn't have enough spiritual energy for so many."

Tong Zi didn't reply. He pointed a finger at Jian Feng and he was submerged in poisonous fangs. "Looks like I win."

...

As Tong Zi continued his journey towards the forest depths, he was lucky enough to meet and join Bai Shen. Although their sects had different goals, they were still allies on paper.

Tong Zi held a small compass in his hand, its needle pointing firmly towards the spiritual signature of the battle elder. This was the method of the alliance for finding the region guarded by their spies. Ning Bing also had one, but it had the spiritual energy signature of Elder Jiang.

"We're almost there," Tong Zi whispered, his voice barely audible above the whispering fog and the distant growling of wild beasts.

Bai Shen nodded. "Seek focus, not distractions."

Tong Zi completely ignored him, but some of his junior brothers were making ugly faces. The monk was way too hateful with his 'wise' words.

As they neared the section of the fog guarded by the Battle Elder, a girl with a bob cut and green eyes appeared in front of them. She was wearing the white robes of the Gentle Sword sect, meaning she was a personal disciple.

"Ye Hua," Tong Zi greeted her with tense shoulders. "This is bad."

She approached with a look of suspicion.

"Tong Zi, Bai Shen," Ye Hua called out, her tone sharp. "Where are you going? And why are you working together in a martial contest between sects?"

One of the rules of the contest was that disciples of different sects could not join forces. Of course, only the Gentle Sword sect cared about the rules.

Before they could answer, a look of realization crossed her face, and her expression turned to one of alarm. "This can't be good..."

She spun around, intending to flee, but it was too late. A lightning-fast sword qi, almost solid in its form, streaked through the fog and struck her with deadly precision. She gasped, recognizing the technique even as her life slipped away.

"Battle Elder..." she muttered with her last breath, her body collapsing to the ground.

From the shadows of a tree, the Battle Elder stepped forward. He looked at Tong Zi and Bai Shen with some disappointment.

"You are too soft," the Battle Elder said. It sounded like a harsh reprimand. "In a mission like this, weakness is death."

With a flick of his wrist, the Battle Elder unleashed dozens of steel-like sword qis that tore through Ye Hua's lifeless body, reducing it to crumbles in moments. His control of spiritual energy was so terrifying that not even a leaf or a grain of soil was affected by the sword qis.

The Battle Elder's eyes bore into them.

"Remember this," he continued. "In life, mercy is a luxury you cannot afford. If you want to survive, you must be ruthless."

Bai Shen didn't say anything. He was taught about being forgiving and kind, so the words of the Battle Elder only made him feel disgust.

Tong Zi just nodded with his jaw set. Next time, he would kill first and ask questions later.

The Battle Elder's gaze softened just a fraction. "Good. Now, follow me. We have much to do."

They walked together towards the wall of dense fog.

"It feels like it's alive," Bai Shen commented while gazing at the white tendrils of fog coming out to greet them.

"Alive or dead, it needs to get out of the way." The Battle Elder's eyes narrowed.

His mortal grade sword gleamed in the dim light, and with a powerful sweep, he unleashed a torrent of sword qi. The energy cut through the fog, tearing it apart with raw power. For a moment, the fog parted, revealing a narrow path ahead.

But just as quickly, the fog began to regenerate, swirling back into place as if nothing had happened. The Battle Elder frowned.

"Don't bother. We have to join forces." Elder Jiang's voice rang out from their right side. She was walking towards them with Ning Bing next to her.

The Battle Elder took a deep breath. "We'll have to swap places frequently to conserve our strength. Are you ready?"

"Ready." Elder Jiang turned towards the Spirit realm disciples next to Tong Zi. "You know what to do. Don't let anyone inside..."

Their bodies turned rigid.

"...even if you die."

The group advanced into the fog, with the Battle Elder leading the way. His sword qi continued to slice through the mist, but as predicted, the fog regenerated almost immediately. Elder Jiang moved to the front, taking over the task of keeping the path clear.

Ning Bing, Bai Shen and Tong Zi stayed close in the center of their formation, trying their best to not be touched by the fog. They knew it was probably a natural barrier formed by the presence of a treasure inside; it was fairly common for high grade artifacts.

Tong Zi tightened his grip on his compass.

"As long as we find the 'thing' inside the fog, our sect will rise."