It took a little over ten minutes to get from the valley’s illusionary exit to the viewing stage. The Inner Sect disciple in the lead guided Boneroot and Iris through winding tunnels and steep staircases until they arrived at a large, open space cut into the side of a mountain face overlooking the valley. 

Scattered around the room were sparse collections of furniture, as well as groups of fellow Outer Sect disciples, either being treated by the medical staff, cultivating, or just lounging about. Once they confirmed their teammates’ injuries were being cared for, Iris and Boneroot posted up near the edge of the stage, away from most of their peers, where they could look out over the forest.

Though it wasn’t clear at first, the opening in the stone was another illusion. Boneroot sighed in relief when he realized he hadn’t failed to notice the wide swathe missing from the side of the mountain. Though he sensed that the illusion was a construction of Light ki, he couldn’t even begin to fathom how it was created.

“sneaky super sneak SURPRISE PUNISHMENT!”

Kuroki’s furry forehead rammed into the back of Boneroot’s knee. He was so taken with the complex projection that he didn’t notice the tsovar’s approach. 

“You lost! Why didn’t you win?! You’re not a loser!”

Before Boneroot could address the genuine dejection in his companion’s soundless voice, a second presence approached.

“He’s not the only one you’ve disappointed tremendously,” Venh called out. “Not you Iris.”

“Expert Danh.”

“Thank you for the heartfelt consolation, dearest Sect Expert Danh. You’re not wrong, though. I was completely outclassed and it’s frustrating. I’m doubling my sparring time after this.”

Venh cracked a smile.

“Decent answer. I can show you a thing, or two about dealing with those pesky geniuses. As it stands, though, that one in particular is on the fast track to the Inner Sect.”

Boneroot returned the grin as he said, “Not if I can help it.”

Kuroki seemed pleased with that proclamation and he was distracted entirely from his fury by the materialization of Biku. The two trotted off to their own corner of the viewing stage. 

“I really didn’t expect Jota to be that strong,” Iris announced. “Guang and I couldn’t do anything the moment that paper came down on us, our techniques did nothing. Biku’s still upset about it. I hope Kuroki can cheer him up.”

“He better not be too critical,” Boneroot said. The two spirit beasts had moved out of the range at which he could hear their conversation.

Iris wasn’t concerned.

“It hasn’t been an issue before, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Biku’s never had so much as a single bad thing to say about that goofy cat. More importantly, Expert Danh, how did you watch the fighting from up here? I can’t see much without cycling qi to my eyes.”

“Much like the illusion right in front of you, the sect provides a Light-ki projection of any battles that pop up. It’s quiet at the moment, but it shouldn’t be too long before you can see for yourself.”

Boneroot’s eyebrows shot up.

“Are you the one making the illusions?”

“No, no,” Venh waved him off. “Those are courtesy of Master Chang. It’s impressive work for someone who’s not specialized in the field.”

Iris and Boneroot locked onto the same question.

“There are people who do that?”

“Not many,” Venh told them. “There’s plenty who use similar illusions in combat, but those who focus exclusively on the art of projection are few and far between. Also they’re weird. Also you should never lend them any money or your second-favorite set of enchanted robes. You won’t get either back.”

As the suddenly grouchy Sect Expert stomped off, Boneroot couldn’t tell whether his irritation was genuine. He gave Iris a shrug.

“Are you starting to understand why I insist he’s more annoying than helpful?”

“Nope. He’s still an Expert who’s willing to help you personally. You’re telling me everything he says about beating geniuses, too.”

Boneroot’s head drooped.

“Fair. I’ll see if he’s willing to instruct our team together.”

That went a surprisingly long way toward lifting up Iris’ spirits. They managed to avoid the topic of their disappointing performance up until Guang rejoined them. The bruise that had taken up most of his face not an hour earlier was mostly healed, leaving only a few discolored marks along one of his cheekbones. Their defeat didn’t affect the boy’s stalwart cheer, however.

“We got our asses kicked, huh?”

Guang’s laughter was infectious and his teammates couldn’t help but join in.

“Maybe you did,” Boneroot retorted. “I gracefully bowed out of the fight following your defeat.”

“Oh did you?”

“Nah, Jota dropped me off that tower like a lump of raw meat.”

The levity in the air around them faded when Iris brought up one of their remaining teammates.

“Did you see what was going on with Hana, Guang? She must have fallen on her arm or something because it looked mangled.”

“I saw her go down,” Boneroot interrupted. “Shun Yu might have cracked Hana’s skull even before the fall.”

Guang grimaced, but tried to reassure them.

“There were a couple of the medical attendants looking after her. I’m sure they can get her sorted. She turned out to be a real teammate, though, yeah?”

Even Iris had to admit that.

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“I’m not convinced we’re going to see eye to eye, but it’s definitely better than before.”

“Guang was right,” Boneroot agreed. “She’s not so bad, just motivated. Kind of a snob, to be fair, but we get along well enough.”

“Definitely preferable to Zhi,” Guang agreed.

“Speaking of,” Iris scanned the room around them. “Where the fuck is Zhi?”

Venh’s distant laughter did not instill confidence. 

“There’s no way, right?”

As he spoke, Boneroot’s head swiveled about even faster.

“Guang, did you see her with the medical attendants?”

“Nope. Is she with her brother, Iris?”

“Nope. Is she dead, Boneroot? Please say she’s dead.”

He didn’t respond.

“Because if she’s not dead and she’s not here,” Iris continued, her tone growing frantic, “then she might still be down there.”

Iris wiggled her arms in the direction of the valley while Boneroot and Guang avoided eye contact. The arm wiggling and emphatic gesturing continued in uncomfortable silence. Boneroot inspected the illusions some more. Guang fiddled with the axes on his belt. Iris wiggled with increasing intensity. Venh’s disembodied laughter echoed across the open stage.

Hana returned.

“Could you at least try to accept the loss with dignity. I understand the frustration, perhaps even more than the rest of you, but it is simply unbecoming.”

The other parties shared a look.

“She doesn’t know.”

“You tell her.”

“You do it.”

“No way.”

“Did you all fall on your heads? Is this some elaborate joke? I don’t see the humor.”

Finally, Guang cracked.

“Zhi’s not here.”

Hana’s default condescension wavered after a moment.

“What exactly is your... oh. Damn.”

“Yup.”

Iris returned to wiggling, which at least elicited some laughter from her two friends, though Hana’s scowl only deepened. However, even that could no longer distract from the devastating revelation that Zhi Zhen, wholly unexceptional of mind, body, and spirit, outlasted the rest of their team in the competition.

Boneroot asked the group, “How did this happen? I thought the proctors were trying to flush out anyone hiding. There’s no way she actually got into any fights. How did she last the night, let alone all of today? How?”

Hana chewed on her lip for a moment before deciding she was the foremost expert on Zhi’s abilities, or lack thereof.

“It’s possible she knows one of the proctors. The Zhen clan is exceptionally well-connected in every corner of the Empire. That may even be how Wei’s team found us. It’s also possible that she has some sort of stealth technique, or talisman she never told me about, though I doubt it. The most likely explanation is that she simply got lucky.”

“Luck,” Iris repeated, jaw slack.

Hana nodded and looked out over the forest, as if expecting to see Zhi stumbling around. Her teammates joined her in a forlorn stare across the horizon. With solemn dignity and somber grace, her head bowed and her face severe, Iris wiggled her arms once more. Hana still didn’t laugh.

After another uncomfortable silence, Boneroot brought them back around to their performance in the competition. 

“Given the stuff that happened with Zhi, I still think we did alright. We took down two other teams and going up against Jota’s team with only four people is tough no matter what.”

“That’s true,” Iris added. “You think they’re going to win the whole thing?”

“I’d be surprised if they didn’t.”

Hana, however, wasn’t fully convinced.

“You’re underestimating Hana Shio’s team, as well as Jiang Asa’s. The latter doesn’t have an Orange realm disciple, but their collective strength is quite high. I could see any of those three taking victory.”

Boneroot refuted her.

“I’ve fought Hana Shio. She’s stronger than me, but not by much. Jota’s different. If I had to fight him again right now, I don’t know how I could actually beat him. Unless Hana’s planned something for that, I just don’t see her winning.”

“She always has a plan,” Hana muttered.

The assessment of the other teams died down, so Boneroot returned to an earlier topic.

“Regardless, Danh said he’d help teach me how to deal with people like Jota. I’m going to try to convince him to make it a team session, or something. No promises, since he’s a finicky man, but—”

“Am not.”

Boneroot’s head whirled about, but he still didn’t see Venh anywhere.

“As I was saying, Danh may be the most annoying human in this entire Empire...”

The pause Boneroot left went unfilled. He flushed a bit.

“But I’ll try to convince him to—”

“Sure, I’m not busy.”

Boneroot squatted down, head in his hands. Though Iris and Guang looked sympathetic, Hana was simply baffled.

“Excuse me, Sect Expert Danh, we would be exceptionally grateful for the opportunity. Do you have any preference as to the time frame?”

Her question went unanswered. She flushed, too.

“I suppose we can—”

“I don’t wanna do it anymore.”

“I’m so sorry! Is there anything I can do—” Hana nearly fell over herself trying to appease the still disembodied voice. 

“Just kidding.”

Hana joined Boneroot in head-cradling position. The two stayed like that until Biku and Kuroki rejoined them. The tsovar came over to poke at Boneroot with his head. When that didn’t incite any reaction, he bowled the boy over completely. Apparently, Kuroki enjoyed that so much he did it to Hana, too.

“Ah, you beast! You literal beast!”

Hana had to hold back the more severe insult she was about to dish out. The spirit beast was in the Yellow realm, after all. Instead, she chose to be taken in by his soft fur and adorably fuzzy ears. 

“Well, I suppose you’re more tolerable than your contemptuous master, aren’t you?”

“He’s not my master! We’re friends!”

The mental speech caused Hana to reel back slightly. Kuroki addressed Boneroot, next.

“Why’s she all nice now?”

With a shrug, Boneroot told his feline companion, “She was lonely is all.”

Kuroki offered the girl a knowing nod, though she ignored it.

“Stop saying that! I am a highly sought-after presence at even the most regal gatherings of our peers. The list of suitors I’ve rebuffed is longer than that of the people you’ve ever met!”

Hana didn’t need a connection with the spirit beast to know that Kuroki and Boneroot were mentally assessing her loneliness. In a huff, she rose to address their other teammates, only to find they’d walked off. 

When Kuroki rested a paw on her shin, as one might a hand on a shoulder, she nearly imploded. Hana began to walk away, but stopped to look around the room. Likely due to her fallout with Zhi netting her few alternative conversation options, she elected to stay put. Then, Boneroot and Kuroki gave her another look of pity and she reversed her decision. Then, she failed to see anyone else with whom she could speak. Finally, she was bailed out of her impossible situation by a construct of Light ki brightening the entire area.

Most of the disciples converged on the illusion, which was hovering a few feet off the ground in the middle of a discreet array on the stone floor. Boneroot cast a look across the valley to the other peaks before he followed suit. Six of the braziers were still lit. Whether his own team counted among their number, he didn’t know.

He and Hana joined Iris and Guang a dozen feet away from the illusion. The working of Light ki was at least twenty square Kurokis large, though the intricate portrayal of the terrain shifted constantly to stay focused on a group of cultivators at its center. Five figures the size of Boneroot’s forearm were moving through the projected forest.

The illusion followed the disciples of Hamagari. Boneroot watched Amina Zafi direct her teammates over the landscape, but, soon enough, a sixth figure came into view. Immediately, Hana groaned.

In no time at all, Zhi Zhen’s illusionary form hit the ground like a dead bird. Boneroot wasn’t sure whether to be relieved, or disappointed. Either way, the projection didn’t stop there. It continued to follow the team from Hamagari as they moved through the forest, stopping at a ring of boulders surrounding a stone tower not dissimilar from the one Boneroot’s team had tried to defend. 

As the disciples in the illusion prepared themselves to assault the position ahead, Boneroot spared a glance over his shoulder. In the distance, the number of lit braziers had gone down to four. He nudged Hana to point that out.

The girl tallied off the possibilities on her fingers.

“Amina Zafi’s team, clearly. Jota Guling’s, certainly. Hana Shio’s is all but guaranteed, as well. I assume the fourth would be the Asa’s. They’re the strongest team without an Orange realm cultivator and no others are present.”

Guang nodded.

“Sounds right. Who’ve you got, Iris?”

“Jota’s team,” the girl said immediately. “Nobody can beat him.”

Hana was about to give her own assessment once more, but action in the projection cut her off. Amina Zafi led the charge out of the rocky outcropping and toward the tower. Though the observers couldn’t yet see who was on the defense, a barrage of fire and metal projectiles assailed their approach.

To open their side of the engagement, Amina Zafi wreathed her team in a veil of fire, incinerating most of the ranged attacks. Behind her, Yalwa Haske fired off a volley of Solar beams. Boneroot immediately noticed her application of the improvements she had been working on in their Ki Training classes.

Two of the Hamagarian disciples that Boneroot didn’t recognize assumed positions on the outskirts of their team’s formation. As Amina collapsed her defensive technique, they took up the mantle of providing cover for their teammates. While a barrage of water jets was shot upward, Juji Yashi took the opportunity ascend the tower. With Amina Zafi in tow, he brought them to the top of the tower on a wave of sand. Meanwhile, Yalwa Haske sent a slow-moving orb of Solar ki up behind them.

As they reached the apex, the illusion shifted with them, revealing the other team to be Hana Shio’s. Upon landing on the stone platform at the top of the tower, the two disciples from Hamagari were immediately attacked by the trident-wielding girl. Hana Shio’s initial assault was rebuffed by Amina’s bulwark of fire. While the two Orange realm cultivators fought, Juji dispersed a sea of sand across their rocky arena. Hana’s teammates struggled to back her up while wading through the disruptive area-wide technique. Soon after one of those teammates fell to Yalwa Haske’s tracking orb, the rest of the Hamagari team began their ascent of the tower.

Boneroot quickly checked over his shoulder once more, discovering only three lit braziers on the distant mountain peaks. He didn’t point this out to his teammates, as the fight in Master Chang’s illusion was reaching its climax. Hana Shio’s offensive was relentless, but unable to break through Amina’s defense. Every spear thrust was dodged and every Water technique evaporated. Behind her, Hana’s team was already outmatched. With the rest of the Hamagarian team halfway up the tower, Hana’s opportunity to even the scales was slipping. 

Iris was the first to notice Jota Guling approach the opposite side of the tower. At her frantic pointing, all eyes on the projection shifted to the boy who was beginning his own ascent. He made short work of the obstacles impeding his climb and Shun Yu hit the base of the tower soon after. At the same time, Hana Shio finally made headway in her fight with Amina. The girl’s jeweled trident raked across her opponent’s gut, soaking the surrounding sand with blood. Immediately, she capitalized. The next strike took Amina in the shoulder. The one after that was disrupted by an explosion of sand at her side. The diverted attention, however, allowed Hana’s team to enter the fray in seriousness.

Yalwa Haske and the other two disciples from Hamagari rejoined their teammates at the top of the tower just as Hana was recovering. The clash that ensued was a chaotic, messy brawl. Half-aimed projectiles were flung about in numbers. Bodies collided, weapons found flesh, bones broke. Hana was unable to fend off the full attention of Juji and Amina and she quickly found herself stuck in a pit of sand, taking blazing punches to the chest. The Hamagarian team was taking only slightly less damage in the throng of bodies as the fight reached a fever pitch.

And it was all suppressed by a wall of paper. 

Sheets of white fell upon the combatants of the melee in a familiar show of individual force. In the chaos of the two teams fighting, neither was able to counteract the sudden onset of Jota’s technique. The boy himself rushed in right behind the fibrous tide, targeting the strongest remaining cultivators with close-range qi techniques. As his paper began to take down the weaker disciples remaining in the competition, Jota finished off Hana Shio with heavy kick to the head. Amina was the next to fall, her ki too depleted to burn away the paper. Over the course of a few minutes, Jota put down the remaining, weakened cultivators until he was the only one standing. 

By the time Shun Yu reached the top of the tower, the fight was over and the audience was speechless.