End of Week 1 of October at White Squall Fortress.

“Spar with me.”

A tall woman with pale, ice-blue eyes gazed silently at the long blade tip pointed at her face. She slowly raised a hand to pinch the flat of the blade and directed it to the side.

“I’m not a warrior,” she stated in a cold, emotionless voice.

Then she turned around and walked off at a brisk pace, ignoring the other person. The white-robed girl from the Heavenly Realm on the other end of the weapon was undeterred and followed after her.

“I am aware that while you may have the physique enabling it, the physical arts are not where your talent lies,” she replied in an airy tone, her long dark hair trailing behind her. “But I can see by your demeanour and bearing that you are the strongest individual here out of us all. I wish to test my blade against someone of your import.”

The other woman continued ignoring her, heading to the training grounds of the dormitory. It was a short time after breakfast, where there was a brief moment of respite from the training and time for yourself if you finished your food fast enough. She walked onto the empty green field, the Sect successor a few paces behind. She made for one of the training targets and stood a few steps away. Zhang Mingxia watched from the side as the woman raised a hand and pointed at the target.

“Activate Target Lock. Prime Autonomous Control System,” she announced in her toneless voice.

In front of her, a silvery-white mana-circle appeared, steadily keeping its node’s position firmly fixed on the target, according to her perception. On either side of her, two smaller silvery-indigo mana-circles appeared, the four slowly rotating as they floated in mid-air.

She pointed with her other arm, keeping both directed at the target. “Manifest Type-3 Mana-Shots, Ratio: 25% Fire, 25% Wind, 50% Arcane.”

Four small indigo-blue spheres coalesced within the centre of her smaller mana-circles and then slowly changed to look like condensed fires encased in a translucent clear shell.

“Deploy,” she stated.

The four illusory fireball orbs sped towards the target in a perfectly straight line with the whistling of the wind and then hit it with barely a sound. There was a delay before the target was enveloped in roaring bright-orange flames, eddies and wind currents swirling about it to form a mini fire-tornado. She watched as the fire slowly died down after a few minutes, and then with the glow of dark-blue arcane mana, the burnt target slowly began to repair itself. She walked to the next target, her five mana-circles still active as they slowly rotated about her in circles.

She raised her hand again, even as Zhang Mingxia spoke up.

“I have been told that the ability to shift the location of these ‘mana-circles’ whilst keeping them active is the mark of an advanced mage. Yet my Inspection technique reveals you to be only an intermediate mage,” she said, her speech elegant and refined. She held a tasselled silver-blue sword in her arms. “Once again you have proved yourself to be much more than the rest of our cohort.”

The woman with blue and indigo streaked glowing black hair continued ignoring her observer, and cast a second spell. “Manifest Type-3 Mana-Shots, Ratio: 30% Fire, 30% Wind, 40% Arcane.”

Four more orbs appeared, but with thinner clear shells, and more violently twisting and thrashing flames within. She opened her mouth again. “Deploy.”

Again the spell orbs shot towards the target, and this time, the impact made them burst open with enough force to send a wave of heat back to the two women. The ground was scorched black around the target, and it took a while longer for the target to begin its self-repair.

She walked to the third one and raised her hand. “Manifest Type-3 Mana-Shots, Rat-”

“I also detect strong spiritual essence contained within your form. It is a rarity among the magical realms.”

The pale-eyed woman directed a stare at the Sect girl, and then, a bit more forcefully, continued with: “Ratio: 35% Fire, 35% Wind, 30% Arcane.”

This time the fireball mimics became vague and ill-defined, the crystalline outer shell beginning to fracture. The woman sent them out, but they burst halfway through the journey, sending flames crawling across the grass with a short wave of heat that sent the two individuals’ hair flying. They observed the result for a brief second, before the taller one walked forward, snapped her fingers to dismantle the five mana-circles around her with the sound of shattering glass, and then stretched out her hand.

“Water Ball.”

A round transparent ball of water, the size of a fist, coalesced from light-blue water mana to hover above a flat blue mana-circle, a few inches over her palm. She kept it there for a while, adding more water mana to it, so it swelled in size. Then she stepped back, and the ball flew off her palm to splash and douse the growing grass fire. It sizzled for a while, and the tall woman waited to make sure no more flames would spring up, before turning on her feet and marching off in the opposite direction.

Again, the Sect girl followed her. “Ah, do you have an affinity for the essence of water? I myself have lesser spiritual roots of water and greater spiritual roots of ice. It is a minimum prerequisite to practice the honoured Vast Longevity Flowing Glacier Scripture of my Sect. I would be interested in comparing the differences between the essence of water and the phase of water.”

The woman in front of Zhang Mingxia raised her eyes to the sky for a brief moment and then turned to face the 19-year-old girl behind her. “I don’t,” she stated shortly, before whirling back around and continuing to head towards the exit of the training grounds.

The girl blinked in non-understanding for a moment, before eagerly following after again. “Then that is even more impressive. My education as a successor has informed me that runic model manuals for dual elements do not become available until a mage is at advanced rank.” She sped up her pace so she could walk alongside the taller woman. “You must have a high comprehension of the elemental laws that govern the magic realms to utilise the element without an affinity for it.”

The woman with glowing hair continued ignoring the girl, not showing the slightest hint of any reaction on her expressionless face.

Zhang Mingxia looked around after the silence had continued for a while. “I understand that you seem to be adverse to trading pointers in combat with me, but could I know where you may be going? You seem to have a destination in mind.”

Surprisingly, the woman stopped and turned around. She gazed at the Sect heir for a beat and then raised her index finger to point to the sky. “There,” she stated curtly.

The dark-haired girl stared confusedly at the finger and then blinked when she heard a magical announcement be broadcasted from a nearby mana-circle.

“Breakfast is over. All cadets to their designated training rooms for their after-breakfast training session. You have five minutes.”

The tall woman turned around and marched off once the announcement was over. The Sect girl still followed after her.

“How unfortunate I am not placed in the same group as you. Nonetheless, I will continue trying to convince you to spar with me. I believe it will be worthwhile for both our sakes,” she announced, head held high as she walked over to take a different exit.

The pale-eyed woman glanced at the dark-haired girl but said nothing, and headed for her own group’s training room.

Zhang Mingxia gazed after her, but turned her eyes to the figure of a woman with a fiery red bob cut and piercing green eyes, leaning against a building wall with her arms crossed as she watched them with a grin on her face.

“Still trying to convince her, I see,” the redhead said, straightening up as she walked over to the Sect heir.

Zhang Mingxia gave a slight huff and tied her blade to her sash as she walked next to the woman. “It is a thankless task. But I shall prevail eventually. Instructor Stanhope has already revealed that we shall begin to spar amongst ourselves tomorrow. I only wished to see her capabilities beforehand.”

Catherine Sherwood glanced at the exit the subject of their conversation had left through and put her hands behind her head. “Is she really the strongest here? She looks intimidating, sure, but I thought illusion manipulators tend to take up a more background role when fighting.”

“I know not,” Zhang Mingxia replied, shaking her head. “But my spiritual sense does not lie. She can be placed in the Nascent Soul realm, rather than Spiritual Core like the rest of us. I have heard it is hard for those of the magical realms to reach such realms, and tend to remain at Spiritual Core until you undergo your ‘Rank-2’ tribulation, and reach every second realm each tribulation thereafter.”

Catherine gave her a disgruntled look. “All this xianxia stuff gives me a headache,” she muttered.

Zhang Mingxia glanced at her curiously. “Xianxia? The literal translation of that word happens to be ‘immortal heroes’, however, you seem to be using it in a context I am unfamiliar with.”

“It’s-” Catherine paused, and sighed. “My home world has literature that mentions a culture similar to your realm’s. That is the term we use for it. I only know about it because of a friend who was obsessed with it.”

“How interesting. I always thought that each realm was completely distinct from each other, with little cultural similarity,” the dark-haired girl mused. “I once found information that a thousand years ago, the realms were in upheaval when they were introduced to the Heavenly Realm. I have heard the chaos is repeated each time a new realm is introduced.”

“My world is… interesting, that’s for sure. I wish I was still there,” Catherine replied, sounding a bit melancholy.

Zhang Mingxia observed her reaction. “Can you not return?”

The redhead frowned. “I’m… not sure. I don’t even know what realm it’s in,” she said as they turned a corner. “The guy I came here with comes from my world, but I don’t think many people from it have been teleported to the main realms. We were teleported straight into the Tutorial,” she explained.

“Your world was not destroyed, was it?” the Sect girl asked.

“No?” Catherine replied, confused. “Why would it be destroyed?”

Zhang Mingxia nodded thoughtfully. She looked at Catherine. “The System teleports pre-System individuals to the Tutorial as an emergency measure when worlds are destroyed.”

Catherine’s eyes went wide and she lowered her arms. “What?”

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“But in your case, you likely do not need to worry.” Zhang Mingxia continued, “If your world had been destroyed, the System would’ve teleported your entire world’s population. It is improbable the System would’ve erased your memories before teleportation into the Tutorial, so I believe your world is intact.”

The redhead put a hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. “You had me scared for a second there.”

Zhang Mingxia paused and gave her a dip of the head. “My apologies. It was not my intention to make you worried.”

“Very few people intend to make someone worried,” Catherine replied, giving her a dismissive wave. She looked around the hallway where they were. “Anyway, another session of mana manipulation training. Or spiritual energy training in your case,” she said, gesturing to Zhang Mingxia.

“The differences between the two always interest me. It is unfortunate I am unable to use mana if I wish to continue cultivation,” the Sect heir replied, stepping through the training room doorway. “That is why I am so interested to see the abilities of Adrianna Riftmire. She uses mana but has seemingly merged her skillset with spiritual energy, according to my senses. I am unsure as to the benefits or reasons behind that when one is not a cultivator.”

“You’re talking about her again?”

Both the Sect heir and Catherine looked towards the brown-haired woman with blue eyes who had approached them. Liliana Mason was wearing a quiver on her back that contained a large longbow made of raven-coloured wood and wore protective leather gloves that reached her elbows.

Catherine nodded and pointed her thumb at Zhang Mingxia. “She’s still trying to fight her. It’s not working.”

The Heavenly Realm girl scoffed. “A spar is hardly a true fight. But yes, she has been strangely determined to avoid any lengthy interaction with me,” she said.

Liliana nodded. “She’s been like that with everyone though. I’ve heard that nobody in her group has managed to goad her into fighting.” Then she gained a strange expression. “She’s… a bit odd.”

Catherine and Zhang Mingxia traded glances and looked back at the archer. “I can’t say I’ve seen anything in particular, besides her not wanting to have anything to do with anyone,” Catherine commented, Zhang Mingxia nodding in agreeance.

“Well….” Liliana began slowly, looking slightly awkward. “Do you know what she does at night? Or where she goes?”

“I’ve been too exhausted to wake up in the middle of the night, so I wouldn’t know,” Catherine said, slouching slightly as she sighed wearily.

“And I usually cultivate outside at night, requiring little sleep due to the rejuvenation abilities of my Sect art,” Zhang Mingxia replied.

“Erm… she doesn’t sleep in her bed,” the brown-haired archer said.

Her audience blinked in sync, confused. “As in, doesn’t sleep at all?” Catherine asked sceptically.

Liliana shook her head. “No, she does, I’ve seen her. She just doesn’t do it in her bed.”

The two women opposite her went silent as they tried to understand what she meant. The red-haired woman tilted her head as she crossed her arms. “I think we need more details here.”

The blue-eyed archer grimaced and pushed aside stray hair from her face. “So, earlier in the week, I was having trouble sleeping, due to the new schedule. I use the water element and it naturally refreshes me, so it didn’t affect me too badly. But anyway, I saw her leave the dorm one night. And then I found out she leaves it every night.” She sheepishly clasped her hands together. “I might have followed her to see what she was doing.”

“Having adventures without me?” Catherine replied, grinning. “Well, go on, what was she doing?”

“Uh... well, sleeping,” Liliana said, scratching her cheek. “But the first time I followed her she slept on one of the support beams near the roof,” she said, pointing up at the wooden supports. “And then I found her again, lying underneath a bookshelf in the small library here. Another time was in a tree outside. And she also climbed onto the roof of one of the buildings.”

Zhang Mingxia and Catherine stared at her. “…. I doubt it wasn’t her, but you sure?” Catherine asked, bemused.

Liliana nodded. “And… she’s seen me following a few times, but she just ignores me, and then does her thing. I haven’t approached her yet. It’s kind of getting awkward whenever I see her though….” she muttered.

Zhang Mingxia raised her eyebrows. “May I ask how many times you have done this?”

“5 times,” Liliana replied. “I wasn’t able to find her last night.”

“I’m jealous,” the redhead grumbled. “You water affinity people and your natural rejuvenation abilities, still looking so fresh with no sleep.” She glanced at the Sect girl to her right. “Anyway, what are your thoughts on this?”

Zhang Mingxia looked at Liliana with a strange expression. “If she had left to sleep in the same location each night, I would’ve attributed it to a difficulty sleeping in a bed due to her lifestyle before this. But…” She shook her head. “The roof of a building is very different to sleeping under a bookshelf. I am not quite sure there’s a logical explanation for this.”

“Do either of you have any idea what she did before this?” Liliana asked curiously.

They both shook their heads. Catherine gained a thoughtful look. “You said you couldn’t find her last night?” She smirked as her eyes gained a mischievous glint. “Then how about tonight we go on a little night-time escapade? I want to see this in person.”

Liliana and Zhang Mingxia both looked interested. “But would you be fine?” the Sect successor asked the green-eyed woman. “You have an affinity for the fire and wind essences, not water. And do not forget we will be sparring with each other tomorrow. You will want to have high energy.”

“Maybe if you asked me this earlier this week, then I wouldn’t have wanted to do this,” Catherine said with a grin. “But the lessons and training about how to energise me by cycling my mana have begun to sink in, and the monster meat is doing wonders for my CON. I can survive a little less sleep tonight.”

“I’m not sure how she’ll take this….” Liliana said worriedly.

“Pfft,” Catherine scoffed, giving her a dismissive wave. “Nobody knows how she’ll take it. I’ve hardly seen her say more than five words in one sentence this week, apart from that first day. Nah, it’ll be fine.” She smirked. “I’ll take anger over indifference any day.”

“Well, I am not averse to it,” Zhang Mingxia announced grandly. She turned to Liliana. “What do you say?”

The archer had a hesitant expression for a moment, before sighing and reluctantly nodding. “Okay…. But please don’t make it obvious. It’s awkward enough as it is.”

“Then why do you keep doing it?” Catherine asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Liliana avoided eye contact. “Erm… some of the solutions she uses to get to her hiding spots are quite creative…”

“So, you find watching her entertaining,” the redhead said with a grin. “I wonder where she’ll go tonight.”

Their conversation was paused as an instructor stepped into their room, and so they walked over to the other four people in the room and waited for their lesson to start. The instructor stepped forward.

“Now, before we proceed with the session, I have an announcement to make. Straight after this, please head to the main auditorium. Your uniforms will be available for collection there,” he said. “The uniforms themselves are Rare ranked, made from high-quality monster materials, and have cold-protection, defence increasing, water-repelling and self-cleaning and repair enchantments. They’re on the brink of being Epic, and you only get one uniform, so don’t damage it, not that you could,” he revealed. “As elite cadet training camp members, you will have the Elite Officer uniform.”

After that announcement, the session commenced, and the three women busied themselves with practising their manipulation techniques, familiarising themselves with their skills and elements.

…

“You think you’re so great, don’t you.”

A woman with cold eyes gazed silently at the short man with mousy-brown hair standing in front of her. She had her arms crossed and was expressionless as usual. This time she was wearing a dark navy-blue form-fitting shirt and pants with heavy black boots that reached to just below her knees. The long-sleeved shirt had a high neckline, and two lines of silver buttons running down on either side of a centre black panel that went from her neck to the waist. White arrows were pointing either up or down along the panel.

The man opposite her was wearing an outfit of the same style and was glaring at her, looking angry. Everyone around them was also wearing the same outfit. They were in the cafeteria, at lunch, and the entire room had their attention focused on the developing events occurring between the woman and the man. The man pointed a finger at her.

“All you do is stand there and act like everyone else are idiots, ignoring anything anyone says,” the man said, scowling. “I’m sick of it. You haven’t even accepted anyone’s request for a spar, stubbornly and arrogantly avoiding revealing your abilities. Do you think this attitude will endear you to the Commander?”

The woman stared at him, unblinkingly, before slowly, very slowly, she raised a hand and stuck a pinkie in her ear. She twisted it and looked to the side disinterestedly.

“I think I hear a dog barking,” she stated tonelessly.

The man turned red in the face, while several of the people nearby began laughing at their exchange. At a nearby table, Liliana nudged Catherine and whispered into her ear. “That was more than five words, wasn’t it.”

Catherine grinned and propped her chin up as she leaned against the table, excited about the drama.

The man facing the woman jabbed his finger at her again in fury. “T-This is all because I asked you out on the first day, isn’t it?!” he spluttered. “Stop holding such a big grudge over nothing!”

“Pffff!”

Liliana and Catherine blinked as they turned to face the golden-eyed man sitting behind them, coughing, and thumping his chest because he had choked on his water. He wiped his mouth as he glanced at Liliana incredulously. “Ruel Deirvetch was the one to get tripped over?”

The archer looked back at the short freckled man and then nodded. “Actually, yes. He was.”

“… that’s surprisingly fitting…” he murmured, drawing curious eyes from the girls. He shook his head and they returned to watching the developments in front of them.

“I’m not sure what you want me to say,” the woman replied to the mousy-haired man, tilting her head slightly as she regarded him. “But then again, I couldn’t care less about your opinions in the first place.”

Ruel Deirvetch’s expression darkened, and he opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly a strong arm was wrapped around him and his mouth blocked, then he was dragged away by a man with close-cropped red hair. The short man let out muffled curses as he thrashed, trying to dislodge the tattooed man’s grip, but failed to overcome the strength distance.

“Stop making yourself out as an idiot, Ruel,” the man said, pushing the short man onto a table bench. “Even I could admit it was embarrassing to see what you did back then.”

“Shut up Drew,” Ruel responded, folding his arms as he scowled heavier, this time at the red-haired man. “I don’t need your snark.”

“It is my duty as a friend to prevent your height complex from getting to your head,” Drew replied, nodding proudly.

Ruel’s eyes widened in anger and he shot up from his seat. “Height complex?! Did you just say I have a height complex?! Listen here, I do not-”

The short man began arguing with his friend, the tense atmosphere gone. Distracted, the mousy-brown-haired man didn’t glance back. The woman with glowing streaked hair eyed them both for a moment, before turning away and marching towards the exit. She paused when a new arrival appeared, dressed in flowing white, black and blue robes.

“So, you were here!” Zhang Mingxia proclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. “You have avoided me for too long. Come, let us exchange pointers in combat!”

The woman’s expression cooled and she sped up her pace to walk past the overeager Sect heir. The Sect heir, expecting this, likewise sped up her pace to chase after the cold woman, the taller woman's long legs and quick pace making that quite the struggle. Everybody watched as the sounds of the Sect girl trying to persuade her echoed down the hallway as they left.

“Again, I sincerely believe it will be useful to you to spar with a successor of the Vast Longevity Flowing Glacier Scripture! The interactions between my qi and the spiritual energy in your magic will… enlighten… reveal…. spar…… wait……… fast……………..”

“And she’s off again,” Catherine said, sighing with a wry smile on her face. “And here I was thinking something exciting was going to happen for once.”

“… she really does not like people,” Liliana murmured. “At first I thought she was shy, but….”

“With the way she mocked that Ruel guy? Nah.” Catherine scoffed. “Seems like she’s got quite a bit of attitude to her.”

Conlan gazed at them with a strange expression on his face. “…. now that’s an understatement….” he mumbled.

Liliana blinked and looked back. “Did you say something, Conlan?”

“Uh, no,” he said, shaking his head.

Liliana crossed her arms and gazed at the floor. “Still, this is making me nervous about how tonight will go…..”

“I don’t care if she’ll get mad. I just want to see what she’ll do,” Catherine replied with a grin.

The golden-eyed man behind them stiffened slightly and looked between them with a wary look. “… you’re doing something tonight?” he asked slowly.

They glanced back, and the redhead smirked. “We’ll tell you how it goes tomorrow.”

His expression turned conflicted, and slightly awkward. “What are you planning to-”

“Lunch is over. Head to your next session,” the mana-circle above their heads announced.

“That’s our cue then. By for now, Conlan!” the bubbly redhead exclaimed, standing up and giving him a wave.

Liliana likewise stood up and nodded. “See you later.”

The two girls left the man, who had a slightly complicated frown on his face. They didn’t see it and happily made their way over to their next session.

…

Liliana and Catherine remained silent in their beds as they heard Adrianna Riftmire get up and leave the room. They hurriedly sat up and glanced at each other.

“Do we go now?” Catherine asked in hushed whispers.

“Mingxia said she can use her spiritual sense to watch her for several hundred metres, so she’s going to lead us as we follow her,” Liliana replied quietly, shaking her head.

“Urgh. I’m getting antsy,” Catherine complained, stretching her clasped hands out in front of her. She glanced at the blue-eyed archer to her left. “Does she ever do anything else before sleeping?”

The archer shook her head. She thought for a moment. “I think it would be fine to meet up with Mingxia. She can tell us when to begin following her.”

The fiery-haired woman eagerly nodded. “Let’s do that then,” she whispered back.

They carefully got out of their beds and pulled on warm jackets, before leaving the room, trying not to wake anyone. They walked through the empty corridors of their dorm area before leaving the building, going to the area where Zhang Mingxia usually cultivated. The Sect girl was sitting in a lotus position in her white and blue robes, her sword placed on her lap. She glanced over her shoulder.

“I have overheard your discussion. It will be a few minutes more before we leave.” She stood up and tied her blade to her robe’s sash.

“…. It’s slightly unnerving knowing the amount you can see and hear using your spiritual sense,” Liliana muttered, hugging herself as she shivered in the cold breeze. “And the idea of a high-level cultivator seeing entire continents worth of information….”

Zhang Mingxia tilted her head, looking slightly confused before she nodded in understanding. “I see. I have heard those of the Mystical Realm react badly to the concept. You do not have to worry too much. While spiritual energy does increase my mental capabilities, I can still be oblivious to some things ongoing within its borders.”

She crossed her arms and looked in the direction of the woman she was observing. “And we cultivators can protect ourselves with our spiritual sense to block out what we do not wish others to see, which is how our Ancestral Inheritances and Ancient Lands can be hidden. Only a stronger spiritual sense than the protection can pierce through it.”

Liliana and Catherine watched with interest as the Sect girl’s expression became strange. “However, I must say, this woman we are following….” She turned back to them. “She doesn’t seem to be searching for a spot to rest. Not that she won’t, but rather it seems she already has a place in mind, considering how much purpose she is walking with. We should leave before her pace becomes troublesome for us.”

The two girls eagerly nodded and followed after Zhang Mingxia as she began tracking the path the subject of their conversation had travelled.

“I shall avoid taking alternative routes to those she walked, even if it would reduce time. I do not want to accidentally cross paths with her,” Zhang Mingxia announced.

“Do we know where she’s going?” Liliana asked curiously. “She picked a different direction almost whenever I followed, so it’s not like she always goes to the same section.”

The Sect heir glanced at the direction the woman was heading in. “I believe she may possibly be heading towards the library area, but I am not certain.”

“… would she go to the same place twice in a row?” Catherine questioned, glancing at Liliana.

Liliana shrugged as they walked, while Zhang Mingxia contemplated the question. “Perhaps it is possible that she decided the library would be the best place to sleep after testing out the other places? Or….” She paused and then blinked. “Oh. It seems the library is not where she is heading. She passed that room.”

They turned a corner as they continued following the Sect heir. “So, she’s going somewhere new tonight?” Catherine remarked with a grin.

“Well, this direction doesn’t match up with where she went the nights before, so I guess so,” the brown-haired archer of their group replied.

They continued walking for a while, the walk going on for several minutes, and they still hadn’t come across her.

Catherine glanced at Zhang Mingxia. “So… she’s still walking? Feels like a long walk just to find a new place to sleep.”

“And isn’t this sector easiest to get to by walking the other way? This way takes longer,” Liliana commented.

“Maybe she just wanted a pleasant night walk,” the redhead replied, shrugging.

“I’m not certain that idea fits with our understanding of her personality,” Zhang Mingxia said, frowning slightly. “But in just a few more turns, we will find ourselves in front of the dorm-”

She froze, an incredulous look on her face.

Liliana and Catherine looked at her oddly, not understanding why she was reacting that way before their eyes flew wide.

“No way, we’ve done a full circle?!” Catherine exclaimed, stunned. “Does this mean she knows we’re here?!”

Zhang Mingxia gained a pensive expression. “I do not know. There is… not much knowledge on those who use spiritual energy and are not cultivators. They are a minority.” She glanced in the direction of where the woman was. “It…. may be possible she has a form of spiritual sense.”

“…. does that mean she might’ve heard our conversations?” Liliana asked nervously.

Zhang Mingxia nodded, making her groan and bury her head in her hands. “Why did I ever go out with you guys tonight …..”

“I’m wondering that myself,” replied a new voice.

The girls whirled around to stare wide-eyed at the tall figure, standing with her arms crossed as she gazed coldly at the girls a few metres away.

Adrianna Riftmire, the woman they were supposed to be following from a distance, was somehow right in front of them. Not the hundred metres away she was supposed to be.

The woman narrowed her eyes, observing them with ice-blue irises.

“Why are you here?”