Sometime far in the future???

Kenki lazily lays his eyes onto the approaching Ember lizard. It moves through the overgrown green foliage, uncaring that it has been noticed. It's a high ranked beast, the highest in this forest, but to him it's so weak that he could end its life with a flick of his wrist.

"She's here again" Ken helplessly shakes his head. He honestly doesn't know how it has survived for so long if it's so fearless in approaching cultivators.

Not really. He's more than aware that it approaches him and only him since he has a weak heart.

"You hungry?" He cleaves a leg from the creature that he'd been roasting over the fire. Three-eyed elk, an elusive beast with a limited ability to peek into the future. He throws it to the towering two meter tall Ember lizard, it wastes no time stuffing it down its throat and gobbling everything up in one massive gulp.

The lizard moves its head so that only the side is facing him, observing him with its fire filled eye for a second before shuffling closer, abruptly stopping and looking several times in its lizard-like fashion until it's within an arm's reach. The calming autumn light reflects off the beast's black and red scales in a hypnotic manner.

Ken feels the fearful gazes of the disciples behind him. They back off a couple of steps at the lizard's approach, probably terrified by the pressure it radiates, but he ignores them. Instead he reaches out his hand to scratch its chin and jaw.

The beast slumps down after a while, curling into itself and appearing to enter a state of sleep.

'Spoiled princess. Well, it's not like there's anything else in this forest that can harm her. She's several stages above any other spiritual beast.'

'How in the hell does she always find me though? Every time I enter the forest, no matter from which direction and to which destination, she's always there. Bah… it's not like I can force it out of her head, heaven is an enemy to knowledge. Knowing her clinginess she probably awakened some ability that tells her my location at all times of the day. It doesn't matter if it's in the sect or in the wilderness, I just can't escape crazy stalkers. Emperor, I still can't deal with the fact that Lyraxi have reversed gender roles' He suppresses a shiver at that thought.

Taking a lock of hair he twirls it around, contemplating getting a haircut for the millionth time. Its length has reached a point where it's three times his body length, not quite at Rapunzel's size but he is getting there ever so slowly. It's not like it impacts his combat ability, the inscription carved into each individual hair allows him to compress its length to any he would so wish in the blink of an eye. In fact it's quite the opposite, it doesn't lower his combat ability but increases it! Many arrogant and predictable demons that had tried to play dirty have been viciously surprised by its features.

He turns to the forty or so kids behind him, most of them Lyraxi children. All are within the age range of nine to twelve and had all just passed the trial of initiation through the 100% success rate method, their will and mettle is already proven and the first trial is already regarded as a bunch of nonsense anyways. Their large and curious slit eyes and twitching cat ears make him feel as if he's taking care of several litters of kittens.

The Matriarch of the sect pays him a tidy sum each year to lead them to the Emerald Forest since when he's the one in charge of the outings almost all of the disciples experience a spectacular growth afterwards. The disciples aren't even supposed to enter the Emerald Forest at such an early stage but she has moved that event a couple of years forward so that they can experience 'early inspiration'. As it is he's just leading them around like a tourist guide and showing them the local attractions.

In the core sect he essentially has the status of a glorified babysitter, it's why he's the elder in charge of the 'ascension affairs'. The branch that deals with the growth of the new generations.

Well, he isn't complaining, compared to some of the other matters that the sect needs handled, his job is to kill for.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Though his role has only solidified his name as 'The Jade Beauty of Twilight Blossom'

Fuck

'I'll never forgive the Matriarch for slapping me in the face with that abysmal title. She still has my historically accurate redrawing of 'The Night of Quiet Skies' hanging right above her bed. Absolute narcissist. Dongmei is going to get it one day too for telling on me.' Kenki grumbles to himself, his Qi the boiling lava of a volcano ready to erupt. Despite his inward turmoil he is careful not to release any of the violent Qi from his body. With how weak a newly awakened disciple is, the action would instantly kill them.

One of the more daring youths approaches him and the lizard. Lin, if he remembers right she's a distant descendant of one of the elders and has shown great promise during her trials.

"Does it bite?" She asks him, her eyes not leaving the lizard for a second.

"Not unless you attack her first. Even if I'm not around she won't attack another disciple. That's why a beast this strong has been allowed to remain in the Emerald Forest for so long." Ken explains to her matter of factly. "Wanna pet her? Don't worry, she doesn't mind." He pats the lizard on the head.

The youth doesn't speak but extends a cautious hand to the Ember Lizard nevertheless. All the eyes are focused on her as she places her palm against the beast's scales.

Moving her arm back and forth she giggles in a cute child-like manner.

"It's warm"

Ken would be the first to say that the scales of an Ember Lizard at this stage are hot enough to peel the skin off your body should you touch them. At the moment, however, the beast is controlling their body temperature for optimal petting experience.

Seeing that it's safe, the other children also approach. They have forgotten in no time at all that Kenki is even there, the respect they'd had and the silence is gone. Replaced by the usual noises of a playground.

'It's important to remember that they're all still kids. This is probably why I am so successful at what I do, the other elders perceive taking care of the new ones as punishment. Well, most of the time it is a form of punishment.'

Ken smiles as he turns to the three-eyed elk. It's pretty much fully cooked at this point.

Using his Qi he removes the thick branch that had impaled it from the mouth to its back end. Stripping the steaming meat from the bones he stores everything in his separate dimension.

'Now for the fun part'

From the same separate dimension he takes out a bunch of different vegetables. Tomatoes, lettuce, onions, pickles and the like. Suspending them in the air he soundlessly chops them up in seconds.

Flat pieces of bread manifest in his hand. In a swift fashion he stuffs them with the meat, some pre-cooked fries and the already chopped vegetables.

Topping everything off with garlic sauce, he places the finished products on a large plate, steadily piling and piling on until a small mountain of food forms.

He takes a doner kebab from the pile, it's one of his favorite meals from his last life. He gives it an appraising taste.

'This has turned into some form of celebratory food at this point. I only cook it when I'm leading disciples around the forest.'

He claps his hands, sending out a wave of pressure into the surroundings. Instantly all the noises disappear and a deathly silence takes their place. All of the children turn to look at Kenki, some have even climbed on the Ember Lizards spiny back.

"Don't forget that we still have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow." Kenki says, infusing his voice with a bit of authority. He floats the massive plate full of food to the center of their camp. "Eat and rest, the next checkpoint I have planned is a hundred kilometers through rough terrain away. You'll need your energy."

The previous disorder is gone and all of the disciples have taken one, or a couple, doners.

"Elder Ken, how was your initiation ceremony like" Lin asks, she's the same disciple that had first approached the Ember Lizard.

"My initiation ceremony?" Ken finishes eating his own doner. All of the eyes suddenly turn to him.

"Well, perhaps it's wrong to call it a ceremony, a trial or tribulation is the more accurate term. It's nothing like what you lot went through... much more violent and unpredictable."

He chuckles.

"From my own perspective back then… I would have said that everything went well. Until it didn't…

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Kenki wakes up in a cold sweat. The pleasant dream that he'd been having suddenly interrupted.

Wait, where is everyone? Where's Lin… or that annoying lizard. Trial of initiation?

He's confused for all of three seconds before he realizes where he is. The cold against his face, his runny nose as well as the rope tied around his midsection

'That's right, we just finished dealing with the wolf pack. It's winter here, not autumn, all that was just a delirious dream.'

He tries to calm down but is unable to, the restlessness filling his body will not go away no matter how many minutes pass.

That's when he sees it.

A pair of bright scarlet eyes in the distance.

Looking directly at him.