Suzu PoV
Suzu lets go of the boy's hand.
"So, does sister know what that is?" Kenki tilts his head in the direction that their group had been running in, his long hair dragging on the ground below him as he does so.
'Now that I can take a closer look at him, he's kind of pretty. He'd make for a stunning beauty if his shoulders weren't as big… and his hips were just a little bit wider…'
"Is brother referring to the dragon vein?" Suzu replies, forcefully dragging herself away from the pleasant image she'd conjured in her mind.
"Dragon vein? That's the first time I've heard about it."
Off in her peripheral vision, past Kenki's shoulder, Suzu sees disciple Ryota, the arrogant snooping bastard, break into an expression filled with condescending amusement. The skin on his face turning red from the laughter he's no doubt trying to hold in. She would have mirrored him if the person that is the very center and cause for such a reaction weren't sitting right beside her.
To not know about the dragon veins at the fourth stage, how laughable is that?
'This is perfect then~ He's not a member of a prominent family so I won't need to worry about repercussions. And he's a little bit stupid by the looks of things.' She smiles, if Ken is incapable of counting properly then that's even better. It's a common problem amongst the initiates after all, most of them have never been taught how to.
The customs test doesn't cover it for some reason. If a new initiate is incapable of reading and writing then they are taught to read and write, nothing more and nothing less.
Math? What's that?
This new piece of information greatly boosts her confidence going forwards. She might as well explain to him why the dragon veins are important. It will raise his favorability of her no doubt, making her job easier.
"I am uncertain of the exact nature of the dragon veins, how they manifest and what feeds them their energy." Suzu begins to explain "However I know that they are filled to the brim with elemental-less Qi." She leans back on the grassy soil, making herself comfortable.
"Elemental-less Qi is capable of shifting its affinity on a dime depending on what element it is presented with." A hand is raised to protect her eyes from the sun's rays. "Brother Kaito, have you noticed how uncharacteristically powerful the radiance of the sun is?"
"I have." He responds.
"That is because the Qi of the dragon vein mixes with the light Qi of the sun, strengthening it." Suzu continues "And it will do the same with any form of Qi you inject into it. It can be fire Qi, earth Qi, poison Qi, whatever. Another example is the wood Qi, why else would the grass here be growing so wildly?" Suzu taps on the layer of greenery she's laying on, it's as thick and springy as a mattress.
"This very sect is built atop a massive dragon vein, the Qi here is many times thicker than in any other place in this continent. What is in front of us is just a very small branch of it, one that has happened to breach the surface of the earth and is currently spewing its contents out." She finishes.
'There, that should be a good enough explanation.' Suzu nods to herself in satisfaction. Kenki has been hanging on every single word of hers, his interest and focus evident.
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'Please use that knowledge to hunt plenty of game. This one will be waiting with bated breath~'
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"This should be long enough of a rest." Suzu hears the voice of core disciple Ryo, it has been infused with his intent so that it spreads farther than it should.
The blonde girl almost curses out loud.
'We've barely had any time to rest' she thinks in outrage. 'This examination should not be this difficult, it's already bad enough that it only happens during the middle of the day when I am at my weakest, but now he wants us to fight when we can barely walk?' Suzu feels like spitting acid at the redheaded man. She has a great amount of stamina –greater than most disciples in the fourth stage– but despite that fact she'd been forced to strain herself in that unreasonable sprint.
For a minute there, she had not been acting, she had actually been as exhausted as she had appeared. She had truly slammed into Kenki's back because her knees felt weak and not due to some plot intended to make her get closer to him.
Suzu examines the disciples around her. Kenki and Ryota seem undisturbed. One is from a prominent family while the other had been a soldier in training - of course that they are fine. Their lifetime's work will obviously trump the efforts she'd put into strengthening herself after entering the sect.
The rest, on the other hand, aren't looking so good.
'That Ling He and his underlings also seem to be on their last legs. Damn that Shogo, telling me sweet little lies about how easy this exam would have been. If only…!' Suzu tightly clenches her fists as she closes her eyes. There's a deep intake of breath followed by a calm exhale. Something isn't as it should be.
She assumes the lotus position, suddenly beginning to meditate. It is a meditation started with the intention to focus, not cultivate.
'Calm down… think logically. I am in a better spot than most outer disciples in the fourth stage –ones that have passed this trial.' Suzu reasons 'It could only mean that this exam is uncharacteristically difficult, Shogo has not lied to me' She shakes her head.
'Perhaps the difficulty is due to Ryota's presence. The families would obviously wish to test how one of their own would perform.' Satisfied with the conclusion she has arrived at, Suzu breaks her pose and stands up 'This is exactly what I was warned about, a spiral of ever increasing hatred - a demon of darkness. Sucks that this is my only element.' Waves of madness pass through her body with a buzz. Mighty uncomfortable since she has to suppress them, but manageable. Now that Suzu knows of their existence they shall not take control of her.
Every scroll in the library that describes techniques of the darkness element advises caution, reminding disciples about the existence of such events.
'Perhaps this is the reason why elementals form? Qi has emotions, that much is certain. Gather a large enough amount of it and it should gain a mind of its own.' The girl sheepishly looks around, interrupting her chain of thought. There's still an exam happening and she had spaced out while thinking about unrelated things.
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Ryo curiously surveys the land below.
It's the dragon vein opening. There isn't a direct hole into the earth that one can simply enter and explore. Elemental-less Qi has unique properties that allow it to pass through solid matter as if it isn't even there.
If one did not possess the means of detecting Qi then all they would see is a regular forest –one that is unnaturally overgrown due to the effects of the wood Qi.
'Someone must have passed through here recently…' The man thinks to himself. The number of beasts that call this place home isn't large. There is no competition and combat amongst them. Predators and prey coexist peacefully, there is no reason for them to fight with such an abundant source of Qi feeding them no matter which element they possess.
That fact will change in the coming weeks, but not now.
'...Or rather something would be the more apt term, not someone.' Ryo frowns, noticing the beastly battle that must have occurred here recently. Maybe it's a second or first stage beast. A concerning matter, to find one so close to the border where the new disciples can be found hunting.
Usually any beast that even dares to approach the second realm is hunted down by the others around it, it's an instinct for self-preservation.
'Hopefully it's just a disciple with a very violent fighting style.' He sighs, there's nothing he can do about some realities in life.
Ryo's attention is drawn to a pack of twenty spiritual beasts relaxing nearby.
Horned hares –a sub-spiritual beast species about the size of a large dog. They're herbivorous… most of the time.
And by the looks of things these ones had undergone the Trial of the Mind. All of them with the exception of one are in the third realm.
'Perfect, these aggressive bastards haven't been cleared out. No need to worry about them running away screaming when I throw them in front of the disciples to fight. They'll attack the first thing they see~' With a large smile on his face the man swoops down, killing the one hare that is still in the fourth realm.
As for the others? A wave of his intent throws them into unconsciousness. Now Ryo only has to transport them to where the disciples are waiting.