Jie smiled and with a look to make sure Xue was doing alright, she increased it by one. She kept increasing the resistance as they improved to keep the challenge at a steady level as she and Xue trained for hours. She kept pushing herself as far as she could despite her screaming muscles and after hours more... she heard the sound of a gong and the resistance started dropping. As did the numbers displayed in the hologram until it reached zero and the door slid open.

"Guess our time is up," Jie said.

Xue looked bedraggled with disheveled fur as he panted and looked at her like she was nuts for subjecting them to that. She expected she probably looked at least as disheveled but the sudden drop in resistance left her feeling oddly weightless and free.

She laughed and left the building to find Elder Shi outside, looking annoyed.

"You're late," Elder Shi said, "ready for your training?"

Jie bowed. Her robes were soaked with sweat and pealed away only to plaster themselves somewhere slightly different like a second skin as she moved. Her muscles all screamed and her legs threatened to turn to jelly beneath her.

"Of course," Jie said between ragged breaths, "sorry to keep you waiting."

Elder Shi blinked and her lips twitched. She fought the twitch, but finally burst into laughter. "The manners are nice. If it weren't for you being insane enough to train through the night and still want to keep going I'd almost think you'd been replaced with a shapeshifter," Elder Shi said.

"Well... I don't like a lot of the nonsense here, but I don't try to be deliberately rude you know!" Jie said, "I'm trying to adjust to all this... insanity. Like you said. I need to learn the rules so I can use them to my advantage instead of making things worse. And I need to train more."

"Oh... so you took me seriously then? Well... that's good. But do you ever even sleep?" Elder Shi said.

"I slept last night," Jie said.

"You slept in the conditioning chamber?" Elder Shi asked.

"Oh... wait. Sorry. I meant the night before last... I think?" Jie said.

"Right... look your cultivation isn't high enough that you can afford to get away with so little rest. You do have to sleep sometimes," Elder Shi said.

"I really did sleep before I came back to the academy," Jie said.

"Well... alright," Elder Shi said, "come along. You'll have to cultivate for a bit and have a nice easy run there or you'll be useless for training. I want you to sleep tonight. Not cultivate. Not train. Not study martial skill scrolls or anything other than close your eyes and fall asleep. Do we understand each other?"

"I'll try," Jie said.

Elder Shi shook her head as they ran toward her dojo. "With any other student, I'd threaten with harsher training or less sleep. With you... I think that would only encourage bad behavior. But your training and cultivation will suffer if you let yourself go too long without sleep. At least for now," Elder Shi said.

"Of course. I just... got carried away. I thought I'd sleep after I was done, but it lasted longer than I expected, and I wasn't going to waste a use," Jie said.

"I suppose that makes sense..." Elder Shi said, "Is that a spirit tiger following you around?"

"Yes," Jie said, "his name is Xue. He was... a gift."

"Hmm... that wouldn't be the same spirit tiger that the auction master bid on by any chance, would it?" Elder Shi said.

"You heard about that?" Jie asked.

"Yes. A friend of mine mentioned it. It's strange for him to do something like that. And, then to give it away... he must think highly of you. It wouldn't have anything to do with that mysterious expert or your master would it?" Elder Shi asked.

"You just want an introduction so you can get a date," Jie said.

"Well... he sounds like my type," Elder Shi said.

"You don't even know him!" Jie said.

"Rich, powerful, and he's earned your respect which can't be easy. Sounds like a catch to me. Are you sure you won't introduce me?" Elder Shi asked.

Jie shook her head. "Maybe when he's not so busy," she said.

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Elder Shi pouted. "If he's anything like you, he'll always be busy," she said with a sigh.

They made it to Elder Shi's training hall and Jie sat down in the lotus position and cultivated. It helped to soothe her exhausted muscles and renew her energy as well. Though she still ached all over, and even though she needed less sleep each night as her cultivation grew, she felt exhausted. Still, she gave the training her all. When sparring with Elder Shi and the students that Elder Shi recruited.

Jie had worried that Elder Shi might take it easy on her, but thankfully she didn't. Xue followed Jie along during the parts of her training he could emulate but otherwise tended to simply curl up in a ball and doze.

Elder Shi promised to bring sparring partners for him too, starting the following day. As well as a version of the body training equipment designed to accommodate the bodies of magical beasts.

Things for which Jie was grateful. Although it seemed to Jie that Elder Shi was doing so less out of a fondness for the cat and more out of a sense that Xue was simply an extension of Jie's strength. And as such needed to be enhanced like any other part of her.

"You've improved a lot," Elder Shi said, "and so quickly too... I think you have what it takes to become a peerless expert."

"Thank you," Jie said. It was somewhat gratifying to have Elder Shi say that... but deep in her heart, Jie knew that what Elder Shi considered a peerless expert and what Ming considered a peerless expert... were not even close to the same thing. Elder Shi's words only made Jie feel like she wasn't working hard enough...

"Don't look so down. You'll get there. It just takes time," Elder Shi said, "Which reminds me... you succeeded in embarrassing the Chen family quite badly. You need to be careful in case they try to get revenge."

"They already tried," Jie said, "They sent assassins when I went to the city with my friends."

"Already? Why didn't you tell me?" Elder Shi asked.

"You didn't ask and I'm alright," Jie said.

"Yes," Elder Shi said, "but if they failed once, they're likely to try again. I suspect the only thing that's holding them back are the rumors about your bodyguards."

"My bodyguards?" Jie asked, careful to avoid revealing anything. And surprised that even Elder Shi seemed to believe the gossip.

Elder Shi rolled her eyes. "They might be good at remaining hidden, but the elders can feel the Essence getting sucked into your room every day and some of them have loose lips. I bet the Chen family is worried about reprisal. Did the assassins come from them or an intermediary?" she said.

"We couldn't trace them back to the Chen family I don't think... but who else would it be?" Jie said.

"Still... you should be on guard. They might send more next time. Or someone stronger," Elder Shi said, "it would probably be wise to stay in the academy until you're stronger, or to bring your bodyguards with you wherever you go."

"I need to train anyway," Jie said, "where else would I go?"

Elder Shi smirked. "Where else indeed? Just... be careful. Now that the Chen family is after you, they won't stop until they kill you," she said, "the only way to make them stop... is to kill them first."

"Kill them? You mean the family head?" Jie asked.

"No," Elder Shi said, "I mean all of them. People like the Chen family are like weeds. You must kill the whole weed all at once or it will simply return even worse in time."

"You want me to murder an entire family?" Jie said, "We don't even know if they're all guilty."

"Nobody in that family is innocent," Elder Shi said with a venomous edge to her voice.

"How could you know that?" Jie asked, "How can you be sure?"

"I just am!" Elder Shi snapped, "And what does it matter? Did you not hear me about weeds? Any you spared would dedicate their lives to revenge! They must be killed. All of them. All at once."

"I'm not a murderer. Is this why you've trained me? You just want someone to help you kill the Chen family?" Jie said.

"I trained you because you're one of the most talented cultivators I've ever met and you have a good heart," Elder Shi said, "but yes... I did hope that you would help me in return. We share a common enemy after all."

"I'm not slaughtering a family," Jie said.

"Why not? Do you think they wouldn't do the same to you?" Elder Shi asked.

"I... it's not about them. It's about who I want to be. Who I am," Jie said.

"Bullshit!" Elder Shi said, "Don't act like you're perfect when you have no concept of the real world. Do you have any idea how much suffering they cause? And you'd let them continue? Even when they're trying to kill you? Why? Because you're afraid to kill someone? Is that it? I thought you were destined to be a great cultivator. Not a scared little girl!"

"I said I won't murder an entire family," Jie said in a cold, quiet voice, "I know that I'll have to... kill someone one day. But I'm not going to become a monster who kills innocent people just because it's convenient."

"Then you're a fool," Elder Shi said, shaking her head.

Jie glared at her. "Maybe I am a fool then. But at least I'm not a coward who tries to get children to fight my battles for me," she said.

Elder Shi glared at her. "Obviously I didn't mean now. You're not strong enough yet," she said, "I've helped train you. Given you resources, and all I said is that we could work together to kill that wretched family when the time comes. I thought you stuck up for those who helped you and that you were smart enough to see that the Chen family needs to die. But it seems I was wrong about you. You're just a coward who's afraid to get her hands dirty."

"Is our training over for today?" Jie asked, trying and failing to keep her anger out of her voice.

"Yes," Elder Shi said coldly, "I suppose it is."

"Come along, Xue," Jie said and opened the door.

"Be careful, Jie," Elder Shi said, "that family is ruthless. They won't stop hounding you."

"I will, Elder," Jie said as she paused at the door, "should I come for training tomorrow?"

Elder Shi said nothing.

"I see," Jie said, "take care, Elder."

"After you wake up," Elder Shi said, "we'll train after you've slept."

Jie smiled softly, though her insides ached. "I will, Elder. Thank you," she said.

"And Jie?" Elder Shi said.

"Yes, Elder?" Jie asked.

"Don't tell anyone what we discussed today. Not even your friends," Elder Shi said.

"Yes, Elder," Jie said.

"Now go. I need to cultivate," Elder Shi said.