In her usual disorganised manner, Catarina hadn’t specified exactly what time he was supposed to get to her house, located near the pinnacle of Sunforge Peak.

The expedition would be a good way to use the remainder of the time before the examinations and was as good a whetstone as any to sharpen his strength or achieve another breakthrough in his cultivation if they found any decent treasures.

The more contributions a disciple had to the outer sect and the greater their cultivation, the closer to the top of the mountain their accommodations would be located.

This was partly symbolic, to give the disciples a visual reminder of their strongest competitors, but it also meant the disciples near the top had greater access to spiritual food and the houses themselves were of a better quality, with comfier furnishings and the top ten disciples even had access to a herbal bath once a week that boosted their body’s natural recovery to aid cultivation speed.

In order to not miss anything important, Kade had decided to arrive just after sunset. Even if he was the first to get there it wouldn’t be a problem, he’d just hang out with Catarina until her allies arrived.

He was curious about which other disciples she’d selected for the journey to Demon’s Fang this time around as many of the most prominent ones were in fervent competition with each other at the moment as they all sought to gain every advantage possible over their most powerful rivals.

There were no particular issues regardless of who came since they would all be hand picked by Catarina anyway and she was an insightful judge of character.

Sunforge Peak was idyllic at night, the soft light of the moon illuminating the well cared for flora that littered the mountainside and the rugged beauty of the disciple’s housing, which while less impressive compared to structures like the library or medicine hall, were still built in harmony with the natural energy flow of the area.

Kade arrived outside the house and a pang of jealousy struck as it always did when he saw the ornate decorations on the perimeter gate, stark reminders of the difference in treatment between those with and without talent and strength.

His own house didn’t have such luxuries, only a simple locking formation on the door which could even be broken through by fellow disciples if they had the skill and nothing but a bed and bathtub within.

The gate swung open and he walked the short path through an immaculately maintained garden to Catarina’s front door, gently knocking once before entering to announce himself.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t the first of the group to arrive and found himself staring down at the face of the girl he last wanted to see there, Catarina’s best friend Aurora.

There was no particular bad blood between the two of them and one might expect that they should get along given that they were both close to Catarina, but the opposite seemed to hold true.

Kade and Aurora got along like oil and water, managing to find fault in whatever the other did and constantly insulting or embarrassing the other, much to Catarina’s dismay.

She’d often tried to bridge the chasm between her two best friends, yet was never able to figure out just why they held so much hatred for one another and had eventually given up on trying to fix the problem, instead opting to sit back and enjoy the show.

In Kade’s defence, he hadn’t started their eternal beef, only responded in kind when the stuck up princess of Mystic Solar Valley had made a snide comment about his ‘brawny looks that resembled an ogre’ the first time Catarina introduced the two.

He suspected that the girl, who was the daughter of the sect leader, another one of those disciples pegged to make it to the inner sect through the examinations this time around, simply thought he wasn’t of high enough birth or ability to hang around her and Catarina but was too worried of saying it outright lest she draw Catarina’s ire.

Frankly, Kade couldn’t care less what anyone’s opinion of him was, it didn’t change how he carried himself, but he never went overboard when teasing Aurora in case it made Catarina hate him.

She was perhaps the one person who he would truly regret losing if he ever made the idiotic mistake of pushing her away.

As it was Catarina who organised this expedition, he decided not to risk her wrath and greeted Aurora curtly, though he couldn’t resist teasing her a tad.

“Nice to see you again, Junior Sister Solaris, I thought I might not see your beautiful face again until the examinations.”

The Solaris Family that Aurora was descended from, headed by their current patriarch who was also the thirteenth sect leader of Mystic Solar Valley and her father, were the most influential and powerful family in the sect due to being the descendants of the sect’s founder, which likely gave rise to her spoiled princess attitude.

He’d been teasing her earlier, but Kade did genuinely think Aurora was a beautiful girl, with fiery red hair that was a signature trait of those in her family along with their bright golden eyes, a delicate button nose that curved gently into her forehead and a dazzling smile that could melt even the iciest of hearts.

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It was easy to get under her skin and he could see her gritting her teeth at his jab, but perhaps out of respect for her best friend or a misguided sense of class, she refrained from retorting.

“Likewise, Senior Brother Trelawney,” she replied.

That earned a giggle from Catarina, who in a surprising turn of events joined the fun, teasing Aurora, “I didn’t realise you thought Kade was beautiful, my dear friend. How bold.”

Her face turned red like a cherry tomato and Kade swore he could see steam coming out of the girl’s ears. This time she didn’t hold back and smacked Catarina on the arm before sputtering out a hurried denial.

“What nonsense are you spouting this time Cat, stop being a fool and explain the plan. I don’t want to lose any opportunities to the others, especially that creepy bastard Edwin.”

Catarina rolled her eyes before pulling a futon from a stack nearby and laying it down beside her and motioning for Kade to sit.

“We’re still waiting on two more people, don’t be impatient. We aren’t leaving until the morning anyway so there’s no rush,” she said.

Aurora sighed before relenting, making sure to ignore Kade to uphold her twisted sense of pride, though he noticed her glance briefly in his direction and turn a little red, perhaps still embarrassed at her earlier slip of the tongue.

Thankfully for everyone involved, it didn’t take long before there was another knock at the door, Catarina already aware before the two of them thanks to the security formation.

The door was pushed open and two disciples entered, a boy and a girl who looked eerily similar. At least both of the remaining members of the expedition arrived at the same time and they didn’t have to endure the awkward silence for long.

Catarina stood up and briefly embraced the two new arrivals before motioning for them to sit down between Kade and Aurora.

“Kade, Aurora, the twins are our final allies this time around, I’ll let them introduce themselves,” she announced before unfurling a large map and pinning it to the wall.

Twins. Kade wondered why he hadn’t immediately guessed it, but there were plenty of strange occurrences in this world and given that the recruitment area of the sect was enormous it might have just been a coincidence that two disciples looked so alike.

The introductions were brief, everyone involved keeping it short and friendly out of respect for Catarina who was standing in front of the map and ready to give them the rundown of the expedition.

“Helena.”

“Lawrence.”

Both twins had long and wavy pitch black hair that seemed to drink in the sparse moonbeams that crept through a crack in a nearby window, with rich brown eyes and eyebrows that were sharp enough to cut with and chiselled jaws to match.

After everyone was settled and ready to listen, Catarina began to outline the plan, starting with what supplies they would need.

It was all rather basic for an expedition of this kind, fasting pills instead of spiritual food to lessen the amount they had to carry, camping gear, some basic protection talismans provided by Catarina that would allow them to survive one mortal blow before breaking and of course whatever weapon they each preferred to use.

Disciples of the outer sect were used to going on short range missions within the border regions of Mystic Solar Valley’s territory to earn contribution points and experience, the only difference this time was that this was not a sect issued job.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumours and intrigue surrounding the Demon’s Fang, however there’s no reason to be worried. It’s been used as a training ground for outer sect disciples for nearly two centuries and not once has anyone encountered a demon or even a demonic cultivator. The mountain got the name thanks to the unique shape resembling a fang, not because it's the remnant remains of a colossal demon from the ancient era. It is however a prime spiritual beast hunting ground and treasure seeking ground where many disciples find resources to aid in cultivation. I heard that the Shining Star General’s second disciple tamed his famous Irontooth Tiger on the Demon’s Fang.”

Catarina began by dispelling the doubts and fears of those gathered. While Kade had none in the first place it was possible the others did and it was essential for their confidence to be at a peak for such a mission.

The Shining Star General’s second disciple was feared and loved in equal measure among the disciples of Mystic Solar Valley.

His renowned iron fist that spared no punishment even for the other disciples of his master was infamous, but that same fist was one that had defended the sect from its enemies in countless skirmishes.

Depending on who you asked, he was a hero or a tyrant, but either way there was no doubt that his strength was among the pinnacle in the sect, and his tireless work ethic was one that countless disciples tried to emulate.

After dangling the potential rewards in front of them, she continued, “Our main objective this time was going to be the area around the spiritual well where the most treasures would gather, but given Kade’s recent increase in strength I think we’re qualified to attempt to harvest the core of the well itself. Obviously that doesn’t mean we’ll be overlooking other treasures, just that we need to make sure not to let anything distract us from making quick progress. I’m certain that we’ll be the first ones to hear of the well, but it’s impossible to keep this kind of information hidden, others will come, of that I’m sure. We need to ensure that we get there first and have time to clear any obstacles or traps. I don’t want to be a canary for anyone else’s purpose.”

They all nodded in agreement, some more fervently than others. Kade knew very well the bitter feeling of working hard to obtain a treasure just for someone stronger to barge in and rip it from your grasp.

Running her finger along the map, Catarina began to explain their route, “It should take us two days to reach the mountain if we maintain an even pace and I’ve planned out the optimal path up the mountain itself towards the region the spirit well is rumoured to be located. We don’t have an exact heading, so there will be some scouting to do once we arrive but such phenomena are usually easy to spot. I have a powder to ward off spiritual beasts over the sixth stage so we shouldn’t be in much danger, but anything can happen so be on your guard at all times. As always, there is no reward without a little risk. That just about clears everything up, any questions?”

All of their hands shot up and Catarina let out a heavy sigh. “Idiots, the lot of you,” she groaned.