DING!

Clack.

Arrows whizzed through the narrow passageway of the cave, which true to Aurora’s warning had become increasingly deadly the deeper they travelled, only the furious whirling of Kade’s staff keeping them at bay.

Finally the last arrow clattered to the floor, giving him a moment to catch his breath before they continued onwards.

Usually in such a situation the two of them would be employing much greater caution and attempt to disarm the traps slowly, however they were seriously limited on time, with every passing moment bringing Catarina another step closer to heaven’s gate.

A wave of spiritual energy washed up the passageway, relaxing Kade’s body and invigorating him. They were getting close to the spirit well.

Even along the heavily guarded journey to reach the central area, they’d found a couple of Mortal grade treasures.

From his brief inspections as he tossed them into the spatial ring it was mostly a collection of pills and talismans, but they’d have more time to examine their collective haul once they were back with the rest of the group.

Aurora had even spotted some rare spirit herbs, but once they made sure they weren’t herbs with anti-venom properties they left them behind, not having the time to spare to harvest them efficiently.

WIthout using the correct techniques when harvesting spirit herbs, much of the medicinal or cultivation boosting properties would be lost, thus rather than destroy them, they left them to continue growing on the off chance they mutated into a rarer variant or reached longevity milestones such as a century or millennium.

Formation diagrams lit up on the ground as Kade misplaced his foot. Realising his mistake he’d already begun to retreat right as Aurora slammed an arm into his chest and knocked him out of the way of two searing jets of flame.

The mischievous grin plastered on her face told him she knew he had it covered before her intervention, but opted to knock him flat on his ass for kicks.

The temptation to retaliate was nagging at him, but he grit his teeth and simply replied, “Thanks for the save, Junior Sister.”

If there was one thing that never failed to get on Aurora’s nerves, it was the fact that such a useless disciple was her senior and Kade never let her forget it, despite the fact he was no longer the talentless leech of the past.

Her face dropped, the smarmy grin nowhere to be seen as they moved past the now inactive trap formation.

Rounding a corner in the tunnel, sparkling rays of light greeted them and the passage started to widen. In the distance there was an entryway to a larger cavern, likely the location of the spirit well.

As was typically the case in such situations, right when their destination was being dangled in front of them like bait, the most deadly trap was sprung.

Not heeding her own words, Aurora had dashed forwards the moment she’d seen the light and alarm bells instantly rang out in Kade’s mind as he heard several clicks in the walls.

Even nearing the fifth stage of martial refinement, his own speed was far from enough to reach Aurora and drag them both out of the killzone of the tunnel, but luckily he had a plan.

Taking the Resonant Echo Staff from his back, Kade began to strike the ground repeatedly, making sure to target the exact same point with every blow.

Cracks started to form in the sturdy rock after the fifth strike, so Kade crouched low and tucked in his limbs to increase his aerodynamics before putting his all into the next hit.

Rocky shards and dust sprayed everywhere, the floor of the tunnel no longer able to hold out against the increasingly powerful blows and Kade was launched backwards towards Aurora at rocket speed.

His plan had come to fruition just in the nick of time, a strange tugging sensation sapping his strength as he flew down the tunnel as the trap whirred into action.

Karma always finds a way and in this instance Aurora was paid back with interest for her earlier ‘save’ when two heavy feet planted themselves on her back and she was suddenly launched through the remainder of the tunnel, both her and Kade sailing out into the wide cavern in a comical position.

Hissing could be heard from the tunnel they’d been in moments earlier as poisonous gas filled the air and corroding even the surface of the tough stone walls.

There was a short drop from the exit of the tunnel to the floor of the cavern, but thankfully it was covered in a blanket of luxuriously soft moss; Kade felt his muscles relaxing the moment he was enveloped.

THUD!

For a brief moment he felt as if he was relaxing on the clouds of heaven, right until Aurora landed on his stomach and knocked the stuffing out of him.

Unaware of the catastrophe she’d caused, the unaware girl stood right up and looked around, examining their new location.

Kade needed to take a whole minute to recover, breathing deeply and convincing himself it didn’t hurt. His shuffling first steps told another story.

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His breath was soon stolen as he marvelled at the magnificent beauty of the cavern they found themselves in, the ceilings towering so high that he wondered if they reached near the peak of the Demon’s Fang.

Glowing qi crystals bathed the entire place in a sparkling hue, illuminating the hoard of treasures and artifacts that littered the mossy ground like common trash.

One glance was enough for him to spot weapons, pills, furnaces, spirit herbs and more, some even giving off an aura that told him they were King grade like his Resonant Echo Staff.

If the entire group had managed to make it here they would’ve had a field day. Even a week of looting might not be enough to gather everything up.

Unfortunately many of the priceless objects would remain ownerless as Kade and Aurora’s goals were extremely specific.

The centrepiece bringing the ambiance together in seamless harmony was the spirit well itself, surrounded by a natural dais of vibrant flowers and glittering qi crystals.

Unlike the name suggested, spirit wells did not actually take the form of a well but rather could be any kind of phenomenon.

It was possible for a spirit well to be a genuine well, though rare given that they tended towards the harmony of natural objects instead of manmade structures.

This particular spirit well had taken the form of a small pond with crystal clear water, the surface bubbling gently as an underground spring trickled forth.

Such a scene was so marvellous and in tune with the laws of the world that Kade could almost feel himself on the verge of a breakthrough; the near viscous spiritual energy in the air entering his body with every breath.

So profound were the conditions in that cavern, that he felt he might even be able to reach the sixth stage of martial refinement before the examinations if he had the time to stay and cultivate there.

Thoughts of Catarina struggling against the toxins in her body surfaced, breaking the pristine illusions in his mind. He had a job to do.

Kade quickly checked the Mission Log before beginning the search and his suspicions were confirmed, entering the cavern had fulfilled the first of the conditions for Mountain Investigation; locating the source of the anomaly.

The tug on his mind had grown in strength, pulling him towards the spirit well itself. Pushing it to the side for now, he focused on finding an anti-venom medicine for Catarina.

Aurora had started immediately and was already sprinting madly around the cavern, tossing anything that looked remotely useful into her spatial ring so their trip wouldn’t end in complete loss.

The girl stopped briefly to inspect any spirit herbs or pills, attempting to judge their properties. Without alchemical training it was a tough task.

Kade began to copy her lead, any treasures that were King grade or felt close to it were stored away with just the shortest of glances, while spirit herbs and pills got a more thorough check.

Slowly the two of them cleared more and more of the cavern, eventually there was just one small area which neither had examined thus far.

From the corner of his eye Kade spotted a herb which every single disciple of Mystic Solar Valley should recognise instantly - a Three Purifications Lotus.

This spirit herb was only Mortal grade, however it was well known for its potent healing properties that would work against most toxins disciples would encounter while journeying outside the walls of the sect, including the venom of the Assassin Macaque that Catarina was currently afflicted with.

Sprinting over, he made sure not to damage the herb or rush to harvest it, but felt his head collide with something hard, knocking him on his ass.

Looking ahead he saw that Aurora had also darted over for the Three Purifications Lotus and the two of them had bumped heads in their disregard for their surroundings.

“Watch where you’re going, you clumsy oaf,” moaned Aurora, rubbing the welt on her forehead.

“You really should start taking your own advice, princess. First rushing into the gas trap and now this. How will you pass the examinations with your head stuck in the clouds,” he retorted.

“Whatever, let’s just focus and make sure to harvest the Three Purifications Lotus correctly. I assume you remember the method?” She asked.

“I actually focus during our lectures, unlike a certain someone who was born with a silver spoon up her ass,” he quipped.

“Perhaps you’re just jealous of my superior looks and talents. I’ll keep watch, make sure you don’t mess it up,” she replied.

Saying that she stood up and kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. Thus far they hadn’t encountered any spiritual beasts or traps inside the main cavern but it paid to be wary.

Kade crouched down, taking a small metal trowel from his spatial ring. Each of them had brought one since it was an essential tool for harvesting spirit herbs without damaging the root.

Taking hold of the stalk with a firm yet gentle grip, he began to dig out the earth around the Three Purifications Lotus.

It was painstaking work. If he damaged the spirit herb’s roots even a little it would lose a large portion of its efficacy and finding another one would be impossible with so little time left.

“Crap, I hear voices coming from the tunnel. Hurry up and harvest the herb we need to get moving. Another group must’ve found the entrance to the cave right after us,” Aurora said.

It was inevitable that other disciples would also be searching for the spirit well, but Catarina had assured them it would take a few days for other groups to catch up to them.

Perhaps her source of information wasn’t quite as reliable as she’d been led to believe. Kade was almost finished harvesting the herb.

A final delicate manoeuvre of the trowel followed by a soft pull uprooted the Three Purifications Lotus perfectly intact and he immediately stored it in the spatial ring where it would be preserved until they needed to use it.

Having secured Catarina’s lifeline, there was just one task left for Kade to complete despite how risky it would be with competitors approaching - resolving the Anomaly.

“Aurora, take this, the Three Purifications Lotus is inside. Run back and cure Catarina with it. I need to investigate the spirit well’s core. Don’t look back, I’ll be right on your tail,” he said, tossing his spatial ring to the girl and darting towards the pond in the centre of the cavern.

“Don’t be a greedy idiot, Senior Brother Trelawney! I can’t travel by myse..” Aurora’s protests faded as he ran towards the spirit well itself, now hearing the voices from the tunnel growing louder and louder as the other disciples approached.

Kade reached the pond’s edge, careful not to trample the flowers surrounding it as he approached. He reached out a hand to touch the waters when a shout echoed through the cavern.

“Take your filthy hands off my spirit well, you talentless mutt!” roared Edwin.