When Sana returned late that night, she didn’t quite expect to see Zahar sitting down meddling with plants. There were six pots in front of him, all with tiny little plants, barely out of their soil. She thought he was meditating or cultivating, so she didn’t bother him and just got changed, and went back on her part of the bed to rest.

Somehow, she thought he’d join her in the bed, but after waiting for a while, she realized he was still there cultivating, and it made her curious. She got up, still in her nightgown, and squat opposite him, watching and trying to sense the flow of energy around him.

Her sleepy eyes widened as she realized the energy was all flowing through the six pots around him.

“What are you doing?”

“Cultivating plants.”

“Seriously.”

“Yes.” Zahar answered. Sana felt the density in the area was thicker than usual, and wondered whether it was Zahar, or the plants. “This will take a while. Don’t have to wait, I’ll be here the whole night. You can sleep.”

Sana nodded. It was likely nothing would change for a while

When she woke up, Zahar was still in the same spot, meditating and cultivating. The six plants in the six pots were bigger, about an inch tall.

“You’re still doing it.” Sana was honestly impressed that Zahar’s concentration was still there. It was said that as their realms increased, their ability to focus would grow. This was why those in the higher realms could go on long periods of secluded cultivation, while those at the lower level didn’t.

“I’ll have to do it until they are one head’s height. It’ll take a few days. Have fun hunting.”

***

Sana hunted three of those wild beasts yesterday, and so that earned her 90 merit points. She was fairly certain she could take them alone, these 2nd and 3rd-realm creatures were fairly vulnerable to the elements. Today, their target was something similar.

More pest control. It was simultaneously pest control and resource gathering, since these pests were also creatures in the 2nd and 3rd realm, thus their cores and parts could be used as materials.

“Lady Eshtar’s mastery of fire is impressive.” Jahan praised, but she thought of that commoner disciple with green flames, and shrugged.

“It could be better.”

As they sought out their next beast, they were met with company. Sana would’ve just left the beast for their own, but Jahan seemed to have a bone to pick with the commoner-disciples, and jumped in.

“We saw this beast first.” The commoner said, and Jahan just shrugged.

“There’s no such thing as finder’s keepers, and you look like you were having trouble.” Jahan said, and in a single overwhelming earth strike, the Ten-year Horned Spider was slain.

“We would’ve had it. We didn’t need your help.” One of them countered.

Jahan laughed and taunted the group of three Outer Disciples. They were all in the mid-2nd realm, and so were weaker than the three.. “Your pathetic performance annoys me.”

Jahan ignored them, and cut the beast open to retrieve it’s beast core. The core was worth 20 merit points, and the harvested limbs, if in good condition, was worth 5 each.

The three Outer Disciples stewed in anger, and then, a familiar commoner arrived. They immediately complained. “Brother Heishen, this disciple stole our beast.”

Heishen and Jahan’s eyes met, and the commoner smirked. “Oh. The molestor dares show his face in front of me.”

Jahan fumed. “The commoner dares lecture his betters.”

“Betters?” Heishen laughed. “You are not even stronger than me.” Heishen’s two fists both ignited in green flames.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Sana looked at Evin. “Evin. This is going to get out of hand.”

Evin spat on the ground. “Stupid commoners. Let me help Jahan teach this idiot a lesson-”

Sana’s eyes almost bulged. Was she blind? Their level of power was entirely different! “Evin, that’s not a good idea-”

Evin’s sword swirled in ice and she charged into the battle and joined Jahan’s side. “Commoner, you dare raise your fists against us?”

Heishen laughed and mocked Jahan. “Oh look at you! You need a girl to join you in battle?”

Jahan’s talisman activated as he temporarily reached the fourth realm. “Evin, thank you for coming to my side, but I can handle this upstart alone.”

But Heishen’s green flaming fists slammed into his hammer with such incredible force that the young master was knocked backwards. “Tch! You attacked when I wasn’t looking-”

Heishen didn’t let him continue, his flaming fists almost reached Jahan’s head, if not for Evin’s spear of ice. The ice shattered as it met the green flames.

“Look at you. I almost had you if not because of your little girlfriend. Did you know your man here molested another woman?” Heishen said.

“So what?” Evin said, as her sword swirled with ice. “Take my [Ice Dragon’s Strikes]!”

The ice strikes slammed into a wall of flames, and the flames temporarily weakened. Jahan got up, and his hammer glowed brown. “[Earth Dragon Crusher].”

The ground twisted and spiked upwards, but they all missed. “Useless.” Heishen barked. He scanned the surroundings, and then his eyes landed on Sana. “You don’t plan to join your friends, noble?”

At that point, both Evin and Jahan’s eyes turned to Sana. Sana just sighed. “This time is better spent looking for more Qi-beasts. I don’t see the need to have this fight, and I think all this fight is doing is scare away the rest of our prey.”

Heishen laughed, and then teased. “You are right, but I feel that you are just a coward.”

She sighed once more. “I can see your strength is superior, and joining this battle is a waste of time. You aren’t even using your full abilities. Why don’t we let this go and just continue our separate ways?”

“Oh?” Heishen’s eyes actually focused on Sana, as if observing her in far greater detail.

“Sana!” “Lady Eshtar!” Both Evin and Jahan called out. “Don’t let him insult you!”

“You two are idiots.” Sana cursed at them. To be fair, if she had not met Zahar, and was perpetually on the lookout for other unique existences, she might’ve just jumped into the battle. But once she noticed, it’s as if her vision was now clear. “Look at him. Pay attention for a moment and notice how he hasn’t even used up a quarter of his Qi, while you’re spent. Evin, you are already tired from using so much of your energy in your single strike. Heishen clearly has the sign of some kind of special inheritance or fortuitous encounter, and you two are just courting death.”

Evin and Jahan, for the first time, actually opened their eyes and tried to see what they fought. They both lived in a world where they reigned supreme in their own cities, that now in the Roaring Dragon Sect, a world where their strength was just ordinary was hard to fathom. No, it was an insult to them that they were weaker than a commoner of the same age, so they refused to even acknowledge the possibility.

Heishen had a smirk, and for a moment, he looked absolutely delighted. “Oh wow. A beautiful woman with eyes and brains. Lady Sana Eshtar, am I right?”

Sana looked at the commoner. “Yes.”

He smiled and actually bowed. “I’m Squall Heishen, a commoner but with great ambitions. May I get to know you better?”

Sana rolled her eyes. What the hell was wrong with all these people. “I’m already another man’s woman. No thanks.”

Heishen actually laughed. “That only makes the pursuit far more interesting.” He looked at both Jahan and Evin. “In normal days I would not let you go, but I am delighted today, for the chance to get to know Lady Sana Eshtar is a great fortune, and as Lady Eshtar wished, I am willing to let this go.”

“Sana! You can’t!” Evin looked like she was offended.

“If you wish to continue with your blindness and court death, please go ahead.” Sana said frankly and began to walk away. “I’m going. We have more beasts to hunt.”

Jahan wasn’t that stupid, and he acknowledged Sana’s point. In fact, he felt like an idiot after Sana explained how he missed what was so obvious. He knew exactly how his condition was, and looking at Heishen, he wasn’t going to win.

Heishen then looked at Sana. “Lady Eshtar, may I accompany you on your mission?”

“No.” Sana said. “I already have two trigger happy idiots to deal with.”

Evin’s face turned red, but she followed once she noticed Jahan cleverly walking away. “Sana, you bitch!”

Heishen’s eyes never left Sana, as she walked away.

***

Jahan was actually thankful. “Lady Eshtar, you saved my life there.”

“You were an idiot.” Sana cursed. “I hope you open your eyes before fighting. There certainly was no need to be an ass in that whole thing.”

“I thought we could get more merit points by taking their prey.” Jahan apologized.

“It’s only 30 merit points. It wasn’t worth it.” Sana wanted to scold him, but he looked so pathetic that she decided he probably suffered enough humiliation. “We are in the Roaring Dragon Sect. The odds of meeting crouching tigers and hidden dragons here are way higher than our own hometowns. There are 400 admitted outer disciples, surely some of them have gifts far superior to our own.”

“That is true.” Jahan said. “I just thought-”

Evin didn’t look happy at all.

“Enough. Let’s just rest and get back to hunting. We still have more merit points to gather.”