Fu YiHua smeared a dollop of healing salve on Xin’s back and pressed down, firmly.

“Ow YiHua! Gentle please!” Xin cried.

“Apologies brother Xin, I’ll try to be…more…gentle.” YiHua accentuated each word with added pressure to the raw cane marks on Xin’s back. She did not feel the least bit apologetic. This was the sixth time in the past year that he had earned this particular punishment. She was starting to think he was seeking it out on purpose.

“Why are you mad at me? It was the old goat’s fault. The way he treats the disciples is…despicable!”

YiHua sighed. Xin had always been kind hearted, always sticking up for those weaker than him. In truth, it was something she always admired about her friend, but after a year in the Shadow Tiger Sect, she’d come to hate it.

“How long is it going to take for you to learn to not talk back to the masters? You’re lucky he went easy on you with just twenty lashes. We have Initiation coming up, and you can’t afford to be anything less than your absolute best.” YiHua softened her touch as she dressed the last of the red welts on his back. Despite her efforts at healing and his advancement, the faint white scars from previous lashings were still visible along his back.

Xin’s face twisted in a sneer. “All you care about is Initiation.”

YiHua pursed her lips, her frown deepening. She had this fight with Xin too many times to count. They were both contracted to the sect for the next twenty years as payment for the generosity the sect leader bestowed upon them for their training. In reality, they were prisoners. Like Xin, she was aching to go back to FuJia. But unlike him, she was practical. She knew how important it was to take advantage of their predicament.

“Don’t start. What is your plan then? Stay an outer disciple for the next nineteen years and waste our time sitting on our butts?” YiHua asked.

“You just want to become like them. Like Aran Kei and the other Tora brats,” Xin spat. YiHua did not rise to the provocation. Her friend had grown sullen and temperamental since joining the sect. It was a side to him she’s never seen before. He was always the even-tempered one. The solid one out of the tumultuous trio. She rested a calming hand on Xin’s shoulder, and he sighed.

“YiHua, I don’t want to become like them.”

“I know, brother. I know. That would never happen. We are just using them for their resources. If we become an inner or core disciple, we get stronger faster. We’ll have better masters, options for better Paths.” She moved to sit beside Xin. “And we’ll have more allowance. We can afford more letters back home. Who knows, if we are really good, they might even let us visit.”

“This,” Xin gestured to their surroundings. They were in YiHua’s rooms. Even as an outer disciple, her rooms were lavish with a separate sitting and bathing area. It was larger than her whole house in FuJia, but for most of the Young Masters and Mistresses, this room would be considered insultingly austere. “Is a breeding ground for vipers. The more we advance the more we will be drawn in.”

YiHua shook her head. “Being powerful does not make us other than what we are. The stronger we are, the more we can change the world to our will.”

Xin frowned. He was not convinced, and she couldn’t blame him. In some ways he was right, at least about her. The sect was heartless in their training. Whenever one disciple advanced, another would be discarded. The comradery between the disciples was nonexistent while the rivalries were fierce and sometimes lethal. She could feel her apathy build with each passing day. She was not the same girl she was when she first came here.

“Have you heard anything from back home?” He asked.

“Not yet.” There were no lode gates near FuJia and very few airships traveled to the area. Sending letters was incredibly slow, taking several months. YiHua had only gotten one letter back from her family. While she had asked after Shang, they pointedly avoided talking about him, most likely for fear of inciting the anger of the Sect Leader.

YiHua did not give up, she continued to write to the village asking after her friend, even sending a letter to Fang. Communication with Shang directly had been prohibited by the sect. Each letter cost her a week of allowance, but it was worth it. Her heart ached when she thought of Shang. His expression, the last time she saw him, haunted her dreams. She did not mention Shang in front of Xin. Whenever she did, he would go into a bout of depression. He couldn’t afford to be distracted now.

Xin and YiHua had advanced to the Nascent Realm their first weeks here. They were shocked by the abundance of qi in HuTang city. It hurt how easy cultivation here was. It made the years of effort she’d put in feel worthless, as were the efforts of the whole village. Their whole province had been abandoned, relegated to a weak backwater unworthy of true cultivation.

She was intent on proving everyone wrong.

When they first arrived in the Sect, they started as outer ninth disciples. It was demoralizing being stuck with children half their age, but they soon ascended the outer disciple ranks. Now, as outer first disciples, they had the opportunity to become Inner disciples through the Initiation. Most of the Inner disciples were from the outer branches of the principal families.

It was customary for these families to send their third and fourth children to train in the sects. The most powerful positions in the sect were dominated by the Tora family. Ten out of the twelve core disciples were Tora. In the sect, if you saw a cultivator with light hair and yellow eyes, it was best to bow low and avoid eye contact. Tora Aran Kei was not alone in his cruelty. It seemed a prerequisite for being a part of the family.

YiHua steeled her resolve. She and Xin would have to be strong to withstand life as inner disciples. The cultivation was simple enough, but the politics were another matter. There were rarely outright fights between the disciples, but the treachery and backstabbing were as integral to the training as cycling. Xin and YiHua had been largely ignored as outer disciples, but if they were to gain more prominence in the sect, more scrutiny was sure to follow.

Despite Xin’s grumbling, they left her rooms and made for the training hall. “We should work on your Shadow Consumes technique,” YiHua said. They were both learning some fundamental Shadow Tiger Sect techniques. While it was nothing close to a true Path, it was the only exposure they had to attribute specific techniques.

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Xin had the qi capacity for the technique but lacked the dexterity to hit a fast target. “And don’t make that face. We don’t have time to rest, we’ve already wasted the morning.” YiHua led Xin to the training field. They had staked out their own little corner and the rest of the disciples largely ignored them.

Xin begrudgingly agreed and steadied his stance. YiHua sprinted to the other side of the field. She enforced her legs with qi and started distilling nascent qi into shadow and fire aura. A large shadow loomed towards YiHua. It did not stay on the ground as normal shadows should. Instead, its amorphous arms reached into the air hoping to ensnare her. She easily dodged the lumbering shadow. She would stay on the defensive. She needed to train Xin’s offensive speed—he was already adept at defense. She kept the distilled fire and shadow aura in her core, in case she was ensnared.

She danced around the tendrils of shadow for several minutes. Xin’s brow beaded with sweat. His shadow was starting to fade and disintegrate around the edges. She pushed him to the limit, stretching his endurance and focus.

With a grunt of frustration, Xin's shadow dissolved. “You’re just too fast,” he huffed. YiHua smiled in response.

“No big brother, you're just too slow. I didn’t even break a sweat.” Admittedly, it was a bit of an exaggeration. YiHua was sweating, just not as much as Xin. She had to push her self to keep up with him. They were the perfect training partners. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses and, more importantly, they knew just where to push.

They finished off their training with the second sequence of the Twilight Veil Forms. YiHua’s body flowed easily through the forms, her muscles relishing the slow and steady movements.

When they were finished, the sun was at its apex, the time for their midday meal. They walked in companionable silence to the refectory. Xin’s face was scrunched in thought as he walked, not paying attention to his surroundings. YiHua had to steer Xin away from another disciple.

“Be careful, don’t run into people.” She knew that accidental bumps like that could result in very serious and sometimes deadly fights. Xin was unperturbed, stuck in his inner thoughts as they walked into the refectory.

Xin’s focus returned as they stepped through the doors. Today, the atmosphere in the dining hall was different. The chaotic sounds of hundreds of conversations were subdued to whispers. Though they tried to hide it, eyes and heads were drawn like a vortex towards the center of the room. YiHua followed their gazes. A sandy-haired boy who looked to be Xin’s age was having a heated argument with a violet-eyed man.

She recognized him immediately as Yong Cytan Nao. He was by Aran’s side that night in FuJia. He had brought Xin and YiHua to the sect, and unlike the other cultivators on that airship, he seemed upset by Tora’s actions that night. Cytan was eating with great zeal, ignoring the young man fuming at his side. The core disciples and masters eat in a separate hall. YiHua had no idea why they were causing such a disturbance by dining here.

She pulled Xin towards the door. It was best to avoid contact with those two. “Why are you pulling me out? I’m hungry. We came to eat.” Xin was staring at the pair with a deep scowl on his face. YiHua let go, knowing Xin’s mind was set. They got in line for the food. Today’s menu was spicy squid. Not YiHua’s favorite, but at least it wasn’t as bland as the usual fare. She steered them towards the back of the room, but Xin ignored her, sitting one table down from Cytan and the boy.

The Tora boy loomed over Master Cytan, his tone aggressive and expression hostile. His hand struck the table to accent his displeasure, but Cytan appeared undisturbed. Instead, he seemed intent on his meal, plucking a squid eyeball from the plate before discarding the rest of the dish. A pile of squid bodies devoid of eyes was stacked haphazardly beside his plate.

“Disciple Tora, you know, it’s rude to interrupt when someone’s eating,” Cytan said with his mouth full.

The Tora disciple’s lips curled in disgust. “Why are you in here eating this disgusting food.”

“Finally, you ask a good question. Have you ever had squid eyes?” Cytan asked. “From your expression, I think not. As I expected. Most high-end establishments remove the eyes during preparation. Not sure why, maybe because they look rather…grotesque?” He chewed pointedly, his body shivering in pleasure. “This is the only place I can eat squid eyes in the whole compound. It really is the best part of the squid. Here, try some.” He proffered a large glassy eye soaked in hot chili sauce at the disciple. YiHua could see the color rising to the young boy’s cheeks.

“Master Cytan, please enough with your…your…jokes. I just need to know where my brother is. He promised he would come to my advancement ceremony.”

“Here, just try it.” Cytan’s eating sticks were so close that the squid eyes grazed the disciple’s chin, smearing red sauce on his face. The boy’s eyes darkened in anger. With a flick of the risk, the chopsticks and squid eyes went flying. Xin and YiHua dodged the flying utensil but some of the sauce splattered on Xin’s forehead. YiHua placed a restraining hand on Xin’s forearm but failed to quell the storm of emotions on his face.

“XinXin, control yourself,” she whispered harshly, but it was too late.

“What are you looking at, Outer Disciple?” The Tora disciple turned his spiritual pressure on YiHua and Xin. From the weight on their spirits, YiHua knew he was at least in the Second Realm, the Mortal Realm. YiHua bowed her head low in apology. She felt dizzy from the spiritual pressure, but Xin only glared harder.

“Ahhh, I know. You two must be those farmers from the Basin.” He studied them, his eyes half-lidded with disinterest. “I heard one of you was supposed to be pretty. Did they mean you?” He leered at YiHua contemptuously. “Whoever spread that rumor must have been blind.”

Xin launched himself off his seat, and YiHua lunged across the table to pull him back down.

She stepped in front of Xin, blocking his path to the Tora disciple. “Sincere apologies, Inner Disciple Tora. This lowly disciple has just been whipped. The punishment has addled his mind, and the medicine must be impeding his reasoning. I hope Elder Brother will forgive his rudeness.” YiHua glanced up, but the two boys were still glaring at one another, ignoring her completely.

The frown on the Tora disciple’s face deepened. “Perhaps, he needs another lesson in humility. You both should be groveling in thanks at my feet for pulling you out of that dump.” A shadow whip, the length of his whole body unfurled from his arm. YiHua’s body tensed in fear. This was the weapon of the Path of Grasping Hands, one of the most desired Paths used by the Tora family. If he had already manifested the weapon, he was far more advanced than YiHua and Xin.

YiHua’s mind whirled. She had to find a way to diffuse the situation. This was normally Shang’s job, but with him gone it was up to her. She felt the familiar pang of regret and loss at the thought of him. She was not him. She didn’t possess his easy way with people. He could talk his way out of every sticky situation and end up better for it. She could not replace Shang, but she would try her best. She was about to speak when Cytan suddenly stood, abandoning his meal.

“Come Anax, I’m done eating. You wanted to ask about your brother?” Cytan rested his sauce-stained hand on Anax’s shoulder with a dumb grin plastered on his face. “Let us discuss it in my chambers.” Anax looked like he wanted to fling the Master across the room, but Cytan never gave him the chance. He loomed over the boy, half dragging him towards the exit of the refectory. “Your brother is fine. I just sent him on a little expedition. A little monster hunting to get him ready for what's to come.” Halfway through the door, Cytan glanced back at Xin and YiHua, his violet eyes glinting mischievously. Xin stood up soon after, food uneaten.

“Where are you going?” YiHua asked.

“Training. You coming?” Xin said without looking back.

YiHua stuffed her mouth full of rice and hurried back to the training hall.