The Black Dragon Sect, Three years after Fenghuang Yu arrived, the marsh at the foot of the sect mountain:

I love whips!

Yu flicked the wrist of her right hand as she snapped that arm from low left to high right. A dark green vine protruded from the palm of her hand and shot forward. Her target, a young woman in the black and red clothes and robe of an inner disciple of the Black Dragon Sect, charged at Yu waving around a bladed staff made of flickering orange flame. She leaped, likely thinking she could jump over Yu’s vine whip and get in range for her Fire Warrior skills to be of use. Unfortunately for her, the vine was a Qi skill and not a normal whip or vine, so it moved in time with the woman’s leap and wrapped around her ankle causing her to stumble and fall on her face into the muddy ground with a splat.

At the same time, Yu ducked, crouching beneath a thin tunnel of flame from a young man who had probably thought he had successfully struck from behind. The moment his attack faded, Yu pressed down on her legs and leaped into the air with an explosion of silver flame beneath her feet.

Yu flipped backward once while about twenty paces in the air. At the point of her flip where she was facing the ground, Yu extended her left hand. Another whip, this one made of crackling purple lightning shot forward from her palm and aimed at her erstwhile second attacker. It wrapped around his neck just as he looked up, his mouth hanging open like a fish.

He started shuddering and shaking as the shocking power of the grade 2 Crackling Whip Qi skill attacked his nervous system. Without any break in motion, Yu landed with a thump, her legs bending to catch her weight, her feet embedding three finger’s width into the soft soil. The moment she settled, Yu yanked her right arm with her Qi-infused muscles and the girl that had been just rising from the ground was pulled off her feet again and was sent flying towards her. Her airborne body, parallel to the ground, shot towards Yu who released the Nature’s Vine skill causing the Wood Qi of the vine whip to fade and the vine itself to wither and die.

None of that mattered to the flying girl though, who was slammed into the ground face first when Yu’s heel stuck her in the middle of the back with a crack of bone and flash of silver fire. Immediately after, Yu stomped on the back of the girl’s head hard enough to render her unconscious while simultaneously pulling up and over on her left arm. The young man, still unable to take any action due to Yu’s stunning Lightning Qi, flew into the air. Yu whipped her hand down and he followed immediately, crashing next to Yu and on top of the young woman with a crunch. Yu proceeded to punch the young man six times, twice in the ribs, and once for both arms and legs, each resulting in a snap. Then she punched him in the head twice, assuring he was fully out.

Letting out a breath and releasing her Qi skills, Yu closed her eyes and conducted a mental review of the prior fight. Not that it was much of a fight, but it had become habit for Yu to review every aspect of every battle so she could learn and improve.

As she did that, she let out a sigh.

Look at that foot placement. What was I thinking? Wel, I know what I was thinking: These people are terrible, how did they become inner sect disciples. Which of course is why I had such a lazy form and mis-aligned elbow position with the left arm there. Ugh. And look at my hips. I should be twisted at least two finger-width more to the left. Against a competent Mage, I’d be at risk for a follow-up distance skill…

After a few more moments of self-reflected criticism, Yu breathed out and looked down at the unconscious pair of inner sect disciples, angrily shaking her head.

“Unbelievable,” spat Yu. “They just never stop.”

Then she yelled, “C’mon out.”

“You think these fools would learn by now,” came another voice from behind a moss-covered tree. Jao Li stepped out, her arms crossed.

Her sister, Jao Lu, stepped out next to her, asking, “We heard the racket and decided to come see but we didn’t want to disturb your battle review. So who was it this time?”

“Thanks. These two said they were from the Han clan, whoever the hells they are,” Yu answered.

“Thanks. These two said they were from the Han clan, whoever the hells they are,” Yu answered.

“Wait, didn’t you deal with them already? Weren’t they like the fourth or fifth group of morons?” Li asked.

“No no, they were like the eighth. You’re thinking of the Wan,” Lu offered.

Li shook her head firmly. “No, the Wan were more recent. You mean the Wang.”

“Wait, are you sure? I thought the Wang were after the Dang,” Lu asked.

Li looked pensive. “You know, you might be right.”

Yu slapped her hand to her forehead. “I can’t believe there have been so many of these idiots that we’ve lost track.” Of course, Yu could recall if she wanted, but why put in the effort? None of them mattered. What did matter was that they kept coming, even after everything she’d done to deter them.

“What was the excuse this time?” Li asked.

“Same old. Their clan was told by some larger clan that if it weren’t for my master and me ‘stealing’ one of the slots to the spirit realm, it would have gone to them.”

“And of course, they fell for it and had to put you in your place and take back and their honor and blah blah blah,” Lu finished for her.

Suddenly growling could be heard from behind the twins, but none of the girls reacted. A soaked black tiger with white stripes liberally splattered in dark red stalked out from around a slimy boulder.

“And what were you doing this whole time?” Yu asked her bonded beast. “Leaving me to deal with these nitwits all by myself.”

In answer, Bai spun in a slow circle, lower himself onto the ground, yawned showing fangs the length of Yu ‘s fingers, and lay his head on his paws.

“Some help you are.” Then she muttered, “Look at you, all a mess. At least you could have brought the carcasses to sell.” He chuffed. “Don’t try to convince me you’ve eaten them. I can sense how gross you feel.”

Li walked past Bai, giving him a scratch behind the ears, and looked down at the pair. There was some moaning and slight movement sounds coming from them so Li punched them both in the head again causing a small windstorm and they fell silent.

“Seriously? Inner sect disciples are this incompetent? Shows that power by itself doesn’t mean beast shit.”

“Language,” Lu admonished.

“Why won’t your master just let you apply to advance and get it over with?” Li asked, ignoring her sister.

Shaking her head, Yu answered, “Can’t. I technically don’t meet the requirements.”

“Bounty missions?” Lu asked, having just walked up to them.

“Yeah. Not allowed to leave the sect territory.” Then she sighed. “I guess I’m done for today since I have to drag these two back to the beast drop-off before they die from internal bleeding. No way am I wasting Qi healing them.”

“We’d offer to help, but we can’t be seen touching injured seniors,” Li said frustratedly.

“I know,” Yu sighed. Then she looked over to Bai. “Can you at least help me carry them? I’ll just drape them across your back.”

He raised his head just enough to turn it facing away from Yu and laid it back down.

“Did he just roll his eyes at me?” Yu asked Li who was trying not to laugh.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me? You big furry lump!”

With a grumble, Bai got to his feet and, without looking at any of them, wandered off into the trees where his natural dark colors made him disappear.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Yu sighed in resignation at the tiger. She and her bond had grown into a great team… at least when he was in the mood. After more than two years of practice, they had become able to hunt far above their stage together, often taking on single high grade 3 beasts that neither alone could easily best. Grade 4s were still beyond them because those beasts controlled all the Qi in the area around their bodies. The few times they had tried the pair had gotten swatted away like barely bothersome insects.

Despite that, Yu and Bai had been able to profit quite a lot of sect contribution points battling the more dangerous grade 3s, at least when they could find them and weren’t competing against inner sect disciples. Also when Bai didn’t destroy their bodies. He liked to play with his… well, not food. Victims she supposed.

The more Bai matured, the more he had come into his own personality. That being… stubborn. And hard-headed. And a strong… preference to do things his own way. On the other hand, the rest of the time he was just plain lazy, lounging in the sun and demanding attention. In other words, he was a cat. Yu often wondered which of them was actually in charge.

Shaking her head in resignation of having to do it all herself, Yu leaned down, grabbed an ankle of each of the unconscious dupes, squeezed them until they cracked, and then started dragging them towards the massive mountain in the distance.

The truth was, in her heart she didn’t really blame the pair. She knew it was not truly their fault. Their clans had simply allowed themselves to become patsies, as had most of the fools who attacked her these days. Nobles of higher standing would make aggrandizing statements and false promises to their lesser or subsidiary clans, and suddenly their children were sent at Yu to “put her in her place,” or get revenge, or take her slot to the spirit realm, or whatever inane reason.

The true cause of course, was that the Empire’s larger and higher-ranking clans had been scared off by her master. After he had destroyed the seventh small to medium-sized clan and second medium to large clan, Yu had figured it would send a sufficient message. Unfortunately, it turned out she was optimistic. It was only after the third large-sized central imperial clan had not-so-mysteriously disappeared after attempting to infiltrate the sect to attack her a bit more than a year ago that they had all finally given up on the direct approach.

Instead, they now sent what were becoming Yu’s increasingly long list of victims of moderate and smaller-sized clans’ young cultivators. And because none of them had the resources and thus the training and skills of the larger clans – never mind the Empire’s five leading clans – the young men and women sent after her were just not a match. That is unless they were able to seize her Qi – which was why she never went anywhere without Bai or someone she trusted from her faction anymore. Ever since that kidnapping incident years ago, she had become a lot more attentive and paranoid, using her enhanced senses to make sure she wasn’t caught unawares. Which was how she had known the currently concussed and broken male disciple had been sneaking up on her from behind.

Frustratingly, the need for nearby support highlighted a deep resentment for Yu. She struggled with the fact that she still felt – even after everything she had been through and accomplished – like she was trapped.

For her entire life, both before and after she had been healed, she had felt that way. First, she was trapped within her sick body. Then after she had been liberated from it, she was trapped within her training center at home by her family. Then, just as freedom had been at hand, she was exposed and trapped yet again by her identity. And for the last three years, she had been trapped within the sect, behind her master and unable to take any missions or contracts outside of its and his protection. Even now, as strong as she had grown, she was forced to never be alone, lest someone with compressed Qi take advantage.

Soon, I’ll be free. They have to announce it soon. Right?

Yu trudged on through the forest, irritated by the lack of progress in regards to the spirit realm.

They’ll to come to agreement any day now. What in the hells could be taking so long?

Two days prior, Yu had cleansed her ninety-sixth meridian. From her admittedly limited understanding, that made her stronger than more than ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the empire at the same stage as her. She had to believe that was enough for the spirit realm.

Soon.

Glancing over at the twins, the shorter one in particular, Yu was confident they were thinking the same thing.

Ignoring the occasional thumping sound of the unconscious cultivators’ body parts banging against tree roots or scraping against various bushes and downed branches, Yu tried to distract herself with conversation.

“So, how are the new recruits? Is that Fire and Earth Mage, Che Sheo, with the non-standard fire manifestation working out? I understand she has potential as a smith?”

Yu had been less and less able to deal with the day-to-day management of her faction. Which meant she had been leaning more and more on the more senior members to basically run the whole thing. She had never really appreciated how important delegation was to her father until recently.

“Really really well,” Lu answered. “Her mouth is as sharp as that strange green fire she can control with her Qi skills. I think you’d like her actually.”

Sharp was a good word for it. Yu remembered it well from an evaluation spar. While her Earth affinity was standard, her Fire affinity was not. The green fire she created, which the archives called Jade Flame, had a “snap” to it. It wasn’t hotter or colder, nor was it considered terribly powerful as far as non-standard manifestations went, it was just… well… sharper. Kind of a bit of an extra bite. All that said, she preferred crafting like a number of the recruits of Yu’s faction.

Che Sheo was the girl’s name and Lu was right – her words had as much bite as her flames. In fact, Yu thought she’d likely have sponsors among the stronger factions if not for her personality so matching her affinity. Her clan was actually of moderate size and from one of the cities relatively near the capital. Unfortunately for her, like most clans of that size it was full of complicated politics, and Sheo and her mouth did not fit into their mold at all. So while she was not technically clanless, she received zero support.

Of course, Yu couldn’t have cared less. Most members of her faction had limited financial backing. What she did care about was that Sheo still got in the sect and has managed to pay for her stay. It was that kind of determination and clear potential that drove Lu to bring her to Yu’s attention. Sheo fit exactly into Yu’s philosophy of cultivation: Give those with potential the opportunity to grow, and if they prove themselves, support them because humanity will need them in the future.

I have to admit, I like the girl. It doesn’t hurt that I empathize with her aggressive nature toward nobles and their politicking. Either way, I’m glad we managed to recruit her before someone else did.

It seemed the twins felt similarly as well. Especially Lu, who had taken Sheo a bit under her wing.

Lu had willingly taken up the role of one of the day-to-day co-leaders of Yu’s faction. The other being Ji Minu, someone from Yu’s beast training classes.

Like Yu, Li also had had less time to spend with faction members since she decided to share her secret and taken on a training regimen nearly as harsh as Yu’s. Yu still couldn’t believe what the twins had revealed to her those two and a half years ago, less than four weeks after they had all been rescued by her master from those bastard scum.

As always, Yu’s recollection was perfectly clear – like she was there all over again.

***

Yu was reading a book on her next set of runes in their suit’s common room with Ai leaning against her, Si Fei lying on her lap enjoying a light brushing. Li exited her room and walked around the couch, looking down at them. Yu looked up at the normally excitable and energetic little Air Warrior and saw her nervously pacing in front of the couch.

Yu’s mind immediately went to the two objects in her ring that made her want to rage at the world. Simple-looking iron rods with a circle of runes at the end had ruined the life of two of Yu’s best friends and she would never forgive the old men, or the sect of mercenaries responsible. Or herself.

But rather than show her clearly nervous friend her anger, she asked gently, “Are you okay, Li?”

“She’s fine,” Lu said as she stepped out of her sister’s room. “Just working up to something.”

Yu looked over at Ai, who looked back at her, equally unsure and concerned.

“Can I help?” Yu asked.

“I think so. I don’t know. Maybe? Probably. I hope so. Or maybe I don’t. I don’t know,” Li said in a single breath.

Yu looked over her shoulder at Lu who stood with her arms crossed leaning against the wall, her face equally nervous.

“Yu…” Li started. Then her mouth closed and opened again. Then it closed one more time.

Patting Ai’s leg gently, Yu stood up and walked to Li. They were about the same height, which was pretty rare for Yu who was one of the shortest people she knew. Slowly she raised her arms and Li stepped into them and hugged Yu, who had closed her arms around her friend.

“Whatever it is, you know I’ll do what I can. We all will,” Yu said into her hair.

She felt Li nod and then attempt to step back so Yu released her.

“Well… I just…” Li stuttered. She sighed and shook her head and then seemed to firm up, stiffen her back, and said firmly, “Sign, meridians.”

Yu’s eyes opened wide as a small yellow square appeared before her. Yu couldn’t read the words, but she knew what it held: the most closely guarded secret every cultivator held about themselves.

Then Li exercised her will and turned the Sign to face Yu.

Meridians: 34/88

Yu felt her jaw drop. She couldn’t speak for a moment. Her mouth worked without her mind fully engaging.

“I… I… Just… Wow.”

“Yeah,” Li sighed.

“All of the members of our family, myself included, have under sixty and most fall in the average,” Lu added from the other side of the room. “Needless to say, my sister was a bit of a shock to us all.”

“Also, they’re copper grade.”

Yu sat down heavily on the couch. “Li, this is… this is… wow!”

“You said that already,” Li giggled.

Ai giggled after.

Yu’s mind finally engaged. “Sorry. Sorry. I’m just kind of caught off guard is all.”

“We get that. Honestly, ever since you made your speech about the spirit realm and the tournament, my sister and I have been going back and forth on whether I should enter the tournament. We even wrote home to get advice from our grandfather.”

Yu knew that the twins’ father had been killed in only their third summer, so their grandfather did his best to take his son’s place.

“I see...” Yu said thoughtfully. “Now that the shock has mostly worn off, I understand. There are only two reasons you’d be sharing it now. First is to get my opinion or advice, and second is to tell me you want to enter the tournament.”

“Right,” Li said. Then to her sister she called, “Told you.”

“I didn’t argue!” Lu snapped back. “Yu, we know how smart you are, so we assumed you’d figure it out.”

Yu looked between the two and then focusing on Li, asking the only question that mattered. “So are you ready for the most intense years of your life?”