Movements soon followed from the tents as they shook from one side to the next before several big burly men appeared one after the other. In a show of skill and discipline, they orderly made a line and cusped their fists against their palms with a sharp bow toward the sect leader. "Sect leader!" They respectfully shouted.

"At ease," The sect leader said after jumping from her giant Shardfiend.

After the group of men straightened up, she noticed their surprise as they gazed at the group behind her and simply said, "This batch proved to be inadequate. Out of the twelve only five managed to survive." She then glanced at the disciples behind her, and said with a disappointed look, "Barely."

One of the men gently approached her and said with a smile, "Maybe these will do, sect leader." Glancing at the disciple with a scrutinizing look he continued, "The Red Jade Kingdom has already begun to move, so I do not know how much effect these little guys will have. But I suppose water droplets can penetrate even stone, so every small impact will help."

"How's the situation inside Golden Veil City?" The sect leader asked. "Any progress with the Yang Family?"

The man's eyes lit up, and joyfully said, "Oh, yes, yes sect leader. Their heir Yang Ning has already joined our ranks, and he's even getting along well with our pretty Su Ning. And you know how she is, we can rest assured with her stabilizing things."

The sect leader had already begun walking by then and entered one of the tents followed by the tall man, and her big Shardfiend stayed put, awaiting further instructions.

The disciples glanced at one another unsure of how to move forward before Xu Yun alighted from his beast and spoke, "Alright, this is our destination. Just leave the Shardfiends behind and enter the camp."

Heeding his orders as he had already proven his place as the leader not only because of his leadership skills but more so because the sect leader only interacted with him.

Looking at the monster that had brought him on this long journey and saved his life at the mountain peak Jing felt slightly emotional. The Shardfiend as if sensing his emotions affectionately nuzzled against him.

"You're so sweet and beautiful," He quietly mumbled in her ears as he brushed his face against her rugged skin. To be treated so warmly by a vicious-looking monster that could tear him to shreds at any moment made him feel a myriad of emotions. For someone afraid of even dogs in his past life, this connection made him feel alive and powerful.

Suddenly a melodious laughter echoed beside him, "Heavens." The voice said. "Are you really crying because you'd be leaving the Shardfiend behind?"

Hearing the voice, Jing quickly straightened his back and glanced to the side. There he saw, Cai Yi looking at him with a wide toothy grin stretching her face.

Eyes still slightly red, he quickly averted his eyes and began gently caressing the Shardfiend's head. "No," He explained calmly. "It's just something got stuck in my eyes."

"You don't have to lie," She said with a knowing smile, then she flexed her arms imitating a macho pose. "Or are you trying to be a manly man?" With a light chuckle, she expressed, "I find it endearing." Her expression soon became annoyed saying, "But unlike you, mine was a little bastard. My thighs are aching with how much that vermin was needlessly moving."

"Was he male?" Jing asked, still playing with the Shardfiend who was playfully nibbling at his fingers.

"I don't know," She said with a stupefied expression. "The last thing I had in my mind was seeing whether he had testicles or not."

He exhaled loudly through his nostrils in amusement before he explained, "From what I observed the males are more aggressive and don't like to be ridden." He contemplated for a bit and said, "I think yours was indeed male, I remember that he was slightly smaller than mine when you almost fell from that ledge."

Cai Yi's eyes narrowed as if remembering something horrific, she shuddered as she said, "That was so close. Imagine if the sect leader didn't save me then, I would have long turned into meat paste after the fall."

Remembering all of those pointless deaths, Jing's heart felt heavy once again. "Yeah," He said. "Did you lose anyone close?"

With a helpless sigh, she replied, "Yeah, Lin Lan, we joined the sect on the same day a year ago. Our village was raided by bandits, and as they were taking us Master Peak Lim found that we had a good potential for cultivation and took us with her."

Jing looked left and right before he quietly whispered, "Aren't you angry?"

She became slightly cautious as she also looked around, "It's better not to think about those things too deeply. We're but small Body Tempering disciples now, what can we do?"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Jing was about to say something when Xu Yun appeared at the entrance of the camp yelling, "You two, we need to leave."

He gave the Shardfiend one last look before he left her behind and strode under the heavy canopy of the tall trees with Cai Yi.

Occasionally a small ray of sunlight would make its way through the heavy foliage and land on his face, warming it even further. As they entered inside, they noticed how the horses that were previously tied to the surrounding trees had been freed, saddled, and prepared for them.

That sight made him gulp in nervousness, he had heard a lot about how horse riding was difficult. Though one might assume that the Shardfiends would be difficult, it couldn't be further from the truth. Other than the fact that the whole journey was traversed at a reasonable pace, even when they ran there was very little pressure on their rider. Horses on the other hand were a whole other can of worm. That he knew very well.

On a black horse back, Xu Yun glanced down at the remaining disciples and said, "From here on out we'll be separated into teams of two. We won't meet one another until I approach you in the sect." Without saying another word, he kicked the horse and it wildly galloped in a particular direction, followed by one of the burly men who had been expecting them.

Shen Yun climbed on a dark brown horse and gently approached Jing, "Let's go, we're the same peak."

Jing nodded before he bid farewell to Cai Yi, and rode one of the remaining grey horses. With reins on hand, and his feet firmly tightened on the stirrups, he followed after Shen Yun and another man. He was one of the skinnier of the bunch, his face was filled with scars, his hair balding, and had a long mustache and a sunkissed visage.

Most of the people Jing had encountered thus far gave him a strange, but dangerous feeling. Yet, this man for some reason bested them all. Just the mere glance at him gave him the impression of evil and ruthlessness. There was a heavy cloud that seemed to follow his cold face, and his eyes lacked any semblance of care.

The trio began at first with a trot, and before long the horses were galloping through the trees with everything that they had. True to his expectations, horseback riding was infinitely more difficult than what he had just been doing the last couple of days.

With his buttocks firmly glued to the saddle whenever the horse tapped on the ground as he ran, a huge force would rise upward that would obliterate his balance on top of the creature. As the horse continued galloping forward, Jing shook from one side to the next. His hand tightly gripping the reins due to nervousness which would result in the horse angrily neighing in response and trying to throw him off.

Yet, it wasn't like he was ignorant about the mechanics involved. He had long ago heard about how you had to slightly raise your body just as the horse would land on the ground in his gallop in order to avoid that impressive pressure from affecting your balance. But it was a matter of habit, practice, time, something that he didn't have at that moment.

Try as he might, he seemed to miss that exact moment when the horse would finally land on the ground and he almost fell to the sides several times.

Suddenly, he noticed something.

The two people's horses who had already distanced themselves from him jumped one after the other. In front of him was a long, thick horizontal branch that obstructed the way forward, and the only way through was through a leap.

Before he could even conclude, his horse had already reached there, and with a kick of its hind legs, it shot up into the skies. Eyes wide in fear, Jing slightly rose pushing the stirrups with his legs to avoid the pressure from the landing.

Thud!

The horse smoothly landed and continued following after the other two. Heart wildly beating, Jing remained in the very exact position for a while. Leg muscles taut as an inch of distance was between the saddle and his buttocks, and just like that the previously dreadful, uncomfortable, and nerve-wracking gallop became the very complete opposite.

The grey horse continued running forward, its dark grey haircoat wildly dancing following its momentum in a wild manner. The morning light was filtering through the dense canopy of the forest, casting dappled shadows on the lush undergrowth, and occasionally on the horse.

The cool breeze brushed against his face as he leaned forward into the exhilarating gallop, feeling the powerful muscles of the steed as it propelled them forward bringing a wide grin into his face.

'This is what it means to live!' He exclaimed in joy.

The rhythmic pounding of hooves against the earth echoed through the tranquil woodland, accompanied by the symphony of birdsong and rustling leaves. With each stride, he felt a surge of freedom coursing through his veins, his heart racing in tandem with the horse beneath him. He snapped the reins with a jolt, prompting the horse to run even further.

The forest blurred past in a whirl of vibrant greenery and fleeting glimpses of sunlight filtering through the branches. He reveled in the sense of speed, agility, and mostly freedom, navigating twists and turns after the two men, his senses alive with the scent of pine needles and damp earth.

As they emerged into a sunlit clearing plain, he urged his horse into another burst of speed, feeling the exhilaration of the open space before them. The morning air filled his lungs, invigorating him with a sense of boundless energy and joy.

With the dense forest fading into the distance behind them, the group thundered across the expansive green plain, their horses' hooves stirring up clouds of dust that danced in the golden morning light. Stretching out as far as the eye could see, the plain was a sea of tall golden, swaying wheat, undulating like waves in the gentle breeze.

As they thundered across the plain, their eyes caught sight of other creatures grazing in the distance, adding to the pastoral scene unfolding before them. Cows, their sleek hides shimmering in the morning light, lazily chewed cud as they meandered through patches of lush grass. Bison, their massive forms moved through their herd as they grazed, their dark silhouettes casting long shadows on the green grassy ground underneath them.

Amidst the sea of green, tall black deers with majestic red curved horns darted gracefully between the wheat stalks, their delicate frames blending seamlessly into the landscape as they foraged for tender shoots and leaves.

In the distance, a lone white feline creature with a swaying bushy tail prowled along the fringes of the field, its keen eyes scanning the horizon for signs of prey. Jing watched in silent awe as the creature moved with effortless grace, its eyes shrouded with unkind intent.