The chasm stretched endlessly around them, its walls dark and rough with jagged basalt and patches of cooling magma. Alex could feel the heat rising from the ground whilst he walked behind Jin, Zheng Yi, and Cheng Rou, the four of them pressing forward, surrounded by cooling magma, basalt, and lava as they journeyed toward their destination: a nest of higher cultivation spirit beasts. Clearing the test would rely on their reaching it.
As they moved, Alex’s thoughts turned inward to the beast core pulsing within him, its presence a disruption within his body that he hadn’t yet fully explored. Beast Core Blood Arts… He thought, considering the technique’s name and possibilities. Its name implied that the technique was a direct result of his acquisition of the core taken through his encounter with the powerful landscape controlling blood-creature within his mindscape. The battle with that creature came back to him in sharp flashes. It had commanded blood and the flesh that blood inhabited with a mastery that felt nearly divine. Now, with the beast core within him, Alex wondered if he could somehow do the same.
He closed his eyes as he walked. His feet moved effortlessly over the rugged terrain, as though they already knew the way. Jagged rocks jutted up from the ground, and patches of molten lava lay scattered around them, but Alex navigated it all without seeing. The Sword Saint's Domain was active within him, granting him a clarity of perception that no eyes could match. The vibrations from distant swirling lava travelled through the ground, up his legs, and into his core. He could feel the layout of the land beneath his feet, almost as if it had become a part of him.
He focused on the vibrant red beast core within him. He began to circulate his Qi using his breathing technique, but he didn’t use his Dantian. Instead, he drew only from the core, allowing its raw Qi to fill his being. Immediately, a new sensation opened to him. He felt the blood within his body, within his blade to a lesser extent, and within his allies. It called to him, distantly, like a person at the bottom of a mountain, too far away to make out the words. But he knew it was there.
It’s blood, he thought, his mind honing in on the sensation. He could feel the blood in his own body, flowing through his veins, but there was more. The sensation extended beyond him, touching the blade at his side. It held a faint trace of life—no, lives. Remnants of the countless number it had consumed. He couldn't make out the details, but the connection was undeniable.
Ahead of him, the sound of Zheng Yi’s footsteps grew lighter as she slowed, her bone spurs cutting divots in the stone as she eased her gait. Yet strangely, the action made no sound. She turned to regard him curiously, her expression filled with incredulity at his act of closing his eyes in such a dangerous environment. There’s barely even any sound waves coming from her, just vibrations and displaced air from her movements, Alex noted curiously. He knew she was watching him, silently questioning his decision to render himself vulnerable. He could feel her eyes boring into his chest, focused on his heart.
Turning from Alex, Zheng Yi locked eyes with her stocky ally, Cheng Rou, as though silently asking him a question. Should we kill him? She jerked her head at the presumably vulnerable and unaware Alex.
“Look at him,” Zheng Yi muttered, the bone spurs on her legs cutting into the basalt as her gait slowed. She jerked her head toward Alex. “Eyes closed. I wonder—”
Cheng Rou turned without slowing, observing Alex. There was no malice in his gaze, just observation—calculation, and judgement. He noted how Alex navigated the terrain effortlessly, even avoiding flying fire insects and jagged basalt rocks— some shaped like sharp spikes—all without opening his eyes.
Cheng Rou shook his head.
“Unwise,” Cheng Rou whispered, shaking his head. His gaze remained fixed on the blue-spirit root-possessing disciple who moved as though he could see without eyes. “Control your emotions. Leave it.”
Zheng Yi frowned but complied, picking up her pace again as they followed Jin’s lead. She watched Alex, lips pursed with confusion. He had not long ago been considered the weakest among them, but now even ‘Test Breaker’ Cheng Rou hesitated at the prospect of an ambush. With Lui Xan dead, Jin was now clearly the strongest among them. The hierarchy was obvious. Alex should have been the weakest. That was, until he defeated one who rivalled Jin in potential. Now, with their ticket to free resources, advanced techniques, and backing defeated by one who hadn’t even used a world treasure to siphon and empower his body, Zheng Yi and Cheng Rou observed this ‘Alex’ with new eyes. Jin, however, remained unperturbed, as though he had expected Alex to win all along.
Zheng Yi clicked her tongue as both she and Chong Rou turned to follow Jin, all thoughts of ambushing Alex forgotten, for now.
Alex saw it all. His eyes remained closed, his feet continuing to move effortlessly across the rugged ground. There was no need to open them; the world around him was more vivid this way. Zheng Yi and Cheng Rou, occasionally glanced back to watch him with new eyes, unsure how to approach this new version of him. They're not sure what to make of me anymore. He could almost hear their thoughts, though they said nothing. Alex found it hard to care. Let them wonder, he thought, feet moving steadily over the uneven terrain. It’s not like they’ll be able to stop me from passing the test. If they held any real importance it would reveal itself, as import always did. And as far as any threat against him was concerned, they would either behave, or he would find a way to make them behave. After all, he still had his Dao, his passives, and his Blood Arts.
His focus shifted back to the blood within his body and the power of his core, wondering just how far he would be able to push this new ability.
Damn, the protection I get from Thanatos’ sovereign still needs a few hours to regenerate, he thought as he reached for the passive, feeling only remnants of a dragon's soul slowly reforming. His protective lifeline had already been shattered by Lui Xan’s final attack. What was that technique, anyway? It didn’t look like something a beginner should know. He then focused on the pair ahead, Zheng Yi and Cheng Rou. Zheng Yi moved like a predator, every movement seeping with stealth and grace, her legs bent inward like a leopard, covered in sharp spurs of hardened blood and blade-like bone. Chen’s Rou was similarly distorted, though his mutation seemed to lean solely on the power of his strengthened arm. Alex sensed further changes to Cheng Rou’s bone structure and internal structure that suggested the youth had experienced many more mutations that ran deep beneath his surface, likely enhancing his strength deceptively. What if they’re both as strong as Lui Xan now, with those mutations? He wondered, placing a finger on his chin in consideration of the prospect. Hmm… on second thought, it’s probably best to let them be bait for the 8th stage spirit beast instead, I’ll need my strength for whatever comes next… and I guess I’ll try to help them if I can, he thought, reconsidering his options. I’m sure they’ll survive, probably.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[You have defeated [Error - Non-System Entities detected - Quantifying…]
[Quantification Accepted.]
[You have defeated level 0̴̰͈͖̊͋0̴͎̟̣̈́̐0̵̠͉̥̔̊̈0̴̰͈͖̊͋0̴͎̟̣̈́̐ (Qi Gathering: First stage) L̴͉̦̦̓̂̔̽u̵̲͙̾͗͒i̶̬͂ ̴̯͉̜͂̾͘X̵̜̜̙͍̏̾̊̚a̵̜̫̤̎͛͋n̴͚̪̾ (D)]
[Experience Assimilated.]
[Qi: 53]
The system round up Qi and I only gain 0.2 for beating something in this stage… that means I won’t gain any Qi unless I beat at least 3 beings in the first stage of Qi gathering. That’s annoying. Alex considered the notifications details. If defeating first stage Qi gathering cultivators and spirit beasts only gave such small amounts of Qi, he would quickly need to find ways to encounter beasts of higher yet manageable stages. Nothing too crazy, the second stage beasts have been manageable so far, he thought, recalling the first battle he had experienced with what he now understood to be a freshly born blood beast, one devoid of experience or technique and purely running on instincts. He considered the fact that natural spirit beast not formed by demonic rituals might hold a much more drastic threat.
Alex felt the vibrations of a mass swirling lava somewhere in the distance travelling up his feet. A change in the terrain was ahead—drastic enough to reach him from a distance and spread through his bones like the deep rumble of an approaching storm. The vibrations were subtle but constant, as if the earth itself was shifting under the pressure of the magma far below. We're close, he thought. The terrain's changing... "We’ll be at the nest soon," he spoke the words, more to himself at first, but his voice carried to the others. The heat radiating through the path confirmed it. "It has to be the Fire Tiger’s den." He paused. A thought nagged at him. Wait—Fire Tiger, right? Isn't it at the eighth stage of Qi Gathering—maybe the ninth? His brow furrowed, concern rising. His sect manuals had stated that the difference between cultivation stages was exponentially vast, like the difference between a hill and mountains, or the sea and lands— far from the marginal differences gained between two levels. Rushing in there without a plan would be incredibly stupid, no matter how many tricks we have between us. He finally voiced it aloud. "Someone will need to scout ahead."
Zheng Yi stopped, her expression hard as she looked at him. “Scout?" she muttered. "What for? You’ll be dead soon, anyway.”
Her tone was biting, her eyes judgmental as she stared at him, her gaze sharp like the edge of a blade.“You shouldn’t have killed Lui Xan.”
Cheng Rou’s mouth twitched as he stepped in beside her, his voice low and cold. “She’s right. You shouldn’t have killed him. Lui Xan was Elder Zheng’s favorite nephew“ he rumbled. “You’ve sealed your fate by doing so. The elder will see to it. He will cause misfortune.” His tone wasn’t mocking—more like a statement of fact. “You may as well have signed your death sentence the moment you struck him down."
"Elder Zheng’s influence goes beyond even the sect leader." Zheng Yi’s bone spurs dragged faintly against the ground as her steps grew slower, her deference to Cheng Rou's judgement clear. He exchanged a look with her, a shared understanding passing between them.
“He won’t make it a month,” she said.
Alex’s jaw clenched slightly at the mention of Lui Xan. The name still held weight, the battle still fresh in his mind. But he kept his pace steady. They think I’m already dead, he thought, watching them without turning his head. Well, to hell with that.
"Let him come," Alex shot back, his voice hardening, fists clenching by his sides. He could feel the weight of their stares, the growing pressure. "I don’t fear him."
Zheng Yi snorted, crossing her arms. "You should."
Jin had been silent up to this point, suddenly scoffed. He didn’t look back as he spoke, voice calm, confident, almost dismissive of the whole situation. "Misfortune? Death?" His voice was cold, dismissive. He looked over at Alex, his eyes sharp but calm. "If we fear every shadow in the sect, you’ll never move forward."
Alex agreed with the sentiment. If he wanted to rise within the sect, he couldn’t allow anything to stop him. But he wasn’t an imperial. He wasn’t even a cultivator, not really. There was the option of escaping the sect to join another, or finding another system world— of which there were countless to choose from. But neither option felt right to him. He still hadn’t gained all the power there was to gain from the sect, and neither had he found Earth. Flight just wasn’t an option. There’s always a way, he thought. I’ll just have to find it when I get out of here. He quickly brushed those thoughts aside. For now, his mind was locked on the Fire Tiger, the only thing that truly posed a danger in the next few moments, at least. He wasn’t about to waste time on some distant political fallout. “Focus,” he said coldly. “If we don’t deal with the Fire Tiger, none of us will live long enough for any of that to matter.”
"I don’t care about Elder Zheng right now," Alex said, his voice flat, cutting through the tension like a knife. "We’re walking into a Fire Tiger’s den. You think the elder’s influence matters if we’re dead in the next few minutes?"
Influence?, he thought, what good is influence when we're about to steal from something that could kill us in seconds? His gaze shifted toward the distant path, feeling the heat rising more intensely through the stone beneath him.
“We need a scout" Alex suggested again, his voice quieter this time, more direct. "We don’t need all of us walking into a trap."
Jin’s eyes scanned the distant strip of sky, sensing the change in the air just as Alex did before he nodded. "Zheng Yi, you go ahead." His voice was calm but firm, and cold.
Zheng Yi bristled but said nothing. She knew that there was no point in arguing when Jin spoke like that. She understood the severity of their situation just as well as he did. Her lithe form disappeared quickly into the shadows with a huff, her confidence in her abilities evident in every micro movement.
They moved on, the atmosphere thick with the tension left behind from the exchange. Alex’s senses stretched outward, every subtle shift in the ground, in the temperature, alerting him to their surroundings. The sound waves of the lava, sloshing gently, reached him. A chemical tinge in the air told him that something was different here. His domain shifted at the edges, constantly suffusing the area within a fifteen-foot radius. Zheng Yi returned, looking pleased.
She stopped abruptly, her gaze shifting. “Look.”
Alex followed her gaze and saw them—six cubs, sprawled out in a shallow pool of lava, their breaths deep and slow, sending ripples through the molten liquid. The cubs’ sleek forms radiated heat, their small bodies glowing faintly from the embers beneath their skin. The shallow lava beneath them swirled lazily, gently lapping against the edges of the stone around it, causing the edges of the rock to redden. The cubs’ fur was thick and burning orange with the faintest flicker of Qi.
It’s time to pass this test, Alex thought with both determination and grit. All he needed was a claw or some fur, and it would all be over.
Then he would have to face whatever awaited him on the outside.