The end of autumn approached as they made their way upriver and the days grew colder as time passed.

Yu Chen’s routine had changed, and he now began every morning by meeting Sun Yuan on the deck to spar, fighting together as they practiced their techniques. Occasionally Yan Ziqi would show up but he’d only watch for a while, never sticking around to exchange blows of his own. Yu Chen had found it a bit strange at first, but he knew Foundation Establishment experts had methods all their own.

He grew a bit stronger as the days passed, his techniques becoming more refined now that he’d found a worthy opponent to spar against. All of the fighting had an unintended effect as well, helping him adjust to his body's heightened strength and speed, and he found himself once again making progress in the Diamond Forms.

They would remain on deck after sparring and stay for as long as they could. Either meditating or just hanging out, but always keeping an eye out for an empty island where they could nest up for a little while.

Yu Chen had been itching to swallow the petrification pill he’d received ever since they’d left the alchemist’s vessel, but Yan Ziqi had advised against it. It wasn’t that the other man didn’t want to take his pill, in fact the artificer wanted to more than Yu Chen himself, having already delayed his body cultivation once, but he didn’t think it was safe to do so while the boat was still moving.

They had been lucky so far, and hadn’t encountered anything too dangerous on the river, but it would only end badly for them if they finally did so while immobile from medicine.

Sun Yuan didn’t care either way. He’d been instructed to take his pill while breaking through, so he’d have to wait a little while longer in any case.

Yan Ziqi’s voice interrupted his thoughts, ringing through the open air around them.

“Look, up in the sky!”

Yu Chen looked up, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he craned his neck around to see what the other boy had spotted.

Far off in the distance a number of birds wheeled about in the sky against a backdrop of fluffy clouds.

A strange sight this far into the river, that could only mean one thing.

“Land ho!” Sun Yuan’s voice rang from atop the quarterdeck, and Yu Chen turned, watching as their navigator snapped shut his spyglass. It was a fine object, gifted from his father, covered with sprawling lines of inscription that allowed him to see much further than otherwise possible.

Shoving it into his pocket, he heaved at the wheel and the ship turned, the prow swinging around to head in the direction of the birds flying in the distance. Yu Chen ran to the front of the ship, hopping up onto the railing where he stood alongside the figurehead, watching the ship move through the river.

At some point dolphins had appeared once more, racing against the vessel as it cut across the waves. Wet river spray hit his face as the ship broke through another swell, approaching the land in the distance. The island rapidly grew in his vision, going from a brown smudge smeared across the horizon into a great landmass, large enough to split the river in twain.

Sun Yuan pushed the ship hard, bringing them as close to the shore as he could and nearly running the vessel into the soft sands of the beach. At the last moment they all leapt from the ship, and with a wave of his hand it shrunk, flying into his robes as they landed in the shallows.

“What now?” Yu Chen asked, looking around in interest.

The island they’d arrived at was massive, far larger than the small pirate’s cove they’d visited before, which had been nothing more than a tiny shanty town perched on a thin crescent of land. This place was far different, covered in a wild forest of dense trees and lush vegetation so overgrown that it stretched nearly to the coast. It even hosted a small mountain that rose up in the distance, right at the center of the forest.

“We find a safe place,” Yan Ziqi said, licking his lips. “and swallow these pills.”

“The mountain is probably the best bet,” Sun Yuan said, pointing towards the peak off in the distance. “We can find a small cave to hole up in until the medicine finishes its job.”

“Works for me.” Yu Chen said with a shrug.

Yan Ziqi agreed as well, and they dove into the forest, making their way towards the mountain.

The forest was alive with noise, the sound of twigs crunching underfoot, the trilling sound of birdsong echoing from unseen places up above, and the soft rustling of small creatures scurrying through the underbrush reached his ears. It was a wild place, the long, tangled vines hanging down from the trees making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. They traveled through an undergrowth featuring a chaotic mix of ferns and shrubbery, and the air was rich with the damp scent of fresh earth, moss and decaying leaves.

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The forest grew darker around them as they pressed further in. The trees crowded together as they fought for space, creating a thick canopy that blocked the sun up above. Only the odd beam of light made it through to dapple the ground below, revealing a dense carpet of fallen leaves and ancient roots that rose from the dirt like gnarled fingers, threatening to trip them if they made a single misstep.

A stifling atmosphere rose up the further they traveled, and Yu Chen had the unsettling feeling that they were being watched. He peered around nervously, but he couldn’t see anything around them.

He looked towards the others, who were both shifting around uncomfortably, clearly unnerved by the feeling in the air.

“Should we continue?” Yu Chen asked uneasily.

Sun Yuan jerked around, looking concerned as they heard something rustling through the underbrush nearby.

“Let’s wait for a moment.” Yan Ziqi said, closing his eyes as he sent his senses out, spreading across the nearby forest.

Only a few heartbeats passed before he opened them again, looking around him with a frown.

“I think it’s safe.” He said, speaking slowly. “I can’t sense anything particularly dangerous. There are some spirit beasts scattered around, but all of them are weak.”

Yu Chen looked over at Sun Yuan, who gave him a shrug in return.

“Alright.” He said and they continued on their way, pushing deeper into the forest.

This forest was nothing like the ones he’d traveled in the sect or during his journey across the empire, more reminiscent of the jungle from the Secret Realm he’d once explored. This close to the river the verdant undergrowth oozed with life, practically brimming with a deep vitality that was reflected in the creatures within.

It appeared Yan Ziqi was right, Yu Chen thought, looking around. The occasional spirit beast had appeared, but they’d all scampered off upon sensing the older boy’s aura. They didn’t bother chasing the creatures, having no reason to pursue them as they concentrated on reaching the mountain before them.

Of course, right as he thought that the first howl sounded out, a low keening noise that rose in pitch as it cut through the forest air.

It happened right as they were crossing a small stream meandering through the forest, causing the boys to look around startled.

“I thought you didn’t sense anything!” Sun Yuan yelled, as more voices joined the first, letting loose howls that rang out all around them.

“I didn’t!” Yan Ziqi said, looking concerned.

The howls approached, and as they grew closer Yu Chen began to hear the crashing sound of something moving through the underbrush.

“Damn.” Sun Yuan cursed under his breath, looking around nervously.

Not that Yu Chen wasn’t doing the same.

“Let’s hurry.” Yan Ziqi said, his voice tight as he took off towards the mountain, cycling his movement technique.

The other two boys joined him, keeping pace with each other as they ran towards the mountain. Yu Chen looked around, unable to prevent a curse of his own from escaping as he saw the long loping forms that would occasionally appear, running through the trees around them.

He couldn’t quite make out their forms but they sounded like wolves. They easily kept pace with the group, the boys unable to outrun them despite utilizing their movement techniques.

A howl rose up from his left, causing the hair on the back of Yu Chen’s arm to begin to prickle. Another rose up from the right and more from behind, the entire forest sounding as though it had come to life with the screams of wild beasts as they began to corral them in a certain direction.

Yu Chen could see them now, the occasional wolf leaping out of the undergrowth to nip at their heels as they desperately scrambled towards the mountain. He slowly came to the realization that they couldn’t outrun the wolves even if they wanted to, the hanging vines and rampant growth that hindered their path doing nothing to slow the beasts behind them.

Yan Ziqi came to a sudden halt before them, causing Yu Chen to almost crash into his back.

“We’ll have to fight.” The older man said grimly, staring up.

Yu Chen’s gaze followed his, drawn to the massive wolf perched on a rock jutting from the forest floor. It lay there, Its sleek, black fur glistening under the soft light filtering through the canopy. The beast slowly rose, the black tongue lolling out of its mouth retracting as it stood. It regarded them with an imperious gaze, its burning eyes - one silver, one red - glowing with a silent intensity.

It threw back its head and howled, letting loose a noise that rattled Yu Chen’s eardrums, and he winced as he felt a heavy aura settle across him.

A white wolf, small and lithe, appeared at the sound, gracefully loping up the rock to join the first one where she lay at his feet as more howls rose up around them. Yu Chen felt Sun Yuan back into him as more wolves slunk out of the forest, surrounding them on all sides.

“He’s a big bastard isn’t he?” Sun Yuan muttered under his breath, and Yu Chen couldn’t help but agree.

Thankfully, the massive black beast was the only one in Stage II. That made it a problem for Yan Ziqi to deal with, but it still left more than a dozen for him and Sun Yuan to handle.

Yu Chen tossed his head side to side as he cracked his neck, before looking over his shoulder at the other boy and seeing that Sun Yuan had drawn his saber, holding it tightly despite his ashen face.

“Come on then!” Yu Chen shouted, the first to break the frozen tableau.

Cycling his movement technique, he lunged towards the nearest wolf, striking out with a heavy fist. The unexpected blow cracked its skull before it could react. The clearing erupted into pandemonium as the wolves leapt forward, letting out outraged howls at his sudden attack.