Turning away from Escora and Warin, the lizard spirit lunged toward Verus. Its eyes glowed red with rage and it radiated an aura of gut twisting and soul crushing terror that pressed down on all the nearby disciples. However, Verus didn’t cower or retreat. As he stared into the specter’s glowing eyes, the battle focus overcame him, banishing his doubt and nervousness. Steely resolve and an almost eager drive to fight filled him instead. He would be tested and he would overcome. He just needed a plan to get at the spirit’s core.

Leaping up, the spirit tried to slash Verus with both its claws as it landed on top of him. Instead, Verus kicked off the ground and dodged to the side after leaving an afterimage that confused his attacker for a moment. He then spun around and kicked the spirit in the ribs as hard as he could. Ki cycled through his body and shimmered from his leg as he unleashed the blow, but it caused only a small wound that didn’t slow the spirit at all or go anywhere near its core.

As Verus retreated, he was forced to jump over another swipe of the lizard’s long tail. The spirit hissed furiously and tried to follow him, but Escora whipped its exposed back. The water essence burst on impact, creating a long smoking gash and causing the spirit to flinch and stumble for moment.

“Why’s it suddenly going after you?” Escora yelled. She sounded almost jealous.

“I found its core!”

“Can you destroy it?”

“Give me a moment,” Verus told her. He had no idea if he could. Even Escora’s whips weren’t going deep enough, but he had a feeling that there was a way. An idea was trying to form in his mind, but it wasn’t clear yet. The feeling was weird. It was more like an unclear whisper than inspiration or a normal memory.

Dodging another whip strike from Escora, the lizard spirit charged toward Verus again and opened its jaws wide in preparation to bite. In response, the young disciple held his ground and readied himself, trusting in his combat instincts. He immersed himself in them, for he could feel that was his only chance to win or even survive.

It was only when the dread lizard’s jaws began to close that Verus suddenly used the Vanishing Feather Step to jump clear of the attack. The lizard spirit’s teeth snapped shut on empty air. However, its eyes immediately turned to lock on to its prey’s new position and it quickly followed up with another attack. Spinning around, it slashed at Verus with an outstretched claw.

As the glowing claw of ki sped toward his face, Verus felt the thought that had been bothering him finally crystallize. Intent filled him, and he began to move even before he understood what he was doing. It was like someone else had stepped into his body for a moment.

In preparation for this test, Verus had acquired and packed some basic tools and gear, including a long steel knife. It was less a weapon and more a tool since he had no training with it, but now he drew it from the sheath beneath his robe as he ducked under the swipe of the spirit’s claw. The blade gleamed as it reflected the light from the spirit. It was sharp and strong, but almost completely useless against a spirit. Thus, acting without thought, Verus sliced the blade across his open palm before throwing himself beneath the lizard.

The disciple’s blood stained the steel and then Verus began cycling. Ki flowed through his body in a new pattern and then streamed into the dagger, reinforcing it as if it was a part of his body. Humans were tool users, and their ki could be used to enhance items, especially if there was a connection between the user and the item. The dagger was a new acquisition, but the blood bridged this gap, allowing Verus to pour ki into it.

The lizard spirit hissed in surprise as Verus slid beneath it. As he moved, the disciple’s eyes were locked on one particular spot within the spirit, the shadowy orb that was its core.

Verus rolled across the ground until he was with range, and then he stopped and lashed out at the core with his now shimmering dagger. The blade sliced into the spirit, parting the ki that made up the spirit’s body like it was butter. As Verus pushed, it sank deep and then its tip hit the core.

There was a loud cracking noise as the essence that made up the core fractured, and then the lizard spirit exploded. Streams of colorful energy blasted Verus, forcing him to shield his eyes. Thankfully, the loose ki didn’t do any damage.

When Verus opened his eyes again. The spirit was completely gone and he was unhurt, staring up at shadowy treetops. He was suddenly feeling tired and sore, so he didn’t bother getting up yet.

Escora walked over and looked down at him with a frown. “It probably would have retreated if I kept damaging it the way I was. There was no need to throw yourself into danger like that.”

“You’re welcome,” Verus replied as he closed his eyes and smiled. Knowing Escora, she was giving him a backhanded compliment. He’d won. He’d defeated the spirit without backing down, like a true cultivator.

“It’s dead! We actually killed a spirit by ourselves. I already feel like I’ve ascended a little,” Warin laughed before peering down at his friend. “Did you cut yourself?”

“Er, yes,” Verus replied as he raised his hand so he could look at it. Why had he done that again? …it had been part of a technique? When had he learned that?

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“Here let me help you up,” Escora said as she grabbed Verus’s undamaged hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Thanks.”

Once up, Verus blinked and collected his thoughts as he studied the vibrant forest surrounding him. His head was still a little muddled.

“I knew you were holding back in our spars, but I didn’t realize how much,” he told Escora. “What sort of technique was that?”

“Revealing my clan’s techniques in a spar would be foolhardy, and it wasn’t like I needed them. However, condensed essence is the best thing for damaging the living ki that makes up a spirit’s body, so Twisting River Whips was my best option.”

“It’s a very impressive technique,” Verus agreed.

Escora nodded. “In legend, it is said my tribe, the Val-Telhri are descended from a powerful soul snake that took human form thousands of years ago and that we inherited our attunements and techniques from it.”

“I don’t think soul beasts turn into people,” Warin told her.

“It’s just an old tale. It could mean anything, and the empire announced our bloodlines clean during the conquests. That’s why they let us join instead of wiping us out. We certainly inherit less than Highcloud or Inias, and they’re simply the descendants of powerful cultivators, so it’s probably just a tale,” Escora replied before turning to Verus. “What was that technique you used to finish the spirit off?”

“Um, it was a simple reinforcement technique. Nothing fancy.” Truthfully, Verus couldn’t remember the details of the technique. He was just glad it had worked.

“Well, it certainly worked. You gutted that specter like a fish!”

“I helped too,” Warin interjected with mock concern. “You both would have gotten eaten without me!”

“Yes, you did,” Escora told him. “Thanks. I obviously need to practice that Faithful Soul Ward a lot more. I usually prefer my clan’s techniques, but mine didn’t work nearly as well.”

“So. What do we do now?” Verus asked his allies. “We shouldn’t waste any time.”

“You heard the elders. This is a competition. We need to find some good loot before any of the others and try not to get ambushed along the way.”

“I meant right this moment.”

“Well, this isn’t so different from some of the hunting trips my tribe does, so I’ll take the lead.”

“Go right ahead,” Verus told her as Warin nodded along. Neither of them had a problem with her being in charge.

“Right,” Escora said as she turned to study the forest around them. “Then, the first thing we need to do is survey our surroundings and get an idea of where we are.”

“I could climb a tree,” Verus suggested.

No one had a better idea, so Verus soon found himself scaling the tallest nearby tree. His strength and agility made it easy, but he still had to be careful. He had no idea what was up in the canopy. That was where the lizard spirit had come from after all.

Verus managed to reach the top of the leafy canopy without a problem. Pulling himself up onto a branch near the top of the tall tree, he got a good view of land around him.

A sea of shifting leaves surrounded Verus, made from the tops of countless trees. They blew in the wind, filling his ears with whispery rustling sound as he looked around with wide eyes. He could see for miles in every direction, and it was a lot to take in. His group had been teleported into a huge mountain valley. Snow-peaked mountains encircled them, like the rim of a huge stone bowl with jagged edges.

Verus and his companions were currently on the slope of one of the mountains at the edge of the valley, which was why he had such a great view. Most of the land below him was covered by shifting treetops, but he could see several large clearings and a river that ran through the valley.

There was also a very familiar tower in the center of everything. It rose to heights that challenged the mountains, even if it was smaller than the one in the capital. It was another Heaven and Earth Array. Verus easily recognized the crystal structure and the shimmering ki around it. Well, now he knew how the imperial palace managed the ki in the Algorian Reaches.

Escora had firmly instructed Verus to look for signs of other competitors and loot to steal… prizes to claim. However, he didn’t see any sign of either from his vantage point. Trees blocked his sight of the ground in most places, although he did see hints of what he thought were buildings. It was hard to tell from this far away.

Climbing back down, Verus informed his allies of what he’d seen. Warin simply nodded but Escora immediately began planning. Since they weren’t in imminent danger, she had them all take an inventory and pool their resources.

“Hunters that don’t move as one invite trouble,” she told them.

Verus had no idea if that was some sort of tribal wisdom or if she’d made it up on the spot, but it didn’t really matter. She was already in charge.

The requisition office had been handing out basic packages of gear for the trip, so they all had the essentials of what they’d need to survive in the wild, and Warin had brought an extra bag of food on top of that. As cultivators, they were all also quite hardy and could survive in places mortals couldn’t. On top of being strong and tough, they needed less sustenance, could go with little in the way of sleep, and could eat and drink things that would kill normal people. It turned out Escora had also brought a ward to keep bugs away and shield a small area from rain. Apparently, she never went anywhere without it.

“Alright, I think our best bet is heading toward the center of the valley. That’s the obvious place to go if we want to find some valuables,” Escora said when they were done going over their gear.

Verus and Warin exchanged a quick glance.

“Won’t everyone else think the same? That would guarantee that we run into competition, and we’d have to race there, or others would beat us to the prizes.”

“Not exactly, even if we’re not first, all we need to do then is ambush the other disciples and take what they’ve found.”

Verus frowned. This plan sounded like it would quickly degenerate into an endless bloody melee.

Escora noticed her allies’ hesitation. “Do you have a better idea? Wandering around in the forest hoping to stumble into something won’t work. It’s not like we have a map or a guide, and I can’t sense anything through this haze of ki.”

“True enough…” Verus admitted as he began thinking. There had to be another way…

“I’ve been training my senses,” Verus added a moment later. “I might be able to detect any strong sources of ki near us.”

All that channeling he’d done had involved sensing and recognizing many different types of ki so he could isolate the ones he wanted to try channeling.

“You can try it as we move,” Escora replied with a shrug. “But we still need to head for the center. No hunt ever succeeded without shed blood.”

Warin leaned over to whisper at Verus. “Maybe we shouldn’t have invited her to join us after all.”

“We?”