Ed stood in a misty forest.

The ground was soft and dark. The trees were dead and black as soot. The mist caused a tide of fear to rush into his mind. He hated mist. He would not be here if he had not decided to walk the mist. If not for that oracle, if not for those rippers, if not for the mist, he would still be a prince back home with his mother and father. His father, yes. If he had not found his father if he did not owe her. Her. The quest. His mind shook. Tension filled his bones.

Behind him, Tie Nse frowned. He and the rest and not stepped through the threshold into the dome of mist. The mist was caused by the hell tree. It had the same effect on cultivators as in the Baju Valley. It was only Ed that could walk in there. He saw and Ed froze and felt that something was off with the boy. This boy never showed any expression when faced with different situations. What could possibly break his calm?

"Boy, what is wrong?" he asked.

The quest, yes. A bit of sanity returned to Ed at the thought of his quest. At the thought of her. he must leave this place and go back to save her. She needs him; he convinced himself. With this, his emotions stabilized and his eyes steeled as he looked back at the group.

"Why are we here?" he asked.

Tie Nse, who sighed in relief when he noticed that Ed's calm had returned, answered, "This place is like the Baju Valley, thick with energy, absorb-able energy,"

"Absorbable?" Ed asked.

"Boy, you had turned the south side city into another Baju Valley. Unlike the valley that is filled with energies that raise one's cultivation, the south side city's air is filled with remnants of your attack power. Your last punch is still hanging in the air, killing any that enters the city," Old Iba replied.

"I can feel the thick energy here, but old pervert, it is nothing on the scale of the Baju Valley," Ed said.

"Ha! He even calls you old pervert!" Old Iba laughed, "Boy, I like you,"

"When you rise in cultivation, the energy you need becomes less of the wild and chaotic kind, but the pure and steady kind. You have been in the spirit-picking stage too long, I need you to level up," Tie Nse ignored the laughing Old Iba and explained to Ed.

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"Didn't you say he had just entered the spirit-picking stage?" Old Iba frowned.

"I have never worried about you levelling up. You must understand, that as long as the energy you need is there, you can level up fast, unlike normal cultivators that take time to gain a certain level of power. The problem I have is getting the kind of energy you need to level up fast, and training you with enough skills to match your power. You cannot have power and be unable to fight with it," Tie Nse explained.

"You need the Hell tree to break through. The energies here are purer than in the Baju Valley. It should help you reach the spirit-awakening stage. I just worry we may run out of places to get such energies to help you break through," Tie Nse said.

"This Hell tree can help me break though?" Ed asked.

"This mist is a sharp 360 radius around with the Hell tree at its centre. You must cultivate under it," Tie Nse nodded.

"What is he here for?" Ed pointed at Old Iba.

"Remember when you were attacked by tribulation lightning and it helped stabilize your cultivation? We intend to re-enact it," Tie Nse said.

"I am an alchemist, boy. Your pervert master contracted me to make you a pill to force tribulation lightning to stay as much as we want, not receding no matter how it tries," Old Iba's words caused Sung Sung standing a bit away from the group to freeze.

He is aware that this man in the mist is the legendary disciple of the patriarch that everyone has been talking about. Patriarch Tie Nse had appeared out of nowhere and taken him away. All he knows is that the patriarch had attacked the Jade Phoenix alliance and everyone thought it was him. Sung Sung did not really mind this, as he had gotten his revenge and was given the opportunity to join the Heaven Alliance.

Since following the patriarch and Cottage master Iba, he had seen a lot of things. What he saw at the south side city the little time the patriarch was holding him up, was too much to comprehend. Now, he was hearing about holding back tribulation lightning? What kind of training was this?

"The Hell tree is not far from here. Go and begin," Tie Nse said.

"And the pill?" Ed asked.

"He will make it while you cultivate. When you are about to break through, I will return," Tie Nse said.

"Return?" Ed asked, "Where are you going?"

"The Heaven Alliance. This is an obligation I must keep," Tie Nse said.

"And if I breakthrough before you return?" he asked.

"You took ten years to break into the spirit-picking stage. Though with the contemplation technique I gave you, it will be much shorter. The Heaven Alliance meet will at most last two weeks. I will be back before you break through," Tie Nse said.

"Which one is the Hell tree?" Ed asked.

"The Hell tree is said to be the only thing that blooms in the mist. You will know it when you see it," Old Iba answered and Ed turned away from the group and walked deeper into the mist.

Tie Nse glanced at Old Iba meaningfully, "Start making the pill. I suspect he will break through the moment I return," he said.

"You be careful. All nine powers know you are going to be at The Meet. Things are bound to get complicated," Old Iba said and Tie Nse sighed. He blinked in front of Sung Sung and grabbed his shoulder before vanishing with him.