Mountain of the Four Tributaries
The ground was soaked—muddy footprints and broken branches littered the plateau. Wei Lian was breathing heavily, his chest heaving with exertion.
— Again.
He slammed his hands onto the wet earth. Roots erupted, thick and fast, surrounding Wang Tao from all sides like a wooden cage.
Wang Tao didn't draw his daggers. He lunged forward with a clenched fist.
CRACK.
The wood shattered like dry twigs. Wei Lian's eyes widened in shock. Wang Tao charged toward him, fists ready, but suddenly jerked to a halt—his feet were encased in solid rock.
He shifted his gaze to Yan Li. She was already finishing her hand seals. Flames erupted from her palms—small but intense—and streaked toward him.
Wang Tao forced the muscles in his legs to their limit, shattering the stone prison. He rolled across the mud, narrowly dodging the fire. He reached for the wires in his pouch.
— No wires! — Yan Li protested, pouting.
Wang Tao's face contorted with a mix of frustration and focus.
— You have to learn to defend against everything...
— Hmpf. — Yan Li crossed her arms. — We agreed we would only use spells. You aren't keeping your word, Eldest Brother Tao.
A vein throbbed on Wang Tao's forehead. Yan Li is evolving too fast. Her Qi control is absurd. If I don't give it my all...
He took a deep breath.
— In combat, there are no rules.
Then: a sudden impact.
Wang Tao was sent flying. Where he had stood a moment before, a massive tree root now stood—firm, thick, and shaped like a mallet. On the other side of the plateau, Wei Lian was just lowering his hands.
— Oops... — he said awkwardly. — We're still in combat, right?
Wang Tao stood back up, his green robes stained with mud and earth. He tried to maintain his composure, but it was getting difficult. He sighed—a habit that was becoming far too frequent lately.
— Yan Li.
She immediately snapped into an upright position. Wang Tao weighed his words carefully.
— Your Qi control is...
He paused. I won't praise her too much.
— Good. Keep it up.
Yan Li blinked in surprise, then jumped up, celebrating with a bright smile.
— Your Qi flow is clean — he continued. — You waste almost nothing. That is rare at your level.
She felt her face grow warm.
— But you lack firmness. You lack power.
He turned his gaze toward Wei Lian.
— Your problem is the exact opposite.
Wei Lian swallowed hard.
— You don't lack power — Wang Tao said. — But you force it too much. You spend far too much Qi on every single technique. You lack control.
He lowered his voice, his tone turning grim.
— In a real fight, that will kill you before the enemy does.
Both disciples nodded in silence. For a brief moment, Wang Tao's hand trembled; he quickly closed his fingers into a fist. No one noticed.
Cultivators' Alliance — Meeting Hall
The hall was packed. Representatives from various clans, small sects, and noble families sat in rows. No one was smiling.
— The Qi on the Mountain of the Four Tributaries has increased — a short Elder announced.
— It's not normal — another whispered.
— First a new Guest Elder, then that strange thunder, and now this? Qi density doubling?
A third representative brought up the hard facts.
— The Four-Leaf Clover Sect is growing too fast.
A man in blue robes crossed his arms.
— And when one sect grows like that, others bleed.
The room fell silent.
— The Flaming Battle Sect must already know — someone said.
Several leaders swallowed hard. Another man spoke in a hushed tone:
— Perhaps someone should... notify them.
Eyes met across the room. No one claimed responsibility, but the decision was already made.
— And what about us? — a timid voice asked from among the leaders.
Chen Wu, Leader of the Alliance, closed his eyes. His white beard reached down to his abdomen, and his face was deeply lined with age.
— We will wait — he murmured, his eyes narrowing. — For now... we watch.
Flaming Battle Sect
Inside a vast hall with crimson walls and flickering torches, a scroll was delivered. Yan Huo, the Sect Leader, read it in silence. His expression remained unreadable.
— The Qi has tripled — he whispered. — Denser, purer.
He folded the report slowly.
— What are you plotting, Four-Leaf Clover?
He paused, his eyes turning cold.
— Send observers. I want to know everything.
He stood up and began walking toward the window.
— And organize a meeting with the Ancestors.
From his vantage point, the entire province was visible: small, divided, and weak.
— Perhaps — he said, almost to himself — it is time for Qinhe to have a single master.