I burst into the dining hall, slightly out of breath from running. The familiar scent of stead buns and rice filled the air as I scanned the crowded room for my friends. Even at this late hour, the hall was bustling with disciples finishing their evening als or simply gathering to talk.
"Over here!" Wei Lin's voice called out from our usual spot near the windows. He and Lin i were already halfway through their als, several empty plates stacked between them.
"Sorry I'm late," I said, sliding onto the bench across from them. My stomach growled loudly, reminding that I hadn't eaten since morning.
Wei Lin pushed a plate of dumplings toward . "We ordered extra, figured you'd show up eventually."
"Thanks." I grabbed my chopsticks and started eating, trying to ignore their expectant stares. After a few monts of silence, I looked up to find them both watching with varying degrees of amusent and curiosity.
Lin i spoke first. "So... are you going to tell us where you've been?"
I glanced around, noticing Liu Chen's absence. "Where's the kid?"
"Nice try changing the subject," Wei Lin smirked. "But Liu Chen's fine. He's getting settled into his new quarters. We'll see him after dinner."
"New quarters?" I raised an eyebrow, montarily distracted from their interrogation.
Lin i nodded. "You missed quite a bit while you were... wherever you were." She gave a pointed look.
I sighed, knowing they weren't going to let this go. "I was learning formations," I admitted between bites of dumpling. "From an elder."
Wei Lin choked on his tea. "An elder? Which one?"
"Elder Chen Yong."
Lin i frowned slightly. "I don't think I've heard of him..."
"That's because he usually stays to himself," Wei Lin cut in, his eyes wide. "There are rumors he just entered the Life Realm." He turned to with a grin, slapping my back hard enough to make almost drop my chopsticks. "I always knew you'd beco an elder's disciple!"
"I wouldn't go that far," I said quickly, rembering Chen Yong's complaints about taking on disciples. "He's just giving so pointers about formations."
Lin i's eyes narrowed. "And how exactly did you catch an elder's attention?" From her accusing look, I could tell she already had a pretty good idea.
I focused very intently on my bowl. "I might have gotten into a small fight..."
"Ke Yin!" Lin i's exasperation was clear in her voice.
"It wasn't my fault!" I protested. "I tried to walk away, but this guy was determined to 'teach a first-year disciple a lesson.'" I made air quotes with my chopsticks.
"Let guess," Lin i said dryly, "you taught him one instead?"
I shrugged, trying to look innocent.
"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt," Lin i sighed. "But you need to be more careful." She shook her head. "Boys and their need to show off..."
"Actually," Wei Lin cut in, "it might have been for the best." When Lin i turned her glare on him, he held up his hands defensively. "Hear out! I was talking to so older disciples about the tournant. Supposedly in the group stages, the weak teams usually get targeted since the strong teams tend to avoid one another."
"That... actually makes sense," I said thoughtfully. "By the way, did you hear what I registered our team as?"
"Oh right, our team na," Wei Lin perked up. "Please tell it wasn't sothing embarrassing."
"Three Paths."
"Really?" Wei Lin raised an eyebrow. "Sounds kind of basic…"
"Would you have preferred 'The Dual Cultivators Plus One'?" I asked innocently.
The chopsticks he threw at my head were probably deserved, but I decided it was worth it just to see Lin i's face turn that particular shade of red.
"Speaking of the tournant," I said, ducking a third missile, "I checked out our competition when I was signing us up."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I told them about the strong teams I had encountered: Chen Feng's Shadow Wraith Squad, Ming Yue's team with their poison and sound techniques, the mountain Earth Fist Lieu, and of course, Yuan Zhen's seemingly invincible team.
"So there really is an eighth stage cultivator," Lin i muttered, shaking her head. "How are we supposed to compete with that?"
"We don't," I said flatly. "Rember, we just have to get through the first round. After that it's one-on-one, and none of us have to fight Yuan Zhen unless we make it to the finals…or have really bad luck and end up in the sa bracket as him."
"Which won't happen," Wei Lin added cheerfully. "No offense, but I plan to get eliminated the mont I face soone above the fifth stage. I'm not dying for glory."
Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden hush falling over the dining hall. I turned to see what had caught everyone's attention and found Earth Fist Liu walking in. He was alone, his massive fra making him stand out even more than usual. To my surprise, he started heading directly for our table.
I tensed, wondering if I was about to get into my second fight of the day, one that I likely wouldn't be winning. But Liu's expression wasn't hostile, if anything, he looked... amused?
He stopped at our table, nodding to Wei Lin and Lin i before focusing on . "Nice work putting that arrogant disciple in his place," he said, his voice a low rumble. "It's about ti soone taught him that cultivation stage isn't everything."
I blinked, caught off guard by the praise. "Thanks?"
He smiled, an expression that transford his usually blank face. "Hope to see you in the one-on-one battles. It's been a while since I've had an interesting opponent." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving a wake of whispers behind him.
"Did... did Earth Fist Liu just complint you?" Wei Lin asked, sounding dazed.
"I think he did," I replied, equally surprised.
"Great," Lin i muttered. "Now you'll be even more impossible to keep out of trouble."
***
After we finished eating, we headed towards Liu Chen's new quarters. As we walked, Wei Lin and Lin i filled in on what I'd missed while I was with Elder Chen Yong.
"You'll never believe who picked Liu Chen as their disciple," Wei Lin said.
"Elder Song," Lin i answered before I could guess. "She's one of the sect's foremost experts on earth elent cultivation."
That made sense. A stone guardian would naturally attract the attention of an earth elent specialist. "How's Liu Chen handling it?"
"Better than you might expect," Lin i said. "Though I think having Rocky there helps. It's hard to be too intimidated by anyone when you have a fifteen-foot stone guardian backing you up."
Wei Lin nudged with his elbow. "Oh, and guess what else? We each got two thousand contribution points for recruiting them."
I couldn't help but smile at that. The points would definitely co in handy – maybe for tournant preparations, or perhaps...
We entered the core disciple area, and I had to admit, the difference was striking. The paths were wider, paved with spirit stones that gave off a soft, ambient light. The buildings were larger and more ornate, with formation arrays visible in the walls and roofs. Even the air felt different – cleaner sohow, more charged with spiritual energy.
Liu Chen's new quarters turned out to be a small compound rather than a single room. The main building was clearly built to accommodate Rocky's size, with high ceilings and reinforced floors. A training yard took up most of the space, already showing signs of use – there were several impact craters that looked suspiciously Rocky-sized.
We found Liu Chen in the yard, practicing with the training sword I'd given him. He was wearing purple disciple robes that looked a bit too big for him, though soone had clearly tried to adjust them. Rocky stood nearby, watching his friend's movents with what seed like pride.
The stone guardian noticed us first, letting out a grinding sound that might have been a greeting. Liu Chen spun around, his face lighting up when he saw us.
"Brother Ke!" he called out, running over. "Did you see? Elder Song said I have talent for earth elent techniques! And look at my new robes!"
I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. It was good to see him settling in so well. "They suit you," I said, ruffling his hair. "Though you might want to roll up those sleeves before you trip."
"Elder Song says she can teach Rocky how to compress his form," Liu Chen said excitedly. "So he won't break things as much. And she's going to teach how to form my inner world too! Though..." his expression fell slightly, "I have to learn to read and write first."
"That's not a bad thing," Lin i said gently. "Knowledge is just as important as power."
"I guess," Liu Chen sighed with all the drama of a pre-teen being forced to study. "But Rocky gets to start training right away!"
The stone guardian made another grinding sound, this one sohow managing to convey smugness.
We spent the next hour catching up, Liu Chen excitedly showing us around his new ho while Rocky followed like an oversized pet.
When the sun finally began to set, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the outer sect. I found my thoughts turning to the future. The tournant was approaching quickly, and I needed to make the most of every mont.
My schedule was already taking shape in my mind: weekly formation lessons with Elder Chen, team practice with Wei Lin and Lin i, and any spare ti in this world devoted to studying formations and manipulating plants.
But the real key would be the Two Suns world. I had a strong feeling that I could enter and leave at will – I didn't need to die to return. Unfortunately, I hadn't had a chance to test that theory last ti, what with being vaporized and all.
Still, the ti difference between the worlds could be invaluable. I could gain more battle experience there, learn more runes, maybe even find ways to combine them with formations. And while in that world, I could enter my inner world to develop it...
My thoughts drifted to the vine I'd left behind, and my smile turned slightly sad. Maybe I could use so of these new contribution points to research soul bonds, find a way to bring it back with next ti. After all, if Liu Chen and Rocky could form such a powerful connection...
"You're being awfully quiet," Lin i observed, falling into step beside .
"Just thinking about training plans," I replied, which wasn't entirely a lie.
"Don't think too hard," Wei Lin called from ahead of us. "We've got eight weeks – plenty of ti to figure things out."
I didn't feel like eight weeks was actually that much ti, but with access to a different world along with the ti dilation effect..., it would probably be more than enough.
Well, I hope it will.
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