Time flies when you’re having fun and Yu Xiang had certainly been having a good time exploring the full capabilities of his newfound Intent and learning the limits of this new force that resided within him.

The time left before the expedition’s start quickly approached as the green eyed cultivator immersed himself in his training, cutting short his recent obsession far faster than he would’ve liked.

The day of their mission was just like any other one, the sun was out in full force, shining down on their blessed mountain and making the air pleasantly warm. It was a bit windy, but nothing to be concerned about as there were almost no clouds covering the azure skies above them.

Yu Xiang stood outside of his house, taking a moment to thoroughly enjoy the morning breeze. He took a deep breath then released it all at once explosively. A smile spread on his face as the fragrance of their little garden lingered in his nose.

With his appreciation of nature done he turned around, looking at a normal brown sack that was left leaning against the house’s wall.

That was his luggage. Enough preserved food to last a normal person a week, even if he could ration it for much longer due to his refined body, some toiletries, as he wouldn’t reach that state of not needing to use the bathroom until the Worldly Realm, a few pouches filled with pills and elixirs both for cultivation and recovery, and his ever trusty dagger, which he always carried around with him.

He went over all of his items carefully, making sure that nothing had gotten loose and was going to slip out of his bag, and that he hadn’t forgotten to pack away anything important.

Satisfied with his last check, Yu put his hands on his hips, letting out a satisfied grunt, before a spark created by two neurons in his brain colliding made him aware of a glaring issue.

He had forgotten to put on his new armor!

With a chi enhanced leap, he immediately reached the second floor of his home, entering through one of the still open windows. After that, he ran to his room, flung open his dresser, and extracted the pieces of his armor from the bundle he'd left them in.

A ray of sunshine entered the room through a window, reflecting off of a carefully polished plackart which fit snugly over Yu Xiang's abdomen, then rising a bit further towards his chest, with two colored straps that went over his shoulders and that camouflaged perfectly on his blue robes.

Under the chest piece protruded an equally shiny tasset, divided into three distinct and independently moving parts that protected the green eyed cultivator's sides, upper thighs, and most important of all, his precious nether regions.

The last component of the armor was a pair of gauntlets that extended over the back of his hands, alongside some vambraces that would keep his forearms from harm during combat, as deflections were a key component of his hand to hand skills.

The entire armor was covered in the white scales he'd taken from the giant snake, hammered in to be far more closely knit than they'd been on the spiritual beast and fused with the metal that made up the rest of the armor.

The metal that peaked through the gleaming scales was a reddish and yellowish color that vaguely reminded Yu Xiang of ancient armors he'd seen in museums in his past life, while the inside parts of the armor were covered in tinted leather to be the same color as his robes.

The young reincarnator admired himself in a nearby mirror for what must've been the one hundredth time since he'd first gotten his hands on his shiny new armor, a goofy smile he would never show in public pulling at his cheeks as he lived every boy who'd ever dreamed of being a warrior's dream.

He took a few more moments to admire his new look before he reluctantly pulled himself away from his own reflection to go check up on his feline friend. After all, he couldn't just spend the rest of the day admiring himself, again, or he would miss the time of their departure.

And he'd hate to let Hui Chen down just because of his own vanity.

>>>

Chun Dai waited in silent contemplation, like he often found himself doing.

His eyes were closed and his expression was set into a rigid half scowl, not caused by any nervousness on his part, but simply because that was his natural expression, something the young prince often commented on but which the blue eyed swordsman found no reason to change.

Hui Chen said that his unflinching look made him seem unapproachable, cold, aloof, and a dozen other similar adjectives, but while all of that was unquestionably true Dai believed that his outer appearance simply mirrored the shape of his soul.

He was a sheathed sword. Standing ever ready to strike with impunity and detached precision born from years and years of battle and even longer practice.

A blade is cold, warmed only by the flesh and blood of the unworthy. A blade is hard, never bending under the pressure of neither foes nor the heavens themselves. A blade is detached, for it follows the hand of its master, to cut down any man or beast it deems an enemy, drowning all under a storm of steel.

And that was why he was here today, at his master's order. Standing just outside the inner compound where a smaller flying barge sat waiting for him and his young followers.

His mission was simple, make sure that the Golden Prince's young protege had ample enough chances to try and mend bridges with his heated rival, and if Yu Xiang tried but failed, then it would be up to Chun Dai to observe the nemesis, Su Rong, and judge if his enmity ran deep enough that it would be better if he was... removed.

That was his responsibility as the young patriarch's ever sharp sword, to remove all obstacles in his chosen path with impunity.

But for now, he simply waited silently, his aura stretching far into the inner compound, tracking his young charges as they made his way to him.

Slowly they started to arrive as the time for their departure approached, first one stood alone a handful of strides from him, then another two, followed by Yu Xiang and his alchemist companion, another person he'd been ordered to evaluate, although with no instruction that would lead to his possible removal.

The small group of young cultivators all stood not too far from him, chatting amiably with one another in a clear show of togetherness that would've undoubtedly gotten Guan Hui Chem's approval, who was ever a fan of camaraderie between sect mates. But not a single one of them ever moved closer to him or tried to attract his attention. Not that Chun Dai was surprised by this fact, after all, only a fool would approach a readied blade.

It took a bit more time for the last trio to arrive, at which point the set time for their departure had almost come up, but before the waiting disciples could even finish greeting the new arrivals the stoic cultivator finally opened his eyes, piercing through all of the gathered disciples with his icy gaze and bringing them all to a sudden stop.

A single sentence cut through the tense silence like a hot knife through butter, entrapping the younger cultivators with the sheer authority in his voice.

"Let us go." No other words were needed. They all knew why they were here, even if only in broad terms, but that was enough for now.

Chun Dai turned around smoothly, heading towards the small flying barge waiting behind them. The group of young disciples still stood frozen in place for a heartbeat more before they snapped back to their senses and swiftly moved to follow his lead, still in a awe filled silence brought about by his sheer presence.

The steely swordsman wasn't concerned that his presence would curb their enthusiasm or their willingness to communicate with one another. They would get used to his presence with enough time and Chun Dai had chosen for them a mission that would give them more than enough to do so.

A Hidden Space had been discovered by some patrolling inner disciples, who had asked for reinforcements to explore the surprisingly vast space within, just in case something went wrong.

Adventure, possible treasures, and a certainty of danger. What better way to develop the camaraderie between a group of young cultivators?