~~~

As the tens of disciples fire at the monsters, Huang Shing wishes he had bigger fists.

None of his techniques have a long enough range to be useful right now. He cannot even charge at the enemy and trust in his cultivation to protect him. Being in the True Realm does not make him invulnerable. He might be able to take a few hits without damage, but there are too many enemies and too much power being thrown around. Eventually, he’ll make a mistake and suffer for it.

It makes Qing Jin’s actions all the more reckless.

Certainly, Qing Jin’s skillset is flexible enough to allow him to jump into the fray and lose himself amidst the horde. The less said about his sudden ability to explode monsters into dogs, the better. Qing Jin might be a skilled doctor, but that can no longer be called medicine any more than Qing Jin can be called normal.

However, there has to be a limit.

“He’s amazing,” Ten from the Armory says for what feels like the tenth time in as many minutes.

Huang Shing does not blame him. Ten is far from the only one impressed. Even he cannot help but be in awe of what Qing Jin has accomplished. However, unlike everyone else, Huang Shing is in the same cultivation realm as Qing Jin. Though there are bound to be differences in the quality of their dantian, acupoints, and meridians, Huang Shing feels he has a fairly good grasp of just how much Qi Qing Jing has. That is why he is sure of one thing.

Qing Jin is going to die at this rate.

A muttered curse leaves his lips before he takes the elixir offered to him by one of the members of the Medical Pavilion. As he guzzles it down, he can feel the soreness in his muscles fading away and his dwindling energy recovering. As expected of Qing Jin's work.

How many elixirs and other such things has Qing Jin drunk so far?

“You look like a man about to attempt something heroic,” Brother Hong says, walking up to stand side by side with him. “I know that look because I have worn it many times myself.”

Bei Hong looks so serious and solemn as he speaks that Huang Shing breaks into a laugh.

“Brother Hong, how would you know what your own expression looks like?”

“A true man always knows.” Bei Hong grins and stands up even taller, either not caring or not feeling the many wounds under his bandages. “What sort of face do you think he is making?”

There is no need for him to specify who he is talking about. They are both looking in the same direction.

“If it were me, I’d probably be laughing,” Bei Hong keeps going. “But I don’t think I have ever seen that guy laugh.”

“He does laugh,” Huang Shing says. Bei Hong waves his hand.

“Those are weak laughs. They don’t count. That guy is strong but doesn’t know how to enjoy himself! It’s a waste!”

“Brother Hong will have to show us how to enjoy ourselves then.”

“Naturally, now let’s go and-”

Dazzling gold flames come down from beyond the walls, and Bei Hong’s words are lost in their roar. The fire rushes through the battlefield with power and fury, effortlessly burning hundreds of the monsters that were giving them so much trouble. The sight brings relief to Huang Shing’s face, but only for the second it takes him to identify the Qi that accompanies the flames.

Feng Zhi’s Qi.

As if the very thought was enough to summon him, the Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan appears in front of them. His golden eyes are blazing suns. His body is clad in fire and resplendent with power. The Feng Zhi right now feels like some old god that has stepped out of the stories.

“Where is he?”

Feng Zhi’s mouth moves, but his words are drowned out by the sound of his Qi. It is so violent he might as well be shouting in their ears. The heat emanating from him makes their every breath hurt, and his aura feels like it could crush them at any moment. The disciples near them, tired from all the fighting, are already buckling under the strain.

Huang Shing is not weak enough to miss how tired Feng Zhi looks under the flames or how his potent Qi feels like it is about to be extinguished at any moment. All the same, he finds himself taking a step back.

“He’s in the temple,” Huang Shing answers, already preparing himself for the worst. “Young Master, I understand you are angry with me, and I am willing to face that anger, but now is not... the… time?”

Huang Shing trails off because Feng Zhi is no longer there. He took off as soon as Huang Shing revealed Feng Hao’s location. A trail of melted earth leads right into the temple.

“That’s going to be troublesome.”

Huang Shing nods before realizing he does not recognize to whom the voice belongs. Feng Zhi’s Qi had been so furious that it had demanded his full attention, making him miss anyone who might have come with him. As he looks up to the bearded face of a person whose cultivation exceeds his own and who does not feel like he is impossibly tired, Huang Shing starts thinking that might have been a mistake.

“Are you the one in charge?” the tall, bearded man asks as though there wasn’t an army fighting behind him.

“Impossible, Senior Brother Guo,” says a voice Huang Shing instantly recognizes as Brother Khong Hu’s. “He is from Lord Feng Shang’s faction.”

Senior Brother Guo’s eyes narrow. “Is that so?”

“Bah! As if that matters now,” Bei Hong says with irreverence Huang Shing can only envy. “If you want to settle grudges, wait until after the monsters are dealt with.”

“I intend to,” Senior Brother Guo says. “That’s why I want to speak with whoever is in charge.”

“Ah, that’s Brother Qing Jin!” Huang Shing says.

“Him?!” cries out a disciple Huang Shing finds familiar but can’t quite place.

“I see.” Senior Brother Guo smiles. “And where might I find him?”

“Over there,” Bei Hong answers, waving his hand towards the beasts.

Khong Hu sighs and shakes his head. “Of course.”

“It seems like much has happened.” Senior Brother Guo cracks his knuckles. “Very well then, I’ll go rescue my junior.”

~~~

Three Core Disciples look at the battle from a fair distance away. They are so far away that they can no longer rely on their eyes. Instead, they keep track of what is happening through their ability to sense Qi.

“Not bad.” Shi Qingxia whistles at the destruction wrought by Feng Zhi’s entrance. “The Young Master’s quite angry, isn’t he?”

“They have Mou with them,” Ye Zheyu points out. “Should we extract him?”

“There is no need,” Yong replies. Unlike them, he is not standing or even bothering to turn towards the battle. “He knows nothing, and he’s ultimately too loyal to Lord Feng Shang.”

“He’s a groveling little dog, you mean.” Shi spits to the side. “It was always gross watching him talk about that man. Why do you even call him lord?”

“Respect costs nothing.”

“There’s nothing worth respecting about Shang!”

“Regardless,” Ye cuts in with the well-practiced ease of someone used to breaking arguments, “Do you think we should have warned the man from the other side about the Young Master?”

“The arrogant ass who told us to stay out of his way?” Shi scoffs. “Why bother helping him?”

“Indeed.”

“Oh?” Shi raises an eyebrow at Yong’s response and crosses her arms. “Senior Brother, I thought respect cost nothing.”

“We are doing as he asked and staying out of his way. What is that if not respect for his wishes?”

Shi Qingxia laughs.

~~~

Liu Jin has no trouble sensing Feng Zhi’s entrance. He imagines there is not a single person on the battlefield who missed it. He also senses how Feng Zhi immediately dashes for the temple. It is not ideal, but that should ensure those in the temple are kept safe, and he trusts Lu Mei to navigate the situation with more tact than he ever could.

More importantly, Liu Jin senses those who came with Feng Zhi. As relieved as he is to know Senior Brother Khong and Pan Qiu are alive, it is Senior Brother Guo’s Qi that brings him the most comfort. The presence of an Earth Realm cultivator is precisely what they need to turn the tide of this battle.

Somehow finding the strength to smile, Liu Jin wills the giant snake he is controlling to move so he can take advantage of the chaos created by Feng Zhi. His powerful entrance has created a large gap in the enemy forces. If he can prevent them from regrouping, it will be easier for everyone else to engage.

Despite the creature’s size, Liu Jin has no trouble controlling its movements. If anything, it is easier to move the snake than it is to control the hounds. Somehow, he instinctively understands the anatomy of a snake.

Just like how he instinctively knows how to use the White Venom Fist.

Just like how he instinctively knows how to create snake constructs.

As if responding to his thoughts, Nine-Headed-Snake God’s Veins pulse inside him. Liu Jin is not sure if he can find any comfort in it. The more time passes, the more he understands that Nine-Headed Snake God’s gift is not as simple as it initially seemed. That is not even getting into the sword and-

His snake is gone.

In an instant. In less than the blink of an eye. The creature around him is eradicated. Only instinct compelled Liu Jin to surround himself with as many Qi snakes as possible. He is not sure he’d have survived otherwise.

“Oh dear, you’re still alive?”

Liu Jin tries to pick himself from the ground as the owner of that dreadfully familiar voice walks up to him.

“Xun Huwen…” He whispers in horror.

Suddenly, Senior Brother Guo’s presence is nowhere near enough comfort. Liu Jin had known Xun Huwen was taking part in the contest, but he’d dared to hope he had already returned to the Eternal Flame Clan.

How foolish of him.

“That’s very surprising,” Xun Huwen says. He crouches a few feet away from Liu Jin’s fallen form, looking at him as though he were an odd bug. “I might have held back, but I did try to kill you just now. Someone in the Second Level of the True Realm should not have survived.”

As he speaks, Liu Jin’s hounds jump at him from all sides, but they fail to make contact with him. Xun Huwen does not move or acknowledge the attack.

“You also shouldn’t have recovered quickly enough to take part in the contest,” Xun Huwen continues. “Someone like you should not have been important enough to stand before me again, nor should you have merited the aberration’s interruption. Oh, by the way, you should not expect him to save you this time.”

“A-aberration?” Liu Jin echoes, trying his hardest to stand and failing. His legs do not seem to work for some reason, nor can his arms muster any strength.

“I traded with a friend, you see,” Xun Huwen continues. “From the moment I met that guy, I knew he’d be useful. If I could get him to fight the aberration in my stead, I could finally act freely. Luckily, you made him so angry that he was willing to accept. It is more dignified to fight someone in the Heaven Realm than it is to lower himself by stepping on a particularly troublesome ant.”

Xun Huwen laughs. “How idiotic is that? Ants can be admirable creatures in their own way, and sometimes, they deserve to be stepped on personally. You seem like an admirable ant.”

A Qi snake bursts from the ground behind Xun Huwen. It goes high up, then twists to strike at Xun Huwen from above. Just like the hounds, it cannot reach its target. However, a small, blueish needle falls from it. Compelled by gravity, it heads right down towards Xun Huwen’s neck.

He dodges.

"Well, now," Xun Huwen says, looking at the fallen needle. "You actually had the means to create a path to me. It is said ants can carry ten times their own weight, but even so, that's a bit much."

The air around Xun Huwen's palm is distorted as he moves his hand in a loose arc. However, nothing else happens.

Xun Huwen frowns. "I see... but what if I do...this?"

The distortion twists. Liu Jin's needle vanishes into nothingness.

"Interesting. That could be useful."

“Monster...” Liu Jin whispers, staring at Xun Huwen with wide eyes.

That needle had been bathed in Nine-Headed Snake God’s Poison for years. Even if Xun Huwen is in the Heaven Realm, he should not have destroyed it so easily!

“Monster?” Xun Huwen scoffs. “Junior, have you looked at yourself?”

With another wave of Xun Huwen’s hand, the air distorts and becomes a mirror.

Oh.

Liu Jin can see his bones.

His elbow bone is sticking out from his arm. His legs are missing so much flesh he can see his femur, and that’s not even the worst of it. Suddenly, it becomes clear why he can’t move. Liu Jin immediately summons Qi snakes to wrap around his limbs so they can substitute for his missing muscles. However, that does not make him look any better. He is covered in blood and guts, much of it his own. There are also...

“You have scales. Have you noticed that, junior?” Xun Hunwen asks him, pointing to Liu Jin’s reflection in the mirror. “Who has ever heard of a scaled ant? That’s not very normal, don’t you think? Between the two of us, I’d say you look more like a monster right now.”

Xun Huwen sighs.

“Appearances are deceiving, however. As your senior and a much bigger monster, allow me to impart some guidance on you.”

~~~