After what felt like an eternity (but was realistically only a few seconds at most), Samantha plunged into the icy waters like a meteor descending from the heavens. In other words... without grace and with a large splash.

*Ding* Damage to left foot has activated “As One”. Moderate wounds for Samantha have been transformed into minor wounds for Silas and Samantha.

*Ding* Damage to right hand has activated “As One”. Minor wounds for Samantha have been negated.

In her panic during the freefall, her diving form must’ve come out of alignment. She felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through some of the toes in her left foot, and the pinky and ring finger in her right hand stung, but the sensation was quickly overpowered by the frosty temperature of the water surrounding her. With the heat from her extended run still lingering in her muscles and on her skin, the chill should have felt nice against her body; however, to her, it felt more like the cold embrace of death itself. She should’ve expected as much considering the recent change in season.

Her lungs spasmed as she fought the urge to gasp in shock, and she opened her eyes only to be greeted with an uncomfortable, murky darkness sprawling endlessly in nearly every direction. The lake she landed in was apparently much deeper than she originally thought, and she began her swim upwards to avoid sinking too far beneath the already distant surface.

As her head emerged from the water she sucked in a shuddering breath. Wiping the water away from her eyes and slicking her finger-length locks of hair back away from her face, she followed the example of the trainer and made her way towards the misty waterfall with no small amount of urgency. The cold seemed to sap her energy and made her muscles less responsive than usual, and she wondered if even this aspect of the training was meant to improve her attributes in some fashion.

Upon reaching the cliff wall, she fought to keep her head above the surface as gallons upon gallons of freezing liquid was dumped across her shoulders every second. She groped blindly for the rope she knew should be there, and after about 10 seconds of searching finally wrapped her numbing fingers around the thick braid. With a grunt she used the rope to pull her feet against the cliff and lift herself out of the lake, and she began the long climb to the top. With each step she took with her left foot she winced in pain, but she was both unable to assess the damage nor heal it with her arts at this time, so she did her best to ignore it instead.

Surprisingly, the most difficult part of this task wasn’t the climb itself, but keeping hold of the rope and ensuring her feet stayed planted against the rock wall. The continuous streams of water made every surface slick, and the icy temperatures were unrelenting as the breeze occasionally picked up and chilled her to the bone.

Twice she lost her footing and was rewarded with fresh cuts along the soles of her feet as they slipped across sharp edges of rocks. Three times she risked tumbling back down the cliffside as one of her hands lost its grip on the rope and the other slipped downwards with the unexpected shift in weight. But, with each small setback, she told herself that everything she overcame would only help to speed her advancement.

Determination filled her chest as the goal drew nearer with each pull upwards.

“20 more feet to go… 18… 15…” she counted down in her mind, the excitement building at the prospect of success.

“Made it!” she nearly cheered in exultation when she finally was able to grip the ledge and hoist herself onto solid ground once more. She climbed out of the water channel with trembling arms and legs and--without considering the indignity of the sight--rolled away from the edge onto the dry, dirt bank rather than expend the energy to stand.

She was tired, cold, muddy, and in pain, but she felt a strange sense of pride well up inside of her. That is, until the somewhat familiar voice of the sadist addressed her. “10 minutes? Eh, I’ve seen worse. At least you made it up here in one piece, though I’d recommend fixing those toes before your next jump.”

“My toes?” Samantha asked, but suddenly remembered the damage notification that she had so conveniently pushed to the back of her mind. She sat up and grimaced, looking down as she remembered the injury and fresh pain radiated from her left foot. Her pinky and middle toe were oddly twisted, but thankfully looked to be dislocated rather than broken.

She grit her teeth and pulled the toes straight with a stifled groan. She felt her eyes water and her stomach churn as the joints audibly popped back into place, but shook off the sensation as best as she could as the pain faded quickly.

The trainer spoke up again, “So, you going to let the young miss over here outshine you in the morning run and the actual training? She’s a first-timer just like you, you know, but has twice as much guts from what I can see. Or, are you really going to call it quits before you even begin?”

Samantha swiveled her head to see who he was speaking to, and noticed that the rest of the group was gone except for the man who refused to jump earlier. She guessed that during her climb up the cliff the trainer had set the others up with their own regimens in other parts of the plateau.

The man turned red and angrily stated, “I’ll have you know that I am Leopold Goodwin, heir to the Goodwin Trading House…”

Samantha tuned out the tirade and looked towards the trainer, who looked back at her with a mischievous grin and gave her a sly wink. When Leopold showed no signs of slowing down, the trainer held up a hand and rolled his eyes towards the man. “Listen Leo, I’m sure your family is very proud of you,” the sadist said with obvious sarcasm, his tone turning to one of boredom, “but I didn’t ask for your life story. Are you gonna jump, or be a coward? It’s not a hard question.” As he spoke he walked towards the edge of the cliff, looking nonchalantly over the edge while presenting his back to the two trainees.

Leopold turned even redder, to a shade nearing purple, and he spluttered. In a fit of what Samantha could only label as insanity, Leopold lunged towards the trainer’s back with both arms extended, as if he was going to push him over the edge. Samantha opened her mouth to bark out a warning, but needn’t have been concerned. As if suddenly noticing something interesting on the ground, the trainer smoothly leaned down and out of the way of the charging Leopold, extending his leg backwards just enough to trip the man.

Leopold flailed his arms wildly in a bid to keep his balance and his eyes went wide. He frantically searched for some kind of handhold as his center of gravity passed the point of no return, but to no avail. Just as he began to fall over the edge, the trainer’s hand snapped out and snagged the collar of Leopold’s robe, suspending him precariously over the 200 foot drop as his tiptoes barely clung to the edge.

“Oh? So you decided to jump after all?” The trainer asked in a deceptively conversational tone, “You’re gonna need a bit more distance to ensure you don’t hit any rocks on the way down. Let me help you out.”

“No! Wai--” Leopold managed to squeak out before the trainer unceremoniously shoved him outwards over the cliff.

“Land feet first!” the trainer called out, “ FEET FIR-- oop.'' The trainer looked over to Samantha with an almost sheepish expression, “Don’t… uh… don’t land like ol’ Leo down there.” He sighed to himself and gestured with his head towards the cliff edge, “That’ll cost me a high quality healing elixir, but sometimes…” he paused and looked towards the sky with a wry smile, “...sometimes moments like this are worth the cost.” He looked back to Samantha and pointed a finger towards her, instructing her sternly, “Don’t wait up, and keep jumping!” before making the leap himself once more. Presumably to aid an injured Leopold.

If she had dislocated a couple toes landing a little incorrectly with As One eating up half of the damage, she didn’t even want to speculate about the injuries Leopold suffered from at this moment. She vowed to herself then and there that she would never get on the trainer’s bad side… or possibly even his good side. So, she decided to just do as he told her. After catching her breath for another 5 minutes or so, she made her way over to the plank for her next jump.

_____________

Samantha felt she would throw up from sheer exhaustion as she completed her 15th climb up this accursed cliffside. As she had already thrown up 6 jumps ago however, she knew her stomach was already empty.

5 relentless hours of jumping, swimming through frigid waters, climbing (and sometimes falling again), and resting for just long enough to regain the qi to heal injuries or recoup the stamina to do it all over again. It was hellish torment like nothing she had ever experienced in her life, and she was left feeling like she was a Bronze Cultivator’s personal punching bag with every square inch of her body sore and aching.

She laid in a nearby patch of grass and soaked in as much of the sun’s warming rays as she could. Due to the frequency of her jumps, it was impossible to dry off completely, and she was left feeling as cold as ice. She was certain that if she were still mortal the temperature alone would have killed her long ago.

The sound of some sort of bell or chime rang out in the plateau, and the sadist used a voice enhancing art to announce “lunchtime” to the entirety of the clearing.

Grateful for a chance to rest and quell her rising hunger, she forced herself up and over towards the origin of the chiming. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the cabin on the other side of the plateau nearly a mile away, and she begrudgingly began the long trek in the quest for food.

15 minutes later, she managed to jog and hobble her way over to an empty seat at a large, circular wooden table beneath the shade of the singular tree on the plateau. Most of the branches were bare at this point in the year, but the criss-crossing boughs were so numerous that they still effectively blocked out the sun. From the small rays of light that snuck their way through the wooden weave, Samantha could see that each limb had a streak of color painted on it. Taking a closer look, she noticed for the first time that there were large, distinct piles of cut grass, fallen leaves, and other scraps of vegetation gathered around the base of the enormous, ancient oak. As if confirming her suspicion that this was indeed another training course (similar to her cliffside), some of those piles looked to have human-sized dents in them.

The quiet clatter of stoneware on wood returned her attention to the table. As she turned towards the sound, she caught a glimpse of the cabin door closing and saw that there was a hot plate of food and a cup of steaming tea newly placed in front of an empty seat. Her tiredness must have dulled her senses, because even with her Prey’s Perception active she hadn’t noticed anyone coming or going apart from the noise of the dishes being set down. Shrugging to herself, she sat down and started eating. There was no sense in letting fresh food get cold, afterall.

The meal was some form of grilled meat with a side of herbs, the portions much larger than she normally would have eaten. The flesh of the steak was bright yellow and practically the size of her head, and the greens were stacked so high that they threatened to tumble over the bounds of the plate. Just seeing such a feast made her rumbling stomach pang with fierce hunger and her mouth water, and she could tell at a glance that each item was infused with qi.

As for the taste? It was even better than she imagined.

The savory meat was tender and well-marbled with fat, causing it to practically melt across her tongue with every bite. The herbs inexplicably gave off a scent that reminded her of thunderstorms, and each satisfyingly crunchy bite made her mouth tingle slightly. And, to top it all off, the tea was sweet like plums, and each sip left her feeling energized, refreshed, and a bit giddy. She couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed something so luxurious, and she wasn’t the only one obviously enjoying her meal.

The other four trainees were enthusiastically gorging themselves as well--most looking in as bad a shape or worse than she did. While Samantha’s robes were still soaked with water and had the occasional bloodstain on them, some of the others had visible cuts or lumps that looked incredibly painful.

By far, the individual in the poorest condition was Leopold, who was still processing the healing elixir given to him after being retrieved by the trainer from the lake beneath the cliff. Both of his legs and one of his arms were splinted with thick tree branches, and bloody bandages were wrapped somewhat haphazardly around his body. Despite his injuries, he looked shockingly pleased as he gingerly lifted each bite of food to his lips with his singular good arm.

He noticed her attention on him and positively preened, announcing, “I gained a point in Resilience and a point in Endurance from my jump earlier!” He received words of congratulations from the other trainees, then looked at her expectantly.

“That’s... great.” she said half-heartedly, wisely deciding not to mention that his ‘jump’ was, in fact, involuntary.

Small talk continued among the trainees as they finished their food, and in what seemed like a blink the plates were scraped clean and lunch concluded. As everyone stacked their dishes in a neat pile, Samantha looked through the notifications that triggered from eating a qi-infused meal.

*Ding* You have gained +1 to Resilence for the next 4 hours.

*Ding* You have gained +1 to Agility for the next 4 hours.

*Ding* Qi regeneration rate will be tripled for the next 6 hours.

Samantha gave her arms a quick stretch and flex to see if she could notice a difference in how she moved or felt, but was unable to pinpoint anything significant at the moment. Still, she smiled at the feeling of being sated after hours of hard work. She worried that the large quantity of food would leave her over-full or bloated, but it seemed as though her High Copper body tolerated it well enough. Or, maybe it had something to do with the meal itself consisting of something more than just mundane nutrients.

Before she could get too deep into speculation, the trainer came out from the cabin and clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright everyone, I hope you enjoyed the meal! Now, I’m sure you’re all eager to return to training and boost your stats, but it’d be a shame to immediately get sick and waste what you’ve just eaten. So, we’re going to play a game as a group that’s a little more relaxed and laid back.”

Somehow, Samantha doubted his words.

“I’m sure you’ve all noticed the oak tree beside us? This is where the game--which I’ve lovingly dubbed ‘The Lattice’--will take place. The rules are simple: There are 3 colored routes up the branches of the tree, which I’ve marked with paint. The white route is the easiest, yellow is of middling difficulty, and red is the hardest. The goal is to reach the top of the designated route as quickly as possible, and whoever completes it the fastest (or makes it furthest, if no one reaches the goal) will win the corresponding prize for that route. Whoever is slowest or performs poorest will be eliminated from competing for the next route’s prize.” the trainer explained.

“What are the prizes?” Leopold asked, looking down at his injured form doubtfully.

“And how is it fair that we’ll be competing against a Low Bronze?” the woman cultivator inquired.

“Fantastic questions!” the trainer acknowledged. “Telling you the rewards takes all the fun out of the game, but I will say that the prize for winning the red route is a high grade Meridian cleansing elixir!”

The group began whispering amongst themselves at this news. High grade elixirs were not only expensive but difficult to obtain, as they were in high demand and could only be crafted by experienced alchemists. With one of those in her possession, Samantha could be on the fast track to opening multiple meridians before leaving the first floor. She felt her competitive spirit rise as the trainer continued.

“As for your concerns about Alex competing against you for the prizes, I assure you that I have increased the difficulty of his route to compensate for his higher stage of cultivation. I am confident that you will agree that the competition was fair after you see what I have in store for him.”

Alex audibly groaned at this announcement, and the group chuckled briefly at the outburst.

“Are you fit to participate, Leopold? Or will you sit this one out?” the trainer asked, looking over the injured man with a neutral, non-judgemental expression.

Leopold examined his injuries again, then gazed up at the tree that must have been between 80-100 feet tall, and paused in thought.

“If you get hurt a second time I won’t give you another healing elixir, just so you know.” the trainer tossed in, seeing Leopold debating the decision.

Leopold frowned at this new piece of information, but the greed in his eyes was obvious. Nodding to himself, he unfastened the various splints on his limbs and removed the bandages. Samantha was somewhat surprised to see that there was not a single blemish or bruise anywhere on the man, and she wondered if the healing elixir was truly so potent... or if he had played up his injuries in order to get out of further training for the day. “I will compete!” Leopold affirmed.

“Great! How about you go first, then?” the trainer suggested, an evil glint in his eye.

Leopold paled, but his greed was more powerful than his fear, for he quickly agreed.

“Wonderful, come along with me everyone! I’ll show you the starting line.”