The march to the center of the Algorian Reaches took the three outer sect disciples through many more miles of humid forest full of buzzing bugs. Verus was very glad that it wasn’t hard to keep the biting flies away with wards.

Their superior physiques allowed Verus and his companions to push through bushes and leap over most obstacles with ease, but Escora kept pushing the pace. The end of the month was fast approaching since her ascension to the Tempered Realm had taken longer than she’d expected. She wanted to reach the center before the Reaches were closed. Thus, they no longer went exploring or stopped to scan for treasure but kept moving straight for their goal. It was Warin that eventually slowed them down. Escora was obviously faster than both her companions now, but Warin noticeably lagged behind Verus as well.

He was almost always out of breath, and he could no longer be called chubby at all. In fact, he was fast approaching skinny. Despite having ample food, he was still losing weight and bags had formed under his eyes. As they ran, Verus quickly became concerned about his friend’s health.

When they stopped for the night, Verus and Escora both looked him over for spiritual parasites that had slipped past his ward or undetected injuries to his ki system, but they didn’t find anything, and Warin brushed off their concerns.

“You don’t have to worry about me, my friends. It’s just this damned forest. All the raw ki here is stifling me, making me feel bloated and ruining my appetite. That’s all. I wasn’t made for this sort of thing. I’ll recover quickly when we get back to the temple where I can get some real sleep, you’ll see.”

Verus was skeptical, but he didn’t know what else he could do for his friend. He certainly didn’t want to leave him behind, where he’d be all alone in the forest. Besides, he kept claiming he’d be fine, and they would soon be returning to the temple where a real doctor could look him over.

As the days passed and they grew closer to their destination, they passed more and more signs of activity. Footprints and battle damage like fallen trees and burnt bushes became common sights. They even passed a wide patch of land full of dead plants that looked like it had been poisoned. It was clear that the center of the Reaches was far more occupied than the outskirts. Thus, it came as little surprise when they encountered another group of disciples.

After encountering a wide river full of rushing waters that cut through the forest and blocked their path, they’d decided to look for a way to cross instead of swimming. They had no idea what dangers lurked in the white waters, but it didn’t take them long to find a simple stone bridge that spanned the waterway. However, as they were crossing the bridge, several disciples emerged from hiding on the far side and cut them off. The two groups stared at each other for a tense few moments, ready for violence, but eventually a young woman on the other side spoke up.

“You’re Great Wind Sect disciples.”

Verus vaguely recognized her, she was from the Great Wind Sect as well. Still, he wasn’t sure if that meant anything. It wasn’t like they’d been getting along with fellow disciples out here in the Reaches. Really, it was the exact opposite. Everyone they’d fought had been from their own sect.

“We are.”

“Then you may pass as long as you agree to follow the rules.”

“The rules?” Escora asked in disbelief. Verus was also surprised. Someone was making rules now?

“Yes, there is no room for intra-sect strife beyond this point. All the sects are competing against each other, and only by working together can we Great Wind disciples be victorious and earn our just rewards.”

Escora scowled. “Let me guess, someone has put themselves in charge of this operation and will be claiming most the spoils for themselves.”

This earned her a glare form the woman. “I can see you’re in the Tempered Realm, but let me assure you, you stand no chance against Highcloud. He is a true genius from a powerful bloodline.”

The news that Highcloud had put himself in charge didn’t surprise Verus. The young genius was as arrogant as he was talented. At least he’d never been involved with the group of scions harassing him, though. He could probably be trusted.

“What are we competing for?” Verus asked skeptically. What prize could be divided up amongst so many disciples?”

“It’s simple. There are various shrines scattered around the Heaven and Earth array. Many are locked and require a certain type of ki or skill to open, but each one not only contains treasures such as elixirs, they also function as a cultivation chamber. There’s no way a small group such as yours could use one safely. Only by working together as a sect can we drive the other sects away and claim them for ourselves. Those that open a shrine are allowed to keep the prizes within, but infighting isn’t allowed, and everyone shares the cultivation chambers.”

“So, then what does your glorious leader get out of organizing all this?” Escora asked.

“There is a special shrine at the very base of the Heaven and Earth Array. It will unlock only on the last day that the Reaches are open to us and it contains the greatest prize of all, one put there by the imperial palace as a reward for not only the competing disciples but for the sect that produced them as well, a high grade technique. As our leader, Highcloud claims it as his own, and everyone is expected to aid him. The other sects will move to take it, especially the accursed Crimson Lotus sect, so the fighting will be fierce.”

“Why would we help fight a battle that has nothing to do with us?” Verus asked.

The young woman gave him a scornful look. “Because Highcloud is the one keeping the other sects away from the shrines, and his favor is valuable in itself. Not to mention, being involved will please the sect elders, for the winners of this battle will bring much honor and prestige to their sect.”

Escora was unconvinced, and Verus also had his doubts.

“What do you want to do?” he asked her. “None of us would benefit much from more cultivating at those shrines, and opening a locked one before the event ends will be difficult, especially if we’re forced to aid Highcloud in his fight against the other sects.

“I don’t like the idea of bowing to any jumped-up imperial, but I don’t want to miss the big finale. It sounds like exactly the right place to test out my new power and show off my new skills. Don’t forget, you also need to impress the sect and show that you’re worthy of protecting from Tellus and his little gang’s families. You have enemies now.”

“I suppose that true. The safe and easy road is no longer open to me,” Verus admitted with a grimace.

Escora chuckled. “Ha, you can’t fool me. You may talk all humble-like, but I’ve seen you fight. You enjoy a good brawl almost as much as I do!”

“Maybe.” Verus was looking forward to seeing how he measured up to many of the other disciples among his sect and the others.

“I’m here to help Verus, and it does sound like we should do our part for the sect and help out,” Warin added, causing Escora to roll her eyes.

Thus, the three disciples reluctantly agreed to follow the rules and were given directions to the main camp of the Great Wind Sect’s disciples in the area. Crossing the bridge, they passed the guardians and hiked through the forest until reaching it.

It was a reasonably sized encampment located in a grassy clearing next to a small creek. There were quite a few tents and bedrolls set up next to three different firepits, so it seemed a few dozen disciples slept here. At the moment, it was mostly empty though, and there was only about half a dozen other disciples around. Verus recognized them all as being from the most elite clique among the outer disciples, the one made up of members of powerful families and true nobility.

The other disciples greeted the newcomers politely, but after making sure they knew the rules, they went back to their own tasks. None of them were interested in socializing with a pair of temple wards and a tribeswoman, although they made sure not to disrespect Escora. She was the only Tempered Realm cultivator in the camp at the moment.

As Escora and Verus stood around awkwardly, Warin managed to get some more information from some of their fellow disciples using his usual charm. Apparently, all four great sects were represented in the Reaches, and

the Great Wind Sect was tied for having the strongest force in the area. Only the Crimson Lotus Sect could match Highcloud’s followers, and all the weaker sects had already been driven away.

The Crimson Lotus Sect and the Great Wind Sect had clashed several times already, but both had been holding back. Everyone understood that the real fight would happen during the final day when the last shrine opened.

At the moment, most of the Great Wind Sect disciples that were following Highcloud were out using shrines or guarding the perimeter to keep other sects from sneaking into the area they controlled, but they’d be back before the final battle.

There were only three days left until the imperial palace closed the Algorian Reaches and retrieved all the competitors in their event. Thus, Verus and his companions decided to simply rest and recuperate in preparation for the final battle. They already accomplished what they’d come to the Reaches for. Verus had found his attunement and Escora had reached the Tempered Realm. Warin was also quite happy to hang around the camp, talk to some new people, and have the occasional nap.

Meanwhile, Escora and Verus went off to find nearby isolated places to train alone, away from prying eyes. Escora wanted to go through her techniques and practice using her new power, and Verus wandered off to experiment with his attunement. Despite their newfound shared goals and cooperation, neither wanted to reveal their capabilities to their fellows. Once they were back at the temple, they’d be competitors again.

Verus had asked around about all the shrines in the area, but none of them were anything like his attunement, so training out in the forest was as good a place as any.

He was hoping to at least come up with a primitive technique he could use in the upcoming battle. Without a cultivation technique capable of incorporating void essence into his core, the amount of void ki he could use would be limited, but it seemed like a type of ki that rewarded subtlety over power anyway.

After a few hours of practice, Verus managed to use the void ki to pull a small rock off the ground and into his hand, which was an improvement over a leaf. Forming the ki into thick controlled lines and controlling their collapse was difficult, but possible with practice. He could easily see himself eventually turning this into a usable technique, but he wasn’t there yet. It still lacked the power necessary to be used in battle.

Verus let go of the rock, but instead of falling, the ki adhered it to his palm. Sticking things to himself was probably the more immediately practical use for the ki. It was limited, but you never knew when you’d want to get a solid grip on something.

When Verus let the layer of ki between his palm and the rock fade away, the stone fell and hit the ground with a thud. He had some more ideas about how to use the ki, like a way to improve his Vanishing Feather Step, but all of them were beyond his current ability. He hadn’t even managed to create any void essence yet.

As much as he wanted a cool new void technique to use during the final battle in the Reaches, he was undoubtably better off using the abilities that had served him well during his time here. His human ki and martial arts were already powerful, proven weapons. He’d spent years developing them.

Sighing, Verus drew his sword and went through a quick routine. It was actually the only sword routine he knew, but it was better than nothing, and it felt like it was helping him improve. His motions were smooth and powerful.

Upon returning to the camp, Verus noticed a few more faces around. They were probably filtering in to spend the night in the safety of the camp. Curious, he studied the other disciples and then reached out with his spirit to feel their cultivation levels. There were about two dozen disciples in the camp now, but including Escora, only two of them were in the Tempered Realm. The rest were all very close to the peak of the Foundation Realm. Either they didn’t have time to ascend, or there was something else holding them back, like a proper enlightenment.

Neither Highcloud nor any of the disciples that hung around him were in the camp though, so they had to be out doing something. That was too bad. They’d represent the strongest outer disciples, and Verus wanted to get a feel for what they were capable of.

Wandering over to a campfire where Warin was eating, Verus took a seat and struck up a conversation with his friend before getting some food of his own. They still had plenty of rations in their bags. They weren’t all that tasty, but as an ascetic, that was fine with Verus. Simplicity was good for the soul.

Escora returned a while later with a rabbit she’d caught and began roasting it. Verus tried to resist the delicious aroma, but when she offered him a piece of meat, he quickly accepted. A little bit of meat wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t like he was gorging himself or giving in to gluttony. Besides, he'd need all his strength soon. Any battle Highcloud was involved in was going to be incredibly dangerous. There was no way the disciples of the Crimson Lotus Sect would be weak.