Jia held her breath and squeezed Eui’s hand tightly. She’d done it—she’d delivered her ultimatum to Hayakawa. It was terrifying. Not only was Hayakawa far and away her strongest peer, but Jia and Eui’s future might just hinge on her help. Upsetting her here could have dire consequences, both immediately and in the long term. Jia didn’t regret anything she’d said—she firmly believed that for both her own sake and Hayakawa’s, it needed to be said—but that didn’t make the potential consequences any less terrible.

Hayakawa’s head was bowed, her fists clenched tightly at her side. Jia swallowed nervously—she’d never seen Hayakawa looking so angry. A single glimmering droplet fell from her face, soaking into the ground below. Wait—was that—?

Hayakawa turned away and covered her face with an arm. Her voice was rough and nasally as she spoke.

“P-pardon me a moment...”

Jia and Eui stood in stunned silence while Hayakawa composed herself. After wiping at her eyes and sniffling, Hayakawa turned back around to face them, the hard expression on her face betrayed by the redness of her eyes.

“Excuse me. That was unbecoming of me.”

Jia had no idea how to react. Of all the reactions Hayakawa could have had, crying was so far down the list of possibilities that Jia was still struggling to accept it as the reality before her.

“Um, it’s fine. I mean—uh, s-sorry?”

Hayakawa shook her head.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I hadn’t realized...well, there are many things I failed to realize. You must think I’m a monster.”

Jia waved her free hand urgently as she shook her head in denial.

“No no! Of course not! We just got off on the wrong foot and I realized that I needed to set boundaries.”

Hayakawa nodded slowly, then took a deep breath. She hesitated for a moment, glancing at the matte gray bubble of privacy that surrounded them, then turned back to Jia and bowed deeply.

“I sincerely apologize for taking advantage of you, Miss Lee. While it does not excuse my actions, I was unaware of your circumstances.”

She stood straight again and met Jia’s eyes with a steely gaze.

“To your offer of friendship, I’m afraid I must decline. I regret that you’ve chosen to refuse my offer, but I will endeavor to respect your boundaries. Know that the offer still stands, should you change your mind.”

There was the Hayakawa Kaede that Jia knew. Suddenly, the world made sense again—that was a response that Jia was prepared for. She gave Hayakawa a polite bow.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I appreciate the honesty. Our previous agreements still stand, of course. You’re more than welcome to continue training with us, and I’d be happy to help you work on your spiritual arts.”

“And the rest of my team?”

Jia pursed her lips. This part wasn’t something that came easily to her.

“I’ve already been pretty generous, I think. I don’t mind working with Hana, but there’s a difference between friendly competition, and just competition. I have no interest in any further transactions with your team, so I suggest making arrangements with Xin Wei and Guan Yi—they are experienced spiritual artists, and they have access to the archive for extra manuals.”

Hayakawa made a slightly sour face, but nodded.

“I understand, thank you. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Jia carefully suppressed a sigh. She was starting to understand Hayakawa a bit better, and the way she hid behind formality was concerning. Jia had to remind herself that Hayakawa was not her friend, and that her problems were her own.

“No, I think that’s everything. Thanks for being understanding, and sorry for ruining your big day.”

Hayakawa smiled and shook her head.

“It’s good to know exactly where we stand, and while it’s a small disappointment, I doubt that anything could overshadow my accomplishment today.”

Jia politely refrained from commenting on the fact that Hayakawa had been crying a minute ago. Hayakawa had erected an impenetrable wall between the image she projected and her true self, and while Jia had gotten a few peeks behind the facade, she had no illusions about breaking through it. That was something that Hayakawa would need to address for herself if she was ever going to make any progress in spiritual cultivation.

After Hayakawa excused herself, Jia felt the built up tension flooding out of her, and she nearly collapsed, leaning on Eui for support. Eui giggled as Jia sighed with relief.

“Are you okay?”

Jia nodded.

“I think so. That was so scary!”

Eui hugged Jia’s arm tightly.

“You did just fine. I can’t say I expected her to cry, though.”

“Me neither. So...what are we going to do now, without Hayakawa’s support?”

Eui inhaled slowly as she contemplated the question, before letting it all out in one slightly exasperated breath.

“Phew, I have no idea! We might be fucked, Jia. I know you don’t want to start a war or let people get forced into using a dangerous artifact, but we might seriously need to reconsider just giving up the awakening stone.”

Jia slapped Eui’s shoulder.

“That’s not helpful!”

Eui cackled at her before shrugging.

“I really don’t know. We’ve got a few more options without being restricted by our old deal with Hayakawa, but not many. We might be able to figure something out with the magi, but I don’t think that will be a good future for us.”

Jia nodded, silently agreeing with Eui’s assessment. Hwang Sung and Do Hye were fairly affable, but they were also very straightforward in their motivations. They saw Jia and Eui as test subjects—tools for their research, and nothing more. Once the magi had learned all they could from them, what would become of them?

“Maybe we could just leave the continent entirely. Go explore the ocean, or maybe try to find Jianmo again.”

Eui raised an eyebrow at her.

“Jianmo? Why in the names of all the ancestors would we want to find a murderous living sword? Half the bullshit we’ve had to deal with in the last year has been his fault.”

Jia shrugged.

“He seemed to know a lot about cultivation, and he did offer to teach us. He was a bit...mercurial, but I don’t think he was outright malicious. Besides, I think there’s a lot more to our cores than the deans here are letting on. Just a feeling.”

Eui paused, humming thoughtfully.

“Just a feeling, huh?”

Jia nodded silently, she didn’t really have anything else to back herself up. Eui just chuckled and shrugged.

“Well, then I guess we'll just cross that bridge when we get to it. It’s probably years off, anyway.”

That lackadaisical approach felt wrong to Jia, but she couldn’t really argue. Maybe by the time they had to make a decision, more options would present themselves. Until then, they’d just have to make the most of what they had. As Jia dispelled the privacy field, Eui gave her a sidelong glance.

“By the way...’mercurial’? You’ve definitely been spending too much time around Dae, you’re starting to talk like a mage.”

Jia blushed, elbowing Eui playfully.

“Oh, shut up! I couldn’t even read when we first met—let me flaunt my newfound education a bit!”

Eui raised her head, speaking in a mockery of the sort of haughty tone that Jia expected from Yue, or Elder Qin.

“Of course! It is only natural for one’s vocabulary to improve when subjected to the scholarly vernacular of the noble mage classes.”

Jia grimaced.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Please stop talking like that.”

Eui smirked at Jia as she cocked her head to the side.

“Hmm? Do you take exception to some idiosyncrasy in my manner of expression? I assure you that one swiftly learns to espouse the colloquial manner of their elocutionary betters.”

“No. Stop!”

Eui spent the rest of the day teasing Jia like that until she threatened to get Elder Qin to teach her whatever technique he had used to silence Eui.

With the big tournament just a few months away, Jia and her team got together to discuss their progress and final preparations. Yan Yue was the first to report.

“I think I should be able to achieve my second stage breakthrough shortly. The new cultivation method has taken me some getting used to, but my previous experience hasn’t been entirely for naught. Everyone’s made good progress in their spiritual techniques, and I’m confident we’ll all have them combat ready by the tournament—except for Hyeong.”

Dae chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“Ehehe, apologies. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t really taken well to the other disciplines.”

Yue shrugged.

“You’re not alone in that. Many of the most advanced students in each discipline have struggled to master the others. I’m rather exceptional in that regard.”

Nobody paid Yue’s bragging any mind—they were used to it by now. Rika took the opportunity to speak next.

“I don’t think I’ll be far behind Yan. Thanks to her and Jia, I’m pretty close to figuring out my new interdisciplinary technique. I’ll break through once it’s finished, and it’s just a feeling, but I think I’ll develop my domain then as well.”

Eunae was next, picking up smoothly where Rika left off.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been able to bring my martial abilities up to par, but I’ve made significant strides in spiritual techniques, including a new application of my ancestral technique that I’m a bit more comfortable using than my gaze. My apologies, Dae—I don’t think I’ll be able to break through in time to test your theory.”

Dae sighed with resignation, shaking his head sadly.

“In that case, I think my remaining time would be best spent on breaking through to the third stage. It’s a little bit risky, given the time frame, but I’ve been prepared for it for a long time. I’m confident I’ll make it in time, and that might be our best chance at competing with Miss Hayakawa.”

Despite the bold claim, nobody could really argue with Dae on that. If you didn’t count Eunae’s gaze, then Dae was easily the most powerful member of their team. Jia and Eui came close, but only while linked together as Yoshika, and once Dae reached the third stage, it wouldn’t even be a competition.

Jia frowned thoughtfully, considering her own progress. She glanced at Eui, playing with Heian, before addressing the group.

“It might be easier to explain our thoughts as Yoshika.”

Eui nodded in agreement before her thoughts seamlessly merged with Jia’s. Yoshika didn’t even need to get her bearings this time—after months of practice, the transition was completely seamless.

“Except for our new spiritual arts, we’ve completely mastered all of our techniques to the limit that can be achieved at the second stage. Our magical knowledge is a little bit behind, but the spells we’ve prepared cover our weaknesses. That puts us at a bit of a crossroads—we could focus on our new techniques, practice coordinating with the team with what we have, or...we could attempt to break through.”

Yue grimaced and bit her thumbnail, shaking her head.

“I’ll repeat my earlier sentiment for the group—I think it’s a bad idea. Hyeong is one thing—he’s a specialist who is extremely prepared for his breakthrough and knows precisely what to expect. You two are pioneering multiple unknown cultivation methods, and haven’t the slightest clue what you’re doing. Last time you went into closed door training, you spent two weeks bleeding out of every orifice and would have died without our intervention.”

Yoshika blushed, more embarrassed that Yue had mentioned it in front of Dae than ashamed of the incident. She protested in Eui’s voice.

“We’ve learned our lesson! We’ll be more careful this time. Besides, that’s why we wanted to ask everyone what they thought about it.”

Rika shrugged, shooting Yoshika a grin and a little thumbs up.

“I say go for it! Yoshika’s already a powerhouse, and I bet you’ll even be able to kick Hayakawa’s ass once you’re third stage.”

Eunae frowned.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Yue. It’s a big risk for multiple reasons. What do we do if you aren’t able to break through in time? Even if you do, how much time are we going to have to practice coordinating our new abilities afterwards?”

Yoshika crossed her arms, considering Eunae’s points.

“What if you woke us up a week before the tournament—that would give us plenty of time to practice, especially since the team divisions are last.”

Yue scoffed, pointing an accusatory finger at Jia.

“We tried to do that last time, but nothing got through to you! Do you have any idea how much those damned blood restoration pills cost me?”

Yoshika didn’t, and she didn’t want to ask, because she knew she’d be tempted to try to pay Yue back for them. Dae was stroking his chin thoughtfully, the only one yet to voice his opinion.

“I’ll admit that it is a risk, but Miss Jia and Miss An have both been consistently exceptional in their cultivation talents. Miss Yoshika, do you believe that you are ready to break through to the third stage?”

Yoshika stopped and thought about it for a moment. Aside from the cultivation bottleneck, most of her techniques had peaked as well. Awakening of the Dragon’s Heart and Path of Heavenly Ascension weren’t crucial to her fighting style—ancestors, she could barely even use them. Her first breakthrough had felt like an accident, but this time she really did feel well and truly ready.

“We think so, yes. The state of our cultivation isn’t completely perfect, but it feels right.”

Dae nodded gravely.

“Then you should do it. It might not be in the best interest for our chances at the tournament, but you should do what you think is best for you as a cultivator first. The rest of us will manage as best we can—though I have every confidence that you’ll surprise us all once again.”

Eunae held her chin and wobbled her head back and forth for a moment before nodding.

“I agree. Dae has a good point, we were looking at things rationally, but Yoshika’s existence has a rather distant relationship with rationality.”

“Hey!”

Yoshika pouted, not entirely certain whether she was being insulted or not. Rika just laughed.

“I never doubted it! Yoshika will just do something crazy again, and make all the instructors lose their minds.”

“Hey!”

The group all laughed at that, except for Yoshika trying to protest, and Yue, whose eyebrows were knitted together, biting her thumbnail so hard that Yoshika was surprised it hadn’t broken. She let out an exasperated huff.

“Ugh! Fine! This is so ridiculous, I can’t believe you people. If we’re going to do this, then we’ll do it properly. Hyeong and Eunae, I want you to look up imperial meditation formations—you’ll likely have access to only the basic ones, but with Hyeong’s expertise you should be able to combine a few together. We’ll want energy flow, silence, minor shielding, earth, and water—Hyeong can design the formation for Eunae to replicate.”

Yoshika blinked at Yue as she started barking out orders.

“Um, Yue—”

Yue cut her off with a sharp gesture.

“I don’t want to hear any arguments! You’ve been blundering through things so haphazardly it’s a wonder you haven’t managed to somehow implode yourselves! Takeda, I’ll want your help monitoring their condition like last time. We’ll probably just start practicing at our house instead of the training field—sorry, Hyeong.”

Dae chuckled and shook his head.

“I’ll be working on my own breakthrough anyway, hehe!”

With brutal efficiency, everyone had their tasks confirmed and dispersed to do as Yue had ordered. Yoshika found herself alone with Yue, still stunned by how quickly things had escalated.

“What just happened?”

Yue gave her a sidelong glance, and clicked her tongue in irritation.

“Obviously, they care about you enough to take my expertise seriously. You need to understand what a proper breakthrough attempt looks like before you cause a calamity by doing something absurd like trying to break into the xiantian realm in the middle of our living room on a whim.”

“We—we wouldn’t do that...”

Yue stared at her flatly.

“Sure you wouldn’t.”