"This is amaazing~" Kou was having the fun of her life-time. They went faster and faster and the tunnel just kept going straight! She had no idea how far they have been going. Li Zhi, on the other hand, was deathly pale and almost crying at this moment, she sat up front! If her water was just a little to slow or Kou's power could not freeze it fast enough she would slam face-first against the stones!

"Y..:Yuuuuuwwwn~ Kouuu.. breaak.. break.. how do we stop!" Li Zhi could not even feel the tears on her face they were quickly carried away by the howling wind! Kou blinked - How would they break?! "Uwh...Dunno." Was her honest answer and Li Zhi almost lost consciousness. "How do you not kno~..WAHAAH." Her question was cut short by a rumbling behind them and the cracking of ice.

"RUMBLE~" Behind them was a giant BOULDER.

"How cliché.." Li Zhi was actually dumbfounded for a moment, the cliché of the situation enough to make her forget her fear for a moment, but Kou was having none of that! She did not read any stories and didn't even know what cliché meant "GO FASTER!" She poured more of her Qi into the ice flame that was freezing Li Zhi's water beam. Quite quickly Li Zhi got over her "Moment" And poured all her Qi into her Water-beam.

One would be surprised how motivating the looming threat of being crushed by a giant boulder is just like before Li Zhi and Kou had to give it their all, the constant struggle for their life in this cave was tremendously beneficial for the both of them! It was so much that Li Zhi suddenly stiffened while keeping her water beam straight! The girl had fully stepped into the second realm in a life and death situation! Yun Kou could feel the Qi of her friend suddenly gaining even more power! But also how she was about to be overwhelmed by the breakthrough! While honing your mind and body in life and death situations is a very beneficial thing for most cultivators. The wast majority of them would seek secluded and safe places to breakthrough into another realm!

Li Zhi did not have that luck! She had to deal with the violent breakthrough while also keeping her Qi steady and supplying her water beam with power! Kou had no idea how to help the other girl! So she simply reached towards her with the fluffy tail, gently wrapping it around her waist sending just a small margin of her own Qi towards the other girl. She could feel the violent waves of Qi rushing in the newly expanded Dantian. She tried to help the other girl circulate the Qi properly! Kou felt the sweat forming on her forehead but she could not even sweat it away, every ounce of her brain was focused on helping Li Zhi while also keeping the Ice-flame going!

She paid no attention whatsoever to her surroundings. She just heard a loud crash and felt her and Li Zhi taking off! If they hit the ground or a wall like this they would end up as splashes on whatever surface they hit. And form what she saw both of them were very very very fastly approaching a very solid looking wall in front of them!

What to do what to do! Kou felt the world around her slow down as her brain run through every possible choice she could make! There was only one and that one would hurt a lot! Gritting her teeth she reaffirmed her grip on Li Zhi and started to Shadow Jump. With all the glowing mushroom around there was plenty of shadows to choose from! The first shadow jump took a lot of the momentum away from them but Kou could feel and hear her legs crack as her feet just barely touched the spot she jumped to before she jumped again. This continued for a few jumps before Kou could not hold on anymore. With greatly diminished momentum but still way to fast she and Li Zhi crashed into a wall.

Or they would have! Just as Yun Kou was closing her eyes for the hit Li Zhi stretched out her arm and instantly a bubble of Water appeared around the both of them! The moment the impact came this watery cushion took most of the force and Li Zhi, as well as Yun Kou, found themselves sitting next to a wall ... both rather wet now.

Now that this was over Kou felt her side again, it had started to bleed once more and her legs hurt a lot! Li Zhi was better off while she was rather pale and was still trying to stabilize her Qi she had no wound aside from a bruise or two. The girl was kneeling next to Yun Kou with teary eyes. "I'm so sowwy.."'

Kou was confused for a moment her ears tilting backward. Was was the other girl sorry about? But the question was quickly answered by the other girls sobbing "Without me wanting to go here you wouldn't been.. h.. hurt so badly. and ... you keep doing everything!" Kou stared at the other girl and shook her head somewhat brashly which she quickly regretted...apparently every kind of movement hurt at the moment. "Equal.parts - You need to stop crying and carry me now." Kou had little interest in an emotional moment at the moment she wanted to get this trial over with and never go into a cave ever again.

Li Zhi opened her mouth and ...closed it again before nodding - carefully she scooped Kou up like a princess. "Yo..You are pretty light.." The girl was still sobbing but Kou just shook her head gentler this time and looked around for the first time. They once more wherein a cavern, The way she had come from was blocked by some kind of membrane which reminded Kou a lot of Shi Shi's home! That means this was done by a high-level cultivator!

Suddenly something rumbled.

"Entrance...7 points, Spike-cave, 9 points. Middle cavern, 2 points. The tunnel, 10 points. Pass." The voice sounded very old and archaic and... very very loud Kou's ears tilted down and she looked around. Finally, she saw the source! Not far from them there was a face was carved into the rocks. An old bearded face! He very much looked like a venerable old Master! And the rock that made up his face actually moved when he spoke, his gray eyes looked intensely down at the two girls.

None of them was able to speak at the moment, the Aura and pressure they got form this stone face was very akin to an Elder, maybe even stronger! The old stone eyes rested on Yun Kou for a moment and a deep sigh shacking the cave "We have one unfortunate one here... quite talented, but her blood.." His mumbling was still clearly audible for both of them and Yun Kou narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Her voice seemed tiny and insignificant compared to the stonefaced elder. But Kou's ears stood upwards and while she felt weak her golden eyes were staring directly at the stone face, not scared at all! Yun Kou was very proud of her bloodline! It was what had connected her to Shi Shi and... while she never said it. She was very attached to the old lady! This old stone face talking negatively about her blood rubbed her in the wrong way so her voice was agitated.

"I'm here to evaluate and reward. Your question will be answered in due time... " Another sigh followed before suddenly 2 glowing sphears appeared in the middle of the large empty cavern! One made its way to Li Zhi, It was sealed blue scroll. "Your wish was this technique, so you will have it." The old one spoke and the scroll landed on Yun Kou. Li Zhi had not letten go of the other girl so she did not have hands to catch it!

The other orb was flying over as-well to Yun Kou. "You are here to help your friend, so you will get something that will help only you." A bottle with sapphire blue pills landed next to the scroll. Yun Kou had little interest in them for now and curled her nose still staring at the stone face. "Tell me what you mean about my blood!"

The old face let out ANOTHER sigh even deeper than before and both of them suddenly got enveloped in blue light. "Your blood... your kind, are good furnaces, ...Just like that beautiful being, you ..might just be reduced to ashes. The weak are eaten and the strong rise, take care little fox that you may be a strong one. Avoid those of the black...arts."

That was all they could hear as the blue light became stronger! Teleportation! Full Teleportation! That stone face was not simple! Even Elders could not do that! Kou and Li Zhi found themselves standing at the edge of the forest now. Not too far away from Yun Kou's home.

But they were not alone... Ning Yue was here as was Fu Tengfang and his bodyguards! Li Zhi froze, she had no energy to deal with the Fu boy. And now there was even a PRINCE here! Kou was very hurt and Li Zhi bearly had any Qi left after her breakthrough, "Oh, well how... very convenient we were just looking for you." Ning Yue glanced over Li Zhi and focused on Yun Kou.

What a dirty little thing. She was full of dirt, wet to the bones and bloody... How did Xiu Shihong find any interest in this thing? She was just like the rumors said. A street child. Dirty and sickly there was nothing graceful or beautiful on her. Well Whatever it may be, he would still use her as planned. "Go on than Fu Tengfang," he waved his hand his handsome face showing a gentle smile while his slightly narrowed eyes promised nothing but disaster for Li Zhi and Yun Kou.

Fu Tengfang was still a bit shocked as to how both of the girls appeared out of nowhere just as they were about to search the forest for them! But he shook his head a few times and followed by the twins that looked somewhat unhappy he made his way over to Li Zhi. Said girl quickly made a few steps back before her back hit a tree.

"Hand the rat over Miss Li, we are not here for you. You may go and rest, you look... exhausted." Fu Tengfang tried to be very charming and friendly with Li Zhi - after all he had taken a liking on the girl ever since he started to follow her around to catch Yun Kou. But Li Zhi just gritted her teeth and stared him down her slender arms hugging Kou closer to her chest. She would clearly not hand the girl over. "She is hurt! And just helped me do a trial! Y...you people! Go away and let us go rest!"

While Li Zhi was hugging her closer Kou gently grabbed the scroll as well as the bottle with pills, unbeknownst to anyone around she hid both of them in Li Zhi's robes so that no harm would come to their bounty! She did not expect to go home today, and she rather has Li Zhi hold on to these things..."Hand her over Li Girl, that is an order." Prince Ning's bored voice seemed to penetrate Li Zhi's body, her knees going soft, sliding down the tree she landed on her behind still holding on to Yun Kou her eyes now filled with panic.

Kou was not at all happy about the situation! She did not want to go with these people at all! But Li Zhi was exhausted and she herself was hurt... so there was no way of escape for now. One of the twins made his way over. While both of them were weaker than Li Zhi if she had any Qi left over, right now he easily pulled Yun Kou away from the other girl "Noo! Give her back! She is hurt! Stop this stupid!" Li Zhi had tears in her eyes this was all her fault after all!

Yun Kou found herself in the giant boys arms, if for any other situation this would actually have been quite comfortable, Li Zhi was not very good at carrying someone but this boy was... as gentle as he could with her which made Kou look up suspiciously just to be meat with a pair of apologetic green eyes. "Got her."

"Great, take away her weapons while you at it and put these on her..." Ning Yue handed the other twin a pair of cuffs. "Q...Qi suppressors.." Li Zhi gasped "W...What are you going to do with her! We are still in the peace period you can't do this!" Ning Yue looked over to Li Zhi and grinned widely "I can do whatever the heck I want... Right, Protector?"

Out of the shadows stepped... Hu Wuhan. "Of course Prince, let us move on now." The old man flicked his sleeve and a big green leaf appeared under him and the boys, a flying treasure! It quickly left the ground flying north... leaving Li Zhi alone in tears. After a moment she got back on her feet and quickly made her way over to Yun Kou's... and Xiu Shihong!