I am… so screwed.

It sounded cool in the moment—now every inch of him regretted it like a cringy memory of old. There was nothing stopping them from leaving his corpse to the elements after that stunt. Yangchen’s backup consisted of one unnoteworthy disciple, and a pissed Ji Nan and inscrutable Mu Yin. The first had a cultivation the same as Yangchen, the fifth, but stood on a stronger base from his inspection. The other two were obviously the Elder’s favorites in the batch of outer disciples. Grisla was unsure of how sects worked, much less the Jade Fate Sect, but he figured it wouldn’t be too far of a throw to assume that those two were at the border of becoming inner disciples: disciples who’ve proven their dedication and been vetted for their talent in the clan, allowing them the privilege of further study and resources.

If it was true, then this would be a fight he would have no precedent to help him. Unlike the other three—this Mu Yin kept her feelings stable, her aura reflected that too. A frozen lake of a girl; unnerving Grisla the most. Even worse, he had no idea that he could take either of them alone; and now together?

A plan is in order.

That was wishful thinking. Ji Nan almost had the same effect he did—his blurry silhouette approached—and on Grisla’s panicked retreat a blurred thing from the original swung with Ji Nan. A tornado’s wind blew his hair apart. A second perpetrator was at his back, yelling: “Remember this?” Putting a fist to his spine.

The empowered fist made him cry out as someone else did, and in a repeat scenario his body rolled over the floor. Yangchen’s sword narrowly split him in half; instead, separating his robe. Grisla’s felt a hot line at his chest, and this was answered with it being detailed with red.

An eye flicked to keep track of everyone’s positions: Yangchen was accounted for, so was Ji Nan and the third. Where was Mu Yin?

Grisla blinked. So did Mu Yin, standing in front of him. “Tag, you’re dead.” Two fans from nowhere crisscrossed his chest, opening a slow waterfall to bleed over Yangchen’s signature.

Steps of the Alpha! Now!

He ghosted up and over to the other side of the forest, over the pond. His despairing core complained about the sudden energy expenditure, but it was in no position to speak. Alternatively, he felt the consequence with every breath afterwards.

I was careless. It’s idiotic to think that despite the numbers being four, I could easily handle them. There’s more to a battle than just straightforward brawling. It’s a different beast with them combined—they’re experienced in group cooperation. No wonder they have no shame in butting in. Regardless of how much faster I may be than any of them, there’s no point when I’m limited with one core versus four; each with their own variance in the amount of Juva they store. I’ve no idea how much they expend to even use their own techniques if any at all, for all I know they haven’t spent a dime, especially with the assist of their comrades.

His inexperience had cost him. Evident as ever, with the bleeding taking perceivably forever to stop even with his Juva running to alleviate the damage. The four walked into the clearing as confident champions; their prey is on the run.

Knowing Grisla knows now about what a miscalculation he’d made, Ji Nan rubbed salt in the wound, “Scared yet? I’ve enough mercy in me to make the end quick.”

Mu Yin, looking as impassive as ever said, “Careful. Our enemy is calming himself.”

“So what if he is? What difference does it make?”

“I want the final blow,” Yangchen declared. “He’ll fall to my sword.”

“My brother wishes, and it shall be granted.” Ji Nan chuckled.

“Shameless rat,” Grisla said.

Yangchen shrugged. “One of us started with the tricks first, who’s really the rat here?”

“Those weren’t tricks Yangchen,” Mu Yin said.

The three deferred a glance to her.

“This martial artist has a technique we’ve never seen before. Such explosive speed underneath Houtian is unheard of, it’s almost like we’re sparring against Brother Mo.”

“Impossible! Him?”

“Brother Mo’s been given an invitation to that event, and you’re saying he might be as fast as him?”

“I’m not saying he’s anywhere close to him. Just he’s like a shadow of him. He’s not one to be taken lightly, for sure.”

Grisla frowned. “Appreciate the vote of confidence. Unfortunately, I can’t give a damn about what you’re speaking. Let me ask you again: Is there no more room for discussion?”

“I am not a fan of this. However, I will not contradict my fellow disciple’s decision for a stranger. I am truly sorry.” Mu Yin said.

Grisla’s face was downcast. The Juva inside him churned like crashing waves.

So am I.

The die was cast. Grisla had some reservations about the idea of injuring or killing others—especially people, in the pursuit and drive of the Path. The wolves in the wilderness was his hand being forced, and if they could come to reason, that would’ve been avoided. Once again, his hand was being forced—though this time there was a burning anger below that. They had the options available to them, for compromise, to prevent needless conflict—yet they pursued it because it was somehow a better convenience than a conversation.

A new lesson learned.

The life of a cultivator is necessitated by eventual bloodshed. Preventable, or inevitable they’re all the same. Obstacles to decide whether one has been destined to rise; a tempering to bring about a stronger warrior more worthy for the heavens’ blessings. I’ll never be able to heartlessly kill, that is in my nature. However, for the sake of the Path that I follow…

The third disciple descended from on high; a guillotine of a kick coming to Grisla.

“Wait, stop!” Mu Yin said.

Grisla sneered, “Too late.”

His own kick was a broadsword in response, ferociously cutting air to split rivers on the thing called the disciple’s chin. Steps of the Alpha meant his body would have a better grasp on how to store and use his momentum, one of the elements required to learn the technique. As Seri noted, something as fundamental as movement bleeds over into everything he does—and Grisla had first row seats in watching the result of it.

A pop sounded out.

It wasn’t the burst of gunpowder or the snap of air.

The third disciple who sat two cycles above Grisla Orlith, had his neck twisted unnaturally the other way during his fall. Twisting with the energy Grisla’s foot generously donated, he smacked headfirst into an already scarred tree of Yangchen’s work.

“NO!” A scream said.

Grisla’s thoughts mired in a frost overcoming him. The three auras at their hottest charged his position. No time for ponderance, as his legs moved before he ordered it. At his previous place, the ground exploded, lifting the earthlike smell to the front of his nose.

Taking advantage of the moment, he dropped his presence and allowed the dust to overtake him. Inside, he crept along. From Grisla’s observations in his time in Limbo, he’d been keenly aware of the failings of their perception inside the Solidification Stage, corroborated with the number of times people like Rei Rangwha and the Elders seem to have a “disappearing” and “undetected” effect. But on knowing how Steps of the Alpha worked, most of the time they weren’t moving fast at all. Just their controlled Juva made it so they could be passed over as easily as anyone would when walking by a rock shaped more oddly than the last. That scenario could be replicated, or so Grisla surmises.

I’ve got about three seconds till my cover clears.

“Where are you! Come out and face me!” Ji Nan screamed.

The trio’s aura were bonfires inside the dust. Impossible to miss, and hard to ignore. Even without Juva they were close enough to be approached swiftly. Like looking through a one-way glass they’re blind barbarians while he knew where each of them was; and Grisla will not ignore a chance when he sees it. To his southwest, the greatest danger of all stood. Moving not a step since the dust came. Knowing who that was, there was nothing to do but turn the opposite way—to a target with easy prospects.

“Elder Brother, is that you?” Yangchen said, facing the sound of footsteps.

A voice came, “What? I’m over here,” from the north.

Yangchen froze. “Wait, then—”

A fist rammed Yangchen’s throat. He gurgled in the wake of a silhouette receding back into obscurity.

Only one, damn.

The final cloud of dust cleared. Mu Yin, and Ji Nan surrounded him as if he were a feral cat, veins popping, breath blowing from the latter. There wasn’t a need for words any longer. Mu Yin’s fans brushed air; a wave of seeable wind sprinted for Grisla’s direction.

Knowing he’d dodge, Ji Nan’s hammer greeted the speedy prey by way of slamming its broadside into him, sending him flying. He hit the ground like a skipping pebble and sunk into the pond.

The water invaded him; lungs heavy as stone.

“Grisla… Grisla…”

“Wake up… or… you’ll…”

He woke up. However, not in the way he expected; the hammer’s face was pressed to Grisla’s chest, but the pressure was increased on someone realizing his awakening. The hammer was an elephant on his chest—there was nothing to do but howl in agony.

“Thanks for getting my robes soaked.” Ji Nan sneered, “Sucks for you, you don’t get an easy death drowning over there. Nah, forget that. Instead me and you will be getting very acquainted with one another.”

Grisla felt as if he could hear his very ribs whining under the torture.

“Heh, hurts don’t it?” Ji Nan cupped his ear, “I can’t hear you!” This time he picked up the hammer and slammed it down on his chest. Provoking a higher pitched howl from the victim.

Mu Yin, who looked elsewhere, said: “What do you plan for him?”

He glanced over, “Don’t know, you got any ideas? Oh, never mind. If you have some reservations about this, let me remind you he killed our two younger brother disciples; a direct affront to our sect. Death would be an easy out for him. Nah, I think when this gets shown to the Elders a public execution will do. Think of the creative end they’ll have for him!”

He couldn’t help himself from miring in his sadistic fantasies.

“He did say he was a Grittus member.”

“And you believed him?”

Ji Nan snickered. “The Grittus’ aren’t much to look at if you ask me, yeah, they’ve got some strong talents but so what? Our Mo Qingsong will tear their Xinrei Grittus to shreds! Just like they’ll do to him,” He grinded the hammer for a whimpering reply. “It’s only a matter of time until we’re the ones as rulers of the Northern Region.”

Under their discussion, Grisla sat in his thoughts.

The gap in power… is too great to be bridged with speed alone. And there's two of them. I should’ve listened to my instincts and ran.

The end was nigh—but a new executioner was coming. So far off, yet still announced with a great aura. The two disciples turned and preemptively bowed. From the crown of the trees, a figure smacked the ground with a thunderous applause. Her passionate robes colored in Jade, marked her as a full member of the Jade Fate Sect; Or more. The woman’s hair was barely being held back by the hair ties that littered her mane. She wasn’t young nor old, and that was a queer sight with the status of her robes.

The woman looked over the battlefield, her eyes stopping on the casualties whose souls had already departed this world. It wasn’t as tumultuous as a battle as Grisla felt it was, but the miniature craters and scars left around made for a marker that wouldn’t fade in some time.

She raised her chin to Mu Yin.

“Conscious?”

“Barely, Elder Jadestone.”

Jadestone stopped next to the pinned boy, and with a look, and not a word said, Ji Nan in a twitch of terror made his hammer dissipate and return to him. In relief, the victim sucked in air like a newborn.

“The Life tablets in the hall broke,” Jadestone said. “Rushing over here to make sure there wasn’t any trouble and I come to find this,” Her head swiveled to Ji Nan. “What am I supposed to make of it all?”

“An interloper without a sense of shame.” Ji Nan said.

Jadestone grunted. “Sure,” she said noncommittally.

She knocked on Grisla’s forehead, “Fall asleep and I’ll let him crush your legs.”

The boy’s eyes opened, halfway. Satisfied, she continued, “What’s your name, child?” A muffle came.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“I said… I said, my name is… Gris—la. Grisla… Orlith.”

“Did he say Orlith?”

“He did, are you going deaf? I would recommend addressing that,” Jadestone snapped.

“Orlith family, a household name within the Grittus clan. Who, you’ve attacked I’m assuming?”

Ji Nan pleaded, “Elder! We did not provoke this!”

“Lie to me again and I’ll kill you. Insufferable brat. What fourth cycle has the insanity to engage in a battle they’ll most certainly lose, outnumbered and outclassed too.”

“Did you say the fourth cycle?” Mu Yin asked. “He was at the third when we fought.”

“He broke through just recently; it seems he only needed a little bit of life-or-death encouragement to get him over the wall. A tad too old to be at only the fourth, but…”

She raised an eyebrow, “His achievement is unlike anything I’ve seen.”

“What fourth cycle, no, the third—could kill two fifth cycle cultivators of our Jade Fate sect, and then tussle with two others at the peak of their realm and still manage to not die instantly? Do you know of any?”

Mu Yin shook her head. “I would not believe it, if I weren’t here myself.”

“Exactly,” But a frown came over Jadestone. “And you idiots provoked such a talent! Not only that, the Grittus clan itself! When and if this boy gets back to his clan, there’ll be hell to pay! You two are lucky I’m here, if you recklessly killed him, the Grittus clan will know.”

“But he killed our fellow brothers!” Ji Nan protested.

Jadestone looked as if her thoughts of on his intelligence were true. “And? So what? You all started it, and the two over there are the result of your actions. You share just as much as the blame for killing him as this runt does. Besides…”

A laughing sneer crossed her face, “If they were so inferior as to let a third cycle best them, no-holds-barred, then we’ve no need for them anyways. Better yet, dying in the middle of nowhere clears up having to explain it. You’ll be the ones to blame for shaming our sect, understand?”

“Now then,” She grabbed Grisla’s collar, “if you don’t die, we’ll treat you as one of our own, and when you recover, we can talk like civilized people. Seriously… please don’t die.”

Jadestone looked to the survivors, “We’re going back home.”