“So, how did you become so strong?” Li Dong asked through a mouthful of food.

They had stopped by the kitchens to poach a few buns, and were leisurely walking home.

“I have no idea.” Travis said as he shook his head.

Li Dong stared at Travis with skepticism. “You’re such a liar. I bet you had some fortuitous occasion and were cultivating all last week.”

Travis stopped in his tracks. He bit into a bun and smiled. “These buns are pretty good aren’t they?”

Li Dong grimaced. “You’re giving me the slip?”

“…”

Travis and Li Dong walked in silence. Travis looked around the sect. He remembered it in Wang Tao’s memories, but it was his first time being there so it was a weird feeling.

It was the sort of place that people would picture an ancient Chinese paradise as being.

There was this feeling in the air, of purity, but also of peace, like the whole place was unattached to the struggles of man. It gave a sense of eternity - almost saying that if the whole world collapsed, the sect would still be here for aeons to come. It felt like serenity to Travis, and everything from the taoist beads to the flowers reminded him of the monasteries on Earth.

There was one thing that unsettled him though. He saw a lot of beautiful girls, with amazing bodies. Big breasts, small waists… they were both sexy and elegant. But when he turned around to admire their… behinds, he was always disappointed.

‘Fuck! I need to go back home! Why did I have to be sent here? I’ll admit I love the food here, and the cultivation thing is really cool… b-but why did I have to be so fucked?

‘Why do the girls here have no ass? I remember the strip club, with the girls shaking their cake. Is God really saying that there are no big booty women in this sect? In this world?’ Travis paled and grimaced.

He spat out blood and collapsed.

“Is there something wrong Wang Tao? Don’t tell me you used a forbidden technique to raise your power.” Li Dong cried, grabbing Travis before he fell.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Travis blushed.

***

In a room with seldom any light but from a pool of lava, two men were sitting facing each other. One of them was floating over the pool in the lotus position, counting prayer beads. The other had a bandaged arm that he was clutching in pain.

‘I feel like I’m slowly being poached to death. I know Lei Wei cultivates lava scriptures, but it wouldn’t kill him to just lower the temperature whenever someone else comes in here.’ Zhao Yu wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Lei Wei was the leader of the Silver Wolf Gang, and was half a step into Bridge Building. He was the strongest of the Qi Condensation disciples.

Lei Wei lazily looked at Zhao Yu.

“How many pills?” Lei Wei asked. His eyes were seemingly nonchalant, but Zhao Yu trembled, and didn’t dare to meet them.

“Fif-fifty eight.” Zhao Yu stammered. Lei Wei abruptly stopped counting his prayer beads. After a brief pause, he continued counting. He stayed silent.

“Your subordinate failed, Boss. Everyone paid up apart from those two pieces of trash, Wang Tao and Li Dong.” Zhao Yu glowered, and shook with hate as he spat the two names from his lips.

Lei Wei’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Those two weaklings. You took it from them, I expect.” Lei Wei knew how weak the two were compared to Zhao Yu. There was no way they could have kept the pills if Lei Wei wanted them. They simply didn’t have the strength to stand up for themselves, nor the clout.

Zhao Yu sighed. “Wang Tao is a damned demon! I went to hit him with my Threefold Fist and he ran towards it with no defence! I think he must have been suicidal, but I would have been implicated in his death so I had to reign in my power. Because I only just mastered the technique, it was out of control so it malfunctioned and backfired upon me.” Zhao Yu muttered bitterly and rubbed his arm.

Zhao Yu had no doubt in his mind that it was because of his own mistake that he was beaten. His pride made it impossible for him to see that Wang Tao had beaten him just on the strength of his body.

Lei Wei stopped counting his prayer beads. Nothing but the bubbling of the lava pool and Zhao Yu’s beating heart could be heard. After five minutes, Lei Wei looked at Zhao Yu. His fierce eyes were almost spitting brimstone as he glared.

“Nobody stands up to the Silver Wolf Gang.” Lei Wei stated. His eyes flashed and a beam of light erupted out of them, almost slicing Zhao Yu’s ear off.

It embedded itself into the far wall.

“Do beams of death always shoot out of your eyes when you’re angry?”

“…”