Boneroot looked ahead of Iris as she approached her fight with Meiling Asa. They were heading toward Master Liling, who constantly covered her mouth with an intricately patterned, paper fan. Her light green robes were detailed with flowers of complementary colors. Little could be seen of her face, covered as it was by the fan and the soft veil draped across the tight bun of her hair.

The Sect Expert at her side eschewed the master’s extravagance for simplicity, but not at the expense of beauty. Her long, black hair wasn’t disturbed in the slightest as she moved to intercept Iris’ opponent. The gaze of her mint green pupils lingered off to the side of the group. The light coloring of her cheeks matched that on her lips.

She began exchanging pleasantries with Meiling Asa. The two were clearly familiar with each other, not to mention the mild resemblance in their faces. Though Meiling didn’t quite have the same grace in her appearance, or movement, her eyes held the same green tint.

Before it was her time to fight, Boneroot put a few words in Iris’ ear.

“I’m guessing she’s a Wood cultivator. It looks like she might be from the same clan as the Sect Expert. Do you know who that is?”

Iris responded between deep, calming breaths, “Obviously, they’re from the Asa clan, then. I think they have something to do with flowers. I can’t remember specifically, though.”

“I fought a Wood cultivator once. If she’s similar and uses some kind of wooden armor, don’t let her take center stage and send Biku to attack from behind.”

“Not likely,” Iris snapped. “I haven’t met a noble girl willing to use a blocky technique like that. I’m pretty sure the Asa clan doesn’t either. Why can’t I remember?!”

“You can beat her! Maybe! She’s not stronger than you, like that other bad human.”

Boneroot decided not to admonish Kuroki for coming out of punishment to comment. He almost envied the cat’s ability to stumble into the right thing to say every once in a while. Biku was also quite happy with the tsovar’s encouragement and it was obvious how much he wanted to impress.

The Sect Expert, which Boneroot was now fairly certain to be of the same clan as Meiling Asa, stopped whispering to her and straightened up. Boneroot offered Iris a quick good luck before Master Liling spoke from behind her fan.

“Settle, please. Disciples Iris and Meiling, step forward and prepare yourselves.” She paused to allow the two to get into position. With a flourish of her fan, Master Liling called for the fight to begin.

Iris and her opponent reacted immediately. Biku circled to Meiling’s left while Iris swung toward her right, trying to center the Wood cultivator between them. She responded with two wooden projectiles, shot from arms outstretched to her sides. They missed their targets and hurtled toward the ring of onlooking disciples before Master Liling swatted each one down from a distance. Boneroot thought they looked like needles before they were buried in the dirt.

Iris didn’t retaliate. Instead, she focused only on keeping Meiling in between her and the winged deer. Despite the girl’s attempts to break out of the formation, her qi cultivation was not at the same level as Iris’ and Biku’s. Every time she darted from one end of their sparring ground to the next, she still found herself wedged between a Lightning cultivator and her spirit beast.

All the while, she kept slinging wooden darts from the folds of her robes. Though some found purchase, it was in glancing blows. Iris occasionally shot back a quick burst of Lightning, or feigned a step toward her As she continued to expend qi to escape from the formation of her two opponents, it was then that Biku began his technique. Boneroot saw sparks bouncing between the tips of his jade antlers and similar sparks dancing on Iris’ fingers.

Meiling Asa noticed the technique beginning as well. Finally, she stopped trying to escape and decided on a different approach. She tossed out two more needles, then followed in the wake of the one shooting toward Biku. The wooden projectile hit his reinforced hide to little effect, but in the next moment the Wood cultivator was on him. She struck the perynkon with a hard uppercut to his unarmored underside just as his technique finished. Biku flipped backwards, while Meiling found herself assailed by an intense current of Lightning ki coursing from the deer’s antlers, through her body, and into Iris’ hands. Though she convulsed briefly, the current was cut short by Biku’s heavy landing and subsequent lapse in consciousness.

Boneroot thought the girl must have used a movement technique to close the gap so quickly, as evidenced by the spray of chipped wood which erupted from her feet, but he had barely even registered what was happening before the attack on Biku claimed his attention. He didn’t have time to assess, either, as Iris and Meiling were now approaching each other in the center of the ring. He noticed a couple cuts on his friends face, but he couldn’t tell from where they’d come.

With her spirit beast down and their strategy foiled, Iris was putting all of her energy into a frontal assault of Lightning techniques. She launched a number of small bolts of energy in rapid succession, but her aim was off and none of them managed to hit her beleaguered opponent. Again and again, the lightning landed in the dirt, sometimes nowhere near Meiling, who was easily skirting around the closer attacks. Boneroot was shocked at just how poorly Iris was aiming her techniques right up until she collapsed face first into the grass.

Still smoldering slightly from the joint Lightning technique, Meiling looked as smug as she was tired. Boneroot saw what looked to be relief come over the Sect Expert as Master Liling gave her announcement of the results.

“Disciple Meiling is the victor. Can someone please bring Disciple Iris to the medical tent?”

Nobody objected when Boneroot hoisted the girl onto his back. A quick survey didn’t turn up Biku, so he assumed the spirit beast had dematerialized. Irritation pricked at the back of his neck when he saw the way Meiling was looking at them. He might not have been so upset if he knew how Iris had lost. It almost looked like she had fallen asleep in the middle of attacking.

On his way to the medical tent, Boneroot was passed by another disciple with the mint-green eyes of the Asa clan. His build was almost as slight as Meiling’s and his features almost as delicate. He was speeding toward the his clanswomen with a satisfied smile. When he noticed Iris’ unconsciousness, that smile grew even wider.

Fortunately, Boneroot was out of earshot when the three began to gossip. Upon arriving at the medical tent, one of the attendants was already prepared to take Iris.

“She fought the Asa, right?” The man in pure white robes asked. When Boneroot nodded, he continued, “Poison, then. They’re not allowed to use anything too dangerous, though, so it’s probably just a paralyzing agent. She’ll be on her feet in an hour at the most.”

The attendant’s reassuring smile did a lot to ease the boy’s irritation. That left him time to feel awkward about what to do next, however. While he didn’t want to abandon his only human friend, he did still want to see the other spars. It was an easier decision to make when he realized he needed to hear Grand Master Yan’s announcements of who was fighting regardless.

Perhaps informed by his experience with the Sect Expert from the Asa clan, Boneroot decided to head toward Venh and the Luminous Way’s Light Sect Master. As he got closer, he could see she was a stern-looking woman whose sleeveless robe revealed arms roped with muscle. Blonde hair extended to her waist in a neat ponytail. Her thick, furrowed brow matched her cold voice as she barked orders to clear the area.

Grand Master Yan began to read out the next names as Boneroot arrived beside Venh, but he failed to recognize any of the names. While the fighters found their way to their designated arenas, Venh offered the boy a few words.

“You’re friend didn’t fare too well, did she? Probably should have warned her about the poison.”

“How was I supposed to know? The guy I fought used bark armor.”

“When did you fight a Wood cultivator?”

“Felindei wanted to test me.”

Venh could glean from the boy’s dour expression and his familiarity with the feline immortal that they weren’t talking about a friendly spar. For his part, Boneroot was rather proud of himself for talking about the deathmatch without breaking down and going into emergency meditation.

The Sect Expert wasn’t able to question Boneroot any further, as the boy noticed a large number of disciples trying to crowd into a ring on the opposite side of the field, leaving his own relatively unpopulated.

He asked Venh, “Who’s fighting over there?”

“That looks like Mamoru’s area. Master Mamoru’s. Which would make it Wei Zhen and Juji Yashi. Assuming the Zhen boy wasn’t lying in that restaurant, they’re likely both at the peak of Red realm.”

Just hearing the name was enough to dampen his already poor mood. He was curious about the other disciple, however.

“So is that other one related to the guy with the sand? From Hamagari?”

“Don’t let anyone hear you refer to a Sect Expert as the guy with the sand.” The amused expression on Venh’s face belied his words.

“Why? You’re just the guy with the yarn.”

“You sure don’t sound grateful for someone with the good fortune to inherit one of my very own techniques. Besides, it’ll be decades before you can think to match up with any of them, with one exception.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Venh didn’t know whether to approve of the boy’s confidence, or examine his arrogance. He would have to address it later, though, as the new combatants arrived and the Sect Master grabbed the groups attention.

“I am Sect Master Chang of the Luminous Way’s Light Art. Guang Yali, Hana Kasumi, prepare.”

In the center of a sparse ring of disciples, a tall boy with course, brown hair starting to grow shaggy past his ears stepped forward. Toned and tan, his muscular body adopted a stance as rigid as his wide-set face. Curiously, Boneroot noticed the disciple had a distinctly slimmer waist and wider hips than he might expect from someone of such a build. Aside from that, he had the same look as one of the rugged, veteran hunters from the Village.

His opposite, Hana Kasumi, was also his visual opposite. Her hair was long, black, and shining in the sunlight. She had plump lips, just slightly colored red, and blue, oval eyes. Even down to her porcelain skin, she gave a doll-like impression. Her ornate, navy robes were tied close to her body by a white, patterned sash. Surprisingly, though, it revealed her form to be overly slim, somewhat flat, and lacking even the hips of her male counterpart.

When he compared her appearance to some of the youthful-looking Sect Masters, Boneroot immediately grew warier of her. The effect was heightened by the girl’s noticeable lack of preparation while her opponent conjured a ball of metal the size of tangerine.

Master Chang signalled the start of the fight and immediately the disciple Guang Yali shot his metal ball forward. Hana Kasumi dodged easily and dashed to the center of the ring. To the surprise of everyone watching, however, she was hit in the back of the head by the same metal projectile that should have landed harmlessly in the dirt.

The impact made a dull thunking sound and she hit the ground hard. The ball returned to the hand from where it came and the boy was on her in a moment. Though she bounced back to her feet, the girl was immediately assailed by a flurry of qi-enhanced punches to her face and torso. While she was able to parry a few and dodge a couple more, she took a number of hits and stumbled backwards. As she did, however, she began to release a mist into the field around her.

The Metal cultivator didn’t let up. With a flick of his hand, his ball shot wide of its target, but curved toward her once more. This time, Hana was ready. With a burst of Water ki and impressive control, she captured the ball as it sped toward her and launched it behind her, successfully guessing it would be out Guang’s range.

The grimace on his face suggested he didn’t have the ki reserves to create another, no matter how small. The realization revitalized Hana’s offense. As her mist propagated across the ring, she darted through the forming clouds and jabbed at her opponent with small blades of Water ki extending from her fingers. Obfuscated by the fog, her attacks found their target, slicing open flesh across the boy’s face and arms.

Her attack revealed her location, though, an opportunity Guang didn’t hesitate to seize. After one of Hana’s water blades cut across his shoulder, Guang grabbed hold of her wrist. With his other hand, he rattled off punch after punch into her torso. Boneroot thought he saw a glint of metal catching the light on the boy’s fist.

The punches looked hard enough to break some of Hana Kasumi’s ribs, but she managed to free herself from Guang’s grasp. The Metal cultivator advanced on her once again, swinging wildly to capitalize on his advantage, blood spraying from the wounds on his forearms. Each one was eluded in spite of the girl’s nearly crumpled over form. In his reckless haste to end the fight, though, Guang put himself off balance, which proved to be his undoing. A moment later, some of the mist in the area cut across his unguarded abdomen. As he fell to the ground, Master Chang announced the end of the fight.

“Hana Kasumi is the winner. Somebody get her to the medical tent. Expert Danh, take the boy.”

As the mist cleared, the small ring of observers could see Guang Yali was bleeding heavily from the cut that ended the fight. His broad face was growing paler. In one step, Venh was at his side and applying a salve to the wound. In another few paces, the two were at the medical tent and Guang was handed off to the same attendant taking care of Iris.

In fact, Boneroot noticed Iris trudging toward his location. Venh returned from the medical tent, shooed away the disciples about to carry her like a downed tree and transported her, as well. By the time he made it back to Master Chang’s side, Iris and Biku were joining the ring of disciples. She looked irate, but Kuroki refused all of Boneroot’s nudges to break the ice.

So, he said, “Turns out it was poison. According to the medical guy.”

“Yeah, I heard all about it,” A glare accompanied her words for a moment, but her expression quickly lightened. “I guess I should have expected this. I’ve got to be one of the weakest people here. It’s just frustrating, you know.”

He did know. His thoughts flashed back to his first days as a cultivator, before he even realized he was attuned to Light. If Iris really had only broken through to the Red realm recently, it had to hurt to compare herself to some of the other disciples who’ve been trained by experts in their art.

“Well, just think of how sweet the revenge will be.”

At that, she smiled. “All those Asas have it coming. Especially that Sect Expert. What’s she doing gossiping with the disciples? That’s pathetic.”

“Well, that’s a bit harsh,” Venh said after appearing at their side. “Some of us just take a more hands on approach.”

“Sect Expert Danh, I didn’t mean—”

“Ignore him, Iris.”

The girl’s frustrations were not alleviated by the man’s presence. To his credit, Venh did offer some words of encouragement.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Meiling Asa is here attending to the clan scion, Jiang. She’s in low Red, but she supposedly has some talent. Being from a branch family, she had to prove herself to be allowed to come here. All things considered, you didn’t do that poorly.”

And, like that, the nice sentiment was ruined.

Hastily, Boneroot added, “It would have gone a lot differently if you knew about the poison, I’m sure.”

“GAH!” Iris threw her arms up. “No more pity! I’m gonna kick her ass in a month. Maybe two.”

At the very least, the declaration made Biku perk up a bit, even if it attracted some unwanted attention to their group. Master Chang had turned her attention toward them when Venh had been chatting so carelessly. He reappeared at her side in the next moment.

Boneroot described the results of the most recent fight to Iris up until Grand Master Yan announced the next round of spars. This time, the only name they recognized was Bao Tiankaiji, the noble as annoying as he was prideful they had run into earlier. Iris was adamant, however, that they not go watch him fight, lest he think they were admiring him.

As the next few waves of fighting passed, Boneroot grew antsier and antsier. The more he saw of his fellow disciples, the more confident he was in his own abilities. He had not, however, seen anyone who looked to be in the Orange realm, like him. He began to wonder if they didn’t have anyone for him to fight.

The sixth fight in front of Master Chang and Venh ended with a disciple breaking their wrist on an Earth cultivator’s reinforced forearm. As he was taken to the medical tent, Boneroot’s anxiety mounted. Kuroki was now getting riled up, as well.

“When do you fight? It’s so boring! These guys aren’t strong! You need to beat up that bad cat, still!”

Eventually, though, the eight rings of disciples were called to merge back into one crowd. Grand Master Yan retook her original position atop the stone platform and spoke to them.

“Well fought, everyone! I am quite pleased with the passion and talent I have seen so far in the Outer Sect’s new disciples. Some of you, however, have yet to fight. This year, we have four cultivators in the Orange realm already. This is more than usual, so I thought they could fight up here on the main stage to give everyone a look at the level they’ll need to surpass to make it into the Inner Sect.”

Immediately, the audience began to titter with excitement. In the midst of it, Boneroot broke into a wide grin, eyeing the disciples around him for his potential opponent. Meanwhile, Iris groaned at the revelation. She had some catching up to do.