Following their training session with Venh, Boneroot and his team fell into a routine of intense training. Hana joined their efficiency checks, but found little help there, due to the well-crafted foundation of the Kasumi clan’s cultivation art. A week later, those sessions were abandoned altogether, as Guang and Iris no longer required Boneroot’s help to meditate efficiently.

This freed up Boneroot’s time to focus on cultivating and preparing to break into mid Orange realm. As the second competition among first-year disciples of the Outer Sect approached, Boneroot spent most of his time in meditation, or practicing his abilities to shape ambient essence. He had found out from Song Zeide that classes like Ki, or Qi Training didn’t actually demand attendance after the first month in the sect. That was a ploy to identify levels of strength, seriousness, and discipline among the new cultivators.

That didn’t stop Guang and Iris from attending consistently, albeit tardily in Iris’ case. Even with Expert Chih Yuto’s class, the two of them continued to attend until, to their great relief, the fastidious man deemed their cultivation passable. According to Guang, the Ki Training class for Metal had been reduced to a little more than half of its original attendance.

With Hana ostracized from her previous social circle and, by proxy, even the nobles outside of the Zhen’s sphere of influence, Boneroot’s team relied on Venh, or Song for information about the goings on in the sect. Both individuals were all-too willing to revel in that power dynamic, but they had to put up with it.

According to Song, the second competition was a time trial for a variety of challenges. Each team worked to complete a task, fight a spirit beast, or reach a certain location as quickly as possible. The slowest teams were eliminated and the quickest moved on to the next round. In the top three this time were Jota’s team, Amina’s team, and Jiang Asa’s team. While nobody was particularly surprised with Jota’s second consecutive win, the Asa’s team performance was notable. Hana was gleeful to hear of the other Hana’s fourth place finish, especially once Song confirmed for her that the girl was furious about it.

Song Zeide and Hana Kasumi, Boneroot had come to find, didn’t actually get along very well. Hana placed a number of expectations on Song, who came from a noble clan like hers, which the boy refused to meet. On the other hand, he saw in her many of the qualities that he was so loathe to deal with in his other peers. Fortunately, the two rarely came together outside of combat practice.

In the week after the second competition, things were quiet once more. Each member of Boneroot’s team continued to work on the techniques Venh had shown them. Of the four of them, Iris had made the most progress, though even she readily admitted her movement technique was the simplest of the bunch.

Hana and Boneroot tried a few times to practice their ki shaping together at Venh’s suggestion, but this idea was quickly nixed. Despite the obvious similarities between Spatial ki and Hana’s domain, the girl had been operating under the assumption that her fine control of ki was superior to Boneroot’s. Even after he described the intense training he had done over the last year to develop that skill, she took the revelation poorly. Later on, she begrudgingly admitted that was arrogant of her, but their dual training came to an end nonetheless. Boneroot had learned a while ago to not hold Hana’s presumptions against her.

Biku and Kuroki continued their adventures into the forest. A few times a week, the team met for sparring and strategy sessions, which Song liked to join every now and again. Boneroot was particularly grateful for the practice against someone on his own level. Ever since Song made it to mid Orange realm, he bested Boneroot more times than not. It was excellent practice in fighting someone stronger than him, something Boneroot was lacking in the past.

After one of those sessions, Venh cryptically informed them that an increased number Orange-realm, or higher spirit beasts were being found dangerously close to the Outer Sect. As usual, he refused to answer their questions of why. Subsequently, Boneroot and Iris had to relay their encounter with the Wei bear to Hana, who was outraged that such a threat wasn’t preemptively handled by the sect. She relented once Venh assured her that the issue was being investigated. He immediately undid any good will that earned him by complimenting Boneroot’s advancements in ki shaping and then disappearing.

At the end of that week, Boneroot secluded himself with a few gallons of water in his cultivation chamber. Kuroki was given free reign to come and go as he pleased, but, otherwise, he was not to be disturbed. He started as he would any other day. He cycled his energies, beginning with qi and gradually bringing other streams into the fold. The primary difference this time, though, was speed. That is, he cultivated with a distinct lack of it.

Over hours and then days, Boneroot kept meditating while only assimilating the tiniest bit of ambient essence at a time. He had been surprised to learn spirit stones were of no help in this specific kind of cultivation. Venh had assured him, however, that their potency just wasn’t needed in the drawn-out process required to safely cross the midpoint of the Orange realm without any complications.

Boneroot was actually going even slower than was strictly necessary. He wanted to take extra care to observe every detail in the process, since he knew he would be doing it all over again when it came time to break into the Yellow realm and then mid Yellow and so on. After the first few days, he was starting to see why rushing through this advancement could be disastrous to someone’s cultivation if they weren’t properly prepared.

It was clearer than ever that the essence he was taking in needed to be shepherded carefully. He was reaching the limit of energy his body could currently hold, leaving no room for errors in allocation, or gaps in his cycle. Once he accumulated enough to touch the benchmark of mid Orange, he could sense the fullness of his body.

Then, he added a bit more. And a little more after that. Finally, he pulled in the last bit of essence and felt his ki stores expand by necessity. A rush of energy coursed through his body, which he had to fight to control. When he tamed the raging cycle of qi and ki, the increased capacity his body had to hold the two was obvious. He had broken through.

Aside from the sense of his expanded limits, Boneroot did not feel much different from when he’d entered into seclusion a week ago. Despite that, he knew he would be feeling the boost to his strength once it came time to start fighting again. He sent a mental nudge to Kuroki, who he sensed to be about a mile away.

Before he was ready to return to the action of the Outer Sect, Boneroot took ten minutes to stretch out his weary limbs and check for any knots in his muscles, or ache in his joints. Finally, he emerged from his home tired and not-so-figuratively starving.

“Your hair’s longer. Maybe shinier, too? Anyway, How’d it go?”

Boneroot was surprised to find Iris already waiting for him outside his door. She noticed his reaction and quickly clarified.

“Kuroki was with Biku and Biku told me. I wasn’t just sitting here counting the minutes, OK?”

Boneroot graciously decided not to tease her for that fact.

“It went well, thanks. Harder than I expected, though. I didn’t have to do anything like that in the Red realm.”

Intrigued, Iris pressed him.

“How so? Whenever people talk about going into seclusion, or whatever, they never actually say what they’re doing. Do I need to do that when it’s time to move up to the Orange realm?”

“I don’t think so,” he reassured her. “Ask someone more knowledgeable, but I didn’t need to do anything special when I broke through to low Orange. As for seclusion, it was just a lot of careful cultivation. I meditated for hours, taking in a lot less outside essence than usual, just to make sure there were no hiccups in my cycling, or flaws in my foundation. It’s sort of like making a cup out of twine and leaves. You only add a little bit of water at a time, just in case there are any holes anywhere. OK, so that’s not the best analogy, but it’s the only thing I could come up with.”

Iris returned his sheepish grin.

“Fine, fine. I’m afraid that doesn’t put you ahead of the pack, though. Song came to help me and Guang out while you were holed up in there. He said Amina Zafi and Hana Shio also hit mid Orange some time earlier in the week. Also, Hana’s in high Red now. She’s not gloating, which is, in its own way, gloating. It’s unnerving.”

Boneroot laughed and they continued on. As the two walked toward the canteen, Iris asked more about the changes to his appearance, or, rather, the lack thereof.

“It’s not supposed to be as noticeable as going up to a different realm,” he told her with a shrug. “Still, it was like this when I broke into the Orange realm, too. I got a bit more muscle and my hair got a bit longer. Kroshieshi said I looked older, too, but, other than that, I was mostly the same.”

Iris rolled her eyes.

“I guess you’re just perfect as is. I didn’t change all that much when I hit the Red realm, except for my eyes. And the white in my hair. OK, so maybe that’s a lot. You think my hair’s going to go completely white eventually?”

Boneroot shrugged again.

“I couldn’t tell you. It probably depends on how you think you should look. Maybe you’ll lose an eye, like Yun, instead.”

Iris scowled after a moment of panicked worry.

“I don’t need to stand out any more than I already do, thanks. Not until I’m actually strong, at least. I only stayed in the Capital for a few weeks after I reached the Red realm, but believe me when I say the life of a street urchin is not welcoming to all this.

Iris motioned to the unique physical quirks on her face and hair. Boneroot was still largely uninformed on Iris’ life prior to attending the Brightmoon Sect, but it was fairly clear that she was not living in the lap of luxury. If Venh’s errant comments were anything to go by, the person who taught her to cultivate was particularly unsavory, as well. When Iris didn’t elaborate on her conditions in the Capital, Boneroot changed the subject.

“How have the rest of you progressed while I was secluded? Anything significant?”

Iris gave a flippant wave of her hand and told him, “Nothing too noteworthy. I’m still fine-tuning my movement technique and Guang’s is still a mess, but it’s actually a functional mess now, so that’s an improvement. As for Hana, fuck if I know. She and I don’t really talk outside of trading barbs.”

“Sounds healthy.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Iris said with a smirk. An even wider smirk bloomed on her face soon after. “There was one other thing that happened, though. Do you want to know what it was? Hmm? Do you? I could tell you, you know. Wouldn’t even charge you anything. Wanna know?”

Much to the girl’s chagrin, Boneroot didn’t humor her. The two walked in excruciating silence for a minute before she caved.

“Fine be that way. It wouldn’t be the worst thing if some of Sect Expert Danh rubbed off on you, you know... Scratch that. Dumbest thing I’ve ever said.”

Boneroot was relieved to hear her roll that suggestion back. Iris stopped to look around. Rather than continue on to the canteen, she steered them toward the outskirts of the Outer Sect, where nobody else was in sight. Her motivation was equal parts privacy-obtaining and suspense-building.

“Sorry, but we can’t have any eavesdroppers. it’s privileged information.” The girl’s voice delighted in those words. “Song finally put his set of the Zhen clan robes to use.”

Excitement was clear on Boneroot’s face and Iris capitalized.

“You remember his feud with Feng Ji, right? The one with the rod up his— yeah, exactly. Well, allegedly Song broke into the boy’s mansion wearing those robes and stole a few minor enchantment manuals. He probably already told you, but the Ji clan has strong ties to the Zhen. Metalworking, enchanting, all that shit. What would happen if the Zhen wanted to cut out that middle man and do the enchanting themselves? Because that’s what the Ji clan is thinking now that one of the ‘Zhens’ made off with their secrets.”

Boneroot was in awe at the scale of the mischief Song had so casually eluded to when they met in his home. At worst, he thought the Zeide boy would stir up some minor drama between two disciples. This, however, sounded like drama between two entire clans. Iris pumped her hands out in front of her, but she didn’t stop grinning.

“Now, they were pretty low-grade manuals, admittedly. Apparently, Feng is only at the beginner’s level when it comes to the actual act of enchantment. Despite that, Song is learning quite a bit from his loot. All the while, the Zhen and Ji clans are having a surprisingly heated feud over the theft. Even better, some of our least favorite people are in hot water because of it: Zhi, Wei, and Feng. Last I heard, they were at each other’s throats. Add that on top of Wei’s many defeats thus far...”

It took Boneroot a few moments to fully collect his thoughts. Iris nodded along with his unspoken admiration.

As they began to walk back toward the canteen, Boneroot’s face split in a wide smirk and he said, “I need to see Song, then. This is a work of pure madness. And genius. I need to commend him in person. Maybe he wants one of the disposable talismans.”

“Buy him a drink, at least.”

“Why? Can he not get water on his own? Is he in seclusion? Did he not bring any? That’s unlikely. He was the one who told me to stock up beforehand, after all.”

Iris looked at her friend, dumbfounded. She received the same look back. Even after knowing him for a bit over two months now, she was still finding bizarre, often infuriating gaps in his general knowledge. Once she explained the practice, his curiosity was far from sated.

“I don’t understand. You poison yourself? For fun? Isn’t cultivating about cleansing yourself of impurities? Also, a cultivator in the Orange realm, like Song, should be completely immune to the type of minor poison you’re describing. Is it some sort of game? Ah, I see. It’s to simulate and practice subterfuge in a safe environment, right? Also—”

Iris cut him off and rubbed at her temples.

“Forget I said anything. It’s something mortals do for fun. I was just using it as an expression. If you want to know more, ask Guang. Soldiers are bigger drinkers than the rest of the Empire combined.”

Boneroot resolved to do exactly that before he changed the topic. Even he could tell when Iris was sick of entertaining his questions. To be fair to him, though, the Empire was a strange place with no limit to its number of strange customs. He still had yet to figure out the allure of trading gold coins to one another, for one. At least spirit stones made sense.

The boy was left to ponder the mystery of the substance called ‘alcohol’ on his own some other time. By the time they reached the canteen, their conversation had bounced between the results of recent duels and Hana’s sporadic presence over the last week.

By the time they acquired any food, Boneroot was practically salivating. He demanded they take the closest available seat. He didn’t have the patience for anymore walking. Naturally, the moment they sat down was the moment Kuroki projected urgency over their spiritual connection. The look on Iris’ face suggested Biku had sent something similar her way.

As they sprinted out of the canteen, Boneroot had the presence of mind to scarf down two handfuls of rice. Luckly, he was already used to ignoring the looks the nobles gave him, so he left with his dignity in tact.

He and Iris ran toward the source of the distress signal, only to find a flock of people running in the opposite direction. Boneroot circulated qi through his newly-strengthened body, leaving Iris a few paces behind. He was surprised to see her keeping up with him, though, Lightning ki streaking in a trail behind her.

A number of Outer Sect disciples were fleeing the entrance to the forest that Biku and Kuroki usually took to wherever they went on their adventures. At the same time, a smaller number of people were moving to inspect the commotion. Among them included Boneroot, Iris, Feng Ji, Song Zeide, and Hana Shio.

As they ran and more disciples took up the cause of investigation, they were left in the dust by the arrival of two much more powerful individuals. Sect Experts Yun, Kang, and Hong Vo In left a sizeable crater upon landing at the copse of trees that was Boneroot’s and Iris’ destination. They wasted no time. Kang and Yun shot forward, nearly invisible at their speed, while Hong Vo In hung back.

The man was massive. He moved with as much grace as either of the cultivators sprinting into the forest ahead of him, but his form eclipsed any other Sect Expert in sheer size, be it width, or height. His robes, billowing, seamless folds of obsidian black, did little to diminish that fact.

Even from a distance, Boneroot could see the round man’s shadow surged out from beneath his feet, creeping through the forest in a wave. Inky black covered the ground through the entire visible entrance to the woods. Boneroot was somehow still unable to make contact with Kuroki, even though he should have been in range. The consternation must have shown on his face because Hong Vo In didn’t stop him, or Iris as they dove straight into the rapidly darkening mass of trees and brush.