A churning pit was coiling unto itself into his stomach. All that effort and this douchebag was going to obtain that ring.

He still forced himself to follow it. No matter what he had to try, giving up would annihilate any self esteem he had for himself. It just wouldn’t feel good.

A small crowd was forming behind the bear. Some people held back but most of them started chasing after it as well.

Enduring Wave restrained the people chasing after using the chains. They would burst out of the ground and pull in a few people at a time. Let’s get him to waste his essence. Since he was being so liberal with it, it wouldn’t hurt.

Whenever he encountered a group of people he would shout at them: “That bear has the ruby ring. Look at its foot.”

Loud enough for them to hear but not loud enough for Wave. Then he would hang back and wait for the new wave of people to be downed by Wave. He was insane. He was dealing with all the people chasing after them and landing direct hits on the bear.

The bear’s back was bleeding and the wounds wouldn’t close. The ghost fire would hang around the wounds refusing to burn out.

His primary weapon was a sword. He used it to hack at its legs every chance he got. The bear was swiping and floundering around to catch ahold of him but he was just out of reach.

He waited and baited people to chase after it. It was a matter of patience. Not all disciples were pushover’s for Wave though.

A woman in sharp well-tailored robes and pitch black hair trailed behind the bear. Enduring Wave looked at her and grimaced. He waved his hands and six chains all from different angles burst out. It was a well-controlled sight but the woman blew forward with an explosive speed, the chains missing her and floundering in the air..

Her hands grazed the ring, a sharp dagger in her left hand. She was just almost there but she missed and stumbled. Wave realized that she was going to be a major competitor.

His sleeves burst up into fire and he leveled his sword at the woman. She was in a disadvantageous position and he shoved his sword into her back, around the kidney area.

She’s got some bad luck. A chain descended down from the clouds and coiled around her. She was out of the competition. She did have a bronze ring on her which meant that she would pass and would be fine. Probably.

His brain was working in overdrive. He has a distance range. Musnuf had been observing him for more than a few minutes and that was his conclusion. He just needed to stay out of range. If only I had a beast core.

The bear collapsed after a few more minutes. Once it did, Wave’s full focus turned on the disciples chasing after him. He beat all of them, dealing with over ten people took its toll on him but he did it.

Then he turned to the bear and cut off its foot. It was bloody and gruesome but he managed to get his hands on the ruby ring. A triumphant smile formed on his face.

Musnuf cleared his throat, he did it to make him aware of his presence. Wave reeled around and his eyes lit up with recognition. “That’s mine.”

Wave laughed at that. “Finders, keepers.”

Musnuf’s shoulders slumped. “I was the one who blinded him and slashed its throat. You wouldn’t have gotten him if it wasn’t for me.”

Wave’s eyebrows scrunched together and he grimaced. “Listen to me, sister. I’m not giving you the ring.”

“Can I at least have its core?”

“Fine, whatever. Take it, I don’t want to be unfair to a junior. Inner disciples have to maintain grace. I’m not an inner disciple yet but soon…” There he went. His mouth jabbering off. Musnuf was caught off-guard by the on-slaught of words flowing out of Wave’s mouth.

Musnuf nodded along at the appropriate points, hoping to appear as supplicant as possible. He stabbed his dagger into its abdomen. It was turning out to be much harder in order to get at it.

Wave got up from the rock he was resting his bottom on and stabbed his sword into its chest. “...and look at my luck. I just wasn’t expecting it to burst out of there like that…”

Musnuf used his hands to feel around and pull out the stone. It was four times as large as the leopard stone.

“ stren- Ohh that’s a good core. Kinda makes me feel bad for letting you have it. Don’t worry I won’t take it. “ He raised his hands in a mock surrender. Musnuf smiled at that.

He drawed from his almost-depleted essence and shoved in a little bit into the core. It was like poking in a hole with a needle. There was a reason why cultivator’s didn’t use essence and the sect took in every core. This was it.

Musnuf tossed the core to Wave. “What do you think? What grade beast was he?”

Wave grabbed it and scrutinized it. “...I don’t know…” He looked up for Musnuf and he was gone.

BANG!

The core blew up, the concentrated essence forced into its shell bursting out of that pin-prick of an opening.

Musnuf ran back in and ripped all of the rings off his arm. There were more than he’d expected. A toothy grin formed on his face.

Then hundreds of chains descended from the sky and coiled around Wave. They pulled him up into the sky. His charred face, flying up into the sky. The sight made Musnuf feel a little bad. Maybe, I should’ve been a little nicer.

His moral train of thought was cut short by a kick into his ribs. The rings clattering across the muddy charred ground.

“You’re a smart piglet now, huh?” It was Autumn Peace.