Serial complainers are a chore to be around but Musnuf couldn’t help but get angry. All he had to do was slip away and hide for the rest of the duration. Instead, this bitch had to show up!

He clenched his fist and started thinking. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Autumn snapped her fingers and a blue orb appeared around his face. It started suffocating him. Panic flooded his chest and he started clawing at it. He was going crazy with delirium. He tried to pull on his essence but he’d exhausted it. He didn’t have infinite reserves.

Autumn Peace smiled at the sight and licked her lips. Seeing Snow Gem clawing at the orb, she burst out into a giggle. Then she snapped her fingers again and the orb was gone.

Musnuf collapsed on his knees and started drawing in oxygen. You don’t appreciate anything until you’ve been deprived of it. He wiped the tears off his eyes and started at Autumn Peace. He wanted to tear her apart limb from limb.

He didn’t have anything to rely upon, his essence was exhausted. He was exhausted.

“You know what, you’re an insecure piece of shit. You fu-” He hadn’t gotten the words out of his mouth before Autumn was in front of him. She planted a fist into his solar plexus and he was launched away.

She walked over to him and jammed her foot into his stomach. “You fat pig. Say it again.”

Pain lacerated up from her leg and Autumn looked down. Musnuf’s left arm was plunging a dagger into her leg below her knee. It took her a second to process it and she screamed. It was a shrill, ear-piercing affair and her hands burst up into the classic ghost green flame of the sect.

She bent down to hit him but she wasn’t thinking straight. She should’ve gotten her leg out of the bind. Musnuf pulled down and shoved it deeper in her ankle area.

He pulled it out and a burst of warm blood came pouring out. She started pelting him with her fists but he started laughing.

He pulled her robes down to him and his dagger was inches away from her throat but a chain restrained it. It’d descended from the sky. ‘That’s enough, Junior. You need to restrain yourself.’ A voice resounded in his head and he nodded. The chains coiled around Autumn and started pulling her up into the sky. He got off the ground and pulled off the bangles on her arm.

He wanted to take every single one off so that she was disqualified but the chains were too fast. A few were still left on her arm.

A disciple was standing there in the clearing. He had a bright red bandana on his forehead. Musnuf must’ve cut an imposing(read ridiculous) figure with his fat body covered in burns, blood and mud.

“Scram!” The disciple flinched and started running away. I should’ve gotten his rings too. His fat body moved like a specter collecting all of the rings. He took the ruby ring and shoved it into his robe.

He ran into the forest. A mutilated bear and a clearing left in his wake. I just need to hide. He scrambled around trying to find a secluded spot. He heard a rustle and that’s when he stumbled on the Flower sisters. He had no desire to fight them, he wouldn’t win.

“Snow Gem!” It was Tiger, her robe was ripped from her side, exposing her torso. She had abs. Musnuf was a little envious. If I was going to get reincarnated as a girl, at least make me hot.

His brain started whirring into overdrive. “I just saw the ruby ring!”

“What!?”

He grabbed Tiger’s arms. “It was on a bear in the clearing. This disciple with a red bandana took off with it. I don’t know which way he went. I’ll go straight ahead, you look that way. He has to be in here somewhere!” Tiger tried to butt into the conversation but he didn’t let her have a word. The faster he was out of here the better.

He didn’t give her a chance to get in a word and took off running straight ahead. Please, please, don’t think about it!

Sweat was pouring off his forehead like a waterfall. A few more hours and he would be in the clear.

“Let’s check out the bear first.” Tiger suggested.

“Yes, let's go.” Dragon glanced back in the direction Musnuf had taken off. Something didn’t jell together.

They reached the clearing to find a disciple with a red bandana on his head. He was wandering around looking for something. Tiger pounced on him before he had a chance. “Where’s the red core!?”

“I-i don’t have it. It was that fat disciple, she took it!” Understanding dawned on Tiger’s face. “She tricked us!” She felt a little betrayed at that.

Tiger and Dragon tore up the surroundings but it looked as if he’d dissipated into smoke. He’d found a crevice in the mountain wall and jammed his body into it. It was much harder to meditate standing upright then it was while sitting down but he recovered his essence. He had to make his way down to the foot of the mountain. Otherwise, he would be disqualified.

He wriggled out of his hiding spot and jumped out. His rolls of fat jiggling though, they’d lessened. The constant exertion was having an effect on his weight.

He looked up to find Tiger and Dragon.