They continued on after breakfast.

Huǒ Shuchang had reached the Half-Step Human Limit Realm while Wu Jian was watching over Hou Jingshu. The battle with the giant Stinger must have pushed him to exceed his limits. He had cultivated the entire time Wu Jian was looking after the Shang Kingdom Princess, consuming the rest of his pills to reach this point.

Wu Jian’s cultivation had also taken a good leap. He’d gone from the first subrealm to the second subrealm during the battle. Like his friend and rival, he had pushed himself to his limits and broke past them. He’d fallen asleep while cultivating as he looked after Hou Jingshu, but it must have been enough for him to reach the next subrealm.

Even Hou Jingshu’s cultivation had taken a leap forward. She’d gone from the third subrealm to the fourth subrealm.

“I feel a little bad for reaching this point so quickly,” Hou Jingshu said.

“Why is that?” asked Wu Jian.

Hou Jingshu gave him a little smile. “My friend, Zhou Lihua, is currently at the third subrealm of the Asura Realm. It took her almost a year to reach this point, but it only took me a few days after I broke through to reach the fourth subrealm.”

“I understand why you would feel guilty over that. It probably feels like you’re cheating to get further ahead.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty much how it feels.”

Wu Jian nodded. “Just remember that while you did break through much faster than your friend, you’re also facing a lot more danger. With great risks comes great rewards. I assume Zhou Lihua is living in the Shang Kingdom’s Imperial Capital?”

“She is,” Hou Jingshu admitted.

“So she’s not putting herself in great danger to gain her strength. A safe environment also means slower growth.” Wu Jian studied the cracks in the ceiling. There were a lot of them. “Humans grow stronger by facing and overcoming adversity. It’s our struggles that build us up. If someone doesn’t struggle to reach a goal or overcome an obstacle, they can only grow so much.”

“I know. I’m not saying I don’t understand that. I just feel a little guilty.”

“Ah. Well. Sorry for going off like that then,” Wu Jian said, rubbing the back of his head.

“No.” Hou Jingshu shook her head and smiled at him. “I’m glad you understand where I’m coming from.”

“Could you love birds please stop?” asked Huǒ Shuchang from the front.

While Wu Jian cast his friend a glare, Hou Jingshu blushed and looked away.

They traveled deeper into the depths of this sand-filled place. Some areas shifted from sand to the collapsed infrastructure of buildings. Wu Jian could not tell if these buildings had been built underground or came from above ground.

At some point, they walked through an area that resembled a temple. Wu Jian looked at the tiger statues lining either side of the hallway they traversed. Each tiger was set in a different pose. One was lunging, another lounging, one sitting, and another standing defensively with fangs bared. The one thing he noticed about all of them aside from the incredible attention to detail was how pristine they were.

“I would have expected these to be broken like everything else,” Wu Jian said.

“Maybe there’s a powerful formation keeping them from getting damaged?” suggested Hou Jingshu.

“It is possible, but how can a formation like that still be active after all this time? You’d think it would run out of chi.”

“I remember… Yin Wuhan told me this place was built on a ley line. It’s possible the formation is using the chi from the ley line to power itself.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

It felt kind of like they had gone back in time. Wu Jian would often talk about subjects like this with Hou Jingshu and Wu Meiying when they were younger—not formations, exactly, but matters of cultivation and similar subjects. It was almost enough to forget the ache in his chest.

“We’ve almost reached the end of the line. Look alive, you two. We’ve got company,” said Huǒ Shuchang, interrupting them once more.

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu faced forward and saw that the hallway had opened into a massive room. Not much existed in this room save the gigantic tiger statue on the other end. A single platform with a pedestal in the center sat before the statue. Wu Jian didn’t know what it was for, but there were two people standing on it.

“Oh?” Zhou Xie’e turned to look at them and smiled. “We meet again. I thought Sǐwáng Hou would be the one who caught up to us. I never guessed you three would make it this far.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” asked Huǒ Shuchang.

“Just a statement, though I do applaud you for getting so far.” Zhou Xie’e turned around to face them more fully. His polite smile gave away nothing. “And it looks like all of you were able to reach impressive levels in your cultivation. Congratulations.”

“Well… thanks, I guess,” Huǒ Shuchang said. He didn’t seem to know how to take the man’s words.

While Huǒ Shuchang spoke with Zhou Xie’e, Wu Jian stared at Ji Fang, who had yet to move from his spot. The man didn’t seem the type to care much about others, but he would have at least expected him to respond now that someone had shown up. Yet it was like he hadn’t even noticed them.

“Are you curious about what Ji Fang is doing?” asked Zhou Xie’e.

“We are. Is he okay? He seems like he’s not all there,” said Hou Jingshu.

“He’s currently taking The White Tiger’s Trial.” Zhou Xie’e must have realized that meant nothing to them, so he continued. “The White Tiger seems to have attached a part of his spirit to this statue before leaving this world for the next. When someone places their hands on this pedestal, it takes their spirit to another realm, where they are tested to see if they’re worthy of receiving his inheritance.”

“Wait. Does that mean the White Tiger Sect did more than just worship Byakko as their guardian deity?” asked Wu Jian.

“It would seem so,” Zhou Xie’e confirmed. “I don’t know the specifics, but I would wager Byakko himself may have formed this sect before disappearing. Very little knowledge of the past exists today.”

Much of what people knew about the White Tiger Sect only existed in texts written by those who destroyed it. History was written by the victors. Since the White Tiger Sect lost, whatever history they had was overwritten by those who destroyed them. It only made sense, then, that no one knew much about the sect.

However, if it was formed by a deity, that would explain why it was so powerful.

The Phoenix Clan of the Xia Dynasty controlled the largest and strongest nation on the continent, and while the Three Celestial Sects were also powerful, they were about equal in might. The fact that the Phoenix Clan could stand on par with the three most powerful sects on the planet was thanks to their guardian deity. The Phoenix Clan had been founded by none other than the Phoenix.

Ji Fang suddenly stirred. He removed his hand from the pedestal, took a step back, and sighed.

“Let’s go,” he said to Zhou Xie’e.

“Did you manage to pass the trial?” asked Zhou Xie’e.

Ji Fang glared at the man, but instead of responding, he whirled around and began walking away. Zhou Xie’e was forced to start moving to catch up.

As he passed them, Ji Fang cast them a single glance before continuing on. It was like they were so small none of them entered his field of vision. That frustrated Wu Jian. He did not like being underestimated like that, but Ji Fang wasn’t his enemy right now. There was no sense in picking a fight when he didn’t have to.

“Well, now. Who could have expected we would find something like this?” asked Huǒ Shuchang as he walked up the platform. Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu followed him. He paused by the pedestal. Wu Jian thought he was going to attempt the trial, but he turned to them instead. “Well, you two should give this a try.”

“Us? Are you not also going to try?” asked Wu Jian.

He shook his head. “Can’t. I already serve the Phoenix. That’s why I can use the cultivation method passed down the Phoenix Clan. Cultivators who already worship one deity cannot worship another. Aside from being a matter of respect and filial piety, the benefits and blessings you can attain from one deity prevent you from accepting another. I’d have to renounce my right to my cultivation method and start over from scratch if I wanted to gain whatever is to be had from passing these trials.”

“Oh…”

Wu Jian had not known that. He knew very little about deities and cultivation methods. Learning that he would only be able to gain the blessings of one deity also put a small damper on his desire to take this trial. What if he took the trial, succeeded, and got the blessing, only to learn it didn’t suit him? What if he found a better blessing some time down the line? Would he have to give up what he earns here?

While Wu Jian was debating the merits of taking the trial, Hou Jingshu placed her hand on the pedestal. She closed her eyes and ceased moving. Wu Jian nearly jolted when he felt something inside of the woman shift. It was like her spirit had suddenly left her body. He reached out as though to touch her, but Huǒ Shuchang grabbed his hand. He looked over to see the older man shaking his head.

“You shouldn’t interrupt her while she’s taking her trial,” he explained. “Even a light touch can disrupt the trial.”

Wu Jian retracted his hand and took several steps back. While Huǒ Shuchang sat down to cultivate, Wu Jian found that he was unable to relax, so he watched Hou Jingshu. He hoped she would succeed in the trial.

The woman came back faster than he thought she would. Barely a minute had gone by before she opened her eyes again.

“How was it?” asked Wu Jian. Hou Jingshu shook her head. He furrowed his brow. “You didn’t succeed?”

“I wasn’t even allowed to take it.” She let out a small but dispirited laugh. “My cultivation technique is called Nine Heavenly Dragons Embodiment, and according to Byakko, it is the first half of Seiryuu’s inheritance, meaning I can’t take his trial unless I give up my current cultivation and start over.”

“Oooh. Well… I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, smile becoming brighter. “Don’t be. Byakko did give me a technique for making it this far. He said that while it wasn’t completely compatible with my cultivation, it was still something I could learn. I’m going to study it now. You should take the trial and see if you can pass.”

“Okay,” Wu Jian agreed.

Hou Jingshu sat down, and Wu Jian placed his hand on the pedestal. The world around him vanished. Darkness filled his vision. He blinked several times as lights twinkled into existence, and he was shocked to realize those lights were all stars. A glance down at his feet revealed that he was standing on nothing. It was like he was floating in the heavens.

“I see another has come to my domain. Do you seek power, boy?”

An earth rumbling voice echoed from all around him. Wu Jian turned every which way to try and locate the source of the voice, but he could not.

And that was when a pair of eyes suddenly appeared. They were so big that Wu Jian felt like an ant before them. A presence unlike anything he had ever felt pressed down upon his shoulders. He was naught but a tiny bug before these pair of eyes. They were the eyes of a creature far beyond his understanding, the eyes of a god.

“I am Byakko, though I am but a fragment of the real thing. My task here is to guide potential young cultivators through my trial, to find those who are worthy of my inheritance. Boy, would you like to test your mettle? To see if you are worthy of claiming that which I have guarded for eons?”