Wu Jian glanced at a tree that towered over him like a goliath. Its giant trunk was so massive that it would take fifteen of him holding hands to encircle it. Leaves so large they looked like blankets hung from branches that were twisted in a myriad of ways.

“We should come up with a plan to decide on how we want to get our tokens,” Wu Jian said, stopping near the tree and placing his hand against its trunk.

Xia Lin nodded. “Hmmm. I agree. The way I see it, there are two methods we can use. The first method is to search the forest for the other competitors and take their token that way. The second is to wait at the stronghold for people to come and ambush them.”

Neither the instructors nor Yu Qiang had specified how they needed to acquire the extra token. It was their tacit way of saying anything goes. They could even use underhanded means if they wanted to, though perhaps the instructors didn’t think anyone would stoop that low because of the values this institute instilled into its disciples. Wu Jian wondered what the instructors were thinking.

“I have a way of finding people in this forest, so the second method will actually take longer than the first,” Wu Jian said.

“You do? Okay. Let’s do that then,” Xia Lin looked surprised, but she quickly got over it. “So you’re good at tracking people too?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Wu Jian said vaguely.

The one who was good at tracking wasn’t actually him, but Yōuměi. She had been stuck in his shadow ever since they reached the Imperial Shang Kingdom. He hadn’t been able to let her out even once. He wasn’t sure how comfortable his shadow was, but he was positive Yōuměi didn’t enjoy being cooped up inside of it like that.

Wu Jian sat down, closed his eyes, and crossed his legs. The shadows beneath his writhed as Yōuměi darted from his shadow to the one connected to this tree. Xia Lin didn’t even seem to notice as she stood guard over him. She must have assumed he was using some kind of secret technique to discover the location of the other participants.

“How long will it take to find the other participants?” asked Xia Lin.

Wu Jian shrugged. “That depends on how far they are from us.”

“Oh.”

A steady silence surrounded them as Wu Jian and Xia Lin waited. It wasn’t completely silent. The sounds of the forest echoed around them. Several loud caws from nearby caused Xia Lin to look up, startled, but all that greeted her was a pair of birds flying through the trees.

“You seem to be quite jumpy. Not a fan of forests?” asked Wu Jian.

“I wouldn’t say it’s that I’m not a fan, per se.” Xia Lin sat down and drew her knees to her chest. “There is a forest near my family’s estate. My parents would always tell me to never enter the forest because it was home to viscous magical beasts. Like any child at that age, I got curious and decided to head into the forest against my parents’ wishes.”

“Let me guess, you got lost and attacked by a magical beast,” Wu Jian said.

Xia Lin smiled bitterly. “Yes. I wandered so far into the forest that I got completely lost. I couldn’t even tell north from south. While I was wandering through the forest, crying, I stumbled upon a giant python magical beast. I would have been food if my parents hadn’t found me at that moment. I’ve disliked forests ever since then.”

It seemed kids were all the same no matter where you went. Her story somewhat reminded him of the time he and Wu Meiying traveled up to the Twin Fang Mountains and were attacked by a Spotted Snow Lion. It was a wonder he didn’t hate forests after that debacle.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

“I will be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Wu Jian nodded. Just then, a loud sound echoed through the forest. It sounded like the viscous roar of an enraged monster. Xia Lin leapt to her feet and stared in the direction the noise had come from, her face pale, sweat dripping down her forehead. Wu Jian also looked in that direction. Several birds and other animals were all fleeing from the area beyond.

“What was that?!” asked Xia Lin.

“Sounds like a very powerful magical beast,” said Wu Jian, standing up.

A presence connected to his shadow just then, and Wu Jian realized that Yōuměi had returned.

“Did you find anything?” he asked, soft enough that Xia Lin hadn’t heard him. A single black tail emerged from the shadow and pointed in the direction the loud roaring had come from. “Over that way?”

He didn’t think Yōuměi was pointing in that direction just because there were participants over there. It seemed like they were in trouble. Wu Jian had no obligation to help these people, but they were part of the Shang Kingdom Imperial Academy and would make up the backbone of the Shang Kingdom’s army. He couldn’t just leave them to die.

“Let’s go,” said Wu Jian.

Xia Lin looked shocked. “We’re… going over there? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Wu Jian shrugged. “Not really, no, but it sounds like our fellow participants ran afoul of some trouble. I’d like to assess the situation and see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Well… okay. But let’s flee at the first sign of trouble,” said Xia Lin.

He nodded. “Of course. I’m not going to needlessly risk my life. We’ll run if the situation proves too dangerous.”

With Xia Lin following close behind him, Wu Jian ran in the direction where the roaring had come from. It was louder now. Either they were getting closer, or the magical beast was getting angrier. The very atmosphere seemed to vibrate with its roars, shaking the trees and causing animals to flee from their homes.

Wu Jian hoped he would arrive in time to help whoever was in trouble.

***

Immediately upon entering the forest, Yong Hai took his group and began traveling toward the stronghold. He had decided to lie in wait and ambush the people who arrived.

Unfortunately, something strange had happened to him and his group while they were traveling. A strange fog had rolled in. So thick was this fog that none of them could see more than a few chih in any direction. Even his hand was barely visible as he waved it in front of his face.

“W-what’s going on?! Where did this fog come from?!”

“I can’t see!”

“Wh-where are you guys?!”

The people who journeyed with him panicked. Their startled screams reverberated throughout the forest. Yong Hai wanted to shout at all of them to shut up, but he never got the chance before a gigantic vine wrapped around his waist and hauled him into the air.

A sword appeared in his hand as he summoned it from within his storage ring, and he swung it down on the vine keeping him trapped. Loud squealing echoed around him. The vines writhed and swung their captives around.

Yong Hai landed on the ground, rolled across the floor, and skipped back to his feet. He heard a swishing sound like air being cut and backpedaled as something slammed into the ground where he had been standing. More sounds echoed around him. He grimaced as he realized he couldn’t see where the vines were coming from.

He decided to run away. He had no desire to become plant food. So he darted across the forest floor as swiftly as his legs could carry him, ignoring the screams of the participants who joined up with him. What did he care if they perished here? They should be honored to die for his sake. Hopefully, the others would be enough of a distraction that this plant, whatever it was, would not bother him.

Bursting out of the fog, he raced away from the area without looking back. He had no idea what that creature was, and he didn’t want to know. All he wanted to do was get as far away from there as he could.

Unfortunately, he had gotten lost during his run through the forest. Even more unfortunately, he had somehow lost the map he had been given. It must have fallen to the forest floor when that giant plant magical beast attacked him. He cursed. Dammit. Now he not only didn’t know where he was, but he wouldn’t be able to find out where he was going either!

And yet he couldn’t go back where he came from. All that waited for him there was death, so he walked through the forest, now more wary than ever of surprise attacks. The forest had just proven far more dangerous than he could have imagined. He didn’t know what that plant monster was, but it was at least an Asura Realm magical beast.

There were all kinds of magical beasts in this world, and while most of them looked like animals, plant type magical beasts did exist. They were rare. They were also harder to kill. Their main body was usually located beneath the earth. Yong Hai had no idea what one was doing in this forest. Had it always been there?

As an Asura Realm cultivator, Yong Hai had far more strength than the average human, and he could run far faster than most people. He used his incredible speed to bolt through the forest. It was his hope that he would eventually stumble across someone who could help him. If nothing else, he wanted to reach the stronghold.

Yong Hai glanced at his surroundings and furrowed his brow. He’d been running for a long time now, afraid that he would be attacked again if he stayed in one spot for too long. Had the forest always looked this malevolent? The plants and trees seemed darker and more ominous, their branches twisting together in ways that didn’t seem natural. Everything also looked much older. This place seemed almost like a completely different part of the forest. He pressed his hand against a tree and felt the rough bark.

At that moment, the trunk he was touching moved. He jerked his hand back, startled, and looked up as what he thought was a trunk turned out to be a giant leg. What he thought was bark sloughed turned out to be mud. It scoffed off the leg as a giant foot came crashing down. Yong Hai screamed in shock and scrambled out of the way to avoid being stomped on.

He looked up, eyes widening in horror as he realized what stood before him was no tree. It looked like a gorilla or some sort, but it was massive, taller than the tallest building he had ever seen. Its gigantic body was covered in muscle. It had a flat nose and crimson eyes, which were currently glaring down at him.

“It seems a human has wandered into my forest. I thought we agreed that you would not tread upon this place in exchange for me not attacking your settlements. Human… you would break the covenant that has kept the peace between me and your kind?”

“Ah… ahhh…”

Yong Hai would have liked to say something, anything, but his mind was frozen in horror. This giant magical beast was not only big, but it had an overwhelming presence that caused all who beheld it to freeze in horror. Just gazing upon this creature made Yong Hai feel like he was going to be sick.

“Nothing to say for yourself? Very well. You may die.”

When the gorilla raised his fist, Yong Hai finally snapped out of his stupor long enough to scramble out of the way. He didn’t care how undignified he looked as he ran on all fours. The fist struck the ground and kicked up dust. A powerful shockwave spread from the point of impact, washing over Yong Hai and sending him into the air. He screamed in horror as he tumbled end over end. The world spun before he found himself slamming onto a tree. With the wind knocked out of his lungs, Yong Hai could do nothing as the massive gorilla beat its fists against its chest and roared into the sky.