I glanced around the cavern, reaching out with my senses to find where the cultivator was. Focusing my senses, I tried to remove the spirit herbs and beasts, focusing on the one shimmering ball of Qi that was heading towards this direction.

“Labby, come here, quick,” I said out loud, pulling Labby back in my dantian. I reached up to my head, grabbing Twilight in my hand, before I put her at my chest, hidden under my robes. Rushing, I ran to a side section, finding an outcropping of rocks to hide behind.

Slowly, I dimmed my own Qi, hiding my presence so that there would be no sudden change. The amount of Qi filling the cavern from all the spirit grass would help camouflage my own Qi. I stilled my breath, then my movements, before quieting down my Qi completely. I sensed Labby’s Qi churn nervously in my dantian, and I shared a sensation of soothing peace to her, as she quickly calmed down. Thankfully, Twilight didn’t seem to understand much of what was going on, but she knew she needed to stay quiet.

I tensed slightly when I heard steps echo out. But instead of one, there were two people who walked inside. My heart began to beat faster. Had the twins already found me?

Finding my curiosity spiking, I decided to take a look. Moving carefully to not make any sound, while keeping a tight grasp on my Qi, I edged to the corner of the rock I was hidden behind, and glanced to the side.

Two cultivators stood nearby, scanning the area. I felt my body relax, seeing these two were just some random people. I felt somewhat surprised to see two cultivators working together, but it was not extremely surprising. Perhaps they’d made some agreement before the tournament had started.

The hall we’d been left at came to my mind after the selection round as I remembered the groups gathering and forming. I’d merely assumed that it had been people who knew each other, just like how I’d known Liuxiang, but I was wrong. They’d been forming teams to work together, instead of just running in on their own. I wondered if I should feel offended that no one came to me, but I remembered that none came for Liuxiang either. Though I had a feeling that it was for entirely different reasons in his case.

I kept an eye on the two cultivators walking through the caverns, their guards up as they scanned everything. It seems this wasn’t their first trial judging from the spirit herb on each of them.

Thinking for a moment, I decided to watch the two cultivators go through the cavern for a while. There were no rules that prevented me from stealing any herbs, the only question was whether I could do that without being ganged up on and getting my own herbs stolen.

Twilight grabbed onto the edge of my robes, very slightly peeking out, as she let out a breath that she’d been holding in. She looked up at me, her red eyes shining with excitement as if this was some sort of game.

“Stay inside Twilight. Only peek through if you need to take a breath,” I told her, and she nodded her head, the flower atop bobbing up and down, before she quickly jumped back in.

“Does Labby need to stay hidden too?”

“For now, yes. But I may need your help soon Labby. Twilight is too young, and I may need you to protect her when I go face the cultivators. If I go.”

“Labby will protect her Junior sister with everything she has!” Labby exclaimed with a squeak, and I nodded. I had no doubt about that.

Checking on my spirits for one last time, I turned around and began to watch.

The two cultivators walked through the cavern, searching the spirit grass briefly for any clues before they stepped ahead. A few steps in, one of them jumped pointing upwards towards the spiders as they quickly took a stance.

I watched silently, as the spiders chittered from the ceiling. A moment later, one of the cultivators flared his Qi, as flames licked his clothes. With a punch forwards, Fire Qi exploded in a plume of flames that shot upwards.

My hand moved to my chest without thought to shield Twilight and prevent her from seeing her spider friends being hurt. I realized a moment later that she couldn’t see anything from inside my robes, yet continued to keep my hand pressed against her regardless.

A powerful series of hisses filled the cavern, as I felt the spiders Qi flaring. The cultivators leapt in, alternating between earth and fire attacks, as they fought the spiders, but the spiders were far from helpless.

I watched in horror as tens of gigantic spiders began to rush the cultivator, with webs glimmering with poison Qi that shot towards the two of them. It wasn't a fight, as much as it was obliteration. The spiders swarmed the cultivators, baiting fire attacks from the two of them, before targeting their feet. It didn’t take long for the two to abandon their losing battle and cut their losses, as they rushed forward. A few spiders gave chase, but they too stopped, when the cultivators left their area.

Waiting a moment, I began to step through as well, heading ahead while I remained crouching as I followed behind.

I decided to stay far away from the bunch of agitated spiders that were larger than my face. At a distance from the spiders, I hid behind another outcropping of rock, watching the cultivators stumble upon the gate of mushrooms.

For a moment, I was worried about Mushroom Leader and his people, but I continued to watch silently. When the time arrived, and if they needed it, then I would step in and help.

I continued to observe in silence, as the two tried to find some sort of solution to open the mushroom gate. Oddly enough, the carving on the gate itself had changed from the evil sharp toothed mushroom, to be the face of a tiny mushroom leader, standing tall and proud, with Labby by his side, and Twilight standing nearby. I even spotted a depiction of myself, floating in the air, as I held a glowing mushroom in my hand, while the rest of them were bowing in my direction.

It seems our little battle had left a mark.

A frown covered my face, when the same gate was attacked with a powerful blast. The gate shuddered, but held still, but the cultivators continued unfettered. A few moments of powerful explosions of Qi later, something cracked, as the gate started to crumble.

In an explosion that kicked up dirt all over, the gate collapsed, as the way inside opened up. I sensed the two cultivators step through the dust cloud and inside.

Waiting a second longer, I got up and prepared to rush in and fight the two. Flaring my Qi, I revealed myself, clutching a drugnade from my pouch that I was ready to throw and explode when I sensed something strange.

Little orange particles of Qi floated in the air, filling the dust cloud. I walked closer, covering my nose with my sleeve and watched the two cultivators being dragged to the side by a pair of gigantic spiders, as they twitched and turned, eyes wide in horror.

Paralyzing powder of some kind, and a fast acting one. I stepped back from the cloud instantly, finding my hands and feet numb, yet thankfully I didn’t seem to have inhaled nearly as much of it. I waited for a few moments, circulating my Qi to get rid of the paralyzing spore. After I’d removed enough of it, I began to follow the tracks on the ground, leading to where the two cultivators were.

The path took me to a side chamber covered in thick webs and cocoons where I found the two of them tied up in webs, and stuck to the walls and the spiders walked all around them, continuing to tie them up further.

A shudder went up my spine, realizing that if I didn’t have twilight, that there could’ve very well been me. I quickly realized how sinister the trap of this trial had been, with the mushrooms and spiders working together to support each other. The spiders would guard the mushrooms, and the mushrooms would help capture anyone who entered for the spiders.

A low hiss greeted me as I noted a spider standing nearby, raising its legs threateningly. More joined in soon, hissing as one and I took a step back. I suppose I had not earned enough trust to be let in here.

Gently, I grabbed Twilight out in my hand. “Can you talk to them?”

“Chii?” Twilight asked, before she glanced at the spiders. “Chii!” she exclaimed, waving happily, as the spiders looked at Twilight in confusion. I quickly realized why Twilight could talk to the mushrooms and spiders, while Labby couldn’t. Plant spirits had a strange kind of language going on, I already knew that. Since the spiders were working with the plants, they were more accepting of any plant spirits, who could communicate with them. I wondered just what other kinds of relationships these spirit beasts had in the wild, based on their nature and the nature of their Qi.

I let the thoughts go, focusing on Twilight who continued to chime happily. The spiders responded with clicks of their own, and a moment later, I saw a rare frown on Twilight’s face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, Labby appearing on my shoulder with a crackle of lightning a moment later.

“Does Labby need to fight?” she asked, glancing around at the many spiders.

“Chii! Chii? Chii Chii!” Twilight said, waving her arms around, but I failed to understand the jumbled thoughts that she sent my way.

Growing frustrated, the little plant girl grabbed my thumb and pulled it over, biting. A moment later, she pointed at the drop of blood that had gathered at my thumb before pointing at the spiders.

“They… want my blood?”

“Chii!” she exclaimed, nodding before shaking my head. Okay. Close, but not the right answer.

“Chii!” she pointed again, before opening her mouth and rubbing at her belly. She then pointed at my abdomen, before looking up at me.

“Food!” she exclaimed.

“Hold on. They want… my essence?” I asked, bewildered.

“Chii!!” Twilight chimed, nodding her head up and down in agreement. I frowned, looking at the spiders making quiet clicking noises as they all watched me in anticipation.

“Tell them that I’ll give them one drop, if they let me go to the two cultivators they have there,” I said, watching as Twilight chimed, translating my words.

The spiders turned to look at each other, clicking as they seemed to discuss something with one another. One turned towards me, lifting a leg as twilight chimed once more. “Chii~”

“What a day,” I murmured to myself, bending to my knee as I focused. Gathering my essence, I formed a single golden drop at my fingertip which I dropped onto the hairy leg the spider had extended.

In a frenzy, all of them jumped on the drop, before the largest one hissed, quieting the mess. The spider with the droplet was escorted away and the big spider turned towards me, lifting one leg, which I was taking to be a sign of agreement, before it turned and began to walk away.

I watched for a moment, before realizing I was supposed to follow behind. I walked behind the spider, watching the two cultivators. Their eyes remained on me, as something akin to hope filled them for a brief moment.

“Bro…brother… help us…” one of the boys spoke, moving his mouth with difficulty.

I looked at the two cultivators, no, the two kids, about two to three years younger than me if I had to guess, and a part of me wanted to agree and simply free them. But this was a tournament. And one that I needed to win.

“If you two give me your treasures, and agree to give up, then I will,” I said, as the boy’s eyes shook in surprise.

“We… could resist… the formation… will take us… you will… never get the herbs… that way,” the other boy said, his eyes determined.

I turned towards the two boys, stopping a sigh. I hated to do this, but it seemed like the best way. Coaxing a very fine strand of Gu, I applied it to my voice. Just enough to add the unsettling edge given by the death energy.

“They will. When you are in mortal danger, and injured enough. But spiders are slow, methodical. How long will it be, before the Elders step in?” I murmured, locking eyes with the two of them. “But your choice has been made, brothers. And I will respect it,” I said, turning around.

Silently, I began to walk away.

“Master… are you really going to leave them?”

“No. I plan to wait outside for five minutes, before I head in there and use a drugnade to send them back.”

I almost stepped out of the cavern, feeling both impressed and disappointed by the stubborn determination the two had, when I heard a cry come from behind.

“Wait! Please…” a boy murmured and I turned back around.

“Do you agree?” I asked, and the boy nodded.

I walked closer, standing next to him before I quickly went and took out the spirit herb from his pocket. A dark bulbous root, filled with potent earth Qi. Taking the herb, I channeled my Qi, and slashed through the webs, cutting them. I grabbed the boy, as he fell, and heard him murmur his defeat.

“I admit defeat,” the boy said, as Qi flared all around him, a bright flash of light taking him away.

I turned to glance at the other boy, who glared back at me with fury. I didn’t retort, not feeling very pleased to have to use someone’s misfortune for my benefit, but I wasn’t stupid enough to let an opportunity like this go.

“Fine… free me,” the other boy said at last and I nodded. Walking closer, I searched around before finding the treasure. A glowing flower of a deep red color, burning with flames at the edges of its petal and filled with fire Qi. I… could use this to make a more potent drugnade. Possibly something even stronger and more fire based.

Glancing up at the boy, I quickly used my Qi to slash through his webs and grabbed him. Holding the falling boy, I waited for him to speak up.

“I… admit…” the boy murmured, and I tensed. Quickly, I pushed him away, as I sensed the rising Qi from his chest. Flame burst through his mouth, as he breathed fire towards me even as his legs gave beneath him.

Jumping backwards, I quickly threw a drugnade at the boy, igniting it. The explosion shook the cavern with barely restrained power, as the spiders became unsettled from the shockwave. Fire blossomed in front of me, glowing bright, as the boy was slugged away and quickly taken out by a flash of light.

“One of them just had to do that,” I murmured. Although I had been prepared for the possibility, I had been hoping they would go out peacefully. It was not pleasant to have to hurt them.

“Master did all he could. Others would not have done even this much for the two of them. Labby does not think Master needs to feel any guilt.”

I smiled, patting Labby’s head. “It’s not guilt, Labby. I just wish I didn’t have to. I don’t enjoy hurting people. Yet I keep getting reminded that this world will forever keep making me use force if I want to live here, and sometimes… I just wish I didn’t have to,” I said, sighing.

Labby squeaked, though I could tell that she struggled to understand.

Putting the thoughts out of my mind, I gave a nod to the spiders one last time, before I began to make my way out of the cavern. I’d gained not one, but three treasures, but I couldn’t rest just yet. There will likely be ambushes and people looking to steal what I had, and I would need to be prepared.

Preparing myself up for the challenges to come, I stepped out into the light, ready to hunt for some more treasure.