Mist filled Tian Feng’s vision, as the whispers of the world carried by the Qi crawled upon his ears. The rivers of fate had been turbulent recently, clouding his vision of the future. Whatever tribulation the Heavens held in store for them, Tian Feng could not divine.The Elder opened his eyes from his meditation, taking in the dark secluded chamber he sat in. A small turtle with golden swirls decorating its shell stood nearby, eating happily on some water attuned spirit herbs the Elder had procured for it. Tian Feng would not fault a disciple for mistaking the turtle to be a regular spirit, yet within that small and unassuming shell of the creature was a burning core shimmering with three circles, signifying the mastery over Qi the spirit had achieved. If the spirit hadn’t been recovering its third circle, then Tian Feng held no doubt that it would be able to compete with him in martial prowess.“Had you taught him that odd attack?” Tian asked, looking at the turtle. The boy had sho

Qi flowed through my body, the whispers from Yuan guiding my steps. The world shifted around me, Qi thrusting out from under my feet as I dodged back from the arc of sword Qi lashing out at me.The sword boy did not slow down, swinging his sword in a wide arc one after the other as arcs of sword Qi flashed, carving scars onto the ground. The air shimmered around the boy, cuts appearing on the robes he wore from the Qi running wild around his body as he lashed out.I did not have the time to taunt or even think. Qi moved in cycles around me body, Wind step whirling as I moved faster than I could think. Memories of years of sparring seeped into my mind, muscle memory that I didn’t know I had responding where I could not.I had never properly had the chance to test out my body after I’d begun cultivation both Heaven and Earth together. I knew I was stronger by quite a bit, yet the sensation of seeing the world move just a bit slower when I focused, the feeling of moving my body the way I

Light flickered around Li Yue, as the seams of the world thinned. The searing heat of his surroundings turned to a dim chill within an instant as he was brought to a chamber brimming with Qi. A hard wall pressed against his back, which he slumped against, sliding down as his legs gave out. With a groan, he opened his mouth, finding his throat dry. His Qi was depleted completely and his injuries had begun to ache even more as the heat of the battle faded from his blood.Steps sounded out from nearby, as Li Yue felt hands touch his wounds, gentle Qi flowing through them. Instinctively, Li Yue gripped his sword tighter, but relaxed when a soothing flow of Qi touched against his forehead.“Swallow this,” an elderly voice told him, and he silently opened his mouth to take the pill within his body. Qi erupted in his dantian a moment later, flooding his pathways, as he focused on guiding the energy throughout, to help with his injuries.He’d lost.The realisation was a cold slap that cut awa

Twilight licked the bright red droplet of blood off of her hands, relishing in the Qi that it surged through her body. Qi spread through her body, heading towards the flower atop her head and filling it gently.The little plant spirit chimed in satisfaction, before returning to the little bits of blood still left on the master’s chest, slowly dripping forth.Injured. She realized with concern. Healing. The thought followed, as her concern faded, and she returned to her little feast of blood.The flower atop her head bobbed up and down as she climbed up onto her master’s arms, making her way up to his shoulder. Sitting there, she let the breeze gently caress the petals atop her head, as she took in the view, listening to the silent whispers of the grass around her. It told her of the dying and the dead buried within the earth, and of the little blobs of Qi that moved through the earth.The desire to spread her spores filled Twilight, as the whispers of the earth grew in her ears. There

We walked together in silence, keeping both our mortal and other senses open for anything that may come into our perception. A few minutes later, I sensed something at the edge of my perception and turned towards the direction.“There, I think I felt something,” I said out loud, moving in the indicated direction. A moment later, I found another tree with a mark engraved onto it. I turned towards Liuxiang, moving aside as he walked up to the tree to let him do his work.“A new one, we’re on the right track. Then… this one thinks there is a hidden path connecting these trees, and if we move astray of those, the wards bring us back to the very beginning, making us run around in circles.”“That’s nasty. So anyone who gets stuck in here can’t leave until they either figure the puzzle out or the time runs out?”Liuxiang nodded at my words. “Let us stay focused.”I instructed my spirits to keep their eyes out as well, Flee squeaking enthusiastically, with Twilight following behind Flee.My n