Thump. Thump. Thump.The sound rolled up from beneath the Martial Hall, and every disciple in the room froze at once. It wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. The floor itself moved with each beat, a slow pulse traveling up through stone and into bone.Ken felt his heart begin to match the rhythm before he could stop it. His breathing turned heavy, deliberate, like something outside him was dragging the air out of his lungs on a schedule that wasn't his own. Inside his soul space, the sealed White Tiger cocoon shook violently.Mirinda's expression changed. For the first time since Ken had known her, genuine fear crossed her face.Ken."What?"Do not let your soul synchronize with that heartbeat.He didn't waste time arguing. Thunder Circulation surged through his meridians, lightning scattering the strange rhythm before it could take root, and his own heartbeat snapped back to normal. But the sound beneath the hall didn't stop.Thump.The creature standing inside the cracked assessment p

The darkness swallowed Ken completely.For several seconds, he couldn't feel his body. There was no ground. No sky. No sound. Only darkness.Then— Bang!Ken crashed onto something hard. Pain spread through his back. He opened his eyes."Ken!"Suzuki's voice came from nearby. Ken immediately sat up, and his vision slowly returned. They were no longer inside the Martial Hall. They had fallen into a massive underground chamber. Broken stone pillars surrounded them, and ancient formations covered the walls, faint light still pulsing along cracked grooves.Senior Lu was already standing, his Lion Martial Spirit circling behind him, restless. Seven and Lila were nowhere in sight.Ken looked toward Suzuki. "Are you injured?"She shook her head, rubbing her shoulder with a wince she tried to hide. "Only my shoulder. Nothing your reckless little rescue attempts haven't already bruised worse.""I didn't push you down here.""No, you just insisted on going first into every trap we've walked into

The hundreds of green eyes opened at once.Ken's expression hardened. "Everyone, stop."The outer disciples froze mid-step, boots scraping to a halt against stone.The darkness ahead was filled with low growls. Something scraped against the tunnel wall, slow and deliberate, like claws testing the edge of a blade.Seven tightened his grip around his weapon. "How many?"Ken didn't answer immediately. He could feel them. Not dozens. Hundreds. And the poisonous aura coming from their bodies was far stronger than the insects they'd encountered earlier that morning.Mirinda's voice sounded inside his soul, low and urgent. "Don't fight them here."Ken's eyes narrowed. "Why?""Because the poison isn't the only thing you should fear.""That's helpful," Ken muttered under his breath. "Truly. A wealth of information.""I'm working with limited data, same as you.""You've been in my head for weeks and this is the best you've got?""Would you prefer I made something up to sound more impressive?"A

"Ken, don't!" Suzuki grabbed his arm before he could step into the deeper passage. Behind them the tunnel kept collapsing, BOOM, a slab of stone crashing down, dust rolling over the outer disciples as they scrambled back. Seven looked between Ken and the dark. "Whatever made that poison beast run isn't something we want to meet. We should leave." "I know." "Then why are your feet pointed the wrong way?" Seven threw his hands up. "'I know' isn't an answer, Ken, it's a stall tactic. You know plenty of things and do the opposite anyway." Ken almost smiled despite himself, eyes still fixed on the fading green glow ahead. "Because it was afraid." "So?" "So a Level 28 Beast Master doesn't get afraid of anything in this part of the outer sect. That means something down there outranks it badly." He started walking. "I need to see what." Suzuki let go of his arm, only to plant herself in his path. "Then we're coming with you." "No." "You don't get to decide that alone." "I

Thump. Thump. Thump. Ken went rigid mid-step, the easy smile sliding off his face like water off stone. The tiny green scorpion, Xiao Li, stayed curled contentedly around his finger, oblivious. Ken barely felt it there anymore. His attention had turned entirely inward, to the soul space where the white cocoon lived. It had cracked. Only a hairline fracture — but pressure was leaking through it, and his whole soul space trembled under the weight of it. "Mirinda?" No answer. His jaw tightened. "Mirinda!" Her voice arrived a few seconds late, and thinner than he'd ever heard it. "I'm here." "What happened?" "The poisonous flame reacted with the cocoon." Ken glanced down at Xiao Li, still oblivious, still curled around his finger like nothing in the world was wrong. "The flame did this?" "Yes." "Why?" Silence stretched long enough that Ken's patience ran out. "You don't know?" "I have a theory." "Then tell me. Now isn't the time to be careful with me." "Your White Tiger Marti