Mission: Exterminate Bandit Stronghold
Location: Wood Spirit Forest, three hundred miles east of the sect.
Target: Mad Viper and his bandit company.
Reward: Contribution points, spirit stones, and one mid-grade Earth treasure of the disciple's choosing upon verified completion.
He took out his disciple token, which functions as your identification; it is also a communication device that allows everyone in the sect to contact one another by saving someone's unique qi signature.
He pressed the token onto the jade slate beneath the posting. The slate glowed, indicating that it accepted his registration. A soft chime sounded, and four other tokens lit up nearby in response.
A tall young man with a sharp jaw and the steady aura of Foundation Building Level five was the first to approach. "I'm Ivan, Foundation Building Level five. I'll lead as I'm the strongest here."
Beside him stood a lean youth of seventeen whose qi fluctuated at Foundation Building Level 2. He offered a quick, almost nervous grin. "My name's Jason, and I'm Foundation Building Level 2. I'll watch the flanks and keep us moving."
Two girls stepped forward together. The first girl had black hair tied in a practical braid, eyes calm and assessing. "Hi, I'm Eleanor, and I'm at Qi Condensation Level Ten. I can handle support."
The second girl was the same age, slightly taller, with a sharper presence that matched Gabriel's own cultivation. "And I'm Wren, and I'm at Qi Condensation Level Eleven."
Gabriel inclined his head. "So I'm Gabriel; I'm also at Qi Condensation Level Eleven. Swords and formation arrays are my specialties."
Ivan's gaze lingered on him a moment longer than the others, as though measuring the younger disciple's claim. Then he gave a short nod.
"Good. We leave within the hour. No delays."
And in a blink an eye, it was time to leave. They departed the sect on flying treasures, the five of them cutting east across the sky in a tight formation. By midday, they had reached a small frontier town nestled against the foothills. The place smelled of woodsmoke, cheap wine, and livestock.
They spent two hours asking careful questions to innkeepers, merchants, even a pair of local hunters—yet every answer came back the same. No one had any info on Mad Viper's men. No one admitted to knowing the location of any stronghold deeper in the forest. The silence itself felt deliberate.
Ivan's expression darkened as they left the town behind.
"Either the bandits are better at hiding than expected," he muttered, "or someone is keeping the townsfolk quiet."
They pressed on.
Three hundred miles passed beneath their flying swords. As the sun began to sink toward the western peaks, the dense canopy of the Wood Spirit Forest finally rose ahead of them. The trees were ancient, their trunks massive, their leaves a deep, healthy green that should have radiated vitality.
Instead, an oppressive, unsettling aura bled outward from the forest's edge—an evil qi so thick it made the skin crawl and the dantian tighten in instinctive rejection.
Wren wrinkled her nose. "This forest was never like this. Something's wrong."
Gabriel's formation sense prickled. The ambient spiritual energy felt twisted, as though something beneath the roots was slowly poisoning the land.
"Stay sharp," he said quietly. "We move with caution."
They entered on foot, flying treasures recalled into storage rings. The deeper they went, the heavier the aura became. Birds no longer sang; even the insects had fallen silent. Beams of fading sunlight struggled through the canopy, painting the undergrowth in sickly green and gray.
They had been walking for almost an hour when a low growl rolled through the trees. They spotted multiple pairs of glowing crimson eyes leering at them in the shadows. Along with increasing decibels of growls came the crunch of dried leaves and branches.
Step out of the dark shadows of the trees were mutated Steel-Back Wolves. They were rank 2 magical beasts. The wolves emerged from the gloom in a loose semicircle. Their once-silver fur had turned a dull, metallic black, with plates of hardened steel-like hide covering their spines and flanks.
Corrupted veins of dark qi pulsed beneath their skin. Saliva dripped from elongated fangs as they stalked forward—the evil aura of the forest saturating every breath they took.
Ivan's sword was already in his hand. "Formation. Now."
Gabriel's fingers flicked. Three formation flags shot from his storage ring and buried themselves in the earth, forming a triangular array that pulsed with blinding light. Eleanor raised both hands, a translucent barrier blooming around the group.
Wren and Jason moved to the flanks, blades drawn. Ivan stepped forward to meet the first charge.
The wolves attacked as one.
The lead beast slammed into Eleanor's barrier with a force that cracked the air. The shield held, but the impact sent a visible ripple throughout the barrier. Ivan's sword flashed—a Foundation Building technique carving a deep line across the creature's steel plating and forcing it back.
Wren rushed in from the side, her blade finding the softer flesh beneath a wolf's hind leg. Jason intercepted another that tried to circle behind, sparks flying as his sword scraped against its hardened hide.
Gabriel's array fully activated. Invisible threads of restrictive force snared three of the wolves mid-leap, slowing their movements just enough for Ivan to cut one down with a decisive thrust through the eye. The remaining pack pressed harder, claws raking against Eleanor's barrier until cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.
"Hold it!" Gabriel barked.
He poured more qi into the formation, tightening the restriction on the wolves. Two more wolves staggered, their movements turning sluggish. Wren capitalized instantly, her sword flashing twice in rapid succession, cleanly severing both of their heads.
Ivan roared and released a wave of pure Foundation Building qi. Three of the wolves in front of him were driven back, giving Jason the opening to drive his blade into a fourth. Eleanor's barrier finally shattered under the combined assault of the remaining beasts, but by then, the numbers had dropped considerably.
Gabriel drew his sword—Rootcleaver—from its sheath. The earth-grade blade drank in the earth qi of the corrupted forest and flared with earthen light.
Gabriel stepped out of the formation and engaged in battle against the closest wolf. He swung his blade downward onto the steel plating-like fur of the wolf that had cracked under the heavy and unrelenting force of the spirit sword. A second strike severed the beast's spine.
The last five wolves, sensing the shift, tried to retreat into the deeper shadows. Ivan and Wren gave them no chance. A coordinated assault cut the remaining creatures down within moments.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the heavy breathing of the five disciples and the slow drip of corrupted blood onto the leaf litter. Fifteen rank 2 mutated Steel-Back Wolves lay dead, their bodies already beginning to dissolve under the lingering evil aura that saturated the woods.
Ivan wiped his blade clean and scanned the surrounding trees. "That wasn't random. Something is driving these beasts and changing them."
Gabriel recalled his formation flags; the binding array faded. The evil qi still pressed against his senses—thicker now that they had moved deeper.
"Mad Viper's stronghold should be further in," he said quietly. "And whatever is poisoning this forest is centered there as well."
Wren sheathed her sword, eyes hard. "Then we should keep moving. Carefully."
The five of them continued on their journey into the dark heart of the Wood Spirit Forest—the stench of corrupted blood and the weight of an unseen malice following oh so close behind.