Gao's displeasure had barely dissipated, still stewing in a corner, when another figure pushed through the crowd of stunned disciples. It was Jay. He had returned from the smithy, his expression one of quiet, focused satisfaction. He held a single, fist-sized nugget of unrefined Star-Iron in his hand, its silvery surface gleaming in the training ground's light.
He found Elara and Lily at the edge of the crowd, their faces a mixture of horror and awe. He followed their gaze to the platform, where Alex now stood facing the legendary Kai Jin.
"What did I miss?" Jay asked, his voice a low rumble. "And... what is that?" He pointed to the small, falcon-like bird with the iridescent tail feather that was currently trying and failing to pull a loose thread from Lily's sleeve.
Lily, her eyes glued to the platform, didn't even look at him. "Don't ask," she said, her voice tight with tension.
"It's Alex's new pet," Elara whispered, her hand covering her mouth in a gesture of pure anxiety. "It... it's a long story." Her own eyes, however, were fixed on the shimmering ore in Jay's hand. "What's that you're holding?"
"A gift," Jay said, not elaborating further. He turned his full attention back to the stage, his amber eyes narrowing. "Is he really about to fight a Nascent Soul expert?"
"He's an idiot," Lily grumbled, finally yanking her sleeve away from Lumen's beak. She scooped the small bird into her arms, holding it like a disgruntled housecat. "A magnificent, suicidal idiot."
On the platform, Kai Jin settled into his stance. "Don't hold back," he said, his voice a low, excited rumble.
The moment the words left his lips, Lumen, who had been squirming in Lily's arms, decided he'd had enough. With a burst of surprising strength, he scrambled free from her grasp. She yelped, trying and failing to hold onto him. He didn't flee into the crowd. Instead, he bolted towards the platform, a streak of midnight with a rainbow trail. He didn't land. He shot straight up, climbing into the sky with impossible speed until he was a speck, circling high above the sparring stage.
SKREEEEE!
A sharp, piercing cry, filled with what sounded like pure, unadulterated encouragement, rang out over the entire training grounds. It was the starting bell for a match no one had sanctioned.
Kai Jin and Alex both looked up, then at each other, and then they both broke into wide grins.
"Your beast is impatient," Kai Jin chuckled.
"Well," Alex replied, rolling his shoulders. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."
From the sidelines, Jay watched the small black bird circle high above the battle about to unfold. He just shook his head and let out a short, dry laugh.
"Well," he said to a still-flustered Lily. "I guess he wanted a better view."
Alex planted his feet, and a faint, steady brown light enveloped them along with his hands. It wasn't the thick, shimmering bronze of Jay's defense; it was a thin, dense layer of earthen Qi that seemed to add a tangible weight to his very presence. He was telling Kai Jin, in the language of a brawler, that he intended to meet force with force. Then, he took a deep breath, and his entire demeanor changed. The thinking, calculating alchemist vanished, replaced by the calm, instinctual predator.
The Art of the Head-Body was active.
Kai Jin's grin widened. 'Interesting. Finally decided to show your true strength?,' he thought, a thrill of anticipation running through him. He glided forward, his speed casual but immense, and threw a simple, testing jab.
Alex didn't dodge, but met the attack head-on. His earth-coated forearm rose to block the blow. The impact was like a hammer striking an anvil. A shockwave of displaced air rippled across the platform, and Alex was driven back three solid steps, his feet gouging shallow lines in the stone. He had blocked it. It was a clumsy, brute-force defense, but he had blocked a direct hit from a Nascent Soul expert and was still standing.
The crowd gasped. "He blocked it!" someone yelled.
From the sidelines, Lily's jaw was on the floor. "That idiot... he actually blocked it."
"He's not just blocking," Jay muttered, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and confusion. "He's coating his limbs in raw Earth Qi... It looks a bit sloppy. There's no refinement, no structure. He's just using it like a club. But the sheer density... how is he making it that durable? How much Qi does Alex have exactly?"
Kai Jin laughed, a sound of pure delight. "Good! Again!"
What followed was not a spar; it was a storm. Kai Jin moved like a hurricane, his fists and feet a relentless barrage of precise, powerful strikes. Alex was a stubborn rock in the middle of it all, not trying to win, but to endure. He couldn't match the speed. He couldn't match the power. He could only rely on his instincts to meet each blow, his earth-coated limbs absorbing shocks that would have shattered the bones of any other Foundation Establishment disciple. It was a dual-layered defense with the crude earthen armor taking the brunt of the force, while the resilience of his Ironbone body neutralized the rest. The platform was filled with the sound of dull, percussive booms as flesh met earth-infused flesh.
After a dozen exchanges, Kai Jin pulled back, a look of genuine admiration on his face. "Your body... it's magnificent. But a rock that only endures will eventually be worn down to sand. Show me your strength!"
Kai Jin threw a punch, but this one was different. He struck nothing but the empty air five feet in front of him.
From the sidelines, Lily's breath hitched. "It's the air cannon," she whispered, her knuckles white. "The technique from before. He's ending it. Alex can't possibly withstand that; we should be ready to step in." Both Jat and Elara nodded in agreement, ready to jump onto the platform at a moment's notice.
The crowd murmured with anticipation, but Alex saw it with his Immortal Eyes, the familiar vortex of pale green wind Qi coalescing around Kai's fist, compressing into a dense, invisible shell.
The air cannon shot forward, a silent, deadly projectile of pure force.
Alex knew he couldn't block it. He couldn't dodge it in time. The instinct of the Art of the Headless Body was screaming at him to endure, but a spark of his will cut through the trance. Balance. Counter it.
He didn't use his multi-elemental Myriad Bullet, not this time. He was saving that for when he needed it, and it took too long to form.
The air cannon shot forward, a silent, deadly projectile of pure force.
Alex raised a single hand, pointing a finger at the incoming projectile. He called upon his own Wind Qi, shaping it into a small, fast spinning drill, its rotation the mirror opposite of the air cannon's. Alex was going for speed and accuracy over power this time.
His simple wind bullet shot forward and met Kai Jin's air cannon head-on. There was no grand explosion. Instead, there was a sound like a balloon being popped, a soft whoomp of neutralized pressure. The devastating air cannon, its structural integrity disrupted by the counter-rotating force, simply unraveled into a harmless, chaotic gust of wind that washed over Alex, ruffling his hair.
Kai Jin froze mid-stance. The spar was over.
A stunned silence fell over the training grounds, heavier and more profound than any before. A Foundation Establishment disciple countered an attack from a Nascent Soul expert, completely dismantling it. With a technique that looked to all the onlookers like a weaker version of the same attack.
Kai Jin stared at Alex, his usual boisterous amusement gone, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated shock and amazement. "The level of Qi control... the precision required to counter a vortex... at your realm..." He shook his head, a slow, disbelieving laugh escaping his lips. "Junior Brother, what you just did should not be possible. At least not until the late stages of Foundation Establishment."
Alex chuckled nervously, the combat trance fading, leaving him feeling drained and a little dizzy. 'Thank the heavens that worked,' he thought, not daring to say it out loud.
At that moment, Lumen decided the show was over. With a happy screech, he dove from the sky, landing perfectly on Alex's head and ruffling his hair with his beak.
The tension shattered. Jay, Elara, and Lily rushed onto the platform.
"What was that?!" Lily demanded, her eyes wide with a mix of fury and awe. "That spinning thing!"
"I don't know," Alex admitted, trying to get Lu to move from his head. "Just a little something I've been working on."
Elara looked from Alex to the now-peaceful training platform, a serious expression forming on her face. "Alex, we actually need to talk to you," she said, her voice firm. She looked at Alex. "We'll be at your cabin." She then grabbed Lily by the arm before she could start another interrogation. Jay just gave Alex a final, bewildered clap on the shoulder and followed them, leaving Alex and Kai Jin alone on the platform once more.
Elara looked from Alex to the now-peaceful training platform, a serious, almost grave, expression forming on her face. "Alex," she said, her voice firm, cutting through the chatter. "We need to talk to you."
The sudden shift in her tone made the hairs on Alex's neck stand up. "Talk? About what?" he asked, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.
"Not here," she said, her gaze flicking towards the whispering crowd. "We'll be at your cabin." She then grabbed Lily by the arm before she could start another interrogation. "Come on."
Jay just gave Alex a final, endearing clap on the shoulder, his expression saying, 'I don't know what you did, but it sounds like you're in trouble, ' and followed them, leaving Alex and Kai Jin alone on the platform once more. Alex watched them go, his mind racing. Elara's tone... it wasn't the voice of a concerned friend. It was the voice of a senior disciple with something important and, likely, dangerous to discuss.
Alex started to follow them when a calm voice spoke from behind him. "A moment, Junior Brother."
Alex spun around, his heart leaping into his throat. Kai Jin was standing where there had been only empty air a second ago. He hadn't heard a single footstep.
'Fast,' Alex thought, a cold sweat trickling down his back. 'He was holding back so much more than I realized.'
Kai Jin's usual boisterous grin was gone, replaced by a serious, appraising expression. "You are more than just resilient, Alex. Your control is also leagues above others at your same level."
"The sect is putting together an expedition to the southern territories," Kai Jin explained, his gaze turning towards the distant mountains. "The mortals are experiencing a severe drought, and the Elders are organizing a water reservoir installation. It shouldn't be a dangerous mission, but it is intended for Golden Core disciples and above. Several of us in the Nascent Soul realm will be providing oversight."
He turned his piercing gaze back to Alex. "I will be leading one of the vanguard teams. It would be nice to have a dedicated alchemist. And a brawler who can shatter a Golden Core's weapon is a useful asset too." His lips quirked into a slight smile. "The official roster is almost full, but I'm sure space can be made for exceptional talent. If you wish to go, I will vouch for your skills."
The offer landed with the weight of a dropped mountain. A high-level expedition. A real, dangerous mission alongside the sect's true experts. It was a chance to test himself, to truly understand the threat he had already glimpsed.
"What about my friends?" Alex asked, his first thought not for himself.
Kai Jin raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the boy's immediate loyalty. "The ones who were just here? I sensed that they are all in the Foundation Establishment Realm, too." He let out a short, approving laugh. "If they are half as capable as you, then find me tomorrow. We will see if they are worthy. I'll be waiting."
Alex's mind was reeling. A path had just opened before him, one that led directly into the heart of the danger he knew was coming. "Thank you, Senior Brother," he said, giving Kai Jin a deep, respectful bow. "For the spar, and this opportunity."
He turned and broke into a jog to catch up with his friends, his heart pounding not with excitement. High above, Lumen let out a joyous screech and did a loop-de-loop in the sky, flying ahead to guide him home.
---------------------------
Back at Barrack 32, the afternoon sun filtered through the leaves of the plum trees, casting dappled shadows across the gazebo. Four cups of Alex's signature spirit-nourishing tea steamed on the table, their fragrant aroma mingling with the scent of the garden.
Elara took a slow, thoughtful sip. "Alex," she said, her voice soft but firm. "The pill you gave me at the tournament... thank you. It was more helpful than I can possibly say."
Jay nodded, a rare, uncomplicated smile on his face. "Mine too. The energy was so pure, it helped me solidify my foundation after the breakthrough."
Lily, who had been impatiently drumming her fingers on the table, finally chimed in. "Alright, mine was good too," she admitted with a huff. "Probably stopped me from getting turned into a panther's evening snack."
Alex waved a hand, a little embarrassed by the earnest praise. "It's no big deal. Just some herbs I threw together."
"That's the problem," Elara said, her expression turning serious. She raised a hand over the table. A perfect sphere of water materialized in her palm, shimmering in the sunlight. Then, with a flicker of her will, a network of crystalline ice spread across its surface, turning it into a solid, beautiful orb.
"Whoa," Alex breathed. Jay stared, his eyes wide.
Before they could fully process it, Lily smirked. "Cute." She held out her hand. A wisp of wind gathered in her palm, compressing and spinning until it formed a small, almost invisible blade of pure, razor-sharp wind that hummed with a terrifying speed. "I call it the Silent Gale Razor."
"Okay, that's really cool," Alex said, genuinely impressed.
"It is," Lily agreed, letting the windsaw dissipate. She then fixed Alex with a sharp, analytical gaze. "But it's not right. Elara and I... we didn't just have a breakthrough. Our Qi feels... different. Purer. Your pills didn't just give us a boost; they altered something fundamental."
Elara nodded. "She's right. That kind of qualitative change shouldn't come from a standard-issue pill."
Alex shifted uncomfortably. "I just used the best ingredients I could find," he said, which was technically the truth. 'And maybe I didn't hold back on the whole 'Immortal's Qi Cultivation Technique' infusion part,' he thought to himself.
"Well, I didn't feel anything different," Jay said with a shrug, looking a little left out.
Elara turned to him. "Nothing? Not even a deeper connection to the earth when you cultivate?"
"Maybe," he said, taking another sip of tea.
Lily sighed dramatically and patted Jay's arm. "It's okay, Jay. You've always been a bit of a late bloomer."
"Hey!" Jay protested.
As the three of them began to bicker good-naturedly about Jay's "slow" development, Alex, seeing his opportunity, discreetly pulled a low-grade spirit stone from his ring and tossed it under the table. Lumen, who had been quietly perched on his lap, snatched it out of the air with a single, precise peck, swallowing it without a sound.
But the flash of spiritual energy, brief as it was, did not go unnoticed.
The bickering stopped. Three pairs of eyes swiveled from Jay to the space under the table where Alex's hand had just been.
"Okay," Lily said, her voice dangerously calm. "What was that? And don't tell me it was nothing, because I felt that strange flux of energy."
With a weary sigh, Alex reached down and lifted Lumen onto the table. The small, falcon-like bird puffed out his chest, his single rainbow tail feather shimmering in the sunlight, and let out a proud chirp.
Silence.
Jay was the first to find his voice. "Alex... since when do you have a bird?"
"He's not just a bird, he's my contracted beast," Alex corrected him. "And this is my new partner, Lumen."
"Your what?" Elara and Lily said in unison.
"Long story," Alex said, already feeling a headache coming on. "Short version: I was finishing up the Glimmerwing Finch quest, I found an egg, I brought it home, and it hatched. Turns out it wasn't a Glimmerwing Finch." He decided to leave out the parts about the divine, blood-pact-granting, semi-sentient book. That was a conversation for another, much later day.
The three of them stared, trying to process the latest addition to the ever-growing list of Alex's anomalies. At this point, they weren't even sure if they were surprised anymore.
"Hold on," Lily said, her sharp, analytical mind finally rebooting. She pointed a finger at Lumen, who was now contentedly preening his rainbow tail feather on the table. "Let me get this straight. You found a random Glimmerwing Finch egg, brought it home, it hatched into… that? And you just happened to know how to form a contract with it?" The questions were like a rapid-fire interrogation, each one poking a hole in Alex's flimsy story.
"What does it eat?" Elara asked, her practical, concerned nature taking over. "Does it need a specific environment? A contracted beast is a lifelong commitment, Alex. Do you know how to care for it?"
"And it followed you all the way to the inner sect training grounds?" Jay added, still trying to wrap his head around the simple logistics.
The questions were a barrage he was completely unprepared for. "It's… complicated," Alex stammered, his mind racing for a plausible lie. "He's a fast learner. And he eats… uh… spirit stones." He immediately regretted saying that, seeing Lily's eyes narrow with a hundred more follow-up questions about the economics of feeding a bird pure spiritual energy. He had to pivot. Now.
"Speaking of the training grounds," Alex said, his voice a little too loud, a little too forced. He looked directly at them, his expression shifting to one of profound seriousness, hoping the gravity of his next words would overshadow the absurdity of the bird on his table. "Kai Jin invited me to the upcoming expedition after the spar."
The abrupt change of topic was jarring. It hung in the air, a clumsy, obvious deflection. But the mention of the expedition was enough to instantly clear their minds of everything else.
"The expedition?" Elara breathed, her questions about Lumen's diet forgotten. "But isn't that for Golden Core disciples and above? You're not thinking of going, are you?"
"He invited you?" Jay asked, his voice a mixture of awe and disbelief. "Just like that?"
Alex saw his chance and pressed his advantage. "Not just me," he said, and the words immediately pulled them all in. "He said if my friends were half as capable as I am, he'd consider taking us all."
The mood in the gazebo shifted instantly. The mystery of the weird bird was completely overshadowed by the invitation to join a high-level expedition led by a Nascent Soul cultivator. An event laden with unimaginable chances.
Lily's eyes, which had been filled with suspicion, now gleamed with a sharp, calculating light. "A high-risk mission with Nascent Soul experts?" she murmured, her mind already tallying the potential rewards. "The contribution points alone… we'd be set for a year. Not to mention the materials we could gather would be priceless."
"It's a chance to see a real Grand Formation being built," Jay added, his eyes burning with a new fire. "A chance to fight alongside the sect's best, to see what real power looks like. We'd be fools to pass it up."
Elara was the only one who still looked hesitant, her gaze flicking between her friends' eager faces. "It will be dangerous," she said, her voice a quiet anchor of reason in the storm of their ambition. "The southern marshes are where the tainted beasts are coming from. This isn't a simple subjugation quest, Alex. It's a serious sect operation." She looked at them, her expression a mixture of her old protective instincts and her new, hard-won resolve. "But… we can't hide in the sect forever. If a storm is coming, it's better to face it rather than sticking our heads in the ground hoping everything will be okay."
They all unanimously agreed. They had each found their strength, and now, they needed to put it to the test. They turned to Alex, their decision made.
He met their determined gazes, a slow, relieved smile spreading across his face. His clumsy deflection had worked far better than he could have hoped.
"Then it's settled," Alex said, his voice firm. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go see Kai Jin, but for now, I want to see what these new techniques you have can do."