Two days later, the four friends stood once more before Kai Jin on the inner sect training grounds. The Nascent Soul expert's gaze swept over them, lingering for a long moment on Jay. He had been eager to see what improvements he could have made in such a short time.
"I am told you have been busy, Junior Brother," Kai Jin said, his voice a low rumble of curiosity. He gestured to an open platform. "Show me."
Jay didn't hesitate. He stepped onto the stage and drew his sabre. With a single, fluid motion, he poured his Qi into the blade. It erupted in a brilliant, silvery-bronze light, no longer just a defensive, reinforcing aura, but a sharp, cutting edge of pure intent. He swung, not at Kai Jin, but at the empty air. A crescent-shaped blade of pure, compressed earthen energy shot from his sabre, scoring a deep, clean line across the white stone platform fifteen feet away.
It wasn't a flashy attack. But the control, the focus, the pure offensive will behind it, was undeniable.
Kai Jin's usual boisterous grin was absent. He looked impressed, but not satisfied. "Not bad," he said, his voice a low rumble. "A good start. You've learned to project your intent and send out a qi attack. But is that all?"
The challenge hung in the air. Jay's confidence wavered slightly under the Nascent Soul expert's intense gaze. "There's… one more thing, Senior Brother," he stammered. "It's still a work in progress. My control isn't perfect yet."
"Works in progress are the most interesting kind!" Kai Jin's excitement returned in a flash, his grin wide and encouraging. "Show me!"
Jay took a deep breath, planting his feet firmly. He didn't draw his sabre this time. Instead, he placed his open palm flat on the white stone of the platform. A low groan echoed from the stone as a single, thick spike of earth began to rise, growing to the height of his chest. But the tip was different. It wasn't the rough, grainy texture of stone. It was smooth, dark, and gleamed with a metallic, silvery sheen, as if the earth itself had been forged into a spearhead.
Kai Jin strode forward, his curiosity piqued. He didn't touch it with his hand. He simply flicked the silvery tip with a single finger.
Tink.
The resulting sound was not the dull thud of stone, but the clear ring of hardened steel.
Kai Jin's eyebrows shot up, and his grin returned, wider and more genuine than before. He let out a short, booming laugh and slapped Jay on the back with a force that nearly sent the younger disciple tumbling.
"'Earth and metal,'" Kai Jin roared with approval. "You're not just a wall anymore, boy. You're a fortress with spikes!" He finally gave his verdict. "Welcome to the team."
A wave of relief and pure, unadulterated joy washed over the group. Elara and Lily broke into wide smiles. Alex gave Jay a solid, proud clap on the shoulder. Jay himself just stood there, his sabre humming softly, a quiet, confident smile finally settling on his face. He wasn't the weak link anymore. He was a sword, forged and ready.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Kai Jin said, his tone shifting back to that of a mission commander. "The lot of you have proven you're not completely useless. Go. Rest. Gather your supplies. We have four days until departure. Meet back here tomorrow at the same time. I'll introduce you to the rest of the unit. Try not to embarrass me in front of them."
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The air in Elder Wu's study was thick with the scent of old ink and the pressure of his monumental task. Maps and formation diagrams covered every available surface. He was so engrossed in calculating the precise Qi flow for a warding array that he didn't hear the door slide open.
"Brother Wu."
He looked up, his focus shattering. Elder Lian stood in the doorway, her usual compassionate expression replaced by a mask of cold fury.
"What is it, Lian?" Wu grunted, already annoyed at the interruption. "I am busy."
"I have just reviewed the final roster for the vanguard teams," she said, her voice dangerously calm. "Explain to me why Disciple Elara's name is on it."
Wu let out a long, exhausted sigh and rubbed his temples. "Not you too." He gestured dismissively. "I have no time for this. I already had this conversation with Ming about his own disciple. The decision was made by the unit commander, Kai Jin. He vouched for their skills. It is out of my hands."
"That is not an acceptable answer!" Lian's voice rose, a rare flash of her immense power making the scrolls on Wu's desk tremble. "That child has seen enough hardship. To send her into the heart of this corruption is irresponsible!"
"Kai Jin seems to believe she is capable," Wu retorted, his own patience wearing thin. "As Ming told me just the other day, he has a better eye for a warrior's potential than either of us. Now please, you are disrupting my work."
Lian stared at him, her eyes blazing. "Mark my words, Wu. If anything happens to that child because of a mission you organized. I will have your head."
She spun on her heel and stormed out, leaving a trail of frigid silence in her wake.
Wu watched her go, then let his head fall forward onto his desk with a heavy thud. "Dealing with my peers," he groaned to the empty room, "is infinitely more stressful than designing a formation to save ten thousand mortals."
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The next day, the full vanguard unit gathered. Three Golden Core experts stood opposite Alex's group, their confidence a palpable force. On the far edge of the platform, Lumen had curled into a small, black ball and was fast asleep, completely oblivious.
"This is the rest of the unit," Kai Jin announced, gesturing to them. "Talia, Ren, and Kira. These four will be joining us for the expedition."
Alex's gaze swept over the three veterans, his Immortal Eyes activating instinctively. He focused on the woman with the massive greatsword leaning on her shoulder. Her Qi was dense and heavy, like a mountain on the verge of collapse.
Talia - Golden Core: Stage 8 (42%)
He shifted his focus to the wiry man with the twin daggers, whose aura crackled with a faint, restless energy.
Ren - Golden Core: Stage 7 (75%)
Finally, he looked at the tattooed woman, who watched them with a lazy, predatory calm. Her Qi was the most unsettling, with a subtle, coiling mist that felt full of hidden dangers.
Kira - Golden Core: Stage 7 (88%)
So this is the real deal, Alex thought, a knot of ice forming in his stomach. They aren't just one realm ahead; they're at the very peak of it. This is going to be... interesting.
The woman with the greatsword, Talia, stepped forward. Her gaze was blunt and practical as she sized them up, completely unaware of Alex's internal assessment. "Foundation Establishment? All four of them? Senior Brother, with respect, are we running a relief mission or a field trip for juniors?"
The wiry man with the twin daggers, Ren, just laughed, a sound as sharp and crackling as his lightning-infused Qi. "Don't worry, Talia. I'm sure they'll be great at peeling potatoes and keeping watch while the real cultivators handle the work."
The tattooed woman, Kira, remained silent, her eyes dark and analytical, lingering on each of them for a moment before a faint, dangerous smile touched her lips. "They could be useful for testing traps," she said, her voice a soft, silken whisper. "Or for brewing antidotes for my poisons, if the alchemist is any good."
The dismissal was palpable. Lily's hand tightened on her whip. Jay's newfound confidence wavered for a moment under their heavy gazes.
Talia stepped forward, planting the tip of her greatsword into the stone with a heavy thud. "We don't leave for four days. That's enough time to gauge their capabilities. We'll spar. All of us. If they can't even hold their own on a training platform, they'll be a liability in the field."
Kai Jin threw his head back and laughed, a booming sound that echoed across the grounds. "An excellent idea! A bit of team-building before we depart." He looked at the Golden Core trio, then at Alex's group, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I'm looking forward to the show."
The spar began before the words had even settled. Ren vanished, reappearing as a flicker of lightning behind Lily, his dagger aimed at her neck. "Too slow," he hissed.
At the same time, Talia brought her massive blade down on Jay, the sheer force of the blow designed to shatter his guard in a single, humiliating strike. Kira, meanwhile, had subtly tossed a handful of black powder into the air, a fast-acting paralytic poison meant to drift over and disable Elara before she could even think of using a technique.
It was a coordinated, overwhelming assault designed to end the fight before it even began. And it worked perfectly. Lily was sent flying by a lightning-infused kick, Jay's newly forged sabre was blasted from his hands, and Elara stumbled, a creeping numbness already spreading through her limbs.
Alex moved instantly, not to fight, but to aid. He caught Lily before she hit the ground, helped Jay to his feet, and administered a swift antidote pill to Elara, his movements practiced and efficient.
Kai Jin, who had been watching with an amused glint in his eyes, stepped forward. His expression was now serious. "A valuable lesson," he said, his voice cutting through the tension. He looked directly at Elara, Jay, and Lily. "In the field, hesitation is death. You waited for their move. You reacted. They acted. On a real mission, holding back like that doesn't just put your life at risk; it puts everyone at risk. Remember that."
The three of them looked down, the sting of the lesson hitting harder than any physical blow.
"Senior Brother," Alex said, his voice calm. "May I have a go?"
Talia scoffed, resting her greatsword on her shoulder. "You're just an alchemist. Go back to your cauldron before you get hurt."
"An interesting proposition," Kai Jin said, a grin returning to his face. "Talia, why don't you test our alchemist's mettle? A light spar."
"Fine," Talia grunted. "But it's not my fault if I break a few bones."
Alex stepped onto the platform, a thoughtful expression on his face. The Art of the Headless Body is good, but I need to know what my own, conscious reactions are capable of. He rolled his shoulders, deciding to meet the challenge head-on, without his secret weapon.
Talia charged, her greatsword a blur of motion. Her swings were wide and heavy, each one carrying enough force to level a small building. But to Alex, they were slow. He moved with a fluid grace that seemed impossible for his frame, ducking under a horizontal slash, weaving around a downward chop, his feet never staying in one place. He was a leaf in the wind, effortlessly avoiding the storm.
Frustrated, Talia roared and put all her strength into one final, devastating swing. Alex saw the opening. He slipped inside her guard and, with a speed that defied belief, drove his fist into her stomach. He held back, the blow landing with a dull thump rather than a bone-shattering crack.
Talia froze, the air rushing from her lungs in a pained gasp. She stumbled back, her greatsword clattering to the stone, her face a mask of pure, stunned disbelief.
Ren and Kira stared, their jaws slack. The alchemist had just taken down their strongest member without breaking a sweat.
"Impressive," Kira purred, her initial dismissal gone, replaced by a sharp, analytical curiosity. "But a brawler is not an alchemist. I doubt your pills are as potent as your fists."
Kai Jin laughed. "A perfect opportunity for a test! Alex, any antidotes on you?"
"A few experimental ones I haven't fully tested," Alex said, pulling out one of his new pills he had made in his effort to make a panacea of sorts, deciding to pass it off as a simple antidote.
"Excellent," Kai Jin said. "Kira, if you're so confident, poison him."
Kira's dangerous smile returned. With a flick of her wrist, she blew a fine, almost invisible purple powder toward Alex. He felt a sharp, prickling numbness spread through his arm instantly. Without hesitation, he popped the pill into his mouth. The effect was immediate. A warm energy surged through him, not only neutralizing the poison but leaving him feeling more energized and focused.
Kira's smile vanished, replaced by a look of genuine shock.
"Wow," Ren said, finally finding his voice. He readied his daggers, a crackle of lightning playing across his knuckles. "He's good. But how good?"
He vanished. A streak of pure lightning shot across the platform, his daggers aimed at Alex's back.
The moment Ren had grabbed his weapons, Alex's mind had gone blank. The time for conscious testing was over.
Just as Ren's daggers were about to strike, Alex spun, not in a clumsy reaction, but in a perfectly timed, fluid motion. A roundhouse kick met Ren's temple with a sickening crack. The lightning user's eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the platform, unconscious.
Silence.
Then, Kai Jin threw his head back and let out a hearty, booming laugh that shook the very stones of the training ground. "Team-building," he roared, wiping a tear from his eye, "is officially over!"
He turned to the entire, now-humbled unit. "Finish all preparations. We leave at dawn tomorrow. Meet at the South Gate. Do not be late."