The corridor curved upward before opening into a small, circular arena carved into the tree's heart. Its floor was packed bark, worn smooth by hundreds of footsteps. Wooden railing lined the edges and lanterns cast an even, warm glow across the space.
The woman guiding them there and then gestured for them to wait near the entrance. "I'll fetch your opponent. Stay here."
She left through a smaller door on the far side, silence stretching behind her.
Yue Lin, standing beside him, remained still — expression unreadable as always.
They didn't wait long.
Soon, the woman returned — with a young man trailing behind her. Early twenties, maybe. Short brown hair, a faint scar on his cheek, and a plain grey robe without ornament. His build was solid — not bulky, but clearly trained. His eyes swept across the arena, then landed on them.
He offered a slight smile as he stepped into the ring. "Name's Kasen. I'll be your opponent today. Mid-stage Inner Essence Realm."
He stretched one arm over the other with a satisfying crack.
"If you beat me or force a draw, you pass. Simple as that."
His tone shifted a little, more serious. "No fatal attacks allowed. Wounds are fine, blood is fine — but nothing lethal."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes flicking between them. "So… who wants to go first?"
Riven looked to Yue Lin. "You wanna go?"
Yue Lin didn't answer.
She just stepped forward.
Kasen gave a small, acknowledging nod. "Alright then."
As Yue Lin walked into the ring, the woman who had led them here moved to the edge and called out, "Begin when ready."
Kasen rolled his shoulders, then looked toward a weapon rack in a small alcove nearby and selected a plain training dagger — nothing fancy, but well-weighted. He twirled it once in his grip, then settled into a ready stance, blade forward.
Yue Lin didn't reach for the rack.
Instead, her hand drifted to the side of her right thigh — just beneath the subtle fold of her tunic's edge.
A moment later, she drew her own knife — a slim, pale-bladed thing that gleamed under the lantern light. Her fingers wrapped around it in a reverse grip, steady and practiced.
The sheath was built into a strapped holster woven against her leg, nearly invisible unless you were looking for it.
The guild didn't care if you used your own weapons, as that was considered part of your strength.
Kasen didn't wait long.
With a shout, he lunged forward, knife flashing.
Yue Lin's foot tapped once.
She stepped in.
Steel met steel.
Clink.
Kasen's blade split down the middle. One half spun off into the air — the other still clutched in his stunned hand.
And her knife?
It stopped just short of his throat. A hair's breadth away. Held there in perfect stillness.
Kasen's eyes widened.
The qi still shimmered faintly along the edge of her blade — compressed and sharp, impossibly precise.
"Inner Condensation."
He could tell, it wasn't the quality of the knife, but the quality of the qi that won that clash.
The woman at the edge of the arena gave a small nod. "That's a win."
Yue Lin withdrew the blade in one smooth motion and stepped back. She gave a short, proper bow.
Then turned and walked toward Riven again, her expression unreadable.
Riven blinked.
As expected... I guess.
Kasen let out a slow breath, blinking at the broken half of his knife on the floor.
"Damn," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Guess we're starting strong today."
He stepped back toward the rack and returned what remained of the training blade, muttering something under his breath.
Then he turned to Riven.
"Alright, your turn."
Riven stepped forward.
He didn't draw a weapon. Just rolled his shoulders once and shook out his hand, flexing it loose.
Kasen arched an eyebrow. "No weapon?"
Riven shrugged. "I don't like tying up my only hand."
Kasen gave a good-natured chuckle and took his stance again.
"Alright, then. I'll match you."
Riven smiled slightly, then the attendant called out.
"Begin!"
Kasen moved first — a quick, sharp step and a straight punch aimed directly at Riven's center.
Riven mirrored him.
One step forward.
His weight sank low.
And he punched.
Their fists met in the center of the arena — bone against bone, strength against strength.
For a moment, the impact held like a thunderclap suspended in air.
Then it broke.
Kasen's arm snapped backward violently — his elbow bending at the wrong angle under the sheer force, body recoiling as if he'd punched a stone wall dressed as a teenager.
But Riven's punch didn't stop.
It plowed through the clash like a tide breaking a dam — crashing forward and slamming into Kasen's chest.
He staggered backwards while coughing.
"Shit. Another Inner Condensation one?"
Riven lowered his arm slowly, letting out a faint breath.
The attendant stared for a half-second before recovering her voice. "…That's a win."
Even Yue Lin seemed surprised at the power as she raised an eyebrow.
Kasen groaned, one hand clutching his arm.
"Damn…" he coughed, then gave a crooked smile. "You guys are strong."
Riven didn't answer.
He knew he'd mistook him for an Inner Condensation cultivator based off his strenght but he didn't feel like correcting him.
Instead he was wondering about something else.
Did I use too much force?
He glanced down at his hand — the skin along his knuckles still faintly glowing with the echo of Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
Maybe I should have stuck to just my physical strength...
The heat that had built up in his arm from the impact gradually dissipated. He flexed his fingers a few times, feeling the residual tension from the punch.
Kasen shifted, now rubbing his shoulder.
"Alright, alright," he muttered. "That was... definitely more than I expected." He looked up at Riven with a grin, despite the pain. "I think you broke my arm. Not literally, but close enough."
"Sorry." Riven gave a short apology.
Even that was something another Venomthread disciple probably wouldn't do.
But he wasn't fully converted just yet.
"Haha. It's fine. It'll heal." Kasen laughed it off.
Then the attendant stepped forward and nodded. "Please come with me to collect your new tokens."
Riven nodded in acknowledgment.
They followed the attendant as they made their way back toward the counter.
Once there she collected their still fresh timber tokens and quickly prepared two bronze tokens.
Once the attendant had retrieved their timber tokens and exchanged them for the new bronze tokens, she handed them over with a simple nod.
"Here you go," she said. "You're now officially Bronze Rank Mercenaries. Congratulations."
Riven took the token, feeling the weight of it in his hand. The smooth wood had been replaced with a much sturdier material, with the guild's emblem burned deeply into it. His name was etched onto the surface, and beside it was a zero again — an indication of his non-existent points.
He slipped the token into his pouch.
"Did you find any missions you liked before?" Riven asked as they stepped away from the counter.
Yue Lin gave a small shake of her head. "Not really."
"I found one," he said. "Gale Scorpions near Galecrag Hills. Wind-aligned beasts. There's a decent reward."
She paused, considering. Then nodded. "Sure."
"Alright. Let's tell Bosu."
They made their way back through the crowded branches, the bustle of Verdance flowing around them.
When they stepped into the shop, Bosu was mid-bite into a cookie. He looked up, crumbs on his sleeve.
Riven held up his bronze token. "We're in. And we picked a mission. Gale Scorpions."
Bosu whistled low. "Fast start. I like it. Try not to die."
Riven gave a half-shrug. "No promises."
A little while later, the two of them slipped out through one of Verdance's eastern gates.