Ishin defiantly glared up at Yan, the light from the fire in her palm dancing across her hateful face. His qi was gone, meridians strained, and arms nearly broken, but he would not give her the satisfaction she sought.

  Yan brought her arm back, preparing to kill him. Before she could launch her Ember Dart at him, a streak of water—originating somewhere behind Ishin—snuffed out the flame. Yan looked just as surprised as Ishin felt. She shook the excess water off her hand and immediately began scanning the forest for the source of the water technique.

  “Yun!” she called out. “There’s someone else here be–” Her words died when she looked at her ally.

  Ishin followed her gaze, finding the club wielder trapped in place, a whip of water wrapped tightly around his throat. Club abandoned, Lei Yun was clawing desperately at the watery coil, but to no avail. The whip held Lei Yun back so tightly that the light cultivator was forced to stand on the tips of his feet to prevent being dragged off balance.

  What is happening?

  “Who are you?” Yan demanded. Two more flames flared to life in her hands.

  Ishin pushed himself onto his chest, turning to see their savior. A bald man with a wrinkled forehead and a bored expression held the end of the water whip. He looked to be in his late thirties and wore the blue and orange robes of the Eight Oaths Resolve Martial School. With his third eye, Ishin saw that the new arrival possessed two chakras—one blue and one green.

  Adept realm!

  “Master Guoqiang,” Zhu Rhee said. Ishin turned and saw that she was as surprised as he was. “What are you doing here?”

  Impassive eyes met hers. “The Grand Master asked me to watch over you during the hunting expedition.”

  Conflict warred across Zhu Rhee’s face. “He did?”

  “Yes.” Master Guoqiang pulled back on the whip, eliciting a desperate gasp and further clawing from the helpless Lei Yun. “A wise precaution, it turned out.”

  Ishin tried to process what was happening. He’s been following us the whole time? Even when the wolves attacked?

  “You’re from the same school as them?” Yan asked, taking an offensive stance.

  Master Guoqiang ignored her, still focused on Zhu Rhee. “I trust you’ve had enough of the life-and-death experience that you sought?”

  “Answer me!”

  “Let him go,” a weak Gong Ruiwen said, still clutching his wounded side.

  Zhu Rhee looked around at the bizarre scene. “I appreciate your help, Master Guoqiang.” Her breath was still heavy with fatigue. “But perhaps we can speak more on this later.”

  “Very well.”

  Master Guoqiang yanked the water whip, violently snapping Lei Yun’s neck. The water splashed to the ground and, with it, the Iron Mantis’s body collapsed—dead.

  “Yun!” Yan cried. She immediately released her techniques at Master Guoqiang, but it was fruitless.

  Master Guoqiang waved an arm, conjuring a water shield that easily absorbed the Ember Darts. With a flick of his wrist, a tendril of water lashed out across the forest, colliding with Yan. The fire cultivator was thrown back, but the technique wasn’t over. The tendril wrapped around her limbs, pinning her arms behind her back. A second tendril formed from the first and proceeded to immobilize her legs as well. Yan lost her balance and fell to her knees.

  “What is this?” she screamed. Despite her struggling, she was unable to break free of the bindings. “Get this off me!”

  “Enough.” The Eight Oaths Resolve Master flicked a drop of water at her mouth. It splashed and spread, forming a gag that muffled her attempts to protest further.

  “Yan!” Gong Ruiwen yelled.

  The injured earth cultivator managed to stand. He turned to face Master Guoqiang. Ishin could see the strain across the man’s face from the effort. His determination was actually admirable.

  “Look, we’re sorry,” Gong Ruiwen wheezed, still pressing a hand to his open wound. “Just let her go. You can punish me instead.”

  Master Guoqiang seemed to consider the proposal, studying the Iron Mantis silently.

  “Your loyalty to your comrades is commendable, but no.” He lifted a palm toward Gong Ruiwen. Moisture drawn from the air gathered into his hand, forming a dense orb of water.

  “Why?” Gong Ruiwen asked, defeat plain in his voice.

  “You bugs of the Western Quarter have overstepped your place. Like any responsible citizen, I crush bugs that trespass into my home.”

  The orb of water flew through the air and struck Gong Ruiwen in the face. To Ishin’s surprise, there was no real knockback from the force. Instead, the orb began to expand until it fully engulfed Gong Ruiwen’s head.

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  Panicked, the Iron Mantis tried to remove it. He clawed, shook his head, even struck the orb with both hands. No matter what Gong Ruiwen tried, the water remained.

  Ishin’s eyes widened. He’s drowning him.

  Behind Yan’s gag came incoherent, frantic mumbling. Her eyes filled with fury and despair as she watched her last friend die, unable to help. Flames began forming in her palms again, but the water bindings constricted in response, forcing her to stop—lest she burn herself instead.

  Two minutes after the orb formed, Gong Ruiwen collapsed. Master Guoqiang walked to the fallen cultivator. The water still engulfed Gong Ruiwen’s head, and only after several more seconds did the martial school master dismiss the technique with a swipe of his hand.

  Ishin looked at the lone surviving Iron Mantis. The woman looked broken—face red, tears streaming. Despite what he expected, he felt no sympathy for her. They had ambushed him and Zhu Rhee, tried to kill them. Even Zhu Rhee, who had done nothing to deserve it.

  Only cowards ambush someone from the shadows.

  “Was that necessary?” Zhu Rhee asked quietly. She walked toward Gong Ruiwen’s body and offered a strained bow to Guoqiang.

  “I won’t allow bugs from the Western Quarter to harm our Grand Master’s granddaughter without repercussions. This is what they deserved.”

  Zhu Rhee didn’t challenge the point. Instead, she shifted the topic. “What about the wolves though?”

  Master Guoqiang’s expression remained flat. “You weren’t in any danger yet. Had they reached you, I would have interceded.”

  “So I wasn’t in any danger after all.”

  “Does that trouble you?”

  “Yes!” Zhu Rhee sounded exasperated. “That was the whole point—experiencing the real world without the school’s protection.” She winced, likely from the burn across her back.

  That was why she came out here with me? Ishin realized.

  “And you did just that,” Master Guoqiang said. “You didn’t know I was here. The fear, the reaction—those were real. Had I not been here, you would’ve behaved the same.”

  It wasn’t clear if Zhu Rhee agreed. “When would you have intervened, Master Guoqiang?”

  “As I said, had you been directly attacked by the thunder horned wolves.”

  “But you weren’t going to save him, were you?” She pointed to Ishin, who was now seated on the forest floor.

  Not save me? What does she…oh.

  Ishin thought back to his battle with the Adept Realm pack leader. If he hadn’t used his lightning strike, he would have died.

  “He was not my charge,” Master Guoqiang replied. “He’s only a probationary disciple.”

  “He is my comrade!” Zhu Rhee snapped. “I brought him out here. That makes him my responsibility.”

  “I was curious about your decision,” he said, finally turning to Ishin. “Now I see why you thought he might be worth the effort.”

  “You would have let him die,” Zhu Rhee pressed.

  “Yes. Before he proved himself. But after seeing him injure that Adept Realm wolf... perhaps I judged too hastily.”

  “You did, Master,” she affirmed.

  “Boy,” Master Guoqiang said to Ishin, “come here.”

  Ishin rose and, limping, walked toward him. “Greetings, Master Guoqiang.” He bowed, struggling not to collapse from the effort.

  “That technique of yours—what’s it called?”

  “The Pale Azure Lightning Force Strike Technique, Master.”

  “Where did you learn it?”

  “It is from my…clan, Master.” Ishin didn’t see the harm in revealing that. “I hail from the Nine Striped Hills, so my clan may be unknown to your school.”

  “It is,” Master Guoqiang said, scratching his chin. “Would you be willing to let the school study this technique?”

  Ishin met his eyes. “With respect, Master, is it common practice for the Eight Oaths Resolve School to learn from one who is not a true member of the school?”

  For the first time, Guoqiang’s eyes sharpened. “You wish to be made a true disciple of the school?”

  “Only if the honored Master believes I am worthy.” Ishin gave another bow, his body trembling from exhaustion.

  Zhu Rhee chuckled softly. Master Guoqiang’s gaze never left Ishin.

  “Bold. Yet not unreasonable.” He began to walk toward Yan and then stopped halfway, placing himself between her and Ishin. “Perhaps this request can be met—if you are able to demonstrate your talent.”

  “What are you suggesting, Master?” Zhu Rhee asked.

  Guoqiang spoke only to Ishin. “Are you willing to prove yourself, Ro Ishin?”

  Ishin looked at Yan, still bound. “I am, Master. If you are willing to answer a question first.”

  That caught the Martial Master off guard. “And what is your question?”

  Ishin voiced what had been gnawing at him since Guoqiang’s arrival. “Master Guoqiang, why did you allow Senior Sister Zhu to be harmed by the Iron Mantises when you could have stopped it?”

  “Ro Ishin,” Zhu Rhee said, her voice pained by the realization.

  “A large portion of her back is burned,” Ishin continued. “A scar she’ll carry forever.” He knew what that meant. “You could have stopped it—why didn’t you?”

  “Careful with your tone, Probationary Disciple.”

  Ishin remembered the last time he’d let emotion overtake him. His banishment from the Daihu Martial Hall. His legs trembled, but he bowed again, voice cold but level. “I mean no disrespect, Master. I only seek understanding.”

  Guoqiang studied Ishin, then looked at Zhu Rhee. Her eyes, too, demanded an answer.

  When he finally spoke, it was to her. “It was for her own good. She wished to experience true adversity. And adversity requires suffering. The Grand Master forbade placing her in real danger, but instructed me to allow pain, so long as there was no lasting harm.”

  He turned back to Ishin. “Our school has medicinal salves. Her wounds are fresh. If treated within four days, the scarring can be prevented. Does that satisfy your inquiry?”

  Her own grandfather sanctioned this?

  It seemed harsh—but Ishin could picture his own mother doing the same in the name of growth.

  Still... Zhu Rhee didn’t deserve this.

  “It does. Thank you, Master Guoqiang.”

  The master nodded. “Now then, I wish to see what you’re truly capable of.”

  Ishin’s eyes drifted to Yan, still struggling in her restraints.

  “How can I prove myself to the school?”

  Master Guoqiang pointed at Yan.

  “I want to see if you can kill her.”