“Congratulations to our newest team member!” Hou Lei boomed as he lifted his wine cup.

  The others at their square table were Wan Bo, Zhu Rhee, and of course Ro Ishin. They were seated at the Banquet Hall’s dais, a place of honor. After the selection process, the Grand Master had announced that a celebratory banquet would be held for the establishment of their school’s tournament team. All of the school’s masters and disciples were invited for the occasion, and Ishin was surprised to see just how many disciples the school had.

  Upon the start of the banquet, Grand Master Zhu Yusheng had summoned all members of the team to the front of the hall, where he announced their names and accomplishments. Ishin was introduced last, and the only remarks the Grand Master gave regarding him pertained to his victory during the selection process. Still, Ishin guessed it was the first time that most of the disciples had ever heard his name.

  Now that the formalities were over and the food served, the team members were left in relative peace.

  “Here, here,” Zhu Rhee said, bringing her cup to clink against Hou Lei’s. Her reciprocation caused Ishin and Wan Bo to follow suit.

  As Ishin drank his wine, he couldn’t help but admire its sweet cherry flavor. The wine here is excellent. He looked down at the plates of roasted pork, sesame chicken, salted asparagus, grilled mushrooms, tofu soup, and half a dozen other dishes set before them. The food is amazing too. As the delicious aroma of their celebratory meal wafted up to Ishin’s nose, he couldn’t help but salivate. There’s no way the four of us can eat all of this.

  He then watched as Hou Lei, who was seated to his left, started to pile a mountain of meat onto his plate and reassessed that statement.

  What a brute.

  Zhu Rhee refilled her wine cup from the bottle in the center of the table. She sat at the head of the table, opposite Ishin. “Now that you are a part of our team,” she began, looking at Ishin, “you may call me by my given name.”

  The instruction surprised Ishin, who had just lifted his chopsticks with the intent of retrieving some sesame chicken. “I can?” A moment later, his hand hovering over the chicken dish, he realized how idiotic he must seem. Hou Lei’s laughter didn’t help.

  Mercifully, Rhee offered a sympathetic smile. “Yes. In fact, I insist. We are now all on the same team, making us equals.”

  “You’re still the team captain,” Wan Bo commented.

  Rhee’s eyes narrowed at the veteran disciple. “Oh? Would you like to call me by my full name too, Bo?”

  Wan Bo grimaced at the insinuation. “Ah, no. Forget I said anything.”

  Ishin wasn’t entirely sure what was going on between the two disciples, but he knew better than to ask. Instead, he used the opportunity to retract his outstretched arm.

  Rhee nodded, satisfied at her victory. Turning back to Ishin, she said, “Please, call me Rhee.”

  “Thank you, Rhee.” It sounded strange to refer to her only by her given name. “You can call me Ishin, as well. Please,” he added rapidly.

  Rhee’s eyes danced with amusement. “Very well.”

  “You should call me by my given name too!” Lei insisted. “I always hate dealing with honorifics, so this is great!”

  Smiling at his oldest friend at the school, Ishin responded, “Very well. Lei, then.”

  “You can call me, Bo.”

  Ishin bowed his head at the senior disciple. “I am honored by your acceptance. How all of you have accepted me. Please, call me Ishin in return.”

  Warmth swelled from deep within Ishin’s heart. Back in the Daihu Tribe, his only true friends had been Brother Bin and Sister Na. He wasn’t nearly as close with these people yet, but now he truly felt like he had new friends of his own. Ishin looked at Lei, who was shoveling a thick piece of roasted pork into his mouth.

  The one who discovered me and my first friend.

  His eyes moved over Rhee, who loaded her plate with chicken, asparagus, and rice; and then Bo, who was only enjoying soup so far.

  Now I have two more. Funny how much can change in a month.

  “So tell me, Ishin, what is your goal for participating in the tournament?” To Ishin’s surprise, it had been Bo who broke the silence.

  Ishin waited to finish his bite of chicken before replying, allowing himself a moment to think.

  Should I tell them about my search for the Hidden Ring and how I want to travel to Spear Shore to search for my clan? He thought about when he’d questioned Lei on both matters a month ago when they first met. Lei hadn’t heard of the Hidden Ring and only told him that Spear Shore was far to the west.

  Odds are that neither Bo nor Rhee will know about the Hidden Ring either. And if I tell them that I want to travel to Spear Shore, they might realize I’m only using their school for my own ends. Best to reveal a more acceptable truth.

  “I’m seeking to increase my cultivation and perhaps draw the attention of one of the observing sects. How about you?”

  Bo didn’t look surprised by his answer. “Just like most competitors.” He took a sip of wine. “I’m also hoping to draw the attention of one of the Notable Sects. In truth, I’d like to join the Radiant Spear Sect.”

  Ishin recalled the few details he knew about Bo from Lei’s stories. “Don’t you fight with only shields, though?”

  Bo’s eyes flicked over to Lei, clearly identifying the source of the information. “I do, but despite their name, the Radiant Spear Sect doesn’t only consist of spear cultivators.”

  “It doesn’t?”

  “No. It earned its name because it was originally established from the remnant of a provincial regiment that fought in the Jing Civil War 150 years ago. Most of the regiment’s warriors were commoners, so they were only armed with spears. Upon their return from the war, and formation of their sect, they adopted the name Radiant Spear, out of respect for their origins.”

  Ishin was stunned by Bo’s explanation. The Radiant Spear Sect sounded like they genuinely came from humble origins and embodied a true warrior spirit. It reminds me of the warrior lodges back in the Nine Striped Hills. Perhaps I should try to get recruited by that sect as well.

  “Getting recruited by a sect is all fine and good,” Lei said, joining the conversation, “but proving one’s strength is the true prize of the tournament!”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Bo rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Ishin. Fighting is all this guy cares about.”

  Ishin laughed. “Believe me, I have learned that myself.”

  “Much to your benefit,” Lei insisted. “Look how far you’ve come thanks to our training!”

  Lifting his hands in surrender, Ishin replied, “I can’t argue with that.” Lowering his hands, he asked, “But you really just want to win? No interest in being recruited?”

  Lei just smiled and gave an easy shrug. “My Immortal Path is one of a warrior’s. I want to test myself against the best there is, and the tournament is the best way to do it.”

  Honest and uncomplicated. Can’t say I’m surprised.

  “Is that why you keep going to the Western Quarter and picking fights?” Bo challenged.

  “I have to get real combat experience somehow,” Lei explained, unbothered. “And besides, that’s how I found him!”

  “It’s still unbecoming of a disciple from our school,” Bo complained.

  “Enough, you two,” Rhee stated. “There’s no need to have this argument. Not here and now when we’re supposed to be celebrating Ishin’s addition to the team.”

  She lifted her wine cup again. “Another toast. This time, to having all four members of our team.”

  Everyone raised their cups again and the previous tension was dissolved.

  After Bo set his empty cup down, he went on to say, “Rhee will likely get recruited by the Righteous Mantle Sect after the tournament.”

  Ishin lifted a quizzical brow. From what she had told them when they were out in the Howling Scape Forest together, she wanted to join other sects. He couldn’t exactly remember the names of the two since she’d told him two weeks ago, but he was certain neither had been the Righteous Mantle Sect. Instead, he asked, “Is that so?”

  Rhee’s jovial expression twitched ever so slightly, and Ishin thought he almost imagined it. “That’s the traditional path of my family. Develop my foundation at the Eight Oaths Resolve School, earn recognition in the Exhibition Tournament, serve a decade with the Righteous Mantle Sect, and then return here as a master once I enter the Adept Realm.” Her words were stated matter-of-factly, lacking any enthusiasm. “It’s tradition.”

  But not what she wants.

  “Attention all!” Grand Master Zhu Yusheng called out from the center of the Banquet Hall, interrupting their discussion. “It is now time to award this year’s team with their earned resources.”

  Hundreds of eyes shifted from the Grand Master to the dais. Ishin watched as servants moved from the side of the hall to form a line in front of their table. Each servant carried a small, square box of a different color—blue, black, red, and grey.

  “We better get up,” Rhee suggested. To Ishin specifically, she said, “Move in front of the blue box.”

  Ishin followed her instructions and assumed a position in front of the servant with the blue box. He noticed that Rhee stood before the servant with the black box, Lei before the red, and Bo with the grey.

  They must correlate to our chakras.

  He considered the blue box in front of him. It wasn’t the neutral blue affiliated with water qi, but the bright, pulsing color of lightning.

  “Each of these four outstanding disciples has earned their position on our school’s team,” the Grand Master continued. “It is only befitting that our school recognize their achievements. To this end, each has been given an alchemic pill to assist them with their cultivation. A round of applause for the Eight Oaths Resolve School Exhibition Tournament Team!”

  The Grand Master led the hall in a thunderous applause. As one, the new tournament team accepted their gifts. After handing over the boxes, the four servants bowed and departed, leaving the disciples in clear view of the crowd.

  Ishin appreciated the cheers, but in truth, he was most grateful for the cultivation resource now in his possession. With this, I’ll surely be able to reach the third layer.

  The hair on his arms rose as he recalled the miserable experience of processing the second batch of Rupture Wailing Storm Pills.

  I really hope that’s not what’s in here.

  *              *          *

  When the festivities concluded, Lei invited Ishin to go out drinking at an establishment he frequented in the Southern Quarter. Ishin had politely declined, explaining that he had other business to attend to. Rhee had looked curious at his vague explanation but hadn’t pressed the issue. Lei had been disappointed at first, but quickly recovered after convincing Bo to join him. When he asked Rhee, she had also declined, stating she needed to speak with her parents about her training regimen for the next month.

  Once away from his new friends, Ishin headed straight to the school’s infirmary, his blue box still in hand. When he entered, he was surprised to see nearly two dozen disciples spread throughout the rows of beds. Physician Hui moved swiftly among them. Five other physicians were present, all dressed in the same uniform as Hui, which led Ishin to assume they were his assistants.

  Physician Hui, who had been observing a sleeping, bandaged disciple, looked up. “By the Heavens, what are you doing here?”

  Ishin walked past the rows of beds toward the elderly man to avoid having to shout. “I came here to check in on Disciple Ouyang Xue.” He’d learned the poor woman’s name from Rhee after the fight was over. “Honored Physician, why are there so many wounded here?”

  The physician stared at him in disbelief. “Why do you think, young disciple? Was there anything that happened earlier today that might have resulted in many of our disciples being injured?”

  I’m an idiot.

  “The selection process,” Ishin answered, embarrassed. “Of course.”

  Physician Hui waved a hand around the room. “Several of the disciples are here because of you specifically. Your skill with a spear is formidable, but,” he shook his head, “your lightning qi is something else.”

  Don’t I know.

  “Disciple Ouyang Xue is resting in the back,” Physician Hui continued, pointing to a section of the room segregated by a thick cream-colored curtain. “She’s resting, though, and shouldn’t be disturbed.”

  “Who is there?” a familiar passive voice called out from behind the curtain.

  Ishin watched as Master Guoqiang stepped out from the back. “Oh, it’s you, Disciple Ro Ishin.”

  Ishin wasn’t surprised to find the master here. All the school’s masters had congratulated him after the selection process. He’d even met Rhee’s parents, which helped him realize just how entrenched the Zhu Clan was within the Eight Oaths Resolve School. When Master Guoqiang hadn’t appeared, Ishin had assumed he was tending to the injured. Even during the banquet, he hadn’t noticed the quiet master’s presence. That left only one likely explanation.

  Master Guoqiang walked toward them, and as he approached, Ishin couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked.

  “What brings you here, Disciple Ro Ishin?”

  “If you two are going to talk,” Physician Hui said, “please do so outside. People are trying to sleep here.”

  The bald master gave the physician a respectful bow. “As you say. Thank you again for attending to Xue.”

  “It is my duty,” was all Physician Hui replied.

  Master Guoqiang turned and began walking toward the infirmary exit. “Come with me,” he told Ishin.

  Once outside and strolling through the dimly lit, empty halls of the school, Master Guoqiang repeated his question. “Why were you visiting, Disciple?”

  “I... I wanted to see how Disciple Ouyang Xue was faring, Master.” After hearing how Guoqiang had referred to her by her given name, Ishin recognized that the two must be close.

  Are they disciple and master?

  Master Guoqiang stopped and turned to face him, his expression as unreadable as ever. “You are considerate for inquiring.” The words sounded strained. “Most of her body is covered in first-degree burns and blisters, and she has yet to regain consciousness since the fight. Physician Hui also said she’ll likely suffer short-term nerve damage.”

  That bad?

  Guilt twisted inside Ishin at the extent of what he had done.

  He met Master Guoqiang’s gaze, refusing to look away or excuse his actions. “I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to hurt her this badly.” He paused. “Had I known what would happen, I wouldn’t have done it.”

  Master Guoqiang regarded him for a long moment. “There is no way you could have known,” he said at last. “Even I didn’t expect such an outcome. An unfortunate byproduct from our lack of experience with a lightning cultivator. You wanted to win and did what you needed to. Used all the tools you had.” The last words were almost ground out.

  Ishin noticed Guoqiang’s fists clenched at his sides.

  He places the blame on himself, Ishin realized. Because he gave me the Indigo Sky Bolt technique.

  “Congratulations on joining the tournament team,” Master Guoqiang continued. Despite his composed tone, Ishin was sure the words pained him. “You had better represent our school well.”

  I should leave. This isn’t fair to him.

  Ishin offered a deep bow. “I will, Master.”