Guided by Elder Yao, the crowd of disciples was guided to the west of the plaza, as they had been for the previous Outer Sect Trial.

  Unlike the last time, the disciples were not led further up the mountain; instead, they were guided west, sloping down towards the forest that the last trial had partially led through.

  Before long, the bright red trees of the Forest of Magical Beasts came into sight, returning Jun Li to her memories of the last Trial and how vulnerable she felt as she rushed through the forest.

  At the very edge of the forest, Elder Yao stopped and turned to face the group. “Judging by everyone’s equipment, I trust you all know what today’s Trial entails.”

  “For a more formal explanation…” Elder Yao spoke as she presented a bright red pellet. “For today’s Trial, you will be entering the Forest of Magical Beasts and collecting as many Beast Cores as possible."

  "These Beast Cores can be considered as the ‘Dantian’ of a Magical Beast, but unlike our Dantians, these Cores are a much more tangible, physical thing. Because of that, we can take advantage of the Qi inside even after the Beast dies.”

  With a flick of her wrist, the Beast Core that Elder Yao had been holding disappeared. “But don’t think that means you can just eat them to get a boost to your Cultivation, you’ll just end up killing yourself.”

  Looking down at the crowd, Elder Yao continued. “Now then, the rewards… for first place, a 50-year Stoneshell Ginger, second place, a 30-year Ardorheart Root, and third place, a chunk of Purple Jade.”

  Over the past two months, Jun Li had been studying more than just the use of alchemical tools, in her studies under Zhu Enlai, the Branch Director, she had learned of hundreds of Medicinal Plants, and hearing the rewards Elder Yao listed, Jun Li knew exactly what their value was.

  Knowing the true value of these Medicinal Plants, Jun Li felt a surge of determination; she wouldn’t settle for anything less than first place, that was how valuable a Stoneshell Ginger was to her. 'Even ignoring the benefits to my Internal Qi, that sort of medicine would be invaluable for refining my physique…'

  “Alright then, line up and I’ll send you into the forest one by one.” Elder Yao dropped a crate onto the ground, gesturing for the disciples to line up.

  “I don’t want you lot all rushing into the forest at once and fighting over the first Magical Beasts you see, so I’ll send you in one by one, and have you wait for my signal to start the hunt.”

  As the two dozen or so disciples clumsily formed into a line, Jun Li found herself caught in the middle of the pack.

  Unable to see ahead, but still able to hear Elder Yao’s last instructions being declared from the front of the line. “You all have between when the signal goes out until dawn tomorrow to collect your Beast Cores. Don’t try to collect any more outside of that time, I'll know. When dawn comes, return here and I’ll count up everyone’s Beast Cores.”

  Shortly after Elder Yao spoke, the line in front of Jun Li took a staggered step forward, and another shortly after, as disciples were sent wordlessly into the forest.

  It wasn’t long until Jun Li’s turn had come, and the moment she reached the front of the line, Elder Yao handed her a satchel and a large carving knife before quickly ushering her towards the forest.

  As Jun Li moved up to the threshold of the forest, she noticed something about it she hadn’t had the chance to during the last Trial; each and every tree bordering the forest had attached to it a yellowed paper talisman, gently swaying in the breeze.

  Glancing at the complex, twisted inscriptions, Jun Li felt some interest in their creation. But with her alchemical studies, she knew she didn’t have the time to study any other esoteric subjects.

  Setting aside her curiosity, Jun Li quickly passed through the forest threshold, feeling an uncanny sense of pressure wash over her the moment she did.

  Feeling a burgeoning anxiety, Jun Li moved quickly to find a less open position.

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  Taking advantage of her newly refined physicality, Jun Li stepped off the ground and ascended twice her height into the air.

  With another step against a nearby tree, she again surged upward, latching onto a solid branch high above the forest floor.

  This high off the ground, Jun Li felt like she had more than enough movement options if she was caught off guard by a Beast. ‘I should move further into the forest… I don’t want to have to contend with other disciples for my Cores…’

  With a sharp movement, Jun Li leapt through the air, crossing a gap six steps wide in half a breath.

  Looking back, Jun Li realized the strength she now exerted in her movements and sidled closer to the trunk of the tree she stood upon, where the branches were thickest under her feet.

  The trees of the forest looked robust, but Jun Li didn’t want to risk breaking a branch out from under herself as she stepped off of them.

  Darting from tree to tree, Jun Li couldn’t help but smile; something about exerting herself on such a level was truly, deeply enjoyable to her.

  Just as she had begun to enjoy herself, mid-leap, a violent impact sent her hurtling to the forest floor.

  Jun Li’s mind halted momentarily from shock, unable to realize what had happened until she crashed into the earth, suddenly and viscerally aware of her bones.

  Lurching from the ground amidst a cloud of dry leaves, Jun Li felt panic lance through her heart as she saw her blood soak into the dirt and roots.

  Jun Li wasn’t able to focus on her wounds, however, and turned to face what had knocked her to the forest floor.

  A Magical Beast circled Jun Li as she gathered herself, as though trying to assess if she was a meal worth preparing.

  The Beast had a physique like that of a rodent, only with thick, sharp scales, and it was no small thing.

  Though it walked low to the ground on all fours, Jun Li knew that it would be just as tall as her if it stood, perhaps taller.

  Slowly drawing her awl, Jun Li made ready to fight the beast, ignoring the wound carved into the length of her arm when the Beast brought her down from the trees.

  Seeing the glint of Jun Li’s awl, the Beast had enough awareness to see that she had chosen fight over flight, and bristled its scales in an effort to intimidate.

  Jun Li, however, remembered what Elder Yao had said about waiting for the signal, and took a deep breath to calm herself.

  As the Beast shot across the forest floor, swiping at Jun Li, she took a single jolting step out of the Beast’s range.

  The speed of the Beast had surprised her, but it was something she could match.

  Failing to land another hit, the Beast slinked back before suddenly lunging at Jun Li, relentless, only to meet empty air.

  Jun Li, who had leapt directly upward to avoid the Beast, jammed her awl into the side of a tree, stopping herself before she fell back down towards the Beast.

  As the Beast laid its claws on the tree, Jun Li leapt off the tree, landing on the soft forest floor. She was well aware that it could climb, if it wanted to. And she didn't want to find out how well it could fight up there.

  Yet the longer Jun Li had to stall for the signal, the more anxious she became.

  As the Beast approached her one last time, the unnaturally crisp ring of a bell swept through the forest, stopping both Jun Li and the Beast in their tracks.

  Knowing what it meant, Jun Li snapped to attention, her Qi surging into place with practiced form.

  Momentarily distracted by the unnatural sound of the bell, the Beast did not expect Jun Li’s defensive behavior to suddenly invert.

  'Sparking Thorn - Three-point Stab…' Lunging forward, Jun Li lashed out with her awl at a speed impossible for the Beast to react to, punching three separate holes into its scaled brow before it could even register the pain.

  Correctly assuming she had penetrated its brain, Jun Li stepped back, expecting the Beast to fall; this, however, was a grotesque underestimation of a Magical Beast’s durability.

  Jun Li’s short step back was met with a desperate charge from the Beast, sent into a frenzy by Jun Li’s sudden counterattack.

  As the Beast’s claws lashed out, leaving a gouge on Jun Li’s leg, she jolted forward into the Beast’s body in an impulsive maneuver she didn’t expect from herself.

  Clutching the Beast by the neck, Jun Li’s awl glinted, flashing forward as it left two, then five, then nine, then exponentially more holes in the Beast’s back, not leaving anything to chance anymore.

  At such an awful angle, the Beast’s claws were slow and clumsy, allowing Jun Li to shift in place to avoid them, even as she held the beast by its nape.

  And as Jun Li’s stabbings accelerated, the Beast’s resistance quickly waned, leaving the Beast’s back a pitted landscape.

  Feeling the Beast’s weight sink into her arms, Jun Li let it aside, realizing she had done more than enough to kill it.

  Stood there catching her breath and clutching her cramping arm, Jun Li was left to lick her wounds, the true challenge of the hunt now weighing in her mind. 'There's no telling when I'll be attacked next… I need to prepare fast and take this thing's Core…'

  Seventeen hours remained until the end of the Trial.