Underground

The terrain here was uneven. Rocky crags jutted up out of the ground all around, blocking Wei Wang’s vision. All he could do was stumble through the darkness, relying on nothing but his rapidly dimming Phoenix origin Chi energy to light his way.

Thinking about that, he realized the others must be even worse off than him. Just stumbling through the darkness alone, that would be enough to provide serious injuries and maybe even eliminate those who were careful.

Not only that, but Wei quickly realized that being the only source of light in this darkness would surely act as a beacon. He could only hope his friends found him before his enemies did.

He shouldn’t have thought like that though, because no sooner did he think it than he turned rocky corner and found a gleaming rapier glancing down at him from the shadows!

”Argh!” His assailant cried as he slashed out. Wei danced backward though. His only thanks was that this attack had struck while the origin Chi energy was still active. If it had been after, and he had waited until it was completely extinguished to attack, Wei would have been in a far worse position.

Now, however, he had the second layer of the Hand-to-Hand combat technique, and had already activated the Phoenix Ascending Hidden Flame. As he danced backwards, he realized this was the perfect moment to use one of his new attacks, and kicked out with a front kick hard.

The front kick was a direct kicked launched by bringing the knee up directly in front of the body, and then kicking out straight. His foot connected hard with the attackers chest, and sent him backwards several paces.

Wei knew that when attacking unarmed, however, it would take more than a single attack to knock out or eliminate an opponent. He could only sigh as he watched his opponent right himself and shake off the impact to his chest.

Wei Wang wouldn’t give him time to rest. He closed the distance between them quickly and launched out with a right punch. The attacker drew back, dodging the fist and then twisted the rapier in his hand so that the blade was horizontal with the earth, and struck out in a direct piercing stab!

This kind of stab had the advantage of being extremely quick, unlike a slash with a too-large windup time that could be easily dodged. Wei saw it coming anyway, however, and in that moment let his instinct guide him.

He pivoted his on his left foot and turned his body so that his back was facing his attacker. As he did, he stepped to the left, narrowly dodging the straight piercing stab. Then, without even a moment of pause, he launched a back kick with his right foot, completing the 180 roundhouse kick and bringing his entire body around in an entire circle.

His ankle crashed down hard into the attackers neck and his knees buckled under the weight. He hit the earth and then crashed into the ground.

Wei righted himself, getting both his feet underneath his body and standing in something close to the horse stance, ready to continue the battle. His opponent didn’t move, however, and appeared to be completely unconscious on the ground beneath his feet.

The next moment, black smoke began to rise from the attackers body, and then the body burst into ash and flame. The ash vanished in the wind, and he was gone.

Wei Wang sighed and glanced around, cautious not to let his guard up too quickly. There could still be other attackers nearby, who may have been drawn towards their location by the sounds of battle.

A moment passed, however, and all was quiet. Wei could only console himself, knowing that at least one of the five members of the other team had already been eliminated. Now, however, he had to move quickly. He had to try and reunite with his allies, find the rest of the other team, and eliminate the four remaining enemies in order to quickly close this round.

With that, he realized suddenly that this underground cavern was almost the opposite of the snowy world above. Instead of bright, glaring snow, there was almost endless darkness and hard, rough rock.

As he thought these things, he remembered his cultivation, and how it had unlocked the stage and caused all of them to plummet into the darkness. He stood and turned, wondering where he should head.

At that point, just ten feet from where he stood, he saw a red painted wooden gate directly perched against the sheer cliff wall. If one tried to walk through the wooden gate, which was made of two thick red posts and a single thick red log across the top, they would smash directly into rock without taking a single step forward!

What a strange sight, Wei thought. He drew nearer, and then something glimmering caught his eye. There appeared to be some kind of crystal lodged halfway into the stone cliff wall.

At this moment, Wei Wang couldn’t help but think of the word ‘key’ in his mind again. This time, however, instead of lightning, it was as if the crystal itself pulsed out. That brilliant azure array formation shone in his mind once again, and the heartbeat of the world seemed to pulse directly from this crystal.

Was this crystal the heart of the alternate dimension where these trials was taking place? Was it actually the ‘key’?

Again, the crystal pulsed strongly, and Wei Wang drew nearer towards it. Gingerly, he reached out and took ahold of the crystal with his hand.

It was strangely warm to the touch, as if it were living, and within a fluorescent liquid seemed to be moving around. What is this ‘key’? He thought.

Again it pulsed, but this time, instead of the strong pulse of before, the rock wall itself glimmered with energy and then became translucent, and then vanished entirely!

So it really was a key!

Wei remembered, at that point, that Leah had told him it wasn’t only cultivation techniques they could take from this place. It was also physical objects such as plants and weapons and armor. Did this crystal count?

With that in mind, Wei Wang pocketed the crystal and stepped forward into the newly opened space. This space was another cavern, not too large, and it had another alter in it. This alter, however, was different than the last two. Something like a star chart was mounted on the wall above it, and it held no flame.

Maybe I’m supposed to use my own flame this time? Wei thought. However, he had already spent his origin Chi to power the Phoenix form. He could currently only hold one Chi spark, so he had none to spend.

He thought about the rest of his group. They needed him… but he couldn’t let this opportunity pass him up either. The cultivation technique he found in the second trial was arguably much stronger than the combat technique he found in the first. He just hoped that with a single point, he would be able to power this Jade slip.

He grasped it in his hand and made up his mind, and then sat down to meditate. As he revolved the mantra in his mind, he quickly entered into a meditative trance. The origin energies here were strong, and they pulled on him powerfully. Not only that, but as long as he held the Jade tablet in his hand, the energies he channeled into his body instantly flowed into the tablet.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

So, I can power a tablet that has a higher cost by holding onto it while meditating. Most likely, if I let it go, I’ll have to start all over again. If that’s the case, then maybe I can reach the second layer of the Phoenix Ascending Hidden Flame sooner than I thought!

I wonder, does it only work here, where the origin energy is so thick?

Wei Wang continued to meditate. This jade slip indeed had a higher cost than the previous three sparks of the cultivation technique and one spark on the combat technique. Astoundingly, the very first layer cost five sparks!

However, in this cavern, the origin Chi was thick, and it only took a few recitations before Wei found himself falling deeper and deeper into the jade slip.

This was an inscription technique called the Secret Sign Grasping Heaven manual. What was incredible was that with this cultivation technique, he could secretly imprint inscriptions on those around them that would increase their power! He could also create these secret inscriptions and place them on his body as well. With a keyword, these inscriptions could be activated by spending some extra origin Chi. What was more, there were many different kinds of unique inscriptions. Some could be used to boost pure strength, others could increase elemental strength, and there were even inscription patterns that could help increase cultivation speed!

This technique was really incredible. With it, he could more efficiently support his team. There are many people in this world who care only about their own power, but Wei knew that here, when all combat was formed around teams of five, being able to boost the strength of his allies would result in no end of benefits. Not only would they be stronger, but they would become more loyal as well, forming unbreakable relationships over time.

With that, Wei finally found his mind returned of its own accord to his body. Somehow he had managed to open the first layer of the inscription manual, and now had the perfect tri-fecta. A cultivation technique, a combat technique, and a crafting technique!

He really was incredibly lucky! Not only that, but he had found this strange crystal key. He wondered, could he really continue to use the crystal on other stages to open more secret rooms such as this one? And as he strode out of the cultivation chamber, an even more bold thought struck the recesses of his mind.

If this crystal was a key, maybe it was possible to come to this realm when no one else was here, when there was no battle taking place, to cultivate and explore freely without the crushing pressure of battle imposing down on his mind.

Time was passing quickly, however, and Wei realized he needed to get back to the battlefield to help his team achieve victory. He was especially worried about Leah, whose bow was powerful from long range but made her incredibly vulnerable in a sitatution like this, where enemies could sneak up in the dark and stab their victim in the back!

Before leaving he quickly made sure to circulate his Phoenix Ascending Hidden Flame mantra. In this secret cultivation room, with the thick origin Chi energy already deeply condensed, it only took a few repetitions of the mantra before he felt a spark consolidate in his core.

With the spark available, he left the cultivation chamber and return to the cliff ledge from which he had entered. His original Pheonix Chi spark from before had already died down, and so he peered through the darkness, trying to get a sense of direction.

It was utterly impossible to see. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the dark, allowing him to just barely make out the shapes of rocks several feet away.

At that moment a “clang!” Rang out, and there were cries of battle.

Quickly! He thought, sprinting forward and relying on base instinct to navigate the darkness. In his memory from before, there was a path through here…. He felt around the rocks blindly, struggling to make his way forward at more than a snails pace.

”Die!” The shout was nearby now, but Wei Wang couldn’t tell if it came from friend or foe. Thinking about Leah, he made up his mind not to waste another moment clumsily stumbling through the dark.

Activating his Chi spark, he circulated the energy of the Pheonix Ascending Hidden Flame and felt hot beads of light pouring through his arms and legs. His body began to give off a light glow, and immediately the path was revealed.

There!

Just ten feet in front of where he stood was a clear path between two massive craggy boulders that shot up vertically out of the ground. He sprinted forward, turning the corner just in time to see a crouched figure on the ground craning backwards, two gleaming swords lifted above his head.

In the air above him at that very moment, another figure was falling down, a long javelin held between her hands. Wei Wang burst forward as fast as he could, but he was too late!

The javelin broke through the dual swords and pierced the young boys heart! Blood vomited from the boys mouth and the swords fell from his hands as if in slow motion.

”No!” Wei cried out, launching himself into a flying kick. With all his energy, he managed to bring the Pheonix Ascending Hidden Flame mantra to his mind, and as he did the burning light energy circulating through his body flared!

Slam!

His foot smashed through the javelin wielder’s back, causing him to crumple under the weight and heat. Bright light erupted where Wei’s foot connected, and in that moment he visualized the Pheonix Ascending mantra as clearly as he could. The attacker’s entire body burst into flames and fell to the ground, dead.

Sorrow swept through Wei’s body. He had only known the twins for that long, but still, it was too much to lose another friend! At that moment, he vowed to practice the inscription technique as soon as possible.

With the inscription technique, he could instantly activate whatever secret inscription he placed on an ally’s body from a distance. In that moment when the javelin wielding attacker had been in the air, a single command syllable would have been enough to activate a shield inscription or a strength inscription, giving whichever twin it was the strength to defend against the blow.

That’s right, Wei thought. Which twin was it?

Solemnly, he moved towards the body that still lay on the ground, face down. Before he could come closer, however, he heard a shout.

”Widow!” It was Zack’s voice. The next moment, Wei heard heavy footsteps as Zack finally rounded the corner and entered into the clearing.

He came to halt as he saw the blazing light of Wei’s Pheonix form, and then let his gaze fall down to the ground, where his brother Widow lay face down, blood pooling around his abdomen.

”I’m sorry, Zack,” was all Wei could say, “I was too late.”

Zack gulped, his eyes shining with water in the blazing Pheonix light.

Just then more footsteps echoed in the dark, and Wei turned to see a gleaming sword tip piercing towards him directly! There was no time to dodge! In the sorrow of seeing Widow perish, they had let their guard down.

”Twang!”

The hum of a bow rang out, and even as Wei watched the gleaming sword tip descend on his chest, the temperature around him suddenly dropped. An arrow, covered with sparkling crystals of ice, ripped through the air over his shoulder. The arrow itself gave off a cool blue light, and as it sped past the sword tip it slammed directly into the attackers face!

The sword wielded was thrown backward with such force that even his feet left the ground. The cold ice from the arrow spread over his face and upper torso, freezing the look of terror on his face as he died.

A moment later, he struck the ground, sword falling with a clang by his side.

Wei didn’t stand still. Instead he turned to see Leah Levi standing triumphantly on top of one of the large boulders nearby, bow in hand. She gave off an icy aura, and Wei knew she must have found a cultivation manual in the dark.

As Wei stared up at her, something caught her sight, and she lifted her head.

”Over there! Wei! It’s Aaron, and he’s fighting two on one! Go!” She pointed wildly.

In his mind, Wei Wang quickly calculated how many opponents were left. They had eliminated three already, so that meant Aaron was facing off against the last two alone! They could end this now, he had to hurry.

Turning he sprinted from the clearing, leaving the shocked Zack to mourn his brother in the dark.

Soon the sounds of battle could be heard once again. Grunts of pain followed the clang of steel against thick, heavy Earth. In a few more breaths, Wei managed to make it around another curve in the rocky path to a clearing where Aaron stood solemnly in the center, his large body hunched over, his arms covering his head.

His two attackers held a club made out of wood and a dull axe. However, it was clear they lacked any technique, and were mindlessly hammering away at Aaron’s body. However, because of Aaron’s Earth Bearing Circle cultivation method, he had shielded himself with a thick wall of Earth! Unfortunately, it was all he could do to just stand there and take the beating. He still had no way of fighting back.

“Hey, why don’t you two pick on someone who can fight back!” Wei shouted, trying to draw their attention.

The two attackers looked up at Wei and then glanced at each other and laughed. Wei held no weapon, and apparently the softly glowing Pheonix light wasn’t enough to intimidate these two.

With a snicker, the axe wielded launched forward, while the club holder stood back to watch.

”Bad technique!” Wei said, sidestepping the awkwardly thrown axe chop and bringing his right foot up in a powerful roundhouse kick that connected solidly with the attackers chest.

The axe wielded flew backwards, and the club holder’s eyes went wide. Before the club holder could react, however, Aaron grabbed him from behind and wrapped his massive bear arms around him, restricting his movement and preventing him from attacking with the club.

Wei crossed the gap quickly, round up a right hook, and slammed his fist into the attackers face. Both had been KO’d with a single hit.