Pulling the glistening Core from the body of a Beast, Jun Li called out through the gentle morning fog. “I got another one, it’s about time to make our way back, right? The sun should be rising soon.” Her voice wasn’t loud, speaking at a clear, even volume despite nobody being visible.

  “Right! I got a few more Cores myself. I’ll head back to you, then we’ll make our way back to where the Trial started.” Jun Li pouted at the traceless voice that appeared in front of her. “Say… I get why you can hear me, your hearing improving that much with your Cultivation makes sense.”

  Jun Li crossed her arms as she circled around the empty space where the voice came from. “But why can I hear you like you’re right next to me?”

  From another point in space next to Jun Li, Zhao Xiaoli’s voice rang out clearly. “It’s… hard to explain. I had read about Sound Transmission, but I didn't expect it to come so easily in the Crimson Palace stage.”

  As Jun Li listened to the voice that flowed from arbitrary points in the air, she only became more curious. “I'll have to learn about it myself….”

  As Jun Li finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoli came into view. “How long have you been Cultivating anyway, Jun Li?” As Zhao Xiaoli asked her question, the two began to make their way to the edge of the forest.

  “Hmm… about two years? Though most of my progress, from Early Qi Condensation to the Late Qi Condensation, was in the past… six or eight months?”

  Hearing this, Zhao Xiaoli narrowed her eyes. “That’s… pretty impressive for someone bereft of external support.”

  Hearing what she felt was praise, Jun Li was unduly surprised, lacking the context to understand the pace of her own progress. “...is that so?”

  Thinking for a moment more, Jun Li remembered how much her inherited memories had helped her early Cultivation. “…I suppose it would be fairly impressive, huh?”

  As the light of the rising sun slowly began to shine through the forest’s canopy, the two increased their pace.

  As they did, Zhao Xiaoli looked again to Jun Li, this time to the Movement Technique she propelled herself with. Repeatedly, clouds akin to those used with the Glass Cloud Art were formed, before being ruptured underfoot to propel Jun Li forward in bursts.

  Zhao Xiaoli had seen it before when they ran from the ape-like Beast.

  Despite the fact that her Cultivation was one full stage higher at the time, Zhao Xiaoli's top speed was so much slower that Jun Li could move faster while carrying her, thanks to that unique Movement Technique. “…That Movement Technique, it’s adapted from the Glass Cloud Art, right? Did you come up with that on your own?”

  Looking down towards the deviated Movement Technique she had named ‘Cloudburst,’ Jun Li realized how comfortable she had become in its use as she spoke. “Yeah, I just… messed up the proper Technique, and something like this happened, I just decided to adjust from there, and I’ve been getting better at making it work for me ever since.”

  Hearing Jun Li speak of it in such simple terms, Zhao Xiaoli couldn’t help but smile. “So, ‘it just happened,’ huh? You speak of it pretty lightly, but it doesn’t exactly look like an easy Technique to improvise.”

  Unable to endure such praise, Jun Li tried to brush it off. “It’s not as good as it seems, really… It’s hard to use in combat, and it certainly didn’t help me in my duel…”

  Reminding herself of her duel with Ren Liwei, Jun Li felt a weight press down on her. “I hope Ren Liwei’s Cultivation isn’t progressing faster than mine… If I ever see them again, I want to have closed the gap…”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Hearing Jun Li speak of Ren Liwei, Zhao Xiaoli’s expression turned sour. “Ren Liwei…? Did nobody tell you?”

  Seeing the confusion on Zhao Xiaoli’s face, Jun Li became anxious. “Did nobody tell me what?”

  Pausing for a moment, Zhao Xiaoli sought the right words. “The day after his first Outer Sect Trial, Ren Liwei broke through to the Crimson Palace stage and entered the Inner Sect.”

  Jun Li was stunned for a moment after hearing that Ren Liwei had already moved into the Inner Sect. “Wait, then…”

  Jun Li’s expression slowly changed as she trudged through a few steps of realization. "There wasn't enough time between our duel and the first Outer Sect Trial… he had to be at the very end of the Qi Condensation stage…"

  As Jun Li’s mind answered her own softly spoken question, her thoughts towards the duel became complex. If Ren Liwei was at the Peak Qi Condensation stage, then she truly never stood a chance.

  And although the gap in power was demoralizing looking back, Jun Li couldn’t help but feel a weight had been lifted off of her, as though her loss wasn’t a failing, and was instead a misfortune.

  As Jun Li and Zhao Xiaoli reached the edge of the forest, they began to circle around in hopes of finding the side of the forest where the Trial had begun.

  Zhao Xiaoli saw that Jun Li had sunk deeply into her own thoughts, and she elected not to pry. 'Best that she comes to terms with whatever thoughts she's having on her own…'

  On the way, Jun Li’s mind wandered, unable to fully let go of her grievances towards her duel.

  Even if she had no chance to win the duel, she didn’t have to agree to it.

  She couldn’t help but feel that she was still at fault, for failing to safeguard against misfortune, and for allowing herself to be blindly led into an impossible situation.

  As the light of the sun began to shine in full, a group of disciples came into sight, scattered across the general area where the Trial began, all clumped together in small cliques.

  Some formed before the Trial, and others formed inside the forest itself. Notably, Elder Yao, who was supposed to oversee this Trial, was nowhere to be seen.

  Only as she got closer to the other Disciples did Jun Li realize she was being stared at.

  It only took a moment for her to realize it was because she was walking side by side with the Princess.

  Although she didn’t want to draw any undue attention to Zhao Xiaoli, Jun Li realized it would perhaps be even more conspicuous to part ways only now, in front of the group.

  Pulling her patchwork hat down to avoid the eyes pointed her way, Jun Li followed Zhao Xiaoli, who was seemingly unperturbed by the gazes, to a small patch of stone, moistened by the clearing morning fog.

  Placing her satchel of Cores down next to herself, Jun Li thought of her performance in the Trial. ‘It’s been… somewhere around eighteen hours since the start of the trial.’

  Realizing how long she had been in the forest, Jun Li felt somewhat surprised.

  She felt sore from exertion and injury, but not tired, not really. ‘I suppose it’s just another benefit of my Cultivation…’

  Since noon of the previous day, Jun Li had been hunting, only interrupted by short breaks and being trapped with Zhao Xiaoli for a few hours.

  ‘So, if I was gaining Cores at a rate of two… sometimes three an hour, and was active for thirteen or fourteen hours, then…’

  As Jun Li was lost in thought, trying to estimate how many Cores she had gathered over the past day, Zhao Xiaoli looked out across the crowd of disciples that occasionally glanced their way.

  After her breakthrough, Zhao Xiaoli had been very successful in her Core-gathering efforts to the point that she couldn’t help but wonder if she would be flatly disqualified for her new Cultivation, as it could be seen as unfair to the other disciples.

  With this in mind, Zhao Xiaoli had spent some time assisting Jun Li’s hunt, so that even if she was disqualified, she might be able to help a friend.

  Despite her efforts throughout the early morning, Zhao Xiaoli felt uncertain about either of their chances at getting into the top 3, considering how long they had been trapped.

  ‘I don’t even remember what the rewards were supposed to be…’ When Zhao Xiaoli had first entered the Trial, she didn’t come expecting any rewards; her only obligation was to appear once every few Outer Sect Trials and look healthy enough.

  ‘Whatever those rewards were… they surely wouldn’t be of any great benefit to me. Especially as I am now.’

  Taking care to move only when the gazes upon her drifted, Zhao Xiaoli pulled some Beast Cores from her satchel and, seeing Jun Li distracted by her own thoughts, slipped them unseen into her own.

  Seeing her sleight of hand pass unnoticed, Zhao Xiaoli let out a breath of relief. ‘This is the best outcome for both of us, surely.’