The sound of combat erupted from the street nearby. Yuming heard the clashing of steel and the whoosh of fire techniques.

  Through the formation, Yuming felt three signatures collide—the two cold Dantian Awakening presences meeting a warm one.

  It was Liu Mei. Yuming remembered meeting her briefly at orientation. She looked to be in her late twenties, with no jewelry, and carried a sword that had signs of usage. Yuming remembered her being quiet.

  Most importantly, she wasn't connected to the Zhan Branch—at least as far as Yuming knew.

  Yuming remained concerned about the timing. He went to a new place and it was attacked. But this attack was far less targeted than the cave encounter, and the scale was so much greater. Was it really the Zhan Branch, or just a coincidence?

  It's always best to remain cautious and expect the worst.

  Yuming saw ember sparkles periodically being flung into the air from the direction of the three combatants. Liu Mei was trying to hold them off. As a Liu Family cultivator, she should be quite a bit stronger than these two, but it was still two versus one.

  Yuming watched as the fighting neared. Two Dantian Awakening cultivators heading my direction? Why target me?

  As the combatants drew closer, Yuming recognized one of the enemies immediately. It was precisely the sullen woman who'd given him a look of resentment earlier!

  This woman… she could have followed me! If she did, she'd have heard Chenrui mention that I have an Earth-grade root!

  The woman held a thin sword, feinting one way with a qi projection and then twisting her body seamlessly to take Liu Mei by surprise. Liu Mei dodged just in time, only to be met with a flaming fist from a handsome and muscular man who wore his robes to reveal his chest.

  Liu Mei was being pushed back. She fought defensively, giving up ground in controlled retreats, holding relatively steady. But she was outnumbered, she'd lose eventually.

  If I overload the node, I can push a barrier surge towards them. Yuming contemplated. The formation diagram had warned about excessive cycling. The manual said it resulted in "cascade release." Yuming figured he could weaponize it.

  Yuming shook his head. That would destabilize the entire eastern sector, and hurt him.

  The jade token at his chest suddenly grew warmer again, before cooling down to its normal temperature.

  Yuming didn't have time to think about why it fluctuated between warm and warmer. Stay cautious, always stay cautious, he reminded himself.

  He threw the jade token as far as he could, out of the courtyard.

  Liu Mei backpeddled into the courtyard, her blade leaving a trail of embers. She was followed closely behind by the man and the woman, Zhou Meiling and Gao Ping.

  Zhou Meiling's eyes swept the plaza, taking in the pedestal, the glowing node, and the faint shimmer of the barrier surrounding it. Her gaze lingered on the boy with one hand on the stone.

  She quietly reminded Gao Ping, "That's the Earth-grade prodigy. We can hit the Liu Family where it hurts."

  Gao Ping grinned. "I'll handle the guard, you take the boy."

  Zhou Meiling shook her head, examining the barrier's edge. "No, the node has a protective barrier. We'll deal with her together, then both break through the barrier."

  Liu Mei didn't give them time to coordinate. A burst of flame at her feet propelled her sideways then forward in quick succession. Her blade curved towards Gao Ping's throat.

  Gao Ping caught the blade on his forearm, wreathed in fire. He laughed maniacally.

  Liu Mei propelled herself backwards, just in time to dodge a rapid sword strike from Zhou Meiling.

  Dantian Awakening, what a gap. Yuming thought to himself. Their movements were far faster than his.

  The battle fell into chaos. Liu Mei fought defensively, maintaining distance, making sure to not commit fully. Zhou Meiling probed with precise thrusts of her sword, looking for patterns. Gao Ping threw powerful fists that left the air scorched.

  Yuming, through the formation, observed patterns that Liu Mei couldn't see. When Gao Ping prepared for a heavy strike, Yuming flicked two Thread-Needles at his face.

  The needles' speeds were amplified as they crossed the formation barrier and entered the battlefield. They flew towards Gao Ping's face.

  Yuming didn't expect his needles to penetrate the protective barrier of a Dantian Awakening cultivator—and they didn't. But when they made contact, the surprised Gao Ping flinched and his strike went wide.

  "Arrogant!" the muscular man yelled, condensing spare qi into his palm and pushing towards the direction of Yuming. A translucent hand made contact with the node's edge, causing fire to splash against the shimmering barrier. The hand wasn't stopped entirely, but it was muted. Only a warm breeze reached Yuming.

  "Injustice!" a loud voice resounded above, the voice of Chen Fang. The formation shook wildly, bringing Yuming to his knees.

  Yuming felt a pang of guilt. Why does my talent entitle me to plentiful resources and deferential treatment? I didn't earn my Earth-grade root through hard work!

  Stolen story; please report.

  Yuming gritted his teeth, telling himself to snap out of it. He looked up towards the sky, where two great figures stood locked in battle.

  Chen Fang landed a direct hit. Zhengan might not be doing well.

  Liu Mei wasn't doing too well either. Chen Fang's voice had caused her to fall into a state of contemplation for a moment. Even though the moment was brief, Zhou Meiling's sword slashed her leg, drawing blood.

  Yuming pushed the barrier outward slightly, extending pressure towards Liu Mei. His meridians ached from the effort, but Liu Mei was able to use the breathing room to reset her stance.

  "Left! She's feinting left!" Yuming called out, tracking Zhou Meiling from the formation.

  Liu Mei didn't acknowledge him, but she swept her blade right, catching Zhou Meiling's strike. She then jumped into the air with a burst of flames to avoid Gao Ping's incoming fist.

  Gao Ping's fist left a small crater when it missed.

  The fight continued. Retreat, advance, parry, strike. Yuming fed Liu Mei information when possible, but she was barely holding on.

  But Yuming could tell that Gao Ping and Zhou Meiling were growing tired too. Yuming felt that he and Liu Mei could win a war of attrition.

  But then, Gao Ping's frustration boiled over.

  With a loud cry, he committed everything to a single massive overhead strike, his two hands curling into a ball, and the ball forming the head of a hammer. All power, no defense. His hammer descended like a falling sun.

  Yuming saw it pre-emptively through the formation. He flicked three needles towards Gao Ping's eyes.

  They flashed by, and Gao Ping turned his head instinctively. His strike landed wide right, the aftershock bringing down a building at the courtyard's edge.

  Liu Mei was already moving, prepared to capitalize on her opponent's mistake. She propelled herself inches from him before he could recover. Her blade carved a deep line across his ribs and under his arm.

  His blood sprayed.

  Gao Ping's arrogance cracked for a moment as he winced. He glared at Liu Mei and spat. His face pale, he retreated, eventually leaving Yuming's gaze. Through the formation, Yuming could tell this was a genuine retreat—not an opportunity to circle back.

  The plaza fell silent for a moment. Zhou Meiling and Liu Mei glared at each other.

  Liu Mei wasn't about to start chatting. She dove towards Zhou Meiling and the two began a dance of swords.

  There were no more flashy techniques, no more fire filling the air. Just timing, control, and the sound of blades ringing against each other. Yuming looked for opportunities to shoot more needles, but the speed was too fast. He used the fight as an opportunity to recharge.

  Zhou Meiling was more skilled, her style unorthodox and perfected from years of desperate survival. Her moves were never telegraphed, her style was completely unpredictable.

  Liu Mei was more powerful. Her cultivation technique was superior, she had more qi to expend. She threw talismans periodically to disrupt her opponent. She had an immortal clan behind her, she only needed to wait until help arrived.

  But Liu Mei had expended more energy earlier, when Gao Ping was still fighting. Despite her abundant resources, she was beginning to grow tired.

  Yuming could feel the balance tilting against them. He sent a desperate needle barrage. His timing was perfect, but Zhou Meiling—having seen enough of his trick—bent her sword slightly and deflected with ease.

  The overload. I can overload now, blast her back, and give Liu Mei an opening.

  He hesitated. The overload could damage his meridians. It wouldn't be permanent, but it would slow his cultivation. Didn't the Zhan Family want to slow his cultivation?

  It doesn't matter. If I'm saved by them tonight, or if I die, my cultivation speed doesn't matter.

  Zhou Meiling glanced towards the formation pedestal between exchanges. Every few exchanges, she'd drift closer to the edge. She tested, looking for weaknesses in the barrier.

  Zhou Meiling's eye caught something. She pushed away from Liu Mei and burst towards the barrier, hitting it at a sprint. Qi flared around her.

  She was spending reserves she couldn't afford. The shimmer of the barrier buckled around her, trying to drain her, but she pushed through anyway, her expression resolute.

  "No!" Liu Mei shouted, lunging towards Zhou Meiling, but she had already used a blade technique to carry her forward into the formation node. Right next to Yuming.

  She was tired. Breaking through had taken a lot of her energy, and she was already depleted from the fight. But Dantian Awakening was too much for Yuming to match. Unless she was half dead already, it would be nearly impossible to kill her.

  Yuming didn't need to think. Before she'd even finished entering the formation, he'd already slammed both of his palms onto the pedestal.

  He cycled qi as fast as his meridians could handle. His veins swelled up; a few streams of blood came gushing from his arms.

  The stone heated under his palms. The carved circles blazed brightly. His Ren Meridian screamed, accepting far more qi than it was designed to hold. But he continued pushing more qi through anyway.

  "Come on," he whispered to himself, his vision blurring.

  Zhou Meiling was readying her blow. She thought she'd feel satisfied killing a young genius of the family she hated so much. But instead she felt empty.

  She'd used too much of her strength already, she had little left to defend with.

  The node released. A shockwave of pure pressure blasted towards Zhou Meiling as it switched from passive defensive to explosive release.

  It slammed Zhou Meiling fully in the chest. Her momentum shattered, her qi was disrupted completely. She fell backwards as her blade dropped.

  Liu Mei was already moving. Flames burst from her feet, shooting her forward. Her blade took Zhou Meiling through the back, the point emerging from her chest, dark with blood.

  Zhou Meiling gnashed her teeth, but she never screamed. After a moment, she calmed down. Her eyes drifted curiously towards the blade in her chest.

  Liu Mei pulled the sword free and Zhou Meiling fell to her knees. Her eyes found Yuming, who was exhausted. He slumped against the pedestal, his hands shaking slightly. He felt nauseous.

  Zhou Meiling whispered to him before passing. "Cold kid, you'll fit right in with them."

  Liu Mei grabbed Zhou Meiling's sword. She nodded at Yuming, "Good job, you'll be rewarded."

  Yuming managed to nod back.

  "Can you still operate the formation?"

  Yuming forced himself to sit up straight, one hand slowly reaching towards the stone on the pedestal. "The channels are damaged, but I can keep it going."

  "Good."

  Liu Mei disappeared, leaving Yuming alone with the two departed: Zhou Meiling and Dao San. He clasped his hands together to stop the trembling. His nausea grew stronger.

  While tracking the battle above, he forced himself to think.

  Chen Fang targeted this place. It could be a coincidence.

  The cave certainly wasn't a coincidence.

  He thought back to the cave. He'd stopped the flying boat with Yiling, insisting on exploring the crevice, certain of an "opportunity." There, he encountered the loose cultivators, as well as Yujin.

  We weren't attracted to each other, we were attracted to an object. That useless treasure.

  He recognized that he had been irrational that day.

  Is Chen Fang acting rationally? Is his goal to commit suicide by Liu? He can attack some outskirts and side branches all he wants, but attacking here is just asking for death.

  Yuming felt his heart drop. No, unless there was information he didn't know, Chen Fang was not acting rationally.

  So what treasure would attract him, what would be luring him—

  He paused suddenly, his blood draining from his face.

  The jade token! It was warming from the connection!

  Yuming's nausea overwhelmed him. He vomited onto the courtyard.

  He forced himself to regain composure, thanking his ancestors that he'd tossed the token away earlier.

  A few minutes later, through the damaged formation, he sensed something change. There was something wrong with the Command Array. The defensive pressure fluctuated wildly.

  Heavy sounds reached him. He could tell: Chen Fang was breaking through the barrier. Yuming forced himself to his feet. His meridians burned and his hands still had a periodic tremble.

  But the battle wasn't over yet.