High up in the mountains stood an intimidating statue, the image of a fearsome foe for any who dared cross its path. Undoubtedly modeled after a powerful predator that roams, or used to roam, these parts. It is an incredibly detailed piece of artistry, lifelike enough to make it seem like its eyes are actively tracking its prey.

  A foolish bird lands on the statue's head.

  *Snap* *Crunch*

  "Hmm, mountain bird definitely tastes better." Machaka remarked happily in his deep, earthy voice to no one but his satisfied stomach.

  After a moment of savoring his impromptu snack, Machaka resumed his statuesque pose, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon. "Now," he muttered, squinting with the intensity of a hunter who had just remembered he was supposed to be hunting, "where is that Earth Drake?"

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  After taking our younglings to the forest to get some actual combat experience, I quickly set them free, and suddenly lost myself in a bout of nostalgia.

  It felt like just yesterday they were chubby-cheeked toddlers clutching toys, giggling as they stumbled around. Now, they were turning monsters into shish-kabobs like it was nothing. I shook my head, a wry smile tugging at my lips. They must have been practicing relentlessly in the training rooms. I knew they weren’t the type to sit back and relax, but even I had underestimated them.

  After all, they’d been stronger than most adult males since birth, their bloodlines were doing some heavy lifting.

  I told them to limit themselves to the Golden Core realm, as I'm sure that an insanely powerful teenager would draw attention as the presumed scion to some great clan. But even as Golden Cores, they were absolutely destroying every monster they could find.

  Ruby was the first to catch my eye. Her sword danced through the air, wreathed in flames. The visual effect was stunning, but what really struck me was the way her sword seemed to amplify the intensity of her fire. I know I hadn’t taught her that, maybe Gora did, but something tells me this one is all Ruby.

  Then came Finn, our water prodigy. Not only could he control the water in his surroundings, but as soon as his opponent drops their guard, he could control the water inside of their body. I just watched him make a desiccated corpse out of a healthy bear about 5 times his size in under a second. He didn't even flinch.

  And Sapphire. Sweet, curious, innocent Sapphire. Who knew she would be the scariest one. She did mention she wanted to test some theories... I glanced at the remains of her last experiment and shuddered. Maybe I needed to teach her about the Geneva Convention. Scratch that - I definitely needed to teach her about the Geneva Convention.

  I only just now realized how I've never actually sparred with any of them. I never took them to the battles in the Void Reality either, because our opponents were in the Celestial realm. Am I an overprotective helicopter parent?

  "Ok everyone, gather 'round. Let's go over some stuff." As everyone gathers together, I try to organize my thoughts, looking for my inner wise teacher.

  "I have some advice that goes for all of you." If there's one thing they all have in common, it's this.

  They all huddle around me like a football team getting ready for the game.

  "You are efficient, merciless, and also pretty damn powerful. I'm honestly impressed," They look at each other with sparkly eyes, the innocent reaction you'd expect of a kid who'd just been praised. "However, in a fight between two cultivators, it isn't always a good thing to be efficient and merciless. You need to realize the fact that you guys are really strong. If you don't hold back in a fight, you might kill someone when you don't actually mean to."

  "But isn't that a good thing?" Finn asks with a confused look on his face. "If I kill them, I win, right?"

  "It's true, if you kill them, you win. Right now, against these monsters, that's not a bad attitude to have. But you must always remember the value of life. Every animal or monster you come across is a son or a mother of another. Especially against humans do you need to keep that in mind."

  "Even against these monsters, I wouldn't allow you to kill everything here. It would upset the eco-system, but let's not worry about that for now."

  What would be the easiest way to make them understand?

  "Take a seat," Time to really mold their little minds. "Imagine if someone killed me, what would you do?"

  "We would gather everyone and kick their ass!" Ruby says, with Finn and Saph nodding in agreement.

  "And why would you do that?"

  "To get revenge?"

  "Why get revenge?"

  "Because... because you would be gone." Saph says with a hint of a tear in her eye. "And it's their fault. They deserve to die if they do something like that to you!"

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  While patting little Saph's head to comfort her, I sit up straight and look everyone in the eyes one by one. "And that is exactly how other people would feel if you killed their family members. That's why it's important to not always go for the kill. Killing a person will always make someone else sad, and if they're stronger than you, or angry enough, they will definitely come for revenge."

  They seem to be deep in thought after that. I can't help but feel a little fuzzy inside, knowing I've taught them something important.

  I let them to think about this for themselves for a few minutes before pulling them up from the ground. "C'mon guys, I'm very proud of you for what you've accomplished today. Let's collect our loot and finally head to Kirome."

  "Okay!" They chant in unison as they rush to the bodies of their fallen opponents.

  As I leaned against a tree, hearing their bickering in the distance, “Hey, get your grubby hands off my kill, yours is over there!” I allowed myself a little nap-time until they were done.

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  The bustling streets of Kirome greeted us as we returned, the familiar sights and sounds a stark contrast to the quiet of the forest. The others were already waiting for us, their smug faces telling me everything I needed to know. They’d found the Earth Drake.

  “So, how was it? Tell me all about the Earth Drake!” Sapphire practically launched herself at Gora, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. If there was one thing Sapphire loved more than testing her theories, it was learning about dragonkin.

  Gora crossed her arms, her expression one of mild disappointment. “Weak and unsatisfying. They call it an Earth Drake, I call it a brown lizard.” She grunted, entirely unimpressed.

  Sapphire’s face fell for a moment, but then she brightened again with a nod of her head. Knowledge was knowledge, even if it wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped for. She’d just have to find an actual dragon someday.

  “Let’s turn our loot into money, then, shall we?” I suggested, trying to steer the conversation toward something productive.

  As if it were the best idea they’d ever heard, everyone immediately chimed in with words of agreement. The promise of money seemed to light a fire under them.

  “Gerard and I will turn in the loot from the forest at the sect and G3,” I said, laying out the plan. “I suggest Sam, Ket, and Machaka form a team and turn in the loot from the mountain sometime tomorrow.”

  “Why the three of them?” Finn asked curiously.

  “Because they’re the ideal composition of a damage dealer, a healer, and a tank,” I explained. “The Flowing Brush sect likely wouldn’t be surprised that they managed to take down an Earth Drake.”

  There was a murmur of understanding, and then the question came, the one I’d been dreading.

  “So, what do we do now?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to sound authoritative. “Today, nothing. We rest and recuperate. Tomorrow… I’ll allow you to go into Iroh and explore.” I paused, letting the excitement build before dropping the hammer. “But, if I hear so much as a rumor that any of you have done something wrong, you are not going to leave the palace again for a whole year.”

  I tapped the Celestial Dragon Palace, currently transformed into a bracelet around my wrist, sternly looking at my clan of troublemakers.

  "Whatever you do, no fighting, and don't go solo. Gerard and I will be back by tonight, we'll give everyone their allowance then. Don't spend it all in one place alright?"

  I just realized, they don't have the slightest notion of the concept of money. They never needed it in the Void Reality. Let's see how quickly they lose it all.

  After that we all returned to our rooms, on the way there, Gerard noticed my worried expression and seemingly shared the sentiment.

  “Let’s just hope they don’t burn down the city,” Gerard muttered, echoing my thoughts.

  We shared a short laugh, but deep down, I knew tomorrow was going to be a long day.

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  A deep, distant cavern was alive with the rhythmic clang of pickaxe striking stone, a metallic symphony echoing through the damp, oppressive air. The walls glistened faintly under the cold, flickering light of Qi-powered lanterns, their amber glow unstable and ephemeral. Each strike of the miners’ tools sent sparks skittering across the ground, illuminating their twisted faces for brief, haunting moments.

  At the edge of the excavation site, a figure loomed like a specter of authority. His jet-black coat and robes seemed to drink in the light, making him appear as though he were woven from the very shadows of the cave. A grotesque mask concealed his face, its surface jagged and rough, decorated by a single demonic horn curling upward like a demon’s talon. A second mask sat atop his right shoulder, similar to the first yet lacking the horn. His voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the din like a whip.

  “Keep digging!” he barked, his tone dripping with impatience and disdain. “The key is close! Find it, and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams. We will rise above the filth of this world, above the weaklings who dare claim themselves Immortals. We'll show them their mortality! For the Three-Headed Viper!”

  The miners, clad in tattered robes of the same shadowy fabric but lacking the outer coat and mask of their overseer, moved with a mechanical urgency. Their faces were a patchwork of scars and disfigurements, their skin carved and mutilated in grotesque patterns that resembled scales.

  Some bore fresh wounds, their hands bleeding as they gripped their pickaxes with a fervor that bordered on madness. Their eyes, hollow and feverish, gleamed with a mixture of hunger and fanaticism.

  One miner, his face a mosaic of self-inflicted scars, paused for a moment to wipe the blood from his palms onto his robes. His breath came in ragged gasps, but his lips curled into a manic grin as he whispered to himself, “For the Three-Headed Viper.” The words fueled him, gave him strength, and he swung his pickaxe with renewed vigor, pick biting into unyielding rock.

  The rocks here were no ordinary stones. They were Qi-absorbent, resistant to any technique or energy directed at them. The miners had no choice but to rely on brute force, their bodies breaking under the strain. Yet, they pressed on, driven by the promise of power and the ever-present threat of their overseer’s wrath.

  The overseer paced along the edge of the excavation site, his masked face turning toward each miner as if to inspect their progress. His voice, though muffled by the mask, carried an unnatural resonance that seemed to vibrate in the bones of those who heard it. “Do you feel it?” he hissed, his tone almost reverent. “The key is here. It calls to us. It chooses us. We are the chosen of the Three-Headed Viper, and soon, all of Turamar will tremble before our might!”

  The miners’ chants rose in unison, their voices a guttural chorus that reverberated through the cavern. “For the Three-Headed Viper! For the Three-Headed Viper!” The words were a mantra, a prayer, a desperate plea for power.

  As the overseer watched, his masked face tilted upward. His gloved hand clenched into a fist, and for a moment, the air seemed to grow heavier, the shadows deeper. Somewhere in the darkness, something stirred, its presence felt but unseen.

  The miners, oblivious or perhaps indifferent to the shift in the air, continued their work. Their pickaxes rose and fell in a relentless rhythm, each strike bringing them closer to their goal. The key was close. They could feel it in their bones, in their blood, in the very scars that marked their flesh. They were close.