The Eternal Frost Fort's training hall stood silent, its icy walls scarred from countless spars, the air heavy with the lingering tang of sweat and steel. Kai lay crumpled against the wall, his arm throbbing with agony, the crack of bone echoing in his mind. Master Lu's spiritual pressure pinned him, a fiery storm of rage that threatened to crush his spirit. The courtyard outside buzzed with disciples, their voices muted by the hall's thick walls, unaware of the violence unfolding. Kai's heart pounded, his fire qi flickering weakly, his injury stifling his Pure Flame technique. Lu's disciple, the sneering youth from earlier, watched with glee, his presence a venomous shadow.
"Master Lu, how dare you attack my pavilion's disciple?" Belozar's voice cut through, icy and commanding. "Care to challenge me?"
Two spiritual pressures clashed—ice and flame, cold and heat sparking in the air. The ground trembled, disciples collapsing under the strain. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ice wall.
"This trash is a fire cultivator! All fire cultivators here are mine by right of strength!" Lu roared, flames flaring brighter. "This filth defied me! Po told me everything!"
Lu's fury intensified, the wall behind Kai splintering. The disciple—Po—grinned, his betrayal complete. Lu's power, at the core stage, could raze castles. Nearby disciples bled from their noses, some unconscious, overwhelmed by his aura. Kai's mind raced. Lu was mad, as Aina warned, and his rage endangered everyone—friends, allies, Aina. He couldn't let this escalate.
"I'm Kai of the Shen clan. Exile or not, Shen blood runs in me. For those words, you'd be dead," Kai growled, forcing himself to stand, meeting Lu's eyes.
"Shen?!" Lu's voice broke, eyes wild with madness. "You?!"
His scream, laced with qi, deafened Kai. A massive fire spear formed, hurtling toward him. Kai braced for death, but a glowing barrier appeared.
"Master Lu, stop, or you'll face us both," So Yun descended, her voice calm but steel-hard. "Are you ready for that?"
"Wretches!" Lu bellowed, his flames tripling in intensity. Kai expected a fight, but Lu shot skyward, a fiery comet fleeing the fort.
The pressure lifted, but Kai's arm screamed. Activating Life Flame, he channeled fire qi, the heat mending his bone. Pain faded, his arm restored, though his qi dropped by half. Relief was fleeting—So Yun's voice snapped him to action.
"Don't stand there! Get the wounded to the infirmary! Alchemists, to the pill furnaces! Kai, you're going too. Your healing technique is needed. Neutral qi spirit stones are there. Ask for directions."
Guilt gnawed at Kai. Lu's rampage was his fault, sparked by his defiance. He nodded, joining disciples carrying the injured. Belozar's voice stopped him.
"Kai, was it true? You're of the Shen clan?" Belozar's eyes searched his, seeking truth.
"Yes," Kai admitted. Lying was pointless—Belozar would sense it, and Kai owed him honesty for his protection.
"Good," Belozar said, his face darkening with a heavy resolve. "I still expect you at training."
The infirmary was a vast hall, its low beds separated by patterned screens. The air smelled of herbs and blood, the moans of the wounded a grim chorus. Kai found a pile of neutral qi spirit stones, absorbing one despite glares from attendants.
"What are you doing?" an elderly woman snapped, her age hinting at centuries of cultivation.
"Master So's orders," Kai said, approaching an unconscious disciple, his face crusted with blood, a burn marring his arm.
Activating Life Flame, Kai learned two things: his technique worked on others, and he could sense their spiritual bodies. The disciple, a meridian-stage cultivator, had a network of thousands of channels radiating from a navel node, with a faint link to a second node. Kai's own channels, though fewer, were thicker, sturdier, qi flowing faster. He burned away the burn's spiritual residue, healing the flesh.
"Incredible technique," the woman whispered, but Kai ignored her, moving to a young woman. Her channels were clogged with debris, which Life Flame cleared effortlessly.
Next was a concentration-stage youth, his channels thin but marked by foreign qi—a seal-like structure. Touching it worsened his state, so Kai avoided it, healing his burns in a minute. The evening became a blur—apply Life Flame, note spiritual structures, move on. Every disciple bore a similar foreign qi mark, puzzling Kai.
He absorbed spirit stones to fuel his technique, which healed his own spiritual wounds alongside others. Aina, So Yun, and familiar disciples appeared, distributing pills and weaving formations. The influx of wounded stopped, and Kai noticed disciples watching him with… reverence?
"Brother Kai!" A line of disciples bowed.
"What? Why?" Kai stammered. "Lu attacked because of me. Many got hurt."
"Don't blame yourself, Brother Kai," Shou stepped forward. "Your technique saved many from worse than death—lost cultivation. Lu's mad. Heaven stole his sanity. This could've happened anytime. We're lucky you were here."
"I don't deserve this," Kai sighed. "I need sleep. Too much happened."
"Of course, Brother Kai," Shou nodded.
"Kai, wait," So Yun called. "Come to my office. It's urgent."
The fort buzzed like a disturbed hive, disciples whispering and staring—some with malice, others with respect, most with curiosity, like entomologists eyeing a rare specimen. So Yun's office was a haven, its protective formation sealing them in.
"Glad you're alive," So Yun said, sinking into her chair, exhaustion evident.
"Me too," Kai sighed. "Gonna scold me for stupidity?"
"No, you did well. Lu fears the Shen clan, and you're their blood. Your words checked him. Your healing saved many fates," So Yun said.
"Didn't seem scared. That spear nearly turned me to ash," Kai grimaced.
"If he wasn't afraid, he wouldn't have fled," So Yun snorted. "His cultivation thrives on emotions. Qi affects a cultivator's state, and vice versa. Fire cultivators can break through in anger or battle, especially early on."
"I felt that—during my arena duel, and maybe the dragon cave," Kai recalled.
"Exactly. Lu was exiled for killing Phoenix Sect disciples in a rage. One had a powerful backer," So Yun said, grimacing. "Today, only one died—Po, the closest to him."
Kai pictured Po's smirk, his hateful glare. Did he want him dead? No. Would he mourn? Also no.
"What happens to Lu now?" Kai asked.
"He'll cool off and return. Everyone will whisper 'Mad Lu' behind his back," So Yun shrugged. "Not his first outburst, but the least bloody, thanks to you."
"He's a murderer! How is he not punished?" Kai protested.
"Young Kai, the cultivation world values strength. Lu's core-stage power is rare. He's loyal to the Phoenix Sect and balances me and Belozar. His 'antics' are overlooked," So Yun said sadly.
"So what now?" Kai sighed, trapped again.
"Stay inside the fort. Lu won't attack here, but outside, accidents happen," So Yun said. "Don't worry about missions—your healing will be in demand. Did you know Life Flame purifies meridians?"
The conversation faded. Exhaustion pulled at Kai, and So Yun had work piling up. They parted, and Kai returned to his cell, its white walls stark but comforting. Sleep eluded him, Lu's madness haunting his thoughts. A shadow at his window snapped him alert. His spiritual sense was silent, but he grabbed the Night Blade amulet, ready to fight.
Then he recognized it—a bird, its white feathers and large eyes unchanged since their last meeting, like a cartoon creature. Curious, Kai opened the window. It hopped inside, perching on his table, and spoke in a human voice.
"You came to kill me?"
Kai froze, the bird's words a chilling enigma, its eyes gleaming with unnatural intelligence.