I and Torren slipped through Dusk Bane Outpost's torchlit gates, the market's clamor of vendors, warriors, and thieves washing over us. It was in our mutual interest to team up against the threat of Kael. Torren, his gray-blue Storm fang fur bristling along his arms, moved with a predator's grace, his slit pupils scanning for threats.
The memory of Kael's blade and his core-hunting malice lingered, as did the Beast Vein Continent's warning—a tremor, a storm, a shadow in the tracks. Our survival against the mercenary had been narrow, and the qi-sapping pollen had nearly unraveled our bonds. We needed protection and power, now.
My pouch held the 750 iron coins, hard-earned from selling skins, furs, hearts, venom sacs, and qi fruit. "First, we need elixirs" I said, my voice low, tasting the air's spicy tang with my Ember coil-heightened senses. "Something to shield our qi from that pollen."
Torren nodded, his enhanced hearing catching the distant rumble of a storm over the ridge. "And more training," he added, fangs flashing. "Kael's too fast. My storm fang bond is sharp, but I need an edge." We navigated the market to an alchemist's stall; its counter cluttered with vials and herbs glowing under torchlight. The alchemist, a gaunt man with ink-stained fingers, eyed our scales and fur. "Trouble with chi-sapping pollen?" he asked, his voice raspy.
"Got just the thing—Warding Essence Elixirs. Filters out disruptive energies, keeps your qi flow steady. Fifty coins each." I sensed no deceit in the man's sweat; my ember coil senses keen. I handed over 150 coins for three elixirs, one for each of us, leaving 600 coins. The vials shimmered blue, their liquid cool to the touch. I and Torren drank them immediately, the elixir's bitter tang settling in our throats.
A faint warmth spread through my chakras, my lightning-laced scales steadying, the pollen's lingering disruption fading away. I could feel my qi flowing again properly. Torren's fur smoothed, his pale energy crackling brighter. "Feels like my qi is circulating regularly," Torren said, flexing his claws. With our bonded cores protected, we headed to Seung Lee Kim's Martial Arts tome store, its dragon-etched sign glowing faintly.
The air inside tasted clean, like a mountain breeze, with a metallic hint of chi-infused ink. Seung stood behind the counter, her black robe pristine, eyes sharp as she studied us.
"Back so soon, ember coil? and you've brought a friend! A storm fang" she said, a faint smile curling her lips. "Kael's shadow follows you, doesn't it?"
I tensed, my scales sparking. "You know him?" Seung's gaze darkened. "My corrupted initiate, consumed by greed. You'll need more than hammers and claws to face him."
She stepped to a shelf, pulling two tomes, their scaled covers shimmering. "For you, Ash," she said, handing over a tome titled Blazing Tempest Strike. "This builds on your Hidden Dragon Palm, blending fire and wind for a spinning strike—perfect for your lightning-laced scales." For Torren, she offered Storm claw barrage, its cover etched with wolf tracks. "A rapid claw technique, amplifying your storm fang speed and senses. Both are suited for Martial Learners advancing toward Martial Intermediates."
I took the tome, its weight heavy with promise, while Torren's eyes gleamed, his fingers tracing the wolf tracks. "Why help us again?" I asked, wary of Seung's motives. Seung's smile was cryptic. "The continent needs cultivators who can face its shadows. Study these, grow strong. Kael's not your only threat." She waved us off, returning to her shelves. Outside, the market's din resumed, but I and Torren felt fortified.
The Warding Essence Elixirs shielded our qi, and the new tomes promised power to counter Kael. with my 650 coins I could buy more resources, or we could train our new techniques, perhaps in the Iron spike Canyons. At a provision stall, a grizzled vendor offered dried meat, hard bread, and waterskins, his prices competitive but fair.
I handed over 125 coins for enough food and water to sustain us for days in the wilds, leaving 575 coins.
Torren scanned the crowd, "Gotta stay sharp out there. Kael's still hunting." I nodded, tasting the air's spicy tang with my ember coil-heightened senses, the faint sweaty note of their pursuer still lingering in his memory. Next, I led us to an alchemist shop, its shelves lined with glowing vials, powders, and rare plants exuding qi. The air tasted of herbs and chemicals, a sharp contrast to the market's chaos. The alchemist, a woman with silver-streaked hair, eyed my scales.
"Cultivation aids?" she asked, gesturing to her wares. I browsed, my senses parsing the items' qi signatures. Cultivation pills caught my eye—small, amber orbs pulsing with energy, labeled Vital Core Enhancers.
"Boosts qi flow strengthens your beast crystal," the alchemist said. "Thirty coins each." I sensed honesty in her scent and bought three pills, spending 90 coins, leaving 480 coins. The pills, warm in my palm, promised to amplify my cultivation progress in the Iron spike Canyons. With supplies secured, I and Torren trekked back to the Iron spike Canyons, the terrain shifting from dusty trails to blackened cliffs scarred by ancient battles. The vital earth essence thrummed around us, its ozone tang invigorating my qi.
We chose a secluded ravine its walls etched with glowing runes and sat up a simple camp—sleeping canvases spread under an overhang. The distant roar of the Genome Dragon echoed, but the ravine felt safe enough for cultivation. I swallowed one Vital Core Enhancer, its warmth spreading through my core, my lightning-laced scales flaring as my qi surged. I handed the other to Torren and he did the same his fur crackling with pale energy, his storm fang senses sharpening.
We sat apart, tomes open, studying in silence. I traced the Blazing Tempest Strike diagrams, its instructions describing a spinning strike that wove fire and wind, amplified by my lightning-laced scales. I visualized the motion, channeling qi through the proper chakras, eager to perform it. Torren pored over storm claw barrage, its rapid claw strikes designed to capitalize on his storm fang speed, his clawed hands twitching as he memorized the patterns.
Hours passed, the canyon's essence fueling our focus. I stood, practicing the Blazing Tempest Strike, my hands swinging in fiery arcs as wind and lightning crackled. The strike shattered a boulder, its force nearing 800 kilograms. Torren's claws slashed in a blur, his barrage carving gashes in stone, pale energy flaring with each hit.
Feeling confident, Torren grinned, fangs flashing. "Ash, wanna spar? Test these moves head-to-head. It'll push our limits, make us stronger." His slit pupils gleamed, his Storm fang instincts eager. My scales sparked, the ember coil's fire stirring. A spar could hone our techniques, I nodded, "Let's do it. No holding back."
I and Torren stood in a wide ravine, our camp's sleeping canvases folded nearby, the air thick with ozone and the smell of the wilds. My lightning-laced ember coil scales crackled, my qi surging from the Sacred Breath technique and a vital core enhancer pill, pushing my beast crystal toward its next level. Torren's gray-blue Storm fang fur bristled, his slit pupils gleaming, his senses sharpened by his bond and the vital core pill.
Our new tomes—Blazing Tempest Strike for myself and Storm claw Barrage for Torren—had honed our skills, and now, Torren's challenge hung between us: A martial arts spar, no weapons, to test their limits and grow stronger together.
I set my Jawbreaker Beast Hammer against a boulder, its runes dimming without my touch. Torren flexed his clawed hands, pale energy crackling along his fur. We met in the center of the ravine, with a nod, we bowed to one another, a gesture of respect born from our shared trials against Kael and the continent's pushback. My scales flared, Torren's fur rippled, and the spar began, a dance of fire and storm to forge our bond. I opened with the Sacred Breath technique, my qi flowing steadily, lightning-laced scales sparking as I circled Torren.
I lunged, testing a Hidden Dragon Palm strike, my palm opening to unleash a sharp wind blast! The air shimmered, laced with a faint electric jolt. Torren's storm fang senses caught the shift, his enhanced hearing picking up the crackle before the strike landed. He dodged with a burst of speed, his fur glowing with pale energy, and countered with a single claw swipe from his storm claw barrage, the slash whistling with icy wind!
I double jumped, the falling feather sigil flashing in my mind, soaring over the attack. I landed lightly, grinning. "Not bad," I said, tasting the frosty essence of Torren's qi.
Torren's fangs flashed. "Just warming up." Torren pressed the attack, his storm claw barrage unleashing a flurry of rapid claw strikes, each slash trailing pale moon energy. His speed was blinding, his storm fang bond making him a blur. I channeled my mobility technique, air-dashing to the side, my scales sparking as I weaved through the onslaught. I countered with a Blazing Tempest strike, spinning low to unleash a fiery wind arc, its lightning edge crackling! The strike grazed Torren's arm, singeing his fur, but Torren's senses anticipated the follow-up, letting him leap back, claws digging into the earth.
The ravine trembled faintly, the battle essence opening our meridians. I felt a flicker of the ember coil's spirit urge—' 'strike harder!' ' —but pushed it down, focusing on control. I switched tactics, using my double jump to gain height, then diving with a Hidden Dragon Palm. The wind blast, now stronger, forced Torren to roll aside, his fur bristling as he countered with a spinning barrage, his claws creating a vortex of icy energy.
My scales absorbed a glancing blow, the shock numbing my arm, but my fire-laced qi surged, neutralizing the pain. I landed, feinting with a palm strike, then spun into another Blazing Tempest high kick, the fiery wind scorching the ground.
Torren's hearing caught the shift in air pressure, letting him dodge, but the heat singed his shoulder fur. "Getting fancy!" Torren laughed, his yellow eyes narrowing as he planned his next move. Torren's storm claw barrage intensified, his claws slashing in a relentless pattern, each strike faster than the last, pale energy shining like the moon.
My qi surged through the Sacred Breath technique, my scales flaring to deflect the blows, their lightning jolting Torren's claws on contact. I countered with a chain of attacks—double jump into an aerial Blazing Tempest kick, then a Hidden Dragon Palm! the wind and lightning merging into a spiraling blast!
Torren met it head-on, his barrage clashing with the strike, the impact sending a shockwave through the ravine. Dust invaded my mouth and tongue, the continent's essence pulsing in response. We both stumbled back, panting, our meridian apertures opening with new growth. Neither of us held back now.
My scales blazed with fiery wind and electricity, my Blazing Tempest spinning faster, a fiery vortex laced with lightning that tore across the ravine! Torren's storm fang bond had leveled up to it's second tier! His fur glowing like a gibbous moon, his storm claw barrage unleashing a storm of claw strikes, each slash sent out a crescent moon wave of icy energy!
We collided, my spinning strike meeting Torren's claw flurry in a burst of fire, lightening, wind, and ice. The air crackled, the ground shook, and the continent's vital essence roared, as if judging our strength. My lightning shocked Torren's arm, slowing a strike, while Torren's icy claws grazed my side, chilling me to the bone.
We broke apart, exhausted but exhilarated, our qi stronger, our friendship bond closer to the next level. I and Torren collapsed onto the ravine floor, laughing through heavy breaths. "You're fast," I said, my scales dimming as I caught my breath. Torren's fangs gleamed. "You hit like a dragon! My core leveled up mid-fight!"
The spar had pushed my meridian apertures to open a bit more; I could feel the increase in my qi puddle. My technique was even sharper now and my beast crystal pulsed with progress.
The Iron spike Canyons' essence still thrummed with battle essence. The air was heavy with ozone and the metallic tang of ancient battles, invigorating our qi and intent as we prepared for another cultivation session. My lightning-laced ember coil scales crackled faintly, and my beast crystal pulsed from the vital core enhancer pill and the Sacred Breath technique. Torren's gray-blue Storm fang fur bristled, his yellow storm fang wolf eyes gleaming, his senses sharpened by his bond and the same pill elixir combo. Our recent spar had honed our martial arts—My Blazing Tempest Strike and Hidden Dragon Palm, as well as Torren's Storm claw Barrage—pushing our meridians closer to the next level.
Kael's shadow loomed, but the canyons offered power, and we meant to seize it. We settled under a rune-etched overhang, our sleeping canvases spread on the rocky floor. I swallowed my second Vital Core Enhancer pill, its amber warmth surging through my chakras, amplifying my qi flow.
We sat apart, the canyon's essence fueling our focus or intent. We each sat in calm meditation drawing in the canyon's vital essence. My meridians surged, the Vital Core Enhancers and the canyon's power pushing my qi and best core closer to the next tier. Hours passed as our bodies grew stronger, our techniques sharpened.
I felt the ember coil's predatory urge flickered—hunt, dominate—but the Warding Essence Elixir kept my qi steady, suppressing the continent's disruptions. As dusk settled, we sat, panting, my scales and Torrens fur glowing under the starlight.
"We're closing in on the third tier! another session like this, and we'll hit third tier for our beast cores, and second tier meridians." Torren nodded, his slit pupils narrowing. "Kael won't know what hit him." The canyons hummed, it's essence a crucible for our growth, but the threat of the mercenary lingered.
Farther north, in a desolate gorge near the Iron spike Canyons, Kael crouched over a fallen cultivator, a young woman barely past her First Hunt.
Her bond—a fledgling Iron hoof Elk core—lay glowing in her chest, its spirit essence hovering. Kael's swift viper bond pulsed, his dark leathers stained with her blood, his curved blade dripping. The girl had been easy prey, her qi weak, her bond untested. "Too slow," Kael muttered, prying the broken core from her body, its faint glow joining the three others in his pouch.
His swift viper foundation thrived on stolen essence, each core pushing him toward a forbidden evolution Seung Lee had denied him. Kael's eyes glinted with cold ambition. Seung Lee had called him reckless, casting him out for his ruthlessness, but the Beast Vein Continent rewarded power. Newly bonded Hunters like Ash and Torren carried pure cores, ripe for harvesting, and their defiance in the clearing had only sharpened his hunger.
The ember coil and storm fang crystals were prizes, their qi a steppingstone to his Sovereign-class dream. He'd sell lesser cores at Dusk Bane's black markets for coin, but Ash and Torren's would feed his own. Wiping his blade, he vanished into the gorge, his steps light, leaving only a bloody trail and a whisper of venom in the air.
I and Torren packed up camp, our qi stronger, the tomes tucked away. The Iron spike Canyons offered more essence, but Kael's threat loomed larger. The Beast Vein Continent watched, its dangers ever-present, but our fire and storm burned with unyielding resolve.