Earth: The Dojo
"An SSS-tier Fire talent," Master Kurosaki mused, his eyes reflecting the dying orange glow of the orb. "While fire is a common element, an SSS-grade reaction is exceedingly rare."
Riku couldn't help but feel a heavy sense of disappointment. Looking around the room, she felt like the "plain" one. Himari was a shadow prodigy, Takeshi was a soul-stitched anomaly, and Tim had literally shattered the stone with forbidden affinities. "Are you sure I don't have anything else?" she asked, her voice small. "It's just… fire?"
"Child, an SSS-tier talent is so potent it acts like a sun; it drowns out the light of any other affinities you might possess," Kurosaki explained, his voice softening. "With the basic stones I have here, I cannot bypass that glare. But honestly, there are major Sects in the universe that would spend considerable effort searching for a fire affinity as strong as yours. Do not despise your gift."
While his words eased the ache in Riku's heart, she still felt like she was on the back foot. In a moment of vulnerability, she turned to Tim for reassurance, but he wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were glazed, staring at the floor in a hollow, thousand-yard stare.
Riku huffed, crossing her arms and sitting back down on her mat.
Tim was currently drowning under a mountain of internal stress. His mind kept looping back to that moment in the Void—how he, as Lia, had stepped into the nothingness, lost consciousness, and woken up having… consumed a part of Xotl.
Did I catch something in that darkness? Tim wondered, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Is that why I have a Void affinity now? Am i being hollowed out from the inside? Master Kurosaki had said having both Space and Void was impossible. To Tim's analytical mind, that meant only one thing: he was being possessed. The fear that he might lose his mind in both worlds was more terrifying than any Nascent Soul cultivator.
He let out a long, ragged sigh, forcing the panic into a small box in his mind. No point stressing yet. I'll just have to wait for more symptoms. For now, I have to survive.
"Okay," Master Kurosaki said, breaking Tim's train of thought. "I can help Tim and Riku with more advanced techniques. Himari, your current shadow method is already superior to anything our Sect could offer on shadow affinities. And Takeshi… while I have no specific manual for you, I can offer guidance. Your soul is stitched to your body, but the threads are rough. You must find a way to merge the unstitched edges into a seamless union with your physical form."
Kurosaki then turned to the last two students . "Tim, Riku—my Sect's primary attribute is neither Fire nor Space, but we possess techniques that are suitable until you reach the Golden Core stage. Riku, come here."
He pulled a weathered, blackened manual from his storage ring. "This is a technique often looked down upon because the failure rate is nearly absolute. It is known as the Exploding Meridian."
Riku reached out, touching the charred leather of the book.
"Normal cultivators cycle qi through their meridians to gently wash away blockages," Kurosaki explained. "But your current 'Flame of Cleansing' is imperfect. It burns impurities, but it leaves ash behind. That ash cycles back to your dantian, leading to a polluted system and eventually a weak Golden Core. The Exploding Meridian technique teaches you to condense fire-qi into microscopic points of high-pressure combustion. Instead of washing the blockages, you vaporize them with internal explosions."
Riku gulped. "Internal explosions?"
"If your control wavers for a microsecond, you will burn your meridians from the inside out and cripple yourself," Kurosaki said sternly. "But if you succeed, your purity will be peerless. With your affinity this should be something you are capable of and any other technique i could give you would waste that talent. Sit. I will guide your first breath."
Cultivation World: Crimson City
Varek, Lia, and Kira moved through the palace hallways with haste. As they reached Lia's quarters, Kira pulled three small, intricately carved wooden figures from her sleeve.
"Inject as much qi into these as possible," Kira whispered, her voice sharp and professional. "Hold the thought of 'lounging and planning' in your mind. Imagine yourselves sitting on the couch, talking about heading to the Southern Kingdoms.."
Lia and Varek didn't ask questions. They poured their energy into the wood, their minds focused on the mundane image of a relaxed conversation.
"Now," Kira whispered. "Throw the wood in front of you and slap these against your chests."
She handed them two paper talismans inscribed with translucent ink.
3... Varek and Lia threw the figures.
2... A massive, bone-shaking explosion rocked the city from the direction of the East Gate, the shockwave rattling the windows of the guest wing.
1... Now.
They slapped the talismans onto their sternums. In an instant, Lia and Varek watched as the wooden figures expanded, warping and shifting until two identical clones of themselves stood in the room. The "Lia" clone sat on the couch, while the "Varek" clone leaned back. They started a conversation about heading to the Southern cities.
Lia looked down at her hands. She was invisible except to varek and kira. She looked at Varek, who was seemed translucent too, and then at Kira, who gave them a sharp "follow me" signal.
Moving like ghosts, they slipped out of the room. They moved invisibly through the chaos of the palace as guards scrambled toward the explosion at the gate. Kira led them toward the Ark Port, bypassing several checkpoints with the ease of someone who had mapped the guard rotations.
She beckoned them toward a massive merchant Ark, its hold being filled with crates of Crimson Lotus flowers. They slipped past the harried dock-workers and into the dark, sweet-smelling depths of the cargo bay.
"But aren't we going to the Imperial—" Lia started to whisper, but Kira pressed a firm finger against her lips.
The heavy hold doors groaned shut, plunging them into darkness. A moment later, they felt the lurch of the Ark rising into the air. Hours passed in stifling silence until the glow of the talismans finally faded, leaving them visible once more among the flowers.
"What was that, Kira?" Lia asked, her voice shaking with adrenaline. "Why are we on a ship to the Southern Cities? The King told us to go to the Capital."
Kira let out a long, cynical sigh, leaning back against a crate of lotus petals. "Lia, you really are so innocent. Do you truly think a King who has his kingdom living inside a Nascent Soul monster's mouth cares about being 'nice'?"
Lia blinked. "He said he would let us go."
"He gave us twenty-four hours to collect any secrets we were hiding," Kira countered. "He was waiting for us to lead him to whatever treasures we may still have had hidden. Once we cleared the city limits, his 'guards' would have eliminated us."
Lia felt a chill run down her spine. "The clones..."
"Qi Golems," Kira said. "Not cheap, but effective. When the King's spies discover they are clones they will think, 'The clones talk is an obvious ploy.' They'll assume it's a distraction and focus their search on the arks heading to the Imperial Capital. Meanwhile, we actually are heading South—but only as a detour. We'll loop back to the Capital in a week once the trail is cold."
"And the explosion?" Varek asked, a hint of respect in his voice.
"A qi triggered bomb I planted in the guard barracks near the gate," Kira said with a cold, triumphant smirk. "Another contingency. It gave us the window we needed to get through the port undetected. Welcome to the life of a fugitive, Lia. Try not to get us killed."
Lia clutched her necklace, the swirling orb pressing against her skin.