Chương 14: Trouble

Tim continued teaching all day with a confident stride in his step. His male body (Tim) was going to be an alpha male. One tough son of a bitch, he told himself. He would shred the fat he held and cultivate to become more of a weapon than Varek, but on Earth. How he would do it, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to lose to Riku's male body. Lia was his most powerful body. She was an absolute boss babe. Even though he didn't necessarily like being in a female body, he wasn't going to be some bitch to be tamed.

Riku and Varek's teasing had ignited a fire of determination in him. While Tim was teaching, Lia was walking back to her room at the sect when her communicator lit up. Elder Cho's message was clear: "My quarters now!" Lia's stomach dropped. The exclamation point was never a good sign coming from Elder Cho. Had someone reported the mountainside destruction? Was she in trouble for the excessive display of power? She quickly changed direction, heading toward the elder's floating pavilion with measured steps.

Her mind raced through possible explanations for the summons. The training video had gone viral across multiple sects—maybe that was drawing unwanted attention. As she approached the pavilion, Lia steeled herself. Whatever Elder Cho wanted to discuss, she wouldn't show weakness. The confidence from her earlier power display still coursed through her veins. She knocked on the ornate door frame.

"Elder Cho, you summoned me?"

"Enter," came the stern reply from within. Lia stepped inside, her purple eyes meeting the elder's sharp gaze. The older woman sat behind her jade desk, and Lia noticed several other communication devices scattered across its surface—all displaying her training video.

"Didn't we talk about hiding your power? Why now did you decide to not only show it but put it on video too?" Elder Cho's voice was dangerously quiet, the kind of calm that preceded a storm. Lia felt her confidence waver slightly. She had been so focused on showing up Varek that she'd completely forgotten about the need for discretion.

"Elder, I—""Do you have any idea what you've done?" Elder Cho gestured to the communication devices on her desk.

"Three rival sects have already sent inquiries about 'recruitment opportunities.' The Celestial Mountain Sect is claiming you must be using forbidden techniques. And the Sect Master of the Iron Fist Sect has requested a formal demonstration of your abilities." Lia's heart sank. In her moment of petty rivalry with Riku, she had potentially painted a target on both herself and the Flowing Water Sect.

"I was... training, Elder. I didn't think—""No, you didn't think," Elder Cho cut her off.

"You acted like a child showing off for attention rather than the prodigy we're trying to protect." She stood up, her core establishment aura pressing down on Lia.

"Your power levels are already anomalous. Drawing this kind of attention puts you at risk of being kidnapped, dissected, or worse." Tim felt the weight of his mistake crushing down on both bodies. His attempt to assert dominance over Riku had potentially endangered everything.

"What do we do now, Elder?"

"How much of your power did you display?" Elder Cho asked, her voice tight with concern. Lia sighed.

"About 60%." Elder Cho went completely still. The color drained from her face as she processed this information. She slowly sank back into her chair, staring at Lia with a mixture of horror and disbelief.

"Sixty percent," she repeated quietly.

"You casually destroyed a mountainside with sixty percent of your power as a Foundation Establishment level 1."

"Look, it's bad but not horrendous. You showed the power of what a full strength attack of a level 5 Foundation Establishment cultivator is capable of. You will post an apology saying you were using this sect artifact that doubles the power of attacks. Stand here, post the video, and then hand the artifact back." Elder Cho reached into her storage ring and withdrew an ornate silver bracelet inscribed with water-themed runes. She handed it to Lia with a stern expression.

"Put this on. We're going to record you 'returning' it and apologizing for unauthorized use of sect property. This will explain away your excessive power display while maintaining some face for the sect." Lia slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, feeling a slight tingle of water-attributed qi from the genuine artifact. It was clever—the bracelet was real, just not responsible for her earlier display. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"What should I say exactly, Elder?"

"Apologize for taking sect property without permission. Explain that you were excited to test your breakthrough to level 1 and made poor judgment in using an amplification artifact. Emphasize that you've learned your lesson about following proper protocols." Elder Cho activated her own recording device.

"This needs to look official. Begin when you're ready." Lia took a deep breath, preparing to swallow her pride for the sake of damage control. Tim's moment of competitive fury was about to require some serious backpedaling. Riku was walking towards the martial arts gym when Varek saw the apology on his communicator. She stopped dead in her tracks as Varek pulled up the video on the small screen. There was Lia, looking appropriately contrite as she held up an ornate silver bracelet.

"I want to formally apologize to the cultivation community for my reckless display earlier today," Lia said in the recording.

"I took a sect amplification artifact without proper authorization and used it during training. The power shown was not my own, but enhanced by this water-attribute doubling bracelet. I've returned the artifact to Elder Cho and will face appropriate disciplinary action for my poor judgment." Riku blinked, processing what she was seeing. She felt relief that Lia wasn't actually capable of casually destroying mountains.

Riku hadn't admitted it to Tim, but she'd been so overshadowed by Lia—an absolutely stunning prodigy who seemed perfect at everything. As a female she was jealous of how amazing Lia was but as a male she wanted to conquer her.

"So it was just an artifact," she murmured to herself, feeling her confidence slowly returning. Varek was still level 4 to Lia's level 1, artifact or no artifact. The playing field was more even than she'd thought. As she continued toward the dojo, Riku's cocky smirk began to return. The game wasn't over yet—if anything, this just proved that Lia was as prone to showing off as any of them. Maybe the ice queen wasn't so untouchable after all. Riku walked in to see Tim already there, skipping rope.

He had a determined look in his eyes.

"Hey fatty, trying to make up for the embarrassing show-off incident?" Tim didn't break his rhythm, continuing to jump rope with mechanical precision. Sweat was already beading on his forehead, but his form was much better than previous sessions.

"Just training," he replied curtly, not giving her the satisfaction of a reaction. The shift in his demeanor was noticeable. Gone was the flustered, easily embarrassed teacher she'd been tormenting all week. This Tim had a steely focus that reminded her uncomfortably of the more serious cultivators back in Varek's world. Tim had been pushed too far, and the careful boundaries he'd maintained were gone now. For the first time, Riku was seeing what he looked like when he stopped holding back.

"Wow, someone's moody," Riku said, trying to recapture their earlier dynamic.

"Did the artifact thing really get to you that much?" Tim finally stopped jumping and fixed her with a level stare.

"Don't believe everything on social media." He leaned in further and whispered, "I am going to conquer you in both worlds," and followed it with a wink. Riku's eyes widened in shock. The quiet confidence in his voice, the predatory way he'd moved closer—this wasn't the bumbling teacher she'd been playing with. This was someone who'd decided to stop playing defense and go on the attack. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she processed what he'd just said.

The casual dominance in his tone, combined with that knowing wink, sent an unexpected shiver down her spine. Tim had thrown away the teacher pretense and told her straight out he was going to get Lia to beat up Varek and he was going to conquer her as Riku. Her body as Riku didn't have the same confidence as Varek. Having never even dated before, she felt completely out of her depth when faced with direct masculine aggression directed at her female body.

The testosterone-fueled bravado that came so naturally in Varek's form seemed to evaporate when she was on the receiving end as Riku. Her cheeks flushed red, and she took an involuntary step backward.

"I—you can't just—" she stammered, the cocky student persona crumbling.

"That's completely inappropriate! You're my teacher!" But even as she protested, a deep part of her wanted to be pursued. Tim had just declared war on both fronts, and despite her sudden nervousness, she couldn't deny the excitement coursing through her veins.

"You're gonna need your A game if you're going to conquer me, old man," she mumbled back, trying to regain some composure. Tim smirked and picked up his jump rope again.

"We'll see about that." Just then, Yui walked in carrying her usual collection of training implements.

"Oh good, you're both here early. And Himari should be arriving soon." She looked between Tim and Riku, noting the tension in the air.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Just motivating each other," Tim said smoothly, never breaking eye contact with Riku. Riku felt off-balance. The shy business student in her was completely unprepared for this level of direct confrontation, while Varek's masculine confidence felt distant and unhelpful in her female body.

"Well then," Yui said with that predatory grin, "let's channel that energy into training. I have some new exercises that should test both your limits." The sound of the door opening announced Himari's arrival, and the blonde girl looked between Tim and Riku with curiosity at the obvious tension.

"Did I miss something?" Himari asked.

"Just getting started," Tim replied, his determination clear in every word. Riku's heart thumped again. This assertiveness from Tim was completely different from the flustered teacher she'd been toying with all week. The way he carried himself now—confident, direct, almost predatory—was making her feel things she'd never experienced before. In Varek's body, she was used to being the one with all the power, the one making others nervous.

But here, as Riku, faced with Tim's sudden transformation into someone who clearly wasn't going to be pushed around anymore, she felt genuinely intimidated for the first time in days.

"Alright, let's get moving," Yui called out, oblivious to the psychological warfare happening between her students.

"Warm-up stretches first, then we'll move into partner exercises." Partner exercises. Riku's stomach fluttered at the thought of having to work directly with Tim while he was in this new mindset. The shy girl who had never even held hands with a boy was completely out of her depth. Meanwhile, Tim felt a surge of satisfaction at Riku's obvious discomfort. The tables had finally turned, and he intended to keep the pressure on.

If she wanted to play games, he'd show her what it meant to compete with someone who had 8 years more life experience.