Chương 40: One Cloud of Qi

Paike and Gaun Li found Zhang Shuying, Mi Lixain, and his sister waiting for him in a group. None of them were making eye contact with each other, and Paike had a bad feeling sinking low in his gut. Thinking back to some of the things that were said during the run, he understood that perhaps no one had really made the proper impression on each other. How had this gone so wrong? His team had performed more than satisfactory for the trial that got them access to this class.

So it wasn't as simple as just the team not working as he had problems with Guan Li and Liming that he hadn't had before. Was it because he mostly knew Liming, and Guan Li already, and they had worked out strategies ahead of time and even talked about it? Even though he hadn't known Yixin, Liming had. Or… well, he, Liming, and Guan Li should have been able to work just fine. Maybe it was because they weren't winning.

The trial had been mainly effortless, at least in the team portion, whereas once they hit the obstacle course, things started to go wrong very quickly. And, well, when things were hard, you really found out who everyone was. But if he and Guan Li could move past it, why couldn't everyone else as well? Paike cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. His sister looked him in the eyes, but the other two just looked in his general direction. Guan Li stood off to the side, forming an evenly spaced pentagram.

"I just wanted to say something before class started," Paike said. His face burned with shame, but he pressed forward.

"I need to apologize. I lost my temper yesterday, and many of the things I said were neither true nor fair. I realize that without more than a cursory knowledge of all your abilities, there was little chance of us succeeding in the ways we all hoped to. I hope you all can accept my apology for my words and actions, and perhaps you can help me rectify some of the issues that may have led to any discomfort you felt." He finished with a deep, apologetic bow. Liming gave him a strange smile and nodded.

Zhang Shuying returned his bow. Mi Lixain did not, but she looked him in the face and spoke up.

"I… I think we all messed up yesterday." Everyone around their little circle nodded in immediate agreement. Mi Lixian continued.

"I'm willing to let it go if all of you are as well." Another round of nods made Paike relax.

"I agree, though, Master Kong; we probably need to talk about this or talk about our abilities and practice them. Perhaps in a more slow-paced environment, rather than actively during the course." She added. They briefly talked about what they had learned from yesterday but didn't have time for the in-depth discussion they all knew they needed. They agreed to have it after class.

Elder Ji gave everyone a stern talking-to for the first part of the class, berating them for their inadequacies as cultivators and humans in general. The only person who seemed relatively immune from his ire was Li Feng, though even he received some general criticism. After a solid lecture, only then were they prepared to begin the lesson of the day.

Paike supposed that what they had just heard was also considered a lesson despite the fact that it was relatively unpleasant and not mainly focused on physical cultivation. The obstacle courses were limited to two today, but Elder Ji had made a few changes from how the runs went yesterday.

"Today, you won't all be running for time. No. Instead, you'll be in direct competition with one other team. For now, no interference will be allowed. But know that your reward for the day will be based directly on how you place compared to your opponents rather than overall time. So I encourage you to keep an eye on them and adapt your strategy based on what they're doing." The teams were quickly announced. Li Feng's team would have an easy time dominating Ren Shu and Han Saiyan's team.

Still, Paike and his teammates had a more difficult challenge: they would face the team led by the Shadow Empress's daughter, Zhai Lianitian. And Xia Jun was not easy to forget with his lightly wolf techniques either. Paike and his team looked around at each other, and their resolve tightened. They weren't sure what the reward would be, but they were determined to do their absolute best to win, if not for the prize, then for the sake of victory itself. They had to go first.

It didn't give them the time they had wanted to talk about their arts, but clearing the air seemed to have done some good anyway. Last time things hadn't gone wrong until the third obstacle. So even more than last time the first two obstacles were simple to pass. They already had strategies and didn't deviate from their original attempt. They were just more efficient and even faster. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

However, when they reached the Enchanted Forest, Paike gathered everyone around. The woods were somehow more intimidating than last time. Knowing what would happen didn't help. Though they didn't have time to linger.

"Last time, physical contact wasn't enough to keep us on the path or even connected," Paike said. The phantoms in the forest had been more than willing to separate them by mimicking physical touch.

"So, I have an idea. Rather than just holding hands, I think we're going to need to maintain clouds of qi around us in an unstructured form to prevent spiritual interference." Miss Mi gasped, and even Liming looked doubtful.

"I know it's not necessarily simple or easy," Paike continued, "but I really think it's our only chance. I'm not exactly sure what the others did to get through, but wandering around like last time took far too long." Mi Lixain raised her hand slightly.

"I don't think I have the qi reserves to do that, let alone continue on afterward." Paike blinked, doing some quick math in his head, and then nodded.

"You're probably right. What about the rest of you?" All four of them shook their heads. Paike considered. He probably had enough to cover himself, but could he cover everyone else? Maybe.

"Well, this might be awkward, but you're going to need to get close to me." Zhang Shuying took a hesitant step forward but paused.

"Wait, you're saying you have enough qi reserves to cover not only yourself for the entire time, but us as well?" Paike frowned. How could he explain without sounding boastful?

"I'm not sure it's a matter of qi reserves but rather staying power or control," he said, trying to think of the proper term to describe it. Unfortunately, there wasn't really a good term for what he had. He couldn't exactly say it was because of his crippled nature—that his qi stayed around longer because it refused to move. That wouldn't inspire confidence. But saying he had such exceptional control over his qi that it never escaped would be equally untrue.

It would just be a much slower escape, but similarly adjusted for anyone who had mastered qi control. His control wasn't outstanding, he didn't think. But maybe that lie was the lesser of two evils. Luckily, Liming jumped in.

"Brother is quite impressive," she said with a satisfied smile.

"I think he nearly had a full dantian even after our climb up the challenge steps the first day we were here." Everyone else looked at her with disbelieving gazes, but Liming steadily met their challenge without flinching.

"Well, we can at least try," Paike said.

"If I run out, perhaps one of you can take over for a short while during the final sprint. But for now, everyone, get as close to me as you can." They huddled together like a flock of flightless birds and began to walk as quickly as they could toward the edge of the forest while Paike forced out a cloud of qi to mist around them. Unfortunately, he hadn't considered that the qi needed to move with them, so they couldn't maintain anything faster than a brisk walking pace.

He grabbed the backs of Liming and Mi Lixain's clothes ahead of him and slowed down.

"We need to move slowly, or else I can't maintain my concentration," he stated with as much confidence as he could muster. With that, he took a deep breath, and all five of them stepped in sync under the boughs of the Enchanted Forest once more. This time, when the phantoms and spirits of the forest tried to distract them, Paike could feel their approach. He wasn't sure how the others reacted, but whenever one of them started to stray from him, he grabbed hold of their robe and pulled them close.

Guan Li and Zhang Shuying, walking behind him, held onto his robes. Every time he felt them disconnect from his robes, he assumed that some spirit had tried to assume his position and was feeding them with a false signal. This made the whole train stop as he grabbed them and pulled them back in. Then he had to check his tiny dispersion of qi particles all around them. Rather than a mist, it was more like a light rain.

This left gaps for the foreign qi to worm its way through, but it was only the most delicate tendrils and he was able to sever them as long as he noticed them in time. Together, they moved at a relatively slow pace but steadily made progress as Paike followed the trail. Several times, what appeared to be forks in the road vanished as he got closer, and they fell under the domain of his qi. He sensed spirits unable to enter the cloud that he was carrying with him as they continued forward.

All in all, once he had the technique down, the entire obstacle became rather trivial. No longer were they separated, trying to use their own wits to determine what was real and what wasn't. Without the many false paths laid before them, they could avoid wandering aimlessly through the trees. Before Paike knew it, they had reached the other side. He let go, and all five of them quickly stepped back, regaining their personal bubbles.

It was rather impolite to be so close to someone, but during combat or cultivation, such proximity was generally permitted. In front of them lay the fourth obstacle: a large pit with alternating zones of roaring flame and freezing ice. The main problem was the extreme changes in temperature. It required firm concentration on physical cultivation, but after the horrible experience in the Enchanted Forest maze last time, the Pit of Fire and Ice had been made much harder than necessary.

Looking over, Paike saw no sign of Zhao Liantian's team. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Regardless, he refocused his attention on the problem at hand. This time, though, they coordinated adequately. Paike was slightly drained, having lost a good third of his qi reserves, but his skills wouldn't be handy here. The others all had something to contribute. Liming started with her technique, The Reed Steers the River.

This time, she had finally learned the second technique in the art, and they all felt they were moving a little quicker. Guan Li's shadows helped insulate them slightly. At the same time, Mi Lixain's lute somehow managed to help them ignore the rapid temperature changes. Stirring their physical cultivation, they stopped the sedate pace of the forest and broke into a sprint, diving through the lengthy pit as fast as they could.