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High above me, three targets were placed atop the pillars in the courtyard.

I cycled my Frenzy and with a burst of speed, leapt into the air with [Lightning Walk]. My foot pushed off the air with a sharp snap of thunder, propelling me higher. I performed the technique again with my opposite foot as I literally climbed an invisible staircase to the targets hanging high in the air.

Swinging my axe, I used [Lightning Two Log Chop] to take out the first one and then pivoting, [Lightning Walked] to the next two targets to take them out as well. I found myself hanging high in the air after the last one and then allowed myself to fall to the ground in a somersault, hitting [Lightning Walk] at the last second to slow my descent before landing in a superhero pose.

A small round of applause came from behind me as the Phalanx crew, who had admittedly been watching me perfect my technique for the last few weeks, cheered me on. But my true audience consisted of only one person.

Chief Yora stepped towards me, hands clasped behind her back, a neutral expression on her face. “Quite an unorthodox style and a bit clumsy but you did make it into the air this time.”

“Does that mean I qualify for the final exam?” I asked hopefully.

She paused a moment.

“Just barely,” she said. “This will be enough to survive the exam tomorrow night, but on the Hell Worlds you will need to be even more proficient. And arguably, you will need a faster form of travel as well. [Air Walking] is efficient but slow. You may need some form of quick escape that can transport you much more rapidly out of harm’s way.”

I grinned with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Running away from a punch usually ain’t my style, but I understand. I’ll work on something. I’ll have it perfected before my deployment.”

Yora chuckled. “Don’t count your winnings early. You still need to pass the exam itself. Which won’t be easy.”

I nodded. “Understood.”

“Be sure to attend the briefing tomorrow at noon,” she said as she turned to walk away. “There will be some additional challenges to face besides just survival. You’ll want to know what they are.”

As Yora left a new sense of resolve filled me.

New Challenges?

What the hell could they be?

No matter, I thought. Noon was basically 24 hours away. I’d find out then, but 24 hours gave me ample time to at least start thinking about an improvement to my [Lightning Walk] technique.

I plopped down into lotus position to ponder it some more within my own mind.

The Demon and Struggler joined me on the secluded lakeside beach of my inner domain.

Seeing them reminded me that I still hadn’t achieved the real breakthrough I needed to yet—combining them somehow so that I could advance to the Sacred Soul Realm.

I took a peek at the Foundation manual again just to confirm where I was.

I had definitely mastered the 8th Tier now. I could project my [Spectral Body] in the real world with ease and had even honed my [Fist/Blade/Axe of the Struggler] techniques, which allowed me to do spiritual damage on the fly without summoning my full [Spectral Body Projection].

But that damn Secondary Soul germination still eluded me.

I had increased my Frenzy capacity by what had to be 100 fold by now as well, cultivating under the Bloodmoon each night. So much so, that I was fairly confident I could survive an entire night now by utilizing my [Soul Shield] technique.

That put me in good stead to pass the exam.

So long as I didn’t burn too much extra Frenzy fighting the demons, I should be okay.

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Which led me to my next impediment.

Flying.

I’d gotten some basics down, but I had to trust what Yora was saying was true as well.

The basics just wouldn’t cut it on the Hell Worlds.

But at least she’d given me my shot at passing the exam in advance.

I summoned the [Air Walk] manual from memory and began scanning through it.

There was a more advanced technique within it that maybe I could adapt but I wasn’t sure.

I found the passage for it.

[Wind Walk]

If [Air Walking] is akin to strolling among the clouds, then [Wind Walking] is gliding upon the currents flowing between them. It requires a mastery of the [Air Walk] technique combined with the physical agility to ride upon the wind itself.

Riding the wind, I thought.

That sounded like surfing or something and the more I read the more it appeared to literally rely upon a wind blowing as a form of movement. If there was no wind, the technique was useless.

That certainly wouldn’t be a reliable form of escape.

Not unless a hurricane was blowing.

Still, it gave me some ideas.

If there was no wind, perhaps I could make some of my own.

Or make something like it.

A smile came to my lips the more I thought about it.

The Struggler and Demon instantly agreed, reading my thoughts.

“It’s settled then,” I said to them. “I’m going to figure out how to [Ride the Lightning].”

* * *

I was a good couple of hours into my research when I hit the first roadblock.

The [Wind Walk] technique was similar to [Air Walk] in that it used the same meridians, but it was almost the same technique in inverse. Where [Air Walk] used Qi to ‘kick’ off the air, [Wind Walk] used the same to stick to it.

To complicate matters was how I was going to stick lightning in there to make it all work together somehow. I was beginning to fear I had bitten off way more than I could chew when something suddenly tugged me out of my meditation.

“I said congratulations,” a voice said.

I opened my eyes and was stunned to see Blue Rose standing over me.

And much more stunned that she was actually talking to me.

We hadn’t spoken to each other in weeks.

Not since she blew up at me after the assembly.

Part of me wanted to tell her to piss off, but the river of fear running through her soul urged the Struggler to hold the Demon at bay. I still wasn’t sure what was going on between us. It was more her beef than mine, but she still hadn’t apologized for embarrassing me either.

Perhaps this was it.

“Congratulations for what?” I asked.

“On learning how to fly.”

I couldn’t tell if she was being completely sincere or not, but she did seem a little mousey about it.

“Thanks,” I said. “It took a while.”

Blue Rose only nodded as an uncomfortable silence fell between us.

“Anyway,” she said. “Good luck on the final exam.”

She then turned and walked away, leaving me wondering if that was as good of an apology as I was going to get from her. Or if that even was one. Maybe I’d have to go first.

“Hey, Blue!” I called out after her and she stopped. “No hard feelings, alright?”

“About what?” she said.

I merely shrugged. “Everything?”

She nodded slowly, but didn’t smile. “Sure. No hard feelings, Max.”

And with that she left the training yard.

It wasn’t the reaction I’d hoped for.

I still didn’t know if we were cool or not.

But I couldn’t worry about that right now.

I had already made my choice to advance and as Yora had said, it was simply luck if relationships could survive. I closed my eyes and tucked myself away again into my spiritual domain, setting my mind back to task.

I had to figure this [Ride the Lightning] thing out.

That’s what was important now.

Not friends.

* * *

I stayed up most of the night plodding away at the new technique, as well as continuing into the morning. By that time, I thought I might have constructed the bare bones of something that could work, but I had no time to test it.

Flame willing, I would have a week or so before having to deploy anyway.

I tucked the meridian sequence into the back of my mind as I joined the noonday assembly of Black Robes in the courtyard to prep for the final exam.

Chief Yora was there along with the President who stood overlooking us with arms folded across his massive chest. A much smaller contingent of Black Robes had assembled—the upperclassmen, which was only about 20 of us or so.

Jei Su Long gave me a leer as he entered the square with his Token Tribute gang, but I paid them no mind with [Indifference]. Then I saw someone I wasn’t expecting. Blue Rose sauntered in right behind them.

What the hell?

Had she advanced?

Before I could ponder the situation, President Tzu Li Zen stepped forward to address us.

“Before Chief Yora explains the details of the final exam, I wish to congratulate each and every one of you for making it this far in your progression. Many of you arrived here with only a sliver of hope for survival and yet you have beaten the odds and persevered. By standing here today, you have accomplished more than 90% of the empire ever will. You are beyond just cultivators, you have toughened yourselves to face the fires of the Hell Worlds and tonight, you will face your final challenge to prepare you for that.”

He then nodded to Chief Yora.

“I echo the president’s sentiments,” she said. “It is no small feat to achieve what you have. You are right now a magnitude stronger than when you arrived and perhaps stronger than any peer you faced in the outside world. But tonight, we will simulate exactly what you will face on your tour of the Hell Worlds. Caches of salt crystals have been buried in the desert, which you will mine as Aetherite. You must do this throughout the night, under the effects of a Full Bloodmoon and defend yourselves from the hordes that follow. In addition, a new component shall be added. Jei Su Long, Iron Bull, please step forward.”

My heart jumped for a moment as she called my name.

I went to the front of the assembly and stood next to Jei Su Long.

“These two have qualified for the final exam in all but one aspect,” she said. “They are both required to partake in a leadership assessment. This final exam will incorporate their respective assessments in a unique way. You will be split into two teams with Jei Su Long and the Iron Bull as respective captains. It will be their job to direct the teams to locate the Aetherite, mine it and return home safely. The team captain who harvests the most Aetheirite will be named Platoon leader for the 28th Deployment of the 5073rd campaign.”

Jei Su Long grinned next to me. “Seems I’ve been blessed with a rematch. I hope you prove better at this than you are at flying.”

I chortled with [Indifference]. “No worse than you are at fighting.”

“Bastard!” he hissed. “You’ll swallow those words.”

“The captains will now select their teams,” Tzu Li Zen said. “The first pick will be decided by a coin flip.”

“Yin or Yang?” Yora asked as she produced a single coin.

“Yang!” Jei Su Long shouted. “He can be Yin. It suits him more.”

He broke out into a laugh that was echoed by a few of his cronies.

I chose not to comment.

Yora flipped the coin. “Yang it is. You may make the first selection, Jei Su Long.”

“See,” Jei Su long said, glancing at me sideways, the fates favor me with victory already. He then looked into the crowd. “Blue Rose!”

My heart did another jump, which seemed to mirror the shock on Blue Rose’s face.

As she shuffled almost reluctantly to stand behind Jei Su Long, I nearly forgot to call the name of my own pick. But it didn’t really matter after that. We went through the process mechanically, but I was more concerned with what Jei Su Long had up his sleeve.

“Why the hell you pick her?” I said once we were through.

The bastard merely shrugged. “Because I could. We’ll see how your friend fares under my supreme command.”

Son of a bitch…

Chief Yora gave the order for us to disperse and prepare and I caught Blue Rose by the elbow. “Hey, what are you even doing here?”

Her brows lowered as she pulled her arm away. “What? Do you think you’re the only one who can advance? You think I’m not at your level?”

“Chief Yora cleared you for this?”

“You want to ask her yourself?”

I studied her and sensed the contempt in her heart. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. “Blue, the last time you were under the Bloodmoon you nearly lost your mind. Are you sure you can spend an entire night?”

“That’s the last time you saw me,” she said bitterly. “I’ve been doing a lot of stuff since then. Advancing on my own. Just like you.”

Guess we weren’t cool, I thought.

But could she actually have advanced that quickly. As quick as me?

“Blue, I just want to be sure you can hand—”

“Save the fake concern, Max,” she snapped. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you. I’m good on my own.”

“Yeah, but you won’t be on your own. You’ll be with that idiot leading you.”

She jutted her chin in the air. “I’m actually glad Jei Su Long picked me first. That’ll prove I did it through my own strength and not just by following you.”

My insides flared.

I felt like slugging her.

“Still got that damn chip on your shoulder, huh?”

She cut her eyes at me and then turned her back without answering.

I cultivated the anger in my soul just to get rid of it. I turned to see the ten tributes on my team all looking to me expectantly. It was a reminder that I had a job to do and there was no time for a dumb ass grudge to get in the way.

“Go back to the barracks and get some rest,” I said. “We’ll meet up after chow to go over the game plan. Dismissed.”

As they departed giving me salutes and bows, I couldn’t ignore the whispered comments that came with them.

“Hell’s up with those two?”

“They should just bang and get it over with already.”

“I hope this doesn’t mess us up tonight.”

“Is it too late to switch teams?”

I grimaced inwardly.

Blue Rose’s ability to inadvertently cause me to lose face was becoming legendary.

I shrugged it off with [Indifference].

I had to prove to my team that I was in control.

Not let this crap affect me.

I looked to the sky and the stars I couldn’t see, imagining the globe of the Earth floating somewhere out there.

Eye on the prize, Max, I told myself. Remember what you came here for.

I cycled my Frenzy with the fresh resolve of my Dao. Tonight, I would get my first taste of the Hell Worlds and I had a lot more people than just Blue Rose to think about.