Li Jiya had Xue Lan on the back foot, swinging her crescent blade weapon, with Xue Lan's responses seeming slow and reactive. Even Chang-li could have done a better job parrying. He wondered whether perhaps Xue Lan was fighting off Mai Wen's influence. Could he help? How was she keeping control? He reached out with his lux senses, even as Joshi lashed out with his new technique and got a binding around Xue Lan's waist.

  Yes, he could feel Mai Wen's will stretching from Xue Lan. That was why it only knocked them back and not to their knees. She was concentrating her will on controlling Xue Lan, who was nearly as strong as she was. But that meant that if they did defeat Xue Lan, Mai Wen would be so much more powerful. She was already nearly unstoppable; with her will at full, would they stand a chance? It might be better to —

  Joshi was pulling himself toward Li Jiya. "Wait," Chang-li called, realizing his mistake. A fight was no time to dither on strategy "Don't kill her!” He wove a Blindfold threw it at Xue Lan's face. She made no attempt to dodge it. It covered her eyes. If he could incapacitate her without breaking Mai Wen’s technique, they might claim the advantage.

  “I will take this burden on myself. Leave Xue Lan to me!” Joshi called, and Chang-li felt him weaving together a Thousand Fist technique. In a moment, he’d be on her.

  Chang-li flexed his own will against Xue Lan's. It crashed against her. She fell to the ground, no doubt because her own will was so overloaded at that moment.

  As Xue Lan collapsed to the stones, Mai Wen lashed out, freed from the need to control the other cultivator. Her will smashed against Chang-li, Joshi, and Li Jiya like a wave, knocking Chang-li to the ground. Chang-li cursed as he fell. He’d miscalculated, and now Mai Wen was restored to full strength.

  "You fools," Mai Wen snarled. "I am the favored student of a prism. You think you can stand against me?"

  Chang-li pushed himself up onto his hands and feet. Mai Wen stood over Xue Lan's crumpled body, her face alight with fury. Her robes flared out around her, and her hair crackled with lux.

  "Enough playing. Now you'll see what I can really do." She was weaving a complicated technique between her hands, even as Chang-li got to his knees and Li Jiya pushed herself up to her feet.

  Mai Wen threw her hands skyward. Lightning crackled down all around, stabbing in a dozen different places. A bolt struck beside Chang-li, sizzling him and making his hair stand on end. He cycled quickly, flooding his body with green lux, and felt the next bolt of lightning slide past him.

  Li Jiya took a step toward Xue Lan, then halted, weaving a red lux shield that covered herself but left the fallen cultivator unprotected. Joshi grunted, red lux steaming off of him where his plating had been damaged.

  The lightning storm died. “I will take your head back to my mistress,” Mai Wen snarled

  "Your mistress is gone," Chang-li panted, pushing back up off the ground. "She has abandoned you. This whole tower is going to be destroyed, you along with it."

  Mai Wen didn't even blink. "You think I would believe such lies?”

  “What do you think she's done here?" Joshi asked as he got to his feet. Mai Wen was weaving another technique. Chang-li thought frantically. What else could he do here?

  But it was Li Jiya who drew his attention. She had something in her hand, a silvery object that he didn't recognize at all. She was looking sadly at the crumpled form of Xue Lan.

  "This is my boon," she said, looking at it with fierce determination. "The guardian told me not to use it until I was at the Peak of Spiritual Refinement, and then only if I had to.” She pressed it to her breast, and it vanished. She began to glow. Chang-li could feel lux boiling off her but couldn't figure out what she had done. She had taken the potion, and she couldn't advance any further. This must be some sort of boost.

  Then the glow faded. She pointed her weapon at Mai Wen. "Let's dance," she said and launched forward. Chang-li could feel the difference in her. Her hesitation was gone. She was rushing forward with such power in her.

  Mai Wen raised her daggers and blocked the long-bladed weapon, but it cost her. Her will let up just a little. Chang-li was able to climb to his feet. He and Joshi exchanged a look. Joshi pointed, and Magen darted out forward around the edge, obviously watching for an opening. Chang-li drew his weapon and covered it in flames once more before rushing in toward Mai Wen.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The Golden Locks Cultivator was on the back foot as Li Jiya pushed in on her. She took a step away, and in the brief space, she wove a quick technique. Her daggers lengthened into short swords, better for parrying Li Jiya's blade. Chang-li swooped in on Li Jiya's left, swinging his own sword. Mai Wen blocked his sword and Li Jiya's blade at the same time. She pushed, and both of them went backward. Chang-li was knocked to one foot and slid across the smooth stones. Meanwhile, Joshi whipped out his new chain-hanging technique again, got it briefly around Mai Wen's wrist.

  She shook free and snarled, "You don't think I'd fall for that twice, do you?" before throwing an exploding technique at Joshi, who dodged out of the way. It was impressive to see her weave techniques with weapons in her hands. They seemed to come into being just at her thought. Mai Wen was far beyond the Peak of Spiritual Refinement. He, Joshi, and Li Jiya were no match.

  Li Jiya was sweating profusely, her teeth gritted as she stood back up and raced in.

  "Hurry!" she called to Chang-li. He wondered just what she had done to herself and how long it would last. They needed to end this and soon. The tower shook around them. Chang-li raced in. Again, he and Li Jiya attacked, and again they were rebuffed. Mai Wen seemed unstoppable.

  Joshi leapt forward with Meteor Fist, landing hard behind Mai Wen. She spun, and her hands were a whirl of blades. He darted to the side. Her blades caught the edge of his robes. Li Jiya struck again and was again thrown back.

  It was now or never. Chang-li wove Mirage Blade, and a second sword appeared in his right hand. He rushed in, striking at Mai Wen. She parried both of his blades. He felt them connect, and she smiled smugly.

  "There," she called. "No match."

  Joshi sent another chain lashing out. This one caught Mai Wen around the knees, pulling her legs together. He yanked, and she fell to her knees. She lashed out with her will. Joshi stumbled back, his technique dissolving, but it had given Chang-li and Li Jiya an opportunity.

  They rushed in, blades whirling. Mai Wen caught Li Jiya's blade with her left and parried Chang-li's left blade with her right. She threw up a technique to block his illusory right blade. Chang-li let his blade dissipate. Then, as the technique passed, he re-formed the blade on the other side of it and slashed inward. He caught Mai Wen across the throat. Not a deep cut, not enough to kill, but enough to slice her and make her bleed.

  Li Jiya was there. She shouted and unleashed a technique of her own. Something hot seared Chang-li's face even as it burned into Mai Wen. Joshi appeared behind Mai Wen, punching. His Thousand Fists slammed into her from dozens of different angles, driving her to the ground.

  Chang-li stepped in with his sword. He steeled himself, refused to think, and swung. Mai Wen's head fell free from her body.

  The three stood panting, staring. Li Jiya tossed aside her blade and raced to Xue Lan's side, throwing herself to her knees and touching her face. She shook her head. “It’s too late.” She remained kneeling and brushed a strand from her lover’s face.

  Chang-li felt the coalescing lux around him. He looked up as the ghostly echo of the dead prism appeared, smiling sadly.

  "You are the only competitor left," the prism said to Li Jiya, who was still bent over Xue Lan's body. "You may proceed if you wish."

  "If I wish?" Li Jiya demanded. "This is not how I wanted to win. I, I..." Her words ran out. Her breast heaved and she lowered her head. “I could have saved her. I could have reached her in time and shielded her with my own body. But I was afraid — I didn’t think I could protect us both. And I chose me.” She looked up, eyes hard. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have worked too long and hard for this.”

  Chang-li went to her side as Joshi stood breathing heavily. He put a hand on Li Jiya's shoulder and squeezed. “You did what you had to do. Now you've got to summon the emperor, or there will be more deaths."

  “I know,” Li Jiya said. All her energy seemed to have run out. Her breathing sounded ragged.

  “Are you all right?” Chang-li hadn’t seen her take any serious hits in the fight, but perhaps she’d been injured when he didn’t notice.”

  “It’s the boon. The guardian warned me I shouldn't use it if I took the advancement potion, and now I know why."

  Alarm stirred in Chang-li. "Are you going to be ok?"

  “I will be fine," she said. “Eventually. But it gave me just a taste of what the next stage of cultivation is like, and, of course, I can't reach that." Her shoulders slumped. "She said I would be a fool to do it. But she was wrong. It was the only way to win."

  Chang-li didn’t know what to say to that, but they had no time. "We have to summon the emperor quickly," he urged. "The tower is failing.”

  Li Jiya stood up. A hard expression passed over her face "Yes, of course." She turned to the prism. "Let me pass. And is there a reward for my allies?"

  "They are alive," the prism said. "They have progressed. Let the emperor reward them if he chooses. I no longer care for his games." He waved a hand, and a door appeared, glowing in the lux mist.

  Li Jiya squared her shoulders. “My cultivation is over. My advancement is not. I will remember you and Morning Mist,” she promised, and walked straight toward the door without looking back.

  She vanished. Chang-li started for the door with Joshi beside him, but the prism threw out a quick hand.

  "Wait," he said. "There is one thing I would tell you now that she is gone. Be careful. I remember now where I've seen your sect before. The emperor does not remember all he has destroyed, but if you make too great a showing now that you have been reborn, he may find his memory jogged. If you wish Morning Mist to thrive, you would do well to keep your heads low."

  Chang-li felt a thrill of fear mixed with excitement. What did she know? And why would the emperor himself take an interest in their sect?

  "We'll remember that," Joshi said.

  Together, they strode through the door.