In surprisingly short order, Alex found himself in a twenty-foot-wide desert ring that he quickly came to understand was where all major disputes and challenges at the academy were settled. A surprisingly lively crowd had formed in just the handful of minutes it had taken to leisurely make their way over there, filled with the soft murmurs of an excited crowd eager for a pleasant distraction from the growing tension they no doubt all felt from the dire situation of their city.

  So perhaps Alex shouldn’t have been so surprised at the eagerness of the onlookers. So too he noted it splitting in different clusters that he assumed were affiliated with the seasons as seemed to be the nature of the sects here. Though Spring had the largest representation within the grand structure of marble and quartz looming over them all, plenty of cultivators were in abundance, and a surprisingly large fraction were gazing Alex’s way in cheerful approval.

  Even if most of Spring looked on with the cold eyes of would-be executioners, he noted a few satisfied smirks even there before turning his attention back where it belonged, upon the cold-eyed cultivator that he had somehow managed to make an enemy of over a single meal.

  Which suited him just fine.

  Nili’s death glare, however, stung just a bit. So he gave her a look he knew she couldn’t read, and didn’t know whether to be surprised, relieved, or worried when Linnea’s eyes suddenly lit up and she began whispering to their companion who of course caught every word. Because somehow Linnea, adorable, brilliant in her own way, and still clueless at times, though so much better than she had been just a few levels before… got it.

  Because they had been in a gestalt together, and her mind, on some level, was connected to his still. Yet as ashamed as he felt about that truth, he sensed nothing but warm happiness in the tiny corner of his mind she interfaced with him through.

  His opponent’s glare, however, immediately caught his focus, sensing the sudden build up of spiritual pressure, for all that no official start to their match had been called.

  But that was fine, he thought, drawing and saluting her with the dao a glaring Nili had at least been gracious enough to hand off to him as they made their way to the sands. He had his own of course, but now was not the time to be showing off the nature of his pommel, lest he reveal secrets just as carelessly as his foes had.

  Still, he found it odd the way her eyes widened in surprise.

  “You shouldn’t be armed, boy! How did you get that weapon?”

  Alex just stared at her. “Wait are you serious right now?” He gestured to the crowd, the sand filled arena pit, then last of all, at her. “We’re getting ready for a duel, you’re putting together multiple protective wards before-hand so you can focus purely on offense, I’m guessing you’ll be trying to pepper me with ice spears, and I’m not even allowed a decent sword? Throw the odds in your favor much?”

  “Outsiders are forbidden weapons, save in the delves!” A cultivator from the spring camp glowered, earning cold chuckles from the other factions.

  “Don’t be insane. Sun La’s challenging a jewelless Ruidian boy, and he’s not allowed even a side-arm? And this is supposed to win us more of their desperately needed tribe?”

  “Wrong, he challenged her for rights to delve!”

  “Why should he have to challenge her at all? It’s every Ruidian’s right to delve!”

  The arguing and betting intensified. Alex tuned them out with a cold smile, his eyes on his would-be opponent.

  “Last chance to back out, fool.”

  Alex snorted. “That isn’t going to—”

  His words cut off in as his instincts shrieked warning and he weaved to the side, Wind itself helping him to avoid the deadly flurry of icy spears tearing through the air as Enhanced Wind Qi Deflection proved its worth, the deadly weapons missing Alex by inches, but still packing enough punch to crack against the protective wards surrounding their fighting circle that had popped into existence a split second before.

  The crowd’s good natured chatter turned to surprised blinks, more than a few staring at the thick javelins of bitter sharp ice.

  “Is she trying to kill him? That sure as hell wasn’t holding—how’d he cross the sands so fast?”

  Alex wasted no time. For all that a part of him would have loved to show both himself and the world how much he had grown since dueling wujen while demonstrating his techniques to the two girls who had won his heart, these were not his disciples. This was a school filled with strangers and, he suspected, infiltrated by far worse. He would reveal as little of himself as he could, for the sake of the concession he had managed to coax from his opponent in her fit of pique.

  The right to delve freely and without reservations of any sort.

  Because sure as hell, he wasn’t surrendering any beast cores to any hidden agent of his enemies.

  You have successfully weaved past Ice Flurry!

  Lightness techniques allow you to effortlessly leap over ice spikes!

  Alex could sense the crowd’s murmur die down as he tapped into what was absolutely insane speed for any Ruidian, damn close to Bronze Rank 5. But his opponent’s surprisingly potent barrage of icy attacks and growing desperation all but demanded it. And even that amount was enough to earn awed curses from the onlookers as he steadily closed the distance while weaving and juking past so many killing blows, realizing he was now balancing on a tightrope between revealing so many hidden aces, and the sheer impossibility that anyone below Silver tier could have survived an onslaught from a woman who was no Bronze cultivator at all.

  Sun La was a Silver-tier wujen. And somehow she had hidden it even from him.

  How? Why?

  None of that mattered.

  What mattered was the look of cool contempt turning to desperate alarm as Alex steadily closed the distance.

  And that’s when he felt it, his opponent opening her mind to a technique that would have devastating consequences once it burst free of the containment ward that was already about to collapse under the pressure of her killing arts.

  Was she truly blind to that? Or did she not care about the lives of her fellows?

  Either way, it was time to quit holding back.

  Good thing Biochemical mastery and his old master’s lessons made smoke bombs a thing he had access to, even now.

  Quickness check successful!

  In the blink of an eye, the air inside the dome was filled with sulfury smoke where Alex had been standing a split second ago, and an explosion right behind Sun La.

  Who flinched with such unguarded surprise when she felt cold steel press against her neck.

  “No, impossible! I’m warded by multiple overlapping—” She whimpered when Alex pressed his blade against her throat.

  “Cease your death chant, now. Are you a fucking fool? This ward’s about to rupture. How many of your fellow cultivators are you willing to kill?”

  She froze at those words, as did the wide-eyed crowd.

  “How did he move so fast? And those smoke bombs… what kind of wujen trickery is that?”

  “Enough trickery for him to win the fight. Look at Sun La’s face!”

  “Foul! The boy cheated! He forfeits the match!”

  “Are you insane? Your ‘Spring Princess’ was flat-out trying to kill him! His only crime was proving he was worthy of the delves!”

  A harshly breathing Alex and a shuddering Sun La ignored the crowds.

  “Please don’t kill me!" She trembled with mortal terror in his grip.

  Alex flashed a cold smile, speaking in the Imperial YanTu dialect. “How long have you been the Red Prince’s lackey?”

  The woman blinked at him in horrified confusion. “What are you saying? Please, I yield!”

  “Sun La!”

  “Husband!”

  Alex froze, his earlier confidence pricked by sudden uncertainty as he calmly stepped back from the woman clearly fighting not to burst into tears, unable to hide her shudder of relief when Alex’s naked steel was no longer pressing against her jugular… too panicked to realize that he had only pressed it with the dull side of his single-edged blade.

  Alex’s heart was racing in confusion for just a heartbeat before calmly sheathing his blade and bowing low to the shaking wujen, knowing the role he had to take if they were both to make it through this encounter without massive loss of face and enemies galore.

  “This one thanks you for the pointers, kung fu sister.” Alex then chuckled, winking as if sharing a jest while reaching his palm out to the horrified-looking wujen, the man who was supposedly her husband screaming at someone to lower the ward.

  “Shall we explain our performance now?”

  She blinked at him in a daze, before jerking a desperate nod.

  Alex then bowed to the crowd. “Thank you, one and all, for witnessing our demonstration! My gracious host was concerned that few would understand the nature of a clear jewel, so I begged her to allow a demonstration!” he smiled fondly at a now upright, and cool-featured Sun La, bowing his head deferentially once more. “Of course she was gracious enough to warn me where she would strike, even when I assured her that there was no need!” He chuckled ruefully. “Though now I fear we put on a performance far more… realistic than originally intended.”

  He then bowed solemnly and low before the outraged-looking body-cultivator radiating a Deep Bronze killing aura… who was clearly Sun La’s husband. Thankfully, his killing ire faded into a confused half nod. “This one apologizes for any undue alarm that had been caused. For I’ll also admit that this was a test!” He beamed back at a nonplussed Sun La. “I had asked if it was possible for me and mine to delve today, just hours after our arrival. She expressed concern, and thus the second goal of our demonstration was to prove just how ready I am. Now, with our gracious host’s permission… I’d love to join the strongest among you for what will be a legendary delve! Together, we’ll wrest free multiple cores of Ice and Water in a delve that will have the academy speaking our names with awe for years to come as we forge a legend of our own. We’ll become the beloved focus of Yuling storytellers in all the better taverns and assure Wanshi’s independence for a thousand years! Who’s with me?”

  The crowds murmurs grew confused, before multiple enthusiastic and regrettably younger-looking cultivators roared their approval and interest in daring a truly legendary delve. But Alex’s eyes were mostly on Sun La, whose furious terror had morphed to a cool nod. And the look in her eyes… she either wanted his head, or was grateful that he was saving her massive face, which Alex could only hope meant that he hadn’t made a permanent enemy of her. Because surely he had fucked up somehow, and the look Nili was now giving him made it clear that he would most definitely be getting an earful.

  Which he would put off for as long as possible… put this whole fiasco off for as long as possible, by daring a delve right now.

  “I’m up for joining the Ruidian! Spring’s perfect for harvesting right now!”

  “Are you daft? All the waste Qi you’ll build up will barely make up for even the choicest spirit boar you can hunt. And their cores aren’t even Bronze!”

  “Autumn’s harvest will be perfect. The game is larger and the fruit is divine!”

  “Ha, the waste buildup is even worse than spring, and you're so saturated that even your master’s techniques won’t save you if you push things any further than you already have, fool!”

  “Quiet, idiot. Strangers are among us.”

  “The Ruidian? What do they care for a cultivator’s cleansing? They can delve a dozen times a season at least, and plant bountiful crops in the basin below to cleanse themselves. Why do you think they’re so valuable to us?”

  Alex tuned out the words even as Sun La’s anxious-looking husband raced across the dueling sands, clasping his wife’s hand with a desperate look in his eyes that turned to a relieved smile. When he turned to Alex, he had to suppress a shiver. Though the man’s expression was that of good-natured bemusement, his eyes promised death to anyone who imperiled his wife.

  “A most invigorating performance! Your reflexes are nothing short of legendary, boy. Even if my wife did clue you in to where she would strike.”

  Alex bowed low. “This one thanks you for the kind words, honored one. I’m just happy our hostess was gracious enough to allow our demonstration.”

  The man nodded, gazing at him for long moments. “Are you truly willing to delve this very moment, even if it means plumbing the very depths of winter itself?”

  The crowd’s murmurs grew with those words, several cultivators giving the man cool stares.

  “Ren La, bold as the youth’s performance was, Winter is the province of the strongest Silvers for a reason,” declared a scholarly voice from the crowd.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Ren La glared at the older man. “You know damn well how late the hour is, elder. We aren’t in the warm days of spring or the summer heights of Wanshi’s glory. Autumn fades quickly, and when our sputtering Water core dies out… we all know what will happen then.” He flashed the crowd of suddenly anxious-looking cultivators a bleak smile. “Best we face winter now, on our terms, than deprived of food and water, forced to take on the jackals snapping at our flanks, eager to hamstring us before moving on to fresh prey.”

  Alex blinked, hating the fact that he thought he was starting to admire the handsome, dark-eyed cultivator glaring at the crowd as he held his wife’s hand so protectively.

  That’s when Alex saw it, cheeks now blazing as brightly as Ya Ling or Linnea’s ever had.

  “Fuck,” he muttered to himself, there now being no mistake as to just how badly he had misjudged the wujen before him.

  Even if those ice spikes had been launched with killing intent.

  But that was neither here nor there.

  The past was already written.

  All that mattered was what he did from this point on.

  “I’m in,” Alex said boldly, smirking at Nili’s horrified expression. “Winter it is! Let’s walk Peril’s Path and wrest free prizes that will ensure Wanshi’s eternal spring!”

  “And I, Lao Tie, will join you!” declared a fiery-eyed youth emerging from the crowd, a cultivator who looked far too young for the potency radiating from his meridians. His features were as vibrant as that of any young master, and for all that Alex could sense the residue of spirit pearls and exquisitely calibrated concoctions, he sensed the potency that only came from fighting for one’s life, no doubt in the rifts.

  Alex blinked before the clear prodigy, an actual Silver who looked no older than Alex, ageless perfection achieved so young after blazing through Bronze which itself added at least a century or two that Silver’s Ageless perfection, for this talented cultivator at least, had become eternal youth. Alex bet he was no older than forty, for all that he looked exactly half that age. In a city of a mere hundred thousand or so, he was a true prodigy, as further evidenced by the pained concern in the gazes of Sun La and her husband both. Yet neither did anything but nod solemnly before the young master’s declaration. And thank the heavens that he didn’t glare at Alex with the arrogant disdain Alex had to fight not to expect, but an actual hopeful smile. As if he would be honored to have Alex adventure by his side.

  So Alex forced aside all lingering misgivings and forced himself to bow. “It would be my pleasure to delve by your side, Lao Tie. Let’s forge legends worthy of Wanshi, side by side!”

  The air roared with the approval of the crowd, and in very short order, Alex found himself facing a quartet of men and women radiating Silver potency, eyes heavy with the weight of an entire city upon their shoulders, and all of the burdened by foundations absolutely filled with Dark Qi that somehow, by some exotic technique, they were actually managing to keep stable, so it wasn’t aging them or corroding them from within.

  Beside them was a wan looking Ya Ling, an absolutely beaming Linnea, and, much to his surprise, Rachel Li, gazing at the two girls hovering so protectively before him before sighing with a sad smile. Yet she didn’t hesitate to bow her head when Senior Cultivator Ren La asked everyone a second time if they were willing to dare the depths of Winter itself.

  He received nothing but the expected nods.

  “Good! Introduce yourselves. You’ve all seen how fast the boy moves. He could easily serve as point man or flanker. The Ruidian jewel masters will serve beside your wujen as always.”

  At that moment, a pair of smiling servants raced over, panting and bowing as they brought over several packs filled with water flasks and dry rations, in addition to fur lined coats, boots, and gloves so well made that they shouldn’t effect ones ability to swing sword or polearm at all.

  “One advantage of winter is that gathering water will be no problem at all. The snow will be melted and purified by your flasks, and we expect them to all be returned,” Ren La declared with a pointed look to Alex and the Ruidians who bowed their head in acknowledgment.

  In short order they were making their way down the escarpment giving an absolutely fantastic view of the lush fecund valley below. A crystal clear blue lake was surrounded by crops of millet, wheat, and barley, in addition to countless leafy vegetables, the entire valley additionally filled with countless varieties of fruit trees trembling under the weight of the most succulent bounty of exquisitely ripe and luscious fruit that the wind tantalized and teased his senses with, invoking a craving almost as great as Alex’s appetite for spirit fruit.

  Yet as beautiful as the sight was… he couldn’t help but note with some amount of dismay that the life-giving lake at the center of the basin was far smaller than it should be. And for all that Alex could sense the tiny pulses of spiritual energy and arcane potency from both cultivators and Ruidians working the crops below, constructing masterworks of irrigation, ingenuity, and masterful crop care, all that effort would mean nothing if limited water became no water at all.

  “It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?” Declared Lao Tie, the young master showing a warmth and fondness for the valley below that instantly eased Alex’s lingering reservations about having anything to do with someone clearly born with near limitless privilege and opportunities… before dismissing that silly prejudice. For wasn’t one of his closest friends of a lifetime ago heir to a vast mercantile fortune? And his kung fu brother the Blue Prince was the grandson of the emperor himself.

  Alex forced a smile he knew would become genuine over time. “Yes it is. Filled with the sacred promise of life, nature, and abundance. A precious fragile sanctuary against the desert’s endless hot desolation that we must do all we can to protect.”

  Lao Tie positively beamed at those words. “None of us daring the delve by your side on this day will forget the grace you have just shown us, friend Alex. For the first thing you mentioned wasn’t locking in your share of the profits from the sale of our future cores, but the welfare of the city.” He gave an approving nod. “I knew there was something I liked about you from the start. Even if your odd jewel path mirrors the body cultivator’s arts so well it’s almost uncanny!”

  “Isn’t it?” Linnea chipped in. “Just like a Fire Jewel like me mimics wujens like yourself!”

  Loa Tie’s eyes widened, before he gave a rueful chuckle. “You can sense my affinity so clearly, can you, Fire Sister?”

  This earned a cheeky grin. “Oh yes, I absolutely can! And don’t worry. I’m used to blending my flames with their spiritual counterparts. The Crimson Corkscrews we’ll summon together will turn our enemies to ash and flame!”

  This earned a blink. “Crimson Corkscrew?”

  Linnea frowned, tapping her forehead, before smiling a heartbeat later. “I believe my former wujen companion called it the Fire Spirit’s Spiral?”

  Lao Tie gave her a curious look. “Your former partner was a disciple of both Flame and Spirit? Such a rare combination!”

  Linnea shrugged as the cooler moist air below mixed with the hot dry air above to tousle her fiery red locks. Far less than if the temperatures and humidities had been reversed, but their path along the lip of the ancient caldera was where countless drifting air currents liked to play “Honestly, I have no idea! All I know was that she was good at controlling her flame. Almost as good as myself!”

  This earned a good-natured chuckle from Lao Tie. “Wonderful to hear! And who is our other Ruidian companion?”

  “I have absolutely no idea!” Linnea smiled at Rachel Lu’s flushing cheeks. “But clearly she’s of healthy stock, so I know she’ll be an excellent addition with a high Vitality that doesn’t require deviating from her ideal build at all!”

  Alex winced in sympathy, realizing that his dear friend would always be a tiny bit eccentric and outspoken, even if her enhancing her key stats involving good health and cognition meant that it was just a quirk of an otherwise healthy and alert mind, and not a crippling social handicap. At least, not any more.

  Yet surprisingly, Rachel Lu nodded in solemn acknowledgment, forcing Alex to examine his own cultural prejudices. Maybe being so outspoken was normal amongst their kind, and it was only the exquisitely socially sensitive, like Linnea’s cousin, that understood the importance of taking on a completely different mien when socializing with city folk? Either way, Rachel was quick to answer.

  “I’m attuned to Sand, Dirt, and Plants,” she solemnly declared, earning a number of curious blinks.

  Linnea looked fascinated. “Multiple elements? That’s incredible!”

  Rachel grinned despite herself. “We crossbred with genuine druids, centuries ago. Back when things were a bit… greener, than they are today? Anyway, that led to those among our clans with green emeralds blossoming upon our brows to be particularly attuned to elements of both Wood and Earth, to put it in cultivator’s terms, though for us, it’s simply being aware of the soil and all its forms… and the creatures living within and being nurtured within the soil.” She then bit her lip in sudden worry. “But, um… I should probably say this… I don’t have the most experience in the world? So… yeah. There is that.”

  “That’s okay!” Linnea quickly interjected. “You can form a gestalt with me and Alex. You’ll learn so much your head will spin and you’ll absolutely shoot up in levels! Best of all, you’ll feel the flow of our mastery and, like a tutor guiding your hand through the motions, you’ll get a sense of how to apply efficiency and mastery of your own arts!” Her guileless smile turned to a thoughtful frown. “I mean, I think it will work that way? Earth is quite different from Fire. But still! I’ll bet it will all work out!”

  “So, what exactly is a gestalt?” Querried the largest of the cultivators absolutely covered in talisman-reinforced steel plate armor, wielding a guandao radiating fearsome cutting power. Yet before an anxious Linnea could look Alex’s way, realizing that maybe she had been a bit forward, he breezily spoke on. “My name’s Wu Xien, by the way. I’ve ascended twice in both might and resilience. So I will serve as our tank! A pleasure to meet you all.”

  “Names Kuaisu!” Said a woman dressed in enchanted spirit beast leathers with a nimble-looking spear in her hand and a pair of gladii sheathed at her hips. Additionally, she had a recurved bow strapped to her back that was obviously enchanted, as well as a seemingly empty quiver that radiated powerful spiritual energy to Alex’s senses. “I’m your scout, sniper, and flanker!”

  The final cultivator clapped his finely made lamellar hauberk, strapped tightly to his chest, wearing the same type of open-faced half-helm that wouldn’t hinder the senses at all that each of his companions did, even Lao Tie. “Name’s Tang. I’m not as fast as Kuaisu, or as strong as Wu Xien, but I’ve ascended in both attributes, and you’ll find my naginata to be sharp enough to cut through mortal steel.”

  Alex’s eyes widened. He grinned, truly impressed. “It sounds like you’re a powerful Metal specialist,” he said at last, earning a pleasured snort from the man.

  “I’m just a fool who somehow managed to break through to Silver after too many delves over too many years.” Tang gave a soft, bemused chuckle as they approached the one intact waterfall in the entire caldera… spraying far less water than it should as they headed straight for the rift they could all sense just underneath the lip of the overhang adjoining the falls.

  “Alright, it looks like we’re here,” Lao Tie declared, giving a nod to both Sun La and Ren La who had accompanied them, and much to Alex’s surprise, both bowed low, almost a kowtow, making it startlingly clear just how high their polite young master stood in the pecking order of either the Spring Sect, or perhaps the citywide aristocracy as a whole.

  Alex had time only to flash an apologetic smile a cool-eyed Nili’s way. There was so much he wanted to explain, and maybe apologize for as well, but there just wasn’t time. She tilted her head in Lao Tie’s direction, making it clear that Alex should be pay attention to what was effectively his new team captain, before fading from Alex’s sight in the blink of an eye.

  “Now, before we enter, I think it’s best we all get a sense of where we stand in the group.” Lao Tie dipped his head toward Alex’s companions. “Rachel and Linnea, you’ll both stay with me, in the heart of our formation. We’ll no doubt get a chance for some basic practice coordinating our strikes as we begin our delve. Alex? Am I correct in assuming you’ll take a martial role as part of our front lines?”

  Alex smiled and dipped his head, having no problem playing a low key auxiliary role, having pushed so hard to force a confrontation that he was increasingly certain had been nothing more than a misunderstanding. A realization that had embarrassed him so acutely he had to hide it in a storyteller’s bravado, as if a glorious ascent or at least playing the role of a larger-than-life Ruidian dreamer would wash away the terror he had seen in Sun La’s eyes when a wild, fierce part of his soul had been so ready to wash the school in her blood. So ready to kill after his fearsome trials of martial combat and wholesale slaughter. It had been so easy to slip into that role…

  Only to find that the ruby ring upon Sun La’s finger had been a perfect match for her husband’s.

  Alex shuddered to think what he would have done if he hadn’t snapped out of his furious haze when Sun La seemed so clueless, utterly out of her depth when Alex had whispered his threat in Yan Tu’s aristocratic dialect. A language she clearly couldn’t even fathom. And then he had caught sight of the jewel upon her husband’s fingers… and it suddenly all clicked.

  He had been looking for traitors ripe for slaughter. Instead, what he had found was an insecure woman, new to her position, easy to rile… who was guilty of nothing more than fearing being taken advantage of.

  He shook his head, tuning back into the conversation once more, Lao Tie showing a certain military competency, positioning Tan and Wu Xien at the front, with Alex flanking them just a few feet forward and to their left, and Kuaisu, speedster that she was, taking the rear where her quick reflexes would allow her to hopefully cover all three sides and prevent them from getting flanked, calling out for help as needed, while the heavy hitters among them faced various threats head-on.

  Lao Tie turned to Ya Ling. “Forgive me, fellow cultivator, I’m uncertain of your path… and you must be warned, Waste Qi will quickly accumulate when we dare the depths were planning, even with the harsh winter gusts blowing so much foulness away.”

  Ya Ling smirked. “Well then, I guess it’s good that both speed and the Wind are my forte, so no need to fear on my account. I’ll serve as a fellow flanker, light and quick.”

  Their leader gave an approving nod. “And if I’m not mistaken, you’re wearing enhanced beast scales under your silk robe. A wise choice for defense, but unless you have strong runes for the desert cold…” He then pulled several fur lined jackets and caps from the packs they had been provided, before placing them in what Alex was certain was a priceless storage pouch. “Just in case its needed.”

  All the girls took the finely made winter attire with smiles of genuine appreciation. Linnea and Rachel both finding reason to spin around in front of Alex, showing off their wares, and for just as second, he saw them measuring each other far less as partners, and far more as competition.

  “He’s mine.”

  “Of course, honored battle sister. You will be a worthy first wife.”

  “Ya Ling will be second.”

  This earned a deferential dip of Rachel’s head even as Alex and Ya Ling both shared a blush and awkward smile, pretending they hadn’t heard a thing.

  Yet Lao Tie was still frowning, gazing Alex’s way with obvious concern. “For all that I was both awed by your proficiency and inspired by your enthusiasm, I can’t help but notice that you, who have declared yourself a front line fighter, appear to lack both armor and…”

  His words trailed off when Alex smiled, held up a finger, went over to Linnea’s too light backpack, and proceeded to pull free a fine mail hauberk of steel that had most recently been worn by one of Dongfang Hong’s hidden elites that he had taken care of earlier, with an emphasis on speed. The advantage with steel mail, Alex thought, in addition to it being extremely flexible and light enough for even a mortal to comfortably wear for days on end, was that straps and ties were commonly used to assure a snug fit, which Ya Ling helped tie off for him. Which also meant that most mail hauberks were made on the larger side, so it could fit many men, with few deviations needed. One additional advantage of Alex’s six foot two frame, looking as fit as any well-rounded mid-tier Bronze without being absurdly oversized like the near seven foot tall Wu Xien, was that he could fit pretty much any armor made for serious Bronze soldiers.

  Alex gave a satisfied smile when a beaming Ya Ling secured a final tie, saving him a few precious seconds as he confronted Lao Tie’s curious look.

  “Quite remarkable. To find a Ruidian carrying so much steel so comfortably.”

  “Isn’t it? And is it safe to assume that delver’s courtesy is in effect?”

  This earned a polite eyebrow. “Delver’s courtesy?”

  Alex grinned. “What goes on in a delve… stays in the delve. From this moment on, whatever talents or tricks we reveal for the good of our fellows, will be revealed to no one else without our consent.”

  This earned a chuckle from Kuaisu. “A Ruidian with secrets. Who would have thought?”

  “I have no problem with that,” Lao Tie assured with a smile. Not so surprising, Alex thought, considering that a Wujen was far more likely to have secret and varied techniques than the average pure body cultivator.

  “Good,” Alex said, as he then proceeded to pull a fine steel open-faced helm from a grinning Linnea’s back pouch, earning a scowl from Tang.

  “Wait, there’s no way that backpack was holding… His eyes widened with surprise when a grinning Alex then mimed pulling free one of his razor sharp and nearly unbreakable fangtian ji. “By WiFu’s whiskers! That fangtian ji’s razor sharp and six feet long! Just how potent a storage device does his wife carry?”

  “Shall we?” A smirking Alex said, casually gesturing toward the entrance they even now approached, a swirling mix of brilliant color flashing like the starry heavens… and the utter darkness of the void.

  Kuaisu gave Alex an appraising look. “You really are full of secrets, aren’t you, Ruidian boy?”

  Alex chuckled. “To the extent I’m actually Ruidian, sure.”

  Wu Xien and Tang exchanged an oddly intent look, before turning to their leader.

  “Lord Tie…”

  “It’s fine,” their party header declared, cutting the air with a quick hand gesture, earning several deferential nods in turn.

  Lao Tie then smiled warmly at them all. “Come, my friends. Let’s link arms and get ready to enter as one. Should any of us break up, no need to panic, the greeting room is a singular phenomenon so we should still appear right next to one another. Still, this is good practice for when we jump through to Winter.

  “Everyone linked up? Good. On my mark… through the gate!”

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