In a secluded part of the sect, the place where Nue Toah chose to train was probably the most serene place an outer disciple could find. One could forget they were part of a sect or anything in particular here, reverting to being nothing more than a hermit. It was designed to be like this for a reason, giving every disciple a chance at self-reflection and a kind of enlightenment that may come... or may not. It was never something that could be forced. The grassy, serene little spot was laid out beyond the usual solitude meditation spots, and a bit deeper into the mountains than the higher-end training grounds. It also wasn't cheap to reserve a spot, yet Nue had already spent multiple days here by now, spending all that she had saved up to try and enter the Inner Disciples' ranks.

  Currently, she was standing in the middle of the lush greenery, her breathing slow and perfectly measured, falling into a familiar rhythm she had developed over the years of cultivation since joining the sect. Reaching a kind of equilibrium, she rolled her shoulders once, feeling the tension she had in her since her defeat finally lessened to an almost unnoticeable degree. The change was even visible on her body, as her muscles were now leaner than before; the bulk she had developed was now pared down into something tighter-looking, becoming something much more efficient. She even felt it when she trained, as she could now execute her Red Fang technique with much greater success and, more importantly, with much greater speed, as she stopped going for raw strength alone.

  Her eyes slowly opening, she exhaled through her nose, then moved, and her technique exploded with a much stronger pulse. She could feel her blood flow more clearly, and then her stance dropped low, her weight shifting forward, her naked toes gripping the stone hidden under the thick grass, while her first strike carved through the air.

  It was faster than when she fought Siu, and it also felt much more brutal. It was a straight, tearing motion, and when her hand was drawing backwards, the air cracked faintly with a subtle flash of red sparking through the air, but only for a moment. Of course, it was just the opening of her chain attack, so the second one came right after as her foot slid forward, her torso turning just enough to let the momentum carry her sideways. Then, all of a sudden, her arm curved, redirecting, guiding the imagined counter away from her centerline, with the third chain immediately executing as a counter-attack.

  If Siu had been there, if he had stood close by, watching, he would have recognized it immediately. That was from the Crane Form... It was not the whole posture that he was taught, but the counter itself was lifted from it and implemented into the Red Fang. The angle of her shoulder, the timing of the shift of her waist, the way the counterstrike lashed out, all of it was unmistakable, and it showed Nue's actual, high-level familiarity with her chosen technique to be able to implement something like the Crane into its moveset.

  Of course, it was not the end of her chain attacks, as her body flowed into her fourth strike without pause, her blood surging again, her arms flaring up with another flash of red, her breathing accelerating as the technique demanded more and more of her blood and from her marrow, pushing them to their limits. Her strikes chained together, each feeding the next, the familiar intoxicating pull of momentum threatening to drag her into recklessness. That desire became even stronger this time around, and she let it happen, but only just for a moment, before she broke the chain herself.

  The moment she did so, her next step was wrong, but intentionally so, as she overextended, letting her balance tip forward, and her guard open a fraction too wide, a mistake that would have been fatal against a competent opponent. She could already imagine her enemy wanting to capitalize on it, only to see her lips curl into a thin smile. At the next breath, she turned sharply, twisting her supporting leg on her ankle, straining the tendons and muscles to their limit, before snapping her arm back across her body like an elastic whip, deflecting the attack she had imagined. The movement was abrupt, most certainly ugly, but it carried her full power with it, pulling the Red Fang’s savage flow into a tight arc that would have torn into anyone who took the bait, and when her block ended, it would allow her to initiate a new chain to be started.

  But she knew she wasn't there yet; her internal energies couldn't handle a second chain... for now. Stopping, her breathing burned now, her lungs were dragging in air as sweat began to soak her back, but she only let out a long sigh, feeling more satisfied than after anything else she did for the past year or so.

  "Hah!" She laughed, shaking her head, raising a hand, flexing her fingers before wiping the sweat from her brows, "Progress... Who would have guessed? Hmph!"

  Although it wasn’t a full-on breakthrough, she knew that she had still exploded forward more than just a step, especially when it came to her Red Fang style. Although she was way too prideful and confident... after her loss to something she would call so stupid a year prior, she immediately went and looked through all of the Hollow Song forms. All of them.

  "Now this... is more like an Inner Disciple." She told herself proudly, slapping her own chest, letting her lungs breathe in deep and then exhale, feeling how her blood was still rushing. Close... she was so close to the next level.

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  Finishing her training and feeling ready to return to a kind of normalcy, she didn't leave immediately; instead, she began waiting as she had called for someone just a day prior. Almost as if perfectly counted, the man she sought had appeared only five minutes later, sighing and stopping, stretching his back.

  "Damn girl, you are really making me walk out here... If not for you paying handsomely, I would not have even come."

  “Tell that to your boss, Toban.” She answered, looking over him, crossing her arms, "I pay, you work."

  "True, true," he smiled, shaking his head, "So, what will it be?"

  "What else?" She snorted, rolling her eyes, “I need information.”

  “Of course you do, I was asking about what or whom?” His eyes flicked briefly around the secluded field before returning to her. “About him, I guess?”

  "Of course," She didn’t even bother denying it. “I want to know his current level and all the news while I was in seclusion.”

  "You see..." Toban’s smile thinned, surprising Nue, "That,” he said carefully, “will cost you more than before.”

  "So he did something, huh?" She raised an eyebrow, nodding, “Name it.”

  “Information about Siu,” Toban continued, “has become… competitive and very much lucrative. Most tidbits start at Flame-grade, the cheapest being two such CC. Girl, he’s a hot commodity among brokers; everyone wants to know about... Well..." he stopped, then smiled, "Well, because you are a good, repeat customer, I'll throw this in as a gift: Everyone wants to know about what's up with his spirit beast.”

  Hearing that word, Nue's eyes flashed red as she reached into her robe without hesitation and produced a pouch heavy with cultivation crystals, and she tossed it at him without hesitation. Of course, Toban caught it, weighed it once in his hand before glancing into it, his eyes scanning its contents, nodding back at her.

  “Pleasure doing business. So! You missed a lot,” he began at once, “First, the duel did exactly what you’d expect, it made noise, and he became a bit of a star after he humiliated you.”

  "Asshole." She growled, but Toban ignored her, continuing as if Nue said nothing. "Tsk..."

  Ignoring her remarks, he told her about the aftermath either way: how he had refused every invitation, angering half of the outer disciples, who now think he is just as arrogant as Nue. Then he told her about Elder Thane’s growing interest in the boy, about a test he sent him on, the one that apparently Siu had failed in just a day. Which, of course, was another thing that split the rest of the outer disciples, as many thought it just showed Siu's own hubris and arrogance, and that he didn't learn from it at all... While the other half was saying that even if he failed, he had still won because he had come back with a fox as his contracted spirit beast. Those disciples all agreed that every one of them would have abandoned the test, even if it was given by an elder! Who wouldn't?! A contracted spirit beast was way more valuable than any CC being paid for some mission that can be tried at a later time. Lastly, what Toban had told Nue was that Siu's name, right after his contracted beast became known, even made it to the Inner Disciples, too.

  “As for his cultivation, he hadn't advanced, still in the Bone Tempering stage," Toban said, smiling a little, "but he is focusing on his martial skills instead of rushing, developing all his bones through that. A pretty smart move in my opinion.”

  “And the fox?” Nue asked, wanting to know more about that part instead of Siu's strength.

  "Even I am jealous about that!" Toban exhaled, running his fingers through his hair, “He has a Mutual Contract with that fox... Tsk! Apparently, Elder Thane took him up to see Elder Delia to help him form it... Privileged bastard.”

  "..." Nue's eyes flickered after hearing that, but then she forced some calmness onto herself, taking another breath.

  “As for the spirit beast itself,” Toban stopped, crossing his arms, thinking for a moment, “What we know is that it's still young, but highly intelligent, and already showing… Hm... some unusual traits. From what I gathered, it has to be some kind of Illusion-adjacent innate ability, but I have nothing concrete.”

  “Good enough...” Nue Toah said quietly.

  “He’s valuable,” Toban added, looking into her eyes. “Dangerously so, if I want to be honest. Between his rate of growth and that beast, some inner disciples already consider him a future competitor. If you ask me, with the Elders' help, it is pretty evident that the sect itself values his talent. I am telling you my personal evaluation here, Nue... He will become a Core Disciple.”

  “Just because the Elders like him?” she asked.

  “When was the last time an Elder looked out for an OUTER Disciple this many times, hm?” Toban replied with a question of his own, “Don't be stupid, girl. Only the blind can't see the obvious.”

  For a long minute, a deathly silence stretched between them before Nue Toah closed her eyes, taking a very long breath, as if wanting to suffocate herself on air, letting it all out in a dramatic groan, finally speaking once more, being surprisingly calm.

  “I want to meet him.”

  "Hmmm..." Toban frowned at that, “That’s… may not be an easy thing to bring about.”

  “I’m not asking for a favor,” she said at once, “I’m paying you to do it.”

  "Even then," He studied her face, searching for something, anger, fear, desperation, but what he found was something... interesting. “You’re sure?” he asked, making a decision. “This isn’t the kind of move people make when they plan to strike at their archenemy.”

  "Archenemy?" She snorted, "Hmph! And if I do? What can you do about it anyway?" Her lips curved slightly. “Just get him to meet me.”

  "Give me time," Toban nodded in the end, “I’ll arrange it, but it may take a few weeks.” Seeing Nue nod, he turned to leave, but then he paused, barely taking a step, looking back at her. “One more thing,” he began, “If you’re thinking of testing him again… don’t underestimate how much he’s advanced. You may be close to entering the Blood Resonance stage, but... I would bet on his victory, technique-wise.”

  "You are only saying that because your information is outdated," Nue answered simply, making him smile and nod his head, giving her the win this time before he finally left, returning to the sect.