Their last night on the island passed in relative peace, the four boys each lost in thoughts of their own.

  Serbo au Serbo was the most relaxed in the group. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as he’d finished eating, right there on the hard ground where he sat, snoozing away in the open air without a care in the world.

  Sun Yuan sat up with the others a little longer, but he didn’t say much either, staring into the dying embers of the fire for a long while before curling into a ball and falling asleep. Yan Ziqi followed soon after, and in the end, Yu Chen found himself alone.

  A gust of cold wind passed over them, and the last flames of the fire flickered before going out completely. It had reached the end of its life, and the warmth that had once radiated from it had already begun to fade, until its once lively presence was nothing more than an old memory, like all the other things Yu Chen had left behind.

  It was hard not to feel melancholic on nights like tonight, nights when he felt alone, despite being surrounded by the presence of other people. He looked around at the other three boys, each fast asleep in a world all their own.

  But, he wasn’t alone anymore was he?

  He'd somehow managed to piece together a group with the strength and skills to reach Baixian City, and perhaps even further, towards whatever came next. Sun Yuan was a talented navigator who handled the ship like it was an extension of his own body, while Yan Ziqi was an expert artificer, capable of repairing any damage their ship could sustain.

  Yu Chen’s gaze turned towards their newest addition, looking at the barbaric man peacefully snoring as he lay on the cold ground. Serbo au Serbo was a powerful fighter who loved to cook, and he’d surely prove to be a valuable member on their journey upriver.

  Which left himself. What did Yu Chen bring to this rag-tag collection? He didn’t have a particular skill like the others, and he wasn’t the strongest in the group either. He grappled with the question as the air grew colder and the moon rose higher in the sky.

  His gaze crossed the others again, and a chuckle escaped his lips as a thought struck him. No, he might not be the strongest or the most skilled, but he had a power all his own, and it had nothing to do with brains or brawn.

  What he had was that ineffable something that people gravitated towards. He was the one who had pulled them together, dragging Sun Yuan from the taverns he’d been wasting away within, and Yan Ziqi from the tiny workshop he’d spent all his life within. Without him, Serbo au Serbo would still be stuck on a random island in the middle of nowhere, untold miles away from home and without the prospects to return.

  What Yu Chen brought was vision and purpose, leading them towards a destiny they could scarcely imagine, one he could scarcely imagine, though he saw it in his dreams at times. Visions of a massive tree, one that he’d never seen before. Its trunk dwarfed the mountains beneath it, and its canopy overshadowed the land. Even the mighty yellow river was nothing before its majesty.

  Dragons and Phoenixes nestled within the branches of that mighty tree, alongside stranger things still, things Yu Chen would one day lead them to see.

  That was what Yu Chen brought to the group.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  They left early the next morning, departing the camp shortly after everyone had awoken. The walk back to the coast was relatively uneventful, and their journey through the forest was almost enjoyable without the wolves around that had plagued them on their way in.

  They eventually made it to the coast, white sands and yellow water appearing as they left the forest behind. Sun Yuan threw out his hand, a small model ship flying out from within his robes. Serbo watched with unabashed interest as Sun Yuan summoned the ship. The small model rapidly enlarged as it flew through the air, forming into a full-sized spirit vessel that was the equal of anything else sailing across the river. The ship fell into the water with a splash once it was fully grown, displacing a ton of water as it rocked back and forth in the shallows.

  The four of them jumped aboard, beginning their journey anew.

  They fell into a routine as they began traveling the river, the days passing one after the other as they pushed their way upriver. During this time, the barbarian proved himself a useful addition to the crew, taking only half a look at the galley before making himself at home.

  They were happy enough to leave him to it. They’d grown attached to the barbarian’s peculiar seasoning as time passed, but it turned out he knew more familiar ways in which to prepare food, having taken an interest in the cuisine of the places he’d passed through.

  Serbo au Serbo turned out to have a particular fascination with fish as well, spending his evenings fishing above deck, seemingly delighted at the ease with which he could just pull food from the river. He seemed to be fascinated with finding new ways to cook them, but beyond that he passed time much the same as the rest of them.

  Except when it came to sparring. Serbo au Serbo turned out to be a demon in a fight, and he didn’t have to be asked twice to join in. Or once for that matter. He’d hurried forward the first morning he’d seen Yu Chen and Sun Yuan battling across the deck, calling out to fight the winner.

  Which was how Yu Chen found himself standing across from the broad-shouldered man with his wide smile that showed each and every tooth, including his sharp canines.

  Good. The thought crossed his mind as he stared at the older boy, who he was happy enough to fight.

  In truth, sparring Sun Yuan hadn’t been enough to really test him and show off what his newly tempered body was capable of. Their habit of sparring had helped the other boy improve his skills, but he was still far away from being able to take Yu Chen in a fair fight.

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  However, if the dense aura radiating from Serbo au Serbo was anything to judge by, Yu Chen had found a whetstone to hone him.

  Yu Chen frowned as he stared at the boy across from him on the deck. Serbo appeared content to stand there patiently, forcing Yu Chen to make the first move.

  He was more than happy to oblige, bursting into sudden movement as he dashed towards the muscular boy, but Yu Chen felt that something was off. The realization came too late that Serbo had been calmly tracking his every move. If the barbarian found his speed at all surprising, the only noticeable sign was the slight quirk of his eyebrow as he leaned slightly, avoiding the punch coming his way.

  Instead, Yu Chen was the one who was surprised that his fist had missed so completely. He didn’t hesitate, however, using the momentum of his punch as it pulled him forward. Stomping down hard with one foot he pivoted, swinging his other fist around in a vicious backhanded blow that went right over Serbo au Serbo’s head.

  That was when it happened.

  His fist smashed through empty space, barely grazing the short hair of the man's head, but he hardly had time to register it before he felt a firm grip cinch around his waist. He barely had time to blink in surprise before the sky filled his vision. He was lifted into the air, but before he could fully grasp what was happening a new problem confronted him.

  The deck was approaching, rapidly growing larger in his vision.

  Disorientation. Confusion. Yu Chen blinked, looking around as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, but the world around him shifted hazily. Several moments passed before he remembered who he was, and the whole time his head beat like a drum. The ringing in his ears made it hard to focus, but he pushed himself to his feet anyways. He didn’t make it further than two steps before the deck swayed and took his feet from under him.

  He put one hand on the deck, bracing himself as his stomach roiled. What happened? He thought, as he fought back the urge to vomit, but a heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder, and he looked up to see the barbarian’s strange, wide smile grinning down on him.

  Ah, right.

  The man was a wrestler. Yu Chen stifled a groan as he bounced back to his feet, his nausea already dissipating as his body began its regenerative process. He shook his head as the last of the dizziness left him.

  “Again.”

  Serbo au Serbo had spoken, and Yu Chen looked up, watching as the older boy paced across the deck before turning around to face him. This time he took a stance, one foot sliding over as he dropped his hips and raised both arms up before him.

  It looked almost silly, the way he stood there, slightly crouched with his arms bobbing in the air before him. To Yu Chen’s eyes it didn’t even look practical. Not only had he left his center wide open, but his peculiar stance also meant it would be difficult to quickly shift his footwork, giving up speed for stability.

  It also seemed an impossible stance from which to block a blow. His arms were raised, but they weren’t doing much to cover his face, and any kicks towards his legs would be awkward to block.

  Yu Chen knew it wasn’t so simple, despite the apparent weaknesses. He’d already felt the man’s power, and the purpose of the stance was clear to his eyes. It invited attack, but that wasn’t the point, the truth was that it put Serbo in the perfect position to get his hands on you.

  And he couldn’t see any way to avoid it. He frowned as he analyzed the other boy, who still hadn’t moved. No matter how he looked at it, even if he landed a blow there was no way to prevent Serbo from digging his claws in. Not that he was sure he could manage it.

  The memories of those two missed attacks ran through Yu Chen’s mind.

  He gritted his teeth as he considered his options. Being grabbed might be unavoidable, but he could get at least one hit in.

  He dashed forward, attacking with a calculated swing that never reached its target. Serbo grabbed his arm as it flew towards him and twisted his hips, using Yu Chen’s momentum to throw him over his shoulder.

  Yu Chen hit the deck, rolling hard. He growled in frustration as he leapt back to his feet, attacking once again.

  He lost track of how many rounds they went, eventually falling to the deck of his own accord, gasping as sweat poured off of him.

  Serbo was a fine wrestler, but that was only the tip of his skills. He’d thrown Yu Chen to the deck over and over again, but eventually he’d grown bored of that, and begun to engage him with his own traditional martial arts.

  The barbarian’s attacks didn’t contain a lot of punches, his preferred method of attack being the side of his palm or the point of his fingers, hard blows that threatened to maim or injure. He attacked with the base of his palm as well, using the straight bone of his arm to strike forward in a dangerous blow.

  He watched in interest as Sun Yuan approached, taking a turn to spar with the stronger boy.

  Thankfully Serbo au Serbo seemed to know his own strength, and he kept it tightly contained as he sparred with the younger boy. Yu Chen could tell he was taking it easy, but he certainly didn’t show it, giving Sun Yuan the same respect he’d give any opponent.

  Sun Yuan for his part, struggled mightily, but no matter how he tried, fighting against the Foundation Establishment expert was even more hopeless than fighting against Yu Chen. Still, it was a valuable experience. He twirled his saber around masterfully, looping it through tight circles, but Serbo always found a way through.

  At some point the barbarian pulled out a weapon of his own, although it wasn’t the large bow Yu Chen knew he carried. Instead, he carried what looked like two meat cleavers, roughhewn artifacts crafted from a dark metal of unknown origin. They might be crude, but they glistened with a wicked aura.

  He was skilled in their use, but Sun Yuan actually started to perform better now that he was facing another weapon. He was more experienced fending off cuts and stabs that the quick attacks and strange throws the barbarian preferred to use.

  To their surprise even Yan Ziqi appeared, and from that day forth he began sparring with the other Foundation Establishment cultivator, focused on improving his skills as he came to grips with his newly tempered body.

  It also became evident why the other boy hadn’t wanted to spar with them before.

  Yan Ziqi didn’t seem to know any traditional martial arts, and he quickly fell apart whenever Serbo managed to get close. Which, to be fair, wasn’t too often. Fighting in Foundation Establishment was quite different, and the two cultivators concentrated much more on using their special abilities than they did on using their physical forms, although Serbo combined both.

  Yan Ziqi fought as he always did, swirling dozens of tiny tools through the air, and his newly tempered body gave him some much-needed mobility as he leapt about the deck avoiding the attacks Serbo sent his way.

  At first, he’d fought to get close, but when it became clear that Yan Ziqi was too wily to allow it the barbarian had finally unveiled his bow, using it to send charged arrows his way. Serbo always came out on top in the end, but the fights were far closer than Yu Chen would have assumed.

  They continued to press up the unchanging waters, the four of them gradually growing in stronger in their own ways as the days passed.

  Until the day came when the waters finally changed.

  Smoke drifted across the water, and on the horizon, Yu Chen could see a fire raging in the sky.