Chapter 37: Learning to Lose

Chapter 37: Learning to Lose

Paike looked left and right to see how the other teams were handling it. But beyond the first obstacle, he could only see blurry shapes. Was it always going to be the case, or did the elders just not want them to copy the strategies of the others for their first try? Whatever it was, he turned his focus to the narrow, glowing beam of light suspended over the bottomless chasms. Ghostly faces rippled through it, and it pulsed.

At the bottom of the chasm, he could see the dark waters and long shapes moving sideways through them. He swallowed, not liking the appearance of that. He didn’t think the elders would actually let them die during a trial like this. Still, there was definitely some real danger of being hurt. Hopefully, only hurt.

Paike crouched down and touched the beam of light. His hand passed through it, and he felt the warmth, seeing the shadow of his finger cast across the chasm.

“How are we supposed to—” Guan Li started in complete bewilderment and consternation, trailing off and gesturing to the light. “It’s light. We can’t walk on light. Do they expect us to fly or jump over?”

The far side was much too far to make it in a single leap. The others remained quiet. Paike was trying to figure out if he could use his shield to step on. Could he jump far enough? Create a shield? Jump off of it again? Probably not. He’d have to create it with his hand, which would make it hard for him to get his feet under, and it wouldn’t hold up his weight.

Well, it should hold up his weight, but he never tested it. It might fall with him. Would it be suspended in the air? And could he have multiple ones going at the same time? Would that work? Maybe. But then, why was the beam of light here?

Sitting down from his crouched position, he closed his eyes, sending out his spiritual senses, trying to feel the beam of light. And just as he thought, it wasn’t a simple light. The beam was woven through with qi—light, qi force, and something else he couldn’t understand. No major elements or anything. Was there some sort of illusion? Possibly, but not one he could pierce.

He touched it again and watched as the eddies of qi swirled around his finger.

“Liming,” he said. “Sister, would you mind touching the qi in the beam as well?”

He felt her crouch down next to him and gently trail her fingers through the qi, but it reacted differently to her. The qi refracted slightly as it passed through her fingers but didn’t cast a shadow. When he opened his eyes, everyone was staring at the light going through her hand.

Paike reached down and touched the light again. His finger cast a shadow though her hand. It was almost as if her hand wasn’t there. But when he closed his eyes again, he could tell there was some sort of interaction going on with her qi.

Was it because of his qi that the light was parting around him, that the qi couldn’t make it through? If he held his hand there long enough, would the light come through eventually, or was it simply being diverted?

Cautiously, he reached out and touched Liming’s hand. They both withdrew their fingers as if a burning sensation, as if they had put their hands too close to a fire, flared through them. Liming gasped, sticking her finger in her mouth.

“Ah!” Paike exclaimed. He offered his un touched hand to his sister, which she grabbed hard before he reached down and touched the light again with his other hand. This time, the light was more solid, though his hand still sunk into it slightly. The burning sensation returned, and he withdrew.

“Try touching it,” he instructed.

Liming reluctantly took her scorched finger out of her mouth and touched the beam with the back of her hand. The light completely held her weight.

“It seems that we just have to be in contact with each other for the light to be solid,” Paike surmised.

A few more rounds of testing later, they found that it was correct. Paike would slowly sink through, but it was slow enough that, if he ran, he might be able to make it across regardless.

“So, how do we do this?” Zhang Shuying asked.

Paike frowned. He didn’t want to go first because his presence interrupted the beam. “But you and Guan Li are the most mobile. Why don’t you two try crossing together?”

The two of them looked at each other. Guan Li shrugged, offering his hand. Zhang Shuying colored slightly but took his hand, and together, they dashed across the beam, Guan Li pulling her along as she tried to keep up. Halfway through, the beam pulsed, and faces appeared in it.

The two were flung forward, and Guan Li just managed to keep a hold of her hand as he wrapped an arm and leg around the beam while she flung past him, sending him sliding several body lengths further along the beam before he managed to arrest their fall.

Zhang Shuying let out a shrill shriek as she dangled a mere meter above the water, which splashed up at her, soaking her feet. Guan Li grunted and heaved with one arm, pulling her up where she could grab onto the beam as well. With some wriggling, they managed to get her on without losing contact with each other. But just before they were about to get to their feet, the beam pulsed again, and they were rocketed forward another body length.

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