Chapter 40: One Cloud of Qi

Chapter 40: One Cloud of Qi

Paike and Gaun Li found Zhang Shuying, Mi Lixain, and his sister waiting for him in a group. None of them were making eye contact with each other, and Paike had a bad feeling sinking low in his gut. Thinking back to some of the things that were said during the run, he understood that perhaps no one had really made the proper impression on each other. How had this gone so wrong?

His team had performed more than satisfactory for the trial that got them access to this class. So it wasn’t as simple as just the team not working as he had problems with Guan Li and Liming that he hadn’t had before. Was it because he mostly knew Liming, and Guan Li already, and they had worked out strategies ahead of time and even talked about it? Even though he hadn’t known Yixin, Liming had.

Or… well, he, Liming, and Guan Li should have been able to work just fine. Maybe it was because they weren’t winning. The trial had been mainly effortless, at least in the team portion, whereas once they hit the obstacle course, things started to go wrong very quickly. And, well, when things were hard, you really found out who everyone was. But if he and Guan Li could move past it, why couldn’t everyone else as well?

Paike cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. His sister looked him in the eyes, but the other two just looked in his general direction. Guan Li stood off to the side, forming an evenly spaced pentagram.

“I just wanted to say something before class started,” Paike said. His face burned with shame, but he pressed forward. “I need to apologize. I lost my temper yesterday, and many of the things I said were neither true nor fair. I realize that without more than a cursory knowledge of all your abilities, there was little chance of us succeeding in the ways we all hoped to. I hope you all can accept my apology for my words and actions, and perhaps you can help me rectify some of the issues that may have led to any discomfort you felt.”

He finished with a deep, apologetic bow. Liming gave him a strange smile and nodded. Zhang Shuying returned his bow. Mi Lixain did not, but she looked him in the face and spoke up.

“I… I think we all messed up yesterday.”

Everyone around their little circle nodded in immediate agreement.

Mi Lixian continued. “I’m willing to let it go if all of you are as well.”

Another round of nods made Paike relax.

“I agree, though, Master Kong; we probably need to talk about this or talk about our abilities and practice them. Perhaps in a more slow-paced environment, rather than actively during the course.” She added.

They briefly talked about what they had learned from yesterday but didn’t have time for the in-depth discussion they all knew they needed. They agreed to have it after class.

***

Elder Ji gave everyone a stern talking-to for the first part of the class, berating them for their inadequacies as cultivators and humans in general. The only person who seemed relatively immune from his ire was Li Feng, though even he received some general criticism. After a solid lecture, only then were they prepared to begin the lesson of the day. Paike supposed that what they had just heard was also considered a lesson despite the fact that it was relatively unpleasant and not mainly focused on physical cultivation.

The obstacle courses were limited to two today, but Elder Ji had made a few changes from how the runs went yesterday.

“Today, you won’t all be running for time. No. Instead, you’ll be in direct competition with one other team. For now, no interference will be allowed. But know that your reward for the day will be based directly on how you place compared to your opponents rather than overall time. So I encourage you to keep an eye on them and adapt your strategy based on what they’re doing.”

The teams were quickly announced. Li Feng’s team would have an easy time dominating Ren Shu and Han Saiyan’s team. Still, Paike and his teammates had a more difficult challenge: they would face the team led by the Shadow Empress’s daughter, Zhai Lianitian. And Xia Jun was not easy to forget with his lightly wolf techniques either.

Paike and his team looked around at each other, and their resolve tightened. They weren’t sure what the reward would be, but they were determined to do their absolute best to win, if not for the prize, then for the sake of victory itself.

They had to go first. It didn’t give them the time they had wanted to talk about their arts, but clearing the air seemed to have done some good anyway. Last time things hadn’t gone wrong until the third obstacle.

So even more than last time the first two obstacles were simple to pass. They already had strategies and didn’t deviate from their original attempt. They were just more efficient and even faster.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

However, when they reached the Enchanted Forest, Paike gathered everyone around. The woods were somehow more intimidating than last time. Knowing what would happen didn’t help. Though they didn’t have time to linger.