Ishin peered over the side of the small sky chariot as it flew through the air. Wind brushed against his face, providing a pleasant relief from the humidity of Desolate Island that he had been forced to endure for nearly a month. The smell of salt wafted up from the black ocean waters below, and the unblocked sunlight brought a gentle warmth to his skin.

  Thank the Heavens we’re off the island.

  His attention turned again toward the towering mountain range in the distant east. The peaks stretched so high that they vanished into the pale clouds far ahead.

  “The qi!” Mei exclaimed from behind him, drawing his attention. “It’s back!”

  “It is?”

  “No way,” Rhee said in disbelief.

  Immediately, Ishin opened his third eye and saw that the white-haired woman was right. Wisps of qi filled the air, creating a rainbow-colored tapestry. Wind, light, water, thunder, and various other colors that Ishin couldn’t identify encircled the soaring chariot.

  There it is.

  Strands of bright blue qi coasted around him. It appeared in smaller amounts than the wind, water, or light qi that dominated the surroundings—but it was unmistakable.

  Lightning qi.

  After going so long without being near any ambient qi, its sudden reappearance was almost overwhelming. Ishin was tempted to try cultivating it right then and there, but thought better of it. There wasn’t enough space on the small chariot for him to take a seated position, and he didn’t want to risk loosening his grip on the handles and falling off. Given that they were at least five hundred feet above the water, Ishin suspected he wouldn’t survive the fall.

  “It really was just the island then,” Long mused. The archer had closed his eyes but remained standing, holding one of the handles near the rear of the chariot.

  “I still don’t understand how that’s possible,” Rhee said, turning her gaze back toward the anomaly that was Desolate Island. “How can an entire island lack any ambient qi?”

  “It does seem odd,” Mei agreed, also glancing back. “Perhaps someone at the Sect knows.”

  “Like your aunt?” Ishin asked.

  “Mmm, yes. Like her.” Mei’s lips twisted in contemplation before she added, “Last I heard, she was the Outer Sect Library Elder. If there’s any official record explaining it, she would know.”

  “Your aunt oversees the Outer Sect Library?” Long asked, displaying more interest than Ishin had ever seen from him.

  Mei nodded. “I believe so. I haven’t spoken with her in five years, but my father told me she was recently promoted to that position before I left.”

  Long’s expression quickly recomposed into its usual calm, an impressive transformation that Ishin couldn’t help but notice. “I see. If possible, I would very much like to meet her.”

  I wonder what he’s looking for in the library.

  “I should be able to introduce you,” Mei affirmed with a smile. “I’m excited to see her again. Aunt Su was always very kind.”

  “Wasn’t she the one who recruited you to the Sect?” Rhee questioned. “How you got your special robes?”

  Mei looked away in shame. “I… yes, she gave me my robes. But it was Elder Violet Scarf who actually recruited me.”

  “Not your aunt?” Ishin asked.

  “Technically, no.” Mei sighed. “She just recommended me to Elder Violet Scarf. The Sect frowns upon familial bias influencing disciple recruitment. Elder Violet Scarf visited my clan in Frost Wind City and brought me back here. I only saw Aunt Su when I arrived at the carpet”—she gestured back at the flying carpet floating over Desolate Island—“and was given my robes.”

  “So your aunt just ensured you were recruited, then gave you protection to guarantee your survival,” Rhee summarized, her tone laced with scorn.

  “I… guess so.”

  Her aunt couldn’t recruit her outright?

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Ishin had assumed that nepotism would be just as rampant in the Crimson Abyss Sect as it was in any large organization. Even in the Daihu Tribe, parents often worked to secure prominent placements for their children. Jun Wu’s grandfather, one of the tribe’s elders, had arranged a position for his grandson within the warrior structure. Had Ishin been able to cultivate from the beginning, his own mother no doubt would have done the same.

  I wonder if the Culling was designed partially to prevent favored recruits from entering the Sect without being worthy. It explains why Mei’s aunt gave her those robes, but even then, there was a real chance she could have died. Besides, Mei is strong—even without those robes.

  Rhee turned her back on Mei, looking ahead to the distant shore of the continent. “Can you at least tell us what to expect when we arrive?”

  “I know that the Sect is divided into three tiers,” Mei offered hesitantly. “There’s the Outer Sect, Inner Sect, and Core Sect. Um, we’ll start in the Outer Sect, and once a year there’s a trial to enter the Inner Sect.”

  “What good is that?” Rhee snapped. “Everyone knows sects have different disciple ranks. Can’t you tell us something useful?”

  Mei visibly winced under the rebuke.

  “Enough, Sister Rhee,” Ishin interjected.

  Rhee looked at him in surprise. “You’re standing up for her? Her?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  He met her gaze evenly. “Because you’re being rude. You’ve been rude to her for the last two weeks. That’s long enough.”

  Rhee’s hand tightened on the chariot’s handle. “Just because you’ve forgiven her doesn’t mean I have to.”

  “Then what, Rhee? Are you going to treat her this way forever?”

  “Perhaps! It’s what she deserves, and I don’t have to forgive her just because you say so.”

  The two glared at each other in silence.

  “We’ll soon reach the Sect,” Ishin said, his tone firm. “We should leave our past resentment on the island.”

  “Says you!” Rhee’s lip twitched with agitation. “She lied to us. Lei and Chen are dead because of it.”

  Ishin opened his mouth to protest, but Rhee held up a hand. “And no—it’s not the same as you keeping your technique a secret. I’ve thought about what you said and disagree.”

  “I didn’t think it would harm anyone,” Mei spoke softly from the rear of the chariot.

  “I’m not talking to you right now!” Rhee snapped.

  “Sorry,” Mei muttered.

  “You don’t need to forgive her,” Ishin stated. “But that behavior”—he motioned toward the wounded-looking Mei—“is the problem.”

  Rhee frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “The four of us are all we have. We don’t know anyone else in the Sect or what to expect. We need to stick together, and that isn’t possible if you keep treating Mei like trash.”

  “I won’t forgive her.”

  “Fine! Don’t. But treat her like a comrade if nothing else. You don’t need to be friends, but we should at least all try to work together. Can you do that?”

  Rhee was silent for several breaths.

  “Fine,” she said at last, the word grated out with undisguised malice.

  “Sister Rhee—”

  “I said fine.”

  “Alright.” Ishin studied her expression. She was clearly upset, but he appreciated that she would at least try to coexist with Mei. “Thank you.”

  Rhee ignored him, staring off to the east.

  Hopefully time will help.

  He noticed Mei opening her mouth to say something, but shook his head. She closed it again, and the four flew in silence.

  Four hours later, the sky chariot finally reached the coast of the continent. The Crimson Abyss Sect was vast, stretching along the ocean’s edge and surrounded by the towering mountain range to the east, north, and south. A grand tower of polished red-black stone stood proudly against the shore, rising at least three hundred feet tall. Deeper within the Sect, a red and black wall concealed the inner region from view. Below them, Ishin could see hundreds of red and black buildings spread across dozens of miles outside the inner wall.

  “Look over there,” Rhee said, pointing to the southeast, her previous anger apparently faded. “A forest.”

  Ishin saw it—a vast dark green forest covered the southeastern quarter of the Sect’s exterior, stretching toward the distant mountains.

  “This place is so big.”

  “Larger than Yellow Dome City,” Rhee agreed. She looked toward the inner walls that concealed the Sect’s heart. “I wonder what’s behind there?” Even from high above, they couldn’t see past the imposing walls.

  “That’s the Inner Sect,” Mei explained.

  “Really?” Rhee asked.

  Ishin was glad she wasn’t snapping at Mei anymore.

  “Mm-hmm.” Mei gestured toward the open exterior region along the long coastal stretch. “My aunt told me this whole area is the Outer Sect.” She pointed toward a cluster of closely connected buildings along the southern coast. “That’s Residence Row, where we’ll be given lodging.”

  “They provide us housing?” Long asked.

  “Yes.”

  That’s good. Ishin pointed toward the tall stone tower their chariot was approaching. “Do you know what that is?”

  “Afraid not. My aunt only told me that once I entered the Sect, I’d be taken to the Administrative Hall. I don’t even know where that is, though.”

  The sky chariot finally reached the edge of the coast and slowed. The tower Ishin had wondered about stood a few hundred feet to the south, while to the north he could see a seven-story building about two hundred feet away.

  Is that the Administrative Hall?

  The chariot began its descent, and Rhee pointed out a square wooden platform directly beneath them. Two minutes later, the sky chariot settled gently onto the platform.

  The Crimson Abyss Sect. We’re here.