The climb was long. They passed a grove of trees with crystal-clear sap that hummed when the wind blew. They saw a family of six-legged, furred lizards that skittered up cliff faces with magnetic ease. They saw flowers of every color, but no violet bell-shaped blossoms or ugly grey thistles.
They crossed paths with another group led by Yun. Among them a calm, intense boy acknowledged them with a slight nod but didn't stop to talk, his small group moving with silent purpose towards a different ridge.
Later, the sound of rushing water drew them to a wide, rocky stream. On the opposite bank, a tense standoff was unfolding. A disciple from the top three—a broad-shouldered young man named Kaito—held a shimmering **Greyheart Thistle** aloft. Two other groups eyed him and each other warily, their postures tense.
"Want to go even the odds?" Gen muttered, a competitive glint in his eye. "Four groups, one plant. Last one standing takes it."
Liang shook his head firmly. "It's a waste of energy. We still need to find the blossom itself. And look at him." He nodded toward Kaito. "That's Kaito. He's ranked second. He fights with Earth-aligned Jingdao. They say he can sink a man waist-deep into solid rock with a stomp. Even if you won, you'd be exhausted."
Li Fen nodded, her gaze analytical. "Liang is right. The top three are all on the cusp of the Third Wheel. Once they break through, they'll be eligible to leave the palace and take on roles as full cultivators in the world. A fight here would be pointless arrogance."
Gen watched Kaito. The older youth couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen. The idea that someone so young could be that close to such power—power that would grant them freedom to roam the continent—sent a jolt through him. It broadened his world. *If they can be that strong that young...* In his mind, a new timeline formed. *Five years. I have five years before the Damocles fall. In five years, I need to be strong enough to face the Divine Generals. That means... I need to reach the Fifth Wheel by then.* The scale of the task was terrifying, but instead of crushing him, it lit a fire. His fist clenched at his side, a silent vow.
They moved on, leaving the tension at the stream behind.
It was Liang who spotted it first—a shimmer in the dappled shade of a rocky overhang. A **Diamond Cobra**, no longer than his arm, coiled in a patch of sun, its prismatic scales making it look like a pile of scattered jewels. It was sleeping, an Infant.
"Look," Liang whispered, pointing. "The guardian. The thistle might be close."
"Or the mother is," Li Fen said, her voice low but edged with excitement. "A nest this high... it could be a prime spot for the Sleeping Deity Blossom. The soil would be pure, the energy clear."
"You're getting reckless," Liang observed, a small smile touching his lips as he looked at her eager face. "Gen's rubbing off on you."
"I am not reckless," Li Fen retorted, but her eyes were bright with the thrill of the hunt. "I am strategically curious."
"Let's check," Gen said, already moving forward with exaggerated, comical stealth, tiptoeing over the noisy gravel.
They slipped into the shadow of the overhang. The small cobra didn't stir. The nest was a shallow depression lined with shed scales and dry moss. They scanned the cracks in the rock, the patches of soil... nothing.
Then a dry, slow *rasp* echoed from deeper in the crevice. A massive, wedge-shaped head, larger than Gen's torso, emerged from the darkness. Scales the size of dinner plates gleamed with a hard, blinding light. This was no Infant. This was a mother, a Diamond Cobra at the absolute peak of its Infant stage, its power a dense, oppressive pressure in the confined space.
For one frozen second, all three of them stared into its cold, intelligent eyes.
"Run," Li Fen breathed.
They ran.
It was a frantic, scrambling dash back into the open air, down the slope, leaping over rocks. Gen, glancing back, let out a breathless laugh. "You're fast! I thought you were all delicate steps and manipulation!"
Li Fen, her robes snagging on a branch, shot him a venomous look even as she ran. "I am *preserving my life*, you oaf! It's called tactical retreat!"
Liang, panting beside her, managed a wheeze. "She knew what she was doing... she knew we'd... have to run..."
"Shut up, both of you!" Li Fen hissed, but a helpless, giddy laugh escaped her as they finally slowed, putting distance between them and the nest. The shared spike of fear melted into relieved, breathless camaraderie.
They continued their search, the bond between them tightening. The shared punishment, the training, and now this—the failed, funny, frightening adventure—was weaving them together.
After half a day, the mountain grew quiet. Other groups had either succeeded and left or retreated. They found themselves alone in the high, thin air.
Gen tossed a smooth stone in his hand, frustrated. "Nothing. Are we in the wrong place?"
Li Fen scanned the quiet slopes, her brow furrowed. "This is the right terrain. But it's too quiet. We should have been challenged by a guardian cobra for the thistle by now. A real one, not a sleeping baby."
"Maybe we went too fast," Liang suggested, kneeling to examine the ground. "We could have passed a side path."
They decided to retrace their steps, moving slower, eyes sharp. That's when they saw the signs—fresh gouges on tree bark, snapped saplings, dark splatters on the ferns.
A low, pained whimper echoed from a denser thicket below.
They froze, then ran toward the sound.
They burst into a small, rocky hollow. The scene was wrong.
A massive **Diamond Cobra** was coiled tightly around a young female disciple, her face pale with terror. On the ground nearby, a male disciple lay motionless in a spreading pool of blood.
And on a flat boulder, Jun sat watching, his expression one of mild, detached interest.
Gen's body flared with golden light. "What are you doing?!" he roared.
Liang's face hardened. "Release her! Now!"
Li Fen's shock was colder, more analytical. Her eyes darted from Jun to the perfectly still cobra. "He's controlling it. That's advanced Shidow. He shouldn't be able to... he only reached the Second Wheel last year..."
Jun's gaze slid to Li Fen. When his eyes landed on her, they changed. The detachment melted into a deep, possessive hunger. He looked at her as a collector looks at a prize. A chill ran down her spine.
"Disciple Li Fen," Jun said, his voice smooth. "If you had joined my group, you would be in her place. But you were smart. For now."
The pieces clicked together in Li Fen's mind. The confidence, the unnatural control, the vile look. She took a step back. "You're with the Bliss Palace."
The name meant nothing to Gen and Liang, but the dread in her voice was clear.
Jun smiled. "Very good. But it doesn't matter. I would have looked for you here anyway. All of you." His gaze swept over them. "He wants a collection. Promising cultivators, their potential... harvested."
Li Fen trembled, not from fear of Jun, but from fear of *who* had given him such power. "You use people... their bodies, their energy... to force open your own Acupoints. It's a parasite's path."
Gen's disgust was visceral. "You're sick. I'll beat you into the ground."
Liang grabbed his arm. "Gen, wait. He's two full Wheels above us. Even Li Fen is only Second." He turned, his voice urgent. "One of us has to go for help. The others have to hold him."
Gen shook his head. "I'm not leaving her with that." He nodded to the trapped girl.
Li Fen, pale but resolute, said, "I won't abandon you two."
Liang's shoulders slumped. "I can't leave Gen."
Jun looked delighted. "A noble, stupid stand. Perfect." He hopped down from the boulder. "My task was to collect 'donors.' My colleagues will collect them later. A tragic training accident. The palace will mourn, then move on."
Li Fen's voice was ice. "If Immortal Jiang were here, he would crush the Bliss Palace into dust, like he did in the past."
Jun's smile didn't falter. "But Immortal Jiang isn't here. He's dead."
Gen took a step forward, placing himself between Jun and the others. The golden sheen of the Eternal Body solidified over his skin. "My father is dead," he said, his voice low and lethal. "But I'm here."
Jun stared, then threw his head back and laughed—a harsh, mocking sound. "You? What are you going to do with your meager abilities? You're a child playing with his father's legacy."
He raised a hand. The Diamond Cobra's head lifted, its eyes fixing on Li Fen. Jun's other hand began to weave a complex pattern in the air, and the full, oily pressure of his **Shidow**-based Third Wheel aura descended upon the hollow.