Avyr laughed on the ground in front of him, and as Mingtian ran a hand through his fur in the same way all the cat spirit beasts he’d known always liked, he knew it wasn’t over. Actually, he was rather wroth with himself— if he’d merely been paying better attention to Avyr too instead of focusing so hard and making sure that Lily had the requisite formations background to actuallymake what Avyr needed, he would have noticed that Avyr was struggling with his question. A foolish mistake… he sighed. He needed to be more on top of these things.

They sat like that, for a long time— Avyr still recovering from the rigors of the body reconstruction pill he’d been given, and Mingtian just… contemplating. It was their winter break now, and such cold had descended on the city… and beyond. He wondered if Avyr would take the opportunity he’d been given. He hoped Avyr would take the opportunity.

It would show the truth of his character. Whether or not he was worthy. Only in defeat…

The outer disciple of the bloody saffron second appeared beside them a moment later, none the wiser to the fact that Mingtian had used his domain to silence the conversation between him and the big cat. A crimson light wreathed her hand as she knelt beside Avyr, almost threatening— but it oozed a sense of healing, strong enough that even a mortal would be able to perceive it.

Mingtian had to admit, she’d done much to make him second think his first impression of her, when she’d suppressed an entire crowd at the graduation ceremony. She’d been nothing but diligent, professionally curious… even kind, in the strange cultivator meaning of the word, when she’d failed to separate Avyr and Xinshi at the last moment. Two body reconstruction pills wasn’t much— it certainly wasn’t a cultivation treasure or anything— but it was certainly more than was reasonably expected of her to give out. More than Avyr could have afforded, certainly.

After a few seconds she stood, folding her hands behind her back. “You should recover completely in less than a week, though keep an eye on the wound. If it still hurts after a week, consider seeking further care. Cycling your qi will help move the medicinal energy through your body, though your spirit might be sore after the injury you took. Don’t take any other pills for at least a day, though I don’t imagine that’ll be as much a problem for you as it is for your opponent.”

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

Avyr huffed, and managed to— barely— nod. “Thank you.” Then, curiously— “it’s a good pill. Very soothing. Did you make it?”

The outer disciple raised an eyebrow, suddenly a little curious. “You have a discerning sense but no, I didn’t make it. I do get a discount from the alchemist, though, so don’t worry overmuch about any sort of repayment.”

“Thank you.” He closed his eyes. “Sincerely…” and then he fell asleep, too exhausted to keep his eyes open. Mingtian sighed… they couldn’t just leave him out in the open, in the snow, but it wasn’t like he was going to be able to drag him back inside.

He gave Avyr one last scritch behind the ears, then walked over to where Suzhong was still staring at the wrecked field. “Someone needs to go grab a sled for Avyr.” Then, a glance to where Xinshi also laid in the snow, similarly unconscious, he amended his statement. “For the Young Master too, probably.” The wound where Avyr had ripped off most of the flesh on his upper arm was healed, now, but Mingtian was sure he’d be feeling that one for a while.

He’d won— and made a good showing of it, too— but Mingtian was sure he’d have his own reckoning to face later. The world had just proved to him so brutally that no matter the sort of wealth he could leverage, he wasn’t invincible.

Suzhong just stood there for a while, quietly— still looking out at the arena that had been utterly devastated, and the formation that had survived it all. A contemplative look on his face. Quietly. Silently. There was so much there, for them… finally, almost a full minute later, he nodded. “Whoever’s still watching—” not many, Lily and Guandong, who’d stayed for obvious reasons, the outworlder with the long name who’d stayed to see the cultivator work, and a few scattered others who’d stuck around for the battle— “go get the nurse. Tell them that two students need to be removed from the field.” Urmaphara ran off, and Lily stayed, longing but not daring to approach after the cultivator had told her off…

That was something she’d have to get over eventually, such deference to the cultivators of a single backwater sect on a lesser realm, but she had plenty of time for that. Besides, she had won her match— and with style, too! The end of Avyr’s match shouldn’t be allowed to ruin her mood so thoroughly… though, it was a mark to her friendship that she so deeply cared.