The Azure Dragon Sky-Ark settled onto the vast plateau with a whisper of displaced air, a stark contrast to the aggressive presence of the other two clans. To their left stood the warship of the Raging Tiger Clan, a brutalist vessel of black iron shaped like a snarling tiger's head, radiating an aura of undisguised battlelust. To their right rested the Black Tortoise Clan's mobile fortress, a low, wide, heavily armored ship that seemed to have grown from the mountain itself, exuding an air of immovable fortitude.
As the Azure Dragon disciples disembarked, Jian Liwei immediately took the lead, his powerful 8th-Layer Qi Gathering aura flaring as a deliberate challenge. He was met in kind.
From the deck of the tiger warship, a figure leaped down, landing with a ground-shaking thud. He was a youth built like the beast of his clan, with broad shoulders, wild, spiky bronze hair, and burning amber eyes. This was Hu Jin, the rising star of the Raging Tiger Clan.
"Finally decided to show up, little dragons?" Hu Jin roared, his voice like gravel. "I was getting bored. Thought maybe you'd gotten lost in the clouds!"
"Better to be late than to arrive in such a crude and noisy contraption, Hu Jin," Jian Liwei sneered back, his hand resting on the hilt of his saber. "Did your clan run out of metal? Or just taste?"
The disciples from both clans bristled, their collective killing intent rising.
From the fortress-like ship of the Black Tortoise Clan, a third group emerged. They were clad in heavy, interlocking dark green armor, and they moved with a slow, deliberate patience. Their leader was a stoic young man named Gui Ren. He was neither tall nor muscular, but he stood with the weight of a mountain, his expression impassive as he watched the standoff. He seemed utterly unimpressed by the posturing of the other two.
Jian Feng stood at the very back of his clan's delegation, a ghost in the swirling currents of youthful arrogance. His gaze swept over the key players, but his perception went far deeper. The Star-Chart was active, painting a vivid picture of his primary rivals.
He saw Hu Jin's Qi as a raging, uncontrolled bonfire. It was immensely powerful, hot, and destructive, but it burned inefficiently, leaking energy with every breath. His foundation was strong but reckless.
He saw Gui Ren's Qi as a sphere of compressed granite. It was incredibly dense, stable, and almost perfectly contained. His defense was likely absolute among his peers. But it was also rigid, slow to adapt. He was a shield, but a shield can be circumvented.
He saw his own cousin, Jian Liwei, as a sharp, well-honed sword. His Qi was channeled effectively for offense, but his foundation had numerous, almost invisible flaws—cracks formed by arrogance and impatience.
While the future leaders of the three clans were measuring each other's strength, Jian Feng was cataloging their fundamental weaknesses.
Before the tension could escalate into a brawl, three powerful auras descended upon the plateau. The lead elders from each clan stepped forward, their presence instantly silencing the boisterous disciples. The Azure Dragon's Third Elder was flanked by a fierce-looking elder from the Tiger Clan and a serene, ancient-looking woman from the Tortoise Clan.
It was the Black Tortoise elder who spoke, her voice calm but resonant, carrying effortlessly across the clearing. "The rules of the Tri-Clan Trial are the same as they have been for three hundred years. The trial will last for seven days within the sealed valley before you. Your performance will be judged on a system of points."
She waved a hand, and a spectral image appeared in the air. "Points are awarded for three categories. First, the cores of Spiritual Beasts you hunt. The stronger the beast, the more points the core is worth. Second, rare spiritual herbs, graded by their age and rarity. Third, and most important…"
The image changed to show a small, intricately carved jade token, shaped like a dragon's scale. "Thirty-six 'Dragon's Vein Tokens' have been scattered throughout the valley. Each token is worth five hundred points. Finding these is your primary objective. They will naturally lead you to areas rich in resources, but also rich in danger."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over every disciple. "You may compete. You may fight. You may take the spoils from a defeated opponent. However, one rule is absolute: the killing of a disciple from another clan is forbidden. Anyone who violates this rule will have their cultivation crippled and will bring eternal shame upon their clan. Do not test us on this."
With the rules announced, the three elders moved to the edge of the valley and channeled their power in unison. A vast, shimmering barrier that had been invisible moments before became visible, and a gateway of pure light opened in its center.
"The trial begins now!"
A surge of adrenaline shot through the disciples.
"Azure Dragon Clan, with me!" Jian Liwei roared, drawing his saber. "Let's show these brutes and turtles what true power looks like!" With a battle cry, he led the charge, the majority of the disciples following him in a rush of blue and white robes, eager to claim the first victory.
Hu Jin laughed and led his Tiger Clan disciples in a different direction, their path marked by the sound of cracking earth under their heavy boots. Gui Ren gave a simple, silent hand signal, and the Black Tortoise disciples moved into the forest like a single, inexorable green tide.
Within moments, the plateau was nearly empty. Jian Feng had not moved, letting the chaotic rush surge past him. Jian Qiao, the kind girl from the ship, gave him a worried glance before hurrying to catch up with the main group.
Alone at last, Jian Feng calmly pulled one of his small, jade-like disks from his sleeve. He channeled a wisp of Qi into it, and a single, faint point of light pulsed on its surface, pointing northeast. It was one of his detection formations, but it wasn't tuned to beasts or herbs. It was tuned to the unique energy signature of a Dragon's Vein Token he had analyzed from the elder's projection.
While the others charged off to hunt for beasts, Jian Feng had already begun the hunt for the true prize.
Ignoring the path his clan had taken, he turned ninety degrees and melted silently into the shadows of the ancient forest. The ghost had left the pack. His own trial had begun.