Hui stepped out onto the branch and looked around. He heaved in a deep breath. Qi flowed into him. Unlike Starbound Sect, where the qi smelled pure and clean, or Black Asp Sect, where it smelled of blood, here the qi carried a scent of pine and leaf mold, sap and woodsmoke. He closed his eyes, circulating the qi. It feels a little different, like there’s a second component to it, not unlike the blood qi. But rather than being a different kind of qi…

His eyes snapped open. “Wood elemental energy?”

Ah! The qi is strongly aligned with the wood element. It’s not a different kind of qi, it’s… more like it’s flavored.

Hui drew out a wood talisman. Experimentally, he pushed power into it, picturing Zhubi in his mind’s eye.

Green light burst from the talisman. Hui covered his eyes, cowering away as blinding light scintillated out. Something heavy thumped to the ground. He opened his eyes.

A fifty-meter-tall Zhubi statue towered over him. Hui gaped, then looked at the ashen remnants of his talisman. I put as much qi into it as I used to at third stage. That additional size is all from the wood-elemental qi!

“It’s too bad I don’t have any wood-elemental attacks…” Hui mused, putting a hand on his chin as he surveyed the Zhubi statue. Flicking his sleeve, he collected the massive statue into his bag of holding.

“A huge forest, wood-elemental qi… Is the qi wood-elemental because of the forest, or is the forest here because of the wood-elemental qi?” He considered for a few moments, then shrugged. Chicken and the egg. I’d be here all day if I started meditating on that.

Tossing out Gu Tian’s sword, he held his hand out over it, hovering it below his hand. The sword wavered, wobbling up and down under his hand. Hui frowned, then sat. He gestured with his finger and sent the sword hovering in front of him. It trembled, barely remaining in the air.

This is harder than I’d expect. What’s the problem? Usually I have no issue controlling qi. Is it that I have no karma with sword techniques, even swordflight? Hui furrowed his brows, frowning. Wood-elemental qi… do I maybe… have no metal-elemental qi?

I should get someone to test my qi… no, wait, on second thought, that’s no good! If they’re demonic and they sense my life qi, that’s suspicious. If they’re righteous and sense my death qi, that’s also suspicious! Hui shook his head and focused harder instead. If I can’t get it at first, keep trying. I’ve at least got persistence on my side.

A few hours later, he put his sword away and stood. A bottleneck, I’ve hit a bottleneck! Maybe I should consult with Master about swordflight when I return… ah! That’s useless! Master will tell me my comprehension is lacking, and I already know that!

Though… sometimes his examples are helpful…

Ah, it’s better than nothing. If I come up with nothing until I return, I’ll resort to asking Master.

Bored, Hui glanced around, then walked to the edge of the branch. Ahead of him, another branch stretched between the trees, about twenty meters away. Hui glanced down. Far, far away, the forest floor laid in perpetual shade.

I can make it. I’m a fourth-stage cultivator.

Hui drew a deep breath. He glanced at the branch under him, then at the opposing branch. Testing his power, he jumped in place. Footprints appeared in the branch, and he hurtled into the air. He pierced through the leaves and into the sunlight. For a moment, he floated there above the canopy, eyes wide, before he fell back down.

Hui landed with a thump, the branch shivering under him. He looked at the gap again and clenched his fist. Okay. I can definitely make it!

He backed up, then ran. At the edge of the branch, he leaped. The trees turned into green and brown blurs all around him. The opposite branch rushed up, then flew past, little more than a brown smudge passing him by. Hui’s eyes widened. Shit! Overreached!

Hui began to fall. He drew Gu Tian’s sword and pointed it at the ground, hanging tight to the hilt. The sword flew into the sky, surging upward. Again, Hui hung there in midair. He caught his breath, eyes wide with panic.

A branch a branch a branch—

There! Hui tilted the sword and shoved qi into it again. He blasted off sideways and smashed into the side of the branch. Hui dug his fingernails into the branch and hung on for dear life. The branch vibrated under him from the force of the blow.

“Whoa! What was that?” a cultivator atop the branch asked, their voice oddly familiar.

“I dunno.”

“I think something hit the branch. Go take a look.”

The first two voices spoke in sync. “You take a look!”

“Alright, fine, fine. Ugh.”

Hui looked up directly into the eyes of one of the triplets. He tensed, expecting a burst of recognition.

Instead, the triplet frowned at him. “Aren’t you with the Black Asp contingent? Why are you hugging a branch?”

“Hey!”

“Simple!”

“Yeah, yeah, simple. Got it,” the third triplet said, rolling his eyes.

Hui scratched the back of his head and smiled. “Ah, I’m… er, a fresh fourth-tier cultivator, out practicing my swordflight! You can call me Xie Hao.”

The third triplet offered Hui his hand. Hui took it, and the triplet hauled him atop the branch.

The other two triplets frowned at him. “He looks familiar.”

“Right? Where from…”

“He’s a demonic cultivator. They’re all the same,” the third grumbled.

Hui bowed. “Thank you for rescuing me, Elder Brothers.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

The third triplet nodded silently.

The other two glared at him. He looked back at them and raised his eyebrows. The other two gestured angrily without saying anything. The third triplet crossed his arms and smirked.

“Say something, dammit!” the first burst out at last.

“You’re killing the pattern!” the second added.

“Ah, come on. Aren’t you two saying I always say too much?” the third triplet asked.

The first two fumed, glaring at the third.

Well… the triplets haven’t changed, Hui thought to himself, smiling. At least… they haven’t changed since the last time I saw them. The third’s still much wordier than the other two. He glanced amongst them, then cleared his throat. “Er, Elder Brothers, if this humble cultivator could pry…”

“Eh? Humble?”

“Don’t be so respectful, fourth stage!”

The third squinted at Hui. “Somehow… I feel like I recognize his attitude.”

“…how did you end up like this?” Hui asked.

“Qi deviation.”

“Cultivation mistake.”

“I tried to make true clones.”

Hui looked at the triplets, then sighed. Was it a qi deviation that caused a mistake in his cultivation as he tried to make true clones, or… is it that the three don’t know, so they’re all offering different explanations? At least I know they weren’t born this way, now. “Understood, Elder Brothers.”

“He’s lying.”

“You don’t understand!”

A chuckle. “It’s fine. Even we don’t properly know. We were like this when we woke up, and everything from before is blurry.”

The first two rounded on the third.

“Simple!”

“Short!”

He raised his hands. “Alright, alright. I got it.”

Hui bowed. “It was good to meet Elder Brothers. I’m merely exploring the sect. Please pay me no mind.”

“Eh? Don’t you want to see?”

“Yeah, didn’t you come for that?”

“You can take a sneak peek. We don’t mind.”

Hui stopped. Came for that? A sneak peek? What is the Black Asp Sect here early for? Erlan still hasn’t said! He’s probably just waiting for a big reveal, but I can’t help but want to know! It’s not like he’s denied us from wandering the sect or peeking. And besides, I’m in a demonic sect. If I follow the rules, aren’t I being too righteous?

So decided, Hui adjusted the hems of his robes and nodded. “Of course. Lead the way, Elder Brothers.”

The triplets nodded in sync. They took off at a sprint, bouncing from branch to branch. Hui chased after them, stepping where they stepped, copying their leaps. On the first few branches, his leaps were a little rough, but he quickly got the hang of it and ran along beside them.

The third triplet glanced over his shoulder and frowned at Hui. “Why aren’t you flying? You’re fourth stage, right?”

Hui coughed, embarrassed, and waved his sleeve. “Ah… I’m still practicing, Elder Brother.”

“I thought fourth stage cultivators could fly on swords by instinct,” the third triplet asked.

“Hey!”

“Take turns!”

Hui shrugged. “Not for this small cultivator. Elder Brother, you’re third tier already, right? I recommend you practice swordflight before the fourth tier! It’s more difficult than you might think.”

“Really?” the third triplet asked, brows furrowed. He shrugged to himself, then darted ahead. “Well, as long as you can keep up, it doesn’t matter.”

“Right!” Hui agreed, dashing after them.