Ambush

Spirit Ascension Platform.

Familiar light carried all four of them inside. As the white glow receded, their feet met solid ground: soft earth that felt as though countless footsteps had trampled it. The smell of decaying vegetation hung in the air. Above them, the gray-white sky looked just as they remembered, its even light pressing down on a forest washed pale.

Tang Wulin flexed his hands. As his fingers curled, he felt his palms press against their bases. Every sensation was sharp and clear. His body was in far better condition than the last time he had entered. He glanced at the back of his hand, where the scale patterns hidden beneath dark hair rose and fell slowly with his breathing.

Blue Silver Grass called to him from across the forest.

Thin vines emerged from cracks in the ground, crept past tree roots, and crawled out of the shadows beneath bushes. They spread low across the earth toward Tang Wulin. He felt the emotions they carried—they were afraid, yet they kept growing, forever trampled and eaten by the strong. Their tips trembled, but not from fear. Now they were excited. It was not relief or reverence, but a strange pride. Their king had returned.

"Keep the formation," Tang Wulin said. Pale gold flickered in his eyes. The light shone from deep within his pupils and spread along his irises until his eyes turned a color between gold and amber.

"Boss... your eyes." Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin, whose presence had become almost unfamiliar. He stood half a step behind him, Light Dragon Dagger already in his palm. His knuckles had gone white around its hilt.

Bracelets woven from Blue Silver Grass wrapped around the other three students' wrists. The fine vines circled their skin twice, warm and rich with