This Is….Your Life.

  Jianrong was crawling beneath a roof that had once been a house, her Spirit Sense having found her knife.

  “Vice Commander Liu Feng, would you mind introducing us to your companion?” Command Pei said with a smile.

  Jianrong appeared in her clothes, sticking tightly to her form, her hair in disarray, and a knife in her hand.

  “Jianrong, this is Commander Pei Zongqiu, the one I spoke of.” Feng tried to soften Rong's reaction.

  The woman’s amber eyes appraised him. “You could sell rocks to miners with that voice, Excellency. They must keep you real busy.” Rong said, her eyes narrowing.

  The commander smiled easily. “I sense some dissatisfaction.”

  “I had to flee my land because your test golems consumed half my village, people I loved got eaten, processed, and shit out…yeah, there is some dissatisfaction.” She said sheathing her blade and producing a brush.

  “That is an unfortunate situation, truly,” Pei said thoughtfully, then turned.

  This is Sub Commander Dax. He will be escorting you to your accommodations. This is Vice Commander Lin, who will be your family's liaison. To ensure there is no difficulty.” He explained.

  Feng opened his mouth but realized he could not say anything, as his superiors had signaled him not to speak.

  There was a long silence.

  “Would you mind elaborating why that when our people met you…they did not notice these fox traits?” Pei asked.

  Rong appraised the three Nascent Souls, then turned to Feng. Her eyes moved back to Pei.

  “Is this a personal inquiry or related to my successful recruitment outside of your organization?” Rong asked.

  "A fair question. As your sect's representative in these proceedings, I'm responsible for ensuring that all parties have accurate information. The fox traits were not disclosed in initial reports - potential bidders will want to know if there are other... surprises." Pei said his voice was so smooth she assumed it cut skin and bone alike.

  Rong looked at him, then her hands. “I figured I was cuter as a fox girl, so when I met one, I asked if she wouldn’t mind sharing her secrets, and here we are.” She stated. “But don’t worry, as long as my contract is met, I will complete the mission. It's not like you care what my pronouns are, just as long as I deliver, right?” Rong asked.

  Pei stepped forward and leaned over her. “Careful, we would not want your value to decrease because we have to force the truth out of you.”

  Rong looked at him, then laughed in his face. “If you like, I volunteer to go under oath under Array, wouldn’t that be delightful, all your questions answered brutally honest, no filter, no softening, just the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I'm game, savvy?” her brows shot up in interest.

  Pei’s Aura pressed into her.

  “Easy, Playboy, I have significant others, and I don’t find cultivators attractive,” Rong said as she stepped around the commander to follow the sub commander, when the man took her arm.

  “You...” Pei frowned. “Are you making this more complicated than it should be?” His eyes flickered to the ever-increasing number of ships in the sky.

  “If I get what I want, I can help you get what you want.” He added.

  Jianrong sighed. “You can't give me that, but I hear what you are saying.” Her eyes moved into the distance, where people were fleeing the city, chaos had erupted, and armed forces were moving in to take control.

  “All this…over a game.” She murmured.

  Pei’s hand tightened sharply; she assumed it was meant to either ground her or hurt her. It did neither.

  “You will not refer to the Trials as games ever again. Since man first cultivated the Trials have existed.” He warned.

  Rong nodded. “Understood, mein Führer.

  Pei blinked.

  “It means you are the ultimate ruler where I come from. You just tell me what you need, and I will comply. Need books burned or marching around a bonfire? I’m your fox.” She offered.

  Commander Pei stood straighter. “That is better, answer the question.”

  Rong shrugged. “I met a Spirit fox, and over the course of a month, they pumped me full of divine essence. Since I lived, I grew from the inside out to be Fox-kin, happy?”

  “Pumped full?” Pei's brow creased.

  Rong made a circle with one hand and pumped her finger through it. “COR-RECT,” she enunciated.

  "What did this spirit fox look like?" Pei demanded.

  Rong smirked, then snapped her fingers.

  Air raced to her and compressed where her hand entered another, a hand with long claws.

  The spirit fox was male and beautiful like a woman; his hair was the color of snow, and behind him were eight tails.

  His silver eyes turned to Pei, and he smiled, but not in a pleasant way, as he had vicious fangs.

  Then it was gone.

  “I will be honest, it was the tails, pretty sexy, and he was very adept, so after a taste, I was hooked. Was there anything, Commander Pei?”

  Pei looked at her, remembered the size difference, then winced.

  “No, that will be all, each sect will see you…they will have questions. It would be in your best interest not be confrontational.

  He glanced at Feng, then to her.

  “There will be tests, blood, bone, and affinity. Comply, and it will go better for you.

  Jianrong nodded, then clicked her heels and raised her arm in a salute he did not recognize.

  “Yes, Führer.” She acknowledged firmly.

  Feng stood with Rong as they rose into the air on the Sub Commander's sword.

  “This seems like the worst way to travel through the air. Does this have some sort of historical basis, or is it simply theological?” Rong asked Feng.

  Feng closed his eyes. “When your mom said you could be rough, I thought she was being playful.”

  Rong smiled brightly then took his arm in hers... “Mom is just honest; she knows me well. Did you meet my sister?”

  Feng blinked, then nodded. “Your father was holding her while the woman reviewed the contract.”

  Feng smiled. “The one woman with crimson eyes, she is sharp.”

  Rong’s eyes caught others listening. “That is Sulia, from my father's side. You notice they all have golden hair; we were surprised when it passed on to my sister as well.”

  “Jianrong,” Feng said tightly.

  “You can call me Rong, it's not like I didn’t kill all your subordinates, and you helped me out, so we can at least be that close.” She said evenly, watching the city shrink below them.

  "Rong, sword flying is an honored tradition showing mastery over the art.” He explained.

  “Ah, it's like sword forms, even when it isn’t effective, society is judging you by your ability. That seems rough.”

  Feng spoke quietly, even though Dax could hear him.

  “Rong, you need to be very careful; your contract is very generous compared to others.”

  Feng commented.

  “VERY,” Dax stated.

  Rong glanced at the Nascent Soul, then back to Feng. “I am surprised, I thought the Trials were prestigious. If I knew I was just gonna be a slave, I would self-delete at the training camp.” She laughed.

  Feng frowned. “Living as a slave is better than being dead, Rong.”

  Rong tilted her head and smiled. “You ever been a slave?”

  "That's not the point. The point is, someone will be picking up your contract; ours is not permanent.” Feng.

  “What he is saying is, keep making it hard… Divine Cloud won't be as stringent or open with you about options.” Dax warned.

  Feng nodded.

  Rong took a breath and sighed. “Got it, play along or play alone.”

  Dax smiled. “Exactly.”

  They reached the cloud and moved through it as if it were not real. The truth was that its shape was an illusion. Inside was a ship not unlike what the others had brought, a watercraft in the sky, with weapons all over it.

  The sword landed on the deck of the craft, and Dax guided them.

  She was led down a narrow hallway to a door with two guards posted outside.

  “Questions?” Dax asked.

  “Meals, and when does testing start? I am using a lot of Qi, and I am tired.” Rong pointed out.

  Dax snorted. “You will need to learn not let people know when you have worn yourself down.”

  Rong raised a brow, “I fought six Nascent Souls and their lackeys, I feel fine admitting I am tired, Excellency.” She replied.

  "Admitting exhaustion to ME, after that display? Acceptable. Admitting it to hostile sects during evaluation? Weakness they'll exploit. Learn who you can be honest with." Dax warned.

  “Excellency. I hear you and thank you. But the entire point of your test to PROVE my points of failure is what my weaknesses are to everyone bidding …right?” Rong smiled warmly.

  Dax looked at her and then nodded. “Food and pills will be brought.” Testing will be in five chimes.

  Rong entered the room and found a ship that was not cramped.

  She removed all her gear and cleaned up.

  A training outfit was provided.

  She lay and closed her eyes until food came.

  On the tray was a jade bottle with pills.

  After eating the food she thought was terrible, she poured the pills out into her hand and squeezed.

  Energy Eater came to life and began a localized consumption of the pills.

  A short time later, she dumped the ash residue onto her plate, dusted off her hands, and went to sleep.

  The people observing her sat in silence, confused.

  “Did she…destroy the pills?” one man asked.

  “I… It's not clear; we didn’t have a good angle.” A woman said.

  “She knows that it's one pill a day, right?” another man asked.

  Two chimes later.

  "She destroyed the pills?" Dax asked.

  "We... think so? Maybe? We can't tell." On the Array tech stated.

  "What do you mean you can't tell? You were WATCHING her!" Dax pointed out, annoyed.

  "Bad angle. She positioned herself. There's ash but—" the woman stated.

  "Did she refuse them?" Dax asked.

  "No, she poured them out, examined them, then they... disappeared." The other tech stated.

  Long pause.

  “Understood,” Dax stated.

  At the fifth chime, a knock came.

  Rong opened her eyes and rose.

  Dax motioned for her to follow.

  As they walked, he spoke. “What did you do with the pills provided?”

  “Consumed them for Qi.” She stated.

  “Those are not Qi recovery pills,” Dax stated.

  Rong raised her brow. “Okay.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Dax’s brows tightened, then he produced another bottle. “These are for monitoring, take one a day while you are here.” He ordered.

  Rong took the bottle, consumed the pill, and put the bottle away.

  “Well?” Dax asked.

  Rong’s head turned as her brows rose, her hands opening in confusion. “Well, what?”

  Dax glared at her. “How do you feel?!” he barked.

  “What the fuck?” She looked around to see if it was a joke. “I feel bloated and tired, happy?” she asked.

  Dax slowed to a stop. “No, how does the pill make you feel?”

  Rong blinked. “Oh, uh, I feel a heat in a soul sea, I want to vomit, and it is putting pressure behind my eyeballs. Do you NOT know what your pills do?” she asked, concerned.

  “For the record—state the effects,” Dax ordered.

  “Headache, Soul Sea discomfort, nausea. Total operational downgrade, probably seven to eight percent, escalates when I start vomiting. Rong replied.

  “You should be feeling a mild warmth spreading from the core through the meridians. Slight tingling along qi pathways. Increased awareness of one's own qi circulation. Sense of connection/being "observed" internally.

  Generally comfortable or neutral,” Dax explained.

  “Ah, okay, no, I don’t feel that, but as long as you get your data, it's fine.” She said dismissively.

  "A seven to eight percent operational downgrade is significant. For evaluation, we need you at full capacity. The monitoring isn't worth degraded performance data." Dax replied.

  Rong shrugged. “You gave me the pill, don’t complain when you’re the source of the problem. Besides, unless you're having me compete with Nascent Souls, it's not like I am not going to slap your people into the ground…Excellency.” She said as she dry heaved.

  Before they made it to the training hall, Jianrong evacuated the contents of her stomach onto the hallway floor.

  After a short time, she updated Dax on her operational status as she ate her own dry rations, which didn’t taste like regret and compulsion.

  The first thing they did was take sample after sample of blood.

  “You want me to be active after you depleted my body's means to oxygenate my muscles and organs? Are you new to this?” Rong asked.

  "The evaluation schedule requires blood samples at this stage—" a technician started to say.

  Jianrong raised her hand, “SSShhhhhhhhhhhhut the fuck up.” She replied as she ate more meat, then pulled out a waterskin and drained it.

  A chime later.

  “You cannot have seven affinities.” The technician stated.

  “Ah, ok, can you go get someone who knows how to run this equipment since it's too complex for you?” Rong stated with a knowing smile.

  "I've been running affinity tests for twenty years—" the technician began.

  Jianrong laughed. “Maybe my body is broken.”

  A short time later, a senior technician was called.

  When he arrived, he ran a diagnostic, then another test.

  "...The equipment is functioning correctly. Seven affinities confirmed." He stated.

  He looked at his subordinate.

  "When you see impossible results, you verify. You don't declare them invalid."

  “Twenty…years.” Jianrong thought aloud.

  The junior tech turned beet reed.

  They moved to a large room; not many were there, but it was all being recorded.

  “Strip down.” A woman stated.

  Jianrong followed instructions.

  He moved over her body, slowly checking her over.

  “Children?” the nurse asked.

  “No,” Rong replied.

  “Active?” The nurse asked, and Rong tilted her head in confusion.

  “Yes?” she replied.

  “Intimacy?” The nurse clarified.

  “When possible.” Rong nodded.

  “Preference?” the nurse said, eyes flicking to the recorder.

  Rong turned to her, then shook her head, amused. “I play both sides.”

  There was a long silence.

  Then she sat in a reclining chair and had her Meridian mapping done.

  Low-grade Qi pulses were injected at fixed points.

  They found out relatively quickly that her meridians were in the usual places, but their size and shape were irregular, as they were much too large and smooth.

  Her Core was tested for stability and resonance.

  They needed to know if it was Orthodox, modified, or something else.

  Jianrong was found to be the latter,

  Logged as: “Nonstandard Core Formation — requires specialist review.”

  Dax spoke to her. “This is a Qi Deprivation and recovering window test. It reduces the ambient Qi availability by sixty to seventy percent.”

  Rong blinked. “Okay, so …what is the test? Or I do nothing, and you take a reading?”

  Dax glanced at her. “This will slow Qi circulation, increase internal resistance, and cause measurable fatigue. If someone remained in this environment, they would need to use pills or burn internal reserves.”

  Rong blinked. “So just go sit, and you get data, got it.

  The young woman entered the room and found it felt extremely uncomfortable, like a sauna, but different.

  With a nod, she now understood why this would cause problems: her Qi-rich internals were trying to exit her meridians; it was like being in a low-pressure tank. Her insides wanted to become her outsides.

  Rong's singularity increased its gravity field, and her Soul Sea collected around her two separate points of gravity.

  With a turn of the hand, she began reading a story Elaren had given her as a gift.

  Dax stood outside and watched.

  Dax stood outside and watched.

  “Readings?” he inquired.

  “Sub Commander… heart rate stable. Respiration unchanged. Core output is declining, but smoothly. No turbulence.”

  Dax frowned. “Define smoothly.”

  The technician hesitated. “Linear drop. No spikes. No compensatory draw from ambient Qi.”

  “…She isn’t fighting it,” Dax said.

  “No, Excellency. It’s as if she reduced demand.”

  Minutes passed.

  Most cultivators began to show micro-tremors within thirty breaths. By the first chime, even disciplined disciples would be forced to cycle Qi aggressively or take a pill.

  Jianrong turned a page.

  “Meridian resistance is increasing,” another technician reported. “But circulation hasn’t destabilized.”

  “Any signs of internal strain?”

  “No. If anything, pressure differentials are… evening out.”

  Dax’s jaw tightened. “Extend the window.”

  A quiet pause.

  “…Understood.”

  Inside the chamber, Jianrong shifted her weight slightly and crossed her legs, continuing to read.

  Another chime passed.

  “She should be showing fatigue,” a junior tech whispered.

  “She is,” the senior technician replied. “Just not the kind you’re used to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Her output is lower, but her efficiency is higher.”

  Dax looked at the display. The graph was wrong. Not noisy. Not broken.

  Wrong.

  “Check for pill usage.”

  “No movement. No storage access.”

  “Check internal reserves.”

  “Stable. She’s not burning them.”

  Dax exhaled slowly. “She’s… coasting.”

  At the third chime, he raised a hand. “Prepare for release. Sudden drop. Full ambient restoration.”

  The technicians complied.

  Inside the room, the suppression array disengaged.

  Qi flooded the chamber.

  For a normal cultivator, this moment was unmistakable—an intake spike, meridians flaring, a brief loss of control as the body overcorrected.

  Jianrong did none of that.

  She did not inhale sharply.

  She did not tense.

  Her Core did not surge.

  The ambient Qi washed over her and went unused.

  “Recovery?” Dax asked quietly.

  “…Immediate,” the senior tech replied. “No rebound. No overshoot. Circulation normalized within two breaths.”

  Someone stared at the screen. “That’s faster than pill-assisted recovery.”

  “And cleaner,” another added.

  Dax’s eyes never left the glass. “Run the curve overlay.”

  The technician complied.

  Silence stretched.

  “That curve doesn’t match any of our models,” the junior tech said at last.

  “No,” the senior technician agreed. “It doesn’t.”

  Inside the chamber, Jianrong closed her book and stood, stretching once before looking toward the observation window.

  “Are we done?” she asked, voice muffled by the barrier.

  Dax didn’t answer immediately.

  “…Yes,” he said finally. “You may exit.”

  As the door opened, the senior technician quietly updated the record.

  As she left the room, she thought aloud. “If the world were like that, we would have a whole lot fewer issues. Ah, well.”

  Dax guided her to the following location within the ship, where some of the same people she had seen were not doing new duties.

  “The Soul See integrity scan will be performed here.”

  “It’s a sea of Qi going through phases. How do you check the integrity of an amorphous mass of energy?” Rong asked, confused.

  Dax took a breath through his nose and considered. “This will look for soul damage, contamination, external anchors, or possession.”

  Rong nodded in understanding. “That makes more sense. What is an external anchor?”

  "External anchors are foreign constructs placed in your Soul Sea by others. They can serve many purposes:"

  Tracking: "Monitor your location remotely. Common for valuable prisoners or assets under contract."

  Binding: "Enforce contracts or oaths. Violate terms, the anchor triggers consequences—pain, Qi disruption, even death."

  Control: "More invasive. Allow external influence over your actions or access to your cultivation. Illegal in most jurisdictions, but not unheard of."

  Parasitic: "Siphon your Qi or resources to benefit another cultivator. Usually concealed, the victim doesn't know they're being drained."

  Rong gave a slow whistle. “And you guys can't access the Soul Sea, so it's like that sea lice that eat the fish's tongue and use them to feed themselves…and they can puppeteer you. Wow, that is some nightmare fuel right there.” She replied.

  “It’s not the same. Anchors are regulated. Consensual. Part of contracts.” Dax stated.

  “Wait, so… you're searching for them because you don’t know if the person is a puppet or a Qi funnel, but you're saying it's good? Wow, bold.” Rong smiled.

  The reading came back that her Soul Sea was unusually dense. There were no signs of corruption.

  “How is your Soul Sea so dense?” Dax asked.

  “I constantly refine my Qi around my Chakras, then around my lower Soul Sea, replacing my Dantian Qi with higher purity when I have free time.

  "You... you do this in your free time? Most cultivators require hours of focused meditation for basic refinement." Dax asked, stunned.

  “Oh yeah, I mean if I wanted to, I could put some effort into it, but you know how diminishing returns are.” Rong nodded.

  "Who taught you this method?" Dax asked suspiciously.

  Rong had to think about it. “Prandtl, mortal, figured out how to separate cream from milk. I just use it to separate Qi from the fluff.” “Rong giggled.

  Dax looked at her, then put his hand up. “You will give me a clear answer.”

  Rong opened her mouth and tilted her head, confused, thinking she had.

  With a shrug, she pulled out her water bag, and after a moment, water flowed out of it and around her hand into a ball above her head.

  “We have regular water, clean and filtered through charcoal,” Rong said.

  “Why ch-“ Dax began before Rong stopped him.

  “Choose a struggle; save water filtration for another day. Anyways, we have clean fresh water.” She said the point.

  “Now the centrifuge portion is spinning, and heavier items will work their way outwards because the mass will displace lighter molecules.”

  The shape distorted.

  The faster it spun, the more noticeable it was that something was happening.

  “Now, since this is pretty pure, you won't see much, but if we look at the center.” She pointed again, and an azure pinprick appeared.

  “That is Qi-fueled water affinity. So now what happens is the heavier, purer water is drawn inward while the lighter, less pure water is shed from the center.”

  As Dax watched, the ball shrank until it was the size of a pea, shining like a sapphire.

  “Same concept, but inside the Soul, my guy…er Excellency,” Rong stated.

  Dax stared at the small jewel.

  “The color will slowly dim as it is Qi-rich, but later it will be much clearer than average water, it will be more blue. I use this for making tea. If you like, you can consume it; it's as hydrating as a large cup of water, Excellency, plus you gain the Qi energy.”

  Dax blinked, then, against his better judgment, sucked it into his mouth. A refreshing feeling washed over him, and a soothing relief moved down his throat.

  “Good,” he murmured.

  Rong nodded. “Add some mint and lemon on a hot day, it’s a winner.” She laughed.

  The two walked in silence to the next test.

  When Dax spoke, his voice was softer.

  “This will be an Array Interaction Test; you will be doing nothing, and we will be monitoring you,” Dax explained.

  Rong nodded and was guided to an illusion Array that she barely fit into. After a few minutes, she looked around, then started walking in place, as if she had seen something.

  When it ended, she looked surprised. “I thought I was teleported to someplace, I couldn't tell it was not real!” she admitted, amazed.

  They moved her to another spot in the room under a monitoring array. As far as they could see, she appeared just like anyone else.

  Finally, she was placed under a suppression Array.

  “Ah, I know this feeling. I had to fight after getting covered in Suppression Talismans, talk about a hassle.” Rong laughed.

  Dax looked at her. “How many opponents?”

  Rong shrugged. “A couple of dozen, once I figured out their Qi shields and magic armor would prevent quick kills, and I dropped the hammer and left out of there fast. They were pretty persistent. I killed a few and escaped, “ she said, uncaring.

  “Would you demonstrate that here?” Dax asked.

  Rong shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I don’t fight with Qi, and I don’t have spells, so all it is is a hassle.

  "How did you kill opponents without Qi techniques?" Dax asked.

  Rong's blade appeared and danced in her hand. “What do you think happens when I put this into your skull with no Qi?” she asked.

  Dax felt she had crossed a line, but understood her point.

  “But what about Qi shielding?” Dax asked.

  “You mean for the masses or for Nascent Souls? You seem to forget that Core Formation warriors are weak compared to demi-gods like yourself, Excellency. I can shatter shields with just my Aura and the muscle of Core Formation.” Rong replied.

  The next test was in a larger training room.

  “You will be demonstrating your combat ability in live drills,” Dax explained.

  “If these are real people, I would prefer not to; most of my strikes will shatter bones or tear ligaments. When we train at home, I have to do it unarmored vs my siblings who are armored.” She warned.

  “Are you saying you can't control yourself?” Dax asked.

  “Oh, I can control myself, but I know what happens when your people can't hit me and beg me to let them go, it will humiliate them, they will lose face, and cry to someone to try and make my life hard. Or I hit them, and the heart stops, and you get mad they moved on to the next life.” She explained.

  Dax considered. “Would you humor me?”

  Rong smiled and nodded.

  Dax moved to the middle of the room. His Qi shield engaged. “Give me your hardest attacks.” He stated.

  Rong smiled. “Can you suppress me first? You said you wanted to see it.”

  “Are you sure?” Dax asked.

  “Pile 'em on, my record is twelve.” She laughed.

  "That's... twelve is... I'm sorry you've experienced that." Then, professionally, "One array will be sufficient." Dax stated.

  Rong blinked. “It's fine, Excellency, all it does is slow Qi down, so between both Soul Seas it's fine.

  Dax finally understood what she had been saying earlier.

  As his mind raced through possibilities and implications, he watched her stretch and bounce around under suppression, completely unaffected.

  Jianrong saw that every person in the room was staring at her, and when she looked at them, they saw her only as the things men desire.

  A glint in her eye sparkled. “Can I use Aura?” she asked sweetly.

  "Controlled demonstration only," Dax said, realizing his people were staring at something even he was coming to understand.

  The people aboard the ship stopped and stared openly at Jianrong. Some thought she was a spirit, but now that he considered it, she was partly a Spirit Fox.

  Jianrong's movements slowed, then became something completely different as her hips shifted and rotated faster and faster like a dancer, as her hands slid across her body and rose above her head, as she closed her eyes and bit her lip.

  “My heart shines brighter than fear—In the name of moon and fang—I will transform!”

  Her arms opened wide.

  “Foxy Virgin Form!”

  At the same time she spoke, her usually golden Aura gel armor condensed into a white armor that accentuated her hips and chest.

  Dax stared at the young woman who had taken an adorable pose, her face pouting seriously, as if she were something you would find in a book that would be stared at high enough that children could not reach it.

  Her fingers were still claws, white and pristine, curled downward as she made a face and spoke.

  “rawr,” her voice soft and cute.

  Rong looked around and smiled like a child.

  “HOHO,” she chortled, “Just remember, Excellency, you asked for this, be sure to take responsibility when I am done with you!”

  Jianrong bounced, and her feet landed wide into her Ma Bu stance; her thighs were a mountain, unshakable, as her hips rotated inward and her tail danced with joy.

  Her arms moved in waves as if upon the sea; her head was as steady as the albatross gliding above those waves.

  The next heartbeat, both balls of her feet compressed the deck of the ship as she accelerated, closing the two-meter gap in the time a hummingbird considered another movement.

  Rong appeared at Dax's shadow like death at a funeral.

  Her pale form sparkled silver and gold as she uncoiled like a striking viper.

  Her claws struck first—white and pristine, shining with condensed Qi and Aura.

  The supernatural edges concentrated force to pinpoint precision, and the shield cracked under the piercing strike.

  His Aura caught the follow-through, and his armor absorbed what remained—painful, but completely survivable.

  The room was silent as Rong stood up and snapped her fingers, pulling her Aura back in and dispersing the Qi used.

  "That is what I got with no arts or spells," she said evenly, then turned.

  "I know all of you are shocked by my appearance. If you like, you can take a closer look. I imagine not many Fox-kin exist."

  “She's... giving them permission. After they objectified her. Reframing their staring as naturalist interest.” Dax thought. “Generous. And brilliant.”

  Dax caught his technician's eye and gave a sharp shake of his head.

  “No.”

  They could look later.

  Professionally.

  With proper protocols.

  Not now.

  Not like this.

  A soft voice touched his ear.

  “Don’t worry, Excellency. I don’t mind getting shared.”

  Dax turned—and realized she had not moved from where she struck.

  She was still exactly where she had been when her claws met his shield, feet planted, posture relaxed, Aura fully withdrawn.

  The only thing that had changed was the angle of her head as she looked up at him.

  He was tall enough that she had to tilt her chin, but what dominated his vision were the ears—large, white-tipped, impossibly expressive, twitching once as if sampling the room.

  Not flirtation.

  Assessment.

  The technicians behind him had gone very still.

  Dax exhaled slowly. “That will not be necessary.”

  Her smile softened—not disappointed, but amused.

  As if he had just confirmed something she already knew.

  A pause.

  “Evaluation complete for today,” Dax said at last.

  His voice carried the weight of command, even softened.

  “Technicians, compile the data. We have sufficient baseline measurements.”

  He looked down at her—still within his shadow, still within striking distance. White-tipped ears twitched once as she sampled the room.

  “You’ve demonstrated your capabilities adequately,” he continued. “Further testing would be… redundant.”

  And dangerous. To my people. Possibly to me.

  “Dismissed. Someone will escort you back to quarters.”

  Rong turned and nodded. “I feel it’s important to inform you,” she said calmly, “I only opened my Crown Chakra recently. My Spirit is still settling.”

  Her fingers brushed her throat.

  “I am making progress,” she added lightly. “Not thanks to my former master. May he rest in peace.”

  She turned to leave.

  “Wait,” Dax said sharply.

  Rong paused, surprised, and looked back.

  “I was under the impression,” Dax said carefully, “that you had no master involved in your Core formation or skill development.”

  She smiled.

  “Ah. That.” She tilted her head. “I’ve had… let’s see. Three masters. Technically four.”

  Dax did not interrupt.

  “The first was Gilded Sect Petal Commander Shuanglin Veyra Cai,” Rong continued. “She was meant to train me. She took my breath. And my heart. Then she fled the sect.”

  Her tone remained conversational.

  “Next came Envoy Han Yuren. He claimed me as a disciple. Mostly for sex. And my healing ability. I picked up some meridian theory along the way.”

  A beat.

  “After that, Commander Hou Lan—she tried to have him assassinated. Brief instructional overlap.”

  Dax felt his jaw tighten.

  “And finally,” Rong said, voice still even, “my last master. A Grand Elder. Nascent Soul. A man my family trusted.”

  She looked at him directly now.

  “He staged a coup. And celebrated by having his nieces—those he deposed—watch while he violated me.”

  Silence.

  “So,” Rong finished gently, “it’s true. I’ve had masters.”

  She inclined her head.

  “It just never worked out. For personal reasons, Sub-Commander Dax.”

  “…Where is he now?” Dax asked.

  “Dead,” Rong replied simply.

  Her smile turned professional.

  “I take my duty as the Empress’s protector very seriously.”