2. Fight or Die

"Brother!"

A young man dressed in blue, now halfway up the flight of stairs that seemed to stretch for miles, paused momentarily before turning around. He saw a girl rushing towards him. "Brother, are you leaving?"

Jian Hong smiled and put on his usual silly face. "Of course, I'm keeping my promise to leave you. From now on, you won't be able to bother me anymore."

The girl, her hair tied in two pigtails, pouted in annoyance. "Isn't it the other way around? You're the one who likes to bother me."

"Really?" Jian Hong nodded solemnly. "Well, whatever it is, the important thing is that I'll be free of you."

After saying that, Jian Hong continued down the stairs. The Tian Huang Sect was on a mountain island, but the steps were well-maintained and descended smoothly.

Seeing Jian Hong leaving her, the girl chased after him. "Brother Hong! You didn't say where you're going?"

"Why should I? I don't want you to come with me."

"Who wants to come with you? I just want you to take some of my pills. You can use them whenever you need," said Ling Xiu, the girl's name. She kept trying to catch up with Jian Hong, who wouldn't even stop to talk.

"Hey, I'm strong enough. Just give the pills to someone who needs them more."

Ling Xiu didn't give up. This time, she managed to catch up to the step right below Jian Hong, so they were now face to face. "And you're the one who needs them. In the Tian Huang Sect, no one needs pills more than you do. How are you going to survive out there with such low cultivation?"

Ling Xiu's breath was becoming ragged, not just from chasing Jian Hong but also from her emotional outburst. After a few seconds, she realized she might have gone too far.

She noticed Jian Hong's pitying smile again. "Brother, I didn't mean it that way. I'm just worried about you."

"I know, no need to explain. But I want to test how well I can survive out there. Ling Xiu, a turtle can't stay in its shell forever, and a bee can't always stay in its hive. Your intentions are good, and I appreciate them. So if you have the same intentions as me, please don't stop me." Jian Hong paused. "It's just a short journey. I'll come back."

After saying that, Jian Hong patted Ling Xiu's shoulder twice and then continued walking, brushing past her. It wasn't until Ling Xiu's shout made him stop. "I'll wait for you to come back!"

Jian Hong did not turn around, only taking a long, deep breath. He glanced sideways but was reluctant to look into his senior's purple eyes. "Don't wait for me. You still have a lot to do."

This time, the young man truly left. Not wanting to waste any more time, he used his modest strength to fly down the mountain. The blue light then vanished along with the clouds.

Ling Xiu watched Jian Hong's departure with clenched fists. The girl with purple eyes then looked down, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. But soon she climbed the stairs to return to the sect.

***

From the beginning of his arrival until now, Jian Hong was still looking up and turning around to admire the beauty of the sect before him.

The Mu Lin Sect was located far from the Tian Huang Island. It could be said to be the largest sect in Dong country. To reach it, Jian Hong had to expend a lot of energy just flying. This place was floating, nestled between two high cliffs with waterfalls cascading down each side.

"I think the gods are not as fair as people say. If they were, surely they would have given some beauty to our Tian Huang Sect," Jian Hong remarked.

The young man continued walking. However, when he reached the main gate, two guards stopped him. "Wait a moment, sir, where is your badge?"

"Badge?" After repeating the guard's words, Jian Hong laughed dismissively. "Of course I have it. Do you think I look like someone who comes here without a badge? Just wait a moment."

Jian Hong continued to search inside his clothes. He also checked the small pouch he always carried with him. His face began to tense up. "Hey, where is the badge? I remember putting it here when the master gave it to me. But why is it missing?"

The two guards exchanged glances and then looked at Jian Hong sharply. "Can you hurry up? There's still a long line behind you."

"Can I have the badge again? I swear my master gave it to me, but it's gone. Maybe it fell during the journey here. You know how far apart the Tian Huang and Mu Lin Sects are?"

At that moment, one of the guards grabbed and threw Jian Hong aside. "If you don't have a badge, don't waste our time. We have more important things to do than deal with you. And there are many participants more interested in this competition than someone like you who's just wasting time. Find someone else to play with next time."

As the guards returned to their posts, Jian Hong stood up. He brushed off the dust and dirt from his clothes. "Who wants to play with a grumpy guy like you? Hmph, stupid! Where did I drop the badge? If the master finds out, he'll really revoke all my cultivation. What should I do?"

The young man continued pacing, biting his nails. "Alright, this time I have to prove to the master that I'm not that useless."

With a determined resolve, Jian Hong approached the gate guards again, puffing out his chest and trying to look as arrogant as possible. One of the guards rolled his eyes in annoyance. "What do you want now? Don't you see the line behind you?"

"Sorry, sir. I'm Jian Hong, a disciple from the Tian Huang Sect. I'm telling the truth when I say the badge was lost on the way here." Jian Hong's words now sounded very firm and authoritative.

The two guards exchanged looks and shrugged indifferently. But then Jian Hong suddenly hugged their legs. "Please help me, my master won't forgive me if I can't participate in the competition. Please."

"Hey, let go! What are you doing?"

"Not until you give me a new badge."

"No. Who do you think you are? Each sect only gets one badge. How can we know if you don't have malicious intent?"

"Alright," Jian Hong said calmly, now resembling a child hugging his father's legs because he wasn't bought a toy. "Then I'll stay here until you give me a badge."

For a moment, there was silence. Then two other guards lifted Jian Hong from either side, so his feet no longer touched the ground. "Hey, what's this? Let me go! I just asked for a new badge. Is your sect so poor that it doesn't have a spare badge? Hey!"

"If you want a badge, then find it yourself," one of the guards said as they reached the edge of a cliff.

The abyss below looked endless and shrouded in mist due to its height. Jian Hong, seeing the chasm directly beneath him, widened his eyes and displayed a panicked expression. "No, no, what are you doing? This can definitely be discussed, right?"

"Talk to the river's inhabitants down there."

"No, no, don't! No! Aaah!!" Jian Hong kept shouting as his body floated in the air. The guards were cruelly about to drop him. "When I return, I won't forgive you!" he shouted again.

***

Jian Hong's body hit the water, but he struggled hard to swim to the surface. Once he managed, he crawled onto the shore and lay down on the ground.

The young man's breath was ragged as he looked up at the blue sky. "I didn't expect the struggle to be this hard. Just losing a badge but asking for my life in return." He paused, looking up at the floating island above. "How am I supposed to participate in the competition now?"

Not wanting to linger, Jian Hong chose to stand up. Although his clothes were drenched, he didn't care. They would dry eventually. So, Jian Hong walked towards the waterfall.

He was surprised when he saw what was behind it. A beautiful forest with many colorful trees and flowers, as well as butterflies and singing birds.

"Wow, this forest seems completely untouched by humans. How can it still be so beautiful?" Jian Hong murmured as he walked and admired the forest's beauty. For a moment, he forgot his confusion.

However, just as Jian Hong was still admiring the scene, an attack landed on his back. His body was knocked forward, and dirt entered his mouth.

Quickly, Jian Hong spat out the dirt. "Oh, come on, can't you let me enjoy this? Especially now?"

Just as Jian Hong stood up, he was confronted by an old spirit with white hair. The spirit's red eyes stared at him menacingly. "How dare you come here."

Hearing such a cold statement, Jian Hong reflexively raised his hands, like a criminal caught in the act. "Oh, relax. I didn't mean to come here, it just happened because—"

"Fight or die. You are not allowed to explain, only to choose. So, what's your choice?"