Path Of The Dragon (A Dark Fantasy Cultivation Wuxia Xianxia Progression Series)

Chapter 71 Grouping Up

"This is incredible. They must be incredibly skilled with their affinities?" Jie asked.

"Well, you have to train them constantly, and some people get bored with just using attacks all the time," Pan Tian said, "At the rate you're going, it won't be that long before you break into the Elementalist rank. I wonder what your affinities will be?"

A red and green flaming missile rocketed high into the sky and exploded into a massive dragon. The dragon roared and spread his hands as the fire that made up his massive body flowed into a globe of the world... then drifted down, falling like snowflakes.

Jie dodged the flecks of fire, but there were so many that despite being slow, she doubted she could evade them all.

"Relax, Jie," Pan Tian said as she spread her arms and Ithilix did the same. Bits of the red and green fire touched their skin and pulsed into them harmlessly. Where the flecks touched the ground, grass and small plants sprouted.

"It's a time of creation now," Pan Tian said, "they mix wood and fire affinities for the fireworks."

"So... healing fireworks?" Jie asked.

"Well... yes," Pan Tian said, "though they're weak for actual healing, the idea is to give some of our energy back to the world. Do you see how the flakes of power drift on the wind? They say that Xiannu will carry them on the wind to wherever the energy is needed most. But... most people think that's just a silly superstition."

They continued on and into a hall with a short queue in front of a row of desks manned by elders. Jie tried to keep her face impassive as she saw Elder Kanev.

They waited in the queue before being called up to a desk manned by an elder with blue skin and tendrils coming off his face in place of a beard.

"Names?" he asked without looking up.

"Second star Expert Pan Tian, third star Expert Ithilix of the Hive, and eighth star Expert Liu Jie for the Crimson Valley Treasure Hunt," Pan Tian said.

The elder frowned and looked up from his forms. "That's only three," he said.

"We only need three," Pan Tian said.

The elder shook his head. "The rules state four," he said.

"We couldn't find a fourth, and we don't need one, anyway. We're strong enough by ourselves. Liu Jie could probably do the whole treasure hunt by herself and win," Pan Tian said.

The elder looked Jie over doubtfully. "Well, gathering allies is a useful skill for cultivators and if you couldn't gather four, then you've failed the very first challenge. I can't let you enter," he said.

"I suppose we could find someone weaker? It's annoying to give them a share but nobody would pass that up," Pan Tian said with a look at Ithilix and Jie as though asking for their approval.

"Wait," said the elder, "is that your spirit tiger?"

"Yes," Jie said.

"Why don't you just take him as your fourth?" he asked.

Jie opened her mouth, about to say that she didn't think he would've counted but then snapped her mouth shut.

"I'll do that then, thank you elder," Jie said.

"What's his name and rank?" asked the elder as he reached into a box containing transparent stones and withdrew four of them, placing them beside his forms.

"His name is Xue," Jie said, "he's at the second star of the Expert rank."

The elder filled in the forms and touched each of the stones to a shimmering metal plaque.