BAB3 -Chapter 23

# Chapter 23: Collective Improvement

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On the final day of Xay’s isolation, the far wall of the Vital Spring Cavern shimmered with a golden light, and the doorway finally reappeared.

Xay ended his moving meditation with a deep breath. He rose, standing a little taller, walking a little lighter, and stepped out of the cavern a changed man.

Grandmaster Wu waited halfway up the staircase, his arms folded behind his back. “Hmph,” he grunted. “Looks like you didn’t waste the time. Actually put in the effort, huh, brat?”

Xay just grinned. He’d done more than put in the effort.

His martial arts had grown in both depth and breadth, and every one of his psionic abilities had blossomed with greater power and nuance.

He had also fully infused his bones with dense vital energy—and he didn’t stop there. He infused his organs as well.

But more than anything, Xay had learned how to effectively train himself.

As they reached the lush grotto at the top of the staircase, Xay turned to face Grandmaster Wu.

He placed a hand over his fist and bowed deeply at the waist. “Thank you, Grandmaster Wu.”

The old man snorted. “Yeah, yeah, brat. Come on. Those girls of yours have been pestering me to high heaven. Best not keep them waiting.”

They vanished in a flash of golden light—and reappeared in Grandma Xiu’s courtyard.

The first thing Xay noticed was how far-reaching his sphere of perception had grown. If he concentrated, his awareness could now stretch across all the main peaks of the mountain range.

Among other things, that meant his range of *Psychic Blink* had just increased by miles.

He’d already trained his *Extrasensory Perception* to retract and focus on what mattered to him.

But now he was certain he could maintain an awareness radius of at least a thousand feet in every direction with little issue.

The second thing he noticed was a black-and-white blur streaking toward him.

Dragon crashed into his chest, her tail wagging and tongue out, licking his face with rapid-fire enthusiasm as her butterfly wings fluttered behind her in excitement.

Xay laughed, wrapping his arms around her. “I missed you too, girl.”

The sudden commotion drew the others out of the back door. They’d just been finishing up breakfast.

Lexi and Kimi were the first to reach him, throwing their arms around both Xay and Dragon, who still clung to his chest.

“Welcome back,” Kimi whispered into his ear.

“It’s not the same without you,” Lexi added.

“You have no idea how much I missed you all,” Xay said, sinking into their embrace.

When they finally let go, Tyra and Ezra were next, wrapping him in a tight, wordless hug. Then came Rox, who clapped him on the back so hard he coughed.

His reunions with Amy, the twins, and Shifu Wu were less intimate—but no less warm. Even Willow seemed less cold.

Their time on the mountain had done them all good. The excess vitality in the air left their skin radiant and their hair gleaming.

They all looked healthier and far more vibrant than before Xay had gone into isolation.

Xay had kept himself occupied in the Vitality Spring, but his friends had never left his thoughts.

With only one week left of their break, he was determined to spend as much time with them as possible.

Grandma Xiu made her way over, gave him a warm hug, then immediately launched into a full-body inspection.

“Bones and organs?” she said, chuckling. “How diligent. Now go take a long, well-deserved bath and ask one of these lovely girls to do something about this mess on your head, sweetheart.”

Xay rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin.

The condensed vitality in the cavern—and now flowing through his body—had accelerated his hair growth.

His braids had grown twice as long as they were before, now falling to his waist, frayed and loose at the ends.

Tyra laughed. “I can do it.”

Xay turned to her, incredulous. “You can braid?”

“Of course,” Tyra chirped, stepping closer.

“Why’d you never tell me?” Xay asked, blinking at her.

To his side, Kimi raised a hand hesitantly. “I, uh.. can as well.”

Xay’s mouth dropped open as he turned to look at them both. Then Ezra raised her hand. Then Amy. Then Sasha and Sophia.

Xay took a step back, scandalized. “It’s like I don’t even know who any of you are anymore. What else have you kept from me?” he asked dramatically, slowly turning to Lexi for salvation.

“Don’t look at me. You already know I can’t,” she scoffed.

“Me either,” Rox added with a shrug, laughing.

“What a traumatic experience you must be having right now,” Shifu Wu deadpanned.

Xay snorted. “Yeah. I’ll grab some breakfast and a bath—but I want to hear what you all have been up to while the lovely Tyra here does my hair,” he said, grinning at her.

Tyra winked, her cheeks tinting red. “You’re in for a treat.”

Grandma Xiu clapped her hands together. “That’s an excellent idea. Why don’t we have a little showcase? Everyone can demonstrate what they’ve learned.”

While everyone prepared for that, Xay devoured several bowls of Grandma Xiu’s egg scramble. The taste was divine—somehow even better than before he left.

After a month of nothing but mushrooms and fruit in the cavern, he’d nearly forgotten what seasoning tasted like.

The monotony had helped him stay focused, but now, he craved variety like never before.

He downed several big gulps of vitality-rich water, sighed in satisfaction, and finally headed off for a hot bath with Dragon by his side.

After his second awakening, Xay’s body no longer produced odors, but he still smelled like cavern moss. It wasn’t a bad scent, exactly, but it wasn’t great either.

He returned to the basement bath where he woke up after his convalescence on the first day.

Running scalding hot water, he undressed and finally took a moment to notice the changes in his body.

His muscles had already been infused with mana, but now, thanks to the abundance of vitality in his body, they were larger, denser, and far more defined.

Xay flexed in front of the mirror, twisting to get a good look at his back. He’d gained a few pounds of muscle mass, yet somehow felt lighter than ever.

Grandma Xiu had been right—his very long, black hair was all over the place. But his gray eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever.

He thought it was a good look, and would be even better once Tyra was done with his head later.

Dragon cannonballed into the water ahead of him, sending a splash across the stone floor.

Xay had to scoot her out of the way before finally sinking into the tub. It was deep enough for him to fully submerge, and the heat seeped into his muscles like bliss.

Underwater, he undid the Life Weave cord and worked the tangles out of his hair with his fingers. He washed it with a bottle of natural shampoo that smelled faintly of mint and something floral.

After that, he soaped up and soaked a bit, savoring every second.

He gave Dragon a quick scrubbing too, along with his two Jetnir Orbs—just because. No real reason not to.

Fresh and minty-clean, Xay dried off and changed into a new set of martial robes.

Instead of the cream-colored ones he’d worn originally, Grandma Xiu had handed him a darker, burnished orange set before his bath.

They were just as comfortable, but the deeper color somehow felt more special. Xay couldn’t really explain it.

He and Dragon headed back upstairs and found a note resting on the doorframe, written in Ezra’s neat handwriting:

“We’re at the field where Kimi and I sparred. See you soon.”

Xay smiled to himself, pocketing the note. “Let’s go see what everyone can do,” he murmured to Dragon, teleporting them both away.

They reappeared at the edge of the field—and it looked nothing like it had weeks ago. Wooden obstacles, tall poles, heavy boulders, and stone pillars were scattered across the grounds.

The sparring field had been completely transformed into a rugged obstacle course.

Grandmaster Wu, Master Hui, Master Mei, and Master Li stood off to the side, watching with calm interest.

The Masters had left their Daitus back at their respective halls—but Master Hui had brought her Tudi, Yue.

Yue stayed near the far edge of the group, quietly observing everything with a faint frown.

Someone had even dragged Mao up the mountain. He was lying on his side with Tiffany, his gourd in his hand, carefully positioned just outside Grandma Xiu’s line of sight.

Tyra waved Xay over with a comb in her hand, standing beside a small patch of wildflowers she’d picked out.

He floated over, crossing his legs midair and hovering at a height where she could comfortably reach his head.

His casual flight made her giggle.

“I used to braid the kids’ hair back with the caravan,” she said, parting his hair with the comb. “I wonder what they’re up to right now.”

“You must really miss them,” Xay said, watching the others finish the final setup.

“I do. Every day,” she replied warmly. “But I like what I have here, too. Here, with everyone—with you.”

Xay smiled and reached back to hold one of her hands. “When we graduate, I’d like to visit your caravan with you and meet your family.”

“I’d like that too,” she said, squeezing his hand in return.

“How would we find them?” he asked, releasing her.

“They avoid the deep Wilds and usually follow the seasons,” Tyra explained. “They’ll be farther south right now because of the cold, but by the time we graduate, they should be up further north.”

Tyra had grown up with nomads in the Wilds. When Xay first found out, he couldn’t believe something like that was even possible.

But after these past few weeks in the mountains, surrounded by nature, he was starting to understand.

Still, he didn’t think he could go without creature comforts forever. At the end of the day, he was a city boy.

During his time meditating in isolation, Xay had done a lot of thinking about his bonds.

At first, he’d wanted to plan something big and dramatic to ask Tyra to bond with him.

But the more he reflected, the more he realized that wasn’t right for her.

That impulse was him projecting—trying to fix his perceived mistakes with Lexi and Kimi by doing the opposite.

What he needed to do instead was something authentic—true to her and true to himself.

So Xay was done waiting—done making her wait.

He was going to ask her tonight, under the light of the stars.

While Xay mused to himself, the showcase finally began.

The twins were up first. Sasha and Sophia stepped onto the field in perfect sync, each wielding newly personalized weapons.

Sasha’s delicate parasol was a soft pink, painted with the image of a unicorn galloping through a lush glade.

Sophia’s ornate whisk was a rich purple, its dyed strings fanning out to reveal a bicorn drinking from a lakeside.

The two began weaving around one another, rotating and twirling their weapons and white cat tails in flowing Snake Style stances. It was both fluid and hypnotic.

Xay grinned at the display. They’d each already reached an intermediate level in the forms.

Then he felt a ripple in the air.

Their movements stirred the surrounding psychic force, and elaborate illusions suddenly lit up the field.

Xay’s mouth dropped open.

A herd of unicorns and bicorns galloped across the clearing, while shimmering snakes slithered through the air.

The illusions danced with Sasha and Sophia’s strikes and flourishes, perfectly mirroring their rhythm.

There was even sound.

The snakes hissed, the hooves thundered, and by the time the performance ended, Xay nearly toppled out of his self-made seat.

He applauded louder than anyone else. They’d had their own epiphany with psychic force and had used psionic abilities outside of the Dream World.

Xay knew exactly how difficult that was, and just how much it had to mean to them.

He couldn’t have been more proud of the two of them.

“Bravo!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, making both women blush profusely.

Tyra laughed, pushing Xay back down so she could finish his hair.

Amy and Ezra stepped into the center of the field next. They were quiet and poised, their movements perfectly mirrored.

The air shifted around them as they slipped into a slow, flowing Tai Chi form.

Xay could feel vital energy bending to their will, guided by each controlled breath and rounded motion.

Then, without warning, Grandma Xiu hurled a four-foot-wide boulder at them from the sideline.

Amy’s bunny ears twitched.

Without breaking her flow, she caught the boulder with both palms, her stance solid and unwavering.

She turned with it, redirecting the force and guiding the full weight of the stone toward Ezra.

Ezra exhaled, drawing her dripping dagger as her posture dropped lower. She’d shifted into Mantis Style.

In a flash of motion, her dagger swept through the stone, cleaving it cleanly in two. The halves hit the ground behind her with two hard thuds.

Once again, Xay was the loudest to applaud.

Amy—non-Awakened, hyperactive, clean-freak Amy—had just caught and redirected a hundred pound boulder like it was nothing.

And Ezra’s dagger had moved so fast that Xay’s eyes struggled to follow it.

Grandma Xiu watched them both with a proud expression, and Xay was right there with her.

“Amazing!” he shouted, his excited voice ringing out across the field.

Ezra stepped away, but apparently, Amy wasn’t finished yet. She gave a sharp whistle, and Valiant came bounding out.

Xay blinked. He hadn’t noticed before, but the ocelot was nearly twice as large as when they’d first arrived on the mountain.

Grinning, Amy darted off to the side, and the two of them hit the obstacle course in a blur of pink ears and golden fur.

Xay’s mouth fell open again.

Valiant moved with incredible agility, twisting and leaping through the wooden beams in loose, instinctive Leopard Style.

But Amy kept pace, her GenoMorph-enhanced bunny traits letting her bound clean over stone barriers with effortless grace.

The two landed together at the end of the course, hugging and twirling with giddy joy.

Applause rang out across the field, and Xay clapped just as hard as before, his grin stretched wide.

He was having so much fun.

Master Li raised a hand, and a miniature mountain erupted from the center of the field—a solid stone tower at least fifty feet high.

Rox stepped up to it, crouched low, balled her fist, and exhaled slowly.

Then she struck—just a short, blunt punch from only inches away.

A thunderous crack echoed across the clearing, and the entire stone split from the inside out, collapsing in a jagged line.

Rox nodded and stepped back with a satisfied grin.

Xay laughed, applauding proudly.

Master Li moved her hand to clear the debris, but Master Hui stopped her and nodded toward Kimi.

Kimi stepped forward with a feral grin, raising a blunted katana high above her head.

With heavy stomps and echoing roars, she brought the blade crashing down in brutal Tiger Style strikes.

Stone shattered beneath her force, pieces breaking apart under each ferocious blow. Dust and fragments burst outward in every direction as she hammered the debris again and again.

This was nothing like Kimi’s usual graceful swordplay—it was raw, brutal, and destructive.

Xay had said it before and meant it wholeheartedly: *Tiger Kimi is terrifying.*

After a moment of stunned silence, the applause came, slow and slightly nervous.

Then Master Mei swept her arm wide, conjuring a gust of wind that set several thin poles into the ground.

With precise flicks of her fan, she strung up chimes, lanterns, and banners at varying heights and distances across the field.

Willow swooped low, her feathers catching the wind as she shifted seamlessly into Tyra’s form just before touching down.

She hooked her fingers into the telltale Eagle Style talons, then sprang skyward in a twisting arc.

Spinning through several stances, she ended with a harsh, razor-sharp motion. A single blade of wind sliced outward, curving through every hanging target.

The chimes shattered, the lanterns split open mid-spin, and the banners fluttered down like drifting feathers.

Willow shifted back into her owl form and flew back to her nearby perch without a word.

Smirking, Xay clapped for her. It was awesome.

Lexi came out next, jumping higher than Xay had ever seen her without the use of *Dark Passage*.

She landed daintily atop one of the narrow poles still planted in the ground.

It was no thicker than her wrist. Raising her free hanging leg, she did a one-legged backflip.

Xay blinked in confusion. *Lexi doesn’t flip!*

But she did another off the other leg, then two front flips, each landing executed with impossible grace.

Master Mei conjured several glowing targets in the air and flung them across the field in random, erratic arcs.

Lexi didn’t hesitate. She drew her bow while moving, loosing bolt after bolt as she flipped from pole to offset pole—sometimes on one hand, sometimes on one leg.

She moved with flawless balance, striking each target with pinpoint precision. One by one, they burst in sharp flashes of red light.

By the end of it, Xay was too stunned to applaud.

“Who are you?!” he shouted, making Lexi laugh.

At that moment, Tyra gave his last braid a tug, then tied them loosely into a looped ponytail with his Life Weave cord to reduce the overhang.

“There,” she said, stepping back to admire her work. “All done.”

Xay reached up, running his fingers along the freshly woven braids. “Feels good. Thank you.”

They were thicker than usual, but that worked out well—his hair had grown longer anyway.

Tyra grinned. “Well then. My turn.”

She grabbed a bamboo staff from where it leaned against a flower-draped boulder, twirled it once overhead, and bounded onto the center of the field.

Tyra didn’t take an opening stance—she sprang into motion like a leaf caught in a breeze, flipping, sliding, and spinning with rhythmic abandon.

Her staff flowed with her as if it were alive, tapping stone, catching air, and clacking with each sudden, unpredictable shift in her movement.

One moment, she was balanced on one hand atop the staff. Next, she coiled around its length like a snake in the grass.

It was fun, wild, and beautifully chaotic.

Monkey Style in its purest form.

From his place half-sprawled on a rock, Mao burst into cackling laughter, slapping his thigh with one hand while gripping his gourd with the other.

“That’s it!” he howled. “Shake the trees! Confuse the wind! Make the monkey laugh!”

Even Tiffany hooted in excitement.

Tyra planted her staff, vaulted off it, and landed in a crouch with one arm raised like a victorious trickster.

The crowd erupted with cheers.