A Song for The Ages

The underground cavern, once a place of confusion and despair, was slowly turning into something else, a camp, a shelter, a temporary home. Though the air still carried the weight of fear and uncertainty, there was now a growing sense of direction. Feiyin stood in the center, his mind working through the countless details they needed to address. The others, exhausted yet wary, turned to him with expectant gazes.

With the venomfang slain and their temporary safety secured, the next step was to ensure survival in the coming days. Food, water, shelter, training, these were their priorities. The idea of staying idle while waiting for the Saint Spirit Sect to return and evaluate their 'usefulness' was unthinkable.

Feiyin turned toward Shen Mu, the apothecary's son, who was adjusting the cloth around one of the wounded. The boy had proven himself valuable, and his knowledge would be crucial in making sure they had something sustainable to eat besides beast meat.

"Shen Mu, do you know if there's anything we can forage down here? Anything edible that we should be looking out for?" Feiyin asked.

Shen Mu, despite being among the younger children at only ten, had a sharp mind and was quick to respond. "Yes, there are definitely things we can look for. There are certain mosses that grow in damp areas, they have a bitter taste but are edible. Some fungi too, but we need to be careful since many are poisonous. The safest ones are usually the ones that grow near water sources."

Feiyin nodded, processing this information. "What about things we should avoid?"

"Anything with an overly sweet scent, those are usually toxic or hallucinogenic. Also, any plant that has black spots or gives off a sticky residue is dangerous. Some creatures also secrete poisons onto food sources to trap prey." Shen Mu looked around at the others. "If we forage, we have to be careful and take things in small amounts first to test."

Feiyin absorbed all of this before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright, we'll divide responsibilities. We can't have everyone doing the same thing. From now on, we'll have three main duties, training, foraging, and recovering."

The murmurs around him grew as the group processed this. Most of them had never lived in such a dire situation before. The concept of actively organizing their survival rather than waiting was unfamiliar. But it was necessary.

Feiyin's eyes swept over the group, gauging their reactions. He then focused on those who had already begun training in the Body Tempering Realm. "Those of us who are in the Body Tempering Realm will be divided by strength so we can train properly. Anyone who isn't training will either rest or go out in small groups foraging for food and water. Hunting will be left to me and Yue for now."

Ren, sitting nearby with his arms crossed, let out a scoff. "You sure you can handle all of this?" His voice was skeptical, but there was a hint of amusement there as well.

Feiyin smirked. "You can always take my place."

Ren rolled his eyes. "Not interested. I just think it's a lot to juggle."

"It is," Feiyin admitted. "But the more organized we are, the better chance we have of lasting the full month."

Yue, who had been listening quietly, perked up. "Then I'll make sure to catch as much food as possible!" She clenched her fists. "Since my nose is my best weapon right now, I'll track anything that smells even remotely edible."

Feiyin nodded. "Good. We'll need as much as we can get."

With that settled, he turned back to Ren. "I know you've trained before, but you said you only learned by watching, right?"

Ren raised a brow. "Yeah. Picked up what I could."

Feiyin thought for a moment before stepping forward. "Then let's go over the basics properly. I'll show you the correct way to build a foundation."

Ren hesitated for only a second before pushing himself to his feet. "Fine."

The two of them moved a little further from the group, giving them enough space. Feiyin adjusted his stance and gestured for Ren to do the same.

"Body Tempering isn't just about getting stronger. It's about tempering the body efficiently. If your foundation isn't stable, you'll plateau quickly," Feiyin explained. "Let's start with posture and control."

Ren mimicked his stance, though there were clear flaws in how he carried himself. He was too rigid, lacking the fluidity needed to transfer power through his body smoothly.

Feiyin stepped closer and adjusted Ren's footing. "Your balance is off. If you ever need to engage in a real fight, you need to be able to move freely."

Ren frowned but followed the corrections without complaint.

They spent the next hour going over the fundamentals, proper breathing to regulate inner strength, controlled movements to maximize force output, and how to maintain stamina during extended engagements. Ren, despite his usual air of disinterest, was quick to absorb the lessons.

"You're a fast learner," Feiyin commented as Ren executed a corrected strike.

Ren smirked slightly, rolling his shoulder. "I had to be."

Feiyin studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then let's build on that."

As they continued, the others in the group who had yet to start training gathered nearby, watching curiously. Seeing their interest, Feiyin decided it was time to take things a step further.

"For those of you who haven't started training yet, now's the time." He addressed them directly. "I'll show you the first steps to begin Body Tempering."

A few hesitant nods followed, but there was clear interest. These children had been thrown into a life-or-death situation. Even the weakest among them had to become stronger if they wanted to survive.

Feiyin walked them through the basic breathing exercises, explaining how to guide their inner strength through their bodies. He demonstrated a few foundational postures, making sure each of them grasped the importance of form.

Time passed quickly as they focused on training. Though some struggled, Feiyin made sure to correct them when needed, encouraging them to push forward.

By the time they finished, everyone looked exhausted but slightly more confident.

Feiyin exhaled and stretched, feeling satisfied with their progress. The group was beginning to function more like a unit.

For the first time since they had been thrown into this nightmare, survival didn't seem quite as impossible.

,

The cavern had become their world, the damp, unyielding stone their home, the eternal darkness their sky, dotted only with the dim light of deadly mushrooms. Days passed in a steady rhythm, training, foraging, resting, each of them falling into roles that made the crushing uncertainty of their fate slightly more bearable.

Feiyin and Yue spent their days hunting whatever they could find, their senses sharpened to the eerie quiet of the underground. Rats, bats, and even the occasional large lizard became their meals. The first time they ate the cave creatures, the taste was nearly unbearable, but Shen Mu had given them clear instructions on how to prepare them. Roasting the flesh on hot stones helped rid it of the worst odors, and using certain mosses and fungi added some flavor. Though it was nothing like home-cooked meals, it was safe and filled their bellies.

Ren, despite his usual nonchalant demeanor, turned out to be an excellent scavenger. His sharp senses allowed him to detect dangers in their surroundings, preventing them from wandering into the territory of stronger beasts. Yue, with her keen nose, made sure they didn't mistakenly eat anything poisonous. Shen Mu was invaluable with his knowledge of underground plants and what little medicinal supplies they could make from their limited resources.

Feiyin, meanwhile, balanced everything, leading, hunting, training, and, when no one was watching, cultivating.

He had taken to finding secluded spots deep within the cave system, places where he could sit in silence and focus entirely on himself. The process of opening his second meridian was painstaking but successful. Unlike the first, where he had struggled against the blockage, he now had a method, using the oscillations of the five elements to grind away at the resistance, carefully aligning his energy with the natural vibrations of his body.

It was slow.

It was exhausting.

But by the end of the week, he had done it.

His second meridian was clear, and the second blessing of the world's essence had started to subtly refine his body. Yet, Feiyin kept this achievement to himself. He didn't trust their captors, and he certainly didn't trust the circumstances they were in. If the Saint Spirit Sect forced them to reveal their progress, then every strength he displayed could be turned against him.

That, he would not allow.

As the days passed, the group grew closer. The initial panic had long faded, and in its place was a reluctant camaraderie. Their numbers had dwindled in the first few days, some had been killed by beasts, others had succumbed to wounds or poison, but those who remained had started to understand the unspoken truth:

Only those who adapted would survive.

Conversations became more frequent, small gestures of kindness more common. Ren, despite his previous coldness, had softened slightly, especially toward Yue, who had latched onto him as a partner in mischief. Shen Mu and a small group of former village kids had taken up the task of foraging, organizing a schedule for who would search for food and when.

It wasn't comfortable.

It wasn't safe.

But it was stable.

And then, it happened.

,

It started with a faint tremor beneath Feiyin's feet.

At first, he thought it was his imagination. The cave system was riddled with strange sounds, dripping water, shifting stones, the distant echoes of creatures moving through the tunnels. But this was different.

A deep, rhythmic vibration pulsed through the ground.

He turned sharply, eyes narrowing as he focused his inner sense. Oscillations traveled through the stone, a strange, rippling effect moving outward from a single source.

Something was coming.

Feiyin's head snapped toward Ren and Yue, who were just finishing up skinning one of the large bats they had caught earlier.

"Something's wrong," he said immediately.

Ren wiped his knife on his sleeve and frowned. "You sure? Could just be the ground settling."

Feiyin shook his head. "No. It's moving."

Yue's ears twitched as she sniffed the air, her expression quickly shifting into alarm. "Something's coming. Something big."

Feiyin was already moving.

He rushed toward the group that had gathered near the stream, most of them preparing to eat, unaware of the growing tension. Shen Mu was speaking with another boy about which fungi were safest when Feiyin's voice cut through the cavern.

"Everyone, up! We need to move, now!"

Some turned toward him in confusion, while others hesitated, uncertain.

Then the ground shook again, harder this time.

The sound that followed made Feiyin's blood run cold.

A low, guttural growl, like the rumbling of an earthquake, reverberated through the tunnels.

Yue's eyes widened in fear. "That's not a rat."

Ren muttered a curse. "No. It's something much worse."

The others finally reacted, scrambling to their feet. Some instinctively reached for weapons they didn't have. Feiyin motioned for everyone to move back, scanning the darkened tunnels for the source of the noise.

Then, from the deepest part of the cavern, a shadow moved.

It was massive.

A grotesque form slithered into view, its long, segmented body undulating as it moved, its pale, eyeless face twisting toward them. Jagged mandibles clicked together, and thick, venomous saliva dripped onto the cavern floor, sizzling as it touched stone.

A centipede.

No, not just a centipede.

A Class 1 Beast.

The moment its full form came into view, an instinctual fear gripped the group. Its segmented legs, sharp and bladed, clattered against the rock as it advanced, its movements unnervingly smooth.

It had no eyes.

But it could hear them.

And it could sense their fear.

Feiyin inhaled sharply. 'A middle grade Class 1 Beast…'

This wasn't like the venomfang.

This was something on an entirely different level, equivalent to an opening meridian realm cultivator who is in the middle tier.

The centipede let out another screeching noise before lunging forward.

Panic erupted.

Some ran.

Others screamed.

Feiyin clenched his jaw, heart pounding. They had nowhere to run. The tunnels were too narrow, too winding, if they tried to scatter, they would only be hunted down one by one.

They had to fight.

"Get behind me!" he shouted, stepping forward, his muscles tensing.

Ren's expression twisted into something between frustration and determination. "You're crazy."

Yue growled, baring her fangs. "We don't have a choice."

Feiyin focused, drawing on the strength he had cultivated. His inner strength surged as he adjusted his stance, preparing for the battle ahead. They were outmatched. They were unarmed, and their enemy was relentless. But they had no other option, they had to survive.