Chen Ai smirked as though Jie's and Pan Tian's efforts to protect themselves were somehow amusing. And, Jie felt the older girl cycle some kind of technique though there was no outward sign of what exactly she was doing.
Chen Ai tucked a stray hair behind a dark pointed ear.
"Get them," Chen Ai said.
Chen Ai's minions rushed Jie and Pan Tian from every angle, but most of them were only at the first or second star of the Adept rank.
Perhaps her equal in rank, but not in reality.
The only real threat was Chen Ai who was at the fourth star of the Adept rank.
Immediately, Pan Tian began scything her claws at the air, sending out waves of radiant qi that kept more than half of Chen Ai's minions at bay.
Then, Chen Ai herself moved with a speed that surprised even Jie. Each step carried Chen Ai impossibly far and in strange directions as though she were being yanked by invisible puppet strings. She arrived at the same instant the others did, slashing at Jie with the edge of an utterly black hand that seemed to bend and distort the light around it.
Jie ignored the others' attacks and struck Chen Ai's hand with her dragonfist. Dragon lightning qi met Chen Ai's strange light-warping qi and exploded. Chen Ai leaped backward and seemed almost to glide away at an impossible speed with a grace that defied reality as the force of the explosion merely ruffled her clothes.
Her minions were not so fortunate, however, and the explosion sent those closest to Jie tumbling through the air to crash into the dirt and grass that surrounded them.
Then, Chen Ai yanked herself forward again with that impossible movement technique. Her movements made those of her minions look laughably slow by comparison. They lagged behind her like a sloth trying to outrun a cheetah.
Chen Ai slashed with the edge of her hand again and Jie side-stepped just in time. She struck out with a dragonfist at the older girl's chest. But Chen Ai glided away at an odd angle and Jie missed.
Chen Ai laughed as her lips curled into a sadistic smile. "You're out of your league," she said.
The other youths finally got back to their feet and a hail of attacks rained down upon Jie.
Jie evaded them as she would in a fistfight with a turtle. She kept her eyes and spirit sense focused almost entirely on Chen Ai as Jie lined up a young girl only slightly older than she was with another behind that girl.
Jie struck with a low-powered dragonfist directly at the girl's stomach. Her supernaturally tough flesh felt like taffy.
The girl's eyes bulged as all the air left her body in a whoosh and the force of the blow sent her smashing into the youth directly behind her, propelling the pair down to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Jie struck out at the others with similar, predictable results. She didn't want to kill anyone, and even her low-powered attacks did devastating damage to such low-tier cultivators.
The one with the metal sword lunged at Jie with some kind of charge skill. He'd lined it up so if Jie evaded, he'd strike Pan Tian who was still trying to fend off the weaker cultivators. Jie grabbed him mid-charge. The snarling yellow qi that surrounded him burned her fingers as she spun with his momentum and redirected his charge into another attacker that'd been trying to sneak up behind her.
The would-be sneak attacker yelped as his ally crashed into him like a comet.
Jie leaned back and a familiar, glowing, curved sword of bone qi stabbed through the air just in front of her nose. She grabbed Chen Wei's arm and yanked him into a low-powered dragonfist that she struck against his chest. His bone armor shattered like glass and Jie felt several of his ribs break beneath the force of the blow as he hurtled backward across the field.
In the time it takes a butterfly to flap its wings, three of the ten wouldn't be fighting anyone for a while and those that remained were either being held back by Pan Tian or were far more hesitant to attack again.
Chen Ai's arrogant smile twisted slightly with distaste, and she flowed at Jie, moving across the space between them as though gravity and physics dared not anger her with their simple rules.
Jie frowned slightly, her fierce blue eyes seeming to stare into the older girl's soul as she tried to understand the strange movement technique and the seemingly random directions Chen Ai moved in.
Jie narrowly dodged a strike from Chen Ai and threw a punch in response, but Chen Ai flowed around it like water and struck at Jie again.
Jie felt someone trying to sneak up behind her yet again with her spiritual sense. It was the youth with the sword that'd tried to impale her before.
She gritted her teeth, more than a little annoyed that he hadn't yet learned his lesson while she tried to fend off Chen Ai's relentless attacks. She kicked backward without a technique. Her foot smashed into the young boy's groin like a hammer and his sneak attack turned into a whimpering cry as he crumpled to the floor.
Chen Ai took advantage of that split second of distraction and slashed at Jie's neck.
Jie side-stepped, but she was just a bit too slow, and the edge of Chen Ai's palm bit into her shoulder and chest like the blade of a knife.
A cold, sharp pain shot through Jie's body, radiating out from the wound. But the cut, while painful, wasn't deep enough to kill her.
Chen Ai's eyes widened as Jie glared defiantly at her rather than falling at her feet. Jie grabbed the older girl's wrist, twisting her arm away and pulling her closer as she smashed a dragonfist into Chen Ai's face.
Chen Ai's head cracked backward as she hurtled back through the air, yanked out of Jie's grip by that strange movement technique of hers. But Chen Ai missed the landing this time, crashing into the ground and rolling across it before springing back to her feet.
A trickle of blood ran down Chen Ai's lips from her broken nose as her once flawless face twisted with rage and hatred.
"How aren't you dead?" Chen Ai snarled. Her voice was hot with anger.
"Because you're weak," Jie said.
Chen Ai growled like a feral cat and sped forward. Again, her movement defied what should be possible, but while the movement technique itself seemed highly unpredictable, Jie had noticed patterns in the way Chen Ai used it. Patterns that were only more obvious as Chen Ai allowed rage to overwhelm her. Jie crouched down and side-stepped ever so subtly.
Chen Ai flowed over the ground and attacked at an angle that defied logic, but Chen Ai's attack missed and left her wide open to Jie's attack.
"How?" Chen Ai asked, her mouth hanging open with disbelief.
"You're predictable," Jie said. She slammed a full-powered dragonfist into the older girl's face, striking her already broken nose, and a deafening boom rang out.
Jie continued her assault, slamming one fist after another into Chen Ai with a speed none of the others could match.
The air tasted of ozone as shockwaves washed over the street. The few youths still standing were kept off Jie's back by Pan Tian's wicked slashes. With more than a few of them having collapsed under her assault, allowing Pan Tian to focus on those who remained even more.
Chen Ai collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll and Jie stood over her. Jie scowled at the older girl who'd so ruthlessly attacked them. Her electric blue eyes had turned as dark as the ocean at night and her aura weighed on everyone present like a mountain despite her only being at the first star of the Adept rank. Her fists crackled with dragon lightning qi as she wrestled with her anger. It took everything Jie had not to keep hitting the older girl despite Chen Ai already being broken and bleeding at Jie's feet.
Elder Kanev dropped out of the sky, seemingly out of nowhere. Cracking the pathway around where he landed.
"Enough!" he roared, "attacking fellow students on academy grounds outside of the training hall? Does your impertinence know no bounds? Finally, you will know the punishment you so richly deserve."
But, rather than aiming his comments at Chen Ai or the others... his eyes were firmly fixed on Jie.
His aura weighed on Jie, robbing her of the ability to breathe for a moment before another aura blanketed Jie and pushed it back.
A young woman appeared at Jie's side in a puff of purple smoke. She wore the robes of an elder, though hers had space for three black and purple tails at the back which curled in the air behind her.
She placed one hand on Jie's shoulder with an almost possessive firmness, her nails digging slightly into Jie's skin.
"Yes, Elder Kanev. I saw the whole thing, and I couldn't agree more. Chen Ai and her little gaggle of followers have indeed stepped too far this time. So, what punishment do you think would be fitting?" asked the fox woman elder.
Though her words said she'd misunderstood what Elder Kanev meant, her voice was filled with mirth and her eyes sparkled.
"Elder Shi," Elder Kanev said through gritted teeth, "how kind of you to agree with my judgment. Though perhaps we should let off Chen Ai and the others. After all, this one did taunt them."
Elder Shi smiled as though getting a kind of sadistic pleasure out of watching Elder Kanev backpedal as his attempt to unfairly punish Jie fell apart around him.
"I don't know about that," Elder Shi said as though contemplating his words, "it looked to me like she simply rose to their challenge."
Elder Kanev ground his teeth. "Regardless, they've been punished enough by the girl. My earlier assessment was made in haste," he said.
"Are you sure? I think they could do with a further reminder of proper behavior. The Chen family seems to be failing in teaching their youths such things. Perhaps we should offer a further incentive for them to learn. Is it not our duty as Elders of the Crimson Academy to ensure the very best education for our students?" Elder Shi said.
As they spoke, Chen Ai rose to her feet only to practically cower behind Elder Kanev's robes. Blood still trickled down her face as she looked at Elder Shi with wide eyes, feigning innocence.
Jie suddenly found herself regretting not punching Chen Ai several more times before the elders arrived.
"You don't have the authority to make demands of me," Elder Kanev said.
"Don't I?" Elder Shi said with a dangerous glint in her eyes as her tails flicked the air.
Elder Kanev's face turned ashen as Elder Shi's aura weighed down on him, but he stood firm. Jie couldn't sense their exact ranks, but she got the feeling Elder Shi was quite a bit more powerful than Elder Kanev.
"I suppose I don't," Elder Shi said after a long moment, "but then you'd know all about overstepping one's authority... wouldn't you?"
"What are you insinuating?" Elder Kanev asked. Though his words were strained.
"I merely imply that you're a knowledgeable man, Elder Kanev. Or is there something weighing on your conscience?" Elder Shi said with a smirk.
"Never. Now, if you'll excuse me, Elder Shi. I'll take our young students to the Shrine of Healing now," Elder Kanev said.
"I think I'll join you," Elder Shi said before turning to Jie and Pan Tian, "That's where you two were going before isn't it?"
"Yes, honored Elder Shi," Jie said with a slight bow.
The gesture and words felt a little awkward to Jie. But she felt she owed the older woman at least some respect for getting her out of that mess and sticking up for her against Elder Kanev.
The lot of them walked to the infirmary with Elder Kanev and those that had attacked Jie and Pan Tian walking ahead and rapidly outpacing Jie's group. It amused Jie that Elder Kanev and Chen Ai had to carry several of her minions.
Elder Shi walked side by side with Jie as Jie resumed her role as Pan Tian's crutch.
"Have you found an elder to take you on as their disciple yet?" Elder Shi asked.
"No," Jie said, "why?"
"Good. You'll be my disciple then," Elder Shi said as though Jie had no choice in the matter.
"No. Thank you, but I already have a master," Jie said.
Pan Tian looked at Jie like she was crazy, but Elder Shi just smiled.
"I'm aware," Elder Shi said, "but, it's not unheard of for someone to have more than one teacher. The world has many things to learn after all. Besides, I think by now you should realize the importance of having people looking out for you in the academy. We'll begin your training tomorrow morning."
Elder Shi left no room for argument though Jie still didn't like it. What would Ming think? Would he think she was trying to get out of her agreement? Would he approve? She really could do with some additional training, and he was busy with healing...
Perhaps this elder might prove useful... and if she ever got a chance to ask Ming about it, he could decide then.
"Very well," Jie said.
Elder Shi smiled at her with a predatory grin as though she'd just stepped into a trap. Without a word, the older woman summoned bright green energy to her hands and rested her hands on Jie and Pan Tian.
Jie felt the stinging pain from Chen Ai's cut as well as the shallower cuts from earlier melt away as Pan Tian gave a relieved sigh and the pair of them had their wounds healed almost instantly.
Elder Shi winked at Jie and vanished in another puff of purple smoke.
"She could've healed us both at any time," Jie said.
"Of course," Pan Tian said as she tested her freshly healed hip.
So, Elder Shi had merely been pretending they needed to be taken to the healer to get more time to talk. Only revealing her abilities when it suited her to do so...
Although the older woman's manipulations had benefited Jie so far, she wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Still, Jie had seen that these elders were not as impartial as they might pretend to be. Perhaps Elder Shi was right and it would be wise to have at least one elder firmly on her side...
But could she be trusted?