Wu Chen floated in the velvety darkness for what seemed like an age. Slowly, he became aware of voices drifting around him, and he focused on their tone and timbre. As he began to discern words, he also began to feel pain. It was this pain that eventually drew him out of the darkness and into the blinding light.

He groaned softly and carefully opened his eyes. He was lying on his stomach on soft bedding outside the pagoda. The gentle sound of rushing water from the koi pond nearby was a stark contrast to the burning in his meridians and the raw, fiery pain of his back.

He was thirsty, so he turned his head toward the pond and tried to stand. He needed water badly. He focused on that and was able to raise himself slightly from his prone position. Unfortunately, this caused his back to feel as though someone were skinning him alive, and he grunted as he fell face first on the bedding.

'Aiya! Where do you think you're going?' Ren Qiguang scolded as he ran toward Wu Chen's side.

'Ren Qiguang?' Wu Chen rasped with his dry throat, 'Water...'

A waterskin was swiftly supplied, and Wu Chen drank until it was emptied. Finally able to focus on his surroundings, Wu Chen gritted his teeth against the waves of pain and gasped, 'What happened?'

'You tell us!' Su Chunwen exclaimed as he and Sun Ruyun joined Ren Qiguang in sitting next to the injured man, 'First, you disappeared in front of that weird painting. Then, you went missing for an entire day and night. When you finally fell out of the painting, you were unconscious, your clothes were ripped up, you had blood and wounds all over, and this gorgeous tattoo was on your back. You've been out cold the whole day.'

'What happened, Brother Chen?' Ren Qiguang asked softly.

'I've worried you all. I apologize.' Wu Chen gasped through the pain, 'I've overused my qi, so my meridians are on fire, and my back feels like it's been skinned. Let me take something for the pain, and then we can talk more.' He said as he reached carefully for his Void pouch.

'Aiya!' Exclaimed Sun Ruyun, reaching out to stop him from moving, 'Just take this elixir. It should help for a little while.'

She placed a small fragrant elixir into Wu Chen's mouth, and the pain receded enough for him to carefully sit up with help from the martial brothers. Even with the powerful pill, he still didn't dare move his back much as it made him feel like he was being sliced with a sharp knife.

'My thanks, Lady Sun.' He said with a small bob of his head. A bow was out of the question for now.

'Brother Chen?' Encouraged Ren Qiguang anxiously.

'I'll be fine. I just need my medicine and time to heal. How bad are the wounds on my back?'

Wu Chen was feeling a little better now that the elixir had circulated through his system. He realized that his top was bare. In fact, he was without his outer robes at all and was currently only wearing his trousers. He blushed and tried to avoid the Lady Sun's concerned gaze.

Su Chunwen rolled his eyes, 'It's not really a wound, Wu Chen. Like I said, you have a really amazing tattoo on your back now. It looks like some kind of fancy bird.'

'A tattoo? No wonder my back feels as if it's been carved.' Wu Chen mumbled.

Seeing the impatient looks on his friend's faces, he quickly explained, 'I was entranced by an array on the painting frame and entered some kind of dimension within the painting. Inside was a living technique. I had to fight it for the right to use it. It was very powerful, and I'm lucky I survived. This tattoo on my back must be its inert form. I wish I could see it myself.'

'A living technique? Those haven't been seen for centuries!' Exclaimed Sun Ruyun with an amazed look, 'Congratulations, Wu Chen Gongzi! I understand they are quite difficult to obtain and can be extremely arrogant.'

Wu Chen chuckled at her words. She was not wrong.

'What about all of you? What were you able to get from the pagoda?' Wu Chen asked, his curiosity outweighing the twinges for the moment.

'Well, I got my scroll first.' Lady Sun Ruyun said shyly, 'It was a technique I can apply to Xuesi that will strengthen her and give her new abilities. Xuesi and I are very excited!'

'Congratulations, Lady Sun!' Wu Chen exclaimed, 'Now your battles will be even more amazing!'

Lady Sun blushed and pointed at Ren Qiguang, 'Ren Qiguang Gongzi was the next to earn his.'

Ren Qiguang shrugged, 'I sent out my aura just as Lady Sun did, and was able to obtain a technique that lets me break down and use the metals from anywhere, including from within living creatures, to create a metallic armor to protect myself. The downsides are that for now, it requires a lot of qi to manifest, and if I use the metals in my own body, it will leave me weakened until I can replenish them. It can level with me, so it will get stronger as I do and will require less materials and qi to create. I want to practice with it and see if I can apply the armor to only certain areas, like just one arm. That would take less qi than covering my whole body and should be faster to create in the heat of battle.'

'Congratulations! That's a great technique, Brother Qiguang! As fearless as you are in battle, a strong armor like this should come in very handy. You must test your theory and see what it can really do. I'll be happy to help you train.' Wu Chen smiled widely, honestly happy for his friend's fortune.

Ren Qiguang was stunned by his smile for a moment but was able to hide it quickly with a nod, 'I look forward to it, Brother Chen.' He said with a return smile, relieved that his voice sounded steady.

'Tell him about your opportunity, Brother Chunwen!' Lady Sun encouraged with a proud smile.

'My experience was a little different from theirs.' Su Chunwen said, scratching the back of his head as his face reddened, 'I tried sending out my aura, but instead of catching one of those balls, I fell through the mat.'

'You what?' Wu Chen asked, stunned by his statement.

'En.' Su Chunwen nodded, 'I fell through the mat. It was like it just turned into a hole once my aura touched it. I dropped into an ancient tomb where an ancestor was waiting. It turned out to be an inheritance opportunity. I ended up passing his test, so I received the Liuti Kongzhi technique.'

He glanced up at Wu Chen with a slight frown, 'You don't know this, Brother Chen, but I've always been a little disappointed to be a water elementalist. So, getting this technique removed that heart demon for me. It lets me control any fluid no matter what it is. Lava, water, blood...it doesn't matter. If it's a liquid, I can manipulate it.'

Wu Chen blinked rapidly. That was a strong power! He grinned widely, 'Well done, Brother Chunwen! That couldn't have been an easy inheritance to get. So powerful!'

Su Chunwen blushed and smiled back, 'Thank you, Brother Chen. It was difficult, but worth it. Of course, if the liquid isn't water, it takes more qi to use, but I'm still happy with it.'

'En. I feel the same.' Ren Qiguang agreed with a huge smile and a pat on his shidi's back.

He knew being a water element had always bothered his martial brother, but this new powerful technique had lifted him right into the realm of the strong. Their Master was going to be very happy to hear about the rewards his disciples had earned in the secret realm.

Wu Chen looked thoughtful for a moment, 'After hearing all of our experiences, I can see why no one can really describe the Fenghuang Pagoda with any accuracy.'

Ren Qiguang chuckled, 'You are not wrong, Brother Chen.'

A movement caught his eye, and he realized that Wu Chen's hands were shaking slightly. He shook his head. Now was not the time to discuss all of this. The young man was in pain, and they had to do something about it. This was their last day in the realm, and they didn't know what would be in store once they returned.

'Chunwen-shidi, could you please get Wu Chen's medicine ready? It might alleviate his meridian pain a little.' Ren Qiguang requested.

'I'll get right to it, shixiong.' Su Chunwen agreed quickly and left with Lady Sun to set up the pot.

'Thank you, Brother Qiguang.' Wu Chen said as he carefully laid back down on his stomach. He pillowed his head with his arms and closed his eyes.

Ren Qiguang watched him for a moment, and then his gaze began to drift. He traced the beautiful face, starting from the gentle brows and dropping to the long lashes of his fox eyes that currently rested softly against his cheeks. They continued down past his straight nose and stopped for a moment on his moistened lips. With difficulty, he pulled his gaze from the tempting sight and slowly cast his glance down to the mystical tattoo.

It was an amazing picture of a starlit fenghuang with lightning edging the feathers. The detail was incredible, almost lifelike. Its proud head rested between his shoulders, just beneath the nape of his neck. Its wings were outstretched, their tips ending right at the edge of each shoulder. Its body followed the spine exactly, almost as if it shared Wu Chen's skeletal structure. Its peacock tail feathers were spread to cover the small of his back, their tips continuing past the waist of his trousers. They tempted one to pull the offending clothes down to see the whole piece.

The entire tattoo seemed to shimmer with starlight and lightning. A mysterious feeling of power emanated from the cosmic creature. He had never seen anything like it. It was incredibly beautiful, much like the man who now wore it. Of course, it would be even more impressive once the raw redness surrounding it faded.

He pulled his eyes away from the sight and cleared his throat to ensure he would be able to talk without his voice betraying him, 'We return to the real world tomorrow. You should rest and try to rebuild your strength.'

'En.' Wu Chen acknowledged, his voice muffled by his arms, 'Thank you for your care, Brother Qiguang.' He mumbled.

His message delivered, Ren Qiguang removed himself from the tempting beauty and went for a soak in the pond. He smiled wryly as he took off his outer robes and entered the water. He would be able to both raise his cultivation and lower the heat in his lower body at the same time. He thanked whichever ancestors created the ponds as he began the circulation of his qi.

Wu Chen's back was now simply throbbing rather than burning, so he hoped that meant that it wouldn't take too long for the tattoo to heal. Of course, it could just be the continuing effects of the elixir still working to deaden the pain. Only time would tell.

That damn bird could have given him some kind of warning that he was going to mark him like this, he thought with a churlish frown. At least he would have been mentally prepared.

The scent of his medicine wafted through the air, bringing a small smile back to Wu Chen's face. As bad as his meridians were feeling, Wu Chen was actually looking forward to taking it this time.

If Ren Qiguang knew, he would be so proud, Wu Chen thought with a chuckle.