Azure Cloud Peak, one week later.
Maya sat on a cliff, her legs dangling over the edge as she looked over the world sprawling before her. Mountains stretched endlessly into the horizon, their peaks shrouded in mist. Waterfalls cascaded down distant cliffs, and the sky was painted in shades of soft pink and orange as the sun began to set.
She wore an unreadable expression, her eyes distant.
"Cipher..." she whispered.
"Are you still worried about your friends?"
Maya turned sharply. Jiang Qing had appeared behind her without a sound, her robes flowing gently in the breeze.
Maya nodded slowly.
Jiang Qing walked over and sat down beside her. "I told you, you don’t have to worry. You will all meet each other at the final battle in three years."
"Will they really be alive by then?" Maya asked quietly.
"I can vouch for the other Sect Masters who took them as disciples," Jiang Qing said. "They will definitely look after them. They just want to train them, that’s all."
She paused, gazing out at the horizon. "In fact, I’m not even sure if any of you will be ready to face the apocalypse in three years. So we will probably let you go back to your world and request that you return after the world loops so you can receive even more training."
Maya looked at her. "What if we don’t want to return?"
Jiang Qing smiled softly. "That’s precisely why we have to treat you well. We need you to like the training we’re giving you, so you’ll come back next time to receive even more. Eventually, you’ll be strong enough to save our world."
Her expression grew somber. "Our world is on the verge of collapse. We don’t think we can handle it anymore. That’s why we’re betting everything on training you."
She turned to Maya. "I don’t treat you badly, do I?"
Maya shook her head. "No."
Jiang Qing’s smile returned. "That’s why. I want you to help me the next loop. And the next one. And the one after that. So do the other Sect Masters." She extended her hand toward Maya. "Although it’s a little selfish of us, will you help me save my world?"
Maya looked at the outstretched hand.
This is what Cipher would do, she thought.
She reached out and took it.
"Thank you," Jiang Qing said warmly as she helped Maya to her feet.
Together, they walked away from the cliff.
...
Jade Peak Sect.
The sound of fists striking wood echoed through the training courtyard.
Selene stood before a row of wooden dummies, her knuckles raw and bleeding. Sweat dripped down her face as she threw punch after punch, each strike sending shockwaves through the air.
Chen Feng watched from the sidelines, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Your form is improving," he commented. "But you’re still holding back."
Selene paused, breathing heavily.
"I need to get stronger." She thought. She needed to get stronger so she could go check on the others. They were her responsibility after all.
Chen Feng noticed her expression. "I already told you, you can go see your friends whenever you want. Just know that with you little strength, you wont make it down the mountain before becoming a wild beast’s lunch."
Hearing his words, her expression hardened and she hit the dummy even harder. Shattering it completely.
She gritted her teeth and moved to the next dummy.
...
Dragon Cloud Mountain.
Li Chen sat cross-legged in a cavern deep within the mountain. Dragon murals covered the walls around him, their eyes seeming to glow with power. Energy swirled around his body as he attempted to circulate qi through his meridians using the dragon methods Zhao Long had taught him.
But his mind was elsewhere.
He had miscalculated greatly. And because of this, he had dragged Cipher and his team here.
While Zhao Long seemed like a nice person, what about the others who took them?
He needed to find a way to escape and locate them.
...
Whispering Pines Valley.
The clash of steel rang through the bamboo forest.
Ryker moved through his sword forms, his blade cutting through the air with precision. Li Baiyuan stood nearby, observing silently with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Your technique is rough but effective," Li Baiyuan said. "You rely too much on brute force."
Ryker didn’t respond. He simply continued his movements, each strike faster than the last.
But his thoughts were not on his training.
Maya. Dante. Selene. Cipher.
Where were they? Were they safe?
He had failed as their captain. He should have protected them.
His grip tightened on his sword.
...
Flowing Stream Sect.
The underground chamber was dimly lit by flickering torches. Chains rattled against stone walls.
Dante hung from the ceiling, his arms bound above his head. His body was in its berserker form - muscles bulging, veins pulsing, red aura flickering around him like dying flames.
Wen Ruoyan stood before him, a whip in her hand. Her eyes held a crazed gleam as she circled him slowly.
"What a perfect body," she whispered, almost reverently. "Such potential. Such untapped power."
Crack.
The whip struck his back.
"I will mold you into the perfect shield," she continued, her voice rising with excitement. "You will be my greatest creation!"
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The whip fell again and again.
But Dante barely flinched. His berserker form absorbed the punishment, his regeneration healing the wounds almost as quickly as they appeared.
Suddenly, the red energy around him began to flicker erratically. His muscles started to shrink, his body returning to its normal size.
"Cipher..." he murmured weakly.
Then his head dropped, and he passed out.
Wen Ruoyan lowered her whip and walked up to him, examining his unconscious form with a frown.
"He doesn’t seem to be improving no matter how hard I try to refine his body," she muttered. "Should I change my methods?"
She tapped the whip against her palm thoughtfully, then turned and walked away.
...
A/N: I might do a time-skip soon or advance with one character and time-skip the others, which character would you like me to focus on