Chapter 124 Amygdala Hijack

"You'll rip my face off?" Kiera laughed, eyeing Cher's meridians in amusement, "You're too busy complaining to learn cultivation and can't even tell the difference between us.

Your poor meridians are useless, suffocating, and nearly toxic. They're much like you, but they have hope of improvement."

They looked like each was trying to breathe randomly, gasping for air without circulation. A single glance was a huge ego boost.

Cher's eyes flashed with murder, but her eyes trembled, looking at the confident pink-haired teen with narrowed eyes.

"Are you being serious about my meridians?" She asked in aggressive interest.

"Of course." The teen scoffed, rolling her eyes, "You're a well for inspiration when it comes to insults, so I wouldn't choose one this obscure if it weren't true."

The blonde's eyebrow twitched, and many men snickered at her savage insults. They were devastating.

"How do you know?" Cher asked sharply, "Or are you just lying and starting shit simultaneously."

"I can see your Qi breathing into your meridians." Kiera replied straightly, "Amendment: [Trying].

They look like they have [black lung]. Where do you cultivate? In a coal mine?"

The blonde's patience was wearing thin, but she, like the others, was curious about how the pink-haired teen could see Qi.

"Can you stop insulting my cultivation and tell me how you're seeing it?" Cher snapped.

"I reeeeee~ally hate the idea of you saying that Kaze isn't teaching you and then demanding that others teach you." Kiera replied dryly, "But!

I really want to see your face, so I'll teach you. Cover your eyes with Elemental Qi.

That warping smoke clashes against the other warping smoke, making it easy to see."

"What?" Cher asked, "How the fuck am I supposed to do that?"

"I'm not gonna lie; that sounds super dangerous." Mark said with narrowed eyes, "Elemental Qi cuts things in half.

Yet you're asking us to put it on our eyes?"

"Look, as much as I'd love to see you go blind, convincing noobs to attack themselves is bad on the rep." Kiera replied dryly.

"Since I've learned your offensive behavior is a devastating side effect of your stupidity, not of your genuine personality, I'll take my leave."

"Wait! Get back here, cunt!" Cher yelled to the teen, walking away, "There are a dozen people here that saw you starting shit and only one of you.

That's twelve to one agreeing on disorderly conduct in a world where vigilante justice is encouraged.

So you have two options. First, we'll report you, and you can say goodbye to Immortal Skye.

Or, you can prove you're serious about my meridians. We won't get you kicked out if you're not lying."

Kiera laughed sharply. It was almost a hiccup. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

There was nothing funny about the situation.

She didn't like someone insinuating that they'd get her kicked out of her new home.

However, she reversed course and burst into giggles when she realized there was something funny about the scene.

"You think I'm joking cunt!?" The blonde snapped.

"No! It's not that!" Kiera cried, giggling harder, "It's just that… I reeeeeeeally, really, really-really-really fuckin' hate when [someone] proves how bad my cultivation is.

It's hard to believe you're asking for it!"

The blonde heated up and moved her hand back, preparing to attack if necessary.

However, the teen put her hand up from her bent-over position. "No! No! I'll teach you about your meridians."

Kiera took deep breaths and got up slowly, giving the woman a sinister smirk. "Are you sure, though?

I don't want you to bawl at your unappreciated leader once you realize how bad you suck.

That'd be pathetically unjust, you know? Asking for something then trying to gang up on me once I give you what you want?"

"What, are you gonna attack me, then claim I'm weaker?" The woman asked sarcastically.

"No." Kiera smiled strangely, touching her index to her thumb, "I need only raise my fingers like this, and then turn them like a car key to show you."

The blonde laugh-scoffed at the teen's arrogance. "Let's see it, hoe—"

Kiera flicked her fingers clockwise a dozen times like she had seen Kaze do for hours during their training, and the Qi in the atmosphere twisted around the woman's meridians.

"GahhhhhhhhhHHHH! WHAT IS THIS!" The blonde screamed, dropping to the ground, grasping her harms. Everyone in the area immediately turned in their direction.

"Your lung meridians." The teen giggled, "I'm forcing them to breath a teencie-tiny bit for the first time, and they're getting railed like a virgin on prom night."

She waved her hand, and the blonde stopped screaming on the ground.

"Yeah, soooooooo. As I said, you asked for that." Kiera giggled, "So I think I'll go now.

Remember to appreciate and pay attention and learn from our exalted leader now, kay?"

"Exalted leader?" Mark scoffed in disbelief, "Stop acting like a yandere and wake the fuck up.

You just attacked one of us over Kaze like an obsessive fan girl.

And don't try playing off what you just did as a training exercise.

The results and witnesses speak for themselves; you're done for."

"See, this is the pathetic whining I was talking about." Kiera scoffed indignantly, rolling her eyes, "Just stop it, kay? You're just wasting everyone's time.

Our leader can look at [wound floozy] there and verify what I did.

That's because he's a world-famous—A.K.A [exalted]—cultivator.

That's why he's running a cultivation faction and why he's our leader, idiot.

You shouldn't need me to tell you to treat him with some fucking respect."

"Hah! He'll know at a glance?" Mark grinned, "Does that mean that he taught you?"

Kiera turned to him, staring into his soul with merciless golden eyes. "Yes. Our leader has awarded people techniques on multiple occasions already.

It happens when people are good at cultivating, or they provide beneficial services like detoxification."

"Oh, I see." Mark laughed ominously, "You're one of the women that slept with him and got techniques aren't you?

You're coming to yell at us for being unsatisfied that he's not teaching us, yet you've gotten strong because you've slept with him?

What a joke. It's bad enough our teacher shamelessly sleeps with students and gives them rewards. He's already turning women everywhere into whores."

Amygdala hijack—

—a common medical issue where a person's mind triggers the fight-or-flight response when there isn't a real danger.

It's closely associated with behavioral disorders where people snap randomly, or their personalities shift abruptly and then calm down.

Kiera Snow was quick-witted and lashed out at people who mocked her reflexively.

However, it got triggered by self-consciousness and anxiety when people attacked her—

—not by anger when someone attacked another.

Yet, after spending hours hearing about the plans to save Cher, Mark, and the gang that morning, hearing him accuse Kaze of criminal behavior made her snap.

"You've misunderstood the rules." Kiera growled with a murderous gaze, "Our leader said that vigilante justice is permissible so long as it's to Immortal Skye's benefit.

How is spreading panic-driving conspiracy theories and accusing our leader of misconduct beneficial to him or Immortal Skye?"

"Twelve to one says that it never happened." Another man said in a panic, understanding the situation.

"Yeah, you're making up lies!"

"We should just take this girl out and explain the situation to Kaze."

"Yeah, that's a good—"

"Ahem!" Kiera coughed aggressively, "You've also understood the vigilante justice system.

You should only try taking out a person if you're strong enough to."

"You don't think that we can't handle you?" Mark scoffed, lifting his hand.

"Your noob slashes don't even touch me." She responded, extending her arms to the wingspan, imitating Kaze, "Trust me, cockwombles.

I wouldn't harm my clothes to prove how stupid you are, let alone damage my reputation."