《Regressor Sect Master》


 The Prologue - Imperial Year 44,000

    ¡°No.¡± Sect Master of the Verdant Snow Sect, Tundra Fox held the eldritch creature¡¯s corpse in his hand. He trembled. The residual energies that remained were so familiar. He watched the eldritch creature¡¯s flesh slowly decay and slip apart to reveal a face he recognised. ¡°No- Jason?¡±


    Jason was his great-grandson. He vanished about seven hundred years ago, and Tundra Fox had never been able to find him ever since. Jason¡¯s face, only half of it remained. The other half, consumed by the overwhelming corruption of the Zuja.


    It was Zuja that warped him into the 10th realm Eldritch Dragonbeast that destroyed cities.


    The face smiled, coughing. ¡°-grandfather. I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s blood boiled. The Zuja epidemic started 15,000 years ago, and at first, Tundra ignored them as nothing more than a demonic cult, like many other demonic cults. But the Zuja had proven themselves far more potent and powerful than any other demonic cult. ¡°Jason- what- what happened?¡±


    The creature that held what¡¯s left of Jason¡¯s body and soul decayed. Jason wouldn¡¯t last more than fifteen minutes. ¡°-The Murian Swamps- It- it was infested with the Zuja¡¯s Worms.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s eyes turned red. His body struggled to contain his anger. This wasn¡¯t the first time Zuja claimed one of his family. Zuja Worms was one of the vectors of the Zuja infestation, it would eventually possess a cultivator and eventually turn them into a thrall of the Zuja.


    ¡°Great-grandfather. Zuja is real. The God from Beyond is real.¡± Jason said, his voice fading. ¡°-be- be careful. It¡¯s very powerful.¡±


    Tundra Fox didn¡¯t know whether to cry or smile. He knew the invading God from Beyond was real. Already, the sects across the realms united to face it. Foolishly. ¡°Why- why didn¡¯t you find me back then? I could- I could¡¯ve cured your Zuja Worm.¡±


    ¡°I- I was stupid, great-grandfather. I was too afraid that you would be angry. You were always too busy, always occupied with something else. I¡¯m- I¡¯m- I¡¯m sorry.¡± His great-grandson¡¯s words were weak.


    But he knew the true reason. It wasn¡¯t the first time. He was never there as a father or grandfather. He was too busy with sect things. Naturally, his children and descendants never got close to him.


    Tundra felt his heart twist. Was he so unapproachable as a great grandfather? How had he been as a Sect Master to drive his family to this? ¡°Jason. Don¡¯t say that. I- I was always proud of all my children and grandchildren. I would not be angry if you came to me to seek help.¡±


    Jason smiled weakly. ¡°-I wish I knew. We wish we knew. But it¡¯s too late now, great-grandfather. I- We were all afraid. We are just the little ones looking up at the high mountain.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s fingers trembled. This was his fault. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Me too-¡± Jason closed his remaining uncorrupted eye, and his body faded away. Tundra¡¯s blood burned.


    He roared. ¡°ZUJA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±


    Though his lips blamed Zuja, his heart knew he had to shoulder the blame. Guilt and shame flooded his mind.


    But at this point, if he couldn¡¯t save his family, he¡¯d at least try to save the realm.


    ***


    But for the entirety of the realms, it was much too late. Zuja¡¯s Cult had grown far too powerful.


    ¡°This is our last chance. The Zuja cultists will be summoning Zuja itself to our realm.¡± The sects of the entire realm, or what¡¯s left of the orthodox sects, came together for a final strike. ¡°The rumors claim Zuja itself is a primordial god-realm master. We- we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Tundra nodded. It didn¡¯t matter. He looked at what¡¯s left of his Verdant Snow Sect. The entirety of his sect¡¯s fighting force was here. Not a single one was left behind. ¡°It doesn''t matter. Zuja seeks to corrupt us into its spawn. There is no other choice.¡±


    ¡°It is rare that I ever agree with Patriarch Fox, but I agree.¡± A woman that Tundra hated spoke up.


    Mortal enemies. But right now, at this very moment, all those ancient grievances between their two sects felt small. Pathetic.


    Matriarch of the Flaming Phoenix, Ember Longflame, nodded. ¡°There is no choice, and this time, every single one of my people is here.¡±


    Tundra noticed the force the Matriarch gathered. Her best soldiers were all here. Many faces were familiar. Elders. Core Disciples. Special Elders. Ancestors. Everyone she could muster came.


    It was a rowdy crowd, but his men, despite their old hatreds and enmities with the Flaming Phoenix, were too tired to fight. Not now.


    Ten Sect Masters, and all in, about three thousand men. A shame it wasn¡¯t more.


    Many others had chosen to defect for the promised salvation by Zuja, but Tundra could see the corruption was far stronger than they expected.


    Tundra Fox nodded at the ancient woman. She ascended to be sect master a few decades earlier than he did, and they were widely considered from the same generation. He was always ranked behind her and so, he always felt a deep sense of rivalry.


    Yet, as they prepared for their final assault, Tundra Fox looked at the woman who still regarded him warily. They were going to die, and for once, he felt like enough was enough. There was no need to take the enmities to the grave. ¡°Though our rivalries are long, and our enmities deep, I am thankful that you stand here with us today.¡±


    Ember Longflame¡¯s slender fingers trembled. Her eyes widened in shock. She did not expect the Patriarch Fox to ever utter those words. He was always so competitive, aggressive, proud, stubborn and thinks highly of himself. It was indeed a rare olive branch, and Ember Longflame seized it. ¡°It is a shame that our clans have hurt each other so much, but ultimately, we both stand for what is right.¡±


    Tundra nodded. There was no need for further elaboration of all the crimes they traded. Both their sects were heavily stained with the blood of the other. ¡°Indeed.¡± Another Sect Master saluted them. Tundra clasped his hand. ¡°I see you¡¯ve come to join our deathwish, Patriarch Whitedragon.¡±


    ¡°Patriarch Fox, Matriarch Longflame.¡± The great Patriarch of the Snow Dragon Temple, Patriarch Hunt Whitedragon nodded. ¡°Indeed. This is an illustrious company. To die alongside the great alchemist and the queen of flames would be an honor.¡±


    Tundra had always found Hunt an arrogant, foolish man. He was obsessed with power in a strange way, but there was no denying that he was the strongest man here. The only one at the peak of the 10th realm.


    Matriarch Longflame frowned. ¡°You speak as if we are going to die.¡±


    Hunt Whitedragon laughed. He turned at his men, and roared. ¡°Are we ready to die today?¡±


    They roared back. ¡°Yes, patriarch! We will drag the Zuja to hell with us!¡±


    Hunt Whitedragon turned back to face his fellow Sect Masters. ¡°We face the great ten avatars of Zuja. Each of them is in the tenth realm, and I hear the Great Voice of Zuja is in the legendary eleventh realm. This is a fool¡¯s attempt, but there is no delaying it. We must face the inevitable.¡±


    The Zuja Temple was the summoning grounds of Zuja, and they could already feel the unusual rifts in the land. Reality was slowly breaking apart, the merger with Zuja¡¯s home prison would soon be complete.


    And yet, Patriarch Whitedragon had his own questions. ¡°Patriarch Fox- will you be alright?¡± Hunt Whitedragon asked.


    ¡°-why?¡± Tundra looked at his fellow sect master, curious.


    ¡°I hear your wife is one of the ten.¡± Patriarch Fox frowned, and sighed. The few elders reported back seeing a familiar face.


    ¡°She- she vanished nine thousand years ago.¡± Back then, he hadn¡¯t been able to cure the Zuja¡¯s Worm. It was a secret almost no one knew, but Celestia Gale was his dao companion and one of his wives.


    But back then, they were still in the 6th realm, and she was just in the 4th realm, and he didn¡¯t have the knowledge of how to cure the Zuja Worm. Celestia vanished a few decades after the Zuja Worm possessed her body, despite her best attempts to resist its corruption. Her disappearance set Tundra Fox, the alchemy master of the Verdant Snow Sect, on a furious path to discover the cure for the Zuja Worm Infestation.


    He did. He discovered how to cure it somewhere around a thousand years ago, but by then it was too late. Thousands, if not tens of thousands had fallen to the Zuja Worm. Even as he spread the knowledge everywhere, it could not undo the loss over the millennia and centuries.


    The world was weakened far too much.


    It was a foul twist of fate to know that Celestia was one of those who would summon the eldritch god of beyond.


    ¡°I will be fine. We must do what we must. What stands in that temple there, is not my wife, but a shadow of it.¡±


    Patriarch Whitedragon nodded. His aged hands tapped Tundra on the shoulder. ¡°Good. I know you mean it.¡±


    A rugged looking man came over. ¡°Patriarchs, we must begin the assault soon. Time is running out.¡±


    Tundra nodded at the man, and noticed he was in the ninth realm. For a rogue cultivator, it was exceptional. Behind him were many others, the rogue cultivators who joined their cause. Even among the free roamers, there were those who did not want to submit to the Zuja cult.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    ***


    The Zuja Temple had a large empty square that was now covered in strange formations and words written in blood. Sacrifices have been prepared by the hundreds, all loyalists brainwashed into believing in salvation.


    Zuja.


    The God from Beyond.


    It preyed on the weak, and offered them strength.


    Those denied the path of cultivation. Those who lost their cultivation. Zuja favored them, found it easy to convert them. It was a creature of corruption. Or assimilation. It twisted cultivators, beasts and mortals alike into a strange blend of living being and monster.


    In the early days, when Tundra first ascended to be the 15th Sect Master of the Verdant Snow, everyone treated the Zuja issue as an irritation. They were seen as weaker than the demonic cultivators, but now, he knew they were all wrong.


    Zuja¡¯s Cult had merely been biding it¡¯s time, accumulating its war resources over millennia for this day.


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    Patriarch Whitedragon roared, and the cultivators attacked. The Zuja cult knew they were there, and yet did nothing.


    Arrogance.


    The battle was furious, but the Cult had not unleashed its trump cards. Its avatars and great avatars. Those possessed by a larger chunk of Zuja itself.


    At first, the battle went well. The force slaughtered the lesser cultists easily-


    Then the entirety of the Zuja temple vibrated, as the aura of ten avatars in the tenth realm descended upon the battlefield. Tundra fought fiercely, his twin swords flying and chopping off the heads of the lesser cultists, but his blade was then blocked by a woman with burning red hair.


    Tundra¡¯s aura flared, but it was met with a flaming aura that was clearly his equal, and some.


    He stared momentarily, unable to believe the person he faced. How long as the Zuja worked it¡¯s influence?!


    ¡°Matriarch Longflame.¡± Tundra spoke. It was something she needed to see.


    She turned, and saw. Her eyes widened. Ember Longflame trembled as she saw a face she thought she would never see again. ¡°HOW?!¡±


    Tundra Fox recognised that face too. The 18th Sect Master of the Flaming Phoenix, and Ember Longflame¡¯s master. Fury Blackfurnace, the legendary fire of darkness.


    In her years alive, Tundra remembered that she was only at the peak of the ninth realm, never the tenth. And yet, the creature resembling that woman was clearly in the stronger half of the tenth realm.


    The voice that came from it was ethereal, otherworldly. And her words echoed. ¡°Ember, my disciple. Come, it is not too late to join us. Zuja will welcome you too.¡±


    Ember Longflame¡¯s two arms burned, glowed. Her entire arm manifested the will of the Flaming Phoenix. Her fingers resembled claws. ¡°Zuja. To think you¡¯ve could fall even further. Desecrate the dead?!?!¡±


    ¡°I was never dead, disciple. I merely attempted to assimilate Zuja¡¯s power, and in doing so, entered a state of death-like hibernation.¡± Lady Blackfurnace grinned wickedly. ¡°And look at me now! Tenth realm! A barrier I struggled my entire life to break, broken so easily.¡±


    ¡°-you look like her, you talk like her. But no, you are not her.¡± Ember Longflame¡¯s body exploded in golden flames as she charged at her corrupted master. ¡°Master Fox, let¡¯s trade places.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    But the one Tundra faced was also a familiar face. No. It was more than familiar.


    ¡°Celestia.¡± His fingers curled up into a fist. He reached for a special pill in his pouch, and swallowed it.


    ¡°Tundra. My dear.¡± Celestia Gale stood as if she was still alive, but strange tentacles emerged from her back and her feet. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been resisting the servants I sent to you.¡±


    ¡°They are nothing more than assassins.¡± Tundra said, coldly. He said he would be fine, but now, face to face with this cruel corrupted version of his lover, he still felt his blood burn. ¡°Let her go, Zuja.¡±


    ¡°No. Zuja is not here. It¡¯s really me, Celestia. Tundra my love, it¡¯s not too late for us to be together again. United under Zuja¡¯s rule. Join us, please, I beg you.¡± Celestia¡¯s eyes glowed faintly in shades of dark green.


    Fury. Anger. Frustration. Tundra briefly wondered where he went wrong in the past.


    The pill¡¯s effects kicked in, and Tundra¡¯s energy fists smashed into Celestia¡¯s face. ¡°No. You¡¯re not her. Not anymore. Die.¡±


    Celestia¡¯s frown and sadness almost made him skip a beat. ¡°A pity, my love. I will have to kill you, and have Zuja rebuild your corpse, then we will reunite once more under our great Lord¡¯s watch.¡±


    Tundra traded fists and kicks, but Celestia was also in the tenth realm. Her tentacles and limbs protected her and blocked his strikes. He felt Celestia¡¯s eldritch tentacles leave cuts and wounds across his body. Wounds that would take a while to heal, as his body worked furiously to burn off the corruption.


    In the distance, he faintly felt Ember Longflame burn her True Essence.


    He looked back at Celestia, and frowned. What a foul corruption of his wife. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t hold back, either.¡±


    He took out a pill he never ate. But it was meant for moments like this.


    [The Burning Eternity Pill].


    He felt his True Essence erupt, and his body trembled with power. It struggled to contain the incredible energies he had, and his fists landed in Celestia¡¯s body. The energies of his fist exploded, and her body exploded with it.


    ¡°Nooooooooooo~~~¡± Celestia roared, but her head remained.


    Tundra¡¯s body squirmed. It was still unreal to see his lover¡¯s head flopping on the ground, tentacles emerging from her neck. He stepped in, and smashed the head to pieces. He would not allow the Zuja to desecrate his lover further.


    Both Tundra Fox and Ember Longflame emerged victorious against their own Zuja Avatar enemies. But they were both scarred. Across the Zuja Temple grounds, many other patriarchs won their own battles, as the victors came to the aid of those struggling.


    But it was not over.


    ¡°And here I thought all of you would¡¯ve accepted your fate and embraced your new ruler.¡± A man appeared out of nowhere, flanked by four others. Tundra didn¡¯t recognise the man, but he could hear him in his head. The creature¡¯s voice echoed. He was in the 11th realm, as were the four others around him.


    The Great Avatar of Zuja raised his hands, and a beam of incredible energy slammed into them. Or would have.


    A gigantic wall of earth and sand held the beam back.


    ¡°My shield would only hold momentarily.¡± Sect Master Eshen of the Great Desert Clan¡¯s massive shield of sand struggled, and he coughed as his immortal blood was sacrificed to support the shield.


    The energy blast was relentless. The wall would not last much longer.


    Ember Longflame nodded, as her body burned. ¡°There was no return from today, after all. [Heavenly Burning Phoenix].¡±


    The entirety of her True Essence ignited, her soul palace would be destroyed, and she would be crippled if she survived. But for a moment, for this battle, she would be able to go toe-to-toe with someone in the 11th realm.


    But Tundra Fox looked at his old rival and enemy, the glowing, shiny Ember Longflame. She was not the aged matriarch anymore, because momentarily, she was once again the Goddess of Flames.


    Their old feuds were so deep. Their hatred. Her family and her clan killed a few of his sons, and in return, they killed a few of her favored personal disciples. He hated her. She was a slaughterer of his kin. Her hands took the life of his disciples. They contested brutal wars over cities and territories, even though they were both supposedly righteous sects.


    For what?


    ¡°I may be outnumbered.¡± Matriarch Longflame roared. ¡°But I will take a few of them down with me.¡±


    They both hated each other. They always thought the other was arrogant, haughty, simple minded and foolish. Bloodthirsty, and power hungry. No Sect Master liked each other. All ten of them had feuds over the years.


    But at this moment, Tundra Fox took out three [The Burning Eternity Pill]. ¡°Matriarch Longflame, fear not. I will not let a hero like you fight alone today. Let us kill all that we can, together.¡±


    Tundra consumed the three pills, and he too, sacrificed his lifespan and True Essence. His body coursed with energy, and he too, for a moment, entered into the semi-divine 11th realm.


    She looked at him, and instead of her usual hateful, proud look, her eyes were soft and gentle. Between them, there was no need for words now.


    All they needed to do was to kill.


    Her fingers glowed.


    ¡°Master Eshen, spare your True essence. Let us face them.¡±


    The wall vanished, and both masters charged at the Great Avatar of Zuja. She was a phoenix in the living realms, her flames burned with the strength of her soul. The five 11th realm Great Avatars blocked with a wall of tentacles so large that the sky was blotted out.


    But Matriarch Longflame shone like a candle in the dark, her fire burned the tentacles, and pierced through the wall. Tundra followed closely behind as his fists slammed into one of the Great Avatars.


    The One of the Five Great Avatars choked, as it¡¯s lower half exploded into smithereens.


    The Lead Great avatar frowned. ¡°To think the living realms could still muster this sort of strength. It is admirable, but you two are not enough.¡±


    The Great Avatars descended on the two, and they both took hits to their bodies. They both coughed out blood, and were bleeding all over. Parts of their chest have been crushed as they traded blows with the Five Great Avatars.


    ¡°-and who says it is just two?¡±


    Two more stood to join them. Patriarch Whitedragon and the Rogue Cultivator.


    The Rogue Cultivator¡¯s blade shone with divine light, and incredibly, he ascended two major realms into the 11th realm. Patriarch Whitedragon similarly had a trump card of his own, as he withdrew an ancient egg, and swallowed it.


    He ascended into the peak of the 11th realm momentarily, as he manifested the powers of the White Dragon.


    The Lead Great Avatar couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Impressive! But this is not enough!¡±


    The four cultivators fought furiously, but outnumbered, they were not leading. Throughout the temples, the other cultivators were overwhelmed, as somehow, more Zuja Avatars emerged.


    Tundra couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The Zuja must have prepared for eons for this. There were at least fifty tenth realm Avatars In the entire realm, before the whole Zuja invasion, there were only about thirty tenth realm cultivators, half of them killed during the great attacks of Zuja, and of the survivors, seven of them were here, fighting against the Zuja Avatars. He could feel the rest of his fellow patriarchs and sect masters fall in battle, overwhelmed.


    The four righteous cultivators struggled, and momentarily, all four of them were bunched together.


    ¡°I do not fear death, my fellow cultivators.¡± Patriarch White Dragon said, his body burning True essence to sustain the draconic form. ¡°It is an honor, despite all our grievances, to die by your side.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s heart pounded. Heroes. His fellow Sect Masters were truly heroes to the end. When it mattered, they stood for what was right. He wanted to cry, but no. Now was not the time for that. They would drag a few of the Great Avatars down with it.


    ¡°Even if we die, let us burn brightly, and make Zuja remember.¡± Tundra declared.


    Matriarch Longflame was the weakest of the four. Not because she lacked strength, but because she took the most attacks. Her charge into the wall of tentacles weakened her significantly.


    She coughed blood. Her body was bleeding. But for once, she looked at Tundra. ¡°I still hate you, but you¡¯re not a bad man, Tundra Fox.¡±


    The Great Avatars attacked.


    Tundra looked at the injured Ember Longflame, and nodded. Even in all her injuries and blood, she was radiant and for once, incredibly powerful and beautiful.


    She merely smiled back, as they countered the Great Avatars attacks.


    But it was too late.


    The dark skies above the Temple of Zuja cracked as if the sky was made of glass. A tentacle punched through the glass sky.


    A child floated up. Then, Zuja¡¯s Divine Energies merged with what seemed to be a child.


    A host.


    The child transformed immediately, and they immediately knew this was the end.


    Zuja¡¯s power was so immense that all of them froze.


    Only Patriarch Whitedragon roared. ¡°Zuja!!!!!! You will not take me alive!¡±


    The child¡¯s finger pointed, and instantly, Tundra saw an attack so powerful that there was no hope of avoiding it. Patriarch Whitedragon died instantly.


    The Rogue Cultivator¡¯s sword shone. ¡°Zuja. I, Edwin of Greyhall, will not let you pass.¡±


    ¡°Big words. I¡¯ve killed many others like you.¡± The child said, his voice echoed in their mind like a divine imprint. ¡°Die!¡±


    Edwin Greyhall¡¯s sword vibrated, and then shattered.


    Tundra Fox and Ember Longflame were the two remaining cultivators. He looked at Ember Longflame, and sighed. Tundra knew there was no escaping death today. ¡°See you in our next life.¡±


    He took all the pills he had, and leaped into the sky. Everything in a single shot.


    Ember Longflame smiled, as what¡¯s left of her body melted into golden fire. She burned everything for this moment, as her flames surged into the heavens.


    The child merely laughed. ¡°Fools.¡±


    In a swish of power, both of them died.


    ****


    The Rivers of Time


    Tundra Fox knew he died, but the fact that he knew he died puzzled him.


    Where was he? He was in a narrow tunnel. It was dark all over, but there was a path of light. He followed it, and suddenly, he arrived in a small room with a golden ring.


    He recognised it, of course. It was one of the strange artifacts they found a long time ago, back when he was a freshly minted Sect Master of the Verdant Snow Sect. The last he recalled, it was somewhere in his storage pouch, as their sect grounds were destroyed.


    The Verdant Snow Sect was a mid-tier sect when he first became sect master. If it wasn¡¯t for the Zuja, Tundra Fox felt he would have been remembered as one of the great Sect masters of all time, because he uplifted his mid tier sect into one of the great sects of the world.


    He stood in that dark room, where the golden ring¡¯s faint glow was the only other source of light. The path of lights already vanished.


    ¡°Where-¡±


    At that moment, the golden ring revealed inscriptions he had never seen before. He read it.


    ¡°Immortal Time Reversal by Hedron Warp.¡±


    It was a rumor from the ancient times that there was once a time lord that created items that could reverse time. But it was always just a rumor, because such an incredible item had never been found.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but every part of Tundra Fox¡¯s being compelled him to touch the ring. He resisted. He didn¡¯t like this sort of compulsion.


    ¡°No. What¡¯s happening here? Why?¡±


    Hedron Warp. It was a rumor, but if such a lord of time existed, he had never seen him or found evidence of his existence. The reason for that was simple. His creations floated in the rivers of time, and would vanish after they were used.


    There was nothing else to do in the room but to touch the ring.


    Tundra Fox kept trying to figure out where he was, and slowly felt himself fading.


    At this point, he realized he couldn¡¯t avoid it. He touched it, and instantly understood what was going to happen. His soul would be sent back in time, and he would return to that time, 10,000 years ago.

 Chapter 1. Meeting the Wives - Imperial Year 34,000

    When Tundra Fox ascended to the Sect Master of Verdant Snow twenty years ago, he was already a seven hundred year old man with six wives. Four of his wives gave him ten children all in, and those ten children went on to have their own children. He had twelve grandchildren at this time.


    Sixth realm. He was just sixth realm, fifth stage, and yet he was the strongest one in the Verdant Snow Sect, even above his former Sect Master. He walked around his familiar old room, and momentarily, didn¡¯t know how to feel. He looked at himself in the silver mirror, and saw a mature man with short, jet black hair, a muscular face, with little stubbles around his mouth and chin.


    The old man with an angry face, and long white hair was nowhere to be seen.


    The blessings of cultivation that gave mortal men long life. A regular mortal lived up to 100 years, someone in the first realm could live to 200, for the second realm to 400 years, for the third realm to 800, a fourth realm to 1,600 years, a fifth to 3,200 years, and a sixth to 6,400 years. Each ascension doubled one¡¯s lifespan, though it is said at the 11th realm, the years melt away and the cultivator is functionally immortal.


    He peeked out the window of his room, the largest of the rooms in the Verdant Snow Sect, and watched children playing in the square. Somehow, he remembered himself shouting at them, and felt himself filled with regret.


    ¡°I¡¯m really back.¡± He sighed, the memories of their final battle against the Zuja replaying itself over and over. That child held the power of the divine, and Tundra trembled. He didn¡¯t see how he could win against that creature, the only thing he could do was to prevent Zuja from reaching that point.


    But he trembled. He remembered the old masters that Zuja claimed. At this point, Fury Blackfurnace, the Former Sect Master of Flaming Phoenix already died fifty years ago, and it¡¯s likely the Zuja already got to her.


    It meant the Zuja Cult already had fingers in some 9th or 10th realm cultivators, when he was only in the 6th. If he wanted to prevent Zuja¡¯s summon, he had to move quietly. The Zuja was clearly far more powerful than he knew at this point, and their weak appearance must have been an intentional act.


    The weird disappearances by so many cultivators suddenly made sense. There was a knock on the door.


    He stopped, and he could feel who it was.


    The woman that he killed before the time reversed itself.


    Celestia.


    ¡°Master Fox.¡± Celestia gently called out from the door outside. She was just in the first stage of the fourth realm at this time, and she was the newest of his six wives, though not the youngest, at 322 years old. His first three wives passed due to age a few centuries ago as they were not powerful cultivators, and back then, he was just a cultivator with fairly limited resources.


    The remaining three surviving wives were Celestia Gale, Marin Eastheart and Elly Mistburn.


    Suddenly, it felt like his heart was torn again. Tundra remembered how he lost all of them over the next few thousand years. Marin and Elly were cultivators, but unlike Celestia, they were just in the third realm, and were not able to break through their cultivation bottlenecks. Celestia eventually did break through to the fifth realm, but then the Zuja Worm claimed her soul and she vanished.


    Not just that, he tried to be a fair Sect Master, and so, he only gave them his personal cultivation resources.


    Marin and Elly were both 290 and 385 years old, and he remembered they were both wives granted to him by way of political dealings. Elly¡¯s family, the Mistburn family, was a small cultivation focused family that wanted to secure an alliance with the rising star of the Verdant Snow Sect. It was a similar story with the Eastheart family.


    As for Celestia, she was a cultivator that he met during an alchemy tournament. He was a fifth realm Elder then, and she was just a peak 3rd realm core disciple of a small Sect, the Angels¡¯ Whisper Sect. Somehow, sparks flew over a dinner party organized by the hosts, and Celestia became his sixth wife about thirty years ago.


    ¡°Master Fox?¡± Celestia asked politely, repeating herself. She would not refer to him as Tundra until they were in private settings.


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°Yes. Come in.¡±


    The door gently opened and a beautiful woman with dark blue hair walked in. She was dressed in the thick white robe lined with green stripes, the standard outfit of the Verdant Snow disciples. She carried a tray that contained breakfast for two. He remembered her doing this frequently, even though half the time he rejected her, as he was busy cultivating.


    Strength. He was so obsessed about it back then.


    But so what? Even at the 10th realm, famed worldwide as the Alchemy God, in the end, he lost it all. He lost his wives, his children, his family.


    Everything was gone because of the Zuja. He shook his head.


    No. The Zuja was just an aggravating incident.


    More than half of it was because of his own behavior. The conversation with Jason in his great-grandson¡¯s last moments reminded him of his own flaws. One that he contemplated all the way till the final tragic battle.


    Celestia stood uncomfortably, as if waiting for Tundra to say more. He raised his head to look at her, and admired the beauty. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt lucky that he had her as his wife. ¡°Sit with me, Celestia.¡±


    She nodded, and placed the tray on the round marble table. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for a few days.¡±


    Tundra looked at the woman, and didn¡¯t know where to start. There was so much he wanted to say. In the end, he stepped closer, and hugged her.


    Celestia froze in shock, but she relented. She hugged him back, and gently spoke. ¡°We were worried.¡±


    Tundra experienced a flashback then. Of all the times they shared and troubles they faced. Of the moment when he couldn¡¯t cure the Zuja Worm, and the day she just disappeared when he was out looking for some new materials. Of his confusion, and his sense of loss.


    He thought he had come to terms with them over the millennia. He thought he was numb to it already. Yet as he felt Celestia¡¯s warm, soft body in his arms, he felt a burning desire not to go through that pain again. No. He wouldn¡¯t let the Zuja cult corrupt her into that foul creature.


    He looked at the woman now in his arms. She just gently smiled at him. ¡°Are you alright, husband?¡±


    ¡°No. I have a thousand things on my mind, and I have not sorted through them.¡± Tundra answered as his arms were still around his wife. ¡°But for now, I actually want to hug my wives.¡±


    Celestia gave him a funny look. ¡°Lady Eastheart and Lady Mistburn are with your children.¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes. He would need to talk to them too. And his children. And grandchildren. Ten thousand years have changed him so much. But the thought of the Zuja immediately reminded him of the Zuja Worm. ¡°Celestia. Let¡¯s go to my bed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s daytime.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Tundra answered with perfect seriousness. ¡°I want to check something.¡±


    Seeing the seriousness of his answer, Celestia nodded and walked with him. He took off her robe, exposing her back and body. But he touched her without any sinister intent, and his energies entered her body, scanning and observing the flow of her cultivation.


    The Zuja Worm, from his experience, usually targeted hosts that possessed a certain variant of meridians or spiritual roots, and Celestia met the criteria.


    Celestia had a Wood-element Spiritual Root, something the Zuja Worm loved. The Zuja¡¯s Worm was usually the wood element, though he had seen fire, earth and water elemental Zuja Worms as well. The rarest of them was the metal elemental Zuja Worm.


    ¡°It tickles.¡± Celestia whined as Tundra¡¯s energies flowed into her body. Something like this was highly invasive, and personal. Something a woman would only allow in life or death situations, or to her partner.


    ¡°You have the Wood Spiritual Root- It¡¯s still at the Lower Peerless Grade.¡±


    She nodded.


    The Zuja Worm was known to be dormant for a while, and often found itself hiding in egg form within the spiritual roots of others. He wasn¡¯t sure when she got the Zuja Worm, and whether it was already inside her at this point. In egg form, it was fairly easy to remove. All he had to do was blast it with spiritual energy.


    He checked her thoroughly, more thoroughly than he ever did, and Celestia¡¯s fingers trembled. She grabbed him tightly, because the sensation of Tundra¡¯s energies swirling inside her made her feel strange.


    She was clean. Tundra breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t have the Zuja Worm Eggs inside you.¡±


    Celestia collapsed onto the pillow, unfamiliar with the term. ¡°-you were checking me for Zuja Worm Eggs?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said, as his hand tapped Celestia¡¯s shoulder. She looked like she needed comforting then, and so, he rested next to her, and held her in his arms.


    She didn¡¯t expect that, but snuggled in anyway.


    ¡°Celestia- what if I told you I had a horrible nightmare. A nightmare that was 10,000 years long, where the Zuja conquered the world, and corrupted everyone. You were corrupted by the Zuja, and I had to kill you.¡±


    Celestia paused, and turned to face him. ¡°That sounds like something the crazy people would say.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know how to reply to that.


    ¡°How did it feel to kill me?¡± Celestia asked, curious. ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Horrible. I punched you really hard.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Sounds like you. But please don¡¯t kill me. I¡¯d like to live a long happy life.¡±


    Tundra nodded. He¡¯d protect her, this time. As he looked at the half undressed woman in his arms, he briefly wondered whether he would have the chance to have children with her in this life. The way he looked at her made Celestia recoil uncomfortably, and she quickly tried to divert the conversation.


    ¡°Do you want breakfast? It¡¯s going to get cold soon.¡±


    He smiled.


    ***


    ¡°This nightmare. You believe it¡¯s real?¡± Celestia glanced at him strangely, as they ate breakfast. It was already cold, because checking Celestia for Zuja worms took quite some time.


    ¡°Yes. It felt very real to me. The pain I felt in that dream is so vivid.¡±


    Suddenly, he felt someone run towards his room. It was one of his core disciples. He stopped outside the door, and knocked.


    ¡°Sect Master Fox. The Golden Ring from the Jurian Mines vanished from our treasury! There might be a thief! We¡¯re investigating but we can¡¯t find any leads.¡± The Core Disciple, Yavin Redaxe spoke. His voice trembled in fear.


    Tundra Fox knew exactly why. Items with the power of time would slip back into the river of time once they were used. ¡°I see. Investigate it for now, and give me a report tomorrow.¡±


    There was a long silence, as the Core Disciple struggled to muster a response.


    Tundra repeated. ¡°Please investigate, and give me a report tomorrow.¡±


    This time, Yavin answered. ¡°Yes, Sect Master.¡± He promptly left.


    Celestia looked at Tundra. She rested her chin on her fingers, and smiled. ¡°The Tundra Fox I knew last week would¡¯ve stormed out and ran to the treasury. This nightmare is quite impressive.¡±


    Tundra turned to face his wife, and joked. ¡°The nightmare added 10,000 years to my lived experience.¡±


    Celestia smirked at the joke. ¡°Well, what do you want to do now, my 10,700 year old husband? I certainly didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d have an ancient old man as my partner.¡±


    Tundra laughed. It felt strange to laugh like this after going through all the struggles in his previous life, but it immediately loosened up his muscles.


    His wife merely glanced at him, a little amused. ¡°Well? Did you learn some special cultivation ability or unique pill to give us all some assistance? Or did those extra years bring no benefit?¡±


    The regressor stood, and looked at his woman. It really was an experience to have her by his side once more. He wiped the little tear of joy from his eyes, and grinned widely. ¡°Now that you mention it, I do happen to have something I can do. Right now. Something that would help you.¡±


    Tundra walked to his alchemy workshop. Even when he was in the 6th realm, he focused on alchemy as the main means of getting ahead, and it served him well all up to the 10th realm. Naturally, with the added years, he learned many more recipes, and many more refinements. He stretched, and felt his energies swirl. They were so much weaker.


    But it took merely a minute for someone of his experience to adapt to his old, weaker powers.


    The workshop didn¡¯t have many of the refinements and equipment he once had, but he smiled as he looked at his old alchemy cauldron.


    ¡°This one broke in about- five hundred years.¡± Tundra looked at the cauldron wistfully. He touched the old Lavasteel carvings outside the cauldron, and couldn¡¯t remember why it broke.


    ***


    Celestia Gale was, for most part, expecting a normal day. Life as a wife of the Sect Master, in the Verdant Snow Sect was fairly peaceful. Cultivators like Tundra Fox, her husband, would sleep sometimes, but it was rare that he slept for so long.


    As far as she remembered, all his naps were less than a day long, and he would usually be cultivating, or working in his workshop making cultivation resources for the sect.


    As the master alchemist and Sect Master, it was without a doubt that Tundra Fox¡¯s constant supply of high quality cultivation resources was what allowed the Verdant Snow Sect to gain disciples and grow its influence in the region.


    Tundra would usually make some extra pills, and pass them to her or his other wives. Celestia took some for herself, but usually, she would give most of them to her former sect, the Angels¡¯ Whisper Sect.


    It made her feel better, that she was contributing to her old Sect. All of Tundra¡¯s wives did it, and it was a common practice throughout the realms, for husbands and wives to still pay a ¡®tithe¡¯ or make a contribution back to the sects that brought them up.


    A custom, really, because the winds of power changed. Accidents happen, as they often do in a world as cruel as the realms. A change in the fates, and even powerful husbands could find themselves dead or trapped. A woman is then a widow, with no allies in a strange sect far from home.


    Celestia didn¡¯t know why she thought of that. Maybe because Tundra suddenly mentioned about killing her in his dream, or nightmare, and suddenly felt like her heart skipped a beat. She shook her head as she looked at the strange man she called her husband.


    He wanted to make pills, and strangely, asked her to follow.


    He rarely did that.


    Celestia, following closely behind, still wasn¡¯t sure whether Tundra was just pulling an elaborate prank, but she knew her man well enough to know it¡¯s unlikely to be the case. She looked at the way Tundra held the old cauldron, and saw pain.


    He held the cauldron like a man looking at something he once lost.


    It¡¯s almost like he felt real pain.


    This was far too elaborate for it to be a prank, and so the next conclusion was this nightmare must have been real..


    It was real enough that it changed him.


    Or was he possessed by some malevolent spirit?


    Celestia watched, as Tundra placed the cauldron back on the table. He began picking materials from the various pots, and placed them on the table. He looked around, and then, out of nowhere, a large knife flew out of the cabinet and onto the table.


    He cut the various materials, as if he was looking for something within them.


    From what was initially a small pile of materials, he was left with only a tiny bunch of cleanly sliced and cut components. He placed them into the cauldron.


    At that moment, Celestia realized she didn¡¯t recognise what he was making. Tundra stood next to the cauldron, and she could feel his energies swirling in the old pot. There was no scent, no smell, no heat.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while. If you want to leave, you can.¡± Tundra said, his energies perfectly stable. As patriarch, he was used to people being busy with their own assignments. No, he expected them to be busy. The elders of a Great Sect are all leaders in the 8th or 9th realm, and it was normal they had their own plans and ideas. It was something he struggled with at first, but age and confidence changed him. He was willing to believe that people knew what they should do, and so, he didn¡¯t need to hold them if they didn¡¯t want to be there, or they had something of far greater importance.


    His wife just looked around, and sat down. ¡°You can talk while you refine pills?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Ah yes. I forgot that I was that focused when I was young. Even what I¡¯m doing now is something I developed in my later years. This is the [Pure Essence Pill Formation], a technique that took me 600 years to develop. I was in the 8th realm when I realized something was wrong with how we made pills.¡±


    ¡°You were in the 8th realm? Are you delusional, Husband?¡± Celestia blurted out. At this point, Tundra realized she must be thinking he had gone nuts.


    Tundra just smiled. ¡°I was. Maybe you still don¡¯t believe me. But I believe this pill will change your mind. Just wait another half a day. You may ask a servant to bring some tea.¡±


    Celestia sat. ¡°You didn¡¯t allow disruptions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had 10,000 years of practice as an alchemist. Wait. That¡¯s not right. Maybe 6,000 because I spent quite a bit of time cultivating and fighting all those damned demonic cultivators and the Zuja cult. I can do this with my eyes closed.¡±


    ¡°What pill are you making?¡± His wife sniffed the air, and looked at the ingredients. He only took so little. ¡°And you used to just do simple cleaning.¡±


    ¡°I changed the process. I learnt from some ancient scriptures of how the Old Ones did their alchemy.¡± Tundra smiled. ¡°You know, there is a belief among the Old Ones that even materials have their True Essence.


    ¡°I thought everyone knew that.¡± Celestia said. All things were given True Essence, and it is why rocks and plants could gain a soul and eventually become a cultivator.


    ¡°Ah. But I¡¯ve gotten better at selecting the True Essence from our materials.¡±


    ¡°But- it¡¯s so wasteful?¡± Celestia looked at the pile of unused materials.


    ¡°Not at all. Some of them can be used for lesser versions of the pill. But this one, that I¡¯m making now. It¡¯s just for you and me.¡±


    A servant came to make tea. The servant visibly recoiled when she saw Tundra Fox still standing in front of the cauldron, but Celestia motioned her over. She quickly placed her tea, and ran for her life.


    Tundra stood, and continued to work on the cauldron. It hummed. There was a subtle vibration from it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to make a new cauldron.¡± Tundra mused.


    Celestia sipped her tea, as she waited. But she kept looking at him, trying to figure out what happened.


    Tundra looked at her. ¡°Celestia.¡±


    Celestia raised her head and looked at him. He looked back at her. For a moment, time stood still.


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad to see you again.¡±


    Her heart pounded, and suddenly, even the hum of the boiling cauldron vanished.


    She didn¡¯t know what to say to that. It¡¯s been barely a few days since they last saw each other, but for Tundra, it¡¯s been centuries since a proper reunion. Foul meetup with the corrupted Celestia didn¡¯t count, because in his heart, that was never her, just a creature that resembled a woman that used to spend years with him together.


    ¡°And it¡¯s done.¡±


    The humming stopped, and inside was five perfectly round black pills with absolutely no presence. Tundra took a cloth, and placed all five in them.


    ¡°Alright. One for you, one for me. As for the three other pills, I¡¯ll keep them for the future. We best go to a room. This will likely hurt.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°What.¡± Celestia looked at her mate strangely. ¡°Why would pills hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the True Essence of the materials combined. It¡¯s going to hurt because of how the nature of the essence conflicts with our own. But taming it will do wonders for our cultivation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a cultivation pill?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not. This is the Roseflame Essence Pill, and would improve the conditions of our spiritual roots, our meridians, and help cleanse our body of impurities.¡± Tundra didn¡¯t say it¡¯s also one of the many pills he developed as the means to combat the Zuja plague.


    The Zuja Cult was initially very selective in it¡¯s use of the Zuja worm, targeting high potential targets with high compatibility. But as the Zuja Cult¡¯s power grew, it became more aggressive, and started flooding the general populace with a lesser variant of the Zuja worm. The Zuja Eggs, which were often nestled in the meridians and the spiritual roots, would lay dormant until the right time came along. So, the sects needed a pill capable of cleansing spiritual roots and meridians that could be taken even when the cultivator was weakened.


    This wasn¡¯t the mass production version. Tundra later invented the [Whitesand Essence Pill] that could be easily made by even 4th realm alchemists, with resources far easier to obtain, that could purge Zuja Eggs, but could not purge Zuja Worms. Despite it¡¯s limitations, that was sufficient to prevent wide scale infestations by the Zuja eldritch plague.


    ¡°But it¡¯s perfectly pitch black and I feel nothing.¡±


    Tundra grinned. ¡°That¡¯s the magic of it. The Old Ones believed in locking in the entire essence of a pill. Over the years, I came to see their point of view.¡±


    The two returned to Tundra¡¯s room. They sat together, and both ate the pill together.


    Instantly, Tundra felt the pill¡¯s contents melt in his belly. It¡¯s contents, compressed and condensed by the alchemical process, roared unrestrained. It¡¯s energies exploded and smashed into his heart meridians, and then to each of the other meridians.


    Cultivation is the training of two parts. The soul, and the body. The soul is where all the energies gathered are stored, and it is a metaphysical place that does not exist when a body is cut. When a cultivator speaks of their Core or their Soul, they refer to their Soul which exists on the spiritual plane that overlaps with the physical plane.


    The meridians and spiritual roots are the means by which the energies stored on the spiritual plane interact with the physical plane. These are gates and doors. Spiritual roots are like suction tunnels, or holes, where energy is absorbed from the physical world and into the spiritual world. Meridians are two way doors, where the energies can move in and out, on the will of the soul.


    A mortal is said to be cut off from the world of cultivation when they lack either meridians or the spiritual roots. Spiritual roots were the primary means of absorbing natural energy, and so, the lack of it meant the path forward was significantly harder since meridians were not suited for the function of absorbing energy.


    The pill he made burned and expanded the spiritual roots. It¡¯s not something that can be taken more than once.


    Then it came. The pain.


    The burning pain.


    Celestia winced immediately as she felt it, her spiritual roots and meridians purged of impurities and forced to expand.


    The fire energies of the Roseflame Essence Pill flooded Celestia¡¯s meridians and spiritual roots, and doused it in a flood of fire.


    Fire. Fire burns wood. For someone with the Wood-attuned Spiritual Roots, this was the cleansing flame. The flames pick up the wood, and burns brighter than ever. An alchemist is part doctor, though he is no master doctor, he must master how the elements interact with a person¡¯s cultivation, spirit, and meridians.


    With the right element, it would be strongest


    For Tundra, his spirit roots were Metal in nature, and thus the Roseflame Essence Pill¡¯s effectiveness was muted on him.


    It was just pain.


    A lot of pain.


    ***


    It took three hours before both of them were ready to talk.


    ¡°How?¡± Celestia could not believe it. She didn¡¯t doubt her husband¡¯s alchemy talents, but creating pills that expanded spiritual roots was well in the realm of legends. If her husband could do this, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Great Sects come after him. Not just that, it meant everything he said about this nightmare was probably real.


    ¡°Nightmare.¡± Tundra said. For Celestia, it would most likely triple her energy absorption rate. For Tundra, it was only about an extra fifty percent. ¡°You¡¯re still in the Fourth Realm¡¯s 1st stage?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I thought I just-¡±


    ¡°My sense of time and things has been warped by my nightmare.¡± Tundra said.


    Celestia took a deep breath, and then nodded. ¡°This knowledge of yours- what- what realm did you reach?¡±


    Tundra turned to face his wife. ¡°10th.¡±


    Her eyes widened.


    ¡°The Verdant Snow is a Great Sect under my leadership. Our sect grounds covered the entirety of the Greenstream Region. Verdant Leaf Town is the Great Verdant City, a city home to five million at it¡¯s peak, instead of the fifty thousand today.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Do you want to do that again?¡±


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°-I¡¯m still thinking about that.¡±


    ¡°The old you was so sure about what you wanted to achieve. To think you actually did it. But- why not do it again?¡±


    Tundra turned to look back as his wife. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether I want to go through that again. I lost you. I lost Marin and Elly too. I even lost the wives I took after all of you passed or left. I lost my family. Then, our children fought among themselves, other sects and killed each other. Our grandchildren were poorly brought up and brought us to war with the other sects. I fought horrible wars with the Flaming Phoenix, the Cloud City, the Eastern Silk Sect, and the Venom Serpent Temple. Tens of thousands died in my name. No. Tens of thousands died in the name of my arrogant grandchildren who attacked the heirs of other Great Sect. Then the Zuja plague consumed us all when we were not watching, and then I went from fighting fires after fires, to fighting plagues and wars after wars. I went from one battle to another, from secret realm to secret realm.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s as if his bottled up frustrations over the centuries emerged. It made him so mad that it was just a foolish loop of constant fighting. His emotions swirled in his heart.


    He didn¡¯t even know how or why he always insisted on their pride. That they have to prove that they are a Great Sect. He hated the others that accused the Verdant Snow Sect as undeserving of the title of a Great Sect, but now, at this moment, he realized, the Verdant Snow Sect, for all its power, size and influence, really didn¡¯t deserve to be a Great Sect.


    Even though he achieved so much, there are times where the others said he shouldn¡¯t be up there.


    No.


    He looked at Celestia, and the image of the corrupted, Zuja-possessed version flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°I may have lived for 10,700 years, but there was a lot of pain in those years.¡±


    Celestia just sat quietly. She touched her hair briefly, thinking. ¡°It pleases me that I have a place in your heart, that I can still cause you pain.¡±


    Tundra laughed.


    His wife looked at him, and then touched his hand. ¡°So, now that you¡¯ve woken up from that nightmare, what do you want to do differently?¡±


    The old sect master sat, and felt the weight of his age. He¡¯s given a chance to go back, and bend the arc of time again. It¡¯s divine happenstance that the ring was in his possession when he died. He reached over and touched Celestia¡¯s face. There were so many things he wished he did differently.


    His wife received his touch, his fingers gently on her cheeks. There were words she wanted to say, but she didn¡¯t dare say them.


    Ten thousand years of fighting, cultivation and alchemy. He was already a master of alchemy, but he looked at his surroundings, and wondered what else he could be. It should be something that would augment their fight against the Zuja. A skillset they lacked during the final moments, or even before that.


    ¡°Do you think I should be a healer?¡± Tundra wondered aloud.


    ¡°A healer? But you were just-¡±


    ¡°Average.¡± The regressor admitted. His mind swirled. Formations expert? Inscriptionist and crafter? Teacher? ¡°What do you think I should be?¡±


    His wife¡¯s fingers touched her own chin, as she thought about it seriously. ¡°I think you should be a diplomat.¡±


    Tundra choked, and coughed. He couldn¡¯t imagine himself as a diplomat. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what your story needs, though. So many deaths, so many fights, all entirely avoidable.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tundra couldn¡¯t be a diplomat. He lacked the gift of the word. He thought about being a warrior, but felt like that wasn¡¯t what they needed. Pure power wouldn¡¯t undo the sinister corruption of the Zuja. It wouldn¡¯t reveal how deep the Zuja¡¯s corruption was.


    He needed to find a way to dig out the Zuja¡¯s tentacles, and then, thought about the Verdant Snow Sect. Could he transform the Verdant Snow Sect into a Hidden Sect? One that lurked in the shadows and hunted the creatures?


    The first thing he needed to do was avoid painting a target on themselves. Right now, he didn¡¯t have a solution if the Zuja unleashed their stored potential on his sect. Not with his current treasury.


    Tundra felt a bit disturbed, but by now, it was already getting late and dark.


    ¡°We should have dinner. The servants would have prepared the food in the main dining hall.¡± Celestia redirected the conversation. ¡°If- if there¡¯s nothing else, I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°I will go with you. Elly and Marin will be there.¡±


    She nodded.


    ***


    The dining hall was a noisy, noisy place. All the younger children were talking happily. Well, not very young. Some of his children already had adult children of their own.


    Some of the children were born from his second and third wife. He didn¡¯t manage to conceive any children with his first wife. He was too young then, and he didn¡¯t have much resources to really look after a family.


    He took his first wife when he was just an inner disciple, at a fairly simple occasion. Her family was a mortal family, chosen by his master to be his wife. Tundra¡¯s master was an old fashioned man who believed that cultivators should have husbands and wives, in order to grow as individuals and have wider life experience. Thanks to his guidance, she managed to become a 1st realm cultivator, but with a full lifespan of 200 years, she didn¡¯t have much time left, and sickness claimed her eventually.


    He had his second and third wife later, at his wife¡¯s request. His first wife wanted children, and yet, somehow, without an illness to either of them, they were unable to have children. So, his wife made him take on more wives. Cultivators who lived for tens of thousands of years usually had multiple wives and husbands, so it was not altogether strange.


    For mortals married to cultivators, they were just butterflies who stopped and rested in their hands for a brief moment of time, the time they spent together, no longer than a candle. The second and third wife were also cultivators in the first realm, but death claimed them too.


    There were five main tables, and a few smaller tables for everyone. The first table was for the children of the 2nd wife, the second for the children and grandchildren of the 3rd wife, the third table for the fourth wife and children, the fourth table for the fifth wife and children, and the fifth table for Celestia. Celestia¡¯s table was shared with some of the other elders of the Verdant Snow Sect


    When Celestia walked in, the talking continued. The room was noisy.


    ¡°Wait- is that Grandfather?¡± One of the children pointed as Tundra walked in, behind Celestia.


    The noisy family dining room instantly turned dead silent.


    Both Elly and Marin, who were busy with their own children, turned to look at Tundra with a look of surprise and horror.


    Tundra looked around, and remembered the nasty familial politics with each of the wives. It was even worse in the later years when Tundra was away.


    ¡°Elly, Marin, Celestia. Sit with me.¡± Tundra said as he walked to Celestia¡¯s table. The servants panicked. They were not expecting the Sect Master here. They hurried to get ready.


    There were just three elders in the Verdant Snow Sect at this point, and all three were present. The three immediately stood and saluted him.


    ¡°Sect Master!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Jon, Severian, Jashen, please sit. It is rare I join you all for dinner.¡± The three didn¡¯t normally have dinner, either. But by some twist of fate, all three were here today. The three elders of the Verdant Snow were in the 5th realm, and Severian was the strongest of them.


    He had good memories of them. All of them fought loyally by his side, though all of them died before they saw the Sect transformed into a great sect. Elly and Marin hurried over to sit, and before they were given the chance to choose where to sit, Tundra selected the seats for them.


    ¡°Elly, on my left, Marin, on my right.¡± He tapped the table, and sat down. The two wives quickly sat as commanded.


    Tundra sat, as the servants served wine and tea.


    ¡°Husband, let me serve you.¡± Elly immediately poured wine in his cup. Marin merely stared, inwardly cursing herself for moving a step too slow. Celestia merely grinned as she sat next to Marin.


    Tundra nodded, took a sip of the wine, and then asked. ¡°Get me another cup for the tea. Marin, can you refill my tea?¡±


    The servant ran with her life on the line, because Tundra was fairly sure Marin would give that servant a good scolding if she waited too long for the teacups.


    ¡°My friends, and my wives.¡± Tundra declared, as he sipped tea this time. ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep for a while. Celestia told me I was asleep for days.¡±


    The three elders nodded. Severian immediately asked. ¡°Is everything alright, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tundra answered. Both Elly and Marin froze, wondering whether it¡¯s something they did. He immediately placed his left hand on Elly¡¯s lap, and his right hand on Marin¡¯s lap. ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s nothing to do with you. Instead, it¡¯s about what I saw during my long sleep.¡±


    The three elders leaned forward, surprised. They all leaned in to listen.


    ¡°I saw a future in my dream. A future I did not like. In the future, we would face a great plague from an enemy that hid it¡¯s power. It would consume us all, and more.¡±


    ¡°The demonic cultivators?¡± Elder Jon Blackstone asked. ¡°I hear they¡¯ve been trying to revive the Demonic God Suraz for the last few centuries, and have been getting more and more aggressive.¡±


    Tundra wondered how his actions would shift the flow of events. It was too late now. The very fact that he is here prevented the events from ever being the same. ¡°They are one of it. Zuja, Suraz, many others.¡±


    ¡°Zuja? Those bug-worshippers?¡± Severian looked at Tundra suspiciously.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra knew they were trustworthy. ¡°I hope you speak of them carefully, because I believe in a few hundred to thousand years, they will only grow in strength.¡±


    Elder Jon Blackstone seemed to have noticed Tundra¡¯s changed demeanor. ¡°Is there something else you are not saying, Sect Master?¡±


    At this point, Tundra had questions of his own. The conversation about how things have changed made him wonder whether he was infected. ¡°Elders, I want the three of you to help me do a full body inspection.¡±


    This made his three wives recoil in surprise. ¡°Husband!¡±


    The three elders themselves didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°Sect Master, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I wish to be sure about myself, and there are some things I cannot see myself. Elders, please come to my room tonight. My three wives, I hope you three come too, to witness it.¡±


    Elder Jashen leaned forward. ¡°Sect Master. What do you want us to look for?¡±


    ¡°Eggs. Worms. In my meridians and my spiritual roots. Any of them.¡± He was fairly sure he removed them with the Roseflame Essence Pill, but with his metal spiritual roots, the effectiveness of the cleansing flames would be subdued. There was still a chance it escaped.


    The servants served the food. It was a fairly lavish banquet, though a few dishes were clearly added at the last minute.


    The three elders nodded. For the Sect Master to request for it. It had to be a grave issue.


    ¡°Elders, how many disciples do we have?¡± Tundra genuinely could not remember.


    ¡°As of now, excluding your family, we have eighty. We have ten core disciples, twenty inner disciples, and fifty outer disciples. Core Disciple Yavin is still investigating the missing Golden Ring as you requested early this morning-¡±


    ¡°Tell him not to worry too much about it. I suspect my strange dream is linked to the missing ring.¡± Tundra said as he ate the food served by his wife. The elders were unused to the scene, so they kept looking away.


    He downed his third cup of rice wine.


    After what felt like a long silence, Tundra decided to change the topic.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of changing our sect¡¯s focus.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I remember I previously wanted to expand our influence and take control of more lands. It is good, but flawed. Instead, I¡¯d like to be more selective in our targets.¡±


    There were so many cities and wars he fought that he later came to regret. Not all conquests was worth it.


    He looked around, and was fairly certain the nearby tables were all trying to listen in. No one spoke a word, and everyone barely ate, except for the youngest children who had servants helping them with their food.


    Elder Jashen looked relieved. Elder Severian and Jon didn¡¯t react to it. Jashen immediately spoke up in support. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I had concerns about overextending our influence and people. Even though the three of us are in the fifth realm, and as a sect, we rank as mid tier, it would still be quite a challenge to wrest control of so many cities and towns with just core disciples and inner disciples.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear that.¡± Once Tundra quickly finished eating. His presence made everyone uncomfortable, and so he quickly made himself scarce. ¡°Well, I¡¯m done with my food. Elders, see you later. I¡¯ll get ready for our inspection.¡±


    Tundra had to step away. The dining hall was dead silent, and the cause was himself. He knew that as the Sect Master, even in his earlier life, he gradually learned that the best way to observe others is when they think he¡¯s not there.


    ***


    Elly and Marin glanced at each other once Tundra Fox was out of the dining hall.


    ¡°Did you know he was coming?¡± Elly asked, breaking the silence.


    Marin shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    The three elders leaned forward and stared at Celestia. Elder Jon Blackstone glanced at Celestia, and asked. ¡°Sect Master Fox came with you, Lady Gale, and I was told by the servants you were with him the whole day.¡±


    Celestia Gale waited for a minute, before nodding. ¡°Yes. He woke up this morning, and started this strange behavior. He claims to have experienced a 10,000 year long nightmare, and went to the alchemy hall to brew a strange pill to prove it.¡±


    ¡°Is it real?¡± Elder Jon asked.


    ¡°The pill is real, at least, but I have no idea how to prove his claim is real.¡± Celestia said.


    Elly and Marin looked at the elders. ¡°Do you think he suspects he is possessed, that¡¯s why he asked the three of you to inspect him?¡±


    Elder Jon countered. ¡°Why would a possessed man ask others to check whether he is possessed?¡±


    The three wives and three elders glanced at each other. Eventually, Elly asked the obvious. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a trap?¡±


    ¡°The old Tundra Fox would not engage in such traps.¡± Elder Jashen countered. ¡°But we should be careful. Let¡¯s all prepare.¡±


    ***


    Tundra Fox was fairly amused when all six of them came in war gear. His three wives were decent fighters for their realm of power, but against someone in the sixth realm, they wouldn¡¯t help much.


    The three elders were decked in war gear from head to toe, and that was worth respecting. He smiled, and unbuttoned his robe, revealing his chest.


    ¡°Elders. Please.¡±


    The three elders gulped. It was true that he was very vulnerable at this point. If they wanted to kill him, they could. Yet, somehow, they were the ones feeling incredibly vulnerable.


    Elder Jashen was first to sit down. ¡°Alright. Preparing inspection energies.¡±


    The other two elders quickly followed. The scan was invasive. It investigated every single part of the Sect Master¡¯s body, and took a few hours. It was a few hours past midnight when the three were finally done.


    ¡°Nothing. I found nothing.¡±


    The other two repeated the same, but Elder Jashen immediately asked. ¡°Sect Master- Your metal cultivation roots were lesser Peerless, correct? I can¡¯t seem to identify what grade it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The other two elders immediately noticed the irregularity. ¡°Wait. I wasn¡¯t sure what grade it was, but it didn¡¯t look infested.¡±


    Tundra immediately turned pensive. He looked inward, and through great effort, managed to look at his own cultivation roots. It wasn¡¯t his old cultivation roots, but the cultivation roots he had when he was a 10th realm cultivator.


    Over the 10,000 years, he found various items and divine grade ointments to improve his spiritual roots, and moved his spiritual roots three full realms to the Lesser Divine grade. Naturally they couldn¡¯t identify it, very few people have seen cultivation roots at the Divine Grade.


    Tundra Fox mulled. With this sort of cultivation roots, he wouldn¡¯t need 10,000 years to reach the 10th realm.


    ¡°I see.¡± He said. ¡°Thank you, elders. I¡¯m glad my nightmare wasn¡¯t just some possession or infestation playing tricks on my mind, but an actual out of body experience. Please, I¡¯d like some time with my wives.¡±


    The three elders nodded, and left the room.


    ***


    ¡°Do you still think the Sect Master is playing a trick?¡± Elder Jashen said the moment the three of them were out of range.


    ¡°No. It doesn''t seem like something he would do. He feels the same, even if different in some ways. It really does sound like he aged.¡± Elder Jon countered. ¡°And he has no reason to lie. What does he aim to achieve by this?¡±


    Elder Jashen scratched his chin. ¡°Immediately, he wants to change the strategy of the Sect. Though I agree with the change in strategy, I¡¯m concerned about where this change of thought comes from.¡±


    ¡°We checked. There¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing we can find.¡± Elder Jashen countered. ¡°A power capable of possessing a sect master of the 6th realm should be beyond us, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± Elder Severian answered. ¡°Some of the doubts are dispelled, for sure, but it is not entirely impossible that a far higher power is at work. We have two main angles of approach. One, we go with the flow and see what happens. Two, we remove him as Sect master, and have someone else inspect our Sect Master. Someone more powerful.¡±


    Jashen looked at Severian. ¡°Do you have someone in mind?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t trust any of them.¡± Severian countered.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we can only go with it.¡± Elder Jon interjected. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t trust any of the other powers either. They¡¯d rather kill our Sect master or take the opportunity to weaken him.¡±


    The three nodded, and then Jashen continued to scratch his chin. It wasn¡¯t itchy, but it made him think. ¡°The best we can do is try to get his wives to learn more of this new Tundra Fox. Let¡¯s say he truly saw a vision of the future, there must be some things he can predict. If we can test it, then it can prove true.¡±


    ¡°It has to be really specific, though. And as far as I know, visions are very often ambiguous.¡± Elder Jon commented. ¡°We could be falsely accusing our sect master when he really does have a vision of the future.¡±


    The three looked at each other, and then Elder Jashen nodded. ¡°I believe all we can do is wait and see what our Sect Master does. His actions will tell us whether he deserves our continuing respect and support.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, in the room, Tundra was flanked by his three wives. He smiled, and asked both Elly and Marin to sit next to him. They were both pleasant, and attractive women that found themselves in his arms due to their family¡¯s needs.


    They were not together out of love. It was a political, mutually beneficial arrangement.


    The affection they both showered on Tundra was born out of necessity. They wanted to provide advantages to their offspring, in an environment where there are other wives who also wanted to provide limited resources to their children.


    So, the three wives had a tense, even if still cordial, relationship.


    Still, the presence of other women just increased the competitive edge. No one wanted to be the one left behind. So, the two sat closely, without a gap between them and Tundra.


    He looked at his 4th and 5th wives, while Celestia sat on the stool next to the tea table. Elly Mistburn and Marin Eastheart.


    Tundra remembered how he met Elly. It was almost 240 years ago from the Imperial year 34,000. He visited the Mistburn family as a representative of the Verdant Snow Sect, then as an Elder.


    Mistburn family ruled the town of Mistburn, along Lake Whitemist. He brought them gifts, mainly to entice them closer to their side, instead of the other competitor sects.


    At that point, the sect master of the Verdant Snow Sect was a single old man who didn¡¯t have any relatives or children, while the Sect Elder Tundra Fox was a widower who lost his earlier three wives.


    The Mistburn family was a large family whose hold on power was fairly tenuous, as their Sect Patriarch was only in the early stages of the 5th realm and the rest of the Sect was just in their 2nd or 3rd realm. So, to shore up their own power, Elly Mistburn became the rope that tied the two parties together.


    Since then, Elly gave him four children, and those four children went on to have five grandchildren. Thus, Elly was indirectly the matriarch of the Fox family, as she was the most senior of Tundra Fox¡¯s wives.


    But her power over the rest of the family, especially those not her children, was almost non-existent.


    He looked at Marin Eastheart. Similarly, the Eastheart family ruled a group of towns close to the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine Mountains, and Marin¡¯s father, the patriarch, was only in the 4th realm. So, they were a vulnerable family that was at risk, and Marin was hastily offered to Tundra Fox as a means to secure the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s alliance.


    His marriage with Marin gave him two daughters.


    ¡°You two are still as beautiful as I remembered.¡± Tundra said wistfully. Cultivation is an amazing thing. These two were both in the 3rd realm, and that meant both of them would live up to 800 years.


    Of his six wives, he loved his first wife, Sara Winds, the most. She was after all his first love. But he was too weak then, and it was not possible to force cultivation when she didn¡¯t have talent. His 2nd and 3rd wives were also mortals that he married out of duty to some of the families in Verdant Leaf town.


    He did the deed and made children, as his in-laws expected them to.


    But after his first love, he¡¯d rank Celestia second, and it was why Celestia was often tasked by the other wives to serve him. They would say they were busy with their own children.


    Elly and Marin both just nodded. Marin retorted, unused to this version of Tundra. The old Tundra Fox was serious. Proud. Focused. ¡°This nightmare made your mouth a lot sweeter than it was.¡±


    His wives all had a sharp tongue, especially in private settings. Tundra smiled. ¡°And I do miss your nagging.¡±


    Marin blushed. ¡°I don¡¯t nag. Lady Mistburn nags a lot more.¡±


    ¡°Do I nag, Celestia?¡± Elly asked.


    Celestia didn¡¯t want to answer. Elly has so many children and grandchildren that she nags almost by second nature. Elly looked absolutely betrayed at Celestia¡¯s silence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that my nightmare is real, and I¡¯ve not seen both of you for thousands of years.¡± Tundra said, and just pulled both of them close. It was nice to feel the warmth of his wives after so long, even if they didn¡¯t really love him.


    ¡°Why did you ask us to stay back, husband?¡± Elly tried to get to the point. This conversation was so weird she wanted to get out of the room and find somewhere quiet to think.


    ¡°I¡¯ve neglected my wives and my children.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been so focused on cultivation, on gaining power and influence, that my children grew up rowdy and without my presence.¡±


    He was an absent husband. An absent father. An absent grandfather.


    Marin didn¡¯t know why, but her first response was sarcasm. ¡°Really? After two hundred years of marriage you finally noticed? And it¡¯s a dream that made you notice?¡±


    Tundra¡¯s face was somber. In fact, it took him more than 200 years. It was 10,000 years in the future that he realized how much he neglected his family. Of all the things he¡¯d change, family was pretty much the first thing on his mind.


    When he reached the 10th realm in his earlier life, he thought he would feel like he finally made it.


    But it didn¡¯t. All it did was reveal a path to even higher realms, and in his heart was emptiness. He didn¡¯t have anyone to share it with.


    His family and descendents didn¡¯t care or love him, even if they worshiped and obeyed him. All they had was a common family name.


    What was the point to the top of the mountain, if he didn¡¯t have a family to share it with? People he loved? What was life without a family that would be proud of him and truly shared in his suffering and struggles?


    He¡¯ll climb that mountain again. He has to. But this time, he¡¯d do so with his family and friends.


    He looked back at Marin, and nodded.


    ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m sorry. To all three of you.¡±

 Chapter 2. Meeting the Children I

    A few days later


    Anna Fox was the first child of Tundra Fox with his second wife, and also the strongest of all the children in her generation. Which wasn¡¯t much. She was born in the Imperial Year 33710, and officially, she is the mistress of the Verdant Snow Sect.


    Unofficially, it was the 6th child of Tundra Fox, and the 1st child of Elly Mistburn, Edison Mistburn Fox, that held the role of young master of the Verdant Snow Sect.


    It was rare that her father summoned her. As far as Anna could recall, he seemed happy to pretend she didn¡¯t exist. ¡°Father. You called?¡±


    She bowed politely, gathered in her father¡¯s private tea room. She could not remember how many times they spoke this year. Probably less than five times.


    Tundra was alone.


    ¡°Anna. Come, sit with me.¡±


    She gulped. Something was weird. She heard that father attended last night¡¯s dinner. She wasn¡¯t there. She didn¡¯t like eating with her stepmothers. They annoyed her, and the fact that she was the same age as Lady Marin Eastheart made her uncomfortable, even though it was not strange in the world of cultivation.


    ¡°What realm are you now?¡±


    ¡°3rd realm, 2nd stage.¡± Anna said. She was also the only one to reach 3rd realm among all his children.


    ¡°Can I feel your cultivation?¡± Tundra asked.


    Anna paused, her mind wondering what offense she committed. ¡°Father. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Sush. I did not call you here to punish you. Can I feel your cultivation?¡±


    She gulped and lightly nodded. She placed her palm in his hands, and immediately felt his probing energies.


    ¡°How¡¯s your daughter?¡±


    Anna sighed. Anna had a daughter, Annaly. She¡¯s 90 years old. ¡°She¡¯s okay. She¡¯s a handful and doesn¡¯t take cultivation seriously. She failed the last mission the Elder Jashen gave her.¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly, do you also have a wood element spirit roots?¡±


    His daughter nodded. ¡°I¡¯m also practicing the Verdant Snow¡¯s Forest Cat Claws, but my progress has been slow.¡±


    ¡°It should be. Turn around. Servants, leave the room and close the door.¡± The servants nodded and closed the door, leaving Tundra and Anna alone in the room. ¡°Anna, I want to check your meridians, but I¡¯ll need to touch your back.¡±


    Anna gulped. ¡°Father! Is- is something wrong? What are you trying to do with this?¡±


    Tundra remembered Anna died somewhere over the next hundred years, and annoyingly, he didn¡¯t even remember why. He also couldn¡¯t remember whether her husband was also alive, but if Celestia was around, it most likely meant her husband had already passed away due to a fatal attack during an expedition to a secret realm.


    ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°Anna. I¡¯m looking for bugs and blockages in your meridians.¡±


    ¡°I know, but why? You don¡¯t normally do this. This is weird!¡±


    Tundra paused. He realized that his wives were willing to give him some benefit of doubt, and accept his explanations, but his new behavior would likely cause his children to view him with great suspicion.


    He was foolish to think that he¡¯d be able to change everything just by behaving differently. It doesn¡¯t work like that. For his family, they still held the baggage from how he treated them before this.


    He sighed.


    Anna shifted uncomfortably.


    ¡°I apologize, my dear daughter.¡± He took out one of the Roseflame Essence Pill. ¡°I want to help you get better at cultivating.¡±


    ¡°Are you-¡± Anna paused, and stared at his father strangely. ¡°Are you trying to bribe me? Do you plan to take a new wife, father?¡±


    Tundra recoiled in response. ¡°-no? Why?¡±


    ¡°Why else would you try to bribe me? You want to convince me to accept whoever you¡¯re going to introduce to our family, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Not like that.¡± Tundra realized he¡¯d have to explain everything, just like his wives. ¡°I had a long dream, and well, I realized I was wrong. I¡¯d like to start changing, and be a better father.¡±


    Anna turned back and slammed the tea table. It shook violently, but did not break. But the tiles on the ground had some cracks. ¡°Now? Of all times, Now? Father. No. Sect Master Fox. You¡¯ve never been a father and now you want to come back in my life and pretend that you are a father? Is that it? Did you see a dream where you went to hell and the gods cursed you for never being there for your family?¡±


    Tundra had no response to his daughter¡¯s outburst. He looked at her, and after a long sigh, nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to start rebuilding our family. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°All you ever cared about was this damned Sect. Power. Strength. New recipes, new alchemical formulations. Did you remember how you just spoke a few words at my husband¡¯s funeral and then left because there was some damned secret realm to explore?¡± Anna countered, as her own wounds opened. ¡°Why now?¡±


    Tundra¡¯s face flushed. He had no recollection of that event. ¡°I don¡¯t. And I¡¯m sorry. I truly am, and I¡¯d like to start again.¡±


    Anna trembled. Her fingers shook. She looked at him. She judged him. ¡°Did you think about how I felt when you went on some alchemy tournament and came back with a new wife?¡±


    Tundra wanted to defend Celestia then, but he realized that defending her would only put Anna at odds with his 6th wife. There was no winning. He closed his eyes, and nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t. I liked Celestia, and felt a connection. So I wanted her to be my wife. That was it. I did not recognise how it would feel, to the rest of you.¡±


    ¡°I wish you told us, at least.¡± Anna said, her face red. ¡°People of power like you like to have many wives and concubines. It¡¯s just the way the world is. But please communicate, father. Don¡¯t just do things on a whim and leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces. We are not just ornaments and plants who you can just place in your house and then ignore us. We are people, and we are your children.¡±


    Tundra realized his goal was going to be a lot more challenging than he hoped. Just with his first, eldest daughter he realized that winning over his family would be harder than ascending to the 10th realm all over again.


    He nodded. ¡°Yes. This time, I will try, and I¡¯d like to start with you, Anna. You¡¯re the eldest, and I wish I spent more time with you.¡±


    The regressor wondered how much of it was guilt.


    Anna sighed, still upset. ¡°So how do you plan to try? What exactly is it that you want to do with us? Is this for some goal? Do you plan to butter me up and then marry me off to some other guy, for political reasons?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The Sect Master wondered whether his 10,700 years of experience would be enough for this. In truth, his 10,700 years was mostly spent doing non-family things, and he was ill-experienced in this part. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. No. I will not, and instead, whoever you choose to marry will be your choice. Or if you don¡¯t want to marry again, it¡¯s fine too.¡±


    His daughter couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You won¡¯t force any of us?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore. I was a fool to impose it on you all, and it wasn¡¯t right to think that my children would agree with what I would¡¯ve accepted.¡±


    Anna immediately felt strange, wondering when did his father matchmake them. For Tundra, it was him momentarily confusing the past, the present, and the future.


    One of the wars he fought in the future was when his great grandson assaulted his wife, and his wife¡¯s sect declared war in retaliation. He naturally fought to defend his family¡¯s honor, but a few centuries after that war, he greatly regretted taking his great-grandson¡¯s side, without truly investigating the cause of the incident.


    It also told him how horrible it was to impose marriage on others. He could accept marriages for political reasons. But he should not have expected his children to think the same way.


    So, both father and daughter stared at each other a while, each thinking their own thoughts.


    Anna¡¯s attention went back to the pill in Tundra¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What pill is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll purge your meridians and spiritual root, and improve the quality of your spiritual root.¡±


    Her eyes bulged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had that kind of pill.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you give me a chance-¡±


    ¡°Bribing your children won¡¯t work.¡± Anna countered.


    ¡°Please?¡± Tundra asked nicely. At this point, he wanted to find someone to talk to. He tried to remember whether there are any other sect masters he was good friends with. Sect masters that were still alive.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Anna looked at him, and then sighed. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you a chance. But I have not forgiven nor forgotten how you¡¯ve been absent all these while.¡±


    Tundra sighed. ¡°But how do cultivators do it? We enter secluded cultivation all the time?¡±


    The question made Anna think as well. All of them entered secluded cultivation. It was just how cultivators focused on absorbing the ambient energies to ascend. ¡°Well, secluded cultivation doesn¡¯t count, I guess. But when you¡¯re not in secluded cultivation, I hope to see you and speak to you more often. If you want to be a father again, be present for us.¡±


    The regressor had no choice but to agree.


    Then Anna took the pill. She snatched it from his palm. ¡°I just eat it?¡±


    ¡°Yes-¡± She swallowed it. ¡°-It will hurt.¡±


    Anna recoiled in pain as the pill picked in immediately and screamed. ¡°Father, were you trying to poison me?!¡±


    ¡°No. Calm down!¡± She convulsed as the surging flames of the Roseflame Essence Pills flooded her meridians. Tundra briefly panicked, just a second, but immediately tapped her back and quickly injected his energies into her. He¡¯d have to help her stabilize the effects of the Roseflame Essence pill.


    ***


    Three hours later, Anna was exhausted, and when the pill¡¯s effects were gone. She collapsed unconscious, and Tundra carried his daughter to her bedroom. It was embarrassing he didn¡¯t even know where it was, and had to ask a servant to guide him there.


    She would feel the benefits later, but as a father, her outburst made him think.


    ***


    When he walked into Elly Mistburn¡¯s room, she was reading some missives. There were two servants helping her with her hair, while a third servant was in the room cleaning. His 7th child, born from Elly¡¯s womb, Evan Mistburn Fox was also in the room cultivating quietly.


    She was clearly not expecting to see him, and stood. The servants were shocked and bowed. Elly curtsey before her husband. ¡°Husband! Good afternoon.¡±


    He smiled and just sat on a chair. ¡°I just came to see my wife and my son.¡±


    Elly¡¯s eyes met Tundra¡¯s briefly, and then she walked to sit next to him. ¡°The servants are still doing my hair. I apologize for being so unsightly.¡±


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°Evan¡¯s hardworking.¡±


    ¡°After I lectured him about how he¡¯s falling behind and I forced him to cultivate here.¡± Elly said with a roll in her eyes. ¡°I wish our children inherited your seriousness, focus and drive.¡±


    He laughed, and turned to look at Evan cultivating on the dais. Now that his father was here, he actually tried to focus on cultivating. His son didn¡¯t seem particularly keen on talking to him. No, his son was afraid of him, and so, tried his best to actually cultivate.


    Tundra smirked, and Elly naturally noticed how focused Evan was. ¡°Well, husband, it seems it would really help your children if you came more often. They seem to only behave well when you are around.¡±


    Evan wasn¡¯t young. He was born almost 165 years ago, and should be treated as a full grown adult instead of a child. And yet, Tundra couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether cultivation extends their lifespan, but slows down their mental development.


    It¡¯s been something on his mind for centuries. After all, cultivation is a mostly solitary activity, focused on absorbing energies from the surrounding environment, or from pills, or from foods. But mental and character growth comes from suffering, from pain and failures, and from achievements. A cultivator who hid away without facing pain and suffering, without experiencing life, had no reason or push factor to gain maturity at all.


    ¡°What have my children been doing, that they are just in the 2nd realm?¡± Tundra wondered. In his earlier life, he hardly had time to care. Around this time, he was trying to prepare for an attack on Blackbone City, and claim the area from the mid tier sect, Black Ash Temple. He remembered he was already in the 4th realm by the time he was 50 years old.


    Elly looked back at him, curious. ¡°Are you saying they are too slow, husband?¡±


    ¡°-well, yes.¡± Tundra said. When their children were placed next to his own speed, they all certainly paled.


    Elly paused. It took a while before she actually mustered a response. ¡°If you helped to control them and force them to cultivate instead of chasing your own goals all day, they would¡¯ve moved a lot faster.¡±


    Tundra looked back at Elly, and somehow felt a little defensive. ¡°You¡¯re their mother.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re their father.¡± Elly countered, her voice less than gentle.


    Tundra faced his incompetence in this aspect once more. He wondered whether parents were scolded and screamed at all the time. He really needed to find a friend. A fellow parent who he could confide with. But for now, he looked back at his 4th wife, and tried to make amends. ¡°What should I have done?¡±


    Elly looked into his eyes, a little surprised at the question. But she was a lot less worried than a few days ago. ¡°Guide them. Do you remember how many times you explained the cultivation concepts to your children? Provided guidance? Provide advice? Not all your children are natural alchemy geniuses, they don¡¯t just get it like you did. If you want to make something out of them, share some of your genius and insights. You know we¡¯re less than competent on this part.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s defensiveness emerged. ¡°But the elders could have helped them.¡±


    He immediately regretted that response. Maybe its why his family broke apart anyway. He was too defensive. Criticisms attacked his pride. But what was the point of pride?


    Elly frowned. ¡°Husband, do you think your elders have time with all the things you wanted to achieve? Even if they could spare some time, how much attention could they give your children?¡±


    Tundra had no words. Three elders. He only had three elders and they are all overworked in their own way. He conceded the point.


    ¡°You are right.¡± Tundra¡¯s eyes darted to the corner and looked at Evan. ¡°Evan. Come here.¡±


    His son¡¯s eyes opened, and he walked close. He was a fully grown man, and yet in front of his father, his hands trembled. It didn¡¯t help that he was in the 2nd realm, while his father was in the 6th. The gap between the two was so large that it was like a fly staring down an elephant.


    It was once again embarrassing for Tundra that he didn¡¯t remember much about Evan, the only thing that he could recall was he loved being close to his mother, and frequently hung around Elly. He died fairly early, because of old age.


    He didn¡¯t have much expectations when he touched Evan¡¯s wrists, and began to sense his meridians.


    ¡°You have a High-grade Metal Spirit Roots.¡± In the wider scheme of things, it really wasn¡¯t much. Tundra¡¯s own cultivation roots were originally of the peerless grade, and the gifted chosen ones of many great sects usually had at least peerless or celestial grade.


    Evan panicked, but eventually, as Tundra stared into his eyes, he reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°So, why are you so slow, then?¡± Tundra asked bluntly. His son trembled. His wife, Elly, frowned at Tundra¡¯s question.


    Elly countered, a little surprised at her son. ¡°I thought you said you were a mid-grade? When did it become a high grade?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know, mother.¡± Evan answered. ¡°It just happened one day.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Gradual Spiritual Root Mutation is not entirely unusual. But if you have high grade cultivation roots, it should have accelerated your cultivation, and taken you to at least high 3rd realm or early 4th realm over the last 150 years. What have you been doing?¡±


    He gulped and looked away. Evan didn¡¯t dare look at his father.


    Elly wanted to know too. ¡°Evan. Answer your father.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know why he felt like his temper was about to burst out. Yet, looking at Evan¡¯s worried face, he realized it wouldn¡¯t help. He was getting better at observing faces and reactions, and so, he sighed.


    Mellowed.


    ¡°Are you afraid, Evan?¡± Tundra said, his voice wasn¡¯t angry. Instead, it was gentle.


    He still looked away, but nodded.


    ¡°Tell me the reason, I will not punish you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Evan said. He turned around a little surprised.


    Tundra closed his eyes, and decided he would let his son go, whatever he said. It took a lot out of him, but he nodded. ¡°Yes. I will not punish you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to be a cultivator, father.¡± Evan said.


    Elly¡¯s eyes popped out. She stood angrily, and almost wanted to hit her son. ¡°Evan! You useless-!¡±


    But she didn¡¯t, because Tundra looked at Elly. No, he glared. ¡°Elly. Please sit. Let him explain.¡±


    Evan gulped. ¡°I- I just want to play. Get drunk. Read story books written by poets and writers. Sleep. This cultivating thing is so hard, but everyone in our family is forced into it. I hate it.¡±


    Tundra felt his identity was attacked then. He worked so hard to build his sect up, but why was his son squandering away his potential when he had High-grade cultivation roots?! Tundra¡¯s hands trembled, and Evan noticed. His son took three steps back.


    Anger. Useless. He wanted to lash out like he used to. But no. He took a deep breath, and eventually calmed his anger. ¡°I see. It is disappointing, but I am glad to hear it.¡±


    Elly frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I gave birth to a useless-¡±


    Tundra looked back at her. ¡°Elly, stop. I am angry too, but I suppose this is how it is. Not everyone wants to chase my dreams. Especially my children who see me, and realize I am not someone they want to copy.¡±


    His wlfe gulped. The servants shifted. A few wanted to sneak out.


    Father, mother and son. They looked at each other.


    Tundra looked back at Evan. ¡°Then you will stop. I will not force you. But I will still need you to be useful. What other skills do you have?¡±


    Evan¡¯s turn to gulp. He looked at his mother for assistance, but his words annoyed his mother so much that his mother didn¡¯t even want to look at him.


    He scrambled to think of an answer, but eventually he confessed. ¡°-I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°Can you read and write?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Elly rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course. Every one of the Sect Master¡¯s children must know how to read and write.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Then you will be tasked to sit alongside the administrative team, read the general letters we receive as a sect, and write me a summary every week. Will that be better than forcing you to cultivate all day long?¡±


    Evan paused, shifted uncomfortably in his position, before nodding. ¡°-yes.¡±


    ¡°But as you stopped cultivating, your allowance will be adjusted accordingly to that of an official aide.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Evan looked offended. ¡°I can¡¯t live on that?!¡±


    ¡°You can still live here. You are still family, my son. But, your rewards and privileges are granted based on the expectation that you perform as cultivators. If you stop, then it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°But you said you won¡¯t punish me!¡±


    ¡°I did not hurt you, did I?¡± Tundra said, his anger boiling. Were all his children so spoiled? ¡°I am giving you a role you can do, and adjusting the rewards to match it. The exceptional privilege as the Sect Master¡¯s family cannot be given to those who don¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s punishment.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m withdrawing a privilege. Know the difference.¡± Tundra countered.


    Evan stormed out.


    Elly stared at Tundra, a little torn and unsure what to say. But a part of her actually looked pleased. ¡°I- I didn¡¯t know our son was so useless.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say useless. That is a strong word.¡± Tundra said. ¡°If his interests lie elsewhere, I should encourage it. But he should know his benefits will be a reflection of his roles.¡±


    His wife looked at him and smiled. It seemed genuine, but Tundra wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°I was briefly worried that the dream made you soft, with all that talk about spending time with family and changing your strategy. I¡¯m glad to see that you haven¡¯t lost your mettle.¡±


    Tundra sighed. Too soft, or too hard. Did anyone ever mention how hard it is to be a parent? ¡°As a father, and grandfather, I hope they realize that they are very lucky, and should make the most of the benefits. Not squander it being useless second and third generations.¡±


    Elly chuckled. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to have a hard time doing that. You¡¯ve been absent for the past hundred years.¡± The cultivation society and families of this world remained highly patriarchal, despite the immense powers mothers and females could gain through cultivation. In every family, it is the male line that executes punishment. For a mother to duke out punishment, the mother had to be significantly more powerful.


    But his wife had a point. That conversation with Evan needed to happen with his entire family. They all benefited from the privileges as the Sect Master¡¯s family. It¡¯s time they learn and remember it is a privilege, and can be withdrawn.

 Chapter 3. Meeting the Family

    ¡°Father¡¯s insane.¡± The children murmured between themselves, unaware that Tundra could hear their every word.


    ¡°Is father possessed?¡±


    ¡°I want the old grandfather back!¡± One of his grandchildren protested.


    The hall was noisy as Tundra declared the new rules. Every child and grandchildren¡¯s stipends and benefits would now be pegged to their cultivation level, and also their tasks.


    In short, he had turned his family into a mini-sect of its own, and each child had to earn ¡®merit¡¯ in order to receive rewards.


    His three wives sat next to him, and Elly looked at her children sympathetically. This change would be hard for them. They were so used to privilege that it would be a struggle to accept such a change.


    ¡°Father-¡± Edison Mistburn Fox, the unofficial young master, spoke up. ¡°Why- why do you want this change? It¡¯s making the family unhappy and frustrated. With this, we¡¯re no better than the sect¡¯s disciples. How can we walk out with pride as the heirs of the Great Fox Family??¡±


    Tundra Fox merely stared at his son, and once more, wondered how he raised such arrogant fools. He looked at Elly, the mother, and frowned.


    Was this all because of his absence, and his wives were unable to discipline his children? It had to be.


    ¡°If you want to walk with pride, reach the 5th realm.¡± Tundra Fox countered. ¡°Even if you are dressed like a pauper, in the fifth realm, everyone in the Middle Cities would still bow to you.¡±


    Edison immediately shrunk.


    ¡°Power. All of you don¡¯t have it.¡± He said frankly. ¡°2nd realm after a hundred years? Do you know how many prodigies in the great sects reached the 4th realm by 50 years old? And you still talk about some foolish pride?! I¡¯ve failed my family. For me to take so long to see the blinding laziness right in front of me, I brought shame to the Verdant Snow Sect and my ancestors.¡±


    All his grandchildren and children froze in silence.


    ¡°A sect master that doesn¡¯t know how to raise his own children. How can a sect master like that even hope to train good disciples?¡± Tundra repeated.


    Of course, it¡¯s not so simple. It is easy for a sect master to just pick good, talented disciples and raise them. It is another matter to raise rowdy children into great cultivators.


    But the children trembled anyway. ¡°Who here doesn¡¯t want to cultivate?¡± No one raised their hands. At this point, Tundra was fairly sure his wives spoke to his children already.


    Anna, Evan, and many of his other children were also here. They silently listened. It was true that they didn¡¯t amount to much. Many, many years ago, in Anna¡¯s first few years, her supplies as the first child wasn¡¯t even that great. Her father wasn¡¯t the Sect Master, and an elder¡¯s resources were a far cry from that of a sect master.


    Tundra waited. ¡°We are a cultivation sect. I¡¯m the Sect Master, and right now, your father and grandfather. If you are the type of offspring I have, then it seems I am truly a failure as those people say I am. They say a tiger doesn¡¯t have puppies for sons, but when I see my children,  I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    His wives all looked uncomfortable.


    ¡°Your mothers believe I¡¯m the cause. That I failed to guide all of you.¡± Tundra Fox admitted. ¡°I think they are right, so, while the rest of you still have time left, I will correct this ship and make something from you.¡±


    The children looked afraid.


    ¡°From now on, my schedule will include two days of cultivation training. All of you will spend two days with me. I expect all of you, who still want to be cultivators, to attend my training.¡±


    His children all gulped. He looked at a few of his youngest grandchildren. They were still children. Jihan, Jericho and Jessica were all less than ten years old.


    ¡°The three of them will be exempt from this. We start next week.¡±


    ***


    The children dispersed, and he could tell their response was mixed. Some of them were keen to train.


    In a large enough group of people, there were always those who wanted change, and those who resisted it. His goal, as Sect Master, and patriarch of his family, was to encourage those who wanted change, and discourage those who resisted it.


    He returned to his own room after the long meeting with his descendants. They were his children, but they were all old. His youngest, the 10th child, Azelia, was already 120 years old.


    Once he was alone, he sighed.


    In hindsight, training and growing a sect would probably be easier than raising his children to be something. Raw materials mattered a lot. It was one of the main principles when running a sect.


    A raw talent could be nurtured and polished. But it was very difficult to turn raw dirt into a gem. So, in the old Verdant Snow Sect, he focused on the talents. Talents who wanted to be there. Talents who were loyal, hardworking, and had the right attitude.


    He left his children to his wives. In fact, he remembered he had thirty five wives and about ten more concubines over 10,000 years. He reached the 10th realm around Imperial Year 41,000, and by then, sects and other powerful families were more than eager to offer him new mates.


    He didn¡¯t think about it much back then. He lost his family, so his reaction then was to start another one. He didn¡¯t even know why he didn¡¯t question his decision.


    ¡°Husband, may we come in?¡± Elly, Marin and Celestia were outside.


    It was rare that three of them came to see him together. He wondered what the three discussed.  ¡°Yes.¡±


    His three wives sat around the tea table, and Elly took the lead, as the 4th wife. ¡°Husband, the children are protesting your new rules.¡±


    Tundra sighed. ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Almost all of them.¡± Marin countered. ¡°They¡¯ve approached all three of us and asked us to speak to you to loosen the restrictions.¡±


    Tundra sagged. His disappointment from the earlier meeting did not fade.. ¡°They are all adults. They should have had some achievements by now. When I was their age, I was charging towards every treasure realm, every forbidden land, just to earn merit.¡±


    Both Elly and Marin looked down at their cups.


    ¡°Why did they grow up like this?¡± Tundra said, frustrated.


    Elly tried to defend herself. ¡°It¡¯s hard to take care of children who don¡¯t listen. They think they have power and they keep pushing the servants around-¡±


    ¡°And I was too busy to step in, and my elders won¡¯t get involved in family matters.¡±


    Elly nodded.


    Tundra Fox, at that moment, wondered whether it would be just better to let his entire family die and then he would start a new one. He honestly felt a little sick of his own thoughts, and shook his head. ¡°No matter. Of our children, who do you think actually wants to be a cultivator?¡±


    The three wives glanced at each other. The fact that it took a while for them to even answer told Tundra everything.


    ¡°None of my children have an interest in being a cultivator?¡± Impossible. In his mind, surely some of them have some interest. It couldn¡¯t be that there isn¡¯t a single talented soul in his ten children and twelve grandchildren?!


    Elly quickly corrected. ¡°I think Sonia, your granddaughter and Adelia? Edison too, a little.¡±


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    Marin frowned at the mention of her daughter. ¡°Adelia really does have an interest, but her talent is really weak. She¡¯s only in the 1st realm, but she¡¯s already in the late stages of her lifespan at 150 years old.¡±


    Back then, his Verdant Snow Sect collected disciples from 10,000 cities and the entire continent. In the later years as a Great Sect, they received 100,000 disciples annually across all their branches, and naturally, there would be one among them all that really was gifted with talent. It was just as the other sect masters said, a game of numbers. There was really no foolproof way to ensure talent was inherited, though there were supposedly special cultivation methods to improve the quality of offsprings.


    He looked at them. ¡°Really? No one else?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Edison, he¡¯s in the 2nd realm, and Anna? Anna¡¯s the only one in the 3rd realm.¡± Marin tried to offer alternatives.


    ¡°Ed¡¯s distracted most of the time.¡± Elly countered. Edison was her first child, and he was the one who spoke up earlier. ¡°He- he seems to prefer chasing women than cultivating. It¡¯s lucky that Suri manages to control him.¡±


    Some of his children were married, and thus produced children of their own.


    Tundra frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t mind that he lusted after women, but how can he neglect his cultivation? It¡¯s why we exist as a martial sect!¡±


    Celestia sensed the conversation was going nowhere, and she was the only one with no children of her own. ¡°Why not try improving our cultivation? Let us lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡± Elly looked at Celestia.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re his wives, and maybe our children would finally see that their father means it. If our cultivation improved, they¡¯d see that cooperating with Tundra would help them.¡±


    Tundra liked that idea, but he immediately observed Elly and Marin¡¯s reaction. The two wives thought for a while, and eventually nodded. ¡°Very well. As their mother, I suppose I have no right to say much if I¡¯m only in the 3rd realm at my age.¡±


    Tundra smiled as his wives agreed. ¡°Once a week, or at night, why not all of you come to my room. We can cultivate together.¡±


    Marin panicked briefly, and clarified. ¡°We¡¯re cultivating, not making children, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tundra laughed as he watched the three wives blush shyly at the mention of making children. Marin¡¯s embarrassed look tugged at his heart, and reminded him of how much he missed having them around. He didn¡¯t know why he was so busy chasing prestige and power in his first life, and neglected the blessings of the wonderful women he had around him.


    ***


    The scripture pavilion of the Verdant Snow Sect was a fairly modest place. He remembered how it was rebuilt to be much larger and grander, many, many years into the future. Cultivation methods and techniques were stored here, many of the techniques were created and modified over time by various experts, and it was common for many elders to write down their insights on their methods.


    Writing honed the mind, and focused the direction of thought. The teacher learns from the process of teaching.


    Many elders gained epiphanies into their chosen arts and methods from the questions of their disciples. Even innocent, simple questions sometimes held great insights.


    Tundra flipped through the pavilion, and looked for something unrelated to the scriptures. Instead, he looked at writings on family. On relationships. On raising children.


    It was incredibly scarce.


    It was not a topic that a cultivation sect normally collected.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡± Elder Jon Blackstone was the Pavilion¡¯s Elder, and so he bowed. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    In Elder Jon¡¯s mind, the sect master didn¡¯t need more cultivation methods. So it had to be something else.


    Tundra looked at Jon Blackstone, and smiled. ¡°Jon.¡±


    He looked back at the shelves. Each of the shelves was made from the bones of a type of ancient fish, the Deep Icelake Sea Clawfish. The bones of that fish possessed a unique quality, as it was really good at separating the energies of various scriptures, allowing the scriptures to be sorted and arranged without affecting other scriptures.


    The book he looked for probably didn¡¯t need such special shelving.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for writings on raising children.¡±


    Jon¡¯s eyes widened, before he grinned. ¡°That is a concern I didn¡¯t know you have, Sect Master.¡±


    Jon was an old friend. Loyal. He served him till his death. ¡°Sit with me, Jon.¡±


    There was a quiet room with a tea table at the highest floor of the scripture pavilion, meant for moments of deep contemplation. It was not a place for tea, but Tundra was the sect master, and no one was going to stop him.


    ¡°You really sound old, Tundra.¡± Jon said with a smile, after Tundra expressed his frustrations with his descendants. ¡°To be fair, I did bring it up to you.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Tundra honestly couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°You brushed it off. You said to give them time. I took that as a hint that you¡¯re fine with it, and so never brought it up again. I think that was, perhaps five-six decades ago?¡±


    ¡°They were in the 50s then.¡± Tundra retorted, but he sighed immediately afterwards. ¡°I wish I had intervened earlier.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never too late.¡± Jon shrugged. ¡°People can change, after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really hard to change personalities and people.¡± Tundra countered as he sipped his tea. He knew it¡¯s hard to change people, that''s why as a Sect, they focused on the talents, and ignored those who were not. But it¡¯s not like that with his family.


    ¡°But they can. And if there¡¯s anyone you should spend the time helping, it¡¯s your family. ¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    They both drank their tea at the same time.


    Tundra looked at Jon, and decided to change it up a bit. It¡¯s been forever since he had a good chat with his old friends. ¡°How about you, do you ever hope to start a family?¡±


    Elder Jon choked on his tea. ¡°Thank you for the offer. Watching you make babies was enough to tell me all I want to know about life as a married man. The politics of your wives¡¯ families was enough to scare me for ten lives.¡±


    The Regressor Sect Master paused. This topic sounded familiar, but he wasn¡¯t sure what happened there. It¡¯s been so long. ¡°Is something happening there?¡±


    ¡°You mean the pills and cultivation resources your wives send back to their family or their old sect? Or the brewing conflicts with their rival families? Or the recent raids on merchant convoys headed for the town of Mistburn?¡±


    Tundra paused. He could not remember it at all. For Jon, this was just recent news, but for Tundra, there was a full 10,000 years between them. He stared at Jon, and sighed. ¡°I admit I don¡¯t recall. I¡¯ll need to be brought up to speed on our recent events.¡±


    Jon looked at Tundra, and nodded. He quickly explained how the rival families of Dragongate and Silversands tried to encroach on Mistburn¡¯s territory. Although it wasn¡¯t open conflict, the two families funded bandits that aggressively attacked Mistburn merchant convoys, but left their convoys untouched.


    Then, on Marin¡¯s side, her family recently faced a surge in beast attacks, and that led to disruptions to the family¡¯s mining operations in the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine Mountains.


    Both his wives funneled their allocated cultivation resources and healing pills back to their families, in essence, reducing their own children¡¯s cultivation resources.


    ¡°It¡¯s been going on for a while.¡± Tundra realized as Jon narrated how the first attacks occurred about 50 years ago and the conflicts merely escalated in that time frame.


    ¡°Oh yes. But we didn¡¯t bring it up, after all, it¡¯s your family issue. As a sect, we remain focused on your goals for our sect.¡±


    Tundra nodded. That was the right thing to do. There really should be a separation between the personal, private lives of the Sect Master, and the professional duties related to a Sect. But he knew that wasn¡¯t true most of the time. Each Sect Master will take what they can for their family, and it is only offset by the bargaining power and balancing influence of the Sect¡¯s Elders.


    But reality is often complicated, since the marriages with Elly and Marin were both on the basis that he was then an elder of the Verdant Snow.


    He looked at Jon, and then asked. ¡°Can we absorb them as subsidiary sects?¡±


    It was not unusual for families to be a sort of subsidiary clan or sect. Many great sects have thousands of subsidiary families who were naturally part of the network.


    ¡°They would have to contribute more to our sect, and that¡¯s not something we¡¯ve ever discussed with your wives.¡±


    As with all marriages, all ¡®agreements¡¯ are often verbal and usually vague. Terms like ¡®support¡¯ and ¡®presence¡¯ are thrown about all the time, but what do they mean?


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to deal with it.¡± Tundra nodded.


    Jon shrugged. ¡°The Sect will have your back, Sect Master. If you want us to assist, we will do so.¡±


    ¡°It does not feel appropriate to mix up the two.¡±


    ¡°I know, but which sect out there isn¡¯t deeply intertwined with its ruling families?¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes. Who else was after them? He was fairly sure he ignored many of his old foes, after all, many didn¡¯t dare take action when he was in the 9th or 10th realm. ¡°Which other sects are our enemies?¡±


    Jon laughed. ¡°Plenty. And there¡¯s more that we don¡¯t know. When we seized control of Lakeshore Barrens and the town of Lakeshore, we made enemies with the Yellow Cloud Sect and the Blood Blade Sect. Even now they are trying to get rid of our representative Core Disciple. It¡¯s just some stroke of luck that Lakeshore isn¡¯t worth it to deploy someone powerful, and Elder Jashen makes frequent trips to Lakeshore just to remind them, and make our presence felt.¡±


    Lakeshore. It happened about ten years ago when the second most powerful family of Lakeshore, the Blackshore family, approached them to assist in overthrowing the most powerful family, the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade-backed Amberblade family.


    The patriarch of the Blackshore family was in the 4th realm, just like the patriarch of the Amberblade family, and Tundra remembered how Elder Jashen and the Core Disciple, Agnia, beat the patriarch till he was bleeding from head to toe and lost a few realms of cultivation.


    It was bloody.


    But that was politics in the world of Cultivators. All right to rule was determined by strength. Even today, the Imperial Family rules thanks to the support of the Great Sects, and the gift of the True Golden Dragon.


    He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He used to fear those who held the gifts, but in the end, the True Golden Dragon¡¯s descendants were still defeated by the Zuja Avatars.


    For some issues, such as politics and control, the solution was simple. ¡°As always, the first thing we need is strength. If we have strength, these flies will naturally won¡¯t dare to act.¡±


    ¡°-you mean?¡±


    Celestia was right. He needed to start growing the strength of those willing to work with him. His wives, and his elders were prime candidates. He smiled at Jon. ¡°It seems I will find myself in my alchemy workshop a lot.¡±

 Chapter 4. Growing Strength

    Two weeks after regression


    Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe trembled as he watched the Sect Master work in the alchemy workshop.


    As far as he knew, the master worked alone, so the fact that he was summoned to the alchemy workshop initially struck him with fear. Was the Sect Master upset with his investigation report? Was there some clue he was supposed to find?


    Or was this punishment of some kind?


    ¡°Fourth realm.¡± Tundra said as he assessed Yavin Redaxe¡¯s meridians. ¡°Fire-Water dual element spirit roots, both at the Middle-grade. Fascinating.¡±


    The Core Disciple gulped as Tundra let go of his wrist.


    ¡°Help me clean up the workshop and I¡¯ll give you a pill for your contributions.¡± The Sect Master said.


    Yavin wasn¡¯t sure whether that was a punishment or an opportunity. Maybe both. He nodded, because there was nothing else to say. ¡°Yes, Sect Master.¡±


    ***


    Tundra was relatively pleased at how Yavin helped him with the really messy workshop. Over the years, his tastes and thinking about how an alchemy workshop should be organized evolved. Some of them, because of insights he gained from his various experiments.


    As strange as it sounds, not all pills are from finding old books or scrolls. After all, pills must have been invented at some point in time, and during his later years when the sect was in the upper tier, he began to have a surplus of resources.


    Enough for him to begin doing his own experiments, discover profound truths about the nature of materials and invent new pills altogether.


    It was an unusual irony for master alchemists that one had to be rich and powerful to learn and try new things, but in order to be rich and powerful, an alchemist had to bring something new to the market.


    One of the things he wanted to hoard, subtly, was the materials needed to purge Zuja worms. He didn¡¯t want to let the Zuja cult know he knew how to do it. That was a risk, and it¡¯s likely the Zuja wouldn¡¯t make such large moves, because it painted a target on their backs.


    At this point, 10,000 years ago, the orthodox sects were still powerful.


    There were easily twenty 10th realm masters, almost all of them members of the Great Sects. Perhaps a few more like Patriarch Whitedragon who had the power to briefly enter into the 11th realm. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t even be difficult for Tundra to speculate about the other great cultivators that could.


    Zuja¡¯s cult spent centuries whittling down the strength of the Great Sects, and he wondered briefly how much of the conflicts between sects were engineered by these cults in the shadows. Creating 10th realm masters is an effort that required a few millennia of investment, or, in Tundra¡¯s case, it took him almost 6,000 years from the 9th to the 10th realm.


    The workshop was reorganized by some kind of unknown nature, and Yavin, a natural combat-focused cultivator, didn¡¯t understand it. To him, alchemy was high magic, and is unfathomable as the great voids.


    ¡°Good job, Yavin. Here¡¯s a pill I made yesterday, the Sunset Root Soul Enhancement Pill. It should help you balance the conflicting natures of your spirit root. Eat it now, and let me observe how it affects you. You may need a supplementary pill depending on the reaction.¡±


    ¡°Balance the nature?¡± Yavin stared at the strange orange pill, and consumed it immediately. He immediately felt the Fire and Water energies of his soul swirl and mix.


    All this while, Yavin had learned how to only open one of them at the same time, and alternating between the spirit roots for cultivation was a slow, deliberate process. When he cultivated, there were days he focused on the Fire-side of the Spirit Roots, and shut off the Water Spirit Roots entirely.


    Tundra then narrated, as he often did as a 10,700 year old sect master. He was a naggy old man who loved to talk about theory. It was always a shame he didn¡¯t do that for his own children.


    ¡°Cultivation is a multi-step process. A cultivator, through his cultivation methods, pulls energy from the world around him, or from pills. A cultivation method that focuses on channeling the energy stored in pills, is usually not optimal at absorbing energies from the outside world.¡±


    Yavin winced as he felt his spirit roots feel like they were boiling. It was a spiritual sensation, and though his physical body was fine, the pain was primal.


    ¡°After the energies were brought into the body, and into the entrances, then, a cultivator must suck in that energy into his spirit. That is what the spirit roots do. It is the door. The drain. The entrance to the soul. The energies of the body must then be moved into the soul. Again, cultivation methods arrange and sort the energies, and try to guide them through that door. Each door has a different shape, a different angle. Some cultivation methods are better at this, some are less proficient.¡±


    At this point, Yavin wasn¡¯t listening. He was in too much pain.


    ¡°Then, once that energy gets through the door, a cultivator must shape the energy, and add it to his soul. Depending on which realm, what he needs to do at this point is different. For the lower realms, it is as simple as adding the energies to the burning soul, to grow the sun within our spirit. To fill our spirit with energy. In the later realms, it is about forming structures, and creating your own world within your soul.¡±


    Yavin struggled as the burning sensation was overwhelming. He grit his teeth, trying to withstand it. At this point, the pain was so vivid that all his other senses were secondary.


    ¡°So, in that framework, we come to you, with two different doors, each suited for a different element.¡± Tundra lectured, as he naturally reverted to his old master¡¯s mode. ¡°The very first thing to do is to find you a cultivation method suited for your conflicting elements. The next is to prepare your soul such that it doesn¡¯t fight the two elements. The Sunset Root Soul Enhancement Pill has origins in the root that emerges only in the Sunset¡¯s glow, next to the ocean. A root of both sun and sea, it is nature¡¯s way of merging both fire and water. We¡¯ve exploited this natural ability to make this pill, so this pill will help create a temporary barrier to separate your two elemental energies.¡±


    The Core Disciple winced as he felt something in his spirit, a barrier, as if his soul was split in two. A thin film. It separated the fire spirit root and water spirit root in his soul.


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    Without it, the two elements would come in contact, and neutralize each other, nullifying any cultivation progress.


    ¡°With this, you no longer have to only open one spirit root at the time, but you must pay attention to when the barrier fades, and come back to me for more of this pill.¡±


    Yavin barely heard it, as his head was drenched in sweat, his body vibrated with a buzz. It took him another 30 minutes of just breathing before he felt the pain fade from his body, and he looked at his sect master.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear any of that, did you?¡± Tundra said, realizing that Yavin stared at him blankly, unsure what to do.


    He immediately knelt on the floor, his head almost slamming the ground below. ¡°This disciple is useless!¡±


    The old Tundra would¡¯ve kicked him for incompetence. But age has mellowed him greatly, and he sighed. ¡°I will repeat for your benefit. Listen well.¡±


    ***


    Tundra worked in the alchemy halls, leaving the workshop only for his scheduled lectures for his descendants. At night, he called his wives to him, and helped them with their cultivation.


    It was strange to help others cultivate after so long. He spent so many years cultivating alone as the Sect Master, that he was briefly uncomfortable with others around. But these were his wives, and if he couldn¡¯t cultivate with them, who could he cultivate with?


    And it was not only him that had to adapt. He also realized it was difficult for his wives, too.


    They were not used to him around. Not like this.


    ¡°Husband, is this alright, will we not disturb your cultivation?¡± Elly asked uncomfortably on the first day of their planned cultivation. They were just all seated in a circle, close, but not touching.


    He laughed. If the presence of his wives could disturb his cultivation, he should be embarrassed of himself. A man who once reached the 10th realm, unable to cultivate when his wives are around, would be laughed at by his peers. ¡°Yes. In fact, my presence will help.¡±


    Celestia sat opposite him, while Elly and Marin took one side.


    ¡°Alright. There are some things I¡¯ve learned in my dream.¡± Tundra smiled, as his energies stretched into the world around him. Elly¡¯s spirit root was water. Marin was Earth. Celestia was wood. Tundra¡¯s own was Metal. In a way, the only primary element they missed was Fire.


    He manipulated the energies in the surroundings, sorted them, and began to redirect them towards his wives. His three wives immediately realized what was happening.


    There were little sparks in the air, as Tundra went a step further. He took the elemental energies, and packed them together. In normal instances, they would immediately break apart. But his own energies forced them together.


    Creating dense clumps.


    He saved them two steps.


    One, from the filtration of the energies. Most cultivators focused on a certain element, when forming their soul and growing their cultivation. Usually, this was the same element as their spirit roots, though exceptions existed.


    Two, was the process of compacting energies to fit through the spirit roots. The spirit roots, or the door between the spirit and the body, is usually small, and it¡¯s even smaller for those with low-grade spirit roots. With smaller doors, the cultivator has to compress the energy much more, in order to fit the energy through the door.


    Cultivation methods existed, naturally, to help guide this process of compacting energy. Cultivation chambers existed for the same purpose, they generated denser versions of energy, which allowed a cultivator to gain more from the same period of time.


    The three wives gobbled up the energies made for them.


    He might¡¯ve sped up their cultivation ten times, no, maybe twenty times this way. He hoped, in his heart, that he would at least see his wives in the 5th realm, and they¡¯d be able to live a lot longer, and they¡¯d have more time to spend with each other.


    At the 5th realm, they¡¯d live to 3,200 years.


    ***


    It was morning when they were done with their first night of cultivation, and already, all three could feel a tangible difference in their spirit. For Elly and Marin, both in the 3rd realm, they knew another night of cultivation was all they needed to break through another stage. It¡¯s even possible that they¡¯d reach the 4th realm after a single month.


    ¡°Did you know he could do that?¡± Elly stared at Celestia, and Celestia shook her head.


    ¡°No. I did not know that Tundra knew how to replicate the effects of a cultivation chamber.¡±


    ¡°He should do that for our kids. Especially those approaching the end of their lifespan.¡± Marin said. ¡°They will benefit greatly from it, and- and I need to think about what we should do.¡±


    ¡°What is there to think?¡± Elly looked at Marin. ¡°We just come here every night and keep cultivating.¡±


    ¡°Not that, you stupid woman.¡± Marin countered. ¡°We need to think about whether this is really the best way to use his ability. Don¡¯t you think he can essentially push someone from a nobody to at least the 4th realm just by spending time with them and force them to cultivate together? Celestia, do you think he knows how to build a cultivation chamber?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Ask him. You¡¯re the closest to him.¡± Marin said. ¡°It¡¯s a powerful bargaining tool, and if he could build it in our family homes-¡±


    Elly stared at her co-wife. ¡°Is that what it is about? Benefits for your Eastheart family?¡±


    Marin nodded. ¡°Yes. Think about it. If he could build one each for both our families, our families would gain strength.¡±


    Elly immediately looked at Celestia, recognising the merits of her fellow co-wife¡¯s statement. ¡°Would you please ask him?¡±


    Celestia gulped, unsure why the two wives asked him. ¡°I will ask, but it might be better if you two also ask him yourself.¡±


    Marin thought about it for a moment. ¡°Do you think this old Tundra wants more children? I¡¯d be happy to bear more of his children if that¡¯s what he wants.¡±


    Celestia didn¡¯t know why but she blushed. The thought of trading children for benefits seemed like such a calculative way of doing things. She didn¡¯t even know whether that would work. ¡°I- I have the sense that he wants something else from us.¡±


    ¡°Does he want me to warm his bed again? It¡¯s been a while since I last did the deed, but I suppose a cultivation chamber would be more than worth it.¡± Elly thought for a moment.


    Celestia frowned. ¡°I think our husband is not like that. Not- not anymore. I think he wants something else from us.¡±


    Elly and Marin both seemed unsure what Celestia referred to. In their minds, men were simple. Men liked beautiful women to serve them. It was why every woman from the large sects and cults, should they lack in the raw strength of cultivation, devoted their time elsewhere and trained in the finer arts, such as serving tea, playing music, dance, and the arts of pleasing a man in private, so that one day, should they stumble upon a man of high station who has an interest, they could rise to the moment and win his affections.


    The world was patriarchal, and women who didn¡¯t have raw strength, had to think differently and play to their feminine charms.


    In Elly and Marin¡¯s case, their union with Tundra was political. They did their duties, and he did his. So they remain married. In a world where laws are enforced by sects, there really was no concept of divorce. A man could marry a thousand times, and a woman could marry a thousand men. What mattered was whether the two had the strength to back up their status.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Marin asked.


    ¡°I think he genuinely wants our company.¡± Celestia said. She didn¡¯t know why she had that instinct, that what her husband wanted from them was not their nightly service or their bodies, but having them around. To her, it felt like he wanted their genuine affections.


    Elly and Marin looked at Celestia. They wanted to say she was crazy. But then again, much has changed. ¡°You really think so? He¡¯s- he¡¯s never such a person.¡± Marin asked.


    Celestia nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t take my word as true. But it is what I feel.¡±


    The 4th and 5th wives looked at each other, both deep in thought. Elly sighed. She would need time to process her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my room to rest.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    Celestia looked back at Tundra¡¯s quarters. He was probably in the alchemy workshop, making pills for the elders.

 Chapter 5. Growing Strength II

    Three weeks after regression


    The pills took less time than he expected, and he was now certain he didn¡¯t lose his touch. Relieved, it was time for his next session of the day.


    Lessons for family.


    His family took his cultivation lessons as well as he expected. Many of them struggled to comprehend what he thought were simple concepts.


    His wives had the fundamentals hammered into them by their family. In fact, the reason why their families even dared to offer them as marriage partners was because they had some talent.


    If their wives had no talent whatsoever, most mid-tier and prominent families wouldn¡¯t even bother looking for marriage partners. So, it felt like he was making progress with his wives.


    Even if the relationships with them still remained cordial, despite the frosty undercurrents, their cultivation improved.


    But with his descendants, he was reminded of the old saying, that one could bring a horse to water, but could not make the horse drink. And the ones who were willing to drink, were those lacking in talent.


    It was easy to spot who was eager to listen. They sat in front. They asked questions. They asked a lot of questions, trying to clarify their understanding.


    But it was also easy to spot how sorely they lacked in talent. Their questions made no sense. And some of them repeated themselves.


    Last time, as Sect master, he would ignore this group. In this life, he decided he¡¯ll try the impossible. To make diamonds out of dirt. Elder Jon was right, if there was anyone worth trying, it would be family.


    So he focused on the few in the crowd.


    He looked at Anna, and could feel her spirit growing a little faster than it used to. She¡¯ll be fine, and he¡¯ll get to her later.


    He looked at the eldest male child. Edison.


    Despite his earlier resistance and fondness for beautiful women, which Tundra now suspects originated from himself, Edison wasn¡¯t totally a lost cause. His son was fairly interested in cultivating, though it¡¯s clear he didn¡¯t have much talent. What he achieved so far could be said to be a miracle already, especially with his low-grade Metal Spirit roots.


    Edison had low-grade Metal Spirit Roots, and Tundra immediately realized that may be an underlying cause of his son¡¯s resistance and need to flaunt. An inferiority complex. He heard from the elders how Edison flaunted his wealth everywhere he went. Insecure about his low-grade spirit roots, he wanted to impress others that he was the proper male heir of his family.


    The first son of the oldest living wife, although not the oldest son.


    Tundra glanced at his descendants in the room. It was properly a crowd. Almost 20 people and it would be hard for him to control the ambient energies for so many people. Not with his current level in the 6th realm. But he could at least make something for at least four or five of them.


    He¡¯d have to increase his own strength as well, but for now, his children¡¯s needs come first.


    ¡°Anna. Edison. Adelia. Lashwin. Four of you stay back. The rest of you may leave.¡± The four children, Anna from his 2nd wife, Edison, Elly¡¯s first son, Adelia, Marin¡¯s daughter, and Lashwin, Tundra¡¯s 4th child, born from his deceased 3rd wife.


    He¡¯d decided to rotate those who had the honor of spending time with him each day. The rest of the descendants left, but the four that remained wondered briefly whether it was a reward, or a punishment.


    ¡°Sit in a circle.¡± Tundra declared and the four quickly went into position. Once more, he replicated what he did for his wives. ¡°I¡¯m fairly pleased with the interest you¡¯ve all shown for today¡¯s class, and would like to offer all of you a rare opportunity.¡±


    He had to work harder this time. Edison¡¯s spirit root was only low grade, that meant the size of his spiritual door was small. The energies he collected and gathered needed to be processed a lot more.


    Tundra mentally made a note to find some materials suited to help upgrade his spirit roots. Improving his spirit roots from low grade to medium grade was a doable task, though the Verdant Snow Sect currently lacked the resources necessary for the procedure.


    The four were immediately surprised.


    Tundra was known to be a calculating man, and was rarely known to be generous. In his first life, he tried to optimize his resources for his sect, to expand and to win allies.


    He gave to his family, but it was a matter of rumbling discontent that what he gave wasn¡¯t much. It was partly why his family distanced himself, after all, sucking up to their father didn¡¯t seem to result in more resources. Tundra then focused on growing the sect. That took up most of the resources. The family got what he could spare. His wives, back then, had to demand their share.


    This time, if the Verdant Snow Sect didn¡¯t have to expand as much, and with his superior alchemical talents, he should be able to balance both family and sect. At least, he hoped so.


    Reality has a tendency of deviating from expectations.


    Tundra¡¯s consciousness and thoughts were brought back to the present when he noticed one of his daughter¡¯s struggling with what he provided.


    She seemed to grunt and choke.


    He noticed Adelia struggling, even though he already made it so easy. The energies were already there around her.


    Tundra observed the other three present. Anna, the strongest of her generation, greedily absorbed the energy. She knew what this was, and knew she would have questions. But that would wait.


    Lashwin seemed to have made progress, and looked like he gained enough energy to break one minor stage.


    Edison similarly gained enough energy to increase his cultivation by a step. In time, it¡¯s possible to get him to the third realm.


    He spent four hours with them that day. Adelia was first to take a break. She was exhausted, cultivation was hard for her, even though she seemed to really want to be a good cultivator. It¡¯s just her mind seemed hazy, and it was hard for her to understand the concepts, even after Tundra tried to explain repeatedly.


    There was a certain type of pill made in the far north meant to improve one¡¯s mental abilities. He¡¯d have to find ways to get hold of it, and hoped it would help.


    Then, he noticed his daughter, Anna, glaring at him. She benefited the most from this moment of energy. After the meridian cleansing pill, and now with the dense energies, her cultivation increased by a full step at the third realm.


    ¡°Father, were you always able to do this?¡± Edison asked, his hands trembling. Tundra looked at him and could guess the question in his mind. Had Tundra been holding back on the real good stuff? It was a mix of anger, and betrayal.


    Sometimes, even giving them a gift did not earn gratitude.


    Children. They take. These children are adults. But gratitude? That was rare.


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°I learned to do this in my dreams, my children. If I knew to do this long ago, we wouldn¡¯t be here today, in this state. That¡¯s all for today.¡±


    They left.


    ***


    Anna and Edison stood outside of the room, and Edison immediately stomped his feet.


    ¡°Father knew how to help us all this while and never did it.¡± Edison said.


    Anna frowned. ¡°Edison. You heard father. He learned it in a dream.¡±


    ¡°You believe that bullshit, Anna? That father learned it in a dream? If I tell my friends or others, they¡¯d think my father¡¯s lost his mind and gone senile. They will say that the Verdant Snow Sect is done for.¡±


    The first daughter nodded. She understood Edison¡¯s frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to believe, actually. I feel like our father¡¯s a different person, and- and I¡¯m not sure whether I want him to be. It¡¯s easier when I just hate him for not being there.¡±


    Edison spat on the ground. ¡°Father¡¯s a liar. He could help me all this time and did nothing!¡±


    ¡°But he did today. You benefited and gained a minor stage.¡± Anna countered.


    ¡°If that¡¯s how he wants to win over us, I¡¯m not buying it. I feel it¡¯s a plot. There must be something we¡¯re not seeing. Father never does things like this without an objective. There is a goal that he¡¯s not telling us.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t disagree. His father, in his pre-dream days, was a manipulative, focused, and serious man. Ridiculously talented in alchemy and cultivation, but he moved with purpose. Everything he did had a purpose, and the fact that he directed his attention to them, must have its own purpose.


    They were chess pieces, and she didn¡¯t feel like playing the game.


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    The first daughter looked at Adelia. Adelia struggled today, and all this while, Anna suspected it was due to the limitations of her mind. Adelia just wasn¡¯t a bright person, even if she had interest. Lashwin, well, Lashwin was so thoroughly ordinary that Anna hardly noticed him.


    ¡°Why would father plot against us?¡± But Anna didn¡¯t buy the plot. In her heart, it still didn¡¯t make sense. She looked at her half brother, and asked. ¡°What does he gain from this? All I feel is- Maybe he really realizes he didn¡¯t care about us before this?¡±


    ¡°And that changes your mind, Anna? That¡¯s not how it works. He changes his mind, and he expects us to change ours?¡± Edison complained. He would never say such things to their father. But between half siblings, there really was no holding back.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m still hurt. But if he wants to help us gain strength, I¡¯ll take it for now. We still don¡¯t know what his purpose is. If we don¡¯t know what father is plotting, we can¡¯t counter it. If he wants an act, I¡¯ll show him an act.¡±


    Edison glared at the older woman. He hated to acknowledge his older half sister had a point. So, for now, he stomped away.


    ***


    Four weeks after regression


    Tundra stared and felt his own cultivation increase by a minor stage. Sixth realm, Sixth stage. Four more stages to the Seventh realm.


    With his current level of resources, he¡¯d be able to reach it by the end of the year if he pushed hard. But for now, his schedule was fairly packed.


    Two days of alchemy, two days of lectures for his children, two days of sect affairs, and one day dedicated to his own cultivation and rest. He¡¯d call his wives over for cultivation at night, if the sect affairs or the alchemy didn¡¯t take up his nighttime as well.


    ¡°Tundra, Husband.¡± Celestia spoke as she came into his room for the day¡¯s cultivation. His two other wives were not here yet. ¡°Can we speak for a moment?¡±


    He nodded, and led her to the tea table. There was a hot pot of tea, and she immediately poured two cups.


    ¡°There¡¯s something on our mind. It¡¯s about your ability-¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Oh? What about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little like a cultivation chamber, isn¡¯t it?¡± Celestia was trying to beat around the bush before getting to the point.


    ¡°In a way. Most cultivation chambers are designed and constructed using formations and energy stones, they either absorb and then apply some kind of effect on the ambient energies, or, they release stored compressed energies in the energy stones.¡±


    Celestia nodded, pleased that Tundra was elaborating more about what¡¯s happening. ¡°You know quite a bit about them?¡±


    Tundra sort of understood the angle when his wife asked that question. ¡°I did study them for quite some time, but I wouldn¡¯t claim to be an expert.¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to build it?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°No. The formations needed for cultivation chambers require the skilled masterwork of someone at least in the 8th realm formation master.¡±


    Just because a cultivator understands how a cultivation chamber works, does not mean a cultivator could then build it. Details matter, and it is the difference between a chamber that works, and a chamber that doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°And cultivation chambers usually require the presence of some kind of energy vein.¡±


    Celestia nodded, but he could tell she seemed disappointed.


    ¡°Construction of a cultivation chamber is a highly time consuming activity. Even a basic chamber would take five years, powerful ones would take decades, if not centuries. A true cultivation chamber is a formation expert¡¯s most technically difficult piece of work.¡±


    ¡°I see. But-¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m doing is similar, but not the same. The trouble, of course, is that my time is very limited, unlike cultivation chambers which are autonomous.¡±


    Tundra remembered that there were a few formation experts who were highly sought after for their skills, but even they considered the art of constructing cultivation chambers to be one of the highest arts.


    Most cultivation chambers that exist today are actually not true cultivation chambers, but instead ¡®energy-trapping formations¡¯. They capture the energy released from some dragon¡¯s veins, and focus them into the secure chamber. This creates a room that is super dense in energy, but with downtime. Once the energy within the room is ¡®used¡¯, the room needs some time to rebuild its energy density.


    Unlike true cultivation chambers that should not have downtime, as they possess the right type of compression, amplification and filtration formations that create high quality, dense motes of energy constantly.


    It was a distinction he didn¡¯t know, until he truly investigated the matter and figured out how the different types of cultivation chambers worked.


    Though the end result is quite similar, and lesser cultivators often confuse the variants, details mattered at the high realms.


    Tundra looked at his 6th wife gently, and asked. ¡°Is there a need for a cultivation chamber?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mistburn and Lady Eastheart hoped that you could build a cultivation chamber in their home cities.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°I see. That is not something I can do. It would be easier for me to visit them and supply them with higher quality pills.¡±


    Celestia sighed, but knew that was the end of that chain of questions. ¡°Do other masters know how to do what you do for us, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those who reached the 8th or 9th realms would naturally master the arts of manipulating the energies in their surroundings. It¡¯s quite similar to how our cultivation works, in essence. This is energy manipulation at its core. Anyone who can extend their soul out of their bodies can do it, it just takes centuries of practice.¡±


    Celestia stared at her husband, wondering whether that was supposed to be normal. In the fourth realm, she certainly never tried to consciously manipulate her soul.


    But to the old monster, it was trivial.


    His two wives came in later, and both Elly and Marin experienced a minor breakthrough that night, and went up a single stage.


    ***


    ¡°He said no.¡± Celestia repeated the conversation to her fellow step-wives. She sometimes referred to them as sisters, though it didn¡¯t seem appropriate, especially with how tense their relationship was.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± Elly said. ¡°But did he say what pills he wants to make? My family really could use some help with the incursions. If it gets worse, it won¡¯t be long before my family summons me back home to escort the trading caravans.¡±


    Marin countered. ¡°Your father wouldn¡¯t do that. You are the wife of the Verdant Snow Sect, it¡¯ll be spitting in Tundra¡¯s face and offend the sect.¡±


    Celestia agreed. ¡°If it concerns you so much, it would be wise to ask him for help. Directly. I think he knows, but is just preparing for it.¡±


    Marin and Elly both glanced at the 6th wife. Elly thought about it for a moment, and wondered what Tundra¡¯s reaction would be. She had never requested aid from him directly, though she did notice Tundra giving more pills in the past, when she hinted that their family was in trouble. Marin frowned. ¡°If he knows, then why isn¡¯t he doing anything?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he can¡¯t?¡± Celestia thought aloud. She was not sure either.


    Elly sighed. ¡°Celestia¡¯s right. This has been going on for too long, and Tundra¡¯s not doing anything about it. I¡¯ll ask him. I should do it, since this is my family matter.¡±


    The 5th wife scratched her chin. In her mind, if Elly asked, Marin would also try to ride on her coattails and talk about the issue back home.


    ***


    A few days later.


    ¡°Elly, please stay back. I¡¯d like to talk to you.¡± They were done with the cultivation for the day, and both Celestia and Marin looked at Elly.


    She shifted uncomfortably, she herself didn¡¯t seem to be ready for the conversation. Not yet. But they left, and the door closed gently as the other two wives exited the room.


    It was just the two of them, and Tundra walked over to one of the day beds. ¡°Would you sit with me?¡±


    Elly looked around and gulped. The mood in the room felt strange to her, and then, she looked at her husband. Her husband seemed to be thinking. She shook her head. This was her husband, she could fake her affections in public, why wouldn¡¯t she be able to put on a show here? So she called on her acting skills, and sat next to him.


    ¡°Husband,¡± She said, her voice soft and sultry, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Tundra nodded. He¡¯s been thinking about the family issues for a while, and realized it might be a good idea to actually speak to his in-laws. His own parents were dead, and he had no known relatives to call on.


    ¡°Elly. I¡¯m thinking of visiting your father.¡±


    Elly paused, as her hands trembled slightly. She¡¯s been thinking about how to breach the subject for a while, and was a little relieved that Tundra took the lead instead. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve heard of the issues from Jon, and realized it would be a good time to visit your father and your family.¡±


    The 4th wife nodded.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll need a few weeks to be ready. Can you tell me more about your father¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to help him, and concoct a pill to give him more strength. But I can¡¯t seem to recall much about your father¡¯s powers, and gathering the materials would also take some time.¡±


    His wife¡¯s eyes met his, and he could feel her mind thinking about it. She gulped, and then nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t intend to scheme or plot against him?¡±


    ¡°Why would I plot against my father-in-law?¡± Tundra wondered. At his current pace, and his unique cultivation spirit roots, he¡¯d reach seventh realm by end of the year. If he told his wives that, they¡¯d probably be shocked that he achieved the seventh realm in less than thirty years since his ascension to the sixth realm.


    Elly hesitated, but ultimately, agreed. ¡°I see. I thought you would- you would want to absorb my family into the sect.¡±


    ¡°I thought of that before, but it¡¯s not in our plans.¡± Tundra admitted. ¡°The sect can grow in other ways. The sect can grow the normal way, by taking in disciples, and exploring secret realms.¡±


    He wondered about the ways of growing his sect into a great sect again, but without the conflicts. All that conflict eventually brought wars back to him, and his family.


    The less conflicts he participated in, the less enemies his family had. In fact, he¡¯d have to start making reparations for some of the enemies, especially those that his children offended.


    If he could achieve peace, somehow, that would be great.


    His wife naturally noticed his thoughtful look, and rested a lot closer. She adjusted her robe slightly, loosening it to flaunt her body. ¡°Husband, before I tell you about my father, what happened to me in your dream?¡±


    Tundra turned and their eyes locked. After a while, he sighed. It embarrassed him that his memory of Elly was so sparse.


    He was a terrible husband. He wondered whether he was afraid of building relationships back then. He might have been. The old him wanted a family, but didn¡¯t want to deal with actually building a family.


    ¡°You died of old age. You didn¡¯t break through the 4th realm.¡±


    Elly sighed as she lamented her fate. ¡°My talents were limited, after all.¡±


    But Tundra thought differently. Now that he knew the context of Elly¡¯s family struggles, he wondered whether she had shot herself in the foot by redirecting her own resources back to her family.


    If she took all the resources herself, maybe she wouldn¡¯t have died so soon. His arm leaned over, and wrapped around her waist. ¡°I won¡¯t let you die, this time.¡±


    The wife didn¡¯t know how to react to that. Elly thought about what Celestia said. Their husband genuinely wanted their company.


    The old Tundra Fox was serious and cold. Their marriage was a marriage of duty, and her act to make children was entirely out of her sense of responsibility as a wife. Her family pressured her. Because the more children she had, the Sect Master would give her more resources. And those resources could then help her family back home.


    Their eyes locked again, and the words in her heart that she didn¡¯t want to say, came out. ¡°You never loved me.¡±


    Tundra sighed, and pulled her closer. He had to think about how to respond.


    Elly couldn¡¯t believe herself, but now that she said it, there was no turning back. She felt her own heart pound, as she waited for his response.


    Would an apology help at this time? Tundra realized he had to answer with actions. Not more promises. ¡°I know. When we return to your family home, you¡¯ll come with me.¡± Tundra said gently, his arms around her slender waist.


    She squirmed. She wasn¡¯t used to her husband trying to show affection. She was the one acting and showing fake affection. She wasn¡¯t the one receiving it.


    Tundra sensed it, and sighed. He only has himself to blame.

 Chapter 6. A Visit to Mistburn I

    Seven weeks after regression


    Verdant Snow Sect was not exceptionally wealthy in the past, though it was much better in recent years. Its current prosperity could be attributed to Tundra. An alchemist of his level could produce powerful pills, which he then traded with other sects and merchant guilds for benefits and resources.


    As much as cultivators hated it, there was no way for a single cultivator to learn everything. Cultivation itself is a lifelong affair. Then, there are the associated arts. Alchemy. Crafting. Formations. Physiques and martial arts. Farming and cultivation of spiritual herbs and plants. Management of territories and politics.


    Each of them was properly a career. Most cultivators never dabble in more than one, though this was less of an issue in the higher realm cultivators and their longer lives. In Tundra¡¯s case, he would consider his alchemy to be the equivalent of the 10th realm. Alchemy and pillmaking was his field, and even in his heydays, he only had one or two peers. He¡¯d rank his healing abilities to be in the 8th or 9th realm. As for the rest of the related skills, he ranked himself equal to someone in the 5th or 6th realm.


    For Tundra, he mastered alchemy in his first life, and wondered what was the best use of this second chance. Could he master another art, in the next 10,000 years?


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, Sect Master.¡± Core Disciple Yong Blacksash commented. ¡°The town of Mistburn should be visible out the left window.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Good work, Disciple Yong. You will be rewarded accordingly.¡± He took out a pill meant for fourth realms, and passed it to him. The Core Disciple bowed as he received the pill.


    Elly Mistburn didn¡¯t believe it, and grinned from ear to ear as she saw her old home. She lived here for years, at least, until she got married. She never saw her home again after that.


    When she left, she was in the early stages of the third realm, but this time, she returned as a fourth realm cultivator. At the very least, her father would be proud of her. It may be just the first stage of the fourth realm, but a fourth realm was still a fourth realm, and put her on equal footing as the elders of the Mistburn clan. There are sect leaders of minor sects, that were just in the fourth realm!


    Tundra was naturally pleased that both Elly and Marin were now in the fourth realm. The breakthrough rejuvenated his two wives, as if they de-aged by five to ten mortal years.


    ¡°Your family would be delighted to see you.¡± Tundra said with a smile.


    Elly looked back at Tundra, and nodded. ¡°I hope so. I¡¯ve not met my family for years. I hope they are well.¡±


    ¡°They will be.¡±


    Elly looked out the window.


    Tundra tried to initiate conversation. ¡°Anyone I should meet? Other than your father, of course.¡±


    Elly shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Maybe, maybe my brother. He might need a word of advice or two.¡±


    Sect Master Tundra looked at his wife, and smiled. ¡°Very well, I should build good relationships with the future successor of your father, too.¡±


    His wife didn¡¯t seem particularly pleased at that response. Tundra didn¡¯t think his conversational skills were that bad, but then again, he wasn¡¯t good at reading people¡¯s reactions.


    ¡°I hope he likes our gift.¡±


    Elly shifted a bit at the word, ¡®our gift¡¯. In many ways, it was his gift. He made it. She wasn¡¯t used to Tundra referring to them both as a single unit. On Tundra¡¯s side, it took conscious effort from him.


    Celestia gave him advice a few days ago. ¡°A husband treats his wives as a part of him. That we are a single family unit, and we act together.¡±


    It made him think. He always acted as if he was above, and as Sect Master, he was. But that was no way to treat his wives. Not if he wanted genuine affections. Not if he hoped to bring them along this journey.


    ¡°We like to know that we matter to you. That we are in your thoughts when you make decisions. That we are important, and you care about how we feel.¡±


    Tundra sighed. It was a hard mindset to change. Even now, what was the right level of intimacy between them?


    But the old way wasn¡¯t the right way, so he decided to try it anyway. And hoped it wasn¡¯t a mistake.


    ***


    The halls of the Mistburn family home were suitably grand, as befitting the ruling power of the town that carries its name.


    ¡°Welcome, Sect Master, and my son-in-law! Welcome to Mistburn.¡± Patriarch Earl Mistburn clasped his hand and waited at the gates for their wagon to arrive. The wagon¡¯s doors opened and Tundra stepped out first. As was the right of the Sect Master.


    ¡°Greetings, father-in-law.¡± Tundra said. It¡¯s been a long, long time since he met the patriarch. In his past life, the last they met was during a funeral. ¡°I hope our visit did not catch you at a bad time.¡±


    Earl Mistburn laughed. ¡°Oh times are always hard, but what can be more important than welcoming my son-in-law!¡±


    Tundra smirked. In truth, their ages were not that different. Tundra was only a little bit younger than the patriarch.


    Elly stepped out behind him, and she grinned. Tundra rarely saw such a radiant smile from his wife, and somehow, he wished she smiled like that more often, she truly deserved to be the flower of the Mistburn family. ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°Elly!¡± Patriarch immediately broke into a big, radiant smile, but then quickly adjusted his smile. ¡°Ah. Daughter. How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Elly¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change, and she walked up to him and gave her father a hug. A few more wagons arrived, these wagons ferried the rest of their children and grandchildren, at least, those from Elly¡¯s bloodline. ¡°Greet your grandfather, and great-grandfather.¡±


    Their children reluctantly emerged from the wagon. Some of them didn¡¯t want to be here, and that was normal. But once they did, the rest of Elly¡¯s siblings, and mothers, emerged from the corridors and the hall became really, really noisy.


    There was immediately a big banquet for their grandchildren. ¡°You¡¯ve traveled far, but come, let us eat and be merry!¡± Patriarch Mistburn beamed, and led Tundra into the main dining hall.


    The two leaders shared some casual small talk, mainly about the journey, the weather, and the rowdy children, before Tundra got to more serious matters.


    ¡°How are things, Patriarch?¡± The two leaders were seated at their own table, flanked by their wives. There was enough wine on a table for hundreds, but the two merely drank a few cups.


    The patriarch sighed. Elly¡¯s mother, Syca, immediately noticed that the conversation began to shift towards serious sect stuff, so Elly¡¯s mother pulled her away for their own mother-daughter moment.


    Before the patriarch answered, Tundra smiled at Syca. He never noticed how observant his mother-in-law was. ¡°Mother-in-law¡¯s sense is good as always.¡±


    The patriarch grinned. ¡°You flatter your mother-in-law, I would remember to praise her later. But lately, things are difficult. The two families and their backer sects¡¯ harassment is relentless, and we are holding on thanks to your supply of pills. They¡¯ve cleverly held back now that you are in Mistburn, they wouldn¡¯t risk open confrontation with you, so we have a short reprieve, but my people already speak of planned traps for our allied convoys.¡±


    Tundra sipped his rice wine. ¡°What gives them the courage to challenge your place?¡±


    ¡°The heirs of Dragongate and Silversand are both in the 4th realm. Though their patriarch already plateaued at the peak 4th realm, they now believe that their heirs will surpass me, and with that, they will be able to usurp my control over the town of Mistburn. It does not help that my son, and Elly¡¯s eldest brother, Eric, is stuck in the first stage of the 4th realm, somehow unable to progress.¡±


    ¡°But they know we back you, and we are a sect with three Fifth realm elders. Why do they dare to do so, even with our support?¡± Tundra frowned.


    ¡°Dragongate is affiliated with the Blood Blade Sect, and recently, I hear Silversands arranged a marriage between the heir and the daughter of the Tiger Peak Temple. Tiger Peak¡¯s Temple Master is also in the 6th realm. With the two families backed by mid-tier sects, they believe you wouldn¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra already knew a version of this story from Jon, but to hear it from the patriarch himself helped him identify the gravity of the situation.


    But, it really wasn¡¯t a big problem. With Tundra¡¯s long life and experience, some issues were a lot easier to solve than others. Sect power struggles are easy to solve. All they need is more power.


    ¡°There is something I believe would help, but father-in-law, may we speak privately?¡±


    ***


    The two left the dining hall and the happily drunk family members, and retreated to the Patriarch¡¯s private quarters.


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    There, Tundra pulled out a small dark lacquered wooden box, wrapped in fine cloth, from his spatial pouch, and presented it to his father-in-law.


    Patriarch Earl Mistburn received it carefully, and saw the 4th realm Spirit Ascension Pill. He gulped.


    ¡°The finest Emperor-Grade Spirit Ascension Pill, even better than anything you can find in the market.¡±


    ¡°This must have cost a fortune.¡± Patriarch glanced at the pill repeatedly, unable to believe it.


    It didn¡¯t, because Tundra made it himself. The implications of breaking through to the 5th realm was obvious, and would enhance their hold on their position.


    But given the patriarch¡¯s condition, it¡¯s likely he also needed to clean his meridians, and heal some of the old wounds from his many battles. Unlike other Spirit Ascension Pills, Tundra modified this pill to specifically deal with the issues the Patriarch faced.


    It was exceptionally common for cultivators to lust over higher realm pills, but as Tundra¡¯s experience grew, he noticed that pills that dealt with specific issues were generally more effective than higher realm pills. So, when he was in the 8th realm, he devoted a few hundred years to study the specific issues most cultivators faced, and learned how to customize pills, such that each pill remedied the underlying problems.


    It was quite fortunate he did so, because the ability to customise pills was incredibly useful during the later part of the Zuja war. Resources were scarce, and they had to make do with less.


    Tundra looked at his father-in-law.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t trouble Father-in-law, it may be wise to attempt your breakthrough. The pill¡¯s effectiveness wanes over time, and I will stay back and guard you while you undertake your breakthrough.¡±


    Patriarch looked at him. To attempt a breakthrough at this time was risky, but if Tundra, a higher realm cultivator was present, there likely wouldn¡¯t be any trouble.


    He nodded. ¡°I will have to trouble you, my dear son-in-law. It was our great fortune to give Elly¡¯s hand to you.¡±


    ¡°Just my duty as your supporting sect.¡± Tundra smiled, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether Elly would like that. Over the last few weeks, he began to suspect there was an underlying knot in their relationship.


    Even if Elly still loved her family greatly, and wanted to help her parents, the very act of giving her away was a scar on her soul. The fact that she never received Tundra¡¯s love for decades only caused that little scar to fester and rot. Her sense of duty, and her desire to not bring shame to her own family, kept her loyal as a wife.


    Patriarch Mistburn quickly summoned his elders.


    ¡°I will be breaking through to the 5th realm. Sect Master Fox offered to guard me while I undertake my breakthrough. Make the suitable preparations.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, Elly and her mother Syca, walked quietly and retreated to her mother¡¯s own part of the mansion.


    Elly¡¯s mother was also a 4th realm cultivator, but unlike Elly, she reached there after her husband, the patriarch, spent a small fortune on her. ¡°How¡¯ve you been, mother?¡±


    Syca pulled Elly close, and hugged her. ¡°I am well. Despite this, I always miss my daughter.¡±


    Elly returned her hug. Even after so long, the bond between a mother-and-daughter still held on. ¡°I missed you too.¡±


    Syca touched Elly¡¯s face, and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve broken through to the 4th realm! Your father will be proud of you. If your husband continues to find other women, just come back and be an elder of the sect.¡±


    Elly paused, and gave a long sigh.


    Her mother¡¯s reaction was instantaneous. She was visibly worried, and wondered whether her daughter was mistreated.


    Elly sighed. ¡°My husband, he¡¯s changed.¡±


    Syca panicked, initially suspecting abuse. She immediately started to check Elly¡¯s body. ¡°What happened? Did he abuse you? How did he mistreat you? Now that you are back, then we won¡¯t let you leave-¡±


    ¡°No. Not like that. He¡¯s suddenly trying to be affectionate and I feel like he¡¯s trying to win me over. It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s reaction was a mix of relief and shock. Elly looked at her mother, and her mother had to think for a moment. There were certainly worse things to be worried about.


    ¡°Well, about damn time he realized you¡¯re a good wife! My daughter¡¯s an attractive woman, and still is an attractive woman! At least your husband isn¡¯t blind to the beauty in front of him!¡± Syca answered after that moment of silence.


    Her mother¡¯s praises made Elly blush in embarrassment. ¡°Mom.¡±


    Syca smiled, ¡°All right, all right, What did he do? Do you know why he changed?¡±


    ¡°He says he had a long dream. It was a bad one, and he regrets what he did. Mother, what would you do? Do men change so suddenly?¡± Elly looked at her mother. Elly wanted to ask this question for a while, but she didn¡¯t want to ask her fellow co-wives.


    Her mother didn¡¯t know how to answer. She took a while to regurgitate the common understanding. ¡°Usually, people don¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Elly sighed, as if it affirmed a question in her heart. ¡°I thought so too.¡±


    But her mother then wondered whether it was a good idea to offend the Sect Master, and changed her tune. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know.¡± Syca continued. ¡°Maybe cultivators of higher realms tempered their minds, and so they can change so easily. Maybe they can change?¡±


    ¡°Mother, you¡¯re not helping. Who¡¯s side are you on?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. But my dear Elly, if he wants to love you, he wants to touch you and make more children, just let him.¡± Syca said. ¡°If your father wants more children, if I can, I will do it!¡±


    Elly flushed at the imagery of her parents making more babies. ¡°No. I don¡¯t really want more children. I already have enough.¡±


    Syca¡¯s relationship with her husband is strong. They had the fortune of being paired together from youth, and even greater fortune of actually liking each other. So, they didn¡¯t see the issue. More babies and affection was normal.


    But that was not the same in Elly¡¯s case. Elly respected Tundra¡¯s power. Elly accepted that she is his wife, and there are duties she had to do, as expected in their society. But Tundra¡¯s affections were not something she was mentally prepared for. Not after being treated that way for so long.


    ¡°My dearest daughter.¡± Syca hugged her. ¡°Your siblings wished they had your fortune. You are the wife of a sect master, everywhere you go, there are people who will look up to you, and look after you. Appreciate your fortune and be grateful.¡±


    Elly frowned. The issue was her ¡®job¡¯, where she acted as a wife, now she has to be a ¡®wife¡¯ for real.


    Syca smiled, and squeezed her daughter. ¡°You¡¯ve got no issues pretending to be affectionate with your husband. Why are you overthinking it? Just continue what you¡¯ve been doing before this, dear. At some point, even the act will be the truth.¡± Syca countered. ¡°The problem isn¡¯t what you do, it¡¯s what you think and what¡¯s in your heart, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Her daughter sighed, and realized her mother was right. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s pretty much it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Just keep acting, be a good wife. At some point, maybe you realize it¡¯s real.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡±


    ¡°Sush. You¡¯re already married to the man in body, and in the eyes of society. Just keep at it, and maybe your hearts will be joined too. Many marriages are that way. It grows over time.¡±


    ***


    Five days and five nights, Tundra sat on guard, outside the Patriarch¡¯s room, and when he stepped out, he was in the Fifth Realm.


    The patriarch beamed, pleased that he had broken through. He immediately greeted the Sect Master waiting outside. ¡°Thank you for your protection, my son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, father-in-law. A successful breakthrough.¡± Tundra returned the smile. The servants were summoned, a few commands were given, and there was immediately a big feast. The news of the patriarch¡¯s breakthrough to the 5th realm would soon spread.


    So, Tundra reunited with Elly once more after standing guard for five days and nights, at the second feast to celebrate the patriarch¡¯s breakthrough to the fifth realm.


    ¡°Father broke through.¡± Elly said, as if there were other things she wanted to say as the two went for the feast. Tundra did not sleep in the guestroom the past five days, and so Elly slept alone.


    ¡°Yes he did.¡± Tundra nodded, hoping she¡¯d continue and let out the unspoken words in her heart.


    The two stood there awkwardly, eventually, Elly said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tundra shifted a little closer to his wife, and reached over to hold her waist. ¡°I¡¯m happy to help.¡±


    Elly squirmed but realized her mother was right. She should just keep pretending. She had no issues pretending to be affectionate before. She didn¡¯t move away, and allowed her husband to hold her.


    Her mother came over, and happily teased them.


    ¡°Well look at you two. Like how a husband and wife should be.¡±


    Elly glared at her mother. Her mother grinned.


    ***


    The feast was over, and after a lot of drinks later, both Elly and Tundra returned to their guestroom. Their guestroom was pretty much the largest guestroom in the entire mansion, second only to the sect master¡¯s own quarters, and equal in size to the young master¡¯s own quarters.


    ¡°How does it feel to be back home, after so long?¡± Tundra asked, trying to make conversation. The past five days, she spent it talking and catching up with family.


    Elly had two elder brothers, Eric and Earlson, and a younger sister, Elsana. There were also many, many uncles and relatives who were trying to curry favor, after all, she was now in the 4th realm, and the wife of a powerful sect master.


    Her efforts over the past hundred years, as she sent resources and pills back home helped the Mistburn clan tremendously, and naturally, many in the family wanted to see whether they could get some additional pills, or special treatment.


    She looked at her husband, and struggled to think about where to start. The gossip? The extended family that¡¯s trying to suck up to her and ask for special benefits? Her family? ¡°Some parts good, some parts alright. I loved seeing my immediate family again, but the rest of my extended family, a lot less so.¡±


    Even when growing up, they were not equal. Elly was one of the main family, and thus her treatment among her cousins was the best.


    ¡°I see. I would like to say I understand, but I don¡¯t think I understand it. My parents passed when I was too young, and I was raised by my master, who said my peerless metal spirit roots would be valuable. I even stumbled on cultivation by accident, and my master set my methods straight before I went too far of course.¡± Tundra replied, and remembered all the various families he fought with, and against over the years. Family drama was normal. Family conflicts, even more so.


    It was a shame, but he¡¯d try not to make the same mistake again.


    Tundra rarely spoke about his past. Elly didn¡¯t know why she felt sorry for him. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tundra just smiled. ¡°Why? You did nothing wrong. My past is what it is, and all I can do is change what happens to those who come after.¡±


    ¡°No. I mean, it must be hard growing up without knowing your family.¡±


    Tundra looked distant then, as he remembered his own past. ¡°Not really. Master was my father. I listened to him, and tried to live my life the way he wanted me to.¡±


    Elly met the old sect master once. ¡°He must have influenced you a lot.¡±


    Tundra smiled. Even now he remembered his Sect Master. ¡°It was his advice that led me towards starting a family. He claimed it would enrich me, and fulfill the missing parts of my own life. He said it would even make me a better cultivator.¡±


    His wife, Elly, felt surprised by that last sentence. ¡°What does having a family have to do with cultivation?¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°That was my exact response when he first suggested the idea.¡±


    Elly shared his amusement. ¡°Really? What do you think about it now?¡±


    Tundra looked into Elly¡¯s eyes, and momentarily, they both were frozen in time and space. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Tundra thought about it much, especially in his twilight years. Why achieve immortality, if it¡¯s not for a purpose? But how can an immortal have a worthwhile purpose? Even immortals needed connections to the wider realms. Lovers. Family. Friends.


    Elly chuckled again. ¡°Rare to have something you don¡¯t know. But you suspect he¡¯s onto something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Tundra stepped closer to his wife. ¡°I think, at the very least, the years would be easier to endure if we had someone to hold.¡±

 Chapter 7. Mistburn II

    ¡°Brother-in-law, if it is not too much of a bother, I¡¯d like to check your meridians and your spirit roots.¡± Tundra, Eric, and the Patriarch were all in a private medical room, hidden deep within the Mistburn left. The servants were all chased out.


    Eric bowed politely before his brother in law. ¡°How can it be a bother! It is my honor to have my cultivation looked at by the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll start.¡± Tundra said, as his fingers began to touch the man¡¯s exposed body. His energies, precise and as small as it can be, entered Eric¡¯s body and began to examine the meridians.


    Meridians are semi-physical things. If a cultivator is cut up, it¡¯s not there. But if looked with spiritual energy, it¡¯s presence is unmistakable.


    Meridians were the spiritual equivalents of joints, and muscles. They enabled the movement of energy, from the spirit, to the body, and then to the outside world. Meridians are the input and the output mechanism of a cultivator¡¯s body. Almost every attack, every moment, every weapon is enabled by meridians.


    Therefore, someone with good meridians could use cultivator arts more effectively, than someone with lesser meridians.


    In the lower realms, a cultivator works with the meridians their souls are born with, improving them as they go along. In the higher realms, it is not uncommon for cultivators to go a step further, and reforge their meridians from scratch using higher quality materials, usually harvested from spirit beasts. Even further, it is not unusual for some masters to create unique meridians for specific purposes, in the same manner a blacksmith would build custom tools.


    As Tundra¡¯s energies entered Eric¡¯s body, and he noticed how the meridians were concentrated on the arms and the legs. It was something he had seen often in battle-focused cultivators, a common side effect of a cultivator that spent a lot of time practicing combat arts that constantly exerted these meridians. Sometimes, through overexertion, the meridians themselves experience a symptom called ¡®cracking¡¯, where foreign elements accumulate in the gaps of the meridian, and gradually, impaired its performance. It¡¯s also likely Eric skipped some of his regular meditation and meridian purification, which was necessary to balance the load of meridians.


    When one set of meridians were used in excess of the others, it is a common side effect that the imbalance of the outputs also affects the balance of the spiritual roots.


    ¡°Brother-in-law.¡± Tundra said, and leaned closer. ¡°You¡¯ve been skipping meditation.¡±


    Eric froze, and flushed red. ¡°Ah- yes. I- is it that bad?¡±


    Patriarch Mistburn naturally heard it. ¡°What? Eric!¡±


    ¡°I- I was focused on trying to be a better fighter!¡±


    The patriarch immediately said. ¡°I reminded you not to neglect meditation!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ve always been a weaker fighter than the other heirs! I don¡¯t want to fall back.¡±


    Tundra smiled. He guessed the issue when Tundra saw his slightly reddish palms and unusual energy flows. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s a common problem and not unfixable. Your meridians are not in balance, and that puts strain on the energy paths throughout your body. It also weakens your core meridians, which has a slight effect on your spirit roots. When was the last time your healers took a look at your meridians?¡±


    Eric blushed. ¡°Thirty years ago.¡±


    Patriarch Mistburn looked embarrassed. This was a common issue that even lower ranked healers should easily identify. ¡°-wait. Uncle Sang¡¯s a good healer. He wouldn¡¯t have missed it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Uncle Sang. I usually ask his apprentice, Marla to check.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s an apprentice. You''re the heir of the sect.¡± Patriarch Mistburn frowned. ¡°Uncle Sang may have a difficult personality, but I don¡¯t question his skill!¡±


    Eric sighed, and eventually looked sad. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Patriarch Mistburn looked at Tundra, and he smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, Patriarch. It¡¯s just a bias that needs to be corrected. I recommend a full week of meditation, but first, this.¡±


    He took out a pill. Alchemy and cultivation was his element, and he greatly preferred this to navigating the complex matters of relationships.


    ¡°This is the Snowwolf Meridian Balancing Elixir. It should correct the bias much faster. Take it, and I¡¯ll help you manipulate its energies.¡±


    Eric took it immediately without a moment of hesitation, and felt like his meridians melt. It didn¡¯t, but it felt like that. Tundra¡¯s energies quickly entered his body, and touched his meridians. The elixir softened the blockages of the meridians, and now, he needed to expel them.


    Bit by bit, in routine healer fashion, his energies pulled out the clogged impurities arising from imbalance and overuse.


    The young master vomited the accumulated impurities into a bronze bowl a few hours later.


    ¡°There. You should feel better. Here¡¯s also another pill to help you along after one week of meditation.¡± Tundra commanded, looked at the pill, and realized it was probably not a good idea to give it to him. Instead, he handed the pill to the Patriarch. ¡°Father-in-law, please ensure that he follows his meditation, and only give him the pill after. The pill should temporarily boost his cultivation for a month.¡±


    Patriarch Mistburn nodded.


    Tundra felt nice. This was his element. Making pills, and its related healing was very much his field of expertise.


    ***


    ¡°He should be better within a month.¡± Tundra said as both himself and Patriarch Mistburn retreated back to a private tea room. The vomiting left Eric feeling a little drowsy and he took a nap.


    ¡°That boy. I told him so many times, and sometimes, he just doesn¡¯t listen.¡± Patriarch Mistburn sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s like that with children, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tundra nodded, as he settled down in the tea room. It was a different one, and this tea room overlooked a nice little pond filled with fat koi fish. Tundra didn¡¯t particularly count how many quiet tea corners they had, but he was still fairly amused by how many tea corners and little sheds they had around their compound. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, he should experience some improvement in his cultivation. If he doesn¡¯t, send him to the Verdant Snow Sect. I¡¯ll have a look at him again.¡±


    Patriarch nodded, his fifth realm cultivation mostly settled. ¡°You¡¯ve done much for us, son-in-law.¡±


    The servants quickly served tea. Patriarch Mistburn was beaming, and Tundra could feel he was proud. ¡°It is in my interest to support my extended family. I hope this should buy you time with the two other families.¡±


    ¡°Buy me time?¡± Patriarch Mistburn countered. ¡°With me in the fifth realm, they should stop and learn their lesson!¡±


    Tundra smiled. In his view, the 4th and 5th realm wasn¡¯t an insurmountable gap. ¡°Fifth realm is a step above, but the other sects will try to push the patriarchs to catch up and reach the 5th realm. At most, it buys your family some precious time to consolidate, and rebuild your resources.¡±


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    The patriarch took in Tundra¡¯s words, and for a moment, processed the reality of their situation. ¡°I¡¯ll take your observations in mind.¡±


    The two older men shared a moment of quiet, each taking their time to sip tea, and waited for the other to speak.


    The patriarch wondered whether Tundra would then make an tangential observation about the balance of power in the region, but if the Sect Master wasn¡¯t going to talk about it, he decided it was impolite to start.


    Tundra, on the other hand, thought about Eric. Despite his mistakes, he seemed earnest, and meant well. He wanted to support the family, even if that led him to cultivation mistakes. How could he raise a child like that?


    ¡°You must be proud to have a son like Eric.¡±


    Patriarch Mistburn didn¡¯t expect that conversation from the Sect Master. He quickly picked up his tea and slowly sipped it, while he tried to figure out what Tundra¡¯s point was. Once he put the tea cup back down, he nodded. ¡°Yes. I am proud of my boy. He¡¯s- he has the right heart, even if he doesn¡¯t listen all the time. Eric, he did well, and worked hard to get to the 4th realm.¡±


    Tundra sighed, and wondered whether it would be fair to share it with him. ¡°I wish I could say the same for my children. ¡±


    Patriarch Earl Mistburn¡¯s eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t something Earl thought too much about, but now that it is pointed out, it is clear as day.


    None of Tundra¡¯s children were extraordinary. Tundra looked at the Patriarch. ¡°Do you have any advice on raising children, father-in-law? Do you think I can still correct their path?¡±


    Earl needed a second cup of tea after he finished the first one. He poured another cup for himself, and sipped it.


    This wasn¡¯t exactly what he thought Tundra would talk about. He expected conversations about greater trends, about politics, about the alliances in the east, the rising Great Sect conflicts, the Imperial summons, or the war on the demonic cultivators.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know where to start, Tundra. My grandchildren, your children, they seem well behaved.¡±


    ¡°Only when they visit. At home, they are lazy.¡± Tundra countered. ¡°Those with talents are lazy. Entitled. They flex their wealth, and throw their money around as if it is worthless. They find playthings and change them frequently, but lack the achievements to show for it.¡±


    ¡°It is a common behavior, especially among the descendants of cultivator families.¡± Patriarch responded. ¡°Even Eric does it, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes. My children seem to think it¡¯s how cultivators behave all the time.¡±


    Patriarch Earl Mistburn closed his eyes.


    ¡°How do I change their behavior?¡± Tundra asked. ¡°How was Eric¡¯s childhood? How was Elly¡¯s?¡±


    The two older men glanced at each other. ¡°You- you wanted to know about their childhood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Tell me how you raised them. How were they punished? How did you get them to know what was wrong, and what was right?¡±


    Tundra reckoned he didn¡¯t have a good benchmark. His only father figure was his sect master, and his master was both strict and generous. After all, he was talented as hell, and everyone knew he was the young master of the Verdant Snow Sect. But because he was an adopted son, and not the actual son of the Sect Master, he felt like he needed to prove himself, and so worked harder than ever.


    But his children didn¡¯t work harder. Instead, they directed their attention elsewhere.


    It frustrated him that his children didn¡¯t work harder. There was something lacking within their hearts, a fire that was missing.


    Patriarch Earl Mistburn shrugged. ¡°I will tell you what I remember, but my wife would know better. She spent more time with them than I did, though I was frequently around to punish them when needed.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Please do. Tell it from your perspective. Tell me how they grew up. What kind of life did they have?¡±


    ***


    Eric, the first son of Earl Mistburn, grew up privileged as the young master of Earl Mistburn. Eric was born when Earl Mistburn was already the leader of the family. In a town like Mistburn, which was founded by their ancestors, they were dominant.


    But Earl Mistburn tried his best to remind his children of context. Of their place in the world, and the other families who sought to compete with their influence. They were slightly bigger fish, in a large lake filled with sharks and whales.


    Growing up, Eric saw how his father made decisions. Eric was there when they decided on the marriage with Elly.


    Money, resources, power, prestige. Those were the four things most families fought for, and for Eric Mistburn, he had a front row seat to the conflict. He saw it every step of the way, privy to all the meetings and consultations. Even if he had nothing to contribute, he was given a seat to listen.


    Naturally, Eric understood why decisions were made, and how he fit into them.


    They were, in the larger scheme of things, a small family. One of the top 2,000 families in their Greenstream Region, but nowhere near the top. The Fox family, of which Tundra is the ¡®founder¡¯ and ¡®patriarch¡¯, now ranks in the top 1,000.


    However, it is well known that Tundra¡¯s family lacked ¡®depth¡¯. Lacked ¡®history¡¯.


    They were the modern equivalent of a nouveau riche family. A family that was set up by one talented aberration. That in itself, wasn¡¯t a problem. In reality, Tundra also knew that most families started this way. But the consequences of that start meant they didn¡¯t have ancestors who could provide spiritual guidance. They didn¡¯t have old family heirlooms.


    So, a family like Tundra¡¯s gained legitimacy through power. As Tundra listened to the Earl narrate how he tried to train Eric as the heir, he immediately saw the gaps in his own training.


    He didn¡¯t involve his children or wives in most things. Earl Mistburn involved them, even though they were not ready.


    Tundra expected them to be ready, before he intended to involve them. Naturally, they never were.


    For Patriarch Earl Mistburn, it was intuitive to include them. The Mistburn family is his family, and he was the patriarch. There was no distinction between Sect and family.


    But for Tundra, there was a distinction between the Sect and the family. He didn¡¯t dare claim the Verdant Snow Sect belonged to him. It wasn¡¯t his sect, he was merely its manager, its current leader.


    How could he involve family, especially young children, in matters of the Sect?


    ¡°If it makes it easier, draw up some rules on how to do it? How did the previous leaders of the Verdant Snow Sect do it?¡± Patriarch Earl Mistburn asked.


    Tundra realized that was a good point. There had to be rules, somewhere. Verdant Snow Sect has been around for a lot longer, with many earlier sect masters. He¡¯d go back and look at the writings of the earlier sect leaders, though he remembers he glossed over parts about their own family.


    There were certain writings left behind that he didn¡¯t open, because they related to such issues.


    Then, Tundra thought about the issue of punishment. ¡°How do you punish them?¡±


    ¡°Secluded cultivation. And an earful from me. Sometimes, I whip them, especially if they offended someone they shouldn¡¯t. It truly reflects badly on me, as a father, if my children are ill behaved.¡±


    Tundra felt that last sentence, and the Patriarch himself realized he misspoke.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend-¡±


    ¡°No. It is right. I did not spend enough time with them, and I left disciplining them to my wives.¡±


    Earl Mistburn strangely, had strong views on this, as if that was the crux of the problem. ¡°Ah. As the head of the house, the punishment must come from you. It shows you mean it. Punishments by Elly, or your other wives would not have the same meaning. You are the head of the house, and you must be the one who holds the whip.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to be a father like Earl Mistburn. But it was a good start. He would like to talk to more parents, especially the patriarchs of the large, powerful and successful families.


    He thought about Patriarch Whitedragon. That old man¡¯s children and descendants were exceptional, many surviving to fight the final fight against Zuja, and many more in the higher realms, even if not at the same tier as the patriarch.


    They may have gotten a big advantage with their draconic bloodline, but the results are self-evident.


    ¡°I learned a lot from your wisdom, Patriarch. Matters of family are still something I am grappling with, and I hope to be a better father.¡± Tundra thanked the patriarch.


    ¡°My words are nothing. Your children- well, they are my grandchildren, and step-grandchildren. I, too, wish them well.¡±


    The two old men shared another quiet moment, as both sipped their tea. It was probably their fifth cup. They took their time to admire the little pond and the koi fish.


    ¡°You will be leaving soon?¡± Earl asked, after what felt like a few minutes.


    ¡°Soon. If there are any of your descendants that wish to join the Verdant Snow Sect, please let me know. I¡¯m happy to bring them along.¡±


    ¡°Before you leave, you must come with me to the treasury. For your help and for the pill, I insist that you pick anything you desire. It wouldn¡¯t be right for me to only receive, and not give something in return.¡±


    Tundra smiled, the customs of giving and receiving is still strangely alive in a society determined by power. ¡°Your advice is worth it.¡±


    ¡°If you refuse to accept it, I ask that you accept a gift from me, take it as a bribe, and treat my daughter well.¡±


    ¡°If you put it that way, then I will.¡± Tundra smiled and nodded.

 Chapter 8. Journey Home

    ¡°Edison.¡± Tundra called and Edison was reluctantly summoned to sit in his wagon. Elly was seated next to her husband, and so Edison took the seat opposite them. ¡°Did you enjoy your trip to Mistburn?¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes looked at his father, and momentarily tried to understand the angle of the question. He couldn¡¯t find any, so he answered what he did. ¡°Father. I did. It was nice to meet my cousins after so long. It¡¯s been quite a while since they last visited.¡±


    Tundra could still feel the reservations in his son, even if his cultivation had moved up by two steps. He looked around the wagon, and it was a fairly cramped, old fashioned thing. He remembered trying more powerful and spacious vehicles, such as some of the sect¡¯s flying ships.


    In his first life, he acquired the first flying ship when they were in the 8th realm.


    Those flying ships were amazing, and so spacious. They allowed the sects to move from place to place quickly. Tundra decided to talk about them, rather than let the silence continue. ¡°Do you like these wagons?¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t know what to say, but it didn¡¯t seem like his father was looking for agreement. ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra nodded. ¡°They are quite clunky and old fashioned. I¡¯m interested to look at some flying ships, what do you think?¡±


    The mention of flying ships immediately made both Elly and Edison¡¯s eyes bulge with greed. ¡°A flying ship, really?¡±


    ¡°We probably cannot afford to buy a big one, but a decently sized flying ship for fifty people should be doable. I¡¯ll need to make some good pills, that should be enough to trade for one. We can all visit the Imperial Auction Markets or the Flaming Phoenix Yards to get one.¡±


    At this point, the Verdant Snow Sect had no enmity with the Flaming Phoenix Sect. Not yet, anyway. If he remembered correctly, it started when one of his later sons, born from a wife that is probably still not yet born, fell in love with a woman from the Frost Mountain Sect.


    Unfortunately, one of the young masters of the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s ruling families had their eyes on the same woman.Then, it all got out of hand from there.


    He¡¯d probably bring his wives, and his children.


    ¡°Really, father? When?¡± Edison asked greedily.


    ¡°When I¡¯m done making pills, and after we visit my other in-laws.¡± Tundra said. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier for us to visit each other more often.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Edison squirmed uncomfortably at the mention of the other in-laws. It meant the Eastheart family.


    Elly looked at Tundra, her mind trying to understand what he was getting at. It¡¯s been fairly hard to get a read on her husband, not like the old Tundra that had fairly predictable goals. ¡°Something on your mind?¡±


    Tundra looked at Elly, and shrugged. ¡°Not really. I was just thinking about these wagons, and thought we should travel in greater comfort and speed.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it really expensive?¡± Elly asked.


    ¡°It is.¡± Tundra said.


    Flying ships were made by the crafters of the world. Artificers and craft-masters of the 6th realm would produce smaller versions of airships for profit, and the larger ones were made by more powerful craft masters. Often, they would collaborate with formation masters to construct the defenses and set up the necessary amenities.


    These were works that took years, though he was aware of some crazy craft masters that could finish a ship in a few weeks single-handedly, often with the use of spiritual assistants.


    Travel in the world of cultivators came in many forms.


    Spiritual beasts as mounts, flying ships, flying swords were all commonly used, and for individuals moving discreetly, flying swords was one of the preferred means. However, these flying swords couldn¡¯t carry many people. The largest Tundra ever seen carried only ten people.


    But just as artificers of that realm were a rarity, alchemists of that level of talent were equally a rarity. Flying ships were also not really a necessity, while alchemy pills were pretty much an essential component of a cultivator¡¯s journey.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need help to gather some materials-¡±


    Elly then brought up a question. ¡°The flying ship- is it for family, or for the sect?¡±


    Tundra¡¯s immediate thought was, ¡°Both?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t sure how many people could be ¡®bonded¡¯ with the flying ships. Not at the 6th realm, When he started acquiring flying ships, he could purchase a few, so it didn¡¯t really matter.


    Elly frowned. ¡°On the family side, who will get to use it?¡±


    Edison naturally caught on, ¡°Mother, naturally it should be the eldest members of the family.¡±


    Tundra inwardly felt sad, and wondered why he even brought it up. He thought bringing a reward would be something that united the family, but then again, he should¡¯ve known better. Rewards like this would be hoarded by the members of the family.


    In a sect, it was naturally given to the most outstanding of elders or disciples. But when it comes to family, it is complicated. He couldn¡¯t ignore the lesser members just because they were less talented. It didn¡¯t help that some of them were more ¡®senior¡¯.


    He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll decide later.¡±


    Elly¡¯s facial expression turned complicated. She understood. Edison¡¯s face was immediately a scowl, and countered. ¡°What is there to decide, father? It should be family.¡±


    Tundra looked at Edison, and realized he couldn¡¯t avoid this conversation. His immediate instinct was to ignore him. That¡¯s how he treated stupid questions in the past.


    Elly gave their son a sad smile, as if telling him to ignore it.


    But Tundra thought about Patriarch Mistburn¡¯s advice, on how he raised Eric.


    He had to involve him in the thought process. Explain what he thought about. Over time, Eric acquired the ability to think like his father, even if to a lesser degree.


    ¡°Edison, my son.¡± Tundra said, much to his own reluctance. He didn¡¯t like exposing how he thought about things, but that didn¡¯t work in his first life.


    Edison paused, suddenly surprised by Tundra¡¯s changed demeanor. Tundra looked into his eyes, and Edison briefly thought he would be punished.


    ¡°I am the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow Sect. My appointment to the role is based upon the trust of the previous Sect Master, who judged that I was the right person to lead the Sect. I was the strongest, true, but I was also, in my adopted father¡¯s opinion, the one that could grow the Verdant Snow Sect.¡±


    Edison was unsure where this was going, but he listened. Father had rarely talked about the past.


    ¡°As Sect Master, I have a duty to the sect. To treat the elders fairly. To treat the disciples who joined us fairly. To be a just, equitable arbiter on how resources are distributed. To provide direction and guidance. Choose actions that are in the sect¡¯s best interests. At the same time, as Sect Master, I have free rein on how to use the Sect¡¯s resources, both people, and the treasures we collected over the many, many years. In my first life, I reinvested most of the resources into the sect, I made the elders stronger. I made the core disciples stronger. I fought wars with many other families, cities, and sects, to control more resources.¡±


    Elly listened intently, herself surprised by how Tundra opened up.


    ¡°I was, in my opinion, doing my duty, as our late Sect Master wished me to. Now, I also have a family, just as many disciples and elders do, and according to the Sect¡¯s structure, we are permitted to claim a salary from the sect, and where thought fit, take some of the sect¡¯s resources as compensation for our services to the sect. As Sect Master, it is always in my mind that the elders and disciples of the sect do not exist to serve us. There is no reason for them to do so, unless they feel a sense of loyalty, and they feel they have been fairly treated. We invest in them, and in return, they provide their services to us.¡±


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    Tundra felt the wagon move over some bumps. He looked out the window for a while, caught his breath, and looked back at Edison.


    ¡°As for my family, why do you get privilege? It is because of my position in the Sect. I am a Sect Master, and they respect me. By extension, they will respect you, because they do not want to offend me, and want to cultivate good relations. They also believe that my children will inherit some of my talents, and will also rise to some level of power like me. It is in their best interest to curry favor with those who could rise to my station.¡±


    Edison shivered at the last sentence.


    ¡°Now, as Sect Master, if I use the resources of the Sect, to buy a flying ship, does that flying ship belong to the Sect, or belong to me?¡±


    Both Edison and Elly didn¡¯t answer. To some extent, they thought Tundra would continue.


    ¡°What do you think, Edison?¡±


    Edison, for once, didn¡¯t answer immediately. In fact, he looked at his father, and sighed. Tundra took it as a hint to elaborate further on his thoughts.


    ¡°It is not an easy question. As Sect Master, I have some rights to use the Sect¡¯s assets. In some sects, where the Sect Master is the founder, and his contribution to the sect far exceeds the resources of the sect, it is only normal that the flying ship belongs to the Sect Master personally. If the Sect is large and prosperous enough, it is even more natural that some assets could be withdrawn from the Sect, and be part of my personal property. In that case, if it is exclusively used by the family, that is only natural.¡±


    Tundra looked at his son.


    ¡°Do you think, for our first flying ship, it should be exclusively used by the family?¡±


    Edison was clearly torn and Tundra was relieved he wasn¡¯t that shameless. His son wasn¡¯t totally lost. Not yet.


    ¡°I would like for the Sect to grow, my dear Edison. When the Sect grows, our resources grow. Our ability to protect it grows. And if we have multiple flying ships, then it is only normal that one or two flying ships will be for our family¡¯s use.¡±


    Tundra hoped the message was nailed into his head. He continued anyway.


    ¡°Flying ships are expensive, and if you do not have the strength to protect it, other cultivators will steal it from you.¡±


    Edison felt that, and looked at Elly.


    ¡°It is why, all this while, we didn¡¯t really think about buying it. Without strength, the wealth that we flaunt is free to be taken by others.¡±


    Tundra stopped there and then looked at Elly. Elly somehow gave Tundra an appreciative look, while Edison¡¯s face seemed red, and looked out the window. Tundra didn¡¯t say a word, and instead, took the chance to cultivate with his wife and son.


    For once, his son didn¡¯t seem to protest all that much.


    ***


    ¡°Welcome home, husband.¡± Both Celestia and Marin were there to greet him as the wagon returned to the Sect grounds. The elders were busy, some were out on their own errands, and since this wasn¡¯t an official sect visit, their presence was not expected.


    Tundra smiled, and decided to walk closer to his two wives. He wondered how the old him would have acted. As far as he remembered, he didn¡¯t even go on visits to family. ¡°Well, I missed my two ladies too.¡±


    Elly groaned. ¡°Husband, our children are still here.¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Well, they are dismissed and free to rest, while my dearest wives must come with me to my room.¡±


    Marin looked at Tundra curiously. ¡°We must?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course. Are you not going to come and sit with me?¡±


    ¡°Ah- but, I thought you would have sect matters to attend to-¡±


    ¡°I will, later. Tomorrow. The rest of the week. Is the Sect under attack?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then there is nothing.¡± Tundra said. He remembered in his first life, he was probably waging an attack on Blackbone City and the Black Ash Temple around this time. Their Sect Master was in the 5th realm, and therefore, weaker.


    In hindsight, it was a pointless attack. The resources of Blackbone City was pretty good, but with his 10th realm experience, nothing truly exceptional. The savings from controlling the mines and forests of beasts were decent, but not worth it.


    Not when he now could make far better pills to afford whatever extra costs he had to pay.


    It wasn¡¯t worth it, attacking the Black Ash Temple and killing all those people. The only thing that he felt was justified, was that the Black Ash Temple wasn¡¯t an orthodox sect, and leaned more on the unorthodox and perverse sect. Still, their unusual cultivation practices weren¡¯t that unusual.


    Not with what he¡¯d seen.


    Thinking about it, if there was a specific resource he wanted to control, it would be Shunya Mines, which produced the Shunya sands. The Shunya sands were an essential part of the mass-produced anti-Zuja worm pills.


    But the Sect that controlled the Shunya mines, the Golden Sands Sect, was actually a fairly nice and upright group of people, and he didn¡¯t think it was right to hurt them.


    ***


    The three wives gathered in Tundra¡¯s quarters. The servants hurried about, unloaded the rest of the things. Tea was served, and some refreshments as well.


    ¡°How were things while I was away?¡±


    Marin nodded. ¡°Nothing unusual. The sect was fairly quiet.¡±


    Celestia nodded too.


    Tundra looked distantly, and decided he needed to share information. ¡°While we were traveling back, I was thinking that we should acquire a flying ship, to be shared with the Sect and our family.¡±


    The 5th and 6th wife waited for him to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need probably a few months to do so, since we¡¯ll have to make pills that are of that tier, as our price to trade for the flying ships in the markets. It is my plan, but it won¡¯t happen so soon. We will start that process after we visit Marin¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Elly asked.


    ¡°Well, you can stay if you want. But Marin and my two daughters should come along. It¡¯s been a while since I last saw them.¡± Marin glanced at Elly, and she would try to catch the 4th wife later. The 5th wife clearly wanted to know what happened back in Elly¡¯s hometown, so that she could prepare for the visit. She didn¡¯t like to be caught unaware.


    Marin nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements-¡±


    Tundra thought for a moment, and remembered that it was a matter of spirits beasts harassing the mines. ¡°Wait. I thought it would be appropriate to arrange a hunt. Family, as well as for some of the Sect¡¯s disciples and elders. The resources from the hunt could be used to make pills and medicine.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a hunt-¡± Marin frowned. Her family did not conduct a hunt because the spirit beasts found in the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine were usually pack-hunters, and they didn¡¯t have the resources to mount such an attack, while protecting their homes. Without the formations of their home towns, it would be harder to mount a battle with successful odds.


    However, if elders and the Sect master himself were present, they¡¯d be able to. At their level of strength, the spirit beasts of the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine shouldn¡¯t be much of a threat, since those creatures were 3rd and 4th realm creatures.


    ¡°Celestia, would you like to join?¡± Tundra asked. ¡°I remember you¡¯re quite the hunter.¡±


    The 6th wife didn¡¯t answer immediately, instead, she looked at Marin for her reaction. Marin shrugged. ¡°I have no objections. But accommodations-¡±


    ¡°Both of you will share a room with me.¡± Tundra answered frankly. ¡°I¡¯m not letting my wives sleep elsewhere.¡±


    Marin was taken aback. ¡°I will let father know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of visiting in about a month or two, I¡¯ll need to sort out the sect¡¯s people that will attend, and make the necessary preparations.¡±


    ¡°Then I will suggest two months later. my father will want the time to prepare appropriately, as the host.¡± Marin countered.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Tundra nodded, and then looked at Elly. ¡°Ask the children whether they¡¯d like to join a monster hunt. I offer to make them pills based on their harvest.¡±


    Elly paused, and realized this could be beneficial for her own family too. As a cultivator in the fourth realm, she¡¯d have the best chance of success in hunting spirit beasts, at least for her branch of the family. ¡°Marin, is your guest room big enough for four of us?¡±


    Marin¡¯s face panicked. ¡°I am not sure. I will have to check with father.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Well, that is all I¡¯d like to say for today. Let¡¯s get back to cultivation.¡±


    ***


    Marin, Elly and Celestia exited Tundra¡¯s room after the cultivation. It was already in the early mornings. Tundra didn¡¯t sleep much, as someone in the 6th realm, he didn¡¯t need it, though he did enjoy the act of sleeping.


    ¡°How was it back home?¡± Marin asked.


    ¡°It was fine.¡± Elly answered.


    ¡°I mean, what did he do back home? Did he do anything strange? Anything that caught you off guard?¡±


    Elly paused, and turned to look at Marin. ¡°He had a lot of private sessions with my father, helped my father break through to the 5th realm, gave me brother advice.¡±


    ¡°I mean, okay, but did he like, say something inappropriate or strange? Ask any unusual questions? What did he want to do when he was there?¡± Marin felt Elly¡¯s response wasn¡¯t answering the question. Tundra moved with purpose, most of the time. He wanted something, and her father would expect her to know what he wanted.


    Elly looked back at her co-wife. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. My father told me he asked about my childhood, and Eric¡¯s childhood, and really seemed interested in it.¡±


    Marin frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d I know?¡±


    ¡°Celestia. Can you ask him what he wants to achieve when he visits my family?¡±


    Celestia frowned, a little frustrated at being put in the spot. It really wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯ve tried to bully her into asking the difficult questions. ¡°Lady Eastheart, I believe you should ask our husband personally. It¡¯s not right for me to ask on your behalf, when it relates to your family. There may be things about your family that he can tell no one but you.¡±


    Marin¡¯s eyes furrowed, but didn¡¯t say more.

 Chapter 9. Sect Matters I

    ¡°Jon, Jashen, Severian.¡± Tundra greeted the three elders of his sect. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your care while I was away.¡±


    The three were loyal. They always were, and Tundra what it would have been like if some of them survived to walk those final years with him. The three nodded in return, and sat in the room.


    ¡°With the Patriarch¡¯s breakthrough to the fifth realm, the other sects will move more carefully.¡± Jon said.


    ¡°That is the preferred outcome.¡± Tundra said. ¡°That should buy us time to concentrate some of our resources on the Eastheart side of things, and I¡¯d like to organize a spiritual beast hunt.¡±


    The three elders glanced at each other. ¡°With the sect¡¯s forces?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Disciples who participate and defeat spirit beasts may provide their corpses and bodies to me, and I will make pills out of the harvested materials. This should, in theory, help support our allied family, and also give our disciples a chance to grow.¡±


    Jashen didn¡¯t seem too pleased, but asked. ¡°When will this hunt be?¡±


    ¡°In two or three months, we¡¯ll adjust to suit the Eastheart patriarch¡¯s timing.¡± Tundra said, and then looked at Jashen. He suspected he had something to say, and quickly got to it. ¡°How are things over at Lakeshore?¡±


    The elder seemed surprised, and relieved that Tundra brought it up. ¡°Not well. The Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade sects seem intent on wresting the area back. The Blackshore family¡¯s scouts and spies spotted some movement in their elders.¡±


    ¡°If their elders moved, it would be quite unfortunate.¡± Tundra said. Those two sects were a tier below the Verdant Snow Sect. Their Sect Master was only in the 5th realm, and Jashen himself could fend them off. Yet, he immediately had a bad feeling.


    He trusted that instinct. It was fate telling him something, and so, Tundra thought about Lakeshore in his earlier life, and felt a little annoyed. He scrunched his head, and felt some memories come back. A scene where Jashen was bloody. The words rang in his head.


    Agnia was Jashen¡¯s favorite disciple. There was an ambush. We lost our core disciple.


    Tundra frowned. Was it Lakeshore? He tried to recall Agnia since then, and realized it had to be. There was no other mission with Agnia after this. She must have died in Lakeshore somewhere around this time. A sect had so many moving parts, and with his many, many memories, he¡¯d need time to comb through every one of them and spot what went wrong.


    For now, he decided caution was best. There was no harm traveling to Lakeshore to make his presence felt.


    He looked at Jashen. ¡°Jashen, I¡¯m going with you to Lakeshore. Let¡¯s set off as soon as possible.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s sudden change made him worry. ¡°Is everything alright, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°I believe our disciple¡¯s life is at risk. We should set off tonight. Jon, Severian, I will leave the Sect in your good hands.¡±


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving for Lakeshore?¡± His wives were a little surprised, but they were actually more surprised that Tundra came to see them.


    Tundra would have darted out immediately, but the only reason he didn¡¯t was because he thought about Celestia¡¯s words. Husband and wife should act as one. To do so, he needed to involve his wives in his decisions.


    In his experience, even in cultivation, it is one thing to talk about theory. One could conjure palaces in heaven with words alone, but it was another thing altogether to practice what the theory speaks of.


    Even simple scriptures could be profound, if properly practiced. What often happens, in reality, is a lack of dedication.


    Tundra looked around the room, as his three wives waited for the elaboration. He did. ¡°I believe one of our disciples is at risk. There is potentially a sneak attack, or at least, an ambush from our competitor sects. Celestia, would you like to come? I believe you would be helpful. Lakeshore is a fairly misty, and forested place, and your wind-and-wood arts would be useful in such an environment.¡±


    Celestia waited, and thought about the question. Tundra didn¡¯t rush her.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Elly and Marin looked at each other. Tundra was thankful he increased their cultivation to the 4th realm. At least, they¡¯d be able to protect the family. ¡°I will leave the protection of the family to you two. Elder Jon and Severian will be around.¡±


    Those words made Marin flinch. She looked at Tundra like she saw a ghost. In her mind, she wondered where was the husband she married, and who was this strange imposter.


    Elly just shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. Travel safely.¡±


    The regressor could sense the unusual reaction in his 5th wife, but wasn¡¯t sure what. He reminded himself to talk to her once he¡¯s back.


    ***


    Elder Jashen and Tundra both had their flying swords out, each big enough for two. The fact that they used flying swords instead of wagons highly suggested that it was urgent.


    ¡°I hope we are not too late.¡± Tundra said as their flying swords zipped across the skies. Celestia stood behind Tundra, and held on tightly.


    Traveling by flying swords was similar to riding a motorcycle at high speeds down a windy highway. It is thrilling, fun, and really, really scary. It¡¯s only ¡®safe¡¯ because cultivators are significantly tougher than mortals.


    Jashen looked at Tundra as they flew towards Lakeshore. ¡°Something in your dream, Tundra?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said. ¡°It- It didn¡¯t end well.¡±


    In his heart, he knew it won¡¯t be the first, or the last time. There were many, many horrific tragedies over the 10,000 years. Many deaths. He hoped this wouldn¡¯t be the first one he knew something about, but didn¡¯t do anything to stop it.


    Elder Jashen knew Tundra well enough, and spoke. ¡°If things don¡¯t go well, it¡¯s not your fault, Tundra.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t think that way. It¡¯s true he couldn¡¯t save everyone. It¡¯s true he couldn¡¯t win all the time. He felt the scars nevertheless. The pain is real all the same, and to feel it a second time, that was just something else. He¡¯d just have to try harder.


    ***


    Lakeshore Barrens and Lakeshore. Lakeshore Barrens was a land of mist and forests, despite the name. It was named that way because a few thousand years ago, the entire area was once a barren lake, but things have changed since then.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    These days, Lakeshore Barrens is famed for its spirit beasts, especially the Driedbark Lizards that somehow breed like rabbits in this environment. The Driedbark lizards¡¯ bark like skin is a major ingredient in basic healing elixirs for those below the 4th realm.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you are well, Disciple Agnia.¡± Jashen greeted the disciple, who was meditating in the branch office of Lakeshore. It wasn¡¯t really a proper branch office, and it lacked all the common defensive formations found in a proper branch office.


    Agnia knelt. ¡°Greetings, Elder Jashen, and?¡±


    Both Tundra and Celestia wore masks, hoods and kept their cultivation hidden. They both had a special relic meant to mask their presence. It wasn¡¯t that effective against higher realm enemies, but would mislead most lower level scouts and spies.


    Jashen smiled. ¡°Our Sect Master, and Lady Celestia Gale.¡±


    Agnia¡¯s face immediately turned to fear, her head on the ground. ¡°This disciple greets the honored Sect Master and the honored companion.¡±


    ¡°Disciple Agnia, both of you are to carry out as usual, and be the bait. There is someone conspiring against us lurking in this city, and we will flush them out.¡±


    ¡°-what?¡±


    Tundra sensed it the moment they entered Lakeshore. There was a trapping formation set up in the city, and it was from a familiar enemy. He even recognised the formation type. [Blood Blade¡¯s Divine Lightning Purgatory]. Despite the name, it was a formation strong enough for the 5th realm, and in theory, should be enough to deal with Jashen and Agnia.


    He walked to elder Jashen and Agnia, and checked his own spatial pouch for three lightning-element resistance pills. It wasn¡¯t total lightning immunity, but the pills should significantly weaken the damage from the formation.


    ¡°There¡¯s a few trapping formations in this city. If you¡¯re caught in it, take this pill. It should offset the damage from the formation.¡± Tundra said, and handed one each to Agnia, Jashen, and his wife, Celestia. ¡°Celestia, you¡¯ll stay with me. We¡¯ll keep our distance and see who¡¯s behind this.¡±


    The formation itself was fairly easy to detect, especially with his trained levels of senses. Formations, inherently, were hard to hide, because they involved manipulating natural energies to create a certain effect. It is for this reason that formations are usually ¡®defensive¡¯ in nature.


    Occasionally, they are also used as traps and lures, meant to guide or ¡®funnel¡¯ their enemies into where they want them to be. In cases where subtlety is needed, the formations needed to come with their own internal power source, usually supplied by spirit stones, spirit crystals, and spirit beast cores.


    Every formation is created by a formation master, and it is an act that requires serious planning. This formation must have been around for at least five years, because the increase in its energy levels were so subtle that most cultivators would not notice.


    The formation is almost at its peak, and Jashen is likely the target. They wanted to hurt him badly, and scare the Blackshore family.


    The message they wanted to send was simple.


    ¡°Even the Elder of the Verdant Snow can¡¯t protect you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see what these folks have planned. The two of us will remain in hiding, and we¡¯ll use it to flush it out. They will most likely take action once they¡¯ve trapped you in the formation.¡± Tundra explained the plan.


    Agnia looked at the elder, a little horrified. ¡°We¡¯re walking right into a killing formation?¡±


    Elder Jashen grinned. ¡°Better than walking into it without knowing it?¡±


    The disciple took a while to process the question, before she realized it was rhetorical. She blushed when she realized it.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s carry on. They will likely strike when you and Jashen are patrolling the streets of Lakeshore.¡±


    ***


    Celestia and Tundra found an inn on the other side of Lakeshore. They chose the location to hide their presence, and not arouse the suspicions of those who wanted to target Jashen and Agnia.


    ¡°Would they strike at night? Why wouldn¡¯t they attack the branch office directly?¡± Celestia asked, curious.


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t. The branch office may be a bare building with hardly any defenses, there are still some basic detection equipment and formations in place. The formation would trigger those equipment and reveal their plan. Not when a formation like this takes a few years to set up.¡±


    The inn was basic, and simple, and Celestia thought the bed looked a little cramped. Celestia sat on bed.


    ¡°What do you think will happen?¡±


    Tundra thought briefly, took off his outer robe, and sat on the bed next to Celestia. ¡°They will most likely cause an incident somewhere near their formation. An attack, or a challenge on their authority. Agnia will rush to the situation, and they will retreat into the formation for the battle. Naturally, if Jashen¡¯s caught in it, he¡¯ll be injured. It¡¯s likely they will use a stronger disciple to taunt Agnia and Jashen, maybe a 5th realm elder from the Blood Blade Sect.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We know which formation they¡¯re using, and with the right elemental pills, they wouldn¡¯t suffer a loss. Our goal is to get the Blood Blade Sect¡¯s formation master. There¡¯s someone in the mid or high 4th realm that¡¯s working in the background.¡± Formations were one of the ways a cultivator could fight someone of a higher realm, and was thus a favorite of many smaller sects who wanted to hold off the threat of stronger sects.


    Celestia nodded, and undid the pin on her hair, allowing her hair to flow freely. The bed was cramped, but since her husband agreed to this location, she wasn¡¯t going to complain. It was only for a few days, anyway.


    Tundra waited, and smiled. ¡°I hope this place doesn¡¯t bother you too much. We¡¯ll move to somewhere more pleasant.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing. I have lived in far less pleasant locations.¡±


    Tundra stretched, and very naturally, placed his arms around her waist. ¡°A man also desires to provide the comforts of life to his partners.¡±


    ¡°Really? The old you would have just done whatever you pleased.¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°True. I believe you liked that.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Celestia smiled. She didn¡¯t resist, and instead, slumped into his arms. Their eyes met momentarily, and then she asked. ¡°Did we have children, Tundra?¡±


    ¡°No. We didn¡¯t.¡± Tundra looked at her wistfully. If she was willing, he¡¯d not make that mistake again.


    ¡°Do you remember why?¡±


    ¡°I was too busy. Around this time, with the attack on the Blackbone City and the Black Ash Temple, the incident here, in Lakeshore, and preparing for the upcoming Imperial Summons. Then after this, there was another set of attacks on the Scarlet Thunder Sect.¡±


    ¡°Scarlet Thunder.¡± Celestia frowned. ¡°That¡¯s quite a powerful sect.¡±


    ¡°There was an incident that weakened them.¡± Tundra said, remembering that there was a great explosion in their sect grounds that left the sect master heavily injured. Now that he thought about it, he wondered what was the cause of that incident.


    Tundra said, and made a note to send a disciple to investigate them later. If he remembered correctly, Elder Severian also worked on diplomatic ties with one of the nearby cities just outside of Scarlet Thunder Sect¡¯s reach, the Mystical Harbors Sect. It was a weaker sect that was naturally under pressure from the Scarlet Thunder Sect, so the attack on the Scarlet Thunder improved their power and shored up their relationship with a possible ally.


    Tundra himself used some of Scarlet Thunder¡¯s cultivation and combat methods up till the late 7th realm.


    Celestia touched his fingers quietly, her head on his chest. Her hair had the faint fragrance of lavender. All of their wives did, because lavender soap was a popular product in their part of the world. The whiff of that smell brought back memories of his wives, and he instinctively pulled her waist closer. ¡°I¡¯d like to have children with you, someday.¡± Tundra said, as he thought about their earlier topic.


    Celestia blushed red as a tomato. She didn¡¯t reply.


    Tundra noticed the slight redness around her earlobes. ¡°Do you like this version of me?¡±


    His wife squirmed, wriggling in his arms. She stammered. ¡°Don¡¯t ask things like that!¡±


    The regressor chuckled, and didn¡¯t let his wife go. He pulled her closer.


    The fates were kind to him, when they blessed him with so many wives. It¡¯s a shame his own heart was elsewhere, chasing something that eventually felt meaningless. So what if the Verdant Snow sect was a Great Sect?


    He looked at his wife, and then back at the small window of their inn. He leaned his head closer to his wife¡¯s hair, and tapped her head softly with his other hand.


    Celestia clearly seemed to enjoy being treated this way, because she closed her eyes and snuggled closer. ¡°We actually feel like we¡¯re married.¡± She said softly, her words felt like soft, frail little puffs of smoke that vanished when touched.


    Tundra wanted to get the details, but decided not to. He wondered when he became so affectionate? Was it during those lonely years, when it truly reminded him how alone he was? The final years of fighting?


    No matter. He may be a 10,700 years old cold-hearted bastard, but as they say, even the strongest warriors can be seduced by a beautiful woman.


    His heart felt warm, the presence of a woman he liked in his arms. To love, and to be loved in return. The rest of his family might not yet be ready to function like a normal family, but at least with his wives, he felt like he was getting somewhere.

 Chapter 10. Lakeshore Battle

    The Verdant Snow Sect, as the name implies, is a sect originally focused on the wood-water cultivation methods. It¡¯s original technique, the [Verdant Snow Refinement Method], was the base method and worked well with wood element energies or water element energies, but over the centuries, the Verdant Snow acquired different cultivation techniques.


    Disciples of the Verdant Snow Sect are expected to know the basics of the Verdant Snow methods, though some elders, such as Jashen, practiced a different cultivation method. Jashen¡¯s spirit roots were of the Fire element, and so, he practiced a technique stolen by the Sect a few centuries ago, called the Solar Illumination Method.


    Cultivation techniques themselves are separated into grades, though the definitions of these grades were an area of much debate.


    Each cultivation technique is more than just a ¡®technique¡¯. It is an imprint in the spirit and the soul, a semi-tangible thing that exists in the spiritual realm of each cultivator. It¡¯s like a ¡®shadow¡¯, that grows and gets nourished through mastery, and through mastery, transforms into instinct. This imprint affects many things, equipment, cauldrons, and in later stages, this ¡®shadow¡¯ or ¡®soul imprint¡¯ could even ¡®grow¡¯ its own spiritual weapon.


    Cultivation methods are thoughts made real in the spiritual realm, and from the reality of the spiritual realm, it influences the reality of the physical world.


    A cultivator¡¯s comprehension, thus, translates into power.


    A cultivator sharing his comprehension, makes those around him stronger. But man, even as he ascends on the steps of immortality, retains their selfish origins. The selfish nature of cultivators to hoard power, to secure one¡¯s security, to protect one¡¯s descendants, means more words are unsaid.


    The push and pull between the strength of the whole, and the strength of the individual, sits at the heart of a sect¡¯s existence. Each cultivator stands on the shoulders of those before him, and yet, each cultivator is just as eager to step away, cutting off the path for those who come after. Elders are ¡®compelled¡¯ to share their knowledge, and to incentivize this, resources are granted to the elders, such that they could maintain the gap.


    Resources is the lubrication that facilitates a sect¡¯s operations.


    For this reason, Sects like the Verdant Snow Sect, the Yellow Cloud, and the Blood Blade, all strive to control more resources. Resources are money for cultivators, they can be traded, even if not used.


    Lakeshore is just one of the many thousands of battlefields.


    Since they arrived, Tundra and Celestia stalked Elder Jashen and Agnia. They knew that the time to strike was soon.


    ***


    The trigger happened quite like how Tundra expected, on a busy morning, during the busiest hour of the morning market.


    This wasn¡¯t the first altercation between the two sides of this conflict. In the past few days, two smaller attacks occurred. During the last two attacks, nothing happened other than noisy scufflings and trading of a few blows.


    Tundra believed this was an intentional deflection to lull Agnia into a sense of complacency. That this was more of the same thing.


    So the morning started quite the same as before, but Tundra felt the shifting of the formations. Today was the day.


    A servant ran to the Branch office. ¡°Lady Agnia, the young master of the Blackshore family is under attack by the Amberblade family¡¯s young master! He¡¯s backed by the Yellow Cloud¡¯s Elder!¡±


    Agnia groaned, and got her equipment. She picked up the pill, just in case. ¡°Again?¡±


    Jashen nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Tundra and Celestia were nearby, and Tundra himself, sensitive to the energies of the formation. ¡°It¡¯s starting, get ready.¡±


    Celestia looked around, and she gripped her sword. ¡°Where?¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes, and extended his senses outward. The formation needs to be activated, and he needs to pinpoint who and where that person is. ¡°Market. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Agnia and Jashen knew today was the day, once they felt Tundra¡¯s brief touch on their soul. They checked their own equipment, and mentally prepared themselves for a fight.


    ¡°Caden Blackshore! Your family insulted my family, don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten!¡± The man from the Amberblade family, Cyrus Amberblade, shouted. They were in an opening in the center of Lakeshore¡¯s morning market, and the mortals quickly scurried away. There was an elder of the Yellow Cloud next to him, a person in the early fifth realm.


    Caden sneered. ¡°Oh? The son of the man that was beaten black and blue dares to challenge me? Did we not just beat you yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Today is different.¡± Cyrus said.


    Caden knew what Cyrus meant, as his eyes landed on the elder. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just relying on the old man next to you? Greetings, Elder.¡±


    The elder sneered. ¡°This foolish one dares to be arrogant in front of his elders!¡±


    ¡°It is not arrogance, elder.¡± Caden countered. ¡°Merely confidence.¡±


    Tundra was nearby, and frowned that Caden was such an obnoxious brat. If he remembered correctly, his father wasn¡¯t much better. They were both arrogant bastards, but they were his allies. They presented an opportunity, even if they were less than pleasant people to be with. He hoped his own children would be better.


    Caden was in the lower third realm, just like Cyrus. Both were really nothing much, in the larger scheme of things. Both family¡¯s patriarchs were peak 4th realms.


    Cyrus laughed. ¡°You backed the wrong horse, Caden. Today, I will beat you up.¡±


    Caden chuckled, faking bravado. ¡°Come. Show me what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°Really? Since your servant already ran to ask for help, I might as well wait for her to arrive.¡± Cyrus countered. ¡°So that I can beat the two of you up together.¡±


    Caden frowned. ¡°That¡¯s no way to talk to a disciple of the Verdant Snow Sect!¡±


    Just then, Agnia arrived. ¡°Young Master, what¡¯s happening here?¡±


    Jashen waltzed in next to him, and the Yellow Cloud¡¯s elder smiled, as if pleased to see Jashen¡¯s presence. ¡°Oh, to think that today, we¡¯d have the famous Elder Jashen of the Verdant Snow Sect. We must truly have caught a big fish.¡±


    Jashen knew what he insinuated, and waited. ¡°Oh really? It is indeed a momentous occasion for the Elder of the Yellow Cloud to grace us with his presence. Perhaps he is here to speak for the Amberblade family?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Yellow Cloud Elder smiled.


    Tundra got ready, he felt the pricking on his skin as the energies of the formation began to move.


    The land of the Lakeshore Barrens was naturally rich in wood energy, and for someone like Celestia with wood-element spirit roots, the power of her natural abilities was amplified. There was a reason why cultivators set up homes in places with suitable elements, because nature enhances their power, and gives them a hand.


    A fire-element cultivator fighting in a volcano could be many times more powerful than a fire element in a normal environment. The richness of the natural energy makes each attack more powerful, their bodies denser, and the world itself bends to the will of the matching element cultivator, even if momentarily.


    Here, in the windy, forested lands of Lakeshore, she felt the land itself feed her, as if the land itself spoke to her. She too, aided by the land¡¯s guidance, sensed the subtle movements of the formation¡¯s energies.


    Meanwhile, in the market square, Jashen stared at the elder of the Yellow Cloud. A strange mist began to emerge around them.


    ¡°Oh. Today will be the day I take down the famous Elder Jashen.¡± The Yellow Cloud Elder said. At that moment, the energies of the Divine Lightning Purgatory began to gather, and dark storm clouds emerged overhead. What was a sunny morning transformed into a dark, stormy morning. ¡°Since you¡¯ve done the honor of coming all the way, we won¡¯t let you leave!¡±


    Jashen laughed. ¡°Brave words for someone who¡¯s weaker than me!¡±


    The formation stirred into action, as lightning gathered overhead. Bolts of lightning blasted between the storm clouds, as if gathering strength.


    Both Jashen and Agnia looked at each other, and quickly ate their lightning resistance pills.


    The mist wasn¡¯t that thick. Just a gentle coating of white, as it began to rain.


    The Elder of the Yellow Cloud didn¡¯t know what pill they ate, but he rushed ahead, his weapon, a saber, sparked with flames. ¡°Die!¡±


    Jashen shrugged, as his own glaive burned with fire. Steam emerged from the tips of his enchanted glaive, as the raindrops splattered on the hot steel. ¡°Since the Yellow Cloud Sect dares to challenge us, it would be impolite for us to refuse. Come, show me the weight behind your fire arts!¡±


    The saber met the glaive in flashes of light and fire, though mortals watching from the gaps of their windows would find it hard to see anything other than the streaks of flames in the mist and steam from their fiery blades.


    The two young masters entered into battle, while Agnia was then quickly assaulted by some of the other disciples of the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect.


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    The storm loomed overhead, its energies charging up.


    Tundra¡¯s senses continued to scan the surroundings, as he searched for the formation master. They should not be too far, since the formation master needs to be present to control the formation¡¯s targets.


    He searched the city, the markets and then spotted a woman that was likely the formation master. He focused, and once he confirmed it, he moved quickly.


    The culprit was a woman in an unassuming gray civilian outfit, but the energy from her body was unmistakable.


    Tundra landed right in front of her, and without a shadow of doubt, his hand was on her shoulder.


    His fingers stabbed her meridians, each stab with his fingers inserted a paralyzing bolt of energy that temporarily disabled that meridian. It was easy for a master like him to seal one¡¯s meridians, and doing so, she froze.


    ¡°-how?!¡± The woman couldn¡¯t believe it. She was so focused on the battle that she didn¡¯t even feel Tundra arrive in front of her.


    Tundra with a mask that covered his face, answered. ¡°Nothing you need to know.¡±


    With her meridians sealed, the formation would be out of control and strike at random. Tundra immediately contacted Celestia.


    ¡°Any other movement?¡±


    ¡°There seems to be a few other accomplices from the Blood Blade and the Yellow Cloud Sect, but they are all 2nd or 3rd realm. I¡¯ll deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ve got the formation master, but I can¡¯t disable the formation.¡± Tundra was familiar with the formation, but breaking formations required items he didn¡¯t have. Formations, once created, were usually independent of their makers, though their makers usually set such that there is some type of control or bypass.


    This mechanism is usually unique to each formation master.


    ***


    The formation above them began to strike at random, much to the surprise of the Elder of the Yellow Cloud Sect.


    The Yellow Cloud Elder¡¯s saber met the glaive of Elder Jashen in an explosive clash of fire-elements, and for a moment, they fought equally. But that was only because Elder Jashen wasn¡¯t going at full strength. He held back, just to observe the situation. Not far away, Core Disciple Agnia faced off against three other disciples of the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect that emerged out of their hidden areas. They were all peak 3rd realms, but against Agnia who was in the middle 4th realm, all they could do was keep her busy.


    Meanwhile, the two young masters of the Blackshore and Amberblade Sect fought, both in the 3rd realms, before a random lightning bolt blasted them apart.


    ¡°What is that woman doing!¡± The Yellow Cloud¡¯s Elder complained as he traded blows with Jashen. ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long!¡±


    ¡°Pay attention, Elder.¡± Jashen¡¯s hot glaive narrowly missed the Yellow Cloud Elder¡¯s head. The rain poured. ¡°Were you expecting something to happen, beyond this uncontrollable formation?¡±


    The Yellow Cloud elder didn¡¯t say a word, as he counterattacked. The two elders traded more blows as their flaming weapons glowed amidst the steam and the mist.


    The dark skies rumbled, as the formations¡¯ energies concentrated in the skies above. Bolts of lightning and flashes of light could be seen, as all the mortals fled as far as they could.


    Tundra felt the gathering energy. Then, a huge blast of lightning crashed on the ground below. The lightning, uncontrolled, smashed into the center of the mortal market. Agnia retreated, but the lightning was too close.


    Yet, despite being far away, the lightning itself arced across the skies and zapped Agnia.


    The formation master must have pre-targeted Agnia¡¯s energy signature.


    ¡°Your disciple¡¯s done for!¡± The Yellow Cloud elder taunted Jashen.


    Jashen didn¡¯t react, instead, his glaive went for the kill. He missed the Elder¡¯s head, who dodged awkwardly, but instead, he managed to chop off one of his arms.


    The Yellow Cloud Elder yelled. For a fifth realm elder, regenerating arms wasn¡¯t impossible, but would consume a lot of resources. ¡°YOU DARE!¡±


    Jashen laughed. ¡°Of course we dare. You threaten to kill us, we are merely returning the favor.¡±


    ¡°If you kill me-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I won¡¯t.¡± Jashen laughed as his mid 5th realm aura spread outwards. Jashen landed right in front of the Amberblade¡¯s Heir, and in a single strike, chopped off the young man¡¯s hands.


    The man screamed in pain. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~ SAVE ME ELDER~¡±


    But Jashen knew the elder wouldn¡¯t. He was in pain himself.


    ¡°The Yellow Cloud Sect will remember this!¡± The Elder said.


    ¡°I know. We want them to remember. In fact-¡±


    Jashen appeared right next to the Elder, and pierced him with a needle.


    ¡°Here, the Silent Eternity Toxin.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°-what~ No~¡±


    In the world of cultivation, nothing was truly incurable. For everything else, it is often a question of methods and resources. Tundra even heard of occult practices by a beast sect that ¡®created¡¯ cultivators, through transplanting of beast cores into human mortals.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this.¡± Jashen smiled, ¡°But the sect master believes such underhanded plots should be countered with underhanded plots of our own.¡±


    The elder¡¯s eyes widened, as the poison quickly spread through the elder¡¯s body. He would lose his ability to cultivate over the next five years, and it would take about a hundred years before the poison begins to fade.


    ¡°I would have preferred to kill you.¡± Jashen laughed. ¡°But then again, sometimes, leaving you alive is a message of our own.¡±


    The elder choked. ¡°You- you will pay for this.¡±


    Jashen countered. ¡°On the other hand, I believe the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect have long made themselves mortal enemies of our Verdant Snow. Our blood is already bad.¡±


    At that point, the mist, dust and residual energies of the formation¡¯s huge energy blast faded, to reveal an injured Agnia. The sudden blast of lightning was intense, but thankfully, the powers of the pill nullified most of the damage. She was bleeding, charred, but not dead.


    Jashen was naturally pleased. He laughed. ¡°Oh, it seems you couldn¡¯t even kill our disciple with that blast!¡±


    ¡°How? Impossible! That formation blast should be strong enough for-¡±


    At that point, Tundra emerged with his hostage. The formation expert was restrained by one of Tundra¡¯s artifacts. Tundra, still in a mask, spoke cryptically. ¡°Tell the Blood Blade Sect that we have their formation master. If their patriarch wants her back, remember to pay a suitable price.¡±


    The elder turned ugly. ¡°Release her!¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know where the elder found courage. Jashen¡¯s aura flared, and shouted back. ¡°Why? We¡¯ve dared to help the Blackshore family take this city, do you think we do so without the determination to see it through?¡±


    The elder frowned at Jashen¡¯s retort, but a fifth realm elder was not so easily killed. Even the stump on his bleeding, severed arm began to heal.


    Tundra smirked and suggested. ¡°Maybe, the elder as a hostage sounds like a good idea?¡±


    It was a bluff. The Verdant Snow Sect didn¡¯t have a prison strong enough to restrain a fifth realm. Their strongest prison, the Verdant Storage Cell, could only fit one person, and could only hold one individual in the fourth realm. It was for that reason Tundra decided the formation master was a good hostage. At least, they¡¯d get some decent rewards for it.


    Jashen grinned. ¡°Oh. That does sound tempting!¡±


    The Elder realized the odds didn¡¯t look good. Not with Jashen still mostly unharmed, while their side took losses.


    At that point, a few more of their operatives were tossed out of hiding, and Celestia emerged, also in a mask. ¡°I¡¯ve flushed out a few more of their folks. Had to kill some of them, though.¡±


    The world of cultivation is a world of blood and slaughter. Power is the only real law. Very few got to the higher realms without ever killing anyone, and fewer still, without killing spirit beasts. Even if one is not eager to kill, there are others who would.


    The Yellow Cloud Elder¡¯s face turned ugly. ¡°You?!¡±


    Jashen smiled. ¡°I what? Take your men and scram!¡± Jashen then turned to the young master of the Amberblade Family, who looked battered. ¡°And you, Young master, I suggest you return home, nurse your injuries, learn to behave under new leadership.¡±


    The young master held his bleeding arm, and frowned. ¡°You¡¯re bullying the weak.¡±


    Tundra found that hilarious. They were just trying to do the same thing. Yet, at the same time, the young master seemed to be made of sterner stuff. He somehow wondered what sort of upbringing the young Cyrus Amberblade had.


    Jashen, the well practiced elder, merely grinned. ¡°So what if we are? Go home, unless you want to lose your life today.¡±


    He did.


    The Amberblade family still controlled many of the businesses and resources in the Lakeshore Barrens, and it was not in their interest to destroy the Amberblade family. Not yet anyway. Power struggles are rarely bloodless, but it is always a means to exercise control and enforce one¡¯s rule. Tundra would crush them slowly, and weaken them over time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the hostage back to the Verdant Snow Sect.¡± Jashen answered. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for a fifth realm elder to restrain a 4th realm formation master, especially one already pacified with Tundra¡¯s restraining chains.


    ***


    Agnia, Celestia and Tundra were now in the branch office of the Verdant Snow Sect. It really was a bare place, and Tundra felt the place needed more furnishing, if it is to be a branch office of the Verdant Snow.


    ¡°Ah, it is our honor that the Sect Master himself graced us with his presence.¡± The old man of the Blackshore family was flanked by the young master, Caden, and two younger, beautiful daughters, dressed in surprisingly revealing robes. The patriarch was only in the 4th realm, so in Tundra¡¯s presence, he was as meek as a lamb.


    Caden too had his head on the floor. They came with gifts. Bribes, essentially.


    Tundra heard bad things about both these men. They were lecherous, greedy folk, but sadly, the heavens did not discriminate against the terrible, and gave them decent cultivation talent. Peak 4th realm meant the Blackshore patriarch was, on paper, Patriarch Mistburn¡¯s equal. At least before his breakthrough.


    ¡°We are thankful for the Sect Master¡¯s assistance and generosity.¡±


    There really was no beating around the bush. ¡°It was fit and proper to show them who¡¯s the stronger one. Now that is settled, Patriarch Blackshore, I hope you know what to do.¡±


    The patriarch nodded. ¡°Certainly, certainly. We will ensure that the supply of the Driedbark Lizards reach the Verdant Snow Sect on time, and of a suitable amount.¡±


    For now, he¡¯d work with them, but in his mind, Tundra wanted to usurp their position and build up the branch office such that it is a powerhouse in the city of Lakeshore, and relegate the two warring families into minor features. Then, he could break the alliance with these people.


    For now, he¡¯ll string them along.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    The patriarch tried to talk about how great he is, and tried to polish his shoe. Tundra had seen this type many times, and the reaction from his gut was the same. Visceral disgust. It was just unfortunate that the other party wasn¡¯t amenable to an alliance, and competing sects couldn¡¯t be friends.


    Such is politics, and Tundra merely nodded. Just allies-of-convenience. ¡°It was a pleasure having you and your family come visit us, Patriarch Blackshore, but as you can see, we had a rough day, preparing for their ambush. We could use some rest, if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    The patriarch got the message. ¡°Certainly.¡±


    ***


    The visitors returned to the Blackshore family home, but not before a debrief.


    ¡°The Sect Master didn¡¯t even look at us.¡± The two daughters of Patriarch Blackshore answered after the meeting. Their dresses were exceptionally revealing, far more than what they would normally wear.


    The Patriarch cursed. ¡°I heard stories of how the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow is known to take many wives, and thought he was looking for beautiful women to add to his harem of wives. But if he didn¡¯t glance at you two, then maybe his tastes are more esoteric. In that case, we¡¯d need to target the children. Caden, leave the matters in Lakeshore to your father. I want you to take your sisters and go to Verdant Leaf Town and get to know the children of the Sect Master. We need to turn this alliance into something unbreakable, before the Sect Master gets rid of us.¡±


    ¡°Why would they get rid of us?¡± Caden asked, unaware of his father¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Does it look like they need us?¡± Patriarch Blackshore countered. ¡°Go now.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just seduce the disciple Agnia? She¡¯s quite a beautiful lady, and I would be more than happy to take her as a wife.¡± Caden offered.


    ¡°A disciple is a disciple. Family is family.¡± Patriarch countered. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, think about it on the way to Verdant Leaf Town.¡±


    Caden gulped. ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    Father turned to the two daughters. ¡°Girls, for the sake of our family, I need you to find a suitable member of the Fox family, and make yourself their wives.¡±


    The two daughters bowed, despite their own reservations, and answered. ¡°As you command, father.¡±

 Chapter 11. Celestia

    After the battle at the Lakeshore¡¯s Market, for now, Blackshore family is the top dog, and so, the businesses of the city naturally leaned towards them. The Patriarch of the Blackshore family received visits from many businesses, and these came with gifts and tributes.


    Wines were shared, and praises were sung.


    For the businesses that could afford it, they put money into the pocket of both sides, after all, they didn¡¯t know when the winds may change. They would send a delegation to the Amberblade side too, but usually discreetly, given the balance of power.


    The city was back to normal. The mortals were used to the two families fighting it out on the streets, and repairmen were already on the way. Sects like the Verdant Snow Sect often compensated the mortals for the trouble.


    Tundra, Celestia and Agnia walked the city the day after the battle, partly to ensure that the remnants of the Yellow Cloud Sect and Blood Blade Sect left, and also because Tundra wanted a day to rest.


    The wood energies present in Lakeshore was slightly higher than most, and last night, he used it to cultivate and help Celestia¡¯s cultivation. She was already at the peak of the 4th realm, and that made her the strongest of his wives.


    Tundra believed she needed to change her cultivation method soon. Her current methods, derived from the methods of the Angel¡¯s Whisper, would no longer fit her once she reaches the 5th realm. But this was a discussion once they were properly settled.


    The market was crowded, but all made way for the three. Life went on, for mortals, whether it was the Amberblade family, or the Blackshore family in charge. It was just the same old shit, with a different name.


    ¡°Distinguished master, some flowers for the beauty next to you?¡± The three cultivators passed a stall filled with flowers, manned by an old man. The old man asked.


    Tundra stopped, and wondered whether Celestia would look nice with flowers. ¡°Celestia, what flowers do you like?¡±


    Celestia chuckled a little amused. ¡°If you buy flowers for me, Elly and Marin will ask for flowers too.¡±


    The regressor grinned. ¡°If my wives desire to have regular flowers in our homes, I will have the servants buy them by the wagon.¡±


    The mortal seller, noticing Tundra¡¯s interest in his flowers, quickly went into his sales pitch. ¡°Lord Cultivator, these flowers are the freshest from the Lakeshore¡¯s East Flower Farms. They are each carefully cared for, and pollinated by the Thousand Bark Bees of the Lakeshore Barren¡¯s forests. The fragrance of these flowers can last for a week. Please, here¡¯s one for you-¡±


    Tundra smiled, and tossed the seller a coin. He picked up a light-pink tulip, the Pastel Lakeshore Tulip. It was truly a mortal plant, though he had seen spiritual versions of such flowers. It takes special care, and spiritually imbued waters, but even mortal plants could transform into spiritual herbs.


    ¡°The fragrance is decent. Do they make dried petals with them?¡±  Tundra asked.


    The mortal seller shook his head. ¡°No, lord cultivator. They lose their fragrance when dried. The farmer tried preserving them, but they couldn¡¯t capture the smell.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra nodded, and turned to face Celestia.


    His wife stood and watched, with a mixture of amusement and shock.


    ¡°Would you like one, Celestia?¡± Tundra asked again.


    Celestia blushed. How was a woman supposed to act when her husband asked which flower she wanted in the public markets? She reluctantly nodded, and spoke quietly with a blush on her face. Despite her age, this was the first time a man ever offered her a flower. ¡°Anything is fine, husband.¡±


    The old man caught it. ¡°If it¡¯s for your wife, Lord Cultivator, please, take three! They say three flowers is a symbol of love.¡±


    Tundra heard this pitch before, and chuckled. It was a lie. It¡¯s only if it¡¯s three red roses, not the three flowers that this old man sold. But he was amused by his brazenness, and decided to play along. ¡°Clever old man.¡±


    The old seller clearly realized that Tundra knew he was lying, and looked absolutely horrified. Tundra took out some additional coins.


    ¡°I¡¯ll humor you though. Give me three, then.¡±


    Celestia¡¯s face, which was already a light peach, turned redder when Tundra presented the small bouquet of three Pink Tulips. The old man was clearly experienced enough to tie a set of ribbons to the bouquet. Celestia felt strange to receive flowers at her age, and even stranger that she was flustered and didn¡¯t know how to react to it. It was as if she was just a young twenty-something little girl on her first date.


    It is true that cultivators, in their pursuit of power and immortality, often neglect more mortal aspects of life. Dates, flings were seen as distractions, and in some cultivator families, still wanted to preserve the sanctity of a woman¡¯s first union with their partners. It was also a selling point, should a female daughter be offered up as a marriage candidate.


    Tundra smiled, and the three continued their walk on the market streets. Agnia, naturally, sensed the mood was really, really unusual, and felt like she was the third wheel, intruding on the Sect Master¡¯s private moment with his wife.


    So, Agnia walked further and further away. Tundra chuckled, and wondered whether he should find a suitable husband for her, or whether she was the type that liked women, or both.


    After walking with the bouquet for a moment, Celestia didn¡¯t know what to do with the pink tulips, and so she decided it was too embarrassing to walk around holding a bouquet of three pink tulips, and dumped it into her spatial ring.


    ¡°Uh, Sect Master, I have somewhere to go-¡± Agnia couldn¡¯t stand the weird atmosphere anymore, and decided to make herself scarce-


    ¡°No. Stay.¡± Tundra knew she was trying to weasel away, but he wasn¡¯t going to let her go anywhere just yet. ¡°Let¡¯s eat lunch. It wouldn¡¯t do for me to leave without tasting some of Lakeshore¡¯s cooking. Tell me, where should I eat?¡±


    Agnia shifted uncomfortably, before recommending the best place in Lakeshore. There really only is one institution worth visiting in a town like this.


    ***


    Lunch was a fairly typical affair. Tundra realized almost all restaurants, in his travels, served the same blend of braised meats, roasted duck skin, some ginger-picked chicken, stir-fried vegetables, some kind of fried or steamed tofu, and some kind of plain steamed bun, or the same bun but deep fried.


    The uniformity of the dish was something that puzzled him, because there really was no reason for restaurants on other sides of the world to serve the same thing.


    At one point, he got so annoyed in his travels as Sect Master, that he actually sent one of his disciples to investigate why restaurants all over the realm seemed to cook the same damn thing.


    The results of his disciple¡¯s investigation amused him. It was not because the restaurants and chefs didn¡¯t want to innovate or try new things. Many chefs often experiment on dishes on a private basis, and would even serve it for special guests and trusted customers.


    But to the public, they would not even put up the item on the menu.


    The reason, simply, was because it was ¡®safe¡¯. These were inoffensive dishes that cultivators were used to, and because cultivators, if they didn¡¯t like something, would often trash a place up.


    Most chefs wanted to keep their heads connected to their necks.


    So, rather than risk earning the ire of cultivators for serving them something potentially wonderful but also potentially horrible, shops ended up with this bland set of menu that became the ¡®cultivator¡¯s standard menu¡¯. Inoffensive, that cultivators would say it¡¯s not great, but not bad enough to cause the restaurant trouble.


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    ¡°So, Agnia, how was it in Lakeshore?¡± Tundra asked, and he could see the Core Disciple shifting uncomfortably in her seat.


    ¡°What do you mean, Sect Master?¡± Agnia asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here for a few years since we participated in the power battle with the Amberblade family. What do you think of the place, and your opponents?¡±


    Agnia paused, and wondered whether this was a review of the sequence of events. ¡°The Amberblade family, without the patriarch, is really nothing much. Even now, they are spending all their resources to heal the patriarch¡¯s wounds. This weakness allowed both the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect to increase its influence over the young master. I just didn¡¯t think they would go so far as setting up a formation to trap us.¡±


    ¡°That formation was still quite terrifying. This disciple is thankful for the lightning-resistance pill.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t need to say she would¡¯ve died. She didn¡¯t know, after all. To her, this is her reality, and the prospect of death was unlikely. The formation hurt her, but the resistance pill meant it did not destroy her flesh.


    Tundra nodded, and remembered that in his version of the future, about two to three thousand years from now, the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect were assimilated into the Verdant Snow Great Sect. They were the hegemon of the region, and almost all the ¡®competitor¡¯ sects were absorbed or destroyed. Those that didn¡¯t were all allied or subordinate sects who knew better than to oppose his rule.


    He was in the 9th or 10th realm then, and in the eyes of many, he may as well be a god. His elders, trained from all over the region, were in the 8th and 9th realm, and were proper powerhouses that shook the earth everywhere they went.


    The regressor looked at Agnia, and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the Blood Blade Sect¡¯s 2nd most powerful formation, and the only one that¡¯s somewhat discreet, due to its diffused energy patterns.¡±


    Agnia, being a cultivation focused cultivator, immediately asked. ¡°What¡¯s the most powerful?¡±


    ¡°Their home defense, the Blood Blade Defensive Sealing Formation. Good enough to stop 6th realm cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Agnia exclaimed, while Celestia nodded.


    Of course, every formation has some weakness. In the Blood Blade Defensive Sealing Formation, its weakness was the ¡®gate¡¯. It had a gate that needed to be protected, but this was a secret the Blood Blade Sect kept very, very well, that only its master and Formation Elder knew.


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Our Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s formation is a similar type of formation, though ours can handle up to the 7th realm.¡±


    It was an expensive formation, proposed by his own master. They commissioned a formation master from one of the Great Sects, Misty Mountain Great Abode, to make it, and paid a fortune. Tundra remembered that the construction of that defensive formation almost bankrupted the entire Verdant Snow Sect.


    He was an elder then, working all day and night in the workshop, producing pill after pill for years, just to rebuild their coffers.


    Agnia nodded in admiration.


    Tundra then looked at Celestia, and back at Agnia. There was a part of his question that went unanswered. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion of this city, and the area of Lakeshore?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Agnia said. ¡°A little boring. I spend most of my time meditating and cultivating the wood energies, but it is quite cumbersome to transmute the wood energies into fire energy before absorption.¡±


    The Sect Master nodded.


    Transmutation of natural energies, or some called it form changing of the energies. required concentration. From a single mote of wood energy, depending on the cultivation method, it is possible to change wood to up to six fire energies. But this process was a laborious one, and the time spent meant it¡¯s usually better to directly cultivate the correct energy type.


    Of the five essential energies, it all formed a loop.


    Wood to Fire, Fire to Earth, Earth to Metal, Metal to Water, and Water to Wood. This was the constructive loop, and each transmutation from one to another, created more out of less.


    It is therefore possible, with the right cultivation method that could perform all the basic types of elemental transmutation, to make something out of almost nothing.


    This was, in a way, the essence of a cultivation chamber. Naturally. It is time consuming. Time is the price a cultivator pays to grow. Time is the cultivator¡¯s real race. A cultivator races to ascend a realm before time catches up with him.


    Agnia looked at the Sect Master, wondering whether she misspoke. Celestia naturally noticed her worried experience, because Tundra didn¡¯t say a word beyond nodding, so Celestia spoke. ¡°I quite like this place. I believe I¡¯ll remember that old flower seller for some time.¡±


    His wife¡¯s answer snapped Tundra out of his thoughts, and he chuckled. Celestia was probably older than the flower seller, and believed she would remember it for the embarrassment she felt. He looked at Agnia, and smiled. ¡°You did well, disciple Agnia.¡±


    Tundra took out a Wood Ignition Transmutation Pill and gave it to her. ¡°This should make it temporarily easier to transmute wood to fire, but it¡¯ll only work for two to three days. Make it count.¡±


    Agnia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime, you should use the funds made available to you to reinforce our branch office with some defensive equipment. The Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect will try to get back at you.¡±


    ***


    With matters settled, both Celestia and Tundra began their journey home on Tundra¡¯s flying sword that afternoon. She stood behind him, holding his waist.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going as fast.¡± Celestia noticed once they started their journey.


    From high up in the sky, everything looked small. ¡°Did you ever stop to smell the flowers, Celestia?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did today.¡± Celestia blushed slightly as she remembered the three Pastel Tulips still in her spatial ring.


    Tundra briefly didn¡¯t get what she meant, until he remembered the flowers earlier that day. He slowed down a bit more, and looked at the land around them. Here, floating above the lands, the mortal lights were like little fireflies glowing in the distance.


    Most of their surroundings was just darkness, with just a faint afterglow of the moon¡¯s reflections on the trees, waters and hills.


    ¡°In my dream, around the later years, I remembered a time when I was just rushing from place to place, on flying ships and flying swords. War after war, crisis after crisis. I was always in a rush, and I traveled with the fastest flying swords I could get my hands on.¡±


    Celestia smiled. ¡°How fast was that?¡±


    ¡°Sixty times faster. But the energy consumption was- well- something only a pill master at the 9th realm could support feasibly.¡±


    ¡°I see. What¡¯s it like, zooming everywhere like lightning itself?¡± Celestia asked. It sounded exhilarating.


    ¡°Nothing. Everything is a blur, just a process of getting from destination to destination. A flying sword was nothing more than a thing I used between battles¡± Tundra said wistfully, thinking about how, somewhere along the way, the joy of flying was lost. It was his childhood dream, when he first grew up under the previous Sect Master, to fly on a flying sword.


    Back then, it sounded like a great, wonderful thing to do.


    He tried to remember that.


    Celestia¡¯s arms grabbed Tundra¡¯s body, hugging him from the back. ¡°That does sound like something you¡¯d do. Always on a rush, always getting somewhere, doing something.¡±


    He touched her hand. It was cold, although the flying sword itself emitted a small barrier to protect its user from the winds of travel, but it did not stop the cold. Those that provided a controlled environment were of a higher grade.


    Tundra thought about what he said, a few days ago at the inn. He didn¡¯t get an answer then. ¡°A few days ago in the inn, I said I¡¯d like to have children with you, Celestia. Would you be willing?¡±


    Celestia turned beet red at the question.


    Tundra waited. It was a difficult question, and he wouldn¡¯t force her.


    It was true that wives were expected to do the deed.


    Bear children, and create descendants. In most cases, the men took the lead, driven by their own desires. But Tundra was too busy, and though he did have desires, his sense of duty and ambition often took him places away from his family.


    Often, for Elly, Marin, and even his earlier wives, they were the ones who took the lead to make children. Part of it, family pressure, and the other, was their own. At some point, his wives doubted their own value when their husband didn¡¯t spend time doing what a man and a woman should do as a married couple. Society expected them to.


    He felt sorry for treating them that way. Even if they were married out of politics and obligation, it was unfair of him to subject them to that sort of treatment.


    He looked back at his wife.


    Celestia eventually nodded. ¡°I would like to, but I don¡¯t think I am ready. I don¡¯t think- I don¡¯t think the extended family is ready.¡±


    Tundra nodded. Celestia¡¯s child will be thrust into a world of family politics, and that was something he needed to solve. He needed to cool down the subtle stressors between the various sub-branches of his family.


    The regressor¡¯s eyes darted around and admired the world around them from high above.  ¡°I understand. I will wait, and I will do my best to get the family ready to welcome you and our future child.¡±


    Their eyes met, and eventually, She answered. ¡°Okay.¡± It was a topic that made her feel strange emotions, and she needed time to process it.


    Tundra held her hands. ¡°Please wait for me, Celestia. I promise I will not make you wait too long.¡±


    Yet, as the words left his lips, it suddenly felt like there was a mild pain in his soul. Memories of his previous life came back, as he remembered a similar scene.


    A promise to a Celestia of the different life. Tundra promised to cure her of the Zuja worm in her body, only to have her vanish before he delivered on his promise.


    Even now, with Celestia right next to him, those memories of his broken promise to a different Celestia still stung.


    It was as if Tundra was momentarily transported back to that time, when Celestia told him about the Zuja¡¯s Infestation in her soul. He remembered the grotesque, corrupted Celestia that he fought.


    He looked at the beautiful scenery from his flying sword, and felt regret. What other broken promises did he have?


    Celestia didn¡¯t know that, of course. Instead, she buried her reddened face into his back, embarrassed at the talk about children.

 Chapter 12. Internal Affairs

    2 months after regression


    ¡°Edison, what do you think?¡± Tundra said, as the Verdant Snow Sect welcomed the messenger from the Blood Blade Sect.


    Edison shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to do when he, Anna, and Larian, the three eldest of their own sub-branches of the family, were asked to sit in the receiving hall, just one platform below the Sect Master. Tundra did tell them that they needed exposure. He wasn¡¯t expecting to be giving opinions when there were messengers from enemy sects!


    The messenger from the Blood Blade Sect naturally came to bargain for the fate of their Formation Master.


    The messenger had demanded that the hostage be released, well, with no compensation. Tundra wondered why they were so confident. Tundra¡¯s knowledge of the future didn¡¯t help, because this was a sequence of events that did not occur. He¡¯d send another core disciple out on an investigative trip.


    As for the messenger¡¯s demand, it was so preposterous that Tundra would turn it down. But, he¡¯d milk it for training, and so looked at his children, and decided to let them speak.


    His wives were in the audience, and his three elders were immediately next to him. The platform comprised three levels. On the highest level was where the Sect Master sat, and was flanked by his elders. On the middle level, three children, seated to his left, and three core disciples, seated to his right. On the lowest level, it was currently empty.


    Edison stammered. He could talk, but when put under the spotlight, in the receiving halls of the Verdant Snow Sect, the pressure and atmosphere was different. ¡°I think- I think we should not accept it. They can¡¯t just come in and demand we release a prisoner.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°I do agree. Messenger, even my son thinks it¡¯s unreasonable. Surely, you can do better than demand us to release a prisoner? Not even a pill? I¡¯d let the hostage know that your sect isn¡¯t even willing to part with their treasures to save her.¡±


    The messenger raised his voice. ¡°Sect Master Fox, don¡¯t presume that we are afraid of you. If you release our formation elder, the Blood Blade Sect is willing to agree to a truce.¡±


    Tundra laughed, and then looked at Anna. ¡°Anna, what do you think about this truce? Do you think it¡¯s worth it to release a prisoner when they are already weakened?¡±


    Anna naturally noticed the leading question. ¡°No, father. They have no bargaining power.¡±


    The messenger¡¯s face was angry. ¡°The Verdant Snow Sect has grown arrogant-¡±


    ¡°Arrogant?¡± Tundra chuckled. ¡°Core Disciple Yavin. Do you believe we are arrogant?¡±


    Yavin Redaxe clasped his hand and stood. ¡°No, Sect Master. It is merely a statement of fact. The sect master of the Blood Blade Sect is only in the peak of the 5th realm, by all measures, we are stronger.¡±


    Sect Master Tundra laughed. ¡°See, Messenger. Even my disciples know the difference between heaven and earth. Surely, the Sect Master of the Blood Blade Sect knows the difference too!¡±


    The messenger frowned.


    Tundra glared at the messenger. ¡°Messenger, as you are merely a messenger, I shall overlook your offense today. Instead, I ask you to tell your employer this. ¡®Your formation master is currently well taken care of, her limbs are intact, and her cultivation untouched. I cannot guarantee her condition will remain this way. The conditions she is in, when we return her to the Blood Blade Sect, will depend on the compensation provided. Please decide wisely.¡±


    The messenger¡¯s eyes looked bloodshot. ¡°You! You claim to be an orthodox sect?!¡±


    Tundra laughed, and his aura slammed into the messenger. He paled immediately. ¡°Messenger, behave. We are a righteous sect, we will not do things that would sully her honor. We observe the rules for prisoners, as a righteous sect should. But as a prisoner, her condition is at our liberty.¡±


    The Verdant Snow Sect was always a righteous sect. Orthodox, as the Imperial Empire calls it. This meant that even if a sect engaged in battle, it would not perform actions that tarnished the personal honor of both men and women. Torture and interrogation of prisoners were allowed, but acts involving tainting their honor were not. Rape, kidnapping of defenseless children, murder of mortals were things a righteous sect tried it¡¯s best to avoid. A righteous sect is expected to expel any cultivator that performed any of the forbidden actions, and is seen as a just cause for other sects, or even rogue cultivators, to take action to enforce justice.


    In practice, many righteous sects get away with some of the transgressions, particularly against mortals who couldn¡¯t stand up against powerful cultivators.


    ¡°Go. Go before I change my mind.¡± Tundra said, and the messenger ran.


    ***


    The meeting was over, and the attendees left.


    ¡°What do you think father is thinking?¡± Edison said.


    ¡°I believe this is called exposure.¡± Anna countered.


    ¡°I feel like he just embarrassed me publicly!¡± Edison barked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. I thought your explanation went well. You even allowed his setup to rebuke the messenger.¡±


    ¡°He manipulated us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exposure, brother.¡± Anna didn¡¯t know why Edison took it negatively. All this while they wanted a seat at the table, to be treated like family, and now when his father did it, his first reaction was suspicion.


    Anna still had her reservations, after all, decades of neglect do not just fade overnight. But she appreciated the attempt.


    ***


    It was Tundra¡¯s Sect Matters day, and the three elders gathered to discuss what¡¯s happening. Jon was in charge of the Scripture Pavilion, Training, and Internal Affairs. Jashen was the defense and branches elder, in charge of the branch offices. Severian, was the diplomatic and Imperial affair elder. Severian was the one he sent out to meet the other Sects, when he couldn¡¯t do so himself.


    ¡°The Imperial Summons were extended to you, Tundra, I received it on your behalf when you were away.¡± Severian presented the golden-encrusted letter from the Imperial Family.


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    An emissary came, and left as soon as the letter was accepted. They had many other sects to visit.


    Tundra¡¯s memory of the Imperial Summons. It was his first Imperial Summons in a 100 years, and he was summoned to compete in an Imperial Alchemy Contest, and brew a special pill for the Sixteenth Princess of the Imperial family, the Princess Luharl, for her attempt to break through to the 7th realm.


    It was rare for alchemists of the same rank to win, since even alchemists that were a few realms above him would compete, so in his first life, he didn¡¯t especially prepare for the task.


    All he did was go, and do a decent enough pill to satisfy the imperial officials, and leave. There were wars to be fought back home, in his first life. The Verdant Snow Sect was stretched thin back then, and it wasn¡¯t worth it for Tundra to even bother working too hard.


    The summons would happen in a year, and in Tundra¡¯s mind, he thought it¡¯d be a nice time to take his wives on a trip to the city of Princess Luharl, the Sixteenth Princess City of Luharlia.


    That¡¯ll have to wait after the little hunting expedition in Marin¡¯s home grounds.


    He snapped back to the three present, and then took a sense of their cultivation. They all have improved, benefiting from the higher quality pills. Tundra¡¯s pill production speed and qualities were leagues above what it was before. He needed less time, to make much more with less.


    In other words, the Verdant Snow Sect now had a pill master with 10th realm¡¯s worth of experience.


    ¡°How is your cultivation coming along?¡± Tundra asked the group, and then, after thinking about it for a while, admitted. ¡°I intend to break through to the 7th realm in the next six months, but I will have to go on a hunting trip.¡±


    Tundra would likely be stuck in the 7th realm for quite a while, after that, maybe 20 years, unless he obtains some kind of divine-tier relic or material. 7th to 8th would likely take about 100, and 8th to 9th about 300 to 500. 9th to 10th, probably around 1,000 to 2,000 years.


    The speed of his rise would depend on the pills and resources he can get his hands on. His pace would be legendary even amongst those with unique and special opportunities, but in the greater scheme of things, entirely expected. He walked that path before, and a beaten path is infinitely easier than pushing against the unknown.


    The greater headaches are the resource constraints with the much, much smaller sect.


    If there are some secret-


    Tundra paused, and sorted through his memories. There were so many secret realms over the centuries that it was hard to remember which was available at this point in time. In their world of cultivation, few things were uniquely heaven-defying.


    Everything was heaven defying, thus nothing was.


    Almost all 10th realm cultivators devoted centuries to create powerful weapons and artifacts, in their quest to break the 11th realm. In the hands of the 4th or 5th realm, sure, these are heaven-defying, allowing to reach a realm above. But Tundra had seen many of these artifacts and relics, and what was good for the realms below was not enough to reach the apex.


    Severian was the closest to the 6th realm, and declared his intention. Tundra nodded, and stood closer. There was another six to seven weeks before they would need to depart to Marin¡¯s hometown.


    He would help. The hunt in Marin¡¯s hometown would help provide the pills needed to push the three elders to a stronger level.


    ***


    A week later, Nine weeks after regression


    ¡°The young master of the Blackshore family and his two sisters are in Verdant Leaf Town?¡± Tundra said, surprised by the report from the Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe. It didn¡¯t take long for Tundra to get a sense of the plot.


    He then summoned the older children of his family, and the core disciples, along with his wives and elders.


    ¡°Caden Blackshore, and his two sisters Clarissa and Carla Blackshore, are in Verdant Leaf Town.¡±


    The crowd mumbled to themselves. What did the Blackshore family want?


    They were allies. But he didn¡¯t like them much. ¡°The Blackshore family are our allies in Lakeshore, and therefore, when they are here, they are our guests. We are to ensure that they are safe, and well provided for, within reasonable terms.¡±


    The crowd nodded.


    ¡°That said, the Blackshore family itself isn¡¯t a reliable ally. There is a reason why they were always 2nd in Lakeshore. They are greedy, manipulative, and cruel. They are here to advance their interests.¡± Tundra chuckled a little as he said that, and felt those words would work for him, too. He was known as being fairly manipulative and cruel to his enemies.


    He looked at his children.


    ¡°Their target is our family.¡± Tundra said to his children and wives.


    They immediately looked at him, suspicious. ¡°Why?¡±


    Tundra immediately narrated his position, and wondered how his children would react. In truth, tolerating a continuing alliance with the Blackshore family was unpleasant, but would not affect things in the larger scale of things.


    So, he decided internally this was a good chance to get a measure of what his children were made of. ¡°The Blackshore family worries that our alliance with them will erode over time, because we will build up our branch office in Lakeshore, and with our sect¡¯s resources, we would be able to take over as the main force in Lakeshore. When that happens, we no longer need them, and they will have no bargaining power. In the past, the old Blackshore and Amberblade families agreed never to let outsiders establish a foothold in their city, for this very reason.¡±


    The regressor observed his children, paying special attention to their reaction. Some of them seemed to get it, some looked lost. Knowledge is one, what they would do with it, is another.


    ¡°They are here now, because their patriarch clearly realized the dangers of this alliance, and now wants to tie themselves to our family, making them a part of the extended family. It¡¯s for that reason the two daughters are here.¡±


    He noticed some of the sons looked greedy and lustful. To some extent, he suspected that part came from him. He after all had six wives, who was he to talk about self-control when it came to wives?


    ¡°Edison. Larian. Anna. The three of you, as the eldest of the Fox family, will be responsible for managing our guests from far away.¡± Both Edison and Larian already have one wife, so Tundra believed they would be less likely to fall for their feminine charms. ¡°As the eldest of your generation, it is appropriate for you to deal with your peers. I task the three of you to be the hosts.¡±


    All three of them frowned. The idea of working with their half-siblings didn¡¯t really appeal to them.


    Anna immediately asked. ¡°Father, what is your intention? Do you want them to leave? What is a successful outcome?¡±


    Tundra rubbed his chin, and smiled. It was a good question. ¡°If they leave happy, without successfully seducing any of our family, that is the best outcome, because we want to usurp control over Lakeshore.¡±


    Anna frowned. ¡°Father, if they know this, won¡¯t they kick us out?¡±


    ¡°They can. But they have seriously offended the Yellow Cloud and Blood Blade Sect over the past few years. Their fates are tied to us, even if they don¡¯t want to. Without us supporting them, only death awaits them, and Amberblade will regain it¡¯s prime position.¡± Tundra explained.


    In terms of political issues, this was really easy. Inconsequential. All they need to do is play the good host, and not fall for their trap.


    Edison looked at his father, struggling to understand why it was even necessary to accommodate these guests. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just wipe out the Blackshore family?¡±


    Tundra was genuinely pleased at Edison¡¯s question. He also noticed some of the other members of the family surprised at the cruelty of Edison¡¯s question. ¡°Good question, Edison. I thought about it. With both Blackshore and Amberblade out of the way, we¡¯d be able to walk in unfettered. We can destroy them easily, but administering a city and rebuilding it from scratch is harder than taking it. Both families are deeply intertwined with the businesses of Lakeshore, and we¡¯d spent decades in loss before Lakeshore became economically productive again.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we?¡± Edison countered. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better in the long term?¡±


    ¡°If we are rich and powerful, certainly. At the moment, our resources are limited. If we were a bigger sect, with more people, we could deploy 20 disciples in Lakeshore to maintain a strong presence. For now, there is historical legitimacy for the Blackshore to remain in charge.¡±


    As it is, Agnia was only supported by a small group of servants, and three outer disciples.


    Tundra continued to observe the reactions of his family. It was clear some of them were thinking about it.


    ¡°Alright, that is all. Edison, Anna, Larian, I leave the matter of the Blackshore family in your hands.¡±

 Chapter 13. Before the Trip

    ¡°Father has agreed to make adjustments to the guest room. It will accommodate all of us.¡± Marin said as Tundra gathered his wives for their nightly cultivation sessions. He presumed that was because the message dove arrived just early that day. It took a few days for messages to reach each other through the messaging birds.


    ¡°That is great, Marin.¡± Tundra said, and smiled at his wife. He felt his wife seemingly recoil in suspicion.


    Marin was the most defensive of his three wives. Her reaction to his attempts for intimacy was most pronounced, and he decided to just let it go. In his mind, Marin needed time, and hoped that the trip back to her hometown would allow her the space needed to gain acceptance to her new situation.


    He hoped to share a life with his wives, something he didn¡¯t manage to do in his earlier life. But suspicion is expected, especially when the change is so radical.


    At first, Tundra thought of trying harder, but then again, he already had success with Celestia and Elly, to some degree. So, he decided it wasn¡¯t necessary to keep ¡®pressuring¡¯ Marin. He would leave the door open, and let her decide for herself whether she would want to join him.


    There was a saying among mortals, happiness can¡¯t be forced. Of course, there¡¯s also a saying that happiness and love needs hard work.


    None of the elders would join the trip to the Dragon Earthspine Mountains in the next few weeks, as someone needed to stay back in the Sect, just in case someone attempted to rescue the hostage.


    Anna, Larian and Edison had to stay back as well, because they were tasked with handling the Blackshore family.


    Tundra would take four core disciples and about fifteen disciples with him on this trip, and quite a few family members.


    ***


    The Fox family home was located in a standalone building within the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s main quarters. There were many buildings, each built at a different time, and the Fox family¡¯s wealth, at least to mere mortals, seemed endless.


    Unlike mortals who tended to use coinage as their regular form of currency, cultivators traded in objects of power. Cultivators traded in resources, materials. The concept of currency in the form of spirit stones or crystals is just one of the means of exchange, though it is the most common one.


    An alchemist¡¯s pill can be a form of payment. A formation master¡¯s formation is a form of payment. A crafter¡¯s weapon is a form of payment. Trade of services, and matching of skills is such a necessity that it supports the existence of focused trading guilds, such as the Silverhalls Company.


    The  world with cultivators has a sort of ¡®two-tier¡¯ economy. A market for mortals, which transacted in coins, and is fairly uniform throughout the world, and a market for cultivators which is significantly fragmented due to the relatively lower volume of transactions, intermediated by the guilds. Mortals occasionally required the assistance of cultivators, and vice versa, though cultivators often extract a tax, a glorified protection fee, from the mortals living in its lands, as a means to fund it¡¯s mortal needs.


    The Verdant Snow Sect, accordingly, collects taxes from the Verdant Leaf Town, as its de facto owner and controller. A nominal sum, based on the number of heads, is then paid to the Imperial Family far away. It¡¯s a token sum, since the Imperial Family doesn¡¯t really want to offend or oppress it¡¯s supporter sects. From the collected coinage, the Verdant Snow sect pays its employees, its servants, the Fox Family, its disciples. The amount given to each of them is a massive sum, in mortal terms, which is why many mortal families wish that their children could be a disciple of a sect.


    Cultivators, then, need a space to store the coinage and resources they extracted. Most families store it in a safe of some kind.


    In the case of the Verdant Snow Sect, there was a Treasure Room, secured with formations. Treasure rooms were one of the formations most cultivators actually learned, since protecting one¡¯s own treasures was a highly useful skill.


    Edison, the young master, looked at a set of reports on the Blackshore family¡¯s purchases in Verdant Leaf Town.


    ¡°Do you think father¡¯s setting us up to fail?¡± Edison asked, as he then passed the report to Anna. Larian didn¡¯t look interested, but Anna took the booklet and quickly skimmed through the report.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Anna said. ¡°This is father¡¯s attempt to give us duties, and he¡¯ll see how we grow.¡±


    ¡°Then why give it to the three of us? He wants us to fight each other?¡±


    Anna thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Yes. I think he wants to see whether we can work together. I heard of such methods, used in Sects where their elders would pair disciples that don¡¯t get along together.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s testing us.¡± Edison frowned.


    Anna thought about it for a moment, and decided to just agree. ¡°Yes. This is also a test. It was obvious, was it not?¡±


    ¡°The question then, is do we want to pass the test, or do we want to fail it?¡±


    The eldest daughter looked at her half-brother. Larian, the other half-brother and the actual oldest male son of Tundra Fox, didn¡¯t look too interested, and answered bluntly. ¡°We pass, naturally.¡±


    Edison shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s too simple! If we pass, we are going along with our father''s plan. Do we want that?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Larian asked.


    Anna added. ¡°Actually, I do agree with Larian. Why not? Now¡¯s not the time to pull a trick, Edison. What do you prove by doing so?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m not going to go with whatever schemes he has?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just cutting off one¡¯s nose to spite one¡¯s face.¡± Anna added. ¡°I don¡¯t think father cares that much if we fail, but that we try. It¡¯s a test, naturally he has considered the likelihood of failure and considered it within his tolerance.¡±


    Edison frowned.


    Anna sighed.


    Edison was hateful. Angry. His response to Tundra¡¯s attempts to help was suspicion.


    ¡°You would have preferred that he ignored you as he always had?¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯ll make it easier for me to hate him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hating him for the sake of it.¡±


    ¡°No. I hate him because he is playing with us. He just goes about and does his sect stuff-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t count what he did as abandoning us, though.¡± Larian suddenly said. ¡°Father is a high ranked cultivator. Cultivators are like that. They go off on a whim, go on century long missions and assignments, cultivate in seclusion for decades. Father¡¯s- well, father¡¯s doing what cultivators do.¡±


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    Anna looked at the eldest son, and chuckled. ¡°You really don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s expected? Maybe you¡¯ve grown up under a different environment-¡± Larian spoke as if it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world.


    ¡°Grandfather doesn¡¯t do that.¡± Edison countered. ¡°I don¡¯t do that to my children.¡±


    Larian shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest. You do what you want, Edison.¡±


    Anna watched as the eldest male son left. Larian wasn¡¯t very strong, only in the high 2nd realms, and like Anna and Edison, married. Anna looked back at Edison. ¡°What kind of father do you think you are?¡±


    Edison had two kids of his own, just like how Anna has a daughter.


    Edison looked at Anna. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°You say father¡¯s abandoned us. Do your kids think you¡¯ve abandoned them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But do you think your kids would rather be in your place, or where they are now?¡± Anna countered. Power, resources, or time? There was ultimately a trade off somewhere. A parent with limited resources had to prioritize.


    Edison glared at Anna. ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m incompetent?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not-¡± Anna countered, but realized arguing wasn¡¯t going to help. ¡°Eh. This is going nowhere. I¡¯ll leave and get some rest too.¡±


    Edison fumed alone.


    ***


    Clarissa Blackshore found Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s hometown to be underwhelming. It was a fact that Verdant Leaf Town was just a town, and not a city. There were some luxuries designed to meet the demands of Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s disciples, and the few smaller cultivation families that made their home in the Verdant Leaf Town.


    Most of these families have children that were disciples of the Verdant Snow Sect.


    Lakeshore wasn¡¯t that much better, but Clarissa and Clara both felt it was like going from one backwater town to another. Partly, she thought a sect like the Verdant Snow, with a 6th realm sect master, would have a vibrant city at its doorstep.


    Father seems to think that the Verdant Snow Sect is a sect that¡¯s in ascendance, and so it is in their best interest to curry favor. Father was rarely wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Clara said, as she adjusted her dress. They were both fairly young as cultivators go, but less than fifty years old, and already in the mid 2nd realms. This, according to their father, was their prime age.


    Being in the mid 2nd realms were respectable for someone that came from small, city level families. There were hired servants that started to decorate their new home, and it would be their new home for a while. Courtship was not an overnight affair, and both their parents were shrewd enough to teach them a thing or two.


    The Blackshore family survived the centuries by having many, many daughters, and the daughters themselves were then often married to promising cultivators or potential allies, to shore up their position.


    ¡°Bored?¡± Clarissa frowned. The servants placed a simple painting on the freshly repainted wall. The furniture was new, and the bed was new as well.


    Father intended that this home be a branch office of sorts, for the Blackshore family to conduct its dealings with the Verdant Snow Sect. It would create opportunities for them, and strangely, the Sect didn¡¯t seem to oppose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like any of the guys we met.¡± Clara frowned. ¡°They¡¯re all boring and they all remind me of Caden.¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking about me?¡± Caden Blackshore walked into the room, and frowned.


    Clara rolled her eyes, but not before she somehow adjusted her posture and bowed respectfully. ¡°Elder brother.¡±


    Caden stared at Clara. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    Clarissa chucked, and followed with a similarly respectful bow. ¡°Elder brother, I believe Clara just said that the descendants of Sect Master Fox reminded her of you.¡±


    Clara stared at her sister murderously. She didn¡¯t say anything more, but Clarissa merely smirked, pleased with herself.


    ¡°Oh, really? Do enlighten me on the ways we are similar, my dearest younger sister.¡±


    Clara bowed, rolled her eyes again, and then merely smiled. ¡°They are as charming as my elder brother.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Caden chuckled. ¡°Then you do not oppose marrying them?¡±


    Clara continued to bow and answered. ¡°Oh, it is because they are as charming as my elder brother that I find them lacking. When I see them, I cannot help but think of you. Lesser versions of you.¡±


    Caden¡¯s laughter turned into a guffaw, as he found that genuinely amusing. ¡°Words you better not speak beyond our new home, young sister.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare be so impolite.¡± Clara countered.


    Clarissa sneered.


    ¡°I hear that a delegation will be visiting the Dragon Earthspine Mountains. That may be our chance to catch our targets without the watchful eye of the Patriarch.¡±


    Clara and Clarissa glanced at each other. Clara was quick to bow. ¡°Elder Brother¡¯s network is indeed incredible. This one will try her best.¡±


    The young master laughed. ¡°Have you not met any of them at the drinking parlors in this city?¡±


    Clara frowned. ¡°I have. Once.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°They already have their favorites.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me you can¡¯t compete with parlor whores?¡± Caden frowned.


    Clarissa chuckled. ¡°Well, someone like our dear Clara surely can¡¯t compete.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the servants to look out for any visits by the Fox family descendants. If there is, I want the two of you to rush there and make yourself useful!¡±


    Caden couldn¡¯t see Clara and Clarissa both frown, but they answered obediently. ¡°As you command, elder brother.¡±


    ***


    Four months after regression


    A few weeks passed, as Tundra focused on consolidating the cultivation of his elders and his wives. He made pills, hunted spirit beasts in the nearby area, and provided guidance to his children.


    The three children of the Blackshore family didn¡¯t attempt anything unusual during this time, partly because both his children and the three visitors did their best to behave when he was around.


    They were new in town, and Caden Blackshore was at least smart enough to learn the lay of the land before attempting anything beyond friendly, normal meetups.  His children met them, and guided them to settle in one of the many privately owned dwellings in Verdant Leaf Town. They bought a place, and from what he heard from his Core Disciples, began to study the family members, just as his family members studied them.


    The daughters of the Blackshore family were slowly setting the groundwork for a seduction. Despite their less than good intentions, Tundra was fairly amused with the two daughters, and thought that the daughters themselves would be rather good additions to his extended family. They seemed to know their role, and for a bit, reminded him of both Elly and Marin.


    He wondered what it¡¯ll be like to have a father in law like the Patriarch Blackshore.


    For now, it was an interesting dance between the descendants of the two families, and his three children, the three half-siblings, seemed able to work together. He wasn¡¯t sure whether they¡¯d be able to cooperate when it mattered, or whether their current teamwork was because it¡¯s not yet under stress, no matter.


    He¡¯d let them handle it, and deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. His children should be given opportunities to grow, and he can¡¯t be dictating their every action. That was not the kind of parent he wished to be.


    So, it was time to make a trip to Marin¡¯s home town.


    ***


    It was a convoy just a little bit bigger than the one that went to the Mistburn¡¯s lands.


    The Eastheart lands were not far, and they were located in what was pretty much the Verdant Snow¡¯s regional neighborhood. North of the Dragon Earthspine mountains would be the lower regions of the Lakeshore Barrens.


    Marin sat next to Tundra, but he could feel she seemed reserved. He detected an undercurrent of nervousness.


    He looked at Elly, seated opposite him, and Celestia who was next to Elly. They were both quietly resting, as the wagon took them ever closer to the mountains.


    ¡°Marin.¡± Tundra decided to break the facts. ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    He told her that he made a pill for her father, just like he did for Elly¡¯s father. Tundra did it to appear fair. He did not want Marin to think he was being unfair to her by not giving her father a pill.


    But from what Marin explained, her father¡¯s problems were something that a pill couldn¡¯t really fix. There was a long-standing deviation in her father¡¯s cultivation since his youth, and that forever doomed him to the peak of the 4th realm.


    The pill should help paper over some of the struggles of his deviation, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to push him to the 5th. He¡¯d have to redo his cultivation. If the deviation originated at the 2nd realm, he would have to drop himself down to the 1st realm, and then start over.


    But that was a risk, because his aging will resume if he did so. A young man can retry many times before time catches up. An older man fights against the weight of time and fate.


    Marin feigned toughness. ¡°Yes. Everything is fine.¡±


    Tundra nodded. He¡¯d like to meet her parents, and understand them a little bit better. Perhaps, through her family, he¡¯d be able to understand Marin¡¯s reluctance a lot more.


    ***

 Chapter 14. The Dragon Earthspine Mountains

    ¡°Welcome!¡± Patriarch Gordon Eastheart stood as the wagons arrived.


    Tundra stepped out first, and held the hands of the Patriarch that came to greet him. He was a large man, bulky, filled with muscles and strong. It was as if he was carved out of the Earth itself, a man that looked like a muscular golem made for brawls.


    ¡°Greetings, father-in-law.¡± Tundra said with a smile. ¡°It is nice to see you after so long.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed.¡± Gordon answered. ¡°Come, come. I heard from Marin that you¡¯re here to help us with our pest issue.¡±


    Tundra nodded, a little amused that Gordon went to that topic even before they reached the reception hall. ¡°Yes, I brought along some of the disciples and my other children, and hoped to make it a learning experience for them all. I hope our presence does not trouble you too much.¡±


    Gordon nodded in approval. ¡°It is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Anything I should know about these beasts?¡±


    Gordon looked around, as if wondering whether anyone was eavesdropping. Tundra found it funny, because everyone was trying to listen in on the two leader¡¯s conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s speak elsewhere.¡±


    Gordon led the way as the two arrived in a private dining room, just for the two of them, while the rest of the family and the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s disciples dined in a much larger dining room.


    ¡°We detected signs that the realm of the spirit beast in the Mountains may not be what you think it is.¡±


    Tundra sipped the porcelain cup, and allowed the rice wine to swirl in his mouth as he digested the information. The cities and towns of the Eastheart family have formations that protect them, and these should be good for spirit beasts up to the 5th realm. Even if a 5th realm beast did attack, it wouldn¡¯t be an assured loss.


    In other words, Patriarch Gordon Eastheart suggested that the threat may be something in the 5th realm. If so, this wasn¡¯t a problem they could put off forever. Tundra tried to remember whether there was any news about the Eastheart family. He vaguely recalled they moved to Verdant Leaf, but that was after Marin passed away due to old age.


    Was it because of the monsters?


    He cursed how so many things were imperfectly remembered, especially matters that he felt were trivial.


    ¡°I will have a look, father-in-law.¡± Tundra offered. If anything, he should be able to locate the beasts. His senses were the sharpest here, honed over 10,000 years.


    Gordon nodded sternly. ¡°Move carefully.¡±


    ¡°I will leave tonight.¡±


    ¡°If there is anything you would need, let my servants know. I will have them arranged.¡± Patriarch Gordon answered.


    Tundra nodded.


    The patriarch clapped, and then the door swung open. The silencing formation was dispelled at that moment, and servants, all carrying food that was already ready, marched in. There was too much food for the two of them.


    Tundra decided to ask more casual, less serious subjects.


    ¡°How¡¯ve you been, father in law?¡±


    Patriarch Gordon Eastheart downed his cup. ¡°For most parts, good. Could be better, of course.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°That is good to hear. It¡¯s been many years since Marin came home. She seemed happy, though I¡¯m not sure what she thinks, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Just tell her to tell you, then.¡±


    Tundra smiled. ¡°If wives were so easy.¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡± The Patriarch flashed a rare smile. ¡°The father is the father, the husband is the husband. We act according to our roles, and my daughter has been drilled well to act in accordance with her role. As your wife. If you ask, she will speak of it. If you do not, she will not speak of it. My daughter knows her place.¡±


    The regressor picked up his cup of rice wine and sipped it again. It was likely made and milled from some of the mountainous variants found in this area. He looked at the father of his wife, and felt a clue hidden in those words.


    The role of a wife. How Marin knows her place.


    Tundra tried to reconcile those words with the woman that was his 5th wife. In many ways, Marin was indeed dutiful. They had children. She was polite, for most part, and acted the role of a wife. Duty.


    She did it out of duty. Tundra closed his eyes, and bowed gently. ¡°Thank you for your advice, father in law. I should speak to her.¡±


    The father nodded. ¡°She will listen. She wouldn¡¯t bring shame to her family.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ***


    ¡°This is my eldest son and the heir to the Eastheart family, Milton Eastheart. Greet your brother-in-law, Milton.¡± The patriarch summoned the heir to the private room later on.


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    Milton bowed, as deeply as he could. Tundra took a measure of the skinny man, and noticed he was barely in the 4th realm. He wasn¡¯t in the 4th realm when they married, but as far as he could remember, the heir of the Eastheart family didn¡¯t leave any strong impression. Tundra nodded diplomatically. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I last saw you, brother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, brother-in-law.¡± Milton said, and strained himself to continue the sentence. The trio sat in a beautiful table, but Tundra immediately noticed how the wives were all still seated on a different table, outside.


    In the world of cultivation, there were still differences in how genders were treated. Males were commonly associated with yang-energy, and females with yin-energy, though variations and exceptions existed all the time.


    However, this generalization affected how society developed.


    In places where there is a proliferation of the yang-variant energies, societies tended to be strongly patriarchal. The yang energies were more likely to make the men strong, and so, their place in that society reflected it.


    In places where yin variant energies were stronger, the females generally were stronger, and so matriarchal societies tended to emerge. In places where there was a general balance of both the yin and yang energies, commonly referred to the neutral areas, societies were generally more equal in terms of gender roles.


    ¡°So, how are you adapting to the role of the heir?¡± Tundra decided to open the conversation with something more casual.


    Milton tensed up, before answering. ¡°I am adapting, brother-in-law.¡±


    Tundra saw Marin glance over at their table, but when Tundra smiled at her, she immediately turned away. ¡°I see. What do you think of the pests?¡±


    Milton nodded. ¡°They are persistent and they harass our miners. We¡¯ve deployed guards to protect our caravans, but some of the mines are still inaccessible due to the pests.¡±


    It¡¯s likely some of the spirit beasts have turned the mines into their nest, and entering a spirit beast nest is a dangerous affair, especially if unprepared. He would need his three wives and some of the Core Disciples to assist him. The Core Disciples were all in the 4th realm, and they should be able to hold off some of the lesser spirit beasts while he dealt with the stronger ones.


    ¡°I see. Have you tried exploring the mines?¡±


    Milton paled, and shook his head. ¡°No. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    At that point, Tundra looked at the patriarch. ¡°Would any of your men assist us in this pest-hunt?¡±


    Patriarch Eastheart shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid my men are already tied up protecting our caravans, towns and cities. We are quite stretched.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. They¡¯ve settled in this stable situation, playing the defensive game. If there was a surge or an outbreak, it¡¯s likely they would be pushed out.


    The rest of the dinner was mostly pleasantries, though Tundra soon learned that Marin funneled resources back to their family, in order to help Milton ascend to the fourth realm. It seemed that was an expectation placed on Marin as part of the marriage.


    It was her duty, her role as daughter.


    ***


    ¡°This is the room, Lord Tundra.¡± The servant girl bowed, and presented the room to Tundra and his wives. There were not many modifications, though the bed was larger. Twice as large, actually, as if two beds were joined into one.


    Marin, Celestia and Elly all followed. Marin looked around, and sighed. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s not the worst idea my parents could come up with.¡±


    Tundra looked at the servant girl. ¡°Would you be able to get us some tea, and some desserts?¡±


    The servant girl nodded. ¡°At once, milord.¡± She zoomed out of the guest quarters..


    The three wives placed their own personal belongings on their own separate tables. There were three dressing tables, and one larger work table. It was, for most part, a private residence with multiple little areas. A work area, a changing area, a cultivation corner. It possessed the almost standard design commonly seen in wealthy cultivator families all over the continent.


    He decided to sit at the tea area, and waited,


    The servant maid returned with three others, each carrying a tray of food. There was enough fruits to serve twenty, and three pots of tea, each with a different type of tea.


    The Patriarch clearly told them to go all out.


    But once they left, and all the refreshments were on the table, Tundra sat.


    ¡°I spoke to your father, Marin.¡±


    Marin, who was still sorting through her belongings, tensed briefly. She straightened herself, and turned to face Tundra. ¡°How did it go, husband?¡±


    Celestia and Elly glanced at each other, and then at Tundra. Tundra merely shrugged. ¡°It went as well as I expected. I have not yet given our gift. Would you like to do it?¡±


    Marin paused, as there was a strange expression, as if she was processing the question. After what felt like a few seconds, she shook her head. ¡°It is not right for me to do so. Husband, please give it to him. It will be better that way.¡±


    Celestia and Elly didn¡¯t say a word, instead, they both sat on other seats around the tea table, and began to eat the grapes. The tea table was fairly ornate, made of some kind of darkwood. It was well polished and then lacquered with some kind of dark colored resin. Beautiful stuff, and Tundra reckoned it was of better quality than the one he had in his own room. It was exceptionally smooth, and Tundra picked up the tea. ¡°Very well. I will give it to him later, but first, it appears the issue of the spirit beasts is far more serious than expected.¡±


    Marin grunted, but it wasn¡¯t one of frustration. Instead, Tundra thought it sounded like she expected it.


    ¡°You seem to have expected it?¡±


    Marin didn¡¯t want to answer that. Her facial expression was complicated, as if she had something to say that didn¡¯t. She picked up the blue-and-white porcelain tea cup, and briefly sipped it. ¡°-yes. Father has a tendency of projecting strength.¡±


    Tundra nodded. There was a second sentence unsaid, but he knew. ¡°I will need your assistance, all of you.¡±


    Elly and Celestia nodded, and Elly spoke for the first time since Marin and Tundra started talking. ¡°What will we face?¡±


    The regressor shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but Patriarch Eastheart seems serious about it. I¡¯m expecting a beast in the high fifth, or even the sixth realm. And a nest of some kind. Maybe multiple nests.¡±


    Marin somehow couldn¡¯t hide her frustration. ¡°I should¡¯ve known it¡¯ll be like this.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°No matter, let us help them through this.¡±


    Yet her wife didn¡¯t seem too happy about it. But she didn¡¯t voice it, instead, she merely sipped her tea. Her hands trembled slightly, but enough for Tundra to suspect there¡¯s more to the family relationship between Marin and her family.


    Celestia and Elly clearly picked up on it too, but both wisely chose to keep their mouths sealed.


    Tundra finished his cup of tea, and picked up another. He wondered whether to continue this topic, because it only seemed to irritate his wife. After a brief few seconds of thought, he decided to drop the matter. He told them enough. He¡¯ll make some preliminary surveys later tonight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do some surveys later tonight. Should be fairly brief, but I¡¯d let you know what we face tomorrow, then we can outfit ourselves appropriately.


    Marin nodded. Elly asked. ¡°Will a single night be enough?¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°It should be. We will see. Get some rest, my dearest wives. We will be needing it in a few days.¡±

 Chapter 15. The Mountains

    As the darkness of night came, Tundra stepped out of his room, clothed for combat and mobility. Out with the embroidered robes, and swapped for reinforced, threaded robes. Unnecessary rings and jewelry removed.


    ¡°It must be tonight?¡± Celestia asked. She was awake. She liked to meditate at night, and she was already at the peak of the 4th realm, her need for sleep was less. Tundra nodded.


    ¡°More time to prepare, if the threat is really what I think it is.¡±


    Celestia looked back at the bed. The other two wives looked like they were sleeping, but Tundra knew they were only pretending to sleep. They were too quiet, and their heartbeats too measured. There was a look of genuine concern from his 6th wife, and he smiled. She didn¡¯t seem to accept it, and whispered softly. ¡°Be safe, husband.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°I will be.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t any cultivator, there were changes to his cultivation that cannot be easily measured by his realms. His comprehension of cultivation techniques, effects and structures are significantly more than the old him, and that meant he wasn¡¯t just a 6th realm cultivator. He was more, and it gave him confidence.


    If he acted carefully, there should be very few things that could still harm him in these mountains.


    Celestia sat. ¡°How long will you take?¡±


    ¡°A few hours. I will be back before dawn.¡± Tundra said, turned, and his flying sword appeared. He stepped on it, and then, a cloak of illusionary energy emerged from his body.


    Celestia¡¯s eyes squinted, and Tundra smiled. His wife had never seen him use the [Myriad Appearances] before. He would teach them some other time, when they were in the 5th or 6th realm.


    ***


    The Dragon¡¯s Earthspine mountains was a long chain of mountains, and mostly uninhabited. Mostly, because from Tundra¡¯s senses, he detected a few oddballs that somehow called the mountainous area itself home. In his experience, they could be hidden masters, or just strangely lucky mortals that lived in patches undesired by the spirit beasts and animals.


    It is uninhabited due to the natural earth-elemental energies, which attracted spirit beasts, and caused regular animals and plants to transform into spirit beasts. Coupled with the challenging terrain, it meant most of these lands did not appeal to regular mortals or low-realm cultivators.


    The land, unusually rich in earth energies did have benefits. The Easthearts practiced earth-element cultivation methods, and Marin herself had earth element spirit roots.


    Tundra continued to search the land.


    If there were spirit beasts, they were usually found where these natural energies were strongest. Spirit beasts sought these elemental energies in nature, and lived near them to grow their strength.


    Therefore, following these energies was one way of narrowing down the search areas. But this only worked for normal spirit beasts who were still driven by their base instincts. Intelligent spirit beasts could be anywhere, because their past experiences often changed how they behaved. If the spirit beast here was somewhere in the 5th or 6th realm, it might be possible that they were dealing with an intelligent spirit beast, and that would make things a lot harder for everyone.


    He hoped it wasn¡¯t. It was a shame to slay an intelligent spirit beast. He personally preferred to domesticate or adopt them. Intelligent spirit beasts could even reshape and obtain a human form.


    His senses prowled the mountains from his flying sword, and honed in on the natural energy flows of the mountains. He recalled the location of the mines, as given by the patriarch¡¯s assistant, and mentally overlaid them on the mountains.


    His attention was then drawn to a large, pooling swirl of earth energy. There was a group of spirit beasts there, all in the 3rd realm, and three larger ones in the 4th realm. These were the Earth-Elemental Rockphants, and were unlikely to be the ones that harassed the rest.


    It was not this group.


    The dangerous ones were likely to be in the mines and valleys, were it is easier to hide their presence. He zoomed over the mines, and felt the energies emanating from them.


    The first fifteen mines were all filled with lesser spirit beasts, again, in the 3rd realm, and some in the 4th realm. These were irritating, and could be removed, but not the cause of the problem.


    His luck finally came on the sixteenth mine, located, predictably, next to what was once an old lake. The lake seemed to have dried up long ago, and Tundra¡¯s senses immediately noticed something unusual about the location.


    There were higher concentrates of fire-element energies in the air. The location had both earth and fire element energies in high quantities. The mine itself was also much bigger, much of the earlier tunnels have been widened, somehow.


    From high above, on his flying sword, his senses reached into the mine, and then found the target.


    There was a high fifth realm spirit beast, a mature Queen Scorchedstone Earthworm. There were multiple regular sized Scorchedstone Earthworms, all around the mid to peak 4th realm of strength. Further in,he felt the presence of a hatchery, filled with the infant and larval stage Scorchedstone Earthworms.


    Alright, at least he found one.


    He continued to search the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine mountain, and then to his horror, realized that it was not the only fifth realm spirit beast in the area.


    In another mine further away, there was a place where the earth energies were unusually strong, and somehow, bent by the yin energies. Yang, yin, and neutral or balanced are forms of the natural energies. All in, with the five primary elements, and the three forms, there are fifteen total combinations of energies-form states.


    This mine, located further away, had somehow turned muddy, soft. The Earth Yin energies turned the soil dark, fertile.


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    ¡°Strange.¡± Tundra sat. Earth Yin¡¯s effects could be expressed in a few forms. Some earth-yin locations expressed themselves as sand and dust. This is when the yin aspects were strong, thus it reduced the qualities of the earth. But it is also seen that earth yin is sometimes in the form of dirt and soil, and rather than of sand, it took the shape of fertile soil.


    The line and balance between the earthiness of the elements, and the strength of the aspects, and the presence of other regulating elements, meant any robust analysis of the five elements and the three forms was, in many cases, a full time job requiring weeks of study and many unusual tools.


    Tundra could hazard an educated guess that there was likely some mild water or fire element energies present in the mines.


    That aside, his senses were then drawn to the mid-fifth realm spirit beasts. There were three of them, all in the fifth realm. Three mature Mudstone Gorillas. There were the younger Mudstone Gorillas sleeping in parts of the mine.


    They were drawn here by the Yin Earth, and he suspected that the Gorillas were thus female.


    His senses continued to expand. Mudstone Gorillas were nocturnal, so if there were three female mature Mudstone Gorillas in the mine, there should be a male mature Mudstone Gorilla somewhere nearby.


    Was it out hunting?


    He searched and searched, but found nothing. If it was in the high fifth realm, a Mudstone Gorilla could travel quite far from its home nest. If they struck it now, it¡¯s likely that the male Mudstone Gorilla would return for vengeance.


    An angry fifth realm Mudstone Gorilla wouldn¡¯t hurt him, but Tundra had family here.


    Still, this was enough to mark the location, and time was almost up.


    ***


    Celestia watched her husband leave for the scouting mission, and turned. She sighed, sat on the tea table, and began to brew a pot of tea for herself.


    ¡°Is there something on your mind, Celestia?¡± Elly got up from the bed. None of them were asleep.


    ¡°There may be fifth realm spirit beasts in the mountains. Does that not worry you?¡± Celestia countered.


    Elly looked around, and nodded a bit. ¡°If we were back in Verdant Snow, no. But if you put it that way, yes. I should feel worried.¡± Elly stretched and sat on the seat next to Celestia. ¡°Lemongrass? You like this flavor of tea?!¡±


    Celestia nodded.


    Elly lips twisted in disgust. ¡°Lemongrass tastes horrible. It always reminds me of the toilet back home.¡± Elly brewed herself another pot of tea. She picked another different flavor, an earthy, strong oolong from one of the famous tea mountains.


    Celestia merely smiled. ¡°I¡¯m rather fond of lemongrass. You couldn¡¯t sleep, Lady Mistburn?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but listen in. It¡¯s- it¡¯s a bad habit.¡± Elly said. The tea was still too hot to drink. The leaves should be allowed to simmer for a bit, its flavor needs time.


    ¡°I believe all women are like that.¡± Celestia chuckled. Her tea was still hot, so she gently blew it.


    ¡°I wish we were not so.¡± Elly countered, and then smiled. ¡°But I believe this is the first time the three of us went on a trip together. And we all share the same gigantic bed.¡±


    Celestia looked back at the bed, and then back at Elly. ¡°It¡¯s way too big.¡±


    ¡°My mother said I should try to get along with my fellow co-wives.¡± Elly stated as a matter of fact.


    Celestia didn¡¯t respond. She merely continued to sip her tea. Just a little bit because it¡¯s still hot.


    ¡°I think I can get along with the two of you.¡± Elly stated. ¡°We are all here because of circumstances back home.¡±


    The 6th wife said nothing. It was a complicated topic. Celestia gave pills back to her old sect, more as a form of personal insurance, and she didn¡¯t want to correct Elly on this front. She did genuinely find Tundra trustworthy and capable, and she thought those two points were the most important qualities a partner should have.


    Elly continued. ¡°We all want pretty much the same things. At least, I think we do.¡±


    ¡°What do we want?¡± Celestia asked, just to be sure.


    ¡°We were all political marriages. We¡¯re originally here for the resources and benefits our husband can provide to our families. As long as the division of resources among us is fair to all of us, I do not think we will have much reason to conflict.¡± Elly said. ¡°It is for that reason that I was not jealous of the affections he lavished on you, Celestia.¡±


    Celestia paused, and looked at Elly¡¯s complicated expression. Celestia looked at the woman and wondered whether she truly meant what she said.


    The statement hung in the air for a while.


    The two women sat there, and each sipped their own drink. Marin was probably listening as well.


    ¡°Then, has that changed?¡± Then, Celestia decided to speak her mind.


    The fourth wife sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Emotions are such complicated things, and watching you send Tundra off made me feel-¡± Elly caught herself, and didn¡¯t continue. ¡°-never mind.¡±


    Celestia understood. What was once a simple ¡®business¡¯ transaction, has been tainted. Tundra¡¯s recent desire to form stronger, more intimate and personal connections with them made Elly feel torn. It changed what they were used to. What was ¡®fake¡¯ affection, suddenly didn¡¯t seem so ¡®fake¡¯ anymore.


    Elly changed the topic. ¡°I still hope we can get along.¡±


    Celestia sighed. As cultivators, they don¡¯t talk much to others. Cultivators focus their time studying the cultivation manuals, and cultivating. Both these activities are often measured in months and years. Even Celestia, who spent quite a few years as a wandering cultivator, wasn¡¯t fond of speaking to others.


    Some cultivators like it, and Tundra seemed like the type that enjoyed speaking to others. At least, people that Tundra respected.


    Celestia nodded at Elly. ¡°I certainly hope to get along, Lady Mistburn. I would not like to have conflict with my fellow family members.¡±


    The fourth wife looked relieved. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re family. It- it¡¯s sometimes hard to remember that, when there¡¯s so many branches and it often feels like we are all taking shots at each other.¡±


    At this point, Marin got up.


    Celestia turned and smiled. She somewhat expected it, Marin wasn¡¯t the type to let such things go, and the Lady of the Eastheart family was always a little guarded. ¡°You couldn¡¯t sleep too, Lady Eastheart?¡±


    ¡°The two of you have been talking for a while, how could i?¡±


    Elly grinned. ¡°You just wanted to eavesdrop.¡±


    Marin stared. Glared. Her eyes frowned, as she processed her own response. ¡°Yes. What of it?¡±


    The fourth wife shrugged. ¡°Come join us.¡±


    Marin walked over, and looked at the two different pots of tea. It was a good thing that the tea table was exceptionally large, and could accommodate a third. Marin picked a kind of grassy flower tea instead.


    ¡°Do you disagree with me, Marin?¡± Elly asked. As Elly was the most senior of the three wives, she often referred to the other two by their given names.


    Marin thought for a while. Elly and Celestia sipped their now gently warm tea. Marin then spoke, her eyes looked at Elly. ¡°What got us here was the same, and yes, if the resources are fairly distributed, there is no reason to fight. But what is fair, Lady Mistburn?¡±


    Elly nodded. ¡°That is the crux of it, isn¡¯t it? We two have children, and our family¡¯s needs fluctuate. In times of need, if both sides are in need-¡±


    Marin then dropped the bomb. ¡°But what I desire isn¡¯t the same, Lady Mistburn. I desire power. I always have, even if I didn¡¯t admit it. Even if I previously accepted my fate to be a wife. Now that I¡¯m in the 4th realm, I wonder whether I can reach the peak of the 4th. Not just that, Celestia¡¯s already at the peak, and soon she will be in the 5th realm. I, too, want to reach the 5th realm. Once there, I will be stronger than my family. Then, why do I need to care about what they imposed on me?¡±


    Elly and Celestia both looked at Marin. Celestia merely nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Lady Eastheart, I wish you all the best.¡±

 Chapter 16. On Alchemy

    He returned to the villa quietly, his presence unseen, but as the door opened, his three wives were already waiting for him. The three sat around the tea table, and actually seemed happily talking.


    ¡°Welcome back, husband.¡± Elly wasn¡¯t in her nightgown. None of them were. They must¡¯ve been up for some time.


    Tundra smiled. ¡°Well, were you waiting for me?¡±


    Elly looked at the other two. ¡°Yes. We were.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra was still in the snugly fit attire meant for mobility and movement, and began to change. The hunt was supposed to officially start in three days, but now that Tundra knew what he knew, they¡¯d have to make some changes to the plan. The wildcard was the male Mudstone Gorilla, the alpha of the Spirit Gorilla family. They should only engage the Mudstone Gorillas after Tundra found and defeated the Mudstone Alpha.


    His wives took his robe and accessories, then Elly stepped close, and began to unbuckle his belt. It was a little awkward that three beautiful women helped him with his clothes. Most times he did so himself, but since Elly offered, he wasn¡¯t going to refuse. Tundra looked at Marin, and noticed she smiled at him. He smiled back, and wondered what happened between the ladies last night.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan today, Marin?¡±


    ¡°My father will organize a luncheon for the trip, more drinks, more talks.¡± Marin said while she helped Tundra with the belt across his back.


    Tundra sat down at the tea table, once done. ¡°I see. The matter is a little more serious than your father let on.¡±


    Marin¡¯s scowl was immediate. She quickly adjusted it again, and nodded. ¡°Father tends to do that. How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s two fifth realm nests.¡±


    ¡°Fifth realm nests.¡± Elly squirmed.


    ¡°My first goal will be to locate the alpha Mudstone Gorilla. Once I locate and defeat that spirit beasts, the rest of us can mount an actual attack on the Mudstone Gorilla nest.¡±


    The gorillas, by their nature, are far more mobile, and the lesser Mudstone Gorillas should be the ones causing trouble to the miners of the Eastheart family.


    The Queen Scorchedstone Earthworms are significantly more territorial, and the Queen itself probably never leaves the nest, even as it grows in strength. He¡¯d even heard of 7th realm Scorchedstone Earthworms, but Queens at the seventh realm usually dug nests very deep into the ground and rarely bothered anyone.


    It¡¯s their lesser female Scorchedstone Earthworms, seeking out new places to infest and set up their own nests, that caused problems.


    Out in the wider world, it¡¯s fairly common for cultivators to defeat non-intelligent Spirit beasts one or two realms above them, especially if they were properly equipped with the counterweapons. This is because spirit beasts have familiar habits and routines that could be exploited, known weaknesses, and the variety of their abilities was quite small.


    Intelligent spirit beasts were much harder to defeat across realms, since their own attack patterns varied, and often escaped if threatened.


    Tundra wasn¡¯t too worried about the Scorchedstone Earthworms. With the right elemental protection pills, and the right weaponry, the Earthworms should be a tough but doable target for his core disciples and wives.


    The Mudstone Gorillas were a slightly tougher opponent. Mudstone Gorillas were also known to use tools, and Alphas were known to be fairly crafty. Once they found the alpha, he should be able to eliminate it single-handedly.


    But he¡¯ll need a bait, and so he looked at the strongest of his wives.


    Celestia was in the peak of the 4th realm. Strong enough to cause the Alpha to act, and weak enough that the Alpha wouldn¡¯t avoid her, but instead try to remove her from growing into a threat. Celestia and another of the Core Disciples should be sufficient bait. Perhaps Yavin Redaxe, since he was also fairly close to the peak of the 4th realm.


    Once the 5th realm spirit beasts are removed, only then they will start the actual hunt for the rest of his entourage.


    ***


    Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe was once again selected to join the hunting trip, and he paused when the Sect Master loomed before him. Though there are only two realms of difference between the two, here, in the room with three other core disciples, the Sect Master¡¯s presence overwhelmed them all. He was always ¡®more¡¯.


    Two cultivators of the same realm and same minor stage could feel wildly different, because of differences in the mastery of their cultivation methods. This, as the Sect Master elaborated, was due to the structure of the Spiritual Realm.


    A cultivator forms canals, channels that connect their soul to the other world. This same path, also nourished ¡®structures¡¯, and these structures created effects commonly associated with the various abilities of different cultivation methods. How well that structure is constructed, defines the strength of that ability.


    Yavin looked around, and noticed his peers listening intently. Tundra Fox was an attentive teacher, he lectured to the core disciples frequently, though lately, he began to spend a bit more time with his own children.


    The core disciples didn¡¯t fault that, of course. In the first place, it was quite strange for a sect master to spend so much time with the disciples and none at all with their children, so, this change in the Sect Master was somewhat a relief. Their Sect Master was similar to other Sect masters, after all.


    Still, Yavin did notice the change in the depth and quality of their Sect Master¡¯s lectures. What was once fairly insightful, now seemed to contain experience that he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to explain.


    ¡°Our targets are spirit beasts in the fifth realm, and you will be bait, Disciple Yavin.¡± Tundra said with such authority that it was as good as law. The other three core disciples looked at Yavin with sympathy. Yavin nodded.


    ¡°As you command, Sect Master. I will do what must be done.¡±


    ¡°Both you and Celestia will be bait. Two of you in the peak of the 4th realm will be a sufficient threat that they cannot ignore you. I will be nearby to cover your presence. You will also be given some special pills to improve your earth and fire elemental resistances.¡±


    What else to do but to agree? Yavin nodded.


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    ¡°Meet me later this evening, after dinner, at the Guesthouse¡¯s Courtyard. We will set off and start the hunt. The rest of you will come with me to support the attack and deal with the lesser beasts, if any.¡±


    All the fourth realm cultivators would be required for this part of the attack.


    ¡°As you command.¡± They all answered.


    Sect Master left the room, and the four core disciples look at each other. One of Yavin¡¯s peers, Julia Silverpearl, sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten the short end of the stick once more, senior brother.¡±


    Yavin shrugged. It was fine, as long as the rewards matched the risks. ¡°The sect master wouldn¡¯t risk us unnecessarily. We should go and prepare.¡±


    ***


    Tundra walked alone to a workshop prepared by the Eastheart family. He was a famed pillmaker, and so everywhere he visited, his hosts often prepared an alchemy workshop for him. In return, he¡¯d often present a gift, usually a pill or two to his hosts.


    Earth-element. His findings largely matched his earlier research, and so he withdrew some of his earlier materials.


    He would need to brew some earth-suppressing pills, and to suppress earth, one often used a combination of wood element, with some aspects of Water. Wood controlled Earth. Earth controlled Water, Water controlled Fire, Fire controlled Metal, and Metal controlled Wood.


    The art of brewing suppression pills required the extraction of the ¡®controlling¡¯ aspects of a particular element, from the raw materials. Some raw materials contained more of this ¡®controlling¡¯ aspect, and a master pillmaker must be sensitive to the presence of these aspects in his materials.


    To control earth, the common knowledge is to use the Yang aspect of the Wood Element. Yang Wood, representing vibrant, strong wood, extracted Earth energies, thus, granted the user resistance to the effects of Earth.


    An alternative was to use the Yin aspect of Water. The Yin Water represented stagnant water, and that softened Earth energies. A good pill, made from both elements, should provide a twice-fold reduction effect against Earth.


    Back in Lakeshore, the Blood Blade Sect used a Lightning-element formation. Lightning, is a secondary derivative, from Water and Fire, and to create a counter, requires a higher tier of understanding of the effects of the elements. Secondary Elements are naturally popular among cultivators, simply due to its difficulty to counter.


    Tundra himself in his later life, mastered metal-derivative sub-elements such as Gold, a higher tier of Metal, Rust and Liquid Steel, both Water-Metal in different combinations with different yang-and-yin aspects.


    ¡°I should try other sub-elements instead.¡± Tundra said to himself as he stood in front of the cauldron. There was a heating formation, an energy formation, and a small storage formation. An alchemy workshop can be complicated, if an alchemist wants it to be. Energy formations, heating formations, locking/securing formations. Things that made life easier, more convenient for the alchemist at work.


    But not truly necessary.


    Tundra recalled why he chose Gold, Liquid Steel and Rust. These subtypes were well developed in the wider world. The Goldhorn Temple was a huge proponent of Gold-element defensive techniques, and claimed to be undefeated under heaven. It wasn¡¯t true, of course. He beat them handily, as did many other geniuses.


    Liquid Steel and Rust were popular because of the Great Rusthall Academy, that focused on the development of Water-Metal techniques. It did help that their old ancestor had dual Water-Metal Spirit Roots, and the heavens gifted their old ancestor a kind of genius few could dare claim to match. All Tundra did was to walk the path the old genius set out for those who dared follow in his footsteps.


    But this life, he thought he¡¯d try less explored sub-elements. He could try Living Steel, the combination of Wood-Metal, or Diamond, which was a rare, mostly unexplored derivative of Earth with some aspects of Metal.


    Tundra¡¯s thoughts strayed for minutes. He pondered the options, before the door gently opened.


    ¡°Husband?¡± Celestia came alone.


    Tundra turned. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Lunch with Marin¡¯s father will be in two hours, at the main dining hall.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay.¡± Tundra nodded. Marin probably needed to help her mother with hosting. If there are feasts, it is a common thing for daughters to be expected to assist in the event, either to greet guests and so on. It seemed that today¡¯s lunch would have guests from the many smaller towns across the Dragon¡¯s Earthspine mountain.


    In short, politics. The patriarch wanted to show that the Eastheart family has good relations with the Verdant Snow Sect, and this would impress the smaller families in the region to pay respects to the big boss.


    Celestia nodded, but before she could leave, Tundra called her. ¡°Stay. You have nothing else on your plans, right?¡±


    His wife touched her hair briefly, and looked around for a place to sit. There were some chairs in the room, and she quickly sat on them. ¡°Are you making something?¡±


    ¡°The pills that we¡¯ll need for tonight¡¯s hunt. We¡¯ll need to lure the alpha out, but first we need to keep everyone safe.¡± By his estimates, in terms of power, an ordinary 4th realm couldn¡¯t take more than three moves from a 5th realm. The pill should quadruple that to about twelve to thirteen moves, and allow him to intervene if they were in trouble.


    ¡°The [Earth Nullification Pill]?¡±


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a 6th tier pill, the materials we have here won¡¯t be enough for that. This is just the [Earth Reduction Pill]. From three [Cliffside Greyflower Roots], and three [Stale Lake Lotus], we will make fifteen [Earth Reduction Pills].¡±


    ¡°Fifteen?¡± Celestia paused.


    ¡°Yes. Most alchemists should be able to produce 10 to 12, at an average quality.¡±


    With a far better cauldron the number could be higher. Some of the ¡®essence¡¯ and ¡®elemental energies¡¯ of the material escaped through the cauldron''s body. Alchemists often searched for stronger, better cauldrons, because it had a really high impact on their pill yields, and thus, their profits.


    Making resistance pills, healing pills, strength pills are a major source of income for Tundra and alchemists everywhere. Many cultivators purchase them, in order to defeat spirit beasts, in order to get that extra edge at a competition, or to just survive an ordeal.


    But with what he had here, fifteen should be a realistic, achievable amount. He got to work. Pills, as weird as it sounded, expired over time. This is because a pill¡¯s effects escaped and leaked out, so, a pill was naturally strongest in the first few days it was made.


    Pill boxes, made by master crafters, help reduce and preserve the pill¡¯s decay, but higher quality pill boxes are just as expensive as the pills themselves. At higher realms, high tier pill boxes are gifts in their own right. Many masters keep pill boxes to store the highest quality restoration pills they could find, as a form of insurance.


    Tundra started to work. The first step of making a pill was to trigger the material to release its stored energy or its desired effects. There are many ways an alchemist accomplished this, though the most common is through direct extraction.


    An alchemist would use his energies, inserted through the cauldron, and pull whatever desired energies out of the materials.


    Most alchemy cauldrons allow energy to flow one way. It allows the alchemist¡¯s energy to enter the cauldron and do whatever is needed to the inserted materials, but the cauldron itself holds the energy and doesn¡¯t let it leave. Stronger, more powerful materials, are more likely to pierce through the cauldron¡¯s energy retaining effects, and escape.


    After extraction, there¡¯s usually a processing stage, where the alchemist attempts to transform the materials and energies released into the desired form and effect.


    Then, there is the sealing stage, where the completed form and effect is sealed into a pill.


    In all the stages, there are alchemists who rely on supplementary formations and tools to enhance its effects. In the higher realms, some materials are so naturally powerful that they have no choice but to prepare multiple formations to suppress and contain the energies.


    When Tundra finished, Celestia looked fairly bored. He chuckled. ¡°You seem bored.¡±


    ¡°A little. I couldn¡¯t see what you were doing.¡± Celestia blushed.


    Tundra smiled, he didn¡¯t find fault in it. Alchemy wasn¡¯t a spectator sport. ¡°That¡¯s normal for alchemy. It¡¯s certainly not as impressive as formations or crafting.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    Tundra took out a large box meant to store multiple such pills, and quickly packed the fifteen pills into the box.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go for lunch.¡± Tundra offered to hold Celestia¡¯s arm, but she refused.


    ¡°It¡¯s inappropriate, since Marin is the main host.¡± Celestia answered.


    It was obvious once pointed out, so Tundra nodded. ¡°Fair point. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 17. Hunt

    Patriarch Gordon Eastheart maintained a perfectly practiced straight face, even after Tundra privately briefed him of his findings. He merely nodded, and shrugged. The private room was properly secured from spies and eavesdroppers, and was lushly decorated. He found it a little gaudy, but it was a common design and style. A style that he saw so much that he no longer found it irritating


    ¡°It won¡¯t remain an issue for long.¡± Patriarch Gordon Eastheart said. ¡°Right?¡±


    Tundra nodded. There was no point fighting this battle. The materials and spirit beast cores harvested would prove useful for his disciples and family. ¡°It won¡¯t. We intend to move tonight.¡±


    ¡°Then let us have a feast before you go out and deal with our pests.¡±


    Tundra had to give it to the Patriarch. His ability to make serious matters, at least for them, sound thoroughly routine, was superbly practiced.


    ***


    This time, Tundra¡¯s wives were actually seated next to him. But he noticed Marin glanced uncomfortably at the guests, and seemed to constantly frown.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve looked at the guest list.¡± Marin cursed as Tundra arrived at his seat.


    ¡°Oh? Something I should know?¡±


    Marin looked at her husband, and sighed. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re on parade.¡±


    Tundra smiled. It was not the first time. ¡°Oh, who are we supposed to impress?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing.¡± Marin cursed again, stood, and immediately walked to one of the head servants. Tundra briefly overheard some words, and the head servant ran to bring a paper document over to their table. Marin began flipping through it. ¡°Ah alright. Just the heads of the various smaller families. Not the old patriarchs.¡±


    ¡°Old patriarchs?¡± Tundra asked. He was not aware of the old patriarchs in this area.


    ¡°A few families have patriarchs that can match my father, but they are really old. I do not know whether they have passed, and these families would never speak of it.¡±


    The regressor touched his chin. It was common for many families to hide old monsters as their secret trump card. There are various life-preservation coffins that allow a powerful monster to sleep in stasis for about 1,000 to 2,000 years.


    ¡°I see. If there are old monsters, they¡¯d never come out just for a lunch.¡± Tundra said. Not that he cared. He met his own fair share of old monsters in his past life, and lived to tell the tale.


    Marin stopped, looked at Tundra and realized he was right. It immediately seemed like the stress on her shoulders loosened. ¡°I- I guess you are right.¡±


    ¡°I met my share of old monsters. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Tundra assured her with a smile, and looked at the food on the table in front of him. The food was already waiting for him. Servants quickly presented the food, once again, standard cultivator menu.


    It didn¡¯t take long for some of the guests to come over and rub shoulders.


    ¡°Is this the Sect Master?¡± At that point, three old men approached them, flanked by the Patriarch Eastheart. Tundra stood and respectfully greeted them. Marin stood as well.


    ¡°Well met, gentlemen, I am Sect Master Tundra Fox of the Verdant Snow.¡± The three old men were all in the low 4th realms, likely due to poor energy conditions, or perhaps a flawed cultivation.


    The three bowed. ¡°Well met, Sect Master Fox. I¡¯m Patriarch Lhung of the Lhung family. We¡¯re a mining and trading family in the smaller town of Weststeel. Patriarch Jeen is the head of the Jeenstone family, further north of Weststeel, and Patriarch Zhung is the head of the Zhung family, and rules over the Groundstone mining town.¡±


    ¡°Well met, fellow Patriarchs.¡± Tundra¡¯s hand was clasped together in a typical greeting amongst peers.


    Marin smiled, and immediately greeted them. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Patriarch Lhung, Patriarch Jeen and Patriarch Zhung.¡±


    The three squinted and then smiled, as if suddenly noticing she was there. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re Gordon¡¯s daughter!¡±


    ¡°Marin.¡± Marin emphasized, though Tundra noticed an unusual expression on Patriarch Gordon Eastheart, and as if to emphasize her value, she held Tundra¡¯s hand really closely. ¡°And Tundra¡¯s my husband.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The three old men immediately bowed to Patriarch Eastheart. ¡°Your daughter not just snagged a golden thigh, she married a dragon!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long time ago.¡± Patriarch Gordon Eastheart downplayed the matter.


    Tundra noticed the subtle trembling in her fingers, even as she feigned intimacy and confidence before the old men. The wedding happened so long ago, and yet she had a need to remind them of it. Tundra decided to speak. ¡°Yes, and so we¡¯re in-laws.¡±


    The three old men actually looked impressed, ¡°No wonder the Eastheart family don¡¯t fear the beasts of the mountains!¡±


    Patriarch Gordon Eastheart quickly changed the topic. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s go back to my table and drink. We¡¯ll not bother my son-in-law and daughter.¡±


    The three old folk nodded, and followed Patriarch Eastheart back to their seat where they drank rice wine and various spirits like they were water.


    Marin and Tundra sat back down, and Marin withdrew her hand once they were gone and out of sight. Tundra noticed this was how she usually was. Last time, he didn¡¯t think too much of it.


    It¡¯s an act. A game. Tundra sat down, and reached for the larger bottle of rice wine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Elly, who was seated next to Marin, grabbed the bottle and picked up Tundra¡¯s cup. She filled it for him. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do for my husband to serve himself a drink when the three of us are present.¡±


    Even though Marin was between Elly and Tundra, at that moment, the 5th wife was distant. She looked like she had a lot to process. So, he decided to lighten up the mood. ¡°Will my wives drink with me?¡±


    Celestia and Elly both poured themselves a drink, and Elly then helped pour one for Marin. That was when Marin snapped out of her thoughts, and she too, reached for her drink. They all drank a cup together.


    Marin looked distant once more. He wondered whether it was his fault. Maybe some of his wives don¡¯t want affection?


    Maybe they don¡¯t really want to be his wife?


    Tundra thought about it, and thought it was unlikely. Tundra was supremely confident in himself. No one who reached 10th realm really doubted who they were, and what they were able of. They were almost living gods, and they knew their own worth.


    Yet, he entertained the thought for a bit.


    Marin noticed him staring, and looked away.


    He thought about what Patriarch Gordon Eastheart said, and realized he had a point. He should just be direct with Marin. Maybe after this hunt.


    ***


    Evening came, and it was time to hunt. Four Core Disciples, and Tundra¡¯s three wives. Seven fourth realm cultivators in total.


    He separated the [Earth Reduction Pill] into seven sets, each of them two. He kept one extra for himself, just in case. He likely didn¡¯t need it, his realm meant he was far stronger than whatever they could do.


    ¡°The five of you will hide your cultivation.¡± Tundra gave them each a set of small cloaks. A fairly common equipment amongst assassins and thieves, the [Form Hiding Cloak] shrouded one¡¯s cultivation, and made one appear weaker by one to two realms. It worked only on those below the fifth realm, and its effects were strongest on the third realm and below.


    ¡°Disciple Yavin, Celestia, you two will lead and wander around the marked location. I¡¯ll be overhead to intervene if anything. The five of you stay back six fields until we lure out the Mudstone Gorilla Alpha.¡±


    Everyone nodded. The plan was simple, all things considered. Walk around, attack spirit beasts until the alpha feels threatened, and then slay the alpha.


    The Dragon Earthspine Mountains. It was called that way due to the peaks of the mountains resembling the spine of the earth dragons, of course, True Earth Dragons vanished from the world a long time ago, so no one really knew what they looked like.


    But the name remains, and Tundra watched as the five waited quietly, and immediately noticed that Elly and Marin were not as skilled.


    His Core Disciples were experienced. They did missions for the sect all the time, and so they had a lot of combat experience.


    His two wives, less so. They grew up relatively privileged, and married to Tundra before they went into the higher levels of cultivation. So, they had limited exposure to the arts of hunting spirit beasts.


    Their movements were clunky, and uncertain.


    They could live longer, but that didn¡¯t mean they were that much better or stronger. They needed the skills to match the higher raw power they now possessed. Celestia, on the other hand, was once a wanderer and so she seemed more natural in this environment.


    It was something for a later time, he¡¯ll work on it after they return to Verdant Leaf.


    ***


    The Dragon Earthspine Mountains¡¯ overwhelming earth energy was generally pleasant to Celestia, as wood had a controlling relationship with earth. But it wasn¡¯t so pleasant for her teammate for their assignment.


    Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe¡¯s natural water element spirit roots was ¡®drained¡¯ by the earth, and reduced his effectiveness. Still, he seemed positive, and chatty.


    They were supposed to be noticeable.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you in action, Lady Gale.¡± Yavin complimented her, and Celestia noticed a bracelet of [earth resistance] on his wrist. He seemed to have done his own share of preparations for this assignment.


    Celestia nodded. ¡°Well, my duties used to be more domestic in nature. I do miss going on assignments. It¡¯s something I used to do, back in my previous sect.¡±


    Yavin stretched, and saw a group of third realm spirit beasts, the Earthhorn Hogs. They were hogs with earth-element tusks, and hoofs, and their skin seemed reinforced by the earth-elements. His sword emerged first, and Celestia reached  her own weapon. Both Yavin and Celestia were sword users, and it¡¯s been estimated that sword users comprised almost half of all cultivators. ¡°May I suggest that we start hunting spirit beasts?¡±


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    She nodded. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go?¡±


    The spirit beasts noticed the two, and they quickly formed up into a line. Yavin immediately commented. ¡°My research says that the Earthhorn Hogs tend to charge straight. If they smash into a tree or a stone they are momentarily stunned. Their vulnerable parts are their belly, but hitting it can be a challenge. In groups, they charge together.¡±


    Celestia nodded. ¡°Thanks for the briefing, Disciple Redaxe. So up or down, not sideways.¡±


    The spirit beasts, about four of them, grouped together, and their tusks radiated earth energy. They charged as one.


    Celestia jumped upwards as the group of four charged at them, and she tried to stab one of them as they ran beneath her. But they had reinforced hides, and her sword¡¯s blade left no visible wounds.


    Yavin had better luck, as he jumped, his sword flashed with fire, and he set the ground on fire right as the four spirit beasts went over it. It immediately caused the four spirit beasts to roar in pain, and made the four spirit beasts scatter into groups of two each.


    ¡°They¡¯ll always try to regroup.¡± Yavin then clarified.


    Celestia nodded. The Core Disciple was certainly the more experienced one, but just as Yavin could set a momentary fire to the group with his sword, she too, could do something similar.


    The Earthhorn Hogs charged, and this time, she stabbed the ground. Sharp, spear-like roots emerged from the ground, and stabbed the four spirit beasts as they ran towards them like spiked traps.


    The four yelped, and two collapsed dead.


    There were two left, and the two charged together. It predictably ran into a wall of fire that burned them once more, and the remaining two died.


    It was this predictability that made non-intelligent spirit beasts a realistic target for those of the lower realm. With the right strategy and equipment, it should even be possible for a mortal to achieve it.


    ¡°Well. We haven¡¯t drawn attention yet.¡± Yavin said, as he surveyed the dead. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the core and the tusks.¡±


    The two immediately got to work, and harvested the spirit beasts.


    ***


    Yavin and Celestia went on to defeat four other packs of spirit beasts, and yet, the alpha was nowhere to be seen.


    One of the Core Disciples, Julia Silverpearl then immediately suggested through a strand of energy. ¡°Sect Master, may we suggest that we all hunt spirit beasts together? We¡¯d make a bigger presence, and since all of us are in the fourth realm, it might feel that we are a legitimate hunting pack.¡±


    Tundra pondered the question for a bit, and realized it made sense. It¡¯s likely the Mudstone Gorilla Alpha had the beginnings of true intelligence, and sensed their presence.


    A bigger party would instead be openly taunting him. It taunted the alpha¡¯s pride.


    ¡°A good suggestion, Julia. The remaining five split into two groups. Elly and Marin, you two move together with Core Disciple Julia.¡±


    ***


    With three packs of cultivators, they started to hunt more 3rd realm spirit beasts. They were not far from the mine that held the Mudstone Gorilla¡¯s nest, and all that sound and noise should lure it out eventually.


    Each of them went on to kill another three to four packs of spirit beasts each, and then their prey arrived as expected.


    It roared from the top of one of the mountain peaks, it was large, the size of a building with three floors, it¡¯s fists were coated with hardened mode and stone. Despite being a gorilla, it actually wore a cape of some kind, a cape made from the skin and hide of a spirit wolf. .


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s how it hid its presence.¡± Tundra focused on the cape, and it must¡¯ve come from either a Whitestone Wolf, or a Whitesnow Wolf, both have some kind of camouflage ability. it must¡¯ve learned how to use a cape by mimicking cultivators. Spirit beasts that gained some intelligence often display it through mimicry of cultivators.


    The Alpha roared, and charged towards Celestia and Yavin. Yavin would be at the disadvantage, because he had a partial water element, and partial fire element. Earth was strong against water, and fire ¡®enhanced¡¯ earth. He would have to play defense.


    Tundra watched as the alpha charged towards Yavin. It clearly had some sense of Yavin¡¯s abilities and decided Yavin was the weaker one.


    That was a mistake, because Yavin was the better prepared of the two. The Mudstone Gorilla Alpha was probably in the last few steps of the 5th realm, but his earth energy infused punch landed on a small buckler made of wood.


    The [Eternal Treewood Shield], a shield infused with strong wood energy, the earth punch  rattled the wood shield, and forced Yavin back a few steps out of sheer brute strength. It just hurt him slightly, but minor.


    Celestia¡¯s sword immediately landed on the alpha¡¯s elbow, and her wood energies sliced through the earth. But it roared, and a bubble of earth energy blasted outwards.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Celestia felt some of the rock shrapnels scratch her body, arms and face.


    Yavin on the other hand, took none. A small bubble of wood energy released from the item protected him, and he quickly took the chance to strike with a fire element attack.


    It didn¡¯t work. There was a difference in realm, and because fire, under some situations, enhanced earth, the attack meant the attack didn¡¯t scratch the Alpha Mudstone Gorilla. The Gorilla retaliated almost instantly with a punch, and Yavin barely blocked with his wood shield.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hurt it.¡± Yavin cursed, as three other Core Disciples, Julia Silverpearl, Sam Darkwolf and Yerra Wishstone, arrived.


    Julia Silverpearl was a wood focused cultivator just like Celestia, but she was a few minor stages behind. Sam and Yerra were both Earth-element, and so the three had an advantage.


    The alpha roared, as earth energies surged throughout its body. An armor of glistening black stone resembling black marble formed over its body, protecting the alpha¡¯s body


    Yavin immediately shouted, as two swirls of water appeared around his body. The jets of water were used to enhance his mobility, and he exploited it to intervene defensively, blocking and  ¡°Like we discussed, I¡¯ll play defense. Julia, lead the attack.¡±


    Tundra watched, as his four core disciples moved with surprisingly well coordinated attacks, while his three wives looked and wondered what to do.


    Julia Silverpearl took out a wooden spear from her spatial pouch, and used it to pierce the alpha¡¯s stone armor. Despite the Alpha being a full realm above the core disciples, his four core disciples clearly researched the location and prepared for an encounter with a higher realm earth spirit beast.


    As Sect Master, he felt proud. His four Core Disciples should be able to defeat the Alpha. Perhaps with some injuries, but the four should survive the encounter and live. It¡¯s an achievement, and they will be rewarded for it.


    As a husband, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little torn. He watched his three wives, in the same realm, but not of the same mastery. Marin, Elly and Celestia tried to help, but they didn¡¯t have the synchronization the four core disciples had.


    He¡¯d like to get them up to the same level.


    As predicted, both Sam and Yavin suffered some injuries, but it was their victory. Julia Silverpearl¡¯s seventh [Verdant Strike - Spear Form], a wood-element attack, that shattered the black stone armor, and pierced the Alpha¡¯s earth-enhanced body.


    The fifth realm alpha died in the hands of four well coordinated fourth realm Core Disciples.


    Pride. Tundra was proud. His past training of his Core Disciples was clearly worth it.


    He immediately landed next to them. ¡°Well done, my core disciples. That was well fought and practiced. The choice of equipment was well made. A good selection of wood element weapons and armor.¡±


    The Core Disciples saluted. Yavin and Sam were bleeding, so Tundra reached into his pouch and gave them both a healing pill.


    ¡°Let¡¯s harvest the Alpha¡¯s body, and we will attack the nest.¡±


    They made good choices for this fight, and this set of equipment will help with the nest later. The attack on the nest happened almost predictably, and this time it was a slaughter. Female Mudstone Gorillas were less combat-oriented than their male counterparts, and tend to focus on defense and protecting their young.


    This made them fairly easy targets once sufficiently cornered.


    The same set of wood-element equipment would not be so effective on the Scorchedstone Earthworms. The fire element would offset the wood¡¯s advantage against Earth.


    Tundra wondered whether it¡¯ll be better for him to handle the Scorchedstone Earthworms himself.


    ***


    Celestia noticed the look on Tundra¡¯s face as he spoke to the Core Disciples. He was proud of them. They were capable, and in the earlier battle against the Mudstone Gorilla Alpha, they showed their worth by coordinating well and whittled down the higher realm beast.


    When it came to hunting spirit beasts, she thought she was pretty good, but clearly she still lacked. The Core Disciples took after Tundra¡¯s habits. After all, before he regressed, Tundra spent a lot of time with his Core Disciples. He trained them extensively.


    Now, she felt she lacked depth. A sentiment her fellow co-wives shared. She, too, noticed how inexperienced Elly and Marin were. They were both privileged, far more privileged than she was, and it showed.


    ¡°We¡¯re a little in over our heads.¡± Elly said, as she realized how out of place she was. ¡°I¡¯ll need to join more hunts.¡±


    Marin¡¯s face looked absolutely torn. She was pensive, as if she was reflecting on her own faults. But Celestia thought she would agree to Elly¡¯s statement.


    After the nest of the Mudstone Gorillas was completely destroyed and corpses raided for all their valuable materials, Tundra guided the group to the nest of the Scorchedstone Earthworms.


    ¡°Disciple Yavin, are you fully healed?¡± Tundra asked.


    ¡°Yes, Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Our prey is of earth and fire, so that meant those of the wood element would be at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sect master. We¡¯ve swapped equipment where we can.¡± Yavin answered.


    In this aspect, Celestia noticed they didn¡¯t prepare any anti-fire elements, except Yavin. Yavin¡¯s natural fire-water roots meant he always had equipment that augmented his water aspects.


    ¡°Good, then you¡¯ll come with me.¡±


    Celestia watched, as Tundra went into the nest with just a Core Disciple. She couldn¡¯t help but feel worried, especially when there were tremors and the roars of explosions from the mine.


    She felt helpless, and she didn¡¯t know why. Was it because she couldn¡¯t contribute? Or she didn¡¯t contribute as much as she hoped?


    Marin sat in her own corner, as the rest of them made a small, makeshift camp outside of the nest.


    Celestia didn¡¯t know why the Core disciples looked absolutely relaxed. Julia was laughing happily with Sam and Yerra as if they were certain everything would be fine. Was she always such a worrywart? Was it because her husband is down there?


    The sounds and tremors kept on going, and Elly seemed to share in her worries. Julia then handed a scroll to Celestia and Elly. It was a short summary of how to make the most out of Scorchedstone Earthworm corpses. They¡¯d use the guide later to properly harvest the corpses.


    ¡°Do you think everything¡¯s fine?¡± Elly asked Julia then.


    Julia then nodded. ¡°If we hear tremors and explosions, yup, everything¡¯s okay. I¡¯d be worried if it got quiet for a long time.¡±


    It was obvious in hindsight. If they are alright, they¡¯ll be fighting. If they are fighting, they¡¯ll cause tremors. So as long as the tremors kept coming, things were thus okay.


    Then, it got quiet.


    Celestia was almost worried, but then they heard Tundra¡¯s voice, transmitted through the winds. ¡°The nest has been destroyed. Will need some help cleaning up the corpses.¡±


    Julia smiled and gave her fellow core disciples a kick. ¡°Alright lazy bums, Sect Master¡¯s calling. Get moving, get moving!¡±


    Yerra and Sam tried to dodge her kicks, but couldn¡¯t. They were the weaker ones, by a little bit. All they could do was kowtow before their senior. ¡°Yes, Senior Sister.¡±


    Celestia didn¡¯t know why the tunnel mines didn¡¯t cave in from all the battling down below, but once she went inside she noticed the reinforced steel used at intervals along the mine.


    The actual nest was an area filled with earth and fire energies, so when they arrived at the nest, they found Yavin meditating next to a spirit beast¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Alright, get to work.¡±


    The Core Disciples got to work first.


    The three wives followed, but they were a little clumsy. It was at this point that Elly actually said.


    ¡°I think I don¡¯t really like hunting.¡±


    Tundra smiled, while he cut up the main Queen. ¡°It¡¯s the privilege of a few to avoid doing what must be done.¡±


    Elly¡¯s shoulder slumped, as if protesting reality. Celestia nodded. It wasn¡¯t pleasant, but a sect must do it for resources. Without resources, they couldn¡¯t do more. The younger Earthworms were in the fourth realm. The earth element and fire element in them


    She looked around and found Marin in a state of focus. She was covered in the slimy fluids of the Earthworm¡¯s body, but the fifth wife clearly tried to work on her own assigned corpse.


    The skin could be made into armor. The teeth and claws could be cut into weapons, its core made into cultivation pills. Some of it¡¯s body parts, its heart, its spleen, were used to cure diseases caused by earth and fire elements misalignments.


    Corpses were valuable. Even bones could be fashioned into tools. Some sects even have large spatial containers meant to store corpses in perpetual stasis, for proper processing back at their home sect.


    Tundra naturally finished first. He had way more experience than anyone here, and once he was done he decided to stand back and just observe the rest of them. The Core Disciples didn¡¯t question him.


    His three wives, Celestia included, felt it was actually quite hard to properly cut out all the valuable parts of a corpse. The three took more time, and the Core Disciples worked twice as fast as they did.


    Elly was the last one to finish.


    With the fifth realm nests destroyed, it was time to return.


    Celestia was right behind them, as Tundra approached Marin, and said.


    ¡°With this, your father will rest easier.¡±


    Marin was tired, and pensive, so Celestia didn¡¯t expect the response. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have helped him make his life easier. He should deal with his own problems.¡±


    Tundra did not respond, at first. Celestia suspected there was an undercurrent of frustration between Marin and her family. She wondered how Tundra would respond to Marin¡¯s outburst.


    Her husband looked at Marin, and for a moment it seemed like he had a million thoughts on his mind.


    He smiled. ¡°Marin, when we get back, let¡¯s talk. Somewhere quiet, just the two of us.¡±


    Marin looked at him, and then nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ***

 Chapter 18. Marin

    There were few words to say once they got back. With the fifth realms dealt with, their focus would be to whittle down the natural spirit beast population.


    That was a problem for tomorrow.


    Tundra wanted to know the truth. What did his wife think about all of this? What did his wife like, what she didn¡¯t like.


    All he did so far was what he thinks they would like. There was a lack of communication between him and his wife. The two of them were so beholden to the old societal concepts. He as the husband, the father, and the leader of the family, while she kept to her societal expectations to be his wife, the mother of his children, and the quiet, unseen supporter of the family.


    Elly didn¡¯t resent her role, and so the issue never came to the forefront. But lately, Tundra realized there was more to it. He began to suspect Marin resented her role as a wife and a mother.


    Again, that was his suspicion, but he would need to hear it from her. So, after his wives cleaned up, he quickly hauled Marin out of the room, and led her out of the town.


    ***


    The two of them were now alone, and they were on the flying sword. He brought her to a quiet lake not far from the town.


    ¡°Why did you pick this lake?¡± Marin asked as they landed along the shores of a quiet lake. It was already late, they¡¯ve spent hours fighting the spirit beasts. The moon was setting, and the sun would soon take its place.


    There were some spirit fishes in the lake, but they wouldn¡¯t bother them. Tundra chose the place because it looked peaceful, quiet, and there were some smooth rocks and boulders that they could sit on without being too uncomfortable.


    So, they sat there, on different rocks, at an angle to each other.


    ¡°Marin.¡± Tundra said, and he felt his wife tense up briefly. She didn¡¯t really look at him, instead, her eyes looked elsewhere.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Let us be honest with each other, Marin. I have sensed your apprehension all this while, and I¡¯d like to state frankly, that I mean what I said. I wish to be a better husband, a better lover, a better father, and I wish to bring you with me in our life together.¡±


    Marin trembled. The two were alone, but she sighed. This time, Marin momentarily looked into Tundra¡¯s eyes. Their eyes met, and Tundra saw confusion in her eyes.


    She sighed a second time, as if mustering the will to say what is in her heart. She repeated. ¡°Do you really mean what you said?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said. He wanted to bring his family along, and he wanted to start with his wife.


    She sighed a third time, this time, she looked at him and shook her head. He wondered whether she knew the content of this conversation was coming. Maybe she already simulated the conversation in his mind. ¡°No. Tundra. My husband.¡±


    Tundra waited. She would elaborate. She took a deep breath, as she looked at the lake next to them. Seconds passed, but Tundra waited. Somehow, he didn¡¯t think this would go all that well.


    But if they could establish the truth, they can figure out where to go from there.


    After those seconds, Marin looked back at him. Their eyes only met momentarily, and her eyes avoided direct eye contact afterwards. He waited for the elaboration, and she did.


    ¡°Do you remember how we got married, Tundra?¡±


    Tundra actually didn¡¯t remember it all that much. Especially now with all the later wives, and he felt embarrassed to admit it. At some point, some of these things just blend into each other. But he nodded. ¡°A little.¡±


    Marin had a small smirk. ¡°For you, we are just one of your many wives, but for me, you were my only husband.¡±


    Tundra felt that word sting a little. It was normal for powerful people to have many partners, and yet, it stung.


    ¡°But why? Why did I marry you? I married you entirely for politics. Because it gave my family power. For the implied protection of the Verdant Snow Sect. My family wants me to marry you, and as a filial daughter, I will obey their wishes.¡±


    Yet, Tundra looked at his fifth wife, and heard the unspoken resentment. The way she struggled to say the words ¡®obey¡¯.


    The Regressor nodded, and wondered whether his wives, those that married him due to such arrangements, actually resented it.


    ¡°Tundra. You are my husband. That is reality. I will do my duties as your wife. I will warm your bed if you desire my flesh. I will do my duties as a mother to the children we have together, and I will, to the extent I think is reasonable, support you and your family. I will even behave affectionately in public settings. So, I want you to know that I didn¡¯t love you, and I don¡¯t expect you to love me. Back then, my expectations for this marriage were simple. I expect that you treat me respectfully, fairly, and communicate your intentions and plans¡±


    Tundra paused, as he digested Marin¡¯s statement.


    ¡°I knew what I was getting into, when I agreed to be your wife. My father wanted this marriage to channel resources for my family, and so far, you have done as expected.¡±


    ¡°Would it change if I did more?¡± Tundra asked.


    She paused, and their eyes met once more. ¡°No.¡±


    Once the words started leaving Marin¡¯s lips, she found the courage to confess the truth.


    ¡°Tundra, I would not have married you if we were stronger. If I was stronger.¡± Marin said, and yet at that moment, Tundra looked at a woman that seemed so weak and frail. The events of the hunt opened her eyes to how much she lacked.


    Those words hit Tundra like an avalanche. He expected the words. He partly suspected his wives would not have chosen him if they had a choice. Yet to hear it from his wife directly still hit him differently.


    This time, he looked at the lake, and let out a long sigh.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    A woman who was strong had a choice. Why would they suffer, and serve another man that they didn¡¯t love?


    ¡°If I was in the 6th realm, like you, I would not have allowed my family to pressure me into marrying you.¡± Marin admitted. Tundra turned to look at her, and momentarily saw worry. He wondered whether this was the end of it. Maybe she feared that Tundra would expel her. Their marriage would be nullified.


    Or maybe she feared the alliance between her family and the Verdant Snow Sect would crumble.


    Tundra saw a weary woman. A woman that wanted to get her real feelings out.


    This time, the two of them both looked at the lake. The moon slowly dipped beneath the horizon. Maybe this lake was the wrong place to go.


    The words Marin said were a thick cloud in the air, and Tundra thought about what should be his response.


    Marin continued her lament. She sounded tired. Exhausted. ¡°But it is what it is. The weak suffer must they must. The weak will serve the strong. This is the world we are in.¡±


    The regressor was familiar with the plight of those without talent. Trampled, and treated like trash. The strong could claim whatever they wanted. Take what they liked. The weak have very little recourse, other than to rise to the moment.


    Tundra didn¡¯t smile. How could he, after he was told his wife didn¡¯t desire him. But he looked at the woman that was the mother of his two children, and he couldn¡¯t bear to hurt her. He wasn¡¯t malicious. He was always protective of his family, even if they didn¡¯t like him very much.


    ¡°Will you be happier if I give you space? To treat you like a business partner, instead of a wife?¡± He wondered whether the right thing to do was to give her space, or try to pull her closer.


    ¡°A business partner. How appropriate.¡± Marin said, as she mulled the term. ¡°Yes. Our relationship is a marriage of convenience, and we have a partnership founded on this mutually beneficial exchange of services and resources.¡±


    The Sect Master nodded. In a way, Marin was just like a permanent, exclusive courtesan. A courtesan could fake intimacy and affection so that their customer would feel that she truly loved them, but the customer must always remember that it is a transaction. She would serve as she is expected to, but she expects payment. ¡°Marin.¡±


    Marin¡¯s answer was immediate. There was lightness in her words, as if a weight was lifted ¡°Yes?¡±


    Yet. He felt what she said so far was incomplete. He still didn¡¯t understand her. ¡°Would you tell me, what do you actually want to do?¡±


    ¡°About our relationship as husband and wife?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± Tundra asked. ¡°Your family. You. Do you have goals?¡±


    ¡°To have goals is the privilege of the strong. I have goals imposed on me.¡± Marin said, once again with the same bitter undercurrent.


    ¡°But you do have them.¡± Tundra said. Even mortals have hopes and dreams.


    Marin looked at the lake. ¡°You¡¯re a greedy man. You want me to confess everything today?¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know why, but he found it funny. He nodded. ¡°Might as well. If we are to be partners, I¡¯d like to know what you want.¡±


    Marin then looked at him. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you, but I want you to be honest with me. What is it that you want to do, then? Why are you trying to change your family?¡±


    The regressor stretched. The stone was quite nice to sit on. He dug deep into himself, and looked at Marin. ¡°Will you tell me the truth, and everything?¡±


    His wife nodded. ¡°I will tell you the truth if you tell me the truth.¡±


    Tundra sighed, and then admitted. ¡°It is because I feel guilty. I see what happened to my family, or what¡¯s left of it in my dream, and realized I had a part to play. I left it that way, neglected it, and things spiraled out of control. Because I felt lonely, when I stood at the very top and realized that I only had my fellow elders and sect members as friends, and not a single member of my family that I could trust.¡±


    His wife listened.


    ¡°So it is my sin. It is my crime, and now I want to try to stop it from happening. My dream is to set up a strong family, and also a strong sect, both at the same time. But if you dive down, the real reason is guilt. Why have a family if all I do is let them down?¡±


    Marin turned, and they both shared a few moments of silence.


    Then, it was Marin¡¯s turn to talk, and Tundra¡¯s turn to listen.


    ¡°I am angry, and frustrated by the duties I have to do. The expectations and double standards I face, when I see my parents and see them papering over faults with lies and schemes. I would¡¯ve done better, but because I am the daughter, all I can do is smile and nod. If I was a man in this family, it would be me that would be the heir, not my brother. I am more talented, more capable, and more confident than my brother. But alas, I was born a woman, so I was sent away, traded like a prized cattle, to be your wife.¡±


    Tundra sighed, and realized there was a lot to unpack there. The talent difference between Marin and her brother wasn¡¯t big, either. Cultivation societies were largely patriarchal, despite the existence of certain matriarchal bubbles and nations.


    ¡°So, I realize that I want to be strong. I have a taste of strength, thanks to you, but this hunt made me realize how far behind I am. I may have gained some raw power, but I really lack the finesse and experience. Once I have that strength and experience, I¡¯d like to roam the world, instead of living like a caged bird. I¡¯d like to get far away from my family, and all the expectations, and duties.¡±


    Tundra found that a little naive. Duty and expectations are everywhere, but he wasn¡¯t going to correct her. It wasn¡¯t the right time. He felt a little sad, but he already got lucky with Elly and Celestia. Marin would have to be the one that got away.


    ¡°You would want a divorce, one day?¡±


    Marin paused. Divorces almost didn¡¯t happen. In the cultivation society, people just drifted apart and that was it. She thought about it, and sighed. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far.¡±


    He laughed. But the regressor knew what needed to be done. He would have to set Marin free one day, and let her fly free as a bird. The best he could do from now until then, is to help her gain the strength to fly back, if she ever wants to return to them. ¡°Well, if you promise never to take up arms against me, or us, I am willing to help you get stronger.¡±


    She stared at him. ¡°You will? You won¡¯t just- kick me out after all I just said?¡±


    Tundra lived long enough to know that time can change a lot of things. Perspective, opinions, even love. He thought about the various enemies he made in his past life, only to reconcile during the final battle.


    In the end, they were all insignificant. Not everyone will share the entire journey. Some will have to leave, and that is the way things are. Maybe all she needed was some time on her own.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t kick you out. But, I want you to meet me halfway, up till the 6th realm. You may not want to be a part of this family that I was to build, but you can help me with it. Help our children, guide them, and help my other wives be better mothers and wives. Are you willing to play the part?¡±


    He did feel sad, but he wondered whether Marin would accept it.


    She looked at him. ¡°Are you able to promise me that I can reach the 6th realm?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I cannot. I can help you along the way, lay down a smooth path to the best I reasonably can, but the path to ascension is ultimately one where you must walk some of the steps yourself. You may falter, and so, I cannot guarantee it.¡±


    She looked at him, and then back at the lake. ¡°All I have to do is just be a better mother, a better wife, and a better co-wife. All the things I was forced to do by my parents.¡±


    Tundra sighed. If she put it that way.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Marin said. ¡°I¡¯ve endured this for decades. What¡¯s a few decades more, if I can reach the 5th, or even the 6th, it is all worth it.¡±


    Tundra wanted to tell her that the power itself doesn¡¯t give life worth. He lived and ascended to the tenth realm only to find himself feeling hollow at the end.


    He looked at his reluctant partner and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good. We should get back.¡±


    Marin looked at the lake. ¡°Give me a bit more. I suddenly found this lake to be quite beautiful.¡±


    As she stood there, he wanted to reach out and hold her. Hold her hands and enjoy the scenery. So he did, and held her hand. She looked at him, but didn¡¯t push him away. Instead, she just turned back at the lake. Her hand felt cold.


    Tundra couldn¡¯t do all the lifting in a relationship. It wasn¡¯t a formula that would provide happiness as a family. The best he could do is offer to meet them halfway. Even two-thirds of the way there. They have to show willingness on their side, to be part of the team, to be part of the family.


    If their hearts were not willing, then it was not meant to be.

 Chapter 19. Old Monsters

    The two returned to the villa later. Celestia and Elly seemed to have gone out for a morning drink with some of the core disciples, while Marin said she wanted some time alone.


    It was fine, since Tundra had visitors of his own.


    ¡°There will be a prayer this morning, Sect Master Fox, the ancestor¡¯s temple humbly invites you to attend. It would be a great honor for us, the members of the Eastheart Ancestral Temple, to host you.¡± A man wearing what was clearly the Eastheart family uniform, but with an additional orange shawl over his shoulder, appeared outside their door later that morning.


    ¡°Oh. Where is this prayer?¡±


    ¡°The prayer is in the ancestor¡¯s temple. Would you want me to guide you there, Sect Master?¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t recall ever being invited to the ancestor¡¯s temple of the Eastheart family, so he decided it was worth it. The hunt would only commence tomorrow. The idea was after the extermination, Tundra would make a second sweep through the Dragon Earthspine Mountains for any higher realm beasts, and reduce the threats to the weaker members. ¡°Very well, guide me there.¡±


    The man was quiet, and Tundra felt an unusual air about him. He was probably just in the third realm, but Tundra¡¯s instincts told him he was more than that.


    ¡°So, what is this Eastheart Ancestral Temple?¡±


    ¡°The Ancestral Temple exists as an institution that is both a part of the Eastheart family, and yet also separate. We exist to venerate our old ancestors, offer them prayers and we try to seek their wisdom. We also care for the less appreciated members of the Eastheart family.¡±


    Tundra thought that was a good way to describe neglect. ¡°I see. How large is this institution?¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°Not large, less than ten full members, though we do have a small staff of our own, that helps us care for about twenty to thirty young children.¡±


    ¡°I see. Do you consider yourself a subsidiary entity of the Eastheart family?¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°In name. But the patriarch, and the patriarchs before him all learned to keep us aside.¡±


    Tundra mulled the statement. ¡°I see. How much interaction do you have with the rest of the family?¡±


    ¡°We invite them for the monthly prayers to our ancestors, and if they come, they come. If they don¡¯t, they don¡¯t.¡± Marin didn¡¯t describe this part of the family much, and perhaps, she didn¡¯t know much about them.


    ¡°I see.¡± The Sect master arrived at a pagoda-like structure at the far corners of the Eastheart compound.


    ¡°This way, Sect Master.¡±


    The main prayer hall was filled with hundreds of tablets, all with the names of the earlier Eastheart ancestors. There were placed on what appeared to be a stepped altar with at least fifteen layers, with the oldest of them at the top, and youngest at the bottom. There were multiple Gordon and Miltons on the tablets, as well as many other repeating names. Tundra now realized they probably had some kind of naming scheme for male descendants of the Eastheart family. The male tablets and female tablets were slightly different, and made with different types of wood.


    There were three giant gold-plated pots, filled with soil. Each with a giant incense, and a bunch of smaller incense. The scent of the incense was pleasant, and they were likely to be locally made.


    ¡°Please, you may kneel before the altar here. We will begin the prayers soon.¡± The man walked to a cabinet, and took out what appeared to be a monk¡¯s robe. Soon, then, three others joined him. In total two men, and two women, monks and nuns of the Ancestral Temple.


    Tundra knelt. Here, he was the son-in-law of one of their daughters. It is a belief, a ritual, and Tundra saw it fit to give the ritual respect. The prayer involved chants and wishes, to wish their ancestors well in the afterlife, and that their spirit will continue to watch over their descendants.


    It went on for about an hour, and then it was done. Tundra was then offered three sticks of incense, which he would then offer to their ancestors after a brief prayer before the altar.


    ¡°Sect Master Fox, may we have a little bit more of your time, there is someone who wishes to speak to you.¡±


    Tundra paused and then nodded. The monk, who still had a full head of hair, led him down a path behind the altar. There were a set of stairs that went underground, and that was when Tundra realized the presence of a cultivation-suppression formation.


    ¡°Interesting place and formation.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t mean any harm. The formation exists to hide our presence.¡±


    The door was a wall made of stone that turned when a mechanism was activated, and led Tundra into a vast room, where an old woman waited for him. She sat on a throne that was clearly made to artificially extend her life. But it also meant she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave her throne for very long.


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Master Tundra Fox.¡±


    Tundra smiled. The air in the room suggested the old woman was probably in the peak of the 5th realm. ¡°Greetings, elder. May I know how I should address you?¡±


    ¡°I am Mira Eastheart, and I am one of the ancestors of the Eastheart family. There is no need to be so polite, in terms of power, I am but your junior.¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°I am still the son-in-law of the Eastheart family, and ancient wisdom would not permit me to be so disrespectful to the secret ancestor of the Eastheart Family.¡±


    ¡°It is so, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mira was clearly old. ¡°This throne kept me alive for three thousand years longer than I had any right to live.¡±


    Such items are expensive, so Tundra wondered how they sustained it. The use of such items also drained their potential. The longer one defied the natural lifespan of their soul, the soul¡¯s components withered. It becomes harder to cultivate.


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    Using the common analogy once more, it is as if the canals and gates used to manage the flow of energy decayed, and the flow of energy through the spiritual roots to the soul is less efficient.


    ¡°Ancestor Mira, may I know why I have been summoned?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve met my descendants, no?¡±


    Tundra thought it was obvious. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They are not very talented, are they?¡± Ancestor Mira¡¯s statement made Tundra freeze for a brief second.


    He answered diplomatically. ¡°They have skills for what they need to do.¡±


    ¡°But they will not reach the levels I did. They will be mediocre. In the pool of a thousand cultivators, they will rank in the four to five hundreds.¡± Tundra remembered his 5th wife, Marin, and in many ways, Ancestor Mira was right. Marin is mediocre in terms of talent. If she really had talent, she would not have languished in the 3rd realm and died of old age. Her elder brother, Milton, was no better. Tundra suspected only reached the 4th realm because of all the pills he took. His cultivation felt fragile, hollow, and suggested the patterns and design of his cultivation wasn¡¯t great. Marin was better, and he suspected in large part, due to his teachings.


    He looked back at the ancestor. ¡°They rise to the level they are suited to.¡±


    ¡°That is not good enough. I¡¯m disappointed in my descendents, but the leaders of this family, and the environment has ossified.¡±


    Tundra thought about it, and then asked. ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°Raise them better, of course. The outcome of our investment in our descendants will need to be measured in centuries, our family must accumulate strength.¡±


    Tundra found it interesting that it is a common problem for old patriarchs and ancestors. Perhaps, it is a common worry, because their descendant¡¯s upbringing also reflects on their own qualities. ¡°And what do you propose?¡±


    ¡°I want you to take some of these children with you, before the rot of the Eastheart family gets to them.¡±


    Tundra frowned. ¡°You want me to take them as disciples?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Personal disciples, if possible, because I see greatness in you that I don¡¯t see in any of my descendants.¡±


    ¡°Ancestor, a personal disciple isn¡¯t a matter to be taken lightly. A master and a personal disciple is far more than a regular disciple. I would be a second father to the disciple.¡± Tundra thought about his own relationship with his master. With his family still in rocky waters, that was too much to ask. ¡°The best I can do is to evaluate their qualifications as a normal disciple, and if they are fit, I will admit them normally.¡±


    The old woman didn¡¯t seem too pleased. ¡°What if I offer you a gift?¡±


    Tundra paused. ¡°What sort of gift?¡±


    ¡°Would you want another wife?¡±


    Tundra almost choked. He thought 3 wives was quite enough, for now. ¡°No. No thanks. Not at the moment. I already have Marin.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s reaction to his refusal was outright laughter. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Marin was married to you. She had potential to be better than her father, and perhaps, would have been a decent matriarch.¡±


    ¡°She resented the marriage.¡± Tundra said.


    ¡°I know. But it was the right thing to do. The Eastheart family was not stable then, and the heirs were weak. The family needed the regular supply of resources and pills, in order to enhance our strength.¡±  Tundra as an alchemist naturally paid his dowry in pills, and on top of that, his wives all received pills from him regularly.


    Now that he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a good thing that her wives¡¯ pill allowance was redirected elsewhere.


    ¡°But she was not the first, and she won¡¯t be the last to be forced into such marriages.¡± Mira said. ¡°I was pretty much forced to marry my husband too. I know how she feels.¡±


    Tundra shrugged. At this point, he realized this was just venting, and he was starting to feel tired of this meeting. ¡°I¡¯d like to see the young children. I will assess them now.¡±


    Mira nodded, as the door opened. The man from before came back in, and brought three boys with him. They were all very young, no older than twelve. Tundra didn¡¯t even ask for their names. Instead, he asked for their hands.


    ¡°Show me both your hands.¡±


    Tundra held all three of their hands, and frowned. In terms of spirit roots, three of them were mostly similar. One had earth, another had wood, and the last boy had metal.


    But Tundra looked at them, and stared at the boy with a birthmark on his face. Somehow, his guts told him this boy could take it. So he did. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡±


    The other two boys looked sad, and almost wanted to cry, but Mira glared at them and they quietly followed the monk out of the room. ¡°This boy¡¯s name is Marsh Eastheart, he is a distant relative of the main family, and doesn¡¯t receive any of the resources of the main family.¡±


    Tundra looked at Marsh, and nodded. ¡°Well, Marsh, it seems your ancestor wants you to come with me. Will you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    At this point, Mira cut in. ¡°Marsh, my dear boy, wait outside. I have some more to discuss with the Sect Master.¡±


    The boy obeyed and the door closed once more.


    ¡°Why did you pick him?¡±


    ¡°He has a metal spirit root. It¡¯s fairly compatible with the techniques I know.¡±


    ¡°No. They were all similar.¡± Mira countered. ¡°So I want to know why did you chose him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gut feeling.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I chose who I chose.¡±


    The ancestor smiled. ¡°You won¡¯t take all 3 of them?¡±


    ¡°Not today. But not never. Feel free to send them to my sect for an assessment in two years. I¡¯d like to see them toughened up.¡±


    ***


    Tundra notified one of his disciples to take Marsh Eastheart along, and then decided to return to his guesthouse to rest.


    ¡°You went for the prayer?¡± Marin asked. She was still lazing on the bed, and in her nightgown. But it was daytime, and almost time for lunch.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡±


    ¡°I met your ancestor.¡± Tundra said frankly.


    ¡°You mean the plaques?¡± Marin said, and Tundra immediately realized she probably wasn¡¯t aware of Mira¡¯s existence. Given the patriarchal nature of their family, it¡¯s likely her father never said anything to her, too.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra answered, and decided if the ancestor wanted to talk to Marin, she probably would have done so. ¡°I¡¯m also taking one of your distant relatives back to the Verdant Snow Sect.¡±


    That made Marin jump. She immediately sat up and looked at him. ¡°Did my father make you do it?¡±


    ¡°No. The monk asked me to, and I figured why not. He¡¯s a young boy, only 12, and a distant relative.¡±


    That made Marin relax a little, but she still stared at Tundra, as if suspicious. ¡°Is that all? What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°Marsh. The monk wishes me to help bring him up somewhere far away, give him a chance along the path of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know him. He must be a really distant member of the Eastheart family.¡±


    ¡°Do they get any resources?¡± Tundra decided to ask her directly.


    His wife seemed to think for a long while, and then sighed. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think they do.¡±


    The regressor then nodded. ¡°Well, if so then the monk¡¯s right to send him to us.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡±


    Tundra smiled. ¡°What do you think your family will think, when a distant member of the Eastheart family becomes a 4th realm cultivator?¡±


    His wife¡¯s eyes widened, and then her lips arced into a wicked smile. ¡°Were you always this petty, husband?¡±


    ¡°I can be.¡±

 Chapter 20. An Uneventful Hunt I

    That night, Tundra went for another sweep through the Dragon Earthspine Mountains.


    It was a routine sweep, and he didn¡¯t think he missed any of the spirit beast nests. He wasn¡¯t expecting much, so when Celestia asked to come along, he agreed.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you choose to come today?¡± Tundra decided to ask after what seemed like a fairly long moment of silence. One that Tundra used to search the mountains. Celestia most likely could feel it, after all, she was next to him and his probing energies were strongest.


    ¡°Am- am I interrupting you?¡± Celestia asked, unsure what to do. She must have felt his energy leaving him periodically.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t expect much tonight, but let¡¯s go, I can maintain a conversation and still scan the mountains.¡± Tundra said as the pair stood on the flying sword. The flying sword was so high up from the mountains that the trees and the details look small. ¡°So, something¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Celestia¡¯s hesitation was brief. ¡°Actually, I want your advice. Since I reached the peak of the fourth realm, I¡¯ve been thinking whether to break through to the fifth realm, but I realize after our fight with the alpha, that even though we are in the same realm, I¡¯m not as good as the Core Disciples. They feel more complete, more ¡®formed¡¯ as cultivators, and I want to know whether I should just reach for the fifth, or work on growing in the fourth.¡±


    Tundra breathed a sigh of relief. A cultivation related question was well in his expertises.


    This was a familiar conversation. He had this conversation with many disciples throughout his years, the choice to work on improving one¡¯s foundation, or to push up and fix later.


    ¡°It depends how poorly formed your cultivation structures are. Each time one ascends a full realm, the patterns and structures of the earlier realm are locked, with some exceptions. Structures that exist above the energy patterns can still be fixed later, but structures that exist within them will be mostly out of reach.¡±


    Celestia frowned. ¡°How do I know whether mine works well?¡±


    ¡°Do you feel you have achieved mastery over them? That you¡¯ve extracted all the power you could from these cultivation methods, and that they are properly formed in your spiritual realm? A cultivator builds homes and structures from the materials created through cultivation, and so, is the material you created strong? Is the structure created from those materials strong?¡±


    His wife had no real way to answer that. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best it could be. Not when I see how your core disciples-¡±


    ¡°How much of what they achieved is due to matters outside cultivation? Things like experience and preparation? Just because you lack experience does not mean your cultivation is improper, so do not conflate the two.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°You have to test out each of the structures you¡¯ve made in your soul, whether it performed to the best that it can. It¡¯s a process of assessment. Or there are items and artifacts that can help you do tests on your spiritual structures, such as the [Mirror of Spirit Examination].¡±


    Celestia didn¡¯t recall whether they had such a thing.


    ¡°We don¡¯t. It¡¯s a highly powerful item, at least in the 8th realm, and only effective on those 6th realm and below. Such an item is also imperfect, because it only tests based on what the mirror knows.¡±


    The mirror essentially requires an input, where a stronger, better cultivator lets the mirror read the stronger cultivator¡¯s spiritual structures, and then, it compares the subject¡¯s cultivation structures relative to that of the ¡®template¡¯.


    It would still be a treasure many mid-tier covet and even high tier sects prize.


    ¡°I can do some of that examination for you, but it will be intrusive-¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Celestia said firmly, revealing a rare glimpse of her desire to grow.


    Tundra smiled. ¡°Very well. Once we return to Verdant Leaf, it may take about a few days, unlike the [Mirror] that could do it instantly. I should be done soon.¡±


    ***


    Elly and Marin were both alone. ¡°What happened between the two of you?¡±


    Marin looked at her co-wife, ¡°You would want to know, won¡¯t you?¡¯


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you for free.¡±


    The senior of the two didn¡¯t like how it turned into a negotiation. She rolled her eyes, but asked for more details. ¡°What sort of concessions do you require?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. An extra pill or two per month.¡± The fifth wife said with a slight laugh.


    Elly squinted. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count as nothing much. For that sort of concession, I¡¯d rather just ask Tundra directly.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t tell you?¡±


    Elly frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll have to convince him to tell me, and I think I can.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s really nothing. He just asked how I felt about everything, we talked about what we wanted.¡± Marin folded, partially.


    ¡°What you wanted?¡± The fourth wife looked surprised. ¡°What do you want?¡±


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    Marin laughed. ¡°This will actually cost you a pill a month.¡±


    Elly shook her head. Elly knew Marin wanted power, there was a look in her eyes the other night, but she didn¡¯t exactly know the details. What did that mean? What did she want the power for? ¡°Oh come on.¡±


    Marin smiled. ¡°Let it be one of my secrets, alright? There are some things I just have to do for myself.¡±


    The fourth wife didn¡¯t answer the fifth wife¡¯s sentence, as she took a few seconds to figure out whether it was worth following up on this question. This wasn¡¯t the best way to extract this information from her, so Elly decided to let it go. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ***


    ¡°The Sect Master of the Verdant Snow, and my son-in-law, Tundra Fox, has removed the dangerous spirit beasts from the Dragon Earthspine Mountains!¡± Patriarch Gordon¡¯s natural body language was much more relaxed. With the threat of fifth realm beasts removed and the mines cleared, they would now move on to the actual hunt. ¡°Finally, we can begin the hunt.¡±


    There was a round of applause.


    The Mountains are by no means safe. There were still some 4th realm spirit beasts, but they should not pose a significant threat to a well-prepared 3rd realm cultivator.


    The fifteen younger disciples and the four Core disciples of the Verdant Snow were eager to start, all in about twenty people from the Verdant Snow. On the other side, there were people from the Eastheart family who wanted to participate in the hunt, and they numbered another twenty. Some lesser cultivators from Eastheart family¡¯s supporting families and allied families also decided to participate.


    In total, there were about fifty cultivators, a decent size for such a small spirit beast hunt.


    Most of them were in the 3rd realm, so they should be able to get a spirit beast or two. That¡¯ll be good enough for some small cultivation powders or pills.


    Tundra would abstain from this hunt, and instead, he would find a quiet mountain where he would make pills, while overseeing the hunt¡¯s safety.


    The rest of the entourage was excited to finally start the spirit beast hunt. The Core Disciples have decided to make it a friendly competition amongst themselves. His three wives would participate as well, if for no reason other than the materials would be used to make pills, both for themselves and their offsprings.


    After the short discussion in the main receiving hall, the group was escorted out, for the ¡®true¡¯ commencement ceremony.


    They gathered in a wide open stone-tiled square that was used for many purposes. Tournaments, weddings, banquets, demonstrations. Today, it serves as the venue for the opening ceremony.


    There really wasn¡¯t a need to make a festival out of it, but Patriarch Gordon Eastheart made it one anyway. A festival where Tundra had the VIP seat, next to the patriarch, and the two was on a special platform overlooking the participants of the hunt and the rest of the audience, and a silly ceremony where the Patriarch would hit a bronze gong, just to officially start the hunt.


    Tundra suddenly missed the last few centuries of his life, before this all started. Those last few centuries were so thoroughly focused on surviving the Zuja that all of these rituals and pointless pomp were ruthlessly extinguished.


    The memory of not having such a ceremony made him smile.


    It only demonstrated to Tundra how little all the petty politics and all the ceremonial one-upmanship during such events mattered. It was all going to hell when the Zuja or whatever demonic plague came along anyway.


    ***


    Celestia was part of the participants, and naturally, she was quite amused to observe her husband¡¯s thinly veiled annoyance when the ushers led him up the special platform meant for the head of the family and the special guest, and how her husband reluctantly accepted the VIP seat. It was an expression she had learned to read over the past few decades, and it was a fake smile with that slightly tired eyes.


    Elly, Celestia and Marin stood together, they were last in line. ¡°I usually stood at the side of such events. This is the first time I¡¯m participating in one.¡± Elly answered, and surprisingly, Marin nodded.


    Celestia had her fair share of participating in such events, in her wandering days she frequently joined tournaments, if they allowed visitors or wanderers. The two ladies were from established ruling families. Low-mid tier in the larger scheme of things, but nobility nonetheless.


    There were two rows of seating rises, one on each side of the large stone square, and at this point, the mood was relaxed. It wasn¡¯t really a serious competition where sect honor was on the line. Celestia heard stories of how certain tournaments often involve death because of ancient sect rivalries. There was none of that there today.


    ¡°Are we setting off together, or splitting up?¡± Elly asked.


    Marin¡¯s answer was immediate. ¡°Splitting up, of course. We¡¯re in the fourth realm, and I prepared enough. I want to see where I stand.¡±


    Elly looked at Celestia, ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d probably head out alone, but if you want to join me, sure.¡±


    Elly nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    Then, a familiar man walked over.


    ¡°Marin! You¡¯re participating?¡± Milton, Marin¡¯s older brother and the heir of the Eastheart family was also at the opening ceremony for the hunt. There were two elders next to him.


    They gave Marin a mere nod, instead of a full bow. Marin looked at Milton. ¡°I thought you were not free to participate in such affairs. Busy with defenses?¡±


    ¡°Father adjusted the defenses a little, so now I¡¯ll be participating, as well as our two elders.¡±


    Celestia suddenly felt Marin¡¯s annoyance spike. ¡°Really? Our defenses found a reason to relax?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Father thinks we don¡¯t need three fourth realm cultivators on defense, since the threats have been dealt with.¡± Milton said. ¡°But why are you participating, Marin? Can¡¯t you just ask your husband for pills?¡±


    Celestia noticed Marin tense up at her question.  ¡°I happen to want to do things myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That is quite strange. Father told me you reached the fourth realm, now you¡¯re participating in a hunt. And I thought father disciplined that defiance out of you.¡± Milton said. He seemed oblivious to how annoyed Marin looked. ¡°But I suppose old habits do die hard.¡±


    Marin didn¡¯t say a word, but now her fingers curled into fist.


    ¡°Anyway, stay safe, sister. Don¡¯t get in trouble.¡± Milton said, and he turned away. The two elders gave Marin little bow and then followed Milton to their side of the square.


    Marin¡¯s teeth clenched, and Celestia rarely saw the 5th wife try to contain herself this way. She hesitated, and wondered whether it was right to step in. But ultimately, she decided to tap her on the shoulder. ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    Marin¡¯s eyes were reddish, and the way she looked at Elly and Celestia seemed almost murderous.


    Celestia cursed herself for inviting calamity.


    Marin held the two other wives. ¡°I need both of your support.¡±


    Elly wasn¡¯t listening because she was looking around the square. She was usually a spectator, not one of the participants, so it was a strange feeling for her. Celestia, on the other hand, met Marin¡¯s gaze and nodded. ¡°Okay. This sounds important.¡±


    Elly, on the other hand, immediately looked at Celestia. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Celestia whispered in Elly¡¯s ears. ¡°Sibling rivalry.¡±


    Marin heard it. ¡°He¡¯s not my rival. I¡¯m just irritated that he had to come over and dictate what I can or cannot do.¡±


    Elly stared at Marin, and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll put this on your tab.¡±


    Marin frowned but at this point, Celestia thought she probably couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°We¡¯ll square the books when I win.¡±


    Elly just nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll charge interest.¡±

 Chapter 21. An Uneventful Hunt II

    The Patriarch hit the ceremonial bronze gong, and the sound of the gong echoed through the entire city. It marked the beginning of the hunt, and the hunt would last for three days and three nights.


    The participants spread out into the Dragon Earthspine Mountains, in search of their prey, the spirit beasts. Tundra felt their spiritual energies fan out from the city, and into the mountains.


    In the meantime, Tundra and his entourage made their way to their little mountain outpost. A makeship place. The mountain was serene for now, they have not yet begun to make sense of Tundra¡¯s presence. Spirit beasts may not have attained full intelligence, but their base instincts should warn them that something was around.


    In time, they would flee.


    The mountain outpost was unnecessarily lavish for its purpose. There were twenty assistants, eighteen sent by the Patriarch Eastheart, to ensure the Sect Master¡¯s every whim or need was attended to. They would cook, make tea, dance, sing, and do anything if he so commanded them. The other two were his own assistants from the Verdant Snow, and they would actually help with the administrative aspects of the spirit hunt. They would record what each of the participants hunted, and store them within a special spatial pouch with segregated sub-compartments. In addition to the assistants, there were also six guards, disciples and minions of the Eastheart clan, all in the 3rd realm. Their presence is merely ceremonial, because with Tundra around, it was likely they wouldn¡¯t be needed.


    The participants were all informed of Tundra¡¯s location. If their spatial pouches could no longer contain their harvest, they were permitted to drop off their haul here in their mountain camp. It was mutually beneficial, since Tundra could start work earlier.


    For now, Tundra relaxed. He would be busy once the hunt concluded. By his own estimates, he would need to spend an extra three to five days to deliver on his promises to the participants, and make cultivation pills from the spoils. His priority will be the hosts¡¯ haul. For his disciples, they would have to wait a little more until they were back in the Verdant Snow to receive their share of the pills.


    ¡°Sect Master, it¡¯s been a long journey, this way.¡± A female assistant bowed and greeted him, and guided him to a large tent. The tent itself was made from dried spirit beast skin, dyed a plain beige color, and then painted with the Eastheart family¡¯s sigil.


    Tundra gave the assistant a nod and followed her into the tent that was fully furnished with a bedroom, a throne room, and a general eating area.


    ¡°We hope you find our simple accommodations sufficient for your needs. We will be available to attend to any of your needs, please just call us.¡± The assistant¡¯s dress was unnecessary out here in the mountains. The skirt was too short, the slit at the side went too high, and there were too many holes for the dress to be anything but an intentional attempt at seduction.


    Tundra met many patriarchs who hired such assistants, but he wouldn¡¯t begrudge them. He even did the same tactic if he knew their guests were the lecherous kind. Their role was to placate the men with pleasure and company, such that they didn¡¯t cause problems. It is ancient wisdom that even heroes have a weakness for the charms of beauty. Still, he found it amusing to be on the receiving end. Not the first, and won¡¯t be the last.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you may leave.¡± The assistant bowed and walked out. Tundra¡¯s senses scanned the tent, and then further beyond. He could roughly feel where his wives were, and found it quite amusing that they were quite near to each other.


    They must have decided to cooperate. He saw that as a good sign.


    Two of his own assistants stood outside the tent. ¡°Sect Master, we are here and we await your orders.¡±


    The hunt¡¯s detailed plan was already presented to him the day before. All he needed to do was authorize it. ¡°Proceed as agreed.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t anything fancy. They¡¯d set up their part of the camp and do what they needed to do.


    They bowed and he felt the two of them leave. Once they were further away, Tundra sat on his bed and meditated.


    ***


    The spirit beasts were fairly harmless as Celestia deftly dodged a flying rock, kicked by one of many Stonehorn Grazing Bulls. A spirit beast in the 3rd realm, the three women stalked a group of ten bulls.


    They were just happily eating grass and the leaves from bushes. Then the three female cultivators came along, and ruined the day, as well as ended the rest of their lives.


    Marin was exceptionally eager to prove herself, something that made Celestia feel a little wary.


    She observed that the fifth wife¡¯s cultivation method and combat techniques were all earth-element, and so her effectiveness against the bulls were fairly limited. Elly was of the water element, and water, depending on the aspect, could be either weak, or strong against creatures of the earth element. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t familiar with the right aspect of Yin-Water, so she struggled to contribute and was forced on the defensive.


    A set of unfortunate circumstances that made Celestia the main hunter. Her wood-energy cultivation techniques, such as the [The Cracking Roots] and [Cuts by Thousand Weeds] pierced their earth-empowered hides.


    But the battle was a sign of things to come. For every three Stonehorn Grazing Bull she defeated, the other two wives only defeated one each. The ten bulls died anyway, but Celestia knew things were not going to go well.


    ¡°We must move faster.¡± Marin vented while she got to work. She resisted commenting on how her work was inefficient. She could already feel Marin was agitated, and her complaints almost seemed like it was directed at herself instead of them. ¡°This is taking too long.¡±


    Elly didn¡¯t understand why Marin criticized them, so she countered. ¡°Celestia did the heavy lifting, Marin.¡±


    Celestia squirmed at Elly¡¯s response, and wondered whether Marin would retaliate. But Marin only glared at the senior wife, then she redirected her focus back to her work. The bull¡¯s meat could be used as food, and some parts of its bones could be used to make tools, but Marin didn¡¯t look interested. Victory in this event was defined by the number of Spirit Cores harvested.


    She only extracted the spirit beast cores. ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt some more spirit beasts, I¡¯ll signal the rest of you when I find more of them.¡±


    Celestia frowned, but decided to just collect the rest of Marin¡¯s untouched corpses into her spatial pouch. The horns could be sold for a decent sum. The three wives all had good quality spatial pouches, so their capacity should be the highest of the participants.


    Elly¡¯s annoyance was written on her face, but she too, said nothing as she watched Marin leave.


    ¡°Would it be better if we just store them in the spatial pouches?¡± Celestia tried to mediate. ¡°We can process them later.¡±


    Elly realized Celestia was right. Since they were all dead, they could collect the beast cores out of their corpses later. ¡°You are right.¡±


    ***


    Tundra¡¯s attention shifted across the entire mountain, as he tried to monitor the progress of his followers, his wives, and also the Eastheart family¡¯s participants. He felt them hunt the spirit beasts, and the strategies each of them took. Some moved alone, some moved as groups. There were no right or wrong ways to approach such things.


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    He then focused on his Core Disciples.


    Among his Core Disciples, he had his hopes on Yavin, Julia and Agnia. The three of them were smart, hardworking, and talented. Under the right circumstances and resources, and if they manage to address the challenges of their breakthrough, they should be able to reach the fifth within a year or two, sixth within the next five to ten years, and seventh realm after maybe a hundred years. It may even be faster if he managed to get them powerful pills that bridged the gap.


    His three elders, Jashen, Jon and Severian should be able to reach that level too, in time. The Sixth realm should be within reach, at least in the next three to five years. For them too, if he could get significantly higher quality materials, he could shorten that time to less than a year.


    They needed to be at least in the sixth realm, if he wanted to start monitoring the Zuja¡¯s movement. Even sending someone in the sixth realm was risky. During the final part of the Zuja Plague, Zuja¡¯s avatars were in the 10th realm, and even their lesser spawns could reach the 8th realm.


    In a way, without strength in the eighth to tenth realms, there really wasn¡¯t much Tundra could do. He thought of bringing news to the great sects, but he understood the Great Sects well enough that reports from a mid-tier sect like the Verdant Snow would just be dismissed as pointless fearmongering.


    The Great Sects and their Patriarchs, like Patriarch Whitedragon, received reports of rising powers all the time. He also didn¡¯t put it past the Zuja to have informants and spies within the Great Sects, and he personally didn¡¯t have a good opinion of the Great Sects, even if he did hope to make amends with them.


    Great Sects were all filled with power players, elders who created little fiefdoms and often just preferred to muscle each other out than working for the greater good. His own sect was like that, and unless he was the Sect Master, there really was very little way of trying to get another sect¡¯s ninth or tenth realm elders to move coherently. There likely wasn¡¯t much he could offer them that didn¡¯t bring huge risk to himself.


    A Great Sect¡¯s resources and knowledge would be fairly close to his own knowledge, even if he had an edge.


    So, with no other party to rely on, the best way forward was to build up his own strength. It¡¯s definitely possible, and he believed he could even do it with less resources than before.


    In his opinion, there really were just four components to creating a Great Sect.


    Individual talent, resources, cultivation methods, and the most important one of all, luck.


    He didn¡¯t lack cultivation methods. He remembered all the good ones, and many less powerful ones from his earlier life. Resources were something he could solve with pills and the various auction markets, or his knowledge of the major secret realms.


    That left the last two. Talent meant recruiting the right disciples. Luck was being in the right place and at the right time, and praying to the fortune deities that the stars align.


    But even these problems can be fixed with enough time. With talent and luck, as long as he keeps trying and recruiting new talents, he will eventually land on a good one. Some things in life required nothing but persistence.


    So, back to his three Core Disciples. He saw potential in them. They could be his agents, and in time, he would like to trust them with the full truth of the matter. That he saw a future that was unlike the one today.


    The Zuja was a threat in the longer term. But Zuja¡¯s true summoning required preparation just as long. It required hundreds of sacrifices, and the creation of tens of Tenth realm avatars in order to reopen the rift to Zuja¡¯s own realm.


    Zuja waited. Something must have caused Zuja to hesitate. Was there some kind of celestial alignment during that moment? Was it a matter of resources?


    Was it a matter of threats from other 10th realm cultivators?


    He was no master of the astronomical arts, but the Sky Watching Temple¡¯s Ten Great Star Observers were. They should be able to calculate and project the movements of the stars 10,000 years in the future and estimate why the Zuja Cult waited for that particular moment.


    It would be worthwhile to visit the Sky Watching Temple within the next few years, and speak to the Star Observers.


    ***


    Marin was desperate. Celestia could see it in her eyes, and the way she attacked the spirit beasts.


    She had never seen her fellow wife this way. For the past two days they hunted and attacked every 3rd and 4th realm spirit beast they encountered. It was especially true when they happened to meet her brother, and found out she was about ten spirit beasts behind.


    ¡°Marin! Stop being so reckless! Do you think you are a youngling that was just born yesterday?!¡± Elly lost her patience as she nursed Marin¡¯s injured hand. The healing pill worked wonders, but a cultivator could not overdo it. The body can only regenerate wounds through healing pills for a limited number of times before it experiences pill overdose.


    Each healing pill amplified the soul¡¯s ability to heal itself, and naturally, there was a limit before the soul¡¯s healing abilities were overexerted.


    Marin looked away, but she wanted to get moving. ¡°-I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°No, you are not.¡± Elly said. The wound healed, but this was the 3rd pill she ate, and the speed of healing was slower than before.


    Marin never explained her relationship with her brother. All Celestia knew of them two, was from her own observations. She watched the way Marin conducted herself around her brother, and she could feel there was a kind of rivalry between them.


    ¡°Do you hate your brother, Marin?¡± Celestia asked. Hate was a strong word, but she chose it intentionally.


    Marin¡¯s head turned, and her eyes glared at Celestia. ¡°-no. Not like that. I don¡¯t hate him. It¡¯s- It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we throwing ourselves at the spirit beasts? You¡¯re not behaving the way a cultivator of your level should.¡± Elly said. They may be 4th realm cultivators, but Marin and Elly were clearly out of their depths. They lacked finesse. They lacked technique. Celestia now felt the gap in their abilities keenly.


    The difference between them and their husband couldn¡¯t be more profound. Their husband was one who felt more, who felt like he could go toe to toe with a strong seventh realm cultivator while he was in the sixth realm, and win. Celestia, on the other hand, felt like they could lose to a third realm prodigy.


    Marin felt insulted. ¡°Celestia!¡±


    ¡°Celestia¡¯s right, Marin. Look at you. Fourth realm, getting injured in battles against third realm spirit beasts. All because you wanted to go faster and overestimate what you are really capable of. ¡± Elly countered.


    The fifth wife¡¯s face flushed.


    ¡°What is it with your brother?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not great.¡± Marin said. ¡°He¡¯s not worthy of being the heir. I can do better.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t?¡± Elly countered.


    ¡°No. I- I¡¯m just not prepared.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of resources? Attention?¡± Elly asked. ¡°Why do you care?¡±


    Marin didn¡¯t answer.


    Celestia looked at Marin, and tried to understand what was the underlying misunderstanding between the siblings. ¡±¡°Does your family allow for female heirs?¡±


    That made Marin stop. She shook her head.


    ¡°But, if you were a boy, would you be a better heir?¡± Celestia asked. The nature of cultivation society was something many think about. There were some accursed cultivation methods that allowed for a change in gender, but as far as she knew, it¡¯s a forbidden art.


    Marin froze, and looked at Celestia. She answered but her voice shook. ¡°Maybe? No. Yes. Yes I would.¡±


    Celestia knew she hit the spot when she saw the frustrated expression Marin tried so hard to hide. She saw cultivators like her before. Ladies who wished they were born a boy. Those that wished they had the resources of their male siblings, because of how patriarchal certain cultivator families were. If Marin was indeed a boy, she would be a better heir. In raw talent, she was perhaps a step or two ahead of her brother.


    But she wasn¡¯t, and so her brother rose while she languished. She didn¡¯t hate him, but there was resentment caused by the differential treatment.


    ¡°The pills you received, it all went back to him.¡± Elly said, once she caught on.


    Marin sighed, and genuinely seemed defeated. ¡°-yes. I thought- I thought that now I am in the fourth realm I could show him that I¡¯m worthy. I¡¯m just as good as he was. I should¡¯ve kept those pills.¡±


    Celestia shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re trying to catch up in months, when you¡¯ve given up for the last, I don¡¯t know, two centuries of your marriage?¡±


    Marin¡¯s face was filled with bitterness. Her brother and the two elders practiced for years, decades, while she only recently continued her journey as a cultivator.


    Celestia wondered whether she stopped trying to cultivate because she thought the marriage was her death sentence as a cultivator. Her father sent her away to be some strong cultivator¡¯s trophy wife and breeding mare.


    Marin sighed, her face filled with defeat. She then hugged Elly and wept.


    Celestia sighed, and felt she had an inkling of where she should go in her cultivation. She wanted to be more like her husband. More than those within the same realm. She would stay back in the fourth realm a little more, and focus on her abilities.

 Chapter 22. The End of the Hunt

    The rest of the hunt went on uneventfully, and came to an end. In total, about eight hundred spirit beasts were slain over the three day hunt.


    The Dragon Earthspine Mountains would have peaceful days for at least a decade. With the smaller population of spirit beasts in the area, the Eastheart¡¯s miners would be able to travel to the mines safely, and the trade routes would need less patrols. It would also free up resources for the Eastheart family for other pursuits.


    Once the results were tallied, his Core Disciples came out on top. The four core disciples slaughtered a good three hundred spirit beasts, or about 75 each. Yavin Redaxe, came out on top at 80 spirit beasts, including about 15 4th realm spirit beasts, which were equivalent to four 3rd realm spirit beasts for the purposes of the competition. It was an expected outcome. Yavin was the best prepared of his Core Disciples, he was meticulous with his equipment and outfits, and always tried to counter his weaknesses.


    The next group was Milton Eastheart and the two elders. They slew about one hundred and fifty spirit beasts. A respectable sum, for the three 4th realm cultivators. They were natives, and they knew the lay of the land. They were familiar with where spirit beasts usually roamed, and used it to their advantage. But ultimately, the quality of their cultivation cannot compare to his well-trained Core Disciples. They took longer to defeat the spirit beasts, and Milton needed more time to rest in between their hunts.


    The third group was Celestia and his two wives, at about one hundred and ten spirit beasts. Again, entirely expected results. There were few cultivators of their realm in the competitors. Celestia herself did quite well, her haul was about fifty spirit beasts, while the two less experienced wives were split fairly equally at about thirty spirit beasts each.


    The rest of the spirit beasts were by the remaining cultivators who were mostly in the 3rd realm.


    The Patriarch was a man of ceremony and spectacle, and once the count was completed, the hosts quickly arranged an award ceremony for those who won.


    Tundra beamed with pride as Yavin and his three other Core Disciples walked up to the stage to receive the reward.


    ¡°Well done, disciple Yavin. Your preparations were thorough.¡±


    Yavin bowed as he received the box, he was the first to receive it. ¡°Thank you, Sect Master. Your guidance was infinitely useful.¡±


    After the Core disciples, there was a reward ceremony for the highest scoring hunters of the Eastheart Family, and naturally, there was also a reward, just for Milton Eastheart. Tundra knew the whole point of this part was just to cement his place as the heir apparent to the Eastheart family.


    Gordon Eastheart¡¯s face was filled with pride as he gave the reward to his son. Patriarch Gordon Eastheart was proud of Milton for achieving the highest count after the core disciples. In his eyes, there really was no shame in losing to the Core Disciples.


    Tundra felt a tinge of envy at that moment. Was it because he was closer to his family now?


    He wished one day that he could give prizes to his children too. Prizes they deserved, not because he wanted to give it to them. A part of him looked at the patriarch, and wished that his children were like his Core Disciples.


    Dedicated, and they knew what they wanted. Even if it was quite impossible for children to have the same mental state as his disciples. Disciples of sects are a self selected population, no one from an ordinary background would join a major sect and laze about, since it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Among mortals, it is even said that one would have to accumulate karmic good deeds for ten lifetimes before the heavens blessed them, and granted them the gift of cultivation.


    And so, the hunt was over. There was another grand feast after.


    But Marin wasn¡¯t there.


    ***


    ¡°Husband. Please speak to Marin.¡± Celestia approached him the moment after the award ceremony. The look in her eyes told him something wasn¡¯t well. ¡°She¡¯s in her room.¡±


    ¡°Come with me, tell me everything.¡± Tundra said, and the two walked towards the guesthouse. Celestia repeated everything. Things that happened during the hunt that Tundra didn¡¯t know. From his Mountain camp, he couldn¡¯t hear or sense what happened down below, and wished he learned some spying abilities. The pair arrived outside of their guesthouse, and Tundra gently placed his hand on Celestia¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Wait outside. I should face her alone.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I will come back later.¡± Celestia answered, and then after a moment¡¯s pause, she wished. ¡°Good luck.¡± Tundra wondered whether she already expected that she would not go in. The door creaked open and he saw Marin on the bed.


    Sibling rivalry now gave context to her actions. She was the loser in this contest betweens siblings. ¡°Marin.¡±


    Marin didn¡¯t turn to face him. In some patriarchal parts of their world, this would be an offense. But Tundra let it slide. It was not the day to harp on old wisdom, nor did he really want to impose such rules on her.


    He walked to her side of the bed and sat next to her. Her eyes were only slightly red, but the pillow was a little moist.


    ¡°I heard about everything from Celestia.¡±


    Marin shifted.


    ¡°I wish I knew earlier.¡± Tundra confessed he was not aware of the subtle undercurrents among siblings. As someone who grew up an orphan, there were just certain family dynamics that were not immediately obvious to him. He also never had to compete for the affections of his Sect Master. His talent was clear to all, so his hard work was almost always rewarded.


    Not just that, Tundra grew up gifted with talent, and so, he never ever nursed a feeling of insecurity in his heart. Even against stronger cultivators, he always believed that all he needed was more preparation, and more time.


    Marin seemed so frail, so vulnerable at this moment. He remembered their conversation by the lake, and hesitated. Was it right to show affection at this time, when she said she didn¡¯t want it?


    A part of himself wavered.


    He decided to place his hand on her shoulder, and tapped her. He tried to figure out reassuring words that were appropriate for the situation. There were masters in every generation that knew the exact words to say, but Tundra wasn¡¯t one of those. So he said nothing.


    His palm was warm, and her shoulder was cold. Marin shifted in the bed. She still didn¡¯t want to look at him. Tundra wondered what she was thinking.


    Tundra sat there anyway. A wise old woman once told him that sometimes, all he needed to do was be present. He wasn¡¯t present for most of his family in his first life. He would stay next to her until she kicked him out.


    So he waited.


    ¡°-you¡¯re not leaving.¡± Marin said after quite a few minutes of silence. Tundra sat there, his hands still on her shoulder.


    ¡°Should I?¡± Tundra asked. He was happy that she finally said a word.


    There was a time when the Verdant Snow was a great sect. Romantic struggles and battles were common amongst his disciples, at least before the Zuja plague exploded. His elders frequently had to manage families and resolve these romantic disputes. In hindsight, he wished he participated in those matters. The experience would¡¯ve come in handy.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± His wife asked, her voice shaky.


    Tundra looked at her, and this time she turned to look at him. He saw in her eyes a mix of fear, worry, and confusion. He sighed, as his own heart was in turmoil. He wanted to build a family from what was just the shadow of it. She didn¡¯t want to be a part of this. She was forced into it. Everything was an act. A role she had to play.


    So yes, maybe there really wasn¡¯t a reason for him to be there.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    But what would people think if a Sect Master abandoned his wife? Even if she did not love him, there were duties society expected from a husband. Ancient wisdom bound families together in marriage. The union of two clans thus made both of them allies.


    ¡°Because you are still my wife.¡± Tundra answered. Despite Marin¡¯s wishes, she wasn¡¯t at the point where she could step out and demand separation.


    Marin stared at him like he was mad, and then laughed. It wasn¡¯t a happy laughter, instead, it was a kind of mad, frustrated laugh. She sat up. ¡°My mind¡¯s a mess. My heart¡¯s filled with confusion, sadness and frustration. I¡¯m in a marriage I never wanted, but yes, at this point, you are my husband. You are still my husband.¡±


    She adjusted her robe, and with swift pull, her robes fell to the side, and on the mattress. It revealed her skin and her body.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to help me untangle these things in my heart. The feelings I have with my family, the frustrations I held within for so long for my fate. ¡±


    Tundra admired the exposed beauty, even if she wasn¡¯t really smiling. She looked torn, as if this was something she did to drown out something else in her heart.


    ¡°But since you won¡¯t leave, do what a husband does, and help me numb the pain. Make me forget them. If for a while. Remind me that I am still worth something.¡± Marin said, as she moved closer. The scent of her skin, her flesh was pleasant to his senses. ¡°Would you?¡±


    The Sect Master could not remember when was the last time he tasted the pleasures of the flesh. His hand reached out and touched her soft waist. ¡°Very well. I would be a fool not to eat the food served to me.¡±


    Marin smiled weakly. She was using him. Maybe she wanted to avoid the conversation altogether. She didn¡¯t want to deal with the underlying issue. She didn¡¯t want him to keep digging, and make her expose her feelings.


    She didn¡¯t want to talk about it. So, this was her defense.


    Her hands curled around his neck, and pulled him towards her body. Even as her fingers touched him sensually, all he felt was the coldness of her skin. A coping mechanism. But Tundra decided to just let her do what she wanted, and so, the husband and wife engaged in the carnal act of lovemaking, even if the love was lacking from one of them.


    It was nothing more than an outlet for her frustrations.


    Nothing more than a dose of pleasure to temporarily drown her sorrows.


    ***


    ¡°How is she?¡± Celestia asked when Tundra left the room after what was two, maybe three hours. The guest rooms all came with a sound-suppression formation, for privacy, and so she heard nothing.


    Tundra stretched. He was sweaty, yet refreshed. ¡°The underlying cause remains, but for now, the pain is suppressed.¡±


    Celestia¡¯s nose twitched, and the Sect Master remembered that women¡¯s noses were incredibly sensitive. She didn¡¯t ask, but she knew.


    The two just stood there quietly, awkwardly for a moment. Tundra decided it was time to get back to work.  ¡°I¡¯ll have to start work on the pills. The victors won¡¯t wait too long for it.¡±


    The sixth wife bowed. ¡°Alright. May I enter the room?¡±


    Tundra paused. ¡°Yes, but give her some time to clean up.¡±


    ***


    Celestia came into the room and saw a soaked mattress. There was a sweaty scent in the air that still lingered. Marin jumped when she saw Celestia walk into the room.


    ¡°Oh! I- Uh- I should ask the servants to clean up.¡± Marin¡¯s face was flushed, but the sixth wife was relieved to see her appearance. Marin seemed more relaxed and calm. She knew what happened. A woman didn¡¯t need many clues to tell.


    The four petite maids carried the entire mattress out of the room, and swapped in a new clean one. They worked quickly, and left the two to their own devices soon after.


    ¡°You told him.¡± Marin spoke, as the two finally sat down. The maid also brought a tea set for them, and some refreshments. Local fruits.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Celestia said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Celestia countered. In her mind, she saw a member of the family in distress, if she didn¡¯t tell Tundra, who else should she speak to? ¡°Would you prefer I approach your family?¡±


    That made Marin pale. ¡°No. No no no. That would make things worse. I cannot show them this shameful, vulnerable side of me.¡±


    Celestia wondered what else her fellow co-wife guarded herself against. Patriarch Gordon Eastheart seemed normal enough, as normal as male-centric cultivation families were. ¡°What- what happened? Would you tell me?¡±


    Marin looked at the younger cultivator in the eye, and shook her head. ¡°No. Not- not yet. Not until I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Then we will wait.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Tundra wants to know.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Everyone will want to know.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Marin countered. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let the world know about it.¡±


    ¡°The families are bonded together by marriage, as is convention. If there is some injustice to you-¡±


    Marin shook her head. ¡°There is no injustice. No injustice in the eyes of society. Just my heart is not willing to accept my lesser place in society, and I lack the power to make life different for myself.¡±


    That bit of confession made Celestia frown. There is injustice, even if it wasn¡¯t one in the eyes of society. The patriarchal cultivation society did not consider political marriages to be unjust, but required that the two sides come to it willingly.


    There was a strain of patriarchal belief that held sway in their society. The child must listen to the father. The younger sister must obey the elder brother. The wife must obey the husband.


    Marin wasn¡¯t the first, and would not be the last to fight against the patriarchal forces. It is why many female cultivators move to the lands where the matriarchy is stronger, only to find it is more of the same. It is also why these two aspects of society often find conflict with each other. There were many brutal wars between the matriarchy and patriarchy, even if the recent era was relatively peaceful.


    Every society creates its own rules. Some evolved organically, some were imposed by the powerful.


    Celestia had long found her own peace and acceptance with the patriarchy, and decided it was better to find someone she could trust to share her life with.


    But everyone''s dreams were a little different.


    Elly wasn¡¯t the ambitious sort. To Celestia, the fourth wife seemed like she just wanted to be a good daughter, a good wife, and a good mother. She wasn¡¯t a good mother, since she did pamper her children a little too much, and was probably too lenient on them, but her goals were simple.


    Celestia, she thought herself to be not too different from Elly. She had a little bit more worldly experience, and enjoyed wandering from place to place, but she wanted a home, too. Maybe she was a little greedy and wanted it all, but she didn¡¯t think she was that different from Elly.


    The sixth wife looked at Marin as she dressed herself in a fresh set of clean clothes. Marin wished she was born a boy. She wanted power, because it meant independence. She wanted control over her own life.


    ¡°Will you be alright, Marin?¡± Celestia asked again. Marin looked like she was ready to head out again. Her eyes were no longer red or swollen.


    ¡°No.¡± Marin answered in a rare bit of honesty. ¡°But I would say, the pain is under control.¡±


    Celestia decided it was best to stay with her. ¡°Let me walk with you. We could see the town, eat something nice and look out for some nice clothes. We can even drink, and drown these sorrows away.¡±


    The fifth wife didn¡¯t refuse, and was relieved to have the conversation guided towards lighter grounds. ¡°The clothing designs and tastes of the Eastheart lands may not suit you.¡±


    ¡°The outcome doesn¡¯t matter that much.¡± Celestia countered. ¡°I merely enjoy the process of having clothes made.¡±


    ***


    They spent another week in the Eastheart mansion, Tundra spent almost all of it in the workshop preparing pills. The materials harvested by the various cultivators were made into pills, and that was only for their portion of materials. The Core Disciples, and his wives would only receive their pills once they returned to the Verdant Snow.


    Once Tundra fulfilled his duties to the Hunt¡¯s participants, it was time to leave.


    ¡°Father-in-law, your hospitality during these few weeks have been impeccable.¡± Tundra thought it was fit to give the special pill at the end of the trip. He bowed, his three wives behind him bowed with him. ¡°This is a present from us, as a gesture of our gratitude.¡±


    Patriarch Gordon Eastheart received the gift in the presence of the entire Eastheart family. There were cheers, and the Patriarch¡¯s smile was practiced.


    They had to make it an event. All of them were in their ceremonial functions robe, even his three wives. A ¡®sending-off¡¯ ceremony. The Easthearts were big on such things, and Tundra could see why Marin found it irritating.


    All these things were meant to magnify their own importance. Solidify their place in society.


    They would leave, and this would be the end of it. For now.


    The convoy departed, and Elly brought up the topic from the earlier trip. ¡°What¡¯s next, husband?¡±


    Tundra thought for a moment. ¡°We rest, consolidate, and grow our strength.¡±


    His immediate task was to work on all the materials in their spatial pouches. Pills needed to be made, and he had a huge backlog to clear.


    Over the next few months, there were a few things on his mind.


    First thing was the plot by the three descendants of the Blackshore family to get close to his family. He wondered whether there were any developments during their absence.


    Next, and perhaps the most important, was the Imperial Summon from Princess Luharl, for alchemy masters in about eight months. This was a trip he had to make, and he needed to prepare accordingly.


    The third matter was his promise to his family. He would need to make a trip to the shipyards to acquire a Flying Ship. That should significantly improve their travel times from place to place.


    Fourth, was the issue with the Yellow Cloud¡¯s formation master. His prisoner. He was fairly willing to just let this remain the way it is. If the Yellow Cloud wasn¡¯t willing to negotiate, he¡¯ll just have to keep the woman in custody for as long as needed.


    Then, the fifth matter was an incident he recalled from his past life. There would be an explosion incident at the Scarlet Thunder Sect, and he needed to figure out who and what was the cause. Of the five, he decided it was time to visit the Scarlet Lightning City, and see through the incident with the Scarlet Thunder.


    His instincts told him there were bigger forces at play.

 Chapter 23. Parenting is hard

    ¡°Drink some more, brother!¡± Anna Fox watched in disgust, as the woman from the Blackshore family somehow convinced Evan Fox to share a drink with her. Verdant Leaf Town was a relatively small town, and there were only a few haunts for alcoholics. The Verdant Glory Tavern was the biggest of them, and so, the members of the Fox family were frequent patrons, that they even have special tabs and service just for them.


    Clarissa Blackshore wore an exceptionally sexy dress that made everyone¡¯s eyes turn. But the commoners all knew she was from a cultivator family, and understood who her targets were.


    Evan was happily drunk, and then he blurted out. ¡°My luck has finally turned, Clarissa! To think my father wants me to work as an administrator!¡±


    This statement immediately caught Clarissa¡¯s attention. She immediately refilled the man¡¯s cup with more alcohol. ¡°Oh, why? Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°He said that if I didn¡¯t intend to cultivate, he would reduce my stipend and reassign me!¡±


    Clarissa¡¯s seductive, sultry appearance immediately changed into one that was serious. The way she looked at Evan was almost murderous, but he was too drunk to notice. ¡°Wait, brother Evan. You¡¯re reassigned to do administrative work?¡±


    Evan continued. He was smiling and happily drunk, despite what he said was sad and probably upsetting. ¡°Yes. My father thinks that if I won¡¯t cultivate, then I don¡¯t deserve any resources.¡±


    Clarissa paused, and her expression was one of disgust. Her words now lacked any of the earlier seductiveness. ¡°You¡¯re nothing like your father.¡±


    Evan was oblivious, and finished the cup. ¡°Pour me some more, Clarissa.¡±


    Clarissa stood. She didn¡¯t lean close to Evan anymore, and instead, looked disturbed. ¡°You can pour it yourself, Evan. I have somewhere else to go.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I thought you said you were free the whole day today!¡±


    ¡°I must¡¯ve forgotten that there was something planned.¡± Clarissa countered. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Anna, who spied on the two from a few tables away, couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She was worried for nothing. Actually, as she examined her own family, she realized there really wasn¡¯t anyone worth ¡®marrying¡¯ to. Everyone in their family was passable, but for big powerful families, they were pretty much 2nd, no, 3rd class goods.


    ***


    ¡°All of them are trash.¡± Clarissa repeated, much to Clara¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°I told you. None of them can hold a candle to the patriarch, it just makes me wonder whether they are truly his child. How can a tiger have dogs for children?!¡± Clara countered.


    ¡°Wait. Are you suggesting that these children are all illegitimate?¡± Clarissa stared.


    ¡°Why else would they be so terrible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it.¡± Clarissa countered. ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Father wants us to choose one.¡±


    ¡°But the one that¡¯s willing to give us time is useless in the eyes of the patriarch. If we¡¯re married to an unimportant character, the marriage is useless!¡± Clarissa stated.


    ¡°I know. I think this whole trip will be a waste of time. Father should just send us to a bigger sect and let us try our luck on the disciples and young masters there.¡±


    ¡°Father won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡± Clarissa looked at her sister. ¡°Should we go for the Core Disciples?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what we came to do.¡±


    ¡°Core Disciples are in the same realm as father, and could even be promoted to Elder if they reached the fifth realm. I think if our husband is in the fifth realm, father won¡¯t dare say that we chose wrongly.¡±


    Clara paused. A fifth realm on their side was a decent bargaining chip. If they could snag one core disciple each, two fifth realms would make them more powerful than their father.


    ¡°Brother won¡¯t like that.¡± Clarissa suddenly realized the trouble with the plan. ¡°Our husbands would threaten his position, since they are stronger than him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll have to just accept it.¡± Clara countered. ¡°I like this plan more than seducing the useless scions.¡±


    ¡°That would give us power over him.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell him?¡± Clara said. ¡°I won¡¯t, if you won¡¯t.¡±


    The two women grinned.


    ***


    ¡°It is a nice feeling to be home again.¡± Elly said as the family regathered for dinner. After the trip, each of the wives returned to their own part of the Fox family¡¯s compound. Tundra, as Sect Master, naturally had plenty of his own sect master duties, and thus had to meet with the rest of the elders.


    Dinner was as it was, every night at the dining hall. Marin, despite Celestia¡¯s expectations, came for dinner.


    ¡°This is just like how it once was.¡± Elly said. Tundra was busy, and would skip dinner. That was the norm before his dream.


    ¡°But it is not.¡± Celestia said. The elders were not present as well, and naturally that meant they all had their own dinner. ¡°Nothing is as it was.¡±


    Marin looked at Celestia, and nodded. ¡°Say nothing.¡±


    The sixth wife grinned. ¡°Nothing needs to be said. I, for one, am glad to be back in the Verdant Snow.¡±


    ¡°You two are hiding something.¡± Elly intervened, but then Elly noticed her son enter the room. ¡°Edison! How did everything go?¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡± Edison looked reluctant to talk to her. ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Nothing? Well. That¡¯s good, then.¡±


    Edison sat at his own table, and immediately ordered the maids to serve him wine and food. Elly frowned. ¡°Is that how you talk to your mother that just returned from a trip?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened, mother. I¡¯m glad you returned safely. I happen to be quite hungry, let me eat.¡±


    Celestia watched Elly as she looked like she wanted to say more, but realized Edison wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk to her, so she decided to just let it go.


    ¡°You like to eavesdrop, don¡¯t you?¡± Marin asked in unusual cheeriness. The three wives were seated on the main table, as if expecting Tundra¡¯s presence. These days, it is quite hard to predict when he turned up and when he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°You too. You look happy.¡± Celestia briefly glanced and noticed Marin put on some makeup. It wasn¡¯t every day she made the effort.


    ¡°I do?¡± Marin answered, a little surprised. Then she admitted, her posture somehow relaxed. ¡°I guess it does feel nice to leave that place. It¡¯s filled with less than pleasant memories.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°One can¡¯t help but observe that this seems to be avoidance.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Marin admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s life. For things we can¡¯t deal with, we run from it.¡±


    Elly walked back to their table, and sat at her place. ¡°Looks like our husband isn¡¯t coming.¡± She picked up her chopsticks and started to eat. The three wives shared a quiet moment where all of them focused on eating their own food.


    Then, after what seemed like a few minutes of quiet eating, Elly decided to break the silence.


    ¡°Celestia, have you decided to break through to the 5th realm?¡±


    Celestia shook her head. ¡°No. I plan to strengthen my foundations and abilities. There are things I can still do. Gaps that I see between myself and those above that I want to close.¡±


    Both Marin and Elly were silent. Marin poured herself a cup of wine, and drank it.


    Elly looked at her own kids, and then back at Celestia. ¡°Can I join you?¡±


    ¡°Sure. But our cultivation methods are different, so the things we need to focus on will be different.¡±


    ¡°Celestia.¡± Marin stated with unusual seriousness.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Celestia turned to face the fifth wife.


    ¡°I challenge you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I challenge you to a duel, Celestia. You¡¯re the strongest amongst us. Show me the difference between us in battle.¡±


    ***


    Celestia and Marin stood in a quiet courtyard hidden deep within the Fox compound. It was a place, a large field where she could practice in peace and quiet. It was flanked with tall pine trees and a wall of bushes. It was Celestia¡¯s own little corner, a place she designed over the years with the help of the hired hardeners.


    It took years to get it to where it is today, but it is her area. Her own mark on the place that was now her home.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had this place.¡± Elly stated.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for you two to come to my side of the home.¡± Celestia said, each of them had their own little segment of the compound, and there really wasn¡¯t much reason for one to go somewhere else. ¡°It¡¯s where I practice alone. Try not to ruin the trees?¡±


    Marin gripped her mace. ¡°It would be impolite to do so. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Celestia moved first, and she should be at the advantage. Her [wood] element was strong against Marin¡¯s [Earth]. But what none of them expected was how quickly Celestia broke through Marin¡¯s earth-energy defense.


    Three strikes, and Celestia¡¯s blade was already pointed at Marin.


    ¡°That was too fast.¡± Elly said. She didn¡¯t expect the gap to be that big.


    ¡°I have the favorable element, Lady Eastheart. I apologize.¡± Celestia didn¡¯t expect her own attacks to pierce Marin¡¯s defenses so easily, either. During the strike, she could feel Marin¡¯s energies took the shape of earth, took the form of earth, but did not carry the weight of earth.


    In short, Marin¡¯s mastery of the earth element was weaker than the 4th realm spirit beasts they encountered.


    Marin¡¯s face turned towards Celestia. ¡°Speak, what did you feel? What weakness did you see?¡±


    ¡°I believe there is some room for improvement.¡± Celestia said. The truth was ugly, and the truth would hurt feelings. She wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to create a gap in their relationship.


    ¡°Some?¡± Marin said as her eyes darted to the spectator. ¡°Elly, spar with Celestia.¡±


    Elly shook her head. ¡°That is not necessary. I know how far I lag behind.¡±


    ¡°Did we advance too fast?¡± Marin wondered.


    Celestia couldn¡¯t answer her.


    ***


    ¡°Father.¡± Anna, Edison and Larian all bowed before their father. Anna was first to speak. ¡°You called?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What happened in our absence. We were away for almost three weeks.¡± Tundra sat on the dais, there were piles of letters by his side. Anna suspected he would be reading the rest of the night.


    Anna looked at Edison and Larian. Edison didn¡¯t look like he wanted to answer, and Larian merely nodded back at her, as if signaling her to speak. So she did. ¡°Nothing much happened, father.¡±


    She then narrated how the two girls tried to flirt with different members of the family, but somehow all seemed somewhat disinterested after getting to know them. It made Larian chuckle, and Edison¡¯s face turned red.


    Edison immediately looked at their father. ¡°Father, this is insulting. How can they treat our family that way? Anna, why didn¡¯t you slap them when you saw them behave that way?!¡±


    Anna stared at their father, and wondered whether their father would react in anger. But instead, he was amused.


    ¡°I think it says more about us, than them, my dearest Edison.¡±


    Edison stared, unable to believe the words from his father. ¡°What do you mean, father?¡± His fingers curled into a fist. ¡°I will crush them for belittling our family!¡±


    ¡°Edison, Edison. It is good that you are angry.¡± Tundra chuckled. ¡°These girls have more substance than I expected. Truly, all that intermarriage by the Blackshore family brought good blood into their pool.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Edison¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, and somehow, his anger leaked into his words. ¡°Father! What are you saying?! This insult cannot stand! How do we face society if we let these two whores look at our siblings this way?¡±


    Tundra then stared, and for a moment, the three felt anger in their father. The large room suddenly seemed so intimidating, so heavy. It¡¯s been so long they last saw that anger in their father that the three immediately shrunk.


    The three didn¡¯t dare look at their father, but instead, awaiting his next word.


    ¡°I assigned the three of you to manage them. It was a test. I¡¯m sure you know that.¡±


    The three didn¡¯t dare answer.


    ¡°But luckily or unluckily for the three of you, the two girls were more intelligent than I thought. If I were them, I wouldn¡¯t want to choose any of your siblings, either. Why? Do you know why?¡±


    The three children did not dare speak.


    ¡°Because my children, when measured against the great families, no, even the mid-ranked families, have amounted to nothing!¡± Tundra said. Anna thought his voice seemed to shake, the room seemed to boom. ¡°Who¡¯s fault is it?¡±


    The three children looked at each other. Anna wondered how much of that fault was theirs. She felt her hands tremble.


    ¡°A part is yours. But a large part is mine. As the old wise man said, the father that does not teach his sons his duties is equally guilty as the son who neglects them. I had hoped to reach my children through words, and actions, but every day I am reminded of my own failures.¡±


    Tundra stared at Edison, and Edison¡¯s hands trembled.


    ¡°Do you think I do not feel shame, my son? You speak of pride, my dear Edison. But think of me, as a father. Does a father feel pride when his childrens are failures, Edison? Should a father punish potential suitors, when the suitors find what we have on offer unappealing?¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes looked at the floor. Anna felt Tundra¡¯s pressure, and that moment, it seemed overwhelming.


    ¡°You raise your voice, Edison, because you feel anger. You feel they slighted your family. You feel they insulted you. I feel it too.¡± Tundra said, the anger vanished just as suddenly. ¡°But it¡¯s our problem, Edison.¡±


    Anna felt her father¡¯s gaze on her.


    ¡°If my children produce nothing of worth, they deserve nothing of worth.¡± Tundra said. ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    Anna tried to think, but under pressure, her mind was blank. She wanted to answer, but no words came to her.


    Tundra answered for her. ¡°We must remember this bitterness. This is experience, children. Many great cultivators found the energy and drive to achieve greatness because they were looked down on. Because others thought they couldn¡¯t. Because others thought they were nothing. If you feel anger, hatred, frustration. You remember it. You refine it. Turn it into a drive.¡±


    Edison looked like he had words to say, but didn¡¯t. Anna thought for a moment, her half-brother seemed wise to hold his tongue.


    ¡°If we do not become better, we prove the two sisters right. That we are not worth their attention. Do you three believe you are failures?¡±


    The three shook their heads. Anna wasn¡¯t sure whether they believed it, but at that point, who would dare say a word against their father.


    ¡°No. A father does not want failures for children.¡± Tundra answered. ¡°Every father wishes for the successor generations to be better, to be greater. It is why families invest so much resources, so much of their hope in their offspring.¡±


    Anna thought a punishment would come.


    ¡°So what now? The three of you reach the peak of the 3rd realm by the end of the year. That is my goal for the three of you.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m only in the 2nd-¡± Larian quickly said, but his face soon suggested he regretted those words. Edison looked at his father, angry. There were words he wanted to say but none of it came out.


    Tundra looked resigned. ¡°Leave. Reflect on your failings and come back tomorrow. Tell me your plans on how to be a better cultivator.¡±


    ***


    Tundra sat alone in the room, his soul pounded. He rarely felt anger, but when Edison shouted, he somehow lost it.


    It was just a spur of the moment. Maybe it was all his stored frustrations with his various children. His irritation at their behavior. No, the heart of it was simple. It was how his children reflected on his own failures.


    What was done was done. Tundra thought he lost his ability to influence his older generation of children. He would have to work on his younger ones instead. Those that he could still mold.


    He sighed.


    Raising children was hard.

 Chapter 24. Resting

    Two months after the trip, Seven months after regression


    The sun was fairly gentle this time of the year, summer ended, and autumn came with the gentle sunlight and occasionally cold winds. The critters around the Verdant Snow Sect were exceptionally noisy during this time, and the ruthless struggle to harvest enough supplies for the coming winter played out throughout the woods.


    Even in her corner of the Fox Mansion, Celestia found her meditation disturbed by the movements of bugs and insects around her.


    What she committed herself to doing was to round up her skills, and that process was significantly more challenging than she thought. Her face blushed slightly as the memory of Tundra¡¯s exploration of her soul briefly flashed in her mind. She shook her head. Distractions.


    She closed her eyes and focused on the channels of energy within her soul, again, thought made into spiritual reality.


    The wind blew and the leaves rustled. The branches of the trees around her private courtyard swayed.


    Distractions.


    Focus. She concentrated on the lines formed in her soul. The souls were layers on an onion, each new layer big and wider. It could fit more shapes, more structures. Refinement.


    Cultivation techniques and methods were a shortcut. They were knowledge meant to assist the cultivator in creating structures and shapes in the soul. But they were shortcuts, because they told a cultivator what to do, but not why they did it.


    She felt the structures in the soul, and tried to fix it. But what did she want to fix?


    Her spiritual senses brushed over her spiritual core. Tundra described it as a growing farm, and at the center is the farmer¡¯s home. The cultivator was a farmer. He farmed spiritual energies, and attempted to grow structures of power. These structures need care, maintenance, and had to be watered, at least, while in the same realm.


    The act of ¡®watering¡¯ and ¡®caring¡¯ for the farm within their soul is why a cultivator is often one of the great myths of why a cultivator is referred to as such.


    Spiritual refiner, or spiritual creator just didn¡¯t have the agricultural symbolism cultivation had.


    She focused on the largest structure, a large structure around the energy channels itself. It represented the Angel Whispering Form, her cultivation method. Cultivation methods functioned in many ways, and these were like pumps. They pulled energy into her soul, through the spiritual roots. Some worked automatically, this needed her direct attention.


    There should be ways of improving its performance.


    Tundra¡¯s words rang in her mind. ¡°This appears suboptimal. The structure doesn¡¯t pull as much energy as it should.¡±


    She looked at it, and couldn¡¯t see why. She meditated and spent hours trying to study the structure, and didn¡¯t understand what she was feeling or looking at. She briefly wondered whether this was the difference between those who are geniuses, and those who are mere mortals.


    She felt the structure, and tried to tinker with it. It wasn¡¯t hard. It was moveable, malleable. It¡¯s size and shape at her whims. Her husband said this malleability ends once she ascends to the next realm.


    She wasn¡¯t making progress.


    But she tried. She moved on to another different structure, and tried her luck again.


    It was hard.


    There were days she worked on something only to find that it did nothing. It was supposed to be intuitive, but Celestia was beginning to wonder whether it¡¯s only intuitive to Tundra.


    She took a pill.


    The pill was made from the cores of their harvest. It injected a large dose of earth energy into her body, and immediately she felt it well up in her spiritual roots and meridians.


    Focus. No distractions.


    She pulled the energy into her soul and it did so easily. Tundra claimed that she should observe how her energy flowed as it traveled from the Spiritual Roots to the core.


    Whether there were disruptions.


    Whether the flow was blocked. Or places where the rate of flow was slower. Or places where that energy seemed to pool.


    A cultivator experimented.


    He made it sound so logical. So easy.


    She stared and felt her energy movements, and wondered whether the two of them were really talking about different animals altogether.


    ***


    Tundra was busy during those two months. The pills were made and distributed to the Core Disciples, Inner Disciples, and his wives. He continued to observe his children, who surprisingly, didn¡¯t take the harsh words too badly. It was almost like they expected some kind of scolding or talking down, and that made Tundra feel a little bad. The intention was to teach, but how it came out, how it played out in reality, was another. Tundra wondered whether his children despised his outburst of anger, but subsequent briefings were brief.


    But it was not all bad. He continued to find himself fairly amused by the two ladies, because they pivoted so easily and decided to target Yavin Redaxe, of all people. It was also rather amusing to find his most experienced Core Disciple being a little flustered when two decently attractive women threw themselves at him.


    But Yavin was an intelligent man, and was quick to learn their intentions. The two ladies tried, and though it was clear he was a man after all, vulnerable to the seductions of beauties, his mind was clear enough to guard him from serious mistakes.


    The brother, and heir to the Blackshore family struggled to make sense of it, but he wasn¡¯t the type to spy on his own two sisters, so for these two months, he attempted to approach Tundra¡¯s daughters instead. Anna was one of them. Anna, naturally aware of his intentions, deftly dodged his attempts.


    The boy was pretty much a typical young master trying to covet another family¡¯s daughter, and on that front, Tundra found him pretty disappointing.


    But if Yavin did find himself enjoying the company of the two ladies, he would approve of it. They  appear to be shrewd, and though they had ulterior motives, motives could be changed. There was likely enough dissatisfaction between the daughters that could be transformed into a cause for Yavin to rise into the new head of the Blackshore family.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    So, he didn¡¯t see a need to stop it. But Yavin clearly thought otherwise, that he brought it up during one of the Core Disciple¡¯s lecture sessions


    ¡°Master, what should I do with them?¡± Yavin clearly was not particularly fond of them. Julia, his fellow Core Disciple, was absolutely delighted to see their fellow senior brother under such a predicament.


    ¡°Brother, you should just relax and enjoy their company. You spend too much time on serious matters that this should be a way for you to loosen up!¡± Julia sniggered. Julia was fairly beautiful herself, but she wasn¡¯t jealous. The Core Disciples have a camaraderie among them that Tundra described as ¡®brotherly¡¯.


    Yavin frowned. ¡°Master, your advice?¡±


    Tundra chuckled, and remembered the same advice his own Sect Master gave to him. ¡°My own Sect Master arranged for me to marry my first wife when I was just a disciple. He claimed it would make me a fuller, more rounded cultivator.¡±


    It was not the response Yavin expected.


    Julia and the rest of the Core disciples chuckled.


    Tundra smiled. ¡°With my experience now, I believe he meant for me to learn the meaning of attachment, of relationships, and to appreciate the people around me.¡±


    Julia was more than happy to egg her fellow senior brother on. ¡°See, even our master agrees that you should get a life!¡±


    Yavin coughed, and looked at Tundra. ¡°Could you elaborate more, Master?¡±


    ¡°Why do we cultivate, Yavin? To attain immortality. To gain power. Those are the two main reasons. Immortality and power¡¯s appeal is obvious, so that we never age, so that we can stay in the world longer. But why? Because we have things we want to do in this world. So that we can live on and protect those we care about. So that we can take what we want. But dissect that further, and you will realize the things we want, the things we want to protect, the things we desire, many of them are for our friends, our family, for the people we care about.¡±


    Everyone stared at him.


    ¡°Mortals work hard to provide for their family, to give their children the best in life. Young men work hard to afford beautiful things for their loved ones. Old ones want to live on, because they want to be there to protect their children, and watch them grow.¡±


    ¡°Not all are like that.¡± Julia elaborated, but Tundra felt that answer came from within her.


    ¡°True. But I would say 2 out of 3 are like that. The reason they strive is for those around them.¡±


    Tundra paused briefly. The room of Core Disciples all listened.


    ¡°So ask yourself, Yavin, do you feel you require more connections in life? Do you feel you have a purpose to ascend further?¡±


    The Core Disciple¡¯s eyes met his, and Tundra knew Yavin was made of sterner stuff. He had a purpose.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then you may ignore them, if it distracts you. But if you find their presence encourages you to pursue your goals with greater drive, then it may be a good idea to accept their affections. The choice is yours.¡±


    Yavin Redaxe looked back at Tundra. ¡°Master, was that why you agreed to marry your first wife?¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Oh, I am a much simpler person. I trusted my master¡¯s wisdom, and so agreed to it.¡±


    Yavin then twisted the question. ¡°Master, if I may, what would you do in my place?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d give them a chance and go out with them. Learn more about them, learn about their whims and interests, whether they are the type of person I would like to spend time with. Some cultivators seek out companions to walk the path of cultivation together.¡±


    Julia then suddenly got curious. ¡°Master, are you suggesting they go on a courtship session?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Not to that extent. Just merely spend time and sense whether there is good compatibility and chemistry. If there is fate, there is fate.¡±


    Yavin actually mulled the question seriously.


    ***


    ¡°Grandfather.¡± Jihan Silverhound bowed as politely as an eight year old could muster the self control to do. His mother was Erin Mistburn Fox, Tundra and Elly¡¯s daughter. They were in Tundra¡¯s private hall.


    Tundra was pleased to see the young boy, and tapped the ornate wood and marble chair next to him. ¡°Sit, Jihan.¡±


    He did, even if the chair felt too big for him.


    ¡°How are your studies?¡± Tundra asked. Most cultivators didn¡¯t start cultivating until they were about nine or ten. Their spiritual roots are still going through the process of maturing.


    ¡°They are fine, grandfather.¡± He looked disinterested, but Tundra knew young children were like that. His mother must have prepared him, to the best she could.


    ¡°Good. Everyone needs to learn the mortal arts, the basics of numerics and language are important, even Cultivation Masters use them.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡± Jihan asked.


    ¡°Yes. Even kings must know whether trade deals are worth it, how much supplies to bring for an expedition. The need to count and read remains a necessity even at higher levels. No, it becomes even more important, because what people cannot overcome with strength, they try to overcome with their wits.¡±


    ¡°Father tells me stories about cultivators that just hit people they don¡¯t like.¡± Jihan said. ¡°Or people that lie to them.¡±


    Tundra chuckled at how true that was. ¡°There are some like that. But it is not smart. We don¡¯t want to get into situations where we have to threaten people with our fists.¡±


    Tundra felt those words sting. He threatened a lot of people with fists. One of his elders back in the day would have laughed at him. Silly, hypocritical old man.  He could even imagine his face.


    Jihan stared at him. Tundra realized that he probably had an expression he should not have shown a boy that was that age. ¡°Do you want to be a cultivator, Jihan?¡±


    ¡°Father says I must. It is in our family¡¯s rule.¡± Jihan said, speaking with the lack of shyness commonly seen in children. Tundra recalled he never saw the really young children, back in the day. Their mothers would hide them from him.


    Too young, they said, and they feared they would offend him. He didn¡¯t think too much of it back then. Tundra remembered it was a common thing, most young children were educated by their mothers, and the first time they spoke to the patriarch, they were at least in their mid teens.


    So, when he insisted on talking to the young children, that made their mother pale. But she didn¡¯t dare resist. Elly also didn¡¯t think it was that bad an idea, so she didn¡¯t stop him.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯d be a good one?¡±


    Jihan nodded. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Tundra said and looked at the young boy. His spiritual roots had not matured, but he briefly thought about how many powerful families ¡®created¡¯ powerful successors.


    Back in his first life, he undertook various surgeries with his disciples, but his disciples were all in their late teens or twenties when they agreed to subject themselves to his experiments.


    Spiritual marrow transplant, enlightenment bone insertion, meridian modification, or mythical beast blood replacement, or even spiritual realm injection were surgeries he did to elevate his disciple¡¯s potential, and turn them into great cultivators. It was fairly successful, though the rate of death was a little high in the earlier years. A cultivator relied on his senses, and if those senses could be enhanced, they would find the path a lot easier.


    Jihan sat quietly. Tundra could tell he was struggling, because he clearly wanted to move about. Children couldn¡¯t sit still.


    It was already admirable that the boy sat there with him for half an hour.


    ¡°You can go, Jihan.¡±


    Tundra watched the boy go, and internally made a measure of the boy. He seemed decent, and from what he sensed, his spiritual roots should be average. He could work with that, and decided it was fit to spend time with him.


    ¡°Do I have time, Surin?¡± Tundra asked one of his aides, Surin. Surin was pretty much his administrator, secretary and timekeeper, she was just a 1st realm cultivator, and spent most of her time arranging his time, and reminding him of his meetings and tasks. She followed him everywhere, and reminded him that time was up.


    Surin bowed, and displayed a keen sense of what he wanted that Tundra admired. ¡°Currently all your time is full. You wish to spend some time with young master Jihan?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°One a week on every 7th day, there¡¯s an afternoon available. You usually spend it with your wives, but-¡±


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°Some other time.¡±


    ¡°There is a disciple¡¯s lecture on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th.¡±


    ¡°Shorten one of them.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I¡¯d like to spend some time with the boy.¡±


    Surin nodded.


    ***

 Chapter 25. Scarlet

    Three months after the trip, Eight months after regression


    It was almost time for the incident with Scarlet Thunder Sect, and so, Tundra realized he couldn¡¯t postpone the investigation any more.


    ¡°Was it necessary for you to come personally?¡± Elder Severian asked, but the two of them were hiding. An elder and a Sect Master both on a low profile trip to the Scarlet Thunder Sect would naturally invite tremendous scrutiny, but Tundra insisted. He glanced at Severian¡¯s belt, and noted he had the Thousand Protection Amulet. Good.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure on the time of the explosion, so he couldn¡¯t risk Severian¡¯s life unnecessarily. But this investigation couldn¡¯t be performed alone.


    ¡°I have to. I can¡¯t risk anyone else.¡±


    A gut feeling. Instinctive pattern recognition birthed from experience.


    Tundra and Severian both covered their faces with cloth, a common look for cultivators to remain unseen. This naturally made others wary, but because it¡¯s a common look, it was just wariness, and not outright suspicion. Cloth didn¡¯t protect them from the high powered cultivators, anyway.


    His senses extended out into the streets of Scarlet Lightning City. The crowd was thick. He spread his senses as thin as possible.


    Some cultivators found it offensive to be probed, but these folks often have the most to hide.


    ¡°What are your suspicions so far?¡± Severian said, and Severian¡¯s own senses scanned their surroundings. Most of Scarlet Lightning City were normal, and something able to harm the Sect Master and weaken the defenses of Scarlet Thunder Sect.


    They waited, and cultivated.


    Tundra remembered coming here when the city was half destroyed, and tried to remember the details. He recalled that the city was half destroyed, the center of the explosion must have been within the compound of the Scarlet Thunder Sect, instead of within the city.


    He snuck about, trying to figure out how and what happened. It took three days, and it happened when Tundra was walking through the market.


    The market of Scarlet Lightning was filled with people, cultivators and mortals. Tundra, covered in robes and a scarf that hid his features, was one of the many nomads in the city.


    He felt it as he walked past a group of Scarlet Thunder¡¯s disciples.


    One of them, a quiet looking Core Disciple of the Scarlet Thunder, dressed in their usual bright red and yellow robes.


    ¡°Senior Brother Jang, this way.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s eyes quickly followed. At this distance, the sensation was unmistakable. No, the presence was unmistakable. Zuja Corruption. It was when the Zuja¡¯s larva exited their dormant state, and have reached at least second maturity. Though the core disciple of the Scarlet Thunder appeared no stronger than the fourth realm, if the Zuja¡¯s powers activated, he could be at least two full realms stronger.


    In short, he could be as strong as Tundra, if not more. The Senior Brother didn¡¯t even glance at him, instead, continued to entertain the younger inner disciples. They were helping him to carry some kind of spatial pouch.


    His mind scrambled to put the pieces together. The Zuja was here in the Scarlet Thunder Sect? How? When? Why?


    If the Zuja was present here, there should be other Zuja agents around.


    But the mere knowledge of Zuja¡¯s involvement helped shape Tundra¡¯s search. He fought the Zuja for centuries, and learned their habits and patterns. The Zuja typically operated in groups of five. If there was one member with second maturity of the Zuja Corruption, there should be at least four more at the first maturity.


    He could be dealing with fourth, if not fifth realm agents.


    Tundra activated stronger illusionary abilities, and decided to follow the corrupted Core Disciple. He noticed that he asked a few younger inner disciples to carry spatial pouches, and when one of those inner disciples separated from the group, he quickly struck and stole the spatial pouch.


    The contents revealed the beast core of the seventh-realm Greyhound Drake. It had many functions, but now he understood how the explosion happened.


    Runaway Greyhound Drake interactions. Multiple Greyhound Drake Cores, usually around six or seven, when close together and facilitated by some kind of amplifier, could trigger an amplified explosion that would even harm someone in the eighth realm, if he was near enough.


    A powerful, contained, focused explosion.


    Tundra¡¯s instincts scrambled to figure out why.


    He remembered when he mounted an attack on the Scarlet Thunder Sect, the Sect Master was heavily injured and was in no state to resist him. Back then, he destroyed the Scarlet Thunder Sect¡¯s disciples quite ruthlessly. His ¡®cause¡¯ was the bullying of the Scarlet Thunder Sect on the Mystical Harbors Sect, one of their ¡®allies¡¯.


    In the decades since that attack, the Mystical Harbors Sect had a change in leadership and the new leaders were less than friendly. Some of the accusations back then didn¡¯t make sense at all.


    Tundra began to search, and it was fairly easy to find the other agents once he knew what he was looking for.


    His theft brought them all together.


    ***


    Four inner disciples gathered at a warehouse in a quiet district, when Core Disciple Jang landed next to them.


    ¡°One of them was stolen?¡± The Core Disciple asked, his face full of ugliness. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the Thunderstruck Tower as you requested, Senior Brother.¡±


    The Core Disciple mused. ¡°Do we know who stole it?¡±


    The inner disciple shook his head. He knelt on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Senior Brother!¡±


    Tundra, who watched quietly under the illusionary cloak, realized the four inner disciples were also corrupted by the Zuja. At this point, the Zuja¡¯s corruption is more of a whisper, as if it was a voice in their head. It told them what to do, and Tundra reckoned they had a handler somewhere. The Zuja were hierarchical, fully corrupted Zuja agents controlled lesser Zuja agents at lower tiers of corruption.


    At that moment, three more disciples appeared, all fellow Core Disciples of the Disciple Jang. Tundra felt the same scent of Zuja on them, but they were likely in the larval stage.


    Whispers of power.


    The Zuja gave power to their hosts, and the hosts thrived on it. Bit by bit, the Zuja slowly turned them into mind-altered servants, willing to do everything in their name.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    What was in the Thunderstruck Tower?


    He counted a total seven Zuja agents in Scarlet Lightning City, and realized he was woefully underprepared to face the Zuja. The presence of the multiple Zuja agents meant this was likely important to them, but even in the sixth realm and with his extensive battle experience, the likelihood of him winning a battle against the Zuja, especially if they activated their transformed forms, was slim.


    No. The Zuja must have an elder agent here. Someone in the sixth or seventh realm of power. These elder agents didn¡¯t act, and instead they were likely just spies, ensuring that the Zuja knew who worked against them.


    If there was an elder agent, Tundra¡¯s interference would only result in him being targeted instead.


    He scrambled to figure out his next step, and then, his eyes landed on the Scarlet Thunder Sect itself.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re the one my husband picked up.¡± Marin said as the young Marsh Eastheart kneeled before her.


    ¡°Greetings to the lady Eastheart and the wife of the great Sect Master.¡± Marsh Eastheart said without missing a beat.


    Marin walked over and touched the boy¡¯s face. ¡°First realm?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your father?¡±


    ¡°My father is Mika Eastheart.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my distant cousin.¡± Marin said. She seemed to know only a little of the extended family. The Eastheart family¡¯s extended relatives were so numerous that she hardly bothered, and in most situations, they would not have mattered. ¡°Is he alive? No, wait, is he one of those that died?¡±


    ¡°-yes. My father died during one of the spirit beast attacks, and the Eastheart Temple took me in after that.¡± Marsh answered as best as an eleven year old could. It was a well practiced response.


    ¡°This meeting must be a privilege for you. It is rare for a distant member to be summoned for a meeting with a direct descendant. Tell me, why did you agree to join the Verdant Snow?¡±


    The boy trembled. He was 11, maybe 12. ¡°I- I saw it as a way to help the Eastheart family.¡±


    Marin frowned at the boy¡¯s politically correct answer. ¡°Wrong answer. It¡¯s not what you want. It¡¯s what you were told to say, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The boy gulped.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Marin squatted in front of him, and looked him in the eye.


    The boy stared at the woman that was many, many decades her senior.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯ll tell you what I want. I want you to be strong, and I want you to take over the Eastheart family when you¡¯re strong.¡± Marin said. ¡°Do you think you can do that?¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t believe it. If he said such words back in the Eastheart lands he would be whipped and exiled, if not outright killed. The relatives and extended family were servants of the Eastheart main family.


    Their eyes met. The boy scrambled to figure out whether this was some kind of test from the woman.


    The boy trembled.


    ¡°I asked you a question.¡±


    ¡°-yes. If the lady wishes it, I will obey.¡± Marsh answered. Years of training never to disobey the main family was hard to undo. Some members of the extended family plotted against the main family, but they often lacked the resources, therefore they never amounted to anything. Anyone who was decently talented would be spotted, and eventually, encounter a mission they could not handle.


    But those further away, suffered harder, and for them, they were trained to behave with utmost obedience. More suffering was the alternative.


    He was too young to begin undoing his fear of the main family.


    ¡°Good.¡± Marin stood imperiously. ¡°You will train hard, and I will have Tundra reward you accordingly. You will gain strength, and your strength will be at my disposal. Not the Eastheart family, but mine. Understood?¡±


    The boy nodded.


    ***


    Tundra snuck into the Thunderstruck Tower and immediately realized the scale of the Zuja¡¯s plot.


    There were fifteen beast cores wrapped in a formation that was clearly far more sophisticated than he anticipated. It seemed to be some kind of amplification and focusing formation, meant to channel the power of the Greyhound Drake¡¯s beast cores into the ground.


    The Zuja were not trying to destroy the Scarlet Thunder Sect. They wanted something within the Thunderstruck Tower.


    But what?


    Tundra stalked the area for a bit more, and then, secretly weaved his own energies into the formation, and stole three more beast cores. That should weaken the explosion significantly, and wondered whether this would harm the Scarlet Thunder¡¯s Master.


    The Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder Sect, Imperial Duke Hadrian Thunderstone, was someone in the high sixth realm. It didn¡¯t help that the two of them didn¡¯t get along, and the idea of sneaking into the Scarlet Thunder Sect didn¡¯t appeal to him. At this point, the Scarlet Thunder Sect wasn¡¯t weak. The Sect Master could probably take his attacks and dish out his own.


    If he brought out the idea of helping the Scarlet Thunder Sect, that probably-


    No. That was him thinking like the way he used to. He wanted to bring his family, and those closer to him along for the journey. That included the elders of his team.


    He needed to invest in them. And that involved trust, and so, as once he returned to their inn and regrouped with his friend, and subordinate, he elaborated on the situation and asked for his views.


    ¡°Severian. I want your thoughts on this situation.¡±


    Elder Severian¡¯s main focus as Elder, was the foreign affairs of the Verdant Snow Sect. He spent time with allies and friends, and therefore, other than Tundra himself, Severian was the most well traveled and well connected.


    ¡°I do have some people I consider to be more than acquaintances within the Scarlet Thunder.¡± Severian said, and this was something Tundra didn¡¯t know. He- he wasn¡¯t even sure they survived the incident. ¡°If this matter involves the safety and survival of the Scarlet Thunder, I will have to call in some old favors and see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Can they get to the Sect Master?¡± Tundra frowned, unsure whether the pride of the Duke would give him reason to speak.


    Severian hesitated briefly. ¡°I met him when I was trying to mediate the conflict with the Mystical Harbor. We kept in touch.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± It was a point Tundra wasn¡¯t aware of, even until the end, but that made sense. A fifth realm elder naturally would meet Sect Masters, if sent as an envoy. Tundra now wondered how  Severian from his previous life thought about his attack on the Scarlet Thunder. Did he secretly think Tundra was a scheming, opportunistic bastard?


    ¡°I believe I can get a secret meeting.¡±


    ***


    Tundra wasn¡¯t sure what backchannels existed between the Sects, probably the Beggar¡¯s Alliance or the Whispered Man, but whichever it was, Severian made the meeting happen. The meeting was held in the darkest of nights, and a mortal man that had almost no presence led them into an alleyway they didn¡¯t know existed.


    They met in a nondescript hut in a poor corner of town, and the only thing Tundra recognized was the presence of their handling agents resting around the area. They looked like the Beggar¡¯s Alliance, but Tundra knew that these folk loved pretending to be from other information networks, and so it¡¯s hard to guess just from appearance.


    A total of four people met in that dark room with old, creaky wooden chairs. Everything in this place had seen better days.


    ¡°A big favor was called to make this happen.¡± Severian said, as all four of them took off their masks and shawls, and revealed their faces. Tundra noticed the two strangers recoiled in surprise when they saw Tundra in the flesh. ¡°We come bearing news of a disaster.¡±


    Sect Master Hadrian Thunderstone and the Elder Tinnot Tonner both exchanged stares with the two senior members of the Verdant Snow. ¡°To owe such a favor, it is serious. What?¡±


    There was no use mincing it, but Tundra decided to exclude the part about the Zuja. ¡°There is a plot, by a cult, to attack the Thunderstruck Tower with a runaway energy accumulation beast core reaction.¡±


    Hadrian frowned. ¡°Which cult?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Tundra lied. For now, Zuja would be a matter known to only a select few. His wives, his elders, and some of the Core Disciples. ¡°But if you wish to flush them up, it may be a wise idea to look into the Thunderstruck Tower¡¯s formation room.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder stared into his eyes. ¡°What are you scheming, Lord Fox?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, we didn¡¯t do this out of goodwill, Lord Thunderstone.¡± Severian answered on his behalf. ¡°We are friends, allies of the Mystical Harbor, and we do this to buy peace between the two sects. The gravity of this plot deserves our personal presence, and we hope you look into it carefully. These cults move with a finesse we have not seen in the other cults.¡±


    The two leaders of the Scarlet Thunder exchanged glances again. ¡°Do you suspect the demonic cults?¡±


    Severian frowned, as if he was exposed. ¡°Ah- I best not say more.¡±


    Tundra merely nodded along. ¡°Make haste, Lord Thunderstone. We wish you well, and hope you carry additional protective talismans and amulets with you.¡±


    The Sect Master clicked his tongue. ¡°I know what to do, Lord Fox. I need no lecture from you. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Tundra watched the two leave, and then looked at Severian. ¡°Should we stay back and watch the aftermath?¡±


    Severian chuckled. ¡°We owe a large favor to the Whispering Man, of course we should watch!¡±


    ***

 Chapter 26. Scarlet II

    The first time he marched to Scarlet Lightning City, slaughtered what¡¯s left of the defenders and robbed them of their treasury. It happened so suddenly, the memories of the place filled with smoke.


    So much was lost during that first battle, just because he thought it was a good opportunity to claim the Scarlet Thunder Sect¡¯s methods, cultivation knowledge and their treasury. It benefited them, of course. The Verdant Snow¡¯s fame grew because of the incident, and many smaller sects quickly switched allegiances to be their allies.


    During that time, there was some talk by the people that Tundra Fox was a ruthless scavenger, preying on a weakened sect. He didn¡¯t care. He didn¡¯t know why he suddenly remembered the difficult battle. Even when Duke Hadrian was injured, and a few of their elders dead, the Scarlet Thunder fought valiantly.


    He didn¡¯t need any of that now.


    He knew almost all their methods by heart, and his own knowledge surpassed them. Memories of his raid on the Duke¡¯s private treasury for all his secret manuals and scripture still remained.


    The regressor robbed them once. There was no need for a second time. He wasn¡¯t sure when the Zuja would act, but the Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder decided to move first.


    ***


    The Scarlet Thunder Sect Master Duke Hadrian summoned the five elders of the Scarlet Thunder, and marched to the Thunderstruck Tower about three days after the meeting.


    The Zuja-possessed Core Disciple moved in response.


    ¡°Sect Master, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°You should know what you¡¯ve done to our ancient structure.¡± Duke Hadrian¡¯s blood-lightning blade came down furiously, only to be blocked by an unusual purple aura. The Core Disciple laughed wickedly.


    ¡°Sect Master, I may be your disciple, but my life is not yours to take.¡± The disciple¡¯s arm looked as if it was protected by a purple carapace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if you are still my disciple. The moment you¡¯ve conspired against the Scarlet Thunder, you are no longer one of us.¡± The Duke countered, his lightning blade pierced through the purple carapace, much to the Core Disciple¡¯s surprise. The blade cut deep and slashed through the Zuja Possessed.


    The Core Disciple laughed, even though there was a gash made from lightning elemental energy over his chest. His voice transformed, as if it was a choir of flapping insect wings. ¡°You know nothing about what you deal with. A frog in the well.¡±


    ¡°Enlighten me.¡±


    Tundra watched, and extended his senses. There should be a Zuja agent somewhere nearby-


    He found the three agents, well hidden on the verandah of a restaurant half a city away. The only telltale sign was the faint Zuja¡¯s energies commonly seen in the possessed.


    5th, no 6th realm?


    At this distance, it was hard to truly sense what level of corruption these two or three agents attained. The agent could be stronger, maybe even 7th realm.


    He gulped. A fully corrupted Zuja was a true monster to fight in battle, three of them would be a difficult battle. If he struck quickly, he should be able to take out one, but the remaining two will be a prolonged battle. Any victory now would be a hollow one, and only marked their sect as a target for the Zuja cult to exterminate later.


    He had considered the possibility of the Zuja¡¯s role in this event, but thought they would not make such a big move, deploying three agents! He was wrong to think that Zuja Cult at this point wouldn¡¯t make such big moves.


    If he moved now, and destroyed the agents, that would definitely alert the Zuja. The best thing he could do, was to ignore and focus on growing their strength secretly.


    As much as he hated it, this wasn¡¯t the right time to step in.


    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Severian asked, both of them observed the movements of the Scarlet Thunder from afar. The protective formations of the Sect blocked most spies, but most higher realm masters easily found ways through these relatively weak formations. Such remote spying would not be possible in the greater sects, protected by the works of far better formation masters.


    ¡°I do not know whether interfering this time was the right choice.¡±


    Severian looked back at the Sect. ¡°Scarlet Thunder should have some old monsters hidden away. I think we shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Tundra shook his head. Some of those old monsters may be within the Thunderstruck Tower and died from the explosion. ¡°You may be right, Severian. Let us stay put.¡±


    His senses continued to watch the agents. If they stepped in, the Sect Master may be in trouble. But it¡¯s likely these agents are there to watch for those who work against the Zuja.


    Severian stopped as he picked up his tea and took a quick sip, as he seemed to think about the earlier sequence of events. ¡°Did- did your dream version of me tell you why I didn¡¯t stop you from attacking the Scarlet Thunder?¡±


    There was no way to cram so many centuries of events into a single night. Things such as an attack on the Scarlet Thunder Sect would not register among the thousands of other such attacks. It was only during the trip here that Tundra fully elaborated what he remembered.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t remember that you did. They blew up the Thunderstruck Tower, killed half of Scarlet Lightning City, and heavily injured Duke Thunderstone. We came in as scavengers to steal everything else. I killed Duke Thunderstone in my first life.¡±


    Severian tried to understand why he would make such a decision. Tundra thought, maybe it was the sequence of events. The attacks on the Black Ash Temple. Or the death of Jashen¡¯s favorite core disciple. Or just a much more ambitious Sect Master.


    He was much more hotheaded and driven once. Maybe Severian didn¡¯t want to fight with the old Tundra Fox. He could see the elder¡¯s mind trying to make sense of what happened.


    ¡°No matter. It is not necessary in this life.¡± Tundra shook his head, as he reflected on all the blood on his hands. ¡°I already know what they know. What value is there to repeat it, other than to spill blood unnecessarily?¡±


    Was there really a need to kill the same person twice?


    He wasn¡¯t that ruthless.


    Severian looked away, and towards the sky. Tundra could sense this was probably when Severian truly understood what it meant to be a regressor. It goes beyond just knowing things about the future. It meant making decisions that affected the lives of others once, and now given the choice to do it again.


    The elder would have more questions.


    Yet, Tundra wondered whether he had injected doubt in the heart of his elder. He could feel him questioning himself.


    It wasn¡¯t just Severian who had questions.


    Tundra watched the battle, and pondered all the things that he needed to do differently.


    ***


    There was an explosion, but this time, the Imperial Duke Hadrian Thunderstone was prepared. What remained of the beast core runaway formation triggered, and a huge explosion caused the Thunderstruck Tower to sink to one side, and created a massive hole in the ground.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The sect¡¯s protective formations activated, while the elders also activated protective talismans that constrained the damage from the explosion. The slightly weakened formation¡¯s explosive blast smashed into the protective talismans, but what remained of the explosion left the Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder largely unharmed.


    But the Zuja got what they wanted. The Core Disciple¡¯s Zuja mutation activated, and it did not engage the Sect Master. Instead, it charged deep underground.


    Tundra and Severian, from a distance away, could now see the battle in full detail. The massive explosion was blocked by the protective talismans and defensive formations, but it also interrupted the anti-surveillance formations. Tundra¡¯s senses immediately headed into the hole next to the leaning tower.


    What he felt made him freeze.


    The Thunderstruck Tower held an ancient spear that seemed to twist the fabric of the dimensional plane. A weapon with the strange ability to reach beyond the known five elements and derivatives, and attack reality itself.


    Tundra didn¡¯t even know that Zuja possessed such a weapon, but he could see how it would be useful. Such a weapon, amplified to the strongest it could be, may even tamper with the barriers of reality-


    It clicked then.


    ¡°They¡¯re using it to allow more of Zuja¡¯s energies to manifest in their world.¡±


    Tundra wanted to intervene there and then, but he immediately detected Zuja''s agent also making a move.


    ¡°What is that?¡± The Scarlet Thunder¡¯s Sect Master didn¡¯t even know it existed.


    The Core Disciple laughed as he held the ancient spears. ¡°Truly country bumpkins pretending they are great leaders. Nothing you people need to know.¡±


    The Core Disciple mutated, as the Zuja¡¯s corruption flared out of his orifices. Momentarily, he seemed as strong as someone in the high 6th realm.


    But the Scarlet Thunder Master¡¯s lightning blade struck and slashed off one of the Corrupted Disciple¡¯s arms. It didn¡¯t matter. ¡°We have what we wanted.¡±


    It struck the air with the ancient spear and momentarily a hole in reality appeared. The Zuja disciples all vanished through it before the elders of the Scarlet Thunder were able to launch their own attacks.


    The Scarlet Thunder Master stared, dumbfounded. He looked around, and then commanded the elders. ¡°Check their belongings. Search their rooms. Scour the city and find who they work for!¡±


    The elders nodded.


    What happened in the days to come was a total lockdown of the Scarlet Lightning City, as the disciples and elders combed through every part of the city. Even traveling cultivators were interviewed by the elders.


    ***


    ¡°So- this went differently.¡± Severian said after Tundra explained what happened in the first life. When Tundra came with his invasion force, the city was already half destroyed and there wasn¡¯t much left to find. If there was such an artifact with the power to shatter reality, he didn¡¯t know it.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said, as he tried to adjust his threat assessment. The Zuja¡¯s accumulation of strength happened over centuries, and they must have a secret base somewhere. ¡°I was not aware of such an artifact.¡±


    He never recalled there was news of such a weapon, either, and by his own estimations, such an item could even be in its own special category. No, for the Zuja, such a weapon¡¯s utility would be in weakening the barriers that keep their true master out of this world.


    He was too weak. If he was in the 8th, no, 9th realm, he would¡¯ve intervened. Even if he focused on cultivation right from the day he regressed, he would not achieve the power needed to safely intervene. He could reach maybe just the first two stages of the 7th realm, and that still wouldn¡¯t give them a clean victory needed to ensure their sect¡¯s safety.


    ¡°I figured you two would slip out quietly.¡±


    Tundra Fox clasped his hand and greeted their visitor. ¡°Pleasure to meet you again, Lord Thunderstone.¡±


    ¡°It is not a pleasure to meet when my Sect has just been attacked and robbed of a treasure we didn¡¯t know we had. What do you know of the enemies?¡±


    Tundra and Severian glanced at each other, and Tundra sighed. ¡°Not much, other than they are some kind of cult. They might be demonic in nature.¡±


    The Sect Master didn¡¯t seem to buy it. ¡°Did you know what¡¯s in there? What spear was that?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Tundra admitted. He felt the maroon eyes of the Sect Master attempt to pierce through him, but it didn¡¯t get anywhere. ¡°We only detected their attempts to attack you, we do not know what, or why, I guess, until now.¡±


    Hadrian sighed. ¡°I suppose we do owe you a debt of gratitude. That explosion would have been something.¡±


    Tundra briefly didn¡¯t know how to react, as an image of Hadrian Thunderstone, bruised, bloody and half his lower torso severed flashed in his mind. He killed this man once, and now, the one he killed in cold blood thanked him for saving him. It was hilarious, sad, and if anything, truly demonstrated the impact of decisions.


    One decision, and a thousand lives are changed forever.


    Hadrian Thunderstone then said, interrupting Tundra¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I am not a man that likes to be indebted, and so, name your request.¡±


    Tundra looked at Severian, and Severian seemed to have thought it through. ¡°Non-aggression with the Mystical Harbors and non-harassment of the Mystical Harbors¡¯ interests in the shared border towns.¡±


    Hadrian Thunderstone frowned, but then nodded. ¡°Ten years. And we will retaliate if they start an incident.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen years.¡± Severian agreed.


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    ¡°Twelve.¡± Severian countered.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The Master of the Scarlet Thunder declared. ¡°I will inform the elders.¡±


    Tundra nodded along, when it came to matters of diplomatic wrangling, he generally left it to Severian anyway. Severian smiled. ¡°A pleasure. It is no use for either of us to fight over destroyed scrap.¡±


    Tundra knew Severian meant it in jest, but still, h¡¯s heart twinged at the word ¡®scrap¡¯. In his previous life, were they really fighting over scraps?


    ¡°So it is. Enjoy the truce.¡± Hadrian Thunderstone gave a rare smile, and then he left on his own flying blade.


    ***


    The trip back was slower. There was no need to rush, but the incident spread throughout the region. The rumor mill and news channels spoke of the attack by unknown cultists on the Scarlet Thunder Sect.


    Severian needed to make a trip to the Mystical Harbors Sect to inform them of the truce. As allies and friends of the Verdant Snow, this incident should help them.


    Tundra thus made the journey home alone.


    In his first life, the Mystical Harbors eventually merged with the Verdant Snow. He wasn¡¯t sure whether that was necessary in this life, since the fighting power provided by the Mystical Harbors wasn¡¯t that impressive. Their Sect Master, Lucia Whisperwaters, was decent in most things, and in terms of power, she was in the early stages of the sixth realm right now. Lucia, in the merged sect, later served as one of his elders, and she rose up the levels of power by his side. If he remembered correctly, Lucia reached the 8th realm after what seemed like a few centuries of cultivation and war.


    His thoughts swirled around what were his own goals.


    The Zuja was naturally something he needed to deal with, but it was also the goal that strangely, he cared the least about. As weird as it is, he actually didn¡¯t really mind dying.


    In that final moment, when he launched everything he had at the revived Zuja, he was truly prepared to shed everything.


    That willingness to end his own life then and there, carried over with him. He didn¡¯t regret that his own path ended there. It was because he had no one left, even if he won. So what if he won then?


    The thought made him feel a tinge of emptiness. As if nothing mattered.


    That was wrong. He knew it was, so he stopped at one of the mountains along the way, and meditated for a few days.


    What should be his goal, now that he has a chance to try again?


    His greatest regrets were his distant, estranged family. Friends that he lost along the way. He hoped to avoid the pointless bloodshed and conflicts with the other sects. There were fights, triggered by arrogance and pride that drained so much of their strength.


    Given those regrets, what should be his goal in this returned life? He wanted to bring his children, his wives, his descendants as strong members of the Verdant Snow? Would strength matter?


    Of course it did. It made them live longer.


    But what else? Why?


    His mind considered the questions.


    What sort of Sect should the Verdant Snow Sect be? What sort of family did he want his family to be?


    A path of constant warfare and expansion was mostly unnecessary. His mind had a talent for remembering cultivation-related matters, and what he knew now would offset most of the need for war.


    This was a gift he shouldn¡¯t squander.


    He could create a compact, powerful sect with lots of friends.


    He could raise his family, at least those that are willing to trust him, and make them into worthy pillars of the cultivation society.


    Yes. That felt right to him. It felt like something he would be proud of.


    So, he broke down that high level goal into smaller chunks.


    What did he mean by a compact, powerful sect with lots of friends? The Verdant Snow Sect could be a powerful power broker, with strong cultivators that helped mediate conflicts. As a mediator, they could offset the instigations of Zuja¡¯s agents.


    To do so, the Verdant Snow Sect needed to make more friends, stronger friends, and be seen as a respectable member of the cultivation society. One that could be trusted to honor deals and contracts, instead of winning through their fists.


    Then, his family. They needed to be powerful, have good decision making abilities, and be able to behave as upstanding members of society.


    Where his family is now, this was a far, far greater challenge. But the reputation of the family of the Sect Master and the Sect¡¯s reputation is inseparable. If the family¡¯s reputation is terrible, the Sect will inevitably be dragged into it.


    That was what happened in his first life.


    He will prevent it from recurring.

 Chapter 27. Pill

    ¡°I see they stopped bothering you.¡± Anna smiled as she noticed her half brother slouching over the tavern¡¯s table. She found him coming here almost every other day, hoping for the two women of the Blackshore family to give him attention once more.


    But that didn¡¯t happen. Instead, Clarissa and Clara lavished their attention on Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe, and her half brother could only stew in jealousy.


    What could he do? When it came to cultivation, he was nothing. When it came to intellect, he was nothing. When it came to looks, he was nothing. Hell, even when it came to personality, he was shit next to the Core Disciple. The only good thing that he had was a name he inherited.


    If Anna were the two ambitious girls, she¡¯d made the same choice. Disciple Yavin Redaxe was a superior husband candidate, much better objectively in almost every measure or form.


    The half brother, the same Evan Mistburn Fox, decided to ignore her. There was really no rule requiring him to respond. Anna didn''t mind his reluctance to reply and sat next to him.


    ¡°How does it feel, Evan?¡±


    The same Evan didn¡¯t want to reply. He was jealous.


    ¡°Must be terrible, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve had a good time so far because all the girls in this town are not cultivators. But to have the attention of real beauties, and then to lose them, it must be quite painful.¡±


    Evan didn¡¯t reply. He pretended to sleep as if he drank too much.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re awake. You¡¯re not going to get me to go away by pretending.¡±


    ¡°Why must you gloat?¡± Evan turned to face Anna just as suddenly. ¡°Is it funny for you, Anna? That your half brother is drinking his misery away? Is it funny to see me have hope that my luck¡¯s finally turning, only for it to be snuffed out because the two beauties decide to choose someone else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is hilarious.¡± Anna sat and actually laughed. There were undercurrents of unhappiness among them anyway, and she loved annoying that branch of the family. Evan¡¯s older brother, Edison, was a prick to deal with.


    Evan¡¯s face went from shock that Anna actually did laugh at him. How could she?! But then it went to sadness, because what was on Anna¡¯s face after her laughter was pity.


    ¡°Laugh. Laugh at me.  Laugh at me for thinking that the two girls actually wanted me.¡± Evan said and then ordered another urn of spirit wine. ¡°Happy?¡¯


    Anna looked at him, and felt pity. ¡°You¡¯ve got the spirit roots to cultivate. If you were a wee bit more motivated and demonstrated some ability, I¡¯m sure the ladies would come back to you.¡±


    ¡°Are- are you trying to motivate me to cultivate?¡± Evan¡¯s face was red. He didn¡¯t like to be pitied.


    The eldest daughter nodded. ¡°Yes. Yes I am. Though it is quite hilarious to see you wallow in misery, I am still your elder half-sister, and the half-sister part of me thinks your current state is pathetic. Get your damned act together.¡±


    ¡°What the hell.¡±


    ¡°I gained three minor stages since I worked harder. Look at you, squandering the gift of your good spiritual roots. What is your problem?¡±


    ¡°Because I hate all of this. Why can''t women love for the sake of love?¡± Evan lamented as he somehow drank a quarter of the new urn of wine. ¡°Why must the world be so cruel to those of us that just want to love someone wholeheartedly?¡±


    Anna rolled her eyes. There was a streak of naivety that ran through the Mistburn descendants that really annoyed her. ¡°What world do you live in, Evan?¡±


    ¡°Why is it all about cultivation? Why is it all about power?¡± Evan said. His words slurred and his breath stank.


    ¡°Because without it, we would not be here.¡± Anna countered, and took a step back. How the two women of the Blackshore family put up with his breath still amazed her.


    ¡°Father loved his first wife. Father also loves Lady Gale very much. Is it too much for me to ask for love?¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t know how to deal with his naivety. ¡°You¡¯ve been reading too much of those mortal books. Reality does not work like that. They love our father because of his power.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is it that simple?¡± Evan¡¯s reaction and emotions switched just as suddenly.


    ¡°Yes. It is. Phoenixes do not choose lizards for mates. They look for dragons. If you are not a dragon, be one.¡± Anna stated. ¡°Or settle and be content with your place in society. Be content with where you are in life.¡±


    Evan glared at Anna as if she offended him. ¡°I hate how you make it sound like it¡¯s wrong to be contented with where I am in society!¡±


    ¡°If you truly are content with life, you wouldn¡¯t wallow in misery. You¡¯re not. Don¡¯t pretend otherwise.¡± Anna wondered why she continued this conversation. Maybe it was just something about his miserable state that compelled her to say something now.


    ¡°Curse those two ladies for letting me taste the joys of affection and attention, and then taking it away from me!¡± Evan then shifted the blame to the two girls.


    ¡°Weak.¡± Anna¡¯s frown deepened, and she felt a streak of anger boiling underneath it all ¡°If you can¡¯t control yourself, don¡¯t blame others for it.¡±


    Evan finished the wine, and then slumped. ¡°Go away.¡±


    This time, Anna decided she said her bit, and decided to leave. Saying more would not help.


    ***


    ¡°Lord Cultivator!¡± Tundra walked on the market streets of his Verdant Leaf Town, when he was attracted to a strange pill marketed by a peddler. The peddler had a pale skin commonly seen from the Northerners. ¡°Would you be interested in a selection of pills from the far north?¡±


    Tundra stopped, and stared at the peddler. The peddler shrunk slightly.


    ¡°Ah, I mean no offense, Lord Cultivator! We have here a selection of pills from the far north, made from the dew and snow collected from the bountiful spirit lands of the Northwind Snowfields! The pure energies of the Northwind Snowfields gathered to create this beautiful mind enhancement pill! If you ever thought your  already supremely talented and exceptional child ever needed a little more of his gifts, please, try one of these [Snowleaf Mind Clarity Pill]!¡±


    All of that was just rubbish, but the pill itself was real. He did recall asking one of his core disciples to procure these pills, but it seemed the heavens have moved ahead and made it happen.


    ¡°How much for these?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred spirit stones, Lord Cultivator.¡± The peddler said.


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    ¡°You¡¯re overcharging.¡± Tundra countered, even though it was a paltry sum for someone of his wealth. Powerful pills were often measured in tens of thousands of spirit stones. Still, in his first life, it should be about a hundred at most.


    ¡°I traveled really far to sell this! I heard from the merchants that there were interested parties in this city!¡±


    ¡°Hundred.¡± Tundra insisted.


    ¡°Two hundred. It¡¯s my best price!¡± The peddler countered.


    ¡°Hundred and ten. And no more. This pill should be a hundred at most, but I¡¯m giving you ten more for making it all the way here.¡±


    The peddler frowned, and sighed. ¡°Very well.¡±


    Tundra returned to his workshop with the pills, and began to study them. For a master alchemist, he had a solid grasp on all the aspects of alchemy, but alchemy and pills was an extensively vast field. There were areas of focus where cultivators and alchemists found their niche.


    He sat there and slowly deconstructed the components of the [Snowleaf Mind Clarity Pill], and it was fairly easy to comprehend how it all worked. He sat in the room and studied.


    Three weeks passed as he studied the pills.


    It was only occasionally interrupted by his wives¡¯ visits. It was an old habit. Whenever he got a pill he rarely made, he would often study it for weeks and months. It was how he learned how to make his own pills, especially since pill recipes are often not passed around and even when they did, they were usually incorrect. Alchemists guarded their recipes ferociously, and almost never wrote down their best pills.


    Celestia walked in one evening only to find him writing notes as he completed his studies on one of the dissected Snowleaf Mind Clarity Pill. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Ah. This is a mind clarity pill. I am just deconstructing the pill¡¯s effects and I plan to make better versions. I should be able to start working on it soon.¡±


    The mind is a physical object that exists in the physical realm, but as a cultivator ascends into the higher realms, a replica, or a twin is born within the spirit. It is through this spiritual twin that cultivators in the higher realms gain the ability to generate their body from almost nothingness, should their spirit survive the destruction of the body.


    These pills operated through targeting a physical part of the body. There were certain kinds of qualities contained within the raw materials that amplified the mind¡¯s flexibility, and its effects on the spiritual side was relatively minor.


    Things that involved the mind and spirit for the human kind were often tricky to create, because they were made through a balanced union of the five primary elements, in addition to the amplifying effects of the natural raw materials. Some races had a certain primary element bias, and the pills needed to reflect that, but for humans, the great primordial mother blessed man with a balance of the five primaries.


    Still, Tundra persisted. For the talented, these sort of pills were pretty close to useless. After all, who would need such a thing when they became useless by the 4th or 5th realm.


    The natural state of the physical body is important to a cultivator¡¯s progress only in the lower realms. A healthy body is one that is aligned to it¡¯s spirit, it¡¯s five elements in balance. To heal, to grow, all in the right proportions and balance.


    If he has to pour a mountain of elixirs into his children to eke out a droplet of talent, so be it.


    After another week of testing and brewing, he took what he learned from the [Snowleaf Mind Clarity Pill], and finally made his first ten experimental [Mind Expansion Pill], and decided to summon his children for the experiment. It¡¯s effects should be strongest on those in the 1st to 3rd realm, but it¡¯s efficacy would be weakened by the 4th and 5th realm, and totally useless on those in the 6th.


    ***


    ¡°Show me your progress.¡± Tundra stated to his descendants.


    Some of them made small progress, a minor realm or stage increase. For their realm, it was pathetically slow, but Tundra decided not to comment. After his lecture on cultivation, he then began to assist a smaller selected group with their cultivation through energy condensation and compression.


    This proved far more helpful for his children, but cultivation was after all two parts. Energy collection, which powers the soul, thus causes their realms to increase, and the shapes and forms created through mastery of cultivation methods and techniques within the soul, which governs how that power is expressed.


    A cultivator¡¯s realm essentially is the range of the raw ¡®fuel¡¯ and ¡®space¡¯ available to a cultivator.


    After what he saw Celestia and Marin go through, he realized this approach was flawed. He didn¡¯t feel that way in his first life because the disciples he had were all supremely talented and so, they were not bottlenecked by their understanding of the cultivation methods. Their limitations were instead in how fast they could grow their soul.


    With his children and his wives, they had the opposite problem. Their understanding of cultivation methods and techniques were severely behind, and increasing their realm would certainly extend their lives and let them live longer, but it would not make them stronger cultivators as he hoped.


    In his first life, he focused on the talented. Those already naturally gifted in their concepts and ideas. For these talented disciples, mind awakening elixirs would not help much, and may even be a drawback because these elixirs often came with side effects that hindered their ability to use other types of elixirs and pills for a while.


    ¡°Don¡¯t pour good resources on middling talents.¡± Tundra remembered the words of another alchemist. ¡°Someone who is only an average talent would benefit and grow one step, but someone who is a genius could benefit three, five, or even ten steps from the same source.¡±


    It was certainly true. No. It was very true. It is just how their cultivator society worked. Those with talents benefited many times over. Just like how a sword in the hands of an average citizen is no threat, but the same weapon in the hands of a master is lethal. He looked at his children, and knew he would be going against conventional wisdom. Investing in his children would be to push a rock uphill.


    It was so tempting to walk the old path he did. Just focus on those that had talent. Ignore his children for their lack of gifts. After all, if they lacked the natural disposition to challenge heavens, what could they ever amount to?


    Do these talentless children deserve the pills he spent weeks making?


    He shook his head. What was he thinking?


    No.


    His old instincts to just focus on what paid off more bubbled out again. His old habits were hard to shake.


    No.


    He must invest in his children and family. Even if it went against the part of him that wanted to maximize the benefits from the elixirs he made.


    He cannot abandon them in this life. He looked at the struggling efforts of his children and grandchildren, and he needed to help them.


    ¡°Father?¡± Anna stared at the pill, surprised. Next to Anna were the few other children. Larian, Edison, and a few of his younger grandchildren.


    ¡°I want you to take this.¡± Tundra stilled his heart. His old instincts said this is wasteful. Making these pills was wasteful. He should be making better pills that he could trade for much more spirit stones, and buy a damned flying ship.


    Anna stared suspiciously at the pill. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°A mind enhancing pill.¡± Tundra said. Mental flexibility should help them.


    ¡°Must we eat it?¡± Anna stared at the pill. She had never heard of it.


    ¡°Are you going to decline fortune when presented to you?¡± Tundra asked.


    Edison interjected. ¡°Yes. If it comes with strings attached.¡±


    Tundra frowned. ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Take it, or someone else will.¡±


    Anna decided to take it, and swallowed the pill. Tundra sensed the pill flow down into her body, and the pill disintegrated. It released the stored energies, and it flowed out throughout her body. In a way, a mind augmenting pill is just a form of body tempering. Body tempering is important in the lower realms, and the same is for the physical brain.


    The sensation she experienced then should be similar to a splitting headache, as Anna began to sweat profusely. From what he understood of the pill¡¯s effects, it will be about a week or two before Anna begins to see the benefits.


    Edison stared at the pill, and then turned away. ¡°I will not take it.¡±


    ¡°Then step aside.¡±


    In total ten pills were given to some of his children and grandchildren, and they all began to experience similar symptoms as Anna.


    ¡°Go back to your rooms and rest. We will review it¡¯s effects into a week.¡± Tundra stated, and those who took the pill quickly retreated. The pain in their head was slowly intensified. Their faces contorted trying to withstand the pain.


    Edison watched them go, and looked back at his father. ¡°Do you enjoy this, father?¡±


    ¡°Enjoy?¡± Tundra frowned. ¡°Why would I?¡±


    Edison looked at him, and Tundra didn¡¯t really understand what was the expression he had. It was a mix of anger and disgust.


    In his mind, Tundra¡¯s old instincts fought with his new resolve. Edison was not worth investing in. He had a horrible personality and middling talent. He should leave him be.


    His new resolve to fix his family battled it, he sighed. He¡¯d have to talk to Elly. As his mother, maybe Elly could get through and find out what is wrong.

 Chapter 28. Pill 2

    Tundra was hidden in one of the smaller rooms when Edison came to Elly¡¯s part of the Fox Mansion.


    ¡°Son.¡± Elly called as Edison walked in. Edison wasn¡¯t particularly tense or abrasive, and in fact, even showed his mother some measure of respect. He bowed politely. It was a far cry from how Edison usually conducted himself in his presence.


    ¡°Mother, you called?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I wanted to talk to you.¡± Elly said as there was some tea and refreshments on the table. Tundra didn¡¯t know it, but apparently these baked confectionaries were Edison¡¯s favorite when he was a much, much younger child.


    Edison sat on the chair, and Elly happily poured him a cup of tea, and then one more for herself.


    ¡°How¡¯s everything?¡± Elly opened up. ¡°Are those two girls still irritating you?¡±


    Edison chuckled. ¡°No. Not me, at least. They¡¯ve moved on and found other targets, but Evan¡¯s taking it pretty badly.¡±


    ¡°You should help your brother.¡± Elly frowned.


    ¡°Why should I? He¡¯s the one being lazy despite being blessed. If anything I say he deserves it.¡± Edison countered and happily helped himself to the confectionaries.


    Elly naturally matched his rhythm and took one for herself. ¡°I like this one the best, but I heard from the girl manning the counter that their old man¡¯s getting old and won¡¯t be able to make them for much longer.¡±


    Edison¡¯s reaction was immediate. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    His mother looked distant, as if looking out the window. ¡°Mortals have short lives. We think their lives are short, and in the same way, your father thinks our lives are short.¡±


    The eldest son visibly recoiled at the mention of him, but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°It¡¯s like that. We¡¯ll have to find a new baker to make these. Just like how we had to find someone new to make our furniture recently.¡±


    ¡°There was a new one?¡± Edison asked. ¡°I never quite noticed.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t!¡± Elly smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too busy- with what again?¡±


    Edison¡¯s face reddened at the question. ¡°Cultivating! I¡¯m trying to be a cultivator!¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re not making much progress, or are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s- It¡¯s taking some time.¡±


    Tundra listened, as Elly tried to switch the conversation. ¡°Have you tried talking to your father, Edison? Try the things he¡¯s been teaching?¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes scanned his mother¡¯s face, as if trying to make sense of her suggestion. ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Son.¡± Elly said with a rare stern voice. ¡°I know you never liked your father, but take a moment and separate the father from the teaching he wants to give to you. It is unfair, and what he did in the past has been selfish, self centered, but let¡¯s just ignore all of that. Focus instead on the learnings.¡±


    Edison visibly struggled to process it. His facial muscles scrunched up. He wanted to say something, but unlike the pure hatred Edison sometimes showed to him, the expression Edison showed his mother was one of confusion, and frustration. He really was struggling.


    ¡°We want to be respected.¡± Elly said, as if reading his heart. ¡°I know you want to be a respected member of society, but right now, you must gain strength. Without strength, no one outside of our family will truly respect you. Even your father-¡±


    ¡°Father doesn¡¯t respect me.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t.¡± Elly said. ¡°Because look at things from his eyes. To him, you have not shown yourself worthy of it-¡±


    ¡°That man doesn¡¯t deserve respect either.¡± Edison said, and Tundra felt a rare twinge of pain in his heart. If someone else said it, he would feel that way, but this came as a hit from his own son, and his old guilt swirled.


    ¡°Yes. Maybe that is so.¡± Elly held her son¡¯s hand. ¡°But you don¡¯t like it when he talks to you like you are still a child.¡±


    ¡°I am an adult, mother. He shouldn¡¯t treat me like that.¡± Edison said. Elly merely smiled.


    ¡°Power is weight. Power is authority. Your father will treat you better if you should that you have that weight. Do you not see how he talks to the Core Disciples? He speaks to them cordially, and with respect. He asks, and yet they listen. With you, he commands, and you do not obey. It is only normal that he treats you the way he did. Would you not do the same for your own children?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m his son. Is that not worth something?¡± Edison protested.


    ¡°And he is your father. Between the two of you, it must be you to offer the olive branch.¡±


    ¡°Must it be me?¡± Edison asked reluctantly.


    ¡°And you expect your father, the Sect Master, to be the one to give in to your whims? What would society think of him? What would you think of him?¡±


    Edison gave a long sigh.


    Tundra knew he was an authority figure in the Sect and the family, and tried his best to conduct himself as a Sect Master should. But there will always be those offended by his conduct.


    ¡°You want him to treat you respectfully. You want him to treat you as an adult. He offered you the opportunity, but you¡¯ve taken those opportunities as tests.¡± Elly said. It was something his half sister said before, and yet somehow, the words feel different when said by his mother.


    Elly held his son¡¯s hand. It was something they would never do in public, because it would bring shame to the son. An adult in the world of cultivation is expected to be a full member of society, able to stand on his own feet, not one that still held his mother¡¯s hands for support. Society is ever so cruel to those who didn¡¯t live up to its expectations, even to things that helped its members.


    ¡°Step into the 4th realm, and your father will treat you differently. The world will treat you differently too. Son, my dear firstborn, take your father¡¯s lessons. Accept the pills and elixirs he offers. It is not a chain, but a stepping stone.¡±


    ¡°Will he not fear that I will rebel against him? Would he not want to keep us in line?¡± Edison asked and his mother chuckled.


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    ¡°Do you think your father fears your strength?¡± Elly said. ¡°If you could make him fear your strength, you would have won. Give your father a chance to be your trainer and teacher. He may be a terrible father, but he is far from a terrible cultivator. As the old wise men often said, we take what is good, and discard what is bad.¡±


    Edison looked at his mother and gave one of the longest sighs ever. ¡°I will try, mother. I will try.¡±


    The ease at how Edison softened his stance made Tundra felt like kicking himself. He should¡¯ve asked Elly to talk to him earlier.


    Truly, some words have to come from the right person.


    ***


    Celestia


    Celestia meditated in the quietness of her own part, when she felt the presence of another. Marin.


    ¡°I seem to be seeing you more often, Lady Eastheart.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Marin said, as she approached the courtyard¡¯s seats and sat opposite her. ¡°I am merely here for something a lot simpler.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss cultivation insights with you.¡± Marin said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around, Lady Eastheart. We are both in the same realm, I am certainly not equipped to teach you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing so complicated. I would merely like to start regularly exchanging cultivation thoughts. I¡¯m finding it hard to speak to the elders, or the core disciples who are much, much more ahead than us. Instead, you, and Elly, would likely be approximately my level of comprehension.¡±


    Celestia paused and immediately saw why. If Marin sought to speak to a third-realm Inner Disciple, it would likely scare them off, and would not be a good look for her. It would also be embarrassing if her lack of comprehension was discovered by the inner disciples, or the much more advanced Core Disciples and Elders.


    Thus, by elimination, Celestia and Elly were her only peers that she could discuss without much risk. So, she looked at her fellow co-wife, and wondered whether she should be petty and brush her off.


    She should be petty. She didn¡¯t like Marin all that much, either. But for the good of the Fox family, she decided to take it a step at a time, and allowed the woman a chance.


    ¡°Should we start with a spar?¡± Celestia wondered.


    Marin laughed. ¡°No need. I would prefer a game of go.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Celestia frowned. ¡°I am afraid I am not that knowledgeable about the game. But if you have a set- ¡±


    Marin took out a set made of maple wood from her pouch, and placed it on the table. She began to arrange them, and offered Celestia her side of the pieces. ¡°Black, or white?¡±


    ¡°Black, then.¡± Celestia said as she picked up the black stones.


    ¡°Then it is your move.¡± Marin said, as she watched Celestia make her first move. ¡°You were there when Tundra gave his lecture on the parallels used in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Celestia repeated as she picked a spot.


    ¡°What do you understand about it?¡± Marin said, and made her own move. She went on the offense immediately. The piece went up close and personal.


    ¡°There are many parts to the lecture, which one are you referring to?¡± Celestia countered.


    ¡°He referred to cultivation as if man cultivates a farm. Our cultivation methods are merely the seeds we plant in our souls, and from it, we grow our strength. You¡¯ve chosen to stay in the 4th despite being at the peak of the 4th, so you must have an insight of your own.¡± Marin probed as she made another move.


    The usually quiet courtyard was now interrupted by the sound of small circular pieces placed on the square maplewood board. Celestia paused briefly, her mind contemplated both the next move to make, and also the question from her opponent.


    ¡°I think you already know the answer.¡± Celestia said as she decided on her next step.


    ¡°I have my own answer, but I am here to exchange notes.¡± Marin smiled. A maid placed a hot pot of tea on the small tea table next to them.


    ¡°What use is another¡¯s notes, when cultivation is a step we all venture alone. The farm in your heart, and the farm in my heart are made of different soil and different texture. What works for me, does not work for you.¡±


    Marin chuckled. ¡°But there are rules. Principles. There are plants that we do not water. There are plants that require a lot of water. There are plants made for soft, alluvium soil, there are plants made for rich, iron-heavy soils. But ultimately, they are plants, and all plants seek the sun.¡±


    ¡°When the farm expands, the seeds we plant earlier grow into the foundation to the next.¡± Celestia answered. ¡°I merely decided to take a step back, and revisit whether I have made the right choices before going further.¡±


    ¡°And have you made progress?¡± Marin countered.


    ¡°Not much, but not little either.¡± Celestia responded with a little annoyance. She didn¡¯t like Marin all that much.


    ¡°Then the next question is the true question in my heart.¡± Marin placed a stone on the board. ¡°Does it make that much of a difference?¡±


    Celestia thought that was obvious. One look between them and the Core Disciples was all the proof they needed. Within the same realm, there is heaven and earth. The heavens of the same realm can defeat the earths of the realms above. That is how it is. But she tried looking at the 5th wife, and wondered whether, maybe it doesn¡¯t really matter to her. ¡°It then depends what you want to do with it.¡±


    Marin smiled. ¡°I can see why Tundra likes you so much. You really try to match my rhythm. Tell me, if all I wanted to do is to free myself from all this, would it matter?¡¯


    Celestia closed her eyes. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Marin nodded. ¡°Then I will most likely reach the 5th realm before you do.¡±


    ***


    Anna walked into his room, and immediately sat on the chair. ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°-Strange.¡± Anna repeated. ¡°I feel like I have thoughts about things, unrelated things that I normally didn¡¯t have before.¡±


    Tundra nodded. One of the true gifts of talents, at least that he observed in other cultivators, was to make connections between seemingly unrelated things. It was a human thing to do, to see patterns in what often appear as nothing more than random occurrences. Pattern recognition is a form of talent.


    Observation skills, observing how changes affected their cultivation, and then making the connection between the cause and effect, was a talent.


    A cultivator has general knowledge, obtained from studying cultivation manuals and lectures. A cultivator must also develop personal knowledge of how things worked for them.


    The first was like a man listening to an instructor on how to ride a horse. The second was a man trying to ride a horse, and learning how to communicate with the horse he had. There were rules, and principles, but they needed to be adapted to the real thing.


    So, he nodded at his daughter, pleased that she showed signs of it working. ¡°Good. Then cultivate.¡±


    ¡°What should I do with all these- these thoughts I have in my mind?¡± Anna asked, but was immediately embarrassed by it.


    ¡°Think about them.¡± Tundra said normally. ¡°These new thoughts are not all useful. But you must still pay attention to them, some of them will give you insights on your cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Is this what talented people experience?¡±


    ¡°A bit. The talented connect small pieces together to form a whole. They look at a blank paper, and can see the image of what they want to create. Some can even see the steps they need to take to create the image from scratch.¡±


    To the untalented, cultivation is a lone, dry affair. To those with incredible talents, ideas just seem to pop out from the most mundane acts. For someone like Anna, this sensation must be unusual.


    ¡°The difference between someone with a lot of experience and someone with a lot of talent isn¡¯t that big.¡± Talent, in a way, is just a form of experience. It is an inkling of what to do, that another cultivator earns and gathers through experience. A man who painted many paintings knows what are the steps he needs to take to make a painting on a blank sheet of paper. A talented painter who never painted before, could visualize the same steps and execute it to bring life to his vision.¡±


    Anna stared at her father. ¡°So these thoughts-¡±


    ¡°They are the random, stray thoughts someone with talent has. It is the little connections, the mind¡¯s attempt to link different parts of the world to form a whole. A cultivator in their journey to power tries to form a coherent philosophy of the world. This philosophy then shapes the design of his spirit and soul. It is the expression of their understanding of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Is there a wrong answer?¡±


    ¡°Plenty. It¡¯s called a deviation.¡± Tundra smiled. ¡°Listen to these stray thoughts. In time, pick those that seem to work. Ideas and thoughts are useless if they do not work.¡±


    Anna tried to channel the energy flows around her, and Tundra could feel minute improvements in the flow of energy. For her, the pill¡¯s effects were decent.


    It validated his decision to improve their talents through such means, and now he needed to go out and get more such unique resources.


    He thought about his goal against the Zuja.


    The Zuja preyed on those who felt powerless, because they were born without talent. Without talent, how could they hope to stand up to cultivators stronger than them?


    It is common to immediately claim that something is wrong with the cultivation society that the strong could be allowed to trample on the weak.


    But Tundra wondered about the other problem.


    Why is talent necessary for power?


    Could he offer a path to those without talent to be cultivators on par with those with talent? Could he equalize the opportunities for everyone?


    He looked back at Anna¡¯s slight improvement, and decided his next immediate mission would be to hunt some 6th realm spirit beasts. That should give him the materials needed for more powerful pills, help his sect, and then buy a flying ship.

 Chapter 29. A Hunt and A Diplomatic Visit

    11 Months after Regression


    The blizzard didn¡¯t let up. Snow and hail rained all around them, and it smashed into the small umbrella of fire created from a protective artifact.


    ¡°The gate to the Snowheart Caves is just ahead.¡± Tundra said. Elder Severian, Core Disciple Yavin, and Core Disciple Julia trekked behind him. They all had thick robes, with equally thick hoods to cover their ears, gloves, and boots.


    The weather was harsh, and expending spiritual energy to protect themselves from the natural weather would mean they¡¯d be drained before they even reach the gates.


    ¡°How did the Hailstorm Temple control these caves all this time?¡± Severian wondered.


    ¡°It¡¯s undefendable.¡± Tundra laughed. ¡°But why contest the claim when it¡¯s hard to set a proper outpost without throwing a lot of money or resources?¡± With most things in life, it was a matter of money or skill. An outpost would certainly be possible, especially if a 7th or and 8th realm formation master made a sufficiently robust protective formation, and a short range teleportation formation between the outpost and the headquarters of the Hailstorm Temple.


    But the Hailstorm Temple was not that sort of lavish sect. They were a fairly humble group of monks that preferred solitary cultivation, though their old master was a man worthy of tremendous respect.


    They braved the blizzard, and soon arrived at an old stone gate. There was only one bald man standing there.


    ¡°Greetings, Master Fox. On behalf of the Hailstorm Temple Master, I, Elder Jussa Joen, welcome you to the Hailstorm¡¯s Snowheart Caves.¡±


    Tundra bowed gently to the man, he was probably in the low 6th realm, and if he was not wrong, Jussa was the second in command. ¡°Greetings, Elder Jussa. It is an honor to meet the great Heartfreezing Fistmaster.¡±


    Jussa laughed. ¡°Old nicknames, let us not rekindle old stories and bore the young ones. Let me first get the dry details out of the way. The Snowheart Caves is home to 5th realm and 6th realm spirit beasts of the yang water, yin water, yang-earth and yin-fire elements. We allow free access to the Snowheart Caves, but we ask that no more than twenty 6th realm spirit beasts are hunted. Any more will be penalized with an additional levy.¡±


    Of course, if someone more powerful came over, there is nothing much could be done to stop them. Tundra bowed anyway, ¡°We will try our best to comply.¡±


    The elder nodded. ¡°Do not worry, it If it is an emergency or lives are at stake, that levy can be further discussed.¡±


    Tundra bowed. ¡°We thank the Hailstorm Temple for their generosity and wisdom.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing much. If you have time, Lord Fox, do come and visit Frosthail City. Our Sect Master heard many great things about you and would love to meet.¡± Tundra chuckled at Elder Jussa Joen¡¯s invitation, but still clasped his hand together and bowed respectfully.


    ¡°Ah, I wouldn¡¯t dare impose on your hospitality. This much is already good enough for us.¡±


    ¡°Our master would love to exchange some alchemy tips, and perhaps, there may be something you could do for us.¡± The elder continued.


    Tundra picked up on the hint, and naturally nodded. ¡°If the master so insists, I would naturally make the time.¡±


    Elder Jussa of the Hailstorm Temple grinned. ¡°Then we will wait for your good news. Speedy travels, and may your hunt be fruitful.¡±


    ***


    It was fairly easy to find the fifth realm and sixth realm beasts.


    Tundra Fox sat at a corner while both Yavin and Julia attempted to wrestle victory from a mid fifth realm yin water spirit beast, a gigantic ice monkey. Yin water did not always express its form as ice, but it was common enough that most cultivators understood ice as yin-water.


    Both Yavin and Julia were well outfitted for the trip, they prepared a thorough set of earth elemental weapons and pills to counter strong-water elemental spirit beasts, and so they should find this battle advantageous.


    ¡°They seem ready.¡± Tundra said to Severian who sat next to him.


    ¡°For?¡±


    ¡°Fifth.¡± Tundra repeated. ¡°They should be made elders if they do ascend to the fifth.¡±


    Severian watched thoughtfully, before he answered. ¡°Yes. They should. I do have concerns about Yavin¡¯s recent interactions with the two young ladies.¡±


    The regressor smiled. Yavin Redaxe took his suggestion and actually did go on a few dates with the two women of the Blackshore family, and surprisingly, seemed to actually enjoy a decent, relaxed interaction with the two ladies. Tundra thought it was a fairly positive development for him.


    ¡°Are we not giving the Blackshore family even more leverage?¡± Severian wondered.


    Tundra smiled. ¡°Possible. If Yavin actually believes and obeys the command of his prospective father in law. But I reckon what will happen is the suspicions and tensions within the family will flare up, the rightful heir will feel threatened by such a powerful brother-in-law, and they wouldn¡¯t dare do anything as we park more and more of their business assets under Yavin¡¯s control.¡±


    ¡°And why would Yavin-¡± Severian said but then immediately realized the leverage Tundra had over the younger disciple. ¡°I see. Yavin will be beholden to you for cultivation supplies that the Blackshore family can never be able to provide. You believe he would prefer to side with you, than side with his father in law or brother in law, because he would easily outlive them if he reaches into the fifth or sixth realm.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra smiled. ¡°A few thousand years could change a lot, but what is that?¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say.¡± Severian said with a chuckle. ¡°And Julia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to help three of our Core Disciples ascend to the fifth, or at least, pave the way for them to challenge the fifth¡¯s tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Three? Who-¡±


    ¡°Agnia.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I should be able to once I break the 7th realm in a few more months.¡±


    ¡°Agnia.¡± Severian repeated as the rough winds and hailstorms battered their protective shieldings. ¡°I suppose she would do well as an elder. She could assist me with my External Duties, her disposition is suited to it.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Have I neglected any of the other core disciples?¡±


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    The sect had 10 Core Disciples, 20 Inner Disciples, and Fifty Outer Disciples. After the recent recruitment efforts, the outer disciples increased to about sixty. Not all Core Disciples were as talented or experienced as the rest, but ultimately, Tundra thought they had a good selection of Core Disciples across all primary elemental attributes.


    The elder thought for a moment, and shrugged. ¡°Neglect is a difficult word to assess.¡±


    ¡°That it is.¡± Tundra agreed, his mind briefly thought about his children. What is neglect to one is another¡¯s tough love. People were difficult in that way. As they say, a single type of rice feeds a thousand types of men.


    The two Core Disciples worked hard. Battling a mid-fifth realm should be easily doable for the two. But the two Core Disciples fought many battles and they were both exhausted.


    The Master of the Verdant Snow thought they did well, for their level. It took a while, but the exchange of moves eventually came to an end. Both Julia and Yavin successfully broke the ice monkey¡¯s defenses, and Yavin¡¯s burning fire claws pierced the beast¡¯s chest, while Julia¡¯s spear found itself right through the ice monkey¡¯s skull.


    That should do it. A good hunt.


    ¡°Good job, both.¡± Tundra clapped his hand. ¡°Let us harvest the body for parts.¡±


    Over what was two weeks, they harvested a grand total of nineteen spirit beasts in the fifth realm or sixth realm. It was a successful hunt, and the group of four prepared to descend from the stormy mountains.


    ***


    Hailstorm Temple¡¯s home was a fortress built into the walls of a gigantic mountain of ice. It¡¯s walls and towers were carved out of ancient ice, apparently the ice has not thawed for the least sixteen thousand years, and Tundra could feel the powerful energy formations that protected the temple.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Fox. A successful hunt?¡± Elder Jussa Joen of the Hailstorm Temple was already at the gates when they approached. Tundra¡¯s presence was likely unmistakable, and they must have sensed his party approach a few days back.


    Tundra clasped his hand and returned their greetings. ¡°As successful as I hoped. I hope we are not imposing? If we are a nuisance, we do not mind if we come at a more opportune time.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Our Master extended the invitation, how could we dare to consider your presence a nuisance?¡± Jussa said with a well practiced, shallow laughter. ¡°Right this way, right this way. Our master is already eager to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Then I shall not keep him waiting.¡± Tundra said, and wondered what the old master of the Hailstorm wanted. He didn¡¯t even remember meeting the old man in his first life, and if he was not mistaken, he died during some attack on the Hailstorm Temple.


    It was one of those fuzzy things that he wished he paid more attention to.


    The Hailstorm Temple¡¯s newer buildings were all carved out of the Mountain Ice, and then layered with a kind of cold-resistant wood and stone. As they passed the flashier buildings, the older buildings were all of a much humbler design. Made of weathered stone and simple wood, it was as if the place came from a time long long ago.


    Both Yavin and Julia looked around with probably a thousand questions they wanted to ask, but not a single one left their lips. It would be impolite. Not when one is barely a guest and has not even greeted the master of the sect.


    Jussa Joen led them through, and even the paths changed from stone to dirt.


    Eventually, they reached a simple hut located at the corner of the temple, and led them through a simple wooden door.


    Tundra immediately felt the effects of a spatial distortion as they walked through the door. Within the hut was a large, but simple receiving hall, where a skinny man with very plain features sat on the throne.


    ¡°Sect Master, I present Lord Tundra Fox, Sect Master of the Verdant Snow, and his party, Sect Elder Lord Severian Grey, and the core Disciples Yavin Redaxe and Julia Silverpearl.¡±


    The skinny man didn¡¯t look old. Instead, he looked like a studious man in his late 30s. There were a few scrolls and books on his lap, which swiftly vanished into his spatial pouch. He stood, and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to meet you for quite a while, Lord Tundra Fox.¡±


    Tundra bowed. ¡°Greetings Sect Master. How should we address you?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. I sometimes go by the name Hugra Saljuk. Please, come closer and sit.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Saljuk.¡± Tundra responded, and his three subordinates followed suit. ¡°I hope our presence has not disturbed your studies. We would be happy to sort out compensation for our stay these few days.¡±


    Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°Ah, the formalities of a meeting between peers. Lord Fox, can I call you Tundra?¡±


    Both Yavin and Julia glanced at each other, unsure how to conduct themselves. Was that an attempt to insult their sect master by speaking to him as if he was a junior?


    But Tundra took no offense, and smiled. His patience for such odd behavior has only grown with experience. It was a small thing, when one takes a step back. ¡°It is not an issue, Lord Saljuk. It is rare, and a great opportunity for my juniors, to meet one of the regional pillars.¡±


    Hugra Saljuk stood, and then vanished. He was suddenly in front of Yavin Redaxe, and stared intently at Yavin. Tundra could feel Yavin¡¯s heart freeze in fear, and how his skin turned pale. ¡°Interesting dual elemental spirit root-¡± Lord Saljuk touched his own chin, as if thinking thoughtfully. ¡°And yet none of the usual conflicts of elemental mixture. You are indeed an experienced teacher, Tundra.¡±


    The Sect Master laughed. He estimated Lord Saljuk to be firmly in the mid 7th realm, just from that sudden ripples when he moved forward. ¡°I do try my best.¡±


    ¡°My elder heard an interesting story from the grapevine.¡± Lord Saljuk said, and he was suddenly back in his own chair. ¡°It seems to claim you were there when the cultists attacked the Scarlet Thunder Sect.¡±


    Severian tried his best not to react. Both Yavin and Julia were not aware of their master¡¯s movement during that time, so this came as news to them as well.


    Tundra nodded, and inwardly he prepared for a response. He immediately weighed the possibility that Hugra Saljuk was a Zuja agent. ¡°Yes I was.¡±


    ¡°Then you must have felt them. Those who worship the bug god.¡± Tundra felt an intense, studying stare. Hugra Saljuk was using every single of his senses on him.


    The room felt chilly, and at that moment, the two core disciples shivered. Their clothes suddenly felt hard as ice, as the weight of Lord Saljuk¡¯s presence pressed against Tundra¡¯s own.


    It was probably just a few seconds, but already the two core disciples felt they should excuse themselves.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said calmly, and judged that Hugra Saljuk was likely to be friendly. The probing question was serious, and he sensed the Lord¡¯s intent to launch an attack. Tundra was fairly certain he wouldn¡¯t lose. ¡°They might be behind it.¡±


    ¡°What did they take?¡± The question that came after was icy.


    ¡°A reality-bending spear of unknown origin.¡± Tundra answered not by speech, but by a spiritual transmission directed to Lord Hugra Saljuk¡¯s mind. He could block it, but he didn¡¯t.


    The oppressive presence vanished instantly, and Tundra smiled. ¡°Did you get what you wanted, Lord Saljuk?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lord Hugra Saljuk flashed a large smile. ¡°The Whispering Man deserves a good pay for this bit of news.¡±


    ¡°I do find myself a little worried.¡± Tundra wondered who else would know of this.


    ¡°Do not. All the agents that were aware of this incident have retired.¡± Saljuk said with a hint of sadness. Tundra stared at Severian, and realized Lord Hugra Saljuk was probably one of the big shots within the Whispering Man. ¡°But no matter, no matter. Please, feel free to get to know my people. They are friendly, and some may even follow you home.¡±


    Tundra chuckled at the offer. ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±


    ¡°You may be, but how about you, Lord Grey? I hear you are also single. For an elder in the fifth realm, it would do good for our society if you pass on your good, talented blood to the next generation.¡±


    Severian clasped respectfully. ¡°I am content with my state, Lord Saljuk.¡±


    ¡°Ah well.¡± Lord Saljuk laughed and looked at the Core Disciples. ¡°Well, Jussa, maybe we can organize a small session for our Core Disciples to trade pointers with our two young guests?¡±


    Jussa Joen clapped his hands cheerfully. ¡°That is an excellent idea. I shall organize it immediately.¡±


    Julia and Yavin glanced at each other and wondered what they''d walked into. They then glanced at Tundra, their eyes pleading him for his assistance.


    The Regressor Sect Master chuckled. ¡°If our guests want to trade pointers, then my two juniors, you should try your best to entertain them.¡±


    They gulped.


    Lord Saljuk suddenly appeared next to Tundra with multiple bottles of wine. ¡°Do you drink, Tundra? While the young ones get some fire in their blood, perhaps we old folks should chat, privately.¡±


    Tundra glanced at Severian. It¡¯s likely no harm would come to them. ¡°Severian, do you mind looking after our two juniors?


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Lord Saljuk grinned. ¡°Come, I have somewhere nice where we can drink and talk.¡±

 Chapter 30. Between Two Old Men

    Behind the old hut, and up a set of stairs made of ancient ice was a gazebo that overlooked the entirety of the Hailstorm Temple. Here, the winds were strangely gentle, as if they were not the harsh, cold winds of the highlands.


    There were enough bottles of rice wine on the small table to feed a party of 200, but in the end, the sect master only picked one.


    ¡°Did you receive the Imperial Summons?¡± Lord Saljuk asked as he sat, and then asked something else. ¡°Do you prefer the game of go, or xiangqi? Hmmm, actually, I thought you were a go person, but now, it feels as if you¡¯d like to play games with dice.¡±


    Tundra laughed, a little amused. He played both, but it was true in his later years he¡¯d rather just pass his time with games of chance. Even if the ¡®chance¡¯ was more of an illusion. ¡°Let¡¯s start with xiangqi, and then we can play the game of go after that.¡±


    ¡°So, the imperial summons.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°I expect to see you there.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t remember seeing Lord Saljuk there. Did he not recognize him then? Tundra focused on his pieces momentarily, and then when he looked up, he saw a different person sitting opposite him.


    It was a far older man who looked frail, skinny. His skin was thin and spotted, and he had a fainter, weaker aura.


    This man, he actually did recognise. ¡°You are also the alchemist of the Hailstorm Temple.¡±


    ¡°In this form, I am Alchemy Elder, Nuan Baljuk.¡± His cultivation was instantly suppressed, as if he was only in the peak fifth realm. Tundra realized he had significantly underestimated Lord Saljuk, and internally reassessed his power level to somewhere around the mid 8th realm.


    ¡°This one has eyes but could not see the master.¡± Tundra said.


    ¡°They are there, in the palace, and they are trying to make a move on the princess.¡± The frail old man said.


    Tundra¡¯s heart skipped a beat as his mind connected the dots to his earlier memories of how the Imperial Palace fell to the Zuja. If the Zuja infiltrated the palace over the centuries and millennia, it was possible that the Grand Emperor himself, even if he was in the 10th realm, received false information and thus was caught unprepared.


    Almost all 10th realmers were incredibly powerful people, and it was true that they generally didn¡¯t think of anything in the world as worthy threats. Up until the later stage of the Zuja infestations, most 10th realmers did not think there was much out there that could threaten them.


    He looked at the alchemist, and realized something else. The man that stood in front of him felt different, no, it was only at this distance he could tell that something was wrong. The form of the man in front of him was linked to elsewhere- He briefly glanced in the direction of the faint strands of energy that he could only see up close, but then realized he may reveal himself.


    But he got caught anyway. The alchemist stared at him, and then laughed. ¡°Impressive! I heard you were fairly talented, but it seems you have much more depth than you let on. You¡¯ve discovered something no one in my sect knows. One has to take special measures, dealing with our kind of foes.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s eyes squinted. The attacks on the Hailstorm Temple made sense, now. The Zuja was fighting and moving in secret all these while because they had to counter sects that worked against it. He looked, and made a move on the xiangqi board anyway. ¡°How long has this lasted?¡±


    ¡°For centuries.¡± The alchemist said. ¡°Even now we do not know the depths of their strength.¡±


    Tundra wanted to say, but decided against it. He merely nodded and feigned ignorance. ¡°I should keep them in mind.¡±


    ¡°Be wary. They may have already found their way into your organization. So the real reason I called you here. When the time comes, can I call on you to fight for us?¡±


    The regressor sighed.


    ¡°The upcoming Crown Prince tussle will be fought along these lines. Up until the day the current emperor passes and a new crown prince ascends to hold the True Golden Dragon¡¯s gift, the princes will be out to recruit the Sects, and the Sects will have to choose.¡±


    The two Sect Masters didn¡¯t look at each other, and continued to move their chess pieces on the board. Down below, there was an impromptu exchange between Yavin and one of the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s core disciples.


    It was an event he remembered, there were some wars and battles, but ultimately the Prince he supported was amongst the first to die, and so they bowed out and he then switched allegiance to the Prince supported by Patriarch Whitedragon.


    There were five princes in the running, and in the first life, it was Prince Yaorl, the fourth prince that ascended to be the new Emperor. He thought Prince Yao was a little too airheaded and weird for the role, but Tundra then was just a nobody.


    Prince Gomerl, the first elder and the supposed natural successor, but his cultivation and intellect has been questioned. Prince Gomerl was supported by the Flaming Phoenix Sect, but somehow the flaming phoenix decided to abandon him before the final battle. It was rumored that the Prince was killed by the Patriarch Whitedragon of the Snow Dragon Temple, though no one actually had evidence of the attack.


    Prince Kaorl, the third prince and the one Tundra supported in his first life. Prince Kaorl died quite quickly, and back then Tundra was still in the late 6th realm, and so he wasn¡¯t important enough to be worth worrying about. All the supporters of Prince Kao then defected to the various factions.


    Prince Yaorl, the fourth prince, and the one supported by Patriarch Whitedragon. He didn¡¯t remember meeting him early on, but Emperor Yaorl was a weird character, and he was fairly glad he died about a thousand years into his rule.


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    Prince Zhengarl, the tenth prince, and another nobody that died early.


    The last significant competitor was Prince Mingarl, the eleventh prince and arguably the most talented of the five princes. Tundra recalled he had the support of another great sect, the Bright Depths Pit.


    Eventually, the lesser sects had to fall in and choose a side. Only the other Great Sects and their pretenders managed to abstain from the entire conflict, as they were not foes anyone could afford to antagonize.


    For now, Tundra and the Verdant Snow Sect would have to play along. A Great Sect like the Snow Dragon Temple had 8th or 9th realm elders that could crush them fairly easily, and so if they came to visit along with their prince, they¡¯d have to give them space.


    ¡°Be wary of Prince Yaorl. Those around him are in league with the bugs.¡±


    Tundra froze. ¡°-wait. Who?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. They are well hidden in this group, and they do not manifest any signs that they are compromised.¡± The Sect Master placed a piece down on the wooden board, with a fairly loud clicking sound.


    ¡°I see. I will try to look out-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± The Sect Master warned. ¡°Not now, and not alone. There are those among us still working our backchannels to secure alliances.¡±


    Tundra was now a part of their schemes, and he looked at the frail old man.


    No. He cannot be sucked into their bet, even if it was the right one ¡°No. I cannot be there to fight for you, but I am willing to help in other ways.¡±


    For a moment, the two looked at each other as if sizing each other up.


    But the Hailstorm¡¯s master relented. ¡°I suppose sending a talented alchemist to the front lines is a waste of talent. Fair enough. I will find ways to keep in touch.¡±


    The regressor nodded, but then stared. ¡°Who are they? Why are you interested in them?¡±


    The Hailstorm¡¯s master laughed, and then his face contorted in anger. ¡°They are my enemies.¡±


    Tundra looked at his peer and wondered what caused it. ¡°Is there a history I should know?¡±


    ¡°Take a guess.¡±


    The regressor looked at the man before him. This was his disguised form, and yet he felt raw emotion. ¡°It feels personal.¡±


    ¡°All grudges and feuds are personal. Do you feel angry at a man who punched one of your servants? Would you interfere?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But most likely no.¡± Tundra answered earnestly.


    ¡°Why not? But what if this man also insulted you, as he punched your servant.¡±


    ¡°I would.¡± Tundra thought, and realized the man¡¯s angle.


    ¡°Because you are involved. Not just involved, you were attacked personally. The man insulted you, perhaps he insulted your family, or your pride, or something you care about. All feuds arise from something personal. It may have been something inconsequential, like a woman you love getting 13th place in a tournament instead of the 12th place, but if the guy who kicked defeated the woman down to the 13th place assaulted her while doing it, you would be mad. Because there is a personal angle.¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes, and wondered about all the feuds he had. It was true that it was all personal. A family insult. An attack on his integrity. His pride. His reputation. His talent. Things he cared about. It was when he realized that humoring the insult with a reaction only made things worse.


    There was no end to the cycle of insults and injury.


    Cultivators cycled through insults and feuds, and climbed up a mountain built on the bodies of those they destroyed. He was no better.


    He closed his eyes, and just sighed.


    ¡°That is the sigh of a man who made many, many enemies.¡±


    Tundra laughed at the man¡¯s astute observation. ¡°Well spotted, but I am just lamenting the nature of men to find fault in each other.¡±


    ¡°It is ironic, isn¡¯t it? For all the refinement and cultivation we do, to make ourselves stronger, our body and soul grows, but our personality remains stagnant. Our flaws are papered over by our strength, but all it takes is an insult to peel it open.¡±


    ¡°Layers of dust cannot repair a flaw in the pearl of one¡¯s soul.¡± Tundra thought about the pearls of the far shores. There was an old folk story from the eastern seas that believed the seafarers who once harvested these pearls became the first cultivators, inspired by the clams to grow something so beautiful within them.


    It likely wasn¡¯t true, of course. The actual history of cultivation was a convoluted mess with no known origin.


    ¡°You should pay a visit to the Golden Bell Temple. The Grand Abbot may be a crazy old man, but his wisdom is deep.¡±


    Tundra thought briefly of the Grand Abbot Ungkai, and recalled how he met him during one of the earlier great wars with the Zuja. Wise. Focused. A man he wished still lived in the final moments.


    The Grand Abbot was not in the tenth. He was a step lower, in the very peak of the 9th, and the Golden Bell was not one of the Great Sect, though they are often referred to as one of the great challenger sects. Tundra remembered Ungkai as a man of tremendous calm, and yet, at a flick of a finger, a man capable of great violence. A man who slaughtered many silly pretenders as the master of the Golden Bell Temple for centuries.


    Tundra wondered whether the abbot considered Tundra a friend. Maybe not. They were comrades in war, but a friend, he wasn¡¯t so sure.


    He placed his last piece. His opponent won.


    ¡°You went easy on me.¡±


    Tundra shook his head, but he did. A little. ¡°Certainly not. But you didn¡¯t answer my question. What is your feud with these- bug people?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be?¡± The man that is both Lord Saljuk and the Alchemist Baljuk stated. ¡°It¡¯s personal. I am looking for a personal disciple, someone I thought had tremendous potential, and yet he was corrupted before my very eyes. The last traces of his steps ended at these cultists, and the more we dig, the more we find hidden.¡±


    The man looked distant, as if remembering a time from long ago. As someone in the 8th realm, he could live long, 50,000 years if they didn¡¯t encounter misfortune, and it could¡¯ve been centuries, if not millennia ago.


    Tundra felt a rare twinge of connection, as his own memories of Celestia, and his other descendant¡¯s corruption by the Zuja surfaced. He didn¡¯t know what to say to someone who lost their family. A complicated cocktail of emotions, and he responded by picking up the cup of rice wine and hoped the wine would drown it out, and banish the thoughts back into the deepest reaches of his soul.


    A moment where nothing was said, but yet the two understood each other.


    They both drank a few more cups each. Each cup down in a gulp, followed by a long distant stare, gazing in the direction of the Hailstorm Temple grounds, but not focused on anything in particular.


    Lord Saljuk transformed before his eyes, returning to the original, skinny, bookish appearance. Rather than play another game, he swept up the pieces of the xiangqi into its wooden box, and packed it up. ¡°I have something for you. It may help you, and your family. Come with me.¡±


    Tundra was led higher into a strange mountain hole, and inside, Lord Saljuk retrieved a box. A small box containing two pills.


    ¡°These are the True Frozen Steel Pill and the True Frozen Fire Pill. It should help you ascend faster. We will need strength in the decades to come, and I know you can be there.¡±


    Was his own emotions so easily read? He accepted the pill, and nodded. ¡°This is a gift of immense value.¡±


    The Lord of the Hailstorm Temple sighed. ¡°But useless to me, and there are none in my sect worthy of it. My spiritual element is Water, so if you wish to repay the favor, I could benefit from an equivalent tier pill of the Yang-Water element.¡±


    An investment today. A debt to be repaid in the future.


    Tundra bowed, and accepted. He would rise faster, and it would help them both. ¡°Then consider it a deal.¡±


    ¡°Good. We should see what our disciples are up to.¡±


    ***

 Chapter 31. Banquet I

    1 year and 1 month after Regression [R+1Y1M]


    Everyone knew something was happening when Tundra said he needed two months of solitary cultivation. It was the kind of thing that made everyone tense, because the entirety of the Verdant Snow could feel the flow of energies shift violently.


    Raw, untamed power.


    The three elders stood on guard, Severian, Jon and Sashen stood outside. It is said that one¡¯s attempt at breakthrough was a moment of intense vulnerability.


    The soul pushes outward, expanding the size of the spiritual realm. The cultivator collects the energies within their core, and in a single burst, attempts to push against the walls of their soul. It is a moment of explosive expansion. A moment of tremendous growth. A moment of weakness, because the power is unruly, untamed.


    Seventh realm. It happened faster than expected thanks to a fortuitous encounter.


    Tundra¡¯s tremendous metal energies cause the entire environment to feel an unnatural level of static. In this environment, swords and nails feel as if they were charged by lightning, and it can feel prickly to even use metal objects.


    For breakthroughs in the 8th realm and above, many masters often find a secluded location elsewhere, because the tremendous fluctuations of energy cause their surroundings to respond in kind. Cultivators of fire often cause forest fires, water-element cultivators often cause their environment to rain and flood, wood element cultivators trigger bugs and plants, and earth cultivators cause the earth to tremble.


    It¡¯s been two months, and the fluctuations have begun to subside. Either it is a success, or it is a failure. To everyone else, it almost seemed like it could go either way.


    Celestia found it hard to cultivate during these two months, and so spent time reading her books. Paper felt harder, sharper, and they may have cut her fingers if she was not careful.


    Her heart doubted.


    Strangely, if it was the old Tundra, she wouldn¡¯t doubt his success at all. The old Tundra exuded supreme confidence, the kind of swagger of a man who knew he was rising up in their society. This new Tundra was gentler, softer, even if his actual talents and knowledge were significantly more than before.


    She didn¡¯t know why she had doubts. She told herself there was no reason to doubt. By all measures, Tundra should exceed it.


    Was it because she somehow cared more?


    She flipped the page of the book she¡¯s reading. She tried her best to concentrate, and she did succeed.


    Yet, occasionally, there was the subtle spike of metal energies in her surroundings that reminded her that a breakthrough was ongoing.


    The higher the realms, the longer the breakthrough. In the first four realms, the breakthrough hardly took a day. From fourth to fifth, it could take a week. Fifth to sixth, it could take two weeks to a month. The expansion of the soul was a lengthy process of man¡¯s spiritual energies battling against the constraints of nature. There were special locations and artifacts that could alter this breakthrough process, but it wasn¡¯t something they had access to.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Marin said as she walked in and sat opposite her. She was here often, and Celestia did find her occasionally irritating to be around.


    The two wives exchanged glances. Celestia wondered what the other woman wanted. Marin shrugged, and stretched. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m just feeling unsettled so I¡¯m here looking for someone to get through the moment with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and what do you mean, again?¡± Marin countered. ¡°With Tundra¡¯s breakthrough I feel like my hair¡¯s constantly messy and my skin feels so prickly.¡±


    At that point, a servant walked in. ¡°Lady Eastheart. Young ladies Azelia and Adelia are looking for you.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Marin¡¯s face flashed a rare moment of irritation.


    ¡°It is about the dress they should wear for the celebration.¡± The servant answered.


    ¡°Celebration- oh.¡± Marin shrugged. ¡°They can decide for themselves!¡±


    ¡°They- they hope to coordinate colors with you.¡±


    Marin looked at Celestia a little helplessly, and then sighed. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll go over. Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°At the Main Street Tailors.¡±


    Celestia smiled, and watched Marin leave. But a few seconds after she did, she realized she also didn¡¯t have a new dress made.


    It is a common thing to celebrate major realm breakthroughs. After all, they were once-in-a-decade events, and the Sect Master¡¯s success should be joyfully shared. Even their own breakthroughs to the 4th realm was celebrated with a dinner party.


    The air is tense. Charged.


    Most of the lesser cultivators decided it was a good time to be in the Verdant Leaf Town, rather than to be so close to the eye of the storm.


    She stood and checked her wardrobe briefly, and sighed. Tundra never noticed when they had new clothes. In his eyes, it was such an inconsequential thing. But the ladies of the Fox family naturally tried to be well dressed for a celebration.


    Her eyes darted to the window, and the Verdant Leaf Town was bustling. Lady Elly Mistburn, as the most senior wife, organized the celebration. She ordered meats. Wines. Desserts. By now, news of Tundra¡¯s impending breakthrough would have spread.


    The nearby sect masters and their young masters may visit.


    Tundra¡¯s rise to the seventh would elevate their profile. It would also invite both admiration and jealousy. Sects that didn¡¯t feel threatened before would now feel it.


    She left her room. Maybe she should get a dress.


    Then she felt the moment when all the metal energy around her suddenly vanished, as if drained by a sink.


    The doubt in her heart vanished.


    One year after his regression, Tundra Fox rose to the Seventh Realm.


    ***


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± The party was bustling, the entire receiving hall of the Verdant Snow Sect had never seen that many people. The hall could normally fit about 500 people comfortably now packed 1,500. Tables were lined end to end, and chairs were so close that most guests were shoulder to shoulder.


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    But sycophancy was alive and well, as everyone tried their best to get face time.


    Tundra Fox is now a cultivator in the Seventh Realm, and that made him even more well respected. Local businesses tried to curry favor, and gifts of all sorts made their way into their treasury. There were many, many guests from the other sects.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Elly said as she gave her elder brother, Eric, a hug. Eric brought a gift. ¡°To think I¡¯d see you again so soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course I would be here! My brother-in-law ascends to the seventh. If that is not a cause for celebration, what is?¡± Eric laughed.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not here to see me.¡± Elly laughed and gently punched her elder brother on the shoulder.


    ¡°Well, that too, that too.¡± Eric chuckled. ¡°Good to see you are well. Nice to see you too, Edison.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, let me guide you to your seat.¡± Edison clasped his hand and greeted the man, and ushered him to his place. For the family, they were seated closest to the main table. The main table itself was for Tundra, his three elders, and his three wives, and for the other sect masters that made the journey here.


    Elly had even more guests to handle. There were merchants. Local officials. Even members of nearby families that now wanted to shift allegiances.


    ¡°How¡¯ve you been, my good nephew?¡± Eric asked as he was led to the table right next to the main table.


    ¡°Alright, I guess.¡± Edison wasn¡¯t particularly hostile to Eric. They were after all family, and Eric didn¡¯t harm them. For most part, they almost never talked to each other, at least until their recent visit.


    ¡°How¡¯s your cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Improving slowly.¡± The eldest son answered. ¡°But I suppose it''s better than not moving.¡±


    ¡°Your father would be happy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with him.¡± Edison said, revealing a little bit of annoyance.


    ¡°I see. You must feel pressured, don¡¯t you? You¡¯re the young master of the Fox family, and your father is now in the Seventh Realm.¡± Eric said. ¡°Your father is a monster in cultivation, and you have to measure up to that.¡±


    Edison frowned, and his expression revealed a rare moment of vulnerability and stress.


    After what seemed like a long pause between the two, one where Eric filled by eating the fried fish slices on the table, Edison finally answered.  ¡°Yes. People expect that I do. No matter what I do, I am in his shadow.¡±


    ¡°That is life.¡± Eric said. ¡°I tried to live up to your grandfather¡¯s shadow. I felt like I was always chasing, always running towards a goal that seemed further away. It was only when I made it to the 4th realm that I felt like that shadow vanished.¡±


    ¡°4th realm would not be enough for me.¡± Edison said bitterly, as he sat on the empty seat next to him. It wouldn¡¯t be empty for long.


    ¡°I know. But you must try. You are the young master, and people believe that a tiger father would not have dog children.¡±


    ¡°I wish my father wasn¡¯t such a genius.¡± Edison said with a whiff of sadness.


    ¡°Those who live in luxury have their own struggles.¡± Eric said as he patted his nephew on the shoulder. ¡°To the outside world, they would trade everything to be in your place. But your mother wrote a letter to grandfather, she said she was so proud that you started trying seriously.¡±


    Edison blinked, and blushed. ¡°She did? Why would she do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Your mother is a doting one. She exemplifies the best of our water-element. Nurturing and caring, and flowing from the top to the bottom.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°She¡¯s naggy.¡±


    ¡°We all are. It¡¯s the nature of being a parent. Don¡¯t you nag your children?¡±


    Edison wanted to correct his uncle, only to realize he was probably right. The cycle of life continued on.


    Eric smiled at the younger man, and nodded. ¡°You should go help your mother. There are more guests coming in, and many would want to meet the young master of the Fox Family.¡±


    The young master groaned. ¡°I hate that my value and identity is so tied to my father. They say nice things to me only because they want to use me, to get close to him.¡±


    His uncle chuckled. ¡°My dear nephew, you¡¯re already quite old. You should know people are like that. If your father rises further, you will have even more of these shoe polishers.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Father¡¯s just making my life difficult.¡±


    ¡°Go now.¡± Eric said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s life.¡±


    ***


    Tundra stood at the center of the hall as the guests came to pay a visit. He remembered some of them. Sycophants, allies, fair weathered friends. It is the game of society. All the formalities and niceties are all but the little procedures to play the great game.


    Most of the merchants and businesses wanted to get to know him, and they would talk about the usual stuff. Protection. Preferential trade. Just so that he remembers them, and would call on them some day for business dealings.


    He shook hands, smiled, and accepted their gifts. In some ways, gifts were traded for more gifts.


    The guests came, they offered him a toast, and he returned with a toast of his own. Then the VIP guests arrived, and Tundra himself made the walk to the front door to greet them.


    ¡°Sect Master Whisperwaters, I¡¯m surprised you actually made the trip here.¡± Tundra was flanked by Elly and Edison, as they welcomed the high powered guests.


    Lucia Whisperwaters, Sect Master of the Mystical Harbors, and a sixth realm cultivator, shook his hand and smiled. She was a mature but still beautiful woman with long, flowing light blue hair, and her voice was gentle like the lapping waves by the beach on a peaceful day. ¡°After what you did for us with the Scarlet Thunder, I do owe you a large favor. And this is-¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, Elly Mistburn, my wife, and this is Edison, my son.¡± Tundra swiftly introduced them.


    ¡°I see, well met.¡± Lady Whisperwaters smiled, and then examined Elly closely. Elly had a new dress. All the girls did, even Celestia couldn¡¯t resist the peer pressure and so made a new dress for the occasion. ¡°You¡¯re a lucky woman.¡±


    Elly smiled, but did not respond. Tundra felt mixed feelings when she said that. Was it her luck, or her misfortune? Like Marin, if she said it to her, she would probably consider it an insult.


    ¡°I heard you have three wives. Can I meet the other two?¡±


    Tundra blinked briefly. ¡°Ah, you will meet them at the main table. You¡¯ll be seated with us.¡±


    Lady Whisperwaters grinned. ¡°Great. I¡¯d love to get to know what kind of woman you like.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you again, Sect Master Whisperwaters.¡± Elder Severian interjected, as he sensed the conversation taking a rather awkward turn.


    ¡°Oh. Severian! It is auspicious to meet again so soon.¡± She smiled flirtily.


    ¡°Let me escort you to your seat, and offer you some welcoming drinks.¡± Severian offered, and led the visiting Sect Master away. Tundra breathed a sigh of relief, and Elly stepped a little closer.


    ¡°Have you met her before?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Was she always so flirty? My female senses were tingling.¡±


    Tundra paused, and suddenly that recontextualized the entire conversation. He didn¡¯t recall the old Lucia Whisperwaters as a particularly flirty woman, though she was fairly close to him even in his first life. But by then he was already through a few more wives, and maybe her impression of him was different.


    Elly looked at him. She expected an answer.


    He rubbed his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t think she was. Maybe she¡¯s just in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Our next major guest is arriving.¡±


    The carriage that came was one with the official sigil of the Imperial Court. It was a minister, responsible for the regional taxes, mortal armies of the region. The minister was a cultivator, only in the 4th realm, but his affiliation with the Imperial Court made him a major guest.


    ¡°Greetings, Minister Folan, It must be a bother for you to grace our little event.¡± Tundra greeted the man as he walked out of his carriage. His robes were a special item granted to the ministers of the court, made with a kind of special silk, then embroidered with a kind of flexible dragongold.


    ¡°The Imperial Court is pleased to learn of your ascension to the seventh. On behalf of the imperial court, I bring a gift.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s heart wondered what trap the Imperial Court set for him, but at this point, he had to receive it anyway. The box made of an ancient lacquered wood opened to reveal a plaque, conferring a status as the Outer Court Alchemist.


    ¡°This humble servant of the Emperor is honored to receive the Emperor¡¯s plaque.¡± Tundra answered, as he kneeled before the Minister. The Minister would sit with them.


    Outer Court Alchemist meant he was now on retainer to the Emperor, though he wasn¡¯t in the priority list.


    The Imperial Golden Emperor officially maintained a list of alchemists in the court¡¯s service. The Personal Alchemist of the Emperor was the highest ranked, followed by the Distinguished Royal Alchemist who could serve the Emperor and his harem, then the Inner Court Alchemist, then the Outer Court Alchemist.


    The politics in the Outer Court wasn¡¯t that bad, so he wasn¡¯t bothered. The royal house may occasionally issue demands of the Outer Court Alchemists, but it also came with stipends and allowances from the royal houses. It represented money and resources of the Royal Family.


    At least, before the Royal Family collapsed to infighting, and later, the Zuja¡¯s corruption.

 Chapter 32. Banquet II

    ¡°Brother Yavin! How nice of them to seat us with you!¡± Clara said flirtily as she somehow sat next to Yavin Redaxe. Yavin nodded.


    ¡°Nice to see you two ladies as well.¡± Yavin answered with a smile, and quickly stood to help them to their seats. The round table was big enough for fifteen, and for them, they were in the second row. The first row of round tables was reserved for direct family members and also their close allies. The second row were people like the Core Disciples and the other allied folk. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Caden.¡±


    Caden Blackshore had to hold in his frustration, much to the two ladies¡¯ amusement. Their brother wanted to be close, but the very idea of them getting involved with a potential elder of the Verdant Snow Sect was a little too close. Not just that, it was a threat. But Yavin was the first amongst equals. He was the best of the Verdant Snow¡¯s Core Disciples, and his disposition showed.


    It was for that reason Clara and Clarissa found it supremely easy to cultivate genuine attraction for him. He was confident, talented, polite, well educated and had the direct ears of the sect master. He radiated potential and power in ways that were super attractive. Clarissa smiled. ¡°This is our elder brother. He is the designated heir of the family.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Yavin smiled genuinely. ¡°You have big shoes to fill, but I¡¯m certain you would rise to the moment.¡±


    Clara somehow chuckled, while Clarissa smirked. ¡°Our elder brother is trying his best, but if only he had a fraction of your talent.¡±


    ¡°Behave yourself, sisters. You are the descendants of the Blackshore family.¡± Caden said bitterly.


    ¡°Ah, I doubt I would do better as a young master. I¡¯m certain your brother¡¯s duties are more complicated than what meets the eye.¡± Yavin said in his defense. ¡°It is not easy to be a young master, some crumble under the pressure.¡±


    ¡°Aww. Brother Yavin, did you really need to defend him?¡± Clara said as her fingers touched the Core Disciple¡¯s fingers. Caden glared, but she pretended not to notice.


    ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t easy.¡± Yavin said. ¡°I¡¯ve met many young masters, and not all would accept their father¡¯s orders and move to a different city without much support, and try to gain an upper hand in their dealings.¡±


    That made the three Blackshore siblings tense up, and they glanced at each other uncomfortably.


    Yavin then smiled. ¡°But it just so happens that our wise Sect Master still believes this is a fruitful relationship, and in the future, I would expect much more collaborations with you, young master Caden.¡±


    Caden¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Collaborations?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. In time, I will be made an elder of Sect, and it seems the Sect Master is keen to assign oversight of the Verdant Snow¡¯s affairs in Lakeshore to me. It is for that reason I am seated here, and not elsewhere.¡±


    Caden¡¯s eyes twitched again. It didn¡¯t stop. Clara and Clarissa struggled not to grin, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re truly a generational talent, brother Yavin. Would you really be made Elder soon?¡±


    Yavin nodded with confidence. ¡°Of course. In a year or so.¡±


    Caden¡¯s fingers trembled briefly. It was as good as a threat, that they were dealing with someone who would be a 5th realm. If he so desired, he could deliver a damaging blow to the Blackshore family.


    The two ladies, who were already touching him repeatedly, pretty much glued themselves to him.


    ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself, senior brother.¡± It was then gently interrupted by another Core Disciple.


    Yavin smiled at the passing Core Disciple Julia as she walked to her table. She was seated with a different group of allied families. The table arrangement was designed so that the Core Disciples were each seated with friends and allies of the Sect, in hopes that they could better mingle with those of the allied families and sects. Yavin nodded. ¡°I am. It is a pleasure to have two beauties by my side, it would make the frequent trips to Lakeshore more pleasant. Our dear guests would also be able to visit their family more frequently.¡±


    Caden twitched. The two girls smiled and Clara teased playfully. ¡°We would feel truly safe if you¡¯d escort us, brother Yavin.¡±


    Yavin nodded. ¡°In due time, miladies. In due time.¡±


    Julia laughed. ¡°Well, knock yourselves out. Be gentle to the girls.¡±


    The two Blackshore daughters blushed, but one of them quickly unbuttoned one of her dresses¡¯ top buttons, exposing a little more of her flesh. It was the little things she did to lure her prey. It wasn¡¯t the first time, and Yavin¡¯s travels exposed him to more than just little tricks.


    He merely picked up the rice wine, and offered a toast to the heir sitting a few seats next to him. ¡°Young master. May we work well together.¡±


    Caden reluctantly accepted the toast. He couldn¡¯t offend a future elder of the Verdant Snow, but now he wondered whether their family bit more than they could chew.


    ***


    Anna watched in amusement how the problem solved itself. She watched how the two girls deftly threw themselves into the arms of Yavin Redaxe, and rather than reject it outright, the Core Disciple seemed to enjoy the very act of handling the three descendants of the Blackshore.


    He must¡¯ve gotten some pointers from the elders, perhaps even her own father.


    But for some of the male members of the Fox family, the sight was an insult. Is there no one worth their eye that they resorted to a Core Disciple?


    From her point of view, this issue was entirely brought onto themselves. If they all worked a bit harder, they¡¯d all be at least a few minor realms higher, and they would find themselves without a shortage of suitors.


    Most of the world¡¯s population lived their entire lives never leaving the lower realms, and it is often easy to forget how many mortals and 1st realm cultivators existed.


    In fact, there were already people making a move on her and her many half-siblings. She may be a widow, but her status as the eldest daughter of the Fox family, and first child of the Sect Master still carried some limited weight.


    ¡°Lady Anna Fox, may I have a bit of your time?¡± A mature man said, he was from one of the nearby cities, and if Anna was not wrong, someone in the low-third realm.


    ¡°Oh, and what would it be about?¡± Anna countered, a little irritated. But the suitors are all thick faced, and prepared for rejection. They would move on to the other sisters.


    ¡°Would you consider remarriage? I understand you¡¯ve lost your husband a long time ago, and I would like to be there if you are considering making connections once more.¡± The man said smoothly. It must¡¯ve been practiced. Anna couldn¡¯t believe how blunt he was. Even if she understood that with cultivators, it is often better to just state the facts and move on from there.


    Anna looked at the man, as if sizing him up. The man stood a little straighter, as if ready for her judgment. She sighed. ¡°No. Not at the moment. Give it a hundred years. My grief still festers in my heart.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    It was mostly a lie. She was over her husband¡¯s death. The man took the hint, nodded and left. ¡°Very well. I wish you well, Lady Anna.¡±


    She approved his retreat. A man that knew when to cut losses is a talent, in its own way. But she was tired of the whole relationship ordeal, and as she looked around at the rest of her family, all approached by interested suitors, Anna hoped they were made of sterner stuff.


    Her eyes glanced at Adelia and Azelia, the two daughters of her step-mother, Marin Eastheart. The two ladies were well dressed in a perfectly fitting qipao meant specifically for the event. The slit along the thighs were probably a little higher than usual, and the makeup on their face a little thicker than normal.


    She rarely spoke to her two half sisters. They seemed a little airheaded, but the fact that they put on a dress like that meant they were also looking for interested suitors, and wanted to use the event to attract high-quality partners.


    Their life, at the moment, was tied to the fortunes of the Verdant Snow Sect. Given their own rather lackluster talent, their next best option was to find a partner that could protect them, if something were to happen to their father.


    That was a simplistic way of thinking about it, of course. Anna knew that if their value was the connection to their father, once their father was out of the picture, they were still worthless either way.


    Almost everyone making a move in an event like this was an opportunistic scoundrel. Players in a game of scratching each other¡¯s back, but she¡¯s not feeling itchy.


    Her eyes then darted to her father. The now 7th realm Tundra Fox stood imperiously at the platform. In front of him was a large table. Her three stepmothers were there.


    There was a space reserved for Edison next to his father. He was the current heir apparent, and Elly, the chief organizer of the event, did the seating arrangement. Naturally her son would be placed next to father.


    Next to Tundra was the Imperial Minister Folan, and next to that was the Sect master of the Mystical Harbors. There were a few more Sect Masters, in the 5th realm, sharing the table with them, along with the wives and elders.


    ***


    Tundra sat at the table, and his gaze scanned the large banquet hall. There were more than a thousand visitors here, many came with gifts, most were for him, but some were given to his family and the elders.


    Attempts to curry favor were as old as time, and he smiled. But first, there was the man representing the Imperial Throne. ¡°I hope our basic simple meals don¡¯t disappoint you, Minister Folan.¡±


    He shook his head. He ate only one mouthful of the spiritual rice, and for a cultivator in the fourth realm, they only needed sustenance about once every two weeks. Eating was performative, rather than a requirement. ¡°It is satisfactory for a sect of your size.¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°I see. We will try to do better the next time you are here.¡±


    The minister Folan found that statement surprising. ¡°The next time I am here?¡±


    ¡°We would be holding another banquet when my fellow elder ascends in rank to the sixth realm. Would you not be there?¡±


    The Minister paused, and his eyes then darted around to examine the three elders sharing the table. ¡°Oh? Who will be attempting their ascension?¡±


    Severian coughed and faked humbleness. ¡°Ah. Sect Master Fox is merely stating something that has not yet occurred. If the heavens cooperate, I hope to reach the sixth soon.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± The Minister tried to take a measure of Severian¡¯s character.


    Tundra smiled. Normally a sect would hide some of its powers, but they often do so with their secret wings. Not just Elder Severian, Tundra intended to elevate all three of his elders to the sixth realm soon.


    But for now, Jon and Jashen¡¯s planned ascension will be a secret. With the right pills, they should both be able to ascend approximately at the same time. The Sect Master watched as the Imperial Envoy was lost then momentarily in thought.


    Minister Folan¡¯s mind was likely calculating how the balance of power in the local area would shift, if the Verdant Snow Sect had one sixth realm elder and one Seventh realm Sect master. The Minister must have realized that such a level would immediately push them up the ranks and make them one of the stronger regional powers, an upper-mid tier sect. ¡°Are you confident, Master Fox?¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°We will try and try again until we succeed. After all, as a seventh realm Alchemist, such things should be within reach.¡±


    At that point, Sect master Lucia Whisperwaters leaned forward. ¡°Would you mind sharing some of that good fortune, Lord Fox? The rest of us could benefit from your generosity.¡±


    He smiled at his fellow Sect master, and then, he briefly looked at Edison. He was as quiet as he ever could be. After all, in this entire table, he was the weakest. The only reason he was here was because he was Tundra¡¯s son. ¡°In due time, Lady Whisperwaters.¡±


    Yet, as his eyes briefly glanced at the woman named Lucia Whisperwaters, an idea sprung up in his mind. She was one of the few elders that focused on training, in the alternate future where the Verdant Snow absorbed the Mystical Harbors. He wondered whether she could help his children in a way he couldn¡¯t.


    A child sometimes just refused to listen to the parents, but would listen to the same message delivered by others.


    So, Tundra looked at Lucia Whisperwaters, and asked. ¡°Lady Whisperwaters, my son, Edison, is struggling with his cultivation, and I believe some time away from me would be good for his cultivation.¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes immediately glared at his father. ¡°Father-¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Edison? As the next generation, I certainly shouldn¡¯t keep you holed up in the Verdant Snow Sect, and I think it¡¯ll be good to expose you to some opportunities elsewhere. The Mystical Harbors is now relatively stable, and I believe Lady Whisperwaters and her team of elders can aid you in ways we cannot. Consider it a trip, just to get to know some new people and meet the elders of the Mystical Harbors. The two sects are good friends, after all.¡±


    Edison looked at his mother. This was a surprise to her too. Elly immediately came to her son¡¯s defense. ¡°Husband, this is much too hasty-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a short learning trip. Actually, Elly, maybe you¡¯d like to go too? The Mystical Harbors is a water-focused sect, and you could improve as a cultivator. It¡¯s not a long term deployment. Maybe a month, or more.¡±


    Edison looked at his mother, and then back at him. In that split second, Tundra thought he saw anger in his son¡¯s eyes. His glare was momentary, but Tundra realized he may have misspoke.


    As Sect master, he would often suggest for his Core Disciples to go on exchanges with other sects. His children, somehow, were not so open to his ideas. Inwardly, he felt a twinge of frustration. An education trip would be good for them, but sometimes, children just refuse to engage in good faith. ¡°But of course, it is just a random idea, not a real concrete plan. If my children are busy, we will think about this some other time.¡±


    Elly breathed a sigh that looked like relief, while Edison just looked away. Maybe he was too abrupt.


    ¡°Ah. That would be a good idea, we would be very glad to host our great and helpful allies.¡± Lucia Whisperwaters said with a smile that was a little too flirty. Tundra never noticed the woman was someone who was flirtatious, but wondered whether he was just being overly sensitive.


    ¡°A tour of our friendly sects would be excellent.¡± Severian interjected. ¡°I would like to start with the Inner Disciples. Many of them don¡¯t get the chance to exchange pointers with friendly sects. It would be a good time for them to learn where they rank between heaven and earth.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea, Elder Severian. Our inner disciples do need the experience.¡± Tundra had to thank his elders privately for redirecting the conversation.


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lady Whisperwaters nodded. ¡°Let me know.¡±


    The rest of the dinner went on normally. Tundra gave a short speech, met with most of the visitors and shook some hands. Most of the visitors would not get much attention, the best they hope is that they don¡¯t get ignored.


    Some of these visitors tried to meet with some of his daughters more often. He noticed a few regional families making a move on Adelia and Azelia, his two daughters with Marin, and also some attempts to woo his granddaughters.


    They likely wouldn¡¯t attempt anything dangerous.


    Of his granddaughters, Annaly, Anna¡¯s daughter, and Lavinia, his deceased 3rd wife¡¯s youngest daughter were the prime targets. They were both under 100 years old, and already in the mid 2nd realms. So, they both were decent targets for smaller sects.


    As father and grandfather, it was a complicated feeling to have one¡¯s daughter wooed by others. There was an instinctive protectiveness, that all these people were not worthy. Yet, at the same time, as a father, he also hoped that they would find someone who would care for them and share their cultivation journey. Some that became their peer, and viewed them as such. Cultivation companions made the journey less lonely, even if it took him forever to learn it.


    He would try not to get in the way, as hard as that was, but he would be there if they threatened his family.


    A few more toasts and cheers later, the dinner slowly drew to an end, Tundra escorted the Minister back to his carriage. They exchanged the usual pleasantries before one leaves, and the minister asked. It was quite a pointless question, because it was not a choice.


    ¡°Would you be at the Imperial Summons?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tundra answered without a moment of hesitation. ¡°I am a servant of the Emperor, should the royal family desire my presence, I will be there. For all our power, we are nothing before the Emperor.¡±


    The Minister grinned, proud of his borrowed status. For a man of the court, he was surprisingly vulnerable to a little bit of sycophancy.


    Still, Tundra¡¯s mind wandered and he recalled the conversation with Lord Saljuk. Zuja¡¯s agents were among Princess Luharl¡¯s retinue. He would need to prepare accordingly.

 Chapter 33. Quiet Time

    A few days later [R+1Y1M]


    ¡°Have you two been well?¡± Tundra was in the room when Celestia and Elly walked in. Ever since his ascension to the seventh, there were more political matters. Meetings with guests, entertaining some of the other sect masters who stayed a little longer than he liked, and all that jazz.


    People he wouldn¡¯t say he liked, so when the two walked in, he was fairly relieved. It was nice to finally be over all the social obligations of the Sect Master.


    ¡°Exhausted.¡± Elly said, as she quickly sat next to Tundra. ¡°Socially. And in terms of my mind. There are so many companions. Can we defer the next banquet?¡±


    Tundra nodded. While Tundra handled the Sect Masters, the companions and wives often hung around each other as well. There were only that many tea parties and shopping expeditions one could do before they got tired of it. He saw the exhaustion in Elly¡¯s eyes, as she somehow rested her head on his shoulders.


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    Celestia nodded along, it was a little harder to notice the exhaustion in her features. ¡°Elly dragged me along for all the events.¡±


    Elly, one of her eyes closed, said with her head still on Tundra¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I¡¯d die if I had to entertain so many people in a day. I had to spread it around. I made Marin handle some of the ladies too.¡±


    Tundra wondered how Marin did. ¡°Did everything go well?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I didn¡¯t hear anything from the rest. They¡¯re all so-¡± Elly¡¯s exhausted mind searched for a word. Celestia completed it for her.


    ¡°They were all looking for information.¡± Celestia said. ¡°They wanted to get more- entangled.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    In his first life, his ascension to the seventh took quite a while, and by then, some of his wives were in their older stages. It didn¡¯t help that the Verdant Snow Sect made many enemies through it¡¯s constant conquest, so the banquet they held back then was much, much smaller. Just a small meal in between battles.


    It was really nice to have a peaceful life. The Zuja remains a threat, one he would have to work on, but there must¡¯ve been a reason they waited thousands of years. It is highly important, but their response didn¡¯t need to be immediate.


    He thought about the Whispering Man, and realized he needed a shadow arm of his own. In the alternate future where Verdant Snow ascended to be a great sect, he created a shadow arm to handle things in the shadows.


    It never got far because the Zuja plague exploded and everyone suffered in its wake.


    He needed to start earlier in this life, and he would need to begin looking for candidates.


    The regressor shook his head, and then refocused on the two beautiful women that were now sitting close. There was something about their scent that made him feel a little calm, and he now understood why some went to great lengths to tweak their scents.


    The two didn¡¯t look like they were here for cultivation, so he waited for them to speak the topic they wanted to say.


    ¡°-Did you really want to send Edison to the Mystical Harbors?¡± Elly asked. She must have thought about it for days, because there was genuine concern in her eyes.


    ¡°I did. I wondered whether he would learn better if he was away from me. My influence did not help, and so, I thought he would do better being elsewhere, under a different tutor.¡±


    Elly looked worried. ¡°You are right, but I¡¯m not sure if this is a good way to do it.¡±


    ¡°Is the Mystical Harbors an unsafe place?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I mean, Edison- our son, I¡¯m not sure if he can.¡± Elly frowned.


    Tundra wondered whether they babied the boy too much. Or neglect.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what made his son this way. He wanted to give them opportunities to grow, and yet they turned it down. He wanted to give them a chance to let them escape from his watchful eyes and grow under other masters, and yet they seem reluctant. He gave them a chance to prove themselves, but they didn¡¯t do much.


    ¡°Then, how should I help him?¡± Tundra asked, feeling a kind of frustration. ¡°What does he want?¡±


    It felt like arguing with a toddler.


    He never had to do this with disciples. They wanted to be there. A chance to learn from the Sect master was something every disciple would fight for. A chance to prove their talents and earn rewards, even more so.


    But children frustrated him. Maybe from their point of view, they didn¡¯t ask for him to be their parent. They didn¡¯t ask to be cultivators, either. They needed to decide for themselves what lives they wanted, but as a parent, Tundra naturally preferred if they chose cultivation.


    Cultivation was the only path where they could live long, and no parent wanted to watch their children grow old and die before they did.


    It was one of the few factors of why cultivators don¡¯t have that many children, especially so in the higher realms. Because, as their own lifetimes extend longer and longer, the mental price of having a child and then losing it because the child couldn¡¯t live longer than them weighed on them. It is for this reason that certain cultivators are extremely harsh and strict on their own children and descendants, and seek to control them.


    For some others, these patriarchs and matriarchs just lose touch and stop being able to care, and they view children as nothing different from cute little pets. They enjoy playing and training them, but at some level, they don¡¯t view them as true peers. Their children are just little chess pieces.


    In some ways, Tundra felt like that. In that alternate future, when he had so many children and wives, they just stopped being ¡®people¡¯.


    He knew it was wrong.


    He looked at Elly, and Elly didn¡¯t know how to answer him. ¡°I- I don¡¯t know what he really wants. I will ask him. I will try to ask him.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Thank you. He wouldn¡¯t tell me the truth. I hope you can get something out of him.¡±


    On some level, maybe he didn¡¯t even know what he wanted. Even if Edison knew the truth, would it help? All he knew is the path he had was painful, and so he avoided it, even if it could lead him to where he wanted to be.


    Elly sighed. It was not the first time he asked her for her help. But with their son, Tundra¡¯s attempts were not working.


    ¡°Ask him why he doesn¡¯t want to go. What does he want me to help with?¡± Tundra vented. At some point, he wondered whether the right thing to do was to strip him of his status as the favored young master, and appoint some other son or grandson that¡¯s more interested in cultivation.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Elly could only nod, and she was in her own thoughts then.


    He then looked at Celestia. She was still in the 4th realm, but she has made small progress. He could feel the flow of energies when he touched her hands and her skin, there was more density to their flow. Cleaner. More efficient.


    Effectiveness and efficiency made some 4th realmers able to do what others cannot. She was getting better, and his aid helped.


    ¡°You have something to say, Celestia?¡±


    Celestia shook her head. ¡°Not really. Nothing much. I just wanted to be here, and well, Lady Mistburn looked like she wanted company. But there is one small thing, one of the visiting ladies mentioned their trade caravans noticed an unnatural presence of spirit beasts along the northeastern routes towards the central farmlands. It was out of their land¡¯s usual dominion, and within ours, so she thought it should belong to us.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Politics of favors sure worked quickly.


    ¡°I highlighted this to Elder Severian and Jon, and both of them suggested that you should know directly.¡±


    Tundra nodded. A cultivator may feel the fortuitous encounters are fortuitous, but when a sect grows large enough, there are tiers to fortuitous encounters. Some become so common that they become mundane. A burst in spirit beast activity due to the presence of natural energy flows, or a crack in the earth exposing an old spiritual vein.


    Or even the weakening of an old treasure micro-realm¡¯s hidden barrier. Many old masters in the 8th to 10th realm learned how to fold space to a limited degree, to create spatial pouches and bags, and later, applied this to actual areas to create secret treasure realms.


    These usually required the application of all five primary elements, in union to form the true energy-to-space fold.


    Fortuitous encounters are therefore very common. ¡°Would you like to explore it yourself, Celestia?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d like to spend a little more time on my own cultivation.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s arrange for one of the rest. Perhaps a Core Disciple along with some Inner Disciples.¡±


    ***


    Marin Eastheart watched as the boy kneeled in front of her. His cultivation was surprisingly decent, and in some ways, his talent was only slightly inferior to her own. And yet, she could tell Tundra did something to him.


    It was the strange smoothness of his energies. He was just a kid.


    Was it the pill he gave to some of their kids?


    Did he move so quickly that Marsh Eastheart already received the mind clarity pill barely a few months since he returned?


    Or was she such a poor judge of character that she couldn¡¯t tell his talent?


    The boy knelt. Marin knew he cultivated furiously since the day he joined the Verdant Snow Sect, unsure whether his progress would be enough to avoid punishment.


    ¡°Did the Sect Master do anything to you?¡±


    He gulped. ¡°-we only met once since that day, milady. I- I cannot tell what he did to me, all I knew was he held my hands briefly, and I felt the sensation of his energies flowing through mine.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Marin prodded the boy to continue.


    ¡°Nothing else. The master said I should remember that feeling and try my best to reproduce it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Marin frowned, but at this point, she wasn¡¯t sure whether hitting the boy would do any good. There would be no consequences if she did so, and yet, if this boy really did grow up to be a future 4th realm cultivator, there would be consequences then.


    ¡°Yes, Lady Eastheart.¡± The boy said. His voice was trembling.


    ¡°You may go.¡± The boy couldn¡¯t believe it. Instead, his head went lower, to the point it almost touched the floor.


    ¡°If there is anything else you wish me to do-¡±


    Fear. Trauma. Marin wondered whether this was her family¡¯s doing. The boy was deathly afraid of her. Anyone of the main family. Tundra may have the right idea, but she wondered whether the fear carved into their soul could really be undone.


    Marin looked at the boy. The boy was uncertain.


    ¡°Leave.¡± She said, yet he did not move. He still kneeled, and watching him made her frustrated. Annoyed. She raised her voice. ¡°Leave!¡±


    This time the boy responded to the command and ran.


    Yet this just made Marin feel terrible. She never realized how subservient they were, but now, decades apart from their family, she wondered how she would¡¯ve been if she grew up there and still lived there until today.


    Would she be like that?


    It would be hard to undo the fear burned into the hearts of the distant members of their family.


    This is normal in their family.


    It made her uncomfortable. Yet, rather than face it, she shook her head. This is the way of the world. Nothing wrong with it.


    ***


    The room was filled with the strong stench of burning wood. It was a common source of heat for cauldrons, and Tundra hovered from cauldron to cauldron, checking them periodically. There¡¯s tremendous variation in how different types of pills are made. Some are made slowly, some are made quickly. Some types of qualities hidden within its raw materials needed to be extracted slowly as high energy forces usually destroyed those unusual components.


    His senses, now elevated to the 7th, scanned each of them.


    Core Disciple Julia observed, and nodded. She had a notebook, but she was merely using it as a means to reinforce her learning. At this point, she focused her senses on the few pots around her, and watched how the master worked.


    Julia was one of the few core disciples that dabbled in alchemy. Most cultivators had a side thing to round up their skill sets and help them earn money. Yavin Redaxe was a diligent translator of ancient text. Yerra Wishstone meddled with crafting tools and armor.


    The two observed each other. Julia¡¯s focus was on the alchemy, and Tundra, the teacher, observed her actions.


    She was meticulous when it came to alchemy, and it came from genuine interest. Still, her natural spiritual energies were wood.


    Of the five primary elements, fire, earth and metal had a natural advantage in alchemy. Fire¡¯s control of heat meant more precision in the disassembly of materials. Earth and metal¡¯s energies resonated better through cauldrons, and because most materials often contained trace amounts of unique metals, and it usually meant higher sensitivity to the reactions within the cauldron.


    Wood and water were the next tier. They could be useful, but water was more useful only in some applications such as boiling and water-based alchemical processes. Wood was mainly useful when dealing with natural materials, such as the Thousand-Year Ginsengs and the sort.


    Julia stared and felt the movements of the materials within the cauldron.


    These were the materials made from the stolen beast cores. Well, Tundra thought it was stealing, but he didn¡¯t mind stealing from the Zuja.


    They would be made into decent 5th realm pure energy pills, and should be a good boost for his disciples and elders. It should push them up a minor realm or two.


    ¡°Adjust the swirling energies such that the elements rotate a little faster.¡± Tundra said, and Julia nodded.


    She was supposed to observe, but Tundra couldn¡¯t help it. She injected a little bit of her energy into the cauldron, and adjusted the rotational movement of the materials.


    ¡°Good. These beast cores¡¯ energies are rotational. Some beast cores emit energies that tend to rise up and down like waves, and some are explosive in nature.¡±


    Each different type of energy pattern needed different methods, but Julia knew that already. The theory is often simple, but knowing how much, and how fast or slow, is really where the pretender falters, and the master demonstrates why they are the master. Each material, each component have minute differences due to how it was harvested, how it was grown, and whether they were exposed to certain contaminants, and those minute differences change how they react in the cauldron just a little bit.


    If the alchemist only wants to create a pill that is good enough, then these differences don¡¯t matter. But these minute differences are where a master can create a pill that is purer, and way more effective than a pill that is just good enough.


    All of this is entirely trial and error, or in some other words, experience. It is hard to explain and put into words why the slight differences in the balance or density of materials need to be treated with extra care. Sometimes it needs a little more energy, sometimes, a little less.


    Julia tweaked it and Tundra smiled. She¡¯s getting better, and she will be a fine alchemist one day. She will have to work harder to overcome the limitations of her natural wood element, but nothing is impossible.


    He felt proud of his disciples. The success of his disciples only contrasted strongly to the struggles he faced with his children.


    He closed his eyes. It is not their fault.


    He will keep trying, but his mind remembered his conversation with his wives.


    There will be a day he has to stop extending his hand, because they refuse to grab it.


    The question is when? What will trigger it?

 Chapter 34. Children

    The room was the same as it always was. Nothing changed. Anna knew it was.


    But something felt different. Anna¡¯s eyes looked at her father, and she wondered why everything felt similar yet different. Her father¡¯s spirit extended outwards, and she felt like she could sense it doing what it did. It reached for the little spots of energy, and packed them together.


    ¡°How was the 3rd mind clarity pill?¡± Tundra asked.


    It had to be something that happened to her.


    Anna didn¡¯t know where to start. It felt normal, and yet at the same time, slowly, it almost seemed as if she could feel its difference to her mind. She began to realize the interrelations of things beyond herself, and wondered whether this was what genius was like.


    ¡°I feel like I can see the cause and effects-¡± Anna started to explain, but needed to take a moment to find the right words. ¡°It¡¯s as if I could see the presence of greater systems, when all I see were the lesser ones before this.¡±


    Tundra was pleased. ¡°That is one way the mind grows. We grow in our ability to comprehend how faraway things can be linked. How pouring water on a plant can feed it, and also kill it. Cause and effect exists at all levels.¡±


    Anna looked at her father, and could even see it in him. His dream was the cause, and his actions now were the effects. All things are chained to one another.


    Tundra turned to face the other students in the room. ¡°What about you, Larian?¡±


    Larian nodded. ¡°I have not yet reached the enlightenment Anna obtained, but there are glimpses of it.¡±


    ¡°Good. I will find ways to make more. The mind¡¯s contribution to cultivation is indirect. It makes scripture easier to understand. It makes it easier for your mind to wrestle with certain concepts and form the structures that power your spiritual techniques.¡±


    ¡°But grandfather, we hear stories of those people who do reach great heights without being ¡®smart¡¯ or ¡®talented.¡± Anna¡¯s nephew, Sonia, asked a question. She was in the 1st realm, and lately has made great progress. She would reach the 2nd realm soon.


    ¡°With all things, there are exceptions. In the vastness of the world, we will eventually encounter geniuses who reach great heights almost innately, as if they understood certain cosmic truths within their hearts. These people are monsters. They are unique, and really, really hard to replicate. They are not those you should strive to follow. They can cultivate in a day and ascend four major realms. You can cultivate for four months and only ascend a minor realm.¡±


    Anna thought that applied to her father too. His understanding of alchemy was monstrous. There¡¯s a belief among cultivators that it is best to learn from those who took a long time to climb to the top, because they¡¯ve made all the mistakes. Geniuses have so much unspoken understanding that they often fail to translate to others.


    She shook her head. Why was she having these sorts of thoughts? Was this the effect of the Mind Clarity Pill


    ¡°But- is it in our souls? Our bodies? Is it something that we can copy?¡± Sonia asked.


    Tundra nodded, revealing a rare, pleased smile. ¡°Good question, Sonia. It¡¯s something I am trying to do with all of you. The mind clarity pill is one of these things. It may not be possible to replicate the full gift of these favored by the heavens, but some of them should be possible.¡±


    ¡°That means we can be geniuses, too?¡±


    ¡°Not likely. But at least, you will not be considered stupid.¡± Tundra said.


    Sonia looked happy. Anna didn¡¯t know how to feel. It was relative, after all. A genius in a small pond is no more than an average cultivator in a medium sect. The genius of a mid-sized sect is no more than an average cultivator in a great sect.


    What did it mean to be a genius in a small-


    ¡°But progress is progress.¡± Tundra said to Sonia. ¡°Though a cultivator is never truly satisfied, and their eyes are always looking upwards, for every step we climb, there are hundreds more who fail to make that step. Greed is something we must manage. Our lust for power, if not controlled, is what sends us down a path where our choices become less than proper.¡±


    Anna looked around, and noticed a person that was strangely missing. She leaned closer to Larian, and whispered. ¡°Where¡¯s Edison?¡±


    Larian looked at her, and shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ***


    Celestia didn¡¯t think she should be here in Elly¡¯s part of their home. Elly¡¯s part of their home was decorated with various paintings and sculptures. There was a large painting of a lake, of their home. But she felt honored that Elly asked her to be there, for a talk with Elly¡¯s son. That makes Edison her step-son.


    ¡°Edison.¡± Elly said, and gave her son a hug. Or attempted to. Edison stepped back.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m not young anymore. And especially not with Lady Gale present.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always my son.¡± Elly laughed. ¡°Is a  hug really a problem? And Celestia¡¯s family.¡±


    Celestia felt happy that she was considered family, but she understood how Edison felt. Cultivator families were strange in the eyes of mortals, because their parents often don¡¯t look like their parents. Elly¡¯s current appearance looked younger than Edison¡¯s, and it is so expected that it would feel unusual and strange. Edison sat next to his mother. ¡°Why¡¯d you call me, mother?¡±


    The three sat, and Elly began with the usual pleasantries and small talk. It was something Elly was better at, compared to Celestia. She always thought of herself as a little more straightforward.


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    Celestia noticed Edison¡¯s natural wariness fade. But it was still there.


    Then Elly asked what she really wanted to ask. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to open this, but your father wants to help you be a better cultivator.¡± Celestia was there when Tundra asked, but she thought Elly would¡¯ve made the question seem as if it came from her instead.


    ¡°-I don¡¯t want his help-¡±


    ¡°Edison.¡± Elly said with a rare firmness. ¡°You really don¡¯t like him, and he wants to know why.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Edison said, his voice a little tense. ¡°Why, mother? Really?¡±


    Elly nodded, and held her son¡¯s hand. She looked at her son with a mix of concern, care, and somehow, a lot of love. Celestia rarely saw this side of her, she never knew her as a woman capable of deep emotions, and realized that Elly hid a lot of her own emotions.


    But it connected to her son. And her son vented. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m suspicious of his change of heart. I¡¯ve lived my entire life under his shadow, and he didn¡¯t offer any help in the past century and some. Now he wants to come back and change everything? Offer to help now? Why, mother? Why?¡±


    Elly closed her eyes, and vented. ¡°I agree. It wasn¡¯t right of him then. It¡¯s not how our family would¡¯ve done things. We pool our resources to lift the heir up, so that he can stand higher than our enemies.¡±


    Her son nodded. ¡°Exactly, mother! All this while he only cared about the Sect. This stupid sect.¡±


    Elly then released a long sigh. It was one of the longest sighs Celestia¡¯s seen in a while. ¡°But let¡¯s not care about your father. He wasn¡¯t there for you for the last century, and the progress you made was all your own effort. It¡¯s all yours.¡±


    Edison agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve made it quite far by myself.¡±


    2nd realm. Celestia thought that really wasn¡¯t much. So many others achieved higher realms truly by themselves, and not in an environment surrounded by cultivators.


    Elly smiled.


    ¡°Yes, you did. I was only in the 3rd realm for so long, and you¡¯ve reached the 3rd realm faster than I did.¡± It was only recently that Edison pushed through to the 1st stage of the 3rd realm, Elly really gave her son a lot of leeway.


    Celestia wondered whether this relaxed attitude was partly the problem. Cultivation is cruel. Maybe it¡¯s not cruel for those extremely talented, but for most cultivators, it is a reminder how the heavens¡¯ only favor those with talent, and those without them have to toil endlessly for meager gains. Why did Elly hide this from her son? Or he knew, but it was just easier for them to pretend it wasn¡¯t?


    ¡°Do you feel like you want to go further? If your father is the problem, I think the offer to learn from the Mystical Harbors Sect would really help you.¡± Edison looked at his mother, and Elly looked at him.


    ¡°Is he sending me away?¡± Edison asked, suspicious. ¡°Is the goal to strip me of my status as the heir?¡±


    Elly frowned. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Elly looked at Celestia, and that was when she spoke. ¡°Do you think Tundra¡¯s sending Edison away to strip him of his position as heir?¡±


    Edison seemed suspicious, but then he reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to be polite, young master. Would you like to hear my thoughts on the matter?¡± Celestia asked.


    Edison grunted. It was as good as an acknowledgement she¡¯ll get.


    ¡°I remember when I was a wandering cultivator. I was in the 3rd realm then, and I thought I was doing quite well as a cultivator. After all, we don¡¯t often encounter cultivators in the higher realms. Especially if we don¡¯t go where they often meet.¡±


    Celestia asked Tundra once where the high powered cultivators were, only to hear an answer that was obvious in hindsight.


    ¡°Everywhere. But everyone in the higher realms learn how to cloak our presence. Maybe there¡¯s a sixth or seventh realm cultivator, hiding in plain sight and I don¡¯t know about it.¡±


    ¡°Then, by some fluke or chance, I helped a merchant convoy through some spirit beast attack, and was given an invitation to a banquet. It was organized by one of the subsidiary sects of the Silent Mountain Sanctuary, the Temple of the Quiet Forests, and then, in that banquet, I was probably the weakest ten in the few hundreds of cultivators present. Well, excluding the mortal merchants and servants, of course.¡±


    Elly paused.


    Celestia sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never met so many cultivators in the sixth, seventh realms. Then, The Grand Elder of the Silent Mountain appeared, I truly felt small. As if my existence was no more than a small candle flame he could snuff out with a thought.¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen to you?¡± Elly asked, worried. It was not uncommon for wandering cultivators to be targeted, since there were often no consequences.


    ¡°No. Thankfully not. None saw me as something worth the effort. Even the young masters thought I was a servant. Still, I thanked the merchants that invited me and left early before the spirit wines intoxicated the guests.¡±


    Edison, who was initially suspicious, looked sad. The world was not a nice place, and cultivators are known to take what they wanted.


    ¡°There will be a day that you will attend these banquets, Edison. Just like that day when you sat with us at your father¡¯s ascension banquet. Then you will ask yourself how you¡¯ve wasted your time so far, because you were mad at your father.¡±


    Edison looked away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like how I felt that day, and that was one incident that made me realize that it was time.


    Celestia looked at Edison, and then at Elly. Elly was listening intently.


    ¡°Time to stop wandering. It was nice to see the world, at first, but I was a drifting coconut husk floating from island to island. My growth was slower than I expected because resources were just so hard to come by, even if I did experience more things. So, it was time I found a place to settle.¡±


    Both Elly and Edison likely couldn¡¯t relate. The Great Sects and their subsidiary sects were incredibly powerful, at least, relative to where they were. They lived in a part of the world where the general quality of energies and resources were on the lower side.


    Most Great Sects clustered around areas of tremendous natural energy, and they fed on those energies to supercharge their cultivation.


    ¡°And your father will outlive you.¡± Celestia said. ¡°As you are now, you have another four to six hundred years left. Your father will live to the tens of thousands. Even if you manage to hold on to your status as heir, it is a meaningless position. You will never succeed him. Even if he steps aside and grants you the position, your hold of the title is entirely because he exists to support your claim.¡±


    Edison looked at Elly, and Celestia, and picked up one of the porcelain bottles filled with a kind of rice wine.


    He looked at Elly, and then asked. ¡°Mother... what if I¡¯m not good enough? What if I tried, and I can never even come close? What if I don¡¯t have the talent? What if I actually go and show people how mediocre I am?¡±


    Celestia felt that doubt in her heart too. It¡¯s a common feeling for those who live next to a genius. That one¡¯s struggle is pointless. No matter how they try, they can never even hope to touch the peak.


    Elly held her son¡¯s hand and understood. It was a familiar feeling. A lack of self-worth, twisted into defiance. A sense of protection. A fake pride and arrogance because of his own incompetence.


    It was not the first time that cultivation families have less than competent heirs.


    Celestia looked at Edison. ¡°Do you want the bitter truth, or a pleasant lie?¡±


    Elly wanted to protect her son then. Edison, in a rare moment of vulnerability, buried his head in his mother¡¯s bosoms. Maybe he was crying.


    The truth had to be said. ¡°I will say the truth anyway. You either shape up, or you will grow old, die, and a better heir will be appointed in your place.¡±

 Chapter 35. Invitation

    The metal energies flowed through Tundra¡¯s body, and he shaped them into structures. The increase in realm came with more space in his soul, space he could use for cultivation techniques, passives, or storage of cultivation tools.


    The question he asked himself a few months ago resurfaced. It mattered, because now he needed to allocate space within his new expanded spiritual space.


    What sort of structure did he need to build, and how should he integrate it with the rest of his cultivation meant those were questions he needed answers to. He could postpone the decision, but he would be leaving some of his potential abilities on the table.


    Where should he go in this life, in terms of cultivation?


    Formations? That was a possible path, and could be useful against the Zuja, but he didn¡¯t see himself as a formation master.


    Medicine? He was already quite good at it, that he considered himself to be equivalent to a ninth realm healer. Would he really benefit from actually devoting more time to be a healer?


    Crafting? That was also possible, but he didn¡¯t feel too deeply about it.


    The spiritual intent and the four arts? He wasn¡¯t a big fan, even if he did devote a lot of years studying them.


    But, he sat and remembered what he wanted to do, in this life.


    He wanted to lift his family up with him. He wanted his friends to be there too. He wanted Severian, Jon, and Jashen to share that final battle with him, if it ever came to that point. He didn¡¯t want that feeling at the end. That feeling of nothingness.


    He closed his eyes. Friends. If he wanted his friends up there with him, he needed to make sure his friends could keep up with him.


    He remembered the fear of lacking talent. The look in Elly¡¯s eyes when Elly spoke of Edison¡¯s concern.


    Talent. What if they were not good enough?


    He could make them good enough.


    That had to go beyond ¡®teaching¡¯.


    It was also not just a matter of ¡®resources¡¯.


    His mind swirled around the [Mind Clarity Pill], and realized that he could take a path that was a combination of them all, all for a specific purpose.


    His family members were mediocre. His elders and disciples were decent, but the path to the tenth realm was extremely difficult.


    Mind. Blood. Body. Talent.


    He will have to ¡®create¡¯ talent.


    He would have to be something none ever did before. A spirit mender and body sculptor.


    He already knew how to create certain gifts, such as cultivation physiques, and he was familiar with certain bones and items that improved cultivation when nourished within a cultivator¡¯s spiritual realm.


    His mind thought about the occult art of spiritual root grafting, and felt like he needed to pay them a visit once he was through with the current set of challenges.


    Talent. What was talent?


    Comprehension. Control. Cultivation. Correct.


    Before a cultivator begins to cultivate, he must comprehend. Once he comprehends, he must know how to control. Then in the process of cultivation, he must constantly correct errors.


    He already started on this path with the [Mind Clarity Pill], but it was still not enough. The path upwards will take him through all the various disciples. Body grafting. Bone insertion. Skin-based formation. Blood transfusions.


    Some of these things will veer close to the demonic arts, but with his experience, he saw a decent chance of cobbling an eclectic mix of arts in order to create talent from none. If the heaven¡¯s were cruel to those without talent, then he would help them defy their lack of natural talent, and give them some.


    He scanned his spiritual realm once more. It was now a sphere with seven layers, the outermost layer is the newest, largest and for now, the emptiest. He thought about his desire to create talent within his children, and roughly concluded he needed the space to be for a mix of cultivation pill cauldrons, a spiritual realm herbal garden, and storage for unique bones. Those were the things that could be used to improve their talent.


    He spent a few days mulling over the design of his seventh realm with the new requirements in mind, and began to work.


    He had seen enough to know nothing is impossible, and remembered that he would soon have a trip to the city of Luharlia. There¡¯s a decently sized ancient library that should be a good place to start looking.


    ***


    ¡°Celestia, Julia, and Edison, the three of you will come with me to the princess city of Luharlia.¡± Tundra stated in a small gathering attended by elders, core disciples and his family members, much to Edison¡¯s surprise. He heard the details, and concluded that he needed to keep him closer. He would help his son, and if there are materials available in Luharlia, he would try to acquire it for him.


    It was only the city of the sixteenth princess, but the resources of the royal family were tremendous, and comparable to any of the Great Sects. The Golden Dragon of the Imperial Family is an immensely ancient tenth realm spiritual guardian that supposedly predated even the great Sects, and so it had resources collected for far longer than any of the Great Sects.


    ¡°We will leave in a month. Make your preparations as necessary.¡±


    Those present bowed. The Imperial family would supply the materials, all they needed to do was spend a month or two to brew the best possible pill for the princess. Plenty of time for the three to see the world and get to know the other folks.


    ***


    Luharlia was a sprawling city of immense size, home to almost a million mortals and a few thousand cultivators, almost all servants of the imperial family. Six great spirit guardian, ensouled within gem-encrusted statues, were spread throughout the city, and they were the protectors of the city.


    Each of the six great spirit guardians were in the eighth realm, and they ensured that Luharlia would be safe from most threats. There was also a seventh spirit guardian, held within the Princess¡¯s Palace, and this was even stronger, at the peak of the ninth realm. He knew this because it was summoned during one of the great battles against the Zuja.


    The sealing a spirit guardian was one of the few esoteric arts of a cultivator, though from what he has seen, it is more common for a dying cultivator to rip out a chunk of his soul and cultivation and then embedding that ¡®shadow¡¯ within an object, to protect their offsprings. Of course, this chunk is an incomplete shadow, and thus could never get stronger. It is also usually a few minor realms weaker than the original body.


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    Edison and Julia both stared out of the windows of their carriage, a little starry eyed. They¡¯ve never been to a royal city, so, the grandeur of the gates and the sheer opulence of the main street was hard to fathom.


    Celestia was also impressed, but she tried her best to suppress it. She took sneaking glances at the window, but shook her head.


    Tundra saw the city, only to experience flashes of memory. Of a time when the city was overrun with Zuja¡¯s corruption. A place of death and destruction. It was brief, and the carriage stopped. There were already a few flying ships parked in the city¡¯s main dockyards, and Tundra noticed Edison staring.


    ¡°There should be some alchemists from the Great Sects present.¡± Tundra said. ¡°So conduct yourself appropriately, and until I inform you it is safe, don¡¯t leave my side.¡±


    Julia, Celestia and Edison nodded. It was an odd selection, but they all had their reasons to be here. For Julia, it would be good for the core disciple to meet other alchemists. Celestia, because Tundra needed company for banquets and gatherings. Edison, because Tundra wanted him to see the world. He hasn¡¯t fully grasped how high the mountain can go. Right now, he was the frog living in the well.


    ¡°Each of us will receive a guest room for the period of our stay.¡± Tundra said, as the carriage, pulled by the horses from the Imperial Family¡¯s royal stables, reached the main receiving area of the palace.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Tundra Fox.¡± A local minister-ranked person dressed in a black ministerial robe, woven with gold stood at the gates to receive him. He wasn¡¯t a strong cultivator, no more than the 3rd realm, but the protective rings were good for up to the sixth realm.


    ¡°Ah, thank you for receiving us, minister.¡±


    ¡°I hope it has been a pleasant journey.¡±


    ¡°Extremely. The imperial horses are impressive.¡± Tundra clasped his hand, as the minister¡¯s assistants began to work. They would move their luggage to their guestrooms.


    ¡°Only the best for our distinguished guests. My men will escort you to the rest areas.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Are we late? I saw a few flying ships already docked at the skyports.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. The rest of them were just a little enthusiastic to visit a royal city, and came earlier to spend more time. So, you¡¯re still early, and there¡¯s a few days to go before the actual opening banquet.¡±


    Tundra smiled as he noticed another carriage waiting for their turn. ¡°I see. It seems there are other guests, we shall not take up your time.¡±


    The minister returned the smile. ¡°We will have time to catch up during the banquet and the days after.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ***


    The allocated guest rooms were larger, and more opulent than the one Tundra received the first time he came. He briefly wondered whether it was because he brought guests, or was it because of his higher cultivation?


    The guest rooms consisted of a single living hall that led to six separate bedchambers, though three of them were larger than the rest, and three shared work areas.


    Everyone was given some time to relax and


    ¡°Have you visited a royal city before?¡± Tundra asked. There were tiers to the royal cities, the Emperor¡¯s City was the most massive and opulent of all the royal cities, followed by the city of the Imperial Concubines, and then the cities of the Crown Princes, and below that, the cities of the Princesses. Their city names changed if there was a change in their royal patrons, though it rarely occurred.


    Most princes and princesses were at least in the fifth realm, and were usually not granted the right to own a royal city until they reached the sixth realm. The Sixteenth Princess Luharl was well in the sixth realm for a while, she was granted the right to Luharlia about thirty years ago when she ascended to the sixth realm.


    For a cultivation to reach the seventh realm within thirty or so years is considered fast, but for the royal family, only expected.


    ¡°Yes, but I have not even been into the inner ring. It is even more opulent than I expected.¡± Celestia said as they met back in the central living hall after they settled into their respective rooms.


    Tundra nodded. ¡°What do you think, Edison?¡±


    Edison¡¯s face was one of disbelief. It took him a while to wrap his head around the sheer luxury present. Even their guestrooms came with furniture and amenities commonly available only to the sixth realm and up. The bed was made with some kind of extremely soft spiritual cotton that seemed to refill his spiritual energies, and the spiritual lamps in them could be tuned to emit different elemental energies, to their guest¡¯s desire. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think.¡±


    Julia was equally flabbergasted, but she composed herself and did her best to pretend as if she wasn¡¯t impressed. ¡°It is fairly impressive.¡±


    Tundra grinned.


    Luharlia was the seat of the regional government. Each of the royal cities were the center of trade, governance and social activities in their own region. Some regions were far more prosperous than others, and only the cities of the Great Sects could rival the royal cities in power and wealth. ¡°Let¡¯s go and visit the markets.¡±


    Tundra was fairly sure they would feel poor later. What spirit stones his disciples and children have would not be sufficient to buy the rare goods often found in the royal cities. Even Tundra kept some higher quality pills in his spatial pouch, if he wanted to buy anything, he¡¯d likely need to trade it with his pills with the help of the Royal Exchange.


    ***


    ¡°Everything is so expensive.¡± Celestia whispered to Tundra as they walked through the Inner Market. The city of Luharlia was arranged into rings, the Inner Circle, and the Outer Ring. The inner City was functionally the area where only those of higher levels of cultivation could enter, their guests. Naturally the goods in the Inner city were more expensive and rare.


    Tundra merely nodded, and observed how both Julia and Edison were like children staring at toys they couldn¡¯t afford. It amused him.


    During his final years, the resources and cultivation materials displayed along these markets would be extremely hard to come by. The Zuja plague destroyed most of the markets, along with those that produced them.


    It wouldn¡¯t make a difference. Most of the materials here were around the sixth to eighth realm. Certainly not enough to stand up to Zuja or their Great Avatars.


    They walked a few more streets, when a voice called out.


    ¡°Sect Master Fox!¡±


    Tundra turned and bowed at the man he roughly recognized as an alchemist of the seventh realm, and one of the representatives sent by one of the Pretender Sects, the White Striped Tiger Temple. The Sect master of the White Tiger was well in the ninth realm. ¡°Ah. Grand Elder Gurdra Black. Greetings.¡±


    His entourage bowed and repeated the words. If Tundra remembered correctly, he came in third or fourth. His memory wasn¡¯t too sure.


    ¡°I see you know me. I find that surprising.¡± Grand Elder Gurdra Black stepped closer. They were two arms length apart. The man was tall and well built, with a dark skin tone filled with the commonly seen stripes on his skin, a feature of their White Tiger¡¯s cultivation methods.


    ¡°What can this small alchemist do for you, Grand Elder?¡±


    Gurdra Black glanced at Tundra¡¯s party, and asked. ¡°Before that, perhaps, introduce your party?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. My wife, Celestia, my son, Edison, and my Core Disciple, Julia.¡± Tundra said. The three immediately bowed.


    The Grand Elder glanced at them, and the. ¡°Hmmm. Is this really the level of your core disciple and son?¡±


    Edison and Julia froze, unsure how to react. Tundra merely grinned. ¡°Ah, please forgive us, we are just a small sized sect still trying to grow, we can hardly compare to the a sect like the White Striped Tiger Temple.¡±


    The Grand Elder sighed, but it didn¡¯t seem sincere. ¡°True, true. I misspoke. Have you heard of the Great White Tiger Tournament, Lord Fox?¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°My Sect Master thought it would be a good idea for an up and coming sect like the Verdant Snow to send some disciples over, and have a taste of greater sect¡¯s might.¡±


    Tundra pretended to laugh. It was a social laugh, and he knew what the White Striped Tiger Temple wanted to do. It wanted to show them their place. ¡°Ah. I see, I see. The next tournament is in five years, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Exactly. We¡¯d love to extend five places to the Verdant Snow Sect, for Core Disciples and below. You may send your children or grandchildren too, if they are keen to join the tournament.¡±


    Tundra nodded. Five years was plenty, and Tundra thought he had a decent chance to do a good showing. ¡°Very well.¡±


    The Grand Elder didn¡¯t even bother to glance at the Core Disciple or Edison, as if they were beneath him, and left. They waited for a while for him to be out of range, before they spoke again.


    ¡°Quite the character, that man.¡± Tundra said. They were not invited in the first life. Tundra was too much of a warmonger, and the White Striped Tiger Temple had their own battles to fight with other pretender sects.


    Edison looked like he was struggling to contain his anger. ¡°He looked down on us, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Merely trying to show us where we stand on the path up the cultivation mountain. What they did is very common.¡±


    Edison turned to look at his father. ¡°-common?¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Oh yes. One day you will meet someone in the tenth realm and he will not even acknowledge your existence, as if you were nothing more than a dustmite that happened to share the same space.¡±


    Core Disciple Julia looked at the Sect master. ¡°What is the appropriate response in such an incident?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. All we can do is to get better, and prove it on the battlefield.¡±

 Chapter 36. Butterfly Effects

    Celestia didn¡¯t like the inner city very much. The opulence was bearable, even if the displays of wealth were a little too ostentatious, but what she truly didn¡¯t like was how other cultivators behaved in the inner city. Specifically, the way they judged them.


    These other cultivators looked at her as if she was less. Not worthy of being there. That her presence was only there because of who her partner was.


    It annoyed her.


    She didn¡¯t like that feeling, and she knew it was how the others felt too. Julia looked tense, and Edison downright depressed. He was only in the 3rd realm, and there were Imperial servants in the 3rd realm when they walked about.


    A part of her wondered why they had that sort of courage. To judge others. Most cultivators she met would keep their judgments to themselves, because one never knew how it invited the wrath of another.


    Perhaps it was the power of the royal family. If there was anyone who could look down on others, it was them. She told herself to ignore the disdainful gazes of others. This was one of the tribulations of cultivation. That truly powerful cultivators didn¡¯t care.


    Her husband noticed their glances, yet said nothing. Instead, he looked at them pitifully. As if they were the lesser ones.


    It was a good thing they didn¡¯t spend much time on the streets, and  was fairly happy when they finally went to Luharlia¡¯s Imperial Library.


    Imperial libraries were common throughout the Golden Dragon¡¯s Empire, was one of the means which ensured that the commoners remain beholden to the Golden Empire, instead of to the various sects.


    Each imperial library was stocked with ¡®common¡¯ and ¡®generic¡¯ cultivation methods, and were thus popular with wandering cultivators. Many wanderers often got their initial cultivation methods from these places.


    These libraries were functionally ¡°rental¡± institutions, where a cultivator or mortal could pay a rental fee to borrow a book or a cultivation tome for a month or two. Naturally, they were expected to return it, and they could not leave the city of Luharlia during the time period.


    But, it was a sufficient head start, and there were even independent cultivators that later set up smaller teaching institutions around the imperial libraries, where commoners with some cultivation talent could start cultivation. There is usually a hefty fee involved, but many families would often pool together resources to pay for it, just so that a single member of their family ascends to be a cultivator.


    Later on, some talented wanderers modified these generic methods, and used it to set up their own minor sects.


    At the same time, talented cultivators could donate books and writings to these libraries. These libraries were often staffed by an appropriately ranked librarian, usually in the fifth or sixth realm appointed by the Imperial Family, who would then compensate the donors by way of cultivation resources or pills, depending on the quality of their writings.


    In truth, most libraries outsource the reading to even lower ranked librarians, usually in the 2nd or 3rd realm.


    Celestia looked about, and Edison stared at his father. ¡°Father, why are we here?¡±


    Tundra turned, and gathered the three of them. ¡°We have some time before the banquet, and so, my intention is to scour the Imperial Library for materials. The Imperial Library contains writings since the primordial era, and despite it¡¯s seemingly mundane appearance, is a legitimate home for historical books.¡±


    Edison¡¯s stare continued. Celestia prodded and asked the question in her stepson¡¯s mind. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that means.¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d want to go through the old writings for books on creating talent, building special constitutions, physiques, and mind expansions. If we can find a few good books, we can then experiment on their recommendations.¡±


    The son stopped, and looked around. ¡°There are so many-¡±


    ¡°And that is exactly why it is worth it. There are treasures to be found, even if it is hidden under thousands of worthless books.¡±


    Julia asked. ¡°How do we know what is worth it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t. I will do that. Instead, you need to thin the shelves, narrow down what I need to find. All you need to do is briefly read your allocated section. If it¡¯s about cultivation methods, ignore. If it talks about mind, talent, body, then you take that book and place it on our designated shelf. I will go through that selection.¡±


    That made more sense to Celestia. ¡°I see. Anything that speaks about improving potential, talent, or ability, we will just take it, and place it here.¡±


    ¡°Some of these are probably written by cultivators who just want to earn some cultivation resources from the library¡¯s treasury.¡± Tundra explained. ¡°So most will be worthless. But there are those with talent among the wanderers. Some may even have a spiritual guardian, or an ancestral object that brought them here.¡±


    ¡°So each of you will take a shelf, and start reading.¡±


    Edison asked for clarification. ¡°How many pages before we judge if it is good or not?¡±


    ¡°I leave that to you, son.¡± Tundra said. ¡°If you think it is interesting, keep reading. If not, put it back and move on.¡±


    There was a moment of strange, awkward silence, as Edison¡¯s mind shifted into gear. He nodded.


    Tundra looked back at the shelves. There were thousands to go through, but it wasn¡¯t important to go through all of them. What was important was to get somewhere. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start.¡±


    ***


    Tundra sped through the books. In his 10,000 years as a cultivator, he read a lot. Studying ancient scripture was really a big part of cultivation, as was the comprehension of those ancient scriptures.


    So, it didn¡¯t take more than a quick skim through the first thirty pages to know whether a scripture was worth it, or not. The writer¡¯s wisdom often leaks in the way it is written, and Tundra read enough books to tell the difference.


    He knew the other three wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. But it didn¡¯t matter.


    They had to start somewhere. Reading enriched the mind. It fed them ideas. Some of them are irrelevant. Some are interesting. But it plants a seed. And even if the odds of them blooming in their minds are slim, a thousand books later, if not ten thousand, their minds will still be a field of flowers.


    Reading embeds variety, and variety creates ideas on how to shape cultivation forms within the spiritual realm.


    It is for this reason that cultivation sects often have libraries, and most elders require disciples to read and study quite a few types of cultivation scriptures.


    He glanced around. Julia and Celestia were flipping through books. Edison paused repeatedly, studying book after book. He was clearly unused to it, but he would get better.


    So, the days passed, and Tundra dug through what felt like a few thousand books. His three companions were a lot slower, and they went through maybe a few hundred books. From the four of them, in total, they came up with about fifty books, though surprisingly, Edison found a book he seemed to study intently.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what we have.¡± Tundra sat, and this time, sat down to truly study the remaining books. It was fairly easy to eliminate about 40 of them, because they were written in passing, and then, he summarized that there were ten books worth studying extensively.


    Celestia, Julia and Edison sat, as Tundra explained why the 40 books were not worth it. Mainly because they showed a lack of depth in understanding, and he had to explain some of the concepts.


    Of the three, Julia seemed to grasp two thirds of what he said, Celestia half, while Edison a quarter. Good enough.


    A quarter of something was progress.


    Eventually, the ten books were from a variety of writers, some anonymous, some attributed to writers from a few thousand years ago. It is fairly common for some books to be written without attribution, and it is often the act of eccentric wanderers.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The librarian was fairly amused to see Tundra.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering what you four were up to, but this is an odd selection of reading materials.¡± The librarian chuckled.


    Tundra played along. ¡°Call it one of those fanciful ideas I have.¡±


    The librarian, a respectable cultivator of the imperial family and well into the high fifth realm, chuckled, and then rubbed his chin. ¡°I know it is improper for someone of my rank to comment, but I must mention it, Lord Tundra. The pursuit of changing one¡¯s talent is a fruitless one.¡±


    Tundra merely nodded, as if taking his advice. ¡°You are wise to suggest that, Lord Librarian. It does seem impossible. But let¡¯s call it a study of what are the common faults in our pursuit of talent. My companions could learn from these books, just so that they know the pitfalls.¡±


    The librarian continued to rub his chin. ¡°Ah. In that case, enjoy the books. The fantasies of some of these writers can be a good thought experiment.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed.¡± Tundra smiled diplomatically. ¡°See you around, Lord Librarian. We will return them in a month.¡±


    ***


    The banquet for the Sixteenth Imperial Princess Luharl was held in a gigantic hall far larger than any of those seen in Verdant leaf Town, and Tundra was seated in one of the distant tables. It was slightly closer than the one in his first life, but all in all, the table arrangement reflected the positions of the respective sects, rather than the capabilities of the alchemists sent here.


    The event itself started with a brief speech by the princess¡¯ representative, and then followed by a brief overview of the princess¡¯ cultivation, her spirit roots, and her unique physique. The representative then declared the scope of the Imperial Summons, which was to concoct a pill to support a full, and stable breakthrough to the seventh realm. If the pill could assist with the spiritual breakthrough and at the same time, create a special ability or reduce the cultivation breakthrough of two months, there would be added rewards.


    Those closest to the platform were then allowed a private visitation, where they could inspect the Princess¡¯ cultivation.


    For the rest of them, they just took the chance as a moment to socialize. Tundra looked around, and was content with their placing among the sects. It was better this way, because he reckoned the pressure would be too much for his son, or his two other companions.


    Edison looked thoroughly uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t say a word. He was not the weakest, there were a few alchemists who brought weaker companions to the banquet, but Edison wasn¡¯t looking at those behind them.


    Julia and Celestia looked around, as if looking for people they recognized. The world is a big place, but the fates often work in surprising ways, and they bring distant people together.


    Julia, as a Core Disciple, wore their Sect¡¯s core disciple uniform, while Celestia was dressed in a dark green qipao. Her usually long hair was tied up in a bun, along with an accompanying set of dark green hairpiece, augmented with a set of light blue gemstones.


    Tundra recognized many of the other competitors. They were here in the first life. It was almost all the same, except for one difference.


    ¡°Lord Tundra Fox.¡± An elder of the Scarlet Thunder Sect came over and greeted him. ¡°A pleasure to meet you.¡±


    They were seated fairly close to one another. The Scarlet Thunder was ranked slightly ahead of the Verdant Snow.


    Tundra stood to receive him. He clasped his hands together to greet him respectfully. The elder was in the high fifth realm, and he must have perished in his first life during the attack on the Scarlet Lightning City. He had the faint whiff of burnt wood and charred steel, an alchemist that relied on burning spirit wood to heat their cauldrons. ¡°Greetings, elder.¡±


    ¡°Ah. My apologies, I am Elder Raigar Darkclouds, an alchemist of the Scarlet Thunder, and this is the disciple chosen to accompany me, Core Disciple Reiva Sprintlights. These are your companions?¡± Elder Darkclouds¡¯ companion was a male Core Disciple in the early stages of the 4th realm. A fairly handsome man, he nodded at Julia, like an acknowledgment between peers.


    Tundra briefly introduced his own companions, and engaged in small talk. ¡°Greetings, Elder Darkclouds. It is a shame how hard it is for us alchemists to meet outside of Imperial Summons or other alchemical tournaments.¡±


    ¡°Oh. A shame indeed. Alchemists should often meet to exchange some tips and secrets. I heard you are quite the master.¡±


    Tundra smiled. ¡°I try my best for my sect. But alas, alchemy is often such a solitary affair.¡±


    ¡°So it is, so it is. Lord Fox, I heard of what happened from our Sect master, and personally, I thank you. We are indebted to you.¡± Elder Darkclouds said with a smile.


    ¡°Ah, no big deal. We did it for concessions, in the end.¡± Tundra waved it by. ¡°A fair trade, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I thought the alternative outcome would benefit you better.¡± Elder Darkclouds said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so ruthless nor heartless.¡± The Sect master responded.


    ¡°Indeed. It is contrary to what we know of you before, and this changed our view. But I suppose let us not linger on this too much. What do you think of the Princess¡¯ condition?¡±


    Tundra remembered the first time he was briefed, and the same briefing came now. ¡°Her dual Wood-Water spirit roots and its inherent conflicting qualities against the Golden Dragon¡¯s  Inheritance of the ¡°Fire-Earth¡± element is a tricky complication to resolve. The main conflict is the Fire aspect against the Wood and Water elements.¡±


    Those born of imperial blood were likely to have multiple high quality spirit roots. It was even said to be some kind of unique mutation.


    Tundra decided to just state his plan, and it was the same as his first life. He honestly didn¡¯t think too much about it. ¡°I plan to produce a Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion Pill, using the ancient wooden spirit plant¡¯s wood energies to control the Earth element, and the Lavaflower¡¯s inherent Wood-Fire qualities to block the other side. It should create a spiritual merging area within the spirit realm that allows a gentle coexistence of the Water and Fire elements. ¡±


    ¡°A fine plan.¡± The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a third person. ¡°Nice to see you again, Lord Fox.¡±


    Tundra nodded at the frail old man from the Hailstorm Temple. ¡°Ah, how quickly we meet again, Lord Baljuk.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But the Lavaflower would not be strong enough to contain the Golden Dragon¡¯s gift. It¡¯s Fire-Earth aspects are far, far stronger than you recognise. You should substitute it with the Divine Glowing Sunflower.¡± Lord Baljuk said.


    Tundra pondered it momentarily, realizing what it meant. ¡°The inheritance is of a higher grade. Did you manage to get a read on the Princess¡¯s meridians, Lord Baljuk?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is an inheritance of the 9th realm, not the 7th.¡±


    Tundra frowned. ¡°I see. The Divine Glowing Sunflower is not an easy resource to find. I doubt the Imperial Treasury could find such a powerful spiritual plant.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    ¡°And the Elderwood would not be able to work with a plant that overpowers its wood aspects. It would not form a stable pill.¡± Tundra¡¯s mind whirled. In theory, he could increase the quality of the elderwood through True Essence extraction. ¡°An alternative would be an Ancientwood, or an Elderwood that¡¯s somehow imbued with primordial pure wood essence.¡±


    Those were rare resources, and something Tundra only came across perhaps five, or six times in his later 10,000 years.


    Lord Baljuk nodded. ¡°If that is what is needed, there¡¯s probably not a single alchemist in this room that could handle materials of the 9th realm.¡±


    ¡°Or find them.¡± Tundra said. The odds of having such materials on hand was truly remote. The best he would do is just to find ways to pacify the Golden Dragon¡¯s overwhelming presence on her cultivation.


    The Sect Master glanced at his two peers, but in his mind, he tried to consider the implications. If Princess Luharl¡¯s inheritance was so strong, where was she in his first life? He recalled she broke through to the seventh realm with two of the winner¡¯s pills, but she stagnated there.


    He wracked his mind, trying to think.


    Even with suboptimal pills, she should be able to hit the high 8th realm. With a gift of such power, she shouldn¡¯t have stagnated. The Golden Dragon¡¯s gift should pull her up either way.


    Unless the Zuja weakened the pills in some way or form?


    Or were the judges compromised? The Princess herself wasn¡¯t a master of judging pills. Pills were truly hard to judge, and it takes an alchemist to tell a good pill from another.


    He glanced at the two fellow alchemists, and realized the old man Baljuk was in deep thought. It was a contemplative look, one that he didn¡¯t recognise. ¡°What do you have planned, Lord Baljuk?¡±


    ¡°I was merely wondering if we could give a cocktail of pills, rather than a single pill, if it is not enough.¡±


    Tundra paused, and felt truly, truly stupid for a moment. Yes, an alchemy competition was focused on the quality of a single pill. That was how it was judged. No, that was how it was always judged. He was so caught up in the context of the alchemical tournament that he failed to realize that it wasn¡¯t the right direction at all.


    But a single heavenly pill isn¡¯t always the best cure. Sometimes, a set of different overlapping pills, each taken at different timing may actually be even better.


    ¡°If the problem was reframed as a medical one, instead of an alchemical challenge, what would you do, Lord Tundra Fox?¡±


    ¡°I would make a different set of pills altogether.¡± Tundra said, as his alchemical mind buzzed. ¡°A collection of elemental enhancers and neutral spiritual realm separators, and then require that the Princess engage in cultivation at intervals and focus on separating the different elemental energy within her spiritual realm.¡±


    ¡°Separate the elements, store them separately, and release them in different bursts to push her spirit through the tribulations of the spirit realm?¡± Elder Darkclouds intervened.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will it be enough to push through? Separating the elements means her power would be diminished.¡± Elder Darkclouds thought, but then realized it wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°But no, the energy of the Golden Dragon¡¯s inheritance should be more than enough to fight back against the spirit realm¡¯s resistance. The real answer isn¡¯t to form a peaceful union of energies, it¡¯s to just keep each of them pacified and apart because each of them is strong.¡±


    Tundra looked at Lord Baljuk, who looked like he was planning something. ¡°We will have to tell the Princess that the solution is a change of approach, not a pill.¡±


    Tundra gulped at the implications for them all. It meant invalidating the entire tournament, and it would piss off the great pretender sects that sent alchemists here. No, it would even make enemies of the Sect that would place in the top three.


    ¡°That would not be a good outcome.¡±


    Lord Baljuk grinned. ¡°Oh, the tournament can still go on. The princess just doesn''t have to use whatever the tournament produces, or just takes a set of pills instead of just one.¡±


    ¡°Are you suspecting meddlers?¡± Tundra immediately wondered how this was linked to the Zuja plague. Were they the orchestrators of such a plot to weaken the royal family?


    ¡°Now, I wouldn¡¯t be so brazen.¡± Lord Baljuk had a sly smile that the regressor understood as something else altogether. ¡°We all mean well for the Princess, don¡¯t we?¡±

 Chapter 37. Drinking Establishments

    Tundra¡¯s mind whirled, as he brought his three companions back to their designated guesthouse. Lord Baljuk¡¯s plan could invite enemies, and may even lead to specific targeting by the Zuja, if the Zuja knew they were behind it. Or they might not, if Princess Luharl isn¡¯t a high value target.


    Tundra didn¡¯t have thorough insight of how they worked at this time, or what sort of thought process they had. But if something was going to happen, he needed to protect his wife and his son from the fallout.


    They all noticed, though Edison¡¯s face looked like it went from tense to outright stressed. They all overheard the discussions between the three alchemists during the banquet, though they didn¡¯t truly grasped the implications.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what is happening. Lord Baljuk plans to request the right to speak to the Princess, or if denied, sneak into her private quarters and speak to her directly.¡±


    As of now, none of them, other than Lord Baljuk, had ever seen Princess Luharl. She was always behind a sheer. Even at the banquet itself, the shadow of her presence was seen through a curtained window.


    An ancient superstition about the royal princesses to hide their appearance.


    So, they would be committing a major crime if Lord Baljuk attempted to sneak in and got caught, or if Princess Luharl was less open to such attempts. Even if Tundra didn¡¯t involve himself in the actual act, it may still implicate them as an accomplice or collaborator.


    Edison stared at his father. ¡°We- we should report him.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Let us see if Lord Baljuk manages to get the permission to speak to her. If he doesn¡¯t, we will unfortunately have to report Lord Baljuk¡¯s intention to the royal guards.¡±


    A part of it didn¡¯t sit right, but the royal family was an institution that was significantly stronger than them at the current time. If he was a 10th realm cultivator, he need not fear the Royal House.


    Truly, a part of him felt a little helpless.


    Celestia said. ¡°Husband, do you suspect that someone is intentionally weakening the princess?¡±


    ¡°Indirectly. It¡¯s hard to really pin it down to intent, when the tournament is independent.¡± Tundra looked up the judges, and from what he knew, they were all competent, honest, fellow alchemists of repute. So, the tournament itself was not flawed. In some ways, it was a really clever attempt at misdirection, and the energy, focus of an alchemy competition would suck most of the participants in.


    If he was a high realm cultivator like he was, he would talk to the judges, and the judges would likely see his point.


    But right now, the judges, the three alchemists in the sixth realm and part of the Princesses¡¯ personal alchemists. Given their high status, it is likely they would not consider his suggestion as worth listening to. It is unfortunate that most cultivators only listened to cultivators of a higher rank or prestige, not cultivators of a lower rank. Even if Tundra was a seventh realm, in the matters of cultivation and medicine, his words carry not much weight.


    Maybe some of them could see the wisdom in his proposed solution, but he doubted it.


    ¡°For now- we wait.¡±


    Celestia was worried. ¡°Anything we can do, in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°We wait. I doubt Lord Baljuk is a hasty person, he would likely attempt to reach her through the official means. I think.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra paused and looked around. ¡°I wonder whether we could hear more about this competition-¡±


    At that point, Celestia suggested as she looked outside. The banquet may be over, but for cultivators, spirit wine, drinking, and enjoying the company of beauties is a lifestyle. ¡°Then we should head to a tavern or a restaurant. There may be other places where we may learn more.¡±


    Tundra would truly stick out if he went to such taverns alone, and he wouldn¡¯t achieve his goals. It had to be more natural. ¡°I will need you to accompany me, then. Would you two join?¡±


    Edison and Julia glanced at each other. Edison shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough for today. I- I think I want some time to myself.¡±


    Julia paused. A part of her probably didn¡¯t want to go to a wine house with her sect master and the sect master¡¯s wife. ¡°I will stay back. Just in case.¡±


    Tundra nodded at the core disciple. ¡°That would be for the best. Thank you.¡±


    Celestia nodded, looked at her attire briefly, and went to her room. ¡°Just wait a minute.¡± She came out with a slightly different outfit, one that was slightly more revealing, a shorter qipao with a looser collar and a much higher slip along her thighs. She also took out her hairpin and changed her bunned up long hair to one where it flowed freely. ¡°This would be better for where we are going.¡±


    Tundra smiled, and gladly held the beauty¡¯s arm as they walked to the wine house located in the inner city¡¯s dining streets. As Celestia expected, the wine houses were exceptionally busy at this time.


    There were wine houses on both rows, and the sound of boisterous drunkards could be heard from the streets. Each of the wine houses had their own beautiful wooden name plates, and lanterns hung throughout the streets kept it well lit. For most cultivators, the lanterns were unnecessary, so it mostly existed to recreate the ambience and feel of a cozy drinking alley. There were guards, official guards of the Royal Family stationed on the streets itself, and they looked thoroughly bored. They were not here to stop any conflict, all they would do is run off and call for the Princess¡¯s actual imperial guards to step in.


    Tundra looked at Celestia, and she looked back. ¡°You choose. I¡¯ve got no idea which one.¡±


    The regressor looked back and examined the wine houses one by one, but eventually decided to just go to the biggest wine house that was located at the corner, next to a decorated stream.


    ¡°Oh, please, please, come on it. Let me arrange a table for the two of you.¡± The waiter probably didn¡¯t know who Tundra was, but the waiter¡¯s instincts were sharp enough to tell he was someone, and escorted him to a table with a good view of the performance.


    Their table was a circular ring, with a sofa that wrapped around the table in a half circle.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    There were ten skimpily dressed dancers dancing on a central platform, accompanied by musicians. There was also a woman playing a guqin at the corner, for those who prefer a more ¡®gentle¡¯ type of performance.


    ¡°Do you come to such places often?¡± Celestia asked, as the two sat around the table. They talked, but both of them kept their ears wide open. Sometimes a drunkard would let slip a sentence or two, and that revealed anything.


    Tundra also knew that the Zuja¡¯s agents, in the much earlier days, were also found in such drinking establishments. Such places were just a convenient place to meet up without having to explain too much to other folks.


    A male waiter came over, and asked. ¡°What sort of spirit wine would you like, sir? We have some fine rice wines from the far north, and even more exotic spirit rice wines from the central fields.¡± He then quickly turned to face Celestia, and presented her a menu. ¡°Milady, we also have some milder versions of spirit wines, please do have a look at our selection. But if you would like the same spirit wines as your partner, do let me know.¡±


    Tundra glanced at the menu and inwardly cursed the cutthroat prices of such institutions. Drinks were easily ten times, if not twenty times their cost prices. But such is the life of a restaurant that suffered the brunt of a cultivator¡¯s whims. They had to factor in repairs and losses. He decided to order what he always did anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll have brown rice wine, serve some of your snacks, and a fruit platter.¡±


    ¡°A fine choice, sir.¡±


    ¡°A lemon mix.¡± Celestia pointed to one of the selections of flavored wines, and the waiter stepped away.


    Their attention then focused outwards. Their location was actually quite good, and Tundra could feel the presence of a few groups of other cultivators drinking. Celestia adjusted her position so that she seated herself closer.  So close that their bodies touched.


    It was a defensive instinct. If she seated herself too far from her companion, some cultivators may view that she didn¡¯t want to be there, and would approach her.


    ¡°When¡¯s the last time you went to a place like this?¡± Celestia decided to ask.


    Tundra smiled. ¡°A long time, I generally eschewed drinking events. I would only go to such a place when a senior insists.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the perils of leadership. Entertaining your fellow leaders.¡± Celestia chuckled. Her eyes briefly glanced at a group of six around the party that was still wearing their imperial attire. They were likely officers of the Princess. Tundra followed, and focused.


    He didn¡¯t sense Zuja on them, and their chatters were mostly irrelevant banter. They were so stressed out from running the whole Imperial Summons that they came here to drink their stress away. Tundra nodded, and then noticed another group, and ironically, the same elder from before.


    Gurdra Black, of the White Striped Tiger Temple, was with two senior ministers from the Sixteenth Palace. They were escorted upstairs, to a private room. Gurdra Black wasn¡¯t a Zuja agent, that part was certain, so he directed his senses on the two senior ministers, and remembered Lord Saljuk/Baljuk¡¯s words. There were Zuja agents conspiring against the royal family.


    The drinks arrived, sent by the same waiter. ¡°Enjoy your drinks.¡±


    Tundra nodded, as he felt Celestia¡¯s senses darted across the large open drinking area to another group of sect members. His fingers tensed slightly.


    It wasn¡¯t an elder, but there was a person with the Zuja¡¯s infestation. It was extremely subtle, probably only in the minor stage. A Core Disciple.


    He focused, then his mind reconnected the dots. Alchemy Elder of the Crimson Lotus, Lady Zuri Blackpetals, the champion of the tournament in his first life.


    The elder was someone in the mid seventh realm, from an upper mid tier sect, the Crimson Lotus Spire, a sect located near the volcanic spires of a neighboring region, and their Sect master was someone in the Eighth Realm.


    They were nominally not under the jurisdiction of Luharlia, but the Imperial Summons allowed a Prince or Princess to request the presence of sect members and alchemists from any part of the world.


    He didn¡¯t speak to her then, and in his mind, she deserved the win with her beautiful Deeprooted Flame Unity Elixir. He recalled during the final judging process he was amazed at elixir, and knew that the Deepheart Flame Roots must¡¯ve come from the Crimson Lotus¡¯s own treasury. It wasn¡¯t the kind of treasure that could be found in the treasury of the sixteenth¡¯s princess.


    Alchemy contests where there were no restrictions on materials like the Imperial Summons were as much a contest of their backer sect¡¯s wealth, as it was in the alchemist¡¯s own skills. True alchemy competitions usually specified a restricted set of materials, but Imperial Summons¡¯ objectives were different.


    Tundra didn¡¯t want to spend resources, so stuck to the set of materials that were available to the Imperial Palace.


    But there were a million and one things a Zuja-controlled Core Disciple could do to the elixir between alchemy judgment and the Princess consuming it.


    Celestia touched his hand, and nodded. He nodded back. ¡°One potential.¡± There could be more.


    ¡°Good. They¡¯re looking this way.¡± She whispered, and Tundra immediately moved to hold his wife a little more intimately.


    The glances passed, and Tundra took a sip of his drink, and back at the dancers.


    ¡°They dance well.¡± Celestia said, as she leaned her head on his shoulders, her eyes looking at the dancers. She followed his lead and also took a sip of her drink.


    ¡°They have a hard life, so they have to.¡± Tundra said. It was not uncommon for cultivators to find them charming and make demands of them, though establishments backed by the royal palace could often get away with an apology.


    ¡°You¡¯re uncharacteristically sympathetic to their plight.¡± Celestia teased. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you as one who understood how dancers felt.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know whether he wanted to share how one of his sect elders was once a dancer in such a place, that he spotted her having a rare set of metal spiritual roots and saw an opportunity. He recruited the dancer with a hefty sum, rescued her from a life of servitude to such entertainment houses, and trained her personally.


    The dancer grew into one of his high 7th realm elders, and they shared many moments together on adventures, battles and missions, but sadly she died during one of the wars against the other Great Sects. Later on, when he went through her belongings, he found out she kept a private journal, and that she loved him. She wished she could be one of his wives. She just never found the courage to ask him, and within her, she thought her origins as a dancer meant she would never deserve to stand by his side.


    He felt bad, because as a sect master, all he wanted was war potential, and back then, he saw that war potential in her. He didn¡¯t realize he also unknowingly played with her heart.


    Celestia touched him again. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about something that happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes. It- it is nothing. Just some bittersweet memories.¡±


    ¡°Life is full of bittersweet memories.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Like this one. We¡¯re seated together in a drinking establishment, watching dancers dance, but we are both not present to enjoy it.¡±


    Tundra felt like a knife went through his heart again, and then looked at Celestia. Tundra held her closer. ¡°I suppose we can do both.¡±


    But she regretted saying it. ¡°I kid, I kid. It is probably the spirit wine getting to my head. We have a purpose to be here. Ignore what I said.¡±


    He nodded, but he was torn as he continued to observe the elder of the Crimson Lotus Spire drinking, and the Core Disciple. The Core Disciple didn¡¯t do anything unusual. Tundra spread his senses, and tried to look for the Core Disciple¡¯s co-conspirators. Zuja agents worked in teams. He must have others who worked with him.


    For now, he didn¡¯t spot any.


    Celestia took another big drink of the lemon flavored spirit wine, and snuggled a little closer. Tundra could feel her body, and her skin on his. With her actions, no cultivator would dare approach her. She knew her purpose here was just his ¡®cover¡¯, but Tundra felt bad using his wife this way. She deserved better.


    Tundra scanned the other members. Nothing unusual.


    Then there were loud footsteps, as he saw Elder Gurdra Black with a frown on his face. He looked pissed as he walked out. Two of the senior ministers followed, but they seemed a little upset too.


    The two spoke some words that Tundra couldn¡¯t hear, and one of them approached Elder Zuri Blackpetals of the Crimson Lotus.


    The two talked, but then he noticed a strange, subtle shift of energies between the minister and the Core Disciple.


    It was something Tundra could sense, because of his familiarity with the Zuja¡¯s ways. This minister was the accomplice.

 Chapter 38. Mixer Plots

    The minister didn¡¯t stay that long, and left after what appeared to be a fairly dense discussion. Still, everyone looked at them, because everyone wanted to eavesdrop or catch a lucky break. If they got lucky, maybe the minister would give them a task for a reward from the Palace¡¯s treasury.


    Once he left, Tundra and Celestia¡¯s eyes remained on the group of Crimson Lotus members. An elder, the Core Disciple, and two Inner disciples.


    Tundra looked back at Celestia, and said. ¡°That elder¡¯s most likely going to win this competition.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± This made Celestia look at Zuri Blackpetals seriously, because it was rare to see an alchemist that beat her husband. ¡°She¡¯s that good?¡±


    Once again he felt an unusual feeling in his mind. Something was not right.


    ¡°As far as I could tell, yes.¡± Tundra didn¡¯t see her at work. The actual alchemy period was about two weeks. Each of the Imperial Summons¡¯ participants were given three days to fine tune their response to the case, and they could request for the materials from the Imperial Treasury one day before the two week alchemical workshop period.


    Each of the alchemists worked independently, in small assigned makeshift rooms made specifically for these events. The end result was then submitted to them to see. ¡°I see. Do they get a chance to talk to the Princess, if they win?¡±


    Tundra nodded.


    ¡°Then could you win?¡±


    Tundra shook his head. It was a matter of resources, not skill. He had confidence in his skill that he should be on par. Their sect just didn¡¯t have that unique type of materials the Crimson Lotus Spire possessed.


    Celestia actually looked surprised. ¡°Really?¡±


    The regressor nodded, and continued to watch the minister leave. Tundra didn¡¯t feel the presence of the Zuja¡¯s corruption in the minister, but it might be because the minister¡¯s artifacts shroud his spiritual energies.


    Tundra noticed the Core Disciple looked significantly more relaxed once the minister left, and concluded that it is likely because that was it. They were all drinking, and Tundra went back to his brown rice wine, and took a big sip. He decided to focus more on his partner for the night, and wrapped his hand around her waist. ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever taking you to a place like this ever since we got married.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± Celestia said with certainty. They remembered such things.


    The dancers twirled about as the instruments played. The dancers changed their props, sometimes they twirled about with colorful ribbons, the others, they wore rattling bangles and accessories that made various sounds as they danced.


    ¡°Do you find them pretty?¡± Celestia asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra admitted. ¡°But they can¡¯t compare to you.¡±


    Celestia wriggled in embarrassment, and picked up her drink to hide it. It really was no contest, cultivators with their purified, perfected states can be exceptionally good looking. Even Tundra¡¯s appearance is that of a dignified, mature but still attractive patriarch.


    Tundra¡¯s glances went about the room, most folks were busy with their own thing, and for once, he decided to ignore them. His eyes looked into his wife¡¯s eyes, and for a moment, time froze.


    ¡°-this- this is a little too much.¡± Celestia stammered.


    The regressor grinned. ¡°Perhaps. Can I tell you a story?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Tundra sat, and recounted the tale of the dancer he recruited to be his personal disciple, and how she later died and what he learned.


    Celestia paused and looked at him. ¡°And all this time you didn¡¯t notice?¡±


    Tundra shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t notice many things, especially about the emotions of others.¡± He wondered what he knew now, was because he had ten thousand years of lived experience, and that allowed him to know what was what. His ability to observe such things today was entirely due to all the mistakes he made in his first life.


    ¡°There is no teacher more bitter than experience.¡± Celestia lamented an old saying.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even know if she is even born yet. She was a mortal dancer when I found her.¡±


    And given how he had changed the path of the world, it is likely some births would never happen. Celestia only nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    After what seemed like a long time, Celestia continued.


    ¡°If she¡¯s going to win, might as well tell her. Do you think she¡¯s part of the plot?¡±


    Tundra did consider that but thought it was unlikely. It was hard to be sure until he really spoke to her, and Zuri Blackpetals, as a peer, could hide her cultivation and any Zuja influence fairly easily. ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to her.¡±


    He doubted that would help, and not only that, he had to do it in a way that didn¡¯t draw the Core Disciple¡¯s attention.


    Celestia looked at Tundra, and back at the woman, her eyes filled with judgment of another. ¡°I suspect she¡¯s not as clueless as you think she is.¡±


    Tundra paused as he digested a woman¡¯s assessment. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She feels like an intelligent, observant woman. I think she knows more than she says. Talking to her would be helpful.¡± His wife answered as if she had a read of the other.


    People are not so easily read, especially cultivators. Tundra shut his eyes briefly, realizing that Celestia had a point. He should talk to his fellow competitor and see for himself, whether she knew. As the winner, Zuri would be able to speak to the princess, and that would solve problems. ¡°You are right.¡±


    ¡°I hope I am.¡± Celestia laughed, and went back to pick up her half finished drink. ¡°We should leave. They look like they are here frequently.¡±


    The treasury will be open for a few days, and then it¡¯s time to actually do alchemy. He should catch her before that, but wondered whether he could speak to her without the Crimson Lotus¡¯s core disciple noticing.


    Celestia wrapped her hands around Tundra¡¯s arm as they left as a pair existing only in their own world, oblivious to the glances of the other cultivators.


    ***


    ¡°Nothing happened yesterday.¡± Julia said as she accompanied the Sect Master to the treasury hall.


    ¡°I thought so.¡± Tundra came home late last night to find both his son and the core disciple resting in their own room. The protections of their guest mansion were untouched. Celestia decided it was appropriate to stay back instead, and spend some time meditating and cultivating, since their guest rooms had such wonderful cultivation devices, and Edison agreed to go along with it.


    At about that time, Lord Baljuk reappeared.


    ¡°Sect Master Fox, a moment of your time?¡±


    Tundra nodded and the two alchemists stepped aside and faced each other along a narrow inner corridor. He felt Baljuk¡¯s anti-spying formation activated.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to speak to the Princess through my channels. The ministers claim the Princess is in secluded cultivation and preparing for her breakthrough once the pills are ready. You¡¯ll have to place in the top three of this competition to get a chance to speak to her.¡±


    At that point, Tundra wondered how much he could trust Lord Baljuk, and whether he could reveal his own findings. Would he have trusted him in his first life? Tundra wasn¡¯t sure he would.


    But things must change, and he decided to go for a different angle. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to place in the top 3. Not with my current materials.¡±


    In his first life, he was placed in the top 50, but with any competition, those in the top 5 were a league above those below, in the quality of their materials.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lord Baljuk looked at him. ¡°What would you need to place in the top 3?¡±


    ¡°But I think it is not necessary. I believe that Zuri Blackpetals will win this competition, and the top five will be Lowen Pureglass, Gurdra Black, and Dorith Vulner.¡± Tundra Fox said. ¡°They will have a chance to speak to the Princess.¡±


    Lord Baljuk wore a frown so heavy it seemed as if the years passed in a moment. ¡°I would¡¯ve expected Laurian Frostmold to be one of the top five, but I am not familiar with these others.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Laurian Frostmold was one of the old alchemists in the high seventh realm, and a member of another pretender sect, the Quiet Mushroom Gardens. Tundra did remember that old woman to be a fairly capable alchemist, but she wasn¡¯t really giving her best in this competition.


    The two just stood quietly, before Lord Baljuk abruptly turned to look at Tundra.


    ¡°Do you have a suspect?¡±


    ¡°Possibly. A minister. I believe there may be accomplices in the sects, but I¡¯m not certain.¡± Tundra said. ¡°If we can speak to Lady Blackpetals discreetly...¡±


    ¡°I see. As I suspected.¡± Lord Baljuk glanced back at the hall as some other alchemists walked into the hall to claim their supplies. Some of the alchemists would only do the bare minimum, and take the supplies provided by the palace back home. ¡°But let¡¯s do this. I will try to invite all the participating alchemists for a drink tonight at the winehouses, and see whether any of them participate. Call it a mingling session for alchemists. I will invite you along, and use this chance to figure out where their loyalties lie.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t participate if you don¡¯t have a senior alchemist participate.¡± Tundra countered.


    ¡°Not all are so uptight, and I will call on some favors.¡± Lord Baljuk laughed. ¡°See you there tonight. I¡¯ll need to make some visits and invitations, and have the venue ready.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Pleased to meet the famous lady Frostmold.¡± Tundra said, a little impressed at how quickly Lord Baljuk got to work.


    An alchemical mixers for fellow alchemists to mingle. The venue was held in a corner restaurant that was far too ostentatious for his tastes, but it was not polite to criticize the host. The old woman Laurian Frostmold was in the high seventh realm, and yet as Tundra stood in front of the woman that he was once impressed with, somehow, she felt lesser.


    A cultivator of her level of power could choose whatever appearance they desired, but Laurian took the appearance of an old, scrawny woman whose hair had turned mostly white. There were stripes of dark hair, in little patches throughout her tied up hair.


    Was it his experience? ¡°Oooh. I heard of you, you¡¯re the rising star.¡± It hurt a little to be referred to as a rising star, it reminded him of how much he had to start from scratch.


    Tundra wondered why she didn¡¯t win in his first life, and decided to ask as part of his conversation. ¡°It is an honor to be known by you, but are you well, Lady Frostmold?¡±


    She seemed to pause at the question. ¡°Am I well?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra decided to just risk it. The sensation he felt. Of being ¡®less¡¯. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but, it¡¯s a sense as if-¡±


    A finger was on his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t have to continue, Lord Fox. Some things are best left unsaid. But whatever you are suspecting, would you know a cure?¡±


    Tundra paused. The woman suffered from something, and yet he didn¡¯t know. Perhaps it had to do with the soul. ¡°I- I am afraid not.¡±


    The woman sighed. ¡°I heard from the Minister of the Princess that there may be a way, but consorting with bugs isn¡¯t my thing.¡±


    That made the regressor pause, and wondered whether Lord Baljuk¡¯s leverage on her was related to the Zuja. Still, he had to be a little more vague on his knowledge. ¡°I¡¯m generally skeptical of such solutions. There certainly are better ways than to rely on such unpredictable power.¡±


    The old woman looked at him, as if judging him. She was fairly old, perhaps four or five thousand years old, and yet, the way they looked at each other was one peer to another. Her eyes searched, and then she sighed. ¡°It is so tempting to just take the easy way out.¡±


    Now that was something Tundra could relate to. ¡°It is. I feel the same most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Did you invite your children?¡±


    Tundra looked around. ¡°I had the impression this was an alchemist-only event.¡±


    ¡°I would presume your children to be alchemists.¡±


    ¡°No. They are not.¡±


    ¡°A waste of your skills and knowledge.¡± The old Laurian Frostmold looked distant, and Tundra felt it then. The vague emptiness in her eyes. The hollowing of her soul from some kind of spiritual rot. Perhaps, the mark of a failed tribulation. She lives, but with each passing day, she becomes more of a shadow of her old self.


    Those who seek the powers of cultivation must face the risks of the spirit realm¡¯s resistance. As one grows one¡¯s spirit, the spirit of self pushes back against the spiritual realm, creating space. But if this wasn¡¯t done properly, or if one¡¯s sense of self and identity was attacked, the spiritual realm is ever eager to reclaim the space it once ceded to the soul.


    At that point, Lord Baljuk came over with another alchemist, one in the high fifth realm and introduced him to Laurian Frostmold. Tundra took that as an opportunity to slip away and talk to the other alchemists.


    He looked around the opulent drinking halls, and was fairly surprised that Zuri Blackpetals, Gurdra Black and Dorith Vulner were also in attendance, and the three were already talking.


    Tundra Fox gulped, grabbed a cup of spirit wine from a passing waiter, and walked to join in with the three. The three were talking politics.


    ¡°Has the Crimson Lotus decided who it¡¯ll back?¡± The elder of the White Striped Tiger Temple asked. He had a cup of stronger, darker colored spirit wine. It was likely mixed with some fried fruits durings the fermentation process.


    ¡°As of now, the Spire remains undecided.¡± Lady Zuri said.


    ¡°Such indecisiveness.¡± Gurdra Black said as he sipped his drink. ¡°Prince Yaorl is supported by the Patriarch Whitedragon and the Snow Dragon Temple. Naturally he will win this contest.¡±


    ¡°And Prince Gomerl has the Flaming Phoenix behind him.¡± Dorith Vulner, was in the high sixth realm, and is the sect master of a mid tier sect, the Storm Peaks. The Storm Peaks was once a bigger sect, but it had fallen on hard times. But Dorith Vulner was a rising star, and with him, the Storm Peaks¡¯ stock rose with him.


    ¡°His Majesty Prince Yaorl exceeds him in competence and intellect.¡±


    ¡°But he is ruthless.¡± Dorith countered.


    ¡°In the game of Emperors, it is to be expected.¡± Lord Black stated, and then he turned to notice Tundra sipping his rice wine. ¡°Who do you plan to ally yourself with, Tundra?¡±


    Dorith Vulner flashed a diplomatic smile. ¡°Greetings, a pleasure to finally meet the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow.¡±


    Tundra clasped his hand to greet his peers. ¡°Greetings, Lady Blackpetals, Lord Black and Lord Vulner. A pleasure to meet all the esteemed alchemists today.¡±


    Gurdra Black smiled. ¡°Now, now. Lord Fox broke through to the seventh realm recently. A rising star and a future master alchemist of the continent!¡±


    Tundra wished he could sneer, and just smiled. ¡°Ah. Seventh realms are a dime a dozen in the Crimson Lotus and White Striped Tiger.¡±


    Lord Black grinned at the backhanded compliment. ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m glad you are a man that knows where they stand between heaven and earth. Now, onto my earlier question, who will the Verdant Snow back for the throne?¡±


    Tundra thought he wanted to put his back behind Prince Kaorl again. He was approached by Prince Kaorl personally, and back then, he felt Prince Kaorl was actually a good man. Good head on his shoulders, but sadly, murdered by his competitors.


    ¡°I have a prince in mind, but it is not set in stone.¡± Tundra decided to be vague. ¡°I¡¯d like to meet Prince Yaorl and Prince Gomerl before the Verdant Snow decides.¡±


    This made Gurdra Black pounce. ¡°Sounds like you need some ¡®encouragement¡¯, Lord Fox.¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°You could put it that way.¡±


    ¡°Then I will put a word in. Perhaps they can make an offer.¡±


    The lady of the Crimson Lotus interjected. ¡°It is quite a shame that things are this way. The Emperor still lives, and yet, those behind him are already positioning themselves for conflict.¡±


    ¡°Would you prefer to have your choice made for you?¡± The White Striped Tiger¡¯s elder countered.


    ¡°It just feels as if the sects are vultures, waiting to scavenge on the corpses of those who chose wrongly.¡±


    Dorith Vulner of the Storm Peaks sighed. ¡°It may seem so for the Greater sects, but for a middle tier sect like the Storm Peaks, this choice is a matter of survival. We would be crushed if we chose wrongly.¡±


    Lady Blackpetals shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t see the princes as being so unnecessarily cruel, why punish mid tier sects?¡±


    ¡°Worry not, Lord Vulner. I will ask our sect master to whisper some pleasant words to the future Emperor Yaorl.¡±


    That made Tundra churn a little, and Dorith Vulner merely kept silent. It was a threat, one way or another. And he folded.


    ¡°Lord Black, maybe we can discuss this in greater detail. Perhaps, in private?¡±


    The White Striped Tiger was pleased, and led the way. ¡°Come, Lord Vulner.¡±


    Tundra Fox and Zuri Blackpetals watched the two step aside for a chat of their own. So, Tundra continued the conversation. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Lady Blackpetals. Your talents with the cauldron are well known even in our part of the world.¡±


    ¡°Your words are pleasant, Tundra Fox, but it certainly isn¡¯t true.¡± Zuri Blackpetals watched him, and in return, he matched her judging gaze. At this distance, Tundra noticed her seemingly reddish hair was more of a maroon shade, and seemed to change its color if looked at a different angle. She had the air and gait of a refined woman familiar with the imperial court, someone who was a meticulous artist.


    ¡°Some pleasantries often help with the conversation.¡± Tundra Fox smiled and answered without flinching. ¡°I believe this competition is yours to lose.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± That made the woman stare at Tundra. ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you, but first, let¡¯s speak of Princess Luharl¡¯s condition. What are your opinions on the inherent conflict between her Golden Dragon¡¯s gift and her spirit roots?¡±


    ¡°Force them to work together, what else is there?¡± Zuri answered bluntly. ¡°Her spirit roots¡¯ contradiction will have to be mediated by a powerful unity elixir, and would bring them all to harmony.¡±


    Tundra nodded. There are many ways to solve the princess¡¯s problem. His own methods would be to go for separation, a kind of coexistence of powers. It is based on the principle of the human body that each limb and organ has a different function, and so, a cultivator¡¯s spirit can also be in that way. But there are some alchemists who believe that all powers should be united, and it is the cultivator¡¯s role to unite the powers in their soul. This is also based on the principle that even though a human body consists of separate organs and limbs, they must ultimately function as one. The contradiction is where a cultivator draws the line of separation and unity. Each cultivator differs in that line. When is it separate, and when should it be united?


    ¡°The Deeprooted Flame Unity Elixir produced by someone of your quality will certainly win this competition.¡±


    That made Zuri Blackpetals glare at him with utmost suspicion. His next statement would be a risk, because he wasn¡¯t sure what was communicated between the Core Disciple and the Princess¡¯s minister.


    ¡°It will be a fantastic pill, but ultimately, so much can happen after it is made, and before the Princess takes the pill.¡±


    Zuri Blackpetals stepped uncomfortably close, and Tundra felt a finger poke his chest. Or attempted to. The finger of condensed heat met a barrier of steel over his chest. ¡°Speak carefully, Lord Fox.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s eyes met the maroon eyes of the woman, and for a brief moment he saw a glimmer of doubt. It was swiftly replaced by certainty. It was enough of a clue, so he seized it. ¡°Your people are strange, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t trust them.¡±


    ¡°Do not talk garbage, Tundra Fox.¡± She said, her voice stern.


    ¡°You are an intelligent, capable alchemist, Lady Blackpetals. Surely you are not blind to the schemes of those around you.¡± Every sect was filled with internal politics. Conflicts between elders in their quest for power. Different ideals.


    ¡°Specifics.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you where your prey lies, do I have to hunt it for you too? Surely, you¡¯d rather not have another sect meddle in your internal affairs.¡±


    Their eyes met, both didn¡¯t flinch or fold. It felt like a moment. It felt like an eternity. Tundra took a step back. He sowed enough doubt. Intelligent people like Zuri Blackpetals were usually predictable.


    Just to be sure, she would do a check on her disciples and her entourage. And that will unearth enough clues that she would be extra careful with her pills. ¡°Take it what you will, Lady Blackpetals. I would hope that you serve the pill to the princess personally, and not trust it to those around you. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±

 Chapter 39. Alchemical Processes

    ¡°Are we supposed to be here?¡± Core Disciple Julia asked a little uncomfortably. There really were no rules on whether other people could be in the workshop, after all, all the princess wanted was the best possible pill for her problems, she didn¡¯t care whether the alchemist had help or not. If a group won, then they¡¯d have to share it among those that assisted.


    Tundra merely smiled, and Julia took it as yes. He didn¡¯t have help the first time he was here. His core disciples were busy elsewhere, and were probably in some battle, or reinforcing their position in the Scarlet Lightning City.


    Julia wasn¡¯t sure what she was supposed to do just yet, so she waited while her Sect Master was in thought. After a while, he looked at her and pointed. ¡°Julia, you will be my assistant alchemist for the next few days. Come, assist me with the materials.¡±


    That got her attention. She didn¡¯t expect to be asked to assist at a competition. Still, she  nodded. She briefly glanced around the room, and looked at the other two guests in the fairly simple but well equipped workshop. There were hundreds of other such workshops along the corridor. Celestia and Edison sat on a set of lacquered wooden chairs, waiting. There was a well prepared pot of tea and enough white porcelain cups to serve ten. Occasionally, they¡¯d hear the footsteps of the palace servants outside. All they needed to do was open the door, and the servants would rush over to serve their every need.


    The two didn¡¯t look particularly comfortable, particularly the young master. Edison looked at his stepmother, but Celestia merely patted his shoulder. She whispered, but in the workshop, they could all hear it. ¡°You should stay. Your father wants you to see this.¡±


    Edison leaned closer. ¡°Really, what for? I¡¯m not an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°You should know what it involves.¡± Celestia answered. ¡°Knowledge is never wasted.¡±


    Edison hesitated, and but he¡¯s seen enough to wise up, and so he nodded. Julia refocused her attention on the materials in front of her, and quickly picked up the carving knife. Her role was to clean the materials of unnecessary residue that could contaminate the end result, and then do preprocessing of the materials.


    ¡°Alright, get started.¡± Tundra said. Watching.


    Julia looked a little surprised to find her master not doing anything else. His eyes were locked on her movements.


    She focused on the preserved spirit beast in front of her. It was some kind of Volcanic Dragon collected from an entire continent away, a creature not found on this continent. She overheard the Palace Treasury employees saying how they¡¯ve got a stock of fifty such corpses, and she wondered what else they had in their store.


    ¡°Spirit beasts have similar underlying structures despite the differences.¡± Tundra lectured. ¡°Have a feel of the corpse¡¯s structure by passing through your energies. The materials from this creature will be the ¡®base¡¯, or as some call it, the ¡®primer¡¯. Some parts of the wider worlds even call them the ¡®binding paste¡¯. No matter what it is called, the base is the medium in which the functional elements of the pill are contained, and delivered.¡±


    She knew this, but the audience of Tundra¡¯s lecture included two others that probably didn¡¯t.


    Julia focused. She touched the skin of the corpse, and felt it¡¯s still warm heat. The creature was superbly well preserved, and likely was slaughtered no more than a few months ago. Her eyes then darted to the side as she glanced at the two pots encased in a preservation glass. The Elderwood and the Lavaflower both had a faint presence, most of it blocked by the glass.


    It¡¯s been a while since she assisted her master directly in alchemy. Julia thought, and the pill was foreign to her. Most alchemists learn by assisting their masters, at first with preparation, and over time, they try more and more parts of the process.


    ¡°So, have a feel for the three main components of the pill. The base, and the two functional active components. Get a sense of how their elemental energies emanate, how they react to the world around them, because that will guide you on how they will behave once they are inserted into the cauldron. Think about the nature of the energy, and what you want to achieve, and that guides how you should prepare the base. There are different sorts of base or primer. Some meant to slow down the process, some meant to accelerate, some meant to carry the effects of the pill to where it is supposed to go.¡±


    Tundra lectured, as her hands moved. Her mind roughly had a sense of what he wanted her to do.


    ¡°Each recipe usually has a few core ingredients. The Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion pill, as the name clearly implies, has two main functional components. The Elderwood Spirit Plant, and the Lavaflower Spirit Plant.¡± Tundra smiled as he joked. ¡°Alchemists are not very creative with names. In the higher realms, a good pill is often named after its key ingredients, or its key effects. An unfortunate thing, for things like the [Mind Clarity Pill]. A poor choice of naming can usually mean it¡¯s less popular with cultivators, and that affects how us alchemists make money.¡±


    Julia ignored it, and focused. The spirit beast¡¯s flesh, the Nuran Lake Volcanic Dragon, contained a fairly large core. It was likely a mature volcanic dragon of the high sixth realm when it was alive.


    A cultivator¡¯s body reflected its realm, and a pill consumed by a cultivator, therefore, had to be strong enough to survive the journey through its spiritual body and reach where it is meant to be.


    The base component had to be close to the cultivator¡¯s level. Too weak, the pill would disintegrate too early, too powerful, and it could overwhelm the cultivator¡¯s ability to absorb it. Unless if that was the intention.


    In pure ¡®energy¡¯ pills, the primer or base is part of the functional component, and often a pill is almost made from a single condensed material. For pills meant for specific function, a blend of the different types of materials.


    Julia reached for her carving knife, and made a cut. She could feel Tundra¡¯s approving nod as she kept cutting. There was a fairly decent margin for error here, since the material itself wasn¡¯t fragile.


    She worked slowly, as she channeled some of her energy into the carving knife. She was a fourth realm cultivator, trying to process a sixth realm spirit beast¡¯s corpse. It was a little tougher than she expected once her knife reached the organs.


    Her arm thrummed with power slightly, as her blade reached deeper. Her knife cut the flesh where it was weak and now she was close to the Core of the spirit beast.


    This was where it got a little sensitive. She sent another pulse of energy through the corpse to get her bearing. She couldn¡¯t see her hands inside the beast¡¯s corpse.


    Tundra nodded a second time. ¡°We usually use the spiritual beast cores as base ingredients, as it contains the highest levels of energy, and thus we could stretch the effectiveness of the pill to even those of a higher realm. A pill made with the spiritual core of a creature in the fifth realm could still deliver its ingredients for someone in the seventh realm. But, it is not mandatory. The base ingredients could even be made with the flesh of the beast, but because of its lower energy density, a pill made would not work for those stronger. It is for this reason that the value of spirit beasts of a higher realm is exponentially more valuable than those below.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Edison couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Then, why bother with lower realm spirit beasts? Why don¡¯t just find spirit beasts of a higher realm?¡±


    ¡°Many reasons. First, an alchemist must be able to handle it. Too strong, and the alchemist cannot suppress or amplify the qualities they desire. Certain attributes and qualities of the ingredients are also only found in lower realm spirit beasts. Healing and regeneration is one of the great unusual qualities only found in the lower realm spirit beasts. Higher realm spirit beasts are often so strong that they don¡¯t have inherent healing or regeneration abilities.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡± Edison asked in a moment of genuine interest. ¡°But they are so strong and they still heal so quickly!¡±


    ¡°A product of their higher realm, not a product of any unique qualities of their nature.¡± Tundra explained.


    ¡°What if such a creature existed?¡± Edison wondered.


    Tundra laughed. ¡°If it did, I can assure you we will want to capture it and breed it like chickens.¡±


    Julia carved out the spiritual core of the Nuran Lake Volcanic Dragon. It was a large, melon-sized maroon object that seemed like a rock. There were still pieces of flesh attached to it. She quickly reached for her cleaning knife, and cleaned out what she missed.


    Once that was done, she exchanged a momentary nod with Tundra, and placed the spiritual core into the large Dragonbronze Cauldron provided by the palace.


    Tundra tapped it, and the bronze cauldron hummed as the core of the Volcanic Dragon began to melt.


    ¡°This will now melt into a paste. This will take a while.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s energies flowed into the cauldron, and it began to heat up. It also hummed, as the energies began spinning inside.


    ¡°A 3rd realm cultivator who wants to handle this core would have to procure burnable materials of the 5th or 6th realm, so that there¡¯s sufficient energy within the cauldron to do the necessary processes. That¡¯s why you see some alchemists use fires, or energy crystals, and even formations. Occasionally, say, I want to supply water element energy into the cauldron, I may procure some kind of Wetwood or Water Gems to supply them to the cauldron.¡±


    The two guests looked as if something clicked in their head.


    ¡°Julia, you can start with the Elderwood. I want you to remove the bark.¡±


    The disciple looked at her master, her hesitation momentary.


    ¡°It is similar to other Greatwood family of spirit plants. You can use a sharp knife to make a cut along the sides. The inner structure is similar.¡±


    She nodded, her mind briefly recalled her studies and writing on spirit plants, and opened a drawer that contained a large selection of fine knives and tools. It would¡¯ve cost a fortune to equip so many workshops, but such is the wealth of the Imperial Palace. She picked one, and then gently removed the Elderwood from its container.


    The Core Disciple felt the thrum of the Elderwood¡¯s wood energy. It was a sixth realm spirit plant, and she could feel it had a strong ¡®controlling¡¯ aspect that was inherent to the plant¡¯s nature. She felt the wood energy attempt to exert its inanimate will over its environment.


    But there was nothing for it to control, so that energy just radiated into its surroundings and faded away.


    She cleaned the bark easily, and what was left under the Elderwood was a mostly light beige wooden flesh, filled with little purple and blue veins that wrapped around the flesh as if it were blood vessels.


    ¡°Good job. Now this part is for me.¡± Tundra said, as he picked up another set of cutting knives, and held the now exposed Elderwood plant.


    Julia watched curiously, as his knife made an incision into a specific part of the plant, and somehow pulled out a part of the flesh that seemed absolutely normal. Yet, she knew something was weird. Tundra tossed it into the cauldron, and it hummed.


    ¡°Good. Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Can I-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the essence of the Elderwood plant. A slightly condensed, higher quality segment of the plant.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be insufficient to balance out the Lavaflower?¡± Julia asked, as she observed the far smaller quantity in the pot.


    ¡°Not if we do the same with the Lavaflower. A higher quality pill would serve the purpose just as well, if not more.¡±


    ***


    Celestia watched with great interest as Tundra gave the three lectures on alchemical concepts. Julia now shifted to the Lavaflower, a bright orange flower found in areas that experienced volcanic eruptions and later calmed down.


    She was slightly informed about alchemy, since she did meet Tundra at an alchemical competition, but she was just in the 3rd realm then. The alchemy she knew would be considered child¡¯s play for greater sects.


    Still, she was a wanderer once, and as a wandering cultivator, she had to step her toes in everything.


    Alchemy wasn¡¯t easy. It was time consuming, was highly theoretical, involved a lot of steps and a lot of resources. In many ways, it is harder than actual cultivation. It is for this reason that alchemists were fairly rare even in big sects. Only about one in thirty cultivators dabble in the art of alchemy, and even fewer still succeed.


    Alchemists build their careers supported by hunters, collectors, and merchants.


    The first human alchemists were healers, back in the ancient, primordial era. Alchemy existed as a subset of healers, and the original alchemists made rudimentary healing pills to restore the energies of those who were weakened or injured.


    There was even a time when alchemists were hunted as practicing demonic arts, because during the primordial eras, it were the demonic cultivators that transformed living cultivators into living cauldrons. Humans were livestock to be fed and grown, in order to empower the demons.


    Those days were long gone, and alchemy managed to clear its name.


    She didn¡¯t realize how quickly the time passed. They were both mesmerized by Julia¡¯s movements. Cleaning, slicing, and processing all the various parts for the cauldron.


    Maybe it was the hum of the cauldron, lulling them into some kind of trance.


    Or maybe the deft movements of a skilled apprentice.


    Somehow, a week just passed by.


    ***


    ¡°Good.¡± Tundra said, proud. Julia did well, and all the materials were ready for the final step. They were now in the cauldron, floating among the now molten paste.


    There was a faint glow.


    Tundra looked around, and then at Edison. ¡°Now, this is arguably sometimes the simplest, or the hardest part of the alchemy. Have you ever wondered why some pills lose effectiveness in the higher realms? I said it before.¡±


    Edison paused, and scrambled to recall a factoid he was supposed to remember. He was like a student experiencing a sudden test. ¡°Uh, because the stronger cultivator¡¯s energies resist the effects of a weaker pill.¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡± The Sect Master smiled. ¡°Now, have you ever wondered why pills made with the same ingredients can come out so wildly different?¡±


    His son answered. ¡°Because the materials were prepared differently?¡±


    ¡°That is one of the reasons, so I¡¯ll rate you as correct. But also, some materials have multiple qualities. Like the Elderwood. It has a controlling aspect, a growth aspect and a weaker healing aspect. Which effect emerges in the final pill?¡±


    Edison and Celestia both looked at Tundra like a student waiting for the answer. He decided he wouldn¡¯t be too harsh, he was in a good mood, since Julia did so well.


    ¡°An alchemist, through the process of refining pills, would modify the characteristics of the materials, enhancing certain aspects of the material, and suppressing certain other aspects. Amplification and suppression was the part of the task that consumed spiritual energy, and why alchemists won¡¯t handle materials that were too far above their respective realms.¡±


    Tundra then nodded, and redirected his attention at his assistant.


    ¡°Touch the cauldron, Julia. I want you to feel what will happen within the cauldron over the next few days. Remember that sensation.¡±


    Core Disciple Julia gulped, and both her hands touched the Dragonbronze Cauldron.


    Tundra got to work, as his own energy flowed into the cauldron, and began to disassemble the components to its component aspects. He destroyed the parts he didn¡¯t want, and for those that he did, he gently added his energy to it, and reshaped it such that it is more dense, more effective.


    It was a slow process. Each component was removed slowly, and then gently put back together. He could probably do it faster, but his disciple would¡¯ve missed it.


    Then, the components were combined into a single pill.


    A blood red pill with streaks of golden brown. A Perfect Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion Pill. A pill fit for a princess.


    It wouldn¡¯t win, but it should do quite well.


    ***

 Chapter 40. Gears in Motion

    The palace was crowded, as all the pills were placed in front of the alchemists for judging. There were large artifacts, contraptions used to look within each pill without breaking it. It was necessary, because it was hard to truly understand the components of the pill without passing spiritual energy through it.


    But doing it too much came with risks. The ¡®judges¡¯ spiritual energy could unintentionally meddle with the fine balance of components within the pill, in some cases, weakening the pill¡¯s efficacy. Worse, it could even damage the pill.


    So, the ancient alchemists and craftsmen invented powerful tools that looked into the pills using only minute quantities of energy, and without the contamination of an alchemists¡¯ will and intent.


    It was fairer, and each of the judges could then form a holistic opinion of the pills by interpreting the results from the multiple different devices.


    Once more, the judging ceremony was also a banquet, with the same boring selection of foods. Celestia, Julia and Edison sat next to Tundra, but they had to share a table, since the table could fit 8 people.


    Their table was somewhere around the middle, and as it so happens, they shared the table with an elder from the Scarlet Thunder Sect, Raigar Darkclouds, and his disciple. Dorith Vulner and his assistant, of the Storm Peaks Sect, was the third group seated with them.


    Dorith Vulner would place well in this competition, and Tundra looked around, and saw the table he sat on in his first life, he shared tables with another sect, a smaller sect called the Golden Chrysanthemum Park.


    ¡°We will now begin the judging.¡± An announcer declared, as the Princess¡¯s personal alchemists began judging, along with a few invited alchemists.


    Tundra remembered he felt slightly nervous the first time he was here. It was his first Imperial Summons, but now, he glanced at the elder beside him, and chatted him up. ¡°What pill did you make, Lord Darkclouds?¡±


    ¡°A similar pill to yours. A variant of the Elderwood Lavaflower, but with a mixture of a true Seventh Moon Pure Nourishing Water.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Tundra nodded, and understood the angle he took. Raigar likely wanted to use the water¡¯s effects to enhance the merger of the energies, but it did offset the effectiveness of the Lavaflower slightly. A reasonable approach. ¡°That does make sense too.¡±


    ¡°I heard you asked your core disciple to assist with the pill.¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Oh, news sure spreads quickly. Yes, yes I did.¡±


    ¡°Very brave of you to award such an opportunity. What if they can¡¯t perform as you wanted?¡± Dorith Vulner spoke.


    Tundra shrugged. He had a lifetime of competitions and alchemy, he didn¡¯t see the need to rob it from those who had so much ahead of them. ¡°It is what it is, then. If they stumble, they will learn. What is the path of cultivation without some challenges?¡±


    Raigar Darkclouds raised his cup of spirit wine. ¡°And that, Lord Fox, is worthy of a toast. A toast to you, Lord Tundra Fox.¡±


    The three alchemists shared a drink. Raigar turned to face Julia. ¡°Young lady, would you be interested to come visit us? My junior alchemists would love to exchange some pointers, and trade some tips.¡±


    Tundra found that amusing, and decided it was a great way to build on their thawing relationship. There was some bad blood between the two sects, but to make amends had to start somewhere. ¡°That is a good idea, we can firm up a suitable time after some preparations. It would be a great way for us to mend our past disagreements.¡±


    Julia gulped, but tried her best not to look uncomfortable when the elders talked. Instead, she focused her attention on the judges were busy examining each and every pill, and scored them along some kind of metric.


    Raigar grinned. ¡°Are you already promised to someone, young lady?¡±


    That made Julia¡¯s heart jump, she turned to face the elder, unsure what to say. Tundra spoke for her. ¡°My core disciple is not yet promised to anyone, Lord Darkclouds. But since you broached the topic, you have someone in mind?¡±


    ¡°Oh. It so happens that our Sect master¡¯s eldest son is searching for a suitable partner that matches his station. A fine, budding alchemist like your core disciple would be in the running. A visit would be a great way for the two to be acquainted with each other. If the heavens allow, then perhaps we would be seeing some red strings around.¡±


    Julia blushed at the thought of marriage. As far as Tundra could remember, the Sect master¡¯s children died during the attack on Scarlet Lightning City. This was another of those events that now spiraled out of control. Tundra looked at his core disciple, and felt a little amused. She was so happy to egg on Yavin, and now she was getting a taste of her own medicine.


    His wife, Celestia, merely sniggered quietly. So, Tundra decided to ask his wife for her thoughts. ¡±What do you think, Celestia? Should we let Julia go for the marriage interview?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had the impression Core Disciple Julia already has her eyes on someone in our sect.¡± Celestia said with a smile. She was likely covering for Julia.


    Tundra didn¡¯t know that. That made Julia¡¯s face turn red as a tomato. She tried her best to focus on the judges in the front row.


    ¡°Ah, if the young lady already has someone on her mind-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Julia suddenly interjected, in a rare stammer. That meant it had an inkling of truth. ¡°I mean, it- It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Celestia asked through their energy link. ¡°Is it really okay to let her drift out of the sect¡¯s control?¡±


    A much, much younger version of Tundra would¡¯ve shut it down immediately. He was obsessed with control. But with people, Tundra realized he can never hold them too tightly. The tighter the leash, the more they will struggle. It¡¯s one of the things he learned from experience, and so, he smiled. ¡°Disciple Julia, don¡¯t worry, you need not decide today. But Lord Darkclouds¡¯s offer is worth thinking about. We can talk about it later.¡±


    Raigar nodded. ¡°Then we shall await your good news. But don¡¯t wait too long, our Sect Master is eager to have grandchildren and is already pushing our young master to select someone.¡±


    That made Tundra laugh. The thought of the fierce Duke Hadrian Thunderstone holding grandchildren made him feel funny. It certainly didn¡¯t help that Tundra killed him in his first life, so, it was a strange, strange dissonance in his mind. ¡°Oh, the Duke surely doesn¡¯t seem like that kind that wants grandchildren.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Raigar of the Scarlet Thunder chuckled. ¡°Well, I may have said too much. Come, let¡¯s have a toast.¡±


    Tundra lifted his cup, as did all the others. A clink, and the cup of wine was gone. Julia, cleverly, stood and picked up the large pot of spirit wine, and began to refill everyone¡¯s cup.


    ¡°Actually, if you do intend to go on a sect tour, do come and visit us too.¡± The Sect Master of the Storm Peaks interjected. ¡°Though we are a smaller sect, there is still much to learn from each other.¡±


    Tundra nodded. He didn¡¯t know much about the Storm Peaks. If he recalled correctly, over the centuries they were probably swallowed up by one of the Great Sects. Most smaller sects eventually became vassals of the Great Sects during the late pre-Zuja era.


    It was partly his fault.


    The rapid growth of the Verdant Snow Sect once he hit the 8th and 9th realm meant the smaller sects now needed to find a great sect for protection from his sect¡¯s expansion. He recalled recruiting many talented disciples and elevating quite many of them to the high 7th and 8th realm over a few hundred years.


    In other words, he forced the weaker sects to seek out protection. He closed his eyes briefly. He wanted to build a stronger sect, and this time he didn¡¯t need to rely on conquest. He will build up his people, improve their talents, and improve their cultivation.


    ¡°Yes. That sounds like a good idea.¡± Tundra nodded, and remembered that Dorith Vulner had a moment where he spoke to Gurdra Black at length. ¡°Actually, did Lord Black invite your sect to the White Striped Tiger¡¯s competition?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, yes. He did.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic. Perhaps we can visit you on the way there, then our disciples can travel together.¡± Tundra said. ¡°We can work out the specifics later, that way, my people can see a few more places.¡±


    ¡°Then that is decided.¡± Dorith Vulner grinned. ¡°If Julia doesn¡¯t find the Scarlet Thunder¡¯s heir interesting, I may have some disciples for her to choose from.¡±


    It was fairly common for sects to reach out to each other, and marriages between disciples of differing sects are not uncommon. Often, the Sect Masters would not oppose unless the other sect was an enemy. Even Tundra¡¯s own wife was from another sect.


    ¡°Oh, it seems we are finally coming to an end of the judging process.¡± Lord Raigar Darkclouds redirected their attention to the front. The lead judge stood and began to read out their choice of the winners.


    Tundra sat back, as the announcement went pretty much as expected. Then, the lead announcer said something Tundra didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°Now, that sums up the list of the top five pills, which shall be presented to Her Majesty, the Sixteenth Princess Luharl. Normally, this is the end of competition. However! This time around, we do have a special, honorable mention! The judging alchemists were all truly amazed by the sheer quality of this pill, even if the underlying components were average. The Perfect Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion Pill submitted by Sect Master Tundra Fox of the Verdant Snow Sect was exceptionally made, so much so that the judges cannot help but request that it is specially mentioned. Accordingly, we will also present these unique pill to her majesty for her further deliberations.`


    That caused the entire hall to turn and look at Tundra Fox.


    For a moment, Tundra nodded, and just shrugged. But his neighbours and companions wilted at the attention.


    ***


    Zuri Blackpetals was confident in her performance. Her pill was as perfect as it could be, and once she submitted it for judging, that would have been the end of it. But the words of Tundra Fox lingered in her mind, and it nagged her that an outsider knew something about her sect that she thought only she suspected.


    His obvious advice only filled her with suspicion, so much so that she left a small anti-tampering formation around the pill. But her people are not loyal, and the clue only tied in to her suspicion. She already suspected that there were elders in her Sect that behaved strangely, elders that might have conflicting interests outside of the Sect.


    So, she traced the movement of her core disciple.


    She knew he had other interests. That part was clear, and in most sects, extremely normal. Most sect members had multiple competing interests, and the Sect master¡¯s role was to harmonize them.


    Still, it gnawed at her, and so, when the Core Disciple quietly left their assigned mansions, she decided it was worth it to follow him, and stumbled on the Core Disciple¡¯s secret meeting with one of the Ministers of the Sixteenth Princess.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± The minister stared at the strange item given by the Core Disciple. It was a tiny spherical pill.


    ¡°Yes. Ensure that the Princess consumes it. You will be handsomely rewarded for it, minister.¡± The Core Disciple said.


    The Minister frowned. ¡°How can I be sure this can¡¯t be traced back to me.¡±


    That was when the Core Disciple took out a document with the seal of the Crimson Lotus Spire. ¡°This is a letter with the seal of the Crimson Lotus¡¯s Alchemy Hall. It should ensure that the Crimson Lotus takes full responsibility of what happens.¡±


    The minister stared at the Core Disciple. The frown was brief, but the letter was a genuine article, made with the real seal. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the elder come here personally?¡±


    ¡°Is there really a need to trouble Lady Blackpetals for a letter to the princess?¡± The Core Disciple answered. ¡°She needs to rest after a grueling two weeks in the workshop.¡±


    The minister nodded. ¡°Very well, if the Crimson Lotus wills it, I will provide this to the princess.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, minister. I will have the money delivered to the guilds in due time.¡±


    The minister nodded, and walked away, but, this time, she decided to follow the Minister. The Minister walked into the halls of one of the Court Alchemists.


    ¡°So, what did the Crimson Lotus Spire want from us?¡± The alchemist stood to attention, as the minister took out the letter and the pill. The Minister handed it over to an alchemist of the Court, likely an Outer Court Alchemist, who immediately took out some kind of examination tool.


    The minister pointed at the pill. ¡°That pill is strange. Tell me what it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes, minister. It¡¯s- I¡¯m not sure. It seems shrouded in some kind of cocoon. I¡¯ll have to break it to see what¡¯s inside.¡±


    The minister frowned. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s dangerous? Who do you think the Crimson Lotus Spire is working for?¡±


    The alchemist stared at it. ¡°I doubt it is a good thing. The design seems to be to deliver some kind of parasite. Or maybe some stored creature.¡±


    The minister gulped at the finding. ¡°Think the princess will know?¡±


    The alchemist held up the pill, as if looking at it with some other tool. ¡°The princess might be suspicious, but her desire to break through to the seventh realm would win over her suspicions.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Who do you think they work for?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Crimson Lotus.¡± The minister countered. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand their angle in this.¡±


    The alchemist rubbed his chin. ¡°Princess Luharl is the direct younger sister of Prince Gomerl. Potentially, the Crimson Lotus is affiliated with Prince Yaorl?¡±


    The minister frowned. ¡°But the Crimson Lotus is an allied sect of the Flaming Phoenix, and Flaming Phoenix supports Prince Gomerl- Unless the Crimson Lotus aspires to break free of the Flaming Phoenix...¡±


    ¡°It could be a faction within the Crimson Lotus that doesn¡¯t want to support Prince Gomerl?¡±


    Zuri Blackpetals frowned. Internally, she was aware of the vigorous debates between elders on who to support. Their relationship with the Flaming Phoenix was an alliance, not that of a ¡®vassal¡¯, thus, as a sect they retained autonomy on matters of the throne.


    But she heard enough, and decided it was time to end this farce. She knocked on the door.


    The minister paled briefly, but opened the door. ¡°Ah- Lady Blackpetals?¡±


    ¡°Minister. I¡¯m afraid my core disciple handed you a pill and a document. I just received communication from our Sect Master that it was in error. May I have it back? There¡¯s some changes I need to make.¡±


    The minister¡¯s expression was perfectly practiced. ¡°Certainly.¡±


    The alchemist and the minister exchanged a glance, but clearly decided it was something to do with internal Crimson Lotus Spire politics that they didn¡¯t want a part of. So, the alchemist swiftly returned the pill and the letter.


    Zuri Blackpetals returned to her own mansion, activated a formation to disguise her activities, and then, immediately broke the pill apart.


    A bug squirmed inside, and she paled at the implication.

 Chapter 41. Gears in Motion II

    The four were on their way back to the Verdant Snow Sect. What happened back in the Princess city of Luharlia was now out of his control, and partly, he didn¡¯t want to meddle so much. He wasn¡¯t ready, and as far as he was concerned, he already did his part.


    The war with the Zuja would be waged over multiple little battles, and he had to be careful.


    He had a suspicion that Zuri Blackpetals did as he expected her to. She didn¡¯t say much, she came over, and told him she would visit the Verdant Snow Sect someday.


    It was enough of a clue that things were in motion.


    It was already a fruitful trip, and it was time to call it quits.


    The Palace saw fit to grant them a lavish gift for Tundra¡¯s performance, so an entire chestful of spiritual resources that Tundra would have to slowly unpack. The princess likely won¡¯t use the pill, instead, it¡¯ll be granted to someone with a similar issue. All in, this was a productive trip. He came relatively empty handed, and now returned with enough resources to lift some of his 5th realm elders to the 6th, and his 4th realm disciples to the 5th.


    ¡°Did you enjoy your trip, son?¡± Tundra asked. The carriage would take them a few days.


    Edison looked out of the window, and he had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. A moment Tundra gave. They had time. ¡°Not really. Not as much as I thought. I always thought the big city would be more- more fun.¡±


    The regressor nodded, and the word fun immediately linked to an old memory of his. ¡°Honestly, the most fun I ever had in a big city was when I was still a core disciple of the Verdant Snow. It was after a tournament organized by the Slicing Heavens Tower, and Jon lost after the second qualifying rounds. So, to make him feel better, myself, Jon and Jashen went gambling, drinking and punching each other till myself and Jon were both vomiting by the riverside. Jashen wasn¡¯t too happy with us for a few months after that incident.¡±


    It was kind of sad he never experienced that amount of joy since he ascended as a sect master. The responsibilities he shouldered were like a chain. He could never be so free ever again, but still, he smiled.


    This was duty, and growing up. There was a time for that amount of fun, and he was still glad he had it. ¡°Who are your closest friends, Edison?¡±


    That was a question that stumped the young master. He didn¡¯t know how to answer his father, and that was when Tundra realized his son probably didn¡¯t have a close friend. Tundra closed his eyes. This was also one of his failures.


    He knew of other sect masters who kept tabs on who their children talked to, who their friends were. He thought that was a little bit too possessive, even if he understood what they wanted to achieve. But now, as Edison stared out of the carriage window, looking a little bit disinterested in all things, Tundra knew his hands off approach was also incorrect. He went too far to the other end.


    He didn¡¯t arrange friends for Edison to meet his peers, partly because Tundra himself was a warmongering expansionist that didn¡¯t have that many friends. He had followers, and many, many enemies. So, his children were all functionally ¡®caged¡¯ in the Verdant Snow Sect during the warring years, and by the time the Verdant Snow was a powerful sect, his children were much older, or dead. Children born to his later wives were treated like royalty, and once more, they didn¡¯t have peers.


    Not true ¡®peers¡¯. Followers. Sycophants. It was possible to find peers even among those weaker than them. But it wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be too late to reverse it for Edison, but he made a note to ensure his grandchildren were given a chance to mingle with peers. He would need to seek out other sects with young children of similar status, so that they could truly interact with their equals.


    His children didn¡¯t have friends.


    One other way was to send them away to other sects, where they could grow up with other disciples. He would have to select a friendly Great Sect for such a purpose.


    It was one of those things that was so obvious once he noticed. Next to Edison, Julia sat quietly. Julia grew up and matured over the years. Her life here was supported by a group of fellow disciples. Their bonds were like siblings, just as strong, even if it is not one of blood. He could see the genuine care and affection among the core disciples, one not out of jealousy, but genuine desire to push each other up.


    They had each other¡¯s back, partly because they all reported to him personally, and he knew that as a Sect Master, once he set the tone right, that the disciples saw that there was no merit in bringing each other down, it was just natural to help each other up. This was something he fine-tuned to an art over the years as a Sect Master.


    Find good, high quality disciples, train them, give them the right motivations and surround them in a competitive, but fair, friendly environment, give them opportunities and promote them when they are ready. It usually produced loyal disciples that rose to be his elders as the Verdant Snow Sect.


    Of course, there would still be arguments and differences in opinion between the elders and disciples, but he, as the Sect Master, was responsible to be the arbitrator and final judge. It was simple in principle, but many Sect Masters fail.


    It was only human to give preferential treatment.


    But that was not the way to treat family, was it?


    A disciple came to them willingly, by choice. So their success, as much as it is, was the disciple¡¯s own choice. Family, children, were his responsibility. He had a duty to educate, just as much as the child.


    It was nepotism, and he remembered a time when he frowned on it, but such was the way of the world.


    Tundra too, looked out of the window, just to see what Edison was looking at. Most of the lands between the cities near Luharlia were fertile farmland, grasslands or untamed forests. Farmlands meant they were close to some of the mortal villages. Mortals farmed extensively to support their families. There were herds of milk cows grazing in the distance.


    ¡°What do you think about mortals, son?¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t answer, at first. He stared out of the carriage, and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think about them, father.¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes. That was normal among cultivator families. It was this reason the Zuja managed to corrupt so many mortals into its thralls. For the powerless, what price would they pay for a chance to get even against their oppressors?


    ¡°Should I think about them?¡±


    Tundra shook his head. It was a question he didn¡¯t know the answer to, either. Was the Zuja right, after all? ¡°As cultivators, we rule over them. The mortals of our lands are our subjects, just as we are subjects of the Emperor.¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t want to continue the subject, because he stopped there. ¡°I¡¯ll get some rest, father.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    He hoped some of his words got through to his son.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ***


    The carriage back was one where Tundra spent time thinking.


    Friends. Companions. He felt ashamed how little he knew of his children and descendants, and realized that his initial idea of sending his children elsewhere, where they could grow without his presence and make new friendships, was highly valuable.


    So how should he go about it?


    His mind swirled as he rearranged his priorities. The matter of the Scarlet Thunder Sect, and the matter of the Imperial Summons were over. What¡¯s next was the three descendants of the Blackshore family. Yavin seemed to get along quite well with the two ladies, and from what he knew, the two ladies had their own plans. So, going back to his list, he still had that prisoner, the formation master from one of the enemy sects, and then, to make some pills to buy a Flying Ship.


    With the materials he now possessed, trading some good pills for a flying ship should be doable.


    ***


    Back in Luharlia, The City of the Sixteenth Princess


    Zuri Blackpetals did not report her core disciple¡¯s treachery. She burnt the parasite, and torched the evidence. At that moment, she knew she couldn¡¯t trust her core disciple or any of the other disciples that came with her.


    She felt someone approach her guesthouse, and knew it was a person from the palace. She only hoped it was friendly. The servant was a cultivator too, but only in the second realm. Her attire was that of an official, with all the gaudy embroidery of the royal house.


    ¡°Lady Blackpetals. I¡¯m a servant of the Princess, and she sent me for you. Please follow me, the Princess would like to see you.¡± The servant held a golden seal that represented the Princess¡¯s authority.


    Zuri steeled herself, and bowed. ¡°At once.¡±


    They were rarely allowed into the Inner Palace of the Sixteenth Princess, and there were guards stationed all over the place. 3rd and 4th realm, and there were also protective statues. The Six Protective Statues were all over the city, but even now, Zuri could feel their presence.


    All the Princess needed to do was activate it.


    They took a small steel door next to the massive golden door that led into the Inner Palace. The massive main door was reserved only for the royal family. Inside, it was immediately a massive garden, filled with water features, statues and decorative paintings.


    She knew these were not ordinary objects. They thrummed with spiritual energies, and together, they formed a formation that guided the energies of heaven and earth towards the center, where the Princess stood.


    There was a special pathway for visitors and guests, and the servant seemed to remember the steps perfectly.


    She was brought to a surprisingly small room, but she could tell it was a functional, purposeful place. Even here she could feel the massive energies that was directed into the Princess¡¯s private cultivation chambers right on the other side of the bamboo curtains. The servant stopped, and motioned her to enter.


    She did, unsure what to expect. Was the Princess here already?


    ¡°You look tense, Zuri Blackpetals.¡± The voice came from the other side. Somehow, the voice carried power and authority. It was as if it spoke directly into her soul.


    Zuri immediately knelt on the floor, her forehead touching the floor. ¡°Your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Sit. Tell me about the pill you¡¯ve made for me.¡±


    Zuri gulped. ¡°At once, your majesty.¡± She proceeded to narrate the effects of her pill over the next half hour. The princess listened, but did not interrupt.


    ¡°I see. So the pill seeks harmony between the competing forces within my spirit realm. I see my alchemists¡¯ judgement were not flawed. Well done.¡±


    Zuri knelt once more, her head touched the ground again. ¡°I am humbled by your appreciation, your majesty. We are dutiful servants of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Curiously, my ministers informed me that there would be a companion pill. Where is it?¡±


    Zuri gulped. She had expected this, but her mind was scrambling since she burnt the pill for an appropriate answer, one that wouldn¡¯t expose the treachery within her ranks. She thought about the other pills, and realized there was one that the Princess could take. ¡°Yes. There was. But during the competition, I realized that the companion pill we prepared was thoroughly inferior to one produced during the competition itself. I had destroyed the companion pill, because it was not fit for your consumption.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You destroyed it?¡±


    What followed was a surge in the Princess¡¯s presence. It was incredibly powerful, as if the princess wielded the authority of the Golden Dragon itself. Zuri felt her heart pound furiously.


    Was she going to die here?


    Her hands shook.


    ¡°Well? So which is the new companion pill you propose?¡±


    Zuri tensed up. ¡°The pill prepared by the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow. The Perfect Elderwood Lavaflower Fusion Pill. Taken with a month¡¯s gap, the structured splitting nature of the Lavaflower Fusion pill should permit a peaceful separation of the differing forces, which would prepare your spirit for the union of energies. It should magnify the effectiveness of my Deeprooted Flame Unity Pill.¡±


    What followed was a long, long silence.


    Zuri continued to prostrate herself before the Princess, and her heart pounded furiously.


    ¡°And did you discuss this with him beforehand?¡± The Princess asked.


    ¡°-No.¡±


    ¡°But you think it will work well together.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Far- far better than what my sect prepared.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ***


    The carriage stopped for a break midway, the route from Luharlia back to Verdant Leaf was littered with many smaller towns, most of them nominally under the rule of Her Majesty, the Princess Luharlia.


    Sitting in a carriage for days did get tiring, and so, even though the break was no more than half a day, it was enough for both Celestia and Julia to just go out for a walk.


    ¡°I find it hard to imagine our sect master being drunk with friends.¡± Core Disciple Julia said while they walked around the small town. There were just a few guards from the palace, and they were just in the 2nd or 3rd realm.


    Celestia sniggered slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him drunk a few times. A long time ago. He¡¯s the quiet type.¡±


    ¡°Ah. That, that sort of makes sense. I¡¯ve never gotten drunk.¡± Julia said with a defeated sigh. ¡°I have to look after my fellow drunkards all the time. My mother told me a woman cannot let herself be drunk. So, I never drank too much.¡±


    ¡°My old master said the same thing all the time.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Maybe, if you are with your family, it¡¯s alright?¡±


    Julia shook her head. ¡°You never know when even family can take advantage of you. The closest persons I can trust are probably Agnia and Yerra.¡±


    Celestia nodded. It was sensible that Julia was closest to her fellow female core disciples. ¡°Agnia- she¡¯s still in Lakeshore?¡±


    ¡°I was told she¡¯d be back for a bit. Elder Jashen and another Core Disciple will go over to take over for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is Yavin the one going?¡± Celestia asked. ¡°I wonder how¡¯s his relationship with the two ladies.¡±


    That made Julia stop for a bit. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But if they chose Yavin, then it would totally make sense. I¡¯m not sure how to feel or what to think about their developing relationship.¡±


    The sixth wife laughed. ¡°It is what it is. Life finds a way. Are you ready to be an elder, Julia?¡±


    Julia paused. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Tundra mentioned he¡¯d like to push all of you up to be elders. Yavin, especially.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I guess so. Even if I¡¯m not ready, I will have to be. It would be nice to have female elders, for a change.¡±


    That made Celestia stop as she realized what it meant. ¡°I actually never noticed we didn¡¯t have female elders. I hope you¡¯ll be a good one.¡±


    ¡°No. I hope I¡¯ll be a strong one.¡± Julia said. ¡°Would you also ascend to the fifth realm? With us?¡±


    Celestia thought for a moment, and shook her head. ¡°A little more to go. The forms of my cultivation can be better.¡±


    Julia nodded. ¡°Is the gap that big, Lady Gale? That you¡¯d have to hold yourself back to make sure it is right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know for sure. It feels big.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Would you like to show me?¡±


    The two ladies looked at each other for a moment. The two were of the same spiritual element, both focused on [wood] elemental methods.


    The disciple looked around, and back at the woman.


    ¡°Is- is that a challenge, milady?¡±


    ¡°Well, I would like to trade pointers.¡± Celestia said. ¡°Frequently, if possible. It is hard to know what we lack, when we don¡¯t have peers to show us the difference between heaven and earth.¡±


    The two ladies looked at each other for a long time, as the gears in the disciple¡¯s mind turned.


    Celestia quickly added. ¡°I don¡¯t mean anything else. It is truly just a cultivation-focused conversation. I hope you won¡¯t see this as an abuse of my position as the Sect Master¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Not at all. It would be my honor to assist you.¡± Julia clasped her hands together respectfully. ¡°It¡¯s just that- I might be a little rough around the edges.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡±

 Chapter 42. Dilemma

    Tundra walked through the door of the Sect¡¯s elders meeting room, which promptly shut as he passed. It was a fairly small place, but ornately decorated with the exploits of past and present sect masters and elders. He always hoped he would add this hall of achievements.


    ¡°Welcome back, Sect Master.¡± The three present said in unison. ¡°How was your trip?¡±


    ¡°It went decently well. We¡¯ve returned with a good haul.¡±


    ¡°We heard.¡± Jashen waited, and Tundra sat on his designated seat. But they all knew he had more to say. Jon got to work and began preparing tea for everyone present.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been invited to the White Striped Tiger¡¯s Tournament for disciples.¡± Tundra said first. Again, something they already knew.


    There was a pot of hot tea, it was steaming. Jon waited for a bit, then picked it up and poured a cup for himself. Jon then poured and filled everyone¡¯s cup with tea.


    Tundra sat, and waited. The three elders waited too. Whatever they had to say could wait after the tea was served.


    ¡°So, the Zuja tried to infect the Princess.¡± Tundra said, and then immediately picked up his still hot cup of tea. The three followed to pick up their own cups of tea out of sheer habit, and then all stopped at the same time.


    ¡°And?¡± Jashen was first to blurt out.


    ¡°It probably failed.¡± Tundra answered, and then gently blew the hot tea. He then took a small sip. It was strangely tangy. ¡°Is this one of the presents we got?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A Thousand Dew Tea from the Nurkfields Highlands. We thought we¡¯d try it since you came back from a long journey.¡± Jon added. Jon loved tea, and loved brewing fine teas while reading scripture. Tundra heard of some teas that could improve concentration, and he internally made a note to explore the various types of tea. Maybe there¡¯s some that could even improve his children¡¯s talents. ¡°But please, don¡¯t let the tea distract us from the earlier topic. So, how deep do they go?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡± Tundra said, the second sip was a little less hot. ¡°They had agents within the Crimson Lotus Spire.¡±


    ¡°An elder?¡± Severian wondered.


    ¡°A core disciple. But I think he¡¯s expendable.¡± Tundra said with a sigh. There were likely others within the Palace, but he wasn¡¯t sure who. The minister clearly was compromised, or perhaps just corrupt.


    ¡°They seem to have a lot deeper reserves than you make them out to be.¡± Jashen placed his own teacup back on the ornate wooden table. It was an old table, so old that it came from an earlier generation of sect masters.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. But let us not worry about that. Our haul is good, and so, we need to get all of you up to the sixth. Who¡¯d like to go first?¡±


    Severian nodded, and Tundra could feel him at the peak of the fifth realm. With the right pills, he should be ready. ¡°Me. I am ready.¡±


    ¡°Good. You two?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. A little more for me to go. I¡¯d have to drop by at Lakeshore.¡± Jashen said. ¡°But I believe it should be fairly uneventful. With you in the seventh realm, they would think carefully lest you rip their ancestral roots out.¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°Do I have such a fearsome reputation?¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Jashen smirked. ¡°We should use it well. I believe our prisoner¡¯s starting to feel a little worried about her position.¡±


    Tundra glanced at Jon, and Jon just shook his head. ¡°It is not time. The tea is still hot, and the taste is still not yet fully expressed.¡±


    The regressor sect master sat, and took another sip of the tea. There was a strong, earthy, grassy taste to the tea, with a hint of sourness. There were probably finer notes he missed. But he wouldn¡¯t force his friend. If he isn¡¯t ready, then so be it. ¡°Very well. Then I will get started on Severian¡¯s pills, and we will guard him during his breakthrough. It should take a month or so.¡±


    Severian answered with conviction. ¡°Ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Tundra answered even though he too, had a ton of questions. He wondered how Severian thought about his entire conduct over at the Scarlet Lightning City and the developments with the Scarlet Thunder Sect, but he looked at the certainty in Severian¡¯s face, and knew he shouldn¡¯t ask those questions now.


    There was no point seeding confusion and doubt when a breakthrough was so near. Many cultivators enter secluded cultivation prior to any breakthrough for the very purpose of clearing their minds and quieting their hearts.


    It would have to wait.


    ***


    ¡°How was the trip? Did anything happen?¡± Elly asked as Celestia entered the dining hall. The two sat together during the evening dinner, and the two wives gathered to share the details. Celestia wasn¡¯t a particularly gossipy type, but when Elly asked, Celestia felt obliged to answer.


    It was an exhausting thing, but Elly seemed interested to know every single bit, on both their mutual husband, and also about Edison.


    The sixth wife sensed Edison¡¯s restlessness. He felt out of place. He lacked skill. Confidence. Life experience. This was her husband trying to give him some. Growth.


    Just like Tundra, Elly too, hoped some of those memories and words managed to stick in his mind.


    She saw hope and worry in Elly¡¯s eyes. The concern a mother had for their son who went away for a trip, and now wanted to know everything.


    Celestia knew she would be like that some day. One day, if she did have children with Tundra, it would be her turn to fret and worry. Even now, she was already concerned about her other step-children and step-grandchildren. What more if she had one that came from her own flesh?


    She reached over and touched Elly¡¯s hand. It was warm. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright. Edison- I think we should give him time to think. I think he¡¯s slowly getting it.¡±


    Elly looked back at Celestia and nodded. ¡°I¡¯d give him time. I¡¯ve given him a lot of time. I only fear that Tundra would not give him the time he needs. Tundra, he¡¯s frustrated with our kids and wants results. If Edison¡¯s stagnant while his other siblings progress, it may not end well.¡±


    Celestia didn¡¯t know what to say. Much of what could happen is in Edison¡¯s hands. She said her piece, and there was a point not to repeat what was already said often.


    So, she held Elly¡¯s hand, and gave a small, gentle squeeze. ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    Elly turned and gave her a worried smile. Her heart was elsewhere, concerned, but unable to help. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Dinner was over, and Celestia stretched once she returned home.


    It was nice to be back in her room once more. Each of the wives had their own private rooms, their own little ¡®abode¡¯ and ¡®retreat¡¯. It was an expectation common throughout the world, though she was aware that most mortal families often didn¡¯t have such luxuries.


    She closed her eyes, and picked out her sword. She called on her energy, and entered into a trance. Practice.


    The sword flows.


    The movement wasn¡¯t as smooth as she liked. There were parts when her energy felt insufficient to pull off some of the steps required by the technique.


    Will Edison be alright?


    She shook her head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about it. Practice. She thought about how Tundra taught and guided Julia as an alchemist.


    That made sense. Julia probably learned more in those two weeks than a year of studying alchemy text.


    Ah, her mind wandered again. It was quite hard to quiet down all these stray thoughts.


    She closed her eyes, and willed her mind to silence. Her sword flowed again.


    Her mind wandered once more, and thought about her coming session with Core Disciple Julia. She hoped she didn¡¯t perform too badly.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    She cursed.


    She should get one of those mind clarity pills for herself.


    ***


    One year and six months after regression


    It¡¯s been more than a year since he regressed back in time.


    Tundra spent weeks in the workshop to prepare the pills for his elders.


    Severian¡¯s primary element was Earth, but he did have two sub specializations where the Earth Element energy was condensed into stronger stone and rock, and also the other direction where he went for Sand and the flowing earth.


    The pills made from the materials of the Imperial Palace would deliver a large dose of pure earth element energy, but to truly help his fellow Elder, he needed to also convert some of that Earth Element energy into it¡¯s secondary forms.


    So it took longer than normal, but after the past few weeks, the pills were ready.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go.¡± The two of them met. Jon would have to stand guard over the Verdant Snow Sect, but Tundra expected it¡¯ll be alright.


    Severian looked up at the sun, and then into the faraway hills.


    Tundra gave him a reassuring look, and tapped Severian on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve got this, brother.¡±


    Severian laughed, there was a hint of nervousness in it. Then, he answered with confidence. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He sat on a quiet hill far enough from the Verdant Snow, and prepared all the things he needed.


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s all yours from here.¡± Tundra said, and then moved to leave him on the hill.


    ¡°If you could do it, I can too.¡± Severian nodded, as he patted his chest.


    His three elders were talented. Not geniuses, but still talented enough that their progress up to their current point has been smooth. Even the form of their cultivation was good. They had good instincts.


    Jon, Severian, and Jashen were once his peers. Tundra became a Core Disciple before they did, he was, after all, older than them, but ultimately, they grew up together, all as disciples of the Verdant Snow Sect. At one point, when Severian was still young, he even hoped to be the next Sect Master.


    Alas, Tundra¡¯s talent as a master alchemist was self-evident, and Severian wisely decided to withdraw. In some ways, it was Tundra¡¯s good fortune that his rise to his present post was peaceful, and not fraught with conflict like some other sects.


    The breakthrough to the sixth realm could take up to a month. The fastest Tundra had ever seen was about ten days, and that was by one of those generational geniuses, on top of the aid of some old lingering spirit.


    The clouds above began to swirl as the world sensed a breakthrough. As the soul expands to create more space, the heavens and earth have to yield to it¡¯s expansion. The heavens and earth may not always yield peacefully, and so, tribulation.


    From Tundra¡¯s location just a mountain away, he could sense his elders gradually rising energies. It was going well. He could feel it when Severian ate two more pills. The gathering of the realm¡¯s spiritual energy surged. Earth. The ground trembled, and Tundra quickly inserted his own energies to reinforce the terrain.


    Earth energies were drawn from the surroundings, and with it, the tremors in the hills intensified. The ground shook as the earth¡¯s energies flowed from the lands towards Severian, and energies swirled within Severin¡¯s soul.


    The soul gathered its energy to rebel against its constraints.


    Tundra knew of many analogies, most were useful to comprehend certain aspects of ¡®ascension¡¯. Again, analogies do not describe the whole truth, but merely give insight, so the cultivator could gain comprehension and understanding.


    He once heard from those in the south, they described the soul like an expandable rubber balloon that grows outward as it gathers energy. As the realm rises, the tensions of the material increases, and at the same time, pushback from the surroundings also increases. Overdo it, and the ball explodes. If not enough energy was used, the ball wouldn¡¯t expand.


    Useful, but incomplete.


    Another useful analogy came from those along the shore and seas. They would say that rising up the realms is like building polders, to ¡®create¡¯ or ¡®reclaim¡¯ new land from the sea. The polders must be strong enough to resist the batterings of the sea.


    For Tundra personally, his soul swirled with the powers of metal, and his own personal favorite analogy of ascension came from glass work.


    During ascension, the soul is heated and temporarily enters a malleable, sensitive state. Then, the spirit¡¯s contained energy expanded outwards, to push the molten material to create a larger space, and that new space formed the new usable spiritual realm for the cultivator.


    The expansion cannot be too fast.


    Unlike glass blowing which was a fairly quick process, the soul¡¯s strength determined how quickly this expansion could go, and in the higher realms, the structure was far less stable, and that¡¯s why they needed more time.


    Tundra could feel it when Severian¡¯s earth energies started pushing against its current constraints. The spirit is vulnerable, and so some cultivators choose somewhere hidden so that their enemies couldn¡¯t find them.


    Others ask their friends to stand guard. It is an act of immense trust.


    The expansion began, and after a week, Severian downed some pills to maintain the expansion. Each higher realm required more energy, and thus, more pills to ensure that the cultivator didn¡¯t run out of steam during this crucial expansion process.


    The earth rumbled.


    The mountain around them cracked.


    Tundra¡¯s metallic energies weaved into the ground around them, and restrained the earth like inserting reinforced steel bars into the ground.


    The rumbling lessened. The skies growled.


    Severian ate a total of ten pills over the month. Each time Tundra could feel a sudden surge in the elder¡¯s energy levels.


    One day about a month later, it all stopped. Then, Severian¡¯s energies, now in a higher realm, pushed outward, a declaration that he succeeded.


    He would need a week or two to stabilize his cultivation.


    Just like the analogy of blowing glass, the worked glass needed to be allowed to cool.


    Just like the analogy of polders reclaiming land, the new land needed time before it could be worked on.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Tundra said.


    Severian looked at him. ¡°Was it ever in doubt? If you could do it, I could too.¡±


    Tundra laughed, but remembered a time when some of his elders in the far future failed their own breakthroughs. Maybe it was just an improper form, or the amount of energy was insufficient, or just the shape of their cultivation. Failure was dangerous. It often resulted in a poisoning of the spiritual realm. In some cases, their cultivation crumbled.


    He thought about the alchemist Laurian Frostmold. Hollowed. A shattered glass bottle leaked, and repairing it often involved taking a step back.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    There was no need to be a downer.


    ***


    News spread quickly, and the reputation of the Verdant Snow rose with it. Already, there were messengers at their doorstep, from nearby sects that now wanted to make friends.


    One such sect that changed their mind was the Blood Blade Sect. It was a letter that was fairly simple in its content. In short, the Blood Blade Sect declared they would no longer pursue their claims over the town of Lakeshore and the Lakeshore Barrens, and that they have officially cut ties with the Amberblade Family.


    As for the formation master, they threw her under the horse carriage. They¡¯ve given up all claims and expelled her as a member of the Blood Blade Sect.


    Tundra took the letter, and then took it to the formation master. ¡°Your sect has abandoned you.¡±


    Tundra took the letter, and gave it to the woman. She could shred it. She could destroy the letter. But whatever it is, her faith in her own sect was broken.


    She stared at it, unable to believe the document in her hands. The formation master probably wasn¡¯t very old. She seemed no older than Celestia, probably 300 to 400 years old. Her experience of the world, especially what she knew while in a small sect like the Blood Blade Sect, is thus lacking.


    Tundra continued. ¡°It is not uncommon. In battles between sects, I have seen many such demands made. A young master offended another young master, and the more powerful sect demanded the young master¡¯s life. To preserve itself and prevent total war, the weaker sect agreed to their demands. It so happens that we are much stronger now. I have seen even Great Pretender Sects surrender their claims, and even offered a sacrificial lamb.¡±


    The formation master was smart enough to know what Tundra meant, and so she closed her eyes. ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°Really. Do you want to die?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I thought so.¡± Tundra laughed. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll kill you now?¡±


    The formation master thought so. ¡°Is that not what the letter meant? That this is my death sentence?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. You see, from my point of view, you are now a free, wandering cultivator. Your sect has just disowned you, so, I could just as easily offer you a role with us.¡±


    She froze, her brain clearly unable to process what Tundra just said. ¡°Did I not attempt to kill you?¡±


    ¡°You failed.¡± Tundra said with a chuckle. ¡°Besides, it is not as if you are walking freely. The price of life is labor. In fact, I might even release you from your restrictions if you prove that you can be trusted.¡±


    She gulped. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Simple. You¡¯re a formation master in the fourth realm, and I reckon you have about a thousand years left in your life. So, you have plenty of time to earn your freedom.¡±


    ¡°What does that involve?¡±


    ¡°You will join us, and you will work. You will be given the outfit of an Inner Disciple, and we will continue to monitor you for the next twenty years. You will build smaller formations for us. At the end of it, if your work was satisfactory, I will set you free, or if you choose, you can continue to stay with us.¡±


    ¡°A prison sentence, then.¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Well, Yes and no. Right now, I believe you have some value, so I¡¯m trying to recruit a potentially talented formation master, instead of sending you to the heavenly immortals.¡±


    ¡°You do not fear I will betray you?¡±


    ¡°Well, the punishment for treason is death. A traitor, no matter how talented, is worthless.¡± Tundra smiled. ¡°Besides, do you really want to collaborate with the Blood Blade Sect that¡¯s just given you away?¡±


    ¡°You have other enemies.¡±


    Tundra smiled at how quickly she was catching up to the realities of politics. ¡°You are right. Perhaps I should reconsider my offer and rip your cultivation out of your spirit. Let you walk the living worlds as a mortal once more. That would be a fate worse than death. Or as I initially offered, death. Make your choice.¡±


    That made her pale up, and this time, she knelt before him. She stammered as she apologized. ¡°I misspoke. I am prepared to serve, Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°Good. For now, you are permitted to go no further than the Verdant Leaf Town. A servant will bring you to your new room and deliver you your uniform. You will report to Elder Jon or Elder Jashen tomorrow. They will find duties suitable for someone of your talents.¡±


    She bowed. ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 43. Leaving the nest?

    Anna Fox ate a pill, and felt her mind swirl. She¡¯s been thinking a lot lately. Thoughts she didn¡¯t know she should have, and her father seemed pleased. There were a few other siblings, but they¡¯ve stepped out to rest. Some would go back to their own homes to cultivate.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well.¡±


    Anna shook her head. She got things in her mind. Her cultivation inched closer to the peak of the 3rd realm. A level she thought she wouldn¡¯t reach. The 7th stage of the 3rd realm wasn¡¯t much, but it was faster than she thought she would ever be.


    ¡°At your current level. I believe this should help you reach the 4th realm in another two to four years.¡± Her father said her spiritual roots would have to be upgraded later, to supply a larger, stronger cultivation. Meddling with spiritual roots sounded dangerous, but somehow, her father looked absolutely confident.


    The same father once told her spiritual roots were fixed. That was something he said, many, many years ago. Her father changed. The past one and a half years was all the evidence she needed.


    She couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Father.¡±


    Tundra looked at her, and she looked at him. There was something in his eyes that made her feel as if she was talking to someone else. He blinked first, and after what felt like a long thought process, he tapped the seat next to him. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Will it be alright? All of this? Whatever you are preparing us for.¡± Anna¡¯s first thoughts was some kind of clairvoyance. She heard families that started behaving strangely, at least from her merchant friends, when their patriarch met some astrologer or oracle. The stars aligned, and gave a warning.


    Tundra looked at her, and she noticed the wrinkles on his face. A cultivator of his level could choose whatever appearance they so desired, but often, the flesh reflects the state of mind. Someone who felt old adopted the form of someone older. His hair was always greyish, with streaks of white, but the whiteness of his white hair seemed brighter.


    ¡°I mean- did you see an oracle?¡±


    Tundra blinked again, and then he smiled. ¡°I would say so. The future- It¡¯s not a pleasant place for us.¡±


    Anna looked away and wished there were snacks in the room. She should have something to eat when she processed something so difficult. ¡°Are we all going to die?¡±


    ¡°I hope not.¡± Her father looked distant. ¡°There will be people trying to tempt us with power, money, connections. They will offer us hope when it feels like we have nowhere to go. We will have to be wary.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a cult.¡±


    ¡°It is a cult.¡± Tundra nodded, and patted her head. She was already an adult, and yet for a moment, it was as if she was a child again. His hands went back on his own.


    ¡°Are we doing enough?¡± Anna asked, unsure why that was on her mind.


    Tundra¡¯s sigh was all the answer she needed.


    ¡°We¡¯re terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Anna looked at the rest of her siblings and half siblings. ¡°Annaly¡¯s been asking me for tips, and I realized I couldn¡¯t give her much.¡±


    ¡°It takes decades of study.¡± Tundra said. ¡°I may have been a little too ambitious. I sometimes forget what is normal, I have been too used to disciples who are-¡± Tundra stopped midway, realizing he probably should not have said it.


    ¡°Ridiculously talented?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Her father said, and Anna felt like her father was remembering something, rather than just regurgitating theory. Something happened a year and a half ago. ¡°How¡¯s Annaly? If my granddaughter needs personal tutorship, you can send her to me.¡±


    Anna paused, a little reluctant. It didn¡¯t feel quite right to let her own daughter face her father directly. Somehow, she, as a mother of one, wanted to be there. ¡°I- I¡¯ll talk to her first. If she really needs guidance, I will bring her to you.¡±


    Tundra nodded, and looked at her. ¡°How old is Annaly this year?¡±


    She had to mentally count. ¡°81. I think. She¡¯s in the 2nd realm.¡±


    The two sat quietly.


    The fog in her mind seemed to clear a little more. The thoughts seemed to make more sense. ¡°She¡¯s growing. The pill helped.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra looked away, distant. After a while, her father asked. ¡°Who does she spend time with?¡±


    That stumped Anna, that whatever questions on her mind suddenly vanished, and her head turned to look at her father. It stumped her so much that all she could do was repeat her father¡¯s question, as if she recited it as an attempt to understand it. ¡°Who does she spend time with?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Does- does she have friends?¡±


    ¡°Of course she does-¡± Anna answered with utmost certainty, only to stop midway. She wasn¡¯t certain at all. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. I think she mostly spends time in her room. She- she has some friends, the merchant ladies-¡±


    Anna was fairly sure Annaly had friends. But that was many, many years ago, and maybe they¡¯ve grown older.


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    Her father looked at her, and then sighed. ¡°How about you, Anna? Do you have friends?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Anna paused as she tried to make sense of everything. The question made her wonder. A cultivator often doesn¡¯t notice time passing. Cultivation¡¯s singular focus on the movement of energy and internal soul fluctuations tended to blind them to the world outside. ¡°I- I suppose I do, but I have not spoken to them in years. Friends of Josh. Back when he was a wandering cultivator. Back when he lived.¡±


    Tundra looked at her, a little sympathetic. ¡°Who do you talk to, usually?¡±


    ¡°The servants. The merchants. Annaly. Larian and his wife, occasionally. Their kids.¡± Anna felt like she was really dredging the hole.


    ¡°Do you not mix with the disciples?¡±


    ¡°No. They- they¡¯re different.¡± Anna said suddenly. There was always an invisible barrier between the disciples and family. Family members were there not because of merit at all. They were there because they were born as his children.


    The different mindsets meant the two groups generally didn¡¯t mingle unless necessary. The disciples have their own dining area, and the two existed side by side but almost rarely interacted.


    Tundra just nodded, as if this was entirely what he expected.


    ¡°I see. I should be making more friends. Friends with children that I can introduce to all of you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Anna felt concerned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you not want more friends?¡±


    At this point, Anna didn¡¯t get it. There were things her father said when she was younger that didn¡¯t match up and the conflict was now more apparent in her mind. ¡°Father, was it not you who said that cultivators walk the path of the heavens alone? That cultivation is a solitary affair, and all the rest could do is guide and teach, but the path is one we take alone. We spend years in our homes, concentrating our minds and effort on improving our body and spirit, and so we are rewarded with longer lives. Things like friends are distractions. So- why friends?¡±


    Anna¡¯s sudden rebuke made Tundra pause. He seemed pleased, though a little, to Anna¡¯s surprise, embarrassed. ¡°I did say such things, and would you accept it if I say I was lacking experience?¡±


    ¡°Lacking experience?¡±


    ¡°I saw, in a dream, of a life where those who failed. Few recover when they fail, but those that do recover are supported by family, and friends. There are times when we have nothing left in ourselves to push ourselves onward, and it is times like that we rely on our friends.¡±


    Anna looked at her father. It was such a shrewd way of putting value on friends. ¡°Really, is that what friends are for? People we rely on in times of need?¡±


    Tundra looked a little embarrassed. For a moment, the father and daughter shared a long, long moment of silence.


    Anna looked at her father and saw, in a brief moment, a lifetime of weariness.


    ¡°I do have a tendency to view things in future value. It is perhaps one of my greatest, most persistent faults. One that I have not succeeded in rectifying. I am good at valuing tradeoffs, it is one of the things that makes me a good alchemist, as I weigh the benefits and disadvantages of different materials. It is a good skill to have, as a sect master, to make decisions based on incremental net benefit to the sect.¡±


    The words sounded like her father was justifying his views to her, yet the tone came out as if he was justifying it to herself. Her father stopped, and looked outside at the setting sun. He probably had another session with her stepmothers later.


    ¡°But you are right. It is a little calculative and selfish that I weigh and treat friends that way. I hope my children have friends, because I want a future benefit for all of you. Connections. Network. Opportunities.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Would you walk with me, Anna?¡±


    Anna nodded, as the two of them walked out of the cultivation room and into the corridors. There were outer disciples practicing in the central courtyard. Physique training was important in the lower realms, though for someone like her father, his physique was entirely at his spirit¡¯s whim.


    Tundra led her through the winding corridors, and then, to a section of the Sect with a peaceful garden. Sect Elder Severian Grey meditated in a quiet verandah. ¡°I want my children to have friends. I know it is selfish, but my children and descendants should learn how to make friends. At home, and in our home city, we can rely on our family, on our sect. But when we are far away, it is our friends that will look after us.¡±


    The first daughter sighed. ¡°It¡¯s still so calculative.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The reason why to have friends may seem calculative, but I do make genuine friends. I do not treat my loyal friends as tools.¡± Tundra said.


    ¡°You were not like that. Not to people outside of our sect. If the prize was right-¡±


    Tundra looked away. ¡°You are right. But good friends are worth it. When all seems lost, it is them who stand with you. Some of them are even better than family, because both of you chose to be there for each other.¡±


    Anna sighed. ¡°So what should we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of sending all my grandchildren away to other sects where they can be regular disciples.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Anna turned abruptly, unaware of the suggestion Tundra made to Edison some time before. On paper, most sects were meritocratic, but there were always admissions by way of recommendations, or friendly reasons.


    ¡°Friendly sects, of course. Ideally, I would prefer to send them to a larger sect, a great sect, the greater pretender sect where our children can be more than equals. Where our children and grandchildren can see what it is like to be judged on their own qualities. A chance for them to step out of my shadow, earn their own reputation, and build their own network of contacts and friends. Our family has not given our children a chance to shine, and I should not be holding them back from seeking greener pastures elsewhere.¡±


    It was unthinkable. In the era when Tundra was a warmongering sect leader that swallowed up other sects, his children and grandchildren would be targets for kidnappings, ransom, and assassinations.


    Still, Anna looked at her father. ¡°Do you want to send me to another sect as a disciple, father?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Would you like to go somewhere? I can find a sect that should take you in. It wouldn¡¯t even be that harsh, once we have a flying ship or two, travel between sects will be fairly convenient.¡±


    Anna stared at her father, and wondered. She heard tales from her late husband, about a time when he used to wander from city to city. Life as a wandering cultivator was one of adventure, of doing odd tasks at the request of city officials or rich merchant guilds. A mercenary.


    Their family never traveled much. Their home was the safest place.


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know. I have to think. What about Annaly?¡±


    ¡°Once she reaches the 3rd realm she should be able to get admission to some of the greater pretender sects too. It should not be too difficult to arrange for both of you to join the same sect.¡±


    ¡°Mother and daughter in the same sect sounds weird.¡±


    ¡°It is not unusual.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Many sects would happily admit 3rd realms.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little too old for it. I guess Annaly might be better suited for it. I¡¯ll have to talk to her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even 300 years old.¡± Her father frowned. ¡°Some sect masters are incredibly old, like Patriarch Whitedragon. He¡¯s rumored to be 24,000 years old. You¡¯re still a whelp in his eyes.¡±


    She gulped, and yet, she wondered what it¡¯ll be like to live without her father¡¯s presence in her life.


    A little bit of her was excited.


    The larger part of her stared back at her father, and wondered whether this really was happening.


    ¡°-do you know which sect?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find one.¡± Tundra said.

 Chapter 44. Interludes for Yavin and Zuri

    Interlude I - Zuri and the Princess


    Zuri Blackpetals didn¡¯t like how familiar the hallways and corridors felt. She had been here for too long, too often. And her spirit still swirls in its presence.


    Few would dare tell a cultivator of a fairly sizable sect to wait about for a few weeks. She was asked to wait two months, and yet, she had no choice but to obey. She could sense it. The city of Luharlia was not one without its minders. The not-so-secret eyes of the ancient spirit beasts that were turned into guardian protectors.


    Shadows.


    She could not leave the inner palace, and wondered what kind of mess her core disciple made for her to clean up. Was the minister the only one working against the Empire? Who funded these cults?


    Demons?


    She closed her eyes, and tried her best to make use of the facilities available to her. Workshops. The Imperial cultivation chambers. But her heart was bothered, and it is best not to work on her cultivation with a shaky heart. Each piece of her cultivation is built like a finely tuned network of channels and gates, and she had to be precise.


    So, she waited. She did the next best thing, and worked on more pills. There was plenty of supply, and she made easy pills. Pills that helped her calm her nerves. The Imperial Palace of the Princess Luharlia may not be the grandest, most powerful palace, but every imperial palace is-


    ¡°Lady Blackpetals.¡± The same princess¡¯s attendant was suddenly outside her door. When did she get there? The Imperial Palace had some kind of formations that suppressed their ability to sense movement and people, but even so, did it impair her senses so badly? ¡°The Princess is ready to see you.¡±


    She sat up from her chair, activated a stasis formation that temporarily slowed the interacting components within the cauldron, and picked up her outer layer. The wind was fairly strong today, and even if she was unbothered, she didn¡¯t want to expend her energies unnecessarily.


    ***


    The alchemist found herself ushered to the same room where she met the princess. She didn¡¯t see any tribulation or sense any unusual energy flows for the past two months, and yet, the princess clearly was going through her breakthrough. Her conclusion could only be that there must be some secret chamber within the princess¡¯s palace that hid the normal effects of breakthrough.


    ¡°Sit, Zuri Blackpetals.¡± The voice was immediate. She was already ready when the servant called her. The princess was behind the curtain, and the only thing she could faintly see was the shadows of the princess from a set of oil lamps on the other side.


    Zuri immediately knelt. ¡°Greetings, your majesty. Your humble servant is at your service.¡±


    ¡°Then sit.¡±


    Zuri looked around, and then sat on one of the cushioned seats.


    ¡°Good. Now. How did you think my breakthrough went?¡±


    Zuri felt herself sweat. What¡¯s the point of such a question? There was no use using her senses, the screen prevented any such intrusions. So, she could only answer with her gut. ¡°It is successful, your majesty.¡±


    There was silence.


    The alchemist steeled herself. It must be successful. Even if it wasn¡¯t, she must have faith in her product.


    The silence went on more.


    ¡°You seem sure.¡±


    ¡°It would not dare doubt your talent and competence, your majesty. It must be successful.¡± Zuri answered.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The fine silverlight bamboo screen began to rise, and curl up, and Zuri was then assaulted with the tremendous strength of someone in the seventh realm. It wasn¡¯t just the seventh realm, it was as if it was a heavier, more powerful form. She tried to make sense of her power. Unwitting, she raised her head and Zuri saw a woman wearing a shawl with a sheer that covered her face, and a robe made with enough divine materials to bankrupt most sects.


    ¡°Your suggestion was well founded, Zuri Blackpetals, and so I must commend your performance. You will be rewarded with a prized sword from my treasury, use it well.¡±


    Zuri realized it was probably inappropriate to stare at the princess, and so immediately knelt, and her head touched the ground. ¡°This servant thanks your majesty¡¯s generosity.¡±


    The screen lowered once more. An awkward silence returned.


    ¡°You may sit, Zuri. Tell me, do you think there are traitors in your sect?¡±


    The alchemist wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°I am uncertain, your majesty. But I will investigate once I return.¡±


    ¡°Good. But don¡¯t flush them out.¡± The princess said. ¡°I had long suspected there were agents of my half-brothers, and those of the more unsavory kind in my midst. But my mind was clouded by the challenges of my sixth realm. But no more.¡±


    Zuri gulped, as she realized she was now being pulled into the political games of the palace. Lord Gurdra Black was right on one thing. There really was no choice to sit on the sidelines, the players of the game would force them to choose.


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    The Princess continued, ¡°Return to your sect, and give me a list of five names of your trusted subordinates that you can spare in a year. With my new strength, my access to the imperial coffers grows, and I wish to grow my retinue. You will be needed when I attempt my breakthrough to the eighth realm.¡±


    It was as good as a command. She could send people lower on the pole if she didn¡¯t want to be seen like she was supporting the Princess. But at this point, the only thing to do was to accept. ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Now, that other pill you had me consume was also spectacular. Who was it again? The Verdant Snow Sect?¡±


    The alchemist nodded. ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Such talent should be brought closer into my sphere of influence. I will have their young masters and ladies added to my service.¡±


    Zuri Blackpetals didn¡¯t say a word, she only hoped that Tundra Fox was prepared for what was coming his way.


    ***


    Interlude II - Yavin and Lakeshore


    Yavin arrived at Lakeshore accompanied by the two young mistresses of the Blackshore family, and found a fairly bustling town. The Amberblade family got the message, and cleverly withdrew their claim to lick their wounds. It was likely they would now look out for a larger, more powerful sect to back them up.


    ¡°Welcome back, my daughters! Where¡¯s your brother?¡± The Blackshore Patriarch seemed surprised to find both Clara and Clarissa both back on a trip.


    ¡°He¡¯s still back in Verdant Leaf, father.¡± Clara answered.


    ¡°Then why are you back?¡±


    Clara and Clarissa coughed together. ¡°I- We¡¯d like to introduce the new representative from the Verdant Snow Sect, the Sect Elder Jashen, and Core Disciple Yavin Redaxe. Since they were coming, we thought it was appropriate for us, as the locals, to show the guests around.¡±


    Both Elder Jashen and Yavin smiled, and respectfully greeted the patriarch. He clearly didn¡¯t expect this development. The way they stood and conducted themselves around the Core Disciple rang all the alarm bells, but with an elder around, the Patriarch couldn¡¯t do anything.


    Elder Jashen nodded. ¡°Yavin will be responsible for Lakeshore in the coming days, Patriarch. It is only appropriate that we let him have a look at what he is dealing with.¡±


    Yavin¡¯s greetings had not let up. ¡°Indeed, we will work together often, Patriarch, and so, we brought a small gift.¡± It was just a fairly normal fourth realm pill, but it was still a small fortune, even for someone with the Blackshore family¡¯s now growing wealth. But it is not the value. It is in the process.


    The patriarch could not fault the two girls this way. ¡°I- I see. Then, it must¡¯ve been a long journey. Would you like to use our guest rooms?¡±


    Jashen and Yavin both clasped their hands together. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Patriarch?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, certainly! This way!¡±


    ***


    Yavin could not help but smile when he noticed the Patriarch¡¯s confused and suspicious stares. The two guests were treated to a sumptuous feast, but somehow, it was Clara and Clarissa that did all the entertaining, without their father¡¯s request.


    Clara and Clarissa were quite intelligent, and Yavin knew he was the fat buddha¡¯s thigh that they were now holding onto tightly. Maybe it was to spite their father. Maybe it was their way of taking control of their own lives. It didn¡¯t matter.


    Yavin was offered a prize, and a chance to establish holdings of his own. The Blackshore family pretty much served itself to him on a platter, since their older brother and the supposed heir was much weaker than him.


    ¡°Well, this is a fine meal.¡± Yavin decided to praise their host. ¡°Your hospitality is amazing, Patriarch. A toast?¡±


    Jashen played the part well, and raised his cup. ¡°The three of them seem to get along with each other, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    The Patriarch had no choice but to act the part of the friendly, happy host. Jashen, Yavin and the Patriarch drank the cup of wine in his hand, and clearly for the older man, it didn¡¯t taste good. Yavin thought it tasted quite nice.


    Clara quickly refilled Yavin and Jashen¡¯s cup, while Clarissa swiftly attended to her father¡¯s cup. ¡°Here, father, never let your cups be empty!¡±


    Her father gave Clarissa a look. A look that clearly suggested they were both going to have a long, long talk after this meal.


    Yavin decided it was appropriate to keep it up, and so offered a second toast. ¡°The hospitality provided by your daughters has been exceptional. Another toast, to Clara and Clarissa. The two have been fantastic company since they came to the Verdant Leaf.¡±


    The two girls giggled playfully. ¡°Brother Yavin, don¡¯t say things like that, my father will misunderstand!¡±


    The Patriarch¡¯s glare was even more intense.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, there is nothing to misunderstand.¡± Yavin decided to drop the bombshell, and Jashen got to work.


    Elder Jashen leaned a little on the table, and spoke a little bit loudly that none of them would miss it. ¡°Which brings me to something else. As the Sect Elder, it is my duty to deliver a message Sect Master Fox, in his infinite wisdom, thought it¡¯ll be fit for an elder to be married. Patriarch Blackshore, I¡¯m very thankful that you¡¯ve decided to send your wonderful daughters to the Verdant Leaf. On reflection, we¡¯ve noticed that Yavin and the two girls truly did enjoy having some companionship, and we thought that it would be fit for them to be together.¡±


    The Patriarch turned to stare at the girls, and wondered which one.


    ¡°Oh, but it seemed Yavin couldn¡¯t quite decide on either Clara or Clarissa. So, rather than go through the trouble of choosing between both of your excellent daughters, it seems Yavin decided to take both of them as his companions.¡±


    Patriarch Blackshore was so stunned that his porcelain wine cup dropped on the floor. It shattered, and the entire dining room was immediately silent. Everyone turned to look at them.


    The older man blinked. Yavin smiled. Jashen grinned. ¡°Of course, it is contingent on Yavin¡¯s ascension to elder. But it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±


    Yavin nodded. ¡°Yes. To prove the sincerity of my intention, Patriarch Blackshore, I will return with a proper betrothal gift fit for two weddings.¡±


    He blinked, and slowly turned to see both Clara and Clarissa blushing, as red as a tomato. They were each holding one of Yavin¡¯s arms. They both flirted together. ¡°Brother Yavin, we can¡¯t wait~¡±


    The Patriarch stared at Clara and Clarissa. Yavin wished he could read minds then. Would the patriarch say that an elder of the Verdant Snow Sect was unworthy of his two daughters?


    Or maybe, was this the moment he knew a tiger had gotten into the henhouse, and already two of his flocks were already eaten?


    Either way, it was fun. The patriarch was trapped, and despite his best efforts not to, he had to smile and clap, and say the words that he would have preferred not to say. His shaky pronunciation was all Yavin needed to guess at his opinions. He stammered. ¡°Ah, I- I am sorry about that interruption. I was merely surprised. This is wonderful news, my daughters!¡±


    Elder Jashen smiled, as a servant rushed over with a replacement cup. Jashen refilled it and personally served the patriarch wine. ¡°Their union would truly bring the Verdant Snow Sect and the Blackshore family closer together.¡±


    ¡°Certainly!¡± The Patriarch lied. A hollow laughter and smile followed.


    There were no such things as a merger of equals. This was the first step to a future takeover. Yavin wondered how the patriarch would retaliate. Would he go as far as poisoning her own daughters?


    But first, his ascension. Then, a wedding.

 Chapter 45. Forgestone Peak

    One year and 11 months after regression


    Tundra couldn¡¯t help but smile in amusement as the group that came with him seemed unusually tense. Even more than the visit to Luharlia. Edison kept staring and looking out of the windows of the carriage, as the view outside changed from the farmlands, forests, and over to rocky hills.


    It was still a fairly small convoy, all said and done. Only about fifty people, spread across ten or so carriages. He could feel the excitement in many of them, all truly little bumpkins going to the big city.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re going to Forgestone Peak.¡± Tundra remembered some of the Core Disciples chatting among themselves. Forgestone Peak, the trading hub of the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s shipyards. One of the major outposts of one of the Great Sect. As they got closer, the rocky terrain gave way to proper roads and workshops as far as the eye could see.


    Forgestone Peak was home to millions, as an entire institution built around supporting the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s massive shipbuilding industry. There were multiple sects that engaged in the construction of flying ships, but at the top stood the Flaming Phoenix.


    He didn¡¯t mount an attack on this city. Not in his first life. That was one of those red lines that would¡¯ve thrown the two sects at each other¡¯s throats. An attack on this city is a choice with no retreat. At the end of it, only one of their sects would survive. But in the end, it was the Zuja that mounted an attack. The Flaming Phoenix defended it successfully a few times, but at that time, the Zuja could throw many 9th and 10th realm corrupted cultivators their way.


    His eyes admired the view of an entire horizon of workshops, and somehow his mind recalled a scene of a burning city, complete with the stench of burning flesh. He blinked, and it was gone.


    He felt Elly and Celestia¡¯s hands on his.


    ¡°Husband?¡± Elly asked.


    ¡°Ah. Nothing.¡± Tundra said, as he felt the pills in his storage compartment. All three of his wives came this time, as did his children, Edison, Larian, and Anna, and even some of his grandchildren. Many would want to see Forgestone Peak, it is a place few have ever seen in their lives.


    ¡°Is this your first time here?¡± Elly asked, curious.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said. He never visited in his first life. His flying ships were acquired from another competing, but much smaller sect. The Verdant Snow and the Flaming Phoenix were not friendly, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to just arrange a visit like this time. He wondered whether he should share about the two sect¡¯s competing interests, but then, decided not to.


    In some ways, Tundra had the feeling that rivalry with a great sect was inevitable. If it wasn¡¯t with the Flaming Phoenix, it would be with some other Great Sect. Most of the time, nothing would happen, as Great Sects are checked by other Great Sects that would be eager to use each other¡¯s bad behavior as just cause for war, and nibble at each other¡¯s territories.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never used one of the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s flying ships.¡± Tundra said, as he noticed the vibrations of the carriage lessened. The roads here were meticulously made, the Flaming Phoenix were great crafters, master of the flame and they were, in some ways, his natural enemies.


    Flame controlled Metal.


    ¡°Which one did you use?¡± Marin spoke up suddenly. She was listening even though her eyes were looking at the constantly working city outside. There was a noisy hum that permeated the city.


    Tundra remembered the first one they acquired when he was in the 8th realm. ¡°They were made by the Hundred Hands Sect, on the Western shore.¡± He remembered that they were skilled craftsmen, but they mostly made smaller ships. The Flaming Phoenix¡¯s flying ships ranged from the smallest ships, all the way to the largest 10th realm ships that could fit an entire sect within it. The shipwright apprenticeship system of the Flaming Phoenix is the most refined of any sect out there, something he admired even though they were foes.


    ¡°I see.¡± Marin answered. She probably didn¡¯t know who. ¡°Why the Flaming Phoenix, then?


    ¡°They have, without a doubt, the best ships for our level of strength.¡± It would be a decade or more before Tundra could step into the 8th realm. ¡°Their ships are faster, stronger, and generally of a higher quality than anything out there for its size.¡±


    It was possible to commission another sect to make a custom ship that exceeded whatever the Flaming Phoenix made, but it¡¯s cost would be so exorbitant that Tundra wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to afford it. The smaller flying ships were rated around the 6th and 7th realm, and could comfortably carry up to a hundred. They were made in bulk, by the apprentices and disciples of the Flaming Phoenix.


    ***


    The convoy eventually reached one of the guesthouses meant for the Flaming Phoenix to receive customers. Much to Tundra¡¯s surprise, it was a seventh realm elder that came to receive them.


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Master Fox. I¡¯m Elder Ashe Northwind. Welcome to the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s Forgestone Peaks.¡± The elder was clad in the traditional deep red robes of the Sect, and was a beauty. Her hair seemed to sparkle in flames, and she was clearly well into the 7th realm. For great sects, those in the 9th realm were usually given the titles Great Elders or Venerable Elders, while those in the 8th realm were usually the Senior Elders.


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    Tundra smiled, and clasped his hand in respect. ¡°We are honored that an elder came to receive us.¡±


    Elder Northwind shrugged. ¡°The yearly Flight Auction is an important event for the Flaming Phoenix, and it would be improper to delegate it all to our disciples. Come, I will guide your group to your designated guesthomes. I¡¯m afraid that we have a fairly busy crowd this time around, so we are unable to spare more.¡±


    Everyone obediently obeyed. Though there were mortal guards and attendants around, there were still Core Disciples of the Sect walking about, and these Core Disciples could be all the way up till the 6th realm. The sheer power difference of a Great Sect and theirs was so large, that none of them dared do anything improper.


    The Guesthome was fairly sizable, and it¡¯s furnishings were comparable to the guest homes provided by the Imperial palace. It made everyone in their entourage gawk, especially Elly and Marin who never saw such luxuries on open display and for use by guests.


    ¡°They are so wealthy!¡± Elly said as she admired the incredible paintings in their room. Some of those paintings contained energy patterns of their creators, and studying art often gave insight into how artists visualized their spiritual realm.


    Edison quickly tried to control his mother. ¡°Mother, behave yourself. We¡¯re- we¡¯re not country bumpkins!¡±


    ¡°But~¡± Elly pouted as she picked up a beautiful vase. ¡°Look at this!¡±


    ¡°Mother, the elder is still here!¡± Edison said, trying to tug on her mother.


    Celestia merely looked on, a little amused. This was the second time she saw such luxuries, and she did recall Edison staring at everything in their guesthouse when they visited Luharlia.


    Tundra chuckled, and looked at the Elder Northwind, who was clearly familiar with such sights. ¡°My apologies.¡±


    ¡°It is our duty as hosts to impress.¡± Elder Northwind said a little chuckle. ¡°Sect Master, while the rest of your party settles down, shall we walk and talk about the ship you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    ***


    Tundra and Elder Northwind walked through the streets of Forgestone Peak and then up into the shipyards. The shipyards were massive places, each occupying a large area where thousands of disciples worked to build the flying ships.


    There was a single large ship going through it¡¯s finishing touches, and it was clearly a ship in the 10th realm. It was so massive that anyone walking up to Forgestone Peak¡¯s central peak tower wouldn¡¯t miss it.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the Ancient Titans Sect.¡± Elder Northwind said, clearly knowing it would be asked anyway. ¡°10th realm ship powered by the spirit cores of one hundred ninth realm spirit beasts, able to fit twenty thousand people, and equipped with the ability to travel through space.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra smiled. It would be a long, long time before they¡¯d ever afford that kind of stuff. If he got his way, he probably didn¡¯t need something like that. He was a walking compendium of powerful cultivation techniques.


    Eventually, the Elder Northwind stopped, and led him into a much smaller area. It was a hangar with twenty much, much smaller flying ships. ¡°These are the latest sixth realm 70-man flying ships we¡¯ve made, there¡¯s twenty of them that will be auctioned during the Flight Auctions.¡±


    ¡°Twenty?¡± Tundra nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you want a brief tour? I can arrange for a Core Disciple to bring the rest of your family and sect later.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    The flying ship was about the size of a large wooden merchant ship, and could easily fit about fifty to seventy, depending on how the internal parts were arranged. Tundra was aware of some cultivators that bought a ship and removed most of the smaller rooms into larger, bigger ones.


    Each flying ship was powered by a set of beast cores, and beast cores needed to be replaced at certain intervals. For sixth-realm spirit beast cores, this was usually once in a few hundred years. Larger ships like the 10th realm ships probably needed to replace their core once a few thousand years. The spiritual cores of the beasts generate a field of energy that causes the ship to fly.


    Not all beast cores could be used as flying ship cores, because the ability of flight must come as one of the inherent qualities of that Core, though it is a fairly common quality found in spirit beasts.


    It was fairly basic, all things considered. It was fairly common for flying ships to be outfitted separately, so this wasn¡¯t a big problem.


    ¡°There are bigger ships during the auction?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We will also be auctioning five of our larger 500-man ships, and two of our 1,500-man ships.¡± Elder Northwind said. ¡°Those would be popular.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Good, as long as the big fishes have things to fight for, they¡¯ll be less concerned with the minnows.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Master Fox. We¡¯ll see you at the auction.¡±


    ***


    ¡°He¡¯s from the Broken Ice Peak.¡± Severian said, briefly glancing at a man walking down the street, from their restaurant balcony vantage point. Tundra and his wives sat next to him, as well as the core disciples. The rest of the group were allowed to wander, but they were told to wear their sect uniforms, and to be polite because here, they were frankly nobodies. ¡°That guy is from the Ancient Titans Great Sect.¡±


    The street was crowded, and spotting those from other sects was a form of information gathering. They were more interested in the presence of the mid-tier sects, because they would want to get a flying ship.


    Tundra nodded. ¡°A fairly crowded auction is coming up. At least the Great Sects likely won¡¯t bid for the sixth realm ships.¡±


    Most great sects did have their own shipbuilding capacity, given their size, though most of them didn¡¯t go bigger than the 500-man ships. Even the Verdant Snow absorbed the Hundred Hands Sect during the middle 10,000 years of his first life, and they became their de-facto shipbuilding department.


    Shipwrights, just like alchemists and formation masters, existed as a supporting department built upon the resource collection or hunting divisions, usually known as the Procurement or External departments.


    ¡°So we¡¯re only expecting competition from sects about our size, or slightly larger.¡± Elder Severian nodded. ¡°If their attention is directed at the bigger ships.¡±


    ¡°We hope.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens.¡±

 Chapter 46. Shifting Sands

    The main auction hall was a large, octagonal stadium located at one of the few remaining mountaintops of Forgestone Peak. A structure made from steel, stone and wood, and made to easily fit and feed tens of thousands, it was a monument to trade and commerce. There were subordinate sects and merchant guilds that assisted with Flaming Phoenix with such a momentous annual event. Specialized guilds ensured each of the tables were stocked with food, sects and guilds procured entertainment for the masses, some ensured the carpets were cleaned, the dirty plates removed, and their wines refilled with selections from all over the continent.


    Their entire entourage was granted a section, among many others, along the main floor of the auction hall. The actual auction would be held on a suspended platform, complete with a gigantic crystal holder.


    ¡°It¡¯s crowded.¡± Marin said. ¡°But most seem to be in groups.¡± There were many things to see, an auction was a wonderful place to people-watch, and many come to such events to be seen. There was usually an afterparty after such auctions, though fights were so common that these days the afterparty was separated into smaller events. There were not really that many actual participants, but as Tundra looked around, it did feel like everyone brought an entire army along just to witness the auction process.


    ¡°Did you girls have fun shopping?¡± Tundra asked as he took the seat next to Severian. The night before he had just submitted his pills to the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s trading house, and was issued a larger than expected 420,000 flaming tokens. Historically, the smallest ships went on auction at prices between 120,000 to 300,000 tokens, so he felt fairly confident that he had enough. He took 5,000 tokens, and distributed it to his entourage, for them to just buy something for themselves.


    They clearly have done something, because they came back looking a little different. Marin, particularly, was dressed in a top that was more commonly seen in men. Somehow, Tundra felt it suited her disposition.


    ¡°The female fashion of the Flaming Phoenix is a little boyish.¡± Elly said. It was expected, the Flaming Phoenix was a female-majority crafting sect, naturally, they were not wearing gowns and dresses when they worked in the workshops. ¡°But it was quite fun. I bought some clothes that I thought I could use for gardening.¡±


    Tundra smiled. ¡°Anything cultivation related?¡±


    ¡°Some trinkets here and there, but not much. Anything worth buying is too expensive.¡± Elly sighed.


    ¡°Such is life.¡± Severian laughed. ¡°Things can be really expensive here because there are disciples from the great sects throwing their money around.¡±


    ¡°That is true, that is true.¡± Tundra said, as he settled in. A waiter came over and asked whether they¡¯d like some wine. ¡°Have they started the briefing? They would normally come over just to tell us how things go.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Severian answered. ¡°They were waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ***


    The same elder came over, accompanied by two beautiful attendants, to brief them on how the auction would happen. Essentially, there would be an announcer in front that would start off the bid by naming a price, and each person who wishes to raise it would have to raise a steel rod. The rod would shine a light that would let the attendants know that they wish to raise.


    It was fairly typical auction conduct, not different from how Tundra knew it to be. Auctions have been a staple feature of the merchant trade since the primordial era. Some tools and equipment would have changed, such as the lighted steel rod, but the core conduct remains the same.


    The attendants also distributed a set of glasses to every single person present. The glasses were linked to a formation that connected to the central formation on the stage. It would allow anyone to see the exact details of what¡¯s being auctioned.


    Again, incremental innovations. Tundra recalled later they would even introduce pricing screens to show how much it was priced for during prior auctions, and the current bid prices. Some of these innovations have not yet appeared on today¡¯s market.


    The auction would normally start with some of the lower tier wares, such as some weapons and equipment produced by the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s vassal sects, while the bigger items would be all at the end.


    After every twenty items, there would be a short break where people were free to move around and mingle, though Tundra could feel the watchful presence of at least ten elders, and about two grand elders.


    ***


    Edison looked about, thoroughly trying his best to be comfortable. It wasn¡¯t easy. He once heard that in the higher levels, such ceremonies and events were common. A powerful cultivator had many friends, and many allies, thus, there was a need to ¡®entertain¡¯, so to speak.


    He sat next to Anna, and though the two of them shared the same table as their father, they were clearly creatures of different worlds.


    There were men and women he did not recognize that came over to speak to their father, and he noticed how dismissive many of them were. It was brief, but these visitors were only paying attention to their father, and Elder Severian.


    ¡°Look around, Edison.¡± Anna said suddenly, and for a change, he listened. He looked around, and whispered.


    ¡°What do you want me to look at?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not the only ones being lost little sheep here.¡± Anna said, as their eyes tracked the surroundings. The main floor was large, and was where all the ¡®lower¡¯ valued sects were seated. Special guests of the Flaming Phoenix would get the special balcony seats, and private rooms. Edison did give a passing glance at the floor, but guided by Anna¡¯s voice, he began to notice others who looked just like them.


    People who are in the 3rd, 4th realm. Mostly in awe, and they were staring at all the opulence on display like they were all other village bumpkins. ¡°We look like that to them, too.¡±


    ¡°We do.¡± Anna said.


    Edison¡¯s glances darted over to the next table, where the Core Disciples and a few inner disciples were talking. They were mostly in their own world, and from what he could hear, their conversations were about what they saw in the markets earlier that day. A few of them were trying to beg Disciple Julia to buy some cultivation materials, since Julia received a higher share of the Flaming Tokens, due to her work on the pills.


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    There was a third and fourth table, occupied by more Core Disciples. Disciple Yavin wasn¡¯t here.


    Edison didn¡¯t like Core Disciple Yavin much, and a large part of it came from a sense of inadequacy. Disciple Yavin¡¯s conduct was proper, polite, and yet he was so skilled. And ever since he heard about Yavin¡¯s involvement with the two ladies from Blackshore, somehow, his inadequacy only grew.


    He still remembered Lady Gale¡¯s words. You either shape up, or you will grow old, die, and a better heir will be appointed in your place.


    He knew she was right.


    But his emotions and feelings were strong.


    And everytime he tried to cultivate, to do the right thing, it was so hard.


    He couldn¡¯t. He tried. But his mind couldn¡¯t focus for that long.


    His thoughts were clouded. And it was a spiral in the wrong direction in his mind.


    ¡°Edison.¡± Anna repeated, and Edison snapped back to reality. He didn¡¯t know how he suddenly thought about that when he noticed Disciple Yavin Redaxe¡¯s absence. ¡°Look, that¡¯s an elder.¡±


    Edison looked up and saw a woman she recognized.


    ***


    ¡°It truly is a small world, Master Fox.¡± Zuri Blackpetals landed on the carpeted floor, and walked to greet him.


    ¡°Oh? A pleasure to see you again, Lady Blackpetals.¡± Celestia, Marin and Elly all turned to look at the woman that was now speaking to their husband. Tundra clasped his hand respectfully, as Celestia whispered some words to both Marin and Elly. The two nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again so soon.¡±


    ¡°Is anything of interest?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Does the Crimson Spire have some preferential rights to the auction?¡±


    Lady Blackpetals chuckled. ¡°We are an allied sect of the Flaming Phoenix. Naturally, there are some privileges. Such as a private balcony.¡±


    Allies implied they were equals. Tundra knew it was more of a relationship of a senior brother with that of a lower ranked junior. But it was a good opportunity, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to tap on it. ¡°Oh. Wonderful. Then you came at the most opportune moment! If you could help us with one of the sixth realm flying ships, we would be most grateful.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s request made everyone present speechless for a few seconds, before Zuri Blackpetals chuckled at his brazenness. They certainly were not close, and not close enough that he could so quickly tap on some imaginary connection.


    Yet, Zuri decided to humor him. ¡°Oh? Which one, the sixth realm 70-man ships, or the 100-man ships?¡±


    ¡°There are 100-man ships in the sixth realm?¡± Tundra asked.


    ¡°There are. People carriers. Slower, but not much of a difference.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Our initial goal is to procure one of the 70-man ships. We have been fairly limited in our travel options. If the Crimson Spire could help us get ahead of the queue-¡±


    Zuri squinted, and then chuckled. ¡°Master Fox, we¡¯re merely recently acquainted. What you ask is quite the favor, and we¡¯ve not known each other long enough to be worth it. But, you may try and procure one through the bids, but should you fail to buy any of the 20 sixth realm ships on offer, I¡¯ll go through my network and check whether there are any other ships we can release to you, through a private bid.¡±


    Tundra laughed heartily, he wasn¡¯t expecting much, but an insurance offer should they fail was much better than nothing. ¡°Lady Blackpetals, you truly give me face with such an offer. Very well, we will try our best during the auctions to procure one.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you had a disciple assist you during the Summons. Is she here?¡± Zuri asked.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Tundra nodded, and led her to Julia. Julia, who was happily talking to the rest of her fellow disciples, realized something was up when everyone abruptly shut up. ¡°Disciple Julia, meet the famed Cauldron Saintess of the Crimson Spire, Zuri Blackpetals.¡±


    Core Disciple Julia¡¯s paled expression lasted only a second, before she quickly stood, clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully. ¡°This junior greets the elder.¡±


    Zuri gazed at Julia, as if studying her intently. ¡°A decent alchemy disciple. A rarity, these days. You have a good master, learn well.¡±


    Julia bowed. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, elder.¡±


    Tundra shrugged. Alchemy disciples were always hard to find, though, in some sense, it was more of a matter of reach and numbers. ¡°As it always has been. Is the Princess well?¡±


    That made the Crimson Spire¡¯s alchemy elder stop, and the two glanced at each other. It was Tundra¡¯s bait, he hoped to tease some insights of what transpired over at the palace, since news from the city of Luharlia was fairly scarce. Even till today, Tundra didn¡¯t hear news about the Princess¡¯s ascension, though Zuri¡¯s presence here was a clue.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zuri countered.


    Tundra laughed. ¡°You¡¯re alive and well. I sense a slight increase in your cultivation, even.¡±


    ¡°Why ask, then?¡± Zuri rolled her eyes, and then paused. After she looked at him for a moment, as if judging whether to tell him. She did. ¡°She used the pill you¡¯ve made.¡±


    Tundra froze, as the pieces set together. Now he understood why she came over just to look at Julia. The palace was incredibly tight-lipped about what the princess took and didn¡¯t take, and ministers had to be bribed to reveal even a modicum of info.


    Tundra was about to ask why, then he realized how they could¡¯ve used the two pills together. ¡°I see. That is quite a solution. Segregation before harmony.¡±


    ¡°A clean separation sets the stage for a clean reconciliation.¡± Zuri answered, partly impressed that he got it so quickly. ¡°But favor has a price. A price of attention.¡±


    Tundra felt his skin crawl, and he looked at Severian. ¡°The royal family will have their eyes on us.¡±


    Severian visibly gulped. He reached over to the table to pick up a cup of spirit wine, and downed it. Tundra decided to pick up his own cup too.


    ¡°I believe we will be needing more of these tonight.¡± Tundra said. Opportunity. Attention. Risk. The hidden war of the royal descendants needed recruits, and now they were pulled into the game.


    The female alchemist nodded. ¡°Enjoy the auctions, Master Fox, I¡¯m afraid our fates are intertwined, Master Fox. For both the royal family, and for the things in the dark. They are in my sect, and beyond.¡±


    Tundra couldn¡¯t remember how things went for the Crimson Spire, and cursed himself for it. He could only raise his cup of refilled rice wine. ¡°The tribulations are inevitable, we can do nothing else but soldier on.¡±


    ¡°Be prepared.¡± The woman walked away, and Tundra sat back on his seat. For once, he felt like he has been standing for too long.


    Severian sat down next to him. ¡°I¡¯ll need to talk to some friends, see what they know.¡±


    The regressor nodded, as he looked back at those that shared his table. His three wives looked visibly worried, and wanted to know what happened and why Severian looked pale. Tundra glanced at his fellow elder, and Elly quickly refilled his cup again. It was gone as soon as it was full. ¡°It¡¯ll be expensive.¡±


    The regressor tried to remember who worked with who in the early parts of the royal struggles. There were no real clear lines of loyalty, every Prince was fundamentally working for themselves, and unlike most Imperial families, there was no rule against male or female Emperors, thus, even powerful princesses could make a play for the throne.


    If Princess Luharlia ascended to the seventh strongly, it¡¯s likely she would attempt a similar push for the eighth realm. At the eighth realm, she might even be one of the prime contenders.


    Amidst the festivities and opulence of the auction halls, the Sect Master pondered the changed scales of the coming royal struggle. Things may be the same, or may not be.


    Severian shrugged. ¡°We¡¯d have to pay for information. We don¡¯t know where the fault lines are.¡±


    Tundra sighed, as he turned to his wives, finally deciding to answer the question they¡¯ve all wanted to know. ¡°It seems we are now involved in royal politics. Whether we like it or not. Our actions will have to consider their interests in greater detail.¡±

 Chapter 47. The Auction

    Celestia has never seen an auction done with such flair or drama. There were dancers on the floor, their movements came with flower petals falling, and sparks of fire, there were waiters and waitresses walking about with drinks that glowed, and cups that shone as if they were made some kind of pure gold, the candles and lighting at each table was decorated and seemed to resonate with the overall lighting of the hall.


    It was ostentatious, but it was also beautiful. If the Flaming Phoenix meant to impress, they were successful because throughout the halls were various audible oohs and aahs. The Flaming Phoenix were primarily a female dominated sect, so quite a few of the experts present were female.


    The Flaming Phoenix demonstrated their mastery of the flame to entertain, using them to create flaming shapes and illusions throughout the hall, some of which were fairly suggestive. There were even some dancing flames on the stage itself, all in the shape of dancers. Their flames could change color, and it was quite the light show.


    Not all performances were with flames. There were mortal and 1 to 2nd realm dancers and entertainers scattered along smaller stages spread throughout the hall. There were many dancers in so little clothing that it was borderline dangerous, and there were clearly some women who were that sort of entertainers, though the sort of cultivators that cavorted with such services were usually hidden in the corners.


    Celestia watched, but her attention soon turned to the stage, as the announcer began the auction. The lower ranked items came first, accompanied with even more festivities. There were waitresses and waiters running about with plates filled with rice wine. No table would be without wine, and she knew that drunk cultivators were not prudent buyers.


    There were a group of beautiful announcers on the stage, each took a turn to explain the items that would be put for sale. At first, the bids were fairly easy, and few people participated. Prices were fairly low too, only about 100 to 1,000 tokens.


    ¡°These things don¡¯t seem to interest those present.¡± Elly whispered to Celestia, even though Elly herself seemed quite impressed with what¡¯s shown. She even thought of buying one, but then, she didn¡¯t have tokens and didn¡¯t dare ask Tundra for it.


    After a few sets of the lower tier items were announced, the mood changed. A different announcer took to the stage, and somehow, the attention of those present also changed with her. A spear appeared within the crystal container next to the announcer, and everyone scrambled to check it out.


    ¡°The next item will be a spear forged from the heart iron found in the belly of a 8th realm Volcanic Dragonsnake! Made by the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s Senior Weaponscraft Elder! It goes on sale starting at 10,000 Tokens!¡±


    Celestia picked up the special glasses, and put it on, and through the glasses, it was as if the spear was right in front of her. She could look at it in any direction, and even inspect its energy. The hall was filled with murmurs and sounds, as some already began to make a bid.


    She blinked as her eyes tried to figure out what¡¯s special about the spear, but the prices already began to soar. ¡°12,000!¡±


    Her heart pounded. They weren¡¯t even bidding, yet the rapid rises in price somehow made her feel nervous. ¡°17,000!¡±


    A few blinks later, and the prices skyrocketed to 25,000 tokens.


    Celestia looked around, and this was the first time she saw frenzy in some of the participants. A few rods lit up together.


    ¡°28,000 tokens!¡± The announcer repeated, as the lights began to shine across the halls. For the exclusive, private balconies, there was a small gem inset right on the balcony itself that shone, whenever they wanted to bid.


    ¡°30,000!¡± Some other sect countered, and somehow thought it fit to shout.


    Celestia couldn¡¯t believe it. It was a ridiculous amount of money for a spear, and Elly looked pale. So pale that the fourth wife turned to Celestia. ¡°Are people really paying this kind of sum just for a spear? I don¡¯t think my entire family could even put that sort of money together.¡±


    ¡°Such things are heirlooms, Lady Mistburn.¡± Elder Severian, who was seated just a few seats away, said frankly. ¡°For small-middle sized sects or smaller families. An eighth realm spear could be used for many, many things.¡±


    ¡°Are we not one?¡± Elly said.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s relative. We¡¯re not that small. We¡¯re a bit bigger.¡± Severian said with a hint of pride. ¡°We¡¯re also going to be buying a flying ship, that will cost even more.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a flying ship!¡± Elly said. ¡°Those things have value in many ways! You could use it as transport! It¡¯s even a fortified extension of the sect. A spear, no matter how powerful, is still just a spear!¡±


    Severian chuckled, and Celestia herself wondered how much it is due to a difference in experience. She knew that there were things powerful spears could do that lower-realmed folks didn¡¯t quite understand, and was fairly sure there would be uses that even she didn¡¯t know of. In some ways, it exposed Elly¡¯s sheltered upbringing. ¡°That¡¯s a value for them to determine, Lady Mistburn.¡±


    Elly blushed. ¡°I- I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Severian smiled. ¡°Consider it the whims of the rich.¡±


    Tundra was uninterested. He came for a flying ship, and as far as he was concerned, nothing else mattered. He had seen better things, and so, his attention was directed at the audience instead. It was fairly easy for Celestia to notice how her husband observed the members of the Flaming Phoenix, the merchants, and also the other families.


    ¡°39,000!¡±


    A strange silence descended in the hall, even though the dancers and performances never stopped. Celestia looked around, and saw the flashing lights came from another group across the hall. She didn¡¯t recognize them, but they came and took up six tables.


    The 8th realm spear was sold to a mid-tier sect from the Northern Reaches for 39,000 tokens. A fortune, but for a mid tier sect led by a 5th realm, they could generally earn that in a few years. If they had an alchemist, a crafter, or a formation master, that sum of money would only set them back for a few months.


    Tundra gave a lecture once on how the cultivation economy generally placed a premium on custom goods. To make money, most sects needed to trade valuable goods, so alchemists, crafters, formation masters and builders all commanded a hefty premium for their services. This was because these trades were time consuming to learn, harder to master, but so important for cultivators to advance in realms. It was the difference between stagnation, and progress, and a cultivator would give everything up till that point for that difference. Special trades and skills meant most sects gave these crafters face, and was also why the Formation Master of the Blood Blade Sect was confident that she wouldn¡¯t be abandoned.


    But talent is accordingly hard to find, and thus, even if almost every cultivator knew the importance of these trades, not all could walk the path.


    Ordinary cultivators that hunted spirit beasts and just did little crafting work would often find it quite difficult to earn the same amount of money as a crafter of the same tier, and it is for such reason that most sects tried and devoted a part of their efforts on some kind of craft. A sect that had to buy all their healing elixirs or low tier cultivation pills would soon find themselves bankrupt.


    Those that didn¡¯t have luck with the crafts, would usually turn to provision of services, bodyguards, protection of trade routes, extraction of resources from the mortal lands and usually, lean into their connections with the royal family¡¯s extensive resources.


    Celestia¡¯s eyes watched as a female elder walked on a stairs of fire, as she ascended up to the platform.


    ¡°The last item before we auction our ships!¡± The elder declared. ¡°A Ninth-Realm Suite of Armor made from the Frozen Living Flames, sourced from the heart of the Eternal Burning Volcano!¡±


    The numbers went crazy again. ¡°100,000!¡±


    ¡°150,000!¡±


    There were flickers of light from a few balconies. ¡°200,000!¡±


    Celestia felt a little light headed when she heard the amounts thrown around by these greater sects. It was a sentiment they all shared, as most of those on the main floor were not bidding. Most of the flickering lights came from the tens of private balconies. Elly¡¯s pale face looked even more pale. ¡°I feel like a pauper.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Celestia nodded along. Somehow, she too couldn¡¯t quite imagine having that sort of sums at play.


    Severian nodded. ¡°That was impressive. I would love an item like that.¡±


    Tundra chuckled, and patted the elder on his shoulder. ¡°Not today, Severian. Not today.¡±


    Then suddenly, Tundra¡¯s attention switched, and instead, began to stare at a strange woman dressed in one of the merchant guild¡¯s uniforms. A chaperon, and she stood over another family of people. Celestia wondered why, and she too began to look in their direction.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Tundra said abruptly, and that made her turn away. ¡°I believe we have infiltrators, but it¡¯s not appropriate for us to intervene as guests. I don¡¯t think they will create trouble today, but let¡¯s not draw attention to ourselves.¡±


    Celestia answered. ¡°Got it.¡±


    That chaperon did nothing, and yet, she knew her husband¡¯s attention never left that person.


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    ***


    ¡°And now, we have our first 70-man flying ships for auction. The starting price is set at 80,000! Each increase will be 5,000 tokens! Do we have anyone at 85,000?¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes momentarily, just to prepare himself for it, and clicked the rod.


    Tundra immediately raised the bid. Strategically, since there were about twenty units on offer, if he went on the attack in the first bid and raised persistently, it¡¯s likely the other buyers would decide not to compete with him and let him have his win, since they could compete on the remaining nineteen units. ¡°85,000! Alright, 90,000 anyone?¡±


    Of course, that strategy only worked if the others didn¡¯t think the same way. There was a flash across the hall. ¡°90,000!¡±


    But the past few days, they¡¯ve looked around enough to conclude that they were likely going to have a fairly crowded field. There were more than twenty middle sized sects around, and it is likely they were all aiming for the 70-man ships. Thus, the longer the auction went, and as the supply of ships began to diminish, it¡¯s likely prices would only increase.


    Desperation.


    So, Tundra countered. The speed of response was key. He needed to scare off the other players to tell them that this first one was his and he wouldn¡¯t stop raising. ¡°95,000!¡±


    This time, a third player emerged. It came from another sect with a seventh realm sect master. ¡°100,000!¡±


    Tundra countered instantly. The female elder on top shouted. ¡°And we have 105,000! Anyone?¡±


    Just behind, Edison turned and looked at Anna, his face was pale and he genuinely looked a little worried. Anna just tapped his shoulder. ¡°Father knows what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°110,000!¡±


    Everyone at Tundra¡¯s section looked nervous, but he nodded, and pressed the button instantly. The announcer happily smiled. ¡°And now, 115,000!¡±


    What happened then was a fairly instantaneous back and forth, as it was soon clear the Tundra and another party were both serious bidders. They traded raises, and the price surged upwards. ¡°180,000.¡±


    The numbers flew some more. There were only two real contestants for the first ship. The other parties that were clearly eying the same ships were holding back.


    ¡°220,000!¡±


    There were whispers in the crowd. Even those among his family looked concerned. Tundra overheard how Edison whispered. ¡°Anna, how much do we have?¡±


    Anna shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Father didn¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Are- are we selling the sect for this?¡± Edison asked in a rare moment of worry. ¡°Will we be poor?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, father won¡¯t do that.¡±


    It was something he found quite amusing, but he¡¯ll get to that later. For now, he had a bid to win. In some ways, a high price would set the scene for the next nineteen bids.


    The prices soared some more. The announcer looked around the room as Tundra¡¯s bidding rod shone. She happily read out the price. ¡°Alright, we have a raise, and it¡¯s now 290,000 tokens.¡±


    It was a little more than he expected, given the historical price range of 100,000 to 250,000, but he didn¡¯t quite care. For once, a great silence loomed in the entire room. Hesitation. An auction was deeply psychological for those fascinated with auctions. Tundra just wanted his ship and he¡¯ll pay 400,000 tokens if he needed to.


    The announcer repeated the call. ¡°Alright, second chance, 290,000 tokens! Anyone want to match that?¡±


    There were nineteen more ships to go. If the field was crowded, it was better to just win it. There could be some lucky bets in the middle, but Tundra preferred to have the certainty of winning.


    With his knowledge of pills and elixirs, the money mattered little. Time and resources were more important, and the flying ship would help save time. A lot.


    ¡°Alright, third call. Third call. Anyone for 295,000?¡± The announcer looked around, and not a single counter. Tundra had gone above the historical prices by 40,000, it¡¯s likely the rest of them would wait for the next ship.


    Around the room some of them clearly thought he overpaid for it.


    Again, silence.


    ¡°Alright! And the first 70-man ship goes to the group on the 14th Section!¡±


    Tundra smiled and placed the bidding rod back on the table. ¡°There we go.¡±


    Severian looked at him. ¡°Did we overpay?¡±


    ¡°A little. But no worries. With such a crowded field, I doubt the prices will be that much cheaper.¡±


    ¡°Do we have much left?¡±


    ¡°Some. We¡¯ll convert some of it back to regular spirit stones, and make a visit to their cultivator markets. There should be some interesting materials that we could use to make more pills.¡± Tundra mentally calculated that with about 100,000 flaming tokens, that should be enough for a decent amount of materials. The Flaming Phoenix¡¯s main element was Fire, but they also had a fair bit of ability in Wood, Earth and Metal, though it mainly existed to complement their crafting needs.


    With more higher quality materials, he¡¯d be able to produce better pills to safely support his disciples up to the fifth realm. It would be wise to prepare the materials needed for Elder Jashen and Elder Jon for their future attempt to rise to the sixth realm.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ***


    There were more items to go, but at least, he could now relax, Tundra¡¯s attention never left the chaperon, and felt the faint presence of a Zuja corruption. It was a very low level form, likely used just for scouting and information collection. Disposable.


    The real mastermind was somewhere else. The Zuja rarely worked alone, it must have another corrupted agent present somewhere nearby.


    Now that he noticed their presence, he had to recalibrate his own assessment of their strength. They were clearly planners, and developed fairly sophisticated information networks to collect information. The fact that they were already scouting out the auctions even though the Zuja¡¯s public appearance only mainly occurred a few thousand years later suggested their stored strength must¡¯ve been a lot deeper.


    They never had a chance. Even if they all somehow united, the bug cult had already poisoned everyone¡¯s well.


    Now was not the time to reveal them. This was a foe that had to be ripped out from the roots, and its roots are really well hidden. Muddled waters would make his work a lot harder. The Whispering Man clearly knew something, and at the same time, it¡¯s likely the Zuja also knew the Whispering Man were its enemies. He needed to help them in a way that didn¡¯t link back to himself.


    A shadow group to support the Whispering Man, claiming to be the Whispering Man while working independently could be one way forward.


    And for once, Tundra probably knew what and where he should go for help.


    ***


    ¡°300,000!¡± The announcer shouted.


    Edison¡¯s heart pounded nervously as the third ship was sold for 10,000 more. He looked at father, who now suddenly seemed more relaxed. He looked at his father, and then asked. ¡°Is- is it all going to be so expensive?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯ll fluctuate, but if there¡¯s still strong interest, maybe it¡¯ll even go higher.¡± Tundra said, and to Edison, it was quite rare to actually see his father admit he didn¡¯t know.


    He turned to see his mother, Elly, deciding to munch on some snacks. Everyone else now could focus their attention on the entertainment, since they¡¯ve already bid what they wanted to bid. There were still many more items to go, and there¡¯s even the 500-man and 1,500-man ships later on, but none of them would matter.


    ¡°Father, do we have to stay here? I mean, we already got what we wanted.¡±


    Tundra laughed, and nodded. ¡°I know, but unfortunately, the Flaming Phoenix doesn¡¯t permit participants to leave until the entire event is over. It¡¯s a security procedure. So for now, let¡¯s just relax and have some food. You won¡¯t be able to find such high quality food for a while, even if it¡¯s really just the same types and styles of food.¡±


    ¡°Oh. But why?¡±


    ¡°Because those in the exclusive zones get to leave first.¡± His father answered. ¡°They will get their items, while the rest of us stay here. Then we get to leave all together. They don¡¯t want early leavers to fight outside of the venue. There¡¯s probably far too many fights in auction halls already.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that like a prison?¡±


    ¡°The price of joining the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s auctions. And there¡¯s entertainment.¡± Tundra said a little cheerfully, and picked up a bottle of rice wine from the waiter. ¡°Oh look, they have one of those with traditional herbs. Come, son. Drink with me.¡±


    ¡°Eh, let me.¡± Severian offered, as he took the bottle and poured it in fresh new cups for the Sect Master. The bottle had enough for ten, and so, he poured ten cups. The Elder then suggested. ¡°Well, I suppose we should have a toast for buying our first flying ship?¡±


    Tundra¡¯s eyes blinked momentarily, as if it never occurred to him to celebrate. ¡°Ah. Yes. Of course. To our first Flying Ship.¡±


    Quickly, throughout all their tables, everyone picked up a filled cup to stand.


    Severian smiled. ¡°A few words, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Hell. Let¡¯s just drink. To our first ship! Ganbei!¡± Tundra said, and their porcelain cups clinked together. Everyone drank.


    In the background, Edison somehow noticed the presence of some waiters activating some kind of sound suppression formation. Toasts were rowdy things, and this was when he realized why he didn¡¯t really notice the other tables toasting, even though they clearly were.


    The first cup led to another, and somehow, it helped numb the crazy numbers that were flying about.


    Edison looked at his father, and looked at a man sitting in a chair. He was relaxed, and yet, in his eyes were worries. At that moment, he didn¡¯t know why, Edison looked and realized his father was old. His father as a powerful cultivator could alter their appearance, but he took the form of a mature man with white hair. To everyone, his father was always the sort of an old, slightly wrinkled but still handsome man.


    Now though, the young master realized it didn¡¯t fit him. It was the way he looked at everyone else, as if he was always trying to remember something. It was in that distant look that he realized their father wasn¡¯t lying about those dreams. ¡°Father?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Tundra turned to look at him, and that look in his eyes vanished just as quickly.


    Somehow, it made Edison wonder. Did he really die? What was it like? ¡°Oh. Nothing. I forgot.¡±


    He wondered to himself, could he bear to see his own wife die? How would he be if his own children died while he still lived? There was a saying amongst mortals, that in times of war, fathers bury their sons.


    For incredibly talented cultivators, it was almost a certainty that their offspring would never exceed their talent, so much so that when an offspring shows potential, it truly draws their attention. Maybe, it was a hope, within them all, to finally have a descendant that could continue to journey for them. It must weigh on them so much to constantly bury their own children and partners.


    Is that why high level cultivators often seclude themselves and cut themselves away from society? Because the pain was just constant.


    Edison shook his head. What was he thinking? It must be those crazy pills he was taking. Why was he explaining for his long absent father?


    There was a pause, as a different set of entertainers emerged. The dancers gave way to trained spirit beasts that performed feats of skill. It was also fairly impressive.


    At the tenth ship, there was a rare anomaly where one of the ships was sold for 245,000, that somehow no one else decided to bid. But then, all subsequent ships were sold for 300,000, and the last three were sold for 320,000.


    Their entire party could only sit in awe when the bigger ships came into the picture, as prices were then in the millions of tokens.


    Tundra somehow just leaned back, still unamused. ¡°Work harder. Someday it¡¯ll be us.¡±


    The first few words irritated him. Not everything could be solved by hard work. If it did, he wouldn¡¯t be where he is now. Cultivation was unfair like that. Yet, Edison could hear it in his voice. That his father must¡¯ve been there. Certainty.


    The young master closed his eyes, his heart confused by the two feelings in his heart. Irritation and yet, newfound understanding.


    Forgiveness is a long way away. Maybe never. But Edison contemplated the possibility for understanding.

 Chapter 48. Treasure Realm

    ¡°It seems I didn¡¯t need to be worried.¡± Zuri Blackpetals said as she walked into the waiting room. Tundra was sitting alone, having tea and watching the rest of his party being busy. Just outside of the waiting area was a large hangar that housed their first 70-man flying ship. There were about ten or so Flaming Phoenix¡¯s shipwright disciples working hard.


    They outfitted their ship with equipment and formations. At the same time, the rest of Tundra¡¯s party were huddled and listened to one of the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s Elders as she gave an overview of how to use a flying ship. That wasn¡¯t necessary for Tundra, so he thought it appropriate to sit out of it.


    Conveniently, Zuri thought it was also a good idea for her to come and meet him. ¡°Fairly good strategy to just go for it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. What brings you here, Lady Blackpetals?¡± Tundra thought it was strange she came again.


    ¡°Here. There¡¯s some things I can¡¯t do in public. Not in an auction hall where a thousand eyes are on us.¡± In that waiting room where there were only the two of them, the woman took out a golden scroll, and handed it over.


    ¡°-what.¡± Tundra knew what it was as he accepted it, and reached for it ¡°Princess Luharl? Wait, our meeting in Forgestone Peak was not a coincidence.¡±


    Zuri smiled. ¡°You pick up on things quickly. Some things are arranged as they are meant to be.¡±


    An invitation from the royal house. In it was a scroll inviting ten members who were fifth realm or lower to join a royal treasure realm. It was one of those special realms Tundra had no knowledge of, because these things were kept secret, known only to the members of the Royal Family and their allies.


    Even in the later years of his life, he still did not have an inkling of the full extent of the royal family¡¯s network of secret treasure realms.


    ¡°Will you be joining?¡± Tundra asked, as he contemplated the possibility and benefits of such an item. Such treasure realms could contain special treasures and relics could improve physiques, bestow unique bloodlines and even more wild things. In some cases, even mere exposure to the unique properties of the treasure realm could significantly elevate one¡¯s cultivation quality.


    ¡°Alas, not me, but my disciples.¡± Zuri Blackpetals said. ¡°Opportunities for our juniors, not us.¡±


    Tundra continued reading, and once he finished, he turned to stare at the visitor. The Princess specified that three of the ten invitation slots would be from Tundra¡¯s family, and specifically named Edison, Anna and Larian. ¡°The Princess-¡±


    ¡°You know what she wants. This is the first of many.¡± Zuri stood and said before she left. ¡°Prepare well.¡±


    ***


    Tundra sat on the relatively cramped bridge of their new ship, as his mind continued to plan for the coming challenges. They already had a tournament to attend, and now, a royal invitation to one of the private treasure realms for their core disciples and elders.


    This was the Princess¡¯s attempt to pull them into her sphere of influence, and the fact that she named his descendants meant she wanted to get to know them better. It was an opportunity, but also a great risk.


    A trip to prepare for.


    On the other hand, he¡¯d have to start hedging bets, and went to see Severian to discuss how to move forward.


    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Severian¡¯s face was as pale as it could be as Tundra shared what was discussed.


    ¡°We¡¯re being scouted.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Are you able to figure out how to reach out to the other princes and princesses, discreetly? If we could get another prince or princess from the royal family interested in us, we¡¯d be able to operate with far more leeway. Do you know anyone who could put us into their sphere of influence?¡±


    As a Sect, if he is seen as too closely associated with one of the royal descendants, it would mark them and they would be indirectly excluded from certain opportunities. Tundra wasn¡¯t too worried about techniques and cultivation know-how, he alone was worth a hundred of those. But resources and unique materials were spread throughout the world, and it was unfortunate that imperial factionalism meant sellers were selective.


    He also didn¡¯t want themselves targeted by those eager to prove their own worth to the prince they supported.


    Their actions would be scrutinized by other sects from differing factions, and any small mishap would be made into a cause for harassment and war. He wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid all of it, but he needed to buy time to build their sect¡¯s strength.


    So, while the Princess¡¯s actions brought them opportunity, it represented a risk for them. As a sect, they needed to make some moves to correct the perception, so that factions would still consider them to be neutral.


    At least, for a bit longer.


    Tundra knew some of his own contacts, but Prince Kaorl was far too weak and later, he was murdered by an unknown factor. But Tundra knew he may not have much of a choice, if Princess Luharl already made her play.


    Severian sat, as he thought about it. ¡°I may have a way of reaching out to Prince Gomerl, but our bargaining position will be fairly weak.¡±


    Prince Gomerl was one of the leading candidates, and so he had a strong position, and may not bother to offer much for the support of a mid tier sect like them. If another Princess or Prince contested them, it¡¯s likely Prince Gomerl would weigh the odds and decide it wasn¡¯t worth it.


    The regressor stood, and paced the room. Strategically, he needed both. ¡°We should attempt both Prince Gomerl and Prince Kaorl, but we¡¯ll have to play disinterest, as if we¡¯re just sensing their level of interest. I¡¯ll hand you some higher value pills, we¡¯ll need to trade for information on what royal events are happening over the next few years, and see what we can do to be seen there.¡±


    His elder touched his chin. ¡°Well. I¡¯ll have to travel some more, then.¡±


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    The two old friends sat, both in their own thoughts.


    ¡°Should I tell the kids?¡± Tundra asked, a little unsure whether it was the right time to tell them. He didn¡¯t have a strategy yet. Or an idea of what was going to happen. They wouldn¡¯t like it anyway, but there is no rejecting a royal offer. Offending a royal family was a death sentence since there are far too many eager subordinates trying to show their value.


    Elder Severian looked out the window of their flying ship. Right now it was flying in accordance to set instructions. ¡°It¡¯s your call, Tundra. But if you ask me, they should know. As soon as you are ready.¡±


    In some ways, Tundra already knew that was what he needed to do. It was one of those things where he just needed reassurance. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no hiding it.¡±


    ***


    Edison trembled as he was briefed. There was a genuine look of fear on Anna as well, though Larian, for once, looked unsure.


    ¡°Father.¡± Anna asked. ¡°Is- must we do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A royal invitation like this is an instruction. You would have to be severely incapacitated to decline.¡± His father answered, and as their father took in their facial expression, his own expression changed to one of worry. ¡°The three of you have never been to a treasure realm?¡±


    The three nodded.


    ¡°I see the problem.¡± Tundra rubbed his chin, his mind most likely thought about what should be the next step.


    The young master didn¡¯t know what to expect. Tales of treasure realms were plentiful. After all, each of the great sects were more than happy to share tales of their great successes and victories in these treasure realms, but so much of it was stories repeated a thousand times that he wasn¡¯t sure what was true, and what were lies.


    The three children looked at their father, and somehow, Edison wondered how their father would solve the problem.


    After a long pause, he looked at them and sighed. ¡°We will have to prepare the three of you the best that we can. We have six months. The rest of the way, you¡¯ll have to walk it yourselves.¡±


    Anna paused. ¡°Six months? We- how can we be ready?¡±


    ¡°With treasure realms, you never will be truly ready. Each treasure realm is unique, and understanding the treasure realms is a task even masters often stumble on.¡± Tundra answered, his factual statement only amplified their fear. This was a test, a real one that they could not escape. ¡°But as this is a royal treasure realm, I suspect the level of danger may not be all that high.¡±


    ¡°What- what are royal treasure realms?¡± Anna asked, trying her best to gather all the information she could.


    Edison paused as their father admitted he didn¡¯t know something again. ¡°Information on the private treasure realms controlled by the royal family is really rare. Each private treasure realm is a remnant created by its creator. Existences that could create private treasure realms were usually in the 9th or 10th realm, and so, what you face depends on what their creators intended them to be.¡±


    ¡°Then-¡± Anna¡¯s face paled. Edison too, felt his own heart pound.


    ¡°Is there a chance that we could die?¡± Edison asked. Tales of treasure realms were full of heroism, but on a whole, many, many people died in treasure realms.


    ¡°Yes.¡± His father said. ¡°I hope it¡¯ll never get to that point, but the chance is always there.¡±


    Anna looked at her half-brothers, and then back at their father. ¡°Are- are we the only ones?¡±


    ¡°No, all in all ten of you are invited.¡±


    ¡°Then the other invitees must protect us!¡± Edison said, his mind and heart possessed by fear.  He was the young master of the Fox family, naturally the others must protect them!


    That changed the mood. Their father frowned, and Edison saw a man who was clearly trying to hold back his disappointment. He blinked a few times, and Edison waited for the punishment. He recognized that look in their father. It was the look that made him feel like he had no self worth.


    Anna decided to back him up, and repeated the question. ¡°Father, will they protect us?¡±


    There was a moment that felt like an eternity, where it was just silence. The flying ship¡¯s hum could still be faintly heard through the reinforced walls of the flying ship. Tundra blinked, looked afar, and then back at the three of them. ¡°This is an opportunity for them, as much as it is for you three. I will ask that they look after you, and provide cover where possible. But in the next six months, you three will have to train intensively to pull your own weight. The Princess intends for this incident as one to pull us closer into her sphere of influence, so I doubt any significant risk will come to your lives. But treasure realms are treasure realms.¡±


    Edison trembled, and Anna held his hand. She said the words in their hearts. ¡°Father, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Another moment of silence, as they awaited their father¡¯s response. Edison wouldn¡¯t be able to admit those words, but Anna was willing to.


    Would their father admonish them for it?


    ¡°My children have lived a life of comfort and were never truly tested. To be thrust and invited to a treasure realm like this is certainly a big leap, but it was bound to happen. As our sect gains strength, the eyes of the royal families will inevitably turn on us. I will have to get the three of you ready, as fast and as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Is- is there no other way?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯ll have powerful protective talismans made for the three of you. That should help you survive the treasure realm.¡±


    ***


    Tundra walked to the top of their new flying ship, and here, one could truly feel the speed that the ship traveled. A fall from this height would usually kill those in the 3rd realm, though for someone like Tundra, it would usually be fairly harmless.


    The interaction with his three children exhausted him, though, as he felt the wind on his face and skin, he could now understand it. He would have to prepare them, but only hoped that they could step up when the moment came.


    ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t know you could come up here.¡±


    Tundra turned and smiled at Elly. ¡°Yes. Many battles are fought on such decks.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Elly said, as she grabbed Tundra¡¯s hand and approached the edge of the upper deck. Everything looked small from this view. ¡°Edison told me about it.¡±


    He somehow expected it. His son usually turned to his mother whenever he had something on his mind. ¡°How did he take it?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s afraid. Really afraid. He looked quite pale when he told me about it. I don¡¯t blame him, I would be deathly afraid too, if I¡¯m asked to join a royal treasure realm exploration trip.¡±


    ¡°There will be more.¡± Tundra said with a sigh. This was the price of progress, though his mind thought about which Core Disciple to populate the remaining seven places. ¡°Encourage him to prepare for the trip. I hope he gains some confidence and capabilities from this opportunity.¡±


    A treasure realm could bring rewards, and if there are some unique materials or resources, he could help make something for them. Elly nodded, as she stood and held Tundra¡¯s arm. ¡°I¡¯ll try. Our son¡¯s trying, and I think he hopes you see it. Acknowledge his efforts.¡±


    The regressor knew It was hard. He was used to seeing truly incredible things, so it was hard to fake it. But he¡¯ll try.


    ¡°Do you have a plan for them?¡±


    ¡°Roughly. I could reserve one of the slots for Jashen or Jon, but I think that¡¯ll be a waste of this opportunity. I¡¯m- I¡¯m still thinking about it.¡±


    If there were a few sects involved, it¡¯s likely they were competing with about a hundred other cultivators for whatever is in the treasure realm.


    On one hand, if they underperformed, it¡¯s likely that Princess Luharl would downgrade her assessment of their sect and they¡¯d lose her attention. That may not be a bad thing if they still want to be seen as neutral. But if it¡¯s too fake, it could be seen as a sign of disrespect, that he didn¡¯t respect the royal institution. This sort of consideration was why he hated dealing with the royal family. Everything was about balancing on a tightrope.

 Chapter 49. Preparations

    Once he returned, Tundra went through his treasury and quickly ordered the merchants to procure materials from all over the world. Most of these materials were on the 4th to 6th realm, but he needed knowledge.


    He summoned his elders and his core disciples, and quickly briefed them on the new developments.


    ¡°And thus, Yavin, Julia, Agnia, the three of you must prepare to be 5th realm within the next three months. I will have the pills necessary.¡±


    So, Tundra began a frantic rush to prepare pills for all of the participants, while spending quite a bit of time giving his three selected children special training.


    He couldn¡¯t let his children and disciples go to a Treasure realm unprepared.


    ***


    Anna, Edison, Larian. Three fortunate souls chosen for the Princess¡¯s treasure realms. It is an opportunity, and yet Anna feared the worst. So much was said about treasure realms that it is hard to distinguish fact or fiction, and amongst their family, not one of them had ever ventured in a royal family¡¯s treasure realms.


    Pills. Every other day they were given pills. Strange ones that they¡¯ve never seen before. They didn¡¯t know their father knew how to make so many pills.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, father?¡± Anna stared at a black pill that seemed to have a faint blue light.


    ¡°A spirit reinforcement pill. It¡¯s for 4th realms to shore up their spirit walls before breakthrough, but it can also be used on 3rd realms for the same effect. It¡¯s normally considered a waste to give it to 3rd realmers, but circumstances are what they are.¡±


    Anna nodded, and swallowed the pill. The pill channeled pure energy into her spirit, and she felt it form structures around her spiritual realm, as if forming a wall at the edges of her spirit realm. In theory, the main use of this pill was to prevent any negative downsides should their attempt to breakthrough to the 4th realm fail. The reinforced walls should support the spirit realm long enough for the cultivator to reassert their control over the 3rd realm.


    ¡°In about a month you should be able to attempt to break through to the 4th realm. You will be taking this pill repeatedly, until we succeed.¡± Father said.


    Anna nodded. Breakthroughs stressed her out. She recalled her own breakthrough to the 3rd realm and remembered the sensation of pushing the energies against the walls of her soul. Breakthroughs were the moment when a cultivator truly felt the heaven¡¯s attempt to hamper their progress.


    Edison¡¯s face was pale, but he also nodded. He hated the taste of pills, yet at this point, he had no luxury to reject them. Anna sighed, but she had to concentrate on her own cultivation. Larian, was the laggard of the three. In terms of talent, he was the worst of the three, and so he struggled.


    But there was something else that also stressed them.


    Their father¡¯s presence.


    Father sat, and in the room, he condensed motes of energy for them. It was almost as if they were in a cultivation chamber, and yet, different. Father¡¯s presence meant their hearts could never be truly still and calm. How could they be? Every time he looked at them, he was judging their progress. He was trying to understand their cultivation. He assessed and measured, and as his children, they felt themselves wanting.


    Only he could make them feel this way.


    This went on for days.


    All three of them were nervous as hell, even though their father said nothing. No, maybe it was because he said nothing that they felt insufficient. They were not sure whether they did right, or wrong.


    The three suffered, and Anna felt it suffocating. Maybe it was the pressure. Maybe it was the fact that a rare opportunity now hung over their heads like a sword.


    So one day, Anna could not take it anymore and spoke up.


    ¡°Father- I think we need some space.¡± Anna said, mustering courage to tell their father that even though she appreciated his help, their hearts were troubled just being in his presence. Even children needed to study in peace.


    Their minds needed space to regroup. To make sense of new realities and changes brought by the pills. Their father looked at them for a moment, as if trying to figure out Anna¡¯s intention.


    Anna quickly explained. ¡°Father, to us, you are always our father, and I think- I think you don¡¯t quite understand how large a shadow you cast on our soul. I- Just being in your presence I feel judged.¡±


    Edison¡¯s immediate nod of agreement verified Anna¡¯s suspicion that most children felt the same. They were always compared to Father.


    ¡°What you do for us is helpful, but- is there a way for it to happen without your presence? So that we can clear our minds and approach cultivation?¡±


    The Sect Master looked at their three children, blinked, and then eventually nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    ***


    Tundra wanted to help, and he formulated a plan. In his mind, his children needed handholding. That¡¯s why he tried this regime of assisted cultivation, just like with his wives. But unlike his wives who were generally comfortable with his presence, his children were not.


    The power and hierarchical difference meant they always had to pay attention to him.


    He sighed. Anna was right. His children were not disciples. His disciples and him had a master-disciple relationship, and naturally they were used to cultivating in his presence. His children on the other hand, didn¡¯t.


    He noticed the fearful look on Edison¡¯s face. His son, the young master. Afraid, and in that moment he knew his son wasn¡¯t ready. A cultivator challenges the heavens. A cultivator seeks to impose their will on the world. Edison didn¡¯t deserve to be the young master, and his actions thus far have failed to support his case.


    All he wanted to do so far was avoid problems, as if problems solved themselves. Yet when he tried to help them, he lashed out.


    Elly said to encourage them. Maybe he should. ¡°Very well. Then let¡¯s stop here. I will only supply pills and lectures. But you are free to cultivate on your own. You are free to come to me for guidance.¡±


    Anna nodded. ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    The other two boys also nodded in relief.


    In Tundra¡¯s mind, he wondered why it was Anna that spoke up, and not his sons. For Edison, as the so-called young master, why didn¡¯t he advocate for himself?


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Did they deserve the special benefits he gave to them so far? Most likely not. But they were his children, and Tundra repeated it to himself. He couldn¡¯t abandon them in this life. He had to offer his hand for them to meet him halfway.


    This trial would be the deciding moment. If he failed, he¡¯d pass the position to someone else. No, maybe he should separate the role into two.


    In the first place, there really was no reason for the Sect Master to be hereditary. Only family sects had that sort of tradition, and in those sects, the heir was usually the second-strongest anyway.


    But that was not so for their family. The Sect¡¯s strength exceeded the family, and as Tundra understood it, that was part of the appeal for many disciples who didn¡¯t want to join sects where they ended up as glorified servants of the main family.


    Edison could still be the future leader of the Fox family, if Edison somehow survives him. But looking at it, Tundra didn¡¯t know whether he had it in him.


    He wished he thought better of his own son, and at that moment, felt a twinge of guilt.


    But no. It¡¯s been a year and more since he returned, almost 2 years once the Treasure Realm was over.


    It was time for him to decide on where he wanted to go in his life.


    ***


    Yavin, Julia, and Agnia made for a rather noisy group as they made their way into the depths of the mountains. They would meet their Sect Master in the depths of darkness.


    ¡°Have you done the deed with the two girls?¡± Julia asked, a little curious. ¡°Did you see it, Agnia? The two Blackshore daughters were stuck to Senior Brother like they were glue.¡±


    Yavin rolled his eyes. ¡°It is improper to ask such a question, Sister Julia.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Come on, I¡¯m curious. Are you such a prude, Senior Brother?¡± Julia teased. Agnia somehow smiled.


    ¡°I found the three to be quite irritating, I am surprised you find yourself interested in them.¡± Agnia countered.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are a woman, Agnia.¡± Julia replied. ¡°To the two girls, you are competition. You are better than them, and not just that, if you somehow decided that you wanted to carve the Blackshore family up, what¡¯s the Patriarch going to do? Stop you? Brother Yavin, on the other hand, secures their position in the family.¡±


    Agnia laughed. ¡°True, true. It is a charmed thing to find myself rotated out of the role. Has the Sect Master told you how we¡¯ll have to babysit his three children?¡±


    Both Yavin and Julia nodded. Julia thought for a while, and said. ¡°I¡¯m not too worried about Young Mistress Anna. I¡¯m more worried about the young masters. I¡¯ll have to trouble you, brother Yavin, to deal with Young Master Edison. He¡¯s- he¡¯s a handful.¡±


    Yavin tapped his chest. ¡°Leave it to me. Dealing with young masters will be challenging, but I have some experience. At the very least, I should be able to keep him alive.¡±


    Agnia nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll babysit Young Master Larian, then. Not the hardest of the three, even if he is the weakest.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll work?¡± Yavin asked. ¡°That the Princess wants to hold the master¡¯s family as a way for leverage.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not.¡± Julia countered. Thanks to all the pills they received over the past few weeks and months, they were at the peak of the 4th realm. It is said that cultivation favored those who possessed wealth and power, and this was very true for pills. Pills, formations, cultivation chambers are all huge accelerators. ¡°Master looked a little annoyed.¡±


    ¡°I could tell.¡± Yavin thought. ¡°I think Princess Luharl is not the master¡¯s first choice among the members of the royal family, but we can¡¯t turn them down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re almost there. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ***


    Tundra sat as he watched the three cultivators approach the designated place. Three quite talented children, and they had a bright future ahead of them.


    ¡°Come, disciples.¡±


    Cultivation breakthroughs. It is quite rare to have multiple cultivators breaking through at the same time, and strangely, it was one of the few things where there are advantages for doing so.


    One, the damage to the environment can sometimes be offset if the cultivators were of different elements. The elements battled each other for control, and so, they reduced each other¡¯s effects on the world around them.


    Two, the breakthrough is a tiny bit easier. Each cultivator¡¯s spiritual battle against the world around them calls upon the world to resist. Together, the world¡¯s resistance is a bit weaker.


    Third, it was a good reference, and motivation. Knowing one¡¯s peers breaking through spurred one on. But naturally, if someone failed first, it could also demotivate the rest. Each cultivator breaking through could instinctively understand the battle within each other¡¯s soul, a kind of breakthrough-resonance, and thus each cultivator would then be able to understand how to better fight the forces of nature.


    It was once said that to have five primary elements, one of each, breaking through at the same time, is the best, and per Tundra¡¯s own estimates, the energy needed for the breakthrough was reduced by about a fifth.


    Even if it was possible to synchronize disciple¡¯s for mutual breakthrough, somehow, the breakthrough-resonance was also influenced by how well the five cultivators knew each other. It was one of those really rare events that remained difficult to collect data on, and even harder to study.


    The three sat, and laid down their pills and equipment. Tundra nodded. ¡°I will stand guard. Start when you are ready.¡±


    The three did not hesitate, and together, they began their breakthrough. The breakthrough from 4th realm to 5th realm would only take a day or two, and together, the mountains shook as the powers of their elements battled.


    Tundra brought a few pills specifically for Yavin, if Yavin fails to properly balance his dual spiritual roots.


    He watched them sweat, and Tundra¡¯s own energies spread throughout the mountain. He would have to calm the land, soften the winds, and quiet the noisy woods. As he had for a thousand times before.


    They began chugging pills, as the winds howled.


    He looked, and then, he sensed something amiss. A slight disturbance in Julia¡¯s cultivation, and for a moment, thought about whether to intervene.  Julia grunted, ate a few more pills, and somehow, Tundra felt her battle against nature itself, and brought it all back in line.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t him who had a breakthrough, the sheer sensation of a potentially failed breakthrough made his entire palm sweaty. Julia was able to wrestle her spirit and get herself back on track, her talent and experience meant she could.


    Was it too early for her? Maybe just a little bit.


    She was only sitting there, Tundra could sense the battle in the spirit realm. Her spirit was locked in battle, and he observed her tense body.


    She ate her last pill, and Tundra checked his pouch. It¡¯s a good thing he brought spares, just in case. He quickly threw a few more over, the pills landed right in front of her. In the end, both Yavin and Agnia finished about the same time, both successful.


    Julia needed a little more, she ate one more from Tundra, and luckily, it was now enough to push her over to the fifth realm.


    When her eyes opened, she was already drenched in sweat and her entire body was in pain. Successful, but she collapsed backwards. Yavin and Agnia immediately wanted to help, but Tundra stopped them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch her.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Her breakthrough is successful, but she needs to consolidate her spirit. Her body endured quite a bit from her battle, it seems the heavens were harsh on her.¡±


    Yavin and Agnia nodded.


    ¡°Sit, medidate.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s presence seemingly faded, and he hid his soul to the smallest he could ever get it to be. He walked as if he wasn¡¯t there, and then sat next to Julia. Julia was now lying on the ground, her eyes were staring at the sky. ¡°You did well, disciple Julia. Close your eyes and sleep. I¡¯ll feed you a mild 1st realm healing pill.¡±


    Their body was highly vulnerable and sensitive in this state, and using a strong healing elixir would be counterproductive, because it added more ¡®rough¡¯ energy to the already turbulent forces within their soul.


    Instead, the only thing they could take was something of a balm. Something to just mildly help, but not enough to make things worse.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not tasted a 1st realm Healing Pill in a long time.¡± Julia admitted with her eyes closed. Already, Tundra could feel her body gradually coming to terms with her new realm.


    He briefly wondered whether Julia managed to break through to the fifth realm in his first life. Maybe she did, but much, much later. He couldn¡¯t exactly remember, but watching what she went through, it was entirely possible she failed her own breakthrough the first time, and had to try again much later.


    Yavin and Agnia were both able to walk, but Julia wasn¡¯t, so they waited an extra day for their friend.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you carried to the medical hall, Julia.¡± Tundra said.


    She nodded. Her body was in better shape after a day, but still, she needed a bit more to recover. Julia had to spend a week in the medical halls to recuperate from her injuries, and she¡¯ll have to devote some time for physical body cultivation to help restore her body¡¯s strength. The battle within her spirit made deep wounds within her body, the violent war between spirit and reality a reminder of the dangers of breakthroughs, even if successful.


    Tundra ordered and only announced that the Verdant Snow had three new elders after she was in much better shape a week later.


    ***

 Chapter 50. Return to the Hailstorm

    Chapter 50.


    The trip to the Hailstorm Temple took barely two days on their new flying ship.


    ¡°Good to see you again, Master Fox.¡± The Elder Jussa Joen smiled as he waited for them at their sect¡¯s dockyards. ¡°You brought a much larger group, this time around, and quite an impressive new ship.¡±


    Tundra clasped his hand respectfully. ¡°Ah, it is just a small boat, don¡¯t think too much of it. We truly thank the Elder and the Hailstorm Temple for accommodating our request.¡±


    ¡°Small matter, small matter. It¡¯s a trade, after all.¡± Jussa Joen nodded, as a group of Hailstorm¡¯s disciples were waiting for them. The rest of his group followed suit. His three children, his core disciples, and the three new elders were all present.


    Tundra nodded. He agreed to help the Hailstorm Temple produce a set of seventh-realm pills with some of the unique materials within the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s treasury, and in exchange, the Sect Master Saljuk agreed to give his briefing and knowledge of the royal treasure realms.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again, Lord Saljuk. I hope we didn¡¯t trouble you too much.¡± The two old men gave each other a respectful hug, much to the amusement of his family and disciples.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lord Saljuk answered in the same receiving room. ¡°So, these are the poor souls selected for the royal opportunity?¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Hah. If you think I intend to scare you, then you are all wrong.¡± Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°Think about it, what is a treasure realm? A treasure realm is usually the final or close to final works of a cultivator approaching it¡¯s dying days. You may not know this, but for our 9th and 10th realm royal families, their lifespans are significantly shorter than other cultivators. Do you know why?¡±


    Yavin answered confidently. ¡°Because the gift of the Golden Dragon consumes a portion of their lifespan.¡±


    ¡°Yes! The royal family¡¯s incredible power comes at the price of their lifespan. Unlike the rest of us who enjoy much longer lives, the royal family¡¯s lifespan feeds the Golden Dragon, and in return, each and every royal family is able to challenge those two full realms above them and win. It is why a Prince in the 8th realm dares to order 10th realms around, because the Golden Dragon is truly a monster of an existence. Many Great Sects have searched the world for inheritances and artifacts that could do the same thing, but it is few and far between. Those that could were not the types of power that could be inherited and spread among so many members.¡±


    Those present gulped.


    ¡°But they die. The Royal Family, no matter how powerful, all know that their lives are shorter than the rest. That is why they act with an urgency the rest of us lack, and the Royal Family¡¯s members have a tradition to leave behind the treasures collected throughout their lives in special Treasure Realms, crafted by the special spatial powers of the Golden Dragon.¡±


    The Sect Master of the Hailstorm Temple paced the room.


    ¡°Each treasure realm created by, and thus, locked by the Power of the Golden Dragon, and can only be unlocked by those wielding the assigned key of the Golden Dragon. The strength of their creator often defines what sort of treasures, opportunities and resources are held in them. Princess Luharl likely has access to the treasure realms, granted to her by the Emperor, with treasures up to the 8th realm.¡±


    Tundra was never close to the royal family, so much of this information was something he knew in limited detail, and he wasn¡¯t sure enough to rely on his own knowledge.


    ¡°There are common features of the Royal family¡¯s treasure realms, all because they are made with the power of the Golden Dragon. One, they are usually special areas that only those with the Dragon¡¯s blood can enter, so that¡¯s not relevant to all of you. Two, for the rest, it¡¯s usually a mix of cultivation puzzles and challenges, with some occasional battles with spirit beasts generated from the stored power of the spatial realms. From what I know, the Golden Dragon is particularly fond of individual trials, and thus, even though a hundred people enter the Treasure Realm, for the trials, you will all be alone.¡±


    At that very moment, Tundra saw his children turn pale. So, he asked the question in their minds. ¡°Can you die in treasure realms?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those entering the trials should listen to the Golden Dragon at the very start of the Trial itself. It will usually mention when failure could result in death. As far as I know, failure in some stages of the trial will eject you out of the Treasure Realm, but not all stages are like that.¡±


    Larian raised his hand, as if trying to ask a question. The Hailstorm¡¯s Temple Sect Master nodded, and so he asked. ¡°Could we just eject ourselves in the first stage?¡±


    ¡°Usually no. As far as I know, for lower tier treasure realms, the first few stages are usually not lethal, so you are free to try it, and if you fail, then you will be ejected. That¡¯s not true for the stronger treasure realms.¡±


    The color on his children¡¯s faces returned, all of them were relieved. In some way, Tundra was relieved too.


    ¡°Will we know how everyone performs?¡± The regressor decided to ask.


    ¡°The one who holds the key will know the performance of those who entered the realm, it is whether the Princess or her representative wants to share.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Tundra nodded.


    ¡°Now, do you want to know what are the common challenges? There are a few types, such as the puzzle challenges where one¡¯s comprehension of the soul. There are the spirit beast challenges and cultivation puppet battles, from what we know, the puzzles and challenges often match the challenger¡¯s realm, so that each battle takes a little bit more out of the cultivator.¡±


    Tundra rubbed his chin, a little impressed that the royal family¡¯s treasure realm were designed to hone their capabilities, rather than allow for a simple overpowering of the challenges by being of a higher realm.


    The Hailstorm Master then went at length to narrate the types of challenges, and gave a few examples. Everyone listened, and visiting Sect Master found it amusing that his three children were thoroughly focused, though he noticed all three of them were still nervous as hell.


    This went on for about tree hours, and then Lord Saljuk finished his explanation.


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    ¡°Well, amusingly enough, a few former Sect Masters before me were invited to treasure realms, and we¡¯ve made our own little copies. Unfortunately, Sect Master Fox, there will be a price to pay-¡±


    ¡°Eh. We agreed-¡± Tundra interjected.


    ¡°We agreed to share information, Master Fox. Now, to use our own private treasure realm replicas, that is a different set of services.¡±


    Tundra grinned, a little amused that he fell for the typical marketing tactic. ¡°Well, well, I suppose you put me in a difficult position. What do you want for it?¡±


    ¡°Now, I need a favor of some kind, let¡¯s talk about it in private.¡± Lord Saljuk grinned, and escorted Lord Fox once more up to the quiet gazebo up in the ice cold mountains.


    Lord Fox looked back at his party. ¡°Get some rest, or if you feel like it, be friendly and mingle with our gracious hosts. Exchange pointers, if you must.¡±


    ***


    It was strange to visit the same place again so soon, it was a sensation between familiarity and foreignness that came from going somewhere new so often. Once more, rice wines and yellow wines were spread on the stone table, and weirdly enough, there was a handsome young man waiting for them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve waited long, Azin.¡± Lord Saljuk smiled. ¡°Lord Fox, my favor from you is very much related to this young child. Azin¡¯s heritage is fairly sensitive- are you aware of the bloodline of the Heavenly White Ice Serpent?¡±


    Tundra paused and his eyes inspected the boy. There was nothing about him that revealed anything about the bloodline of one of the ten great progenitor beasts.


    The Ten Great Progenitor Beasts were an ancient legend of the world, almost all of them are extinct. Only two, the Golden Dragon, which survives as the royal family today and the Eternal Phoenix, that still exists in a withered form and is a small, protected family within the Flaming Phoenix Sect.


    The other eight were extinct. One of those was the Heavenly White Ice Serpent.


    ¡°Now, I have not been able to reawaken the bloodline, but from what I can tell, I am fairly certain Azin¡¯s blood contained fragments of the Heavenly White Ice Serpent¡¯s essence. If you can figure out a way to awaken his power, he will be a true monster in the cultivation world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard tales like this a thousand times.¡± Tundra said. It was a common scam within the cultivation world that often talked about some long forgotten bloodline or treasure. If it was true, well.


    ¡°Maybe, but I think I¡¯m right, and I want you to reawaken it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big resource commitment. I say it¡¯s worth way more than the simulated treasure realms.¡± Tundra said.


    ¡°Now, what if I have access to a real, but long forgotten royal treasure realm? An ancient power my old predecessor received from a Prince thousands of years ago.¡± Lord Saljuk countered. ¡°One where the treasures are intact, because the treasure realm regenerates from the latent energies of the world. And I can ensure your children and disciples will be safe, since, I can pull them out before I do.¡±


    Tundra smirked, a little amused at how well the man played him. ¡°So I must reawaken his bloodline? Surely there are other masters you can find-¡±


    ¡°If you can, yes.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°The only other master alchemist I know isn¡¯t in the best state, and the greater sects- well, let¡¯s just say I am not friendly enough with them to trust them with such a task.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Tundra approached Azin. ¡°Young man, give me your hand.¡±


    Azin bowed, and put both his hands and palms for inspection. Tundra took out a small silver cauldron, then he grabbed the boy¡¯s hand, and with a small knife, pricked his finger. A drop of his blood entered the bowl.


    It swirled, and Tundra frowned. His own energies entered the cauldron, as the blood itself separated in the cauldron, pulled apart by Tundra¡¯s forces. At first, he didn¡¯t see or detect anything.


    But Tundra¡¯s eyes widened. It may have been absolutely miniscule, but once he focused deep enough, he found a really tiny, tiny fragment of some kind of ancient spirit beast. Such a tiny bit of an ancient beast could¡¯ve passed through the generations without even showing any signs.


    But there are millions, billions of mortals in the world, and the likelihood of spotting who held a hidden, unawakened bloodline was akin to finding a needle in an entire world¡¯s worth of hay.


    ¡°You found it.¡± Lord Saljuk grinned. ¡°Now, do you think you can awaken it?¡±


    ¡°Young man, how much blood are you prepared to bleed?¡± Tundra said. That made Azin¡¯s face pale.


    ¡°Also, would you like to arrange for some kind of- arranged marriage? Unfortunately, this young man, despite his good looks, is just a regular mortal and so far has not yet married anyone or sired any children of his own. I¡¯ve looked at my own disciples, and I¡¯m afraid none of them would want to have children with this man if he¡¯s just a mere mortal.¡±


    ¡°Did you not try to teach him cultivation?¡±


    ¡°I did, of course. But progress is slow, and I am not the best teacher.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°My elders don¡¯t have the patience, and some of them didn¡¯t believe his hidden bloodline.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra frowned. He didn¡¯t think he was that much better, but his hidden bloodline. ¡°How many blood-restoration pills do you have?¡± He would have to draw out a lot of the man¡¯s blood, and find ways to concentrate the hidden bloodline to the point where it could show some effects. But even that would only be a partial reawakening. A true bloodline reawakening often required finding strange, unusual potions and cultivation methods to experiment with.


    ¡°A lot.¡± Lord Saljuk smiled.


    ***


    While their father discussed the details with the Sect Master, the rest of them were brought to meet the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s disciples, and as with almost all Sect Visits, it started with an exchange of pointers.


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Lady Anna Fox.¡± The disciple was polite, even though she just beat her up. Well, it was a fairly quick battle with the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s inner disciple, and Anna thought her opponent, also a lady, gave her a lot of chances.


    ¡°Likewise. It is enlightening.¡± Anna answered. She saw some of the flaws almost immediately from that exchange. Still, her own inexperience was so apparent that it didn¡¯t take long for her to lose. She may have the cultivation. She may understand the techniques, and understand the theoretical aspects of applying them.


    But her real life application of them was lacking.


    Her spars were also usually with just her own family members, and occasionally members of the Verdant Snow Sect who clearly gave her a lot of face. Often, spars with the lower ranked disciples were just plays where they pretended to lose.


    But it was not all bad. Now, she saw a glimmer of where she should go.


    Edison lost his battle too, and when the Hailstorm¡¯s elder declared his loss, he stomped his feet in frustration. Frustrated, he walked over to Anna.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    ¡°I lost too.¡± Anna said with a sigh. It was not a good sign for their preparations, but mainly, the sigh was to comfort her fellow half-brother that he was not the only one who lost. Even the core disciples were evenly matched with their opponents.


    Elder Jashen came over and tapped the two on the shoulders. ¡°You two did your best. You¡¯ll get better when you face enough disciples. Our experiences are built upon a mountain of pointers before us.¡± Elder Severian had other diplomatic affairs to attend to, and so it fell on Jashen to guide the three new elders in their affairs.


    ¡°I had not realized the gap in our strength was so vast.¡± Anna said. Edison seemed reluctant to admit it, but somehow, he looked back at the sparring area. He ate a healing pill, and walked back to the sparring square for another round. Anna could vaguely hear him say ¡®again¡¯ from where she stood.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that young master Edison is seeing the error in his ways.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s seeing what he¡¯s supposed to see, or he¡¯s just frustrated.¡± Anna said. Edison didn¡¯t look like he learned anything, instead, he was just taking out his anger by fighting more.


    ¡°Well, a good beatdown is a lesson of it¡¯s own.¡± Jashen smiled. ¡°Now, Anna, you too, should go again. I believe whatever the master is up to, it might take a few days.¡±


    That evening, many battles and spars later, the Sect Master of the Hailstorm Temple returned.


    ¡°Sect Master Fox is assisting with a special alchemical process, so in the meantime, let me fulfill my end of the bargain. Come with me, disciples of the Verdant Snow. I have a Treasure Realm to show you.¡±


    ***

 Chapter 51. Myths

    It was a good three days later, and as Tundra understood it, his children and disciples were now trying out the Treasure Realm replicas.


    Tundra stood alone in a secret alchemical room that smelled like blood, as the poor, unfortunate Azin rested on a bed not far away. He already drained enough of his blood that he was feeling lightheaded and had to sleep.


    But there was no choice, awakening ancient bloodlines often starts with accumulating and concentrating their components such that there is enough of it flowing through their body.


    There were ten large bottles filled with Azin¡¯s blood, but already there was a small cupful of pure glowing blue-white liquid. Condensed elements of blood, a fragment of the Heavenly White Ice Serpent. The power of an ancient Heavenly White Ice Serpent, or at least a lesser manifestation.


    It was well known that spirit beasts, at least powerful ones, sometimes adopted human forms and commingled with humanity, thus creating those with mixed bloods. There are some who believed that the true origins of cultivation came from the progenitor spirit beasts. It¡¯s an appealing theory, but no one truly knew. It was likely far more complicated than that, and cultivation likely emerged from many places all at once.


    ¡°I knew you were the right one for the job.¡± Lord Saljuk appeared soon after, quickly noticing the blood on the table. ¡°Your disciples are impressive. But your children, they are quite-¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t respond to that.


    ¡°Well, they can do better.¡± Lord Saljuk stared at the blue cup, and wisely decided to ignore the earlier topic. ¡°Do you think this will create a partial manifestation?¡±


    ¡°I do not profess to be a master of the primordial blood arts, but that doesn¡¯t seem enough for a partial manifestation. I¡¯d need at least ten times that cup.¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve been easier if he was a cultivator, wouldn''t it?¡± Lord Saljuk then walked over and gently touched Azin¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Yes, but water under the bridge.¡± Tundra smiled. ¡°For now, we will need a few more days to get more, and Azin needs to be properly cared for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements.¡± Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°Would you think it¡¯s easier for him to attain partial manifestation of his ancient bloodline, let him rise a few realms of cultivation, and then try to purify his bloodline once more?¡±


    ¡°If he could, yes.¡±


    ¡°Great. If he does successfully manifest the bloodline, I will need to start arranging some wives, just to ensure this bloodline gets passed on.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°I suspect it¡¯ll be easier once he does become a cultivator by sheer force of this bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Or you could give this bloodline to someone else.¡± Tundra said, remembering how it was possible to transfer bloodlines for others.


    ¡°I admit that would solve a lot of problems, but do you know how to do it?¡±


    ¡°Again, I am no master of the primordial blood arts, and this work you¡¯ve gotten me into is quite a nasty assignment, Lord Saljuk. I think I¡¯d like a lot more in exchange, or I¡¯m walking out the door.¡±


    Lord Saljuk was amused. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re pulling that trick on me, now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only fair.¡± Tundra shrugged, his eyes never left the cauldron filled with Azin¡¯s blood. His energies swirled within the cauldron and latched onto the bits of ancient primordial blood and then separated them from the normal blood, bit by bit. It was slow, laborious work that required precision. Purity was key.


    ¡°I suppose so, I suppose so. Would you like to pick a book from my private archives? Not just mine, of course, it also contains all my predecessor¡¯s collections.¡±


    ¡°And that is something you would share with an outsider?¡±


    ¡°Oh my dear Tundra Fox, I think you don¡¯t quite understand how entangled we are already.¡± Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll have to take this secret to the grave. If anyone finds out we are dabbling with primordial bloodlines-¡±


    ¡°You make a great point. I will select ten books from the collection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s robbery!¡± Lord Saljuk protested, and yet it was not one of anger, but of amusement.


    ¡°Nine.¡±


    ¡°Eight.¡±


    ¡°Eight it is, then. I will take two more if you¡¯d want me to refine the blood.¡±


    Lord Saljuk coughed. ¡°There are no better ways of extorting a Sect Master than overpaying for alchemical solutions.¡±


    ¡°Solutions do not come cheap, Lord Saljuk. They would be everywhere and alchemists like myself would be paupers by the roadside.¡± Tundra smiled as he inspected another cupful of blood.


    ¡°It is. Say, I had a chance to look at your disciples and children as they tested the replica realms. Your disciples are excellent, but your children... how do I put this?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You may want to consider finding a new wife or concubine, Lord Fox.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°One that comes from a lineage of many talented cultivators. With your current level of cultivation and your alchemical talents, I may be able to arrange some suitable candidates.¡±


    Tundra couldn¡¯t help but feel that was such a typical cultivator¡¯s response. To discard what didn¡¯t work and to change it for something else. Was it because it was easy?


    He closed his eyes, and focused back on the blood in front of him.


    ¡°Your concern is noted, Lord Saljuk, but that would be unnecessary at this time. Not yet. Not before I tried to do my part.¡± Tundra sighed. He would give up when it was the only way forward. ¡°Instead, I would rather appreciate contributions on improving talent and natural skill.¡±


    ¡°Well, why not make use of bloodlines like the one before you?¡± Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°I mean, not the one you¡¯re holding, but there are lesser bloodlines all over the world that you can still harvest and transplant into your children. Bloodlines often don¡¯t affect the minds of naturally talented cultivators, but its effects in less talented and intelligent children is usually more profound and impactful.¡±


    ¡°A fair suggestion.¡± Tundra did consider it, and had a few candidates. But bloodline transfusions needed to happen at a young age, for it to properly settle within one¡¯s bones and marrow, and so he had never tried it with older descendants. So, only his grandchildren could receive a blood transfusion, and it was the reason why he didn¡¯t get a bloodline himself.


    ¡°The commonly known way of blood transfusion during a child¡¯s formation years would not do for your older kids.¡± Lord Saljuk clearly thought about it. ¡°But both the Ancient Titans Great Sect and Great Cult of the Burning Tree know a range of secret blood transfusion techniques for more mature cultivators hoping to obtain a bloodline.¡±


    ¡°They do?¡± That was a surprise to Tundra. He met them before, and even worked with them during the later era. He never heard of such things, though he could imagine the great sects withheld such knowledge from him because of the things he would do. Maybe they feared what would happen if he had a powerful bloodline on top of his already well known alchemical talents.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    There were some downsides to his fame as a ruthless warmonger after all. Those who didn¡¯t want him to grow.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret, naturally.¡± Lord Saljuk grinned. ¡°Now, if you want to know who to look for and the name of the methods, I will reduce the number of books from my personal archives by 5.¡±


    This miserly old man! Yet, Tundra didn¡¯t know why he smiled. Maybe it was banter. Maybe it felt like he was talking to someone that he could be friends with. ¡°Now that¡¯s too much, there¡¯s not even an offer for a technique or method. If all I get is just a name, I¡¯d rather choose the books. I¡¯d love to see what¡¯s in the Sect Master¡¯s personal archives, especially one with such a long history like yourself.¡±


    Lord Saljuk paused, and Tundra grinned.


    ¡°I suppose so, I suppose so.¡±


    Tundra placed a third cup of blood on the table.


    The two kept a long silence for a few hours, as Tundra continued to work. Azin was asleep, but Tundra intermittently fed him a range of pills meant to replenish his blood and maintain his health.


    After a while, Lord Saljuk pulled out a glass object from his personal storage compartment, and Tundra¡¯s attention immediately focused on it. It was a 9th, or at least 10th realm storage object, a Pure Blood Suspension Sphere.


    ¡°That-¡± Tundra could not help but stare.


    ¡°Well, I know I¡¯m sure you are a man of great discretion, but it goes without saying, but what happens here stays here. This bloodline is worth a lot, and I must safeguard it. The foes that crawl in the greater lands do not like the old primordials, and would crush any inkling of their revival.¡±


    It suddenly clicked, as if a layer of fog vanished and revealed a greater picture.


    The Zuja must have been an ancient enemy of the primordials. The old tale of the great ten primordial beasts who were in favor of coexisting with humanity often spoke of their struggle against the hostile spirit beasts who sought to enslave or destroy humanity.


    If anything, the existence of these bloodlines with their overwhelming strength meant they could easily stand up to the might of the Zuja.


    The Hailstorm Temple¡¯s destruction was linked to this young man. If somehow news of this got out, then that explained why there was that unexplained attack on the Hailstorm Temple.


    Not just that, now he saw a possible path how the cultivators could suppress the Zuja plague.


    Primordial bloodlines. Not just the royal blood of the Golden Dragon or the Eternal Phoenix, but also the remaining eight Great Progenitor Spirit Beasts. These were ancient spirit beasts with incredible powers, but finding the remaining lost seven would be quite like trying to look for a blue coin lost in the great ocean, hidden within the blood of men.


    But for a foe like the Zuja, it might be exactly what they need.


    Lord Saljuk poured one cup of the blood into the storage artifact. ¡°I¡¯ll have this stored somewhere safe. Really safe.¡±


    Then, he took out a scroll, and handed it to Tundra.


    ¡°We may have met only twice, but if anything happens to the Hailstorm Temple and Azin, this is where you can find where I store this blood.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t know why his hand trembled, but he received the scroll anyway. He kept it immediately. ¡°I appreciate the trust, but this-¡±


    ¡°I do not want many people to know about this.¡±


    Tundra sighed, and now he understood why Lord Saljuk chose such an unusual location to keep Azin, and how they had such a private alchemical workshop up in the snow mountains. The less people knew about such potential power, the more likely they¡¯d be able to keep it safe. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Good. I know I can trust you.¡±


    Tundra looked at the man who had just entrusted him with such a burden, and hoped he survived the future conflict with the Zuja.


    Maybe his very action bent the probabilities of the attack. If Lord Saljuk had to work with less discreet alchemists, the Zuja would¡¯ve heard of it. It¡¯s likely the Zuja wouldn¡¯t act on every single rumor, but they would have agents to investigate and verify such stories.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Who knows what they store up in their secret swamps and holes.¡±


    Lord Saljuk nodded. ¡°Advice taken, Master Fox. I¡¯ll be back in three days.¡±


    ***


    Anna looked and watched Edison squirm in pain. He had taken way too many healing pills and any more would only hurt him. One of the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s healers, a beautiful woman dressed in white and blue robes attended to him with the medical pills..


    He squirmed as the healer applied some kind of healing herb. It was a fairly primitive way of healing, and only used when a cultivator overdosed on healing pills.


    ¡°That was reckless.¡± Anna said. ¡°Your mother will give you a good scolding if she was here.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t.¡± Edison said, and his face winced as herbs were wrapped around his bruised arm. He would be able to take healing pills in a day or two, but for now, the herbs would numb the pain.


    ¡°What were you trying to do, anyway?¡± Anna asked. They were initially introduced to the replica treasure realms and the Lord Saljuk briefed them of the types of challenges they had seen. Each royal treasure realm was different, but cultivators often used similar challenges. It was quite unusual, but apparently cultivators at a high level at their deathbed often wanted to retell their stories, so there was often a lengthy introduction to their story, their experiences, the treasure realm and why it was created.


    ¡°I was trying to clear the challenge.¡± Edison said. The healer frowned, but continued work anyway.


    ¡°And brute force would get you what you want?¡±


    ¡°-yes? Is that not why cultivators go up in power? They¡¯ll just hit things so hard they break.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯d somehow brute force your way through something created from the power of the Golden Dragon.¡± Anna sighed. Her half-brother can be so stupid at times. How he was their father¡¯s son is still baffling to her.


    ¡°I thought it could work.¡± Edison answered, and somehow, he seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°But, I was wrong.¡±


    The healer nodded, and left the two alone. Anna sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, just as you are, brother.¡±


    Edison stopped and looked at her. She rarely called him brother.


    ¡°But being stupid is not the way forward.¡±


    The young master sighed. ¡°You know I was told that many, many times that I¡¯m sick of that advice.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s true.¡± Anna countered. ¡°It¡¯s just wasting your energy. Think, brother.¡±


    ¡°I am. And I get a fog everytime I do. That¡¯s why I prefer to just hit things when it comes to cultivation. It¡¯s a lot easier that way. But- but I¡¯m trying.¡±


    ¡°This fog- do the pills help?¡± Anna asked, a little surprised about it.


    ¡°Sometimes.¡± Edison conceded. ¡°Sometimes they don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Does father know? Maybe he could- I don¡¯t know, tamper with the pills so they work better?¡±


    Edison looked at Anna like it was a ridiculous suggestion, and after a while shook his head. She knew he wasn¡¯t going to ask, so she¡¯ll do it instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell him.¡± Edison said, somehow reading his mind. Anna smiled at her half brother. He could be pretty observant at the most useless of things.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Anna countered.


    ¡°Because it¡¯ll make it worse.¡±


    ¡°The hell with that.¡± Anna said, and looked at the healer who was at a nearby table packing up her tools and herbs. ¡°How long does he need to rest?¡±


    The healer looked at Edison, and then back at Anna. ¡°Ideally, the young master should rest for a week.¡±


    ¡°A week!¡± Edison looked indignant.


    ¡°Ideally.¡± The healer repeated.


    Anna bowed. ¡°Thank you for your help, and we truly appreciate the hospitality of the Hailstorm Temple.¡±


    The healer bowed. ¡°A pleasure. My fellow brothers and sisters are having a good time.¡±


    Anna looked out, and saw Yavin Redaxe facing off against two of the Core Disciples of the Hailstorm Temple. He was somehow holding his ground, despite being just in the first steps of the fifth realm, against the two other early fifth realm core disciples.


    The lady looked back at her half brother. ¡°Well, you heard the healer. You should rest.¡±


    Edison looked at the healer, and he was about to mutter something rude, but before he could say the words he somehow remembered this was not the Verdant Snow Sect, and so his tone changed. ¡°-Do you have something to help me sleep?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know why she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she expected her half brother to offend those that helped him. The healer stopped, and then checked her bag again. ¡°Take this, young master. One pill a day. It¡¯ll help you rest.¡±


    Edison took it. Anna said thanks on his behalf, and watched the healer go.


    ¡°It¡¯s good you didn¡¯t say something rude for a change.¡± Anna added once it was just the two of them.


    Edison frowned. ¡°If you¡¯re going to continue offending me, I suggest you leave.¡±


    Anna smiled. ¡°I planned on leaving anyway. I was invited by one of the Core Disciples to visit the Hailstorm¡¯s Frozen Flower Gardens.¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t say a word, and just rolled away on the bed to sleep. He rolled slowly, because the pain still stung.

 Chapter 52. Trials

    Tundra stood in the personal archives of the Hailstorm Temple, and Lord Saljuk led him through the old temples that contained books so old that he instantly became suspicious. He was relieved he returned in one piece, and for Azin, Azin was in recovery mode.


    The boy went through so many blood replenishment and restoration pills that he looked horrified at the prospect of eating more, so it¡¯s a good thing he didn¡¯t have to, for a while.


    All in, they collected about ten cups of purified Heavenly White Ice Serpents, one cup was stored somewhere safe, and now, the remaining nine cups underwent a process of accumulation.


    Once that was ready, Lord Saljuk would likely attempt to infuse the purified blood back into Azin¡¯s body.


    ¡°These books-¡± Tundra remembered an archive of similar age, but he only encountered it when he was well into the ninth realm, about four to five thousand years into the future. ¡°They are from the post-primordial era?¡±


    The telltale signs of that age were the materials used to make the books. The paper and its bindings were made from a brownish type of pulp, usually from a now-extinct type of tree known as the Winding Heart Tree, though some evolutions and variants still survived. There was a popular folktale about how men learned to write the first words and use paper from a Winding Heart Tree that attained sentience. Ever since that time, men coveted the paper of the Winding Heart Tree for their hardiness, and their dried petals for their calming scent.


    Many other alternatives and imitations emerged since that era, perhaps as a result of the ridiculous price tags and overhunting of the Winding Heart Tree, but the era when the paper was widely available came to be known as the Post-Primordial era.


    ¡°Not all of them.¡± Lord Saljuk said. ¡°Some are from the later eras.¡±


    ¡°I did not know the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s history went so far back.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Lord Saljuk shook his head. ¡°My predecessors just had a habit of collecting old books and paying a fortune for it.¡±


    Cultivation geniuses existed in all eras, but those closest to the primordial era benefited from the direct guidance of the progenitors, and it was in the post-primordial era that the first of the Old civilizations of men came to be. Though the leaders and men were strong, it was not Man¡¯s golden era. It was a time when spirit beasts ruled the world, and when even the Golden Dragon had to contend with powerful spirit beasts who didn¡¯t want to coexist with man.


    ¡°Call it one of my predecessor¡¯s vices. One that I somehow inherited.¡± Lord Saljuk said with a grin. ¡°Now, I promised you ten books. Have your pick, anything except those in these two rows.¡± Lord Saljuk tapped two cabinets that were clearly newer. ¡°These are my collections.¡±


    Tundra laughed. In many ways, Lord Saljuk still came out ahead. Someone with a fairly strong manifestation of a primordial spirit beast bloodline should be able to reach the 8th realm fairly quickly. ¡°Very well.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Where is the Sect Master?¡± Anna asked, curious. They had not seen their father for almost three weeks.


    Elder Jussa Joen smiled at the young lady. ¡°Do not worry, Lady Anna Fox, your father is alive and well, and just having a good time selecting his reward from the Sect Master. You will see him in about-¡±


    The door opened, and the two old men walked through. Anna saw his father looking rather tired, but somehow, happy. Lord Saljuk grinned. ¡°Well, well, it¡¯s time I bring all of you to what I promised. Come with me, everyone.¡±


    Anna thanked Jussa Joen for his clarification, and they all followed Lord Saljuk to one of the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s buildings, where they were all swiftly ushered into one of the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s flying ships.


    It was only in the flying ship that they knew what they were going to do. Lord Saljuk stood there, flanked by her father, and he explained.


    ¡°Well, your father¡¯s assistance with my problem has been absolutely instrumental, and in return, I¡¯ve agreed to bring all of you to experience a real Treasure Realm.¡±


    That made everyone gasp in surprise.


    ¡°So sit tight, and prepare for one of the most unique experiences of your life.¡± Lord Saljuk said, and Anna felt her heart pound.


    Edison, now mostly recovered from his injuries, looked at Anna. ¡°-Are we really going to a treasure realm? Did- Did my ears deceive me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jashen tapped the young master on the shoulder. ¡°You did not, young master. Your father¡¯s pulling out all the stops to get you all ready. Come, do your best.¡±


    ***


    The flying ship brought them well into a secluded area of the Hailstorm Temple¡¯s territory, and landed on the peak of one of the many snow-capped mountains. Here, the winds were freezing cold, and at a single glance, there didn¡¯t seem to be anything here.


    Even Tundra sensed nothing.


    Then, Lord Saljuk took out a strange golden key, and then, a gate warped out of existence. The world itself bent to reveal it.


    Tundra blinked. He recalled seeing such things a few times in the later years, and was amazed. Even now, watching how the royal family¡¯s treasure realm emerges out of nowhere still amazes him.


    The power over space to the point of creating treasure realms was something he did learn in the later realms. At that realm of power, most cultivators learn some limited way of creating such secret realms to store one¡¯s belongings. But those created by a 10th realm cultivator usually still lagged behind those created by the royal family. The Golden Dragon¡¯s power over reality was more profound.


    He stopped.


    ¡°That reality spear from the Scarlet Thunder Sect.¡± Tundra asked.


    ¡°Youfinally realized.¡± Lord Saljuk smiled. ¡°They¡¯ve wanted the spear for a purpose. There are hidden guardians, some they could only reach through the unique qualities of such weapons.¡±


    Tundra wondered whether Lord Saljuk knew that the Zuja likely existed in a different world altogether. He decided to leave a hint. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s so simple. I wonder whether something with power over reality, even if it is fairly limited, could help with summons.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Lord Saljuk stopped briefly, as if processing the statement. He was a smart man, likely he could pick up his suggestion.


    ¡°Is there a great sect that¡¯s willing to take this threat seriously?¡± Tundra asked, unsure if any of the Great Sects knew.


    ¡°There are some within the Great Sects trying to move against them, but the bugs are not the only threat the myriad worlds face.¡± Saljuk sighed. Demons. Spirit beasts. Other great sects. Tundra knew and dealt with these other threats all too well. ¡°Come, let¡¯s enter the treasure realm.¡±


    ***


    Tundra stood from his fairly unique vantage point. A ¡®control room¡¯ that gave them full vision of all the participants in the Treasure Realm, located above it all yet somehow with the ability to zoom into the performance of each and every participant.


    The Treasure Realm itself was a giant volcano, and there were rivers of lava everywhere.


    Each of the participants would have to fight the lava beasts that emerged from the rivers of lava, and then somehow cross the lava river and reach the other side, where even more lava beasts awaited.


    There was a strong fire that prevented them from using flight or other such similar abilities. Anyone that tried would be blasted with a strong flame, and so, the only way they could cross was by solving the puzzles and defeating the monsters.


    The participants were also separated from each other.


    ¡°Heartwrenching, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lord Saljuk mused as he noticed Tundra¡¯s expression. It was painful looking at his children stumble at some of the challenges. Luckily, the lava monsters were not particularly strong, since their strength scaled to match the challenger.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said, but he noticed Anna doing quite well. Surprisingly, Edison also did decently, that Tundra almost had his hopes up- and then he made many reckless mistakes.


    He shook his head. His son¡¯s mindset wasn¡¯t in the right place.


    Lord Saljuk laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that expression a lot in teachers when watching their disciple¡¯s performance.¡±


    ¡°I must¡¯ve been fairly lucky that I have good disciples.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You have a superb eye for talent, one that clearly served you very well.¡± Lord Saljuk praised as their attention watched how Yavin, Julia and Agnia all deftly solved their own puzzles and then managed to somehow multitask their battles against the various lava monsters while trying to hop over to the other side.


    ¡°It is mostly luck.¡± Tundra generally trusted his guts when it came to recruitment, and so far that hasn¡¯t failed him.


    ¡°If I make some progress with Azin, I¡¯ll send him over to you for training.¡±


    ¡°-I¡¯m not sure if I can protect him.¡± Tundra decided he wasn¡¯t ready to face that kind of problem yet.


    Lord Saljuk stopped, and rubbed his chin. ¡°Fair point. We¡¯re not ready.¡±


    Tundra¡¯s attention was redirected to Anna and Edison, both of them were trying to solve one of the puzzles given by the Treasure Realm. But even from his vantage point, the mere presence in the Treasure Realm should be beneficial. The energies within the Treasure Realm were dense, and seemed to contain a bit of the Golden Dragon¡¯s pure energies. Such treasure realms would be incredible places for cultivators to climb within their minor realms.


    Anna was busy trying to solve a puzzle, trying to move the strange pieces provided into place. Tundra could recognize it for what it is, it was a kind of cultivation puzzle that was fairly common to help 3rd and 4th realms try to make sense of how their spiritual realms grow.


    Edison had already completed it, but now was trying to jump over the rivers of lava to get to the next stage. Yet, rather than figure out how to make use of the torrents of hot air in the chamber, or the various exploding gasses that could¡¯ve helped him gain some additional distance, he tried to jump normally, and fell into the lava.


    Luckily for Edison, he already discovered he couldn¡¯t die in this part of the challenge, and was swiftly teleported back to where he started.


    Tundra couldn¡¯t help but rub his head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s look at more pleasant things.¡± Lord Saljuk laughed and pointed at how Yavin, Julia and Agnia all reached the end of their challenge, and at the end was a spirit beast that matched their realm. The battle went well, and all three of them won.


    At the end of the road, was a weapon for each of them, once they grabbed it they were sent out of the treasure realm and back to the real world with their prize.


    ¡°They can¡¯t die in this treasure realm?¡± Tundra looked at Lord Saljuk.


    ¡°They can¡¯t. This treasure realm was made by a rather benevolent prince. Instead, if they fail in the final battle, or fail to solve the puzzle, they¡¯ll just get ejected.¡±


    There were a series of puzzles, battles, and obstacle courses, and while his newly promoted elders managed to complete it within a day, and the lesser disciples all managed to eventually complete it after four or five days.


    But, in the end, time ran out for Edison, Anna and Larian, and all three of them were ejected. Anna did manage to get her way to the final battle, but couldn¡¯t overcome the final boss. Both Larian and Edison were still stuck against one of the last few puzzles.


    ***


    After they returned to the Hailstorm temple, Tundra summoned those who attempted the treasure realm to review their performance. Naturally, he congratulated the disciples and allowed them to keep it. For them, the reviews were fairly short, and he could easily get through explaining their mistakes.


    Then, it was his three children¡¯s turn.


    ¡°How¡¯d you think you did?¡± Tundra asked the three of them. The three of them were the only ones that did not return with a prize, and that made Larian¡¯s face turn absolutely pale.


    He immediately knelt before his father. ¡°I¡±m sorry, father! This one is incompetent and unable to complete the treasure realm!¡±


    Tundra nodded, and with a sigh, said. ¡°Rise up, Larian. I expected it.¡±


    Anna and Edison were both silent.


    ¡°But, I saw how you three performed, and there were certain good parts. Anna did slightly better on the puzzles, and I think a good amount of studying some common scriptures would help you solve those puzzles faster. Edison generally fared better at the battles, but you failed to take account of the environmental aspects of the obstacle courses.¡±


    Anna and Edison looked at each other. Edison couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You- you saw?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra admitted. ¡°It seems the keymaster of the Treasure Realm can see how those who participated in the treasure realm performed.¡±


    Tundra started with Larian, and recounted his actions through the treasure realm¡¯s various challenges. The boy made a lot of mistakes, but ultimately, his children were just not at the level they needed to be. They were students who didn¡¯t study and were unable to solve the examination¡¯s questions.


    Anna was slightly easier, but it was the difference between the student who scored last and the student who was still in the bottom half. It would be a lot of work before she could get there. Still, at least she seemed receptive, and at the end of it, Tundra saw his daughter thinking about her actions.


    Then, Edison.


    ¡°There are certain parts you did quite well.¡± Tundra started, as he remembered the lessons and sayings from his wives. The boy needed reassurance. Hopefully he could take the criticisms together with the positives and swallow the bitter pill. ¡°You did quite well in the combat stages, and it seems you are starting to develop combat instincts. This is something you should continue to hone.¡±


    Edison trembled but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Now, similar to Larian, the foundational concepts and the puzzles are where you need more work.¡± Tundra tried his best to water down the criticism. It was easy to be a harsh master, but it didn¡¯t work with Edison.


    His son looked at him, and then looked away. Tundra wondered what he felt then.


    ¡°These questions are a muscle that needs practice. The treasure realms are all designed as a test for those who would inherit its prizes. There are good scriptures and books that have these kinds of questions, once we return it would be a good idea for all of you to study them.¡±


    ¡°I thought we already did like twenty of those books.¡± Edison suddenly asked, perhaps not thinking it through. ¡°Why are we still not good enough for the treasure realm?¡±


    ¡°The treasure realms are created from the experiences of their maker, and they often test what their creators think are important. Lessons they wished they knew when they started out. How can books encapsulate the experiences of so many different cultivators?¡±

 Chapter 53. Test

    ¡°Again.¡± Marin asked, a little annoyed that she was still losing. Marin¡¯s frequent visits were getting a little grating, and Celestia found it even more annoying that Marin was trying to repeat the same thing over and over again.


    Celestia sighed, and asked. ¡°Marin. What¡¯s the point of this? We¡¯ve repeated this set of fights fifteen times and the outcome is the same.¡±


    ¡°It matters to me.¡± Marin said as her body twisted. She tried to use some kind of earth-element strike, which Celestia easily blocked.


    Celestia thought the answer was obvious. Marin rushed her cultivation. A master could achieve the same steps in a tenth of the time, but Marin wasn¡¯t a master, and anything rushed was likely imperfectly made. Thus, she was weaker for the same realm. The flow of power was inefficient, thus the power of her abilities, such as the barriers, or the earth walls, were not as strong. The little bits of differences all accumulate over time. The blocks she used to build her spiritual buildings were hollow. ¡°So, does it make a difference? The breakthrough to the fifth realm happens, no matter the consequences of these battles.¡±


    Marin stopped. ¡°Celestia. Ask Tundra for more pills.¡±


    Celestia blinked, clearly she understood that she wanted her to ask their husband for more high quality pills, and provide it to her. ¡°Lady Eastheart, you can do so yourself.¡±


    ¡°I want more. And he¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, he also listens to you.¡± Celestia countered, annoyed that Marin was trying this trick again. It was not the first time, and each time Celestia found herself annoyed. She


    ¡°I want my ascension guaranteed.¡± Marin said. ¡°I heard of the incident faced by Disciple Julia, and I do not want to face the same thing.¡±


    Celestia frowned. The challenges of ascension wasn¡¯t something discussed much. When everyone else progressed smoothly, maybe Marin didn¡¯t think it¡¯ll be a problem. After all, their ascension from 3rd to 4th went by smoothly, but each new realm increased the difficulty by a great leap. When even a talented, clearly well prepared disciple like Julia could face challenges with her ascension, that made Marin worry.


    It was something Celestia thought about too. At one point she thought of her own ascension to the fifth realm as a certainty, but doubt was an insidious thing. Somehow, it wormed its way into her thoughts as well.


    Would her ascension to the fifth realm go smoothly?


    ***


    ¡°If I remember correctly, you failed the first time.¡± Tundra said, honestly the details of such things skipped his mind, so much so that he wasn¡¯t even sure whether he imagined some of them. All he remembered was Celestia did in fact reach the fifth realm, but he was so busy he couldn¡¯t really remember how many times Celestia faced ascension.


    For Marin and Elly, it didn¡¯t even need to be said. They didn¡¯t get that far, and they died a few hundred years from today.


    For them to climb so far so fast was a product of the exceptional training sessions they had with him, and yet, he looked into Celestia¡¯s eyes and saw a sea of doubt. ¡°You¡¯re not sure.¡±


    Celestia nodded. ¡°I am not. And lady Marin, isn¡¯t, either.¡±


    Tundra understood.


    They climbed too fast, they did not have the lived experience and actual struggles to give context to their ascension. During ascension, their soul and spirit is under attack by the world itself, as the spirit realm tries to assert itself against the push of the world.


    A cultivator may be evil. A cultivator may be good. A cultivator may not care about many things. But a cultivator does not attempt an ascension when they are not sure of themselves.


    For many geniuses, their breakthrough is often easy, because they believe it deeply in the core of their being that they will be. Success is predestined, and they didn¡¯t see themselves failing. As unusual and unfair as it is, a cultivator¡¯s confidence in facing the challenges of ascension matters a lot. It is less important in the earlier realms, but over time, as the time needed to breakthrough increases beyond days to weeks, that¡¯s when belief in their own ability and success becomes a key component.


    Some cultivators called it the ¡®heart¡¯ of the cultivator. Some cultivators rely on crutches, buying pills by the hundreds in order to deceive their own hearts that their breakthrough is inevitable.


    It is for this reason Julia¡¯s struggles were kept largely quiet. There was no need for many to know, and those that knew had no reason to doubt themselves.


    ¡°Do you feel you are ready to try?¡± Tundra asked, and Celestia answered with a shake of her head. Somehow, she seemed less sure than before.


    His wives needed more experience. No, they needed more success. Cultivators may rely on the aid of those around them but ultimately must delude themselves into believing in their own success.


    Tundra nodded. It is hard to know what goes on in a person¡¯s mind, and so he cannot know for certain whether they will succeed. ¡°There are ways to prevent the negative consequences of failure. There are pills that protect your existing cultivator in the event of an ascension collapse.¡±


    Celestia said nothing. Maybe solutions were not what she needed. She needed time.


    ***


    ¡°I heard from them.¡± Elly came to see him a few days after. It¡¯s been about two weeks since they returned from the Hailstorm temple, and everyone was busy. Tundra too, had to work on pills. An alchemist had to produce pills to sustain the various needs of the sect, and so he carved up some portion of his time to do so.


    But it was easier to catch him now that his ¡®alchemy¡¯ time slots were now open to internal visitors. He even allowed Julia and a few other younger disciples to watch him work. It is an enlightening process, and few disciples could claim to have seen a master at work.


    Today, it was just Elly alone, dressed in a light blue robe with a dark blue belt. She sometimes wore jewelry, but not today. ¡°Edison wasn¡¯t too happy about it, but was quite impressed by the Treasure Realm. I wished I could see it.¡±


    Tundra couldn¡¯t promise her anything. Treasure realms were not something he controlled. So he nodded. ¡°If the fates align, we¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°Ah- I don¡¯t mean it that I want to go see a treasure realm. I mean, I wish I could¡¯ve seen how our son did.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra nodded. That made sense.


    ¡°Was it that bad?¡±


    Tundra nodded. The less he said, the better.


    ¡°I see. I will try to speak to him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Elly bowed, and then she stepped a little closer to her husband. Her tone changed into one that¡¯s a little more gentle. ¡°Tundra- husband.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Tundra was suddenly surprised by the change in tone.


    ¡°Do you really think he¡¯ll improve if he learns in another sect? Should we send him to the Mystical Harbors like you earlier suggested? I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll try to convince him that he should go.¡±


    Elly was trying to help, but it¡¯s too late. The treasure realm will happen whether he wants it or not. If he gets through the actual treasure realm, then perhaps a stint at the Mystical Harbors would be good for him.


    Tundra tapped Elly¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little too late for that, now. We have only a few months, if anything, I think I am better suited to prepare him.¡±


    Elly looked at Tundra. ¡°Can I- Can I at least ask Edison what he prefers? I- I mean, you¡¯ve tried to teach him in the past few months and he¡¯s making progress, but-¡±


    Tundra looked at Elly. He doubted another sect could do better, but then, maybe his wife was right. His style was not compatible with Edison.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ***


    ¡°New potential candidates of the Verdant Snow Sect.¡± Jon said, as about a hundred potential young ones lined up in the field. Normally, they¡¯d only attract about fifty or so, but this time, there was a group seated in the front that were clearly from some rather wealthy families.


    Tundra didn¡¯t recall there was a special recruitment drive, but then again, given their higher place in society, it was probably expected. The recent dinner banquets came with talks about sending their sons and daughters to the Verdant Snow, and at their current level, they could afford it.


    ¡°Should we test them as usual?¡± Jon asked. ¡°We have new elders, maybe they can lead the test.¡±


    Tundra turned and noticed his three new elders, all looking comfortable in their new sect elder robes. He didn¡¯t know why, but it still made him feel joy and pride to see his disciples become elders. ¡°You three look fantastic in these robes.¡±


    The new elders, Yavin, Julia and Agnia all clasped their hands to greet their Sect Master.


    ¡°Jon¡¯s right. Since we have new elders, you three should do the tests.¡± Tundra smiled as his three new elders. ¡°Each of you can take a segment, Jon will oversee.¡±


    He saw how his three new elders performed in the treasure realm and reckoned they are all in pretty good shape. It was time they get used to the duties of an elder, as well.


    Elder Jon nodded. ¡°Well, let us start. Come with me.¡±


    The three elders followed, as Jon introduced them as the examiners of the test. Tundra noticed Julia shifting a little uncomfortably, probably feeling a little touched that she made it to this point.


    If there are good enough talents they¡¯d take about twenty to twenty five new outer disciples. Almost all of them are in the first realm, though Tundra noticed one or two second realm candidates within the crowd. For that age, less than twenty five years old to reach the second realm is fairly impressive. The slight changes in their sect¡¯s standing significantly impacted how families perceived the value of the sect¡¯s connections.


    Tundra took a glance and wondered whether any of them had special spirit roots. The Verdant Snow¡¯s spiritual root sensing stone is only able to detect most common types of spiritual roots, but it is not a perfect tool.


    Agnia, now Elder Agnia, supported by the inner disciples, led them to the main testing room where these candidates would be tested for their spirit roots. In most cases, those with strong spirit roots are an automatic pass and these young children would be admitted as an outer disciple. The second and third tests were more optional.


    Sects like the Verdant Snow couldn¡¯t personally devote resources on individual young children, and instead they would be taught as a group, with occasional pointers from their elders. Many of these children, usually ages twelve to eighteen, would need to fend for themselves and learn to bond with their fellow disciples.


    The children were all led to a room where a gigantic stone stood in the center. The stone held a spiritual root testing formation. They would then introduce themselves, and place their hands on the stone. The stone would then glow in different colors and brightness.


    The alternative was where an elder injected their own energies to individually test a candidate, but this was not feasible and a waste of valuable elder¡¯s time in larger sects where their recruitment often attracted tens of thousands of candidates.


    Thus, testing stones were simple, could be operated by elders who were not focused on the spiritual root aspect of cultivation, and more objective. It¡¯s only as outer disciples, there was plenty of time for truly talented cultivators to prove themselves later.


    Yavin and Julia would lead the second and third segment, which were more of a set of ¡®streaming¡¯ sessions. Yavin would lead the short combat session where the young candidates were invited to attack a set of practicing dummies, and he would then sort those who passed the combat tests. Candidates who exhibited exceptional combat talents despite having weak spiritual roots would still be admitted, though their position was conditional and if they didn¡¯t improve after a year they¡¯d still be removed.


    Julia¡¯s segment was more technical, where she would test them on whether they exhibited any talent for simple alchemy, formations, medicine or crafts. There were small puzzles and tools where the candidates would try to solve, and generally correlated with the tested talents. Similar to the physical tests, these tests were meant to gauge those who had non-combat talents, and if a candidate displayed great talent, they also would be conditionally admitted.


    Tundra took a glance at the hundred or so candidates, and then, back at Jon and Agnia. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave it to you. Let me know if there are any exceptional candidates.


    He wondered whether there were any individuals here who would someday grow to be legendary in the future.


    ***


    Tundra¡¯s mind still tried to piece things together as he worked in his alchemical workshop. Lord Saljuk¡¯s valid suggestion on the use of bloodlines, and if there really was a way to give strong bloodlines to mature, older cultivators, that could be an exceptional shortcut to giving talents to his children.


    The elders were busy. His wives were training. He could feel his children studying.


    He withdrew one of the old books he collected from Lord Saljuk¡¯s collection. It was titled ¡®Blood and the Dragon¡¯s Will¡¯, written by an unknown writer, but he was enraptured within the first pages of the book. The book came from the era after the post-primordial era, known as the Golden era of man, the period when the Golden Dragon triumphed over most of the other spiritual beasts. It spoke of the tale of a sect called the Blood Dragon Hall, a once famous pretender sect that was later exterminated by the Golden Dragon due to reasons unknown.


    The reason he picked it up was simple. He heard old tales in other books that the Blood Dragon Hall used some strange blood transfusion method to pass on the abilities of their Blood Dragon bloodline. The Blood Dragon wasn¡¯t one of the primordial ten spirit beasts, but reportedly was one of the hundred noble spirit beast bloodlines. This list of top one hundred noble spirit beast bloodlines was disputed by many, especially in the lower halves.


    One of the alternatives was to find some kind of cultivation bone. Bones that seemed to contain the essence of the world, that any individual possessing the bone would feel inspired by its energies-


    He stopped, as he felt something strange about the passage that he just read. ¡°The Blood Dragon¡¯s young masters often bathed in the blood of spiritual beasts, nourished with the leaves of the Whitened Yardtree¡¯s Bark and the flowers collected from the golden plateau. The blood would be absorbed in the young master¡¯s skin, and nourish their flesh. Young masters prized the bath of spirit blood, it is said each bath made them stronger, wiser, and more in tune with the energies of the world-¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of ancient Blood Dragon blood transfusion? What sort of ceremony is this-¡± Tundra frowned, as he reread it a third time. The materials mentioned, the Whitened Yardtree¡¯s Bark and the flowers of the golden plateau could still be fairly easily found. Some, such as the flowers of the golden plateau are now so widely planted over the centuries that they could even be bought in the regular mortal flower stalls.


    Tundra wondered whether it was a special place, perhaps a property of the pool itself? But at this point, he figured it¡¯s worth doing an experiment.


    It could be the properties of the golden plateau flowers or the Whitened Yard¡¯s Bark changed over the eons since the time of the Blood Dragon Hall, but reading old scriptures and experimenting on old practices led to a surprising amount of rediscovery.

 Chapter 54. The Game of Thrones I

    In the end they recruited about eighteen new outer disciples. Tundra was busy studying the old scriptures shared by Lord Saljuk, but he still made it a point to just have a look at those that passed the selection.


    Just in case they were Zuja agents. It is likely that the Zuja would target those lower-ranked cultivators, and as far as he remembered, those cultivators who stagnated in their own paths were most vulnerable to the temptations of the Zuja. In some ways, as long as he could supply his friends, family and disciples with sufficient pills and improve their bloodline, they are less likely to succumb to the whispers of the bug god.


    They were clean.


    He said a few words to them all. ¡°Welcome, you were selected to be one of the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s new Outer Disciples. We will all watch your progress with interest.¡±


    They were all young, so impressionable. In their eyes, he must¡¯ve been like a living god. He wished them well, and then said his goodbyes. He had other affairs to attend to.


    Then, a servant rushed over.


    ¡°Sect Master. An urgent message from Elder Severian.¡±


    ***


    Tundra sat in the flying ship and frowned. The flying ship was fairly empty, the only two traveling with Tundra was Celestia, and the newly promoted Elder Agnia, and right now, it was on a rush flight towards the city of Noria Firefields, a city close to the Crimson Lotus Spire.


    They would meet Severian there. Elder Severian has made contact with someone from Prince Gomerl¡¯s faction, and someone highly ranked within that faction now wants to meet them to get a sense of their interest.


    It was strange, and honestly, they didn¡¯t have much of a bargaining chip. That was a conundrum he had to think about.


    Prince Gomerl, backed by the Flaming Phoenix Sect, was already incredibly powerful, and Prince Gomerl himself was no cultivation slouch either, even if he was supposedly quite dull as a person.


    ¡°Have you managed to study the details?¡± Tundra asked as Agnia was still flipping through a set of reports collected and purchased from informants.


    ¡°Not all, and it feels as if these reports don¡¯t contain anything useful.¡± Agnia complained as she put down the tenth report. Celestia was probably on the roof, enjoying the wind.


    Tundra nodded. The overview of the relationship was fairly simple. Prince Gomerl was the first prince, and thus he had the strongest support at the moment. He wasn¡¯t a particularly bright or strong man relative to the power of the Great Sects, but if he remembered correctly, at this point he was close to the peak 7th realm, or the early stages of the 8th realm, though the reports from the informants were not exactly useful.


    Powerful Princes have their own agents working the information network and flooded them with quite a fair bit of misinformation.


    At this point, he didn¡¯t really have anything he was willing to offer to Prince Gomerl, though he knew that there were probably traitors in his midst. He also didn¡¯t want to let the prince know anything about his alternate future. Severian was wise enough to keep that part of it silent.


    In any case, this meeting was likely just a small introduction meeting for the Prince¡¯s advisors to get a sense of their worth.


    ***


    Noria Firefields was a city built at the heart of a massive field of Fireflowers, and so, the entire place thrummed with fire energies. It was one of the Crimson Lotus Spire¡¯s core holdings, probably it¡¯s strongest core holdings, and that made it a strange place to meet.


    Standing on top of the city¡¯s walls, one would see a sight as if the horizon itself is burning. The Fireflowers emitted an intense heat that made the area feel as if it¡¯s cooking, it¡¯s leaves sparked and glowed, and many of them together gave the illusion of a fire burning but there was no actual flame. The Fireflowers themselves were immensely fire resistant, and they made for great alchemical ingredients for things related to fire.


    ¡°Glad you could come in time.¡± Severian said, as Tundra was then escorted through the city¡¯s landing area for flying ships into the main area. There was a small receiving party from the local city lord, though the true ruler was the Crimson Lotus Spire, and they had a rather large branch building resembling a burning spire that stood at the heart of the city.


    ¡°So, who are we meeting?¡±


    ¡°One of the Prince¡¯s ministers, Minister Zhan. He seemed rather eager to meet us and get a sense of who and what we are.¡±


    Tundra didn¡¯t recall meeting the man. In fact, he didn¡¯t even remember much about the man. ¡°When are we meeting him?¡±


    ¡°Now, if you want. He¡¯ll be leaving the city in two days, so we really don¡¯t have much time to make our case.¡± If he didn¡¯t come in time, it could even be perceived that their outreach was not sincere, and that would burn their hopes of ever gaining Prince Gomerl¡¯s support.


    ¡°How close is he to the prince?¡±


    ¡°From what I hear, very. He¡¯s surprisingly well connected and informed.¡± Severian said.


    Tundra rubbed his chin. ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s cut to it. Let¡¯s go see him immediately. Celestia, I think you can have a rest here. Agnia, come along.¡±


    Agnia nodded. As the elder that would assist Severian with diplomatic duties, this would be learning on the job.


    ***


    The meeting occured in a private dining room located in the most expensive restaurant in the city of Noria. It was gaudy, filled with golden statues and tapestries, exotic dancers and singers, fresh flowers, and a whole lot of wine. Local wines, imported wines, rice wines blended with a hundred types of fruits.


    Tundra felt a strange, nagging sensation ever since he arrived in the city, and when he opened the door, he knew for certain.


    Minister Zhan was a man well in the fifth realm, and yet, on him, Tundra sensed the strongest of Zuja corruptions. It was well hidden, covered by some kind of aura protection artifact that would¡¯ve deceived many, but he had many, many years of exposure to know exactly what he was dealing with. Minister Zhan¡¯s full Zuja corruption could even be as strong as the peak of the 8th realm, because in him lurked a Zuja core. This was when a minister¡¯s spiritual realm fully integrated with a Zuja bug, and the bug gained full ability to draw from it¡¯s foreign powers.


    Tundra gulped. This wasn¡¯t ideal, but at least now he understood how and why Prince Gomerl fell out of favor. Someone so close to him at this level of Zuja Corruption would¡¯ve ensured his entire organization was pretty much filled with Zuja operatives. The Zuja was hedging it¡¯s bets and had agents in most of the royal family members. It didn¡¯t care who wins, as long as the royal family was weakened as a result of the struggle. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It meant their choice of royalty didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Greetings, Sect Master Fox. I heard a lot about you.¡± Minister Zhan said with the brightest of fake smiles. Tundra had no choice but to smile and pretend everything was alright.


    ¡°Greetings, Minister Zhan. A pleasure to meet the closest advisor of the Prince.¡± Tundra said diplomatically, tried his best not to reveal his knowledge and discomfort. ¡°We heard much of the Prince¡¯s ambitions and wish to see whether we could lend a hand.¡±


    Minister Zhan smiled. ¡°Ah, certainly, but you know, the Crown Prince already has many, many supporters and people more than happy to assist him with his needs. He is really well taken care of.¡±


    In truth, there was no named Crown Prince, so Minister Zhan¡¯s statement was incorrect.


    A group of dancers came to serve Minister Zhan drinks and refreshments, two of them then sat on his lap to feed him fruits not found in the Noria Firefields¡¯ vicinity. Tundra decided to pause and allow the statement to settle. He happily ate the fruits, and took some time to even feel up the two dancers. Agnia tried not to look.


    Tundra tried his best to keep a fake smile, and knew he couldn¡¯t seem desperate. But, he also wanted to get close to Prince Gomerl and get a sense of the Prince¡¯s own knowledge and position. ¡°I see, I see, that is too bad, then. Well, we are really just a small sized sect with a little bit of luck in alchemy, and we really hope to be of service to the royal family, whoever it may be. If it ever so happens that the Crown Prince has a need for alchemical services, I''d certainly be interested to lend a hand.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Minister Zhan squeezed the dancer¡¯s lap, and she yelped in pain. ¡°As you know, the Prince already has many talented and capable alchemists in his service. Is there anything special that you could do, Sect Master Fox?¡±


    ¡°Ah. This one wouldn¡¯t dare claim to have any special skills in front of the Prince¡¯s highly talented group of alchemists.¡± Tundra said. He knew if he said something wrong, the Minister could just as easily use his statement and bring him trouble. Perhaps a higher realm alchemist who somehow found Tundra¡¯s claim offensive, that Tundra could do something the higher realm alchemists could not.


    MInister Zhan stared at Tundra, and Tundra merely smiled at him.


    The dining room was quiet, save for the slight moans and grunts of the dancers as the minister harassed them.


    Severian merely sat quietly next to Tundra, while Agnia sat on the other side of the sect master. As the sect master was present, decorum generally dictated that only the most senior person speak, unless specifically instructed to.


    ¡°Well, I have heard of your recent service to the Crown Prince¡¯s younger sister. It is most admirable.¡± Minister Zhan decided to break the silence after his finished chewing a grape-like fruit. The bowls of fruit were empty, and the two dancers hurried off. Two other dancers came in with two full bowls of fruit, and now it was their turn to serve the Minister.


    Tundra smiled and answered as diplomatically as he could. ¡°Ah, it was our duty to the royal family. If the imperial family summons, we will do our best to deliver.¡±


    ¡°Admirable. I can see why you suddenly think that a mid-tier sect would even dare to think of offering your services to the Crown Prince.¡±


    Tundra inwardly frowned. This minister was clearly trying to sow conflict, make the entire process more competitive than it had to be. He decided he wouldn¡¯t play ball, but when dealing with the royal family, it is pretty much customary to speak as if one is in a lower position. ¡°Ah, that is not our intention. We merely wish to express our loyalty to the royal family by peddling our meager skills.¡±


    ¡°Then your expression of loyalty is duly noted.¡± Minister Zhan said with a frown, and then, looked at the two beauties on his lap. ¡°I am tired, and wish to spend the rest of my evening getting a good rest and be properly cared for. You may leave, Sect Master Fox. I will carry your words to the Crown Prince. We will see what he says.¡± The minister proceeded to touch the dancers in places most inappropriate.


    Tundra did his best smile of gratitude, and ignored the minister¡¯s acts. ¡°That would be most appreciated, MInister Zhan. We will not impose on your time any more.¡±


    ***


    ¡°That went well.¡± Severian said, with a pretty much long sigh of relief. ¡°As well as it could have.¡±


    Tundra nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s rest somewhere private. I have something to tell you two.¡±


    They decided to return to their flying ship, where they have various formations protecting their chambers. Tundra then spilled the minister¡¯s corruption to the three.


    Severian¡¯s eyes immediately widened. ¡°Are you certain, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra frowned. ¡°It seems the rot has started far earlier than I had knowledge of. This suggests that every Prince likely has some Zuja operatives within their ranks, and getting closer to them is going to be risky.¡±


    ¡°Damned heavens.¡± Severian cursed, while Agnia sat quietly, thinking.


    Agnia then asked. ¡°They clearly want to use the royal family¡¯s upcoming tussle for the throne to weaken all cultivators, regardless of sect. They do not care who wins. If so, sitting out of this only plays into their hands. But the rest of us cannot identify the Zuja, so it makes spotting them so much harder. If these bugs clearly seek to destroy the world, we cannot sit it out and so we have to play this political game, and somehow offset their influence.¡±


    ¡°Or if we somehow manage to get rid of them.¡± Severian said. ¡°A hard task given their strength.¡±


    Tundra nodded, as he considered the odds of removing the Zuja¡¯s influence from the royal family. To have any degree of success in forcing the Zuja¡¯s agents out of commission, a ninth realm or tenth realm cultivator would be required. Anyone weaker would lead to a long, protracted battle that would expose them to the rest of the Zuja¡¯s network. He didn¡¯t know how many of Zuja¡¯s men were around, and so, what sort of retaliation that sort of thing would entail. Without knowledge of the Zuja¡¯s depths, Tundra did not want to put their own homes at risk.


    Unless there is an ally within the royal family that could support them from the shadows. Someone who could allow them to move in and out with cover, and move the corrupted ministers and Zuja officials somewhere that they could be ambushed. But at the moment, he didn¡¯t know who he could trust, and with the tussle for the throne, it was hard to even get in touch with the various royal family members.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s approaching our flying ship.¡± Agnia said, as she noticed a flashing indicator. Tundra and Severian both moved instantly to see who it was.


    It was a core disciple of the Crimson Lotus Spire, and Tundra immediately connected that it¡¯s possible that the Zuja¡¯s agent reached into the Crimson Lotus Spire through someone like Minister Zhan, or vice versa. The Zuja were like a bunch of subterranean weeds, they could sprout out all over the place, and it¡¯s hard to even find their heart, if there was one.


    Tundra looked at Severian. ¡°Assume nothing. We are, after all, in the Crimson Lotus Spire¡¯s territory. It may just be an invitation.¡±


    And indeed it was. It seemed the Branch leader of the Crimson Lotus Spire had heard of Tundra¡¯s presence in his city and invited him to visit. Since the branch leader sent a core disciple, it was only polite that he see to the formalities and meet the true master of the city.


    ***


    ¡°Greetings, Branch Leader Wilber Blackpetals.¡± Tundra immediately noticed the similar name. ¡°We apologize for not coming earlier, we had to-¡±


    ¡°I understand, though it does annoy me.¡± Wilber interjected. He was a tall, lean, handsome man with jet black hair and wore matching black robes, with the red patterns of the Crimson Lotus Spire woven into it. It¡¯s not their standard uniform, but as branch leader, he clearly had some leeway. Tundra felt that he was right at the peak of the 7th realm. ¡°So you¡¯re the man that helped my younger sister.¡±


    Tundra quickly connected the name. ¡°Ah, I did not realize you were Lady Blackpetals¡¯ elder brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah, do we not resemble each other?¡± Wilber said frankly. ¡°But let¡¯s get down to what matters, did you enjoy meeting with the minister?¡±


    Tundra clasped his hand together respectfully, and answered. ¡°It went right about as well as I hoped.¡±


    Wilber didn¡¯t seem too happy with the fluffy response. Tundra didn¡¯t want to give a truthful answer with someone he didn¡¯t know was worthy of trust or not. ¡°Do you think a man like that deserves the support of the Crimson Lotus Spire?¡±


    ¡°The minister is quite a stern man to work with, but I¡¯d like to believe Prince Gomerl is quite an understanding man.¡±


    ¡°Stern. Understanding.¡± Wilber Blackpetals scoffed. ¡°To think the Crimson Lotus will be putting our support behind a man who keeps such lousy company.¡±


    Tundra merely smiled, and went with a politically correct answer. ¡°The royal family¡¯s bloodline gifts them with many capable descendants. It is only natural that it is so hard to choose between many highly capable candidates.¡±


    Wilber stared at Tundra, and this time, Tundra stared back. The two¡¯s eyes locked at each other, one suspicious, the other stern but respectful. ¡°I see. So, since you are here, there¡¯s someone else I¡¯d like you to meet. A minister from a different Prince. Maybe he¡¯d sway your mind.¡±


    This truly surprised Tundra. Severian looked panicked briefly, unsure which Prince he was referring to. ¡°You¡¯ll find him in the room behind this door.¡±

 Unplanned break announcement (December)

    Hi all. I am taking a break for the entire month of December to indulge in some new obsessions. I will be trying to make some games on RPGmaker and also try to get my non-computer-literate brain to somehow digest godot''s gdscript and concepts.


    What I wanna do : Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    1. Try to set up a simple gameplay loop in rpgmaker for Tree of Aeons to explore a sorta ''base-builder'' style game for ToA


    2. Try to do a RSM dating sim on Rpgmaker.


    3. Learn how to get godot to work.


    I have been absolutely consumed by godot and rpgmaker to think about anything else, and I don''t really wanna write when my heart is elsewhere.


    Thanks for all the support.

 Chapter 55. The Game of Thrones II

    The minister that waited in the next room was not a good man either.


    Tundra walked in and immediately realized that he was dealing with someone that dabbled with one of the other darker powers of the cultivation world. Zuja was not just the only dark force in the world.


    The minister that awaited them was a demonic cultivator.


    There were no obvious traces, but again, Tundra was a man with enough lived experience to tell the clues. It was the faint ripples in his energy, the way ambient energy interacted with the man¡¯s presence. Someone who consumed the spiritual core of other cultivators to augment their own. It¡¯s the way demonic cultivators enslave lesser spiritual cores of cultivators and chained them to their own.


    Demonic cultivators were the Zuja¡¯s rivals, and in the great political games, some factions would find themselves collaborating with demonic cultivators.


    ¡°Ah, Sect Master Fox, what a coincidence, I am Minister Whein, I am a minister that serves as a member of Prince Yaorl retinue, and I oversee the great royal city of Yaorlia.¡± The Minister was a slim, slender man that looked like he was like a mortal man that was a hundred years old, and yet, he was also well into the peak of the fifth realm.


    Demonic cultivators, like Zuja, are also capable of intense bursts of power rivaling those a realm or two above them, but often at the price of burning their own soul, or the enslaved souls held within their spirit realm.


    In Tundra¡¯s first life, it was Prince Yaorl that became emperor, so this was the winning ship.


    Tundra knew that the Zuja were also in Prince Yaorl¡¯s service, and they didn¡¯t care enough about who won, so long as brutal wars were fought.


    That meant on a surface level, there was some alignment of interests between the Zuja and the demonic cultivators. ¡°Greetings, Minister Whein.¡± Tundra said, doing his best to mask his knowledge. It would be a fairly tense trip back home, as he¡¯d have to brief his friends on the return trip. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°So, it seems you¡¯ve found yourself in quite a pickle, isn¡¯t it?¡± Minister Whein smirked. ¡°I hear you are in the eyes of Princess Luharl.¡±


    Tundra quickly downplayed it. ¡°Ah, nothing like that at all..¡±


    ¡°Oh? We are no fools, Master Fox, we can see that you intend to remain mostly neutral in this conflict, which is why you are here.¡± Minister Whein said, as Tundra could feel the slight wavering in the energies. Demonic cultivators¡¯ interactions with their environment often results in tiny, often imperceptible rejections. The ambient energies refuse to be associated with demonic cultivators, and often have to be forced. He could feel these tiny motes of energy shift ever so slightly away from the minister.


    He wondered which demonic cultivator he was with. There were a few different clans of demonic cultivators, some of the more beastly kind, some others that made bargains with ancient demonic monstrosities not too different from the primordial beasts.


    Tundra faked a laugh. ¡°Ah. It¡¯s nothing like that. We merely realize we need to improve our relationships with the various princes. We could not exist without repaying the favor of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Then let me speak freely, Master Fox. Prince Yaorl heard of your recent accomplishments at Luharl¡¯s summons, and wishes to offer you a simple deal. You stop making pills for the Princess, and we will cover you for whatever you wish to do.¡±


    Tundra frowned. This minister just directly wants to cut them off, and yet, did he really speak for the Prince? Many ministers often claim to speak on the Prince¡¯s name, but it was not the Prince¡¯s wish after all. Or maybe, the Prince would happily throw them under the bus and claim that the ministers did so without his direct approval. In either case, it¡¯s hard to know whether it truly is the Prince¡¯s desire without meeting the Prince.


    Severian glanced nervously at Tundra, and Tundra merely sighed. ¡°I understand the Prince¡¯s intention, however, we are but humble servants of the royal family. We will heed requests of all royal family members, whoever they are. We are not so arrogant to believe that we can refuse requests of other royal family members.¡±


    ¡°Even with Prince Yaorl¡¯s backing?¡± Minister Whein stared into Tundra¡¯s eyes, clearly taking offense from Tundra¡¯s rejection. In most cases it would be laughable that a fifth realm dared to speak this way to a stronger seventh realm, but such is the weight of royal backing.


    ¡°It would not be impolite for me to rely on Prince Yaorl¡¯s good name to refuse the other royal members. However, if Prince Yaorl requires any pills, I would be happy to assist with the process, together with Prince Yaorl¡¯s highly talented retinue of alchemists.¡± Tundra answered. He wasn¡¯t even sure if Prince Yaorl would actually back him up.


    It would be a terrible outcome if he rejected a royal family, and Prince Yaorl just threw him under the bus and claimed he gave no such order. That would only invite vultures who would tear them apart.


    Minister Whein¡¯s glare continued, and Tundra clasped his hand. ¡°Oh?¡±


    Prince Yaorl was supported by the Snow Dragon Temple and Patriarch Whitedragon himself, but in the end, Emperor Yaorl was also defeated by the Zuja¡¯s avatars.


    All horses are the wrong horses, but Agnia had a point. Not playing would mean Zuja wins by default. ¡°Although I may not be able to oblige with the Prince¡¯s request, I would still love to visit Prince Yaorl, should he desire my presence. It would be a great honor to finally meet a powerful member of the royal family, and offer my services in other ways.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Minister Whein didn¡¯t seem interested in the conversation anymore. ¡°I think there¡¯s nothing more to say to each other. You may leave.¡±


    ***


    The Minister and Wilber Blackpetals didn¡¯t make things difficult for them. After Tundra left the room, Wilber Blackpetals escorted them to a dining room, where they had lunch together. Though high-leveled cultivators rarely required food, the social and political aspects of dining made it such a regular feature that cultivators still participated in them frequently.


    ¡°It seems my sister was impressed with your work.¡± Wilber said frankly, as they sat for a meal. There were four from the Crimson Lotus Spire. Wilber Blackpetals as the Branch Leader, two elders who supported him, and a core disciple. On Tundra¡¯s side it was Tundra, Severian, Agnia and Celestia. ¡°She spoke highly of your- advice.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Ah. I did nothing of that sort. It was a simple conversation.¡± Tundra smiled, as he picked up the wine. It wasn¡¯t spiked. ¡°She deserved her win with her fantastic pill. I was merely commenting about certain other aspects of the competition.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Wilber smiled. ¡°That is so. It¡¯s such an irritation, isn¡¯t it? But I heard all is well with Princess Luharl, and my sister claims she is strong, too.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± Tundra nodded, this part of the story was now different, and he couldn¡¯t rely on his past knowledge to guide his way. ¡°The Royal family is truly blessed with overflowing talent.¡±


    ¡°So it is. So, Lord Tundra Fox, I had my men look up some of your past endeavors, and you had a period of fairly aggressive expansion. Then you stopped. What made you change your mind?¡±


    The regressor smiled. ¡°Oh, nothing much into it. Just a change in strategy. We felt a need to consolidate our resources.¡±


    ¡°You know, such an abrupt change seems to suggest you¡¯ve found some kind of heavenly treasure, that the outside world no longer interests you.¡± Wilber probed, and Tundra was amused by how simultaneously close and wrong he was. ¡°Would you be keen to share your fortune?¡±


    Tundra chuckled. ¡°Nothing of that sort, Lord Blackpetals. It truly is just a change of heart. We¡¯re a fairly lean sect, and we were beginning to feel the strains of controlling our holdings for all the various nagging things that gnaw at our edges.¡±


    ¡°Ah. The spirit beasts? Or demonic cultivators?¡±


    ¡°Spirit beasts, and perhaps the rogue cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard you¡¯ve promoted three new elders. Do you plan to resume your long-postponed expansion?¡±


    Tundra smiled at Wilber¡¯s attempt to poke into their internal workings. ¡°Ah, that is still up for discussion. The elders will come together and then we¡¯ll decide.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I had the impression it was you who made the call.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± The regressor answered.


    ¡°Would you have us in your sights, Lord Fox?¡± Wilber Blackpetals asked playfully.


    ¡°Oh? Should we?¡± Tundra smiled, and decided to go along with Lord Blackpetals¡¯ dangerous train of thought.


    ¡°Well, since my sister speaks highly of you, it wouldn¡¯t even be hard. Take my sister as your wife, and the Blackpetals family will support you instead. I think the children of two talented alchemists would be the kind of geniuses the world would fight for, and I¡¯m starting to doubt the Blackpetals family¡¯s place in the Crimson Lotus Spire.¡± Wilber Blackpetals said, much to the horror of the two other Crimson Lotus Spire¡¯s elders.


    The two Crimson Lotus elders immediately tried to intervene. ¡°Lord Blackpetals-¡±


    Wilber laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a joke, my fellow elders. Can¡¯t you see Lord Fox is a little defensive? Besides, Lord Fox¡¯s wife is here, how would I dare make such a serious proposition in his wife¡¯s presence?¡±


    Tundra chuckled, though he somehow knew the man wasn¡¯t exactly joking. ¡°That¡¯s a very scandalous suggestion, Lord Blackpetals.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is my sister not good enough?¡± Wilber glared angrily, but it was a playful kind of anger.


    ¡°Ah. One dares not to comment in such a manner, it should not be much of a problem to find a suitable partner for one of Lady Blackpetals¡¯ talents.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, good mates get exceptionally hard to find at our levels of power. We are all aiming for swan¡¯s meat, and swans are getting harder to find the higher up you go. If I may, I think swans are extinct in the higher realms.¡±


    Tundra couldn¡¯t help but find that image hilarious. Since the host was playing a joke, Tundra decided to add one to the mix. ¡°Well, then perhaps you should set up a swan farm.¡±


    ¡°I would, but I fear I may end up breeding a farm of flaming phoenixes that would just burn their partners instead.¡±


    ¡°Lord Blackpetals! We shouldn¡¯t disparage-¡± One of Crimson Lotus¡¯s elders tried to control WIlber¡¯s jokes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a joke, elders. How many times do I have to say it.¡± Wilber Blackpetals laughed. ¡°But all jokes have a kernel of truth, and who would dare take someone from the Flaming Phoenix as a wife?¡±


    Tundra chuckled. It wasn¡¯t that bad. They just happened to have a dangerous reputation, but he knew of many who did have disciples or even elders of the Flaming Phoenix as their partners, and the ladies of the Flaming Phoenix are strong willed, but not monsters. ¡°Would you be interested in one yourself, Lord Blackpetals?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lord Blackpetals laughed and seemed to almost choke from it. ¡°Me?! Hah! The day my sister gets a partner is the day I¡¯ll start looking for one.¡±


    At that point, one of the Crimson Lotus¡¯s elders intervened. ¡°We apologize for the Branch Leader¡¯s words, Master Fox. He has a tendency of rambling incoherently, and do not take him seriously-¡±


    ¡°Oh? You are brave to speak badly of your Branch leader to a guest, elder.¡± Lord Blackpetals glared at his elder, and yet, Tundra didn¡¯t see malice in it. All he felt was genuine amusement.


    The elder said nothing. Celestia, Agnia and Severian decided the conversation was so awkward that they focused on their meals. Tundra decided to just focus on his own food as well, and took a sip of the rice wine. A few servants quickly rushed over to refill his drink.


    ¡°Now, now, has my sister invited you and your disciples for a visit? I suppose we should start by building some connections.¡±


    ¡°I believe she must¡¯ve forgotten to do so.¡± Tundra said. ¡°We would be happy to host the Crimson Lotus as well, if your disciples would want to visit a modest sect like ours.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Even if the Crimson Lotus Spire doesn¡¯t, the Blackpetals family will send some over.¡± Wilber answered sternly, much to the annoyance of the elders. Tundra wondered whether there¡¯s actually real tension between the core families of the Crimson Lotus Spire, or whether this sort of posturing by the Branch leader was merely to remind the other factions within their Sect of their value.


    ¡°Ah. We certainly don¡¯t wish to make enemies of the Crimson Lotus Spire.¡± Tundra answered instead, and decided to add something a little more provocative. ¡°Not without the right motivations and spoils, that is.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Now that¡¯s more the kind of words I¡¯d like to hear.¡± Wilber clapped. ¡°Now, what would be worth it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up for discussion, Lord Blackpetals, but as of now, and this is also for your fellow elders, the Verdant Snow has no intention of making enemies of the Crimson Lotus, so, it would take quite the divine treasure to make us change our mind. Now, let¡¯s move on from such treasonous thoughts. It would be bad if the Sect Master of the Crimson Lotus saw it fit to punish us for such things.¡±


    Wilber grinned, and then his eyes studied Tundra¡¯s entourage. After a moment, he asked. ¡°So, Severian, how does it feel to finally be in the sixth realm?¡±


    Severian shrugged. ¡°Not much difference. I have more powers, but my duties remain. If anything, our responsibilities grow faster than our capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is the weight of power. I¡¯ve heard of your travels, moving from town to town to get in touch with the various lords and sects, but I was fairly surprised you didn¡¯t come to see me.¡± Wilber poked.


    That placed Severian in a spot. ¡°Ah. I had some help organizing such a last minute meet with the Minister, and that occupied most of my time. We did intend to make a visit once that was over. My personal apologies if that slighted you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone slights me.¡± Wilber said. ¡°Now, what¡¯s your stance on Minister Whein¡¯s offer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he offers more than what we dare to take responsibility for.¡± Severian answered, since the question was directed at him. Right now, they had to play themselves off as a harmless, friendly sect, while they built up their abilities. ¡°Our ambitions are modest, and we dare not offend the rest of the royal family.¡±


    Wilber chuckled. ¡°It amuses me to think he made the same offer to you too. Such a foolish man.¡±


    Severian decided to attack. ¡°Please forgive me if I seem impolite, but Branch Leader Blackpetals, what is your view of the upcoming royal struggles?¡±


    ¡°None of them are worth supporting. This is a foolish thing. The princes and princesses should just all come together and fight it out, and tell the rest of us who won. This whole courtship affair and proxy warfare weakens us all. It is ridiculous to think the rest of us should have a say in who inherits the Golden Dragon¡¯s Throne.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll toast to that.¡± Tundra interjected, as he raised his cup of rice wine. Everyone raised their cups in response and drank their wine. Servants once more rushed in to refill the cups.

 Chapter 56. Before

    Tundra left Noria Firefields that night.


    There was really no point to linger too long and exploit Lord Blackpetals hospitality. In his case, he made an excuse that he had to help his children prepare for an upcoming mission.


    ¡°Looks like we won¡¯t be able to rely on Prince Yaorl or Prince Gomerl so quickly. Our relationship with them is going to be fairly rough with these ministers in the way.¡± Severian mused as they gathered on the ship¡¯s deck.


    ¡°Are there any other Princesses?¡± Celestia asked suddenly. Princess Luharl now found them interesting and wanted to pull them into her circle. That much was obvious, but there were a few other princesses.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Princess Ziyarl is one of the stronger princesses, but she is allied with Prince Yaorl. She¡¯s a fairly elusive person and audiences are rare.¡±


    In his first life, Princess Ziyarl¡¯s death was a quiet thing. It was just a sudden announcement that the royal family was assassinated during a private trip to the Murian Swamps. Tundra paused when he said it.


    Murian Swamps.


    He remembered those words from somewhere!


    Ah, wait, his Great-grandson, Jason, was infected by Zuja worms in the Murian Swamps. Wait a minute, was Princess Ziyarl corrupted by the Zuja as well? But why did they have to announce she died?


    Something did not add up somewhere, either Ziyarl was a Zuja agent and the royal family knew all along, or Ziyarl wasn¡¯t so she was murdered there. How did the Zuja parasite interact with the gift of the Golden Dragon? Was someone with the Golden Dragon¡¯s bloodline susceptible to the parasite?


    ¡°Do you think we can speak to Princess Ziyarl, somehow?¡± Tundra asked, but in his mind he tried to figure out how to do so. Princess Ziyarl was nominally allied to Prince Yaorl, and has long ago opted to sit out of the race. That said, it remains a public, but verbal promise and nothing actually forbids her from making a bid for the throne. ¡°I can¡¯t remember- has Princess Ziyarl declared her intention not to contest for the throne and threw her support behind her brother, Yaorl?¡±


    He knew it happened, but the specific date wasn¡¯t very clear to him.


    Both Agnia and Severian looked at each other. ¡°No. That did not happen. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tundra nodded. ¡°If there is a way to speak to her, that may be a good idea.¡±


    Severian frowned, and pulled his beard. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. Agnia, after the Treasure Realm we¡¯ll need you to start visiting our neighboring sects to shore up our relationships.¡±


    Agnia bowed. ¡°Will do.¡±


    At this point, he¡¯ll have to slow down for a bit. They couldn¡¯t be seen as too desperate, that would only weaken their position.


    ***


    The Verdant Leaf Town was busier. The streets were crowded, though people made way for them.


    Whenever Tundra made a pill and sold it, it would flow through one of the few merchant houses of the Town. These partners would help the Verdant Snow sell them to the final buyers, or other intermediary merchants, and they would take a commission on the final selling price. But, as Tundra¡¯s power and fame rises, the prices of his pills soared with it.


    Cultivators would pay a lot of good pills. It is sometimes the difference between success and failure at a breakthrough, and the years of cultivation that went into that point.


    More expensive pills then required more ancillary services. Inns to accommodate buyers and merchants. Security guards to prevent theft. So, naturally, alchemical and craft towns would just have more money flowing around in the town.


    The shops were busy, but at this point, it was the tradesmen the busiest of all. Verdant Leaf wasn¡¯t a big town, and space was still plentiful. But there  was a shortage of suitable buildings. Shops. Storage areas. Suitable housing for the wealthy merchants and their scions.


    There were more merchant houses constructing new buildings in the parts of town that were once quiet. People began to move in, to invest in new shops and offices to support the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s growing power. With a Seventh realm Master, one sixth realm elder and now five fifth realm elders, they have moved up a full rung of power, and that sort of strength came with opportunities for profit. Many would try to make connections with the Verdant Snow Sect for a share of the lucrative pill trade. Stronger cultivators collected more high quality goods for sale, and they also required more higher quality products.


    Celestia could tell that there were new merchants in town. She walked the city streets so many times in the past few years that she recognized the faces of the men and women that tried to sell her wares.


    Tundra once said this town would grow into a monstrously large place, and she wondered what it¡¯ll be like.


    ¡°Celestia, was everything alright?¡± Elly asked, and Celestia turned to look at her other two peers.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Celestia said, her thoughts vanished as she answered. Elly was eating a popular local sweet, and Celestia had been around the woman long enough to know that she was most likely nervous. She had a propensity for sweets and cakes whenever she felt like she was under pressure.


    The merchants shouted and tried to sell them their wares, but no one was too pushy. They all knew these three were the wives of the sect master, and their head would be on the chopping block if they tried something aggressive. The signs were there. A group of servants and guards behind them that picked up after them, helped to pay money if Elly chose a snack from one of the vendors, and just carried their things.


    Marin looked thoroughly bored, but yet, she still joined Elly in the walk through their city street. Celestia wondered why, maybe Marin just needed to clear her head, like her. Elly tried to talk about more typical things. ¡°How are things with your daughters? Last I heard, they were approached by some of the young masters during the ascension dinner. Are any of them future in-laws?¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    The fifth wife paused briefly. ¡°I don¡¯t really remember. They told me they went out for a dinner or two, and had tea together, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not? Didn¡¯t they tell you whether there¡¯s going to be progress?¡± Elly asked. ¡°I¡¯d be excited if I¡¯d have a wedding to plan. I enjoyed planning Edison¡¯s wedding and Erin¡¯s wedding.¡± Marin frowned. Edison was Elly¡¯s first son, Evan was Elly¡¯s second son, while Erin was Elly¡¯s third child. Erin married an outsider, a nomadic cultivator named Johanes Silverhound, and together, they had three children, Jihan, Jericho and Jessica.


    Marin looked at Elly, and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not too interested. The very thought of dealing with my family, well, you know how that goes.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes.¡± Elly realized she touched the wrong topic. ¡°Well, at least the kids are trying hard. Anna, Larian and Edison are so hardworkship these days! I¡¯m so proud of them, they¡¯re almost going to reach the 4th realm as well! ¡±


    Marin did not really react to that.


    Celestia wondered whether it¡¯ll be enough. The treasure realms could be dangerous, the challenges within would test them, and hard work alone isn¡¯t enough. If it was, a lot of their problems would disappear.


    ¡°Let me get something for them for their hard work.¡± Elly stopped at one of her usual pastry shops. The man there was getting quite old, but the moment she came he immediately greeted her like an old VIP customer.


    She bought enough pastries for twenty, and it¡¯ll be shared among all her kids and family.


    ¡°Do you girls want some? They are good!¡± Elly said.


    Celestia merely smiled and shook her head. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m just taking a walk to clear my head, not really looking to buy anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I prefer to eat. Helps me clear my head too. Hopefully Edison likes some pastry while he studies those illusion array things. It¡¯s hard for me, no idea how some people study it so much.¡±


    Celestia nodded. Some people were just instinctively familiar with cultivation. All three of them had it.


    Marin just looked away from them, instead, her eyes were at some nomadic travelers and cultivators that came to visit. Some of these travelers and nomads looked at them, but all of them were wise enough not to make a move. Offending a city¡¯s sect master was as close to courting death as one got.


    Elly walked closer to Marin. The oldest wife can be oblivious in some ways. ¡°Ohh. Travelers! Don¡¯t see those often. Must be fun visiting new places all the time.¡±


    Marin nodded.


    Celestia quietly just shook her head, but didn¡¯t want to correct her. It¡¯s not like Marin would listen. The sixth wife remembered that she wasn¡¯t powerful enough when she was a wandering cultivator. Maybe that would make a difference, or maybe it won¡¯t.


    There are experts hiding in plain sight, and that much was clear.


    Marin should learn it herself. Experience is a bitter master, but unfortunately, some people¡¯s dreams can only be medicated with a bitter pill.


    ***


    There is only one month left before they will have to leave for Princess Luharlia¡¯s treasure realm, and Tundra gathered the three children chosen for the treasure realm, and escorted them to somewhere quiet.


    The three of them had reached the peak of the 3rd realm after a few months, and now, they were almost ready to attempt the breakthrough to the 4th realm.


    ¡°Father.¡± Anna asked. ¡°The creatures of the Treasure Realm scale to our strength, correct? Is it better to in the peak 3rd realm, instead of the 4th realm?¡±


    ¡°That is a good question.¡± Tundra nodded, pleased at his daughter¡¯s growing wisdom. The three have been taking so many pills that they look rather horrified at the prospect of getting more pills. ¡°Since the strength of the beasts generated by the realm is determined by the realm, it is better to be strong in a weaker realm, than weak in a stronger realm, that is, if you don¡¯t have any special knowledge and abilities. But know this, the rewards of the Treasure Realm also sometimes scale to your realm, so that is a decision you have to make yourself. If you succeed in the fourth realm, you normally would receive a commensurate award.¡±


    His new elders all were gifted, and so even though they are just in the first few stages of the fifth realm, they were fairly confident of their abilities.


    Anna, Larian and Edison shared glances, and all looked at their father together. ¡°You mean we get to choose?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You three are adults, whether you want to attempt it as a peak 3rd realm or a first stage 4th realm, it is your choice. The rewards will likely be different.¡± Tundra said.


    Anna closed her eyes, and decided to swing for the fences. ¡°I¡¯d like to try it as a 4th realm.¡±


    Larian shook his head, he was always the slightly more reserved of the three. ¡°I¡¯ll stay at peak 3rd realm. I heard from the others that it isn¡¯t good to rush through one¡¯s cultivation, so I¡¯ll take my time here.¡±


    Edison, however, felt competitive. Tundra could sense that if Anna didn¡¯t state her intention, he would¡¯ve remained at 3rd realm as well, but knowing his half-sister will try the treasure realm at a stronger level made him eager to match it. So, out of partly jealousy, he looked at their father and said. ¡°I¡¯ll try it at the 4th realm as well.¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes. This is the bed they¡¯ve made. If they fail, they will have to live with the consequences. At least they¡¯ve tried it. ¡°Very well. Then here.¡±


    Tundra placed two boxes filled with pills. There were enough 3rd and 4th realm pills there for many, and like his wives, they didn¡¯t even need it. But the pills were a good backup.


    ¡°The two of you will break through together, now. First, begin by collecting energy in your soul. I will help this process by feeding you high quality energy.¡±


    Tundra sat and did what he did with his wives. He created highly condensed packets of energy and sent it close to them. All they had to do was pull these packets of energy into their spirit realm through their spiritual roots and meridians.


    This happened for about an hour, before both were ready. The regressor could feel their spirit fill with energy, though Tundra noticed Edison¡¯s soul seemed to struggle under its weight.


    He frowned, that was not a good sign, but it didn¡¯t look like he should fail.


    The challenges of the 3rd to 4th were fairly easy to overcome, and one just needed sufficient endurance and energy to push through.


    Anna went first. ¡°I¡¯ll begin.¡± They gulped, but they both attempted to break through. Edison quickly followed. Tundra could sense them attempt to resist the weight of nature.


    Anna¡¯s energies seemed stable. He could feel her sweat, her fingers trembling. But she was making good progress.


    On the other side, Edison wavered, the energy in his spirit realm seemed frail. The expansion of his spiritual realm was imbalanced. Luckily, he sensed it and quickly took a pill, the surge of energy quickly replenished her spiritual realm and allowed him to shore up the imbalances.


    Anna continued to proceed smoothly, without having to touch the pills. Edison pushed some more, and took a second pill, again, this time he overcompensated.


    Tundra immediately made a note of his spiritual control and energy control could be better improved. Edison struggled to spread his energies evenly throughout his spirit and make minor adjustments. That was something he would need to work on, if he returns from this Treasure Realm.


    The two continued to expand their spiritual realm, and then, finally they succeeded. Tundra wasn¡¯t sure it was a good thing for Edison. If he wasn¡¯t good enough in the 3rd realm, the gap would be even larger in the 4th. But in the end, it is his choice, a teacher and a master can only guide, and try their best to correct, but they must walk the final path.


    Anna and Edison were both fourth realm cultivators.


    Tundra closed his eyes, the words were different from what is in his heart. ¡°Well done, get some rest, and for the rest of this month we work on improving your mastery over your growing power.¡±


    But in his heart, a man that made decisions because of jealousy and a desire to keep up would not be a good successor to the family. Edison¡¯s power rose, but his place dropped in Tundra¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 57. After

    The invitation letter in Tundra¡¯s hand changed slightly a week before the day of the treasure realm. A strand of energy that linked it to some distant master, and the content within changed to reveal the location of where they would meet. It was not too far from the city of Luharlia, just an hour away if a cultivator walked at speed.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    The group of ten gathered for the treasure realm, and set off together on the flying ship. To spare the children of any stress, Tundra would be the only one that led them there. There were likely also participants from other sects, not just their own, and from Severian¡¯s information network, it is likely some from the Crimson Lotus Spire and a few smaller sects like the Greenstone Hold and Baiyar Family would also participate.


    Yavin, Agnia and Julia gathered for a private briefing with Tundra.


    ¡°I had initially hoped that the treasure realms would be a group event, like most treasure realms out there. But since the royal treasure realms are mostly individual events, it¡¯s likely you three wouldn¡¯t be able to protect them. But if there are any group interactions, I ask for you three to keep an eye on them.¡±


    Yavin tapped his chest. ¡°You have my word, Sect Master.¡±


    The rest of the three nodded. It didn¡¯t need to be said that the likelihood of their involvement was low, and it was a relief to them. Of the forms of challenges common in treasure realms, the ones Tundra feared the most were those of the mind.


    Illusion arrays and mind arts were those his children were weakest at. He had managed to whip the three descendants into somewhat passable combatants, and taught them the usual tactics for the various sets of common puzzles. But mind arts and the matters of cultivator¡¯s heart were much harder to train.


    At this point, it was too late to do more. He hoped for the best.


    The flying ship brought them to Luharlia, parked, and the group set out to the destination.


    The meeting place was a flat area along the slopes of the many mountains. There was hardly any vegetation in the area, just rocks, stone, and higher up, snow and ice. The meeting place was likely a popular spot for camping for hikers and foragers.


    They were not the first to arrive. There were already at least ten other groups, and a few of them came to greet them. One of them was a familiar face.


    ¡°Lady Blackpetals, a pleasure to see you again.¡± Zuri came with a group of core and inner disciples. These were different from the ones Tundra met during the Imperial Summons. ¡°I take these are your disciples?¡±


    ¡°Yes. These are my own direct disciples.¡± Zuri said. The disciples greeted them, and Tundra gave them some time to just introduce themselves to each other.


    Tundra glanced around and noticed more of the sects were fairly small, about the size of the Verdant Snow Sect. The only exception was the Crimson Lotus, and one other sect, the Greenstone Hold. Greenstone Hold¡¯s sect master was also a 7th realm, but they were a focused sect that mainly worked to reinforce their fortress, so he found it unusual that their sect would approach Princess Luharl.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± One of the Princess¡¯s men appeared, one he didn¡¯t meet before. He had no presence, and didn¡¯t reveal any aura of someone of a higher realm, but Tundra¡¯s senses tingled. He was probably a dangerous man. ¡°The Treasure Realm these chosen disciples will face is the Golden Bloodpool Realm, it is a land filled with golden blood of once ancient spirit beasts. Each of you will face a series of challenges, some will test your strength, some will test your knowledge, and some, will show you a reflection, and test how well you know yourself, and at the end will be a pool that you can take a dip in. it will reveal to you your strengths, or your challenges.¡±


    The door opened out of nowhere, and the disciples stepped in first.


    Tundra didn¡¯t know why he felt nervous. He rarely felt that with his disciples, and yet, here he was, sending his children to the cultivator¡¯s version of an imperial examination.


    ***


    Anna walked into a vast land. It was incredible that there was a land so massive was hidden behind the secret realm, folded away from the prying eyes of others. The power of space is the power of higher realm cultivators, for Anna who was in the first steps of the 4th realm, it was incredibly, incredibly hard to fathom.


    In some ways, she didn¡¯t ever think she would have been here. The first few centuries of her life were so ordinary that she expected that to continue till her death. And yet, the fourth realm reinvigorated her soul, and her body with it.


    At that point, a fourth realm spirit beast appeared before her.


    There was a voice that boomed throughout the realm. ¡°Defeat the spirit beast before you, and proceed to the next stage.¡±


    Anna gulped, and looked at the spirit beast. She recalled some of the tips. ¡°I can¡¯t feel its energies, but it had wooden offshoots and its body appears made of dark colored flesh that resembles earth. Should be a wood-earth spirit beast.¡±


    The beast stared, but didn¡¯t make a move. They were sensing each other. Anna felt the breath of the spirit beast. It had a snout. Could it use some kind of elemental ability through it? Was it a weak point?


    She reached for her weapon of choice, long steel spears, and she came with five of them. Three of them were on her back, and one on each hand.


    Just like her father, her average quality metal spirit roots led to a focus in Metal element cultivation techniques. Metal energies favored similar steel weapons. She could reinforce them to be stronger, fix them when they broke, and manipulate other metal objects as she moved.


    Her eyes watched, as the spirit beast made a move. The ground trembled as it stepped forward. Its movement was slow, but she wasn¡¯t sure whether she could get close without getting hurt. She moved sideways, and the spirit beast turned slowly to face it.


    Anna sped up, and realized the spirit beast couldn¡¯t turn fast enough to face her. So, quickly, once she managed to position itself to its side she rushed ahead and stabbed it¡¯s back with a long steel spear.


    It roared in defiance.


    Anna retreated, and stabbed one of the long spears on the ground, and replaced it with the one on her back.


    The spirit beast charged at speed, and this time, she was fairly sure it was some kind of wood-earth spirit beast because there was a sheen of greenish energies around it¡¯s body. The brownish spikes grew larger and some of them flew her way.


    She dodged two, but couldn¡¯t dodge the third one. Her spear temporarily transformed into a steel shield and the spikes slammed into it. The force of the impact still launched her backwards, but she managed to regain her footing with the spears.


    The beast ran towards her, so Anna activated Steel Attraction Steps, and she was pulled towards the long spear on the beast¡¯s back. The sudden move allowed her to slam another spear into the beast¡¯s back, this time closer to the spirit beast¡¯s core.


    She pushed it in harder. The spear lodged itself deeper in the spirit beast¡¯s body, but not enough to reach the core. ¡°Agh, I almost got it.¡±


    The spirit beast flailed in pain, and almost flung Anna around with it. Anna quickly activated Steel Attraction Steps and landed right next to the other long spear on the ground.


    The spirit beast flailed a bit more before realizing Anna wasn¡¯t behind her anymore, and then turned to face it. Anna moved sideways again, and once she got a good line of sight of the spirit beast¡¯s back, activated her ability and landed right next to the long spear behind the beast¡¯s back, and thrust it into the core. The core cracked.


    The spirit beast died. Then, a door appeared out of nowhere, and it led to the next stage.


    ***


    The next stage was a puzzle. She didn¡¯t recognize the puzzle, it wasn¡¯t a common one, but just looking at the strange contraption was that there are multiple solutions to it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand this thing.¡± Anna muttered to herself, trying to understand what it was. ¡°It¡¯s terrible.¡±


    The contraption has around twenty movable sticks, meant to manipulate something within, but she couldn¡¯t exactly see what was inside. It was likely some test of the cultivator¡¯s ability to visualize objects in the spiritual realm. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ***


    Edison faced the spirit beast and battered it to death the way he liked. Sheer brute force. He may be a water-element cultivator, but he liked it to be direct. In a way, his personality had some conflicts with the nature of his element.


    He traded blows with the spirit beast, and he took some injuries. But he won. And a door opened for him.


    Only to lead him into another spirit beast. Edison didn¡¯t know that, of course, that some faced only one spirit beast.


    The second spirit beast was a larger stone golem of some sort, similar to those found in the Dragonspine mountains.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Edison didn¡¯t get it, but Edison fought it anyway. The second spirit beast traded blows with the cultivator, and eventually he won. But he was injured.


    There was another door.


    He felt pain in his hand, and he wondered to himself. ¡°Really? Another door? Why, father? What¡¯s the point of this?¡±


    Edison wasn¡¯t sure his father could hear him, but here he was, swept up in the royal family¡¯s schemes. He didn¡¯t know why he heard her stepmother¡¯s voice in his head.


    ¡°You either step up, or you will die and another heir will be appointed to replace you.¡±


    He made it to the fourth realm, but he remembered how the breakthrough felt imperfect. He only made it through because he ate more pills to supercharge his spiritual realm with energy, and held on as that excess energy helped offset the flaws of his attempt.


    He reached for the door anyway, and checked his box. He came prepared with a box of healing pills, and so, ate it. He waited for a while to let his wounds heal, but each use of the healing pill meant the next one would be weaker. Pill oversaturation was a thing, and the body took a while to purge its effects.


    ¡°Alright, is it another spirit beast?¡± Edison opened the door, and reached a small narrow room where there were four more doors.


    On the four doors were numbers. Half, three quarters, nine tenths, and one.


    ¡°Half, three quarters, nine tenths and one?¡± Edison glanced at it. There was nothing in the room but the four doors, and he couldn¡¯t peek into them. There was a solid wall. He remembered the words of the Princess¡¯s representatives. ¡°So is this where they test our strength, our knowledge, or our self?¡±


    Edison looked at it, and decided.


    ¡°Should I go with the biggest number, or the smallest number? No. That won¡¯t be a good choice- Wait, or is this about a reward? Whether we want all the rewards, or half the rewards?¡±


    After a bit of thinking, Edison walked to the three quarters door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do three quarters, then.¡±


    ***


    The door opened and he walked through into a vast, empty arena. There was no one at first, and then, a circle of light appeared on the floor. There was a brief flash of light.


    ¡°Fourth realm, 1st stage, water spirit roots. Top Quarter. All items disabled.¡± There was an announcer of some sort.


    ¡°Top quarter?¡±


    At that moment, a door opened to reveal a man that looked exactly like himself. Edison stared at the copy, and realized what this was all about.


    ¡°A copy of myself?¡±


    There was immediately a punch that almost smashed into his face. One that Edison barely dodged.


    ¡°What the-¡±


    The fake Edison stared at him and grinned. It taunted him. ¡°Does it feel nice to see a better version of yourself?¡±


    ¡°Better version of me?¡± Edison couldn¡¯t believe it, but he had no time to react when there was another attack that this time connected. He blocked it with his arm, and barely managed to reinforce his arms with a bubble of water energy. But the kick of the fake still had so much force that Edison found himself flung across the arena and smashed into the wall.


    He barely managed to protect himself with another bubble of energy.


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Edison said as he stared at the fake. He looked every bit like himself. Like a person he saw in the mirror. ¡°You¡¯re a creation of the treasure realm, a fake!¡±


    The fake Edison smiled, his fists swirled in blue. Water emerged from the ground, as they rushed towards him. ¡°Say anything you want, but I am the better version.¡±


    Edison stared at the wall of water headed his way. This was the Mistburn family¡¯s Rush of Water technique, and yet he had never seen a large wave coming his way. He hadn¡¯t been able to create a wave half as large. He shook his head, he wasn¡¯t going to let this fake get the better of him.


    But he was too slow, and the water surrounded him, it smashed into him again, and this time, Edison felt some of his bones crack as the wave hit him really hard.


    Still, he tried to get up, only to find Fake Edison grinning at him. ¡°You¡¯re weak.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Edison knew he shouldn¡¯t listen, and yet, he reacted to it. A wave of water smashed into him from behind and Edison was forcefully slammed into the floor. He barely managed to protect his head, but more of his body cracked.


    The young master raised his head and tried to get up from the floor, his eyes saw the contemptuous eyes of Fake Edison looking back at him. It could have attacked, and yet it didn¡¯t.. ¡°Weakling. Such potential squandered. I¡¯m not even the best version you can meet.¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°No. You¡¯re a creation of the treasure realm.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± The fake answered. ¡°I am a version created by the treasure realm, based on your spirit roots and your bloodline, computed under the circumstances where you made three quarters of your cultivation decisions correctly.¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Three quarters of my decisions correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you chose correctly three out of four times, and made progress accordingly, you will be as strong, no, definitely stronger than me. But look at you. You¡¯ve done worse than that.¡± Fake Edison stood and stared back at him. ¡°You¡¯re not worthy. You should give up.¡±


    This was an illusion array of some kind, Edison¡¯s partly functioning mind wanted to convince itself. But another half had fallen for Fake Edison¡¯s taunt. ¡°-I didn¡¯t choose correctly?¡±


    ¡°Failure. Not even worthy of my full strength.¡± Fake Edison said.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You¡¯re saying that to make me mad.¡± Edison said. He was briefed about the tactics used in such illusion arrays. Father knew this would happen, and yet he stared at the Fake Edison, speaking his own voice, saying those words, he cannot help but feel affected.


    ¡°Weak.¡± Fake Edison rushed forward, and grabbed Edison by the hair. ¡°See?¡±


    He wanted to struggle, but he was injured in so many places that the pain was too much.


    Fake Edison stared into his eyes, and Edison saw his eyes glow. ¡°Did you know the Mistburn family has some illusion techniques in their arsenal?¡±


    Edison didn¡¯t. How did the treasure realm know? Was the power of the Golden Dragon really so profound?


    ¡°You could¡¯ve been me.¡± Fake Edison held him up. ¡°You could¡¯ve been much better than me. But instead you¡¯re you.¡±


    The young master felt his mind was pulled into the illusion, and he saw death. A vivid sensation of death. Death in a thousand ways. Death in the hand of fake edison.


    But it was not death that he feared.


    Instead, the Fake Edison then showed him a different version of himself. A version that did well. A version that was adored. A version that mastered the Mistburn family¡¯s cultivation methods, and then went on to master his father¡¯s techniques.


    This was an illusion.


    Yet he couldn¡¯t pry himself away. It was something in his heart he wanted, and all he could do was watch it unfurl in the illusion.


    He stared, and felt his energies drain away by the illusion. ¡°You¡¯re a failure. This is what you could¡¯ve been.¡±


    The words repeated. A part of Edison knew that illusion arrays often played with hopes and dreams. It preyed on insecurities. Fears. He knew it. And yet he felt those words carve itself into his soul.


    He heard those words spoken by the version of himself. ¡°I am a failure.¡±


    And he repeated it. ¡°I am a failure.¡±


    Then he collapsed, unconscious. The treasure realm flashed, and he was ejected out.


    ***


    Tundra walked over and picked up his son. He wasn¡¯t moving. Alive, but temporarily unconscious. It was an illusion array, such things were common, but it seemed his son was not prepared for it.


    He held his son. ¡°Edison. Are you alright?¡±


    Edison¡¯s eyes slowly opened and he stared at his father blankly. ¡°-am I dead?¡±


    ¡°No. That was an illusion.¡±


    ¡°An illusion?¡± Edison said, his eyes looked at his father.


    Tundra looked at his son, his son was bloody and there were broken bones, but nothing truly serious for a fourth realm cultivation. Nothing a strong healing pill couldn¡¯t fix. Tundra asked, ¡°What did you face, son?¡±


    ¡°-myself.¡±


    Tundra closed his eyes briefly, and took a deep breath. He suspected as much. It¡¯s such a common thing for cultivators to create tests where they face a version of themselves. In the scheme of things, that was a moderately strong illusion to use, but most cultivators can overcome it. He sighed, but what use was reprimanding his child at this time? His son was an adult, and if his mind wasn¡¯t strong enough, it is so. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Rest, Edison.¡±


    Edison nodded obediently, his eyes seemed distant. Blank. His voice was weak, resigned. ¡°Okay, father.¡±


    Tundra saw his son was broken, and he wiped a tear from his own eyes. He had seen many of his descendants and family die over the years, and yet, even after so many times, it still affected him.


    He spent more time with his family. His time and investment meant he was invested in their journey, and so, even though Edison was immature and foolish, it still hurt him somehow. A part of him felt his son deserved it. After rejecting his help, and goodwill, a part of him said his son deserved this.


    But in the end, he was family. A fool. Unworthy to be the heir.


    He held him, his son may be an adult who lived for quite long, and yet in Tundra¡¯s eyes, they were still a child. His child.


    A part of him understood. An illusion like that was powerful, but not unusual. The trick was always to realize it isn¡¯t real. That it is an illusion. If the spirit is strong, he could snap out of it.


    A patriarch of a cultivation family must train his children and successors in the ways of the cultivation world. Death and suffering was inevitable.


    A Sect Master would discard a failed disciple. A Father cannot discard his failed son.


    ¡°This is a bump in your journey.¡± Tundra said to his resting son. It may have well been a wall. Edison would remember it, facing a version of himself.


    Tundra would not discard his son. But he had been tested, and failed. He would now have to be placed in a role that better fit his abilities and character, even if he hated it. It is a tough thing to do. Tundra¡¯s eyes were shut as he took in the moment. No father would want to admit their child wasn¡¯t good enough, and to tell them the fact is harder still.


    But the world of cultivation is not a place for weaklings.

 Chapter 58. After II [ End of Book 1 ]

    Anna had to brute force the puzzles, and yanked it repeatedly for hours. It still didn¡¯t work. She stared at the puzzle, trying to understand what it was trying to do. But frustrated, she decided to stop.


    She tried for hours and didn¡¯t work. Instead, she looked around the room and began to notice strange patterns carved into the walls. The more she stared at the strange patterns, she began to realize they are clues on how to solve the puzzle.


    ¡°Wait. The solution was here all along?¡±


    She checked the walls some more, and eventually realized they were indeed the solutions, and quickly used them to move to the next room.


    There, she faced a room with four doors once more, with the same four numbers. Half. Three-quarters, Nine-tenths, and One.


    She stared. She didn¡¯t understand what the numbers meant, but there was enough literature on the meaning of numbers in cultivation that she roughly knew that to be one is often profound.


    ¡°One. It means full. It means- all? Okay. That¡¯s probably not good. Not for someone like me.¡± Anna was realistic with her own abilities, and concluded she wasn¡¯t going to be on that end. So she decided that she was probably on the other side. ¡°Half. Half it is.¡±


    ***


    A copy of herself stood there menacingly as she felt the floor flashed in light. ¡°Oh. So, original me. Are you better than me?¡±


    Anna stared at the replica of herself. ¡°What in the world-¡±


    A metal spear almost grazed her, and yet it missed. Anna managed to block it in time, and ducked.


    She could sense she was fairly evenly matched with the copy of herself. It was just a hunch. A feeling. A vague sensation in her mind.


    Her spear met the opponent. Half. What did it all mean? ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°I am half. It is where a version of you made half of your choices correctly.¡± The copy said, and the spears sparked as they met. Steel on steel, Anna felt the spear¡¯s force push back against hers. The copy had a set of moves different from hers.


    ¡°You¡¯re not really a copy.¡± Anna realized.


    ¡°No. I am a simulation. A prediction. You have metal spirit roots, and I possess similar techniques to those of your origin. Like this.¡± The copy¡¯s skin suddenly turned silverish, and it rammed into her.


    The force of impact pushed against Anna, but yet, she held. Anna knew a similar ability, and she used the spears to support her ground. ¡°Half. If I am as strong as you, that means I made half of my choices correctly?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But are you as strong as me?¡± The fake said, and in a burst, pushed against her. ¡°No, you are not. You¡¯re weaker.¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t believe it even though it did push her back. That burst of strength wasn¡¯t much, even if it did catch her off guard. No. This was an illusion. These words are meant to goad her, just like how so many young masters often taunted her. She briefly wondered how Edison or Larian would fare. In a way, Anna suspected Larian would perform best.


    ¡°So, weakling.¡± The fake taunted her. ¡°What will you do?¡±


    Half. There was a world of difference between half and three quarters.


    One was a path upwards, one was a mistake for every correct decision. Though the Fake¡¯s words stung, yet she knew the gap between them was slim. She took a breath. ¡°Me? Easy. I¡¯ll beat you up.¡±


    ***


    Tundra waited in the large plateau on the mountainside. There were tents all over, and some of the Princess¡¯s men even provided refreshments.


    Unlike that time at the Hailstorm Temple, they were not given entry by the Keymaster to the observation room, so all they could do was wait outside. Maybe because the observation room allowed them to view every other sect¡¯s participants, and that was a larger problem.


    Edison was first to be sent out, something that everyone else noticed. There was chatter, but Tundra ignored it. Zuri walked over, she too was waiting for her disciples to exit from the treasure realm.


    ¡°How is he?¡±


    ¡°Battered, but he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Tundra said. Edison slept in a large tent provided by the Princess¡¯s men.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Also, I met your brother.¡±


    That made Zuri¡¯s face turn red. ¡°My apologies, Lord Fox. My brother- he has a tendency not to filter what he thinks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a refreshing change.¡± Tundra smiled weakly. ¡°Honesty is a rare thing in the cultivation world where everyone¡¯s scheming against each other.¡±


    Zuri coughed. ¡°Only if one has the strength to back it up.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tundra said, as he picked up the cup of tea he made. He didn¡¯t bring any servants this time, but he wasn¡¯t above making his own pots of tea. ¡°Want some?¡±


    Zuri looked at Tundra, and back at the other sects. It was about then when one of the other Sect¡¯s elders came over. A man from the Greenstone Hold. ¡°Greetings Lord Fox and Lady Blackpetals. I am Waiyan Lith, one of the Grand Elders of the Greenstone Hold.¡±


    The man was in the seventh realm, and a peer. The two stood to receive him. ¡°Welcome.¡± Tundra said, and quickly offered a seat and tea. ¡°Would you like to join us for some tea?¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°Gladly!¡±


    The three sat in a makeshift circle around a small fire. A simple steel kettle boiled water over the small fire.


    ¡°So, I saw your- disciple was the first to be ejected. How is he?¡± Waiyan asked, curious. Tundra merely nodded in sympathy.


    ¡°Son.¡± Tundra said. ¡°He¡¯s fine. Injured, but he will heal.¡±


    Elder Lith merely sipped his tea. ¡°I see. I hope he doesn¡¯t take failure too harshly.¡±


    Tundra merely shook his head, and helped himself to one of the chunks of bread shared by the Princess¡¯s representatives. ¡°On the contrary, I hope he does take it harshly. My boy needs it.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So this is well, this is well. A good lesson is sometimes needed, how else do we discipline our children¡± Elder Lith took another sip. Tundra knew that was an awkward response. ¡°They should be in there for up to five days, especially if they managed to reach the pool.¡±


    Still, Zuri looked at the fellow elder. ¡°So, has the Greenstone Hold decided to throw its support behind her highness Princess Luharl?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Elder Waiyan Lith answered frankly. ¡°Princess Luharl represents those of us who wish to be exempt from the upcoming struggle.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Zuri asked. ¡°Are you sure Princess Luharl will stand aside and let Prince Gomerl, Prince Yaorl, Prince Kaorl and Princess Ziyarl fight it out? Our sect master doubts Princess Luharl¡¯s ability to stand aside, and also doubts the ability of the other Princes to respect her supposed independence. She will be forced to choose, just as they have all forced us to choose.¡±


    ¡°I see your point, Elder Blackpetals, but in the wisdom of my Sect Master, Duke Pebblebroth, we are a demon-hunting sect, and our good name should see us through these troubled times.¡±


    ¡°Your master places much faith in the courage of other sects to speak up for you.¡± Lady Blackpetals countered.


    ¡°At the very least, we will wait until the winning horse is clear.¡±


    ¡°Much can change in a moment.¡± The Crimson Lotus Spire¡¯s elder countered.


    ¡°There are many other cooks meddling with the soup.¡± Tundra commented. ¡°And many other treasonous sycophants whispering foul poisons that have the ears of the Princes.¡±


    ¡°That is a dangerous thing to say, Lord Fox.¡± Lady Blackpetals laughed, and pretended to look around.


    Tundra shrugged, as a second person was suddenly ejected. It came from one of the smaller sects. That sect¡¯s Elder and assistants quickly stepped in to help the injured person. Soon after, a few more were ejected.


    It seemed most of them failed at the stage where they faced a mirror of their own.


    Then, Larian was ejected. Battered and bruised, but he too failed the battle with the mirror. Tundra stood. ¡°It seems my son has also emerged from the sect. We can speak again later.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ***


    Larian lost, but unlike Edison, he seemed fairly mentally intact. Tundra approached his son, and asked. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°I lost, but- it felt like I could¡¯ve won. I made some mistakes in the battle.¡± Larian said after he ate a healing pill.


    Tundra merely tapped his son on the shoulder. ¡°It is fine. Rest well, Edison¡¯s already resting.¡±


    That surprised Larian. ¡°Wait, Edison¡¯s already out?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra helped Larian to their assigned tent. Edison was still asleep. Larian looked at Edison, and back at him. ¡°Is- is he alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. In some ways. Rest. The others might take a day or two more.¡± Tundra answered, and Larian looked at his father with words he wanted to say. For some reason, he did..


    ¡°I- I am sorry, father. We must be disappointments in your eyes.¡± Larian said, as if it blurted out.


    Tundra paused and looked at genuine sorrow in his son¡¯s eyes, and let out a sigh. ¡°Yes. I do feel a little disappointed. But it is what it is. We will try again, and again. The path of cultivation is a long one. Stumbles are common, and this will not be the first, or the last.¡±


    The father looked at the son, and the son looked back at him. ¡°Have you stumbled?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Maybe some didn¡¯t consider it that way, but I¡¯ve tried to find ways to turn my stumbles into sources of learning and new strength.¡±


    ***


    Blood stained her hair. Blood stained her face. But the fake Anna was dead. One of her hands was broken. Anna won, and a door opened.


    She didn¡¯t know whether there were any other challenges after this, so she ate a healing pill.


    The pill¡¯s effects were much weaker. She took a few during the fight itself, and it strained her spirit. She could feel it.


    She waited for an hour, and some of her wounds closed. Then she walked to the door, and walked through it.


    There was a golden pool on the other side, and on a pedestal at the side, was a silver spear.


    A voice spoke from the walls itself.


    ¡°The trials are over, and here are your rewards. The weapon you see is yours, as are the powers of the pool. Take a long dip into the golden pool, it will heal your wounds and grant you an improvement to your physique and your spiritual roots.¡±


    Anna felt the tension in her shoulders. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it.¡±


    The pool was warm, and she felt herself melt into it.


    ***


    Another three days passed, and everyone came out at the same time. The Princess Representative smiled. ¡°These are those who completed the Treasure Realm, and have received a blessing from the Golden Pools.


    They emerged with a valuable treasure, an improvement to their spirit roots and also an improvement to their physique.


    Edison, who was awake, looked distant. He didn¡¯t want to see those who succeed. ¡°I¡¯ll continue resting, father.¡± He said, as if realizing that this was it. Maybe he knew. After all this time, he finally realized where he stood.


    Tundra gave his son space. ¡°Then have a good rest.¡±


    Eight of the ten who went completed the trails, though the effects of the golden pool was only on those fifth realm and below, it was a noticeable improvement for all of them.


    ¡°Father.¡± Anna said, and Tundra smiled proudly. She looked radiant. Stronger. Tundra blinked slightly, and realized how much she looked like her deceased mother. He banished that thought.


    ¡°You did well, Anna.¡± He tapped her shoulder once.


    ¡°The reward-¡± Anna wanted to pass the spear to Tundra, and Tundra shook his head.


    ¡°It is yours. It is you who made the journey.¡±


    Larian, who wasn¡¯t too affected by his failure, was there to greet his half-sister. Then, the rest of his disciples emerged, all a little stronger than before, and with their own set of weapons.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡± They greeted him, and displayed their rewards. The weapons were all from an older era, made by a master craftsman and likely a strong cultivator. It would serve most of them well.


    Tundra expected all of them to succeed, and they did. ¡°Good job. You all deserve some rest. There will be a banquet to celebrate the successes once we return to Luharlia. It will be customary to say our thanks to the Princess for this opportunity.¡±


    The banquet was a usual royal affair, with gaudy decorations.


    Those present gave three toasts of thanks to the royal house, though some of them would be invited to meet with the Princess personally. A few of the Princess¡¯s ministers made the rounds to catch up, shore up relationships and generally engage in the ancient art of networking.


    Then came the bombshell. ¡°Sect Master Fox, you¡¯re invited for a private audience.¡± An agent of the Princess approached him as the event gradually came to an end.¡±.


    ***


    Edison stared out of the window of the guestroom, and felt empty. The rest of the Verdant Snow would be at the banquet. As the sun¡¯s glow faded and evening came, the skyline was filled with little rows of lanterns. Shops. Homes. Lanterns were a common way of lighting up the night.


    The wounds have already healed. He could walk.


    Yet now there was a scar in his heart. He failed. More importantly, he was the first one to be ejected.


    His father said that failures were common. Yet, it still stung in a way that was different.


    He never felt like running away before. Yet today, as Anna and the rest of the Verdant Snow Sect was at the imperial palace for a banquet, he wondered what it¡¯d be like to run away. What would it be like to vanish into the darkness?


    He didn¡¯t know why. The room felt stuffy. Everything wasn¡¯t right.


    The more he looked around, the more it all didn¡¯t make sense, and so, he walked out of the door. No one stopped him. The guards merely nodded. Larian noticed him walking out.


    ¡°Taking a walk?¡±


    Edison shrugged, and ignored his older half-brother. His mind was occupied. He was the untalented young master.


    The streets were busy. So many people. There were other cultivators stronger than him here. So many of them.


    Some of the elite guards were in the peak of the 3rd realm, and with their high quality equipment, a group of them could take him down.


    He stared. He wandered the streets.


    Yet he remembered the taunts of the mirror image of himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re a failure.¡±


    He shook his head, and then, there was a beautiful woman in front of him. ¡°Hello, handsome. You look like you could use a hand.¡±


    Edison snarled, and walked away. ¡°What do you know?¡±


    Yet the woman held him with an unnatural strength. ¡°I know a lot. I know you were the first to be eliminated in the treasure realm. You¡¯re a failure.¡±


    Edison turned as his anger surged at those words. ¡°I am not-¡±


    The woman was still there, and smiled at him. ¡°But guess what, I love failures like you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Edison frowned, a little suspicious. But his mind was still a little hazy, and it felt as if nothing really mattered. He looked at the woman blankly, and sighed. ¡°Whatever, go away.¡±


    He turned to walk away.


    ¡°OH?¡± The woman said there and asked. ¡°What if I tell you there¡¯s a way to gain power without the normal ways of cultivation?¡±


    The young master looked at the woman, and shook his head. He may be a failure, but a part of him still knew of the temptations that existed in the wider world. He shook his head some more, and continued to walk away. ¡°Not interested. I¡¯ll wallow in my pathetic sorrows with some rice wine.¡±


    The woman blinked.


    Edison walked away.


    The woman seemed unable to believe it, so she said. ¡°If you ever change your mind. Head to the Murian Swamps.¡±


    Edison just waved his hand while he continued walking away, as if shoo-ing her off. He may be a pathetic failure, but he wasn¡¯t that stupid to fall for such obvious scams.


    ***


    Meanwhile, Tundra Fox felt the gaze of the ninth realm spirit guardian on his flesh the moment he walked through the imperial palace¡¯s doors. The female attendant guided him swiftly, and soon he was in a room with a bamboo screen, and lit with candles.


    Tundra knelt, as he sensed the presence of the Princess behind the screen. He kowtowed, as is customary when meeting the royal family, his forehead touched the knitted floor. ¡°I greet the Royal Princess Luharlia. It is an honor to-¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Tundra Fox.¡± She spoke, cutting him off from the rest of the usual pleasantries of imperial interactions. ¡°Make yourself comfortable. I had my people look into your achievements, and it is most interesting.¡±


    Tundra answered with usual imperial decorum. Humility before the crown. ¡°They are just minor accomplishments.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I suppose so. Duke Hadrian Thunderstone commented on your contributions most heavily.¡±


    Tundra blinked. Duke Hadrian Thunderstone of the Scarlet Thunder Sect was affiliated with Princess Luharl?


    ¡°Did you know his mother was my grand aunt?¡± The Princess declared.


    Tundra blinked again. That- that wasn¡¯t in any records, or in any of the-


    ¡°Ah, never mind. More importantly, I have a task for you, Sect Master Fox.¡±


    Tundra listened, and wondered what hell he would have to pay.


    ¡°There are agents that work against the Imperial Family. That is known, and though the Golden Dragon is unmatched in the light of day, in the night, even Dragons can be slain. I have a niece, a beautiful young woman. Her imperial bloodline is suppressed, and I want you to take her as a daughter, and as a disciple. Adopt her as your own, train her, make her strong, but keep her imperial bloodline hidden and suppressed. Hide her from the world for me, and those who scheme against us. I trust you to know who you can tell, but here.¡±


    A green token dropped in front of him. A [Thought Sealing Token].


    ¡°This should keep it secret in the minds of those who you want to tell.¡±


    Tundra blinked. An imperial family member as an adopted daughter?


    ¡°Now, to make it worth it for you, one of my personal elders will join the Verdant Snow Sect, and he will be at your disposal. Whether you admit him as an elder, or keep him hidden, that is entirely your call. He will also deliver some of the treasures of the Royal Family, some for my niece, and some for your sect to use as you please.¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Will she have access to the Golden Dragon¡¯s gift?¡±


    ¡°If she reaches the sixth realm, the seal on her bloodline will be removed, though I suggest you do so carefully. My niece¡¯s gift is far, far stronger than even mine, her connection to the Golden Dragon is something I want to protect, and you should know why.¡±


    The regressor blinked.


    A powerful tool. But an obligation. ¡°Does she know?¡±


    ¡°No. As of now, she is just an ordinary girl serving as one of my many, many attendants.¡± The Princess said. ¡°You¡¯re not convinced it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    ¡°I am still weighing the cost, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°I am a seventh realm member of the royal family, Tundra Fox. There is no cost I cannot pay. I have the treasury of all my predecessors at my fingertips. Here. Something to make it worth it.¡± A golden ball emerged, and Tundra¡¯s eyes blinked. He could feel the power of the ninth realm emanating from within. ¡°A spirit guardian for your sect, entirely at your disposal.¡±


    A sealed spirit guardian won¡¯t be active all the time unless sustained by a powerful source of power, but in a great pinch, or a sudden attack, it could be a huge boon. No, this was the kind of power that turned the tide of battle. Though nothing compared to the secret spirit guardian of Luharlia, this spirit guardian could still put up a moment of resistance. With the Princess¡¯s personal elder joining his retinue, this was very lopsided in his favor.


    ¡°The threats must be dangerous for you to do so, your majesty.¡±


    The Princess sighed. ¡°They only are dangerous because the fangs of the family now turn on each other. If us half-siblings were united, there is nothing to fear from these things.¡±


    Tundra couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    The rot from within is most dangerous indeed.


    [End of Book 1]

 Chapter 59. An Adopted Daughter [ Book 2 start ]

    When the Princess finally allowed him to leave the palace, the night almost ended and glimmers of the morning sun peeked through the distant hills.


    Tundra¡¯s return home would be troubled, there was to be an announcement to his family about Hana¡¯s adoption, but on a larger level, Tundra knew this was the right thing to do. The resources granted by the Princess would allow them to prepare them for more threats. Yet a part of him still loathed the conversation he would need to have with his family. Has he gotten a little fearful of what thoughts they had?


    No.


    He steeled his heart, he knew this decision was necessary, and so he would see it through.


    A female attendant brought the young girl to the room where Tundra waited. He could hear them approach as their footsteps approached, even if his cultivation senses were muffled by the protective formations of the palace.


    ¡°The Princess finally found a family for you, Hana.¡± The carved wooden door opened, Tundra was greeted by a young ten year old girl. Her black hair was short, with a healthy sheen, her hairstyle was a common cut for young children. Her eyes were large, which suitably accentuated the chubby cuteness of her features. She was an adorable little girl.


    At first glance, there was nothing about her at all. She felt like a perfectly ordinary child of her age, with no cultivation whatsoever. The attendant thus announced, as if prompting the stunned young girl. ¡°Greet your Father, Hana. He¡¯s a very powerful man, the Sect Master of the Verdant Snow Sect, Lord Tundra Fox!¡±


    Hana bowed politely. ¡°Pleased to meet you-¡± She seemed to hesitate at the last word, as if thinking about whether she should call him father. Instead, she settled on, ¡°-Master Fox.¡±


    Tundra looked at the young girl, and wondered whether she knew the responsibilities he now carried, and what transpired in the back. But in those innocent eyes, he knew she didn¡¯t. They wouldn¡¯t tell her.


    But like all foster parents, he would have to prepare her for that conversation, some day.


    The female attendant bowed, as stepped back to allow the newly acquainted father and daughter to speak to each other. As she stepped back, for some reason, she saw it necessary to add a sentence. ¡°Treat your father well, you lucky girl.¡±


    Hana said nothing, but did not raise her head. Tundra rubbed his head, but then looked at the girl. He thought about what to say, but then, she is still a child. He wasn¡¯t very good at dealing with children. ¡°Little Hana, I¡¯ll be your adopted father. Come, tell me everything about yourself, and from this day on, you may call me father.¡±


    Hana paused, and tried the words. It rolled off her tongue strangely, uncomfortable. ¡°Father.¡±


    She said, and it felt weird for both of them. Tundra tapped her head. ¡°So tell me about yourself.¡±


    The father and daughter sat on a long bench in the visiting hall, and she shared her tale.


    She believed that her parents died, that her parents were close friends and servants of the Princess, and so she was in the Princess¡¯s care until she found a suitable family for little Hana. This move had to be accelerated because of the recent tensions in the royal family, as it was safer for her to be cared for by one of the Princess¡¯s allies.


    She was taught how to read, write, and all that, but has yet to start cultivation. Her spiritual roots were still in flux, and had not yet matured. But she was in no rush, because her deceased father once wished that she only began to cultivate once she turned thirteen cycles.


    Lies. Of course.


    The Princess told him the truth.


    At that point, the elder that would join them emerged. ¡°Greetings, Lord Fox. Pardon my delay, I had to pack my things for our journey.¡± But there was an unspoken portion, transmitted through little bits of energy via a thread of spiritual connection. ¡°I am Grayne Fallows, a personal elder of the Princess, I am a Sixth Realm Cultivator with a focus on defensive combat, communications and travel, and I will now be in your service, though my duties first and foremost is the protection of little Hana, and the protection of her secret. If necessary, I will also bring news to the Princess.¡±


    Tundra clasped his hand to greet the man. The man was loyal as long as Tundra was useful to the Princess, and in a way, he represented a closer bond to the Princess than he liked.  ¡°Greetings, Lord Fallows. You will travel with us and bring young Hana to her new home?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Grayne answered, as he walked closer to Hana and ruffled her hair. The two were clearly close.


    Hana smiled radiantly, both her lips and eyes curved cutely. ¡°Uncle Gray is coming? That¡¯s great!¡±


    Grayne returned her joy. ¡°Yes. I wouldn¡¯t leave you, little Hana. This man is your father now, have you addressed him properly?¡±


    Hana gulped, and bowed once more. Awkwardly, she tried once more. ¡°-Father.¡±


    Now, it was Tundra¡¯s turn. He gently tapped her shoulder. ¡°Good, my daughter. Hana, from today forth, you are my daughter, and so you will address yourself as Hana Fox. Now, let¡¯s take you to meet your elder siblings, and your two stepmothers. There¡¯s a third stepmother but she is not here today.¡±


    ***


    Meanwhile, back in the guest mansion.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Anna approached Edison after the dinner party. The young master of the Fox family, Edison, didn¡¯t join the festivities, and so Anna felt worried for him. As if a part of her heart feared something would happen. ¡°Did anything happen?¡±


    Edison still looked blankly at the window. The sun now hung midway on it¡¯s path up to the heavens, the darkness of the night long gone. And yet, for Edison, it was as if he was in a long, tired rest, he had not changed out of his comfortable robes, and was still in his guestroom resting.


    There was a fairly strong stench of alcohol in the room, and a freshly brewed pot of tea. Anna insisted, and so repeated her question. ¡°We¡¯re worried. Did anything happen?¡¯


    Edison answered with a single word. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Anna wanted to say more, but the young master had shut her out, and she wasn¡¯t so thick-skinned to continue. She turned, even as her instincts told her something happened. But as their relationship wasn¡¯t that great, she didn¡¯t prod further. ¡°Very well, see you later.¡±


    She walked away.


    The young master continued to stare in the direction of the market streets of Luharlia.


    ***


    Tundra summoned his family later that day once he returned to the guest mansion. He briefly introduced Hana, explained the abbreviated official background, and the official version of Hana¡¯s life story.


    ¡°Princess Luharl wants me to raise Hana, as Hana is a close family friend of the princess, but has unfortunately lost her parents. So, the Fox family will now be her new family, and so she will be Hana Fox.¡±


    Anna and Larian looked happy, while Edison seemed as if he¡¯d rather be in his room.


    Hana bowed to Anna, Edison and Larian, each of them one by one. ¡°Greetings, elder brother Edison. Greetings, elder sister Anna. Greetings, elder brother Larian.¡±


    Edison looked blankly, as if he was still trying to process it. Anna looked at her father, blinked briefly.


    She was the same age as Tundra¡¯s grandchildren and Anna¡¯s half-nephews and half-nieces. Larian seemed perfectly fine with it, and smiled warmly. She was even younger than Anna¡¯s own daughter. But as she looked at her father, and back at her child, she decided this was one of those royal duties.


    Not uncommon, and so, Anna took it positively. ¡°Welcome to the family, Hana. You will now be my youngest sister.¡±


    Hana bowed to her elders. This was their first meeting, it is only normal that they wouldn¡¯t say much.


    Tundra then introduced the older man. ¡°Elder Grayne will be her caretaker and watcher.¡±


    They probably had many questions in their mind. Such as, why them? Why didn¡¯t the old man be the young girl¡¯s caretaker? Questions that will all need to be answered at a later date. It was time to leave Luharlia and return home.


    The next thing on their plans would be the tournament invitation by the White Tiger Temple. Something that¡¯s soon, only a few more years down the road.


    ***


    ¡°So, what¡¯s changed?¡± Tundra asked as Anna sat in a meditating position. She was the only one of his three children to have made it, and in a way, she got lucky that she picked the easiest opponent during that final step. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I feel a kind of steel-like presence throughout my body, and my spiritual roots feels- bigger.¡±


    ¡°That is the physique enhancement from the pool. Its effects will last until your physique outgrows it¡¯s blessings, but that¡¯s at least one to two realms away.¡± Tundra nodded, as he had a look at the weapon she took from the Treasure Realm. It was a superb piece of work, and he would grade it as something in the fifth realm. She would need some time before she could fully take advantage of the treasure. ¡°This is a fine piece of work. You should see Elder Jashen after we return, he¡¯s fairly proficient with this sort of weapon, and can give you some good tips and recommend the right combat arts.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Anna nodded, as her cultivation energies flowed throughout her body. Tundra could feel the minute improvements and with her new gifts, she gained a small advantage over her peers.


    The regressor, however, examined his daughter¡¯s expression and then asked. ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡±


    ¡°Enjoy it?¡±


    ¡°The treasure realm. Was it fun?¡± Tundra used to find joy in conquering sects.


    He was a bloodthirsty warmonger, and he felt that played a part in why he did well. The sense of achievement was something that drove him on. He enjoyed winning, and winning was fun. For a thousand years or two.


    Anna seemed to stumble at the question. She looked back at him, their eyes met briefly. He felt her search for an answer on his face, as if trying to figure out there was an answer he expected.


    He hoped she found it fun.


    She shook her head. ¡°It was alright. I did enjoy figuring out that the puzzle¡¯s answer was written on the walls. But not much else.¡±


    ¡°Do not miss the forest for the trees. When one¡¯s eye is on the prize, one must still pay attention to the path.¡± Tundra smiled, but a part of it wasn¡¯t genuine.


    She didn¡¯t really enjoy the treasure realm that much. But he¡¯ll take what he can get, so he redirected the topic towards cultivation insights. It was a fairly common learning point. ¡°Cultivators who obsess with a particular topic or idea often lose sight of the bigger picture.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So that was what it was trying to say.¡± Anna¡¯s eyes widened in realization. Though she did see the solution, the message was still a little lost on her. She would learn in time. ¡°Then what was the point of the third challenge? Why did Edison get a different challenge?¡±


    ¡°The path every cultivator takes is different. Why should all challenges be the same? The fortune on one¡¯s path is a fact of the world.¡±


    Anna suddenly felt quiet. As if she stumbled upon a reality of the world that she now had to reconcile with the imagination of her mind.


    Tundra sat with her, but he waited. A master cultivator and teacher must often give their student the space and emptiness to fill in the blanks. A teacher that gives the answer robs the student of the ability to figure it out. It is especially so when they are deep in thought.


    He remembered an old friend, and a master teacher who once said. ¡°Learn not to interrupt a student¡¯s thoughts and ruminations. It is a key skill of a good master. Wonder how many epiphanies are lost because a master said a word too early. Learn to be comfortable with silence, silence in the real world forces the mind to work. It is why in a quiet room, even the rustling of the wind feels loud.¡±


    Anna wasn¡¯t comfortable with silence.


    Not yet, he hoped.


    Not the way he was. She shifted, and whispered some chants. Tundra could feel the fluctuations in her energy. Her mind was in thought.


    After a while, she looked at her father. She wanted to ask something, but chose to keep quiet.


    Her father stood, and walked to the windows of their flying ship. It was a small window, nothing fancy, but it still allowed for a great view of the vast lands beneath them.


    Anna decided maybe she should leave. ¡°I¡¯ll leave first, father.¡±


    Tundra watched her daughter leave, and he took the moment to focus on his own cultivation.


    ***


    Elly pulled Edison aside for a talk, just for two, once they returned. If he wasn¡¯t wrong, it¡¯s likely one of the Core Disciples was bribed to send word of their performance back, so they knew about it before they returned.


    Tundra allowed everyone to have their moment of rest, and he¡¯ll announce Hana¡¯s adoption at a later dinner when everyone¡¯s rested.


    Edison and Anna were both fourth realm. By most measures, that qualifies them as Core Disciples of the Sect, even if there were qualitative differences in their strength. As it is, Edison would lose to Anna in a straight fight most of the time. He would also like to announce the separation of the role of Fox family¡¯s heir, and the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s successor.


    Rightfully, Elder Severian, should be the named successor of the Sect. That was how it should be, in his eyes, and to solidify his position, Tundra would like to name him as the Deputy Sect Master.


    And so, while he refined pills in his workshop, he also summoned his elders for a meeting. His elders knew something was up when there was a protective formation in the room, and Tundra immediately went for the heart of the matter.


    ¡°There are a few matters that I want to work on, and so I¡¯ll get to the first matter. Hana, my new adopted child, is royalty. This should not be spoken of, ever.¡±


    That made the six elders stare at each other as they scrambled to comprehend the consequences. Severian looked nervous, and he scratched his chin a few times trying to digest the facts. In the end, he looked at their Sect Master. ¡°Things are that bad?¡±


    ¡°Contingencies.¡± Tundra continued work on his pills. ¡°I ask that we care for her, and train her well. Her talents are impressive, even I can tell that much. Her caretaker, Grayne, will join us as well, but for now, I intend for his presence to be hidden from the public.¡±


    The six agreed.


    ¡°Second, I intend to name Severian as deputy Sect Master and you will act as Sect Master during my absence.¡±


    It caught them by surprise, but Severian nodded.


    ¡°Third. I believe we need to start getting a sense of how bad things are. I initially believed that the Zuja¡¯s plague was a bigger problem a few thousand years from now, but it seemed my understanding was incorrect.¡±


    ¡°If my memory is right, these forces love to tempt those who are weak, those who failed, the neglected, the abandoned children of cultivator families. The Zuja and the demons will then empower these neglected ones to take over their families, and thus, allow them to exert influence indirectly on the various sects of the world. We need to start building a list of those who had unusual rises in power.¡±


    Yavin blinked. ¡°But that¡¯s the tale of so many cultivators.¡±


    ¡°It is, and that¡¯s why it¡¯s so hard to find. Zuja can provide power through resources, not only through straight corruption. They can bribe or entice those more likely to support wars, and suppress those who prefer more peaceful interactions. So far, I¡¯ve not seen much of the Zuja in the weaker tier sects, so it¡¯s likely they mainly target the stronger sects. But even so, we have a disadvantage. We cannot fight them in the light. We can¡¯t even see them coming. We also cannot move freely without eyes on us every step of the way, and we have a home base that leaves us vulnerable to retaliation from those supported by the Zuja.¡±


    ¡°Do you intend for us to go dark?¡± Severian asked.


    ¡°No. The Verdant Snow Sect will remain in the light. But, I want to start a shadow sect.¡±


    Jashen looked at Tundra and blinked. ¡°Do you have a person in mind?¡±


    ¡°That is one part of the challenge. To create a powerful shadow sect, their breakthroughs need to be hidden. I have some limited knowledge on how to build such formations, but it is not strong enough. I also need a person with the talent, someone that we can forge into our blade in the dark. As of now, I have not seen that talent in our midst.¡±


    ¡°We will organize a recruitment drive.¡± Jon and Jashen said. ¡°We can set up smaller branch sects in Blackshore and on our other holdings. With our current reputation we should be able to get talent. But the breakthrough suppression artifact-¡±


    Tundra shook his head, as he pulled out a pill from the furnace. It was perfectly formed. ¡°I will need to talk to a few more folks, and maybe, visit some places. There may be some old acquaintances that I should reconnect with.¡±


    ***


    The announcement of Hana¡¯s adoption went surprisingly well. The wives understood, and in hindsight, he was concerned for nothing.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time such things happened. For cultivator families, it is common for a father or for parents to die in a battle or expedition, and so their children are often adopted by their close friends or relatives, if they are still too young.


    Even Tundra himself was pretty much adopted by the previous sect master.


    So, for a Princess to ask Tundra to do so is an act of trust and honor. For cultivators who lived for hundreds or thousands of years, the actual ¡®taking care¡¯ or ¡®raising¡¯ of a child for a few decades isn¡¯t a long affair, just twenty years till such a child reaches adulthood.


    A blink of an eye for many cultivators in the 4th realm and above, though in cultivator families, it is also very normal for members of the family to stick around for some time.


    But since the matter was accepted fairly easily, he could keep the secret, a secret. Tundra didn¡¯t know whether he needed to reveal the truth, but as of now, he would keep it contained with the elders.


    ***


    ¡°Was it that bad?¡± Elly asked Tundra when they were finally alone. It¡¯s been a few days since they returned, and everyone was mostly back to their own routines. ¡°Edison still looks blankly out of the window, and I heard the servants say he sometimes screams in the middle of the night. I went and checked, and found him shivering in his bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tundra said. That look of emptiness in Edison hadn¡¯t quite left him. He may be a fourth realm, but to fail so spectacularly must have crushed his self confidence. It was not the end, Tundra had heard of cultivators that rose from much greater failures, even those who managed to rebuild their power after losing it all.


    But to do so, one must have heart. One must have the will of a cultivator. It is the will to power that is the seed. Nothing grows without it.


    Elly looked sad.


    ¡°What can we do with our son? How can we help him?¡±


    Tundra answered out of sheer instinct. The habits of a 10,000 year old cultivator. ¡°Nothing. There are some challenges he must do himself. The opportunities were given, and if he failed to rise to the moment, it is for him to realize it. I will not rob him of that epiphany and personal growth. He is in the maze now, he must find the way out himself. He would not learn if every time he stumbled, someone was there to lend him a ladder to get out.¡±


    His wife didn¡¯t like that answer, as much as it fit the mold of the typical cultivator. Cultivators defied the heavens, resources were given, naturally, families expected a return on their investment. ¡°Really?¡±


    The past century, even Elly too languished and let go, and somehow, in the past two years she was caught up in his changed ways. But, this sudden inaction was not at all strange if compared to how Tundra was before. ¡°Yes. I will make a set of announcements soon, one of them involves Edison¡¯s place.¡±


    That made Elly look at Tundra sternly.


    ¡°I will split the role of the Fox family heir, and the role of the Verdant Snow Sect¡¯s named successor. The tradition of the sect master¡¯s son or adopted son as the next sect master is a tradition, but it can be changed.¡± Tundra said.


    Elly blinked. She couldn¡¯t muster a response at this point. She would give one on a later date, after she spoke with her own side of the family. In some ways, Edison got his position by the weight of his maternal family, and so this affected their interests too. So, she tried to buy time. ¡°Can you wait for a few months before you make the announcement?¡±


    Tundra thought it as something pointless. What difference did it make? In fact, he¡¯ll even give him a few years. ¡°Very well. I won¡¯t announce it until a few years later.¡±


    That was more time than he deserved.


    ***

 Chapter 60. Bloodline

    Imperial Year 34002


    Two years and one month after Tundra¡¯s regression


    Anna found her room comfortable. The scent of the old cabinets, the subtle swaying of the curtains, the minor perturbations of the cultivators outside leaving little ripples of energy. She blinked.


    ¡°Wait. How am I able to sense them?¡± Anna could not believe her senses, but she could not mistake the sensation. She could detect them outside. The Inner disciples were practicing, and the minor energies could be picked up. The physique improvements granted by the pool, and her slightly better spiritual roots, meant her body was now more sensitive to the slight shifts in energy.


    She felt a person walking nearby.


    ¡°Is this why father seems to know where everyone is?¡± Anna tried to extrapolate her new abilities. Her mind wondered what it¡¯ll be like at the 5th realm, or the 6th realm. The expansion of her sphere of perception now explained more things. Up the 3rd, or even the 4th realm, the gaps in perception should not be that big. At least, for most regular cultivators, it really wasn¡¯t that large.


    She blinked as she felt a person approach. It was her stepmother, and the door opened.


    ¡°Welcome, Lady Mistburn.¡± Anna stood and bowed before the woman that is the de facto matriarch of the Fox family, and she felt the energies radiated by the slightly older woman.


    The gap wasn¡¯t large before, but now, even though Elly Mistburn was clearly a few stages above her in the 4th realm, somehow, Anna didn¡¯t feel threatened. In a fight, Anna had a feeling she could win, and at least, hold her own.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to speak to you ever since the treasure realm, Anna.¡±


    The two rarely spoke. There was no need to.


    So this didn¡¯t feel right.


    All this while, Anna gave the woman her space, and stayed out of her way. Lady Mistburn often used her authority to cement her descendants¡¯ place in the Fox family, and for the most part, people like Anna knew better than to get in her way. Their father and the elders were often not around to hear out their point of view, they were also not there to defend them from the minor power tussles, so they suffered what they must.


    But the recent treasure realm incident made it clear to everyone present.


    Edison failed. Anna succeeded.


    Anna knew that for Elly, this was an insult.


    She was the better cultivator than her younger half-brother, Edison. The gap in their power was clear the moment they returned.


    ¡°This way, Lady Mistburn.¡± Anna¡¯s part of the Fox mansion was fairly quiet. Basic.


    It was where Anna and her daughter, Annaly, mostly spent her time. Anna took things as they came, and made do with what they were given. In the early days when her mother still lived, and her father was not yet the sect master, things were a lot simpler.


    These days, her father¡¯s constant presence and exposure meant she received more resources. A part of it was because her father brought in an order of magnitude more resources to the sect, thanks to his higher realm and thus higher powered pills. A portion of this extra wealth was channeled to the family.


    Her home was decent, clean and with still good quality furniture, but nowhere near as decorated as Elly¡¯s living chambers. ¡°So, Anna.¡±


    Anna sat and wondered what her stepmother wanted. Her heart steeled for something bad. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your daughter?¡±


    Anna wondered whether this was just small talk, or whether there¡¯s something bigger at play. ¡°She¡¯s out. I believe she¡¯s buying some treats for herself.¡± Annaly¡¯s progress in cultivation has been decent, but for now she is still in the 2nd realm. She should be able to reach the 3rd realm in a year or two, if Tundra, Annaly¡¯s grandfather, continued to support her cultivation.


    ¡°I see. Has she found some suitors?¡± Elly asked.


    Anna blinked. Where was Elly going with this? ¡°Not yet. There are a few that wanted to have a meal and tea with her, but I¡¯ve not heard much.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see.¡± Elly said.


    ¡°Is there something you are here for, Lady Mistburn?¡± Anna prodded. Maybe it was her discomfort that made her ask the question.


    Elly looked into Anna¡¯s eyes and her hesitation was only momentary. ¡°Anna. Tell me about the treasure realms. And Edison.¡± The first daughter heard of Edison¡¯s struggles, and now it sort of made sense. So Anna didn¡¯t hesitate to share what she knew and what she saw in the treasure realms.


    A few cups of tea later, the two women were both quietly processing what they¡¯ve shared.


    ¡°Tundra, your father, he plans to split the role of the heir of the Fox family and the Verdant Snow Sect.¡±


    Anna paused, and blinked. ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± Elly countered. ¡°All this while, the role of the Sect Master is always inherited by his son.¡±


    Anna thought that was obvious. There¡¯s no way Edison could inherit it in his current state. He may be in the 4th realm, but he was on the weaker end. Even his mother, Elly, was stronger than him. With elders so far ahead of him, his position would forever be that of a young master. In fact, if it ever happened that Edison somehow inherits the sect, she truly believed the Sect would not tolerate his rule, and the Fox family would be swiftly ejected.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have good opinions of him, don¡¯t you?¡± Elly asked, quickly noticed her facial expression.


    Anna shook her head, and hoped she didn¡¯t offend her. Yet, now she had more options. She could legitimately leave the sect and join a small or mid tier sect as an elder. ¡°Ah- that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Elly looked at her, and didn¡¯t seem keen on continuing the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough.¡± Elly stood and left.


    Anna sighed. Elly was always a little protective of her son. In fact, she believed her excessive coddling was also part of the problem.


    But it was not her place to say it.


    ***The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    For a week or so, nothing much of note happened. The elders spread out to gather information and prepare for a second recruitment drive, while Tundra focused on cultivating and making pills. Pill refining was a big part of business, and he had to keep it up. But with high quality materials supplied by the palace, he could pretty much spend them on quite a lot of things.


    Tundra brought those of the same age together. Jihan. Hana. The two were just one year apart. ¡°Is she my aunt, grandfather?¡± Jihan asked. Hana was adopted as his daughter. Jihan was one year older, so, if they referred to each other by their familial titles, it was an awkward situation.


    Tundra smiled, amused that this was the first question Jihan asked. Children can be so innocent.


    ¡°Well, you can call her Sister Hana, and Hana, you may call him Brother Jihan.¡± Tundra decided it was a small matter. ¡°I think the two of you should be trained together, which is why I¡¯ve brought the two of you here.¡±


    Tundra sat with the two.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±


    Hana was bright, as he expected, but surprisingly, Jihan wasn¡¯t bad either. Maybe because he started young, and his mind was still quite malleable. Tundra immediately thought of the question of bloodlines, and how he had a small window to give it to Jihan before his bones and souls were fully formed.


    He touched Jihan¡¯s wrists, and got a sense of his soul. The young boy was still a mortal, therefore he had no resistance to Tundra¡¯s spiritual energies.


    His spiritual roots had not fully formed yet. He had about two, three years then, to find a suitable bloodline for transplant.


    It was Hana¡¯s turn, and so he touched Hana¡¯s wrists, and realized her spiritual roots were already growing well. A strong dual-elemental spiritual roots of Fire and Earth. That was a fairly decent and compatible set of spirit roots. Hana could start cultivating now, but that could interfere with the development of her spiritual roots. With the right diet and food, he could probably improve it by a grade or two before she reaches 12, and it wouldn¡¯t be late to start cultivating then.


    Within the next two years, he needed to find something for the two of them. From what he could sense, Jihan was likely to develop metal spiritual roots.


    There were a few metal-element spiritual beasts that were well regarded as one of the top 100 spiritual beasts. The Ironblood Heavenly Turtle, or the Thunderstruck Steel Crow were two great spirit beasts that should be compatible.


    After talking with the two young children some more, Tundra stood and walked to meet his fellow elders.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to set out to the Ancient Titans Great Sect, and would like to return with a set of Bloodline techniques. Severian, may I task you to handle the matter concerning the White Tiger¡¯s Tournament?¡±


    The Matter of the White Tiger Tournament would only happen all the way in Imperial Year 34,006. A few years to go, but preparations would have to start now. With Yavin, Julia and Agnia now promoted to elders, the quality of the current batch of Core Disciples and Inner Disciples would need to improve.


    Tundra wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯ll have to be away, or what he¡¯ll have to do to earn the Ancient Titans Great Sect¡¯s trust to share the bloodline transfusion methods, but he hoped to receive it within a year, before Jihan¡¯s spiritual roots are properly formed.


    ¡°When do you plan to leave?¡± Severian asked.


    ¡°In about two to three weeks. I¡¯d like to visit some other folks along the way, and see what can be done about it. I¡¯ll make a few more pills over the next month, and that should fund the sect¡¯s operations for the next two years. Julia should also start working on producing pills regularly.¡±


    Julia nodded. Her pills certainly wouldn¡¯t fetch a high price, compared to Tundra¡¯s pills, but a fifth realm alchemist¡¯s pills was still fairly respectable.


    ***


    ¡°Would you like to come with me?¡± Tundra asked his wives, Elly, Marin and Celestia. ¡°I¡¯m planning to spend some time in the Ancient Titans Great Sect.¡±


    The Ancient Titans Great Sect was located quite far away, on another continent altogether. It was a journey so far that it¡¯s actually worth it for Tundra to engage a fast flying ship just to send them there.


    In some ways, this was a personal trip, and so it was only appropriate that he invited his own family members with him.


    Elly shook her head. ¡°I want to be here for Edison. It doesn¡¯t feel right for me to leave him.¡±


    Marin and Celestia both nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ***


    ¡°You seem to have a plan.¡± Severian said as Tundra walked with him down into a secret chamber beneath the Verdant Snow Sect. This was where their defensive formations were placed.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to think so. We can¡¯t really trust any of the Princes, and I personally still wonder what Princess Luharl¡¯s angle in this conflict is. If she intends to contest for the throne, her current strength is still wildly insufficient. It would be dangerous to throw our lot behind her, and so, we must rapidly hedge.¡±


    ¡°And yet, that object in your hand-¡± Severian eyed the circular object in Tundra¡¯s hand. Even he could feel the faint pulse of a spiritual guardian.


    ¡°A ninth-realm shadow. An imperfect capture, likely with enough stored energy to fight for a day or two.¡± Tundra said. A great defensive object, but each use expended it¡¯s energy and it could take decades to rebuild its stored energy. ¡°I¡¯ve bound my soul to it, but I intend to set it up, and bound it to you, as well.¡±


    Severian blinked, as there was an energy gathering formation hidden underground. ¡°You made this?¡±


    ¡°No. It was always here, used to power our existing defensive formation. But I had asked the formation master to build an extra energy gathering formation, so that I could add this.¡±


    The circular object was placed on a stone pedestal, and then, two streaks of light connected the stone to the energy gathering formation. The addition of the energy gathering formation meant the defensive spiritual guardian would be able to activate more frequently.


    Tundra guided his deputy through the steps, Severian touched the circular plate, and the binding was complete. ¡°We should be able to use this every seven or eight years, but hopefully, we¡¯ll never need to. Did you hear anything from the Whispering Man or the Beggar Society?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Severian sighed. ¡°The Beggar Society has quite a good set of data on the disappeared young masters and mistresses. It¡¯s likely incomplete, but there are missing individuals all the way from a few thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°Did they notice an increase in disappearance?¡±


    ¡°There is a gradual increase over time, but no particular moment where there was an uptick. So we can¡¯t really point to any moment in time.¡± Severian countered. There were disappearances for many reasons, not just due to the influence of these demonic cultivators or the Zuja cult. So a baseline number of disappearances were normal. Expected, even. ¡°Whatever these Zuja or demonic cultivators are up to, they are really well planned.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a convincing sign.¡± Tundra sighed, as Severian passed him a ring. The moment he touched it, he looked at his elder. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of scrolls.¡±


    ¡°One for every five years. The beggar society is also aware of multiple different claims about how the various ministers are in cahoots with various cults, but there¡¯s so many such accusations that I think they are meaningless.¡±


    Tundra rubbed his chin, and watched the waves of the energy gathering formation. ¡°They are flooding the information networks with accusations so that even legitimate accusations seem frivolous.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Some ministers have up to ten different cult claims, each with a different demonic cult.¡±


    ¡°I wonder whether the beggar society or the Whispering Man themselves are compromised.¡±


    ¡°That is possible.¡± Severian said. ¡°I considered it, but it does mean we have no information network to rely on, which does mean we will need our own ways of gathering information.¡±


    ¡°A competing faction to the Beggars or the Whispering Man will get us in trouble.¡± Tundra said. ¡°Unless we have other ways.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can figure out.¡± The two men just stood next to the defensive formation that protected their sect, and talked. There was a constant hum generated by the formation¡¯s energies. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to some old friends and see whether we could do some kind of sect-to-sect trading of information.¡±


    ¡°Oh. The old barter networks.¡± Tundra nodded. ¡°That could work.¡±


    ¡°But a hidden sect is still key for us to operate discreetly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I should be able to obtain in the Ancient Titans. There¡¯s someone I want to meet near that area.¡± The regressor thought about an acquaintance wistfully. To meet him now, instead of a few thousand years in the future, he wondered whether that was the right thing. Maybe he changed, maybe he hasn¡¯t.


    But the man he wanted to meet was a secret master, a man who was once at the helm of a Great Pretender Sect. Due to some internal politics and personal matters, he became a vagabond, and later, a reclusive hermit.


    Tundra sighed, and Severian merely tapped his fellow friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do your best, Tundra. If it¡¯s not something we can get, we¡¯ll try something else.¡±


    The regressor smiled weakly. ¡°I¡¯ll have to depend on you to watch our home, brother.¡±


    Severian tapped his chest.

 Chapter 61. Wanders

    The special carriage was reasonably priced. For the price of a 5th realm pill, it was possible to engage the services of flying ships that would fly from point to point. It was a luxurious charter service available to the wealthy, and powerful.


    The ship was one of the Flaming Phoenix¡¯s fastest ship designs, able to travel at five times the speed of Tundra¡¯s own ship, and was decorated to be incredibly luxurious, because their owners could never predict who would use their ship. Though the captain was merely a 4th realm cultivator, but the ship itself was guaranteed by two of the great sects, the Flaming Phoenix, and also the Slicing Heavens Tower, and there were clearly protection formations of higher realm within the carriage.


    It was so fast, that there was nothing but a blur outside the reinforced lava glass windows.


    They had a private room, with three large beds, multiple cabinets and multiple tables. There was enough food and refreshments stored in a preservation cabinet for a month, and enough rice wine for a small army.


    Marin and Celestia spent their time reading some scrolls and tomes they brought along.


    It was still a flight that would take four days, even with the significantly faster flying ship. It would¡¯ve taken them a month if they used their own, once all the stops were added.


    ¡°Who are we meeting?¡± Marin asked, a little curious of whether Tundra actually had a plan. ¡°Or is this just begging the Ancient Titans until they give us something.¡±


    Tundra laughed at how accurate she was. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re exactly right. I don¡¯t know anyone over at the Ancient Titans Great Sect, so my only hope is to somehow make myself useful to a great elder or an ancestor and see whether the Ancient Titans would teach me their secret bloodline arts.¡±


    Marin stared at him as if he just said something ridiculous. ¡°Really?¡±


    Tundra had some cards up his sleeves, but at the moment, he didn¡¯t feel like revealing them, and it was not the right time. Not at their current strength. There existed some past interactions that led to some minor bad blood between the two sects, though Tundra believed the Ancient Titans wouldn¡¯t find offense from such indirect offense in the past.


    ***


    ¡°Edison.¡± Elly walked into Edison¡¯s home. Her son was sitting alone by the balcony, staring blankly at the windows outside. She heard of her son from her daughter-in-law, and frowned. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Edison turned, and rather than greet her properly, all he did was a curt, ¡°Hello, mother.¡±, and then he turned back to look at the sky outside.


    Elly heard of the condition referred to by many different names. The hollowed cultivator. The spiritual maze. The broken heart. The trenches.


    It affects those who encounter a shock to their world and understanding of everything. Most cultivators have to find it within them to crawl themselves out of it. Other cultivators would try to jolt them out of it.


    ¡°Father left.¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Edison answered.


    ¡°I heard from Shuri that you¡¯ve been sitting there for a while.¡± Elly said. Edison¡¯s wife, Shuri, was worried enough to actually reach out to her mother-in-law, and that was all the sign Elly needed to know how bad it is.


    Once or twice was fine. But he¡¯s been like this for days. He was like that frequently, some days he was fine, some days, he would just look out blankly, as if affected by something.


    Edison didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Did you have some kind of epiphany now that you¡¯re in the 4th realm?¡± Elly asked, a part of her suspected that her son¡¯s breakthrough to the 4th realm left some spiritual baggage. An imperfect breakthrough was just as dangerous as a failed one. A cultivator often didn¡¯t realize what sort of baggage they carried with them, or maybe they did, but chose not to admit it.


    ¡°No.¡± Her son answered. ¡°All I have are nightmares of facing myself again.¡±


    Elly blinked. That was something she heard about. She cursed those ancient cultivators for being so cruel, always using illusions of themselves to leave such lasting pain. ¡°I have some books that might help.¡±


    ¡°I have read them. They write about a lot, but it is of no use.¡± Edison answered flatly, his voice in a tone that somehow annoyed Elly.


    ¡°Then? You must overcome them, son.¡± Elly said.


    ¡°Overcome myself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His son looked distant, as if it was already set in his mind that it was impossible.


    Elly once heard from his father, and grandfather, that geniuses and monsters somehow always find a little bit more out of themselves. That even when faced with insurmountable odds they seem to manage to make the slimmest of chances reality. They always believed in themselves, most of all.


    Edison was afraid of failure. It was partly why he didn¡¯t advance much. It was why he only moved when his father forced his hand, and paved the way. But every cultivator faces the challenges of the spirit alone.


    At the heart of it, even great masters like Tundra could not guarantee success, because there was so much of that cultivation that lurked within their will.


    ¡°Edison.¡± Elly said. ¡°You must. Your father already seeks to split the role of heir of the Verdant Snow and the Fox family.¡±


    Yet Edison turned briefly to look into his mother¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t searching for an answer. No. He was resigned to it.


    He looked out of the balcony, into the distant horizons, and said nothing.


    Elly felt her heart sink.


    ¡°Edison. Son. You must snap out of it.¡±


    ¡°If words were all it took, mother.¡± Her son responded. ¡°Please leave. I need time alone.¡±


    Elly¡¯s hands trembled. Her son was too old to be disciplined like how young children often were. Edison was a 4th realm cultivator, and hollowed as he was, in combat that strength was still real. She took a moment to breathe. Two. Three.


    Her fists clenched. Shame. What would her husband think of her? That her son was someone who buckled under just a little bit of stress?


    No. She tried to take it positively. A treasure realm was a real challenge. To fall before a treasure realm is no shame. Breathe. She reminded herself again. She wanted too much to just somehow knock some sense into him. But Edison was right.


    If that was all it took, he wouldn¡¯t be here. If that was all it took, there would¡¯ve been so many more higher up on the cultivation realms.


    She turned. Angry. She wasn¡¯t sure whether she was angry at her son, or angry at herself for raising him.


    First, Evan, and now Edison. Did she give Tundra two failed sons?


    In the world of cultivation, the tale of husbands and wives who changed or switched partners if their offspring didn¡¯t meet their expectations was a regular affair. In imperial settings and even among sect leader families, emperors and leaders switched concubines if their offsprings were not worthy. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Elly wondered whether Tundra would take this failure as a black mark on her own position as the first amongst his three wives. For now, Marin didn¡¯t have sons, and Celestia remains childless, so it seems her place is still safe.


    But future children are inevitable, and as Elly walked away from Edison¡¯s part of the Fox estate, her mind thought about what she needed to do.


    It¡¯s been a while since she had children, but if her current offsprings are failures, she would have to try again. If she didn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t provide a child of sufficient quality, her place and her ability to provide resources to her own family was at stake. As it is, Celestia was already the favored wife, even if Elly was still the first of the three in the family and the sect. If Celestia could provide a higher quality child, then her place in the family would lose out. It was indeed touching and it did soften her heart that Tundra was now affectionate and loving, but at the heart of it, Elly still knew why she was married to him. The care and concern he now showered her was welcomed, but political marriages need assurances.


    Tundra¡¯s position in the world was rising, and her family wanted to be a close part of that rise.


    Her father and mother hoped that this would be their chance to finally gain enough strength on their own to break free from the harassment of the other regional rivals.


    A strong, powerful child was a better form of security than any contract.


    ***


    ¡°Mother.¡± Annaly seemed tense as she entered Anna¡¯s room. ¡°You called?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did Lady Mistburn approach you on anything?¡±


    ¡°No. Or, perhaps, not yet. Why?¡± Annaly said, a little unsure. Her daughter was still young, and still in the 2nd realm. A little more, and maybe she would be in the third realm.


    ¡°I believe Edison¡¯s place as the heir of the Sect is in doubt, and though things appear peaceful now, I am not certain what Lady Mistburn will do to shore up his position. We, that means the rest of us, might face some trouble.¡±


    Annaly knew what it meant. It meant a return to the times when resources for them were fairly restricted, because of how Elly and Marin both claimed a larger share of the resources. Lady Mistburn¡¯s excuse was that they have many growing children, so, in her view, they should have a larger share of the resources.


    In the past few years, the resources given to the family as a whole had increased, and Tundra had relieved some of the pressure from their inlaws, so, the last two years really were a good time.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Annaly caught it. ¡°Should- should we tell grandfather?¡±


    Anna thought about it, but she remembered her father¡¯s offer. Of a chance to be in another sect to grow up away from their father¡¯s shadow. ¡°Yes we should, but I believe there¡¯s something we should and can do.¡±


    Annaly looked at her mother. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather offered to find us a friendly sect, and take us in as disciples. If you can get to the third realm soon, both of us can join another sect, and with your grandfather¡¯s good reputation and fame, we should be fairly treated in these friendly sects.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Annaly repeated, and blinked at her mother. But the realization eventually settled into her daughter¡¯s mind, and she knew it was better to be in another sect. Her mother was in the 4th realm, and even in the bigger sects that was still a Core Disciple. The resources they have then may not pale to what they have today.


    ¡°Yes. We should be making plans for that. For now, be wary of Lady Mistburn. I do not know what she will try to do.¡±


    Annaly nodded. ¡°Should we tell Uncle Larian as well? They-¡±


    Annaly was right. If Edison was out of the picture, Larian, Link or Lashwin, could be made heir to the sect, though in Anna¡¯s view, none of them were worthy. From what Anna understood, it¡¯s likely father intended to groom Jihan, Elly¡¯s grandson, for the role of heir, but that was unlikely to assuage Elly¡¯s worries.


    ¡°Yes. I will speak to your Uncle Larian and warn them.¡±


    ***


    The City of the Golden Fists was once the battlefield of two 10th realm immortals, between a legendary ancestor of the Ancient Titans, the Golden Titan, and an evil 10th realm demonic cultivator. The Golden Titan triumphed in that great battle tens of thousands of years ago, but the scars of that battle still twisted the terrain even till this day. From a flying ship or a flying sword, it is easy to make out the gigantic fist imprints on the terrain.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, guests.¡± There was a group of servants that ushered the passengers out of their flying ship. Golden Fists is home to a branch of the ancient Titans, and is a large, heavily populated place. Almost two million mortals live here, many of them employed in the various mining operations that happen underneath. It is said that the death of the demonic cultivator many eons ago seeded the land with energy and minerals, and so the Golden Fists¡¯ mines are bountiful even till this day.


    The prime exports were the various forms of elemental energy-infused ores, useful for the crafting of weapons and tools.


    The Ancient Titans were primarily body strengthening cultivators, their focus was in the augmentation of their flesh and spirit, and so, they were famous for all things flesh and blood. Bloodlines, fists, muscles, spirit beasts and as a related profession, the cultivation of various types of oil producing plants and spirit beasts.


    It is said that cultivators of the Ancient Titan¡¯s methods were taller and bigger, and here in the City of the Golden Fist, it was so easy to spot the disciples.


    Tall. Tanned. They often have the scent of oil to accentuate the natural beauty of their flesh. The tone of their blood vessels.


    Tundra guided them through the streets, and immediately visited the Branch of the Ancient Titans. They were here on official business, and so, an audience with their host was the first thing to be done.


    They were made to wait for half a day, before they were eventually summoned to meet with one of the local branch¡¯s elders.


    Not even the Branch Leader, but just an elder, but Tundra decided it wasn¡¯t an offense. At this point, he was only a seventh realm cultivator, and the elder that came to greet him was in the same realm. When viewed at that angle, it was beneath the 8th realm branch leader to greet a 7th realm cultivator who just happened to be a sect leader.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord Fox. Must¡¯ve been a long journey.¡± The elder said as the two exchanged some respectful greetings. Servants brought about some drinks, and the two elders sat down while both Celestia and Marin stood nearby.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasant one, and it is quite something to finally see the City of the Golden Fist for myself.¡±


    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± The elder smiled. ¡°But is there something we can help you with?¡±


    Tundra decided to lay bait, and sense whether the elder was the corrupt kind. ¡°I¡¯d like to see whether there¡¯s an opportunity for friendly relations and whether there is an opportunity for us to be helpful.¡±


    The elder rubbed his chin. ¡°There¡¯s always room for helpful partners.¡±


    The Ancient Titans Great Sect may be a great sect, but every sect is composed of individuals who then act together. In reality, every sect has prominent families and factions, and so, each sect leader has to set up a structure where the individuals are incentivized to act together. The Ancient Titans, as far as he could remember, had five main families, the Yarblood, the Huan, the Goldrish, the Truehaven and the Earthant, and these five families were then split roughly into two factions, both supporting their own members for the future sect leader position.


    There was a change in sect leader a few thousand years from now, as the previous sect leader decided to relinquish his role and be one of the Great Sect¡¯s protector ancestors.


    As with all great sects, what happened to that ancestor remained heavily shrouded in mystery.


    If he remembered correctly, it was Julian Earthant who became the next Sect Master of the Ancient Titans Great Sect, instead of Magnamus of the Huan. Both were ninth realm cultivators, and Julian Earthant¡¯s successful breakthrough to the tenth realm cemented his role. Both failed many times in their attempt to reach the tenth, and at one point, there was some concern whether the Ancient Titans would no longer have a tenth realm cultivator as its Sect Master, and be relegated to the Great Pretender Sect instead.


    Of course, that was a pointless fear. The Ancient Titans have a few protector ancestors who are supposedly in the tenth realm. Whether they still lived, or a shadow of them remained to protect the sect, the strength of the tenth realm was not so easily extinguished. Momentum would carry them for another ten thousand years before they would be considered a pretender sect.


    ¡°If I may, elder, may I know which family you are affiliated with?¡± Tundra asked, much to the elder¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Oh? Is that how you intend to be helpful?¡±


    Tundra laughed. ¡°Ah, please do not take it wrongly. It is just added context, and helps us frame the actions to take.¡±


    ¡°Wise words, Lord Fox. I am affiliated with the Southern Huan family, but I am also in the service of the Southern Truehaven and Southern Goldrish families.¡±


    Tundra blinked. Ah yes. The families of the Great Sects are so large that over the centuries they have split into the Northern, Central and Southern factions.


    There was a minor schism between the Northern and Southern Huan family over matters of internal succession. Magnanus of the Huan was one of those that later united the two sides of the Huan family, and he came from the Central Huan family. Great Sects were like imperial kingdoms in their own way, even if their existence overlapped with many other Great sects.


    Lord Saljuk claims the knowledge of the blood arts of the Ancient Titans is quite widely spread among the elites of the Ancient Titans, so he didn¡¯t really need to pick any one. Still, he had to verify this for himself.


    ¡°I see, would it be possible for me to meet with anyone from the Southern Huan family? I intend to spend some time in this region, and it would be great for me to have some form of employment, perhaps as a tutor or a guide to some young masters.¡± Tundra offered.


    That was an offer that made both Celestia and Marin blink, and they shared looks at each other. He could feel them, and he understood. The original Tundra Fox would never relegate himself to the role of a nomadic tutor or wandering official that offered his knowledge and skills to the highest bidder.


    But after 10,000 years, and suffering through the last centuries of Zuja rule? A little bit of humility was really nothing.


    ¡°Oh? Let me arrange a meeting, someone of your caliber as a tutor for the Huan¡¯s young masters... Ah I said too much, I will send some people to look for you in your inn if the Patriarchs of the various families agree.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Elder.¡±