The shrill screech of the wind whirred by, rattling the drooping ice formed around the panes of glass in the window.
Streaks of light fell from the partially hidden moon, peeking through the frosted windows of the manor and into the second floor lounge.
Two men sat in the spacious chamber, its interior quiet and tranquil. Illuminated by a mixture of the buoyant flame in the fireplace and the soft radiance of the moonlight.
Kang raised a glass to his head and sipped his drink. The torchlight mounted on the wall gave his exposed skin a yellow hue. He was sat on a padded chair across from Hartley.
Kang's Watery eyes reflected the fire light as he spoke, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Welcome to the Saint's world Hartley, tonight we drink as proud comrades in the same realm." His reddened face was a mask of seriousness.
Hartley had never seen Kang drink anything but milk, tonight his father-figure made an exception, sipping fragrant wine from a robust mug.
Hartley lifted his own mug and followed suit without objecting.
Shadows stretched and wobbled across the furniture, moving as if performing a dance throughout the room, casting dark lines that flowed and stuttered with the angle of the fluttering orange flame.
Kang thumped his mug onto the wooden table after quickly gulping down its contents, closing his eyes as he Inhaled deeply with drops of red wine clinging to his white beard.
The ensuing conversation revolved around Kang's curiosity towards the pocket dimension and the survivors within.
Kang asked of Hartley's experience and Hartley gave him a detailed account holding nothing back, finishing with his encounter and battle against the person he suspected to have originated from a higher plain.
Kang took in every detail, processing the information with a serious face, the crackling flames of the fireplace, plus the howling wind outside the window served as the ambient sound in the quiet room.
The vibe was abnormally serious, a typical conversation with Kang was usually filled with mirth, immaturity and laughter.
This time Kang stared unblinkingly at Hartley.
"The first thing to know about the saint realm is its limitation." Kang finally broke his silence.
"The mortal plane is like a prison that bounds its occupants from ever threatening the heavens, designed to keep this plane separate from the planes of power."
"But!" He held up a single finger as if to accentuate his point.
"The heavens are fair if nothing else.
This plane also protects it's occupants from beings originating in the higher planes, limiting their powers and enforcing a time limit on their stay whenever they descend.
Even so, those demi gods still hold tremendous power when relegated to the mortal plane, but that's a topic for another time."
Kang sighed.
"While saints hold the highest power here, we also thread a fine line between being strong and being too strong, the latter running the risk of getting devoured by the lurking and ever-present black energy.
Weaker saints are safe from the black energy but vulnerable to stronger saints, the stronger saints however, live in constant fear of being engulfed and erased by a random attack of black energy.
Once one is deemed overpowered, the black energy constantly seeks to maintain the balance of the plane by erasing the threat."
"That's why those at the peak of the saint realm have no choice but to attempt ascension to a higher plane" Hartley blurted out.
"Hmmn," Kang nodded with a serious look, "but ascending is a task easier said than done."
Kang took another swill of wine and continued with long shadows flickering across his face.
"You'll find that the saint realm is very different from the xiantian realm.
Not dependent on elemental control or physical power amplification. The brute force approach that you like so much will quickly get you devoured by black energy, this risk prevents many saints from wanting to get anywhere near the peak of the saint realm.
Progression through the layers of the saint realm is not as important as developing a strong domain.
So instead of cultivating through the layers of the saint realm quickly, most concentrate on developing a strong domain as a foundation.
A mature domain can exert tremendous power without the saint personally violating the tolerance of power for the mortal plane, pay attention."
Kang produced two coins of the same size and rested them on the table.
He held up one with the index and thumb of his left hand, then from two meters away, he swept the index finger of his right hand towards the coin.
There was a whoosh and a bang when the finger made contact with the coin, it was instantly obliterated, sending silver flakes flying all over the table.
A flash of black energy immediately rumbled into existence, taking the place of the destroyed coin, roiling and snapping violently for a few seconds before it disappeared.
Reflexively Hartley drew his head backwards to avoid the metal filings flying in the air.
Kang gave a sly grin, without a word he then lifted the second coin, Hartley felt an instant change in the air, the room suddenly felt different, as if all the oxygen was sucked away.
Kang let go of the coin and it floated in mid air, the air around the coin wobbled then the coin jerked and exploded into a shower of dazzling silver flakes, glinting in the firelight and raining down around the two men, scattering everywhere with tiny flecks of the metal floating in the mugs of wine on the table.
Silver flakes were spread in Kang's white hair and across his shoulders like glitter, making him look comical, he smiled and asked, "did you notice?"
Hartley nodded, "you used a domain the second time."
"Good," said Kang with a smile. "I applied my space domain, shrinking the space around the coin, achieving the same result of destroying the coin, but more efficiently, avoiding the black energy that would have erupted in the process otherwise.
Keep that concept in mind and always try to use your domain instead of physical attacks when possible."
Hartley inhaled and then nodded, pointers from Kang was something he always appreciated, after a while he retrieved two fresh mugs and poured more wine.
Kang took the new cup with glee, gulping down another mouthful of wine. He licked his lips then started to speak again.
"The basic five elements that dominate the xiantian realm are no longer the building blocks of power in the saint realm. A saint can hide all elemental fluctuations, becoming no different from a mortal. Only revealing their true capabilities when unleashing their domain.
Domains can be varied and unusual, from sword domains to illusion domains or domains which can grant someone control over fierce beasts, they can all be very deadly if you are caught off guard."
Both men sipped their wine as Kang brought the conversation back to current affairs.
"Now, I suspect you will be getting a visit from the Patriarch of the House of Smiths soon.
There are alliances formed among saints, some more powerful than others. I can't explain the intricacies right now, but in times of turmoil these alliances are what protects the country from hostile saints of other regions.
Tell Patriarch Zhang of your relation to me if you need a shield, he should back off for the time being, at least until he gathers more information."
The pair finished another six bottles of wine and engaged in conversation for hours before Kang bade goodbye, stumbling out of the manor with a flushed face.
After Kang left Hartley couldn't stop smiling, black energy was a scary proposition for the other saints, but not for him, he embraced it, his future development wouldn't be hindered by trying to avoid black energy, with black energy as an aid, there was no reason for him to lounge in the lower layers of the saint realm, giving him all the advantages to dominate the saint realm.
***
The next morning Hartley stepped onto the cobblestone streets of the western hills, the snow had already been cleared and shovelled to the side.
Warmly dressed citizens went about their daily routines busying themselves with their tasks.
Immediately the place was abuzz with chatter and excitement, people recognized Hartley and Zhi Ruo as the entourage moved along the street.
Nowadays the western hills was a lively place regardless of the season. A constant traffic of people flooded by, most offering a respectful bow and an enthusiastic greeting as they passed.
A team of miners could be seen carting coal from the back mountain along the paved roads, heading towards the storehouses behind the manor.
Not so long ago this would have been an impossible sight during winter, now mining production has increased massively all year round, netting the western hills a drastic increase in revenue.
The wintery sunshine bounced and glistened off the white snow-capped mountains in the background. Hartley looked around at the buildings and paved roads, proud to see all the improvements in the structures and lives of the western hills' citizens.
The security team trailed a few meters as the entourage wondered the roads, looming at a distance behind, dressed uniformly in white fur coats and equipped with gloves and silver long swords.
"It's time to take over the west," Hartley said to Qin Li and Zhi Ruo as they came to a stop bringing a halt to the procession. They all exchanged incredulous stares with Hartley, witnessing the quiet intensity in his eyes.
"Are they just going to sit and watch us take the west?" Qin Li asked curiously with seriousness plastered to his expression.
Hartley smiled and answered.
"While the two princes are busy consolidating their own positions, we will secure the western region and become the third power in the capital, taking full advantage of the chaos raging across the capital with perfect timing."
"What happens when they retaliate?" Zhi Ruo asked, more relaxed with the situation.
"I don't think we need to worry about that Ruo, by the time news trickles out, the two princes will be unwilling to weaken their own position against each other by compromising lives and resources fighting against us in the west.
That would give one prince an opportunity to sit by and watch both of us weaken ourselves, then pounce on the weakest opposition to strengthen even more.
The prince who don't engage with us in conflict would gain too big of an advantage. Besides, we are still allies of Prince Jian in principle.
That leaves us with an opportunity to build our own platform, especially when word gets out that we have the backing of a saint."
Hartley smiled confidently as the group began moving through the streets of the western hills again.
***
Over the next days the elite forces of the western hills could be seen going out into the neighbouring territories armed to the teeth.
With eight xiantian experts based in the western hills, plus the secret grenade-like orbs provided by Alrick, it was relatively easy to subdue the small nobles dotted around, for the more troublesome nobles of repute, Qin Li and Zhi Ruo would join the assault.
The western hills put on a crushing display of power, nobles in the area could either have their forces decimated and be expelled from their own territory in these times of chaos, or they could swear allegiance to the lord of the western hills, paying taxes and subjecting their troops to his command, to be called upon whenever needed.
Under the command of Fu Qian the elites would lead the conquered troops to other territories and repeat the process, swelling in numbers after each victory.
Even the disgruntled nobles of the fertile flat lands had to begrudgingly acquiesce to the rule of Hartley. The consequences were too devastating and it was impossible to seek help.
Those who resisted were ruthlessly dealt with, noble houses with hundreds of years of tradition in the west, disappeared from sight over night.
Some of the minor nobles relished the opportunity to serve in high ranking positions under the rule of the lord of the western hills. Hartley's reputation was second to none in the west, this shook up the status quo almost inspiring a mini civil war.
Many minor nobles saw this take-over by Hartley as an opportunity for a promotion to a higher standing in the region, joining willingly to suppress the more established nobles.