"Hmm, Do you think he's finally over that Suyin girl?" Gellis asked as he was the one spying on me this night.
Mina sighed. "People reincarnate and Incarnate all of the time. Take the Zenith boy as an example. For all we know, he can be the Cursed Ancestor, and this Suyin could be the name of the Young Princess of the Royal Dragon Clan. Her name was never stated in the record. So, If that was us, how many lifetimes would it take you to forget me?"
Gellis frowned as he watched me leave Situ Qing to soak in the basin. "There aren't enough lifetimes in this universe to get you out of my heart," Gellis spoke honestly, and Mina blushed.
"So, if your son is anything like you, then he is definitely not over that Suyin girl. I'm just glad that he's open to Situ Qing. She is a good girl, and I love her persistence as you father and son can be incredibly stubborn." Mina spoke as she walked up behind Gellis and hugged his back.
"Our son is a devious one with one goal in mind. Us, this family. The safety of our family. Surviving isn't enough; he wants us to live and prosper. I just hope he takes his own happiness into account." Gellis spoke, holding on to his wife's arms and thinking about the conversation he and I had seven months ago. Although it was a flexible plan, it was firmly set on the warpath.
"Ahh, what about Nimue?" Mina asked.
"That's for them to decide, Mina. Knowing Orym, I'm sure he will do what's best for the survival of the Elven Sage race. Either way, it's too early to think of such things. Especially when the thought isn't in either of their minds." Gellis replied.
"Oh?!" Mina's eyes widened as Situ Qing finally stepped out of the basin and walked to my room.
"You don't think they're..."
"No. No way. Orym's actions today were warm and caring, but they wouldn't jump straight to that… would they?" Gellis suddenly became uncertain. "No, my son is responsible, nothing like his father."
Mina giggled as she released Gellis and began to pull him towards the bed. "Even if they do, it's none of our business. Besides, you're past due on your own marital duties."
"It's only been three days..." Gelllis reasoned.
Mina seductively bit her lip before she mouthed, "Too long." and pulled Gellis onto the bed with her.
Things weren't as exciting in my courtyard as Situ Qing found a new set of clothes the moment she walked into the room. I was sitting with Guqin on his lap, playing a soothing melody. Not once did I steal a peek as Situ Qing decided what she wanted to do.
A few moments later, Situ Qing sat next to him as she said, "You didn't have to leave clothes for me."
"If that were the case, you wouldn't have put them on. Just be patient, a night like this will happen again in the future, and you won't even spare the clothes on the table a single glance. Love and relations are like cultivating, QingQing. You're the heart, I'm the mind, and our relationship is the body. Each of us grows over time and becomes stronger and stronger as a unit. But if one of them falls behind or rushes ahead before they're ready…."
"Qi deviation," Situ Qing muttered, referring to the state wherein the cultivation base becomes dangerously unstable, causing internal damage to the body and symptoms of psychosis. People who succumb to their Internal Demons, who practice cultivation/martial arts incorrectly, or who rashly use forbidden arts are all at risk of falling into this state.
With my maturity, wisdom, and well-developed body, it was hard for Situ Qing to believe that I wasn't the one who was four years the senior. In a sense, it was natural for her to have such thoughts as I could be considered her senior.
"Exactly." I finally look over to her, noticing her furrowed brow as she was deep in thought. I then reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze before standing up.
"I have a day of training to make up tomorrow and a few other affairs. So I'm going to bed. Turn out the lights before you sleep." I spoke easily, and Situ Qing looked at me confused.
"I can't stay here," she said.
"My clan, I do as I want. So if you want to stay, then stay. If you want to go, then go. My bed fits two, and no matter what you decide, I will sleep soundly." I slipped into my blankets.
A moment later, the lights went out, and the room door closed. Situ Qing then joined me. She found her place on my chest as she thanked me for helping her breakthrough to the peak of Body Refinement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning before the sun rose, I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Situ Qing. I dressed and went to the Main Hall. To the left of the hall was a set of double doors. Pushing them open, I entered the room to find my father, Fei Rong, the guest Elders, and the Woodland Legion's top officers.
The moment I entered, the room bowed and greeted me, except for my father. I was a little late. How could I blame him?
"Find me a servant that's awake and if there aren't any, then wake one." were the first words that I spoke. It was time likes this that I wished Little Wu was still my servant.
Fei Rong was the first to move and return with a maid.
"Make breakfast, a pot of tea, and a pail of cool water. Take it to my room at first light. Do not enter. Leave it by the door." I ordered the sent the servant away.
When the servant was gone, I looked at Fei Rong and told her to make sure the same servant was up every morning at the current time.
"Ahh! Good morning everyone. Let's get straight to business. Any word from the capital?" I asked.
"Talks with the Sky Splitting Empire are breaking down. And General Qin is...sick." Hu Yin reported, and the room gasped as I frowned.
Allot had happened after my talks with the Primrose Family. Shane is engaged to Alessia Primrose for our slots in the Outer Disciple Selections of the Flaming Heart Sect. To compensate him, I gave him Ace Zenith's corpse to take the Golden Body. The Primrose Family was under our protection now, and the Ironwood Clan was beaten of impurities and ready to be forged.
Afterward, my father started talks with General Qin and helped him breakthrough. In the case of war, we had the Qin Clan on our side. But as I once said, General Qin is a fat greedy bastard. Naturally, there would be a faction in his clan that wanted him dead, especially since his second wife is his eldest niece. Unlike Daemon Beast and the Mythic Race, incest served no purpose because humans didn't have a bloodline to maintain. So instead, incest became taboo amongst humans, but no one had the power to tell General Qin differently.
"Investigate General Qin. The old bastard breakthrough to Peak Houtian realm, then he gets sick? Bullshit. Investigate the two wives, the daughter, and the sons. In case there is a change in leadership, we need to be prepared. Fei Rong, go to the capital and speak to the king. He likes you. Let him know that the Qin Clan has no suitable heirs to control the Grassland Legion. Officer Blackheart, start networking in the grassland. We need to poach their legionnaires before anyone else can. And if there is internal strife, I want to know I'm dealing with."
"Yes, young master." the three individuals replied in unison.
"As for the talks with Sky Splitting Empire. Do you think those idiots would really start a war so close to the Younger Generation tournament?" I asked.
"Rumor is, the eldest princess of the Dark Water Kingdom has killed a member of the Imperial family during a Sect mission. Talks have been halted until answers have been found. A simple renewal of a tribute contract has the potential of a new war."
"Ahh," I sounded in intrigue. We had been nurturing a spy network for years. But the rash actions of a Princess had just done the job of a hundred well-placed spies, "They're all outer sect disciples. Anyone can kill them. Why do these people continue to act like big players? Who was this member of the Sky Splitting Empire's Imperial Family?"
"That's the thing, young master." said Daliah Silver, "The boy that died and the eldest princess will both be twenty during the youth tournament. According to the rules, they will be eligible. The moon temple, where the tournament is held, has many secrets, but no one has ever made it past the outer region. But if a twenty-year-old Qi Gathering Realm were to enter, they might be able to extract great treasures. If the eldest princess or an imperial member was to become an inner court disciple, then their families would become big players."
"Cunning old bats. They see this as their chance to foster proper connections with their chosen Sects. To think they would abuse the age limit in such away. Two temples, three kingdoms, three empires. Each group has its own temple…." I went silent for a moment, and the room waited.
If the Dark Water Kingdom and Sky Splitting Empires were planning to raid the temples like I was, then I would have to beat them to it. So even if I wasn't ready for war, I had to start one. The Youth Tournament would take place in a little over three years.
In that time, I had to start a war, drag every power into it, then dismantle them enough to reap the benefits. Finally, I'll have to clean house so my army could cultivate in peace in preparation for the Cultivation World. After all, the Cultivation World is the true test of might, whether personal or militant. This Mortal World shit is just pre-game preparations.
"Let's start a war…." I blurted out, and the room almost died of shock. I had been moving pieces to start a war during the Tournament, but that didn't look to be the smartest move right now.
Even though the imperial boy is dead. The eldest princess can still return and take my bounty... But not if there's a war long before the tournament. If this is to work, I'll have to destroy every kingdom and empire or disable them enough to move unnoticed. Then I can take both temples long before the tournament even approaches.
"In a few days, the legion will undergo mandatory cultivation. If they're capable, they will cultivate. The same for the clan guards. Start the preparations for war." I spoke as I stood up from my seat.
"War with who?" My father asked.
"Everyone. That's why our legion needs to be the strongest. First, I'll draw up a ranking and reward system. Then, I'll bring the Ironwood Clan to officially add to our numbers. Two years... Make sure the kingdom doesn't go to war for two years. If not, at least manage to get us a solid year." I replied.
"The Mountain Legion?" My father asked.
"To be determined. Let's wait and see how General Qin fares."
Later that day, I spoke to Shane and his father. After heavy negotiations. Malcolm thought he won big, but the price we paid out was really pennies on the dollar for us. Malcolm then gave a Martial Heart Oath to my father, and the coalition known as the Night Parade began to take form.
Two years later...
"Easy...Easy… Now merge the core of the silver fox." My mother instructed in my pill refinement.
A sweet fragrance filled the room, and a low simmering could be heard. I was drenched in sweat as I barely managed to complete the finishing steps of my refinement. Opening the lid of the cauldron, my mother looked inside and said, "Congratulations on your first rank 2 pill."
That was all I could manage without opening my meridians.
"Yeah, Yeah!" My father burst into the room with Nimue on his tail. She was now thirteen years old and blossoming into a beautiful young woman with an appearance of seventeen years at the least. The family had been receiving proposals every month for her hand. I had learned long ago that Elven Sages matured at a rate far faster than most species and equal to that of Mythic Races of equal pedigree.
"Congratulations, Kid!" Nimue sang.
"Thank you, little girl." I replied as he threw her the pill, "That should help you through Tempering Marrow."
Nimue squealed as she hugged me, then ran off to cultivate.
"Come, boy." said Gellis, "It's time to set the conversion array."
"Actually, Fei Rong is preparing Tea for me," I replied.
My father frowned. "The Dao leaves?" he asked, referring to the leaves that I requested from him a month ago.
Dao leaves are a priceless cultivation resource that aids in the comprehension of one's Dao, Something that I needed, now that I was stuck at Intermediate attainment of Martial Intent, Lower attainment in polearm intent, and the cusp of few elemental concepts gleaned through his practice of elemental based martial skills. Though I knew that elemental concepts would allude to me until I could store Qi in my dantian.
"It can wait. We need to prepare the array. The moment you break through, all of the pent-up energy will burst forth, and you'll be in for the ride of your life. Come now."
I nodded and followed my father. Together we constructed the conversion array. It was a simple array that took the world's Qi and refined it into a specific qi need for the cultivator. In this case, Pure Nature Qi. Once the array was constructed, I sat in the center of the array as my father put thousands of Yin and Yang essence stones around me. Fei Rong, Gellis, and Mina then powered the array.
The great array hummed and shined with blinding light as the Qi in the surrounding land converged at the Vamoria Clan. The energy was hungrily swallowed by the array, converted, then filled the inner area with the purest Nature Qi that I had ever felt. The Inner area filled up until the Qi became thick green fog the obstructed my eyesight.
When I felt it was enough, I pulled all of the Nature Qi into my body with the help of the inscription that my father carved on my back seven years ago. Then, stretching my mind, I covered the Yin and Yang Essence stones and began to siphon that energy as well. I appeared to be a glutton with an insatiable hunger for Qi.
Once I felt the energy, it was like drinking smoldering hot tea on a summer day while sitting in an ice bath. First, I took a few deep breaths. Then, in a handful of seconds, the seven years of pent-up fermented energy exploded, and I began to disintegrate…
"Ahhh! Fuck!" I shouted in my mind as my body was destroyed during the escaping of fermented energy. My cells burst in tiny explosions. My organs and meridians ripped apart, and his flesh disintegrated.
Pushing the qi to speed up the destruction of my body, in a handful of minutes, I sat in a puddle of blood as a mere skeleton. Then that too turned to dust. My parents and Fei Rong looked in awe as a small galaxy now occupied the center of the array.
My Sea of Consoiunces formed a spiral galaxy. The Yin, Yang, and Nature Qi gave it a myriad of colors, and the pure fermented Qi gave everything a strong contrast.
'I'm back in the void. But I'm not dead. Death is more peaceful… What's the point of staying here if I can't see Suyin again? I might as well return and hope to see her again in this life. Besides, I don't want to leave my family. Shane, Little Wu, and surprisingly, that annoying girl...QingQing.' I spoke aloud into the void. Or I thought it. It's hard to tell when you're free-flowing energy.
In the middle of the array, my body began to reform as a vortex of Nature and Fermented Qi crashed down on him. The reconstruction of my body is the hard part. I first active the Natured the Nature Sutra, Anything unnatural was purged. The process took a few hours. I then followed the Sutra to converts the Fermented Qi into Nature Qi. When the conversion was complete, Nature Qi had already managed to refill the array.
Things were looking bright as I used the Nature Qi to reform my bones, organs, blood, veins, muscles, flesh. Everything was constructed according to the Nature Sutra. When my body was finally complete, I exuded vitality and the fresh scent of the forest. Unfortunately, I still had a Body Cultivation technique to complete will new body was still fresh.
Activating the Ecliptic Battle Body Technique, The Yin and Yang Qi began to fluctuate.
"Switch!" my father shouted once he saw the change in energy.
My parents and Fei Rong performed a flurry of hand signs before Yang and Yin Qi filled the array in place of Nature Qi. This was down because the stones wouldn't be enough, and I didn't want to eat a hole in the family's resources.
With the Qi I needed, I broke down and reforge my body again, using the Yin and Yang Qi as a hammer.
"Strengthening, Flesh, Organs, Muscles, Bones, Opening the Meridians, Holy Shit, he's doing it!" My father narrated my breakthroughs through Body Refinement Realm.
Once I had completed his reformation, I sparkled like a reborn man. The scars on his body had vanished. My hair was thicker, longer, and strong enough to be used as a bowstring. I was now a few inches taller, and my lean body had become a bit bulkier as the power packed in my muscle was immense.
My parents had missed it, but the moment I constructed my body with Nature Qi, I had reached the peak of Body Refinement. After that, my body was pure and complete to the standards of the Nature Sutra. But before my power could sublimate, I used the Ecliptic Battle Body Technique to temper myself, increasing my strength and solidify my cultivation.
A week and a half had passed as I remained diligent in my cultivation. Once I began to stir, and the Qi settled down. The Array was deactivated, and the remaining Qi dispersed across White Tiger Town for our people to use. The Primrose Family received the most boons as the Yin and Yang Qi could be used to their fullest potential by Dual Cultivators.
"Peak of Body Refinement. It seems the fermentation method was more fruitful than you had imagined." Fein Rong spoke.
"It produced more energy purer than what was provided by the array. But if I hadn't been cultivating the Nature Sutra, I probably would have exploded long ago." I replied.
"I bet. It's been fermenting for seven years, you little monster." Mina chimed in. "But I can still feel Qi stored in your body. Why?"
"The Fermentation Method used my cells a container. Now that my cultivation has advanced. Qi is stored in my flesh, muscles, bones, meridians, organs, blood, Marrow. I'm at my limit now, but that should slowly expand as my body breaks and heals with Nature Qi." I explained.
"You little monster. The heavens must really be smiling on you." My mother gasped.
"Enough talking, I prepared a rank four beast for us to feast on." My father interrupted.
"Where is Nimue?"
"In Closed-Door training. Don't worry." Gellis spoke as he threw his arm around my shoulder and walked him to the main hall.
Before this Father-son duo could make it past the doorway of the main hall, Hu Yin rushed through the clan gates with a boom!
She immediately kneeled, then shouted, "General, Young Master, We're going to war with the Sky Splitting Empire!"
I laughed joyously. "Attacking the first tribute was a smart idea, dad."
"General, orders?!" Hu Yin asked in haste.
"Activate the spies in the two remain kingdoms and empires." My father ordered, then spun on his heels to make his way inside when the Royal trumpets suddenly sounded.