In the course of a single day, massive changes swept through the Southern District of the Lotus Empire. The Tri-Clan tournament had been clearly tampered with to favor the Overseer's son, Hu. Strangely, the full details of how the heiress of the Frey Clan had been forced to use the tournament as a condition before accepting engagement had come to light to the public. The tournament had seen an upset by a tier 3 Soul Realm cultivator that was also a 6 elemental.
That excitement had barely faded before those in power saw massive arrests and then shockingly executions. The Overseer had been found to be working with Altaran forces for his own benefits while channeling information he obtained about the Empire. His son had also stolen vast amounts of resources meant for the development of the Southern District to use as bribes or his own use.
Both of them had been summarily executed by the 3rd Princess of the Lotus Empire. Her forces then routed out every root and branch of the corruption before they could even perceive they were under threat. More executions had followed but far more were crippled as an example for future officials.
The final piece of news almost slipped by during all of this but a member of the Frey Clan had been invited to the Lotus Academy entrance ritual. The invitation was from the 3rd Princess, herself! Not much else was known, but only 1 member of the Frey Clan had stood out in the tournament, Lind Frey!
Many opportunists tried to ingratiate themselves but the Frey Clan remained closed to outsiders unless on official business. Even with this restriction, more than one Elder had a vein pulsing from intimations of wanting to form better ties with Lind or his close family. Granny was notorious for passing off meetings the month following the announcement.
Lind, himself, had been training with the twins or spending time with his mother and blood siblings. The new arrangement was much more satisfying but far too short. Kor, Selya, and Nya were now living in a larger courtyard with Lind and his mother. Mira was closing in on high grade 2 alchemy but Lind was stuck.
Kang had actually studied both Mira and Lind as they worked and took many pages of notes. He had consulted the Li Clan archive as much as he was allowed and due to the recent announcement of Lind going to the Lotus Academy, Kang had risen in importance in his clan. Despite exhaustive efforts though, Kang also had no idea why Lind could not form pills.
The most frustrating thing for them both was Lind's ability to make broths or soups that had highly effective traits but no one else could replicate them. Lind's Soul Eyes rarely failed him but in this instance all they could do was show his failures. The final step to forming a pill, any pill, was to move the Qi within the cauldron and compress all the medicinal effects from the herbs or other ingredients into shape. When Lind tried to replicate what his mother taught him, his Qi seemed to slip from his control.
The broths or soups, on the other hand, were a complete mystery. Lind understood herbs better than most alchemists at this point due to trying to draw out special effects compared to a pill. His cure for 'lung disease' was far more useful than a Grade 4 Cleansing Pill effect. When he brewed the herbs, nothing special happened that he could see, but the effect Lind wanted was what awaited after cooking whatever he made.
It was one of the steps that was in common though, the herbs needed a fire to extract the medicine. Lind hoped that Lotus Academy might have answers to his strange situation. Aside from that, though, Lind's other project seemed to be bearing fruit.
Teyla had been awkward once everything had been settled. Both the twins had given Lind time to process and embrace his blood siblings. It was Lind himself, though, that sought the twins out before a month had even passed. No matter what, his family included the twins. Lind was chagrined to find everyone leaving him behind in cultivation so quickly in just a month though.
Now that everything was in the open, the Old Man and Granny made sure resources were given to Kor and his sisters even more than before. Afterall, their brother was now a member of the prestigious Academy of the Empire. Not even the most conservative Elder could complain anymore. Kor seemed like a machine as he caught up and showed every sign of passing Lind. His foundation was incredibly solid and his elemental tempering seemed a breeze compared to anything Lind could pull off.
Since the night of the fountain in the Gu Clan, Lind had been unable to find enlightenment again nor deduce what he felt when his elemental tempering burst forth so quickly. He was back to a snail's pace but at least his tempering was a higher tier than his cultivation base again.
"You would find it better if you applied fire more than light here." Lind cracked open an eye as he saw Kang helping Teyla work on her formations. He really was good at teaching from what Lind could see. Lind had no hope with formations at all from what his testing had revealed. Alchemists only needed basic formations at the low grades anyway so it was a problem for the future.
The only profession Lind had not touched on was weapon refining. Quite frankly, he had no interest in weapons. The most basic weapons were easy to use, but even a tier 2 weapon would break if Lind channeled his Qi into it. Similar to his problem of using advanced techniques, the weapons could not handle incompatible elements in their inscriptions.
He had broken 3 daggers before Garnt gave up and just trained Lind on conjuring with fist techniques. Lind essentially could enhance his body only without any special armor. His dark green eyes smirked as he saw Teyla deeply involved in her own training.
He was unsure if any spark was occurring, but Teylin was no secret at all by this point. Lind swore Sheyra stayed more at the Frey Clan than her own after 3 weeks of meeting up with Teylin. The Old Man was quite pleased and from what Granny had said, the Gu Clan was interested. The only hitch was grumbling from the envoy of the Uld Clan, but they had no claim anymore due to Sheyra winning the tournament.
Lind stretched and stood up as he was done cultivating for the day. Unlike other people, he was restricting his cultivation rather than trying to increase it actively. Neither Kang nor Teyla reacted but formations did not allow for distractions easily so Lind slipped out of the room quietly.
The sunlight streamed from the open ceiling into the herb garden. It was bigger than his old one, but the memorial bush and bench had been moved to their new accomodations. Lind calmly moved to the bench and gazed intently at the new addition. It was a carefully carved and inscribed stone plinth. On top of it was a model that was the spitting image of his mother, but the figure held a young baby lovingly as she looked down at his face.
Lind sat in front of it and read the name engraved on the base.
"Atla."
Lind now new his aunt's name. Kor had wept openly when Granny had it brought in. Lind was sure the others had similar memorials now as well but he doubted they were as public. Seyla and Nya had come back one day with red eyes not long after the statue was added to the garden. It was not much to many people, but to Lind, it was a massive relief from the weight of his past.
"I am leaving soon. It feels like time has been given wings. My guide is coming today to pick me up and start me on my journey. I hope Kor and the rest will be OK while I am gone." Lind smirked as he realized they would likely be far into World Realm by the time he returned. All of his siblings seemed very gifted cultivators. Whether they could break through Sand to Stone tier would be difficult to say, but there was a high chance.
"This takes me back." A voice that made Lind smile wider reached him and he looked over to see Granny using her walking stick to come over. Lind noted she seemed much happier these days. He made room for her to sit and they sat quietly enjoying the serenity of the garden for a time.
"I am going to miss this place, Granny. When can I come back?" Lind saw her smile lovingly at him before encircling him in her arms. Lind felt warmth in his heart as he was held like he had been so long ago. As his body caught up to his old mental age, his emotions were getting more moderate. The feeling of being protected by a loved one still reached him deeply.
"Of course you can return. There are breaks you can take or if you are out on a mission in this area, but you should focus on breaking through your limits. The Southern District is a deadend for you, Lind. Find your way out there and come back when you have found a way forward." Granny spoke from her heart and Lind felt the tremor in her voice when she told him to find his own way. He knew she was right. The Gu Clan had all the knowledge of their lineage but even they could not overcome the World Realm Sand Tier for 6 elementals.
"Did you find out who is guiding me at least?" Lind asked the question he wanted to know the answer to most. Princess Jia had promised to send a guide she trusted to take him to the Academy when it was time, but she did not give a firm idea of who or when. Lind realized Granny was shaking suddenly.
He glanced up and saw she was trying hard not to laugh. What was so funny?
"I did hear who was coming for you, but I promised to leave it a surprise." Now Lind was getting worried. Who was this person? Why would Granny honor their request, or was it from the mischievous 3rd Princess? Questions floated, but Lind gave up figuring out what he could not perceive at this moment. Tomorrow night was going to be hard as it was his goodbye feast.
"Come, Fu wants to have a final meeting before you get buried in well wishes tomorrow night." Granny led Lind off and had a repeat of warnings and advice on how to comport himself in Lotus Academy. The token got him in, but it did not make Lind accepted by others. In fact, Lind agreed that he might as well have a sign stating "Please make my day bothersome" due to his background and how he got the token.
The feast was a small affair where Teyla refused to leave his side followed closely by Lind's own mother! Escape was not possible as Lind had the lowest cultivation by far. His mother was near the peak of Soul Realm now but she focused more on her alchemy. Even so, Lind felt like his arm was in an iron grasp. Teyla was still only in tier 6 of the Soul Realm, but she had far more power with techniques that held Lind in place just as firmly.
Both seemed reluctant to let him go, but an unlikely savior came in the form of Kang. The youth had no concept of reading a room's mood, but for once, that was a saving grace. Kang had brought a puzzle for Lind to look over. It was not simply a gift, but a treasure! Rather than Lind channeling Qi into it, he had to manipulate the pieces to allow it to absorb background Qi.
It was not very powerful but it could achieve a few useful abilities from a bright flash to conjuring fire. It was not even as powerful as tier 1 Soul Realm, but it was ideal for a Body Refining Realm to use. Lind found it fascinating and lost himself in how it worked as Kang explained the formations.
****
"Thank you all for everything. I would be happy to stay here all my life, but I have to grasp this opportunity granted to me. I hope to see you all again soon!" Lind stood at the entrance of the Frey Clan as a messenger had arrived to expect his guide on this day. All his family had taken time out of their cultivation to see Lind off.
There was also Sheyra Gu and Kang Li in the crowd. It was a pleasant surprise but why Sheyra looked like she was trying hard not to smile while many were crying sadly made Lind feel a twist in his gut. Who was coming exactly?!
Lind heard a strange sound for this world. It sounded like the ting of car keys jangling in his old world but then it got louder and Lind realized it was the sound of swords cutting against each other. Lind looked down the path first, but then he located the source was in the sky!
Looking into the deep blue of the morning sky, Lind felt his jaw drop as he saw a tanned youth flying on a broadsword. The sounds were coming from the blade using sword intent to slice the air itself over and over. The dazzling smile on the handsome face made a few passing female maids sigh in appreciation as dust was kicked up as the youth landed.
"LIND!" Lind barely had a chance to absorb what had happened before he was put into a bear hug and whirled around like he was a toy! Solon had not changed at all. In battle he was fierce, but in the rest of his life, he was irreverent. "I am here to pick you up. Let's Go!"
The stunned crowd barely registered Lind was being pulled away before several people latched onto him. Lind's mother crushed him in a hug before Teyla could. Seyla and Nya also hugged him as they wept openly. Lind saw Kor wave at him and Teylin actually turned away after Lind smiled at him. The rest waved or called out before Lind was yanked onto another sword.
Both blades took off into the sky before Lind realized the surface was falling way at an alarming speed. Lind expected to lose his balance but some force was keeping him safely in place as Solon laughed wildly.
"The Vixen will be enraged. I snagged this job but I wanted to see you off on your next step and ask if you thought of joining a sect yet?" Lind rolled his eyes as he was given a hard sell on the Divine Sword Sect but smiled. Solon was a strange man, but a good one. Lind enjoyed the scenery as the wind whipped their faces and they sliced through the air like a plane on Earth. His new future was ahead, but his heart would always be in this place.