Kai stood quietly on the open balcony, watching the lights of the city at night. If you listened closely, you could hear the noise of people and wagons. It seemed that even at night, the City of Shadows was not silent for a second. And in the distance, strange but very pleasant sounds could be heard.
Only when Kai looked closer did he realise where they were coming from... They were the sounds of endless waters! He hadn't noticed it before, but it turned out that all that water was constantly moving!
'It's like ripples on a lake, only on a much larger scale... Mesmerising!' - Kai thought with a twinkle in his eyes.
He was truly enthralled by this setting. Out of all the places he had lived, this was the one he liked the most. But considering that his new home was in the Shadow Palace, it wasn't surprising....
'My journey began spontaneously... If you think on the scale of these old people's lives, it's only been a short time. But I'm already a Personal Disciple of the Shadow Sect and living in the Shadow Palace... It's amazing how quickly things change...' - Sipping wine from his glass, Kai thought.
Kai was always mostly only interested in himself and his path. Because of that, he didn't think much about the fact that such rapid development was not common to everyone around him.
'But I've been lucky in many places... Without all these things, I would hardly have got to my current point so quickly. Though I have no doubt that under different circumstances, I would have taken the same path...' - Pensively, Kai spoke to himself.
He remembered that back in the orphanage he had wanted to grow up and go on an adventure. But at that moment his main incentive was to help his family. Alas, life doesn't follow man's wishes.
- It sounds sacrilegious... But if it hadn't been for that night, a lot of amazing things wouldn't have happened to me... I don't know if I'm lucky or not... - Kai said calmly.
His family had long since gone through the vengeance. From that moment on, Kai had no qualms about it. After all, he realised what kind of world he lived in. In his situation, he had done the best he could and understood it perfectly.
Fortunately, he had found another person he could take care of. It was his Master Mo!
- Hmm... And how am I supposed to help Master Mo if he's such an imposing person... Damn... - Kai said irritably.
Today, he had finally learnt the status of his teacher. Old Man Mo was one of the seven Shadow Elders and was the peak master of the Star Sphere! He was literally on the list of the strongest martial artists.
Even if one were to estimate that each of the Heavenly Continent's leading forces possessed a dozen such people. Master Mo is still one of the hundred strongest!
As he tried to realise this entire scale, Kai realised that the idea of him helping him was ridiculous!
'It's nothing... I've made tremendous progress in a few years. I have many things that set me apart from ordinary martial artists. The Essence Sphere, the Kessia bloodline, and my cultivation technique. As well as the Spiritual Sea and the Astral Sacrificial Fire. All of these open up possibilities unavailable to others...' - Mentally uttered Kai.
Even when he was alone, he tried not to say such things out loud. Only mentally...
'We need to give it our best shot! I'll start by trying to look for something interesting in the library and archives. Although there's nothing specific I want to find out, but just looking around won't be unreasonable...' - Kai thought.
Previously, he wanted to learn about the Spirit Sea, cultivation levels, and world structure. But it just so happened that he had been told about each of these aspects in the process. Now Kai realised that he could just quietly search for information that interested him. The priority would be the history of antiquity and knowledge of 'pulses'.
Those were the only things Kai still didn't understand....
'So... Apart from that, I need to try to develop 'momentum'. Kessia said it has to do with absorbing blood, I still haven't tried to experience it in action.' - Kai continued his mental conversation with himself, while simultaneously pouring himself some wine.
It had been a long time since Kessia's bloodline had been absorbed. Every time Kai entered his Spiritual Sea, he checked the bloodline book. Until now, there hadn't been even a shred of any reaction from her.
Kessia had told him that by killing someone, Kai would feel how this method of development worked. And it's clear that she was referring to some heavily antagonised person. It would hardly work if he just slaughtered an ordinary boar.....
'If that happens to be the case, one should also learn something savvy in the craft of Alchemy and Array...' - Kai planned next.
Although he was incredibly skilled in both of the crafts. But that was at the expense of the Eyes of Essence and the Astral Fire of Sacrifice. He had knowledge from the ancient arrays and memories of the Astral Alchemy Emperor. But that didn't mean that the modern masters hadn't come up with something new. Their Alliances should definitely have useful information.
If Kai wanted to help Master Mo, he would need not only the knowledge of the past, but also the developments of today!
- So... A rough plan of action...' Kai said, rubbing his chin, 'I'll start by going through the library. First of all in the general library, then in the archives of the Alchemy and Array Alliances. Next, I need to find out where I can hunt and try to develop my bloodline...' Kai said, pacing around in a circle.
In this way, he structured and planned all his goals for the near future. Kai seemed to think better when he didn't stand still.
- But most importantly... Reincarnation Island! - Kai said emotionally, 'I can't waste any time. I need to think about how to advance in the ranking of Personal Apprentices. Right now, my Rank is 347... That's a long way from the top 100... - Kai said haltingly.
He realised that it would be almost impossible to do so. Elder Ovian had warned him and explained all the nuances for a reason. The old man in no way wanted to underestimate Kai.
- For now, I don't know how many Reputation Points I need to put up to get the older Personal Disciples to agree to duel with me... And the level of the other Personal Disciples is still a mystery to me... Tz! - Cackling his tongue, Kai said.
If everything had gone smoothly with the previous goals and Kai had instantly thought of a plan of action. Now it was the opposite...
'Okay... If I don't know or understand anything... Then the best thing to do is to scout the situation. During my research, I'll try to find out more from the people around me and observe others. At the very least, Iris and Taemi are there to help me out. Maybe they'll be of some use...' - Smirking evilly Kai thought.
He realised that observing his surroundings could yield a lot of useful information. Kai estimated that he would spend several weeks in the library and archives. He had already decided that if he met someone interesting along the way. Then Kai would try to make contact with him.
'Resolved! Then building up a network of useful contacts will be one of my priorities too! Who knows, maybe it will bring unobvious benefits for now!' - Smiling thought Kai.
It wasn't really typical behaviour for him. But what was very typical for Kai was personal gain!
While he was pondering how to get information and rise in the Rang, this idea came to his mind. And the one who pushed him to do so was none other than Master Mo!
Previously, Kai had never thought about the network of contacts so seriously. It was only after seeing the universal respect for Old Man Mo in the Shadow Sect that Kai rethought his views.
This situation clearly showed that the right connections and influence were also part of your power. Such an idea had started to appear in Kai's mind back in the Border Beast City when he saw how many opportunities had opened up through the Trade and Research Union. But now, it was finally taking root in his mind.
- Well at the very least, I'm already on good terms with the three Grand Elders... Also, I can safely use Iris and Taemi. Although Taemi isn't very influential yet. But I have no doubt that she'll be useful in the future too. - Smiling contentedly said Kai.
Thinking about it, Kai poured himself some wine again and leaned on the balcony railing. Looking at the bright lights of the city, he said:
- It seems that Shadow City will be very interesting... Master Mo, thank you for picking me up and directing me here. Hehe. - With a sly smile, Kai gave out.
If one were to see him from the outside, one would think that Kai was up to no good. But in a way, he was....
- What a nice evening! - Kai said smilingly, and drained his glass in a single movement.