Chapter 573: Negotiations with the Elites

  They met beside the abyss.

  Kai wasn't sure whether or not he should have been surprised. It could have been a message, but if so, maybe a message to all of them. Maybe the location was just fitting in a way they didn't articulate. Or, given how practical the elites were, it might simply have been the central location that was best for so many of them gathering at once.

  Before the meeting started, he stood at the edge and stared into the darkness. The pit was at once more and less mysterious than it once had been. On one hand, he had forged down into its depths, but on the other, he still knew basically nothing about its purpose, why it produced monsters, or why it tainted the world with its mere existence.

  For now, it lay silent. No incursion yet.

  "Are you ready?" someone asked.

  "Do I decide that?" Kai asked as he turned back to face the group. No one answered, and he supposed that he was beyond others setting the schedule. He'd gone to all this trouble to be able to determine his own path instead of having it set for him.

  Even though he was the strongest person there, facing the field of elites was still intimidating. There were centuries-old masters of their arts, like Handelrey, and grim veterans like Enalanis. Compared to all of them, his experience fighting a single incursion seemed very small. Even if he could probably beat them in a fight, they had been working harder for longer, and it felt wrong to be making grand proclamations to a group like this.

  Zae Zin Nim appeared at his side and gave a small nod. Omilaena was less subtle, just elbowing him in the ribs. Their arrival jolted him from his thoughts, so Kai cleared his throat and began. Not all the elites were present, but he needed to deliver this message for all of them.

  "I know there've been some disagreements," Kai said, with a nod toward Yuinafal. "People who think I want to dictate strategy or change how we approach the incursions. But I didn't leave Deadwaste in order to lead, only to gain enough power to fight the monster hordes. I don't intend to override your expertise, and our strategy hasn't changed: we try to save everyone."

  "Easy words," someone called, "but not tactics."

  "What about Krysal?" Sheiri asked, and others nodded.

  "Yes, well, admittedly that's where I disagree with some of you." Kai didn't make eye contact this time, just swept his gaze over the group. "Since coming back, I've done the best I can to strengthen Krysal and keep its factions together. That's why I think we shouldn't sacrifice any region: we follow Krainuun's strategy of evacuating the east."

  That led to disagreement, but it was surprisingly controlled. The elites didn't shout over one another or repeat points, they just made their arguments tersely, no matter how much they disagreed. Kai felt like he'd said his piece and so mostly listened, but to his surprise Omilaena jumped in when it came to Krysali developments, and Zae Zin Nim spoke up in support of the acid cultivators.

  It seemed like the elites were generally impressed with how much he'd strengthened Krysal, largely making up for the lost crystalliers, but they weren't convinced that it would hold together. But Krainuun's evacuation plan was too reasonable, too much like sacrificing a region without the loss of life and sense of betrayal. And so, after bickering about the details, the elites inevitably moved to accepting it, and it seemed that other elites would handle the details.

  Then... was it settled? Kai had been worrying about that so long, it didn't feel like it should be resolved so easily. He was glad that others were managing the evacuation, since it sounded like a logistical nightmare, but it was happening. With some of the eastern cities emptied, Krysal would have a buffer zone to reduce loss of life.

  The details scattered into smaller groups and some of the others were restless, so Kai, now understanding how the elites operated, spoke up again.

  "I already did what I could in Irun," he said, "and they'll organize their own defenses. Goralia and the Elemental Nations seem to have their act together and I'm not going to second guess those plans. So the only other thing I want to-"

  "You should visit Goralia." The speaker was Talndim Bundrin, who Kai hadn't seen in a while. The old man smiled a bit when Kai met his gaze, but continued seriously. "You might have been banished by your home city, but you're still a son of Goralia. It has a variety of problems that could use another pair of eyes."

  "Sure, I'll head through Goralia if there's time." Kai glanced around for any other objections, then continued. "The other thing I wanted to talk about is what I can offer you. It's nearly impossible to break out of E rank Physique in Deadwaste, but we've become good at it. Anyone who wants to, we can give you a boost."

  "We've seen those injections," an Irunian elite said. "What percent of the time do they fail or react poorly?"

  "I don't anticipate it happening," Omilaena said, stepping up beside Kai. "I won't say it's impossible, but that would mainly happen when the person has insufficient experience or willpower. That shouldn't be a problem here."

  "You do need to hit E-9, though," Kai pointed out. "Personally, the only way I could advance was by training with new techniques. I don't know what you've already done, but if you want to talk to me about suggestions, I'm available."

  "I can also provide support." Zae Zin Nim gave a shallow bow to the collected elites. "I am not skilled as a trainer, but my knowledge and methods may be more useful to some."

  She had a good point, given the sheer variety of elites. Kai also considered that some of them who still resented or didn't believe him might take instruction better from a matriarch of Cloudspire. The three of them hadn't planned that, or Omilaena's addition, but they managed to work together smoothly anyway and Kai found himself smiling.

  "Some of you might prefer techniques from Rosemount," he said as an idea abruptly occurred to him. "Omilaena might help, but she isn't a specialist in physical training. If any of you haven't worked with Yuinafal, he can also probably get you to E-9."

  The other man looked surprised for a moment, then gave him a slight nod. They weren't exactly friends, but did they need to be? Here, they were working together as elites, and that would be enough. It didn't hurt to spread around the training anyway, since Kai had work of his own to do.

  "Will this actually matter?" Enalanis asked. "Progression comes slowly at our level, and Physique is likely to be less important than phases or application of offensive power."

  No one else responded and Kai realized this was on him. "I can understand why you wouldn't prioritize Physique levels," he said, "because why devote so much time to training for 3 Power? But the jump to D rank will be almost 100, and many people experience a qualitative shift in accordance with their abilities. It may not be your top priority, but it's available if you want it."

  "What about these new Physique types that break the pattern?" an elite from the Elemental Nations asked. "The cultivator has one, and now they're showing up in Irun. Would it be better to wait for more of those to be developed?"

  "Unfortunately, that's still unfamiliar territory." Kai glanced to Omilaena, who just gestured back to him. "Omilaena is trying to figure out one for herself, but I've gone forward to higher ranks. The process for any given method is likely to take years."

  That wasn't as much of an obstacle as it might otherwise be: the elites thought about things over long time scales, after all. Looking over the group, Kai judged that at least some would take them up on the offer. Some had work they urgently needed to do, or might still be skeptical, but he hoped that he could give the whole organization a boost.

  Enalanis had said that offensive power was more important, and he wasn't wrong when it came to blunting the hordes of monsters pouring out of the Frontier. But despite all their experience, the elites did occasionally lose one of their number. Kai hoped that improvements in Physique would prevent some losses so that their position would grow stronger each incursion.

  Abruptly he noticed that Gunjin was standing at the back of the crowd - had he been hiding from the beginning, or had he just arrived? In any case, the older man gave Kai a respectful nod. Despite everything that had happened between them, that meant something.

  "And what about you?"

  The additional voice, just when Kai thought the meeting was ending, surprised him. He turned to find another elite, a Windborn woman he only recognized vaguely from teleportation, looking at him.

  "The three of you are some of our strongest assets," the woman continued. "What will you be doing during the incursion?"

  Kai was inclined to shrug it off, but Zae Zin Nim answered first, and much more definitively. "I will be assisting the acid cultivators," she said. "I can add considerable offense and mobility to the Krysali front."

  "And I figure I'll stay in Irun," Omilaena added. "They've raised their average strength, but they could use someone with a bit more power to solve problems that can't be cut with swords."

  "I plan to be an emergency handler." Even as he spoke, Kai became confident in this plan coming together. "I don't mean staying back as a last resort, I mean you can send me to wherever the current biggest problem is. I know I've added some complications, so I intend to prove it was worth it. Does that work for everyone?"

  He got nods and shrugs in response, which was about the best he would expect and meant more than cheers from Krysali mobs. It looked like that might be the end of it, but then Gunjin spoke up.

  "And until then?"

  "Well, we don't know how long it is until the incursion." Kai instinctively glanced into the pit, even though it told him nothing. "I have a number of students I'll keep training, who can play the role of elite trainees. Other than that... we'll try to make ourselves useful. That's what we all do, right?"

  That seemed to be answer enough and the meeting started to break up. Kai found himself oddly hung up on that question - for the first time in what felt like years, he had free time and no deadline impending except the incursion. He planned to use it as efficiently as possible, but that was freeing in a way he hadn't expected.

  With Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim at his side, and the elites granting their approval, he actually felt optimistic.

  Chapter 574: A Fell Omen Near Cloudspire

  Most of the men were giddy with their new power, speculating about their new good fortune and what they might find next. They had run into several other groups of monsters on their ocean voyage, and if anything, the later groups were even weaker. To celebrate their new power, they broke out their limited stores of booze and had a night to remember.

  Kojajix drank along with everyone, but he wasn't happy.

  For one, as the men fought with one another, he became more and more certain that they hadn't actually changed. They were all just as clumsy or tough as they were before, it was just that the world around them had gotten weaker. Soon enough they figured out that they could injure one another and they stopped their sparring.

  That applied even to Jonijix or Yangix, who were showing off their new powers. At least that was Kojajix's theory. They could make big water spouts or big qi explosions, but those were just magnified versions of the little tricks they could do before. Even when they began experimenting and came up with supposedly new powers, he wasn't sure whether those were just gifts of the gray man who had cursed them all to sail into the Deadlake.

  Which led to the other reason for his depression: they were still in the grip of completely unknown forces. Whatever gray magic propelled their ship and restored the tasteless food and water in the stores was utterly beyond them, making their new power look like nothing.

  He had no idea why any of this was happening, he just knew he wanted it to stop.

  Worse, just when the celebrations began to wear off, the ship began to creak under a new sort of pressure. Jonijix argued with the sailors about what could possibly be causing it, and they never came to a real answer, but all agreed that it felt like they were pushing up against something, like a gale wind was blowing them backwards.

  Yet the gray power still pushed them forward... Kojajix wondered if they would be squashed between the two forces and they would simply die without understanding why. A stupid, pointless ending, as inexplicable as all the rest of this.

  "Land!" It was one of the new men, shouting wildly from starboard. Kojajix figured he had gone mad until the others began crowding as well.

  There was indeed land in the distance, a dark coast that felt like a wasteland, but still was the most inviting thing Kojajix had ever seen. The others shouted out all his thoughts: had they reached the other side of the Deadlake? Gotten turned around? Found some island in the middle of the water? Anything was a miracle and they all looked forward to being on solid ground again.

  That was when they noticed that they were being drawn away.

  No one knew what exactly was happening, and Kojajix didn't even pretend, but they were getting further away from the shore. Jonijix drew on his full power, summoning a typhoon that drenched all the men... and he didn't budge their course even slightly. When he failed, some of the men leapt into the sea, aiming to swim all the way, and gray light swept them back to the boat.

  Was this all the gray man's doing, then? Kojajix thought that the power fueling their ship was different than the barrier they pressed against, but he had no fucking clue. All that seemed certain was that they would not be allowed to land, so he gave up long before the others did.

  "Something's coming." It was Fodajix this time, peering out after the others had given up.

  Kojajix was one of the first to the railing this time, straining his gaze to see. Maybe his sight had gotten better, or the air just felt thinner, but he saw for leagues. There was a something approaching them, a gray stone in the shape of... a qi wheel? He didn't even know the proper term, maybe Yangix would, but it was something that cultivators used to fly.

  Soon enough the vessel was approaching and they were all watching it now. The stone carried several dozen men and women in cultivator robes, all in matching blue colors. Clearly this was a sect, and that meant bad news. All Kojajix knew about cultivators was that they might kill you if you didn't bow and scrape enough, so he tried to stay far away.

  With their ship still locked in place, that didn't seem like an option.

  "Stop there!" the lead cultivator shouted. "You are entering the territorial waters of the Jadeblood Sect!"

  The words twisted in Kojajix's mind and he clutched his head, wondering if he was still drunk. It all sounded like nonsense, yet he understood it. What devilry was this? While he staggered, plenty of the others seemed to assume it was another part of the inexplicable power and they just focused on the cultivator who were catching up to them.

  "We can't stop!" one of the men yelled back. "Something's got us!"

  "Are you a fool?" The cultivator sneered at them. "Obviously some... magic technique is moving your ship. Whoever is doing it, cease at once, or you will perish for your insolence."

  Some of them tried to babble excuses, hoping for their lives, while others shouted back, drunk on their new power. Kojajix stood completely still, with no idea what to think. He had no idea about that spiritual sight stuff, so all he could see was that the cultivators were flying and dressed very nicely. Those things meant a hell of a lot of power, more than a bunch of random sailors.

  "You dare?" One of the cultivators was so angry that his face was turning red. "For defying the Jadeblood Sect, you will pay with your lives!"

  The man stepped forward, to throw out some magic that would kill them all... yet he seemed so very slow. Was this what people said about your life flashing before your eyes? Kojajix couldn't help but stare as the qi arced toward them gracefully, too beautiful to end a life...

  It splattered against his skin like rain. He stared in shock as all of the others were untouched as well, even the ship wasn't blown apart like it should have been. Everyone was too surprised to do anything, on both sides, and for a time they all stared.

  "Your tricks won't save you!" An older woman, this one with even fancier robes, began a new technique.

  This one was no joke, a thousand times bigger and more complicated than anything Yangix had ever done. Qi began to build, forming nine elaborate seals in the air, each of which sprouted nine more seals, endless spirals linking them, building to a technique of unimaginable power...

  "Stop it!" Jonijix thrust out a hand and propelled a simple spout of water.

  That water tore through all of the elaborate seals, all the qi that Kojajix had been so impressed with. Not only that, it pierced through the cultivator herself, blasting a hole through her body and making the entire stone vessel rock. Some of the others staggered and some even coughed up blood... was that a thing that should happen? Had Jonijix gotten some new power?

  "Earth Soul Formation!" one of the cultivators shouted. Some of the others retreated on flying swords, while others stepped to the front of their floating wheel, hurling new techniques.

  Despite what had happened earlier, Kojajix flinched instinctively, and that helped him. Some of the others who had stood confidently began yelping and flailing as the qi actually burned them, though not too badly. They almost fell into disarray, but the enemy cultivators seemed even more astonished by the fact that they were still alive.

  From his position hiding behind a barrel, Kojajix realized that what he'd done was technically stupid. If an attack could kill him, why would it be stopped by a little wood? Yet it worked... and as he saw more fire rain across the deck, he realized that nothing was catching ablaze. When one of the cultivators created a sword technique, it didn't cut so much as a rope.

  Kojajix knew he wasn't a smart man, but he was handy enough in a fight. He grabbed a dinner plate from its place beside the barrel and ran forward. One of the cultivators targeted him, but again, it was so slow that he easily raised the plate. And, miraculously, the plate blocked the qi.

  As soon as he got close enough, Kojajix hurled the plate like a disc. He'd hoped it might work and it defied all his expectations: the plate punched directly through the flying wheel and killed one of the cultivators beyond before hurtling into the sky.

  "Formation, hold!" The lead cultivators was shouting at the others, trying to maintain order. "We just need to unite in a single tech-"

  Then a blade erupted from his chest. Fodajix was up there somehow, standing on the stone platform to kill one of them from behind. All the other cultivators reacted, trying to hurl some sort of magic, but they were far too slow.

  Fodajix might have killed them, but he didn't get a chance. Budajix had woken up from down below and, after winding up his arm, delivered a punch to the air. When it collided with the stone vessel, it didn't just punch through, it made the thing explode into pebbles. Half of the cultivators exploded as well, and those who fled to the ship were immediately overwhelmed by sailors.

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  "Enough!" There was a man flying out from the distant continent... his long white hair moved wildly, as if he was flying quickly, but he didn't look so fast at all. "I am the Patriarch of the Jadeblood Sect, and whatever trick you are using, it will not avail you!"

  "No fucking way." Yangix hadn't fought yet, but he got up now, staring at the old man. "You can't be a patriarch, you're still first realm."

  "I am the greatest Sky Soul in the history of-"

  "What the fuck is a Sky Soul?" Yangix raised his hand, not yet pointing his Finger of Death. "None of these fools would be fit to scrub a junior's shoes... what kind of backwater is this?"

  "I said enough!" The old man began forming another technique, blue puppets that appeared to be formed from blood. First one, then six, then a dozen, starting smaller than a person, each appearing a bit bigger, then something truly massive began to form...

  Yangix thrust out with his usual technique and puppets began to explode. This time he didn't tear directly through the whole thing, but he was definitely annihilating his opponent's technique. The finger technique seemed weaker than Jonijix's water... no, Jonijix hurled another water spout and it only managed to make a larger puppet explode instead of piercing through. The old man must be stronger than the others.

  If the sailors were upset to finally encounter some resistance, the old "patriarch" was shattered. He was coughing up blood, drawing it into techniques, swallowing some sort of medicine repeatedly. Whatever he was trying to do, it wasn't working.

  "Impossible..." he muttered. "That isn't even cultivation... how?"

  They had been winning with brute force, but abruptly Kojajix realized that the old man had been setting up some sort of scheme. Lines of light connected the corpses throughout the water, drawing them all together into something bigger. A blue puppet erupted from the man's wounds, ten times the height of a man, a vast hand pushing down...

  Some of the sailors quailed at that instinctively, but Yangix leapt up. His power smashed against the hand, they briefly contended... then he started to push back.

  Yangix laughed, the old man stared in shock, then suddenly his head fell from his neck.

  Quorthix flipped behind him, his blades finishing their arc. The so-called patriarch sank into the waves and all the surviving cultivators on the ship cried out in despair. Most of the sailors cheered, but they were so surprised that many didn't seem to know what to think.

  "These sects are worthless!" Yangix leapt up to the side of the ship to call to all the others. "We're like gods here! No one can stop us from doing whatever we want!"

  The men began to laugh and they descended on the cultivators. Some began to beat them, taking out old hatreds, while others sought to indulge baser desires. A female cultivator, realizing their intentions, killed herself in a bloody shower rather than let them touch her. That should have turned their stomachs, but many of the men just laughed.

  Kojajix stared at the blood in the water, leading toward the far-off shore. The power around them continued propelling them onward, to some unknown destination.

  Chapter 575: Three Physique Breakthroughs

  Being granted free license by the Frontier elites had a benefit Kai hadn't expected: he could wait for people to come to him. Gunjin and some of the others in charge of teleportation apparently decided that it was easier for Kai to remain stationary and others to be brought to them. That mean that, after so long rushing around the continent, he could remain still and focus.

  For Kai's own work and training, it didn't actually make that much difference. But after they picked a Frontier outpost, Zae Zin Nim clearly enjoyed staking out a bedroom and putting together all her combs, pins, and other items. Omilaena set up two areas for her experiments, one inside and one outside. Having a shared space clearly made both of them happy, which meant Kai reaped the benefits as well.

  Given the impending incursion, Kai decided to recall his students. It was up to them, of course, but all seven of them decided to return. He spent a day letting them test out their new powers before he set them on a training program.

  "The time for exploring new paths is over," he told them in the closest thing to a speech that he managed. "Everyone's talking like the incursion will happen in three weeks, but it varies - it could be as little as one without surprising anyone much. You all have your abilities now and you need to focus on them. Refine yourselves into the best warriors you can be."

  They all set about their training, including sharing a great deal with one another. Kai looked forward to working more with the group in the future, but at the moment he needed to focus on himself as well as prepare for potential elite trainees.

  Before he could get started, his wives interrupted him. They glanced at one another, apparently not having coordinated this, and Zae Zin Nim spoke first.

  "Won't we have more forewarning of the incursion?"

  "I think there are some who predict it," Kai said, "and the abyss changes when it happens."

  "No, I mean with you." Zae Zin Nim cocked her head at him. "Didn't you start experiencing dreams last time?"

  Kai had thought about so many other aspects of the incursion, over and over, yet that memory had escaped him until that point. She was right, he had felt a strange calling, as if he was riding along with the horde.

  "I haven't experienced anything like that yet." Kai folded his arms and grimaced as he thought about it. "We don't know what will happen. That might only have been because I wasn't familiar with my power back then, but..."

  "It could also be worse." Zae Zin Nim nodded. "We will trust you to deal with that."

  "Meanwhile, I was just here to tease you about timing issues." Omilaena shrugged as they both stared at her. "What? You were urging everyone not to try anything radical, but here I am, still trying to figure out the fundamentals of Physique to build something new for myself."

  "The rules don't apply to you," Kai said, putting an arm around her waist.

  "Nepotism gone wild." Omilaena kissed him with a smile and they got to work.

  Even though Kai was stronger than their plans had accounted for, that was no guarantee the incursion would be easy, so he needed to sharpen himself to a fine edge. Kai was certain that he could come up with a new incursion-specific technique, but hadn't figured it out yet, so he trained Monstrous Tail and his passive abilities.

  Before anyone got too involved in a new training regime, they were interrupted by surprise guests: Juray and the Tonjin brothers. Raghi greeted him with a clapping hug, while Omilaena and Juray embraced with more affection than he last remembered.

  "This seemed like the fun place to be," Juray said once they all got together. "I'm not going to make any major advancements myself, but I could develop some new potions."

  "I have a few ideas," Omilaena said. "We should talk, if I can pull you away from Raghi."

  Kai noticed that Lofgan had held back, saying very little. When he looked at the man questioningly, Lofgan shifted awkwardly, and it was actually his brother who answered.

  "The main reason we're here is to help my brother." As he spoke, Raghi clapped a hand on Lofgan's shoulder. "He's been focused on his Class and his Physique has stalled. We finally convinced him that he should get it done before the incursion."

  "I could use... help," Lofgan said softly.

  Of course Kai and the others immediately checked his soul.

  <

  Name: Lofgan Tonjin

  Total Power: 344

  Whistlewind Class: 99 (109)

  Waterborn: Oncedrowned (92)

  Physique Level: E-9 (107)

  Soul Level: 6 (36)

  >

  The most impressive thing was that Lofgan had reached Whistlewind Level 99, which meant he could get a huge explosion in power if he managed to break through to an Advanced Class. But Raghi was right, his Physique was still stuck at E-9. Both of the brothers were tall and muscular men, but that training had always come easier for Raghi, whereas Lofgan only did it because he was forced.

  "You've been training since you hit E-9?" Omilaena asked.

  Lofgan nodded silently. Juray put in "He's been there ever since Darkmist Island" as explanation.

  "Then it shouldn't be a problem. Provided you have the willpower and the endurance, I can get you over the jump with an injection. D rank is familiar territory by now."

  Some of the others didn't believe it, but it had been years now since she'd helped Kai to D-0, and what they didn't know was that cheating her way there was one of her earliest accomplishments. So he didn't wait with bated breath, he just got back to training while Lofgan was injected and spent a while grimacing and writhing.

  Once he was done, the large man rose with a shy smile.

  <

  Name: Lofgan Tonjin

  Total Power: 437

  Whistlewind Class: 99 (109)

  Waterborn: Oncedrowned (92)

  Physique Level: D-0 (200)

  Soul Level: 6 (36)

  >

  Reaching Physique D-0 had jumped him to over 400 Power, and Kai would have bet on him against many Diamond Crystalliers, even without a Class breakthrough. Strangely, Lofgan's form was actually slimmer than before, though only by the standards of burly men like Kai or the Tonjin brothers. He seemed happier, however.

  "Congrats, bro." Raghi thumped him on the back. "You've passed me by now, and probably for the last time."

  "Hey, don't count out potions that quickly." Juray appeared on his other side, leaning on Raghi but touching Lofgan's arm. "I know you have your mana training to do, but spend some time figuring things out with us too, right?"

  Lofgan smiled and made sure to thank Omilaena as well before he retreated with the others. Thankfully they didn't return to their own training location, instead staying with the group. Not only did that make things more lively, the Tonjin brothers were a better match for Kai's students, and Juray could brew healing potions to keep them all healthy despite their training regimen.

  They progressed with their work, now focusing on the various students who were in E rank. Many managed to jump a few levels, and some were at E-9, but Omilaena judged that none of them were actually ready - Ankrastor had been there so long, she decided to just figure out a new Physique for him. Kai enjoyed spending some time training with Kifaela, actually making some more personal progress with her training exercises.

  It was several days later that they got another surprise, and the first elite to come to them: Sheiri Kagskan. She approached at night, avoiding the students, and instead addressed them directly.

  "I got to Physique E-9 on my own," she said, "but that's the limit of my pride. Can you help me break through?"

  "I've just been waiting for someone to ask," Omilaena said with a grin. "Normally I prefer people to spend longer at E-9, but you elites are so thoroughly trained, I'm confident it will work."

  "There's something else. I've noticed that not all Irunians gain the same level of strength from their Path of Steel, particularly the new hunters. Is that something you're doing?"

  "Actually, that's a bit of an odd mystery." Omilaena's grin phased into a concentrating frown quite smoothly. "No, it's not me doing it directly. For a while I was puzzled, then I realized that there are several different formulas: some for people who build from zero, others who seem to start with a bonus depending on their level."

  "This has been noticed before," Sheiri said. "In the past, it was rare enough that it was argued it meant a special bloodline, an additional benefit from the metal pools, or an unknown variable."

  "Hmm, did you awaken your ability from the Insanity itself, or another pool?"

  "It was a secondary pool. I wasn't well off, so it was a degraded one..."

  While they discussed the details, Kai examined Sheiri's soul again.

  <

  Name: Sheiri Kagskan

  Total Power: 659

  Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (108)

  Windborn: Twiceswept (295)

  Physique Level: E-9 (107)

  Soul Level: 7 (49)

  Hybrid Essence: Whistling Steel (+100)

  >

  He hadn't noticed the difference before: ever since Irunian abilities had been blocked off from him, he'd mostly ignored their details. They were still weaker than the other abilities of the Frontier nations, but he realized that there was significant variation. Apparently Omilaena had theories about some versions being limited, and even had ideas about how to fully awaken the ability.

  Once Sheiri agreed to be a test subject, that meant going to the Insanity. Kai wanted to go along as a show of support, but he realized that if he did that with everyone he knew, he'd never get anything done. Now that he had proper allies on Deadwaste, he had a lot more bonds than he had years ago as an exile.

  Instead he focused on his own training and, a day later, watched with the others as Omilaena returned with Sheiri. The Irunian elite had a remarkable new soul.

  <

  Name: Sheiri Kagskan

  Total Power: 977

  Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (233)

  Windborn: Twiceswept (295)

  Ironpath Physique: D-0 (300)

  Soul Level: 7 (49)

  Hybrid Essence: Whistling Steel (+100)

  >

  Not only had she manifested the Ironpath Physique, her Truesteel ability had leapt from 108 to 233. Substantial on its own, and even more dramatic if it meant an improvement in her Path of Steel. Though Sheiri was smiling a bit, she seemed more distracted by other details.

  "I'm listed as D-0," she pointed out. "Tusquo and the other warriors with the Ironpath Physique all changed to E-0."

  "Are any of those examples older veterans?" Omilaena asked.

  "I suppose not. Few of the elders or elites have tried to use the new pools."

  "Then I'm afraid my theory isn't encouraging: you've spent so long in E rank that your Physique doesn't have as much future potential. If Tusquo manages to catch up to you at D-0, he'll probably be stronger. Sorry, but I think there's nothing I can do about that."

  "Oh, you don't need to apologize." Sheiri chuckled and gave Omilaena an Irunian bow. "I have gone from being one of the weaker elites to one of the strongest. I can never repay this gift, but I will try as we work together."

  She departed in a good mood, and Kai hoped that more elites would follow her, but it seemed they were either busy or involved in their own training. He was still encouraged, and Omilaena seemed to find working with an elite a rush - or at least she was extra playful that night for some reason. With the students still on the edge, Kai remained focused on himself.

  Then, after so long repeating his training exercises, he managed to reach B-2. Compared to all the shocking transformations, that didn't feel nearly as dramatic, but he was still happy. None of the students noticed, but Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were quietly complimentary. They all continued working with one another, hoping to maximize Kai's monstrous strength or help Omilaena discover a path forward.

  Instead, something happened that none of them had anticipated. One day after an intense solo training session, Zae Zin Nim shuffled back to the others with an odd expression.

  "Umm... sorry, Omi."

  "What are you-" Omilaena cut off with the same strange expression, so Kai hastened to check Zae Zin Nim's soul.

  <

  Name: Zae Zin Nim

  Total Power: 1833

  Cultivation: Earth Soul 90% (532)

  *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (53)

  Coldfire Corona: 44 (432)

  Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (275)

  True Blackblood Physique: E-10 (460)

  Soul Level: 9 (81)

  >

  He mostly saw more incremental improvements, then he spotted it: Physique Level E-10. As far as he knew, he'd never seen any rank with a level above nine. Then again, since Zae Zin Nim had already unlocked a different sort of Physique, perhaps he shouldn't be surprised that it followed slightly different rules.

  "I didn't do anything unusual," Zae Zin Nim said, almost guiltily. "I was training normally, and it didn't feel anything like a breakthrough, my body just... got stronger."

  "And here I thought I understood everything." Omilaena laughed and threw up her hands. "Apparently not. But would it be fun if it was too easy?"

  Chapter 576: Return to Goralia

  Training was perfectly in Kai's wheelhouse. Whether his own, his wives', or even his students', he enjoyed making meaningful progress without any of the complications of politics. The problem was, he was committed to going to Goralia, which likely wouldn't involve any of that, and he didn't want to.

  For a time he thought that there would be nothing driving him except his own sense of obligation. Zae Zin Nim did not particularly want to return and was inwardly-focused in any case, and while some of his students planned to fight there, they had work to do meanwhile.

  So Kai was taken off guard when Omilaena was actually the one to nudge.

  "When are we taking that trip?" she asked while leaning back against him.

  "What incentive do you have to go to Goralia?" he asked.

  "Did you forget? I've never actually been. But you and Juray are both from there, so I have to admit I'm curious."

  That was all it took: Omilaena's prompting activated his own sense of obligation and so, when the incursion failed to come early and save him the trouble, Kai arranged to tour Goralia. He wasn't sure exactly what he needed to do, other than that the elites wanted him to spread some of the same benefits he'd already visited on Irun and Krysal.

  Obviously his wives were coming along with him. He'd hoped to have Inafay and Orotaisin join them, but they were currently in intensive training, trying to hit their own goals before the incursion. Raghi and Juray joined them instead - Lofgan was in private training as well, and they seemed to be feeling lonely. Then there were two surprises: Ankrastor and Untariin asked to come along. Normally Kai would have said the students should keep working, but they were both limited by Physique, so he gave the approval.

  Seven was an unwieldy group for him - nothing compared to the entourages that many traveled with, but he was accustomed to three if he wasn't on his own. The elites took them to the fields outside Goraykan, one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in Southern Goralia, where they would need to figure things out from there.

  Goraykan was an impressive place, trading the traditional walls of a Goralian city for "walls" of trees with interlaced branches. Not much use against monsters, but Kai had to admit it was impressive, and this far south, they likely didn't need the defenses. From a distance he could tell that the buildings were towering and it likely had all manner of things you'd want from a city, but his eyes moved further up:

  The Clanless circled over Goraykan.

  Had that been coordinated by the elites? Kai headed in automatically, leaving the others behind in his drive to figure out the situation. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena seemed happy to go on their own, observing the city and likely whispering to one another about Deadwaste. Meanwhile, Kai attracted some attention but nothing like in Krysal, and his appearance blended in here, so it was easy to cut to the city center.

  "Kai!" The voice came from above and Kai spotted Razzagah Lantrian sliding down a rope from the Clanless. As soon as he landed, the younger man rushed up with a grin to shake his hand. "I had a feeling you'd get here soon!"

  "Did the elites tell you about our trip?" Kai asked as they shook hands. Razz's dramatic entrance had attracted more attention, which meant plenty of people in the square were now focused on them.

  "Not exactly, but I put some things together. You ready to reunite with the Clanless? I have some ideas for how you could help, in less time than you're probably thinking."

  They walked together between merchants' stalls as Razz caught him up on what he and the Clanless had been doing. Truthfully, Kai hadn't been thinking about it, as teleportation was much faster, but apparently the ship was being used as a symbol of cooperation. It was still tied to him, and as people started to make the connection, Kai lost his anonymity and more people began to watch.

  Goralia itself was doing fairly well, at least as far as Razz was concerned. The conflict between north and south had softened as everyone came together after the last incursion, and strengthened relationships with the Southern Reach gave them another boost. But with the damage to the wall, Razz was convinced they needed a bit more, and that was where Kai was uncertain.

  "What do you expect us to do?" Kai asked the question more softly, as there was a crowd now. It was probably good for people to see Goralian merchants and hunters speaking together, but they didn't need to hear his doubts. "We don't have ideas for improving Classes, and we're running out of time for training."

  "I don't expect you to give Goralia power," Razz said with an odd smile.

  "What else do we have to give?"

  "Hope." Razz stepped closer and looked up at him sincerely. "The people have gone from being skeptical of the incursions to terrified - monsters pierced far enough south to leave real scars. They need to believe that the Frontier can hold the line so that they continue to send support."

  "Huh." Kai looked around at the crowds and realized that he could see it: the people were looking for a sign that someone competent was in charge. Most of the time Kai felt like he had no idea what he was doing, but he supposed that compared to everyone here, he had a plan.

  Furthermore he had Razz, whose profile had apparently risen in his absence. Journeying across the Southern Reach and coming back in a fancy ship like the Clanless probably helped with that. They spoke with some local leaders and merchants, developing a plan to skim across multiple cities, distributing supplies.

  Aside from abstract benefits like "hope" Kai would also be giving training and advice, which would hopefully bolster southern forces. At this late hour, the latter might be more important: people couldn't increase their strength much in the time remaining, but good tactics could make all the difference.

  They met up with the others, who had finished their own business, and their arrival ratcheted up the enthusiasm in the crowd even more. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena turned out to have done some shopping and changed into tailored Goralian tunics - the sight of two women from other continents dressed as Goralians was a strong symbol that the crowds clearly approved of. It didn't hurt that they were beautiful, and though Kai was used to that, seeing them in those clothes did more for him than he expected.

  As they all prepared to board the Clanless and begin their tour, they split up to conduct different tasks. Juray worked with Razz to manage the loading of key ingredients, with Raghi serving as muscle. Normally Kai would have joined them, but he was apparently too important for that now, so instead he went to talk to some city leaders, who threw out too many names for him to catch.

  "Goralia may be strong," the mayor - a middle-aged woman - told him, "but it's falling behind the other Frontier nations."

  "The problem is mid-tier hunters." That came from the head of the local Hunters Guild, a young and muscular man. "It used to be, we got someone to near 100 Power, that was enough to stand out. But that's becoming commonplace in Krysal these days, and the new Irunian soldiers are hitting 200. The standard is rising and we can't keep up."

  "We've gained some potent mana, but it won't bridge that gap." An older man was some sort of prominent merchant, Kai was fuzzy on the details. "Don't let Goralia fall behind."

  It was surreal to have people from the nation that had exiled him coming to him for help, but if Kai punished unrelated people for what happened to him, what kind of man was he? He tried to give the leaders of Goraykan some hope without making any false promises. They seemed grateful enough, or at least that was what they were displaying.

  As he headed back to join the others on the Clanless, Kai was surprised to see a huge crowd had gathered around Raghi. Observing more closely, he saw that it was a lot of young men and women - not merchants or hunters from major clans, just average people. He realized that made sense: Razz acted like a noble, and beauties like Omilaena looked untouchable, but Raghi was one of them.

  When the Clanless landed and they all jumped aboard, Raghi got a loud cheer from the whole crowd. The man looked stunned and Kai made sure to move beside him and pull up his hand so that he didn't forget to wave to the crowd.

  "Not used to being considered a hero?" Kai asked as they pulled away. "It's strange for me too. I was a pariah in Goralia once, so it feels odd to be liked."

  "I'm... not used to being noticed at all." Raghi turned toward him with a slightly stunned expression. "Fighters like me and Lofgan... we're just muscle. Background to somebody that actually matters. It's strange to be treated like a person."

  Kai considered in silence as he realized that he had again underestimated the difference in their experiences. As many times as fate had cursed him, it at least noticed, whereas many considered themselves ignored by fate, destined to be no one.

  Well, he would try to defy fate like this too.

  "If not for you..." Raghi put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "If you hadn't noticed us, none of this would have happened."

  "Hey, don't be like that," Kai said. "You're well on your way to 400 Power. That's far above normal hunters, and you'll be moving to the elites soon."

  "Only because you noticed us. If-"

  "I'm not the only one. Juray noticed you too, didn't she?" Kai nudged Raghi to look to Juray, who was leaning over the railing to wave to the crowd one more time. With the wind whipping her hair and clothing, she looked good, and she flashed Raghi a brilliant smile.

  That seemed to encourage Raghi a bit, so Kai clapped him on the shoulder and headed on. He'd wanted to talk to Razz, but the merchant had disappeared into the ship. Instead, as he passed Juray, she separated from the railing to talk to him in a low voice.

  "Is Raghi okay?" she asked. "He gets quiet sometimes."

  "Self-worth issues," Kai said. "Do you two talk?"

  "We talk, but... Raghi is very sweet, but he's not as communicative as you were."

  "Well, he's having a hard time believing all this. Make him feel special."

  Juray's eyebrows shot up and she gave a strange smile. "My, we're forward today."

  "I didn't mean that, but hey, you're good." Kai returned her odd smile and their expressions both shifted to grins. "You know, if we'll be traveling together, we should have dinner sometime. The two of you with us, since I know Omilaena will want to talk to you."

  "I know some good places in the south, so consider it a plan."

  He passed Juray and felt her go join Raghi's side, but Kai didn't look back. Instead he continued on, still with a residual smile on his face. They had a plan for their trip that didn't sound so bad, so things seemed to be looking up. That lasted for all of a few seconds before Zae Zin Nim stormed up with Omilaena not far behind.

  "This is a disaster," Zae Zin Nim said.

  "What is it?" Kai asked.

  "Razz took our bed. That was a good bed."

  "I'm pretty sure he'd trade if we asked."

  "No, he's ruined it." Zae Zin Nim fell into a pretend sulk, but she did seem irritated. Before Kai could act, Omilaena shifted up beside her, putting an arm around her waist.

  "Come on," she whispered, "aren't we the important part of any bed?"

  Kai wrapped an arm around her shoulder to help convince her. They might have some unknown trials ahead, but this, at least, he could handle.