Tundra sat down and meditated. Metal energies were quite abundant in the Golden Fists and it was wise to take the opportunity to cultivate when possible.

  A sheet of steel, created by his metallic energies formed throughout his body, and vanished just as quickly. The room was charged, but good cultivation room designs often meant there was nothing that reacted too strongly to the presence of strong cultivation energies.

  It’s one of the few things that distinguish cultivator-friendly inns and mortal accommodations.

  Marin needed time to clear her head, and he didn’t see a need to intervene. No mortal could harm her, and so, her threats were other cultivators. That said, the Golden Fist was a safe city by most measures of their world, and the reputation of the Ancient Titans ensured safety. Few dare cause trouble in the cities of the Great Sects or the Royal family.

  Celestia was nearby, in a few rooms away studying a set of books from the nearby library. There was a branch library of the Imperial family, and she took some time to borrow some books for studies.

  Although Tundra was a repository of many incredible cultivation manuals, it was still good for Celestia to be widely read. He was an avid reader too, and so he generally encouraged all of his friends and family to read a lot.

  Ah, his mind was distracted slightly, and he refocused on his task at hand.

  He consumed a pill purchased from the Golden Fist’s markets, and the pill itself contained a huge dose of metallic energy which was then circulated throughout his body, and then through his spiritual roots into his spirit realm. These metallic energies were then fashioned into new structures and placed in the spaces of his spiritual realm.

  It was enough to push him up a minor step, and he was now in the 2nd step of the 7th realm.

  Each realm above is larger, and more malleable than the realm before. Each realm above is one giant leap away from mortality, and what was impossible is made possible.

  He cultivated faster than before, one big chunk of that was because of his experience. It was a path that he was instinctively familiar with. He reexamined his own spirit so many times on his path to the 10th realm that he knew where everything should be like the back of his hands.

  With far less mistakes, the path would be a lot smoother.

  In his heart, his thoughts were still about his other goals. Family. Friends.

  ***

  Father wasn’t home, and so, Anna found the entire Fox mansion to be eerily quiet. Everyone mostly kept to themselves, and focused on their own tasks. Those of the Verdant Snow had their own duties to work on.

  Anna could hear the faint whooshes of disciples practicing simple forms. Children, the newest of the outer disciples all doing simple physical exercises under the supervision of a Core Disciple. It’s something most do all the way up till the 4th realm. At the 5th and 6th realm, like the elders, cultivators gain full control over their physique, though it’s influence would permeate throughout the realms.

  They reminded her of some of her younger second cousins, like Jihan. Or that new adopted girl, Hana.

  She walked anyway, and there was another room that hummed with various sounds. It came from the alchemical workshops where the newly promoted Elder Julia had taken a few of the new outer disciples and tested them for some basic alchemical processes. That there were weird sounds and little explosions coming from the room told her all she needed to know about the level of talent amongst the outer disciples.

  Whatever her father did with herbs and all the various exotic materials, it’s quite a shame that not a single one of his children inherited it.

  But that didn’t matter. Now Anna needed a new path, and she walked into Elder Severian’s part of the Verdant Snow Sect. Elder Severian’s home was a grand building, with an opulent hall for guests.

  There, she waited. A servant noticed her, and made her wait for a moment while he informed the master.

  Elder Severian’s home was filled with trinkets and various gifts. Little carvings, statues, door gifts such as bamboo fans, flutes, scrolls with calligraphic writing. Severian was the diplomatic elder, and as such he often met with dignitaries and guests from other sects. It was a far larger collection of gifts than the other elders.

  “Ah, young mistress, what can I do for you?” Elder Severian soon walked out. There were two servants following him, both servants held scrolls in their hands. It was probably the reports from the various entities throughout the region, and news. Her father was away, and the duty of the Sect Master thus fell on Elder Severian as the deputy.

  “Am I imposing, Elder Severian? If you are busy, I shall come at another time.” Anna asked, a little unsure.

  “Not at all. Just routine reports from the various holdings of the Verdant Snow, new trade deals and some diplomatic courtesy invitations. Nothing particularly urgent, and honestly, it is a good break from these mundane matters. So, Anna, what can I do for you?” Elder Severian sat at the main chair, and gestured for Anna to sit. She did. The two servants knowingly decided to step back and disappeared to the next room. They will return once the meeting is over.

  “My father spoke of an opportunity to transfer, or join another sect as a disciple. I hoped to discuss what that meant, and have some ideas whether that is something you can advise on.” Anna said. “I- I mean, all I know has been from various stories shared by my tutors I had over the years, but I’d like to know more.”

  Elder Severian laughed. “I’ve never joined another sect. I was part of the Verdant Snow, and so, I can’t give you first hand experience of what it is like to be a member of another sect.”

  “Oh.”

  “But do not be disappointed. The Verdant Snow may be a medium sized sect, but we have also hosted disciples from other sects and well connected children of other sect masters in the past. I can share what that is like, and what the general norms are for such disciple-exchanges and transfers.”

  A different group of servants quickly came and served tea and refreshments. Severian picked up a baked biscuit that had a strong scent of ginger and began to talk. As common with most cultivation sect elders, they were all fairly long winded folks that loved to start with the wider context.

  “The main reason why such things happen is simply because a not insignificant number of sect masters find it quite hard to discipline their own children. It is known that most elders would give their sect master’s family some face, and are generally more lenient to their descendants than to others. Naturally, for many Sect Masters who gained their position mostly through a combination of merit, luck, and a tremendous dedication to cultivation, the attitudes of their poorly disciplined children is undesirable to them.”

  “Eh?” Anna stopped. That contradicted all the understanding of young masters everywhere.

  “For every five arrogant, impudent young masters you meet, there are probably two or three well-behaved, properly educated young masters. You don’t notice them, because they are well behaved.”

  “Well behaved.” Anna found that term hard to believe. It even rolled off strangely off her tongue. But as she sat there and thought about it, it really made sense. The world was filled with so many generational powers, surely they can’t all be badly behaved. If they were, such weaknesses would allow the other forces to exploit it, and they wouldn’t be generational powers for very long.

  Severian sensed Anna’s confusion and quickly clarified. “It’s a relative term. You must remember that these are incredibly talented young masters, and the benchmark is other young masters. What is well-behaved for this group is probably still incredibly arrogant in the eyes of mere mortals and lesser cultivators. But, the world respects strength. In fact, I would say, it ONLY respects strength. Good Sect masters and Patriarchs recognize this well, and therefore they would want to ensure that their arrogance is supported by genuine capabilities and strength in their children.”

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  “I see.”

  “Think about it for a moment. How would large sects survive long periods of succession and change if all their children were arrogant, impudent children without strength? They don’t. Instead, these arrogant, impudent children become the whetstones for other children to hone their own skill and truly know where they rank among their peers. So, back to you, Anna. Your father wants you to have real strength, and to have real strength, you must encounter challenges. Real challenges, where you have to rely on your own strength and dig deeper into yourself. You will have to meet these other arrogant young masters, and use them to test yourself.”

  Anna nodded, she understood all of this already but didn’t want to interrupt the elder’s long winded talk. She waited, and finally when Elder Severian stopped, she pounced and asked. “If I were to join another sect, do you have any recommendations? Somewhere where both myself and Annaly can go, and prosper.”

  “Ah.”

  The elder sat and paused. He was thinking, and as with many elders, it took a while to parse through his thoughts.

  Anna’s understanding of the sects was fairly limited. She didn’t think joining a peer would be a good idea. In order to fully benefit from her position, she needed to look up.

  “You seem to have some inkling of where you should be.” Elder Severian asked.

  “I’d like to join a larger sect.” Anna said. “Somewhere that our achievements will be regarded as earned, and not given by virtue of our connections.”

  “Then the pretender sect, or a subsidiary sect of the Great Sects will be your best bets. The Great Sects would be harder, though I do see no harm in trying, but they have a preference for younger cultivators that they could mold from scratch. A subsect of the Slicing Heavens Tower, perhaps, or the True Metal Foundries, or the Beast Irons Sect, or the Sword Maiden’s Temple, since you have metal spiritual roots.”

  Anna heard of these names, but the idea of joining them never occurred to her before. “How- how should I approach this? Do I just walk to their sect grounds and apply to be a disciple?”

  The elder laughed. “That’s the hard way. Do you want to do it the easy way?”

  Anna blinked. “What’s the easy way?”

  “Your father, the Sect Master, writes you a recommendation letter and you go for a private evaluation by the respective elders if they are willing to take you in.”

  “That feels like I didn’t earn my right into the sect.”

  “Then I recommend you visit them personally. Perhaps, start with the Sword Maiden’s Temple. Would you like me to take you there?”

  Anna frowned, and she’d like to take Annaly along. It’s something she needed to discuss with her daughter, as well as some of her other half-siblings. “Let me think this through.”

  ***

  Annaly was in her own room. Her daughter wasn’t much of a talented cultivator, but she was obedient, and listened to her grandfather. She made progress, slowly at first, but with the amount of pills she consumed, it almost seemed as if she was decent.

  The 2nd realm wouldn’t hold her in for much longer. Just a few more months, and she should be in the 3rd realm.

  “Annaly?” Anna called, but she already knew her daughter was there. Her senses could pick up on her presence.

  “Yes, mother.” She answered, and Anna opened the door into her messy room. There was a stack of freshly pressed paper on the side, and brushes on the table that she used. The black ink still looked fresh and had not dried.

  “Were you reading?” Anna glanced around and noticed the presence of entertainment books commonly found amongst mortals. Stories of forbidden love, and such things. Anna remembered a time when she, too, indulged in such silly forms of entertainment. The real cultivation world was hardly anything like the idealistic fantasies of love. Her husband’s death was all it took to hammer that nail into her heart.

  Annaly nodded.

  “I spoke to Elder Severian. We will be traveling once you hit the 3rd realm.”

  “We?” Annaly said, before she seemed to connect the statement to the earlier conversation with her mother. “Ah. So, so soon.”

  “It’ll be better for us, somewhere Lady Mistburn can’t deny us resources.”

  “Why must it be like this?” Annaly sighed. “I’m not really big on being a cultivator, mother. Is there a sect I can join where I can just be? Or maybe, just find me a good husband or something.”

  Anna sighed. Her daughter can be so silly at times. It wasn’t the first time Annaly said such things, often in frustration when things didn’t go well. Maybe it was just a common fantasy among young ladies to wish for a doting arrogant handsome young master to sweep in and rescue the jade beauty in distress.

  “Then more reason for you to leave, my dear. You’re not going to meet a good man being in our sect. You’re more likely to meet a promising young master or a talented disciple in another sect, and then, you can live elsewhere.”

  That made her daughter brighten up massively. “Oh! Then I shall reach the 3rd realm with haste!”

  Anna wasn’t exactly sure whether Annaly meant it. Her daughter oscillated between a naive star-struck little girl, and a surprisingly mature woman. Maybe her daughter’s fantasy of meeting some handsome young master is just a mask for something else in her daughter’s heart. Or maybe it is a phase that she would go through.

  Still, she wouldn’t discourage it. Anna was fairly pragmatic, and that was something she inherited from Tundra. “Alright. Work hard, let me know if you need some pills, I still kept some of mine that I didn’t use.”

  ***

  Tundra felt Marin’s approach the moment she stepped into the inn’s large compound. The compound was fairly large, most cultivator-focused institutions were paid handsomely and so they often could afford to get more space.

  She seemed fine, and Tundra didn’t take note of it at first. Then he noticed she was approaching his room, and then knocked.

  Much to his surprise, Marin wanted to report her interactions with the two ladies, but then, she sprung the point she wanted to negotiate on.

  “I happen to know, or was informed, of the individuals that are masters of the bloodline techniques of the Ancient Titans.” Marin pitched. “I want you to help me fix my problems. I know you know of a way to do it. A way that I probably can’t visualize. I know you helped Celestia with her cultivation.”

  Tundra looked at his wife. She was a beautiful lady, her hair had grown longer over the past few months, the color of her skin a little more pinkish.

  In the flickers of her iris he saw her desire for freedom. Wild. A yearning to be free like a bird. A caged bird that doesn’t understand what it means to survive as a wild bird, and now, unfamiliar with the predators that existed out there.

  Tundra stopped. He wondered what Celestia shared. Maybe she didn’t. “And how do you know I know?” Tundra tested the waters.

  “You must. I’ve seen the sensation you imprinted within that boy from the branch family. I’ve seen how Celestia seemed to be looking for something, as if she knew she didn’t have it. She must have felt it from somewhere.”

  Tundra closed his eyes, she was a smart woman after all. She had a hunch, and it was the correct one. The regressor sighed, and tested her further. “What I did to the child was nothing. Just a sensation of cultivation energies. What I did to Celestia- well, are you familiar with techniques that involved spiritual melding?”

  That made Marin blink, as she realized what happened between the two. “You used a type of dual cultivation with Celestia?”

  It was a stretch to call it dual cultivation, but given how exposed the both of them were to each other, that sort of distinction probably didn’t matter. In fact, it’s effects were fairly similar as well. So, he merely shrugged. “Not really, but close enough. Given what you want from our current relationship, I believe you can see why I did not suggest it.”

  Physical intimacy was only that, physical, but true dual cultivation involved exploration of the spiritual realm, and Tundra believed it was a level of deep intimacy that frightened Marin. The often misunderstood forms of dual cultivation in their world was a fairly niche technique commonly practiced only by certain sects. “I didn’t know you know such methods-”

  It was one of those things Tundra learned from later partners and wives. There was a point when he plateaued in the 8th realm for a while that Tundra experimented on multiple types of cultivation methods. Everything under the sun except for the demonic methods. He didn’t need to answer, and Marin was quiet.

  Somber, even.

  “How often? Is- Is that why you bring Celestia everywhere with you?”

  Tundra blinked, but she wasn’t totally wrong. “No. I enjoy her company so I bring her along. The cultivation aspects, such as correcting her mistakes just happen to be one of the things we do while being away.”

  Marin clearly understood what he implied. Their form of cultivation allowed him to look far deeper into her spiritual realm, so he could correct her.

  She frowned. “Is there any other way?”

  Tundra said. “Of course there is. But it will take much, much longer. And you could still be wrong at the end of it.”

  “I see.” Marin didn’t like what she heard. But it was something she had to digest. She walked out of the room, her mind most likely weighing the odds.

  To be able to leave, she must first go closer. It was something that she didn’t want. And yet, without strength, where could she go? Could she find someone else? Who would help her? The resources needed to train someone to the 6th realm is not low, and why would anyone else help her if she didn’t offer long term returns?

  It wasn’t his intention to trap her this way, but alas, the way of the cultivator is often rough to the less talented.