“However, before that happened,” Gorgo continued, shifting closer to the fire, “I spent a long time just making my way out. Fortunately, I quickly discovered how to operate my storage pendant. Inside, other than some clothes, I found a couple of those endless containers that convert spiritual qi into sustenance. Oh, and my broadsword was there as well, but back then I couldn’t even lift the damn thing. Whoever left those things for me obviously didn’t want me to starve or die of thirst. With my current knowledge I realize these containers work slowly, but apparently the qi density around the city was markedly elevated. Each time I awoke from sleep, they were completely refilled.”

  “I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard such things existed,” Cade threw in.

  “Yeah, they’re pretty great. And very, very old. I don’t think even goldscales make them anymore. Anyway, I’ve found only one exit gate, and the tunnel past it had collapsed halfway through. I don’t know exactly how long it took me to remove the blockage, but it must have been close to a year of back-breaking, mind-numbing labor. In nigh-total darkness.”

  “What?!” Cade exclaimed. “I suppose you didn’t have much choice… but a year… is insane."

  “Right? I don’t mean to boast, but I’m surprised I managed to retain my sanity. It’s hard to gauge the passage of time without the sun. You cannot imagine how I felt when I finally saw the first cool shade of gray seeping through the dark boulders, a promise of a world outside my tomb. I collapsed onto the rubble and cried. However, all that hard work, the endless supply of food and the potent spiritual qi—they reforged me. Not only had I somehow advanced to the fourth stage of Qi Condensation, I’d also put on a couple hundred pounds of muscle and could finally use my sword. Very clumsily,” he added with a self-deprecating grin. “But I digress.”

  “Behind the wall of rubble was another massive cavern, which led me to the outside world. Oh yes, inside that cave was a small goblin settlement. A dozen or so huts built of sticks and stones, held together with dried shit. The stench was breathtaking. We ended up disagreeing on certain matters. For example, they wanted everything I had, and I wanted everything they had. I won,” Gorgo snickered, “though regrettably, they didn’t have much,” he added with evident disappointment.

  “Did you check their… dark pockets?” Cade asked, a telling smile playing on his lips.

  “Their what? What in the world is a dark pocket?” Gorgo didn’t seem to grasp what Cade was referring to, his brow furrowed in confusion.

  “I read about it in my father’s bestiary,” Cade explained, leaning in slightly. “You already know that goblins are greedy and vicious by nature and don’t trust anybody. But you may not know that the ones they distrust the most are those closest to them. They steal from each other all the time. In order to protect their valuables, they keep them inside their… that’s right. There.” Cade winked conspiratorially. Gorgo’s eyes widened, and his face lit up briefly with understanding, only for a disgusted grimace to take over in the next moment.

  “No way… What the hell?!” Gorgo exclaimed, his expression shifting to one of intense calculation. “No wonder their settlements are mostly undefended. No one bothers attacking them. I mean, how many spirit crystals do you think one goblin could even squeeze in there?”

  The Asura took one look at his friend’s genuinely focused expression and lost his composure completely. “Whatever it is,” he finally managed, his voice strained with laughter, “it will never be enough.”

  They both erupted in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, the sound echoing through the small cave. Only a short while later, after wiping a tear from his eye, did Cade finally collect himself.

  “On a completely serious note, this is a fascinating story. It seems your only connection to your race is that city and your pendant?”

  “Correct. Everything I earn goes towards books, scrolls, and translations. It’s why my cultivation progress has been slow. Reading takes up a huge portion of my time, and these old manuscripts are a constant drain on my resources. I’ve tried to research the pendant and the characters from the wall engravings, but alas, so far no luck. I’ve read so many old texts I’m beginning to feel ancient myself. I might soon grow a beard and start calling others youngsters. I’m planning to head out to Xia’lah next. As far as I know, the dark elves were the first to arrive on the Sun continent, long before the Exodus happened. There is an enormous library in Xia’lah, containing many historical works.”

  Cade focused, trying to recall what his Master had told him about the Exodus. It happened long before Lao Ren was born. According to the elven calendar, the current year was 62,312 post Exodus. He was used to the imperial calendar, which only the Empire’s citizens followed. As one of the first races to set foot on this land, the dark elves considered themselves the rightful overlords of the north-western region. Xia’lah was their ancestral home, their nation’s capital, and they were very strict on who was allowed to enter.

  Scratching his chin, Cade checked the map again, but no matter how he angled it, he could only see so far. Past a certain point, there was naught but an endless, swirling fog.

  “My map is nowhere near large enough, but from what my Master told me, Xia’lah lies more than thirty thousand miles west of the Brightheart Empire. Is that correct?” Cade asked, straining his memory.

  “That’s right. It would take forever to get there on foot; besides, there are no roads. I was hoping to purchase a cheap flier with my share of spoils,” Gorgo confirmed.

  After the first few days of beast hunting, they had agreed to sell all the loot and split the earnings equally. Gorgo had suggested it, feeling that by pocketing all the cores he was taking advantage of his companion, as low-ranked blood wasn’t worth much to the merchants. In truth, most of it was worthless. When Cade first checked his storage ring, he realized Master Lao Ren didn’t provide him with any spirit crystals, only some gold—a secular currency. Whether this was part of the whole karma avoidance thing or the old Asura’s idea of teaching his disciple to fend for himself, Cade couldn’t guess. Likely both.

  The fact was, his pockets were empty, so he shamelessly accepted Gorgo’s proposal. Most things related to advancing in cultivation could be brought down to having adequate wealth. Without spirit crystals, buying quality equipment or pills was impossible.

  Cade knew he should be traveling back home to kowtow at his mother’s grave. The thought brought a familiar, cold knot of shame tightening in his gut. Without a flier, the journey would take months. He had to prioritize getting stronger. Revenge on Gris was number one on his list. In Cade’s mind, only by exacting bloody vengeance would he regain the smallest right to visit his mother’s place of eternal rest.

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  He also wanted to meet with Silk and Skinny Pete, but that was even less realistic. Cade was no longer human. His height and unique appearance would attract the wrong kind of attention in the Empire. More importantly, he refused to drag them into his matters. His friends thought he was dead, and that ignorance kept them safe from any potential repercussions. After all, he had no idea what sort of power stood behind Gris to so openly snatch humans from their homes.

  He had to get stronger. With enough power, all his present problems would disappear.

  “Gorgo, which spiritual cultivation realm do you think my current power compares to?” he asked, looking at his friend across the flickering firelight.

  The gray giant’s brows drew together as he considered the question. “I’d say we’re a match in terms of raw strength, and I’m a lot stronger than the average Qi Condensation cultivator at the early sixth stage. Speed and agility, though, I’m behind you. I’m not sure what you did when you leaped off that rock—though from your wounds, I’m guessing it was a self-harming technique—but jumping that far while carrying my bodyweight required immense strength. I’d say at that moment, in terms of pure physical power, you matched a peak mid-stage Foundation Establishment qi cultivator, or an early stage Skeletal Reinforcement body refiner,” Gorgo replied after some thought.

  “That being said,” the warrior continued, “raw strength is far from everything. Even though Foundation Establishment cultivators are not nearly as strong or tough as Skeletal Reinforcement body refiners, they generally hold the advantage in a fight thanks to their use of battle arts. Right now your biggest weak point is your weapon. Your little sword is more like a toy for someone your size. When you get a proper one, you’ll need to spend time mastering it, but it will pay off big time. Otherwise, you will never bring out your full potential in a fight. This is under the assumption you could stay in melee range.”

  “Many thanks.” Cade smiled, giving Gorgo two thumbs up. This was mostly aligned with his own thoughts, though most of his information was secondhand from an ancient Asura who spent six thousand years in stasis. Spiritual qi was highly adaptable, it could be turned into nearly anything. Its destructive potential at range was why so many dreamed of cultivating it. On the other hand, the two main forms of life qi - blood qi and soul qi - did not possess anywhere near its destructive capabilities, at least not at low cultivation ranks. However, they drew their power directly from the Dao of Creation. The young Asura knew he didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of his potential.

  During their long talks, his Master never elaborated much on the subject of his development. He explained that discussing it was pointless, as most of the Asura’s strength came down to individual predispositions. When Cade asked about the best way to improve his battle strength quickly—other than bitter cultivation—the ancient Asura answered him immediately: melee combat skills.

  Cade began learning martial arts as a boy, taught by a father whose cultivation was very high by village standards, but average otherwise. Every boy believed their father to be the strongest person around, and so did Cade. But with the perspective from Lao Ren, he realized his father’s aptitude probably wasn’t great—the likely reason he was stuck at the peak of Qi Condensation until his premature death. Or rather, his disappearance. His mother would never refer to Jonnah as dead, only as missing.

  To learn how to truly fight, Cade’s ancient Master had a single recommendation: the Sword Dao Monastery. Located deep within the Desert of a Thousand Lakes, they had been teaching the famously domineering Law Severing Art for the last 600,000 years.

  There was only one way to join: passing the trial. From there, you either had to pay for admission, or you were lucky enough to be chosen by one of the spirits living inside the ancient swords preserved in the monastery. The fee wasn’t the same for everyone; some paid a few thousand crystals, others ten times more. The only rule was no arguments.

  Everyone who was accepted started out as a lowest outer court disciple, regardless of skill, potential, or wealth. Those with talent who were willing to work hard would sooner or later advance. This was why the monastery was swarmed with candidates every year. Many were poor but hopeful to pass the trial and match with a sword spirit, others counted on being rich enough to afford the fee.

  Cade’s best option was to reach the monastery and hope to awaken one of the spirit weapons, though he knew the chance was very low. Alternatively, he just had to get several cartloads of spirit crystals. Fortunately, his Master had said there were many opportunities to earn crystals for a cultivator, as long as they were willing to take some risks. However, Cade had to be comfortable facing off against Rank 2 spirit beasts before venturing into the desert. His immediate focus was to bring the Blood Transformation realm to completion.

  Realizing he had been lost in thought for a while, Cade added a couple of branches to the fire, watching the flames writhe. At some point, Gorgo began reading an old, leather-bound tome again, his face a mask of concentration in the flickering light.

  “My legs are almost healed,” Cade broke the silence. “Once your foot has recovered, let’s head out to Kettle together. Looks like I’ll have to buy one of those flying discs for myself.”

  “Oh? You’re planning a trip?” Gorgo asked, pulling away from the book.

  “I have to travel south, to the center of the Desert of a Thousand Lakes. Have you heard of the Sword Dao Monastery?”

  “Can’t say that I have, but then again, I’ve only been here for a year. Who knows how many places I haven’t heard of. The Sun continent is enormous,” Gorgo shrugged.

  “Well, look at it this way. I’m almost twenty, and for the first eighteen years of my life, I thought the Brightheart Empire was the cradle of civilization. Truly, a frog living in the well. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that mine is one of the weakest nations, only unbothered by others because we have little worth taking. The Empire sits on one of the smallest spirit veins on the continent. I have a strong suspicion that the famous protection of the Emperor’s will is mostly bullshit.”

  Gorgo nodded, staring somberly at the fire. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you, losing everything. If you need help with finding your mother’s killer, let me know. Certain individuals don’t deserve to live in this world,” he stated, his voice a low, decisive rumble.

  The offer caught Cade by surprise. He certainly didn’t expect Gorgo to offer his help in this matter. He felt a warmth spread through his chest, and his eyes softened.

  “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick with genuine emotion. “I truly appreciate your offer. However, there are certain things a man should take care of without involving others. Besides, you have your own problems.”

  Gorgo waved a dismissive hand. “I’m in no rush to solve my little racial riddle, and I meant what I said. Since I left that underground city, I’ve not met many people I could trust. You risked your life to save mine, despite not really knowing me all that well. You could have easily escaped alone, leaving me for those apes to snack on, delaying the pursuit. You wouldn’t believe how many cultivators in your shoes would’ve done that. In my heart, this makes you my brother. I owe you a massive debt, so say the word, and together we’ll rain down heavenly wrath on those bastards.” The veins on Gorgo’s hands popped as he clenched his big fists.

  A smile of gratitude spread across Cade’s face. He was genuinely moved. “Since you dared to call me brother despite my… uniqueness, I can only humbly accept your goodwill. In my eyes, there will never be any debts between brothers.”

  With these words, Cade extended his forearm. The gray warrior’s lips stretched into a wide smile as he immediately clasped it in his thick, calloused hand.

  Two days later, fully recovered and excited at the prospect of their upcoming adventures, the duo departed. Their destination—the merchant city of Kettle!