Chapter 40: Lessons In History (Patreon)

Darian yawned. Today had been a busy one for him. While he wasn’t as exhausted as he had been yesterday, since he and Ellen managed to get some sleep last night, he was still tired.

Yesterday, after Darian had cultivated and helped Lucius train their juniors back on Mt. Wind Dance, his father and his friends had put him through one of the most grueling tests Darian had ever endured. They quizzed him on everything he knew, or didn’t know as was more often the case. Their questions covered several topics, ranging from history, geography, mathematics, and more. To their dismay, and Darian’s disinterest, he was sorely lacking in most of them.

His knowledge of cultivation was excellent, and far ahead of his peers. However, outside of that, he fell short. As Astra once put it, his education was lopsided. It was so bad that his father had to leave for several minutes in the middle of the test, just to vent out his anger and shame.

They only finished when Ellen arrived to tell them that dinner was ready. Over dinner, his father, Lucius, and Vera discussed the best curriculum for Darian. He tried to tell them that it wasn’t necessary, but they ignored his protests. With a sigh, he accepted his fate and tried to enjoy dinner.

While this all went on, he gnawed on the question of Clan Stone Pillar and the mortals suffering at the hands of the Pit Viper Sect. He picked at it, like a scab that he couldn’t leave alone.

At least spending the night with Ellen proved enjoyable. She had awakened a hunger in him, and he found that he couldn’t get enough of her. Thankfully, she felt the same way.

Today had been a repeat of yesterday, except instead of a test, Darian was in the middle of his first history lesson. It was about the Shattering and why the continent that they lived on was called The Shattered Lands.

Finally, he would learn what the big deal was. Maybe then they would stop bothering him about it.

Vera hit Darian’s hand with a thin wooden stick.

“Pay attention, Darian,” she said in a stern voice. “This is for your benefit, after all.”

Darian sucked in a breath as he rubbed his hand. It stung.

His father and friends had decided to tutor him on a rotating schedule. While one taught him, the others would focus on their own training and cultivation. Nevermind that he wanted to focus on cultivation instead of this nonsense. However, as Astra had told him back on Mt. Wind Dance, he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Speaking of Astra, she was taking a nap nearby, floating in the air as she did so. The three of them were in the estate’s library, where they had set up a little teaching area for the lessons. It was Vera’s turn to tutor him, since she knew history the best.

“You say that,” Darian said, glaring at her. “But I know you’re benefiting from this as well. Auntie paid you with an energy gathering formation and elemental stones.”

“Yes,” Vera said. “And if I want to earn it, I have to make sure you learn your lesson.” She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t understand you, Darian. You would rather go through literal torture than learn about history. I think there might be something wrong with you.”

“Hey, that was for the sake of my cultivation,” Darian protested. “It’s not like I did that for fun.”

“Yes, I know.” She gave him an exasperated look. “But this is much less painful, and just as important. Why do you have to be so stubborn about it?”

Darian shrugged.

“I find it boring.”

“If you keep this up, young Darian,” Astra said from the side. “I’ll tell Ellen to cut you off. She might be your lover, but I am her senior. Since this pertains to your education, she will comply. Don’t test me on this.”

Darian froze. As far as threats went, it was an effective one. He and Ellen had only spent two nights together, but he doubted he could go without her for too long. He needed her with an intensity that both frightened and baffled him. It came from a place from deep within him.

“Fine,” he said, letting out a resigned sigh.

“Thank you, Cultivator Astra,” Vera said, her face a little flushed, before turning back to the board she had set up.

A map hung from the board. It depicted a large continent, one that resembled a misshapen circle, surrounded by an ocean. In the middle of the continent was another ocean, with the land forming a ring around it. In the middle of the central ocean was an island. Unlike the rest of the continent, the island in the middle of the ocean was perfectly circular. So much so that Darian doubted that it was natural.

The map depicted other continents as well, but even the largest of those was the fraction the size of the ring.

“This…,” Vera said, pointing to the map with her stick. “…is the Sky Throne Empire as it existed before the Shattering, which we now call The Shattered Lands. It was, and still is, the largest continent in our world.” She pointed to one of the smaller continents. “As you can see, none of the others can even compare in size.”

Darian wanted to snark at Vera and say that his eyes worked just fine, but held his tongue. He didn't want her to hit him with the stick again.

“Back before the Shattering, a clan of Immortals ruled our continent. They were Clan Sky Throne, thus the land they ruled was called the Sky Throne Empire. At their head was the Immortal Emperor, the supreme authority in all the land, and the most powerful cultivator in the world.”

Darian snorted at that. With a name like that, this Clan Sky Throne had been just begging for the heavens to punish them.

“The land was divided into twelve provinces, each one ruled by a vassal clan of Clan Sky Throne, and each province was divided into several regions. The provinces were named after the clans that ruled them, while the regions were named after their most distinguishable geographic trait.”

“Is that why we call it the Myriad Rivers region?” Darian asked.

“Yes.” She pointed to a landlocked area in the upper left of the map. “This is the Myriad Rivers region as it existed back then.”

When he saw the lines that denoted the borders of the Myriad Rivers region, Darian’s eyes widened. If he used his hands for comparison, it would take four of them to cover the entire Sky Throne Empire. The Myriad Rivers region took up an area the size of his pinky’s fingernail.

“It’s smaller than I expected,” he said.

“Yes, it is. The Sky Throne Empire was massive. Our home is nothing in comparison.”

In that moment, Darian realized just how small his view of the world had been. Maybe his loved ones had a point. If nothing else, this lesson had expanded his horizons already.

Darian sat up straighter, his interest piqued.

“How did this Clan Sky Throne rule over so much land??” Darian asked, gesturing to the map. “That’s far too much territory for a single clan to manage, even if they were all cultivators.”

“They weren’t a clan of normal cultivators,” Astra said, opening one of her eyes. “They were a clan of Immortals. None of their members were born mortal. They were all born as Immortals.”

Darian stared at her in disbelief.

How is that possible?” he asked. “Humans are born mortal.” He paused. “Unless they were spirit beasts?”

Astra shook her head and stood up, before glancing at Vera.

“Apologies, Cultivator Vera. Do you mind if I take over for this part?”

Vera shook her head and listened with rapt attention as Astra spoke.

“Clan Sky Throne were human, but they were never mortal. The records are incomplete, and no one alive remembers what the world was like before they arrived, but Clan Sky Throne originated from another world. They came to our world, conquered it, and forged an empire with themselves as the supreme rulers.” She nodded to the map. “Why do you think we all speak the same language? Or use the same currencies? Or use the same terms when it comes to cultivation? That doesn’t just happen. Clan Sky Throne unified the world under their banner, and their influence spread deep into our culture.”

Darian stared at her. This was far more than what he had expected out of a history lesson. Even Vera seemed stunned.

“If they didn’t come from our world,” Darian said. “Where did they come from?”

“No one knows. It happened tens of thousands of years ago. No one from that time period is alive today. If they are, they haven’t revealed themselves. The two prevailing theories are that they came from another world which had more advanced cultivation than ours, until they arrived at least, or they’re refugees from one of the celestial worlds.”

“Celestial worlds?”

“A lesson for another time, young Darian.” Astra nodded at Vera. “You may continue.”

Vera shook herself, as if coming out of a daze, before clearing her throat.

“Cultivator Astra is correct,” she said. “One of the reasons that Clan Sky Throne was able to rule the known world was that each member was an Immortal. Another is that they didn’t manage everything directly.” She pointed to the central island. “They ruled Heavenly Island themselves, and left their vassals to rule the provinces as they saw fit. As long as Clan Sky Throne received their tribute, they didn’t care how their vassals did things. It was a system that worked for them for tens of thousands of years.”

“Heavenly Island was an artificial island that could float, by the way,” Astra interjected. “It was quite a beautiful place.”

Both Darian and Vera stared at her, before they turned their gazes to the map. The central island, Heavenly Island, was several times the size of the Myriad Rivers region. For something that big to float…Darian couldn’t even begin to comprehend how that worked.

“Right,” Vera said, clearing her throat once more. “The last reason why Clan Sky Throne was able to rule the world was because of Heaven’s Strike.” She frowned. “I don’t know what it was, but it was some kind of weapon they used to enforce their rule. It could target any location in the world, and they used it to put down rebellions with swift and brutal efficiency.”

When she finished speaking, Vera and Darian both looked at Astra, waiting for her to pipe up again. The cat spirit beast had returned to her nap, but must have felt their eyes on her, because she opened her eyes again. With a sigh, Astra stood up once more and began to explain.

“Heaven’s Strike wasn’t just a weapon. No one knows exactly what it was. It could have been a powerful magical artifact, a formation of some kind, a special technique. Whatever it was, it could destroy entire armies with ease. It was even powerful enough to kill Immortals with impunity. What made it truly dangerous was that it only affected those that Clan Sky Throne wanted to affect.”

She looked them both in the eyes, to emphasize the seriousness of her words.

“Imagine wielding a weapon that only targeted your enemies, and was powerful enough to kill Immortals. You could use it without worrying about hitting your own soldiers and allies. That was the main reason why Clan Sky Throne remained in power for so long. They might have been Immortals, but even Immortals can die, and their enemies outnumbered them. However, no one dared to attack the Imperial Capital, for fear of Heaven’s Strike.”

Darian felt a chill deep in his bones. With that sort of weapon, one could become the ruler of the world, as Clan Sky Throne had proven.

“What did Heaven’s Strike look like?” he asked out of morbid curiosity. “Do you know?”

Astra’s eyes took on a haunted look.

“Yes, I know. I saw it used once in my life. The Dawn and Dusk Sect had been tasked with dealing with a rebellious clan. They lured us into a trap, and our forces were on the verge of being slaughtered. When all hope seemed lost, however, a light shone down from the sky.” She paused. “I’m not sure how to describe this light. It contained truths that I didn’t understand, even at my level. Harsh, uncompromising, and without mercy. The enemy forces burned to ash all around us. Sometimes I can still hear their screams.”

Astra’s eyes remained unfocused for several long moments, before shook her head and took a deep breath.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get lost in thought like that.”

Darian shook his head.

“Don’t be. I find this all very interesting, more so than I expected actually.” He frowned. “I’m just not sure what it has to do with the Shattering you all keep mentioning. I assume it’s related.”

“You needed some context to fully appreciate the effects of the Shattering,” Vera said. “Just be grateful we’re only giving you a general overview of the situation. The socio-economic reality of it all was much more complicated.”

This was a general overview?

“The Shattering occurred when the Immortal Emperor, who had ruled the Sky Throne Empire ever since Clan Sky Throne came to this world, ascended and became a Celestial,” Astra said as she took over the history lesson again.

For someone who claimed to be a poor scholar, she was doing a good job at explaining things. Then again, she had lived through it all.

“Celestial?” Darian asked.

“The next stage after becoming an Immortal. You didn’t think reaching immortality was the end of the road, did you?”

“Yes, actually,” Darian said. “I did.”

Astra smirked.

“Oh no. There’s far more to cultivation than just becoming immortal. Now hush, and let me get through this without interruption.”

She continued with the lesson while Darian came to terms with the fact that there were levels of power above Immortal. Vera, in the meantime, sat down next to Darian and listened to Astra with rapt attention.

“After he became a Celestial, the Immortal Emperor left this world because the mortal realms could no longer contain him. However, the Immortal Emperor’s son and successor died before he could take the throne. The Immortal Emperor’s daughter, and secondary successor, also died before taking the throne. No one knows exactly what happened, but everyone believes they were assassinated in order to destabilize the Sky Throne Empire. If that was the goal, it worked.”

Astra nodded towards the map.

“The remaining members of Clan Sky Throne each had a claim to the throne, but none of them had a greater claim than the others. Predictably, this led to conflict. At first they just argued with each other. It didn’t take long for things to get violent, however. Duels, assassinations, and eventually a full blown war. For the first time since they came to this world, Clan Sky Throne rallied its armies and went to war with itself.”

Darian didn’t understand why anyone would kill their own kin for power. The concept was anathema to him. He didn’t like most of his clan, not after what they did, but he wouldn’t go to war with them to become Patriarch of Clan Wind Dance. If any of them were in trouble, he would come to their aid, albeit reluctantly.

Besides, he would rather focus on his cultivation than deal with politics.

“The fighting went on for centuries,” Astra continued. “We call this time period ‘The Claimant War’, which was the precursor to the Shattering. By the end, there were so few members of Clan Sky Throne left, that if they killed any more of each other, they wouldn’t be able to maintain their hold on the world. They called for a truce, and were in the midst of choosing a new Immortal Emperor from amongst themselves, when someone leaked a dangerous secret of theirs. This secret proved to be their doom.” She leaned forward. “Only the Immortal Emperor could use Heaven’s Strike. Since there was no Immortal Emperor…”

Astra trailed off, giving Darian and Vera an expectant look.

“They couldn’t use Heaven’s Strike,” Darian said, finishing her sentence.

“Exactly,” Vera said from beside Darian, picking up the thread. “All of their enemies rose up at once and joined forces to annihilate Clan Sky Throne. Even most of their vassal clans turned on them. Only a few remained loyal.”

“It was a war the likes of which our world had never seen before, and hasn’t since,” Astra said. “The earth cracked, the sky broke, and billions died. Thousands of Immortals lost their lives. This war shattered our world, thus the name.” She nodded to the map. “Show him.”

Vera stood up and went to the board. She flipped the map over, revealing another one beneath it. It looked somewhat similar to the previous map, except the ring now resembled a misshapen “U”. The top third of the continent was just gone, as if it had never been. The outer ocean and the inner ocean were now connected.

The Myriad Rivers region, which had been a landlocked area in the previous map, now bordered the sea on its eastern side. Heavenly Island was nowhere to be found. In its place was a black mass that Darian couldn’t identify.

Darian stared at the map for a long time, unable to say anything.

“After Clan Sky Throne was eliminated and Heavenly Island destroyed,” Vera said, pointing to the map with her stick. “The various clans, sects, and schools turned on each other. Some fought to become the new rulers of the world, others used the chaos as an opportunity to settle old grudges, and the rest just fought to survive. It was during this time period when Clan Wind Dance fled to Silverwood Vale and settled here.”

“It was a bloodbath,” Astra said. “I lost a lot of good friends in the Shattering. Senior Sister Nova made a name for herself during this time period. They called her the Goddess of Destruction, and still do to this day. She was one of the biggest reasons why our Dawn and Dusk Sect managed to survive at all. Without her and our other Immortals, I doubt we would have lasted long.”

Darian blinked as he absorbed this new information about his mother. There was so much about her that he didn’t know. The more he learned about her, the more he realized that Master Nova was a more complex person than he had given her credit for, one with a long history.

“The world remains shattered to this day,” Astra said. “In more ways than one. While there are powers that dominate their local region, most of The Shattered Lands is just a collection of independent clans, sects, and city-states, each eking out an existence.” She pointed a paw at Darian. “This is the world we live in. Do you see now why I was so insistent about your education? Ignorance will get you killed.”

Darian, feeling chagrined, nodded. Astra had been right. His lax attitude towards his own education had been a mistake, one he intended to rectify. He opened his mouth, and began to ask questions.

***

The next week passed by in a blur for Darian. In between his cultivation, his training, helping Lucius, and the lessons he took, he hardly had any free time at all. More than once, he fell into bed exhausted in body, mind, and soul. Somehow, Ellen always managed to revive his flagging spirit. He made sure to repay her.

Darian did have an encounter with Elliot during that week. At first he had been nervous, because Elliot had asked Darian to talk with his sister and reassure her. He hadn’t asked Darian to sleep with her. However, to his surprise, Elliot didn’t seem angry about this development. Instead, he almost seemed…relieved? It was hard to tell.

“I already told you I approved of this match, Young Master,” Elliot had said.

It took Darian a moment to recall their conversation at Sunset View, and realize what he had actually meant at the time.

“That said,” Elliot had said, putting a hand on Darian’s shoulder. “If you hurt my sister, I will break your bones. Master Nova’s son or not, she is my sister and I will protect her. I won’t fail again. Do you understand, Young Master?”

Darian nodded.

Still, despite how busy he was, he found it preferable to remaining idle. He enjoyed the lessons his father and friends had put together, more than expected to if he was being honest with himself. It was difficult at first, however. Despite his best intentions, Darian lost interest soon after the lessons began and it was a struggle to remain focused. At least, it was until his father came upon the idea to include cultivation in every lesson somehow. After that, Darian took to them like a duck took the water.

Geography included details on the various cultivation resources available in the areas he learned about, history was always tied to some famous event or cultivation expert, and so on. Mathematics had been a problem for him, until Lucius began teaching Darian formations alongside the mathematics lessons, since the two were tied together.

Throughout the week, Darian’s mind kept wandering back to the situation with Clan Stone Pillar. While he would have liked to pretend it didn’t matter, he couldn’t. It mattered to him. Despite how busy he kept himself, it lurked in the back of his mind.

Today, however, Darian and Lucius were not in the classroom. Instead, they were outside in the training courtyard, sitting on a pair of cushions they had brought. As part of their deal, Lucius had brought two technique scrolls with him. One was for the Wings of Wind movement technique, which he started teaching Darian first.

It was just the two of them today. Everyone else was going about their own business. Ellen and Vera were trading knowledge on various medicines and poisons. Darian’s father was in his alchemy lab, brewing something up. The servants were going about their duties, while Astra was…Darian didn’t know what Astra was up to.

Of course, Lucius began things with a little history lesson.

“One of our ancestors learned this technique a long time ago, before the Shattering,” Lucius said. “We don’t know much about this ancestor, but they were traveling somewhere along the southeastern regions of the Sky Throne Empire when they came across a great bird, a spirit beast of some kind. The locals called it a roc. According to the records our ancestor left behind, this roc was large enough to carry off an elephant.” He paused. “Or a dire bear, if that's easier for you to picture.”

Darian nodded. It was. Dire bears were massive beasts, easily larger than Darian’s house back on Mt. Wind Dance. A bird large to carry off a dire bear must have been massive indeed. Darian pictured it in his mind, and felt a shiver run down his spine.

Holden, his grandmother’s hawk spirit beast familiar, was large enough to carry off a full grown man, as he had personally experienced. The thought of a bird larger than Holden scared Darian a little.

“This roc…,” Lucius continued. “…was injured when our ancestor found it. Instead of killing the roc, and harvesting it for its body parts, our ancestor healed it instead. As thanks, the roc bestowed a portion of its power upon our ancestor in the form of a technique, Wings of Wind.”

Darian looked at the scroll in his hands. He hadn’t known that this technique had such an interesting origin.

“Didn’t you say that this was a common and basic technique of our clan?” Darian asked. “I would expect that something our ancestor learned from a spirit beast like that would be…” He shrugged. “…more profound.”

Lucius grinned at him.

“Ah, but you see, while Wings of Wind by itself is a basic movement technique, it has a secret. It can be combined with other movement techniques to enhance them.”

Darian frowned at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Let me show you.”

Lucius stood up and pulled out his flying sword.

“Here is the basic use of the technique. Wings of Wind!”

A layer of feathers coated Lucius’ body. He moved around, showing off his speed. The feathers seemed to increase his speed, agility, and movement ability in general.

After a few moments of showing off, he canceled the technique.

“Now this is where it gets interesting,” Lucius said, still grinning.

He stepped onto his flying sword and flew around for a bit.

“Wings of Wind!”

Lucius used the same technique, however, instead of feathers, a pair of wings made of spirit energy emerged from his back. His speed and agility increased significantly. Lucius flew high into the sky, did some tricks, before coming back down to the training courtyard. Darian watched him with his mouth hanging open.

The idea of flying always scared Darian a little, especially after his less than stellar experiences, but after seeing that demonstration, he couldn’t wait to reach the Energy Gathering stage so he could try it out himself.

“Wings of Wind might seem like a basic and common technique,” Lucius said with a wide smile. “And on its own, it is. However, it can be used to enhance other techniques. I don’t know what the limit is, but I’ve seen your grandmother, Elder Astoria, use it when flying with Holden.”

If a cultivator in the Element Collection stage still used it, there was more to Wings of Winds than met the eye. Darian looked down at the scroll with a newfound respect for it.

“Interesting,” Astra said, flying down into the training courtyard. She was in her feline form. “There is more to your clan than I had expected, little Wind Dancers. I saw your demonstration, Cultivator Lucius, so I thought to come by and take a closer look.”

They both looked at her. Lucius’ expression closed down. Darian sighed. Even after all this time, he remained mistrustful of her. Darian hoped that would change.

“Hey, Auntie,” Darian said.

“Greetings, Cultivator Astra,” Lucius said.

Astra nodded to them both.

“If that Wings of Wind technique can enhance other movement techniques, it would go well with the movement technique Senior Sister Nova developed for The Nines Gates of Destruction.”

Darian gazed at her with sparkling eyes.

“The Nine Gates of Destruction has a movement technique?” he asked.

“Of course,” Astra said with a snort. “It’s hard to hit your enemies if you can’t reach them. It’s called Fiery Steps. Of course, you can’t learn it yet. You need to be in the Energy Gathering stage for that.”

Upon hearing this, Darian slumped. It seemed that reaching the Energy Gathering stage is when the fun began. It was when he would become a real cultivator.

Darian looked at the sky and clenched his fist. He was more determined than ever to finish building his foundation, and cross that threshold.

Darian then frowned.

“Can I even learn Wings of Wind?” he asked. “My cultivation technique is fire-based. This is a wind technique.”

Astra raised an eyebrow at him.

“Of course you can. Why wouldn’t you? Didn’t you learn about the Four Elements and their relationships with each other in your clan’s library?”

At this, Lucius grimaced.

“That knowledge is not in our clan’s library.”

“Then where is it?” Darian asked.

“I can’t tell you that.”

Astra laughed at this.

“Oh, I forgot. Your clan has a secret archive where you keep most of your dangerous knowledge.”

Lucius glared at her.

“That is a secret of our clan! How do you know about that?”

“I’ve spent the last twenty years or so skulking about Silverwood Vale. It would be strange if I didn’t know about your secret archive.” She raised her paw in a placating gesture. “Don’t worry, Cultivator Lucius. I haven’t actually entered your clan’s secret archive. Your Honored Ancestors would have stopped me if I tried.”

Darian glanced between the two of them.

“Wait, there actually is a secret archive?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me about it, Lucius?”

Lucius gave Astra a withering look before answering.

“As a security measure, only members of our clan who prove themselves worthy are allowed to know about the archive,” he said. “Usually this means reaching the Energy Gathering stage, or performing a meritorious deed for the clan.”

“And I have done neither.”

“No, you haven’t. It wasn’t something I could share with you, Darian. The rules exist for a reason.”

While he was disappointed, Darian understood where his friend was coming from. On the plus side, it meant that when he reached the Energy Gathering stage, he had a whole new source of cultivation knowledge to look forward to. Just the thought of it filled him with hunger.

“To give you a bit of an overview,” Astra said, giving Lucius an amused look. “Each of the Four Elements is supported by the ones next to it. For example, Fire is supported by Air and Earth, which is why you can use techniques of those two elements. However, each element has an opposite. Fire vs Water. Air vs Earth. If you attempt to learn a water technique, Darian, not only would you find it extremely difficult, but you might suffer from cultivation deviation as well. Don’t try it, otherwise I’ll be very angry with you.”

Darian nodded, before his mind thought back to a conversation he and Astra had a while ago.

“Didn’t you once tell me that my spirit root is so pure in fire, that if I attempted to practice techniques of different elements, my talent would be below average?”

“That’s for your actual cultivation technique. Supplementary techniques are different. As long as your cultivation technique matches your spirit root’s element, you can learn any supplementary technique, as long as they match or support your element.”

Darian nodded, before glancing at Lucius.

“Why was this knowledge in the secret archive, and not the clan library? It doesn’t seem that dangerous to me.”

“The clan elders wanted the clan’s youths to focus on building their foundation in Air first, before branching out into other elements.”

That made sense.

“Does this mean Lucius can learn and use techniques like Fire Fist?”

“Yes, though it won’t do me any good,” Lucius said. “Since my martial techniques rely on the sword.”

“True, but maybe Fire Fist can be adapted for the sword.”

For a brief moment, Darian indulged in the fantasy of his friend using wind techniques in a fight, and then surprising his enemies by lighting his sword on fire. He chuckled. However, Astra pulled him back to reality by swatting his head.

“Don’t even think about it, brat,” she said. “You promised not to share the secrets of The Nine Gates of Destruction with outsiders, and that includes Fire Fist.”

Darian sighed in resignation. Oh well.

“Speaking of fist techniques,” Lucius said, pulling out another scroll. “Here is the second technique I brought along as part of our deal.” He hesitated for a moment. “I’m not sure if I should give this to you or not. It’s from my father. He said it was an apology as well as a gift for you, Darian.”

Darian frowned at that.

“Apology for what?”

While Dominic Wind Dance hadn’t been friendly with him, at least he hadn’t been after Darian’s cultivation talent failed to appear, Darian couldn’t think of a specific instance where the man had insulted or hurt him in any way.

“For the way he kept trying to interfere with our friendship.”

“Oh. That.”

Darian had gotten so used to that sort of thing that he had stopped paying much attention to it. For him, it was normal.

“I mean, I won’t say no to a free technique,” Darian said with a shrug. “What’s the problem?”

Lucius still looked troubled.

“My father still has his ambitions for me,” he said. “He wants me to become the next Patriarch of Clan Wind Dance, and I fear that he will involve you in his ambitions somehow.”

Astra chuckled.

“Oh, that is precious.” She glanced at Darian. “Dominic Wind Dance is trying to curry favor with you, young Darian, for his son’s sake.”

Darian looked between the two of them confused.

“Why?” he asked, baffled. “I’m no one special, at least when it comes to the clan’s politics. Thanks to my technique, my status within the clan will never increase.”

“You are still the current Patriarch’s grandson,” Astra said, still amused. “You’re also an Immortal’s disciple, one with a lot of potential. Strength is what matters the most in this world. You’re weak now, but when you become stronger, you’ll become a valuable ally for someone like Lucius. Dominic is trying to ingratiate himself with you now, so that his family will benefit from his efforts later on.”

Darian glanced at Lucius, who nodded.

“My thoughts ran along the same line,” he said. He held up the scroll. “I don’t want you to feel beholden to my family.”

“Do you want to become the next Patriarch of our clan?”

Lucius hesitated before answering.

“Yes,” he said. “Not right away, but in the future, yes. I wish to see our clan grow and prosper, and becoming Patriarch is the best way for me to achieve that. I do want to see more of the world first. There’s so much to see and do.”

Darian shrugged.

“Then I don’t see what the problem is. I would’ve helped you out anyway. You’re my friend.” He nodded to the scroll in Lucius’ hands. “So I see no problem with taking advantage of your father’s generosity. In the end, we both benefit. It’s a win for everyone involved.”

After another moment’s hesitation, Lucius tossed the scroll to Darian, though he still looked troubled.

“What is it?” Darian asked, opening the scroll to study the technique.

“Severing Wind, or an incomplete variation of it at least. One of our ancestors experimented with the technique, to try and adapt it for one’s hands instead of using a sword, but he never finished it. I’m not sure how useful you’ll find it, but you should gain some benefit from reading that scroll.”

As Darian studied the technique, he saw what Lucius meant when his friend said it was incomplete. It was different from Fire Fist, which showed everything needed to learn and use the technique, as well as the principles behind it. This version of Severing Wind reached a certain point, just shy of completion, but never went beyond it.

Honestly, it bothered Darian, like a nail sticking out of a floorboard. He itched to hammer it down and finish the job.

“Like Wings of Wind,” Lucius said. “Severing Wind is a basic technique, but can be combined with other offensive techniques to enhance them.”

Darian’s head snapped up at that. If that was true, then could it be used to enhance Fire Fist?

“Are all of Clan Wind Dance’s techniques like this, Cultivator Lucius?” Astra asked.

Lucius just raised an eyebrow at her and didn’t answer. She grinned back at him.

Darian rolled his eyes, and went back to studying the incomplete version of Severing Wind. He had some ideas on how to finish it. The second set of stances for the Fist of the Mortal Flame would be particularly useful here, since they focused on targeting an opponent’s weak spots. That was for later, however. Right now, he would rather focus on Wings of Wind, since it was already a complete technique.

He set aside the Severing Wind scroll and picked up the Wings of Wind one. As he read, he listened as Astra continued to try and needle Lucius in the background.