Now that I had reached the Elder stage of cultivation, I was honestly at a point where I couldn’t progress. The Four Heavenly Kings had messed up the qi of the world so much that there wasn’t actually enough around to support ascension. So I had to put my time and energy elsewhere.

Li stepped up as the general of our army, organizing the cultivators and teaching them to work as a single unit. I taught cultivation at the highest levels, helping Adepts and Experts make their breakthroughs into the Master stage.

And I started by putting down a moratorium on baby-making with any who attended my classes. Especially Kaoru, who tried every trick in the book to talk me out of it.

I wouldn’t be ignored on the matter, and had little Guiying as proof of why it was best to focus on cultivation in the short term. I did sweeten the pot by giving everyone a special incense that enhanced qi absorption, and sharing my insights on the elements and how to use them. Because of that, anyone who’d found their dao was pretty quick to hit the Expert stage of their cultivation, bringing our average strength up by leaps and bounds in little more than a year.

Experts took longer to train, but I took them to the monastery’s ruins to cultivate as often as I could. The nexus hadn’t been fully restored, but it no longer felt like an open wound on the world’s qi network, at least. Plus it was far enough away from where we’d stashed everyone that a sudden ascension like mine wouldn’t be a signal torch declaring our location.

That said, our little army was about ten thousand soldiers strong, and all of us had families who had gone into hiding alongside us. The mountains were a great place to hide, but supplies were far from sufficient to sustain us all. The fact that we needed less food, water, and rest as cultivators helped, but it was a very lean time. A lot of songs were written and sung about how we’d suffer now to reach paradise later. It didn’t comfort me.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Fortunately, the mountains had a great deal of iron ore, and a seam of coal we could use to work it. So our gold, wood, and earth cultivators spent long days mining for iron and coal, while the fire and water cultivators would spend their time smelting out iron, then forging weapons and armor of steel.

It was hard work, but it was also a way to keep those too young to fight feeling like they were helping out. Chang and Chen were at the forefront of the children’s work groups, often working in the gardens and fields or looking after the younger kids while adults took on the more dangerous jobs. There was still resentment that they weren’t allowed to mine or fight, but I’d much rather they not risk a mountain falling on their heads right now, let alone what the armies in the outside world might do to them.

Speaking of which… It was just as I’d thought. The world tree that had been unleashed by the Tortoise King’s death had alerted the other three Elders that his lands were basically up for grabs. The whole of the north was now a giant warzone, where the armies of the Dragon, Tiger, and Vermilion Kings now constantly battled. No one was safe on the open land, especially non-cultivators.

Plus side, I’d personally been there to see the Three Heavenly Kings try to destroy the world tree, and silently gloated as they failed. The Vermilion Queen of the west, beautiful and captivating as she was cruel and petty, couldn’t singe a single leaf with her flames. The Dragon King of the east, with all the fury of ship-killing storms and murderous tsunami, could only water the stubborn thing.

The White Tiger King of the south didn’t even bother trying. I think he’s planning to bide his time and off the others. Well, that’s fine. One less problem while we work on the other two, and it means I know what he’ll try.

Best news I relayed from that scouting mission was that they were still plotting against one another. Those among us who can still remember their rise noted that they took down every other Elder and Ascendant cultivator that existed by working together, striking quickly and unexpectedly.

Well, one bad turn deserves another. And my little bunny brain has a perfect strategy for making their downfall as embarrassing as possible.

But first, I have to get Kaoru to stop whining and start cultivating to her true potential.