Kai next met Zae Zin Nim on the day they were paid. They hadn't planned it exactly, but apparently for security reasons the payments were disbursed by multiple merchants on the same day. After stopping by the Crystallier Headquarters, Kai found himself carrying another bag of gold. Even considering the fat Eagles and a crystal-studded coin worth even more, it was a hefty bag.

On his way out, he was surprised to see Ailag and Naellia sauntering out with payments of their own. Naellia looked irritated at him for some reason, but Ailag waved cheerfully.

"Kai, there you are! Up for a night on the town?"

"Is there some event?" Kai asked.

"Getting paid is an event!" Ailag moved closer, ignoring Naellia's glare to lean on Kai's shoulder. "You think you've seen the best Romastir has to offer? Not even close. The luxuries you've been given are nothing compared to what can be bought deeper in the city."

"I'd better not, I have a lot of catching up to do." Kai extricated himself from the other man's arm just in time to see Zae Zin Nim walking from another entrance. "I'll see you later."

"Oh, is 'catching up' what you call it?" Ailag leered after him, but Naellia elbowed him in the ribs and he cut off spluttering.

Even though it sounded like wasting time, Kai reflected that going together with the young crystalliers might actually be a useful way of gathering information. In their place, he probably would have spent all his money on more qi crystals. What indulgences attracted the most powerful fighters in the city could well be instructive.

For now, though, he was much more eager to talk to Zae Zin Nim. She had walked off to the side of the plaza and stood underneath a crystal lantern. On his approach, he couldn't help but run his spiritual sight over her soul.

<

Name: Zae Zin Nim

Total Power: 371

Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 8% (253)

Coldfire Corona: 12 (22)

Blackblood Physique Level: E-0 (80)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

>

At least she hadn't exploded forward and left him behind, but that wasn't much comfort after the enormous jump to the Nascent Foundation stage. Zae Zin Nim noticed and glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"That's the disadvantage of true cultivation," she said. "Your Classes rise so smoothly, and crystalliers can always increment more crystals, but our power moves in massive jumps."

"I was actually thinking you'd still made real progress," Kai said as he came to stand alongside her. "Except on your Physique."

"Normally I wouldn't spend any more time on it, after reaching E rank with the Body Refinement stage. However... I am willing to reconsider whether or not that is truly the path for me."

"How have you been doing?"

"I'm bored. I want to go to Yulthens."

Kai had been planning to stand side by side, but now had to look over at her. "Really? Surrounded by the kind of luxury you've been missing since you came and you get bored?"

"I want luxury and challenges." Zae Zin Nim folded her arms and looked away. "I've investigated the crystalliers and many of them bought their way to 100 Power. Just like the cheapest cheats to skip cultivation stages, it will catch up to them in the end. They aren't our equals."

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"I'm not so sure. They have a lot of kinds of shrouds here. I think they're hiding something, or maybe they use empowered weapons when they're in real battles."

"Both are possible, but I do not believe either is true."

"Guess we won't find out unless we fight them," Kai said with a shrug. "So why Yulthens?"

"It is the most prestigious city state in Krysal, and naturally the most powerful. It also sits on a river that passes directly to the coast, which means it might have access to Cloudspire resources. I need pure qi to advance, you need it to break through properly... it should be our next destination."

"I'm open to it, but are you suggesting we just leave?"

"No, we need to achieve three different things first." Zae Zin Nim raised a slender scarred finger. "First, you need to complete your shroud so we don't run into trouble. Looks like you're close. Second, we need to arrange and win some duels. If we do this right, we'll be passed along to more powerful sects with commendations for our work. Instead of going back to nothing, we can gain even more benefits."

"Wait, when did you figure all this out?"

"I have been speaking with Uarania about their customs. I believe she is frightened that she will lose her number two position to me, so she's motivated to give us a path onward. We just need a month or two of dutiful work, then we can arrange formal duels to prove our strength."

"I guess that could work." Kai folded his arms and considered it. "Alright, we can try that. But you said three things, what was the third?"

"We need to acquire flying transportation." Zae Zin Nim scowled out over the city. "It is a very long way to Yulthens and I refuse to walk or travel in their inferior carriages. If we buy our own vehicle, we can cultivate the entire way."

"Heh, I guess it's your money."

"And you? What have you been doing?"

Kai explained about his trip to New Laeneria and watched Zae Zin Nim's eyes slowly widen in surprise. She didn't seem interested in the plight of the locals, but she was curious about how the crystalliers and other forces of the city had been defeated. He wished that he'd had her along, because she could have asked some pointed questions that might have revealed more of the truth.

"It would be interesting to fight this Omilaena woman," she said. "It seems that she's single-handedly driven one of these city states to its knees, which I suspected could only be done by a sufficiently strong cultivator."

"I'm not sure we want to go against her, because I doubt she's the sort of person to fight fair."

"Even so, it would be instructive. It is always possible, as you believe, that the Krysali are hiding more secrets. It would not do to overestimate them."

"What worries me is someone with hundreds of thousands of crystals," Kai said. "Their strength seems to give diminishing returns, but I know some of those merchants deal with prices in the millions of Eagles. If they poured enough resources into a crystallier they could crush me, and I doubt I could keep up with the new investments."

"Perhaps. Let's see your progress."

"You haven't already checked?"

"No, your new shroud, though incomplete, is functioning." Zae Zin Nim poked him in the side. "Show me."

He reluctantly eased off on his new mental techniques and looked at his soul at the same time she did.

<

Name: Kai Clanless

Total Power: 135

Cultivation: Qi Condensation 95% (24)

Physique Level: E-2 (86)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

Bestial Traits: 11/6 - !!!

Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)

Direboar's Strength - V (epsilon)

Aquagorgon's Health - V (epsilon)

Gomodo's Stamina - V (epsilon)

Isulfr's Bite - III (gamma)

Tyrant's Claw - II (beta)

Direclam's Shell - I (alpha)

Wallcrawler's Feet - I (alpha)

Direserpent (???)

Shademonger (???)

Behemoth's Heart (???)

>

It was more or less what it had been before, except for his continual small improvements and the new monstrous powers. Kai sighed and shook his head. "I'm training as hard as I can, but I feel like I've hit a wall."

"This isn't a wall, you've just finished climbing a cliff." Zae Zin Nim favored him with a slight smile. "Remember that both of us made significant breakthroughs during the battle at your city. You cannot expect to sustain such rapid progress forever."

"I know, I just..."

"And I don't see you kicking back and indulging, I see you gathering resources for the next step. Just months ago, you barely understood your strange abilities and they were filled with unknowns. Now you've begun to grapple with them. Not sprinting down a dark and dangerous path is a sign of wisdom, not cowardice."

"I suppose so." It was rare that she was encouraging, so Kai actually found his spirits a little lifted.

"Besides, you're closer to a breakthrough than me. Once you finish the Qi Condensation stage, you will be significantly stronger." Zae Zin Nim shook her head sharply. "But don't blunder into it. You need pure qi if you want to be a proper cultivator. Well... you'll never be exactly that, but you still need the power."

"Thanks, Zae Zin Nim." He felt a little too formal using her full name, but she nodded in response as if slightly satisfied. Kai looked out over the city again, pondering how much longer they might be there. "So we finish our current work to prepare for the duels?"

"Then we leave this place, yes."

Standing side by side, he felt like they could do it. He'd been cultivating for months with little to show for it, in fact ever since before Rayakan. But despite fate blocking his path at every turn, he was finally about to reach the point where cultivation could become a significant part of his strength. Combined with the progress he'd made on his monstrous abilities, he felt prepared after all.

And since he was feeling good for once, he was sure that something had to go wrong.