“Ebony, please inform someone that your delivery is arriving so they don’t destroy the shuttle.” While Kong Jing begrudgingly led them towards a wooden shop house with open walls or door. Their doors were removable wooden panels and this particular store was fully open. Hex quickly informed him of the imminent arrival of the gifts he bought on her suggestion.

“Already? Didn’t I place the order a few days ago?” Ebony didn’t let the phone usage distract him. Since there wasn’t anyone walking around, he didn’t know what their daily wear was like but he could imagine it from the people in Xienor.

“This is for Sky’s Edge…we’ve sent our best. Delivery is on us this time.”

“You didn’t send it, did you?”

“Hex is insufficient for any dealings with Sky’s Edge.” The internet provider or assistant truthfully stated.

Ebony told the news to Kong Tian before the fifth-generation Xeng walked away to handle whatever it was he was busy with. “Visitation gifts? You’re a polite one.”

Ebony and Xin pulled their reluctant sister into the store with a shorter lady lying on a rattan or bamboo recliner chair. Still fully masked, it was a lady wearing neither a cheongsam nor a qipao. It was closer to what he saw in modern-day take on ancient Hanfu but not frilly. It was thick fabric and something that was not gender specific since Kong Tian wore something similar. Webs seemed to be a recurring pattern in their mostly black-and-white fashion and he wasn’t sure if the embroidered image was that of a type of spider.

It was nothing like the immodest battledress Kong Jing jokingly made for Xin. The Xeng’s fashion seemed like the picture of modesty barely showing any skin, only hands and their neck.

“Who do we have here? Little Jing! What did I say about your image, how can you walk out with your hair that messy!”

Kong Jing seemed to have completely given up unlike with Kong Tian. She was flung onto a stool and forcefully had her hair combed by her aunt.

“So you’re the seventh generation Ning. Hmm, I see. So you do have the resting state. Fire from your grandfather and father, and thin blood…Wind and lightning thinned out so much too. Tch, what a waste. But your body structure is perfect, as expected of a Ning. Fantastic frame if not a little pathetic in strength. Take this pair of scissors and cut that cloth in half with your essence.” The shorter lady was slender and had skin almost as pale as Xin. She lazily pointed to a pair of scissors on a red plate and then swiped to the right where a piece of fabric hung.

The random request aside, there was no derision or contempt in her voice, only a bit of despondency. Ebony thought Kong Jing might have exaggerated what Ning Xin would have to deal with here.

The shop floor didn’t have many things other than a counter, a few chairs and a bunch of fabric of various colours displayed. There was no reason for them to sell items to one another on a daily or even yearly basis so these shophouses were probably more like a workshop and showroom. According to Kong Jing, the crafters of Xeng mostly made custom orders and sold them through the net.

They were not as rich as he imagined because the building materials seemed like it was Epic quality or lower. Though the craftsmanship of every item he was surrounded by including the floor he stood on was likely way higher than he could imagine.

“I heard there was a lost boy…which clan are you from? I can’t embroider the wrong emblem now, can I? I wonder which generation’s child you are?”

“I’m not too sure. Are there duplicate clans with the same surnames?”

“Aunt Hua, Grandaunt Ning is going to confirm that later.” Kong Jing was out of energy because she was suddenly dressed in a similar black and white dress with the web design without her consent. She probably struggled but couldn’t resist the stronger space mage.

“Ah, how troublesome. I’m making you a guest’s garb for now. Ice…none of us have ice except the Yin. Mind…Ning? Doesn’t feel like it. Body, fragile. Can’t be the Shi then. Magic resistance is okay but definitely not the Xu. Celestial resonance…maybe the Yang or Yin? Gravity does remind me a bit of the Shi again but that body…forget it, even a halfie can’t have such a weak body. Can you take that pair of scissors and cut the other piece in half for me?”

The mutterings of the women were soft but she meant for all of them to hear her words. A new pair of scissors on a red plate had magically appeared on the counter and so did another large piece of cloth appeared beside Xin’s.

She was not a woman of greetings and it seemed like tetting or handshaking was not a culture here.

“Why are you sweating?” Ebony picked up the scissors and walked up to the new piece of pure white fabric just like the one Xin was holding the edge of right now. The woman was obediently following her senior's instructions since she wasn’t in her aggressive state and was amiable and agreeable.

She actually ignored him, fully concentrated holding the pair of scissors but not making any the cut like she was asked to do.

Ebony faced his own and cut the piece of fabric vertically in one pull. There was nothing hard about it, magically or not.

“Haha. Boy, I forgot to ask for your name.”

“Ebony.”

“I’m Kong Hua of the sixth generation. I guess this proves you’re one of us. Halfie or not.”

“How did you determine that?”

“You cut this in half without pause. Look at that girl struggling. She’s a quarter. She can probably cut the cloth if she gets out of her resting state, but she’s still a Xeng. She’s trying to prove to me that she doesn’t need to convert to push that pair of scissors down.”

“Is there some spell working? I didn’t feel anything.”

“I wouldn’t call it a spell. I asked two of you to cut it in half. There is a mental suggestion placed on the scissors and the cloth. Should you cut it vertically, horizontally or diagonally? It forces one to second guess themselves.”

“How does that prove anything?”

“Even the weakest of us never second guess ourselves.”

“Hmm. But can’t you see that’s not why she’s struggling?”

“I can. So silly…the Nings aren’t the great three for nothing. I guess dilution doesn’t erase what she’s made of.”

Xin finally moved her hands and cut the cloth perfectly in half.

‘She might have improved more than I assumed. Perfect half, down to the molecule. Is this just talent?’ Ning Xin’s pure control over a thick pair of scissors was beyond human.

He wasn’t sure if a personality test was the entire reason Kong Hua told them to do this but the precision he saw from a resting Xin was beyond what he was capable of.

“Anyway, I was just kidding. The scissors don’t have that function, all it does is conceptualise your essence and print it onto my fabric blend. You’re no fun, that dead face is hard to look at.”

‘Are the Xengs just a group of people with weird humour?’ Ebony recalled Ning Xin’s grandmother and her pranks.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The tailor’s jokes aside, Ebony watched closely when the pure white fabric he cut in half was dyed light cyan from the cut and it spread throughout both pieces. The fabric slithered, contracting and expanding.

“Pft…alright I had enough fun. Did you think the fabric was moving itself? Hahahaha.” Kong Hua tapped all 4 pieces of fabric rolled it up between her arms and walked to the counter. “Little Jing, serve the guests tea.” Turning serious and letting her niece take over while she worked on the clothes.

‘Was she using space magic to tailor? I didn’t sense any foreign mana moving.’ Ebony probably disappointed her fun because he wasn’t embarrassed at all for thinking he was looking at self-crafting fabric.

“She’s just like you, sister.” Ning Xin took a seat at a square bamboo table that teleported out of nowhere yet again. She likely knew that they were being pranked from the start and didn’t tell him. The whole fake test about cutting the cloth was also part of the prank, it was to record their essence. Ebony did not expect that from the older lady and took her too seriously.

The stools supported his full weight with ease and he didn’t need to use gravity magic.

“...Aunt Hua is my father’s younger sister. Here, tea.” Despondent in her long dress, the lack of thick work gloves and properly bundled up hair with hair ornaments Kong Jing sat and poked around at Ebony’s pet cube. The tea cup also just plopped onto the table.

Space mage culture and etiquette were not something he could comprehend. He wasn’t about to question where the tea came from or why his mana senses could feel a few hundred thousand room-sized boxes in this shophouse, unable to escape the door his eyes were looking at. The only doors that existed throughout the house were the ones his eyes were looking at.

He had a feeling that if he were left alone in this village, he wouldn’t be able to Flicker out. Forever.

After all, this shophouse was Kong Hua’s Domain. And the village was some other space mage’s territory. The intense Will had suppressed his Will before he entered. He couldn’t cast his Domain, nor infuse any spell with Will. If he wanted to fight, all his spells must be on manual activation yet again.

The landmass known as Xiaoya or Sky’s Edge suppressed his Will before he even entered the bubble film surrounding it and maintained an atmosphere. It was absolute, nothing like the Elves’ home. His Will was bound to his mind tighter than ever as if an immovable rock had been placed over it.

Naturally, this alone weakened him significantly but he already tested his body. The ambient effects couldn’t stop what he could do internally. Including infusing his chassis with Will and essentially casting an internal-only Domain so that his augmentations aren’t weakened in any form. The same could be done to spells but the Will imbued wouldn’t be able to change anything to the surroundings unlike in normal conditions.

This experience alone answered his questions about what would happen when he clashed with another Domain mage. It was all about a stronger or more intense Will. However, he probably wouldn’t be able to fully suppress another Domain mage’s Will with his current strength.

It already made the detour worth it.

“Ning girl, I’m done, let's get you changed. This is yours, Ebony.” The tailor tossed over a dark blue bundle to him and used space magic to disappear along with Xin. It gave him a bit of…reflexive action of reaching out since the way she disappeared was similar to the time she got sent to Teheil.

“Umm, Sister Jing.”

“Whaaat.” Mask planted into the table, she kicked the immensely heavy cube around under the table. Dribbling it like a football. The cube shrunk.

“How do I put this on?”

“Haaa. give it here. This pants. Take your shirt and jacket off,” Instead of using space magic, she actually taught him.

Placing the pants on the table, he removed his clothes and allowed Kong Jing to help him get dressed.

“This is the inner garment. Arms through the sleeves. Tie this string to the inner hoop here, overlap the left over right. Remember, it's the left over the right. Tighten this other string. Your pants go underneath. Then this waistband around you. Then do the same for the outer garment. There’s only the upper and lower garment now but a robe is usually part of the set. This is the casual set. Combat set wouldn’t have the upper garment be so long it reaches your ankles. It would split in two down the middle for leg movements instead of just at the sides. I’ll whip up a matching pair of sneakers for you.” Kong Jing helped him and patted his chest to straighten the dark blue garment that was as long as any skirt or dress should get.

Of all Kong Hua’s jokes, it seemed like the conceptualisation of essence wasn’t a lie. The garment was printed with a familiar tree with a thick trunk, plums and burning petals on the back. While the front had light wavy lines without any particular design with a few thin branches reaching forward from his back. He wondered if the wavy lines were supposed to depict his generation of mana.

“Sneakers?”

“You know, like the ones on Eidolon. They said traditional Xeng shoes sucked and the older generations just forgot what they looked like. Aunt Hua doesn’t make shoes.” It didn’t take her much effort to produce a pair of sneakers.

“What about these huge sleeves?” He waved his arms around

“A few clans used those sleeves for hidden weapons in the past. It’s not necessary anymore but they didn’t see it as a reason to change their fashion style. It’s pretty rare to see such sleeves, but this is the form your essence gave it. It must fit your fighting style. Almost forgot, left palm over right fist for greetings but it’s not required for us seventh generation. Unless you’re meeting some of the oldies who take tradition very seriously. Flipping it the other way around would be a challenge to the death and will be taken seriously children or not.” She showed a simple example of the greeting. He already learnt that from Xin long ago when he asked about the tetting culture on Elva.

The ladies were taking a long time so Kong Jing could share a bit more about the culture.

When they did reappear, he saw Xin with her hair tied up in a bun but still had enough length to gush down her back. Near-pitch black garments with highlights of red at the edges. There was a white crane embroidered on her upper left chest but no other patterns were visible. However, he could feel the mana patterns of the same feather as her mask together with outlines of flame. Despite the plain garb, she looked sharper than ever. Unlike his garments, the female set was just one dress possibly with a set of pants under. There were a few other slight differences in accessories. The thick garments were supposed to hide the figure but it wasn’t able to do that to her.

And her waistband didn’t lack a holder for her swords.

“Now are we ready?” She looked a little peeved, just like her cousin.

“Your Uncle Tian is on the way.” Kong Hua patted Xin’s shoulders and did a final check on her dress before she reclined back onto her chair. Yawning, she muttered, “I’ll make you a combat ready suit after I see you fight. Take care.”

Ebony left a basket of assorted fruits on the countertop before they the left shophouse.

He didn’t know what Kong Jing meant before but walking in this garment felt extremely natural and comfortable.

‘These sleeves hide joint movements, it's indeed good for my fighting style.’ It was still a demerit overall but less cumbersome than first impressions told him.

“Now you’re presentable. This way to the Ning compounds, follow me. You’re maskless so don’t let your mind wander as we walk through their Halcyon Gates. Little Jing, did you prepare that for him? Smart kid.” Kong Tian once again appeared before them.

But this time they were no longer in the Kong Clan compounds, they were on a dirt road in the middle of a meadow. For these space mages not to use space magic for transportation could only mean they lost the ability to, or this was some sort of unspoken rule when going to another Clan’s home.

Ebony had no idea what the older man was talking about and Kong Jing only harrumphed at the compliment.

“What’s that gate going to do?”

“It’ll put one into a state of tranquil peace and intensifying happiness, forever trapped in a dream until you turn silly and only know laughter. Don’t worry, it’s just a toy version. The actual version is in Ning's training hall. It wouldn’t kick into effect with a certain level of mental defences. Ning Xing said you’ll have no problems so you shouldn’t be a baseline or subhuman.”

“Any reference on who’d it work on?”

“We’ve had a few visitors. Some Saint Aberrants, monsters who purified their birthworld’s essence from their body and obtained a class, would unfortunately just lay down after they passed through the gates. The Ning’s don’t get many human visitors. Challengers are usually dealt with by the lower clans and rarely ever get to the Nings, those that do aren’t bothered by this toy.”

“Challengers?” Kong Jing questioned for once.

“Battle. We used to get them every single day after some kind of declaration by The First. I heard that period lasted four hundred years during the third and fourth generation's younger days. Nowadays, we receive proper requests for challengers and plan them every month or two. The sixth generation is still lacking so the chore of beating Saints usually falls on us fifth. Ah, I'm excluded since I’m not considered a combatant but they’ve been trying to push it to us since challengers these days are so weak.” Kong Tian sighed at the end.

“If I remember correctly, the Xengs have a total of 3 Saints? Is it that hard to evolve if most of you are Emperors from the sixth generation onwards?” Ebony thought it was weird since it sounded like the sixth to third generations were all Emperors.

“How should I say this…there is an additional requirement for evolving into a Saint and not just skill levels. Xing’s granddaughter, the legacy your parents left you. They are only Tier 6 right? That’s the best of what the majority of the fifth and sixth generations have refined. That is the limit of what people call mortals and what separates us from the colloquially known ‘higher beings’ that are Saints and above. We're here this is the gate.”

Although it was called a gate, it was just a stone arch 50 metres tall and half as wide.

Without pause, all four of them stepped past it while conversing. None felt a thing from the magical arch.