The Third Peak had once been called that because of the relative level of natural energy it possessed. Cultivating atop the peaks had been the only way to escape Gnadus, a planet of eternal cold. Now, it was a challenge seldom faced except by the natives.

Marlene barely remembered the time before the contact, where a visitor from another world had come. After the following troubles, ultimately Matija and her people had offered a chance for those on Gnadus to leave- and many did. They weren’t leaving behind lives and family, because most went with them. The planet was harsh, and undesirable for living. Even now, only a handful of decades later, it barely felt alive.

It had changed in some ways, though. The natural energy had grown from almost impossibly thin to actually useable, with the introduction of a number of frost-loving plants. Gnadus would never be hospitable, especially below the icy fog, but it was more tolerable. Still the sort of place only cultivators choosing to challenge themselves would live. The records of the original settlers and their reasons had long been lost, just like most of its admittedly very minimal residents.

The planet was mostly empty, but rather than discouraging Marlene it had inspired her. She did not begrudge those who had left- even cultivators seeking easier routes to ascension or power. She hoped that someday everyone could leave behind Gnadus. That was the same hope of her mistress, though Mistress Janae would actually remain regardless. She had chosen the path of Assimilation, and guidance. Perhaps someday she alone would remain… or perhaps the planet would always have its visitors, some of which might choose to remain until their ascension.

Marlene could not say, and she would not be around to observe for much longer, because she was going to ascend. Today, in fact. She felt it strongly, though it wasn’t as if it had snuck up on her. She had plans, for when the Third Peak pointed at just the right section of the heavens. Instead of merely escaping Gnadus, she had the goal to meet up with a group in the upper realms. The cold ice around her was not a hopeless wasteland, it was merely the frozen chill outside of a warm home.

Around Marlene swirled the icy fog of the world below. This was the power she would wield, the path through which she would lift herself to the heavens. Her will solidified the mists under her feet, raising her up. As she reached the edge of the atmosphere- thin and tenuous as it was- she drifted off into a place between as her ascension took hold.

-----

Xankeshan was a busy place, especially bustling around the main settlements. This was where most of those from the lower realms lived, both those of the Order who had first gathered together and those who joined after. It also included the newly ascended, of which there were frequent arrivals. They weren’t daily or weekly, but over the course of time their numbers swelled.

In addition to Engineer Uzun, there were a few others from Rutera. There were a number from Weos, most recently Shikoba. There might have been more, but many from Weos chose Assimilation rather than Ascension. Ceretos had quite a number as well, even after the initial waves. Among them, the most unique was Rhoda from the Worthy Shore Society. As a former subsidiary of the Exalted Quadrant in the upper realms, it was risky for them to ascend- but Rhoda had still taken the chance. It seemed the ascension guiding formations of Xankeshan were sufficient, along with her intent to arrive there. She had still felt the pull on her cultivation, however, and if the Worthy Shore Society had not slightly altered their technique she might not have been able to overcome it. She honestly thought they should diverge more, if possible.

There were over a hundred individuals just from the triad of systems who had ascended over the last two centuries. More than a hundred integration cultivators made them as powerful as a mid-strength sect in the Scarlet Midfields, and that was not counting the fighting force of lower tier cultivators. Those had to be from the upper realms, disciples joining them- of which there were many.

Even so, they could not be counted among the top sects without Augmentation cultivators. There was hope for some to reach that level ‘soon’, within a century or three, but to go up against the Harmonious Citadel they needed the strength of the Dark Ring and other local groups. That included smaller groups that weren’t even planetary in scale. They needed as much cooperation as possible to overcome the Harmonious Citadel.

Everyone was expected to do their part, and for many of them that meant fighting in the war. No one who had Ascended would complain about such a thing- they understood that their strength came with responsibility. If they wanted peace, they would likely have done better staying in the lower realms. Not that the earliest Ascenders had much information in that regard, except a general idea of how cultivators operated.

-----

Hoyt was the individual in charge of coordinating those from the known lower realms and various other groups. He didn’t work alone, of course, but every group needed an official commander. “Thank you all for gathering here today,” Hoyt said. “As you are aware, the war is increasing in intensity. Previously, we were unwilling to occupy territory adjoining the Harmonious Citadel, but it had become clear that it will be more necessary in the future. We intend to make a strike on one of their planets, with the intent to fortify it.” Hoyt held up a hand, “I know you have questions, just know that other groups will be coordinating to share the burden with us. The details of the assault will be kept to a select few for security reasons.”

“You think we have spies?” someone asked.

“It would be stranger if we did not have any among us,” Hoyt replied. He did expect them to be below the Integration level, however he would not say that. They kept more careful track of those in Integration. They could fairly easily trust all of those from the lower realms, and the others would be too big of a risk for anyone. It wasn’t easy to hide where you were from, after all. “But leave that for us to worry about. If you have suspicions you can back up, you can make a report, of course. But we intend to have you focus on those outside. The forces here are sufficient to occupy a world.”

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“How will we deal with the saints?” another asked. “We don’t have the power to fight against Augmentation cultivators.”

“We are carefully tracking the saint’s movements,” Hoyt said. “And the recent improvements to our fleets will allow us the necessary observation and maneuverability to respond if there is an incident. Though the Harmonious Citadel is large, they cannot trivially field a hundred integration cultivators. They would likely need more, with us in a defensive position. If they bring only saints… we have tactics to take them out with as few casualties on our side as possible. They can just be killed, after all. We’ve shown that.”

The following time was filled with him explaining what he could, without giving away the key details. Though he could instruct everyone not to tell family and friends, not all would listen- and eventually details would spread. Velvet would be watching the manner in which that happened to attempt to catch or at least determine the aforementioned spies- though they might leave them operating to feed false information, if it seemed feasible.

-----

Anton went out of his way to visit the surprisingly vibrant desert planet whose name he did not know once more. They were still just as insular, but repeating contact with them without escalating to violence would hopefully result in changes eventually. Sadly, Anton could not visit regularly. It was simply too far.

His route back, except for a few stops in the same manner, intentionally went through different systems he found notable for any reason. Most were unoccupied by humans, which was expected. Anton was ready to discount the current system he was flying through, circling each of the planets once but finding no plantlife- the most basic requirements for life of any kind. In the end, everything ate plants or something that ate plants. Humans were no exception.

The natural energy on the particular planet he was currently circling was strangely high, above the background levels. It had nothing of note, the surface merely rocky and bare like Ceretos’ moon, though larger than Ceretos itself. Anton almost passed it off as the gravity attracting the natural energy, but then he saw a ship. A flying ship, approaching a mountain range and diving into what Anton realized to be an artificial tunnel. He followed after it, slowing as he approached the mouth.

Weapons faced him there, well concealed. They felt almost like a natural part of the planet itself, only a slightly higher level of background energy giving them away. And the individuals manning them, of course. The concealment wasn’t perfect, but for those with less developed senses than Anton it should have done.

But weapons or not, Anton approached. Heavy bolts flew through the air towards him, and he smoothly dodged them. “No need for that,” Anton projected his voice towards them. “I come in peace. May I speak to someone?”

The attacks did stop immediately. Anton heard some discussion about ‘spy from Shrenn’. Normally he would have allowed some privacy, but he needed all the information he could get. He wondered where Shrenn was. Perhaps another settlement? He could have missed some. Or, given that this ship descended from outside the atmosphere, perhaps it was another planet entirely.

“You may approach,” called a feminine voice. “Understand we will hold you to your promise of peace.”

He didn’t expect any differently. And with what felt like three Life Transformation cultivators approaching, they clearly meant it. He flew in, following the ship to a hidden hangar not far beyond. There was an inconvenient- for any flying vessel- ninety degree turn before that point, though he supposed it was more secure that way, not directly visible from outside.

“Where are you from, stranger?” the woman in the lead asked. She was flanked by another woman and a man.

“A planet called Ceretos. You are capable of traveling between planets, correct?” Anton looked at their ship.

“Yes,” the woman said.

“I thought so,” Anton nodded. “I am Anton Krantz, sect head of the Order of One Hundred Stars. May I ask who you are and where I find myself?”

“I am Anatu,” the woman replied, “The commander of Rolis outpost. You find yourself on the planet Tenoun’a.”

Anton could tell she was watching him carefully for his reaction. He did not attempt to fake anything. “I am from far away, so I have not heard of this place before.” He noted that the flying ship was not the shape of a traditional sailing vessel. It didn’t even have wings, instead being more of an oblong block, except for weapon emplacements and viewing ports. “Do you receive many visitors?”

“No,” Anatu said. “We do not.” That was… mostly true. But Anton did not think it was entirely true. Others had to come, or they would not worry about spies. But he would not be the first to bring up Shrenn.

“I don’t intend to intrude, but I was passing by. I am surveying systems throughout the lower realms as part of my training.” That was mostly true on Anton’s part. Dealing with people was part of his growth, and stars as well.

Anatu’s reaction was not visible, but Anton could feel it. Something he said changed her heart rate. “We would be interested in hearing of your travels,” she replied. “However, it will take some time to set up a proper meeting, away from here,” she gestured to the area around them. It did seem to be mainly a military outpost, though Anton didn’t mind that in particular. But perhaps they didn’t want him looking at their various ships. Too late for that, but he could understand. And the fact that they needed so many militarily prepared ships was a good reason for them to be cautious.

“I don’t mind,” Anton agreed. “I can wait as long as necessary. Where would you like me to go?”