Conflicts between humans arose most easily out of fundamental needs, or perceived needs. At a basic level was food and land. Shelter, home, and area of safety and control. Cultivators were no different, though they needed energy as well.

There was only so much Anton could get away with, giving things away. People got suspicious, for good reason. So right now he was wandering through the wilderness planting seeds while thinking about how the vast majority of In’istra’s surface was unused by humans. The same was basically true of Ceretos, but while the total landmass was similar In’istra was somewhat larger so the effect was more obvious.

Sea plants were the solution- but could also very easily be the cause of another problem. Any plants that had a high density of natural energy would be tasty treats for the sea beasts, which were already a problem for the humans. If they grew stronger and were competing for something, he couldn’t see it going well. Certainly not as they were. And it wasn’t like they needed to be efficient in their usage. Not this century or the next. Heck, maybe close to a millennium depending on their growth rate.

But with his help and their own work they would doubtless recover from the latest invasion more quickly. If they properly retained the knowledge of the cycles and the coming threat, they would be ready to face it. And with Varghese and the local branch of the Order established, he hoped they would never forget.

Soon enough, it would be time to move on. He would still visit, of course, but he couldn’t focus on one planet forever. Not when he knew there must be dozens more in the same situation, or more. That was the problem with the lower realms, the disconnect between systems. They didn’t necessarily have to be unified… but at least aware of each other. And unity would be better, as long as they agreed on the right things. Best to not let them turn into another conglomeration like the Exalted Quadrant or Trigold Cluster only together for the power they gained over others.

-----

If only off-planet communications weren’t limited to important military functions, Chidi could ask for advice. He didn’t want to royally screw something up for himself. And that was quite possible because he was talking about messing around with his body. Inside it, perhaps.

Then again, that was what the replica of him was for. And despite what Aconite said, it was perfect. And he had yet to carve a single line for formation markings. He just wasn’t sure what made sense. Speed was paramount when wielding a weapon, as long as you were fighting someone in the same realm as yourself. The ability to land blows was critical. And yet… he wasn’t sure in what way he would want to augment his speed.

He returned every chance he got, comparing himself and the statue and groping around for inspiration. For the sake of his own development, he always at least practiced his new flexible formation style, redirecting the flow of energy in the area with his sword. So far as he could tell, it was as advanced as he could possibly manage before stepping into Life Transformation. Or maybe advancing was a requirement for him to step into Life Transformation. Technically, he could just create an energy gathering formation and push himself over the threshold. The One Hundred Stars would allow him to advance, but without the right progression of his essence, it would just be a hollow step forward. A bit more power, but without meaning behind it.

His essence was that of the sword, but he couldn’t deny that was only part of him. Formations were a component of that. And then there was the thing that had prevented him from contacting his mother even though he could have come up with an excuse, given her position. His parents were wonderful. They had given him everything he needed to grow. He couldn’t even say they’d been overbearing or demanding. Even so, he had a need for independence. And yet… he also intended to find his mother and learn from her in depth after everything was over. Did that make sense? Conflicting ideas stifled his understanding.

But perhaps that was the way of cultivation. Sorting out those contradictions. From what Chidi understood, it would never be finished. Not even in Augmentation, and probably the same was true of Domination.

Still, no matter how hard he thought, Chidi couldn’t think of a single formation he would want constantly affecting him. And that wasn’t made better by the thought of multiple. He liked the idea of flexibility, but he couldn’t help but grimace at the way every piece of every inactive formation would react with what he wanted at any one time. It would be in constant flux, and that was without considering outside energy flows. Like the kind he would be intentionally causing extremely frequently.

Somehow, he felt he would find the answer. It was inside him, somewhere. He just had to dig it out. Hopefully soon, because the swordmaster was clearly getting impatient.

-----

Sometimes, Anton wished he could be everywhere all at once. Then he would remember Everheart, and he would be glad there was only one of himself. Besides, he didn’t want to solve the whole galaxy’s problems on his own. He just wanted to do what he could. And the best thing he could think of was building people up so that in the future they could do the same for others.

In’istra was a good place for that. Varghese was a good pick, not to pat himself on the back. Then there were Sharma and Vasudha. Their talent was less important than their character. That was true of everyone, from Anton’s perspective, but it was nice to find those with talent.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Jamilah in the Reef of Serenity. Anton regularly returned to her- and thus aided her and the Reef’s Expanse. It was likely she would take over as harbormaster soon. Not just because of cultivation, but if administrative abilities were considered more important she likely would have been managing the harbor a decade prior.

Then there was Captain Wangi, who roamed the seas. He would occasionally find her in ports, but since she didn’t fully know about him- and more importantly her crew might find cause for concern with a strange man flying in- he would limit himself in that way.

Back on Aspin, there was even Jai, the proprietor of Varghese’s favorite food stall. Or rather, the only one he’d been able to afford. But now, it was his favorite. And Jai still ran a food stall, it just involved a lot more use of natural energy in the cooking process, flipping various things on a grill using extensions of energy like spare hands. That was what Anton liked most. People who cultivated and simply continued to do what they did… but more. Jai fed people in at least two neighborhoods, including many who couldn’t pay. Or who hadn’t been able to pay. The establishment of proper education and training had allowed people to fill in the gaps in… well, literally everywhere. But at first it had been construction or just removing rubble.

Removing the spies from the upper realms had been a slow process. It was still ongoing, but Anton had hopes for it being fulfilled to completion without a great war. After all, there were only so many Twin Soul Sect members that could hide among the populace before they just became the populace. And they found all of the important parts of society below them.

That was the problem, really. If the upper realms just wanted to manage worlds in the lower realms in a non-exploitative fashion, Anton wouldn’t have any quarrel with them. But it was so easy for people to fall into that, especially when the harm they caused was more than just a world away, out of sight. Not that everyone cared about the damage they did, but some people would at least have empathy.

Soon he would have to see if In’istra had any close neighbors, and then spend a proper amount of time pondering over whether to introduce them. Even if both sides had the best of intentions, poor timing could cause new interactions to go poorly. Ekict was a lesson Anton wasn’t eager to repeat, a malevolence beneath the surface that was still ultimately the fault of the upper realms leaving a lingering wound on the system even after their defeat.

-----

Watching from afar, Chikere had wondered why her apprentice didn’t just cut apart the statue he’d made. Obviously he had to take his time to make sure he did it right, but she hadn’t seen any other reason for it to exist. Though the sword it held was rather nice, it would be a shame to see it gone. The materials would never hold up in a real battle, but she still liked it.

After watching him for a while, Chikere decided that her apprentice was dealing with things she couldn’t understand. Formations and the like. And even when he finally got to something she understood, she didn’t get it.

He took his sword and cut it. Made sense. A vertical swing, and a slice that ignored the outer layer to cut apart some of the inside? Useful practice, if nothing else. Though of course proper defensive energy would stop the attack either way, so the only thing accomplished was that he presumably cut precisely what he intended and no more. A lofty aspiration that Chikere could get behind, but she couldn’t understand why. There were no internal organs there. No muscles that would be bisected. If that weird looking statue was a person, they’d suffer basically no damage at all.

But of course, that was the point, wasn’t it? She learned that as he continued his efforts, carving both inside and outside the statue. She wondered when he would stop. No doubt he would have to think about it more soon.

Yet he didn’t. In fact, from the moment he actually began to the very end, he never paused for more than a moment. Chikere was right about what it was. A formation, obviously. She’d seen and studied many of them from the practical side of things, where she had to cut them apart. But what it did, she had absolutely no idea. Obviously it would do something. It had to, or there wasn’t any point in it, was there?

Instead, it looked like it was just… part of a formation. A bunch of intermediate pieces. Like a sword without a hilt. Or maybe its blade. Or maybe it was only missing the guard? Whatever it was, it was annoyingly incomplete. She couldn’t wait to see it finished.

And then he stopped, and nodded his head like he was satisfied. But it wasn’t done. She wanted to yell that at her apprentice, but she’d promised the next time he saw her she’d be dragging him away to fight Rakiya. So she kind of had to hang out away from him for a few extra months. His growth was so quick that she hadn’t really thought she was pushing things, but there was always the issue of breaking through to a new level. It was impossible to say how long that would take.

Chikere almost missed it. Her little apprentice stretching out his blade, and then all at once swinging it forward. He not only chopped in half the statue of him- she knew that was going to happen to it eventually- but created myriad tiny blades that cut… into himself. Unless Chikere was mistaken, the process that Catarina had used on Fuzz and herself had been more… gentle.

Bleeding from hundreds of cuts, both internal and external… Chidi had to advance from it, right? She should feel something amazing. Any moment now. Except instead, he just fell to his knees in the dirt. Along with blood, he was leaking energy like a sieve. She should probably do something about that.

But something stopped her. Perhaps she could have interpreted the expression on his face as acceptance of his own death, but she chose to believe it was confidence. Even if she didn’t understand it in the slightest. This was perhaps the first time someone had used a sword like a sword and she didn’t understand the results. How exciting. She’d have to ask him about it assuming he didn’t die here, or from fighting an Integration cultivator.