I spent the rest of the evening wandering the main cavern just observing, watching how other Sect members comported themselves. Most acted the same as I did, wide eyed and awestruck for the most part. The unbelievable wealth that Dragon Spire was displaying casually was meant to be impressive, and it was. Those individuals tended to interact with Dragon Spire Sect members with a hesitation and respect that I would characterize as considerate instead of obsequious or fawning.

There were individuals that were the exceptions, those that acted aloof and impolite. Young masters and mistresses that acted as Lord and Lady of all they surveyed. Even for some of these individuals that had barely stepped into the Body Refinement Realm, they radiated an aura of entitlement.

I could only surmise that these people were the young geniuses of the Sects that was sponsoring them. Or they had been raised by powerful Clans or Houses. The tournament was restricted to middle and low tier Sects, and while it was possible, these people came from other high-tier Sects, I doubted it.

I had considered they were members of Dragon Spire but quickly discounted that idea. There was something extra, something that was hard to define that members of Dragon Spire Sect projected, something these popinjays were missing.

Entitled and rich, certainly, with none of the maturity or humility that every Sect member I'd encountered projected. Those people were quick to react, to make their disdain obvious, but they lacked the ability to center, to be more than the Dragon Spire members had mastered.

More aware, more involved, more assured.

It was in the way the Dragon Spire Sect members moved, mindful and with purpose, managing to clear a path without incident or oppression that was the main difference. We reacted unconsciously to whatever it was they were projecting. Somehow understanding that they were Alpha, Cultivators that were among the best of the best, and doing so without offense.

My time people watching was interrupted by a parade-like event, I noticed as the evening progressed. Elves were masters of the land, but we shared the world with the Hindel. They were almost never found this far inland, so it was not surprising when the crowd watched with interest when a pod of Hindel made their way through the crowd.

The other race native to the planet, the Hindel were masters of the water, living within the ocean's depths. They were able to circulate Qi, their ability to cultivate interesting. They formed cores like beasts, but those cores did not evolve naturally, they required cultivation techniques to advance in the same way our Dantian and Spirit Oceans.

This formation of beast cores had been problematic almost from the moment our two races were forced to interact. Too many speciests considered them nothing more than intelligent animals, despite their abilities to transcend Realms. They pointed out that beasts had that same ability to transcend realms. The debate might have resulted in war, as those detractors, had no compunction about farming and claiming Hindel cores. I think that they maintained their cities and homes within the ocean's depths, the only real reason our races hadn't engaged in full scale wars.

Battles did rage, but they never devolved into a world war. And those battles soon ended when those that collected Hindel cores were forced to admit that differences existed. The cores could not be absorbed or used, the cultivation techniques the Hindel used to advance acted as a lock. Without the cultivation key to open that lock, Hindel cores were nothing more than paperweights.

The Hindel themselves bridged the divide between mammal and fish, having the respiratory system of both. Capable of breathing the atmosphere, they also had a set of gills that allowed them to flourish in water. They were a strange amalgam of otter and dolphin, having the facial and upper body structure of the otter, that merged into the fishlike tail of a dolphin.

Their physical structure made them reliant on Qi for movement when out of the water, or for those not powerful enough to adapt using Qi, a three-wheel vehicle that supported a tank of water. This contrivance was adapted to make use of the Hindel's powerful tail for power. It held enough water that their lower bodies were immersed. They were held in place by a series of belts so that as they 'swam' the water was directed into a mechanism that powered the machine, giving those riding the freedom of movement.

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The empire of Cai'Li abutted the largest ocean in the world, so the fact that Emperor Halycon would have established diplomatic alliances with the Hindel was understandable. But their presence at a tournament for young Cultivators was baffling. There was no reason for it, Dragon Spire was steeped in the fire element, an element that no Hindel had ever mastered. They would require additional infrastructure to offset those energies, costs that had to be borne by Dragon Spire or the Emperor.

I doubted they were here to observe the matches. The speciests had been forced to concede the Hindel were more, but biases still existed. Those biases seemed to have focused, instead, on the protection of Elven cultivation techniques, so concessions had been allowed. Not sharing cultivation knowledge, the most meaningful.

Most Sects were already fanatical when it came to sharing techniques, and although observing individual duels would not allow the techniques, they were using to be completely understood, a talented cultivator with high enough perception could gain insights simply by observing how a person's Qi flowed.

With that understanding, they might then be able to reproduce in part the techniques they observed. With enough understanding, a gifted cultivator might be able to use those insights gained to replicate or create new variants of the technique. A variant that allowed counter-measures to be created.

The crowds kept a respectful distance from the Hindel as they were traveling the concourse. But eyes followed, some yearning for a chance to speak with them, some wary about their intentions. I would have loved to spend a few moments chatting with them. It would have been interesting to try to understand their perspective on the world and their place in it.

Plus, I was nosy.

I wanted to know how the machine they were operating worked, a machine that looked very similar to a three-wheeled motorcycle. I had the barest understanding of Blacksmithing, Arrays, and Formations, my focus had been on Alchemy, so I doubted even if someone explained the mechanics involved that I would understand. And I had to admit my interest was more emotional than intellectual.

The only reason I was interested was that it reminded me so much of the motorcycle my husband had owned. Saturday excursions on that bike had been some of the most enjoyable of my past life. We both grieved when technology had advanced to the point that we could no longer find fuel to operate it.

But that was in another life, and I would not be so crass as to approach the Hindel in an effort to satisfy my curiosity. That didn't mean I didn't follow from a distance, or that I wasn't delighted to find the machine docking at a sales booth. The process of pulling up to a sluice allowed the Hindel to dismount. A huge tank of water was fronted by a shop being run by the Hindel. Their goods including pearls, coral, and water aspect treasures.

I stopped to listen to a few discussions between vendors and customers. The Hindel's voices were full of sharp whistles and eerie songs. The sounds were not only melodic but comforting. Voices that carried the secrets of the ocean's depths.

As I stepped forward, determined to purchase my own piece of Hindel craftsmanship, I realized that the sounds were actually Qi infused, a bit of illusion and charisma produced to entice those passing by. It wasn't powerful enough to subsume a person's will, but it could stoke the flames if there was even the slightest interest in purchasing something on display.

Once I identified the Qi and the subtle pressures that were being exerted, I was able to gain control and really observe the items for sale. They were beautiful, the coral-filled with earth aspect, the pearls similar to the Qi found in plant life, a mix of earth and intent. None of them really called out to me, they would do nothing to further my cultivation. Other than serving as conversation pieces or trinkets they served no intrinsic value for water and air aligned cultivator.

The water aspect treasures were interesting, but even here they were barely above Body Refinement Realm. I was positive far more powerful treasures existed, but the Hindel had probably already traded those to Dragon Spire directly or hoarded them for personal use.

I had to force my way through the crowd once I decided there was nothing on display that I was interested in purchasing. I wasn't the only person to leave, but the Hindel were doing a brisk enough business, that those of us leaving made hardly a dent in those clamoring for attention.

As I finally broke free from the crowd, my stomach began rumbling, reminding me I hadn't eaten since breakfast. The day had passed quickly, and a quick query to my jade token informed me that it was well past dinnertime. I hadn't really managed to network, at least anything like the Patriarch would expect, but I considered meeting Yvonne and Davis a matter of good fortune.

More importantly, I had commissioned a set of armor I could use for tomorrow's matches.