Tundra left Noria Firefields that night.

There was really no point to linger too long and exploit Lord Blackpetals hospitality. In his case, he made an excuse that he had to help his children prepare for an upcoming mission.

“Looks like we won’t be able to rely on Prince Yaorl or Prince Gomerl so quickly. Our relationship with them is going to be fairly rough with these ministers in the way.” Severian mused as they gathered on the ship’s deck.

“Are there any other Princesses?” Celestia asked suddenly. Princess Luharl now found them interesting and wanted to pull them into her circle. That much was obvious, but there were a few other princesses.

“Yes.” Tundra said. “Princess Ziyarl is one of the stronger princesses, but she is allied with Prince Yaorl. She’s a fairly elusive person and audiences are rare.”

In his first life, Princess Ziyarl’s death was a quiet thing. It was just a sudden announcement that the royal family was assassinated during a private trip to the Murian Swamps. Tundra paused when he said it.

Murian Swamps.

He remembered those words from somewhere!

Ah, wait, his Great-grandson, Jason, was infected by Zuja worms in the Murian Swamps. Wait a minute, was Princess Ziyarl corrupted by the Zuja as well? But why did they have to announce she died?

Something did not add up somewhere, either Ziyarl was a Zuja agent and the royal family knew all along, or Ziyarl wasn’t so she was murdered there. How did the Zuja parasite interact with the gift of the Golden Dragon? Was someone with the Golden Dragon’s bloodline susceptible to the parasite?

“Do you think we can speak to Princess Ziyarl, somehow?” Tundra asked, but in his mind he tried to figure out how to do so. Princess Ziyarl was nominally allied to Prince Yaorl, and has long ago opted to sit out of the race. That said, it remains a public, but verbal promise and nothing actually forbids her from making a bid for the throne. “I can’t remember- has Princess Ziyarl declared her intention not to contest for the throne and threw her support behind her brother, Yaorl?”

He knew it happened, but the specific date wasn’t very clear to him.

Both Agnia and Severian looked at each other. “No. That did not happen. Not yet.”

“I see.” Tundra nodded. “If there is a way to speak to her, that may be a good idea.”

Severian frowned, and pulled his beard. “I’ll see what I can do. Agnia, after the Treasure Realm we’ll need you to start visiting our neighboring sects to shore up our relationships.”

Agnia bowed. “Will do.”

At this point, he’ll have to slow down for a bit. They couldn’t be seen as too desperate, that would only weaken their position.

***

The Verdant Leaf Town was busier. The streets were crowded, though people made way for them.

Whenever Tundra made a pill and sold it, it would flow through one of the few merchant houses of the Town. These partners would help the Verdant Snow sell them to the final buyers, or other intermediary merchants, and they would take a commission on the final selling price. But, as Tundra’s power and fame rises, the prices of his pills soared with it.

Cultivators would pay a lot of good pills. It is sometimes the difference between success and failure at a breakthrough, and the years of cultivation that went into that point.

More expensive pills then required more ancillary services. Inns to accommodate buyers and merchants. Security guards to prevent theft. So, naturally, alchemical and craft towns would just have more money flowing around in the town.

The shops were busy, but at this point, it was the tradesmen the busiest of all. Verdant Leaf wasn’t a big town, and space was still plentiful. But there was a shortage of suitable buildings. Shops. Storage areas. Suitable housing for the wealthy merchants and their scions.

There were more merchant houses constructing new buildings in the parts of town that were once quiet. People began to move in, to invest in new shops and offices to support the Verdant Snow Sect’s growing power. With a Seventh realm Master, one sixth realm elder and now five fifth realm elders, they have moved up a full rung of power, and that sort of strength came with opportunities for profit. Many would try to make connections with the Verdant Snow Sect for a share of the lucrative pill trade. Stronger cultivators collected more high quality goods for sale, and they also required more higher quality products.

Celestia could tell that there were new merchants in town. She walked the city streets so many times in the past few years that she recognized the faces of the men and women that tried to sell her wares.

Tundra once said this town would grow into a monstrously large place, and she wondered what it’ll be like.

“Celestia, was everything alright?” Elly asked, and Celestia turned to look at her other two peers.

“Yes.” Celestia said, her thoughts vanished as she answered. Elly was eating a popular local sweet, and Celestia had been around the woman long enough to know that she was most likely nervous. She had a propensity for sweets and cakes whenever she felt like she was under pressure.

The merchants shouted and tried to sell them their wares, but no one was too pushy. They all knew these three were the wives of the sect master, and their head would be on the chopping block if they tried something aggressive. The signs were there. A group of servants and guards behind them that picked up after them, helped to pay money if Elly chose a snack from one of the vendors, and just carried their things.

Marin looked thoroughly bored, but yet, she still joined Elly in the walk through their city street. Celestia wondered why, maybe Marin just needed to clear her head, like her. Elly tried to talk about more typical things. “How are things with your daughters? Last I heard, they were approached by some of the young masters during the ascension dinner. Are any of them future in-laws?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The fifth wife paused briefly. “I don’t really remember. They told me they went out for a dinner or two, and had tea together, but that’s about it.”

“What? Why not? Didn’t they tell you whether there’s going to be progress?” Elly asked. “I’d be excited if I’d have a wedding to plan. I enjoyed planning Edison’s wedding and Erin’s wedding.” Marin frowned. Edison was Elly’s first son, Evan was Elly’s second son, while Erin was Elly’s third child. Erin married an outsider, a nomadic cultivator named Johanes Silverhound, and together, they had three children, Jihan, Jericho and Jessica.

Marin looked at Elly, and frowned. “I’m not too interested. The very thought of dealing with my family, well, you know how that goes.”

“Ah. Yes.” Elly realized she touched the wrong topic. “Well, at least the kids are trying hard. Anna, Larian and Edison are so hardworkship these days! I’m so proud of them, they’re almost going to reach the 4th realm as well! ”

Marin did not really react to that.

Celestia wondered whether it’ll be enough. The treasure realms could be dangerous, the challenges within would test them, and hard work alone isn’t enough. If it was, a lot of their problems would disappear.

“Let me get something for them for their hard work.” Elly stopped at one of her usual pastry shops. The man there was getting quite old, but the moment she came he immediately greeted her like an old VIP customer.

She bought enough pastries for twenty, and it’ll be shared among all her kids and family.

“Do you girls want some? They are good!” Elly said.

Celestia merely smiled and shook her head. “No thanks. I’m just taking a walk to clear my head, not really looking to buy anything.”

“Oh. I prefer to eat. Helps me clear my head too. Hopefully Edison likes some pastry while he studies those illusion array things. It’s hard for me, no idea how some people study it so much.”

Celestia nodded. Some people were just instinctively familiar with cultivation. All three of them had it.

Marin just looked away from them, instead, her eyes were at some nomadic travelers and cultivators that came to visit. Some of these travelers and nomads looked at them, but all of them were wise enough not to make a move. Offending a city’s sect master was as close to courting death as one got.

Elly walked closer to Marin. The oldest wife can be oblivious in some ways. “Ohh. Travelers! Don’t see those often. Must be fun visiting new places all the time.”

Marin nodded.

Celestia quietly just shook her head, but didn’t want to correct her. It’s not like Marin would listen. The sixth wife remembered that she wasn’t powerful enough when she was a wandering cultivator. Maybe that would make a difference, or maybe it won’t.

There are experts hiding in plain sight, and that much was clear.

Marin should learn it herself. Experience is a bitter master, but unfortunately, some people’s dreams can only be medicated with a bitter pill.

***

There is only one month left before they will have to leave for Princess Luharlia’s treasure realm, and Tundra gathered the three children chosen for the treasure realm, and escorted them to somewhere quiet.

The three of them had reached the peak of the 3rd realm after a few months, and now, they were almost ready to attempt the breakthrough to the 4th realm.

“Father.” Anna asked. “The creatures of the Treasure Realm scale to our strength, correct? Is it better to in the peak 3rd realm, instead of the 4th realm?”

“That is a good question.” Tundra nodded, pleased at his daughter’s growing wisdom. The three have been taking so many pills that they look rather horrified at the prospect of getting more pills. “Since the strength of the beasts generated by the realm is determined by the realm, it is better to be strong in a weaker realm, than weak in a stronger realm, that is, if you don’t have any special knowledge and abilities. But know this, the rewards of the Treasure Realm also sometimes scale to your realm, so that is a decision you have to make yourself. If you succeed in the fourth realm, you normally would receive a commensurate award.”

His new elders all were gifted, and so even though they are just in the first few stages of the fifth realm, they were fairly confident of their abilities.

Anna, Larian and Edison shared glances, and all looked at their father together. “You mean we get to choose?”

“Yes. You three are adults, whether you want to attempt it as a peak 3rd realm or a first stage 4th realm, it is your choice. The rewards will likely be different.” Tundra said.

Anna closed her eyes, and decided to swing for the fences. “I’d like to try it as a 4th realm.”

Larian shook his head, he was always the slightly more reserved of the three. “I’ll stay at peak 3rd realm. I heard from the others that it isn’t good to rush through one’s cultivation, so I’ll take my time here.”

Edison, however, felt competitive. Tundra could sense that if Anna didn’t state her intention, he would’ve remained at 3rd realm as well, but knowing his half-sister will try the treasure realm at a stronger level made him eager to match it. So, out of partly jealousy, he looked at their father and said. “I’ll try it at the 4th realm as well.”

Tundra closed his eyes. This is the bed they’ve made. If they fail, they will have to live with the consequences. At least they’ve tried it. “Very well. Then here.”

Tundra placed two boxes filled with pills. There were enough 3rd and 4th realm pills there for many, and like his wives, they didn’t even need it. But the pills were a good backup.

“The two of you will break through together, now. First, begin by collecting energy in your soul. I will help this process by feeding you high quality energy.”

Tundra sat and did what he did with his wives. He created highly condensed packets of energy and sent it close to them. All they had to do was pull these packets of energy into their spirit realm through their spiritual roots and meridians.

This happened for about an hour, before both were ready. The regressor could feel their spirit fill with energy, though Tundra noticed Edison’s soul seemed to struggle under its weight.

He frowned, that was not a good sign, but it didn’t look like he should fail.

The challenges of the 3rd to 4th were fairly easy to overcome, and one just needed sufficient endurance and energy to push through.

Anna went first. “I’ll begin.” They gulped, but they both attempted to break through. Edison quickly followed. Tundra could sense them attempt to resist the weight of nature.

Anna’s energies seemed stable. He could feel her sweat, her fingers trembling. But she was making good progress.

On the other side, Edison wavered, the energy in his spirit realm seemed frail. The expansion of his spiritual realm was imbalanced. Luckily, he sensed it and quickly took a pill, the surge of energy quickly replenished her spiritual realm and allowed him to shore up the imbalances.

Anna continued to proceed smoothly, without having to touch the pills. Edison pushed some more, and took a second pill, again, this time he overcompensated.

Tundra immediately made a note of his spiritual control and energy control could be better improved. Edison struggled to spread his energies evenly throughout his spirit and make minor adjustments. That was something he would need to work on, if he returns from this Treasure Realm.

The two continued to expand their spiritual realm, and then, finally they succeeded. Tundra wasn’t sure it was a good thing for Edison. If he wasn’t good enough in the 3rd realm, the gap would be even larger in the 4th. But in the end, it is his choice, a teacher and a master can only guide, and try their best to correct, but they must walk the final path.

Anna and Edison were both fourth realm cultivators.

Tundra closed his eyes, the words were different from what is in his heart. “Well done, get some rest, and for the rest of this month we work on improving your mastery over your growing power.”

But in his heart, a man that made decisions because of jealousy and a desire to keep up would not be a good successor to the family. Edison’s power rose, but his place dropped in Tundra’s heart.