Unencumbered by slower cultivators and a larger party, Kai took far less time to return to the Lotus Pavilion. Before meeting with the others, he took the chance to consolidate his microns, depositing half of his remaining celesium into holding at the Gilded Lotus.

“And she’s alive now,” Ai repeated. Kai found the Lunar Temple cultivators at the Golden Blossom, celebrating. He thought telling them about Meilin’s resurrection would remove some of the horror he saw in their eyes, but it didn’t work quite as he expected.

“Yes, alive. Her body was undamaged; there wasn’t even much necrosis to deal with.” Kai took a bite of a rice-filled steamed leaf dish. The rice was warm and seasoned the leaf wrap had a sour flavor that complemented the rice.

Bao shook her head and took a big bite of some seasoned pork. The previous lively celebration turned into an awkward silence.

“Looks like you guys did pretty good yourselves,” Kai noticed the four wearing unfamiliar robes. Ai and Yunfie kept the traditional white of the Lunar Temple, but Bao wore a green robe, and Song an orange robe with flower embroidery.

“Hah, thank the sky raiders,” Bao exclaimed. “Nothing is getting through lately, so we were able to get more for what we sold.”

“Feels nice to be clean again,” Yunfie smiled before stuffing a bite of a baked sweet dish into her mouth.

Song signed something, her hands emphatic.

“Song wonders if you could bring us back to life,” Ai interpreted. “If one of us died?”

“I suppose. If I got to your soul before it dissipated. But, if your body is badly damaged, that would complicate things.” Kai quickly swallowed another bite before standing up. “I’m off. I’m going to try to make a breakthrough. Let’s plan on that extra room tomorrow.” He grabbed a few dumplings before and headed out.

“I will have to take the transceiver offline temporarily,” Kai messaged Relay as he stepped out of the Lotus Pavilion. He looked down the main cobbled street to the sparkling ocean beyond.

“I’ll sleep for a bit then. I cloned the bestiary. You should review it; there are some ocean-faring beasts you may run into out there.”

“Thanks,” Kai empowered his steps and moved quickly through the city toward the port. He felt slow despite being a blur to the group of children he just passed. He was itching to fully empower and speed up but restrained himself.

The port was bustling when he arrived. Kai stepped off the furthest pier and swam to a rocky shore some distance away. He disrobed, tucking his robe into a hidden rock crevice.

He stepped into the water and fully empowered, slowing his perception down. Taking a deep breath reflexively, Kai dove down and swam through the syrupy fluid until he rested on the bottom not far offshore. From there, he saw the sun's light high above, like a silver ceiling. Colorful fish hung suspended in schools that barely moved.

Now, to internalize all this tech.

Kai knew he was taking a risk by wearing the transceiver inside the celesium necklace. Anyone stronger than him could rip it free, breaking contact with his microns and Relay. He directed the microns to disassemble and reposition themselves. He barely felt them as they pierced his skin and began building the flexible subdermal matrix.

One of the benefits of celesium-based microns was the biologically inert nature of the metal. He commanded the microns in his vambrace to enter his arm and reinforce his skeletal structure. He relocated the two signet coins to the buckle of his belt. Once the process was well underway and proceeding according to plan, Kai moved his attention to his soul space.

A solid core meant further compression of energy. More energy could be compressed into a smaller space. He was familiar with that process. If that was all the step required, then it would have been a simple matter to increase the output of his soul tether, splitting it amongst his advanced cores, then concentrating that new energy into one core.

But that wasn’t all. According to the information shared by the Iceheart clan, when a solid core materialized, there was a brief period when the cultivator could imprint it with the image of a weapon. Afterward, the idea could be refined, adding details to perfect it. Dramatic changes took a long time.

That’s why it was essential to have a solid understanding of the weapon when forming the core. Doing so smoothed out the progress in advancing. That was what the Iceheart clan believed. Kai had doubts.

The Iceheart clan’s manuals and training methods hadn’t clearly expressed any connection between their elemental ice energy and some underlying abstract concept.

Kai knew there was one. He could feel the implicit slowness inside their energy when he came near it. Moreover, he verified his hypothesis about the relationship between Qi and abstractions by running a series of experiments. This relationship was well established and not mentioned in the Iceheart clan’s material, giving him no confidence in their cultivation method.

But he’d seen the blue sword of Meilin’s brother. He’d felt the higher-quality energy it was made from. So there was something to this realm, something to their understanding. Kai spun up threads of thought to analyze the information he had from the Iceheart clan and compare it against the method of the Celestial Temple tutors.

While waiting for those threads to complete, he stepped to a screen and pulled up the diagram of his first weapon idea.

Personal Photon Disruptor

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A handheld weapon that harnesses the immense power of concentrated photons to unleash controlled devastation. Designed for swift and precise engagements, this sleek and portable device redefines the concept of handheld photon technology.

At the heart of the Personal Photon Disruptor lies a sophisticated photon emitter capable of producing short bursts of high-intensity light. This advanced emitter generates a tightly focused beam of photons that travel along a linear path, delivering unparalleled accuracy and devastating power. It disrupts the molecular bonds of the target upon impact, causing objects to disintegrate or destabilize. This disruptor has a limited range but is highly effective against armored targets or things that must be destroyed quickly.

Less effective on highly reflective surfaces.

Power Consumption: High

The image of the disruptor displayed a handheld unit wrapped around the hand, with the firing path originating on the palm. Aiming was done using that thumb and forefinger as sights. Kai swiped and pulled up the next idea.

Personal Harmonic Resonator

This hand-held device can project concentrated sonic beams that slice through the air, vibrating so intensely that they tear through solid materials. These sharp, sound blades can disintegrate obstacles, incapacitate enemies, or penetrate armored defenses.

The harmonic resonator also features a defensive configuration, emitting a harmonious shield of oscillating sound waves. This sonic barrier acts as an impenetrable force field, capable of repelling projectiles, absorbing and dispersing energy-based attacks, or deflecting physical assaults. The shield's frequency can be adjusted on the fly, allowing users to quickly adapt to threats.

Moreover, the Harmonic Resonator has a stunning array of secondary functions. It can emit focused sonic pulses that disorient opponents, causing temporary loss of balance, confusion, or even inducing incapacitating pain. By manipulating sound waves in intricate ways, it can create intricate patterns that disassemble delicate machinery or disable electronic systems, making it an invaluable tool for espionage and sabotage.

Power Consumption: High

Kai frowned. The harmonic resonator was clearly better, but his qi was so similar to light that a photon-based device would likely be more effective and synergize the underlying abstract concept. That was his primary concern. His intuition told him that a weapon that better expressed the underlying concept would be much more effective than one that didn’t.

This he arrived at by considering the case when two spirit weapons contacted each other. What would happen? How would the stronger be decided? For this reason, Kai considered this principle of conceptual alignment the most important in forming a weapon.

He swiped again, bringing up the last idea.

Polymite

The polymite is the pinnacle of polymorphic replicant technology. These microscopic marvels utilize the shape-shifting properties of polymatter to perform an array of extraordinary tasks at the molecular scale. Each micron, measuring a mere micrometer, comprises numerous interconnected polymatter molecules intricately linked to form a resilient and adaptable structure. These units can alter their molecular configurations rapidly, granting the polymite an unmatched versatility in their operations.

Powered by sophisticated onboard processors and artificial intelligence algorithms, polymites operate with remarkable precision and autonomy. They can perform various functions, from material manipulation to targeted cellular interactions, all at an unimaginably small scale.

Polymite microns are not limited to acting as individual entities; they can communicate and collaborate, forming cohesive swarms or intelligent collectives. This collective intelligence allows them to efficiently solve complex problems, perform distributed computations, or coordinate actions.

Power Consumption: Variable

Danger. The capabilities of the polymites raise ethical considerations and concerns. Their potential for uncontrolled replication requires stringent regulations and responsible usage guidelines to safeguard against misuse or unintended consequences.

Kai looked at the diagram of the harmless-looking octahedron.

Looks can be deceiving.

The polymite was banned in the Unified Republic, under penalty of death. Kai was only considering it because any weapon formed inside his core, and constructed from his Qi, was subject to his control. He could banish it, so the risk of rogue replication was minimal.

Plus, it wouldn’t be a real polymite.

Kai thought about it. The weapon formed inside the core was a collaboration between the cultivator’s conception and animating force. The blue sword he saw wasn’t made of metal. It didn’t have a leather-wrapped handle or a ground blade. No. It was made from Qi and only embodied that form.

A sword-qi cultivator that forged a spirit sword would be a terrifying opponent. Kai shuddered at the thought of meeting one of those.

Kai swiped back and forth a few times, reviewing each weapon. He was troubled. For his age, he was likely one of the most powerful cultivators on the planet.

Do I even need to advance? I barely know what I’m doing. If I rush in headfirst and ruin my cultivation, I will be worse off.

Then he thought back to his death and the almost casual way a stronger cultivator killed him. He ground his teeth together. At any time, he might run into someone stronger and intent on harming him or those under his protection. Would I be able to live with myself if I chose not to advance when I could have?

It came down to a simple risk calculation. Were the odds of cultivation deviation higher than the odds of needing more strength? The threads analyzing the cultivation methods began to return, and Kai assembled the data.

When the last conclusion was drawn, he assimilated them all. He flipped back to his choice.

I’m not going to start playing it safe now.