Slowly, the city was becoming a place deserving of its name. No more was it a clustering of tribes gathered to seek promises of safety, riches and strength. No, they had arisen anew as Clans and Families, giving substance to their bonds. They weren’t any more a group formed out of necessity to ensure their survival. They were individuals regrouped with the people they cared for, striving to create a future for their own. To always see a brighter tomorrow.

Those promises made by the four cultivators at the basis of the city’s foundation had given them a purpose, a fuel to their hopes.

All the Clans knew they would never stay perfectly safe, as their warriors still went out of the city to hunt and forage for food and materials. Even the fields they began tilling had started to expand beyond the border of safety announced by the Four Founders. Everyone had already realised that despite being tempted by resources and means to improve their way of life, only a portion would be shared. The strong still prevailed. It wasn’t anything strange to them, more like an expected rule to live by. It didn’t mean they wouldn’t strive to rise above their station. Instead, they had to learn different ways to fight their battles. Ones that didn’t spill blood or impede the city’s development.

Rather than seeing the different parts of the city – going from the Core to the Inner ring, then the Outer ring and the Suburbs – as a separation of the Clans, they saw it as a trial. Nate couldn’t even guess how long it would last, if ever, but for now, living in the City’s Core was seen as an honour as much as a responsibility. After all, until recently, the strongest were those who also had killed the most beasts. Those who had provided the most resources to their Clans. Those who would rise above the other during the tournament and be acknowledged as a Sect’s disciple. It also involved the people whose contributions to the city’s growth were the highest.

The Founders parting words were as much encouragement as a threat: “Growth is Salvation. Stagnation is Death.”

Strength wasn’t the only way to grow. They had made it relatively clear when granting knowledge. From ways to cultivate food, to create medicine or even how to erect actual buildings instead of huts and teepees – no matter how impressive they could be. If they couldn’t, they would be forced to stay on the city's periphery, losing grasp of their fates as they watched their neighbours improving their lives.

With the city settling into a routine, the only events bringing unexpected news were those related to the Tournament.

These news had a different layer of importance for anyone living within the Scott’s compound. Who qualified for the next round and which Clan and Family they represented only mattered in the prospect they would have dealings with them. Either they did, and thus, the related person needed to be probed so they could nurture their relationships. Or they didn’t, in which case they would debate on how, should it happen, they could bind themselves to this individual’s Clan.

A more saddening piece of news was how many warriors died or were crippled during those battles. Then, for each of them, if they had any relationships with the Scotts family and the Starstrong Clan. Three of the twenty-five fighters participating for the Scott family had died, while another five were crippled. Creg Scott, mentioned by some of Nate's youngest uncles during their remaking of a fight, was one of those crippled.

Finally, there was the matter of how the Scotts teams were faring. On this, as expected, all Scott fighters got eliminated during the third to fifth rounds. The one fighter who went the furthest among the Scott was Naelson, a grand-uncle of Nate. Still, he was defeated during the fifth round, winning only one of his fights. Those rounds had, as a rule, a best of three. Then, it was single eliminations until the semi-final. Meanwhile, the final's rules were said to be announced when relevant.

Only one fighter remained in the Starstrong Clan: Toorka Armstrong ò Starstrong. He was about twenty-nine years old and originally belonged to another Clan. It was a wonder how Toorka had gone so far.

To Nate, he was a stranger. Although he was glad to know the Clan got a good ranking.

Toorka’s luck lasted slightly longer until the sixth round, where he was eliminated. Still, he was the hero of the whole Clan, almost within the top 100 of all participants. This position allowed the Armstrong Family to be guaranteed grounds within the inner city. At the same time, the rest of the Starstrong Clan could settle in the best lands within the city’s outer ring. They wouldn’t be moving yet, as the reshuffling would only happen after the tournament. For now, most clans lived in the city’s suburbs or those who were there much earlier, in the outer city. The more central part of the city was left empty, safe for the Halls. While they knew in which district they would move, their exact lands were in the process of being assigned. Knowing a relocation was imminent, the Clans still prepared for it and packed most of their valuables.

After all, while the three rounds took about two weeks, the semi-finals and finals would only span another week.

Or rather, the finals would take most of the week since, from what few rumours Nate could catch, it was more of a show to display their skills for the four cultivators than a battle to be won.

Now that less than a hundred fighters remained, the city was more active than ever. As a consequence, the many newly built Halls were pushed to work. One Hall among them was forced to grow to accommodate for its crucial duties. The Hall of Order was responsible for registering every Family and Clan’s name and assigning their lands. It still wasn’t time to move, but it made preparations easier to plan for to know exactly where to ask would be their new lands.

Then there was the matter of laws. Depending on the district people lived in, different customs had to be held. From the City’s Core to its Slum, passing by the Inner and Outer District, each had to adhere to a set of rules. Some had already been applied until now, such as the height of the building being increasingly taller in the city. Or the minimum number of guards assigned to each field to ensure its content stays unspoiled from beasts and vermins alike. Others had to be respected from now on, like wearing an armband or a similar accessory like a belt to distinguish from other district’s inhabitants.

It was initially unsettling for Nate to watch this happen despite knowing how effective it might prove in pushing those at the lowest tier to strive for a better position. His inability to provide and implement another solution didn’t help. Then, through reviewing his mother’s thoughts on the matter, he realised his old-world thinking still bridled him. Rather than a constant reminder of their station, it was one of potential and acknowledgement. The Four Founders had put themselves in a position so far above the Clan that in everyone’s mind, they might as well be Immortal, here to provide them guidance. To earn their recognition was an honour.

With all four of them looking like old men, Nate doubted their Immortality, but he could respect their strength. The two feats they had shown that day, standing in the air and projecting their voices, were proof of their success in breaking past the limit of their mortality. Maybe not as Immortals, but as Cultivators, striving for this most desired goal.

While each Hall proved to uphold their responsibilities, the days passed, and soon, the Tournament ended. It was a significant enough event for the four founders to show themselves in the sky again. As it happened the first time, the man robed in blue, at the head of the Sky Sect, was the one to speak:

“Since the last time we saw each other, the city has grown spectacularly. At that time, we announced the start of this tournament. Now that this event is over, we can see how much you’ve grown. To all of you who worked for this city, to the warriors who participated in the tournament, and to those who reached the end, Congratulations!

We’ve seen your struggles and your drive. We find you, …Worthy.

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For that, a few will be granted the honour of becoming our disciples. Six for each of our Sect.

Their Clan will be rewarded for their effort, with a method to cultivate and the resources to make it happen.

And with the right to live in the innermost part of the city, just near the Core where the sects reside. Finally, they will be burdened with overseeing the different Halls.”

On this, Nate wanted to scoff, as it was apparent that each of the winner’s clans already possessed those methods. They were most certainly the clans getting in contact with those cultivators at the very beginning before the Exodus was even triggered.

“The other Clan’s rewards might not be as impressive, but they will satisfy you. Going to the Hall of Order will see those prizes offered to you.

If those aren’t enough, then strive for next year’s Tournament. You will have a chance to prove how worthy you are.

Until then, keep growing so that you might someday conquer those lands that oppressed you for many years.”

As soon as the speech was over and the four cultivators went down, disappearing amidst the City Core’s buildings, it was like a hive had been stirred awake. Everyone was either going to the Hall to confirm and collect their rewards or busy preparing to move into their new lodging.

For Nate and all other young children, it meant being gathered under the supervision of a few adults until they were ready for the short trip. Despite Diane having gone to the city several times and most recently being a daily visitor to the Hall of Life, Nate tried not to watch her memories of the city for what concerned its details. He knew there were several districts with the major places of interest. He had also often heard discussions about how the building looked. So he knew they were generally taller while going closer to the City’s Core. He could even sometimes see the closest buildings from their camp. But he didn’t want to have ahead of time a clear picture of what his home for years to come would look like.

Not only the surprise and joy of finding his new residence was something he was looking forward to. Since, in his past life, surprises had been one of the few things that alighted his day in his later years. But it was also a way to prevent himself from inspecting his mother’s every memory. He did not want to get used to this addicting feeling of foresight about the coming events, thanks to the prediction he could make while ‘reading’ his mother’s mind. It wouldn’t cause harm to try to stay in the dark about a few events for which he held no influence or had already done all he could.

Late afternoon, as they were ready to leave, Taah and Kresten Scott, both family elders – Great-grandfather and Great-granduncle to Nate – returned from a council with the Clan’s other elders, ancestors and chief. Their first announcement was that the Family’s departure would be delayed to the next day so they wouldn’t clog the streets. It was confirmed later in the evening when other members returned from the city.

After that, they shared a more detailed retelling of Toorka’s fight. As it turned out, he might have made it to the sixth round, but he was trashed in a moment by his opponent and was, even now, still resting from his wounds. A few of his bones were cracked, and his beating was vivid proof that the first clans to arrive in the city had gotten more rewards from the founders.

To the Clan, it was proof of how far they could go and that the cultivator's promise of strength beyond their understanding was real. In the eyes of the people, those cultivators weren’t much different from Immortals. For Nate, it was a warning that there would always be favourites.

The last matter they addressed was about the Clan growth.

Until now, the Clan’s families were named after a skill set shared by most members. While this distinction would still apply, they needed to be more specialised and have a shared venture to bring the Clan together. The more resources they could funnel into one project, the better their harvest.

For the Armstrong and Alistair, which included most of their strongest warriors, it meant involving themselves with the Hall of Order as guards, builders, and farmers.

For the Scott, it wouldn’t change much from before, still specialising as scouts. Only now, the task was to look for threats and resources outside the city’s border to prepare the path for hunters and other teams.

The following missions would be where the Kestreye family would shine. Then, the last of the Clan’s Family, the Tailoark, would keep their focus on crafting.

As for their shared project, it was decided it would be on farming. At this, many of the audience listening to the two elders were loud in their protests. Until it became known that Diane would be one of the five leaders designed for this group. There were only approvals on this, as they had all seen how she was already growing her plants even before they arrived at the city. While a few were worried about her young age, they were quickly rebuked by mention of the young mother’s involvement in the trade centre and the Hall of Life and how she was one with the most recognition from other clans.

The other worry, legitimate this time, was about the Alistair since all of Diane’s relatives, save for Flint, had taken the Alistair's name. Those worries were quickly assuaged by Kresten, who revealed having shared his concerns during the gathering. While the Alistair were unhappy with one of their ‘own’ taking credit for another family, the other families promised they wouldn’t let anyone disturb Diane.

While all of this was good news for Diane, as she would get to keep doing what had become a passion, her son and mate were conflicted.

To Nate, Diane having more responsibilities meant less time to rest and spend with her children. Which translated into less time during which Nate could monitor her health and manipulate her Qi. But also more opportunities to improve their lives and increase the resources he would have access to in the years to come.

Whistler was proud, yet moody, for he wasn’t any more the most influential person in their household. On this, he swore he would strive to improve to not shame his mate. It was a bit ridiculous to watch.

The ensuing night wasn’t restful for most of them, still excited as they were from their imminent relocation. When the morning came, and they were given the clear for their trip, it became the fastest and safest time they had ever changed their Clan’s living spot.

As they entered the city proper, Nate was reminded of its scale. For the thirty-something thousand people they were, a city accommodating all of them was actually much larger than he thought. It should’ve been obvious since more than half of the city was built with single-story buildings. As it was, they had to walk for almost a mile before getting to their destination. While they did, Nate could see the things he often saw or heard others talking about, which he caught glimpses of in his mother’s dreams and memories.

Each district was separated from the other by a large patch of land, about eighty feet. Then, the buildings found inside were also different. While in the city’s outer ring, they were made almost exclusively of single-story houses, they got higher in the deepest part of the city. Each house was made with a base of stones, then a wooden frame filled with walls of bricks covered with lime paste. The roofs were made of wood and tiles. Rather than packed houses crammed together, they were arranged in squares around one or several courtyards. The streets were of two widths. Some were around twenty feet for the principal axes, while others were about five feet. Those last ones weren't always straight, instead slithering between each compound. On the border with the inner ring, where they would live, a few buildings had a second floor, each time the most extensive roof in a complex. Then, on the other side, where the Armstrong family would go, the number of two-story houses became the norm.

As they entered their residence, passing through a main gate leading to a courtyard, Nate was reminded of Chinese manors. It was even more evident than from the outside, with several courtyards and buildings linked to each other all around. It became apparent then that the two-story building was the principal residence. It was unanimously decided to be for their few ancestors and a handful of teenagers to support them.

The youngest couples, like Diane and Whistler, were arranged to live in a long house devoid of most inner walls. It was more like a dormitory, except they had wooden panels to separate each couple. Nate and Stelia were still young enough that they had to live with them, but Nate saw most other older children going into a building with only a few adults to look after them. From what was being said, he supposed it really was a dormitory.

While it undoubtedly improved comfort, their new residence was also less spread out. In some cases, their bedding was even more crowded. Yet what was on everyone's mind was how they had made their first step toward a much better future. As Nate fell asleep in the small crib next to his parents, he looked forward to how this budding and already large city would develop.