"You have what you need," Yuyu said. "Figure it out."

Travel was no excuse to stop channeling. Sunwhisper had begun to suspect that his core wouldn’t be forced into the proper rhythm by brute effort alone, so he began to try to bring about the change by a less direct means. Mana followed the patterns it found most amenable to its nature, and this was as true of array formations as it was of sound and vibration.

The system had identified the proper frequency for the utilization of gold mana. Sunwhisper found that he could meditate as he walked, applying a pattern derived from the frequency of his steps, his breathing, and his very thoughts.

Janna was suffering from lack of sleep, but Sunwhisper’s silicon brain was capable of drastic compartmentalization, and he was only ever half asleep at most. He spent most nights channeling, albeit at a reduced cognitive capacity, and that was part of why he’d been able to advance as quickly as he had in such a short time. In many respects, his artificial body came pre-equipped with some of the advantages usually reserved for cultivators of a third star. Janna might have had a sudden leap forward, like a nutrition starved child suddenly reaping the benefits of full, healthy meals, but Sunwhisper was better equipped for marathon training. He was also continuing to use the damping ring, though he still shared it with Janna when she requested it.

It was mid-morning when he felt the change. Through meditation, he had become intimately aware of the disparate rhythms of his body, from the beat of his artificial heart to his accustomed gait, and the flow of mana in his meridians was no exception.

When he first began cultivating, he had assumed that mana flowed continuously, but now he was better able to discern the subtle variations in that motion that resulted from the gentle but steady pulsing of his core. It was fast, several times more frequent than a heartbeat, more like a vibration than a pump.

He felt it when it changed.

His core found the necessary frequency, condensing the pure mana of the Pool of Ten Thousand Tears and rendering something yellow gold. He fell into the rhythm of Xanthous Ascendancy, familiar, because he had experienced it so often as Starscream’s host, but also new. It was not as strong, but it was his alone to call upon.

Poppy City had just come into sight in the distance as they rounded a stone outcrop. Karasu circled overhead while Ogumo played at stalking Ise Ebi. Janna was too lost in her own walking meditation to notice what had happened, but Yuyu sensed instantly that he had succeeded.

Sunwhisper stopped in his tracks, gold light flowing across his limbs like water. There was a different quality to the mana than when he had used the technique before. It was smoother, less riotous, a difference in attitude as much as in power. He and Starscream were not the same.

(Nice, kid. Next stop, three stars.)

Yuyu paused as well. She was leading the group, and she did not look back to acknowledge the accomplishment. Just a moment’s pause, and then she walked on.

Sunwhisper dismissed the technique. It was his now, and he could call upon it when he chose. There was still plenty of channeling to do.

The laboratory of Kaito the alchemist was a place of extraordinary organization and cleanliness. Every inch of the room was carefully arranged and meticulously maintained, with not a speck of dust or clutter to be found. The shelves were lined with rows of gleaming glass beakers and flasks, each one labeled in Kaito's precise scripts. The counters were clear and free of any unnecessary items, and the floor was spotless, swept by his assistants every hour, on the hour.

Kaito was a man of exceptional, arguably neurotic, meticulousness, and the character trait showed in his work. He had strict protocols in place for handling and storing ingredients, and he was as particular about the manner in which he went about routine tasks as he was those that risked life and limb. Every action he took was carefully planned and executed with the utmost care, and he would not allow anyone else to touch his equipment or interfere with his work apart from the minor duties assigned to his assistants.

Whether despite or because of his idiosyncrasies, Kaito was widely regarded as one of the foremost alchemists in Poppy. He had an almost preternatural memory for the properties and interactions of the herbs and other ingredients he stocked in his shop whether he used them daily or once every ten years, and he was able to create elixirs and pills that were said to be unparalleled in their efficacy for the cost. Cultivators sought his services regardless of clan affiliation, a state of affairs he saw as more of a headache than a source of pride, as it was said that the Azai clan patriarch kept a record of all those that came to see him.

To Kaito, his work was a sacred calling, and he approached it with the utmost devotion and respect. He spent days and weeks lost in the joy of experimentation and creation. He was a man of great passion and purpose, driven by the need to improve upon the unimprovable, devising modifications to recipes that had stood unquestioned for centuries, and cataloging every second of his day.

The three-star might never advance again, but his knowledge and his expertise meant he was more valuable to the clan than many more powerful cultivators, and he knew it. He also owed Yuyu a few favors.

Kaito’s laboratory was located in an onion shaped room, the top level of a stone tower he had bought and surrounded with fences in the middle of Poppy City. At any given time, he had nineteen servants in attendance, as he was fond of prime numbers, and it was one of them that opened the door for Yuyu and her companions.

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The servants all wore identical white robes that had to be replaced at the first stain. They shaved their hair, their eyebrows, and everything else, to ensure that no stray follicles found their way into a brewing elixir. Because of this, they were largely interchangeable.

Yuyu certainly had no reason to remember their names.

"This way, mistress."

They were led up a set of stairs into a decontamination chamber. Another servant sprayed them with an acidic concoction that stung Janna’s nose, and they were informed that the sacred beasts that accompanied them had to remain on the lower floor.

A very unlucky servant was tasked with entertaining a raven, a spider, and a lobster, while Yuyu, Janna and Sunwhisper were escorted into the laboratory.

As someone with a mana body, Kaito did not have to worry about stray hairs, but he kept himself as depilated as his underlings. He had round cheeks and a slight belly. Appearing to be in his middle age, he was at least two hundred years old and had spent most of those years in this very room.

"I have grass," Yuyu said, without preamble.

Sunwhisper was still carrying his massive, web strengthened pack of Seishin grass, and Janna had a sack slung over her shoulder as well. Both of them were acutely aware that they had been hauling sacred plants more valuable than all the Soma the Jin family harvested each year, and it was a relief to set their burdens down on a long steel table that was cleared for that purpose.

"I can see that," Kaito said, frowning at the packs. He gestured to a group of waiting assistants, and they set about breaking down the haul into more manageable bundles, weighing and labeling the samples as they went along. "What do you wish of me, Mistress Makoto? And who are your associates?"

"These are my students. I want them ready for the Heavenly Trials in a few weeks, and I need you to make sure they will be."

"Students?" Kaito took in the marks on their arms with a sweep of his eyes. "You want elixirs, then. Shall we settle on a 20% fee?"

"Fifteen," Yuyu said, "for our long friendship."

"Twenty percent is for friends," Kaito grumbled, but Yuyu met his eyes, and he relented. "I suppose I want to keep you happy," he said, and Sunwhisper noted that there was yet another servant acting as scribe nearby, recording every word that was exchanged between them.

Sunwhisper took a moment to tour the laboratory. A glass terrarium about the size of a bathtub drew his eye, as its contents were moving. A host of ruby pill bugs were swarming around a few food pellets that had been dropped in by an assistant moments before. They looked like ladybugs, but without the black spots. There were thousands of them.

Next, he examined a vitrine sealed by an array. Behind it were a selection of lotus cuttings, fresh and dewy, apparently frozen in time. There were seven different varieties on display, each one accompanied with a small plaque of information as if it were a museum display.

"Green Lotus Flower: The Green Lotus Flower is a rare and highly prized herb that is said to have powerful medicinal properties. Its petals can be ground into a powder and mixed with spirit water to restore energy and vitality, as well as repair and regenerate damaged tissues and organs. The Green Lotus Flower is often associated with nature and growth, and it is revered for its ability to bring harmony and balance to those who use it.

Grinding instructions…"

(That array, take a closer look.)

Sunwhisper followed Starscream’s suggestion, examining the mechanical box that sealed the vitrine. There was a latch to open it, but doing so would break the seal and interrupt the preservation effect. The box contained a series of crystal spikes wrapped with copper wire, all of it etched with an elegant, looping script that shimmered with faint traces of umber light, brown mana.

"Get away from that!" Kaito had continued to discuss terms with Yuyu, but upon noticing Sunwhisper’s interest, he bustled over and pulled him away from the cabinet. He was not a large man, but he had strength enough to handle Sunwhisper like a child.

"This is not a playground," he snapped.

"Apologies, elder." Sunwhisper carefully extricated himself from the older man’s grip. "I was merely curious. Is there anything I can do to help you prepare the Seishin grass?"

"You are the sort that would pull a shoot to help it grow. I have more than enough incompetence around me. You and the girl can wait downstairs, or wherever Lady Makoto wants you. The elixirs will be ready in four days. You can pick them up then."

"I am sorry," Sunwhisper said. "I didn’t mean to cause offense."

Kaito sucked air through his teeth. "You won’t, as long as you do as I say. Join your beasts downstairs."

(That was some crap.)

Sunwhisper agreed with his passenger, but there was nothing to be done. He and Janna were relegated to the lower story, while Yuyu remained in the laboratory. One of the servants came down a quarter of an hour later and gave them instructions on how to reach Yuyu’s home in the city, as well as instructions to go straight there and avoid interacting with any cultivators they might come across on the way.

Janna was disappointed. They were finally in the Middle Kingdom, and though Poppy was no Jade City, it was grander than anything she had dreamed of seeing only a season ago. The streets were packed with busy citizens both high and low. Wealthy merchants and cultivators were raised above the masses on palanquins carried by scores of servants kicking beggars and urchins out of their path.

Powerful odors warred for supremacy, some more pleasant than others. Spices and incense were on display, as well as roasting meats and chopped vegetable dishes, competing with an undercurrent of refuse from the alleys and the defecation of animals, strays as well as pets.

Shouts, calls, and general chatter were punctuated by the clang of bells as clock towers across the city rung the hour. Karasu clung to Sunwhisper’s back, her large, glossy head hanging over his shoulder in the front. Ogumo was just behind them, his legs pulled high and tight against his body to avoid tripping passersby. There was little risk of that, however, as most civilians went out of their way to give the nightmarish spirit beast, a giant jumping spider with a pair of steel spikes on its forelegs, a wide berth.

"You! What are you doing here?"

The shout came from nowhere, a clump of strangers, none of them looking at Sunwhisper. Then a brawny woman bullied her way through the crowd, thrusting an accusatory finger.

It was Kuei.