Among all the places he had been to since his ascension, none reminded Xiao Lee of home more than the Cascadian Empire. Perhaps it was the fact that the qi quality was only mildly better than what he found in the Outlands. Or maybe it was the sects that operated freely, all vying for power in fierce competition without any thought for the people affected.

More simply, it was likely the fact that Cascadia was an expansionist empire run by a power-hungry despot who only ruled by virtue of being the most powerful. It was a place where anyone who could not join a sect or a noble house was treated as mere fodder for political games. One where a single petty squabble between more powerful cultivators could destroy an entire village in a single afternoon, all with no compensation to any victims.

The people were some of the weakest he had come across in a while. Yet for all those flaws, Lee felt himself getting excited. Or perhaps partly because of them. Cascadia truly felt like Xenus in a way that made him nostalgic.

An envoy had come to welcome them, quickly taking them through a portal to a guesthouse prepared for them.

They had the next two days to explore the city they were in before they met Cascade, who was throwing a party to welcome them. Considering what he had read in the emperor’s file, he was not particularly surprised. The man was always looking for an opportunity to throw a party.

He turned his attention back to his technique creation when he was alone in the room. He had finally, after weeks of work, found the optimal path for the qi to take through his meridians so he could get the best results. Unfortunately, that was the easy part.

Ideal qi flow was only one piece of the technique puzzle. He not only needed to fully visualize every aspect of the effect he wanted to achieve, he also needed to have a certain level of comprehension. One of the primary reasons why people spent so much time attempting to figure out techniques was simply a lack of sufficient understanding for their element. There were entire sects dedicated to studying a particular type of qi.

Lee’s method of cultivation did not give him nearly enough time to spend on properly studying lightning. Most of his techniques were formed by overcompensating for the lack of knowledge by simply having fortunate encounters that gave him enlightenments.

Both his fellow disciples and his master often complained at the sheer unfairness of his method. He was glad for it though. Being the favoured son of the Heavens had its perks. Though now that he had ascended, perhaps his fate was being improved by someone very powerful here. It was a worrying possibility, but one he could not discount.

Attempting to study enough about lightning to actually form a technique worthy of his current realm was something that was impossible for him. Instead, he started pondering upon the Dao of Lightning and the path he had chosen to walk.

Lightning was power.

He had considered the various paths of lightning during his ascension but currently, he would be served best by focusing more narrowly on what had already been chosen.

As he studied the lightning in his core, his attention was drawn to a faint echo of a concept much higher than he could possibly process.

The remnants of a High Chicken.

He had taken note of the fact that the beast he had eaten was on a path similar to his own. Though he had observed the echo, it had simply been casual attempts at comprehension that were still impossible to process for him.

The promise of absorbers had reduced the intensity of his attempts, something that he was now regretting. Though it previously escaped his notice, relying on an absorber still months away from arriving was a bad habit he had started developing. Something that needed to change.

So he focused on the faint echo of what was once a supremely powerful monster, and attempted to study it as best as he could. Attempted, of course being the key word.

After hours of sitting in meditation, he had achieved a grand total of nothing. His understanding of the echo was still completely non-existent, and it felt like even months or perhaps years of study would do nothing to further it in any significant way.

Eventually, he stood up from seat, briefly checking the time to see that he had spent the whole day in seclusion. As it was, he was already well into the second day, almost late for his appointment.

He quickly changed his clothes and went to the lounge, finding Lisa staring into space, seemingly lost in thought. The Cascadian Empire was pretty carefree with them, not particularly caring about what they did as long as the meeting with the emperor was not affected.

It had taken a little convincing, but he had managed to convince her to go with him to explore the city. They could take an unorthodox route and check out some of the parts of the city that no government official would take them. She had finally accepted when he brought up the similarities between Cascadia and Xenus. Though, she was not Bornie, there was still some amount of curiosity towards his old planet. Something that could provide a bit of a similar experience was simply too tempting.

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“You’re late,” she said, speaking when he got close.

Lee was glad for the question, because the Lisa of the past week would not even bother to say anything. Then again, the whole trip would not have happening if she had not been gradually improving.

“Apologies for that. I was simply caught up in trying to create a technique.”

“You’re creating a new technique?”

“Yes, I am. My simulated fights with Bornie showed me how lacking I was. My current attacks are not capable of using the lightning I wield efficiently.”

“Oh. Have you expanded your understanding of your path enough?” she spoke with an uncertainty that was slightly disappointing.

“No, I have not. I am in the process of studying an echo of the High beast we ate during the Ministry’s party.”

“Comprehending even an echo of a High Cultivator is nearly impossible at my level. It is definitely not something you will be able to do alone.”

“What do you suggest then?”

Perhaps he could get a better solution that just simply hoping for sufficient enlightenment. It had worked for him so far, but he did not think it was wise to still rely on it so much.

“I have spent a significant amount of effort in trying to understand space. I do not do it all by myself, of course. There are functions in absorbers that help with this comprehension. I only use it sparsely, but there are people who rely on it for the entirety of their understanding. I think this method results in a weaker cultivation. Moderation is key. Right now, I think you should focus on attempting to comprehend your attuned element. But the actual technique creation should wait till when you get the absorber.

He thought about her words silently for a moment. It seemed like solid advice, particularly as he was making little progress himself.

“Thank you for your knowledge,” he said.

They left the building shortly after that, Lisa creating a portal to one of the more interesting places in the range of her senses. Though he could neither see nor hear the Executor, he knew the man was trailing behind them somewhere. He had agreed to stay out of sight, to make them seem less threatening. He had simply said it would give them a more authentic experience.

The first thing he noticed was the abysmal qi levels. They had only passed through the fancier areas where qi gathering arrays and other inscriptions constantly kept things high. Here though, away from the government buildings and wealthy elites, it was even better than the Outlands.

It was no surprise then, that the people he saw were also very weak. Unlike in Lasvania, most people’s realms remained open to the world and easy to sense with very few exceptions. There were a few Great Lords, most of whom were either children or teenagers.

The adults, meanwhile, ranged from Neophytes, which seems to be the largest groups, to more advanced people. There were even some Masters. He also took note of the fact that almost everyone above a certain realm wore bands on their shoulders.

He easily identified them as identification for sect members. Something that caused a smile to bloom on his face. He had to admit a part of him had missed this.

“What is it?” Lisa asked.

“It's just something interesting I noticed. All the most powerful people are sect members. Look at their arm bands. It reminds me of home.”

“Oh. Interesting. I assume the sects give their people more resources and the government neglect the rest.”

“Yes. The sects also get first choice on the most talented people. Not all of them would want to join, but there’s likely to be little choice for most.”

She nodded in reply and continued studying the environment. They were in an area that was firmly middle class, with shops that looked clean, yet not fancy.

He saw a place advertised as a bar that attracted his interest. It was mostly non-descript, but it had arrays that felt solid and what little he could see of the inside looked like it was well attended.

Lisa raised a brow after seeing him pointing at the direction of the bar, yet she followed him, her curiosity seemingly winning her over. They stepped into a noisy bar that felt like it was transported from some city in the Wu empire, albeit with different architecture.

People sat around tables made of stone on chairs that were bearable only because they were cultivators. Noise and laughter filled the air, and the smell of alcohol more potent that he had ever experienced on Xenus tickled his senses.

He looked around and saw two men having a tense standoff in one part of the room, their qi swirling around them in anger. They were probably wanting to fight for some very petty reason.

In another corner, a man who looked like the bartender was scolding a pair of men for playing with dangerous techniques and trying to burn down the bar. They seemed young, which was unsurprising.

The bartender, who was in the middle of his mouthing off, sensed them and turned to their direction, his eyes widening for a moment.

“Welcome, young master and mistress,” he greeted with a bow, quickly rushing to attend to them. “Please, I would be thankful If you would let me know what interests you in my humble bar.

Lee noticed Lisa’s scowl deepen and took control of the interaction before things could spiral.

“At ease. We do not need much. Simply a place to sit down and perhaps a decently strong drink. “

The man nodded and they went to sit down at one of the tables. They had not stayed for more than a few minutes when the door swung open with a bang to reveal three people, each of them wearing a band that identified them as sect mates.

They looked around the bar with disgust, like its mere presence was an affront to them, before walking in and moving directly to the place were Lee and Lisa sat.

“You!” the leader said, the moment he stopped in front of their table. “The Mighty Tiger Sect demands your presence now.”

Lee stared at the group for a moment. They made no attempts to hide their cultivation, revealing themselves as Neophytes. The leader seemed like he was close to breaking through to the next realm while the other two were still in the middle like he was.

He turned to look at Lisa and like a valve was released, they both burst out laughing. He had made a bet that someone would come to disturb them in a few minutes, and she had not believed. Of course it was clear whoever sent them were ignorant, considering they sent Neophytes to take Lisa. Though to be fair, if they were remotely knowledgeable, confronting either of them would not even cross their minds.

“You dare!” the man screamed, spittle flying out of his mouth. It was clear he was not used to being the butt of any jokes.

Of course, that only made them both laugh even harder.