The next day was fairly uneventful. Though they still went exploring, no sect members tried to stop them, and the Executor trailing them kept a field around them that dissuaded anyone too enthusiastic, which let them explore in blissful peace and quiet. As interesting as the previous day was, that type of fun was best done once in a while.

They explored farther into the poorer areas they had seen and took in more of the way the people lived. Even the worst of the Cascadian capital was still better than the poorer parts of the Wu empire were mortals lived. Sure, most of the houses were smaller and without spatial enhancements; plus a few people wore torn clothes; but roads were well maintained and clean, and cultivation meant that hunger was not an issue. ‘

He also noticed the seeming absence of any homeless people, which interested him. According to Lisa, they likely had some level of government housing provided for the poorest citizens. Spatial manipulation and pocket dimensions meant land was not nearly as important to the wealthy as it was in most of Xenus. This gave the government a surplus of land. There was also an organisation run by the Lasvanians that made deals with governments to build free housing for the poorest people.

He looked at Lisa as she talked about how Lasvania tried to make life more liveable for poor people in other countries and was thankful for the fact that she had finally come out of her slump. A part of him scolded himself for waiting so long to extend a hand to her, but most of him was just thankful.

It was also interesting to see the different ways they viewed poverty. For him, having liveable housing, food, and clothing was enough to be applauded. She however, noted the lack of enough restaurants, resorts, places for entertainment and even cultivation resources. She seemed particularly upset about the reduced qi in the area, muttering something about how easy it would be to create a citywide gathering array that boosted qi to barely sufficient levels. Apparently Lasvania had made the design of the array public and easily accessible to prevent situations like this.

He suspected the discrepancy was on purpose. From what he saw, it was a society that loved to hoard power, and giving out cultivation resources of making qi levels equal would be counterproductive to the interests of the emperor and the various sects.

Mentioning as much to Lisa got a nod of affirmation, though she still grumbled about not liking it. A part of him was actually mildly surprised. Being passionate about the state of poverty was something he would have expected from Bornie, not Lisa.

They finally went back when they had seen most of the poorer districts. Lee was just glad that the emperor had not stopped them from leaving the fancy parts of the city, but he suspected the man simply did not care much.

Inside his living quarters, he pondered on the nature of lightning and his path. Lisa had even sent him a few information packets he had found helpful. He felt he was making some progress, but it was so slow that it would take years to be truly meaningful. Still, he forged ahead, dreaming of absorbers and enlightenment all along.

A few hours later, he stood up from his position. He would have loved to continue going, of course, but he had little choice in the matter. The emperor’s party would be starting in a few minutes, and he needed to prepare for it.

So, he dressed up, wearing one of his newly made hanfu that also doubled as a combat dress. Given what he had seen in the briefing at the ministry, he expected he would need it.

He went to the lounge outside his room and was glad to see Lisa was not there, seeing as she was usually the one waiting for him. He waited for just a few minutes before she came out, also wearing a simple dress that was clearly packed with enchantments even to his untrained eye. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had found the possibilities of her needing to fight unlikely, but she was clearly not taking any chances.

“Hey,” he said when she saw him. “You feel like you’re going to war.”

“Just making a statement,” she said with a small smile that made it clear she was planning something devious. “I’m hoping it will dissuade anyone stupid enough to challenge me. If not...”

She merely shrugged after that, and he smiled in understanding. The first person that tried to go against her would be the last.

They arrived a few minutes after the party started, after most of the important guests but before the emperor, choosing to be fashionably late. The party location was in one of the largest halls in the palace, according to a guide they had been assigned. The Executor was nowhere to be seen, but Lee knew he was around, ready to jump to their aid if the situation called for it.

He stayed with Lisa, and they kept to themselves, no one coming to greet them yet. Socialising with the main guests before the emperor was considered rude, and so they were spared the onslaught of people looking to make connections. Or at least it was delayed.

“Announcing, His Imperial Majesty, High Emperor Cascade. First of his name, and Eternal Ruler of the Blessed Lands of Greater Cascadia.”

Lisa rolled her eyes at the titles, a sentiment Lee agreed with. The ‘Blesses Lands of Greater Cascadia’ included the lands he had conquered in his most recent expansion. Part of their job was to inform the emperor that the lands were no longer his, and he couldn’t deny being eager to see the look on the man’s face when it happened.

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High Emperor Cascade was a tall, boisterous man that immediately dominated any room he entered. He was dressed in flamboyant clothes that were packed with enough enchantments to go to war.

Once again, even his untrained eyes could see that his enchantments were a step below what Lisa wore, both in quantity and quality. He shook his head and smiled. It would likely grate on the man to be outdone so handily at his party.

Indeed, he saw the moment the man looked at them and the way his expression turned a little sour. He also noticed Lisa trying, and failing, to hide a smile. He was almost certain she let him see her smile on purpose.

Still, the man walked over to them, radiating waves of power that would have nearly killed an unarmoured Lee. It was generally considered rude to do in public company, but no one would tell the emperor that.

“Miss Feltham. Ascendant Lee,” the man called out with a loud voice and outstretched arms. “Allow me to formally welcome you to our humble nation of Cascadia.”

Lee stared at the sheer opulence of the party for a brief moment and shook his head internally at their ‘humility’. He consoled himself with the fact that the man would have to truly learn some amount of humility before the day was over.

“Emperor Cascade,” Lisa said with a nod. "Thank you for hosting us. Indeed, our experience here has been wonderful so far.”

“We are always glad to be welcoming of all. Now come let us party. Matters of state can be discussed later.”

Lee simply shook his head inside as the man left them to continue socialising and music started playing. Glad to be welcoming indeed. They party went smoothly at the beginning. They were addressed by various government officials and sect leaders looking to make connections. The Sect master of the Mighty Tiger Sect came to apologise profusely, which simply seemed to amuse Lisa. Sometime later, the emperor finally made the announcement he’d been expecting.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you’re enjoying this party so far, but I also know you must all be wondering the same thing. After all, what is a good party without a fight or two? Worry not, for today, two of our very best youths will duke it in a few minutes!”

The atmosphere began to hum with excitement at the announcement and the amount of chatter seemed to increase dramatically. A few minutes later, everyone watched as a large field rose out of the floor in the middle of the hall. Lee assumed there was spatial qi at play, considering it was not nearly large enough for cultivators on the level of Neophytes to fight without serious restraint.

The next time the emperor made an announcement, there were two people beside him. Lee could easily feel their cultivation and noted them as mid Neophytes, the same rank he was. Not that he had expected otherwise.

“These are two of our best prodigies from the newer generation. Today, they will get the chance to display their skill in front of the entire court and our foreign guests,” the emperor turned to the two people in question. “Go and show us the power of the new generation!”

They both bowed low and went to the field silently. The man and woman who he felt were slightly younger than him bowed to each other and entered combat stances.

“Begin,” the emperor spoke, and they exploded into action.

The man moved with blistering speed and was on the woman in an instant, aiming a punch filled with what felt like wind qi to her chest. His opponent, for her part, was not idle and the punch met a wall of green that stopped it before it could hit her.

Plant and wind qi. Useful, if a bit bland.

The wind qi cultivator moved again, propelled by his element to blistering speeds, and struck. This time, he released a large blade of wind that destroyed the plant shield the woman set up. A layer of tough brown bark on her chest dissipated the rest but the resulting blow sent her flying.

The moment her feet left the ground, he peppered her with hits, not giving her a chance to regain her balance. At least until a massive vine shot out of the ground and tied up the man, restraining him even as he started struggling to escape. The woman raised two massive wooden spikes out of the ground and shot them nearly instantly at her opponent.

Unfortunately, near was not enough, and the almost imperceptible delay was enough for the wind cultivator to put up a shield that blasted the spikes away. A massive explosion of wind shot out of the man after that, and Lee was sure the entire street would have been destroyed without the shielding, from the amount of power he could feel at least.

When the dust cleared, the woman stood behind a wall a of plants, looking unharmed while the man was free of the restraints. Thousands of vines shot out from the ground after that, clearly aiming for the man, when he used a technique for the first time.

Path of Speed: One with the wind.

The world practically screamed out the name of the path technique and the moment the man moved; Lee knew the fight was over. Before his opponent could even process what was happening, he dodged all the many vines aiming for him and simply blasted through the plant shield. And then he hit her hard enough to send her flying. He did not stop there but simply kept on throwing punches and kicks enhanced by wind qi at different parts of her body. By the time the technique finally went out a few minutes later, the plant cultivator lay motionless, knocked into unconsciousness by the brutal, sustained beating.

“I guess we have a winner,” the emperor said. then turned to the field. “Vade Law, you have proven yourself victorious against your peer. Now what rewards do you desire to receive?”

The wind qi user looked around for a moment before giving an answer that Lee knew was already prepared for him beforehand.

“I need no grand rewards,” he said humbly.” Merely to test myself against peers. I hope the Ascendant Xiao Lee finds me worthy to his opponent.”

“It that the reward you wish for?” the emperor asked.

“Yes, it is, Your Majesty.”

“Very well then. What say you, Ascendant Xiao Lee? Will you honour a victor’s wish?”

Lee knew he could refuse. He had no obligation to fulfil the man’s request, especially one that was clearly scripted. But the Ministry back home had asked him to consider accepting, and truthfully, he was curious to see the standards of someone on his level and how he stacked up after the beating his ego took with Bornie. There was still some fear that he would lose badly, even now, but he was mostly confident in himself.

“I will honour your wish, Vade Law. Let us test ourselves in the fires of battle.”

Lee had to admit that the smile that lit up the emperor’s face just after that was enough to make him reconsider his choice.