He cycled qi through his body, looping it through his meridians before letting it enter the spinning vortex that was his core. The qi, which was lightning of such purity that it nearly hurt him, spun in his core when it entered, deepening it ever so slightly.

He had been at this for a week, meticulously cultivating and taking advantage of the purity of lightning qi in his room. He hadn’t left his room once, having long mastered secluded cultivation, and Lisa hadn’t called for him yet.

That was fine by him, every minute spent cultivating was a boon to him. He didn’t know when next he’d get access to lightning of this purity after all.

He was lost in his cultivation, revelling in the rhythm of his absorption when he finally heard his name from outside his room.

He tried not to feel disappointed as he stood up. He’d been expecting the call since morning after all, and he had already gained a lot from just a week.

Yet as he left the room and went downstairs to start preparing for his inevitable service, he couldn’t help but wonder how much progress he’d make if he spent a whole year in the room.

He went to the living room downstairs and found Lisa floating over the cultivation mat in the centre of the room in a lotus position, her eyes closed and a truly prodigious amount of silver qi around her.

He stood for some minutes, not wishing to interrupt her cultivation until she opened her eyes and faced him.

“Sorry for keeping you, Lee,” she said, straightening herself in the air before landing gently on the ground. “I just had to squeeze in some last-minute practice. I'm sure you can understand that.”

He could definitely understand. He would have done the same thing himself if there was even a single lightning qi particle in the room.

“It is alright. I understand,” he waved off her concerns. “I’d have done the same thing myself if there was any bit of lightning qi in this room.”

She looked at him strangely, her expression a strange mix of wonder, joy and sadness.

“I guess you would have,” she whispered softly, more to herself than to him. He wasn’t sure what her tone meant. “So, I assume you’ve read through the service details I sent you. Any ideas on how you’re going to handle it?”

He had thought extensively about this until he came up with his current approach. It annoyed him that he couldn't ask her to help him locate the kidnapper, but her role in this job was as a supervisor with minimum involvement.

“I have come up with a plan to find the woman,” he said. “I have a location technique called Nothing Hidden Under the Heavens. It doubles the ranges of my senses, which is already quite large, and cuts through any illusion or stealth formation. She’s supposed to be a Neophyte, so it’ll still work. I don’t know how to handle her if she’s a high Neophyte, though. I don’t believe I can bridge the gap sufficiently.”

It was a simple plan, but he found that those tended to be the most practical.

“Don’t worry about that. Part of why I’m here is to handle situations like that. I’ll try not to intervene, but if it's something too powerful for you to handle, I’ll step in. Also, your technique name is rather dramatic,” she said, assuaging his worries. Then, likely seeing the confusion on his face, added. “Never mind. I was just teasing you.”

That struck him as strange. ‘Nothing Hidden Under the Heavens’ was considered a very generic name back on Xenus. Perhaps he should tell her about his Boundless Unparalleled Thunder Lord of Heavens and Earth Eternal technique. That one was a little too much, even by his standards.

“So, do you have everything you need,” she asked. “I’d like us to leave as soon as possible.”

“You want us to leave now,” he asked, slightly confused. “I thought you’d want to make more plans.”

“What plans? This is a very easy job, and the target is only a Neophyte. There isn’t much to plan for. If you’re ready, we can simply teleport there, speak to the chief for a few minutes and go find her. I doubt we’d spend more than a day there.”

He was slightly taken aback by her casual dismissal and how different their perspectives were. He supposed it was to be expected.

To her, already a citizen of Lasvania and likely on the road to Master, facing a single Neophyte in a weak, small village was just about effortless. Yet to him, a newly ascended Neophyte from a world where even a small clan led by a Neophyte would be unmatched in power, it was an exciting prospect where the stakes were high.

“I’m packed already,” he said.

She gave him a nod then stretched a hand towards him, which he took. His vision flashed for an instant, before clearing to reveal a large expanse of barren land ahead of him

The ground, which was made of sand for several miles around, let out a soft blue glow that reflected the sun beating down mercilessly on the environment. The qi was thick and colourful, and he took a moment to bask in it.

“Well, welcome to the Outlands,” Lisa said, taking a deep breath. “Enjoy the qi while it lasts.”

* * *

Xiao Lee watched the town in the distance, steadily growing bigger as they closed the distance. The sun hung low in the sky, preparing to relinquish its spot to the moon.

They’d been flying for over an hour, stopping ever so often to observe one interesting phenomenon or another on Lisa’s behalf. Supposedly, the only time she’d come here was to one of the Lasvanian controlled territories closer to the border and she’d been teleported directly into the city.

The desert they’d arrived in was on the edge of Lasvanian territory proper and spanned across most of the Outlands. Though their mission was issued by a Ministry, they still had to follow protocol and cross-border travel was heavily regulated.

Still, the Ministry approval wasn’t entirely useless as they’re process was much faster than the mass of people they met at the border control.

He’d wandered aloud why the process was so slow when they’d finished. Apparently, most of the traffic was from the other side of the border and there were enough people trying to cross illegally that security had to do thorough individual scans.

As he got close enough to see people moving around, and estimate power levels, he couldn’t help but marvel at how different life was outside Lasvania.

They’d passed a few roving nomadic tribes on the way and while none was below Great Lord, no one was above high Neophyte.

The Lasvanian government was very strict in its regulation of the distribution of absorbers outside its borders and only people from permanently allied states were allowed to even apply for one. Even then, there were very thorough background checks, not to mention exorbitant prices.

Apart from the restricted absorbers, the qi density in the Outlands was far lower and progressively getting worse the farther they got. Though it was still considerably higher than anything on Xenus, it didn’t come close to the absolute paradise that was Lasvania. It was also less varied, with earth qi of middling quality – by Lasvanian standards – by far the most abundant.

By the time they arrived at the village, there were two women waiting for them at the entrance.

The ministry, according to Lisa, had sent word of their arrival beforehand. It wasn’t a surprise then, when the two women greeted them by name.

“Sir Xiao, Great Lady Feltham,” the first woman, dressed in a long modest gown that got to her ankles, something he recognised as outdated Lasvanian fashion; greeted with a shallow bow.

The action and the titles made him feel like he was back in Xenus. If one ignored the fact that both she and her companion were of course, Great Lords.

“Please, be at ease ladies,” Lisa said stiffly. “And call us by our names. We don’t have need for titles in Lasvania.”

She was different, he noticed. Her entire demeanour, from the moment the woman spoke, changed entirely. Her face hardened, and she looked like she was a slight offence from annihilating everything in sight.

He supposed it was expected, given her reaction to him when he’d first called her senior sister. He had no idea what the story behind her reaction was, though he found himself wishing he did. Not that he had any plans of asking. That would definitely be pushing it.

“Of course, Lisa,” the woman said without missing a beat. “The chief is honoured to have your presence and would love to welcome you to his abode, small though it is.”

Lisa sighed visibly, like someone obviously forced to do something she despised, then fixed an unconvincing smile on her face.

“Of course we would love to see your chief,” she said with a sweetness that bordered on condescending. “It is why we are here after all.”

“Come with me then,” the woman said, then started walking, her companion following closely behind her.

As they walked, he scanned both the women and their surroundings. They were young he noticed, both facially and in actual age. He could feel it in the texture of their qi. He’d felt many Great Lords and could almost perfectly estimate their ages.

They were beautiful, like all cultivators were, but with a softness he very rarely saw. They both had long black hair flowing to their backs and long pointed noses.

With the exception of their skin, which was darker than the pale white he’d seen so far, they shared the same features he come to expect from Lasvanians.

They stopped when they reached a building that stood roughly in the centre of the village.

The chief’s house was modest, a simple storey building with white paint that was chipped in a lot of places. The architecture of the building, and most of the buildings in the village was resembled the old Lasvanian way of building he’d seen in the orientation.

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“Please come inside,” the first lady said. “The chief is waiting.”

They stepped into a small but cosy waiting room with plush, cushioned seats. Their hosts were clearly more concerned about comfort than Lisa. Not that sitting made a difference anymore.

They went through a thick wooden door which was, like most of the house, packed with inscriptions. While it wasn’t anything close to what he saw in the Ministry, it was still a great deal more than he’d expected.

Enough to rival a great sect back home.

The room they stepped into looked even more comfortable than the waiting room. It was smaller than he expected for a living room, but the comfortable seats arranged in a semi-circle more than made up for it.

At the head of the room, in a large, chair that faced the cushions, the chief sat with his back straight and a regal posture that seemed fitting for an emperor, not a mere clan chief.

The stone-faced cultivator studied them for a moment, then rose to his feet before dipping his head lightly.

“Miss Feltham,” he greeted, showing enough deterrence to be respectful without calling her by a title. “Ascendant Xiao Lee. Welcome to Varaga. I am Chief Henry Van Gurgh, head of this humble village.”

Lee studied the chief as the man greeted them. He was a tall man, a full head above Lee himself, and built like a mountain. That, combined with his rough demeanour and hard face, spoke to a life filled with more challenges than most saw.

It also made him quite imposing. An effect that was compounded by the powerful waves of qi flowing through him.

It struck him that this was the first person he’d seen since he arrived that was on the same level as he was. As he felt the purity of the man’s qi and the pressure he exacted on the world, he realised just how foolish an endeavour setting his sights on Lisa was.

He was years, likely a decade at least, from reaching her current level of power. While it was a good thing to aspire to, he would be better served trying to solidify his advancement and focus on reaching the peak of his current stage properly.

He knew from experience how disastrous poorly managed advancements could be.

“Chief Henry,” Lisa said with what was clearly forced cheer. She really did seem to dislike formalities. “I believe the Ministry informed you of our purpose?”

“Yes, the director’s letter was very clear,” he said, with the wariness of a man aware he was dealing with someone far above his station. “We are grateful for your help.”

Lee held back a snort. It wasn’t like they’d had a choice.

“Think nothing of it. We live to serve,” she replied, quoting the exact words the Lasvanian volunteer groups he saw in the orientation used as their motto. “Is there anything you could tell us that would be useful in catching the rogue?”

“Well, yes indeed,” the chief replied, looking happy to be of assistance. “I recently intercepted her while she was sneaking around the village outskirts. She escaped, but not before I was able to see her use qi. She uses a manifestation of shadow qi. And she’s low Neophyte. Not close to reaching the mid bottleneck.”

Lee breathed in relief at that. He’d been worried about having to fight someone who outclassed him. He really didn’t want to call Lisa because he couldn’t complete the task. He still had his pride after all.

“Alright, Chief. Your information is very much appreciated,” she said. “Now please if you’ll excuse us, I’d like Lee to get started as soon as possible.”

She barely waited for the chief’s hurried well wishes before she strode out of the room, Lee on her heels.

She kept her pace until they got outside, after which, she took off running in the direction they came from.

Thankfully, she put Lee into consideration as she ran, so he didn’t lose her as he struggled to follow.

When they got to the outskirts of the village, she finally came to a stop and spun to face him.

“You’re fully prepared,” she asked. He nodded. Then she took out a small black button from her storage. “Good. Now take this and use it to capture her.”

When he looked at her in confusion, she sighed and explained.

“It’s a containment field. Standard protocol for retrieval missions. You place the button on your target after subduing her to restrict movement,” she said, then added sternly when she noticed his expression. “You’re operating in service of Lasvania. That mean you follow our laws. Your job is to capture her, not to kill her. Killing her should be your last option. Now go quickly.”

He tried not to groan at that. Fighting a more experienced cultivator on his level was already difficult. Doing it without killing her would likely be putting himself at risk.

A look from her told him the matter wasn’t up for debate. He spread his spiritual senses to their limits and activated his technique, Nothing Hidden Under the Heavens. His mind struggled for a brief second before adjusting to the new influx of information coming from having double his range.

He could see, not just the entire village, but deeper into the desert as well. After trying unsuccessfully to find any kind of shadow qi trail, he picked a random direction and started running.

* * *

He ran for hours

The woman was either much more skilled than he thought, or her hideout was very far from the village. There was also the possibility she had left the region entirely, though he hoped that wasn’t the case.

He made constant sweeps with his senses as he ran, making sure he wasn’t missing anything. He was starting to wonder if it was futile when he felt someone at the edge of his range.

He shot off towards the direction of the person. When she was close enough for him to feel her properly, he focused his senses on her and nearly stumbled in shock.

Instead of the Neophyte woman he expected to find, the woman he felt was not even a Great Lord yet. She didn’t look a day above twenty, something her qi also confirmed.

It took him a moment to finally realize that the young woman resting on a dune was likely the deputy chief’s daughter. His suspicions were confirmed when she finally came into view, and he could see her clearly.

She was completely naked and was shivering on the dune. Her qi trembled in fear when he finally came close enough for her to sense him.

He stopped, still a good distance from her.

“Junior Sister Helena,” he called, giving her a shallow bow. From what he’d seen of the Outlands, they seemed to be more comfortable with titles than the Lasvanians. “Please be at ease. I am here on behalf of Chief Henry to save you. I was sent by the Lasvanian Volunteer Corps.”

That wasn’t actually true considering he wasn’t even Lasvanian yet. Lisa was though, and it’d likely make the scared woman more comfortable.

“S... stay away from me,” she shouted, then burst into tears.

“I’m here to help you, Helena. Don’t worry,” he said, then pulled out a robe from his storage ring. “Here, have this.”

He walked gently towards her; hands outstretched to give her the robe. When he got close enough, she quickly grabbed the robe from his hand and started to put it on. He looked away to give her a little respect, even though he still watched her with his senses.

Wouldn’t do to be careless in the name of respect.

“What... what are y-you doing here?”

He turned to face her at the sound of her voice.

“I’m here to rescue you. I’m from the Lasvanian Volunteer Corps and Chief Henry sent for help,” he answered. He took out a small vial filled with clear liquid. “Here, take this. It should help you recover your strength.”

She took it with shaking hands and drank it in one gulp, grimacing at the taste. It proved to be effective though, as within seconds, she stopped shaking and colour returned to her face. Even her qi stopped shivering in just a few seconds.

“Thank you, sir,” she said, her voice much stronger than before. She looked around nervously then asked quietly. “The woman... Have you...”

“No, I haven’t,” he said, knowing what she was trying to ask. “If you could give me any information on either her or anywhere, she could be, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Well,” she said, twisting her hair nervously. “Her name is Catherine. She uses absolute darkness. It’s a variant of shadow qi. I don’t know where she is. She kept me unconscious throughout the trip to her hideout. She might be a Neophyte, but I can’t be sure. She has some kind of mind control technique that projects false experiences in your head. She... she did...”

He felt some trepidation at that. The way her voice broke at the end was very telling.

“Helena,” he asked slowly. “Do you know why she wanted you?”

She nodded.

“Can you tell me why.”

“Sh-she w-wanted to,” her voice was shaking badly. “She wanted me. My qi.”

“She wanted to use your qi. Was she a qi thief,” he asked, already feeling disgusted. “Or for more nefarious purposes.”

“Sacrifice. She drained my qi” she said, then broke into tears. “Over and over.”

Forced qi drain. Repeatedly.

The mere thought made him shudder. He did not consider himself particularly empathic. Yet he had nearly felt qi drain once, an experience that had left him shaken.

To have experienced it multiple times. He shuddered again, his hearting aching for her plight.

He didn’t know what sacrifice she meant, but he didn’t push further. She was bad enough as it was. The Lasvanians could get that information from her. What she needed right now was help.

Help that hopefully, Lasvania could provide.

While he couldn’t help her emotional state, there was something he could do.

He focused his senses on her and triggered his technique, I Cleanse out Impurities. No doubt Lisa would have something to say about this one too.

He saw Helena’s eyes widen as a streak of purifying lightning entered her. Perhaps he should have informed her first.

The lightning looped through her, filling all her body, spirit and flowing through her meridians. It kept flowing for a few seconds before it found its target.

The moment it found its target – a seed of dream and death – it formed a cage of lightning around it, uprooting it before coming to rest on his hands.

“What is that,” Helena whispered, her expression a mix of shock and horror.

“It's a path seed,” he said. “A seed of dream and death. She would have been able to track you and influence you subtly. Given the power disparity between you, she could have killed you with a thought as long as you were a few kilometres away “

Her eyes widened again in fear before she steeled her expression. It was an act; one he knew from experience. She was likely a few minutes from total breakdown.

“Thank you for your help,” she said. “I’m really grateful.”

“Think nothing of it,” he waved her away. “It’s my job.” Literally. “Come, let’s go back to the village. Can you run?”

“Yes, I can.”

* * *

The journey to the village was longer than it could have been. He had to slow down several times for Helena to rest. Though her qi might have recovered, she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to control it properly. His offer to carry her had been rejected firmly, though with an apology right after.

They hadn’t reached the outskirts of the village when they saw a man running to meet them. Though he hadn’t met the man yet, the man’s expression, coupled with Helena freezing, made him recognise the chief’s deputy instantly.

“My Helena,” he cried the moment he arrived before scooping her up in a tight hug. “Oh, my baby. I’m sorry I couldn’t come and get you.”

Both Helena and her father started crying, making Lee very uncomfortable. The sight of man who was both many years his senior and a Great Lord crying shamelessly was jarring, if understandable given the situation.

He waited for a few minutes as they both hugged each other and cried before he cleared his throat to interrupt them.

“Deputy Chief, I know you want to catch up with your daughter, but she really needs to see a healer now.”

The man looked at him with surprise, as if he didn’t register his presence before.

“My gratitude to you. Ascendant Xiao Lee, for saving my daughter,” he said with a shallow bow. Then his expression hardened. “Is the kidnapper dead?”

He didn’t miss the way Helena flinched when her kidnapper was mentioned. By her father’s expression, he also caught it.

“I haven’t caught her yet. I found your daughter lying on a sand dune naked and felt returning her to you took higher priority. Don’t worry, though, I’ll find her soon.”

He purposely didn’t mention that he couldn’t really kill her because of Lasvanian law. Perhaps she’d be too dangerous for him to avoid killing her.

A woman he hadn’t seen came to meet them and started fussing over Helena. Lisa and the two women who welcomed them first were behind her.

The woman, who was the village healer, quickly took Helena away, with the other two women following behind her. He gestured for her father to wait.

“Your daughter was qi-drained,” he said, the moment they were out of earshot. “Multiple times according to her. She’ll need serious help. Perhaps professional help. And she was implanted with a seed.”

The deputy cursed loudly but looked slightly confused when he mentioned the seed.

Lisa did not.

“What kind of seed are we talking about,” she asked.

“Pretty standard one, except for the path. It’s absolute shadow on the path of dream and death.”

“A death seed,” she said, looking mildly concerned. “That could have been bad. You have it?”

He nodded then manifested the lightning cage that held the seed.

She took it then drew a quick formation he didn’t recognised over it. His lightning cage fizzled out and was replaced by a transparent Sphere of space qi the kept it isolated. It started moving in a certain direction before she took it and gave him.

“I’ve rigged it to point to her location. Don’t worry, this doesn’t count as interference since you found a seed. You can find her now,” she told him. Then looked at him and the deputy. “Don’t worry about the girl. She’ll be given the best therapy Lasvania has to offer. She’ll likely be back to normal before the end of the month.”

The deputy bowed and thanked them both before going back to the village.

“I’m going to catch her Lisa. And make sure she faces justice.”

Seeing Helena’s condition had stuck a chord in his heart. It stopped being just a service mission. It was personal now.

“Of course she will. Good luck Xiao Lee.”

She vanished at that, moving faster than he could see.

He looked at the orb in his hand. It was pointing to the West. He spread out his senses and triggered Everything Under the Heavens.

Not for the first time in his life, Xiao Lee took off to go kill a monster.