Grandfather Gabe jumped down from his flying sword, landing in between Mother and I. The flying sword then flew towards him, and he stored it in his spatial storage item. I tried to see what it was, but couldn’t. Grandfather was still actively concealing it for some reason. One of these days, I would pierce through that concealment and see what he was hiding.
Mother dispersed her Fire Lances and rushed over to give Grandfather Gabe a hug. I walked over as well, though I didn’t give him as jubilant a greeting. I didn’t think we were close enough for that. Besides, if I counted my lifetime as Immortal Celestial Thunder, I was older than him. As his elder, I had an image to maintain.
To my surprise, when I drew close enough, Grandfather Gabe pulled me in for a hug. He was so fast that I had no chance to avoid it, even though I saw it coming. All right, I guess we were doing this then.
After we all parted, Mother smacked Grandfather Gabe on the shoulder.
“Where were you?” she scolded. “I expected you back sooner than this. You missed me forming my dantian.”
“Apologies, Claire,” Grandfather Gabe said with a chuckle. “I was busy in the imperial capital, and ended up staying there for far longer than I expected. Your junior sister is a handful.”
Oh, right. Since Mother was also a disciple of Grandfather Gabe’s, that meant she was Annabelle’s senior martial sister, or senior sister for short. Huh. In a weird way, that made Annabelle my aunt. Of course, since we weren’t blood related, that didn’t matter. Still, when it came to cultivators families, the ties of kinship could get quite…tangled. The long lifespans just made things worse.
I once knew of a man who fell in love with a woman and married her. Later on, she turned out to be his Master’s mother! That made for an awkward family reunion.
“I see that you formed a violet dantian,” Grandfather Gabe continued. “Congratulations! That’s an improvement from last time.” He pulled out a flying sword from his spatial storage item. It was red and gold, and inlaid with diamonds. “Consider this an apology for missing not being there for you.”
Mother grabbed the flying sword, an avaricious gleam in her eye, and bound it to her.
“Oh, Blazing Cloud, how I’ve missed you,” she said, stroking the sword.
For a moment, I thought she would jump on it and start flying right away, but she just tied it to her waist instead.
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
Like Sky’s Dream, Mother’s flying sword was a high-rank Fourth Circle magical item. However, unlike Sky’s Dream, it wasn’t meant to be used as a weapon. It was purely for transportation. For flying swords like that, its power level determined its top speed, acceleration, and control. In this case, that meant that if Mother and I were to race on our flying swords, I would lose since hers was faster than mine.
Still, I didn’t begrudge her that. Sky’s Dream was the better sword overall, so I came out in the end.
“Now then,” Grandfather Gabe said. “I have some news for you two. Shall we move somewhere more private?”
If that was the case, I assumed he didn’t want any prying ears to overhear the news he had to share with us. The chances of someone sneaking up on all three of us were low, given the level of their spirit sense and my divine sense, but it wasn’t zero.
However, there was something we needed to do first.
“In a moment, Grandfather,” I said. “You need to meet with Clan Sturm’s outer disciples first. You said you would help train them.”
A grin stretched across Grandfather Gabe’s face.
“Why, I believe you’re right, great grandson of mine,” he said. “Yes, introduce me to your outer disciples. I very much look forward to training them.”
An expression of pity crossed Mother’s face. As Grandfather Gabe’s disciple, she knew better than anyone what his training was like. From the little I knew, Grandfather Gabe’s methods were…extreme.
The three of us walked over to the others, who were all lined up in a row. Leroy must have had them do it. My own disciples stood a little ways off.
“Everyone,” I said, gesturing to Grandfather Gabe. “I’m sure you must have seen him before, but let me formally introduce you to my great grandfather, Gabriel Leone. He will be responsible for your training from now on.”
Later on, I would explain to Grandfather Gabe what I had been doing and why I had Leroy supervise their training. For now, I would let him form his own impression of them.
The outer disciples all stared at me, before looking at Grandfather Gabe, their mouths hanging open. I didn’t blame them for their surprise. My great grandfather looked a little older than me, if not the same age. Because we looked so much alike, we could have been twins.
“This is your great grandfather?” Jace asked, his expression full of disbelief.
“Yes,” Mother said. “He’s my grandfather.” She nodded at Grandfather Gabe. “After a certain point, a cultivator’s outward appearance has little to do with their actual age or level of experience. As a rule of thumb, if you see a cultivator who looks like a child, do not underestimate them. They are either a centuries old monster in the form of a child, or a genius who will soon surpass you.”
The outer disciples blinked at her, and reassessed Grandfather Gabe. He just stood there, a serene smile on his lips. It made him seem older than he looked, and gave him an otherworldly air. That smile made him look like an ancient being masquerading as a teenager. I mean, to be fair, that wasn’t too far from the truth.
“How old are you?” Carina asked.
“How powerful are you?” her twin brother, Cameron, asked at the same time.
Grandfather Gabe took a single step forward.
“I am three hundred years old,” he said. “Give or take a decade. As for how powerful I am…I think it’s best if I just show you.”
Realizing what he was about to do, I braced myself. Mother did the same. My disciples noticed this, and prepared themselves as well, but it didn’t matter.
Grandfather Gabe unleashed his aura, revealing his power. He showed off his cultivation base as well as his Circles. The aura of a Golden Core cultivator who was also a Fifth Circle wizard bore down on everyone. The temperature in the area rose sharply. It felt like a mountain was pressing down on us. More than that, it felt as if we were in the presence of a dangerous but majestic predator.
Scarlet Blazing Lion. My great grandfather lived up to his cultivator name.
Everyone except Mother and I crumpled under the pressure. My disciples just fell to their knees, while the outer disciples fell to their hands and knees. The twins, being the physically weakest of us all, fell prone.
Mother could bear it, since she was a Fourth Circle wizard. As for me, unlike last time, the reason why I could remain standing was because I was a reincarnated Immortal at the Second Circle and the Second Rank of body cultivation. Still, it was a near thing. If I hadn’t braced myself, I would have fallen with the others.
This lasted for a few seconds, before Grandfather Gabe retracted his aura and everyone could breathe easier again. Everyone who fell rose to their feet, looking at Grandfather Gabe with wide eyes.
“I believe that answers your question, disciple,” my great grandfather said. “I look forward to working with you all.” He grinned. “In fact, I already have a few ideas. My knife throwing skills have gotten rusty, and I need to get some target practice in.”
“Grandfather,” Mother said, a warning in her voice.
“Don’t worry, my dear Claire,” Grandfather Gabe said. “I won’t leave any permanent injuries.”
When they realized what my great grandfather meant by “target practice”, the outer disciples all blanched. They turned to me with pleading eyes. I just smiled and completely ignored them.
“Now then,” I said. “We’ll be heading inside. The rest of you continue with your training. Work hard. My great grandfather doesn’t seem like the kind of person who tolerates slackers.”
“Indeed,” Grandfather Gabe said. “I do not.”
This time, his grin looked downright malicious.
One of the outer disciples sobbed as Grandfather Gabe followed Mother and I inside Sturm Hill Hall.
----------------------------------------
Half an hour later, Mother and I found ourselves in the library, sitting across from Grandfather Gabe. After Aurora destroyed most of the furniture in here with Sky’s Dream, my parents replaced everything and redecorated; new table, new chairs, new bookshelves. They even bought new curtains and new carpets. Overall, the library felt like a whole new place altogether.
A pot of tea sat on the wooden table, freshly brewed by Mother. A plate of snacks sat next to it.
“Hmm,” Grandfather Gabe said, taking a sip of his tea. “This is good. Your skills have improved, Claire.”
“Thank you, Grandfather,” Mother said. She acted demure, but I saw the smile tugging on her lips.
Unlike Mother and Grandfather Gabe, who seemed like they could spend all day discussing tea, I found myself filled with impatience. I held it in earlier, when Grandfather Gabe first arrived, but as time passed, it bubbled up and threatened to burst out of me.
When I could no longer take it, I opened my mouth to ask about Annabelle, but my great grandfather beat me to it.
“Scarlet Blazing Phoenix is well,” he said, smirking at me. “Considering her circumstances, things could have been much worse for her.”
I glared at him. Grandfather Gabe laughed. I wanted to punch him right in his smug face. Unfortunately, given his cultivation level, the best I could do was punch myself in the face since we shared looks.
“I’m sorry,” Grandfather Gabe said. “It’s just too fun to tease you. When it comes to Scarlet Blazing Phoenix, you’re an open book. Considering that you’re a reincarnation from Spirit Earth, I expected you to have better control over your expressions.”
I crossed my arms and looked away from him, scowling.
“In this lifetime,” I said. “I’m Gabriel Sturm, and I intend to keep it that way. Even if that means acting like a moonstruck teenager.”
Mother ruffled my air at that, which just made me deepen my scowl.
“I suppose that’s better than the alternative,” Grandfather Gabe muttered. He pulled a letter from his spatial storage item. “Here. Scarlet Blazing Phoenix asked me to deliver this to you. She would have responded to your letter sooner, but she didn’t want her parents to find out and possibly intercept it.”
I put the letter away. While I wanted to rip it open and read its contents right away, it wasn’t the time for it.
“They’ve returned from their second honeymoon then?” I asked.
Grandfather Gabe nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “They weren’t happy with what their children have been up to in their absence, so Annabelle and her siblings have been confined to Thorne Manor as punishment.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Do they know about my relationship with Annabelle?” I asked.
“Yes,” Grandfather Gabe said. “They had a big row about it with Scarlet Blazing Phoenix. That was very entertaining to watch.”
“Grandfather,” Mother said, her eyes narrowed. “Have you been sneaking around Thorne Manor?”
“Of course,” my great grandfather scoffed. “Who do you take me for?”
Mother opened her mouth, no doubt to scold him, but Grandfather Gabe held up a hand to forestall her.
“Claire,” he chided. “Have you forgotten who I am? I am Scarlet Blazing Lion! I once sneaked my way into the Lunar Palace itself without anyone noticing me, including the Moon Queen. Sneaking through Thorne Manor was child’s play in comparison.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The Lunar Palace was the home of the Moon Queen, the ruler of the Lunarian Kingdom. While I didn’t know much about the security of that place, it had to be extensive. If it was anything like the Solar Palace, home of the Sun Emperor, then few could hope to sneak into it in the first place, let alone make it back out alive.
“I still think it was an unnecessary risk, Grandfather,” Mother muttered.
“You should be grateful that I took this ‘unnecessary risk,’” Grandfather Gabe said. “At least Gabriel should be. House Thorne is keeping a lid on their affairs, to prevent any rumors and gossip from breaking out. If I hadn’t spied on them, then it would have taken even longer for him to receive news of Scarlet Blazing Phoenix.” He waved off Mother’s concerns. “Besides, I would have done it anyway. How else was I supposed to teach your junior sister and help her keep her cultivation hidden?”
At that, Mother had no reply.
“How is Annabelle?” I asked. “You told me she was well, but…”
I trailed off, not sure how to continue. Grandfather Gabe gave me a gentle smile.
“You wish to hear more about the woman you’re courting,” he said. “I understand.” He shrugged. “Other than being confined to Thorne Manor, she is well, as I said. She has dedicated herself to her cultivation and training. Her work ethic, combined with her natural talent, makes her a true genius. She just started cultivating, but she has already reached the second small realm of the Energy Condensation stage.”
Grandfather Gabe snorted.
“I wish the Clan Leone disciples back home had half her drive. It would make it less frustrating to teach them. Scarlet Blazing Phoenix reminds me a little of Claire, when the latter was younger. At this rate, it won’t take her long to surpass my current level; a few centuries at the most.”
I smiled at hearing Grandfather Gabe praising Annabelle so much, though I believed he underestimated her. If she was what I believed she was, then it wouldn’t take her long to surpass my great grandfather’s current level of power. Even if she didn’t receive any aid or resources, I guessed that it would only take her a century and a half to reach the Golden Core stage, and that was a conservative estimate.
“How about the rest of my family?” Mother asked, anxiety bleeding into her tone. “How are they doing?”
“Your husband and younger children are doing fine, Claire,” Grandfather Gabe said. “Like you, Bryce and Kaylee have recently formed their dantians. I also helped them conceal their cultivation bases, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
I let out a relieved sigh. That was good. The second to last thing we needed was for the other Houses to notice anything strange about our family. We weren’t strong enough to fend them off yet.
The last thing we needed was for the Inquisition to become interested in my family. Several weeks ago, Mother said that the Inquisition left cultivators alone as long as they didn’t cross the line. However, that didn’t mean that attracting their attention was a good thing.
Sooner or later we would have to deal with them, especially when I revealed my status as Master Tempest’s Chosen, but the longer we could avoid their notice, the better as far as I was concerned.
“Your husband is a busy man, Claire,” Grandfather Gabe continued. “He’s working hard for the sake of your family’s prosperity. You found yourself a good one.”
Mother pursed her lips.
“I hope he isn’t working himself too hard,” she said. “Bryce has a tendency to overestimate his own limits.”
Grandfather Gabe chuckled.
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” he said. “Your daughter is making sure that doesn’t happen. Despite her young age, she has proven herself adept at handling House matters. She’ll make a fine Matriarch one day.”
I gave Kaylee a high five in my head. Go little sis!
“As for your youngest,” Grandfather Gabe said. “He misses his mother and older brother, but is otherwise fine.”
Mother nursed her tea.
“I should have kept Roland here with me,” she said. “I shouldn’t have let him go.”
Grandfather Gabe shook his head.
“Either way, he would have been deprived of a parent and sibling.” He gestured to the building around us. “And given your plans for this place, it was better to let him return to Sturm Manor. Soon, Sturm Hill Hall won’t be a place fit for a child his age.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You have news on that front?” I asked.
“Yes. Bryce has acquired the funds necessary to renovate and expand this place. In fact, just before I left, he sent the personnel necessary to make that happen. They will arrive soon.”
Giddiness filled me as I realized that my plans were coming to fruition. Soon, Sturm Hill Hall would be a proper place to house and train cultivators. I couldn’t wait to see that happen.
“Still,” Mother said. “I wish I didn’t have to spend so much time apart from my family.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Mother gave me a small smile in return.
“Is that everything?” I asked. “As grateful as I am for what you’ve told us, that doesn’t explain your long absence.”
“A fair point,” Grandfather Gabe said, holding up a finger. “Except you’re missing one crucial fact. I was busy with another task while I was down south.”
With that, Grandfather Gabe reached into his spatial storage item and pulled out a scroll. He handed it to me. I unfurled the scroll, so Mother and I could read it together.
It contained a list of Houses based in and around Sunheart. I knew a bit about all of them, though my knowledge of each was shallow.
“What’s this?” I asked.
Mother looked towards Grandfather Gabe.
“Are these what I think they are?” she asked in amazement.
He nodded, a smug smile on his face.
“Care to explain?” I asked, looking between the two of them. “What am I missing here?”
Grandfather Gabe tapped the list of Houses with his index finger.
“This is a list of Houses that I believe are also cultivator Clans,” he said. “I didn’t have much time, so I could only investigate the ones within Sunheart, but I believe this is a good start.”
My eyes widened, and I took a closer look at the scroll. There were dozens of Houses listed. Most of them were minor Houses, with a few middling Houses among them. However, to my surprise, the list contained two Great Houses: House Griffin and House Rhodes.
House Griffin specialized in internal magic, and ran an underground fighting arena for wizards who also specialized in internal magic. They were bruisers and fighters, with bodies to match.
I chuckled when I realized that claiming to specialize in internal magic was their way of hiding their combat prowess as cultivators. Given their physiques, perhaps they specialized in body cultivation. That wouldn’t surprise me.
I had seen some of them from a distance at one social event or another, though I never spoke to any of them. I never had a reason to, since our two Houses had differing interests and had nothing to do with each other.
Even if I had spoken to any of them, I doubt they would have liked me. Lord Oliver, Annabelle’s friend, belonged to House Holmwood, which was a vassal of House Griffin. His dislike of me would have colored House Griffin’s perception of me.
House Rhodes on the other hand was more secretive. While they were a Great House, they kept to themselves for the most part and rarely participated in House society. I think I saw members of House Rhodes twice in the years since my debut. However, I never interacted with any of them. It would have been more surprising if I had, given their higher status and reclusiveness.
Other than that, I knew little about them or their magic. They practiced Water magic, Fire magic, and Metal magic, which was an unusual combination. Few could match them when it came to magical crafting and alchemy.
I believed they had some kind of relationship with the Tower of Magic, though I didn’t know the specifics. In fact, the second time I saw a member of House Rhodes was when I visited the Tower of Magic as part of a school trip.
The list contained a third Great House, though this one had a question mark next to it: House Solaria.
“You think House Solaria is a cultivator Clan?” I asked, studying the scroll with a frown.
“I suspect they are,” Grandfather Gabe said. “Though I don’t know for sure. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were. House Lunaria is also a cultivator clan, and the Moon Queen is at the Immortal Ascension stage. It stands to reason that House Solaria is also a cultivator clan, and that the Sun Emperor is also at the Immortal Ascension stage, or near enough at least.”
I nodded at that. House Lunaria was the Lunarian Kingdom’s equivalent of House Solarian. They claimed descent from the Moon Queen, and were afforded several privileges because of this.
As for the Moon Queen herself, it didn’t surprise me that she was at the Immortal Ascension stage of cultivation, which was also called the Demigod stage. It was the highest level a cultivator could reach while in the mortal realm, just a single step shy of immortality. However, that step was literally the difference between the heavens and the earth.
The Lunarian Kingdom was founded thousands of years ago, same as the Solarian Empire. Like the Sun Emperor, the Moon Queen had ruled it for the entirety of its existence. If she was an Immortal Ascension cultivator, then it stood to reason that the Sun Emperor was one as well.
“I didn’t want to draw attention to myself,” Grandfather Gabe continued. “So I didn’t delve too deeply into House Solaria’s affairs.”
“I agree,” Mother said, nodding. “It’s best to avoid their attention for now.”
I gestured to the scroll.
“I’m surprised that you didn’t already know all of this, given how long you’ve lived in the Solarian Empire, Mother,” I said.
Mother shook her head.
“I left the cultivation world when I married your father,” she said. “And I made a deliberate effort to avoid anything to do with it. I didn’t want to get dragged back into it by catching anyone’s attention, so I kept my head down.”
Okay, fair enough.
“The Clans and sects are secretive by nature,” Grandfather Gabe said. “So while Claire and I are familiar with the ones in the Lunarian Kingdom, we are ignorant when it comes to the Solarian Empire. I’ve done what I can to help you, but you’re going to have to put in a lot of the work yourself.”
I nodded, and stroked my chin.
“What should we do with this information?” I asked. “My first impulse is to avoid catching the attention of the Houses on this list, but I don’t think that’s the right choice in this case. Staying hidden has the benefit of keeping us safe from potential enemies, but it also limits our potential allies.”
That was one of the reasons why I wanted to keep my status as Master Tempest’s Chosen a secret from the public, but reveal myself to his grand priest. Master Tempest had enemies among the gods, and their servants would become my enemies if I went public. Revealing myself to Master Tempest’s grand priest would give me some of the benefits of being Chosen, while minimizing the drawbacks.
“That’s a good question,” Mother said, crossing her arms and frowning. “How public do we want to go? Well, public being relative in this case.”
Since Houses that we were also cultivator Clans were likely more powerful than they appeared, so it was possible that even the minor Houses on this list were people we didn’t want to make enemies out of.
While Mother and I pondered, Grandfather Gabe remained silent. He had helped us a lot already, but we couldn’t expect him to do everything for us. We had to rely on ourselves here.
“I think it would be a good idea to make friends with House Griffin,” I said.
Mother and Grandfather Gabe frowned at me.
“Why do you say that?” Mother asked. “They’re a Great House as well as a cultivator Clan. They have a lot of eyes on them. If we become associated with them, there won’t be any way to hide the fact that we are a cultivator Clan ourselves. At the very least, those in the know will suspect us.”
“If we are going to make friends with the other cultivator Clans,” I said. “Why not make friends with one of the bigger fishes in the pond?” I tapped the scroll. “House Rhodes is right out, given how reclusive they are. Compared to them, House Griffin is much more approachable.”
Mother’s frown deepened.
“True,” she said. “However, trying to befriend them comes with a considerable amount of risk. House Griffin is far above House Sturm in status, and this is even more true if we approach them as a Clan. They might ignore our overtures outright, or worse, become offended by them. If that happens, we would have exposed ourselves for little to no gain. In fact, we might suffer by trying. It’s safer to approach one of the other Houses on this list.”
“Even so, I think it would be easier to befriend House Griffin than the other Houses on this list,” I said. “That isn’t to say that we shouldn’t befriend the other Houses, but we have more to gain by befriending House Griffin.”
“Why do you say that?” Grandfather Gabe asked, an inscrutable expression on his face.
“From what I’ve heard,” I said. “House Griffin favors those who specialize in internal magic, and those who prove themselves as capable fighters. I don’t imagine that Clan Griffin is all that much different. The fastest, and most straightforward, way to earn their respect would be to prove our skills as warriors.” I studied Grandfather Gabe. “Unless I’m off the mark, and Clan Griffin is wildly different from House Griffin in this regard.”
Several long seconds passed before Grandfather Gabe gave me a nod.
“You’re right,” he said, before grinning at me. “From what I saw, Clan Griffin focuses on body cultivation over spiritual cultivation. They respect physical prowess above all else. That arena of theirs is a way to scout out new talent. It also serves as a way for rogue cultivators and cultivators from nearby Clans and sects to grab their attention in addition to earning prizes. Clan Griffin even has an entirely separate set of matches and tournaments just for cultivators.”
Huh. What would something like that be even called? An under-underground arena? One for wizards, and one for cultivators?
“Well, I was interested in checking out their arena already,” I said with a grin of my own. “This just gives me even more incentive to do so.”
“While this gives us a better chance at succeeding,” Mother said, a troubled look on her face. “This idea of yours has the same drawbacks as approaching them directly. We would be exposing ourselves at the risk of getting nothing in return.” She shook her head. “Not only that, but we don’t know if the cultivators of Clan Griffin are the kinds of people we want to associate with. By trying, we might alienate Clans and sects that might have otherwise been our allies.”
That was a good point. We didn’t know what kind of people the cultivators of Clan Griffin were. All we had to go on was House Griffin’s reputation, and what we gleaned from the rumors surrounding them. Not only that, but House politics was a complicated quagmire of alliances, feuds, and trade deals. The same two Houses might be both allies and hated enemies with each other, depending on the circumstances.
I imagined that Clan politics would be just as complicated, if not more so.
“What’s your opinion on Clan Griffin?” I asked Grandfather Gabe.
He shook his head.
“I only observed them from a distance,” he said. “I didn’t actually talk with any of them or their people, so I can’t speak much about their character. If it helps, they seem honest and forthright.”
However, that wasn’t saying much. Observing someone from a distance gave one an idea of a person’s character, but it wasn’t the same as getting to know them. Someone might seem righteous on the surface, but could actually be a complete monster deep down.
That said, there was one person I could go to for information.
“In that case, why don’t I talk with someone who might know more about House Griffin?” I asked.
“Who?” Mother asked.
“Guildmaster Sinclair,” I answered. “Apparently, she used to fight in that underground arena of theirs. She might not know much, but it’s better than nothing.”
Mother looked thoughtful for the next several seconds.
“Do that,” she said. “If nothing else, the more we know about House Griffin the better.”
I nodded. We then spent the next hour discussing the various Houses on the list, as well as the pros and cons of allying with them. We didn’t know much about them as cultivator Clans, so the discussion wasn’t as fruitful as we would have hoped.
As we talked, a part of my mind pondered on how to best approach Guildmaster Sinclair. Whatever her relationship with House Griffin had been when she fought in their arena, she parted with them on bad terms; at least, that was the impression I got.
I didn’t think she would tell me about them if I just asked her. I needed something to loosen her lips.
The first thing that came to mind was the wine cellar. I sighed as I realized that I would need to break out the expensive stuff again.