The world rushed back into Li Yu's senses not as a gentle stream, but as a roaring, elemental tsunami. The very air, once a selective menu of spiritual Qi from which he could only pick his preferred flavor, had become a boundless feast. His body, now suffused with the unifying power of his perfected Koi Qi, was no longer a filter but a vortex, a bottomless well drinking in the entirety of the world's energy.
He felt the biting, crystalline essence of the northern ice seep into his meridians, not as a foreign invader to be slowly converted, but as a welcome, familiar friend. The sharp, untamed wind Qi whipping down from the snow-laden peaks flowed through him as if it were his own breath.
The deep, steadfast earth energy, the very foundation of the mountain beneath him, rose up to greet his spirit, adding its unyielding strength to his own. He was no longer just a creature of the water; he was a being of the world, a miniature ocean that reflected and absorbed the entirety of the heavens and earth.
A slow, wide, and utterly triumphant smile spread across Li Yu's face, the expression stark against the cold, clear night of the northern wilderness. He had stumbled upon another profound secret of his cultivation art, a truth hidden within the simple act of unifying his Qi. He had not just learned to swallow the rivers; he had finally learned how to become the ocean.
He remained in that state of perfect, harmonious absorption for what felt like an eternity, but was likely only a few hours. The sun had not yet begun to grace the eastern peaks when a subtle shift in the wind, a distortion that no ordinary cultivator would have noticed, caught his new, all-perceiving senses. The air itself seemed to part, making way for a presence that moved with the silent, effortless grace of a king of the sky.
Fengliu, the Zephyr-Tide Roc King, materialized at the edge of the snowy clearing, his human form as sharp and elegant as ever. He took in the scene—the absolute tranquility, the faint, residual aura of immense power, and the serene, almost glowing figure of his master—and his sharp eyes widened in understanding. He approached with a quiet, measured tread, waiting until Li Yu's own eyes slowly opened, revealing pupils that seemed to contain the depth of a star-dusted sea.
"Master," Fengliu's voice was a low, melodic murmur, careful not to break the profound peace of the moment. "Your aura… it has changed. It is vaster."
"The river has finally reached the sea," Li Yu replied, his voice calm, yet resonating with a newfound depth. He rose to his feet, the simple movement seeming to carry the weight and inevitability of a rising tide. The world's Qi swirled around him, a willing, eager court paying homage to its sovereign. "Welcome."
"I've come to report personally," Fengliu said, his expression turning serious. He gave a deep, formal bow. "My wings have flown to the four corners of the empire, and my whispers have followed the turning of the political tides. I bring you news."
He had also come to absorb the Koi Sanctuary before returning to his tasks, strength was paramount to his revenge.
Li Yu gestured to a large, flat-topped boulder, swept clean of snow by the ambient energy. "Report." They sat, two figures in the pre-dawn stillness of the frozen wilderness.
"We begin with the heart of the storm, the Boreal Frost Empire," Fengliu began, his report crisp and precise. "The Seventh Princess has ascended the Frost-Throne. She is now the reigning Frost Empress. Her coronation, however, was an unnervingly quiet affair. The grand ceremony was held, the oaths were sworn, but the day passed without incident.
No factions made a move, no assassins crept from the shadows, no loyalists to her fallen brothers attempted a final, desperate gambit. She claimed the throne as if it were her birthright, unopposed."
Li Yu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant, dark line of the horizon. An uneventful coronation in such a venomous political climate was more telling than a bloody one. It spoke of absolute, terrifying control.
"Her first act as Empress was not to stabilize the economy or rally the military," Fengliu continued, a cold glint in his eyes. "It was to settle a family score. The Third Prince, who had already surrendered his claim and fled to a secret location in the farthest northern wastes, is now missing."
This was news. The Third Prince had been the most cunning of the brothers, the one who knew when to fold his hand.
"How?" Li Yu asked.
"Assassins," Fengliu stated flatly. "Shadow operatives. They struck with impossible speed and precision. The official story is that he was hunted down by remnants of the Eighth Prince's faction, a convenient lie to tie up a loose end. The truth is far more chilling. The Empress, despite being locked away in the capital, somehow knew the exact location of his supposedly impenetrable sanctuary. His entire retinue were annihilated but it would seem he got away due to the help of some other faction."
Fengliu paused, letting the implication hang in the frozen air. "The location was known only to three of his most trusted, life-bound retainers. One of them must have betrayed him. How the new Empress managed to break such a bond or what she offered in return is a mystery. But it demonstrates a level of cunning and ruthlessness that far exceeds her brutish brothers. She is not a beast of overt strength; she is a serpent hiding in the snow, and her fangs are lethally sharp. I believe she probably also has help from some group or faction as well."
Li Yu processed this. The new Empress was a far more dangerous player than the predecessor he had inadvertently helped to depose. A subtle, intelligent, and utterly ruthless opponent. "A problem for another day," he murmured. "What of the other areas?"
Fengliu's brow furrowed. "The east is… coalescing. In the vast territories that border the empire, a powerful alliance of sects is forming. They call themselves the Righteous Blade Coalition. At their head is the strongest sect in the region, the Soaring Dragon Sect, led by a Sect Master who has achieved the fifth rank of the Core Formation realm."
A fifth-rank Core Formation expert was a regional powerhouse, capable of founding a dynasty.
"Their stated purpose is to bring order to the chaos left in the wake of the empire's civil war," Fengliu explained. "But their actions suggest ambition, not altruism. They are absorbing smaller sects at an alarming rate, using a combination of political pressure and veiled threats. My instincts, tell me something is wrong. Their logistics are too smooth, their resources too plentiful. They are expanding faster than their own foundations should allow. I am certain another, hidden force is supporting them, feeding them pills, spirit stones, and strategic guidance. I have agents working to uncover the source, but the hand that guides them is shrouded in shadow."
Another potential storm on the horizon. Li Yu filed it away. "The south?"
"The south is a chaotic tapestry of conflict and opportunity," Fengliu said. "The power vacuum we created is being filled by a dozen squabbling factions. It is a messy, bloody affair, but it is also profitable. The Golden Shell Guild, under the surprisingly shrewd leadership of Kui and Fat Pig, is not participating in the petty squabbles. Instead, it is positioning itself as the bedrock of the region's new economy, the one stable port in a sea of pirates and warlords. They recently purchased a massive warehouse in Border Town, establishing a northern foothold to facilitate trade between the recovering war zones and the resource-rich south. Their influence grows daily."
This was only possible due to the power that the Golden Shell Company had shown, so many forces were still leaving them alone. That, and their fair merchant practices made many willing to trade with them. This made other merchant groups upset but without the strength to overthrow them, they too settled for more fair trade practices and getting agreements as well, everyone eating at the table together.
Fengliu's expression tightened subtly. "However, there is a disturbing pattern emerging. My coastal informants report a sharp increase in demonic beast attacks along the southern coastline. These are not random rampages. They are coordinated, intelligent raids targeting merchant vessels and fishing villages. The beasts are larger, stronger, and more organized than anything seen in centuries. The frequency is increasing with each passing moon. It feels… orchestrated."
This caught Li Yu's full attention. It resonated with a deep, primal part of his being. "Orchestrated how?"
"I do not know, Master. But nature, even in its cruelty, has a rhythm. This has none. It is a discordant note in the song of the sea."
"Keep a close watch on this, Fengliu," Li Yu commanded, his voice low and serious. "I want to know everything. What species are involved, their patterns, their leaders. Unnatural behavior in beasts often has a human or a more powerful demonic hand guiding it. This is a priority."
"It will be done," Fengliu affirmed. "To the east of our old home, the Green Mountain Sect, tensions are escalating. Two mid-tier empires are rattling their sabers over a newly discovered spirit stone vein. It seems a full-scale war is inevitable. For now, only the far west, where the demonic clans hold sway, remains relatively peaceful. Our alliance with the Asura Clan has given us a reputation. The other clans watch, but they do not act."
He concluded, "The world is in a state of quiet turmoil. The old order is dying, and a dozen new powers are vying to take its place. It is a time of great danger, and great opportunity."
As the first rays of dawn finally broke over the mountains, painting the snow in hues of rose and gold, a new sound reached them. It was the crunch of heavy boots on snow, the rhythmic tread of disciplined soldiers. A group of figures emerged from the forest path leading up the mountain.
At their head was Xylia, her presence as cold and unyielding as the northern winter itself. Her sapphire eyes were fixed on Li Yu, and behind her, a dozen warriors in the crimson-and-white armor of the White Paw company stood in silent, perfect formation. They were the first group of her elite escort group, brought north to carve out a new territory.
She stopped a respectful distance away, her gaze taking in Li Yu's changed aura before giving a curt, efficient nod. "Master."
Her report was as blunt as her demeanor. "The north is ripe for profit. War breeds chaos, and chaos is the soil in which our business grows. Caravans need escorts, new settlements need guards, and every trade route is a hunting ground. We are selling security, and the demand is limitless. I have established a northern branch of the White Paw here in Border Town, headquartered near the Golden Shell's new warehouse. The two companies will support each other."
She paused, her gaze unwavering. "But that is not the primary reason for my visit." She didn't need to elaborate. Her spirit, her very soul, hummed with a deep, instinctual thirst.
Li Yu understood perfectly. Her work was important, but her cultivation was paramount. He gave a single, permissive nod. "Take what you can hold."
Xylia stepped forward, her expression focused and intense. Li Yu relaxed his internal defenses, opening a channel to the boundless, vibrant Koi Sanctuary within him.
A vortex of pure, life-giving Koi Qi, suffused with the essence of the world itself, flowed from him into her. Xylia's body trembled, a faint sheen of sweat appearing on her brow as she absorbed the potent energy. She was like a wineskin being filled from an ocean, taking only as much as she could possibly contain before bursting. After a long moment, she reached her limit. The flow ceased, and she pulled her hand back, her face pale but her eyes burning with a vibrant, energized light.
"Thank you, master," She said and then without another word, she turned. "We move out!" she commanded her squad. The dozen warriors, who had stood as silent and still as statues, fell into perfect formation behind her and marched back down the mountain path.
Li Yu watched them disappear into the woods, then turned his gaze to the rising sun. The world was a complex, overgrown garden, filled with ambitious weeds and dangerous thorns.