Million Sword Vault’s location wasn’t exactly a secret but it was far from a convenient location to undergo any sort of concerted effort between sects. As such the body of the Ascension cultivator had been moved to another location- specifically what remained of the Whispering Watcher’s main headquarters. It was a neutral area where everyone was invited to donate their efforts to learning whatever they could about the woman.

At first great care was taken to preserve the structural integrity of the body, but as the studies continued the efforts widened to anything not directly intended to destroy it. The body was uncomfortably durable, even by the standards of the Life Transformation cultivators present.

Anton himself wasn’t present for most of the studies, but he kept himself apprised of what was being learned. Most of what ultimately proved useful had been speculated immediately, but confirming certain things was useful if they were going to be combating Ascension cultivators.

The first was that while the body seemed attuned to ascension energy it was less reactive to natural energy. It wasn’t that it was necessarily resistant to attacks, but even in death ascension energy clung to it, while natural energy did not. Across the continent of Aicenith there were more who practiced Fleeting Youth than Anton, so he wasn’t needed for all of the studies.

To compare to more familiar cultivators, while natural energy certainly faded from them after death they would still generally retain higher than the ambient level of natural energy. That effect could last as long as any parts of the body were relatively whole and was stronger with higher cultivation. Thus it wasn’t unexpected for the Ascension cultivator to react the same with ascension energy, but it was odd that natural energy seemed to not react the same.

Unfortunately, with only one body to compare to it couldn’t be certain if they would expect the same to hold true for all Ascension cultivators. Even so, along with the other information they generally agreed that Ascension cultivators shouldn’t be able to easily replenish their stores of energy. That explained the Chain Harmony Sect’s setup to some extent.

The body itself didn’t have to answer all of the questions. Some of them were answered by the contents of the storage bag. The texts contained therein were preserved as well as could be expected when in an area without natural energy for centuries. There was nothing so convenient as a journal outlining the weaknesses of the woman nor her motivations for participating in the invasion. However, they did learn that she was from the Fearless Mountain Sect, which had no counterpart on either continent. She also possessed two separate manuals for the sect’s cultivation technique. One for pre-ascension, and one for post-ascension. The latter was highly coveted by many but… it was soon found to be basically useless. Neither covered how one might ascend, and knowing how to train after ascension was not the biggest hurdle on any Life Transformation cultivator’s mind.

That information did back up a certain idea. One that the ascension realm didn’t contain those who just ascended naturally, but those who were born there and had to train to reach that level of strength. The possibility that they might be deficient in the less powerful natural energy seemed a reasonable enough assumption- and everyone pretty much agreed that cultivation from the beginning with just ascension energy would be impossible. At least for the vast majority of people. If there were exceptions, it hardly changed the basic idea. The energy was much too powerful to control initially without any experience or tempering of the body. The dantian would be undeveloped and unsuited for it as well.

If the invasions were happening so that sects could train up new recruits of some sort, it at least made some amount of sense. It might not be the sole reason, but knowing the motivations really didn’t matter. The more important part was how they might stop the invaders.

It wasn’t terribly surprising that the answer was to fight them, but of course it wasn’t quite that straightforward. Everheart’s final tomb had revealed information on anti-ascension techniques- or rather forced it into the heads of some of those seeking ascension. The point was, they were especially good at disrupting the energy. If it was difficult for the cultivators to recover, they could be worn down… assuming there was even a chance for that. It seemed that they had previously made use of direct assaults, smashing through what the sects had prepared. There was no guarantee that this time would be any different… but perhaps people would be able to prepare better, with knowledge of the previous time.

Anton certainly hoped so. It was possible that they were in an inescapable cycle… but no cultivator would just sit down and accept that as the case. They would fight. The entire world was not united on anything else, but except for what was hoped to be a small minority- one that included the Twin Soul Sect and similar groups they were in the process of exterminating- they were agreed that an invasion could not be allowed. They would fight. Anton just hoped they would fight together. Even if it meant abandoning certain locations or making sacrifices of people, combining forces would improve their effectiveness.

But he would be best served making those arguments to sects he had a longer history with, back on Brogora. The Order had an alliance with several powerful sects, but it would be better if it extended further. For that, he would return home- with the information he had gained. He just wasn’t sure how much it would actually help.

-----

It wasn’t necessarily surprising to find that some cultivators were a superstitious lot. Cultivation was difficult enough to undergo for those not from a large sect, and it seemed that good fortune was required to continue advancement. So when the ship happened to draw close to Paradise, the captain chose to stop. The giant turtle was not something that could be met on every traversal- though the first journey had skewed that idea somewhat. Regardless, encountering the Paradise of Thirteen Hills was taken as a good omen. Not stopping would be a travesty.

Anton was surprised to see people already on the island. It would be rare enough to find it. For two ships at once to land would be even more rare. Except they didn’t seem to have any. That was a matter of some concern. With more than a handful of Essence Collection cultivators… were they there to waylay incoming ships? Except only a single person came to greet the ship, the others remaining spread out on their own ‘hills’. If they intended some sort of attack, it certainly wasn’t very organized.

“Hello there!” waved the woman who came to see them. “Welcome to the Paradise of Thirteen Hills. I am Erin, a member of the Island Yenders. Feel free to take what you need. Timber and food are freely available, as are the local herbs. We only ask that you take in moderation. In addition, we ask that you replant anything you find. If you need expertise on how best to do so, we are available for consultation.”

While it was certainly odd to find something like permanent residents, the woman’s intent seemed genuine. Anton knew it was possible for someone to train themselves to deceive people expertly, but he was willing to accept the idea. He did, however, want more of an explanation. While others were taking time to stretch their legs- another reason to stop at Paradise regardless of whether or not there was good luck- Anton approached the woman.

“You said you are the ‘Island Tenders’? Are you a sect of some sort?”

Erin shrugged, “I suppose we might be considered that. Yet we don’t intend to claim the area as our own. Though the fact that most people would not choose to live here perhaps makes that the case by default.”

“I’ve noticed there aren’t any lower level cultivators here,” Anton pointed out. “Did none come with you? I would think a place so abundant in natural energy might be appealing to them.”

“You do know this is a turtle, right?” the woman asked.

“I do…” Anton said. “But I seem to be missing something.”

“Turtles don't always swim on the surface,” Erin answered. “Whenever Paradise gets hungry, you can expect a significant period of time when he is down in the depths eating anything large enough to catch his attention. At that time, it would be very difficult for a weaker cultivator to survive.”

“Interesting,” Anton said. “What about the plants here?”

“They are specially suited to surviving in this environment,” Erin answered. “And something about his shell purifies away the salt when he surfaces. The soil and sand also cling quite strongly. Though we are not certain that would remain the case without full plant cover.” She gestured to Anton. “Come, we might as well walk around while we talk.” She led Anton on a trip along the beach, pointing out the plants along the shore. “See that tree? How long would you think it took to grow?”

“At least several decades,” Anton commented.

“One year,” Erin stated. “That is how long it took to reach a height of twenty meters. The abundant natural energy here accelerates the growth of plants. There are none that are truly massive, but the dives often cause tree falls. The trees quickly decay and become soil.”

“Fascinating. I suppose it would have to be that way. About the younger disciples… have you considered structures with formations to keep out the water? That would also generally protect people from sea life.”

“To be honest, we’re not interested in creating many permanent structures here. It seems… rude, somehow.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Anton admitted. “I am just keenly interested in seeing younger generations grow strong. Since you live here… have you learned anything interesting about Paradise himself?”

“It’s quite difficult to gauge his intentions in any way. He seems to eat when he is hungry, though he has never attacked a ship of cultivators. Other than eating, he just drifts along on the ocean currents.”

“Hmm. I wonder how he would feel about invading cultivators…”

“It’s hard to say,” she admitted.

“It would be great if we could recruit him to fight for us, though given his normal speed I don’t know if he would actually reach any battles. It might just be a vain hope,” Anton admitted. “I just can’t help but think about how everything will relate to the coming invasion.”

“It is hard to ignore the impending crisis. Those of us here are training just as hard as everyone else, though with less conflict than the mainlands. Unless things have changed?”

“I suppose that depends on what you mean. I would personally say that conflicts have gone down in my over twenty years of cultivation experience. There are still squabbles and the like, but except for dealing with certain groups, large scale wars have been minimal. I hope it can stay that way.”

“Agreed,” Erin nodded. “What sect are you a part of?”

“The Order of Ninety-Nine Stars. From Brogora,” Anton clarified. It was unlikely anyone at her level wouldn’t have at least heard of them… but that was only on the same continent. Any sect that had multiple Life Transformation cultivators quickly came into public view, and the Order was well established. Based on her accent, Anton thought she was probably from Aicenith.

“You’re a fortunate one. It can be quite difficult to advance without joining a large sect. They tend to monopolize the places with abundant natural energy. Except here, so far.”

“I don’t know if that will ever really change,” Anton said. “However, there have been great efforts to teach more people to cultivate- and how to improve the quality of the natural energy in the area through long-term efforts. A sect might still have the best… but the difference might not be as large.”

“Oh, interesting. Can the quality of an area’s natural energy really be improved?”

“Of course. Large sects do it all the time. It is quite possible that much of what they have wasn’t originally much better than the surroundings. I doubt much could be done with a place like this, however.” Anton shook his head, “But this is actually an example of it working. These plants here seem to be fed natural energy by Paradise himself while in turn providing him with something like extra stores of energy. It’s just usually not… mobile.”

“I suppose I already knew it worked something like that,” Erin admitted. “I just haven’t had real opportunity to spend time changing the world on a more permanent basis.”

“It’ll happen. Just make sure it’s for the better,” Anton commented.