Once the giant croc was captured, the giant spider that was Sage’s True Body scrambled away from the banks of the river and started leaping into the air once more. The Five Mountain Province had two giant mountain ranges that ran into it, meeting in the center where the Mount Song Sword Sect built their headquarters. It just so happened that the Icefire Valley was built along that mountain range, so Sage started to use the smaller peaks like diving boards, hopping up a slope and then taking a huge leap off the peak. He ran through the air, in a sort of water skimming fashion, using Cosmic Traction only enough to help send him forward. It was like there was an invisible slide that he was jumping onto and sliding down through the sky on.

He passed over a few smaller sects and heard surprised cries and fearful shouts, but he didn’t pay them any attention, gliding past without even bothering to slow down. In fact, he felt he was showing them quite a bit of respect by carefully avoiding their defensive formations. He recognized many of them and most of them weren’t very threatening. He could have used them as a springboard to increase his speed, but he was kind enough to leave them alone.

When he reached the base of the Mount Song Sword Sect, he stopped and reactivated the Human Seal, no longer seeming to care about anyone knowing of this ability. He’d already been chased for months because of it, but he came back much stronger. If those same villains tried to come after him again he would make them pay. Those fellows were already living on borrowed time, and he was hoping that showing off his new body might put a little fear into them. He had faced a deadly crisis and it had made him stronger. Sage looked down at his hand and clenched his fist.

I’m many times stronger than before. Compared to before, my growth feels like a rocket.

In the past he’d always felt constrained by time. There were so many things he wanted to learn, so many places to explore, so many techniques to learn, so much money that needed to be earned. He could never find the time to do them all. Things are different now. While he couldn’t actually improve his body or its powers directly, the Soul Clone could learn, study, and research. More importantly, it could master many techniques. Those geniuses could progress their cultivation at breakneck speed while also training many techniques to terrifying levels of mastery in no time at all. Sage was no genius like them, and he never had a chance to catch up to any of them. His only hope was to stay alive long enough to slowly accumulate power.

At least that’s how it used to be. He spent 3 years in Icefire Valley, but the Soul Clone had been training for two thousand. A few hundred years were spent experimenting on the Poison Core and suffering injuries, but the rest of the time was not wasted.

The Mount Song Sword Sect gate guards in front of him were terrified by his spider body, and even more startled to see him take a human form. After a few moments they recognized him, but were confused by his lack of activity. Then Sage laughed out loud to himself and the two guards shared a look. One of them swallowed audibly, and when Sage finally looked at them, the man saluted carefully, “Welcome back, Sir. Do you need any assistance?”

Not even realizing how odd his behavior was, Sage shook his head. Then he gave the two guards a wave and dashed between them, leaping into the air and continuing the same style of movement he’d used to get here. Leaping and then gliding away on alternating feet like he was wearing skates. The guards notified their superiors of the new arrival and then faced forward again, not daring to look back and gain any more attention from that strange character.

By the time Sage had reached the peak of the Tiankong Clan, they were already waiting for him. Surprisingly, they were all present. Even Ruanfu, Wanqian Lei, and Manji had returned. He was happy to see them all, greeting them and forgetting about his business at the moment to join them for a feast. They shared stories of their recent adventures, and he downplayed his own actions as simply cultivating. The others had been up to far more unusual things. The Tiankong Siblings, with the exception of Ruanfu, had basically been put in charge of recruiting more Demonic Beasts. Some of them visited large auctions, some of them explored the wilderness, and others negotiated with other clans. They shared some laughs, but Sage suddenly got quiet when Jiyao said a certain name, “I heard a rumor about a place called the Shou Empire. It’s supposed to have an endless sea of powerful beasts.”

Baozhai’s eyes seemed to sparkle with interest, but she still spoke conservatively, “Don’t you be spouting out about any fake legends here, Jiyao. You’ll just cause trouble.”

Tujiu, on the other hand, sat up straighter, “How powerful are they?”

Sage suddenly coughed to get their attention, “Ahem. Excuse me. The Shou Empire is no joke, put away any thoughts of going there. The Dou Kingdom is already vast enough, even if you finish exploring it all, which will take hundreds of years, you can still go and play in the Tianren Kingdom where all those half-beasts live. The Shou Empire is not a place we can deal with.”

They suddenly quieted down and were eager to know more about this place, but Sage didn’t say anything further. Merely warning them to stay away.

The next day, he figured out why the whole clan had gathered. The Mount Song Sword Sect was about to hold the ceremony to officially acknowledge the Tiankong Clan as their permanent Ally. Everyone had returned to take part, to experience this historic event, and also because all these birds were vain and wanted everyone in the Mount Song Sword Sect to recognize them. Sage chuckled as he saw them all preening and posing with varying levels of subtlety.

The ceremony would be held in the next few days and Sage found his timing to be quite lucky. In the meantime he found Wan Ling and without thinking about it, he walked up and hugged her. She was startled, but then put her arms around him. After a few moments of silence they stepped back and he nodded at her, “Sorry, I didn’t intend to stay away so long, but I was inspired and couldn’t let the moment slip past. I’ve also found an opportunity I need your help with.”

A few days later, he witnessed a grand occasion. The Mount Song Sword Sect had assembled many auspicious decorations and a few thrilling spectacles. Pastel colored flower petals rained from the sky, draping the Tiankong Clan peak with a fragrant snow. A dozen swordsmen used their weapons to slice and slash the sky, creating an eerie music with the swish of their blades. Then Elder Meng showed off his new strength, drawing his sword and slashing it into the air with one clean motion. A giant sword wave was released from him, creating a sonic boom as it traveled upwards. In the sky, a huge cloud was cleaved perfectly in half, showing how powerful the aftereffects of his attack were.

For all the spectacle that led up to the ceremony, the ceremony itself was extremely simple. A trio of the Mount Song Sword Sect Elders, passed a token to Ruanfu with Wan Ling and Manji to either side of her. In the past few years, Ruanfu had convinced Manji to join the Tiankong Clan, much to the displeasure of the Thundercloud Sect. He didn’t leave his role as the Guardian of the Thundercloud Sect, merely adding the additional title of Elder of the Tiankong Clan.

A few days later, Sage was heading towards a pre-arranged meeting with the Mount Song Sword Sect Elders with Wan Ling at his side.