Being sect head made John realize how much he had relied on the longstanding structures of the Tenebach clan during his time running it. People with decades of experience in general operations were able to pass that knowledge on to others to maintain the efficiency of the whole system.

Of course, they could propagate errors as well, but in that case an organization wouldn’t tend to last through multiple generations. It was always possible, but it became ever more unlikely if they were careless with such things. There was the potential for internal corruption as well- people with positions of power who wanted more. Internal power struggles could rip apart a group more easily than troubles from the outside. Though conversely, external enemies could often be a way for groups to stand united.

In the world of cultivators it took more than a few years for people to grow unsettled, and the concept of strong leadership was not so nebulous as opinions on various successes. Obviously benefitting whatever clan or sect they were in charge of was important, but there was a rather clear measurement of actual strength. Two cultivators of great power could struggle against each other for control… or work together to the benefit of all.

In truth, John was thinking further ahead than was actually practical. At the current moment the Six Elements Crossroads was entirely reliant on himself, and the alliance as a whole was stable. But John knew that the world never remained the same forever. Eventually, the leadership of the various clans and sects involved might change, and they might have their own opinions about the value of the alliance.

While he might hope to always have friends in positions of leadership, that wasn’t necessarily practical. He’d lucked out so far with the mix of personalities and talents of individuals, but ultimately he might find people he didn’t naturally get along with as the strongest. And even if all of the current people survived, John’s ambitions weren’t limited to the current region the alliance spanned. Thinking about the intrusion of the Sky Islands and the Molten Sea, they couldn’t simply be content with where things were at. That was why he had attempted to break through to the Ascending Soul Phase… though his pioneering actions had clearly been a bit off.

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Cultivation in Lunson was difficult for most cultivators, as they had access to less spiritual energy of their element and it required effort to extract it. Thus, there were many formations to gather and separate out those elements. However, most were not active at all times- those in the inns, for example, would be expensive to maintain during the off years where few people stayed in the city. Even now, with slightly greater numbers moving through, only a small portion of the inns were full.

The Six Elements Crossroads also relied on energy gathering formations, though their approach was more granular. After all, a good portion of their training involved separating the energy with training groups of appropriate elements. Thus, gathering was the primary function, and splitting the elements came secondarily.

As the sect head, John had the best position, a portion of the main flow of spiritual energy channeled to a training room exclusively for himself. He had gone back and forth on the idea, because while it was useful it seemed too selfish. On the other hand, a sect head not having such luxuries could be dangerous. If he fell behind in training, he might overestimate his own ability. Beyond that, there was a certain level of luxury that had to be displayed as a sect, and Viriato almost insisted that he have something.

In the end, John had it installed with the idea that he could always choose to allow that channel of energy to flow to the rest of the sect. Not that a lack of spiritual energy seemed to be the largest issue his disciples faced.

What they needed was guidance in their cultivation. His personal efforts were part of that, and guest elders were valuable as well. But the disciples needed to be able to study on their own, which meant reliable manuals to study from. Which meant acquiring and vetting such things.

It was a tedious process, but not without its value. After all, John practiced every element except light- and he was aware he needed to study that sole remaining element if he wanted to have a chance at a full cycle. Having only half screwed up his advancement to the Ascending Soul Phase, he at least couldn’t say that the Exalted Soul Phase was impossible.

Going over every level of understanding of every element was quite valuable, despite the time investment required. Each element had many ways to make use of it. Earth could be about dirt and stone, but it could also focus on the growth of plants without going outside of its own domain. Though in truth, John understood that the borders of elements weren’t quite as rigid as they first appeared.

Air involved wind and gasses as well as lightning. There was a lot more that could be done besides simply battering people around with winds or shocking them. Slight changes in the composition of air could bolster or diminish the fighting ability of others in an almost imperceptible manner. Going a bit further, it was possible to make air useless for breathing in a way that human bodies wouldn’t recognize. Spiritual perception might understand that something had been tampered with, but as long as a person had no carbon dioxide build up in their lungs they would not physically sense the lack of air.

Fire was fire. Heat and burning and all of that. Yet that wasn’t all. It was a progenitor of change. It could consume earth, but it could also help mold it. Likewise, it was part of water’s change from solid to liquid to gas. Everything, really, but it was most notable for that pure element as all of water’s changes were within a relatively small range.

Water had the aforementioned different states, and could likewise influence the surroundings. John made use of that in one of his formal techniques, Sinking in the Mire. Of the four core elements, it was perhaps the most flexible.

Then there were darkness and light. Concealment and revealing, though that was only the minimal form of both. Like all elements they could directly bolster offense and defense, but they excelled in speed. Light was light, after all- and darkness had the capacity to move at the same speed. Then again, as a tangible thing it wasn’t simply a lack of light. Dark fogs hindering the senses took on aspects of other elements. Likewise, when used offensively light touched on heat and fire.

Using logic from his time on Earth, John would have decided that the elemental distinctions were flawed- but he was aware things didn’t work the same in this world. The elements simply were, and parsing their mysteries was the main task of a cultivator.

The last few years rebuilding his cultivation from lower levels had taught him much about the elements, and he was glad for the perspective it provided. Though he really would have preferred if it didn’t come with almost dying and a drop in cultivation. Perhaps he should schedule a comprehensive review of his understanding for every decade or so and skip the mess in the future.

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Mid Soul Expansion Phase. That was what defined his quantity of spiritual energy, though obviously having five spiritual totems was abnormal for such a Phase. And their quality as well. Fifth tier totems that were still growing stronger… though perhaps not as quickly as he would like. The landscape within his dantian was becoming vibrant and healthy, but it still took time to grow and contained only so much spiritual energy at once.

On the topic of cultivation Phases, a letter from Steve put things into perspective. Not simply himself, but for those around him. The world beyond the Six Elements Crossroads wasn’t simply standing still.

“Hey buddy. Gonna be out of town for a while. See you in the next Phase!”

A decidedly incomplete letter. John was grateful that Yustina had appended more helpful information on the end.

“As my husband said, our responsibilities having been handled for the moment, we are planning to journey to the Molten Sea in an attempt to break through to the Ascending Soul Phase. My husband and I are thankful for your insights into the Ascending Soul Phase, as you have helped us avoid some potential missteps. We understand the risks, of course. The Molten Sea may not be a single force, but we will indeed be at risk. We decided together that it was a necessary course, however. Remaining here in comfort and safety is not sufficient for either of us.”

Well, that explained things at least. John kind of wished they dropped by to speak with him, but perhaps that was the point of the letter. They were determined and didn’t wish to be dissuaded from their path. John couldn’t really say that their choices were wrong, either. Cultivation was a dangerous path, but sometimes that danger was exactly the necessary ingredient to advancement. Or sometimes it meant death.

John was just the first among them to have made the attempt. He knew he wasn’t alone. Had Matayal still been alive… well, things might have gone differently. If nothing else they would have had each other to rely on as they attempted to advance.

Renato was also at the peak of the Consolidated Soul Phase, and he’d pretty much always matched John in that regard. Or sometimes surpassed him. Johannes Dalen, the first in the region to reach the Consolidated Soul Phase, was also not far behind. The Sect Head of the Order of the Amber Heart had fallen behind his disciple mainly due to age, but among those of the older generation he was the one John was most confident had a real chance of advancement.

Luctus would almost certainly not reach the Ascending Soul Phase, though John’s grandfather wasn’t disappointed by that. He was already close to an entire Phase ahead of where he thought he would end his life.

Kusuma’s wild energy might have pushed her to attempt a breakthrough, if she’d lived long enough. John could have certainly seen her reaching the Ascending Soul Phase or going out in a blaze of glory.

Deirdre and Zacharie of the Golden Tomb Guardians certainly had the potential, but they simply needed more time for their cultivations to reach the peak of the Consolidated Soul Phase. Then, of course, they would need proper insights. Time was on their side, however, as they were still quite young.

As for others besides Steve and Yustina in the Milanovic clan, the main candidate was Alina. There were some rumors that she might have been able to reach the Ascending Soul Phase already if not for her choice in partner. Tempkeit was certainly not the most talented cultivator, but John was of the opinion that Alina not following her heart would have ultimately resulted in less efficient cultivation. Either way, the Milanovic clan might end up with three Ascending Soul Phase cultivators within the next decade.

Then there were his own children, who would all be in the Consolidated Soul Phase in their twenties. Perhaps even before they were twenty-five, which would put them up to a handful of years faster than John himself. Ursel could break through at any time, or perhaps she had already and word simply hadn’t reached John. As for the other two, their responsibilities from managing their clans would slow them down slightly, but John knew they were still advancing properly.

It was an astounding change. Cultivators within a single generation might be among the first in the region to reach the Consolidated Soul Phase and the Ascending Soul Phase. Not actually the first, of course, with Johannes Dalen leading the pack, but so much had changed in John’s thirty years.

Of course, that very change was something to be concerned about, because not only those John cared about would be growing strong. Tales were told of such times, great shifts in the world’s balance, and John absolutely believed they were in the midst of one. In short, they couldn’t assume they were the strongest or that they would remain that way. Aside from the clear examples of Ascending Soul Phase cultivators from previous generations in other regions, their region might not be the only one growing in such a way. It was simply the limited news from around the world that made things uncertain.

Hopefully, Steve and Yustina could return with some of that. By which John meant Yustina, obviously. At best, Steve would mention fighting ‘some pretty strong dudes from somewhere’. He was a reliable friend, but his utility as an informant was quite limited. As for his absolute confidence that they would return… John simply couldn’t allow himself to think otherwise. Otherwise he would cause trouble for both his new sect and them if he ran off to go ‘save’ them.