In this second life of his, one of the people John had the most respect for was Luctus Tenebach, his grandfather. Without him, nothing would have been possible. Certainly, John might have tried to hide his Transmigrated status and chosen to stick to an orthodox path, and perhaps that would have gone well for him. But that was not how things had worked out, and John didn’t actually think it would have been better, lying to people for decades- and into perpetuity.

“I have no cultivation advice to give you,” Luctus said when John came to him.

“Sometimes I just want to talk to people,” John said.

“Bah, nobody wants to just talk to an old fellow like me except for advice.”

John shrugged. “I might. And there are things that are useful to know besides cultivation.”

“Like what?”

“Politics. The state of the world you remember from over a century ago,” John said.

“Hmm,” Luctus nodded slowly. “I wish I could help you with that, but I must admit my focus was too narrow to consider the world. Not even the whole of the Stone Conglomerate at all points.”

“Then I suppose it somewhat comes back to cultivation. Were there any Consolidated Soul or Ascending Soul Phase cultivators around? Anywhere you were aware of?”

“A few Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators traveled through the area,” Luctus said. “But we had no residents at that level until just recently. And now,” he chuckled. “There are Ascending Soul Phase cultivators. I’ve been left far behind. Though not as far behind as I would have thought.” He took a deep breath, nodding. “Still, it’s clear my time is almost up.”

“The Tenebach clan still needs you,” John said.

“Oh, I don’t plan on going out in the next year or two,” Luctus said. “I’m old, but these improvements to my cultivation should keep me going at least another decade or two. Or I could go out fighting. If I get injured like Netanel…” he shrugged. “Well, I’d rather do the most for the clan possible.”

John sighed, “And here I am, having left the clan behind. Despite all you did for me.”

Luctus raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying if the Tenebach clan was in trouble, you wouldn't come to our aid?”

“Well, obviously that’s not the case. You’re still family.”

“And that’s why I was not concerned. You made certain there was leadership here before moving on to your next step. I might have done the same, but I didn’t have the opportunity or ambition. As long as you don’t forget old ties, what difference does it make if you’re living here or somewhere else? Especially since our scope must expand.”

“I was thinking about that,” John said. “I keep thinking we don’t know enough about the places further away… yet they’re more and more capable of causing us trouble. And our strength, in a way, makes us more of a target.”

“So it does,” Luctus agreed. “So what is your plan?”

“We need a greater alliance. Not just the Stone Conglomerate, or a handful of clans and sects. The whole region should be united.”

Luctus nodded. “This is where I would tell you it was impossible, if I had not seen what you had done. And the others you are connected to. If you can convince them all… well, I don’t think people will be able to refuse.”

“That sounds problematic,” John said.

“Better than letting the Molten Sea walk over us. Or someone worse.”

John was going to say that it might not happen, but he didn’t really believe that. It was more of a matter of time, rather than an if. Seizing power through martial strength was the way of the world, and he didn’t know if he could actually do anything about that.

But he wasn’t going to let himself just go power mad. He was working on diplomatic solutions, after all. He hadn’t gone around crushing people just because they got in his way or anything. It was only when they chose to try to take what he’d helped grow- or things of his allies.

Yes, this was simply what was required in this world. People with ill intentions would always take control of any power structure. If he didn’t want that, he had to be in that place.

-----

Air flowed into John’s lungs, and air flowed out. At his current stage, he was able to prevent many contaminants entering his body through his lungs- but it was by no means all of them. Perhaps with time those numbers would rise, but he doubted it could ever be perfect. And why should it be? The lungs were only one part of the body. There were other parts for the filtration and removal of all sorts of toxins.

But that wasn’t the domain of air. His technique might continue to improve, but it would never become something more all on its own. For that, he would need other elements. Determining which was the best was a question that might not have a true answer. He could only work with insights he or others had gained to try to find what was best for him.

He wasn’t done with air, however. There was more he could try, and some ideas were just too tempting. Fiddling with the contents of a human body was risky, but there were different levels of risk. A middling level of understanding might cause more harm than a complete lack of knowledge. If he didn’t know about his body, he wouldn’t even know why he would change it. But even in this world, bodies weren’t perfect. No, human bodies worked about as well as could be expected given the circumstances, but they had their limitations. Scar tissue built up instead of perfectly replicating what the body could produce. It even ‘knew’ how, as the body still had stem cells.

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The problem was the body was cautious. And it didn’t actually know what was going on. Cells were just meant to replicate and fill the space between them. If he got a cut on his finger, the skin cells that were connecting to each other didn’t know if there was a patch missing or they were meeting up with prior neighbors.

Spiritual energy could prompt the body to heal scars, or actively send more resources to speed up natural healing. That was just the basic level, promoting what the body was already trying to do and perhaps going a step beyond. But John knew there was still more.

And as he felt his fingers twitch, he knew he was going to try more. He could barely sense them, the minute electrical signals he produced when giving his muscles commands. But he could sense the signals, and he was getting better at it. And slowly, he was getting ideas how to improve it.

They weren’t all logical, human thoughts. He couldn’t say exactly why he thought something would work. How he would be changing nerve cells to speed up transition. There was something about using rarer materials and changing the composition of his body, but he couldn’t list the exact chemical composition of his cells. Even individual cells were quite small, and they were made of countless molecules. But he could slowly pick out what he needed for the process, and sense it in food and drink found in the markets. Sometimes it was regional foods, or specific types of herbs that grew in very particular soil.

Whatever they were, there was more than just the physical components to be concerned about. They all carried spiritual energy that could help or harm him. What John needed was a sustainable change to his body, not a short term boost. But the more he tested his Body Tempering idea, the more insights he had. He knew he was on a viable path. And while there were still risks, that was true of all cultivation. He was quite aware of how mistakes could end a cultivation career. But if he didn’t take any he would never have gotten where he was.

-----

The ‘club’ was once more gathered together. This time, they had two standout individuals among them. John felt almost out of place, as his cultivation was lower than the rest- except in a way, it was in between the Consolidated Soul Phase and the Ascending Soul Phase.

It was difficult for John to propose his idea. They’d spoken on similar topics, of course, but it was basically just about expanding the alliance. John’s current plans were more.

“We need to bring the entire region under our banner,” John said. “We can’t afford to have squabbling sects and clans. Or at least, not to the extent of civil wars.”

“The conflicts make our disciples stronger,” Renato said.

“Those who survive, yes,” John said. “And I am not saying we should avoid conflicts. But I think there are already plenty of battles in the world, looking for us. Wild beasts will always exist. Untamable natural phenomena. And even if our alliance grows, human foes will still exist. Perhaps ones more important for us to spend our efforts against, like the Molten Sea. And perhaps the Sky Islands, if they decide to make a move. Besides, if we combined all of our knowledge we could certainly train our disciples better even without killing.”

Renato nodded. “I suppose your words make sense.”

“So what’s the plan?” Lucanus asked. “Just go around and say ‘hey, join us?’”

“It can be more than that,” John said. “But at base… yes. The Tenebach Clan and the Order of the Amber Heart are a good example within the Stone Conglomerate. Actual control extends to multiple counties, and their effective influence is significantly further. And the Milanovic clan is a dominant force in the Green Sands. Most would already listen to them. But it would be better to have formal agreements… and cooperation.”

“What if people didn’t want to join this alliance?” Deidre asked. “Could they just refuse?”

“Well…” John frowned. “At that point, they’re kind of setting themselves up to be enemies.”

“Perhaps. But they might just want to be left alone. I’m not saying that… I don’t understand some of this. But it’s too close to us becoming tyrants.”

Renato shook his head. “That’s already the way of things. And I think so far we have managed in much more humane manners than those before us. I understand your otherworld sensibilities are different but… people are already quite surprised that we haven’t been throwing our weight around.”

“So they expect us to be terrible?” Deirdre asked.

“They expect us to act in a traditional manner. And I think Yustina and I can agree that we would probably have done so, without the rest of you. But… this is still the world we were first born into, as far as we are aware. There are certain ways that are not so easily changed.”

Yustina nodded. “The rule of power in your world might not have been so visible, but it was still true nonetheless. And we would not be working together if we did not think each other reasonable. I am in favor of expanding. And if those outside our borders refuse, we don’t necessarily need to keep pushing. If they attack us, that will be their own choice. As for internal groups… once enough join, everyone else will follow. And they’ll likely be pleased not to have excessive taxes. We could easily do that, and I understand the draw.” She shrugged, “Of course, I’d prefer a more stable approach that would last more than a generation or two. Stockpiling wealth doesn’t really work as well as one might think, if you have to spend it all to fend off enemies- or revolts.”

Deirdre frowned before responding. “Speak softly and carry a big stick…” Deirdre grumbled. “It’s not actually the most well looked upon policy, but in this world…” she shook her head. “We need to keep ourselves in check. Power corrupts, and all that.”

“If that’s the case, the world is hopeless,” John said. “I prefer to think that the corrupt seek out power to reveal their true selves. But… I also don’t mind you keeping us on track. No, we should all keep each other on track. We can’t be afraid to speak honestly among each other.”

“Then can I say,” Deirdre commented. “... You probably shouldn't have toppled part of a mountain onto a city.”

John frowned. “We didn’t have the forces to defeat them in another manner without more losses.”

“You wouldn’t nuke a city, would you?”

“Of course not!” John said.

“Then just be careful to remember that as we draw closer to the power of a nuclear weapon on an individual level.”

John almost wanted to rescind the speaking honestly policy. But then he really would be going the wrong way. “... If it makes it better it only landed on big sects.”

“That’s why I hadn’t said much before,” Deirdre said. “But it would only take a small mistake to make that a thousand times worse.”