Sage took the opportunity offered to him and spent a year training in seclusion. At that point he went to meet with Guan Zhenyan and the man gave him a strange look, “Are you a little impatient?”

The man blew a cloud of smoke towards Sage, but Sage slapped the air with his palm, using the air pressure to shatter the ephemeral bundle of Spirit Power that Guan Zhenyan was using to guide the cloud.

“It is a shame you didn’t care more for Duo Tan. He spoke of you fondly in his memoirs.”

The pipe in the man’s hand quivered slightly, but the loose smile on his face never faded. He took another draw from his pipe, this one much longer and drawn out. Sage felt like he was upset over the loss of his ‘apprentice’, but his face was too schooled. It was quite difficult to read him.

Duo Tan was the name of the corpse he’d found in Icefire Valley many years ago at the center of the miasma. After reading the things he’d left behind, Sage had learned the man was acquainted with Guan Zhenyan. It wasn’t said directly, but Sage’s theory was that the man was a ‘disciple’ of Guan Zhenyan, just like he was. By that he meant, more of a customer than a disciple. Only, it seemed that Duo Tan was far more fond of Guan Zhenyan than Sage was. During the time before his tribulation, Sage had studied the techniques Duo Tan left behind and found the abilities that Guan Zhenyan was relying upon now. It was a Spirit Power Technique, used to manipulate gas, especially of the poisonous variety. The research team was able to apply its teachings to the other psychic techniques deciphered from Psionic Crystals and Sage just had to spend some time gaining mastery over the ability. It was also quickly spread through the Lang Clan, and Sage was actually one of the slower ones to learn it. It went along quite well with their Poison Meridians and became a staple of the clan along with the Jade Mantle.

Sage had exaggerated a little when he mentioned Duo Tan’s opinion of Guan Zhenyan, but he’d been testing the man’s reaction and he saw there was some connection even if it was small. Sage broke the long silence as Guan Zhenyan puffed on his pipe, “It’s time to return to the Tianxia Empire. It’s time I made good on our deal.”

“So, you think one year of training can match centuries worth?”

“One year for me? Easily.”

Guan Zhenyan’s smile widened and he nodded, “Good, let’s thank our host then.”

Rising out of an elaborate pile of pillows and silks, Guan Zhenyan waved his hand and the whole elaborate pile disappeared. With just that, the man was ready to leave. The two of them walked over to the main house and the servants scurried out of the way. Zhenyan seemed to have a free access pass, and while others might jump at the opportunity to speak with a powerful and well connected Nascent Soul, Guan Zhenyan did not enjoy the benefits. Xiong Xiong Xiong, Bear Three, met them a moment after they entered the wide hall. The hulking frame rushed towards them, fast enough to cause a rush of wind. Guan Zhenyan’s casual nonchalance was broken by the huge fellow flashing over and wrapping him up into a hug. His image was ruined as he was picked up and swung around like a child.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

When he was finally put down, Guan Zhenyan actually stopped to adjust his clothing, moving it from one disheveled state to another. Sage was amused by this as the man always seemed like he was trying to pull off one of those ‘messy on purpose’ looks. The people of this world might think him to be disgusting, but Sage just saw it as spending too much effort on fashion. Once he’d recovered his carefully manicured state of being ungroomed, he performed a short bow to Bear Three.

“Thank you for your hospitality. Your preferred customer status has been extended once again.”

The big man laughed and looked like he wanted to give Zhenyan another hug, but then he stopped and just nodded, “It’s a shame you don’t visit me more often. Are you sure you want to head back into that den of snakes again? Isn’t it much calmer here, you can stay as long as you like, you know.”

“I aim to recover from my injuries this time. We’ll see if this kid can hold up his end of the bargain or not.”

Bear Three’s eyebrows rose and he turned his large frame over to Sage, “You’re that confident now? Rude of you not to let me test out your power, but I get it. Good luck!”

With just that short exchange, they parted ways. Sage had been trying not to show off his abilities in the outside world for the last year. Only testing out the differences between the two bodies before focusing on his Heavenly Material training again. Even if there were defensive and concealing formations around his training area, he still tried to keep his powers hidden as much as possible. If he were to get into trouble again, then he’d prefer if this hiding place was still available. Showing off too much could draw some attention here, something he did not want.

The two of them walked outside and then started to run, leaving Stormport City for the wilderness at a pace that even Foundation Establishment Cultivators could handle. Zhenyan was still weak after all, his physical body and Qi were lacking, and it was a marvel he could use his other abilities to still hold his own. This realization had inspired Sage to put more effort into studying the techniques he got from Duo Tan, and got the research teams to keep trying to increase the strength of the Lang Clan’s poisons.

They strode into a clearing once they had gotten far enough away from the city and Sage brought out the Shifting Jade Mountain. He was expecting to see the tear drop shaped vessel, or perhaps even the fat man if the spirit had gotten out of control. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised by a ship, of the seagoing variety. It was long and narrow, sleek and looking like it would be extremely fast. The single sail was just as wide as the ship was long, extending far out to either side like wings and sweeping backwards in the center like the windshield of a supercar. While the two of them were still looking at the ship, a person appeared in front of them.

On the Inner World Sage blinked, standing up and activating the display to get a better view of what was in front of them on the outside world.

The new arrival was a slim woman with large… assets. She was also wearing an outfit that was some halfway point between business suit and evening dress. It was a style that had become popular on the Inner World, adapting some of the fashions Sage had introduced. The cut and style pencil skirt and blazer, but using softer and many layered fabrics with elaborate embroidery work. She was holding a stone tablet like it was a clipboard and looking at the two of them like she was waiting to take their order.

“Is it just the two of you coming aboard?”

As she spoke, the ship behind her was slowly shifting in colors. The lower half of the hull was a bright blue, the same as the color of the sky with small splotches of cloudy white swirling over it. The rest of it looked like a seafaring vessel in brand new condition, oiled oak with crisp white linen sails and silken rope creaking in the gentle breeze. Only, the ship wasn’t waiting at a dock, nor did it have an anchor or any mooring lines. It was floating a few feet off the ground and a long walkway was slowly extending down from the upper deck. The slatted plank had roped rails extended up from its sides and there was nobody at the top of it in control, the whole thing moving seemingly on its own.

Guan Zhenyan smiled and nodded to the girl, “That’s right. Shall we get going?”

He also turned over to Sage with a comment, “This is much better than before. Who knew that disgusting fat man could turn into such a vessel. I didn’t know you’d added a crew, that is a nice touch.”

I didn’t know that either.