Chapter 395: Dueling for a Mana Pit
Cracking blows echoed across the wasteland as Zae Zin Nim fought her husband.
Their fists flew between them, and since Kai was holding back, they could trade blow for blow. Without him using his monstrous skills, Zae Zin Nim was still the better martial artist, so she eventually brushed aside his arm and struck his chest with her palm.
Her blow struck true, but the explosion of qi pushed her back. Zae Zin Nim skidded back several paces, kicking up two lines of dust, staring at her palm in surprise the entire time.
"Wow, completing the Body Refinement stage makes a difference." Kai brushed off his chest in wonder. "Do you think it's going to take me even longer to finish the Nascent Foundation stage, though? At the rate I'm going, that feels like it might take forever."
"It may be slower because your dantian and meridians are so thick," she answered, "but I do not think your body will be soaking up so much of your cultivation. Of course, the path to Earth Soul is even longer. You saw how long it took me, and I was fortunate in many factors."
That was her true opinion, but Zae Zin Nim felt a flicker of an old fear as she spoke. If Kai did begin to cultivate at normal speed, combined with his other powers, he would surpass her completely. Surely, if that happened, he wouldn't change. She knew him too well, as a cultivator and as a man, and traveling on Cloudspire hadn't seemed to change him despite all the temptations. And yet...
"Do you think you can reach Sky Soul?" Kai's serious expression split in a grin that almost washed away her fears. "I mean, obviously you will eventually, but do you think you can reach it in a reasonable amount of time?"
"Conventional wisdom is that ten years between Earth and Sky Souls is very fast." Zae Zin Nim spoke briskly, but that easy smile warmed her. Even now, in this moment of glory, he was thinking about her. "Many others have taken decades. It partially depends on how long we can remain hidden while finding intense sources of qi."
"Then I think you're right to focus on advancing with mana first. Better to be prepared, just in case things go wrong."