Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The suffocating tension of the Verdant Sky Academy finally faded away as the four hired guards sat around a sturdy wooden table inside a lively tavern located just outside the city borders. The establishment was filled with traveling merchants and weary mercenaries enjoying the warmth of a roaring hearth. Rogan lifted a heavy wooden tankard filled with amber ale and smiled a feral grin before gesturing toward his companions, he was the one that invited everyone for one last get together.

"I think we all earned a proper drink tonight," Rogan declared while foam spilled over the brim of his cup. "I have fought in blood pits and hunted rogue beasts across treacherous swamps but guarding that young noble felt like holding a lightning rod in a thunderstorm. Thankfully, everything went smoothly in the end."

Lin Xiao offered a rare and genuine smile as she raised her porcelain cup of warm rice wine. "It was certainly a trial of patience. My family will be very pleased to know the Bai Clan heir survived his test. We held the line when it mattered most."

Vane sat with his usual upright posture and nodded in agreement. He held a cup of fragrant green tea and directed his gaze toward Li Yu. "We held the line against the initial wave but we all know who truly ensured our survival. Your strike against those two Law Integration experts was a revelation. I have never seen such a casual display of overwhelming force."

Rogan leaned forward and rested his scarred chin on his thick hand. "Vane is right. You never really explained where you came from or how you cultivated such terrifying strength."

Li Yu chuckled and took a slow sip of his own spiced wine. He appreciated the camaraderie they had built over the past three weeks but he possessed no desire to reveal too much about himself.

"The Myriad Realms are vast and full of hidden dragons," Li Yu answered with a warm and easy tone. "I spend most of my time training near isolated lakes and seeking enlightenment through the natural flow of the world. My strength comes from a steady routine and good fortune along the way. I prefer to keep my life simple rather than getting tangled in the endless politics of major sects."

The three mercenaries accepted his vague answer without pushing for deeper secrets. They understood the unwritten rules of the cultivation world where a person's background was their own private business. The fact that he helped them when it mattered was enough for them.

Li Yu was used to sharing food and drinks with seasoned warriors so he guided the conversation toward lighter topics. They spent the next few hours chatting happily about what some of their plans were next, the best regions to find rare spiritual herbs and the ridiculous arrogance of some of the academy students they had left behind.

After finishing their hearty meal and emptying several pitchers of wine, the four guards stepped out into the cool night air. They exchanged respectful bows and went their separate ways to return to their respective lives. Li Yu traveled back to the central military base of the Zhan Clan before taking a teleportation array back to the Zhan headquarters. From there, he flew to his lakes and was taking in the serene scenery it provided.

Li Yu arrived at the Five Star Lakes just as the morning sun began to crest over the lush green valley. He walked along the pristine shoreline and felt a sense of peace wash over his soul. He approached the tall dark wood pagoda standing in the exact center of the estate and found his people already hard at work. Alden stood near the entrance wearing an immaculate grey uniform and offered a deep bow as Li Yu approached.

"Welcome home, Young Master," the head butler greeted with a polite smile. "The estate has been quiet during your absence. Lady Mirelle has updated the logistical ledgers for the month and secured a new shipment of medicinal herbs from the market to grow on top of the lakes. Jace finished reinforcing the eastern docks just yesterday."

"Thank you, Alden," Li Yu replied while walking. "Are my parents or my grandfather around?"

"Lord Zhan Tian has not been seen at his fishing cabin for several weeks. It seems the family pavilions are currently unoccupied." Alden answered him.

Li Yu nodded and made his way toward the dining hall where Nadia was already preparing a fresh meal. He checked in with Wei Jian and Rhea who were patrolling the perimeter and found that his two Half King guards had faced zero issues while maintaining the security of the valley. Knowing his home was safe and functioning smoothly allowed Li Yu to clear his mind and resume his rigorous training routine.

A full week passed in a blur of swinging metal and deep meditation. Li Yu practiced his sweeping strikes with his glaive every single morning but he felt his overall progress stagnating.

On the eighth day, he walked toward the edge of the central lake where the weapon remained firmly planted in the solid earth. Li Yu planted his boots into the soft grass and wrapped both hands around the staff as he tried again but try as he might, the earth around the weapon did not even crack.

Li Yu released his grip and let out a heavy sigh while wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He stared at the stubborn weapon and crossed his arms over his chest. A sudden realization sparked in his mind as he analyzed the impossibility of the test. His physical strength was staggering for his realm yet the staff felt like it was welded to the very core of the realm.

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He narrowed his eyes and suspected his grandfather had intentionally made things too difficult now. Zhan Tian favored the glaive as his primary weapon and Li Yu deduced that the old fox made the staff impossible to lift so his grandson would be forced to continue training with the glaive instead. The World Keeper wanted his descendant to wield the exact same type of weapon.

"You are a very tricky old man," Li Yu muttered to himself with an amused smirk. He decided to leave the staff alone and accepted the reality that he would be using the glaive for the foreseeable future. At least until he made a significant breakthrough.

Just as he turned away from the lake, Zhan Chen was dropping down from the sky wearing his pristine white martial robes. The Sovereign realm expert radiated a dignified and imposing aura that made the nearby water grow unnaturally still. Li Yu walked over and offered a respectful greeting to his powerful cousin. Zhan Chen smiled and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"It is good to see you maintaining your discipline," Zhan Chen praised while looking around the tranquil valley. "I have come to bring you an opportunity but I also understand if you wish to decline. The council is organizing a dual expedition for training purposes. We are sending one hundred members of the Zhan Clan and one hundred members of the Li Clan into a newly revealed realm."

Li Yu raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "A dual expedition? I am exiled from there. Why would the council include me in a deployment?"

"Because you are a Karma Severing expert with a proven track record of being useful in battle. Also, you should be seeing the cosmos more and what better way then through the Zhan Clan? The Li Clan are our allies even if you have been exiled." Zhan Chen explained with a serious tone. "This expedition will be very good for your growth and you need combat experience against unknown variables. However, I will not force you to go if you harbor resentment over your current status."

"I hold no resentment toward training opportunities," Li Yu answered. He had been looking for a way to break his current bottleneck and exploring a new realm sounded like a good as any for the catalyst. "I will join the expedition. What are the parameters of this mission?"

Zhan Chen nodded in approval and began walking along the shoreline with Li Yu beside him.

"Initial scouting reports indicate this new territory is called the ‘Mosaic Realm’ by the locals," Zhan Chen detailed while clasping his hands behind his back. "It is a highly diverse world filled with different kinds of beasts along with various clans and tribes. It does not appear to be unified under a single banner. The highest power level we detected during our initial sweeps was at the Sovereign realm."

"So the local peak matches your current cultivation," Li Yu noted while processing the information. "That means the realm poses a legitimate threat to our juniors."

"Exactly," Zhan Chen agreed. "That is why we are bringing ten elders to provide an umbrella of protection. Five elders from our side and five from the Li Clan resting at the Creation Lord and Supreme Exalt realms will anchor our forces. But make no mistake about our intentions. We are not going there to make friends or study their culture. We are going there to exploit their resources and conquer a piece of their world."

Li Yu listened quietly as his cousin revealed the harsh reality of the major powers. The Zhan and Li clans did not reach this level of power in the cultivation universe by being kind or passive. They were expansionist empires that devoured weaker realms to fuel their own martial advancement. The task assigned to the two hundred participating cultivators was to more or less fight local factions and establish a permanent foothold.

"We are not going to kill everyone we see," Zhan Chen clarified with a cold edge to his voice. "But we will take mostly what we want and crush anyone who tries to stop us from claiming our territory. The plan is to establish two separate bases. Our side will build a fortress in a rugged area known as The Shattered Peaks. The Li Clan will construct their base in a lush environment called The Spirit Woods under the command of Li Mei."

Li Yu felt a familiar thrill hum through his body. A lawless frontier ripe for exploration and conquest offered endless chances to refine his Dao.

"The training period will last for three months," Zhan Chen continued. "You can head out in teams or explore solo. Everyone will receive a jade token to crush for emergencies which will allow an elder to get to your location. Once the three months conclude, you can choose to stay longer or return home. From there, we will develop trade and other things within this realm for the overall benefit of the clan of course. The first three months are for training."

"I am ready to depart whenever you are," Li Yu confirmed with a confident nod.

Two days later Li Yu stood inside a ship as it was flying towards that newly discovered realm. He chose not to wear the uniform of the Zhan Clan. Instead he wore simple black martial robes devoid of any clan markings or insignias. He wanted to explore The Mosaic Realm without drawing the immediate hostility that a conquering banner might provoke. He had his own plans for what he would do during the three months.

Ninety nine other young warriors from his family stood around him radiating fierce intent and eager anticipation. Zhan Chen stood at the front of the formation alongside five elders who kept their terrifying auras tightly restrained.

After a moment they finally arrived and the Shattered Peaks lived up to their name. Jagged mountains of dark stone pierced the cloudy sky like broken teeth while freezing winds howled through the narrow canyons.

The Zhan Clan formation experts immediately went to work unpacking portable array formations and erecting defensive walls to establish their command base. The elders took to the sky and projected their divine senses outward to secure a massive perimeter. Zhan Chen gathered the hundred juniors in the center of the newly forming courtyard.

"This is your starting point," he announced with a booming voice that echoed off the jagged rocks. "The Spirit Woods are located far away so you will not encounter Li Clan forces unless you travel for a while. Go forth to explore, secure opportunities and resources for yourself and most importantly, survive. Carve your name into this realm and extract as much as you can from this opportunity. Dismissed."

The organized formation immediately fractured. Some cultivators formed groups of five and marched out to hunt down local beast lairs. Others paired off to scout the nearby valleys for mineral veins or other opportunities.

Li Yu adjusted the fit of his black robes and walked toward the edge of the camp alone. He did not know what kind of opportunities or dangers waited for him in this Mosaic Realm but he was eager to wander and find out for himself. He stepped past the perimeter array and disappeared into the howling winds of the jagged mountains, leaving the safety of the clan behind.