Truthful Transmigration

Even if she had lost her battle, Rukiye still qualified to advance to the Fifth Peak on her own merits. Her challenge opponent there used a defensive style that she fared better against, and ultimately wasn't able to find openings for decisive counterattacks. She won the battle of attrition by judiciously using her spiritual energy, drawing upon trace elements to keep herself active. She seemed somewhat disappointed by the lack of decisive victory, but she was still pleased to have moved on.

The Fourth Peak challenge had higher standards, and there was only a certain amount of leeway for Rukiye's age and training time. In short, she was unable to keep up with the intense pace of the man she battled. His staff techniques excelled in mobility, propelling him between islands with ease. Daggers couldn't pierce his defense, and Rukiye's skill with the sword couldn't match him.

That was where her official journey ended, though of course she could come along as part of John's retinue. The island masters would still allow her to spar with their disciples out of respect for John, but it wouldn't be an official match.

John took note of the circumstances of Rukiye's loss, because while he wasn't personally a master of every weapon… he could at least provide a decent challenge based on his experiences against many different styles. Rukiye had experience against different weapons from those who traveled with them, but it hadn't been even close to a complete selection of different styles. On their current journey she would be exposed to new people, but none of them were obligated to teach her. Of course, if John asked them to give of their time they would, but people wouldn't automatically become a devoted teacher.

-----

In other circumstances, John would have asked Venera how being the Island Master of the Second Peak was doing for her. However, he didn't personally find that it had been long enough to get over the circumstances. It had been a number of years since the passing of Sitora, but cultivator's memories were as long as their lives. Feelings lingered strongly, though John couldn't say that was any different from normal humans. Sometimes there were merely circumstances that forced people to push through traumas without fully resolving them, despite what people claimed.

Instead of that, John brought his own encouragement. "The Sky Islands continue to prosper under your leadership. Even some of the Sixth Peak disciples show great promise."

Venera nodded. "Providing opportunities for further disciples has unearthed some unexpected talents. Too much focus was placed upon the peaks, and not enough upon the majority of the Sky Islands. Though that seems quite typical of older traditions."

John nodded. "Each sect and clan barely thought beyond themselves and occasionally their region. Now I would invite you along to help bind together some of the final portions of the world."

"Of course," Venera said. There hadn't really been any chance of her rejecting him, of course. It wasn't a spontaneous plan. "I hope my differing perspective benefits the diplomatic fleet."

-----

John gradually lowered himself down towards where the ship was waiting. Rukiye had insisted on managing herself- after all, how could it be difficult? She didn't even have to maintain neutral buoyancy in the sky.

But descending over ten kilometers was deceptively difficult. There were two general schools of thought about how it should be best accomplished. The first was simply spending six or so minutes in free fall at terminal velocity. At that point, one only had to provide two g's of force for a handful of seconds or two near the end. That method came with its own risks regarding the judgment of distance and time. Also, spiritual energy didn't provide clean g's of force, you had to offset the kinetic energy which was not a smooth line. The initial slowdown required a strong effort.

The alternative was to keep a more modest falling speed for the whole duration of the fall. The entire descent could take ten or twenty minutes compared to a handful, depending on how quickly one was comfortable descending.

Actually, there was one more potential option. If you simply minimized friction, the entire descent could happen in less than a minute only by relying on gravity's acceleration, with a quick deceleration at the end. A cultivator could easily handle the required g forces, but John wasn't in such a rush that he would bother with anything like that. Especially while carrying people.

He did go for the standard fast descent, if only to see how Rukiye would react. He did encase those relying on him in a thin layer of his spiritual energy to keep them together, but for the most part they just fell. Even if he did nothing, John expected all of his companions to be able to handle themselves. He actually considered dropping Ursel. She could probably hit the water at terminal velocity and be fine- and that was considering its lack of compressibility. She could also slow herself.

But today wasn't the day to prank his daughter. Instead, he slowed her descent with the rest of the group he was responsible for, while at the same time keeping focused on the others in case something went wrong. It would be shameful for someone to be injured with him available. Assuming no accidents would ever happen was a bit too optimistic.

Venera could of course control her own flight without issues. Ayhan and Lir descended together at a more moderate pace, making use of their core cycle of elements.

Rukiye clearly felt pressured to speed up to catch John and most of the rest, but she had the proper understanding to stick to her plan. Specifically, that was to stick to a more modest speed for most of the descent. It required a longer period of concentration, but nothing a Soul Expansion Phase cultivator was incapable of. There were only occasional gusts of wind to disrupt Rukiye. The shifts in air pressure threatened to drop her more quickly, or to bring her off course. She did still have to end up on the ship, after all.

Or near it. That seemed to be Rukiye's plan, as she didn't seem at all upset when she splashed down in the water twenty meters away from the ship. She manipulated the water to cushion her fall then casually had it carry her towards the ship, cresting into a wave that she stepped off of. It only took her a few moments to dry herself.

"Excellent descent," John said. He didn't have any major criticisms, especially none that needed to be stated publicly. "I do think we should have you practice more rapid descents in the future. It doesn't need to be for such a long distance, though."

Any height she could hit terminal velocity while still having room to decelerate would be sufficient. Higher was better at the start to allow more leeway. A kilometer or so should be good.

Rukiye nodded. "Will that be the core of my air element practice?"

"For the near future," John confirmed. "As long as it appears beneficial."

If she actually became skilled enough to fly without an air totem, that would be excellent. That would be true even if she advanced to the Consolidated Soul Phase. Outside of the Sky Islands, most air cultivators didn't really fly before that point, and of course other cultivators would be further behind- or have their own imitations of flight. In most cases, it didn't matter if someone flew a hundred meters into the air or simply launched themselves upward. Not unless they needed to linger at a certain height for the long term.

-----

There was a delicate balance to be struck regarding the diplomatic mission and sparring with groups they encountered. Peaceful sparring could strengthen bonds of friendship… but it could also be seen as an intimidation tactic.

That was why for the most part John didn't bring up the topic. If the other side suggested it, he didn't really care what their intentions were. He trusted his allies to be victorious, which would provide the other side much to reflect on no matter the circumstances. Proper insights, if they were actually trying to learn. Their own weakness, if they'd meant to intimidate.

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Rukiye very much wanted to spar with people close to her own age or strength, but she did seem to understand that her position as John's direct disciple carried its own weight. In short, her actions would reflect on him- good or bad. John was glad she didn't try to abuse that. Then again, if Rukiye had been that sort of troublesome individual, he wasn't sure he would have put up with her. He admired her determination, but if she had been a threat to the mission- which was world peace- he wouldn't have risked it.

So far, there had only been that one incident, and Rukiye's apologetic stance had extended far beyond words. She was far more cautious about people that approached her- or those that tried to influence her to approach them. That extended to gifts she was told to pass along. There were various regional differences for whether such things were appropriate. Usually they were meant as bribes- or more generously as peace offerings beyond the actual contracted obligations.

She was always very clear about where things came from, and especially food. It had the highest chance to be a danger, as enchanted objects generally couldn't be much of a threat without an obviously high amount of spiritual energy.

"These small cakes came from, uh…" Rukiye furrowed her brow. "A minor disciple of the Breezy Shore Sect." John reached out for one, but she caught his wrist. "I think they're poisoned, though! So don't eat them."

"Pretty sure they are," John agreed. Some poisons were insidious and hidden. Personally, John thought the greatest dangers were those that carried no spiritual energy. Regular poisons. A cultivator had to be trained to detect them. Of course, such poisons were also easily purged from the bloodstream, once a cultivator was conscious of them. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Uh-" Rukiye hesitated. "We don't want conflict, right? But we also can't just let this slide." She crossed her arms. "They came from a minor disciple, so we could just demand her death…? I doubt she acted alone, though."

"Indeed." John said. "And perhaps not even willingly. What signal do you think it would send, if only this disciple died?"

"Well," Rukiye considered for a few moments. "They might be emboldened to try other things. Though we personally will not be staying, it would be difficult to trust any of their further actions were honest."

"That's about right," John said. "Do you think she should die?"

Rukiye frowned. "Do you need to kill her? Perhaps she would serve better as a witness."

"Perhaps. But I would prefer a firm answer, and in short order."

"... Don't kill her."

"I wasn't going to," John said. His left arm flicked. "But I do need to save her."

A throwing dagger pierced outward, carrying mainly earth elemental spiritual energy to pierce through the local air-focused formations. John grabbed Rukiye with his spiritual energy- and the small cakes.

The entire sect was alerted when John sprang into action. Unfortunately for Shanon- John thought her trade negotiations had been going well- it didn't seem that they would have a peaceful resolution. Ursel would protect her, and everyone else was capable of taking care of their own protection.

A few moments later, John and Rukiye landed in front of the disciple in question, as well as an elder of the Breezy Shore Sect. John was aware of his name, but didn't have enough respect for him to bring it to recollection. Currently, he was clutching his forearm, only barely having drawn his arm back enough in time to save it.

"You there. Disciple. What is your name?"

The woman didn't seem to know how to react. Sudden surges of spiritual energy all around her caused her to shake. She had been a moment from being crushed by her own elder for reasons she didn't understand.

"Radhika, mighty emperor."

John didn't have time to correct her on the emperor thing. "Have a cake."

Trying to explain things to people took time… and John found that simply acting with authority made people act in ways that revealed much. Radhika stretched out her hand to take what John offered. She looked at it, and no doubt recognized it. It was made with expensive ingredients, not meant for someone of her position to consume. But she also couldn't refuse.

Notably, she didn't look to her elder for his reaction. After all, she should have recognized the killing intent. Perhaps she thought John was saving her for some mysterious purpose… and she wouldn't quite be wrong.

She bit into the palm sized cake without further hesitation.

"I wouldn't swallow that if I were you," John commented. "Because that one is poison." Her eyes widened. That was confirmation enough that she hadn't known. Radhika seemed frozen. "I don't care if you spit it out." John turned to the elder, then held out his hand. "Cake?"

The sudden series of actions had the man off guard. Most likely, he was trying to figure out how to shift the blame only to Radhika. Or he was waiting for the other elders and the sect head to arrive. They were rapidly approaching, and some were already lingering outside the hole in the roof John had made.

Compared to John's status, this elder wasn't particularly more important than Radhika. Thus, he couldn't easily refuse what John offered. He carefully took it- using only his spiritual energy to stem the flow of blood on his opposite arm. "Did you mention these were poisoned?"

"Just the one I gave her," John waved.

It was a trust exercise, of course. Except John didn't expect the elder to trust him, and for good reason. Because this man already knew they were poisoned. John saw enough to be certain.

John had already marked him off as dead. The sect head was an old man who didn't have the dignity to match his age. A fellow named Kaspar barely more worthy of remembering his name.

"Great senior," he called out. "May I ask what the matter is…?"

Given that John wasn't currently slaughtering them all, perhaps he thought mercy was an option. But it wasn't. At least, John wouldn't be handing it out on his own accord. If they had the good sense to apologize, he might show lenience to individuals.

"I wish to speak to your elders." John had blocked the conversation with the first elder from the ears of others. He had already made his judgement, but he hadn't forced the elder to consume the poisoned cake. Yet the man was only alive in the technical sense. "But first, I have something for you."

The circumstances didn't allow John to perfectly hide his intentions, but as his own people began to gather there wasn't much way for the sect head to refuse. "Of course. We will talk about whatever angered you. Is it this disciple?"

People were so eager to get rid of Radhika. They should have at least waited until he was gone. Or dead. Personally, John thought they were some of the worst at intrigue he had seen. Most likely they were used to shouting people down, but John's aura was suppressing most of the sect. The spiritual energy of his people joined with his, becoming even more terrifying than an Exalted Soul Cultivator already would be.

The sect head was no good. Indeed, most of the elders were in on it. John focused his efforts to hide individual interactions from the others. He was watching for anyone trying to signal- either with spiritual energy or gestures. But since people were currently alive, perhaps they thought they'd answered rightly.

The number of cakes John had very slowly diminished, as several elders didn't hesitate to eat. One scanned the food then hesitated, which was barely a pass. It was sufficient for John to accept that the man didn't know beforehand. The process was much quicker, and some of the elders would suffer partial effects of the poison. It was slow acting, though. Perhaps the hope had been for John to consume several of the cakes and build up enough… then suffer the ill effects all at once.

He ate one of the few remaining cakes. It was actually pretty tasty.

"You four," John gestured to some of the elders. "Come over here."

They nodded, approaching with their heads bowed. Trepidation.

John signalled his final intentions by decapitating the sect head. "The rest of the elders die."

With barely two Ascending Soul Phase cultivators in the sect, John could have taken them all alone… but it was more expedient for his allies to join in. Venera created a heavy force, limiting people's movements as they tried to fly away. Not that they would have been fast enough to escape.

In less than a minute, they were slaughtered… and the remaining elders were being advised on how to purge the poison from their blood. Though most of it was still being digested, which was easy enough to handle.

"I trust you will have no trouble paying the required remunerations without so many unnecessary elders consuming your resources," John commented. "Please inform your neighbors about the consequences of foolishness."

Radhika stood over in the corner, trying to hide. Rukiye gave her an encouraging gesture. John wasn't going to kill her, and none of the living elders should have a grudge against her in particular. Besides, those who remained should be able to take a hint.

It was too bad they would have to mark off another sect, though. Could the Breezy Shore Sect become relevant again? Absolutely. It might be more difficult with most of their top cultivators gone. Or perhaps it would be easy without old geezers hogging resources.