Chapter 115: The Eligible Guests
Paike found his robes cleaned and mended after he left the hot springs. He was grateful, but also surprised. No one had said anything about the service, and it made him a bit more wary of their hosts. It just reminded him that he could not expect security or privacy here.
Still, after soaking in the springs, he felt better than he had in a very long time. Maybe since before he left for the grand sect, when he was a mortal. But that didn't really count. Being a cultivator was worth everything. So maybe he had never felt this good.
His mind felt clear and rested. Every part of his body was fresh and limber, yet his arms and legs felt full of strength. Even his spirit felt refreshed.
Beyond just feeling rested and clean, he also had two stages of spiritual advancements to get used to. The absolute change in strength was certainly more than he had ever had before. The gap between stages grew as one climbed higher in cultivation. But it was still not as large a proportional change when he crossed the realm barrier to Topaz.
He would have to adjust to the power he could channel through his qi and the additional control it afforded. Several of his techniques would need to be refined, and he could likely dial in all the tricks he had learned with Guan Li even more. His qi workings could made to be a little more precise and could be executed a bit faster.
To start with, he worked on pushing his internal circulation a bit faster as he dressed. The changes would be noticeable, and he couldn't wait to try them out.
But a banquet was no place for wanton violence. Maybe he could get someone to challenge him to a duel?
Though it was a barbarian feast, so it might be more interesting. He had never been to one of those before; would they be anything like the events held in the empire? Even though his family held no titles, they were still expected to host such things on occasion. Not having the title did cut down on the times they did, though.
He had been too young to attend them for the most part until a year or two before he was supposed to awaken.