Chapter 183: Cloud Empire (4)

Kyrian’s question hung in the cold air, carried by the smell of roasted meat and ashes.

The gray fire flickered silently.

Mei Li finished chewing her piece of meat, delicately wiping her fingers on a cloth. Her eyes reflected the strange light.

“I do know it.” She replied, her voice becoming more informative.

“The Verdant Sword Sect is located in the Verdant Sword Domain, one of the fifty small domains of the far north. They are in the lowest part of the territory, near the Mountains of the End.”

Kyrian nodded lightly. That matched what Kyrian now knew and remembered.

“And how do you know that?”

“The Blood Court controls some of those domains.” Mei Li explained.

“Not yours specifically. The Verdant Sword Domain is under the sphere of influence of another 4° level force, the White Veil Sect, if I’m not mistaken.”

“But it’s part of the work of the diplomacy branch to know the geopolitics of the region, even of the poorest areas.”

Kyrian processed the information. He had read about the geography of the Northern Territory in the tomes of the library.

The farther north one went, the lower the altitude and the more rarefied the spiritual Qi became. It was a land of scarce resources and difficult cultivation.

The farther south one went, toward the border with the central region, the more the altitude rose and the denser and richer the Qi became.

That was why powerful forces, like the Blood Court itself and the Cloud Empire they were heading to, were concentrated farther south.

“I see.” Kyrian said, as he remembered that the Verdant Sword Domain truly was just one of the first steps in his life.

“That’s why it surprised me. It’s rare to see someone from so far away, and from a place with so little Qi, reach… well, what you’ve reached.” Mei Li continued, avoiding directly mentioning Kyrian’s innate talent, but the implication was clear.

“It was just coincidence and opportunity, otherwise, I would still be in the Verdant Sword Sect for some more time.” Kyrian replied, briefly closing the topic of his origins.

Suddenly, Mei Li’s gaze lit up.

“Oh, right! The gathering of the fifty domains. It happens every ten years. It’s when the most promising talents of each small domain gather to compete and, in some cases, be recruited by larger forces. The next one will take place, if I’m not mistaken, in a little over a year and a few months.”

“You would probably be recruited by some 4° level force if you participated in the gathering.” Mei Li finished.

Kyrian filed the information away. A competition that brought together the best of fifty domains.

’I believe Yanyu and the others will participate…’ Kyrian made a mental note of it.

“It would be interesting to observe.” Yan Ling commented, who had approached silently, listening to the conversation.

“Resources in the domains are limited, but pressure breeds innovation. Sometimes raw talents emerge that, with the right resources, flourish when chosen by forces like the Court.”

Kai, still sitting on the log, added in a hoarse voice.

“I’ve been on a mission near the Mountains of the End. It really is no man’s land.”

Kyrian looked at Kai and nodded.

Bai Zhu, still with his back turned, said nothing, but his chewing slowed a little, indicating he was listening.

“So you were a direct disciple of the leader of a 5° level sect.” Mei Li continued, returning to the initial topic with genuine curiosity.

“How was the training? Different from the Court’s?”

Kyrian thought for a moment and answered.

“I was more a disciple in name. I received the resources and trained alone. My true master was just a mortal…” Kyrian said, remembering a tall, large man with a loud laugh from his childhood.

Despite that, his voice was calm, without nostalgia or bitterness.

“Do you regret leaving your sect and entering the Court?” Yan Ling suddenly said, a random doubt.

“No. Dong Zhen offered a faster path to power.” Kyrian replied frankly, which surprised everyone a little.

“What matters most to me is strength.” Kyrian said with a shining determination on his handsome face.

The brutal simplicity of his statement made even Li Fen, in the shadow of the tree, slightly raise his head to look at Kyrian.

Kyrian suddenly seemed more humanized to the group. He was not an impenetrable mystery, just a young man with a hunger for power just like them.

The coldness was only one part of Kyrian, not his entire personality.

The conversation then drifted to other, less sensitive topics. Yan Ling asked more about Kyrian’s region.

Kai told a brief and practical story about an ambush in a ravine near the small domains. Even Bai Zhu eventually turned around and offered a few comments, mainly praising the meat ironically.

Kyrian did not lead the conversation but participated with short and precise answers when asked.

Gradually, the barrier of ice between the leader and the other five cracked a little. They now saw Kyrian not only as a frightening and cold prodigy.

But also as a young man who had come from a place even harsher than theirs.

After a few hours, the beasts were rested, their energy restored by the spirit stones. The gray fire had extinguished itself, leaving only a circle of cold, fine ashes.

“Time to go.” Kyrian announced, standing up. His tone was the same as always, authoritative and direct, but now it lacked that absolute edge from before.

The others stood without questioning, without the initial reluctance.

They gathered their belongings and mounted the Crimson War Crows.

Kyrian mounted Arcon, who neighed softly. Before ordering the flight, he looked at the group.

There was now a thread of understanding, a basic acceptance of his leadership that did not come only from Dong Zhen’s authority but from a minimum respect, earned in the clearing.

“In three days, we will reach the City of the Iron Bell.” Kyrian said.

“Maintain the pace until then.”

He pressed his heels into Arcon, and the beast took flight. The five War Crows followed him, their caws forming a chorus.

The sky swallowed them, carrying them southward.

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