The valley which had witnessed the violent birth of two new masters just the night before, had settled into an almost unnatural tranquility. The birds had returned to the trees, their songs weaving through the rustling of pine needles.

  The stream bubbled cheerfully over smooth stones, indifferent to the fact that a former hegemon of the East was currently meeting a gruesome end in a cave just a little bit away from it. The fish came and went about their business as usual.

  For three days, the group remained in the valley. They were mainly waiting for Kael but they were also using the time for themselves as well. For Jian Xuan and Lin Xia, the world had realigned itself entirely.

  It was morning on the second day. The sun was painting the cliff faces in shades of amber and gold. Li Yu sat on a large boulder by the stream, his legs dangling over the water. Next to him, a spectral fishing rod manifested from his Fisherman Soul dipped a line into the rushing water. Li Yu wasn't actually trying to catch fish.

  He was one with nature and feeling the life of the animals that lived here. Or at least that’s what he told himself. He continued to lose fishing competition after fishing competition with the Fisherman Soul. It truly lived up to its name and was unbeatable. Even when there was no fish in the river, it found one. Making Li Yu slightly suspicious but he didn’t say anything about it.

  "Master," Tekton’s voice hummed from the metallic band on Li Yu’s wrist. "Your heart rate is elevated. Are you anxious about Kael?"

  "No," Li Yu replied lazily. He was watching a trout inspect his hook. "I'm anxious about them."

  He pointed with his chin toward the center of the clearing.

  Jian Xuan and Lin Xia were "sparring."

  In theory, it was a practice session to acclimate to their new cultivation bases. Jian Xuan, now a powerhouse at the 5th Stage of Soul Formation, moved with the weight of a mountain but the grace of a refined swordsman. Lin Xia, stabilized at the 2nd Stage, moved like a flowing river. Her techniques were changing and adapting to Jian Xuan’s.

  In practice, it was the most terrifying display of public affection Li Yu had ever witnessed. Years of bottled up emotions were slowly being revealed and sometimes it wasn’t that slowly.

  "You are too rigid, Junior Brother," Lin Xia laughed, her voice light and teasing. She sidestepped a slow-motion swing of Jian Xuan’s sword, flowing around him like water around a stone. She tapped him lightly on the chest with her palm.

  "I am not rigid," Jian Xuan boomed. He was grinning like a fool the entire time. "I am sturdy! I am unmovable! I am the rock upon which the waves break!"

  He spun, dropping his sword and catching her hand instead of attacking. He pulled her into a spin that ended with them standing chest-to-chest, their faces inches apart.

  "Besides," Jian Xuan whispered, loud enough for everyone in a five-mile radius to hear, "if I catch you, I might never let go."

  Lin Xia blushed slightly, swatting his arm playfully. "Be serious! We must consolidate our foundations!"

  "My foundation is solid!" Jian Xuan declared. He then went on to flex an arm as if to show off his strength. Lin Xia found it silly but in a pretty adorable kind of way. .

  Li Yu groaned as he was burying his face in his hands.

  "It’s disgusting," Krell’s voice rasped from the shadows of a nearby tree. The demon smith materialized. He would come and go as he pleased but he was currently leaning against the bark with his arms crossed. "I have seen demons rip each other apart for scraps of meat with more dignity than this."

  "Let them have it," Li Yu said, though he was smiling behind his hands. "They waited over a hundred years for this. They have a lot of lost time to make up for."

  Krell huffed but didn’t say more. There seemed to be some deeper thoughts behind his eyes. His eyes were soft as he watched the couple. "It is... efficient though. Have you noticed?"

  Li Yu dropped his hands and looked closer. "Noticed what? I have been trying to pay less and less attention to them. It is making me quite jealous actually."

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  "Watch their Qi." Krell replied as though he ignored what Li Yu said completely.

  Li Yu extended his spiritual sense and narrowed his focus. Jian Xuan and Lin Xia had stopped sparring and sat down to meditate in the tall grass. They sat facing each other, their knees touching and their hands joined.

  As they breathed and cultivated, the phenomenon Li Yu had witnessed during their breakthrough manifested again.

  Jian Xuan’s aura was dense and golden. It rose like a mountain once again. Lin Xia’s aura was a fluid, blue water element. It flowed like a river.

  Lin Xia’s blue aura flowed into Jian Xuan’s golden mountain. It wound its way through the cracks in his earth energy, nourishing it, softening the brittle edges, making the "soil" fertile and strong.

  In return, Jian Xuan’s golden aura provided a structure for Lin Xia’s water. It acted as a riverbed, guiding her flow, giving it direction and force, preventing it from dispersing into mist.

  A perfect cycle.

  "Yin and Yang," Li Yu whispered as though he was enlightened. "Earth holds Water. Water nourishes Earth. Two parts that are strong on their own but made even stronger and better together…"

  "Their cultivation speed," Krell noted, "is about 50% or more than what it should be individually. They are feeding each other in some kind of self propelled loop."

  Li Yu whispered low. "It seems the harmony that broke out between them during their breakthroughs, the Mountain and the River is permanent. Could it be a sort of domain of their martial spirit that has somehow resonated with one another through their relationship? The winged sword domain is the mountain and the domain of the crane is a river. They are getting stronger just by sitting next to each other."

  "Whatever it is, it makes me sick," Krell grumbled as he pushed off the tree. "I’m going to go sharpen my hammer. The air here is too sweet. It’s rotting my demonic aura!"

  “Sharpen a hammer? Is that something only master smiths know how to do?” Li Yu laughed as the demon stomped away.

  Later that evening the group gathered around the fire. The atmosphere was light and everyone was feeling cheerful. Li Yu roasted several large fish that he had eventually caught. He tried looking for different kinds of aquatic life as he always did around bodies of water but failed to find anything new.

  Jian Xuan and Lin Xia sat on a log together. They were sitting next to each other but still maintained some level of distance. Every now and again their shoulders would press against each other. Every time that happened the two would slightly blush at each other and laugh a bit. They were behaving like school boys and girls even though they were hundreds of years old. This was a new experience for them so they were almost like teenagers in behavior. However, they were quickly maturing as time went on.

  "Brother Li," Jian Xuan said as he was tearing into a fish with gusto. "You must tell us more of the world you saw in your travels. What other strange creatures have you seen?"

  Li Yu began to tell them tales of his travels. He told them about the drunken monkey and that great tasting monkey wine. He felt a bit ashamed that he hadn’t saved any for them to try. He talked about meeting some strange but interesting people.

  After telling the tales of his travels, Li Yu asked Lin Xia for some stories of Jian Xuan from before he met him. He was curious about what he was like or if there were any funny tales to know.

  "Do you know the story of the Frozen Waterfall?" Lin Xia asked.

  Jian Xuan choked on his fish. "Senior Sister! That is ancient history!"

  "He was quite young then," Lin Xia began telling the group the story, completely ignoring Jian Xuan’s protests. "He read a scroll about 'Unmoving Earth Will.' He decided that the best way to cultivate it was to stand under a freezing waterfall and refuse to be moved by the water."

  Li Yu grinned. "Let me guess. He was washed away?"

  "No," Lin Xia laughed as she was remembering the day. "He stood there for three whole days. He turned blue from the cold! Master had to physically drag him out because his legs had frozen to the rocks. But he was so proud because he ‘didn't fall down.'"

  "It was a test of will! It’s in the name of the scroll!" Jian Xuan protested as his face turned red. "And I succeeded! The water did not move me! Only Master moved me!"

  "You were shaking so hard you couldn't hold chopsticks for a week," Lin Xia said softly. "I had to spoon-feed you soup and other foods. I had to do all the chores as well that week!"

  Jian Xuan stopped protesting. He looked at her as his expression turned tender.

  "I remember," he said softly. "It was Lotus Root soup. You blew on every spoonful so I wouldn't burn my tongue."

  Lin Xia smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "I always took care of you, Jian. Even when you were a stubborn block of ice."

  "And now I am a stubborn block of crab!" Jian Xuan declared proudly.

  "Yes," Lin Xia agreed as she was squeezing his hand. "But you are my stubborn block."

  Li Yu watched them. While there was also a feeling of disgust and a heavy helping of friendly jealousy. There was also a warm feeling spreading in his chest. It was good. In a world filled with slaughter, schemes, revenge and ancient monsters, seeing two people find this kind of happiness was a victory in itself.

  "You know," Li Yu said as he tossed a fish bone into the fire. "Being stubborn isn't bad. It kept you alive long enough in the sea that is said to kill most who cross it. And it kept you alive long enough to find her."

  Jian Xuan nodded as his face looked serious for once. "Indeed. The shell must be hard, so the inside can remain soft."