The morning sun over the Divine Wind Sect was gentle, filtering through the high-altitude clouds to cast a soft and diffused glow over the breakfast table. The festivities of the previous night had left the sect in a state of quiet recovery but Li Yu and his companions were up early and enjoying a private meal on the terrace of the VIP pavilion.

  The table was laden with light congee, pickled vegetables and fresh fruit from the Sky Gardens. It was a perfect antidote to the heavy feasting of the night before.

  "So," Li Yu said as he broke the comfortable silence. "The banquet is not too far off. We have plenty of time for another trip somewhere. I was thinking we could take the scenic route south. Maybe stop by the Emerald Valley? I heard they have waterfalls that flow upwards due to some reason."

  He looked at Si Luo and Bai Ruo and was expecting the usual nod of agreement or perhaps a statistical analysis of the travel time from Bai Ruo. Instead, he was met with a glance exchanged between the two women.

  Si Luo set down her porcelain spoon. She dabbed her mouth with a napkin, her movements as elegant as ever, but there was a seriousness in her eyes that Li Yu hadn't seen in a while.

  "Li Yu," Si Luo began. "We... that is, Bai Ruo and I... will not be accompanying you to the Emerald Valley."

  Li Yu paused, the lychee halfway to his mouth. "Oh? You want to go straight to the banquet? That's fine too. We can—"

  "No," Si Luo interrupted gently. "We intend to stay here. With Meilin."

  Li Yu blinked in surprise. He put the fruit down. "Stay here? At the Divine Wind Sect?"

  "Affirmative," Bai Ruo stated. "The Matriarch has extended an invitation for an extended residency. We have accepted it, each for our own reasons."

  "But..." Li Yu looked between them. He felt a sudden pang in his chest. It wasn't betrayal but it was a sense of loss. He had gotten used to the two of them during his travels here. He had gotten used to Si Luo’s imperious teasing and Bai Ruo’s robotic logic. "Why?"

  "Because I need to learn," Si Luo was the first to speak. She looked out over the railing at the bustling sect below where disciples were already training in formation. "Meilin... she is like me. She was born into a cage of gold and expectations. But she broke the bars. She rules not because she was told to but because she commands the respect of her people. And because she has the power and wisdom to do so."

  Si Luo clenched her fist slightly.

  "One day, Li Yu, we will find a way back to my home. And when I return, I cannot just be a princess who got away. As you know… my sister is most likely the one who currently sits on the throne that should be mine. If I am to take my rightful place, if I am to rule, I need to learn more. Learn about how to lead. Seeing Meilin these last few days reminded me of that. Meilin has offered to teach me."

  "And I," Bai Ruo added, "have found the sect's archives to be... statistically significant. There are formation theories here that are very interesting. They have access to a massive library. Meilin has granted me Level 5 clearance. The data optimization opportunities here far exceed the utility of observing reverse-gravity waterfalls."

  Li Yu looked at them. He saw the resolve in Si Luo’s eyes. A maturity that wasn’t quite there when they met but was now firm. He saw the genuine intellectual hunger in Bai Ruo.

  They weren't his subordinates and they weren't his pets. They were his friends and they had their own paths to walk. They had met under strange circumstances but that was how he viewed them now. For months, they had followed his whims, eating dumplings and visiting scenic spots. It was selfish of him to expect them to just tag along forever.

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  He let out a long sigh and forced a smile onto his face.

  "I see," Li Yu said. "Well. You can't blame a guy for being a little disappointed. Who's going to explain to me why the water flows upwards if Bai Ruo isn't there? How am I going to continue my training of the mind and resistance?"

  "You will manage," Si Luo smiled as she reached across the table to pat his hand. "We are not parting forever, Li Yu. We are just... taking a sabbatical. We will meet you at the Founding Banquet. Meilin intends to make an entrance and we shall be part of her entourage."

  "So I'm losing my travel buddies but gaining an entrance at the ceremony," Li Yu laughed out loud but it sounded a bit hollow to his own ears. "Alright. I understand. You two stay, enjoy and learn. Learn everything you can. Just... don't destroy the sect, okay?"

  It was bittersweet for all three of them. They had first been stuck together because of Li Yu’s curiosity and Khaos’s directness. The three had then spent a lot of time together with one another and became genuine friends.

  An hour later, the farewells were said at the main docking platform.

  Feng Meilin was there and was looking fresh and radiant despite the late night. She had her arm linked through Si Luo’s, the two of them looking like long-lost sisters.

  "Don't worry, Li Yu," Meilin said softly. "I'll take good care of them. By the time you see them again, Si Luo will probably be running half the sect for me."

  "That's what I'm afraid of," Li Yu joked. He turned to the Feng siblings. "Wei, Xi. Keep practicing and growing stronger. Most importantly, keep being who you are. It is wonderful."

  "Thank you, Big Brother Li!" Feng Xi beamed. "We will!" In the cultivation world strength was often regarded before age. Since Li Yu was so much stronger than them, they regarded him as the bigger brother. Of course this all depended on the relationship and if a person valued a certain title over another.

  Li Yu nodded at them. He tapped the black bracelet on his wrist.

  ‘Tekton. Let's go.’

  The bracelet expanded rapidly into the massive beast that Tekton was. This was the first time the Feng family and disciples in the area had seen Tekton in all his glory. His Divine Transformation aura pressed down on the area as Tekton was flexing for his image.

  Li Yu vaulted onto Tekton's back. He looked down at the group one last time. The Wind Matriarch, the Spider Princess, the Logic Scholar, and the two heirs. They were a strange but powerful family he had accidentally formed a relationship with.

  "See you at the banquet," Li Yu called out.

  "Safe travels, Li Yu!" Si Luo shouted as she was waving.

  With a hiss of displacing air, the centipede shot into the sky. Within seconds, the floating islands of the Divine Wind Sect were nothing but specks in the distance and Li Yu was alone in the vast, open blue.

  The wind whipped past Li Yu’s face as Tekton cruised at high altitude. The silence was deafening.

  Usually, Si Luo would be complaining about the wind messing up her hair or Bai Ruo would be calculating their velocity. Now, there was only the rhythmic thrum-thrum-thrum of Tekton's legs against the air currents.

  ‘Just us again, buddy,’ Li Yu muttered, patting the carapace beneath him.

  ‘The air is thin up here, Li Yu,’ Tekton’s voice echoed in his mind. ‘It dries out the joints. We should descend soon. I smell rich iron deposits in the mountains below.’

  "You always smell iron," Li Yu said. "We'll find some rocks later."

  He reached into his robes and pulled out his communication token. He infused his Qi into it.

  "Krell? You there? You grumpy old demon, pick up."

  Silence. Li Yu knew that Krell was alive because he could still feel the soul contract that Krell took with him in order to roam the world. That was the only thing that gave him relief. This wasn’t the first time he tried contacting Krell and Jian Xuan eiher. He had tried at the end of the war but got no response.

  Li Yu frowned and tried Jian Xuan

  "Jian Xuan? Crab Champion?”

  The same as with Krell. He could feel he was alive through his soul contract with him.

  "Damn it," Li Yu whispered to himself as he lowered the tokens.

  He knew they had their own paths to take but he was worried now. It would be good to know where they are and if they needed help. However, it would be nearly impossible for him to track them down now.

  "I hope you two are okay," Li Yu said to the wind. "I was hoping to have the whole group back together for the banquet. It won't be the same without Jian Xuan showing off to everyone and preaching about the Crab Cult."

  He tucked the token away. He trusted them. Jian Xuan was a prodigy of the sword and Krell was a demon who had survived all kinds of conditions. They would surface when they were ready or when fate allowed.