13

Ten days later, Pef decided to stop running, as he had reached the marshes.

There were thousands of new species for him to cook, and Miss Xie had a lot of recovering to do.

"How can you eat those disgusting critters? And why don't you get poisoned?" she asked a bit horrified.

"The airship we traveled with? The cradle you sat on? It's made of a Soul Poison Cobra that I killed and smithed. That poison was a thousand times stronger than anything these delicious morsels have" Pef explained with a grin, then bit from a succulent centipede fried in pig lard. It tasted wonderful.

"But, I touched the snake ship... I should be dead."

"Our qi method is a bit different. Yes, we suffer while our bodies get Awakened. But we also become highly resistant to disease and pain and injury. In fact, the more you experience, the stronger you become. Even as you are now, you will never get sick on this planet, ever again" Pef proclaimed proudly, while commencing another round of fried critters.

"What is this heavenly method called?"

"It's called the Xi method, here on Lacrima. But, its true name is the Veritas Legion method!"

"Oh. There was a big outrage some 20 years ago. A Xi adept flew about and killed a lot of people. And then left"

Pef nodded and pointed his thumb at himself. "My father, I think. I seem to resemble him a little"

"Huh. Indeed, you do fly around and kill lots of people. Your father will be proud!" Xie said with a pained chuckle.

"Yea. He also abandoned me and mom. Mom...was murdered by these Disciples"

Xie looked at him with pity, then turned towards the stove.

"The smell drives me crazy. Let me have a bite." Xie demanded as the fried frogs reached their utmost peak.

Pef rose an eyebrow in surprise.

He offered a frog on a stick, and watched the woman devour the frog in seconds.

"Guess I have to keep you. You're a great cook, and I'm barely able to walk. How long does this thing last?"

"How strong do you want to become?" Pef answered with a shrug, starting another round of cooking, this time some fish and snakes.

"Oh. I think I get it now. I lasted two years in that hell-hole. Compared to that, this is a vacation. I should easily endure two years, with you feeding me" she said in a flat tone.

Pef shook his head in annoyance. Xie might soon leave him behind. Damn woman was motivated.

"We shall see, if you last til next year. But I can't spend all my time looking after you. I kinda have many things to do"

Xie nodded to herself. She gestured at her chest. "If you want my body, I kinda stopped caring a year ago"

Pef smiled. "I don't mind another wife, but not while you feel like that. You will be a goddess soon. Have some confidence. You're pretty enough, if a bit old"

Xie choked and flared her soul. "Don't propose to someone, while cooking!"

"But, you love my cooking" he countered, offering a fried snake on a stick, as proof.

"Nom, nom. He is an idiot! But a good cook...don't kill him yet, Xie" the woman muttered while on munching the snake.

A loud growl reverberated behind Pef, no doubt attracted by the smells.

He stretched his torso and rotated his elbows in mock warm-up.

Xie mouth opened in warning as Pef pivoted and stabbed his Sky lance. A Nascent soul rank alligator was impaled on the lance, speared through its head.

Pef grunted and lifted the beast up, measuring it for some nefarious purpose. It was only 12 meters long.

"Hmmm. It's a bit small, but has many teeth. Guess I can make you some weapons and armor. Do you want boots as well?" Pef wondered with a thoughtful face.

"Never mind the boots. I am curious how you smith such beasts" the woman said licking her lips. The snake was amazingly tasty too.

Both of them seemed to have similar tastes in the end, probably not a coincidence, given they both had same type of soul.

Ten more days later, Xie was armored in a full plate suit made of alligator skin, and had a dozen weapons to call her own.

Granted, 10 of them were daggers, but Nascent rank weapons were very rare on this continent.

"Why did you make me this enormous spiked maul, I can barely lift it?" she complained as she failed to hit her wooden target, again.

"Because, you're a weak woman, and huge spiders are hard to crack" Pef replied with a hand wave.

Xie clenched her teeth, and began another round of target Practice. She never wanted to be weak again.

'She might die of all the training' the glove said a bit worried.

'Xie's getting stronger though...anyway. Miss Fang, baby. Would it work?'

'Obviously she can get pregnant, like your parental unit did. But you'd be the wrong father. He needs a white aura'

'And if I Awaken her too?'

'Huh. The Legion has some rules you know? Killing babies for sport isn't one of them'

'A living silver aura could make a thousand babies. Plus one unborn fetus is not exactly a baby. It needs a brain'

'Dubious and immoral. And they will both die anyway. You'd still need a formation, like your father made'

'Damn it. She doesn't deserve to die'

'You can't save everyone, Aspirant, even if you succeed. Immortal doesn't mean invincible. The Legion proves this every single day'

'Yeah. Even gods die.'

'Well, technically tier 7s cannot die anymore, although being brain-dead isn't much better.'

'I'll need to test that myself, one day. Not being brain-dead, the other thing.'

Sure thing Aspirant. Tier 9 awaits you' the glove said a bit amused. Recruits were always so hopeful.

Ten days later, Pef and Xie embarked on the airship, and set sail towards the last Tang citadel.

Pef continued tempering her soul, striking her with a soul pistol every five days or so, and sparing her a day of pain.

Well, replacing physical pain with soul pain. But alternating them gave her a chance to sleep and recover.

"So, our method needs Practice, combat and sex?" Xie wondered out loud, eyeing Pef with doubt.

"Well. The manual says love. You're welcome to test, loving other things. Let me know what works or not."

"Women love their children." Xie proposed, while watching the stars.

"Isn't that the same thing?" he asked while scratching his head.

"Means and ends. I can always bonk some guy over the head and get pregnant"

"Sure. You try that. I bet you'll feel great, subjecting others to what you..." Pef said in a grave tone, gesturing with a finger.

"Damn it. You're too smart. Plus I'd have to raise the child by myself."

"Yea. I was raised by a single mom...wasn't all great. But hey, I became a great cook!" he exclaimed in fake pride.

"Anyway, this thing can really wait. I had enough sex to last me years" Xie said with a long sigh.

Pef remained silent after that. Although Xie wasn't any beauty, he knew she will be. One day, her Awakening will be over, and from this plain cocoon, an amazing beauty will emerge, just like Auntie Ching or Si had.

The Legion method was repairing genes and upgrading them, transforming normal people into god templates.

Even one week that Si managed to endure had made her a top 10 in the world.

Near-perfect skin, bones and muscle tone, plus a subtle correction of imbalances of symmetry.

He could only imagine what higher ranks would look like.

'I detect flying enemies. Riding birds.'

'Damn it. Someone warned them of my airship!'

'I think dropping a citadel on top of their citadel was warning enough' the orange glove explained in a serious tone.

Pef turned his head, looking at his ward. Strange to think of a woman ten times his age as a ward.

"We have enemies incoming, my lady. I will need you to steer the ship while I fight"

"Oh. Just holding these bones levers level, right? Doesn't seem hard." she mused out loud.

Pef smiled while he picked up Xie and tied her to the helm seat.

"Okay, pull the left hand a few fingers...good. That's called left. Hard left would be twice of that" he advised her gently.

"Got it. A child could fly this thing." she said while steering the ship left and right with a smile.

"Yes. I built my first airship when I was 12" Pef confirmed with a smirk.

Xie cursed something under her breath.

However, our hero didn't have more time to banter.

A group of thirty eagles with people sitting on their backs had changed course to intercept.

Pef drew his bow, and as his right hand drew the string back, an arrow appears magically from the glove storage.

'You are an archer's glove!'

'Computing trajectories. Keep the reticle on target' the glove responded with a sterner tone.

Pef released the first arrow as a yellow triangle blinked on his retina. Even though he was aiming high above and only at empty air.

Another triangle appeared. Pef kept shooting, and had reached his seventh arrow by the time the first eagle died with an arrow in its eye.

'This is too easy!' Pef exclaimed with glee.

'Want to try neolithic aiming, Aspirant?'

'Not right now, thank you dear glove. You're the best!'

'Yes, I am. Keep shooting!'

And so Pef did, felling two dozen eagles from the skies, before shields appeared around the eagles.

An arrow bounced, then another.

"Hard right!" Pef yelled while getting worried.

Mostly for the ship and Xie, as a crash would damage them badly.

A man stood up, riding the eagle on his toes. He drew a bow, and aimed at Pef.

A triangle blinked and Pef released his arrow. Somehow the arrows collided in midair, and crashed into the forest below.

What to do? Pef thought feverishly while another arrow was loaded.

An idea came to his mind, and qi began pouring through the arrow, establishing a rudimentary formation.

He released, and the arrow didn't bounce this time, embedding in the shield and even a little into the eagle's head.

The beast screamed and rolled, trying to dislodge the arrow with his wings and claws. Its rider fell towards the ground screaming something.

'Keep shooting!'

Pef charged and released, wounding three more eagles and making their riders fall.

One rider turned and ran, while the other aimed directly at the cradle and increased the speed.

Pef fired again, but the eagle shook its head and kept coming.

Pef fired at the running rider, the arrow hitting the man in the back. Then he stored the bow, and waited for the last rider to approach.

"A child is attacking us! Haha, I will have your head, and that woman in my dungeon!" A spirit ranked Elder yelled while drawing a sword and crouching for a boarding leap.

A dagger flew and hit the man in the face, bouncing off his Spirit shield.

Pef sighed and jumped lightly, while his lance pierced the sky and impaled the man in the stomach. And fraction later, Pef kicked the eagle in the head, just as it was close to crash into his airship.

The beast tumbled away, then crashed into the forest.

"Don't waste Nascent rank daggers..." Pef muttered while examining the Tang elder he had speared out of the sky.

He slowly dragged the nearly dead man into the cradle, and grabbed his neck in the glove.

"Name and rank?" Pef asked politely.

'Ghhh. Can't breathe." the Elder complained.

"Tie the levers and come help, my lady" Pef demanded while breaking the limbs of the elder to keep him from struggling. She would enjoy some catharsis, making someone else suffer.

"Right, I have a Tang on my hands. And a hot stove..." the woman realized with a wide grin.

The next hours Pef and Xie experimented with various interrogation techniques, until the Elder was too drained and died in misery. His body was thrown overboard, without his artifacts. Then they continued the course, now with better and recent information.

"Water vapors work better!" Pef argued his opinion.

"Silly child. You saw how scared he was of hot metal. A wonderful invention!"

"You didn't have to castrate him. Well...maybe you did?" He mused thoughtfully.

"Damn right I did. I showed him dungeons!" Xie proclaimed while waving a copper dagger.

"Anyway. That fog north of the citadel is the entrance to the Disciples hideout. Seems a high ranked formation" Pef said after biting his lower lip. Nobody knew for sure how to enter or what was inside.

"We'll deal with them later. First thing the citadel. You can drop stones from here, right?"

Pef nodded while his left hand computed the timing.

'About 200 seconds at this speed?'

'Close. 197 seconds. You'd miss by a kilometer'

'Good thing I have such a helpful system to aid me. Really. I am grateful'

'Hmpf. You should be. Then again, I need a proficient user to help me recover my weapon'

"All right. Enjoy the explosions Xie!" Pef yelled while his gloved hand emerged out of the airship's cradle.

Xie peered curiously overboard, as two citadels fell from the sky on top on the third.

The bombardment lasted a whole minute, and pulses of air pressure razed everything on the ground.

Pef turned the airship and flew away, as a huge dust cloud reached 3000 meters and made them cough.

'A bit overkill. There were only 2000 hostiles in the citadel.'

'Any high ranks?'

'5 Spirit ranks and 5 Earth ranks. Spiders.'

Indeed, Pef's qi rank had increased by a few percents again, reaching 35 percent.

"We'll land and terminate the surviving Tang" Pef decided while opening the air vanes. Cold air filtered in, reducing lift and forcing the airship to descend.

"There're trees below!" Xie exclaimed in warning.

"Yea, this might hurt a bit..." Pef mumbled, while arranging Xie as a backpack.

"More than I already hurt?" The woman asked a bit sarcastically.

"About the same I guess" he whispered as the airship vanished under their feet.

"We're flying!" Xie yelled in joy.

Pef absorbed most of the impacts, then her alligator armor dispersed some more, while the crunching branches suffered the rest.

In three seconds, Pef arrived at ground level, face first.

"Hey, Pef. Did you die?" a curious voice asked while dragging him out of the ground.

"I'm good. Nose is broken and a few ribs..." Our hero mumbled in a nasal voice, while setting his nose into place. He cursed the glove and its weird sense of humor. Face planting wasn't that funny.

"Ah, pain. Such a useful tool, isn't it?" Xie joked while stretching herself a little.

Pef turned around, laying on the ground while his ribs fused and healed. Distant white clouds flew above, free to fly.

The sky seemed so far, and yet. A single good fight away. So tempting.

"Rest a little, dear lady. Combat is much harder" Pef whispered while he began refining qi and fill his reserves.

"Okay. You do know how to treat a lady..." Xie spoke softly, laying next to him to watch the sky.

An hour later, a pair of armored sages were descending into the Yellow Canyon, jumping from ledge to ledge.

They soon reached the bottom, where some hundreds Tang were also trying to cultivate and heal after being smashed by aerial bombardment.

"You take the Core ranks. I'll deal with the rest" Pef ordered while passing his Sky rank sword to Xie.

His axe and a dagger were equipped and Pef exploded forward, aiming for Spirit ranks or the Earth spiders.

Xie rushed to the left, dispatching the Core ranked Tang with some ease.

Slice and stab, jump and cut, dodge and kick. After twenty minutes, most of the opposition was terminated, only a couple of spiders and a Spirit ranked Tang remained, defending a stone tower which was mostly intact.

Pef came to a stop and checked the surroundings. Xie was having fun, stabbing a Tang in his lower regions.

He sighed. Too much hate, but he couldn't fix everything.

The Earth ranked alchemist advanced over corpses and boulders, stopping at the tower's entrance. A spider advanced to block his way.

Pef tried to surprise it with his Sky lance, but the spider was fast. Almost as fast as he was. And beside a leg missing, it seemed okay.

"What's your name boy? I'll make sure to find your family and play with them later" the Spirit rank Tang proclaimed, while hiding behind the spider.

'Time for the venom cannon' Pef admitted with some dismay.

'See! I told you! Venom cannons are awesome!' the glove yelled in a giddy voice.

A 5-meter tooth attached to a large venom bladder appeared in Pef's hand. He stomped the bladder, causing the venom to squirt out of the hollow snake tooth.

In a minute, the enemies had dissolved in screams and sizzling, and even the rocks were being eroded.

The cannon then folded and vanished in the glove.

"Is that Cobra venom?" Xie yelled from distance.

He nodded while walking away, searching for other survivors. A dying Tang sage was pinned under a boulder, his lower extremity reduced to paste.

"Come here Xie! Punch this guy in the face" Pef yelled pointing at the Tang elder.

"Oh. You saved one for me. That's so sweet" she declared with a languid smile, then began punching the scumbag.

An hour and a thousand punches later, the elder finally died.

Pef observed her qi rise again, nearly to the peak of Nascent Soul.

"You're stronger now" he whispered as he sat beside her.

"Wow. Your method really does work. My fists are a mess, but I advanced in an hour what takes a hundred years!"

Xie answered while holding her hand in front. The skin on her knuckles had flayed away, and she had bits of the guys bones embedded in her own hands.

Pef sighed and began to gently clean and dress her wounds, picking out broken teeth and pouring drinks over the gashes.

"Practice and combat are fine. But you still need love." he whispered while blowing softly to evaporate the rice wine.

"Sorry. Can't think of love, right now" Xie whispered back, staring at the sky with tears in her eyes.

Pef closed his eyes, checking his qi. Another few percents. The sky was closer again.

Then he stood up, his eyes glowing with determination.

'Recover the stones, my glove. Time to enter the sapphire mines'

'Precisely. Now run, Aspirant! We don't have much time' The glove agreed. So far so good. One last target, and his user would reach Sky rank, if he survived.