Night had fallen over Verdis. The sky was strewn with stars, but neither Earth nor any other moon was visible from the window.

For the first time in a long while, I was able to take my usual seat at Novak's tea table and gaze out at the impressive view beyond the glass — and, just my luck, as if to match my foul mood, it was the least impressive view I'd ever seen from the big boss's office.

Novak began pouring the tea, and I turned my head away from the night sky.

There was only one teapot on the table this time — green, with pine trees painted on it. The tea itself smelled of pine as well, but without apples, so it was clearly not the Yellow Pine Blossom blend Novak had served before. This was something far simpler, but most importantly, it wasn't Clear Thoughts. Which meant there would be no deep, serious conversations tonight.

At least, none where I was expected to provide much brainpower.

That was fine by me, because at the moment my mind was tuned entirely to sniffing out negativity. No need to wind it up any further.

Novak poured tea for Kate, for me, and then for himself — movements unhurried, yet without the air of ceremony. I thought he seemed more relaxed than usual tonight. Not that I'd ever seen him truly tense — more focused, perhaps, as if all the schemes in the world were neatly catalogued in his head and he was just waiting for the right moment to pull out the one he needed.

Today he looked lighter, freer somehow.

Still, Novak wouldn't have invited me here just for a casual cup of tea. That wasn't his style. There was going to be a conversation, and my thoughts drifted between two possibilities, demons or the tournament, and I hadn't yet decided which it would be when he raised his cup in a small salute and took a tiny sip.

Kate and I mirrored the gesture, putting a little more flourish into the salute and adding a slight bow — as much as the chairs and the teacups allowed.

The tea was hot, so I didn't catch all the notes at first. But I wasn't too fond of it.

I enjoy astringency, but this was too sharp, with a distinct pine bitterness that lingered on the tongue after each sip. Then a softer, earthy undertone crept in — deep and faintly resinous, like old wood. It was less like tea and more like brewed sawdust or bark.

At last, the big boss spoke.

"I liked how you kept moving toward your goal," he said, taking another sip and peering at me over the rim of his cup. "That kind of focus deserves praise. And I especially liked how quickly you adapted when the plan began to fall apart."

I raised my cup and nodded, as if accepting the compliment.

There was going to be a 'but.'

"But," Novak said, "you overestimated your strength. Or rather, your endurance, and you paid for it with your consciousness. On a battlefield, that could have cost you your life. Don't do that again."

"I'd act differently on a battlefield," I said.

"Would you, really?" he asked. "Who knows, maybe that's exactly how your previous life ended," he hinted.

Kate twitched an eyebrow, not understanding why her master had suddenly wandered onto the topic of reincarnation.

"Definitely not," I said. I was caught by an artillery barrage.

"Well, if you say so…" Novak smiled. "Still, try to avoid unnecessary risk in the future."

I raised an eyebrow and barely stopped myself from launching into a speech.

"There's more than one way to get through a tournament," he read my thoughts. "Yes, I want you to fight and win, but I'm not forcing you to go to the bitter end."

I exhaled.

Arguing with him was a waste of oxygen.

"It wasn't that bad," I said.

This time Kate stopped herself from launching into a speech, but Novak didn't.

"It was terrible! I saw the medics' reports."

"I acted based on the limited data I had," I explained. "The crystal was at stake. I wasn't even fighting by then, just talking, and Skoryk almost took the bait."

"Yes," Novak agreed, taking another sip. "Skoryk did, but you misjudged Dubois."

"Limited data," I repeated.

"No," Novak disagreed. "You misjudged his character."

"Maybe," I admitted.

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"There's nothing to be done about that. Understanding people takes time — a lot of time," Novak said, taking another sip as if slipping into memories. "Somewhere around a hundred years after birth, it starts to feel impossible. After two hundred, it gets easier, but even after four hundred, someone will still surprise you. Work on your risk assessment — that can be fixed faster."

I didn't reply. What was there to say? I just nodded.

Novak finished his tea and refilled his cup. He offered us more, but we still had plenty.

"So, what are your plans for the future?" he asked suddenly.

A simple question, and Novak seemed to ask it without any context, but for me, it carried much more weight. I had to factor in the demons, the constant threat to my life, and the unexpected assignments he kept tossing my way.

What I desperately lacked was stability. And those tournaments of his…

"I'm done with tournaments," I said. "The risk isn't worth it." Especially now that Baturyn had broken through. Nothing would stop her from stepping onto the arena and simply taking the victory. No one would even bother to fight her. Not even Gunter. Unless someone else broke through as well. Then they could fight it out between themselves for the top spots.

I expected pushback from Novak, maybe a lecture on why I was wrong, but he simply nodded.

"Perfectly logical decision. You'll focus on cultivation?"

"Yes."

"And the materials? You've got two. Have you decided on the third?"

"No," I admitted honestly.

There were still a month until the annual auction, which would coincide with the five months mark. I needed to break through soon after that or earlier, which was a problem. At my current cultivation speed of 2467 + 10%, I'd reach it on day 183.

A few reassessments could buy me several extra days, but one way or another, I was behind schedule.

"I think my main priority shouldn't be the breakthrough material, but the crystal. Could you help me with acquiring one? I'm aiming for a medium one — up to 200 Qi."

Novak drew out a long, dramatic pause, filling it with a sip of tea.

"I have a crystal," he said. "A stone for 143 Qi."

"And you're ready to hand it over to me?" I asked. Of course he was. Otherwise, why mention it? But I'd never once seen him care about money. "What do I have to do?"

"I want you to keep taking part in tournaments after the breakthrough. Without pressure and without unnecessary risk."

That's what he calls 'without pressure'? I'd still remember who gave me that crystal and for what.

"Can't you just help me buy one?" I asked.

"Don't want to be in debt?" he smiled.

"I already owe you, sir."

"No," he disagreed. "You've already risked your life enough for our interests that it's me who owes you. The crystal's yours. No conditions."

That was unexpected…

That was entirely expected! Novak had simply switched to 'kind uncle' mode.

A few hundred thousand meant nothing to him, but to me, refusing the gift would mean offending the man I depended on.

Either way, I was still his man, and the demons were still hunting me. I would be forced to cooperate, and I knew exactly what he wanted.

He wanted me to keep fighting and gaining combat experience. Now I'd do it, if only out of a sense of gratitude, or obligation, or whatever.

Vaclav truly understood people. At least, he'd figured me out.

"Thank you," I said.

"No need," Novak replied. "You'll still have to earn the rest through your own work. And I wouldn't advise breaking through right after a full session in the Flow Chamber. But let's leave that conversation until you've reached the remainder. That will be… how much?" he asked, and then did the maths himself.

"Two thousand five hundred seventy-one from two thousand four hundred sixty-seven straight after the chamber, before the dissipation. Reach that number, and we'll talk about the breakthrough."

I quickly ran through the numbers in my head.

At my current speed, without reassessments, I could hit that target in a month. With a reassessment or two, I could cut out one or two cultivation sessions — a whole week faster!

"And don't put off choosing your third material. Rhino's Third Horn isn't available for you anymore." Novak stressed, snapping me out of sweet dreams about the breakthrough.

"I'd actually like to ask your advice on that," I said quickly, thinking fast. But Novak didn't let me continue.

"I've already given you a pill. That's what I consider essential for you. As for the rest — sort it out yourself. I understand time is short, but you're giving too little attention to strategic planning for your development. Most of your decisions look far more like reactions than a clear plan.

"Kate, at this point, already knew what materials she would use for her breakthrough to fourth stage."

"Kate only learned about the demons a month ago," I couldn't resist pointing out.

It was true, but Kate pouted. Her look promised nothing good.

I had to soften the blow somehow, so I explained:

"Not to diminish Kate's achievements, but you don't just take anyone as your disciple. I don't have the luxury of a quiet life and steady cultivation. My life's a constant leap from one mess to the next. Not taking advantage of the experience of a cultivator as powerful as you would be criminal negligence."

"Nice try," Novak said. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

I thought that would be the end of the meeting, but then it was Kate's turn. Novak began going over her plans for the future.

As he'd mentioned earlier, Kate had long since mapped out her life and knew what she wanted.

It turned out the third period could also get you expelled from the school if you failed to meet certain requirements. Although I'm not sure getting a doctoral degree in some civilian discipline quite qualifies as a 'requirement.'

The limit for studying in the third period was ten years. Anyone who hadn't broken through by then was out. Anyone who didn't get their degree followed soon after.

Some started studying while still in their second year. The lectures were publicly available online. Many managed to get two degrees. Like Lina, for example. Her main field was psychology, and I was sure she'd chosen it to sort out her own issues. She already had that degree. Her second field was sociology.

Novak also had a degree in that field, and I wondered whether his diploma had long since expired, or if he somehow renewed it every hundred years. After all, the higher the stage, the faster a cultivator's mind works, and the better the mental techniques available to them.

As for Kate, she was planning to study programming. She'd mastered the basics back in her second period and wasn't going to change a thing in light of the new information that had come her way only recently.

I mean the demons.

Kate wasn't about to let them influence her decision. She was very interested in artificial intelligence and its capabilities.

What puzzled me was why cultivators needed all this knowledge when their primary role was to be soldiers in the coming war.

At first, I thought it was due to limited resources for cultivation, and perhaps that was part of it. But then it dawned on me: whatever the outcome of the demons' invasion, Earth would need to be rebuilt afterwards; and soldiers who had no prospect of meeting the enemy again in their lifetime would need something to do. That's when doctors, architects, engineers, and sociologists with psychologists would come in handy.

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