The various training rooms of the Blind Tower were extremely thorough in covering the different senses. No doubt their cultivators already recognized how useful even some of their more obscure senses could be. If they ever found themselves in a darkness element area, they would certainly be able to retain sufficient awareness and combat effectiveness even if many traditional senses were blunted. John imagined that they would do quite well on Midnight Island, though it seemed that the Glorious Veil Sect tended to hog the resources from there. The Blind Tower could only sneak around there occasionally.

Unlike some of the other sects- even those that were generally welcoming and friendly- the Blind Tower had shared more knowledge about cultivation. Simply by letting their visitors make use of their facilities revealed much about them. Even without sparring, John could guess much of their combat style would revolve around fooling senses in ways that people wouldn't anticipate. Rather than avoiding affecting their own members, they would simply train to overcome those drawbacks. That would make their offense more potent.

John had a few discussions with Emmet, the sect head, about his own cultivation path. "I began with darkness, in a clan that practiced such techniques. However, I was drawn to a unique possibility I heard about. Fortunately my clan trusted me enough to support me."

Emmet nodded slowly. "I see. Your clan must have been…"

"Crazy?"

"Thoroughly convinced. It seems you must have had great confidence even when young."

Having lived about twice as much as it seemed helped. Plus, not really knowing how difficult things were. John had been a bit reckless, though part of that was related to how well Fortkran had done for his relative lack of effort. John just wanted to prove he could do better than him. Though he also felt special due to his circumstances as a transmigrator.

"I must admit I had some good fortune," John commented.

"As do all who reach great heights. And now we might be the good fortune."

John pondered for a few moments. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your sect will certainly be blessed by your presence, and likely the allies you bring alongside you. You haven't said all that much about the continent but…" Emmet looked between John and Astrid. "You two are far from the only Ascending Soul Phase cultivators there, aren't you?"

John shrugged. "You are one yourself. Most of the island controlling sects here seem to have one. Or two."

Facial expressions could only be read with spiritual energy- the Blind Tower was still fully dark even if John had grown somewhat used to it. When trying to be subtle, John could only feel the larger movements. Probably ones Emmet intentionally displayed. Emmet tipped his head. "And how many Ascending Soul Phase cultivators does your sect have, if I might ask?"

"Just two, counting Astrid."

Emmet seemed surprised for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "And that clan that you left behind?"

"Three." For the moment. Others would follow Crystin soon enough, though they weren't rushing but rather taking their time to make sure as many were successful as possible. Then of course there were Melanthina and Nik.

"And among your allies and close friends, I suspect there are many more." Emmet paused, clearly considering something. "What did the Glorious Veil do?"

Astrid spoke there. "Why should you think that they did anything?"

"You cared too much about my answer, as short as it was."

John didn't think there was any reason Emmet, with his clear dislike for the sect, couldn't hear. He'd already had his chances to try to poison John and Astrid if he were the sort, so it wasn't as if he would be warned off. "They tried to kill me."

"Right after you appeared? That's pretty extreme, even for them," Emmet commented.

"Is that so?" John asked. "They tried to poison me through an agent of theirs. It could have been anyone that would cause trouble."

It was still possible that he had things wrong. Except…

"Ah, that's entirely different. If you told me they attacked you publicly, I wouldn't have found it believable. Even if you did steal some of their resources from Midnight Island."

John put on a smug face. Surely Emmet could detect at least that much. "They didn't even put up a sign. Clearly those resources are free for the taking by any responsible individual."

"Your poison detection skills must be quite developed," Emmet said. "I've heard they have some particularly insidious options available."

"Indeed," John said. "It has rather made the whole trip less pleasant than it ought to be."

Astrid very intentionally squeezed John's hand with her own. Her physical wounds were healed. He wanted to believe there were no scars on her heart from his brief lack of control. In truth, it could have gone a hundred times worse even without either of them dying.

-----

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

John's favorite group ended up being the Blind Tower. The Great Eye sect was fine, but the circumstances had marred the visit. The fruit wasn't bad, and he would have remembered everything quite fondly if not for that one incident. John hoped that their next visit- or at least the one after that- was more pleasant. Their next visit would come with fleets, and they'd be going off to war.

"We will be returning soon," John explained to Emmet as they prepared to leave. "Not too far into the future. I hope you will support us then."

"I am not certain I can commit to that," Emmet said.

"We won't need your military might," John said. "Just your influence. We have no intention of going to war with all of these western islands. We'd rather get along peacefully."

Astrid picked up there, "But we aren't going to forgive the Glorious Veil for trying to kill John."

And John wouldn't forgive them to trying to make him kill her. Or to die in a mad rampage. Blaming their agent wasn't going to get them out of things- they didn't care who they hit, and thus they needed to suffer the consequences of their carelessness. That didn't necessarily mean they had to be wiped out… but the exact consequences would have to be determined based on how they reacted.

-----

"Normally I expect island vacations to involve less violence," John commented. "Except in a certain genre of movies."

"They sound quite interesting," Astrid commented about movies in general.

"I should hope so," John said. "Beyond the actors, there are often hundreds of individuals who have devoted a significant portion of their life to making them as entertaining as possible. Too bad most people here specialize in violence."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Astrid suggested. "After all, a society exists on the basis of what people will accept. I don't think this world could exist at all without cultivators, but perhaps it could be more peaceful."

John nodded. "That's what the Alliance is for. At the very least, we're fighting less among ourselves." The plan was to maintain that even without outside threats. It might be difficult, but this world was already quite different from Earth. People were still people, but among other things individuals could influence the world longer- for better or for worse. John wanted it to be for the better, because he and his loved ones lived there.

-----

The journey back to the continent had only a few minor encounters with sea beasts. Because they were aware of precisely where they wanted to go, they were able to move with more confidence. They didn't have to slow down to search for islands, and there was no chance of somehow missing the continent. Soon enough they were back in familiar seas- familiar to some of those with them, if not necessarily John. He'd spent far more time in the Shimmering Islands than off the continent's western coast.

The first thing John wanted to do was consult his allies. He could have told them to show up with themselves and armies, and he could have bet that they would have. However, wisdom came from an abundance of counselors. He shouldn't just react how he wanted to.

-----

Some water cultivators broke north along the coast as they hit the continent. Tenzing and the others parted with the expedition before they turned into the Shimmering Islands. They were invited to return in the future, of course, but they might have other duties to attend to after a few months away between the travel and time in the islands.

The Shimmering Islands were important as one of the premiere seafaring regions among the continent. They were currently responsible for much of the coastal security around the borders, as well as training up new groups to cover such areas in the future. There was a significant difference in efficiency from cultivators that simply knew how to sail and those who were excellent, trained and specialized within their elements. They needed to be able to discover threats approaching and either deal with them or prepare those ashore for any trouble.

Previously, the continent hadn't had much in the way of fleets on the external coasts, except some smaller sects. There were traders, of course, and they had ships. However, normally if there were any conflicts most of them would have preferred landing and making an assault from there rather than proper naval warfare.

John sent word to various sects within the Shimmering Islands that they would be needed. Their expeditionary fleet was sizable, but it hadn't been meant for intimidation. On their return to the western seas, some measure of intimidation was warranted.

John and Astrid were dropped off at Pearl Landing, taking the main roads back to Lunson. The Six Elements Crossroads was still in the most convenient location, and John would be able to send and receive replies swiftly with the communications network they were building up.

-----

John felt very confident with the arrival of Steve and Yustina. He didn't have a perfect understanding of the combat prowess of the Glorious Veil, but he was quite confident he could defeat almost anyone with that pair by his side.

Renato did come to offer his advice, but he made it clear he wouldn't be able to come along. That was a bit disappointing, but John couldn't expect all of his friends to be available at any moment. If he truly needed them it would be one thing, but even if the Glorious Veil had four or five Ascending Soul Phase cultivators- far more than their estimated two- there were plenty of options to deal with them.

John, Astrid, Steve, Yustina, and the two from the Great Eye Sect would outnumber them for certain. But it wasn't enough to just have them, not when faced with the full might of a sect. They could use a solid base of Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators and those of lesser cultivation. They wanted an overwhelming victory, not one where there were losses on both sides. If there were losses, it was better for them to be of the locals. They could deal with their own problems.

That was the advice that Deirdre gave, though she wasn't alone in that. Yustina had a similar opinion, and even Steve didn't tell John to go in and crush them alone.

"It makes the most sense, if you want them to accept us in the future," Deirdre commented. "You must help them. You won't be there to take revenge for yourselves… officially. Instead, you'll be helping with a nuisance that has been causing trouble in the region."

Yustina nodded. "After that, you must not show too much favor to any remaining faction. At least not publicly. They will worry about us causing more instability- perhaps rightfully- so we will have to constantly remind them. Especially for the early years of our reacquaintance."

The specific details were ironed out, but ultimately bringing too many Ascending Soul Phase cultivators would be counterproductive. Just because the continent had many didn't mean they should draw them all in- and of course they had other things to be concerned with. Trouble could come from elsewhere in the time they were gone, should they be careless.

John enjoyed his few weeks back home, even if most of the time was spent preparing for war. Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything like their recent troubles- but remaining passive wouldn't do them any good in the future.

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