Chapter 435: The Poverty of Young Masters

Kai sliced through the forests, not leaving a single footprint, leaves sliding off his armor. He'd become far more effective in the forests, not so much because his strength had increased as because he was adapting to the setting. It had only been partially conscious, shifting his claws to better run over the roots or retracting horns, just a piecemeal adaptation to the environment.

All of the outposts were heavily defended now, which was a victory in itself because it meant a lot of cultivators no longer defending the sect headquarters and walled garden. He regretted that he couldn't strike at any more work camps, but with the recent chaos and threats of monsters, shipments of corpses seemed to have slowed to a halt anyway.

Striking any given position wasn't particularly difficult, so he made a challenge of it by focusing on pure precision and technique. He could easily defeat the average Earth Soul, and he could beat most using only equal Power, so how far could he push it? Punching up despite being able to slap down the enemy.

Overall, his combat efficacy was increasing, between small improvements to his Savage Heart transformation and advances in fundamental technique. There was a hard limit, though, and he felt it in terms of his Physique. His armor was harder than it had been when he started, but it wouldn't do much against someone with 500 more Power than him. Given the choice between these improvements in his own skill and a way to break through to C rank Physique, he would have chosen the latter.

It had been a little over a week since he'd started raiding the Verdant River outposts and he thought he'd done about all he could. Best to return to the dryad community and see what the others had accomplished before he attacked too many others. But on the way back, Kai was surprised to notice a large procession entering the forests.

Since this one was loaded with cultivators, he drew fully on Mutefang's Stealth as he crept closer. There were scouts looking around, but they didn't have a chance of seeing him as he lurked within the woods using only monstrous power, so he was able to close in on the center.

At the core of the procession was a flying barge, somewhat modeled after the barges he'd seen peasants using in the river, but made from pure jade. The top was so large and filled with so many tables and couches it was practically a flying house. All of the guards hovered on flying swords around the vehicle, leaving it solely for the occupants themselves.

Kai stopped as he realized that he was looking at some of their main targets.

Yul Wei Ren was a young man, sitting on the largest couch and surrounded by admirers. He wore robes of pure gold and a grand hat that arched high above his head before dangling a number of chains, each of which ended in a gemstone with a different symbol. Kai recognized a few, so presumed they represented all the sects controlled by his clan. The man himself was thin with pasty white skin and a smug smile.

When Kai examined his soul, he knew what to expect and was still surprised.

<

Name: Yul Wei Ren

Total Power: 141

Cultivation: Qi Condensation 2% (10)

Physique: F-0 (30)

Immortal Body (+100)

Soul Level: 1 (1)

>

The overwhelming majority of the young master's strength came from the immortal elixirs he'd gotten from his family, and his F-0 Physique was likely due to special pills that could instantly take him there. In other words, the young man was stronger than the majority of veteran hunters despite having done no training at all.

Would a veteran Goralian with less Power have been able to beat him? That was a trickier question, Kai thought. The hunter would use their power far better, but what should have been grievous injuries to Yul Wei Ren would be reduced to minor cuts, and even an untrained person with 100 Power could hurt someone if they got a good grip on them. Maybe a ranged fighter could, but not necessarily a melee hunter, especially one who was unprepared for the difference in strength.

Before Kai could consider the idea further, a great chorus of cheers came from the barge. Everyone seemed to be toasting Yul Wei Ren, who waved away their praise with obvious pleasure before rising to his feet.

"Everyone, everyone, please! The monster hunt has barely begun, and we have so far to go. Let us make our families proud, yes?"

"Well said, young master!" several of the others chorused.

"Now, I have a little incentive." Yul Wei Ren gave them all a wink and the audience leaned closer to him. "Just a little competition between the Great Rivers. The sect that kills the largest number of beasts while on our excursion will receive 100,000 golden taels from my personal fortune."

"Amazing!"

"Young master is so generous!"

"My father couldn't spend a tenth as much!"

"And for the person who kills the dark monster that has been bothering out outposts..." Yul Wei Ren drew out the silence, making them wait, then finished grandly: "A single magical item from the Grand Crown's collection!"

"Incredible!"

"The Grand Crown vaults are without limit!"

"Truly, young master's generosity has no equal!"

The group began to celebrate, laughing and drinking with one another as the barge floated on, directly past the monster they were all hunting.

Kai watched them from hiding for a while, then shook his head and began to keep pace. They certainly didn't seem to be getting anywhere very quickly, but he guessed that this was just the first leg of the trip, designed primarily for pleasure. Given that he had his target within sight, he suddenly considered that it might be best to forget the plan and just attack now.

First, however, he scrutinized the crowd on the barge. The majority were simple servants with no cultivation bases whatsoever, and the guards were largely at Body Refinement. As for the young nobles, they ranged from Qi Condensation to Nascent Foundation, but only a few looked like actually decent cultivators.

He estimated that the nobles were more than 75% men, yet there were more women because most of the servants were female, plus most of the male nobles had women at their sides - sect members or paid prostitutes, judging by their faked enthusiasm. The noblewomen were easy to pick out because they wore robes that covered them fully and hairstyles as elaborate as the other noble heirs, unlike the paid women who showed more skin and kept their hair loose.

No, not quite: there was one young woman dressed like them who was actually an Earth Soul. None of the nobles were pawing at her and her eyes looked too alert for a servant. That was at least one hidden guard who would strike if anyone tried to attack the nobles.

A few of the noble heirs actually looked familiar, and Kai recognized Kan Jin Kung from their clash outside Floodisle City.

<

Name: Kan Jin Kung

Total Power: 823

Cultivation: Earth Soul 95% (477)

Physique: E-0 (80)

Immortal Body (+150)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

Flowing Crown (+100)

>

It didn't seem like he'd grown much stronger, and since Kai was confident that Banchlain's Aura could defeat his presence ability, a rematch would be effortless. Yet he wasn't about to leap into battle just yet, because Kai realized that some of the others were actually formidable.

One young master wore rich mauve robes and was only referred to by the others as the Poison Prince, so Kai guessed that he was an important heir to the Purple River sect. He was one of the only Sky Souls in the group, though he had less strength when it came to immortality and his presence ability:

<

Name: Poison Prince

Total Power: 963

Cultivation: Sky Soul (800)

Physique: F-4 (38)

Immortal Body (+50)

Soul Level: 5 (25)

Poison Crown (+50)

>

He had a woman in his lap, but he wasn't paying any attention to her, and when he wasn't toasting or joking with the others, he looked irritated. Kai wondered if he was only present to curry favor and earn more immortality elixir, because from what Zae Zin Nim had shared with him, playing politics in sects could be as important as cultivation.

"Grandpa Wanwan!"

Yul Wei Ren started the call and the others joined him, laughing and shouting. Kai was puzzled for a moment before abruptly a streak of light shot from the sky and froze in place in front of the barge in a human form that continued to hover in the air.

It was an old man, with wizened skin but a straight back, wearing dark blue robes. Despite his age, he had a full head of white hair and a long white beard. Though not particularly tall, the breadth of his chest was visible even underneath the robes - the man was immensely strong. He looked like a mountain in the air, only his robes and beard fluttering around an immovable core.

Kai absolutely had to check the man's soul, but he did so extremely carefully.

<

Name: Grandpa Wan?

Total Power: 1531

Cultivation: Sky Soul (950)

Heavenly Cultivation (+100)

Physique: C-0 (300)

Deepriver Meridians (+100)

Soul Level: 9 (81)

>

The old man was a formidable Sky Soul, near the theoretical limit, and he was supported by a strong Soul Level and something called Deepriver Meridians. Most astonishingly, his Physique was actually in the C rank, the first Kai had seen on Cloudspire. Overall, the man had a nobility to him that far outmatched the young cultivators on the barge below.

"Grandpa Wanwan, how long until we find some monsters?" Yul Wei Ren waved at him with the wine cup in his hand, then belched. "Weren't you supposed to lead us to them?"

"The monsters are no doubt fleeing from young master's presence." The old man spoke stiffly, with more cold servility than any of the fawning servants. There was an implicit condemnation of the barge's noisy revelry, but it was wasted on Yul Wei Ren.

"This will get boring if there's nothing to hunt! Find us something!"

"Very well, young master."

Immediately Kai froze in place, realizing that a real expert was about to scan the area. He felt the spiritual sight sweep over him, but he had instinctively moved low to the ground in a predatory crouch and Mutefang's Stealth seemed to protect him. After a brief time, the elderly man pointed to the southeast.

"There is a formidable beast worthy of a hunt several leagues in that direction."

"Several leagues?" Yul Wei Ren threw his wine cup in disgust, shattering it. "Not good enough, Grandpa Wanwan! Find us something more fun... what about those monkeys? With the red horns, and they squeal when you tear them out? Find us some of those!"

"Very well, young master." The old man - whatever his true name was, "Wanwan" was a diminutive nickname he clearly suffered - dissolved into light and streaked away over the forest, scouting it rapidly.

"Incredible, young master!" one of the hangers-on cooed.

"Even the patriarch of the Deepriver sect is at your command!"

The others continued in the same vein, but Kai was most interested in the fact that the old man was actually a sect patriarch. At 1500 Power he was definitely a higher tier Sky Soul... and yet he was obeying these young idiots like a servant.

All of the servants and young nobles were marveling at the power of the Masterful Crown clan, but Kai was filled with a sense of disgust. Not simply at their behavior, but at the utter empty-mindedness that believed inherited wealth or cheap power had actual value. Because through all the faked emotions on display in the barge, the envy and admiration he saw were very real.

For several minutes as he stalked the barge, Kai considered just attacking the group, killing off the heirs of multiple sects in the region and wiping the slate clean. He wasn't sure if he could defeat the entire group, given the number of Earth Souls on top of the Sky Souls, and the old man could no doubt fly back quickly. But if he started off by using Manticore's Quill, he could definitely kill a lot of them.

Aside from that angry fantasy, he seriously considered just assassinating Yul Wei Ren with a single quill from a distance. The problem was that it wouldn't solve their problem: the young master didn't have any power himself, and if he was replaced it might be with someone more competent.

That was the problem with all of them: why should Kai believe that the second or third sons of these families would be any better, if they produced first sons like this? Surely there were more reasonable people in their sects who might lead things better, because to think otherwise defied reason, but he didn't know who they were and a few assassinations wouldn't bring those people into power. He'd make himself feel better getting his claws bloody, but nothing would change.

And so Kai fell back, letting the barge fly off on its fruitless expeditions. Most there might have felt envy, but he felt none whatsoever. After watching a while longer, Kai turned and loped away.

He didn't have any answers, but he did have targets.