Chapter 255: Elder Monsoon

When Jack awoke, he was lying face-first on his cellar floor. The air around him thrummed with the Dao of the Fist, while the Dao Magnet stood silently beside him.

He stood slowly, grabbing his head. “Ugh.” He groaned. “Not my best morning.”

A splitting headache was tormenting him. It felt like Brock had taken a sledgehammer and went to town on the inside of Jack’s skull. Moreover, there was a persistent, piercing pain above his right eye, where it always hurt if he thought hard.

“That was the most intense meditation session I’ve ever had,” he realized, forcing himself to stand. “I lost track of time completely… It must have been days. I wonder if there are painkillers for immortals.”

Thanks to his control over his body, as well as his high pain tolerance, this splitting headache was more an annoyance than anything else, but it remained an annoyance. He could do without it.

Jack dusted himself off, then realized he was short of breath. Immortals didn’t need to breathe, but they still did it. Right now, after being locked in a cellar for who knows how long, Jack felt the air stuffy and heavy, his lungs struggling to process it. He floated to the trapdoor on the ceiling and pushed it open, taking a deep breath as he flew out of the cellar, out of the still-open window of his kitchen, and into the sky.

“Ah…” He sighed in contentment. The air was so clean it felt like medicine.

As Jack gazed at the surrounding estate and the valley beneath, he felt an urge to use his new understanding of Space and teleport. It took him a second to remember that he couldn’t—space in the real world was more difficult to pierce than in his soul world.

But he could try Space Walk. It could now teleport him up to a distance of three miles—how far away was Shol’s cabin? Sophina’s estate was grand, but three miles in a straight line was a lot.

Jack’s eyes pierced the sky to land on a small cabin, barely visible even from this height. He then took a step through space and disappeared. With the whooshing of air, he found himself before a humble wooden door. He was slightly short of breath, as was always the case when he teleported.

To test his earlier theory, he teleported three feet to the side. When he reappeared, the energy expenditure was practically identical to when he teleported three miles.

Inconvenient…but I guess, if I could teleport constantly for next to no cost, I would be unstoppable in battle. Maybe I’ll get to that point later.

Jack hadn’t come here just to try out his teleportation. He wanted to tell Shol about his achievements in the Dao of Space and ask for advice on how to proceed. He also wanted to thank him; if Shol hadn’t taken him to the library in person, maybe the librarian wouldn’t have given Jack this Dao Vision. It was undoubtedly very precious.

However, as he raised his hand to knock on the door, he hesitated. What if Shol was cultivating? Jack couldn’t just show up unannounced at his house, could he?

A moment later, he decided to just knock very discreetly. If Shol was meditating in his chamber, he wouldn’t hear the sound—and, if he wasn’t, he would.

A gentle rap of the knuckles was all Jack did. A barely discernible sound that a pre-System human wouldn’t even register.

“Come in,” Shol’s voice came from the inside, and Jack opened the door.

He found himself in a world of paper. The once cozy cabin was now decorated with orderly stacks of white paper, most of which rested on a heavy wooden desk, behind which Shol sat and read.

“Jack!” he exclaimed as Jack entered the cabin. “You’re out of meditation! And you came to rescue me! Thank you, little brother. Take a seat; tea? And close the door behind you.”

“Yes, please,” Jack replied, slightly confused. “What’s going on?”

“I’m neck deep in work, that’s what. The struggle for the Grand Elder position has escalated since you killed Dan Bolon, to the point where we’re actively campaigning for the other elders’ support. There are conflicts all over the inner planet, mostly between our disciples and Monsoon’s, while every outing is now a strategic move. I’m trying to piece together all these reports and deduce the next moves of Monsoon’s disciples, so we can send the right disciples at the right spots and win most of the conflicts. I can’t even begin to explain how much I dislike this.”

“Can’t you just…organize a public battle to settle this? Have ten pairs of disciples duel each other to get rid of all the complexity?”

From where he was preparing tea, Shol raised his head to glare at Jack as if insulted. “This complexity is nothing before our devotion to Master. It is the best way forward—I would rather endure this a hundred times over than risk our master’s chances by organizing a series of duels that would probably not end in our favor.”

“I see. I didn’t mean to imply that.”

“I’m just stressed, that’s all.” Shol sighed as he placed two teacups on the table and plopped down opposite Jack. “It’s a good thing you came. Even immortals need breaks. My head feels like it’s about to burst.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

“Yours? Why yours?”

Jack laughed, then explained his process of understanding the Dao Vision and the benefits he’d reaped.

Shol’s eyes grew wider. “You mean that, not only did you comprehend the vision in one go, but you even achieved enough progress to advance one of your Dao Skills?”

“Yep.”

“Jack! That’s great! Most disciples who get this vision spend months on it, if not years, and even then, comprehending it in its entirety is very rare. You did it in two weeks!”

Now, it was Jack’s turn to be surprised. “I was meditating for two weeks straight?”

“Oh, don’t give me that face. Two weeks to comprehend one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe? Please. Others would kill for that.”

Jack smiled proudly. “How long did it take you, brother Shol?”

“Well, that’s irrelevant, isn’t it? What I’m thinking is, your method of brute-forcing it in one go might be the most effective one. After all, it worked.”

“It wasn’t easy.” Jack thought back to the thousands of times he’d repeated the vision until his brain had adjusted to its every chaotic second. “If I stopped mid-way through, I would probably need to start all over again the next time.”

“That’s why we don’t recommend what you did. The chances of success are small, and the price is that you lose all your progress if you fail. But, well, it worked for you. We usually tell disciples to go at it for a couple hours every day, deepening their understanding gradually as they get used to the fluctuations of space.”

“Then, why didn’t you tell me that beforehand?”

“I had a feeling you’d find your way.” Shol smiled widely. “Plus, you wouldn’t listen to me. You’re in a hurry.”

Jack didn’t even need to think before responding, “Yeah, I wouldn’t listen. Good call.”

Both laughed as they sipped from their tea.

“So, how’s it going?” Jack asked after a minute. “The struggle for Grand Elder, I mean.”

“Decently,” Shol replied. “The situation is fairly balanced. Both Monsoon and Master Sophina have been visiting the other elders, but neither has made much progress. Most elders are staying on the sidelines for now.”

“I see.”

“But, as far as public opinion goes…” Shol’s face darkened. “We aren’t doing too well there. Your victory over Bolon helped, but these things are forgotten eventually. Now, the eyes of the people are focused on the many conflicts happening around the planet, and Monsoon’s disciples win most of them. It’s unavoidable. They’re stronger overall.”

“Hmm. And that is pressuring the elders?”

“Well, a bit. Public opinion doesn’t matter too much because the elders are the only ones voting, but word gets around. If an elder hears their disciples gossip that Monsoon’s people are stronger than Sophina’s, that affects their opinion on the matter. Thankfully, our master has an excellent reputation, enough to outweigh the disciple insufficiency—for now.” He tightened his grip around the tea cup ever so slightly. “But it sucks for us. Our master’s strength and reputation are both stellar. The only thing holding her back is us.”

Jack nodded, considering the issue for one sip. He then asked, “So, Monsoon’s reputation is inferior.”

“Oh, yes. Monsoon is an outstanding cultivator, but he is known as a cutthroat, power-hungry individual. That doesn’t mesh well with the Exploding Sun’s principles. The other elders fear him, while they respect our master.”

“Wait. Are you saying there are cultivators who actually care about being good people?”

Shol threw him a weird look. “Of course. We’re the minority, but we live and prosper. Power, by itself, does not bring corruption. Not everyone is like the Animal Kingdom.”

“Huh. I thought… Nevermind. But if the Exploding Sun doesn’t like Monsoon, why consider him?”

“It’s not so simple. There needs to be a balance between righteousness and power, or we wouldn’t exist. Monsoon might push the faction in a direction most of would be uncomfortable with, but he will bring prosperity, too. It is a sad reality of life.”

“But, and excuse my french, you just said he’s an asshole.”

“What is french?”

“An expression.”

“Well, please mind your language. I wouldn’t call any elder of my faction that.”

“French?”

“Asshole.”

“Right.” Jack nodded. “I don’t know. I guess I just don’t understand politics. I always found the subject unsavory.”

“It always is, until you start to understand it. Then, it’s just the nature of ruling…which can challenge one’s perception on morality.”

“I guess.”

“Don’t guess; starting getting used to it.” Shol gave Jack a serious look. “You are important now. You wield great personal power and basically rule an entire planet, at least for now. You cannot afford to hide behind your finger. Uncomfortable realities are something you must learn to face.”

“Right… Yes, you are right. I’m sorry; I almost made the weak choice of not thinking.”

“No problem. You are still young; there is much to learn.”

“By the way, since I spent two weeks cultivating—”

An unexpected sound interrupted them. Booming laughter filled the sky and shook the mountain under them as an overwhelming presence washed over Jack and Shol, making their eyes widen and their bodies sweat.

“Sophina!” A male voice dominated every other sound. “I came for tea! I hope I am welcome?”

Jack paled. This presence was far superior to the planetary overseer’s, the only other C-Grade aura he’d experienced. “Who’s that?” he asked.

Shol, however, did not reply immediately. His eyes were glued on the cabin roof, and his mind was running over a thousand calculations every second. Finally, he replied, “Elder Monsoon.”

“Monsoon? What is he doing here?”

“I don’t know…but it can’t be good. Come!”

Shol launched himself out of the open window and into the sky. Jack followed a beat later, leaving the rest of the tea to grow cold—was he doomed to never finish a cup in Shol’s house?

They weren’t the only immortals flying to see what was going on. Dozens of them, all Sophina’s personal disciples, were looking up and whispering to each other. However, they stayed right above the buildings, not daring to rise higher.

In the center of the sky stood a man with a blue cape fluttering behind him. He was of average height but solidly built, with sleek muscles outlined under his purple robes. His sleeves were long, as was his dark hair, while his angular face carried a wide jaw and a smile too bright to be true. His eyes, however… Jack felt uncomfortable just glancing at them from afar. Though they were glued on the manor at the mountain peak, Jack felt their pressure deep in his soul.

This was Elder Monsoon. One of the two strongest elders of the Exploding Sun, alongside Elder Sophina, and one of the competitors for the Grand Elder position. Excluding the reclusive B-Grades, this man was in the top two people in the entire constellation.

As for his aura, it was so wide and heavy that Jack felt his breath stifled. It was only slightly weaker than the vampire woman’s in the vision, though that may have been because she had been actively using her powers, while he was simply standing in the sky with his arms crossed behind his back.

Human (Earth-44), Level ??? (C-Grade)

Faction: Exploding Sun (B-Grade)

So impressive was the elder’s presence that Jack almost didn’t notice the second man, standing slightly behind and below the elder. He wore blue robes, a yellow cape, and had blond hair, emanating a presence like that of a rippling pond. His expression was calm.

Human (Earth-44), Level 249

Faction: Exploding Sun (B-Grade)

Title: Eighth Ring Conqueror

As Jack was done ogling, the doors of the manor opened, and two figures slowly floated out. One was Elder Sophina—Jack’s current master, who reminded him of an old yoga instructor. The other person was a C-Grade, scholarly-looking man whose robes were half-white and half-black. He stood right beside Sophina—another Elder?

The third elder was giving out no aura at all, but Sophina was, completely canceling out Monsoon’s and letting her disciples breathe again.

The moment she took to the sky, Shol flew over as well, taking a respectful position right behind and below her. It mirrored the man behind Monsoon.

“Monsoon,” Elder Sophina said, her smile not reaching her ears. “Of course you are welcome. To what do I owe the pleasure?”