Chapter 575: Three Physique Breakthroughs

Being granted free license by the Frontier elites had a benefit Kai hadn't expected: he could wait for people to come to him. Gunjin and some of the others in charge of teleportation apparently decided that it was easier for Kai to remain stationary and others to be brought to them. That mean that, after so long rushing around the continent, he could remain still and focus.

For Kai's own work and training, it didn't actually make that much difference. But after they picked a Frontier outpost, Zae Zin Nim clearly enjoyed staking out a bedroom and putting together all her combs, pins, and other items. Omilaena set up two areas for her experiments, one inside and one outside. Having a shared space clearly made both of them happy, which meant Kai reaped the benefits as well.

Given the impending incursion, Kai decided to recall his students. It was up to them, of course, but all seven of them decided to return. He spent a day letting them test out their new powers before he set them on a training program.

"The time for exploring new paths is over," he told them in the closest thing to a speech that he managed. "Everyone's talking like the incursion will happen in three weeks, but it varies - it could be as little as one without surprising anyone much. You all have your abilities now and you need to focus on them. Refine yourselves into the best warriors you can be."

They all set about their training, including sharing a great deal with one another. Kai looked forward to working more with the group in the future, but at the moment he needed to focus on himself as well as prepare for potential elite trainees.

Before he could get started, his wives interrupted him. They glanced at one another, apparently not having coordinated this, and Zae Zin Nim spoke first.

"Won't we have more forewarning of the incursion?"

"I think there are some who predict it," Kai said, "and the abyss changes when it happens."

"No, I mean with you." Zae Zin Nim cocked her head at him. "Didn't you start experiencing dreams last time?"

Kai had thought about so many other aspects of the incursion, over and over, yet that memory had escaped him until that point. She was right, he had felt a strange calling, as if he was riding along with the horde.

"I haven't experienced anything like that yet." Kai folded his arms and grimaced as he thought about it. "We don't know what will happen. That might only have been because I wasn't familiar with my power back then, but..."

"It could also be worse." Zae Zin Nim nodded. "We will trust you to deal with that."

"Meanwhile, I was just here to tease you about timing issues." Omilaena shrugged as they both stared at her. "What? You were urging everyone not to try anything radical, but here I am, still trying to figure out the fundamentals of Physique to build something new for myself."

"The rules don't apply to you," Kai said, putting an arm around her waist.

"Nepotism gone wild." Omilaena kissed him with a smile and they got to work.

Even though Kai was stronger than their plans had accounted for, that was no guarantee the incursion would be easy, so he needed to sharpen himself to a fine edge. Kai was certain that he could come up with a new incursion-specific technique, but hadn't figured it out yet, so he trained Monstrous Tail and his passive abilities.

Before anyone got too involved in a new training regime, they were interrupted by surprise guests: Juray and the Tonjin brothers. Raghi greeted him with a clapping hug, while Omilaena and Juray embraced with more affection than he last remembered.

"This seemed like the fun place to be," Juray said once they all got together. "I'm not going to make any major advancements myself, but I could develop some new potions."

"I have a few ideas," Omilaena said. "We should talk, if I can pull you away from Raghi."

Kai noticed that Lofgan had held back, saying very little. When he looked at the man questioningly, Lofgan shifted awkwardly, and it was actually his brother who answered.

"The main reason we're here is to help my brother." As he spoke, Raghi clapped a hand on Lofgan's shoulder. "He's been focused on his Class and his Physique has stalled. We finally convinced him that he should get it done before the incursion."

"I could use... help," Lofgan said softly.

Of course Kai and the others immediately checked his soul.

<

Name: Lofgan Tonjin

Total Power: 344

Whistlewind Class: 99 (109)

Waterborn: Oncedrowned (92)

Physique Level: E-9 (107)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

>

The most impressive thing was that Lofgan had reached Whistlewind Level 99, which meant he could get a huge explosion in power if he managed to break through to an Advanced Class. But Raghi was right, his Physique was still stuck at E-9. Both of the brothers were tall and muscular men, but that training had always come easier for Raghi, whereas Lofgan only did it because he was forced.

"You've been training since you hit E-9?" Omilaena asked.

Lofgan nodded silently. Juray put in "He's been there ever since Darkmist Island" as explanation.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. Provided you have the willpower and the endurance, I can get you over the jump with an injection. D rank is familiar territory by now."

Some of the others didn't believe it, but it had been years now since she'd helped Kai to D-0, and what they didn't know was that cheating her way there was one of her earliest accomplishments. So he didn't wait with bated breath, he just got back to training while Lofgan was injected and spent a while grimacing and writhing.

Once he was done, the large man rose with a shy smile.

<

Name: Lofgan Tonjin

Total Power: 437

Whistlewind Class: 99 (109)

Waterborn: Oncedrowned (92)

Physique Level: D-0 (200)

Soul Level: 6 (36)

>

Reaching Physique D-0 had jumped him to over 400 Power, and Kai would have bet on him against many Diamond Crystalliers, even without a Class breakthrough. Strangely, Lofgan's form was actually slimmer than before, though only by the standards of burly men like Kai or the Tonjin brothers. He seemed happier, however.

"Congrats, bro." Raghi thumped him on the back. "You've passed me by now, and probably for the last time."

"Hey, don't count out potions that quickly." Juray appeared on his other side, leaning on Raghi but touching Lofgan's arm. "I know you have your mana training to do, but spend some time figuring things out with us too, right?"

Lofgan smiled and made sure to thank Omilaena as well before he retreated with the others. Thankfully they didn't return to their own training location, instead staying with the group. Not only did that make things more lively, the Tonjin brothers were a better match for Kai's students, and Juray could brew healing potions to keep them all healthy despite their training regimen.

They progressed with their work, now focusing on the various students who were in E rank. Many managed to jump a few levels, and some were at E-9, but Omilaena judged that none of them were actually ready - Ankrastor had been there so long, she decided to just figure out a new Physique for him. Kai enjoyed spending some time training with Kifaela, actually making some more personal progress with her training exercises.

It was several days later that they got another surprise, and the first elite to come to them: Sheiri Kagskan. She approached at night, avoiding the students, and instead addressed them directly.

"I got to Physique E-9 on my own," she said, "but that's the limit of my pride. Can you help me break through?"

"I've just been waiting for someone to ask," Omilaena said with a grin. "Normally I prefer people to spend longer at E-9, but you elites are so thoroughly trained, I'm confident it will work."

"There's something else. I've noticed that not all Irunians gain the same level of strength from their Path of Steel, particularly the new hunters. Is that something you're doing?"

"Actually, that's a bit of an odd mystery." Omilaena's grin phased into a concentrating frown quite smoothly. "No, it's not me doing it directly. For a while I was puzzled, then I realized that there are several different formulas: some for people who build from zero, others who seem to start with a bonus depending on their level."

"This has been noticed before," Sheiri said. "In the past, it was rare enough that it was argued it meant a special bloodline, an additional benefit from the metal pools, or an unknown variable."

"Hmm, did you awaken your ability from the Insanity itself, or another pool?"

"It was a secondary pool. I wasn't well off, so it was a degraded one..."

While they discussed the details, Kai examined Sheiri's soul again.

<

Name: Sheiri Kagskan

Total Power: 659

Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (108)

Windborn: Twiceswept (295)

Physique Level: E-9 (107)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

Hybrid Essence: Whistling Steel (+100)

>

He hadn't noticed the difference before: ever since Irunian abilities had been blocked off from him, he'd mostly ignored their details. They were still weaker than the other abilities of the Frontier nations, but he realized that there was significant variation. Apparently Omilaena had theories about some versions being limited, and even had ideas about how to fully awaken the ability.

Once Sheiri agreed to be a test subject, that meant going to the Insanity. Kai wanted to go along as a show of support, but he realized that if he did that with everyone he knew, he'd never get anything done. Now that he had proper allies on Deadwaste, he had a lot more bonds than he had years ago as an exile.

Instead he focused on his own training and, a day later, watched with the others as Omilaena returned with Sheiri. The Irunian elite had a remarkable new soul.

<

Name: Sheiri Kagskan

Total Power: 977

Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (233)

Windborn: Twiceswept (295)

Ironpath Physique: D-0 (300)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

Hybrid Essence: Whistling Steel (+100)

>

Not only had she manifested the Ironpath Physique, her Truesteel ability had leapt from 108 to 233. Substantial on its own, and even more dramatic if it meant an improvement in her Path of Steel. Though Sheiri was smiling a bit, she seemed more distracted by other details.

"I'm listed as D-0," she pointed out. "Tusquo and the other warriors with the Ironpath Physique all changed to E-0."

"Are any of those examples older veterans?" Omilaena asked.

"I suppose not. Few of the elders or elites have tried to use the new pools."

"Then I'm afraid my theory isn't encouraging: you've spent so long in E rank that your Physique doesn't have as much future potential. If Tusquo manages to catch up to you at D-0, he'll probably be stronger. Sorry, but I think there's nothing I can do about that."

"Oh, you don't need to apologize." Sheiri chuckled and gave Omilaena an Irunian bow. "I have gone from being one of the weaker elites to one of the strongest. I can never repay this gift, but I will try as we work together."

She departed in a good mood, and Kai hoped that more elites would follow her, but it seemed they were either busy or involved in their own training. He was still encouraged, and Omilaena seemed to find working with an elite a rush - or at least she was extra playful that night for some reason. With the students still on the edge, Kai remained focused on himself.

Then, after so long repeating his training exercises, he managed to reach B-2. Compared to all the shocking transformations, that didn't feel nearly as dramatic, but he was still happy. None of the students noticed, but Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were quietly complimentary. They all continued working with one another, hoping to maximize Kai's monstrous strength or help Omilaena discover a path forward.

Instead, something happened that none of them had anticipated. One day after an intense solo training session, Zae Zin Nim shuffled back to the others with an odd expression.

"Umm... sorry, Omi."

"What are you-" Omilaena cut off with the same strange expression, so Kai hastened to check Zae Zin Nim's soul.

<

Name: Zae Zin Nim

Total Power: 1832

Cultivation: Earth Soul 90% (532)

*Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (53)

Coldfire Corona: 44 (432)

Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (275)

True Blackblood Physique: E-10 (460)

Soul Level: 9 (81)

>

He mostly saw more incremental improvements, then he spotted it: Physique Level E-10. As far as he knew, he'd never seen any rank with a level above nine. Then again, since Zae Zin Nim had already unlocked a different sort of Physique, perhaps he shouldn't be surprised that it followed slightly different rules.

"I didn't do anything unusual," Zae Zin Nim said, almost guiltily. "I was training normally, and it didn't feel anything like a breakthrough, my body just... got stronger."

"And here I thought I understood everything." Omilaena laughed and threw up her hands. "Apparently not. But would it be fun if it was too easy?"