This was the third time in her life that Zae Zin Nim had crossed over the great ocean. First to Deadwaste, then with the others to Rosemount, and now back to Deadwaste. The second voyage, braving the Blood Current, had been by far the most dangerous and yet she found herself nostalgic for it.
She journeyed on a sleek elven ship that cut through the waves, yet it would still take two months to cross the ocean. That would have been reasonable enough in the company of the others, but there had been no way to avoid Brightwind attention except to separate. As she was the most hunted, she went on the ship of elves sworn to secrecy, which was surprisingly lonely. All of the elven sailors were polite but distant, viewing her as a secret of state more than a person.
In theory that was no trouble at all. This was merely a gift of two entire months where she could focus on cultivation, without even sacrificing time that she could have spent with the others. And yet when she looked at her own soul, she felt the gulf yawning above her.
Cultivation: Earth Soul 1% (500)
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Coldfire Corona: 57 (67)
Blackblood Physique Level: E-8 (104)
Even cultivating in the richest qi fields in all Cloudspire, it took years to reach the Sky Soul stage, and that was for the few who could attain it at all. There was simply no chance that she would reach it in the near future, and perhaps it would be completely impossible to reach Sky Soul before dealing with her father.
As if to add insult to injury, their ship was hit by a massive storm and blown off course midway through the journey. The sailors worked hard to get them back on track, but said that they would be arriving at least a week later, and likely at a different port. Reaching their designated meeting point would be more difficult now.
Once all that would have filled her with despair, but now she had allies and other sources of power. The task was challenging, not impossible. Her plan was to switch from qi to mana when she returned to Deadwaste, since she had let her Coldfire Corona slip behind again. Aside from a touch of guilt, that actually encouraged her, because she was sure that she could attain substantial growth.
And of course, all her work cultivating chakra would pay off if she and Kai... it was easier not to think about that.
Instead she focused on the sphere of qi she'd been given, which really was a remarkable gift. It contained so much qi that she could cultivate off it alone for many months. Compared to the immense challenge of the Sky Soul stage, that would not be enough, but it was more than she expected. And, now that she was thinking less as a cultivator, it occurred to her that the sphere itself might be a more useful gift than what it contained.
But for now, she could only move forward. The waves lapped, the winds blew, and Zae Zin Nim cultivated.