Xiao Lee spread out his spiritual sense as far as he could, which was quite a large area. Definitely much farther than the last time he tried. What he felt was the same thing his eyes told him.

He was surrounded by mountains.

He opened his eyes and took in his surroundings again, trying his best to capture as much detail as he could. Surely, he would pick out some hidden flaw.

Alas, it was not to be, for he harder he looked, the more fruitless it seemed. Everything he gleamed from all his senses told him that he was surrounded by a frozen wasteland with huge mountains touching the heavens.

He could even feel the cold on his skin. Though it couldn’t cause him discomfort.

His senses picked up even tiniest motes of qi and the air was filled with ice qi. the

He tried to check for even a whiff of dream qi, or even space qi. Yet he found none. Nothing beyond the latter.

He'd briefly wondered whether he’d been teleported when he first arrived here. The idea, though tempting, was easy to dismiss.

The manual had been clear on what he was to expect, and everything lined up so far. Besides, from what he’d both seen personally and learnt from the processor, he’d have been disappointed if their illusions couldn’t fool a “Neophyte” like him.

Since he’d concluded it was just a perfect illusion, it was time to do what he came here for.

He took a deep breath, drawing in qi from his core and circulating round his body. The process was instant and automatic now. With only a mental nudge to get it flowing.

As he circulated his qi, he couldn’t help but be amazed again at the quality of qi, both in his core and in the air around him.

He gathered as much qi as he could into his right hand and channelled it into a technique. It was just a simple lightning bolt. Except that it was made from his “divine lightning”.

He'd been disappointed but unsurprised to find out it was simply called attuned lightning. It was also so common that it was included in a basic introductory lesson.

He watched as the concentrated lightning bolt hit the mountain. And punched straight through. The bolt continued and punched through five more mountain ranges before it exhausted itself.

Well, that was definitely an improvement.

* * *

He surveyed the landscape, satisfied with the amount of destruction he had brought to bear.

The opportunity to stop holding back was a luxury on Xenus when he reached a certain amount of power. Finding barren lands that where outside of another power's jurisdiction was always difficult.

That he could unleash the full extent of his powers without worry was truly a feat worthy of the heavens.

He had improved greatly, even more than he expected. There was a brief moment where he wondered how accurate the simulation truly was.

He quickly waved away the thought though. He had no reason to doubt its accuracy given his knowledge of Lasvanian formations and technology.

Besides he couldn’t exactly do anything even if he was being lied to.

There were more advanced versions of the simulation. Some manipulated up time so he didn’t have to worry about wasting time as even days could pass in the simulation with only seconds in the real world.

There were options to meet other people and test himself against them. Those were particularly popular and were treated as games in many circles.

They were only available to citizens though. All the more reason to focus on his service then.

He rose from the bed where he’d been sitting and went to open the curtains. Blue rays shone through the now open windows and into the room. It was late in the morning, given the intensity of the rays.

As he stared outside the windows, he realized it was his first time he set eyes outside since he arrived.

The sun, blue light radiating from it, loomed large in the sky, its presence overshadowing all the clouds. It was noticeably bigger than what he was used to on Xenus.

The environment outside the ministry was bland, even compared to the uncreative interior design it employed. The entire floor was covered in pavement as far as the eyes could see. It was isolated, like most ministries, and if he stretched his senses far enough, he could feel faint spatial distortions in the air.

Satisfied with his observation, he looked at the ring on his finger and focused his senses on it. He felt his view shift and looked around to find the interior of his spatial ring the same way he left it.

His ring, a priceless artefact he paid for with half his fortune, was among the very best that could be found on Xenus. Instead of connecting it to a pocket world, the space inside the hollow piece of jade that adorned the ring was expanded till it had enough space to fit an entire sect.

The expanded space meant he could take the ring when he ascended.

As he scanned the ring filled with what would have been piles of treasure, priceless pills, weapons and talismans in Xenus, he pondered on how quickly his life had changed. Just a few days ago he considered these priceless and now he was contemplating donating them to children.

The department had taken an inventory of everything he had in his ring. It was standard protocol according to them and one of the many things he didn’t have a choice in. For a society that valued freedom as much as the Lasvanians, they seemed to be forcing a lot of choices on him.

Though they claimed it was because he wasn’t a citizen, he suspected it was mostly because he was too weak to matter. His resolve, shaky as it had been since he came here, started to harden again.

There were still a few seeds of doubts, and even his resolve was tainted with an uncertainty that was missing two days ago. One brought about by witnessing overwhelming power.

Yet even with everything, he was determined. He didn’t know if he’d succeed for sure, but the heavens be damned if he didn’t try his very best.

After a quick bath and change of clothes, Xiao Lee left the room and went to the office of director Elize. He tried to calm himself down as he thought about how the day might go.

He was excited, not just because he’d be getting his service goals today, but also because he would be introduced to the expert who would guide him for the duration of his service. Personal guidance from a master was always useful.

Constant guidance from someone considered talented in the higher realms was a blessing that someone who studied under the Dragon Lord himself understood acutely. The fact that the expert was his age did nothing to hinder his enthusiasm. He was not so proud as to refuse such a boon when it came his way.

He walked inside the familiar office after the door automatically opened for him.

Director Elize sat on her chair behind the monstrosity that was her desk, her eyes staring blankly into space. She smiled, her face lighting up as he walked in.

“Xiao Lee! What has my favourite Neophyte been up to in the past few hours,” she asked brightly. “I was half expecting you to be here at the crack of dawn, given your obsession with cultivation.”

“My apologies for being late, director. I was engrossed in some of the processor’s more interesting capabilities,” he answered cautiously, resisting the urge to bow. He contemplated dropping the question he was about to ask for a second before giving up on that.

“If I may, director, is there something I need to know about,” he questioned. “You were not this familiar with me yesterday.”

“Oh,” she said, amusement clear in her voice. “Don’t worry about that. Your arrival was very fortunate for me. So, I’m more inclined to be friendly. Don’t think too much of it.”

“Of course, director. My thanks for answering.”

“Like I said, don’t think about it,” she deflected. “I think it's time to give your service overview. You’ll only be given a broad description for now. The more detailed parts will only be made available to your guide.”

He felt a stream of information suddenly flow into his brain from his processor. His service, which was supposed to start the next day, became clear to him. He’d been wandering what a nation as powerful as Lasvania could possibly need his help.

His service simply confirmed what he suspected. Thy didn’t need him. Most of the tasks were joint tasks where his guide would do the serious work. They also didn’t seem to be taking place in Lasvania proper. It was a just a few autonomous territories where the average people were much weaker.

There wasn’t much information outside that. He tried not to feel bitter about that. It wasn’t something he could do much about. Instead, he did the only thing he could.

He started cultivating.

Most people couldn’t do much else while they were cultivating. It was understandable. Cultivation was taxing, increasingly so at the higher levels. Most people needed to mentally prepare and take and enter a state if extreme focus where they couldn’t do anything else when they were cultivating.

Xiao Lee was not most people.

One did not become the youngest ascendant in the history of his planet without the ability to cultivate on a fly. Which was why even though he was deep in cultivation, he still felt the distortions in space when someone teleported into the director’s reception.

“Oh, Lisa’s here,” the director said, likely for his benefit. “Hello Lisa.”

“Good day aunty Elize,” a voice that was perfect melody said. “Thank you for this opportunity.”

“Oh, nonsense. After everything your mother has done for me, this is nothing.” Director Elize waved off the thanks.

He put their conversation at the back of his mind, focusing most of his attention on his cultivation. He was interested in the new arrival of course, considering she would be his guide during his service. He, however, didn’t want to seem too eager. He still had his pride as a cultivator after all. Besides, it would be rude to interrupt his seniors without permission.

The moment Lisa stepped into the room, though, he abandoned his cultivation. When he was around the director, he was hopelessly outmatched in a way he couldn’t begin to comprehend. The difference between even the weakest mortal and the most powerful Great Lord was nothing compared to the gulf between them.

That was not the case with Senior Sister Lisa.

He saw himself as a child once again, a mere nascent realm standing awestruck in front of the Dragon Lord for the first time. The gap between them was vast, but it was not incomprehensible. He could see just how high these heavens were.

The thought of the power disparity between them left his mind the moment he laid his eyes on her.

Powerful cultivators were always beautiful. Years of tempering meant their physical bodies were vessels of perfection. Yet among the numerous beauties he’d met in his life, only few had managed to truly catch his eye. One of whom now stood before him.

She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had seen. What caught his attention was something beyond physical. Yet it was something he could recognise anywhere. Something that brought long suppressed memories rushing to the front of his mind.

She was a cultivation genius. Just like him.

It was only a small part of his mind that was controlling his body when he stood up and bowed deep in her direction. The rest of it was trying to understand the implications of what he just realized.

“Senior Sister,” he greeted, eyes facing the ground.

She stared at him in silence for a long while, enough that he started questioning his decision. He knew, intellectually, that the people of Lasvania didn’t bow to their seniors. Yet in the heat of the moment, he defaulted back to what he was familiar with.

When she finally replied, her words were slow and brimming with restrained anger.

“Xiao Lee,” she spat. “Do not ever in your life make the mistake of bowing to me again. I don’t care if it’s your culture or what you’re used to. And my name is Lisa not senior sister.”

“Of course. Lisa,” he said, keeping his face neutral as he spoke. Inside, he was panicking.

Not only was she vastly more powerful than him, but she was also obviously well connected. Though the law here supposedly protected people like her from bullying weaker cultivators, experience told him he couldn’t depend on that. Especially not against someone with deep connections.

“Good,” she said, then turned to the director. “Please could you send me the service plan. I’d like to start preparing for this as quickly as possible.”

“Alright. I’ve sent it. You’ll have to wait for a few minutes while I transfer Xiao Lee to your care.”

Both women stayed in place for a few minutes, presumably using their neural processors. Lee ignored them and went back to his cultivation.

His improved speed of absorption, helped by both his advancement and the prodigious qi in the air, still amazed him. That said, his qi capacity was so much more than when before and it would still take a long time to reach saturation.

He was deep in cultivation, losing himself in the rhythmic flow of qi through his body when a voice interrupted his concentration.

“Alright Lee. It’s time to leave,” Lisa said. “If you have something you haven’t taken, please get it now. You won’t be coming back here for a while.”

“No, I’m good to go.”

“Before you go, I’ve created a bank account for you, Lee,” the director said. “It's not a full account and it lacks some of the features citizens have access to. That being said, I think it should be enough for your needs. Especially given where you’ll be going.”

“My eternal gratitude for your hospitality, Director Elize.” Lee replied, pressing a fist into his palm and giving her a shallow bow.

“It’s time to go then,” Lisa said, stretching her hand to him. “Take my hand. We’re teleporting out now.”

Lee took her hand, then felt the tingling sensation of spatial travel rum up his arm. As space qi gathered in one place and his vision turned white, he basked in the comforting feeling of spatial travel.

Xiao Lee, first ascendant in millennia, entered the next phase of his life.

* * *

When his vision returned, Xiao Lee was greeted by an open field stretching for miles around him. The sun shone brightly overhead with a glare that tinged his surroundings with a bluish hue.

He turned to Lisa and stared at her in question. His senses, even after he stretched them to their limit, detected nothing. Even the grass was mundane. Or as mundane as heavenly grass could be. Each grass would be priceless back on Xenus, going be what his senses told him.

He wasn’t going to come to any conclusions though, just because he couldn’t sense something didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

“Just wait and watch,” she said, qi flowing out of her to form patterns in the air.

It formed a single pattern, then created a series of complex patterns that disappeared just after their creation.

He vaguely recognised some of the patterns as more complex versions of the inscription script he was familiar with. Just as he wanted to start studying them in detail, the entire formation flashed out of existence.

“I was simply making sure the security system recognizes you,” she said to him the moment she finished the working. “It would be really unpleasant for you if it didn’t. She stretched out her hand to him again.

In the nanoseconds it took to transport them, he sensed the most terrifying formation he’d ever encountered. The room he’d arrived in didn’t come close.

Though he couldn’t sense anything about its functionality, the way his senses screamed gave him no doubt that he’d be obliterated if Lisa hadn’t done what she did.

Their destination was a simple barely furnished white room. It was large and empty, with a blue cultivation mat in the centre being both the only piece of furniture and the only colour in the room.

It was also packed with so much many that it was all he could do to stay upright. He felt like a boy again, trying to survive a qi garden.

What was most surprising, though, was the fact that there was only a single element in the room. His senses showed him the silver motes of space with a level of purity he didn’t think possible.

A more detailed scan showed that not only was the spatial qi incredibly pure, but it was also the only qi in the room. He didn’t notice at first, but they were in a vacuum, where only space existed.

A wave of confusion hit him as he pondered on what that meant. The room had no air, something he only realised after purposely trying to breathe. The mat on the floor was contained under a thin layer of space qi that prevented anything from leaking out.

What confused him, though, was the presence of light in the room. Light, like everything else, was made up of qi. For the room to be brightly lit but devoid of light qi was an affront to what he knew about how light worked.

His attention was pulled away Lisa spoke.

“My name is Lisa Feltham, and this is my house,” she said. “Most of the house is like this. No point in adding unnecessary furniture. I’ll show you your room in a minute. First of all, we need to talk about your service.”

He stared at her briefly, unsure whether to introduce himself, when she continued.

“I can only reveal the full details of each service when you’re done with the previous one. It’s a stupid rule, I know, but it’s a rule nonetheless. Now what exactly do you know about the Outlanders? Aunt Elize said it was covered in your orientation.”

Information came to the front of his mind at the question.

“It was only touched upon once. A group of clans that live on the edge of the northern part of the border. I got the feeling it was a controversial topic.”

“Indeed, it is. I’m going to be honest with you, Xiao Lee,” she continued. “You’re too weak to do anything that counts as service inside Lasvania. There are things that don’t require physical strength of course but you don’t have the knowledge for those either. Besides, you don’t strike me as an academic.”

“No, I am not. My only interest in theory is when it pertains to my cultivation.”

“Just like I suspected. The Outlanders though are not inside Lasvania. With a few exceptions, the vast majority of the people in the clans are weak. There are clans that have a single Neophyte as their strongest member. Though we often want to help them, they tend to get tense when the government sends anyone above a certain level to aid them.”

“Please excuse me, Lisa, but why haven’t you guys simply conquered them,” he asked in confusion. That had been on his mind since the moment he heard about the Outlanders. “It won’t be difficult, given the power disparity. You’ll also be giving them better lives.”

“Well, that’s exactly why it’s controversial. Some people think like you do. Yet some believe we don’t have any right to absorb them against their will. A few also believe we don’t need to waste resources on people who don’t want us,” she said. “The last time a president tried to force the military to intervene, the Court stepped in and blocked him from acting. They said it was unconstitutional to invade a region that hadn’t given us reason to.”

He briefly imagined anybody trying to tell Emperor Wu to not invade a region for any reason and couldn’t help but laugh. Yet here was a man vastly more powerful than Wu who supposedly couldn’t do the same without a valid reason.

He wondered how many people would have been saved if the emperor couldn’t just do whatever he wanted. He hadn’t considered it a problem before, just how things were, yet he was now stuck thinking about how much better life could have been.

“So, what am I supposed to do,” he asked. “The director’s instructions only said it’s a rescue.”

“The destination is a place called Varaga. It’s a small town a few thousand kilometres from the border city,” she answered. “They’re one of the towns registered under the Inclusion Act so they put up a request for help. There’s been an unaffiliated cultivator harassing them when the Chief left the town for a meeting. She’s supposedly a Neophyte and and none of them was strong enough to stand up to him. The chief himself is also a Neophyte but his deputy’s daughter was already captured by the time he returned. He’s afraid to leave his town in case the kidnapper decides to strike while he’s away. I’ll send the rest of the details to your processor.”

“You have my gratitude,” he bowed slightly and pressed his fists together. He looked at the ground, trying to be hide his nerves before asking what was bothering him. “Apologies if I’m overstepping but will the room you asked me for be filled with space qi?”

He watched her eyes widen slightly in recognition before she burst into laughter.

“Oh... my... Love,” she wheezed, trying to rein in her laughter. “Is that why you looked so nervous? Of course I’ll replace the space with lightning in your room. You know I’m not going to eat you, right. I’m aware of how things are in your world, and I assure you it’s not like that here. You don’t have to be so respectful. We are almost the same age. I’m sure you’d be on my level if you were born in Lasvania. So, relax. I’m sure this was covered in your orientation. While some of it is definitely propaganda, most of it is true. You aren’t going to be punished if you talk to me like a peer. In fact, you should do that from now on.”

“Of course, Lisa. I’ll do my best.” It felt strange even calling someone so powerful by her name, but he’d get used to it. Besides he’d never been a fan of etiquette anyway.

“Well, do that. That’s enough for now. Let me show you to your room. You can call my name if you have any issues. Call me only when absolutely necessary. I’ll be cultivating and I’d hate to be disturbed for something trivial.” With that, she turned and walked away.

As he followed after her, he already made up his mind not to call he at all. She might say he should treat her like a peer, but she was still powerful enough to end him faster than he could react. It was best not to take chances.