That night, Tundra went for another sweep through the Dragon Earthspine Mountains. 

It was a routine sweep, and he didn’t think he missed any of the spirit beast nests. He wasn’t expecting much, so when Celestia asked to come along, he agreed. 

“Why’d you choose to come today?” Tundra decided to ask after what seemed like a fairly long moment of silence. One that Tundra used to search the mountains. Celestia most likely could feel it, after all, she was next to him and his probing energies were strongest. 

“Am- am I interrupting you?” Celestia asked, unsure what to do. She must have felt his energy leaving him periodically.

“No. I don’t expect much tonight, but let’s go, I can maintain a conversation and still scan the mountains.” Tundra said as the pair stood on the flying sword. The flying sword was so high up from the mountains that the trees and the details look small. “So, something’s on your mind?”

“Really.” Celestia’s hesitation was brief. “Actually, I want your advice. Since I reached the peak of the fourth realm, I’ve been thinking whether to break through to the fifth realm, but I realize after our fight with the alpha, that even though we are in the same realm, I’m not as good as the Core Disciples. They feel more complete, more ‘formed’ as cultivators, and I want to know whether I should just reach for the fifth, or work on growing in the fourth.”

Tundra breathed a sigh of relief. A cultivation related question was well in his expertises. 

This was a familiar conversation. He had this conversation with many disciples throughout his years, the choice to work on improving one’s foundation, or to push up and fix later.

“It depends how poorly formed your cultivation structures are. Each time one ascends a full realm, the patterns and structures of the earlier realm are locked, with some exceptions. Structures that exist above the energy patterns can still be fixed later, but structures that exist within them will be mostly out of reach.” 

Celestia frowned. “How do I know whether mine works well?” 

“Do you feel you have achieved mastery over them? That you’ve extracted all the power you could from these cultivation methods, and that they are properly formed in your spiritual realm? A cultivator builds homes and structures from the materials created through cultivation, and so, is the material you created strong? Is the structure created from those materials strong?”

His wife had no real way to answer that. “I don’t think it’s the best it could be. Not when I see how your core disciples-”

“How much of what they achieved is due to matters outside cultivation? Things like experience and preparation? Just because you lack experience does not mean your cultivation is improper, so do not conflate the two.”

“Then?”

“You have to test out each of the structures you’ve made in your soul, whether it performed to the best that it can. It’s a process of assessment. Or there are items and artifacts that can help you do tests on your spiritual structures, such as the [Mirror of Spirit Examination].”

Celestia didn’t recall whether they had such a thing. 

“We don’t. It’s a highly powerful item, at least in the 8th realm, and only effective on those 6th realm and below. Such an item is also imperfect, because it only tests based on what the mirror knows.” 

The mirror essentially requires an input, where a stronger, better cultivator lets the mirror read the stronger cultivator’s spiritual structures, and then, it compares the subject’s cultivation structures relative to that of the ‘template’. 

It would still be a treasure many mid-tier covet and even high tier sects prize. 

“I can do some of that examination for you, but it will be intrusive-”

“I will.” Celestia said firmly, revealing a rare glimpse of her desire to grow. 

Tundra smiled. “Very well. Once we return to Verdant Leaf, it may take about a few days, unlike the [Mirror] that could do it instantly. I should be done soon.”

 

***

Elly and Marin were both alone. “What happened between the two of you?”

Marin looked at her co-wife, “You would want to know, won’t you?’

“I do.” 

“I wouldn’t tell you for free.” 

The senior of the two didn’t like how it turned into a negotiation. She rolled her eyes, but asked for more details. “What sort of concessions do you require?”

“Nothing much. An extra pill or two per month.” The fifth wife said with a slight laugh.

Elly squinted. “That doesn’t count as nothing much. For that sort of concession, I’d rather just ask Tundra directly.”

“What if he doesn’t tell you?” 

Elly frowned. “I’ll have to convince him to tell me, and I think I can.”

“Actually, it’s really nothing. He just asked how I felt about everything, we talked about what we wanted.” Marin folded, partially.

“What you wanted?” The fourth wife looked surprised. “What do you want?”

Marin laughed. “This will actually cost you a pill a month.”

Elly shook her head. Elly knew Marin wanted power, there was a look in her eyes the other night, but she didn’t exactly know the details. What did that mean? What did she want the power for? “Oh come on.”

Marin smiled. “Let it be one of my secrets, alright? There are some things I just have to do for myself.”

The fourth wife didn’t answer the fifth wife’s sentence, as she took a few seconds to figure out whether it was worth following up on this question. This wasn’t the best way to extract this information from her, so Elly decided to let it go. “Okay.”

***

“The Sect Master of the Verdant Snow, and my son-in-law, Tundra Fox, has removed the dangerous spirit beasts from the Dragon Earthspine Mountains!” Patriarch Gordon’s natural body language was much more relaxed. With the threat of fifth realm beasts removed and the mines cleared, they would now move on to the actual hunt. “Finally, we can begin the hunt.”

There was a round of applause. 

The Mountains are by no means safe. There were still some 4th realm spirit beasts, but they should not pose a significant threat to a well-prepared 3rd realm cultivator.  

The fifteen younger disciples and the four Core disciples of the Verdant Snow were eager to start, all in about twenty people from the Verdant Snow. On the other side, there were people from the Eastheart family who wanted to participate in the hunt, and they numbered another twenty. Some lesser cultivators from Eastheart family’s supporting families and allied families also decided to participate. 

In total, there were about fifty cultivators, a decent size for such a small spirit beast hunt. 

Most of them were in the 3rd realm, so they should be able to get a spirit beast or two. That’ll be good enough for some small cultivation powders or pills. 

Tundra would abstain from this hunt, and instead, he would find a quiet mountain where he would make pills, while overseeing the hunt’s safety. 

The rest of the entourage was excited to finally start the spirit beast hunt. The Core Disciples have decided to make it a friendly competition amongst themselves. His three wives would participate as well, if for no reason other than the materials would be used to make pills, both for themselves and their offsprings.

After the short discussion in the main receiving hall, the group was escorted out, for the ‘true’ commencement ceremony. 

They gathered in a wide open stone-tiled square that was used for many purposes. Tournaments, weddings, banquets, demonstrations. Today, it serves as the venue for the opening ceremony.

There really wasn’t a need to make a festival out of it, but Patriarch Gordon Eastheart made it one anyway. A festival where Tundra had the VIP seat, next to the patriarch, and the two was on a special platform overlooking the participants of the hunt and the rest of the audience, and a silly ceremony where the Patriarch would hit a bronze gong, just to officially start the hunt.

Tundra suddenly missed the last few centuries of his life, before this all started. Those last few centuries were so thoroughly focused on surviving the Zuja that all of these rituals and pointless pomp were ruthlessly extinguished. 

The memory of not having such a ceremony made him smile.

It only demonstrated to Tundra how little all the petty politics and all the ceremonial one-upmanship during such events mattered. It was all going to hell when the Zuja or whatever demonic plague came along anyway.

***

Celestia was part of the participants, and naturally, she was quite amused to observe her husband’s thinly veiled annoyance when the ushers led him up the special platform meant for the head of the family and the special guest, and how her husband reluctantly accepted the VIP seat. It was an expression she had learned to read over the past few decades, and it was a fake smile with that slightly tired eyes. 

Elly, Celestia and Marin stood together, they were last in line. “I usually stood at the side of such events. This is the first time I’m participating in one.” Elly answered, and surprisingly, Marin nodded.

Celestia had her fair share of participating in such events, in her wandering days she frequently joined tournaments, if they allowed visitors or wanderers. The two ladies were from established ruling families. Low-mid tier in the larger scheme of things, but nobility nonetheless.

There were two rows of seating rises, one on each side of the large stone square, and at this point, the mood was relaxed. It wasn’t really a serious competition where sect honor was on the line. Celestia heard stories of how certain tournaments often involve death because of ancient sect rivalries. There was none of that there today.

“Are we setting off together, or splitting up?” Elly asked.

Marin’s answer was immediate. “Splitting up, of course. We’re in the fourth realm, and I prepared enough. I want to see where I stand.”

Elly looked at Celestia, “You?”

“I’d probably head out alone, but if you want to join me, sure.”

Elly nodded. “I’d like that.”

Then, a familiar man walked over. 

“Marin! You’re participating?” Milton, Marin’s older brother and the heir of the Eastheart family was also at the opening ceremony for the hunt. There were two elders next to him. 

They gave Marin a mere nod, instead of a full bow. Marin looked at Milton. “I thought you were not free to participate in such affairs. Busy with defenses?”

“Father adjusted the defenses a little, so now I’ll be participating, as well as our two elders.” 

Celestia suddenly felt Marin’s annoyance spike. “Really? Our defenses found a reason to relax?”

“Yeah. Father thinks we don’t need three fourth realm cultivators on defense, since the threats have been dealt with.” Milton said. “But why are you participating, Marin? Can’t you just ask your husband for pills?”

Celestia noticed Marin tense up at her question.  “I happen to want to do things myself.”

“Oh. That is quite strange. Father told me you reached the fourth realm, now you’re participating in a hunt. And I thought father disciplined that defiance out of you.” Milton said. He seemed oblivious to how annoyed Marin looked. “But I suppose old habits do die hard.” 

Marin didn’t say a word, but now her fingers curled into fist. 

“Anyway, stay safe, sister. Don’t get in trouble.” Milton said, and he turned away. The two elders gave Marin little bow and then followed Milton to their side of the square.

Marin’s teeth clenched, and Celestia rarely saw the 5th wife try to contain herself this way. She hesitated, and wondered whether it was right to step in. But ultimately, she decided to tap her on the shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

Marin’s eyes were reddish, and the way she looked at Elly and Celestia seemed almost murderous. 

Celestia cursed herself for inviting calamity. 

Marin held the two other wives. “I need both of your support.”

Elly wasn’t listening because she was looking around the square. She was usually a spectator, not one of the participants, so it was a strange feeling for her. Celestia, on the other hand, met Marin’s gaze and nodded. “Okay. This sounds important.”

Elly, on the other hand, immediately looked at Celestia. “What happened?”

Celestia whispered in Elly’s ears. “Sibling rivalry.”

Marin heard it. “He’s not my rival. I’m just irritated that he had to come over and dictate what I can or cannot do.”

Elly stared at Marin, and smiled. “I’ll put this on your tab.”

Marin frowned but at this point, Celestia thought she probably couldn’t refuse. “We’ll square the books when I win.”

Elly just nodded. “I’ll charge interest.”