The morning sun over the Lonely Crater Sea was a pale watery disc, struggling to pierce the mist that naturally rose from the vast new body of water. However, for Li Yu, the world had never looked sharper. The breakthrough to the Third Level of Soul Formation hadn't just increased his power; it had scrubbed the lens of his perception even further.

He stood on the balcony of his pagoda, taking a deep breath of the misty air. The energy in his body was no longer a roaring chaotic torrent. It was a deep abyssal ocean that was calm on the surface but possessing crushing weight beneath.

"Time to ask some questions," Li Yu murmured to himself.

He stepped off the balcony and launched himself towards where the Green Mountain Sect floating altar was. Once he got there he spoke loudly.

“Senior! I have some questions to ask, please allow me an audience with you for a few moments.” Li Yu spoke and then waited. He waited a long time with no response. Thinking that he wasn’t welcomed, he was just about to leave when he finally heard it.

“Dive into the water and you shall meet me.” Li Yu followed the instructions and dove down. Just before hitting the surface a ripple of space distorted around him and he vanished. He slipped into the subspace fold in this area and was allowed in by Viridius.

The transition was instant. The smell of the familiar air was replaced by the scent of ancient moss and unbridled life force.

The Qilin’s domain was lush, a stark contrast to the body of water that occupied the same space. Giant ferns curled toward what looked to be an artificial sun and the air hummed with a static charge that made the hair on Li Yu’s arms stand up.

In the center of a sun-drenched glade lay Viridius. The ancient beast looked like a mountain range made of emerald scales. He was currently chewing on a massive stalk of some sort of plant that Li Yu didn’t recognize.

Viridius didn't even open his eyes as Li Yu approached.

"You smell different," the Qilin rumbled, his voice vibrating through the ground. "Less like a forest fire. More like... a focused lance."

"I had a breakthrough," Li Yu said, stopping a respectful distance away.

One giant golden eye cracked open. The pupil dilated as it swept over Li Yu. "So I see. Third Level? How is that possible in such a time? You move quickly for a human. No, that’s not right, quickly for any being. Reckless. But... stable. Surprisingly stable."

"That is what I came to ask you about," Li Yu said, bowing slightly. "I advanced without knowing how I advanced. I advanced by... what seems to be a better understanding of myself. By accepting who I am and what I want."

Viridius snorted, a puff of lightning-laced smoke escaping his nostrils. "And you are surprised? You humans... always obsessed with hoarding energy like little beasts hoarding nuts. You think if you pile enough Qi into your body, the heavens will simply bow to you."

The Qilin rolled onto his stomach and continued looking at Li Yu with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"The Soul Formation realm is not a bucket to be filled, boy. It is a sculpture to be carved. Why do you think it is called 'Soul Formation' and not 'Qi Accumulation Part Two'?"

Li Yu frowned, absorbing this. "So, the Qi is secondary?"

"Qi is the water," Viridius corrected. "The Soul is the riverbed. If the riverbed is narrow and shallow, it doesn't matter how much water you pour in; it will simply flood and destroy the land. If you dig the riverbed deep and wide, if you define who you are and what your will is, the water will naturally rush in to fill the void."

"So, to reach the next levels... to reach Divine Transformation..." Li Yu started.

Viridius let out a barking laugh that shook the leaves off nearby trees. "Divine Transformation? Look at you. You just learned how to crawl and you want to know how to fly?"

"I need to know the path," Li Yu insisted. "I need to be stronger. Strong enough to kill them all."

The Qilin’s expression sobered. The ancient beast lowered his massive head until it was level with Li Yu.

"Forget Divine Transformation. Do not even speak the name. If you look at the peak of the mountain while you are walking a tightrope, you will fall."

"But—"

"Soul Formation is the trickiest realm in mortal cultivation," Viridius interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "It is the realm where most prodigies die. Not from battle but from stagnation. Or madness."

Viridius shifted, his scales clinking like armor plates. "There is no manual for this, Li Yu. I cannot teach you. No one can. In the lower realms, you can follow a technique. Breathe in, cycle this way, push that meridian. Simple."

"But here?" Viridius tapped his own temple with a massive claw. "Here, the path is unique to every soul. Your path is paved with your specific self, your specific goals, wills, dreams and your specific history. If you try to walk someone else's path, you will simply shatter.”

“This is the realm that most stagnates at because they are unable to discover who they really are and what they are. They believe they are trying to save the world, become the strongest or something else entirely. When the entire time their true goals in their hearts were something completely different. Their true self is hidden away from even themselves. Being something they are not."

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Li Yu stood silently, processing the warning. It aligned with what had happened in his cultivation room. His Human Soul and his Koi Soul... they were unique to him and he grew stronger when his souls and himself understood each other and shared a path.

"Focus on your soul," Viridius said, returning to his food. "Refine it. Test it. Understand it. When your soul is undeniable, the heavens will have no choice but to grant you the power to match it. Now, begone.."

Li Yu bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior."

Leaving the subspace, Li Yu felt a sense of direction. He couldn't force the next breakthrough with pills or meditation alone. He had to reinforce his 'Self'. And part of that Self was the connections he still had.

Clearwater City was bustling. It had been months since Li Yu had last been here for the engagement party and the city had flourished. The Golden Shell Guild branch that was established to support Hu Jian had become a part of the local economy.

Li Yu walked through the streets and was wearing a simple bamboo hat to obscure his face. He stopped in front of the Guild Branch. It was a tasteful and impressive building that was guarded by attentive staff.

He flashed his Grand Elder token to the guard, whose eyes went wide before they frantically bowed and ushered him in.

"Take me to the Branch Manager," Li Yu said softly.

He was led to the top floor to a large office overlooking the harbor. The door was open.

Inside, Hu Jian was buried behind a desk stacked high with ledgers. He looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was chewing on the end of a brush, muttering about "cargo tariffs."

Sitting on a chair near the window was Lin Tao. The man looked rougher than Li Yu remembered. He had bandages wrapped around his left forearm and his face was somber as he stared outside.

Lin Tao had been one of the lucky few to have survived since he was here visiting Hu Jian. Li Yu knocked on the doorframe.

"I told you, we don't need anymore tea—" Hu Jian started, looking up. His pen dropped from his hand.

"Li Yu?"

Lin Tao’s head snapped up. "I hope I'm not interrupting business," Li Yu said, stepping into the room and removing his hat.

"Of course not," Hu Jian whispered. He scrambled out from behind the desk. He hesitated for a second but then he lunged forward and hugged him.

It was a bone-crushing embrace of a friend who knew the other had been through a lot. They didn’t get to share their full emotions back at the funeral, there was too much to process then. Lin Tao joined them a second later, his arms wrapping around both of them.

They stood there for a long minute, three survivors, three friends who shared loss together. They were now huddled together in an office.

"You are finally out of your island," Lin Tao said, his voice thick with emotion. "It is good to have you here. We must eat and drink later today!"

They spent the afternoon talking. Hu Jian spoke of the guilt he felt, the "survivor's guilt." He had been here, safe in Clearwater City. He was managing a business while his martial brothers and sisters were incinerated. He felt like a deserter.

"I should have been there," Hu Jian said, his voice trembling. "I was a disciple of the sect, of the Deep Water Menagerie. I should have been there as well."

"You were exactly where you needed to be," Li Yu said firmly. "If you had been there, you would be dead. And then who would remember them? Who would protect Mei Fen?"

"Mei Fen has been a saint," Hu Jian replied, knowing that Li Yu was correct. "Her family... They've been supportive of me this entire time. The Iron Peak Clan hasn't dared to breathe in our direction thanks to the Guild's protection."

"Good," Li Yu said. "Let's hope they stay that way.”

As evening fell Hu Jian stood up. "Let's go to my residence. Mei Fen will want to see you, and... well, we need to do this properly."

They went to Hu Jian’s private courtyard. It was a nice home which was part of the benefits of his position. Mei Fen was there and she wept when she saw Li Yu, thanking him again for everything he had done but more importantly sharing in the grief of the three and their sect.

They moved to the garden. Hu Jian brought out a table.

"I kept this," Hu Jian said, pulling out a dusty jar of wine. "It's from the Sect. The Sect leader gave me this jar of wine as a parting gift when I was going to come here. I brought it with me. I was saving it for the wedding but... I think today is better."

It was 'Green Mist Wine,' a specialty of the Green Mountain Sect. A taste that no longer existed anywhere else in the world.

Lin Tao went to the kitchen and came back with a platter. It wasn't fancy food but it smelled delicious. It was home made by Mei Fen. It was roasted spicy chicken and dense spirit-dumplings.

"Uncle Wei's recipe," Lin Tao said quietly. "Mei Fen said she wanted to try to recreate it in his memory…."

Li Yu looked at the food. It wasn't perfect, the dumplings were a bit misshapen but it broke his heart all the same.They set the table. Five cups. Five plates.

Li Yu sat on one side. Hu Jian and Lin Tao sat across from him.

To Li Yu's left, they placed a cup and a plate full of dumplings. To Li Yu's right, they placed a cup and a plate of spicy chicken.

Li Yu poured the Green Mist Wine. The scent was grassy, fresh and painfully familiar. He filled his cup, then Hu Jian’s, then Lin Tao’s.

Then, with a steady hand he poured the wine into the cup on his left. "For Brother Kai," Li Yu said softly. "Who would have scolded Hu Jian for his messy desk and made some jokes with Lin Tao."

"He would have drunk this whole jar before we got a sip," Hu Jian laughed, a tear tracking through the dust on his cheek.

Li Yu poured the wine into the cup on his right. "For Uncle Wei," Li Yu continued. "Who taught us that patience and that a good meal is the best medicine."

"He would tell me these dumplings are too thick," Lin Tao choked out. "And then he would eat all of them."

Li Yu raised his cup. The moonlight reflected in the pale green liquid.

"They are gone," Li Yu said, his voice steady but supported by his conviction. "But they are not lost. As long as we breathe, the Green Mountain Sect lives. As long as we fight, their spirit fights."

He looked at Hu Jian and Lin Tao.

"We are the legacy," Li Yu declared. "And we will make them proud."

"To the lost," Hu Jian whispered.

"To the lost," Lin Tao echoed.

They drank the wine. It tasted of home. It tasted of loss. But mostly, it tasted of a bond that not even the destruction of a mountain range could sever.

For the rest of the night, they didn't speak of revenge or war. They told stories. They laughed about Kai's terrible luck with women. They reminisced about Uncle Wei's gruff lectures. They ate the dumplings and the spicy chicken, leaving the two plates untouched for the spirits of their brothers.

And in the quiet of Clearwater City, Li Yu felt his soul settle just a little bit more.