Li Yu departed from Root Hollow with a lighter step. It wasn't just the satisfaction of seeing Jian Xuan’s legacy taking root, nor was it the lingering taste of maple ale. It was a newfound lightness in his own soul.

As he was tapping his bamboo staff against the mossy stones of the road he noticed something strange. The world felt... clearer and his mind fresher. The texture of the bark on the trees, the vibration of the insects and the flow of the wind. He didn't just sense them, he felt like he was part of them.

He paused and checked his internal state.

The Fisherman on his soul island was no longer napping. It was sitting upright and polishing his fishing rod. Then Li Yu noticed that the Fisherman was radiating a quiet but strong power.

"Stage Four," Li Yu whispered, blinking in surprise. "I advanced without noticing again?"

He shook his head. "Cultivation at this stage makes no sense." It still didn’t feel like his powers had grown much but it was clear that things related to the soul had increased in clarity and power.

As the days passed, the aggressive riotous greenery of the Emerald Heart Region began to thin. The air grew drier, tasting of sulfur and charcoal. The trees changed from towering hardwoods to gnarled blackened husks that were sprouting defiant red leaves.

He had reached more East and was entering the territory granted to the Xul'Thar, the Demon race, for their aid in the war. It was more on the eastern front that was damaged by the Xylarri.

It was as Grand Elder Corvus had politely put it back in the war camp, a "fixer-upper." The earth was cracked, the rivers ran hotter than normal and the mountains were jagged teeth of stone.

But the Xul'Thar were an industrious people and with the aid of the Alliance they did not just inhabit land. They were forging it anew and restoring life here.

Li Yu reached the border. It was marked by metal stakes in the ground running off into the distance. There was a post sign every now and again stating the territory that was about to be entered.

Li Yu walked along it until he came upon a massive archway made of metal and bones. It was the remnants of the war that was repurposed into a towering abstract sculpture of a hand grasping a star. A sign hung from it and was painted in bold red strokes.

Domain of the Xul'Thar. No spitting. No stabbing without a permit. Have a nice day.

"At least they tried to make it welcoming towards the end…" Li Yu noted.

He passed through the gate. Two hulking guards with grey skin and curving horns stepped forward and crossed their heavy glaives. They wore armor that was a mix of traditional heavy plate and lighter flexible leather. It seemed that they were adapting to the more humid climate here.

"Halt," one of them rumbled and smoke was drifting from his nostrils. "This is Xul'Thar territory. State your business."

Li Yu lowered his bamboo hat and smiled.

"I am Li Yu. I believe Demon Lord Zaltar owes me a meal. I am just passing through and want to wander around the territory to take in the sights."

The guards looked at each other in confusion. ‘Demon Lord Zaltar? How does this little human know of the demon general? Have you heard of the name Li Yu?’ They both thought at the same time as they looked at each other.

“We don’t know how you know of Demon Lord Zaltar but we have never heard of a Li Yu. You better not be messing around here because you heard of some stories and are now using the Demon Lord’s name, boy!” One of the guards shouted.

Instantly realizing that not all of the demons had known of him, only those from the camp he stayed at prior to the war knew of his Li Yu name. “I see, you might know me as Little Crab.” Li Yu replied back to the guard.

The guards froze. They leaned in, their yellow eyes scanning his face.

"Little Crab?" the guard asked, his voice dropping an octave. “You do look like the stories describe him. A little boy in form but a true Demon in battle."

"That's me."

The guards snapped to attention and slammed their fists against their chest plates.

"Pass, Lord Little Crab! The Demon Lord—I mean, the Governor—is in Cinder-Rest! Follow the road until you see the vents!" They didn’t know if he truly was who he calmed but they didn’t want to get into trouble for getting it wrong. The stories spoke of a human boy that was even more fearsome than most demons. Look at him the wrong way and you might just die.

Stolen story; please report.

With those stories and the new and constant stories about the Great Crab Champion making a name for himself. With power matching his extremely loud mouth, slaying evil and saving those in need.

Li Yu arrived at the first major settlement after passing through the gates just as the guards had said. A town named Cinder-Rest.

It was a fascinating collision of cultures. The buildings were definitely demonic in style or at least what you’d think of when you think demonic style. There were sharp angles, black stone and metal spikes but they were softened by human influence. The spikes had hanging flower baskets on them. The black stone was painted with vibrant murals depicting scenes of cooperation.

Li Yu walked down the main thoroughfare. The integration of the Xul'Thar into this world was creating something entirely new. He saw a tea shop. The cups weren't porcelain but were instead carved from solid pumice stone because the demons kept crushing the fragile ceramic.

He saw a playground. Xul'Thar children were playing a game that looked like tag but it involved intricate parkour over heated rocks and actual magma. It looked closer to military and combat training than a simple kid’s game.

He turned a corner and found a large field on the edge of town. Here, the culture clash was most evident. This was an agricultural zone. A dozen massive Xul'Thar, stripped to the waist, were attempting to farm. But they weren't just farming, they were applying military strategy to agriculture.

One demon, seven feet tall with tusks the size of daggers was holding a hoe like a battleaxe. He was staring intensely at a row of turnips.

"The soil is resisting on the western flank!" he shouted to his comrade. "Deploy the fertilizer! Pincer maneuver!"

"Affirmative!" the other demon yelled, dumping a bucket of compost with the intensity of pouring boiling oil on a siege engine. Li Yu couldn't help himself. He walked over.

"Excuse me," Li Yu said. "I believe the turnip is surrendering."

The demon spun around, wiping sweat from his brow. "It is a stubborn vegetable! I have applied the nutrients. I have ensured hydration. Why does it not yield a good harvest?"

"It takes time," Li Yu smiled. "Farming is a siege, not a skirmish. You have to wait them out."

The demon blinked. "A siege... wait them out..." His eyes lit up. "Ah! Attrition warfare! I understand! I will outlast the turnip!"

He sat down in front of the plant, crossed his arms and stared at it with infinite patience. The world that they came from had some types of farms but those were rare and far in between. The land that could yield such things were highly contested and controlled by the strongest of clans or groups. Farming was highly specialized there and knowledge was kept a secret.

"Good strategy," Li Yu nodded as he was walking away. He could see that there were human cultivators from the Alliance here helping them and teaching them already. They were in good hands and while Li Yu knew about how to grow herbs from the herb hall at Green Mountain Sect, he was by no means an expert.

He made his way to the center of the town where a massive fortress of black iron served as the administrative headquarters. Li Yu walked into the main hall there. It was a scene of controlled chaos. Scribes, both human and Xul'Thar, were running back and forth. But what caught Li Yu's eye was the inventiveness.

He saw a system of pulleys and chains moving documents between floors. A complex and over-engineered machine made of gears and pistons. The Xul'Thar loved mechanics and automation. This freed them up to do other things, like fighting. If they could build a machine to do a simple task, they would build a massive machine to do it.

In the center of the room and behind a desk reinforced with steel beams sat Demon Lord Zaltar. The four-armed general looked miserable. He was wearing what looked like a reading monocle. In his upper right hand he held a quill. In his upper left is a blueprint. In his lower hands he was holding a model of a bridge.

"Li Yu!" Zaltar roared as he saw him enter. He stood up so fast his chair fell over. "Thank the Ancestors! A distraction!"

"Demon Lord," Li Yu bowed. "Or is it Governor now?"

"Don't call me that," Zaltar groaned, walking down the steps. The floor shook with each step. "I preferred fighting the Xylarri. At least they didn't ask for building permits. Look at this!"

He shoved the blueprint at Li Yu.

"We are building a bridge across the Lava-Flow River. The humans want it to be 'safe' and 'railed' for common people. My own people want to make it out of spinning gears that launch you to the other side. We are tough and strong and it would be a joyous way to cross."

"That sounds... efficient," Li Yu admitted. "But perhaps hard on the elderly and weak."

"Exactly!" Zaltar threw his hands up. "Compromise is exhausting. Not only do we need to make sure things are okay with my own people, we need to make it safe for anyone and everyone visiting. But seeing you is good. You look... deeper."

Zaltar’s eyes narrowed. "Jian Xuan… the Red Crab… whatever he goes by. I have run into him during this time and he told me of what happened to your Sect. I have a similar experience with a group that I had called home once. I won’t say I understand your pain but I can relate. Forge your body and hands into weapons in the meantime. You will get your moment eventually.” He said as all four arms punched out.

“Thank you Demon Lord Zaltar. I appreciate your thoughts and advice. I will definitely take my revenge and it is as you say, only a matter of time.” Li Yu said with confidence but this time his demonic qi and killing intent didn’t burst out. It was a sign that he was doing better.

Then Zaltar’s eyes went slightly wide. “Your soul... it feels like the ocean. I knew you were a strange boy but this is insanity. How did your soul get so strong and so fast?"

"I have been traveling around since those events and recently went fishing. I am learning more about myself and this beautiful world." Li Yu said simply.

"Fishing… Of course you did," Zaltar sighed. "Come. Let us eat. I need to stop thinking about all this paperwork." He hated the paperwork but was duty bound as a leader here.