Watching those cultivators willing to dance was like watching a ballet mixed with aerial acrobatics. They weren’t constrained by gravity, forced to remain on the floor except for leaps and lifts. They used flight to give their dancing a complexity and beauty that could never be duplicated without Qi.

As I watched, I realized that each cultivator was using the martial techniques they had mastered. There was no way any of them could have spent the time learning such fluid movement otherwise. Some of the cultivators had figured out how to chain together their Katas to synergize with the orchestra. The more impressive participants had managed to move in tangent with their partner. Their dance was as much battle as it was art.

I found myself swaying in time to the music, wanting to leap forth and join. The musicians were partly responsible for that feeling. There was Qi interlaced with the melodies. Entreaties by the orchestra for cultivators to dance. But that mixture of Qi and melody was only the spark that gained my attention.

The truth was that I had already considered my Katas and Forms dance-like. I loved the flow of movement I spent hours each day perfecting. The freedom of flight had added dimensionality to my training, an activity that I learned to exploit. The billowing reams of cloth that I had added to my arsenal of weaponry and attacks added an additional component that upgraded my militaristic movements into artistry.

I felt free when flying, and that freedom translated to unbridled joy, moments when I could ignore duty. My training was no longer demanding, or a means to an end. I had developed a genuine appreciation for the Katas I had learned, and the joy I gained from flying had managed to creep into my fighting styles.

I considered how much of a faux pas it would be if I left before the Prince arrived. Granted, the Prince had asked for this meeting, but this was a world of cultivators. A person’s cultivation Realm spoke more to any authority they might have than a Royal Title.

The Emperor, I would never consider offending by leaving. He was at the perfected stage of the Profound Immortal Realm, just a half step away from ascending to Immortal Venerable. But this Prince had only reached the Qi Gathering Realm. And he had only stepped into that realm months before I had.

I was sure he was meticulously trained and that he had the advantage of artifacts, pills, and resources that I had lacked, but as far as our cultivation, there was little difference. The benefits he gained as the son of the Emperor might allow him to ascend faster, but I doubted he had been forced to solidify his Qi cultivation in the same manner I had.

Fighting for your life gave a unique insight into Qi and [Dao] and how to wield it, which could be gained no other way. It was a significant reason most cultivators of every Sect became roaming cultivators. There was no faster and easier way to gain understanding and enlightenment than to push your limits in life and death battles.

It was rumored that the Emperor controlled Mystic Realms that were suited for each cultivation Realm. If that were true, it would explain how the Emperor got so powerful. If he managed access to those Mystic Realms, his family would gain a considerable advantage if a person was brave enough to take advantage. It would be a waste of time and resources if the Prince were protected; his gains would be minimal at best. Only when you had to rely on your own strengths could you hasten any breakthrough.

When the orchestra began releasing elemental Qi components to the music, billowing fog, lightning strikes in concert with booming drums, I decided I had enough. Of course, just as I decided to ignore the repercussions that leaving might entail, the Prince arrived.

“Forgive me, Baroness,” Wu Chen said, moving to clasp my hand so he could bow while holding it. I forced myself to restrain myself and not snatch my hand free, barely. Some might have taken his action as a compliment; I considered it rude and boorish.

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He would have been offended if someone was so rude to initiate skin-to-skin contact. It wasn’t easy to inject malicious Qi into another person, but skin contact made it easier.

“Think nothing of it, Your Highness,” I said as I extricated my hand from his. “I’m sure that whatever kept you busy was much more important than a newly elevated Baroness.” I couldn’t help the snark that he’d engendered. I really did want to dance.

“The reason I hoped to speak with you concerns the Hindel. And their new demands concerning how they expect trading to be conducted,” Wu Chen said, ignoring the not-so-subtle dig I’d made at being left to wait at an event that was partially held to give me a chance to network.

The ball was scheduled to last a few hours, and the Prince had wasted a good portion of my time. Not that I was looking for a husband, but I was looking for business partners and connections.

“The Hindel?” I asked curiously. “I’ve found them nothing but professional and accommodating. They were very responsive to my call for aid when the coral reefs my people harvest yearly were all but destroyed.

“The action of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator involved in smuggling attacking my city,” I explained. “The Triad of Spirits that have formed a contract to protect the town took umbrage at his attack and acted.”

“I hadn’t heard about the attack,” Wu Chen admitted, “but I have been informed about the smuggling operation. Father has shown some interest in the Golden Lodoicea and has tasked his head alchemist, Grandmaster Ching, with the study of the plants. He hopes to find out how they can be best used in creating pills and clearing impurities that have built up in a cultivator’s body from taking pills.”

“We survived,” I shrugged, “and the town is better protected now than before the attack. The amount of Golden Lodoicea and cores we managed to seize has been most helpful for ensuring that. The resources I gained from their discovery have been invested in my territory.

“I have been able to accomplish much in the past six months because of the cargo I claimed.”

“You say the Hindel have been helpful? That is contrary to what traders and negotiators on the mainland have reported.

“There have been complaints of old treaties that were summarily renewed being rejected. People have reported that the Hindel will only treat with traders willing to accommodate their needs and meet them in environments more suitable to Hindel than Elf. And people are complaining that the Hindel are demanding Pavilions that react to a person’s Qi Signature to modify the environment for any meeting on land or in water.”

“That doesn’t seem unreasonable. The Pavilion is how I met with the Alpha,” I replied. “She was impressed with both the structure and the arrays that allowed our species to negotiate in comfort. She seemed most impressed at the array’s ability to be so finely controlled that she could avail herself of the cuisine we presented without ruining the texture or taste by being drenched in the ocean’s waters.

“She was most appreciative of the curry we provided. I admit I wasn’t sure the Hindel would enjoy it, but they seem to have an appreciation for spice and heat that compares to even an Elven gourmand.”

“I will note that, but I still don’t understand why you went out of your way and took so much trouble to accommodate the Hindel when they have the means to navigate on land,” Wu Chen said in confusion.

“The coral reef that had been destroyed was near a town that an idiot had ruled,” I explained. “Lord Chon had not only refused to deal with Hindel; he also insulted and ordered his guards to attack any that had the gall to seek him out.

“The bad blood between the Hindel and Lord Chon had to be dealt with, and I decided the best way to prove there was new leadership in charge of Xiwang was to give the Hindel a measure of respect they had never enjoyed when dealing with the town or the lord.

“The Pavilion was an easy enough construct to create. The arrays I used have been proven to work. Even the finer details of the environmental controls have been time-tested and are barely above apprentice level.

“I was coming to the Hindel begging for help. Why wouldn’t I use this opportunity to demonstrate how grateful and indebted I would be if they had the means to heal the coral reef?

“That reef is an excellent source of income for my people. It seemed that a show of respect and a conversation in an environment the Hindel would be comfortable with was worth the small cost for a pavilion and arrays.

“If the livelihood of the reef farmers could be saved, those costs would be repaid easily.”