"Hold on, I have to post this memory on the forums real quick." Christine pulled out her identity token, the small disc materializing in her palm with a shimmer of light.
I made sure to convey to the Heavenly Dao not to include my little blunder of grabbing Emma's breast with that memory in case she saw it. The last thing I needed was that moment immortalized for anyone browsing the forums to witness. The Heavenly Dao responded with what felt like amused acknowledgment, adjusting the memory capture to exclude those particular seconds.
Memories in the virtual space were fascinating pieces of cultivation technology. Rather than just being a video someone could watch, they created fully immersible three-dimensional recreations of scenarios. Watchers appeared in the scene itself, able to float around and view from any angle, experiencing the event from perspectives the original person never had. As long as there was enough detail in the memory, the entire scene could be reconstructed with gaps in perspective filled in through inference and context. This became less necessary when cultivators reached Spirit Awakening realm, where their spiritual senses supplemented what their eyes couldn't see, creating even richer memory captures.
Christine worked quickly, her fingers moving through the air as she interacted with her token's interface. Emma had finally steadied herself against me, though she still hadn't moved away completely.
"Done!" Christine announced, storing her token. "Let's see how long it takes before people start freaking out about Beast Warriors in the swamp."
"We should still move," Sarah reminded us, glancing nervously at the water below. "That thing might have friends."
We took off, putting distance between ourselves and the attack site. The swamp stretched endlessly beneath us, murky water interrupted by islands of tangled roots and drooping vegetation. Strange calls echoed across the wetlands, reminding us that the alligator was far from the only predator lurking here.
After several minutes of flight, Christine checked her token again and burst out laughing. "Oh, this is perfect."
"What?" Sarah asked, pulling closer.
"The post already has three hundred views and like fifty comments. People are losing their minds."
I pulled out my own token, curiosity getting the better of me. Emma leaned in as I pulled out my identity token.
The forum post materialized in the air before us, Christine's username "The_Flash" at the top.
The_Flash writes: "Just got attacked by a Beast Warrior alligator in the swamp 5000 miles south of American City. Thing was MASSIVE. Video attached. Stay out of the wetlands unless you're at least Meridian Opening."
The memory played out in miniature, showing the murky swamp from Christine's perspective. The massive alligator erupted from the water, jaws wide as it lunged toward Emma. Then Christine's lightning-wreathed sword flashed through the frame, the combat unfolding in brutal clarity.
The comments section scrolled rapidly as new replies flooded in.
SwordSaint47 writes: "Holy shit, that's a Beast Warrior? How big was that thing?"
Desert_Wanderer writes: "At least twenty feet. Look at the size comparison when it breaches. We've been sticking to the grasslands and forests. Didn't realize the swamp was that dangerous."
IronFist_Jake writes: "The lightning technique at 0:47 seconds is insane. What cultivation manual teaches that kind of elemental control?"
MeridianMaster writes: "No clue, but do you even know how many techniques there are in the library?"
Sarah_C writes: "This is Sarah Carter, currently with The_Flash on this expedition. Can confirm the swamp is extremely dangerous. We encountered minimal spiritual beasts in the grasslands, but this biome is packed with predators. Recommend Body Tempering ninth layer minimum before attempting."
ForgeHammer writes: "That sword work though. The_Flash has been making a name for herself. Heard she soloed a Bear last week."
NorthernScout writes: "5000 miles south? What's the biome distribution looking like out there?"
The_Flash writes: "Consistent grassland until about 4800 miles, then it transitions to wetlands. Spiritual energy density increases slightly but nothing major. Lots of Frostbell Flowers in the transition zone."
EarthShaker writes: "Marking this on my map. Thanks for the intel."
Emma finally pulled away, her cheeks still carrying that faint pink tinge. She mounted her flying sword with practiced ease now, though I caught the way her eyes darted toward me before she looked away.
"We should keep moving," she said, her voice carrying that professional tone she used when trying to regain composure. "The sun's going to set in a few hours."
Christine smirked but mercifully kept whatever comment she'd been about to make to herself. Sarah had already taken point, her sword cutting through the humid air as we continued south.
The swamp stretched endlessly below us, a maze of waterways and vegetation that seemed to pulse with hidden life. Bioluminescent insects began to emerge as the afternoon wore on, their lights flickering across the murky surface like fallen stars. The air grew thicker, heavy with moisture and the scent of decaying plants mixed with something sweeter, almost intoxicating.
I kept my sense on guard, monitoring the area around us. The swamp teemed with life, most of it weak enough to ignore our presence. Small spiritual beasts, barely above normal animals in strength, darted through the underbrush. Larger presences lurked in deeper water, but they seemed content to let us pass overhead.
Emma flew beside me, maintaining a careful distance that felt deliberate. Every so often I'd catch her glancing my way, then quickly focusing on the horizon when our eyes met.
The swamp continued for another two hours, the landscape gradually shifting from murky water to drier land covered in moss and strange, twisted trees. We maintained our altitude, following the slight increase in spiritual energy that seemed to draw us southward.
Christine had stopped checking her token every five minutes, though I knew the forum post had probably exploded with activity by now. Sarah flew with military precision, her posture rigid even after hours in the air. Emma had relaxed somewhat, though she still maintained that careful distance.
The spiritual energy grew denser as we traveled, a subtle shift that told me we were approaching something significant. The swamp finally gave way to rocky terrain, scattered boulders breaking through the soil like ancient bones.
"What's that ahead?" Sarah called out, pointing forward.
The ground simply ended.
We slowed our approach, pulling up to the edge of what could only be described as a massive cliff. The earth dropped away in a sheer vertical face that descended into depths I couldn't immediately gauge. Mist clung to the lower reaches, obscuring the bottom.
"Holy shit," Christine breathed, bringing her sword to a hovering stop at the cliff's edge.
I pulled up beside her, my eyes looking down into the void. The drop was nearly straight down, the cliff face marked by jutting outcroppings and deep crevices that vanished into shadow.
Emma and Sarah joined us, all four of us suspended in the air at the precipice.
"It's like we're on top of the world," Emma whispered, her earlier awkwardness forgotten in the face of such a sight.
The view stretched endlessly in every direction. Behind us, the swamp we'd crossed looked like a dark green carpet dotted with silver waterways. To either side, the cliff extended as far as I could see, a massive scar across the landscape. And below, through gaps in the mist, I could make out what looked like a completely different biome, lush vegetation in shades I'd never seen before.
"Seven thousand miles from American City," Sarah said, her voice carrying a note of awe. "I don't think anyone's made it this far south yet."
Christine grinned, that reckless excitement lighting up her face. "Then we're the first. Come on, let's see what's down there."
She didn't wait for agreement, guiding her sword over the edge and beginning a slow descent. Sarah followed immediately, ever the professional. Emma glanced at me, some unspoken question in her eyes, before she too drifted over the precipice.
I took a breath and followed.
The sensation was completely different from flying close over the land. It was also different from borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao to fly. This felt more personal as I was entirely dependent on my flying sword.
The cliff face rushed past, wind whipping against my body as I descended. My stomach lurched with each shift in direction, the sword responding to my mental commands but requiring constant attention. One lapse in concentration and I'd plummet.
Christine whooped somewhere below me, clearly enjoying herself.
"Look!" Christine pointed at a cluster of silver-white flowers growing from a crack in the stone. "Those are Cliffbell herbs."
She veered toward them, plucking several blooms and storing them in her ring. "Worth two hundred merit points just for discovering it."
As we continued down, more treasures revealed themselves. Luminous moss that pulsed with spiritual energy clung to shadowed overhangs. Crystalline formations jutted from the rock, their facets catching and refracting light in rainbow patterns. A vine with midnight-blue leaves wound through a deep crevice, its flowers releasing a scent that made my meridians tingle with recognition.
"Voidbloom," I called out, recognizing it from Jihasti's memories. "Useful for space-element cultivation."
Emma carefully harvested several cuttings, her movements precise despite the awkward angle. Sarah had found a cluster of orange mushrooms growing on a narrow ledge, their caps marked with spiral patterns.
We descended slowly, stopping frequently to gather herbs and examine interesting formations.
The cliff bottom finally materialized through the thinning mist. We touched down on solid ground, our flying swords disappearing as we stored them away.
Lush vegetation surrounded us in every direction. Plants I'd never seen before carpeted the landscape, most reaching about waist height. Broad leaves the size of dinner plates caught condensation from the mist above, their surfaces glistening with moisture. Flowering vines wound between taller stalks, their blooms releasing subtle fragrances that mixed into an intoxicating cocktail of scents.
Sarah knelt beside a cluster of purple flowers, examining them closely before storing several in her ring. "Look at all the valuable herbs."
We spent the next hour harvesting, filling our storage rings with specimens. Christine discovered a patch of crystalline grass that chimed softly when touched. Emma found mushrooms that pulsed with a faint blue light. Sarah methodically catalogued everything she collected, her business mind already calculating merit point values.
Eventually we mounted our swords again and continued south. The landscape remained consistent, an endless sea of waist-high vegetation broken only by occasional rock formations. The dual moons rose as twilight approached, casting silver light across the plant life.
We covered another three thousand miles over the course of several hours, the terrain gradually shifting. The plants grew sparser, less wild. Then I noticed it, subtle signs that made my awareness sharpen with attention.
"Wait," I called out, bringing my sword to a stop.
The others pulled up beside me. Below, the ground showed clear signs of traffic. Paths worn through the vegetation, areas where plants had been systematically cleared. The herbs and valuable specimens that had been so abundant earlier were completely absent here.
"Someone's been harvesting this area," Sarah said, her voice tight. "Recently, from the look of it."
Christine's hand dropped to her sword hilt. "You think there are natives here? Like, actual people who've been living in this world?"
"Has to be," Emma whispered, her eyes scanning the horizon nervously. "Look at how organized this is. They've cleared everything valuable within miles."
'Ancient cultivators,' I thought, suppressing a laugh. 'If only they knew.'
"What if they're not friendly?" Sarah asked, her professional demeanor cracking slightly. "We don't know anything about them. They could be powerful, territorial."
We continued forward cautiously, every shadow suddenly suspicious. Christine's lightning crackled faintly around her fingers. Emma flew closer to me, whether consciously or not. Sarah's jaw was set, her body tense.
Then, as we crested a small rise, the truth revealed itself.
A city sprawled before us, identical in every way to American City. The same concentric circles of obsidian architecture, the same mirror-polished surfaces reflecting moonlight, the same central monument rising from a plaza at its heart.
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
Then Christine burst out laughing, the sound echoing across the landscape. "We're idiots! Complete idiots!"
Emma covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "I was ready to fight ancient cultivators. Oh my god."
Sarah's rigid posture collapsed as she doubled over, genuine mirth replacing her earlier tension. "All that worry about natives and territorial masters..."
I couldn't help joining in, the absurdity of our wild speculation hitting all at once. We'd been so caught up in adventure and discovery that we'd completely forgotten about the other cities.
We descended toward the gates, still chuckling. People moved through the streets below, their identity tokens glowing faintly as they conducted business. The architecture gleamed under moonlight, every building identical to those we'd left behind in American City.
A bronze plaque near the entrance confirmed what I already knew: Brazilian City.
"Ten thousand miles," Christine said, pulling out her token with a grin. "We just traveled ten thousand miles manually. How many people can say that?"
Christine had already taken out her identity token and was composing a forum post to document the trip.
"There's an ocean south of here," Emma said softly. "I remember people on the forum mentioning it. With our flying swords, I wonder if it's possible to find another continent."