We made our way to the monument plaza in Brazilian City's center. The portal network here mirrored American City's layout perfectly. I found the portal back to American City and stepped through. We emerged one by one in familiar territory.
"I need a bath," Emma announced, stretching her arms above her head. "And about twelve hours of sleep."
"Same," Christine agreed, yawning.
Sarah nodded to us. "Thanks for coming with me. I learned more in one day than I have in weeks of exploring the city."
We split up at the residential district, each heading to our respective accommodations. I teleported back to the Core Palace, exhaustion finally catching up to me. The meditation chamber called to me, but sleep won out.
The next morning, I checked the forums while cultivating. Christine's post had already gathered thousands of views.
The_Flash writes: "Just completed a 10,000 mile journey from American City to Brazilian City. Took us through grasslands, swamp biome, wetlands, and cliff faces. Found incredible herbs along the way, but be warned, the swamp has Beast Warrior level predators. Flying swords make the trip possible in under a day. Worth it for the experience alone."
Comments flooded in beneath, ranging from awe to skepticism. Several people were already planning their own expeditions.
The month that followed blurred together in a rhythm of cultivation and adventure. American City transformed as more cultivators broke through to Meridian Opening realm. The demand for flying swords exploded beyond anything I'd anticipated. I spent entire days in the Core Palace's workshop, mass producing them by the hundreds.
Through the perception of the Heavenly Dao, nearly half the population had reached at least Meridian Opening first layer. The merit point economy boomed as people earned and spent in equal measure.
Our expeditions over the following month produced diminishing returns. Emma, Christine, Sarah, and I ventured out three more times, exploring different directions from American City. We found a few rare herbs and documented several spiritual beast species, but nothing compared to that first journey south. The world bead was vast, and most of its secrets remained hidden.
Derek and Melissa had to cut their cultivation short when summer break ended. They both returned to Stanford, though not before reaching Meridian Opening first layer. Pretty impressive for two months of cultivation. They were incredibly excited to fly on flying swords for the first time.
Christine's progress continued to astound me. She'd pushed through to Meridian Opening third layer and was already hammering away at the fourth. I swear her lightning affinity must have been giving her cultivation a boost or something.
Emma wasn't far behind, having reached Meridian Opening second layer. Every time we met, she bounced with barely contained excitement about reaching the third layer.
"Once I break through," she'd said during our last meeting, "I can finally imprint a spiritual beast. You have to help me hunt for a Shadow Stalker. Promise me!"
I smiled at that.
My own cultivation progressed steadily. The fifth layer followed naturally after weeks of consistent practice. My meridians felt like rivers of power now, channels carved deep and flowing smooth.
The real game-changer came yesterday when I updated the virtual space. The Heavenly Dao had been collecting data from every portal anchor across Earth, building a comprehensive map of the entire planet. I released it to everyone this morning.
Standing on a quiet street corner in San Jose, I pulled up the map through my identity token. The interface projected in front of me, showing California's coastline in perfect detail. Streets, buildings, terrain features. Everything rendered with precision that made Google Maps look like a child's drawing.
"This is insane," Christine breathed, staring at her own projection. "I can see our house from here. Like, actually see it."
Emma traced a finger along the coast toward Los Angeles. "Three hundred fifty miles. We could fly there in a couple hours."
That was the problem with Earth. No spiritual energy saturating the atmosphere meant we were limited to our internal reserves. Inside the world bead, ambient energy constantly replenished our vital energy. Out here, we had only what we'd stored up before arriving.
Still, three hundred fifty miles was nothing compared to the distances we'd covered exploring the Eastern Region.
A shadow passed overhead. I glanced up to see another cultivator streaking across the sky on their flying sword, heading north. Their form became a dot within seconds.
"Looks like we're not the only ones with this idea," I said.
Sarah was waiting for us in Los Angeles. She'd sent a message earlier asking if we wanted to test the new mapping feature together. The invitation had been too good to resist.
I looked at Christine and Emma. "Ready?"
With Emma's Meridian Opening second layer, we could easily travel at least a thousand miles before she needed to find a portal and recover inside the world bead. Christine wouldn't have any issues at all with her third layer cultivation. And with my own fifth layer? I could cross the three thousand miles across the United States on one tank of spiritual energy without breaking a sweat.
We pulled out our flying swords while I projected a 3D map from my identity token. The holographic display rotated in the air between us, showing the route south along Highway 101. Emma and Christine leaned in, studying the terrain markers and distance measurements.
"Three hundred fifty miles," Christine said. "Not even a half hour at cruising speed."
"Sounds about right." I dismissed the projection and mounted my sword.
We were in the air moments later, heading straight toward Los Angeles.
The Bay Area sprawled beneath us as we climbed to a few hundred feet. I kept us low enough to see details but high enough to avoid power lines and cell towers. Cars on the highway below became toys, their occupants probably catching glimpses of three figures streaking overhead.
Emma whooped beside me, her disguised face split in a grin. The wind whipped her hair back as she leaned into the flight, testing her balance.
"This never gets old!" she shouted over the rushing air.
We followed the coastline south, the Pacific Ocean stretching endlessly to our right. The water sparkled under the afternoon sun, waves rolling in perfect rhythm. To our left, the California hills rose and fell in golden waves, dotted with houses and the occasional vineyard.
Christine pulled ahead, showing off with a barrel roll that made Emma shriek with laughter. I shook my head but couldn't help smiling. Her lightning affinity definitely gave her an edge with speed and reflexes.
Gilroy passed beneath us, then Salinas. We flew over farmland that stretched for miles, irrigation systems creating geometric patterns across the fields. A few workers looked up and pointed, but we were already past them before they could pull out phones.
The terrain shifted as we approached the southern reaches of the Bay Area. More suburbs, more highways, more people. I guided us higher to avoid attracting too much attention. The last thing we needed was a viral video sparking panic about cultivators invading Earth.
"How much further?" Emma called out.
I checked the map projection again. "About two hundred miles. Doing okay?"
She nodded. Not concerning yet, but we'd need to watch her energy levels.
The landscape transformed as we continued south. Coastal mountains rose to our left now, their peaks touching low clouds. The ocean remained constant to our right, a blue expanse that seemed infinite. Small beach towns dotted the shoreline, their piers reaching into the water like fingers.
Santa Barbara appeared on the horizon, its Spanish architecture visible even from altitude. We banked inland slightly, following the natural curve of the coast. The Channel Islands sat offshore, dark shapes against the ocean's brightness.
Los Angeles sprawled ahead of us like a living organism, concrete and glass spreading in every direction. The sheer scale of it dwarfed even San Jose. Buildings rose like mountains, highways tangled like veins, and somewhere in that maze was Sarah's house.
I pulled up the detailed map, zooming in on her location. "There. Westside, near Santa Monica."
We descended toward the coordinates, weaving between buildings as the city swallowed us whole.
Sarah's location marker pulsed on the map, a green dot standing perfectly still while our three blue markers converged from the north. We descended toward a park near Santa Monica, the ocean breeze carrying salt and exhaust in equal measure.
She stood beside the familiar black portal, its frame rising ten feet high between two palm trees. The pillar of white light shot skyward from the top, visible for miles around. A small crowd had gathered at a respectful distance, phones out, recording everything.
Sarah waved as we touched down, our flying swords dissipating back into our storage rings. She wore athletic clothes and running shoes, looking like she'd just finished a morning jog rather than waiting for cultivators to fly across the state.
"Twenty two minutes," she said, checking her identity token. "Not bad."
I pulled up the map again, watching our markers settle next to hers.
"I watched your map markers travel all the way here," Sarah said with a grin. "It's fascinating watching the dots move in real time. Like following a plane on a flight tracker, except you guys were moving faster than commercial aircraft."
Christine laughed. "Did we put on a good show?"
"Emma's marker wobbled a bit over Salinas. Turbulence?"
"Barrel roll," Emma admitted, shooting Christine a look. "Someone thought it would be funny to show off."
I imagined what Sarah had seen on her end. Three markers appearing in San Jose, hovering for a moment as we mounted our swords. Then smooth movement south, following the coastline with only minor deviations. Christine's marker probably danced around more than Emma's and mine, her natural speed making it hard to stay still.
The portal hummed behind Sarah, its black surface rippling like disturbed water. Several onlookers edged closer, curiosity overcoming caution.
"Time to refill our tanks?" I asked.
We stepped through together. The familiar rush of spiritual energy washed over me as we emerged in American City's monument plaza. The concentration here made Earth feel like a desert by comparison. My meridians drank it in, vital energy reserves climbing back toward full.
Emma sighed in relief. "I was down to maybe forty percent. That flight took more than I expected."
"Wind resistance," I said. "Flying on Earth requires more energy to maintain speed without ambient spiritual energy supporting the technique."
Christine was already at seventy percent and climbing. Sarah and I topped off within minutes. We lingered in the plaza, letting the energy saturate our systems completely before heading back through the portal.
Los Angeles greeted us with afternoon heat and car exhaust. The crowd had grown larger, a mix of curious locals and what looked like news crews setting up equipment.
"We should move before this becomes a scene," Sarah said.
I pulled up the map, expanding it eastward. Cities and towns spread across the desert, connected by highways that cut through empty space. My finger traced potential routes.
"Phoenix?" I suggested. "About five hundred miles east. Should take us less than an hour."
Emma checked her own map. "Straight shot across the desert. Looks pretty empty between here and there."
"Perfect for testing our limits," Christine added, already pulling out her flying sword.
Sarah nodded. "Phoenix it is. There's a portal there we can use if anyone needs to recover halfway."
We mounted our swords again, the crowd below pointing and shouting questions we couldn't hear over the wind. The four of us rose together, banking east toward the desert and whatever lay beyond.
The sun had set over Manhattan by the time we touched down in Central Park, New York. Emma's vital energy reserves flickered like a candle in the wind, but her excitement overrode any exhaustion.
"I can feel it," she said, hands pressed against her chest. "Right there. The breakthrough is coming."
Christine grinned. "Told you all that flying would push you over the edge."
We'd crossed the entire country in one day, stopping at portals in Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, and finally here. Each flight pushed Emma closer to her limit, forcing her meridians to adapt and strengthen. The constant drain and recovery cycle had done more for her cultivation than weeks of meditation.
Sarah checked her identity token. "It's getting late. Should we head back?"
I nodded, pulling out the coordinates for the nearby portal. We found it in Central Park between two ancient oak trees, its pillar of light cutting through the darkness. A few late-night joggers gave us wide berths, phones already recording.
"Next trip needs to be international," Christine said as we walked toward the portal. "I want to see how other countries are handling cultivators."
"Good luck getting past customs," Sarah laughed. "I wonder how governments plan to regulate this. Flying swords don't exactly respect border control."
I'd been thinking about that too. Passports and visas meant nothing when you could fly over any checkpoint at highway speeds. Would they try to enforce no-fly zones? Deploy cultivator border guards? The whole system would need to adapt or become obsolete.
We stepped through the portal together, emerging in American City's familiar plaza. From there, we took the mansion's private portal to the Core Palace. Sarah had been coming here for a few weeks now, ever since I'd invited her to cultivate in the denser spiritual energy. She knew the story, same as Christine and Emma. Secret disciple of the Eastern Region God. Access to his private cultivation grounds as a reward for faithful service.
The lie came easier every time I told it.
We scattered to our usual meditation spots. Sarah claimed one of the garden alcoves. Christine headed to the lightning-aspected chamber I'd created specifically for her. Emma settled into the life-energy saturated greenhouse where spiritual fruits grew year-round.
I retreated to my personal chamber, the one at the palace's heart where the energy density reached its peak. My meridians hummed as I settled into lotus position, drawing power inward.
Hours passed in silence. The dual moons rose outside my window, their light painting silver patterns across the stone floor. I was deep in meditation when I felt it.
A disturbance in the air. A surge of energy from the greenhouse direction.
Emma's breakthrough.
I smiled, maintaining my focus. She'd done it. Meridian Opening third layer. Now she could finally attempt the imprint with a Shadow Stalker, the spiritual beast that would bond with her through the Eternal Resonance Art.
The chamber doors burst open.
I'd opened them with a thought the moment I sensed her approaching. Emma rushed in, her face flushed with excitement, eyes bright with triumph.
"Ben! I did it! I broke through and I can feel it, the technique is ready, we need to go find a Shadow Stalker right now because I've been waiting for this for weeks and—"
Her words tumbled over each other in an excited rush. I opened my mouth to suggest we wait until morning, that hunting in the dark was dangerous even for us.
Then something deep inside me shifted.
Not physically. Deeper than that. Like a door I hadn't known existed suddenly swinging open.
Emma's memories crashed into my mind like a tidal wave. Not words, but pure experience. Her childhood in Dublin. The first time she sang in front of an audience. Her fears about fame. Her growing feelings for—
My own memories flooded outward in response. The workshop with Dad. Jane's betrayal. The lightning strike. The Chaos World Bead. Everything.
We both gasped.
Our eyes met across the chamber, and in that instant, I knew her completely. Every hope, every dream, every secret thought she'd ever hidden. And she knew me the same way.
The Eternal Resonance Art had activated.
But not with a Shadow Stalker.
With me.
I didn't remember moving. Neither did she. But suddenly we were together, her lips against mine, my hands in her hair, her thoughts and mine spiraling together in perfect harmony.
The imprint had completed.
She'd bonded with me instead of a spiritual beast.
How was this even possible?