Chapter 67 Closed Cultivation

[A/N: Warning! I reorganized to improve the reading experience. Now, there are four chapters before this one, pushing it forward. Please read chapters 51-54 if you haven't already and go back if you lost your place. Thank you for understanding.]

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When Kaze and Evalyn were alone, she turned to him. "I'm not sure how I feel about you using my trauma as a pollitical bargaining chip, but I respect it. Thanks for handling the situation."

He nodded in response. "I hope you've learned a lot from it."

"I have. You've proved that you can lie." She chuckled sarcastically.

"Honesty and deception hold equal value when communicating the truth." Kaze smiled, "I will destroy them if they attack me; that's a fact. The honest explanation about how is irrelevant."

Evalyn's eyes widened, and then they relaxed. "That… is impressive. I wish I had that power."

"Perfect timing. I'm taking you somewhere where you can cultivate this week without interuptions." Kaze smiled, "You need to power up and get your emotions checked so you can pretend everything is alright."

Evalyn laugh-scoffed in disbelief. "Are you saying that I should be like you?

Charming people and having sex until the last thirty minutes until the apocalypse?"

Kaze rolled his eyes and stripped off his shirt, and she froze in disbelief.

Black veins protracted from his heart to his abs, shoulders, and lower neck. Everyone knew at a glance that the man was fighting for survival.

It was minor compared to the night before but was still deathly serious.

"Do you understand?" He asked mockingly, "I may accept my fate and be willing to enjoy my life, but if you think I walk around looking forward to hell, you're dolefully unhinged."

"W-What the fuck is that, Kaze?" Evalyn asked.

"It's the result of obtaining power to protect us." Kaze replied mockingly, "With everything you've been through, you'd think you'd be accustomed to the consequences of amassing power this fast."

Evalyn's eyes trembled in shock. "I-I figured as much, but nothing about this is natural. Will this kill you?"

"It'll do something far worse if I don't do anything about it." He said seriously, "But I won't let that happen and will not appease your curiosities further.

What's important is that this is more painful than you can imagine, yet you don't see me walking around pouting and ignoring my duties.

I never show weakness or insanity, and neither can you."

Kaze's body illuminated, the space around his chest warped, and his soul wound disappeared.

"Now come with me. You need to get your head straight so you can put a charming smile on your face. I you don't more bodies will stack up." He said seriously.

"I may enjoy my life, but that doesn't mean my actions are frivolous. Regardless of morality, showing weakness is far harsher and insane than confident hedonism."

An icy chill crawled down her spine, and she nodded hesitantly, following him outside the door.

Kaze led Evalyn to a secluded area walled off from the rest of the faction with 25-foot steel gates and a layer of electric fences.

Just the sight of it left her intimidated, but when the walls, her mind went blank.

There was a small lake on the other side with waterfalls filling it. Lush exotic plants lined the area alongside various statues and art pieces.

"This was the garden owned by a billionaire in this area." Kaze smiled, "I had it walled off so a select few could cultivate without intrusion."

"I can't believe you did this so we could cultivate." She commented absentmindedly.

"Is there anything more important?" Kaze chuckled while pointing to the center of the lake.

"Evalyn, I had that rock in the center installed for you so you can cultivate at maximum power without killing all the vegetation." He explained.

"It won't be enough, but should be okay for a few months."

Evalyn blinked twice in disbelief. The lake had a 100-foot radius!

"That won't be enough?" She asked in confusion.

"Must I suck your cultivation dry another fifty times before you realize that having a divine cultivation technique doesn't mean you can cultivate?" Kaze asked mockingly.

"Owning an expensive instrument doesn't mean that you're better at playing it."

She turned to him with a cringing expression. "Just to clarify, you're saying you can do that because you're better at cultivating?"

"I won't grace such a pointless question a response." He scoffed breathlessly.

Evalyn gave him a wry smile. "How long will it take before I can cultivate without you being able to suck it dry instantly?"

"With your ethic and willpower, perhaps half a century if you don't lag in growth." Kaze replied seriously.

Evalyn's eyes widened in shock.

"Bear in mind that's a very generous number." He continued, "If I gave anyone else a sacred technique, it would likely take a century or more, even in the Sky Plane."

She looked at him in shock, uncertain what to say.

"How long would it take before you couldn't suck me dry period?" Evalyn asked.

"More than a century." Kaze chuckled, "You should detach yourself from old-world numbers.

One day you will be an immortal if you follow my lead, become strong, and use your head.

As the name implies, you can live forever. So set aside worries of ineptitude; those that build power in the present fill the ranks of the strong and capable in the future."

Without further discussion, he walked toward the lake.

To her surprise, he didn't stop when he got to the water; he kept walking forward without leaving ripples on the water. Then he walked back just as effortlessly.

Kaze turned around on the lake. "Evalyn, your goal is to walk to the rock while freezing the water underneath you."

She nodded in simple assent.

"You have experienced a tragic loss." Kaze said calmly, "So use the training to preoccupy your thoughts and the cultivation to process."

Evalyn smiled wryly. Being reminded was harsh on her soul.

"Remember, you'll soon become a leader governing thousands of people who hinge upon your capabilities to save them from a grim future." He continued.

"To mourn is natural, but it isn't a necessity; the same cannot be said of the need to survive.

You needn't sacrifice one for the other, but you must become the master of your mind so that you don't hinder the one necessary for the one that isn't.

This day is a rare moment of solitude for self-growth and mourning, so make the most of it.

You'll be here a minimum of eight hours a day for the next week, but I suggest using as much time as possible, as you don't need food or sleep.

This is the only time you'll get for quiet, unhindered growth, so make the most of it."

Evalyn nodded as Kaze strode out of the area while waving. Before he closed the gate, he called out one last time.

"Evalyn." He said sternly.

The blonde turned around and met his gaze with her crystal blue eyes.

"A thousand soldiers will arrive tomorrow." Kaze reminded.

"Get your emotions in check. While you can hate people, you can never show that, let alone release your cultivation. Never express malintent until you strike."

Evalyn stared into his eyes with a complex expression. "You're not warning me not to attack people?"

"Leaders must think for themselves and learn from their decisions." Kaze replied with a confident voice.

"There are consequences for every action one makes, and you'll learn the consequences of killing needlessly soon, just as you'll learn the consequences of passivity.

Every situation is different, and dynamics change as power grows. So I needn't waste my breath espousing the virtues of certain actions.

You must only know that you can never act out of passion. Use your head."

Evalyn gave Kaze a wry smile as he walked out of the gate. The fact that he didn't scold her but drove in her weakness only worsened things.

She turned to the lake and began training with a newfound determination that had lied dormant within her since birth.