Chapter 266 – Should I Stay, or Should I Go?
The first thing Benton did upon teleporting back to his office was to send out messages to his entire council calling for a meeting in three hours. As it was shortly after lunch, that would give everyone enough time to settle whatever they were working on, attend the meeting, and finish up in time for dinner.
His second action was to send an additional message to Yuan Yaozu, asking the Nascent Soul to come to the Administration Hall as quickly as possible. The man quickly complied, and the two of them settled into a conversation over a cup of tea. Benton started things off by explaining the situation with the tournament invitation and the context provided by the Poison Claw Sect elders.
"To be as forthright as possible, I need someone to run my thoughts past," Benton said. "You're not here as a disciple or a subordinate. You're here because you're the most knowledgeable person I have available that I can trust."
"Understood. I'll dispense with the formalities during this talk, then?"
In a deliberately ironic display, Benton cupped his hands in response, and the other Nascent Soul grinned.
"My immediate inclination is to refuse the invitation," Benton said. "Purely looking at it from a risk versus gain standpoint, there is definitely some risk, and honestly, I don't see the gain. Give me and my sect a hundred years, and the recognition from other sects will be meaningless as we'll be way too powerful for anyone to ignore."
He sighed. "On the other hand, my recent experience might be coloring my decision making. I did, after all, almost get everyone killed because I let my pride overrule my judgment."
"Which I'm guessing is why I'm here," Yuan Yaozu said. "To provide a check to make sure you're not going too far in the opposite direction."
"Got it in one."
"I'll start by evaluating the risk, then," Yuan Yaozu said. "You told me that you're comfortable with your sect members' performance during official fights, and I'll agree that there should be minimal danger on that front, especially given your mastery of formations. It occurs to me that the real threat comes from an ambush targeting you and/or your sect members."
Benton was about to speak to those concerns, but the other man held up a finger.
"You almost lost the fight with Ye Zhengsheng and Yan Mingxia," Yuan Yaozu said. "But you told me you fought them as a Golden Core. Now, you're a Nascent Soul, and your Aura technique is likely to give you an enormous advantage. Still, it's hard for me to evaluate how you'll perform against as many Nascent Souls as your enemies might be able to field, especially since they'll choose the battlefield and not let you prepare any formations nearby. So the question I need answered truthfully is—how strong are you?"
Benton was glad he'd leveled with his newest disciple. His need for someone to truly talk to outweighed his wariness. "I beat two Nascent Souls as a Golden Core. I beat more than a dozen Golden Cores as a Golden Core. You tell me."
"Both those accomplishments bode well," Yuan Yaozu said. "Typically, those very rare, exceptional cultivators who can fight above their realm don't lose that ability as they advance. Do you feel that is the case with you?"
"My honest assessment is that I should be able to, by myself, defeat ten or more Nascent Souls at the same level of experience as the two Jade Chameleons. Not bragging. Just truth. I have advantages that others simply don't have. I can hit harder and withstand more than anyone else at my realm should be able to, and I'm more versatile as well."
"That puts to rest one concern, then, but you know as well as I do that you can't be everywhere at once. Your sect members will be at risk of attack whenever they're not with you or an allied Nascent Soul."
Benton frowned. "The other Poison Claw Sect elders discounted that possibility."
"They might be right, but my job is to protect your sect and its members. I take that responsibility seriously, and I see danger." Yuan Yaozu paused. "Look, I get their point. There is enormous political pressure against anyone attacking juniors. There are strategic and tactical reasons not to do so. But the Jade Chameleons have been backed into a corner. Their sect is in decline with only two remaining Nascent Souls and half the Golden Cores that anyone else has. They have no way to turn around their circumstances absent making some drastic move that I can't anticipate. I have no idea what that something will be, but it might involve going after your juniors."
"Your analysis confirms my initial thoughts. We should refuse the invitation."
"Depends," Yuan Yaozu paused. "Are your sect members kids or are they cultivators?"
Benton frowned again.
"Seriously. I've heard you refer to them as kids multiple times. If you view them in that manner and want to treat them as such, then you absolutely should refuse the invitation. It's the safest, most conservative call."
"I don't understand why in the world I'd make any other decision. What could possibly be more important than keeping them safe?"
Yuan Yaozu let out a chuckle. "For my entire career as a cultivator, I've heard that cultivation means challenging the heavens. So, so many times someone near me has advised that a cultivator must seek challenge, that hiding in a cave somewhere will not lead to advancement. I echoed that same advice numerous times, too many to count.
"Until very recently, I didn't truly understand the meaning and pure truth behind that advice, though. I was always better than my peers. My cultivation journey was easy. Realm after realm after realm passed with, in hindsight, relatively little effort on my part. Sure, I had a few fights against foes that I viewed at the time as challenging, but I can't ever recall my life truly being in danger. If I had to come up with a root cause as to why I didn't advance to Nascent Soul on my own, that lack of challenge, that lack of risking my life, was why."
"So I should send them into danger?" Benton said. "They could die!"
"Some of them might. In fact, if you commit to this philosophy, one or more of them almost certainly will die. That is the nature of cultivation."
Benton saw what the man was getting at, but it was difficult for him to accept. Yelling at the man or refuting his personal opinion wasn't useful, though.
"I understand," Benton said. "Gratitude for explaining the gain to offset the risk. I have much to consider prior to the council meeting."
Yuan Yaozu cupped his hands and inclined his head before standing and leaving. Benton stared after the man, lost in thought.
The fight with the Nascent Souls, especially the parts where Benton had almost died, had changed everything. Prior to that moment, he wouldn't have thought twice about attending the tournament. Of course, he'd handle anything that came up with aplomb. He had the System. He could do anything.
Now, he wasn't nearly as assured and honestly didn't know what to do. He meditated on it until it was time for the council meeting, finally coming to a conclusion right as the members started to arrive. The decision wasn't something he thought was absolutely the best course of action, but one thing he'd learned in his two lifetimes was that, sometimes, one simply had to make a choice and move forward.
Once everyone had gathered in the room he'd designated for council meetings, Benton teleported to his place inside, bringing the total number of attendees to twenty. "Greetings, everyone. Gratitude for your attendance. We have three items to discuss this afternoon, and I'll run through those from least important to most pressing."
When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he continued. "The first item of business is formalizing the process of transition from Qi Gathering to Foundation Establishment. Four of our members or disciples have made that journey, and our next should be ready to advance in just over three months." He smiled at Wan Ai, who blushed at the attention. "Eventually, though, hundreds will follow them."
The topic was clearly of interest to everyone, especially because most of them hadn't been through it yet. They clearly wanted to know what was in store for them.
"My first promise to everyone was a weapon. I recently decided that what I've provided so far doesn't meet my standards." Benton removed two quivers holding twenty-five arrows each from his ring. "Yang Xiu, the shafts hold arrays to make them tougher and faster, and the arrowheads have an array that makes them sharper. Those tips will deliver an attack of a specific qi type. You've got five arrows for each of ten different types of qi, and you can recharge them with your own qi to re-use them. They're durable enough to hold up to a lot of damage."
Next, Benton pulled out two spears. "Kang Lin, Yang Ru, I forged these two weapons myself, and they are far superior to what I previously gave you. They hold formations for durability, sharpness, and self-repair. Each will also enable you to deliver an attack of the qi type that you respectively selected."
Almost everyone in the room was impressed, but most of them didn't understand the true value of what the three had been gifted. Kang Lin did.
She cupped her hands. "Master… I can't adequately express my gratitude."
"Nonsense. You're my disciple. I'm just doing my duty as your master, and the rest of you can expect something similar when it's your time." Benton turned to Wan Ai. "Let's officially change the terms to anyone advancing to Foundation Establishment will receive a piece of equipment from the sect. I bet you would prefer a custom cauldron to a new dagger."
She nodded shyly.
He grinned and then went on to formalize that each advancing disciple or member would also receive a cultivation method, two techniques, a glider, and pills to expand their qi pool. While Yuan Yaozu was shaking his head at the largess, the others were mostly grinning in anticipation of their anticipated windfall.
"The next item on the agenda is a short expedition to the mountain," Benton said.
From their expressions, he'd definitely surprised them with that piece of information. Which made sense. He hadn't told anyone about those plans.
"The auction is in a little over two weeks," Benton said. "Before then, I want to explore the mountain to search for materials that I need to create the qi sources, and since I'm going, I figured it would be a good opportunity for some of you to gain a bit of experience. Yang Xiu, Yang Ru, and Kang Lin are obviously invited. Zou Tian, it's a bit of a risk for you since you're still in the Qi Gathering realm, but hiding from beasts might push your Shadow skills to advance. I'll also let Jin LiJuan and Ganzou know after we finish up here."
Looking around, there was obvious disappointment displayed on Huang Yimun's face as the guard captain clearly wanted to go as well. Zi Delan, the leader of the squad being trained as attackers, also looked ready to make a case for himself.
"Apologies to the rest of you," Benton said. "I will be occupied a lot of the time and won't be able to protect the participants as well as I would like. That's why I'm limiting the trip to the Foundation Establishment cultivators and Zou Tian, who has superior stealth abilities. Yuan Yaozu, if I could trouble you to keep an eye on things while I'm away?"
The Nascent Soul cupped his hands. "Of course, Sect Leader."
"I'll also be gone some over the next week as well," Benton said. "After I finish re-building the towers, I'll travel to Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town for a day or so to work on the formations there."
Yuan Yaozu nodded in acknowledgement of the plan.
"That brings us to our final piece of business," Benton said. "The Rising Tide Sect has been invited to a tournament in Sixth Flawless Flowing City."
Chapter 267 - Determination
As soon as Benton dropped the news about the invitation to the tournament, Yang Xiu's face lit up like one of his kids back on Earth finding their pile of presents on Christmas morning. The expressions of the other council members definitely showed interest, but none held the sheer joy of hers. He couldn't help but grin at seeing her so excited.
"You apparently appreciate the news," Benton said. "Want to explain why?"
"Every cultivation novel I've ever read has a tournament arc, Master! The lowly underdog main character is looked down on by all her opponents, but in the end, she beats them all. I love those chapters and can't wait to live them."
Benton wanted to shake his head. Books. Of course. On the other hand, he liked that she could be the star of the movie of her life that ran in her head. Given what she'd gone through to get where she was, she deserved that happiness, and the fact that she could shake off the bad times was proof of her resilience.
"Well, Yang Xiu and others who might be excited about the news, too, I hate to disappoint you, but the invite was not all sunshine and roses," Benton said. "It was arranged to be sent to us through the actions of the Jade Chameleon Sect. I've discussed the matter with various Poison Claw Sect elders and with Yuan Yaozu. We don't know what benefit our enemies hope to gain from our attendance, but we all agree that they seek to gain something."
Yang Xiu's expression turned absolutely crestfallen. "We're not going?"
"There is risk," Benton said. "We could be attacked. I could be ambushed. You could be targeted to be used against me. Any or all of that is on the table, or it could be something none of us has foreseen."
"We're not going," Yang Xiu said sadly.
"On the other hand, it has been pointed out to me that protecting a cultivator from danger can adversely affect their path," Benton said, "and the tournament offers a lot of advantages to the participants. It gives you a challenge to shoot for. It will provide a measuring stick against your peers in other sects. You'll gain experience fighting cultivators with styles and qi aspects that aren't available in our sect. And there are contests for craftspeople as well. Being able to observe how others prepare pills and forge metals might provide you inspiration to propel you forward. If not for the risk of harm from our enemy attacking, I'd say participation in the tournament is nothing but a positive for each of you who has the opportunity.
"Additionally, this represents a big opportunity for our sect. Even if the intentions are less than honorable, we're being recognized as a force by the four factions. That recognition, once given, can't be taken back. As long as we attend, that is. If we refuse the invitation, we're basically saying, 'Sorry, but we're not nearly as strong as you think we are.'
"So lots of positives. A big potential negative. What's my decision?"
Benton looked out over the faces of the nineteen people staring at him. Not a person in the room wasn't giving him their rapt attention.
"My decision is that I've decided not to make the decision," Benton said.
Just as they were prepared for the big crescendo of him revealing the choice, he'd confused them thoroughly. He did so love thwarting expectations.
"In some other sects, the council of elders holds true power, able to overrule the sect leader. In all sects, the council at the very least provides wise counsel to the sect leader. Most of you have barely stepped on your path to challenging the heavens. You need experience. You need to make decisions for yourselves and learn to live with the consequences.
"Each person in this room other than me gets one vote. Stay, as in don't accept the invitation, or Go, as in we participate in the tournament. When one side gets ten votes, the die is cast.
"You are free to use your time to advocate for your position, but you don't have to. As a member of this council, though, you must take a stand, choose a side. No abstaining. No sitting on a fence. We'll go in order in which you became my disciple. Yang Xiu?"
She paused for a moment, obviously considering. "Obviously, I want to go despite the danger, but the reason is not just for personal glory. My master and my sect have given me so much, and I think they are both worthy of respect. I want to do my part to convince others of that, and this tournament is the perfect opportunity. I vote Go."
Benton nodded. As expected. "Yang Ru?"
The young man glanced at Kang Lin before speaking. "I've been thinking a lot lately about when a man becomes a man and, more importantly, what it means to be a man. My father, I believe, would have told me that a man doesn't need someone else to tell him he's worthy of respect and that a man doesn't need someone else to provide him with a challenge. A man is worthy of respect because he does his job and provides for his family. The only challenge he needs is accomplishing the job set in front of him. I vote Stay."
Benton couldn't remember his disciple saying so much at one time before, especially not in a council meeting. He obviously had a lot on his mind, and Benton couldn't help but wonder about how many of those thoughts had nothing at all to do with the tournament. "Gratitude. Zhong Wen?"
The head of the village orphanage tensed when her name was called, and Benton got the impression that she would have loved to abstain.
"Stay," she said finally. "I'd hate to see any of my kids get hurt."
Benton understood the sentiment well. "Wan Ai?"
The girl immediately and quietly said, "Stay."
Benton nodded. "Zou Tian?"
The boy looked at Wan Ai. Then he looked at Yang Xiu. A pained expression crossed his face. "The benefits are known; the tournament will aid many of us in our advancement. In contrast, the risks are unknown; our enemy may attack, costing some or all of us our lives. Do I want to stay safe or challenge the heavens? Does staying mean reaching no higher than Foundation Establishment or Golden Core? Does going for it make it more possible that I eventually become a true immortal? I don't know, but it seems to me that the correct choice is Go."
Zou Tian's tone was resolute, but his face said that he wished he'd made a different choice.
Ah, young love.
Benton held back a laugh. "Gratitude for your vote. Shi Long?"
"The life of a blacksmith apprentice isn't exactly glamorous. Anytime I'm not cultivating, I'm working hard in the forges. Don't get me wrong. I love it. It's everything I didn't even know my life was missing back when I was working in the shop back in the city. And I feel bad about being selfish in my decision, but I want to see how my abilities stack up against others at my level. I say Go."
Huang Yimun and Hou Yazhu, former mercenary and former wagon driver respectively, had been made disciples at the same time. Benton called on Huang Yimun first by virtue of him being the guard captain.
"Go. No question."
Hou Yazhu's response was equally emphatic. "Stay."
"Gratitude," Benton said. "Xun Wu?"
"I have to agree with Yang Ru," the head of the Blacksmith Pavilion said. "I have no need for external validation, and the forge gives me all the challenges I'll ever need. Stay."
Benton next called on the head of the Contribution Points Shop, Peng Zhen.
"Stay, Master. In business, there is a time to take risks and a time to keep your head down. We've done enough sticking our heads up lately."
Benton certainly empathized with that point of view. "Gratitude. Zi Delan?"
The former street tough from Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town was practically bouncing on his feet. "Go, Master. Getting beat up by other sects has to be better than the drumming Yang Ru is giving me daily."
The mayor, Mo Jian, was up next.
"Stay, Sect Leader. There is no reason to put the villagers through unnecessary risk."
"Gratitude. Guang Yin?"
The former associate member of the Righteous Rain Sect took his time answering. "This is not an easy decision, Sect Leader. Being invited to the Quinquennial Tournament is a huge honor. Refusing it is a disgrace not easily overcome. My inclination is to vote Go. But our sect has a real enemy, one who wishes nothing more than our utter destruction. As there is not a woodcutting contest, I will not bear the consequence of my decision, though. These young people will. I'd hate to have their suffering on my head. But at the same time, I can't tell them to stay and give up on their chance for glory and honor. Basically, I'm very conflicted, but since I have to choose, it's Go."
"Gratitude, Guang Yin. I appreciate the difficulty," Benton said. "Sun Hua?"
His assistant looked at each of the council members who had yet to vote, and he could almost see her tallying their choices in her head.
"Go, Sect Leader," she said simply.
"Gratitude. Kang Lin?"
The Poison Claw Sect member shot him a look that showed she still disapproved of someone who wasn't even a sect member getting a vote. When he didn't respond, she huffed.
"Fine," she said. "Every member of my sect works very hard in the hopes of being chosen to be one of our participants in the Quinquennial Tournament. I cannot and will not take that opportunity away from my friends, regardless of the potential danger. Go."
Her attitude at being forced to be included made Benton hide a laugh. She definitely was one of his favorites.
"Gratitude. Xiang Da?"
The older man, the leader of the Formations Pavilion, simply said, "Stay."
The leader of the Healing Pavilion, Pan Xiaolian, was called on next.
"I understand that the children will be disappointed at not being able to go, but I can't ignore the chance of someone being seriously hurt. Stay."
"Gratitude," Benton said.
The next on the list was someone that he hadn't dealt with much to that point, Mo Nuying. The older lady was … formidable despite her low cultivation realm. He understood why Sun Hua had chosen the woman as the head of the Punishment Hall.
As the vote had proceeded, she had fixed each of the people who had expressed interest in competing with a glare, so Benton naturally assumed that her vote would be negative.
"Only a fool would want to put their lives on the line just to compete in a game," Mo Nuying said. "Far be it from me to interfere with the foolishness of youth, though. Go."
Well, that decision was interesting. Her affirmation left the tally at nine to Go and nine to Stay. Yuan Yaozu would cast the deciding vote.
All eyes swung to look at him, and he chuckled.
"Until this very meeting, I'd never met most of you. I didn't even know your names. Now I'm being asked to make this momentous decision for a sect of which I'm not even a member. Sect Leader, this organization you run certainly is never boring."
Benton grinned back at him. "That it isn't."
"You know one thing I've noticed about the people in this room, Sect Leader? For the most part, they have no fear of me. Basically only Guang Yin and Kang Lin obviously defer to me. I'd think I was the most mundane Qi Gathering cultivator imaginable if I were to judge myself based solely on their reactions. Definitely not a Nascent Soul, an existence at the pinnacle anyone on this continent has achieved."
Yuan Yaozu laughed again. "Even at those words, almost none of them even looked the slightest bit chagrined. Either your sect members need exposure to the other sects, or the other sects need to experience your sect members. Either way, the result is likely to be interesting. I say Go."
Chapter 268 – Never Again
Benton was both worried and gladdened by the choice his council had made. They had chosen the path of danger, which came with obvious risks, but he felt like none of them were going into the situation blindly or taking the danger for granted. Instead, they'd given the matter consideration and decided that the gains were worth the potential price.
Of course, young people tended to think themselves invulnerable—sometimes old fools did, too, as he'd recently found out—making them prone to weigh benefits more highly than potential losses. And if their decision led to any of them dying, he'd never forgive himself.
Evelyn would have shared those exact concerns, and she would have told him that keeping the kids confined to the house and never letting them explore the world was bad, too. Which was worse—dying or never living?
Regardless, the die was cast. If he had been adamantly opposed to their decision, he would never have left it up to them in the first place, so now that they'd made it, he'd accept it.
"Gratitude to all of you for serving the sect in making this determination," Benton said. "Now that it has been made, it is important that we all pull in the same direction. Even if you voted Stay and you unbendingly believe your position is right, I implore you to put aside those thoughts. The goal for all of us now is to make our participation in the tournament as safe and rewarding as possible."
So far, the council members hadn't shown much animosity when their choices were overruled. Which kind of made sense. Most of them were very young and had no experience with leadership. They were still getting used to the idea of being in charge, and the thought that everyone should be forced to do what they wanted was still a foreign concept.
Benton hoped it would be a long, long time before internal political divisions started playing a role in sect administration. That such would happen was inevitable, but he'd fight tooth and nail to hold it off as long as he could.
Getting back to his address to the council, he'd already told them about which contests were being held and how they were divided by realm. Now, it was time to dive a bit more into the logistical details. "In no more than four months, we must send notice of how many of our members are competing in which contests and divisions. Approximately three weeks after that, we must send a detailed list along with names and realms. That's the deadline for us to decide who is participating and for the chosen members to solidify their realm."
He glanced at each of the councilors, assuring that he had their attention. "You're probably asking—how are the participants chosen? The answer is easy. The pavilion heads will make that determination."
As usual, Yang Xiu was the first to speak. "What's the criteria, Master?"
"That's up to the pavilion leader. How to choose the participants. How many participants. All of it is completely up to the discretion of the person or persons in charge of each of the relevant pavilions."
Yuan Yaozu looked concerned about that proclamation.
"I will give you two pieces of advice for your consideration," Benton said. "One, there is admittedly danger involved. Everyone going will get a contingency ring, and I'll probably come up with some other types of protective treasures as well. But the participants need to both be aware of that danger and be capable of handling some measure of it. Obviously, I can't be everywhere at once. A smaller group is easier to protect.
"Two, we have two things we want out of the tournament. The lesser one is to show the other factions our strength. I'm with Yang Ru on this one. To a great extent, how we see ourselves matters a lot more than how others see us. However, there is some cooperation required among the factions, and being perceived as strong helps with that. Bringing obviously weak and unprepared members will not help us in that regard much. For example, while I'm pleased with the progress of our martial members and think the Alchemy Pavilion is coming along nicely, the Formations Pavilion isn't quite where it needs to be to compete against other sects, and I don't think it will get there in less than five months."
"Agreed, Sect Leader," Xiang Da said. "Besides, most of us are more inclined toward reading books than we are to going on adventures. We'll be just fine staying home and repairing any problems with the arrays. I do have one request, however?"
"Go for it," Benton said.
"You mentioned repairing the towers? Which will mean a lot of intense formations work. I know we're not ready to help with such a complex undertaking, but I believe that simply watching what you do will help us immensely. We already feel like we're advancing much faster after simply learning about the arrays used on the houses and such."
Benton only had to think for a moment. With him at Nascent Soul and Yuan Yaozu available for protection for the next century, the value of keeping the towers' arrays completely secret was severely lessened. Besides, observers from the factions had seen what they could do. Not to mention that, even if preserving secrecy were paramount, Benton trusted his people.
"Permission granted," Benton said. "I'll message you before I start the work."
The Formations Pavilion Leader cupped his hands. "Gratitude."
"Okay," Benton said. "The second goal for the tournament is for it to benefit the participants' advancement. When you're thinking of whom to send, don't only choose the most powerful or most skilled members. Think about who might gain insight from watching their peers or might need the challenge to rise above. Leading a pavilion isn't just about logistics or being the best at that particular skill. It's about knowing your members and figuring out how to help them improve. Understand?"
"Yes, Sect Leader," the pavilion heads chorused.
Benton smiled. He really did have good people. "I'll leave the rest to you, then. I would tell you to feel free to reach out to me for help or advice, but for at least the next month or two, I'll be so busy that you should only come to me in an emergency. In fact, consider me absent from the sect during that time, just like when I was building the towers in the first place."
Sun Hua looked panicked.
"I see you understand, my highly capable assistant," Benton said. "I think I made it apparent that I intend for Yang Xiu and Yang Ru to eventually inherit this sect. They were my first disciples and have continued to impress me with their talent and diligence. Both are excelling in martial might and cultivation progress."
The twins cupped their hands.
"Being strong and advancing to a high realm is an important part of being a sect leader," Benton said. "However, it's not the only crucial aspect. Running a sect requires skills and knowledge in administration and logistics. I want both of you to take turns working under Sun Hua, learning everything she does for the sect. I don't expect you to be able to perform her functions as well as she does them, but you need to understand the what and the how and why it's so important."
It was Yang Xiu's turn to look panicked.
Benton hid a grin. "Don't worry. I know you've got way too much on your plates until after the tournament, so let's put a timetable on that. Starting six months from today, I want one of you to shadow Sun Hua for an entire month, and at the end of that month, the other will take that same position. Fair?"
"Yes, Master," the two said.
"In the interim," Benton said, "you both will be as busy as I am, and running the sect is mainly an administrative function. Sun Hua, you are the acting sect leader whenever I'm indisposed until I state otherwise."
She swallowed. Hard. "Y-yes, Sect Leader."
"Remember that you're not alone in this." Benton met the eyes of every other person present in turn. "I expect every member of this council to lend any aid they can to you. Ask and ye shall receive. Understand?"
"Yes, Sect Leader." That time, she seemed much more sure of her answer.
Good.
"Now, there is a caveat to you being in charge," Benton said. "You are fantastic at the administrative side of running things. On the other hand, you have little to no experience with combat or fighting. If there is any threat to the sect at all during the time when you're in charge, you need to take decisive action on a limited decision tree. If it's a true emergency, crack your contingency ring to summon me. If you're not sure if it's a true emergency, ask Yuan Yaozu, Zou Tian, or the twins. If it's not an emergency, pass temporary leadership of the sect over to the highest ranking member of the Martial Pavilion that you can. My preference for order would be the twins, Zou Tian, Huang Yimun, Hou Yazhu, and Zi Delan. Works?"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Benton felt a bit bad about leaving Yuan Yaozu and Kang Lin out of the chain of succession, but while it felt right to treat disciples like sect members most of the time, it simply didn't seem like a good idea for a member of another sect to be appointed sect leader, no matter how temporary the basis.
"Does anyone have anything they'd like to add?" Benton said.
No one did.
"Great. Yuan Yaozu and Zou Tian, please stay back for a few minutes," Benton said. "The rest of you are dismissed."
While everyone filed out, Benton mentally reviewed his To Do List for the next week.
Repair/Rebuild Towers
Make and Distribute More Contingency Rings
Create GDF for Fatty Ren's Palace
Forge Sword and Glaive for PCS Elders
Upgrade Personal Power in Preparation for Mountain Excursion
He mentally frowned at the necessity for that last one. Since he felt ready to take on a dozen or so rival Nascent Souls on his own, powering up more felt a bit overblown.
There was no guarantee, though, that the cyclops was the most powerful creature on the mountain. Not wanting to risk bringing more heat down on himself at the time, Benton hadn't done an extensive scan of the area, and while any number of equivalent peak Nascent Soul beasts didn't faze him, who knew if there was one at the equivalent of the Nihility realm. After all, such a beast would probably have the ability to hide itself from a cursory scan.
Never again would he underestimate the power of those higher in rank than him. Never again.
Chapter 269 – The True Cause of Great Trepidation
Zou Tian was curious about why Master had asked him to stay behind, but he wasn't concerned. As a street rat working as a lookout for gangs back in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, a meeting with the boss was more likely than not a bad thing. It usually meant that the boss thought Zou Tian had done something wrong, be it missing something he should have observed or being lazy or stealing something or whatever other paranoid suspicion happened to pass through the guy's minuscule brain.
The sect operated much differently. Zou Tian had literally heard of only one case of a member being punished, and that penalty was absolutely earned. Instead, as far as he'd observed, a summons from Master tended to result in either a mission or a gift. Though he was greatly looking forward to hitting Foundation Establishment to become the recipient of all the interesting rewards that came with hitting that mark, he was at least six months from advancing and couldn't think of any other reason for him to be rewarded.
Thus, he was very interested in what mission the sect leader had in mind. The inclusion of a Nascent Soul in the meeting definitely provided a clue that the task must be important. Whatever it was would definitely be noteworthy. And possibly dangerous.
Regardless, it was Zou Tian's honor to serve the sect and his master.
After everyone except him, the new Nascent Soul disciple, and Master had left the room, Sun Hua re-entered with tea, and the three of them sat to drink it once she'd left.
"Yuan Yaozu, you've met my disciple, Zou Tian, right?" Master said.
"I have. He was one of the juniors who assisted me prior to my trial. Their advice was quite helpful."
"He's a good kid," Master said. "He's also one of the sect's resources that I have been severely underutilizing."
Zou Tian's ears perked up at that. As he'd suspected, a mission was surely forthcoming. He resolved to keep his mouth shut, though, as the two high realmed cultivators spoke.
Master smiled. "When I first saw him, I knew he was something special. Though he was a mortal through and through, his aspect was already manifesting."
"A mortal manifesting Shadow? That is special indeed," Yuan Yaozu said. "The sects snatch up any mortals with aspects that strong, but I guess Shadow would have made it difficult unless you had cause to focus specifically on him."
"That's exactly what happened. I was expecting a lookout from the local gangs, and my eyes just slid right past him."
"Excellent source material for an assassin," Yuan Yaozu said.
Zou Tian grimaced. That surely would have been his fate had any other sect found him first.
Master shook his head. "That's a bit too dark for my sensibilities. I understand that, sometimes, there are people who simply need a good killing, but I intend to address such matters myself. And only those whom I absolutely must." He turned to meet Zou Tian's eyes. "If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to kill someone, I trust that it will be someone who deserves it and that you saw no other path. Know that I won't second guess you, and the sect will have your back."
Zou Tian's heart swelled at the comment. The fact that the most powerful person he'd ever met trusted his judgment so much was extraordinary. "Yes, Master."
Yuan Yaozu's brows furrowed, giving him a quizzical look. His expression clearly asked, "If not that purpose, what is his role?"
"He survived as an orphan on the streets of the city by being observant and acting on what he saw to keep himself safe," Master said. "It's those qualities that I plan to use. I consider him a scout, someone to move into enemy territory, analyze our opponents, and return with that information so that our fighters can enter battle prepared."
"I guess I can see that working. It seems more like how the Emperor's military operates than a sect, though," Yuan Yaozu said. "My experience is that cultivators mostly act alone or in small teams for missions. But I guess that this information matches what I've observed with how you seem to be forming permanent squads for specific purposes."
"Exactly. And I think it's time for young Zou Tian to perform his first bit of active scouting for the sect. I'm assuming you've guessed why you're here?"
"You wish my help in preparing the lad," Yuan Yaozu said.
"Your oath is only to defend the sect," Master said, "and this task falls well outside that responsibility. I can promise that, if you assist in this matter, I'll make it up to you. A weapon? A technique? Your choice."
The Nascent Soul cupped his hands. "I would have accepted without any enticement, but I won't refuse your largess."
Master had just bribed a Nascent Soul with a priceless treasure to serve as a tutor for a Qi Gathering sect member. If not for already seeing similar actions from the sect leader that were just as over the top, Zou Tian would have been overwhelmed at the thought of the value being spent on his behalf. As it was, he was just really, really grateful.
And curious as to how he was expected to serve the sect.
Master cupped his hands in return. "Gratitude." He turned to Zou Tian. "I'm assuming that you don't plan on participating in the tournament?"
"Correct, Master. One-on-one spars are not my strength, and my overall usefulness to the sect is enhanced by having fewer people know my abilities."
"Well stated," Yuan Yaozu said. "I definitely can work with this kid."
Master beamed. "He's got a sharp mind to go with the talent." He turned again to Zou Tian. "We know that the Jade Chameleons have something planned, but we don't know what. The Poison Claw Sect will attempt to figure it out, but the situation is important enough for us to use our own resources. Before the tournament, I'd like for you to travel to the city and try to find out what our enemies intend."
"You want the boy to spy, Sect Leader?" Yuan Yaozu said.
From his tone, the Nascent Soul clearly was against the idea.
"Spying, to me, indicates infiltration. Pretending to be someone he's not. Developing sources," Master said. "I don't want him to do any of those things. No disguises. I just want him to go to taverns and other public places and listen for rumors. See if he can piece together the puzzle."
Yuan Yaozu frowned. "It's still dangerous."
"It is," Master said. "Zou Tian, sects tend to be prejudiced against those in the Qi Gathering realm. The common belief is that no cultivator can truly serve the sect until they reach at least Foundation Establishment, and honestly, there is a lot of truth to that thinking. Certain cases are exceptions, though. Take Sun Hua. She contributes a great deal to our sect. And not only is she in the Qi Gathering realm, but she would be just as effective as a mortal. With your strong aspect, I think you can be an exception as well."
Though Zou Tian hadn't originally felt that way about himself, he'd come to understand that the truly exceptional sect members treated him as a peer. Not believing in himself would be the same as failing to give them face.
He nodded.
"To be clear," Master said, "you are under no obligation to accept this mission."
If anyone but Master had made that statement, Zou Tian would have snorted. The sect had given him everything. He owed Master his life. There was nothing he wouldn't do for that man.
Master shook his head sadly. "I know. There's no possibility of you refusing, no matter how dangerous it is."
"Correct, Master."
"Alright, how about this?" Master said. "Wan Ai has to accept the mission on your behalf, meaning you must convince her it's safe enough for you to proceed."
Zou Tian's jaw dropped. He'd already been concerned about how to break the news of the mission to Wan Ai. Convincing her of the mission's safety would be crazy difficult.
"Master, please?"
"Sorry. That's the condition. Look, whatever plot they've cooked up was developed at the highest levels of their sect. That means that it's unlikely you'll discover their deep dark secrets. Our safety is not dependent on you. That's on me. Understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"I'm hoping you find out something that helps me keep the others safe, but I'm not counting on it. Do not put yourself in jeopardy. I don't want you thinking that you can do something idiotic like sneaking into whatever house they're using in the city and eavesdropping or something. As a mortal, you were insignificant, and that made it easy for you to hide. You're actually easier to detect now that you're a cultivator as spiritual sense can find you."
"Yes, Master."
"The good news is that you've got months to prepare," Master said. "Yuan Yaozu can help with planning and training. I'll get you anything you can think of that can help. Literally, if you can imagine it, I can probably come up with something. You'll have priority with the Trial Pagoda whenever you need it. Whatever you need to keep yourself safe and help make your mission a success, ask and it's yours."
Zou Tian's head was spinning with all the stuff he needed to determine. The entire resources of the sect had basically been put at his disposal. He just had to figure out how to make the best use of them. Before taking his leave, he made arrangements to meet up with Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu in two days to get the Nascent Soul's advice and to discuss training and techniques.
In truth, Zou Tian felt great trepidation at leaving the Administration Hall as his next stop was far more intimidating than facing two high realmed cultivators. He had to tell his girlfriend that he wanted to take on a mission that would put his life in danger.
That discussion was sure to go well.
Chapter 270 – Who Stays and Who Goes?
With all the enthusiasm of a man going to his execution, Zou Tian walked into the Alchemy Pavilion and climbed the stairs leading up to Wan Ai's private lab. For all he knew, he metaphorically was doing just that.
When he arrived at his destination, however, his girlfriend wasn't there. Which was weird. She spent over ninety percent of her time in that room, using it for eating, cultivating, and practicing alchemy.
A bit worried that something was wrong, he searched the building. His investigation didn't last long. He found her on the second floor in one of the group labs with Bai Xinyi, Wan Ai's second in command, and Cui Su, the best alchemist besides the other two girls in the room.
"Zou Tian," Wan Ai said warmly. "You're just in time. I explained to these two what the sect leader told us about the tournament."
"She wants to leave the selection up to us, Senior Brother," Bai Xinyi said. "And she refuses to compete herself. Will you please talk some sense into her!"
Everything that he'd learned as a street rat in Sixth Flawless Flowing City had taught him that the biggest threat to a leader was the person placed second in command, so he kept expecting the girl to try to usurp Wan Ai's position. In fact, he kept a close eye out for any signs of treachery. If Bai Xinyi was making any moves of that kind, though, he certainly couldn't find any evidence. Maybe there was a big difference in behavior and attitudes between people raised in a small village and those who came from the streets of a city, and his expectations needed to be reset.
Actually, he encountered far less backbiting and squabbling overall than he would have expected. The only true schemer he'd found was Sun Hua's mother, but the girl herself seemed to be loyal and grateful as well as competent.
As for Bai Xinyi's request, though, Zou Tian had to respectfully decline. "You do understand the danger, do you not? There is a definite nonzero probability that our sect members attending the tournament will be kidnapped or killed. I'd much prefer that Wan Ai remain behind, and the two of you should consider doing so as well."
Of course, he was positive his girlfriend wasn't planning on staying behind out of any worry about the hazards. No, she would simply desire to avoid the spotlight. The idea of people's eyes on her as she competed was her ultimate nightmare. Well, second only to the thought of all the attention she'd get if she actually won.
"We shouldn't go?" Bai Xinyi said. "But it's the city. I've never even been a mile from this village my entire life, and we have an opportunity to travel to the actual city. It's different for you since you grew up there. To us, it's a literal dream."
Beside her, Cui Su nodded emphatically. Only Wan Ai seemed dispassionate about the whole affair.
"I didn't say you shouldn't go. I said that you should weigh the risks."
"The sect leader will protect us, right?" Bai Xinyi said. "He just defeated two Nascent Soul cultivators by himself. Who could be more powerful than him?"
Zou Tian sighed. "I have every confidence in Master, but it's not so simple. A well-organized attack might target multiple sect members at once, and you two are uniquely vulnerable due to your comparative lack of martial skill."
The two looked crestfallen.
"If it's that important, you can go," he said. "Master is allowing basically anyone who wants to participate to go. He wouldn't do that if he felt the danger was too extreme, and you'll get contingency rings and whatever other protective measures he devises as well. I'd still suggest at the very least spending some time at the Martial Pavilion learning how to avoid ambushes and kidnapping attempts."
"But you're not going?" Bai Xinyi said.
"I am not participating in the tournament."
He'd stated his response in a very particular way, one that kind of did and kind of did not answer her question. From the look Wan Ai gave him, she immediately picked up on the difference.
"You're going?" Wan Ai said. "But you're not participating. Why?"
He sighed. Having that particular conversation in front of the other two girls wasn't optimal. "Master asked me to carry out a mission for the sect that requires me to go to the city."
Again, that wasn't a lie, though he'd withheld a certain crucial detail.
Wan Ai huffed, clearly not pleased at the thought of him putting himself in danger. "Fine."
"Really?" he said.
That was unexpected. He thought there'd be much wailing and gnashing of teeth before she gave in.
"Yes," Wan Ai said. "But if you're going, so am I."
Well, shoot.
Yang Xiu might not have ever been so excited in her life. A tournament. A real cultivator tournament. And she would be a participant.
Growing up in a small town well away from any major sects, she naturally had a huge curiosity about cultivators. They seemed so powerful and mysterious as they passed through every couple of years to test the young people who had come of age since they last were there. Her only source of information on them had been novels.
She wasn't stupid, understanding that such tales were surely biased and edited for dramatic effect. And she doubted that they were written by actual cultivators. For all she knew, the author knew no more about sects than she did.
Still, one constant in the novels, an arc she always enjoyed, was the underdog protagonist proving to be more powerful than all that looked down on them by winning a tournament. That was always one of her favorite parts of the book.
She never would have believed she'd actually get such an opportunity to participate in one. Then again, sect life had been even better than the novels in just about every way. Instead of being weak and getting bullied, she possessed high talent and was one of the sect leader's favorites, and her master was exactly like a supremely powerful hidden master straight out of one of those books, mysterious and wise and able to do just about anything. Sure, he barely won against two Nascent Souls, but she was willing to bet everything she had that, if he faced a dozen of them, he'd still come out on top.
He did have a bit of a flair for the dramatic, and she loved it!
Master had given her a task, however, and she needed to get to it. As co-leader of the Martial Pavilion, it was up to her and her brother to choose the other tournament participants. Thus, she'd gathered him, Kang Lin, Huang Yimun, Hou Yazhu, and Zi Delan in one of the building's many small rooms.
Of the council members who were also part of the pavilion, only Zou Tian was missing since he'd been asked to stay behind by Master. Though Yang Xiu would have preferred to have his guidance, she felt that the rest of them could handle coming up with a plan, especially since Kang Lin probably had knowledge of how such selections were handled.
"First of all," Yang Xiu said, "does everyone here wish to participate?"
Yang Ru grunted, the one he used for expressing affirmation, and both Huang Yimun and Zi Delan nodded vigorously. Hou Yazhu didn't look quite so sure, which made sense in that he'd voted "Stay."
She turned to him, raising her eyebrows in question.
"I was a wagon driver by trade, Senior Sister. When I was asked to lead one of the guard squads, I agreed as there was no one better to do it, and I think I'm doing okay at that job. Mostly, though, my squad is tasked with detecting an intruder and calling for help. We're not nearly as highly skilled at fighting as you others are, and we don't enjoy it as much. Mostly. There are a couple of young ones in my group who might want to, but most of us…"
That attitude wasn't something that Yang Xiu shared, but she understood that some people simply didn't enjoy battle or even sparring. She'd felt so powerless during that whole situation that led her to flee her home that she relished having the ability to defend herself. The more she could experience actually using her might, the better.
"That's fine," she said. "It's not mandatory for anyone. Kang Lin?"
"I'm hopeful that Grandfather will have a spot for me with the Poison Claw contingent."
Ah. Yeah. Sometimes, Yang Xiu forgot that her kind of sister wasn't an actual member of the Rising Tide Sect. That was okay, though. Everyone had their flaws, and Yang Xiu would forgive the other girl that one, even if it was a fairly major one.
Hopefully, she'd end up transferring sects soon enough. If Yang Ru ever got off his duff and proposed. Everybody with eyes could see the two of them getting closer together, and everyone knew it would happen eventually. Heck, if they were back in the town, the elders would have had the two of them hitched months ago.
"So far, we have four participants for the fighting contest," Yang Xiu said. "How many are we looking for, and how do we choose them?"
The question was somewhat rhetorical as she had no intention of waiting for one of the others to interject.
She rushed forward before any of them could speak. "I say we limit it to ten members. Master said that we shouldn't take too many, and to figure out the other six, we should have our own tournament!"
The idea of sponsoring her own internal Martial Pavilion contest was almost as exciting as going to the one in Sixth Flawless Flowing City.
Yang Ru shook his head. "All our Foundation Establishment members should have the opportunity to go."
"Both of us are… Oh."
Jin LiJuan was a kid. Only twelve. And the girl was advancing so fast that her skills clearly couldn't keep up with her raw strength. She'd need a lot of work to defeat someone in the same realm as her. On the other hand, her bonded beast would be allowed to fight with her, and that creature was tough.
So…
"Okay. Good point," Yang Xiu said. "Jin LiJuan and Ganzou make five. Everyone is agreed that we hold a tournament to select the remaining five?"
No one voiced an objection.
Perfect!
The next several months were going to be so much fun.
As a shop clerk at the Swift Hunter Weapon Vault back in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, Shi Long knew he wanted to forge blades and hammers and polearms and such, but since his family couldn't afford to apprentice him to a blacksmith, selling weapons was the closest he could get. For the opportunity to live out what he felt was his destiny, he'd always be grateful to the sect leader.
Currently, Shi Long technically had two masters. The sect leader filled that position in terms of cultivation, though Shi Long didn't have nearly as close a relationship with the man as some of his fellow disciples did.
Shi Long's real master, though, was Xun Wu, who was teaching the former shop clerk to be a blacksmith and enabling him to live out his dream.
"Master," Shi Long said, "will we participate in the tournament?"
Xun Wu frowned. "You want to, don't you?"
"It would be nice to see my family and, honestly, to compare myself with other apprentices."
"You're exactly where you're supposed to be in your development and skills, lad. Better than most."
"I know, Master, but I can't help but wonder."
Xun Wu sighed. "I won't stand in the way of you seeing your folks. Just be mindful of the danger."
"I will, Master." Shi Long cupped his hands. "Gratitude, Master."
"I don't expect any of the others will want to go. The sense I get is that the village is plenty big enough for them. Even the sect is stretching things a bit much for their liking. I guess it wouldn't be fair to send you as our sole representative from the Blacksmith Pavilion."
"You're going, Master?" Shi Long couldn't hide the delight from his voice.
"I might as well. Placing high will do my reputation good, and I'll need that if I ever want to be considered a Master Blacksmith."
Not wanting to disappoint either of his masters, Shi Long had a lot of work to do to get ready for the tournament. Busy hands made time go quickly. Five months were sure to pass fast.
Chapter 271 – Time after Time
As soon as everyone exited Benton's office, he got right to work. He'd given himself a week to get everything on his list accomplished, which would have been impossible without his ability to manipulate time. With his new Aura, though…
Well, he had no idea. It all depended on how long certain elements took and if he got sidetracked and various other unknowns. He might finish with days to spare or seconds from his self-imposed deadline.
The first item on the list was rebuilding the towers, which he had to do from scratch. Parts of the process were easier on the second go around since experience had taught him the most efficient methods for inscribing the particular arrays he used, but one aspect was a major headache—both the towers had been sheered into two pieces just below the ground level. And while it was tempting to use a combination of alchemy, formations, and good old construction knowhow to simply rebuild atop the old foundation, the fact was that there was no way to make the new joint as strong as when the trunk had been a single log.
Benton had no choice but to demo the entire foundation and start over from scratch.
Making judicious use of his Time Aura, he worked through the night digging, getting rid of the old structure, and building back up to level with the surface. As the sun crested the horizon, his sect members from the Formations Pavilion showed up to watch, seeing two bare logs sticking up out of the ground.
Benton slowed way down for a while and explained all his actions—how and why he was inscribing so many different paths for the qi to travel, the purpose of the sticks jutting from divots in the base's surface, all the arrays he used on each rock. He even let them practice those arrays, though he didn't dare use them on the tower. They just weren't up to the standard needed to protect the sect.
Once he was sure that they all understood the what, why, and how, he utilized his Time Aura once again to finish the tedious part of layering the rocks all the way up the tower. Eventually, they reached the main weapon array and the turret, and he again went into instructor mode, using his Gravity Aura to levitate them up to the top of tower to watch him inscribe those arrays as well.
Those guys and gal might not have been the most accomplished of his sect members so far, but they showed true dedication in spending the entire day watching him zoom around rapidly finishing the tower. And by sunset, he scratched that item off his To Do list.
His next task was to create contingency rings. He wanted to make sure that every person on the council, at the very least, got one. Other than that, he really didn't have a plan on who to distribute them to or how many to make.
The thing about manipulating time the way that he did was that, while he might look like he was moving faster than a speeding locomotive from the outside, on the inside of the bubble he was moving at his subjectively normal speed. Meaning that he couldn't just blow through chores. He got to experience each and every tedious second.
Joy.
After the pure boredom caused by most of the individual parts of constructing the towers, he was in exactly no mood to forge and inscribe nearly a thousand rings. Though his eventual goal was for each member to have one, there was no burning need for that to happen that night. Or even in the next day, month, or even year.
Benton settled on making one hundred new rings. That would get a decent chunk, ten percent, of his eventual goal taken care of and would ensure that everyone who really needed one immediately should be able to get it. For the distribution, he'd just hand out several to all the council members and tell them to give it to the sect members they felt most needed or deserved it.
Nice. Delegating would give the kiddos something to do, and it solved a problem for him. Win-win.
The rings didn't take much objective time, and since he didn't want to show up at Fatty Ren's palace in the middle of the night, Benton decided that the productive thing to do would be to make greater spirit coins. Those were so useful for feeding minor and major formations around the sect, replenishing qi pools, and as a form of cultivator currency. It was one of those things he could never realistically have enough of. Even better, creating them didn't take much concentration at all. He couldn't read or anything while doing it unless he wanted to use Dual Mind, but he definitely could somewhat veg and let his brain mostly turn off.
The next morning, he sent off a few messages. He notified Yuan Yaozu and Sun Hua that he'd be away from the sect for one to three days, the former so he would be prepared to be the sect's sole high realmed defender while the sect leader was away and the latter so she'd know she was well and truly on her own and in charge. Benton also left her a bag full of rings along with instructions on what to do with them.
His final message was to Fatty Ren, giving him advance notice—albeit very short notice—to expect the imminent arrival of his sect leader. About five minutes after the paper dragon reached the palace, Benton teleported.
"Fatty Ren! Great to see you again."
Since the big man had been given a heads up, he wasn't nearly as surprised as he might otherwise have been. Which, on the one hand, wasn't much fun but, on the other, was a much more considerate and polite way of doing things.
The Town Lord cupped his hands. "Greetings, Friend Su."
Though his tone was light, it was clear from his tone that he was curious as to the reason for the visit. Benton's message had been terse, stating only that he would be arriving soon.
"Just stopping by to construct the Grand Defensive Formation for your palace," Benton said.
Instead of being happy to have his protection finally being put in place, the man seemed a bit disappointed.
"What's wrong?" Benton said.
The big man sighed. "It's just that our sect members here haven't seen much of you, Friend Su. The newest inductees haven't met you at all."
Fair enough. Benton hadn't exactly been giving the branch sect much attention. Of course, it was something of a tricky situation to navigate. Fatty Ren was the clear head of the branch sect, and though everyone knew that the sect leader was above him, Benton didn't want to step on anyone's toes.
He'd been on both sides of such situations back on Earth. There was nothing worse than leading a team and having the boss come down from on high and contradict everything you've been telling your people. Conversely, it was difficult as the more experienced person to see someone making mistakes and keep your mouth shut.
Fatty Ren's other concern was that, since he inducted so many new people that he hadn't had a chance to properly vet, he feared the other factions might have snuck in some spies.
Benton shrugged. "That would be unfortunate, but there's a limited amount they can discover here at the branch sect. Definitely investigate thoroughly anyone who might want to move to the main sect."
"How should I handle any traitors, Friend Su?"
Benton didn't care all that much. He would probably expel them from the sect, maybe put them in some kind of jail for a while. Or try to exact a penance from whatever organization backed them. But he didn't want to dictate too much of the minutiae of running things. "Whatever you think is best."
There was also the twofold issue of having a lot of work to do to create a complicated custom formation around the palace and not wanting to show his true strength. As such, he planned to limit himself to using his Time Manipulation technique in lieu of his more powerful, less concentration intensive Aura.
Benton ended up spending three entire days in Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town completing the task he went there to accomplish and spending time with the new members, personally presenting each of them with their sect token that would get them through the palace's GDF. By playing the unfathomable ancient master role, he also dispensed the occasional nugget of wisdom without impugning on Fatty Ren's authority.
When Benton finally returned to the main branch, he was glad for making the effort to get to know the new people. While there were no outstanding talents, there were quite a few craftspeople that were sure to aid in the burgeoning pavilions. The first batch would be hitting minor realm four while he was on his expedition, and since he'd been otherwise occupied when the first batch had advanced to minor realm three, he gave Fatty Ren enough Qi Condensing Pills for all of them to immediately step up to minor realm five upon reaching the lesser milestone.
Benton made a mental note to return after the auction to start the process of transporting some of the more promising craftspeople to the main branch. While they could simply learn the necessary techniques at the palace, he really felt that being in an environment with others practicing the same craft would speed their progress.
With the GDF creation crossed off his list, he was left with two tasks—creating custom weapons to trade to the Poison Claw elders and upgrading his personal power. Two days. Two tasks. Not bad.
The first item, the Poison-aspected sword, was easy. There were no major differences between it and the ones he'd already made. And he had enough starsteel remaining to make it.
The second weapon, though…
First of all, he was faced with a major decision. A glaive was a polearm, basically a head containing a blade attached to a long pole. Which led to the obvious question—should the pole be made of starsteel or Orange Vigor Spirit Wood?
Benton's sect had a monopoly on the production of the wood. The more he spread around its use, the better for his sect. But there were problems.
For one thing, enhanced starsteel was simply stronger and conducted qi better than the wood. The main benefit of the latter was that it was cheaper and was almost as durable and nearly as good a conductor. Almost wasn't good enough, though, when making a masterwork.
The problem was that he didn't have enough ingots left for both the oversized head and the pole. And when it came to the crafts he'd mastered, a sense of perfectionism made it difficult for him to cut corners, so he ended up buying more ingots from Kang Ya-Ting.
His test version of the weapon—he'd bought plenty of metal to serve his needs for the foreseeable future—was … an abject failure. His Swordsmith Mastery really helped him a lot with making swords. Not so much with polearms.
It was so bad that he didn't even consider giving the result away to a junior. Instead, he destroyed it with Void so that no one would ever see it.
He was honestly tempted to spend the points needed to become a master of creating polearms as well.
Benton didn't normally think of himself as stubborn, but sometimes, certain things stuck in his craw. He was a Master Blacksmith. That meant something on this world. He possessed all the skill he needed to create a perfect glaive. All he needed was a little practice.
More like a lot of practice.
He kept hitting snags where he couldn't get the weapon quite right and even had to call Xun Wu, who had made a few polearms in his day, over for advice. Even with Benton using his Aura, nearly two full days had passed by the time he completed the work to his satisfaction.
Just in time. It was nearly morning, and he and his disciples would be leaving for their expedition at dawn. If he stretched the moment, he should be able to complete his powerup without them having to wait on him.
Chapter 272 – Punching Up
Benton re-activated his Time Aura. He didn't have long before the kids were ready to depart for the expedition to the mountains, and he didn't want to delay them. Before they arrived, he needed to check his gains he'd made since the last time he looked at his status and decide how best to upgrade himself further.
In the last two weeks, twenty of his sect members had made a total of five advancements in Bronze Body Cultivation, gaining him one hundred Sect Points. Additionally, Wan Ai had figured out how to incorporate the herbs he'd purchased for the twins into baths about a week prior. They each gained him three bonus points upon reaching Silver and another four in making it to minor realm two, so fourteen points total. Testing had proven that Jin LiJuan could use any of the baths, and she had chosen to emulate her Senior Sister Yang Xiu. For no extra cost, the little girl got him another seven points.
Benton's total gain for Body Cultivation over the time period was one hundred twenty-one points. Not bad.
He really liked Body Cultivation for the super consistent gains it provided while at the same time making his sect members much stronger, faster, and more durable. And it wasn't really that expensive. Even if they eventually ran low on beast cores, his ability to easily create mass quantities of greater spirit coins would offset the costs.
So worth it!
As profitable as Body Cultivation was, it just couldn't hold a candle to Spiritual Cultivation, considering how rapidly he had expanded his sect. After all, the low minor realms were fast point earners. Unfortunately, he fully expected his current pace to slow greatly unless he stepped up recruitment.
The village was getting close to tapped out as a resource for new members, only having a few hundred who were un-inducted, and neither he nor Fatty Ren were too enthusiastic about adding random citizens from Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town.
Benton did have some thoughts about possibly adding people from the village where he found Xun Wu, though. That place was run-down and barely hanging on. Those people were unlikely to have been approached by other factions to be spies and were likely to jump at the chance to improve their lot in life.
Sure, there were only one to two hundred people left there, but that was a lot of Sect Points when you extrapolated out to them reaching Foundation Establishment.
On the other hand, the need for rapid advancement had dwindled greatly. He was a Nascent Soul and could go toe-to-toe with anyone on the continent. Sure, eventually reaching Nihility would further ensure his sect's safety, but there was no reason to feel like he had to focus solely on that goal.
As for the actual points gain from Spiritual Cultivation, Mistress Zhong's original eight orphans gained him eight points advancing all the way to Qi Gathering minor realm seven. It was hard to believe that those little guys and girls were getting so close to Foundation Establishment.
The third set of fifty villagers advanced to Qi Gathering minor realm five, making him a nice fifty points. That amount was eclipsed by the fourth set, who he missed getting pills to when they got to third minor realm—he really needed to keep a better watch on that or, even better, give the task to Sun Hua. Anyway, he did get them the Qi Condensing Pills in time to have them go from minor realm four to five, earning a cool one hundred points for him.
The fifth set of villagers was similar, but he got to them on time, advancing them from minor realm three to four for another one hundred fifty points. Both the sixth set of villagers, all seventy-five of them, and the seventh, the biggie totaling three hundred, all made it to Qi Gathering minor realm two. As did the one hundred Fatty Ren recently inducted.
All told, Benton gained a whopping seven hundred and eighty-three points from Spiritual Cultivation.
Unfortunately, there was only so much time in a day, and he'd told his sect members to focus on Spiritual Cultivation first and techniques second. That left them little time for either Mind or Soul Cultivation, and no one advanced in either of the categories in the last couple of weeks.
Techniques were likewise very slow. Benton had underestimated just how much work it took to move through the stages of success. On the plus side, each level really upgraded the practitioner's ability with the technique, making the hard work worth it.
From a Sect Point gain standpoint, however, techniques were almost chump change. He got twelve from people completing trials and another fifty-nine total counting everyone in his sect.
Still, seventy-one points were seventy-one points. Not that long ago, he'd have been overjoyed at gaining a fraction of that many in such a short time frame.
All told, his Sect Point total went up by nine hundred and seventy-five from all sources. Almost a thousand points. In two weeks.
Even anticipating that those totals would begin decreasing, he was very encouraged for the future, and he had a nice amount to work with—two thousand two hundred and ten. Which was a good thing because he had some purchases he really wanted to make.
To start with, he really liked his two Auras and saw no reason not to expand his abilities in that regard. Since his big four Concepts, as far as he was concerned, were Gravity, Time, Space, and Void, it was a no-brainer from him to purchase Auras for the two he was lacking.
There went sixty-four of those points getting Space and Void to Mastery.
He was less enthused about adding regular techniques, though. While he was sure that he could think of something to improve himself, he just didn't see the need. His current combat build combined with his new Nascent Soul toughness and Auras should be enough to dominate anyone in his realm. His experience had taught him that, what he really needed, was the ability to punch up a major realm, and the techniques just weren't well equipped to provide that functionality. Using them to that way was difficult at best and impossible at worst.
No, he needed different avenues to explore to possibly allow him to take on the equivalent of a Nihility realm cultivator. Fortunately, he had just the thing in mind—Mind. And Soul. Neither of which he'd really put any thought into since advancing both of them to the peak of the level he was currently allowed by the System.
Time to rectify that situation.
While advancing a major realm in Spiritual Cultivation resulting in a huge increase in power by opening up an entirely new type of technique, like Concepts at Golden Core and Auras for Nascent Soul, Mind Cultivation mostly led to the ability to enhance already existing techniques. On the plus side, the System gave him a discount since he'd already reached Mastery with them previously.
He upgraded all five of his Mind techniques. Dual Focus became Split Focus, allowing him to concentrate on twice as many things at once, four total. Mind Stun transformed into Mind Strike, a much more intense stunning effect. Mind Crush improved to Obliterate Mind, which caused enough damage in a single strike to impact even a Nascent Soul opponent.
The next technique, Telekinetic Push, had been quite disappointing for Benton. Even though he'd known its limitations, he'd kind of hoped for it to be useful as a limited form of true telekinesis. Instead, it was so weak he almost never used it, instead substituting manipulation of Gravity for the same effect. The upgrade was simply called Telekinesis, which excited him greatly.
The final one, Inflict Fear, might as well have been called Cause Unease for all the effect it had, but Benton expected the upgrade, Terrify, to be of much greater use.
His suspicion was that, like Nascent Souls could suppress a Golden Core's Concepts, cultivators in the Nihility realm would have a way to counter a Nascent Soul's Auras. Since people in that realm were almost mythical existences, the sects on this continent didn't know much about them. If Benton hadn't been a cheating cheater who cheats, he'd be left guessing on how to deal with such a powerful entity if he encountered a beast at that equivalent realm on the mountain.
Luckily, he had the System, and gladly used the four required points to purchase Knowledge of the Nihility Realm.
After the information eased into his Mind Cultivation enhanced brain, he reviewed what he'd learned. As he'd expected, Nihility cultivators could suppress Auras. The method they used was called a Domain, an area of space inside of which they could dominate all qi.
The realm also increased physical, mental, and soul strength but not nearly to the extent that the respective cultivation methods did. Benton would definitely have an advantage in each of those areas, and he was optimistic that his newly upgraded Mind techniques would be much more beneficial than the inferior versions had been against his Nascent Soul opponents.
Next, he reviewed the impact of his Soul Cultivation upgrade and discovered an interesting synergy between that upgrade and his new status as a Nascent Soul. Obviously, all people had a soul, and as a cultivator grew in power and realm, their soul strengthened. That strength allowed the soul to persist for a while after death, but it wasn't like Benton had to worry about one of them coming back because an unembodied soul had no way to exert influence on the world.
Or more accurately, an unembodied soul that didn't have access to at least the Nirvana realm of Soul Cultivation had no way to exert influence on the world.
At that realm, cultivators acquired just that ability. Given the proper techniques, Benton would actually be able to either take over an existing body or even build one for himself, making him much, much more difficult to kill and have it stick.
Needless, to say, pushing his sect members to advance in Soul Cultivation became a much greater priority. He also purchased four techniques for thirty-two points each—Soul Transference, granting him the ability to will his disembodied soul into a new vessel; Soul Sap, an attack that wore down an opponent's soul for the purposes of allowing him to take over its body; Soul Material Manipulation, a completely soul-based telekinesis that allowed him to shape and reconstitute organic matter into a form his soul could occupy; and Soul Stun, a weak stun attack much like the previously upgraded Mind Stun.
With his upgraded Mind technique, he almost decided not to spend the points for that last one, but as his non-qi attack options were already limited, he decided that having an option just in case his enemy was resistant to Mind effects was probably a good idea.
All in all, he spent two hundred seventy-six of his new Sect Points, but he didn't regret the expense even a little bit. For one thing, he was still left with a massive profit of six hundred ninety-nine points for the two-week period. For another, he felt much more prepared just in case he needed to punch above his realm again.
His safety and associated protection that provided to his sect members was well worth the cost.
As he reviewed the changes to his status, he grinned.
Sect Name:Rising TideSect Points:1,934Host Techniques (Qi Gathering):Knowledge of Blacksmithing Rank 1 – MasteryKnowledge of Blacksmithing Rank 2 – MasteryKnowledge of Blacksmithing Rank 3 – MasteryKnowledge of Blacksmithing Rank 4 - MasteryKnowledge of Herbs – MasteryKnowledge of Nihility Realm – MasteryKnowledge of Pills – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 1 Alchemy – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 2 Alchemy – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 3 Alchemy – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 4 Alchemy – MasteryKnowledge of Rank 4 Formations – MasteryHost Techniques (Foundation Establishment):Blacksmithing Rank 2 – MasteryBlacksmithing Rank 3 – MasteryBlacksmithing Rank 4 – MasteryForging Rank 1 – MasteryForging Rank 2 – MasteryForging Rank 3 – MasteryForging Rank 4 – MasteryPill Creation Rank 1 – MasteryPill Creation Rank 2 – MasteryPill Creation Rank 3 – MasteryPill Creation Rank 4 – MasteryRank 1 Herb Preparation – MasteryRank 2 Herb Preparation – MasteryRank 3 Herb Preparation – MasteryRank 4 Formation Construction – MasteryRank 4 Formation Construction Acceleration – MasteryRank 4 Herb Preparation – MasteryRank 4 Inscription – MasterySwordsmithing Rank 1 – MasterySwordsmithing Rank 2 – MasterySwordsmithing Rank 3 – MasterySwordsmithing Rank 4 – MasteryHost Techniques (Golden Core):Sharpness – MasteryHost Techniques (Nascent Soul):Space Aura – MasteryVoid Aura – MasteryHost Mind Techniques (Expert):Inflict Fear – MasteryMind Strike – MasteryObliterate Mind – MasterySplit Focus – MasteryTelekinesis – MasteryHost Soul Techniques (Nirvana):Soul Material Manipulation – MasterySoul Sap – MasterySoul Stun – MasterySoul Transference – Mastery