Chapter 144 - 307-313

Chapter 307 – Thunder…

Jin LiJuan stood in a small clearing, her legs spread apart and knees bent. Her sword flashed. Sunlight reflected off the shiny blade, temporarily blinding the goliath frog, and she struck. Her weapon slid into its chest, finding its heart.

"Nice job," her mentor, Pan Jiang, said. "You're improving."

True. She was.

In the two weeks since the expedition began, Her sword strokes had become surer and more efficient. She balanced in her stance in a way that Senior Brother Pan Jiang, deemed "acceptable." Best of all, rank three beasts barely challenged her any longer.

The problem was that she was a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. She should be fighting rank four beasts, and those were still too tough for her to handle without Ganzou's help.

"Even if we stay out here another month, I won't be ready for the tournament, and you know it," she said. "I'm getting better but too slowly."

Pan Jiang shrugged. "You will or you won't qualify. The important thing is that you're improving."

Jin LiJuan sighed. He was right in a way. It was just that she wanted so badly to contribute by bringing honor to the sect. She really had no right to complain, though. Her path to advancement was so much easier than any of her peers.

"You know that your rate of learning techniques isn't your fault, right? Considering how destroyed your channels are, what you've accomplished is amazing. You should be proud of yourself."

And she was to a degree. She'd worked hard. Her bond with Ganzou grew stronger by the day, and she no longer hated him. Not even disliked him, really. In fact, if he were to no longer be in her life, she was sure she'd … regret him not being there.

The problem was that all her techniques required moving qi around inside her body, and her internal pathways were barely functional. Where the twins had stone-paved paths wide enough for caravans to ride side by side, hers was a small, winding game trail with overgrown brush crowding it from all directions.

She sighed again.

"Don't forget that, since Ganzou is bonded, he can fight with you," Pan Jiang said. "There have been some beast masters that did well in the past."

"Our division is the low Foundation Establishment. They'll be cultivators there as powerful as Senior Brother and Senior Sister. Do you really think that, even working as a team, Ganzou and I could stand against either of them?"

"Don't give up before you start. As your Master says, anything can happen."

Almost as if the line had been scripted, a loud rustling sounded from the direction Ganzou was patrolling. She cast out her spiritual sense and detected her wolf bounding back at high speed. Frantically, she tried to detect what had him so alarmed, but there was nothing around other than a smattering of low ranked beasts.

At ground level, anyway. Some instinct told her to direct her sense upward.

A strong presence flew directly toward her.

Jin LiJuan swallowed hard. "Get ready, Senior Brother. A high realm beast is incoming. I think it's a rank six."

She just hoped the Ganzou reached her first because she and Pan Jiang were no match for such an opponent. Even with the wolf added, they still had little chance to do any more than hold it off. What was it doing in a zone full of rank twos and threes?

Seconds later, it came into view hundreds of feet above them, a large bird with iridescent feathers.

Ganzou was still at least a minute away. The fight would be long over by then.

"Gratitude for all your teachings, Senior Brother," Jin LiJuan said. "Please run while I hold it back. It might not pursue you."

He laughed. "Not a chance, little one. Not a chance."

She didn't know what frustrated her more—the fact that he referred to her in such a ridiculous manner or that he refused to let her, the higher realmed cultivator, save him. The one thing she wanted most was to protect others, and facing the end of her life, she couldn't even do that for one person.

"Jin LiJuan," he called. "Don't forget your ring."

Oh. The contingency ring. Right.

Still, she didn't want Master to have to save her again. She had to at least try to take care of it.

The bird swooped toward her as she held her blade at the ready. Her only chance was a powerful, quick strike. Two dozen feet. Fifteen. Ten.

Instead of continuing its attack, it did the strangest thing. It stopped. Then, it spoke.

"Greetings Esteemed Cultivators, are you members of the Rising Tide Sect?"

Jin LiJuan stared at it speechless. The beast was even more intelligent than Ganzou, and it addressed her. Not having any idea what to do, she turned to Pan Jiang.

He shrugged as if to say, "Sorry, I'm not a member of your sect."

Great. Now he left it up to her.

"Gr-greetings Esteemed, uh, Bird. This lowly one is called Jin LiJuan, and yes, I am a member of the Rising Tide Sect."

"Excellent," the bird said. "May I land?"

It stared pointedly at her and Pan Jiang's swords. Heat rose to her face, and she hastily sheathed her blade. Senior Brother did the same.

"Of course, Esteemed Bird."

A smooth talking diplomat she was not. Would that Kang Lin were here instead. Or Zou Tian. Or either of the twins. Anyone, really, besides her.

Jin LiJuan recalled Master mentioning something about a lord of the mountain, but surely the bird was not that. Though more powerful than her, it would be nothing to Master.

Still, maybe it represented the lord? The last thing she wanted to do was cause trouble for Master by somehow insulting the creature.

One of the other disciples would probably have been smart enough, experienced enough, to trick the bird into revealing who or what it was—if they didn't just somehow know right from the start. The only thing she could think of was simply to ask.

"Esteemed Bird, may this lowly one ask who, or what, you are?"

The creature had landed by that point, and standing on the ground, it towered over her, at least eight feet tall. It guffawed at her question, a great big belly laugh. "I am Leizhenzi, the son of thunder." It—he?—laughed again. "Well, more like the great, great, great, and on and on and on, grandson of thunder."

"Esteemed Thunderbird," Pan Jiang said finally, "you speak of the Lord of the Eternal Celestial Peak?"

Leizhenzi seemed pleased by the question, which was probably a better result than amused. "Yes! My how ever many greats grandfather."

Senior Brother cupped his hands. "Pan Jiang of the Poison Claw Sect greets the mighty Esteemed Thunderbird."

Oh. Right. Good job. He was so much more cut out for diplomacy than she was.

She cupped her hands as well. "Jin LiJuan of the Rising Tide Sect greets the mighty Esteemed Thunderbird."

Again, the beast seemed pleased with their actions.

"May this lowly one ask Leizhenzi's purpose in approaching us?" Pan Jiang said.

"I want to go to the tournament."

"The tournament?" Senior Brother said. "In Sixth Flawless Flowing City? The Quinquennial Tournament?"

"Yes. Good. You know of it."

Before the beast's words had finished sounding, Ganzou burst into the clearing, placing himself between Jin LiJuan and the threat, Leizhenzi.

"No, Ganzou!" Jin LiJuan shouted. "Get back!"

He was usually really good about obeying orders, but either the excitement of the run or the presence of the menacing rank six had him too frantic.

Which made sense. Even though he was as strong as any of the sect members save the twins and weighed a good hundred and a half pounds, he was still only a bit over ten weeks old. Comparatively, he was even younger than her.

Ganzou snarled at the bird and darted forward, teeth bared. Before he could bite Leizhenzi's leg, however, a mighty thunderclap boomed.

Jin LiJuan was stunned. Literally. It was several seconds before she could think, not even to worry about Ganzou's fate. When her senses eventually returned, the first thing she realized was that she couldn't hear anything. The second was that her ears hurt. And the third was that Ganzou was just as stunned as she was and only just recovering as well, trying to rise from where he'd been flattened to the ground. A thin trail of blood ran out of his ears.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pan Jiang waving to attract her attention. In an exaggerated fashion, he picked something from one of the inner pockets of his robe and held it above his open mouth.

Ah. A Minor Healing Pill. Good idea.

She drew one from her ring and quickly swallowed it. Seconds later, her ears stopped hurting, and her hearing was restored.

Ganzou whimpered. It was the most pathetic and heartbreaking sound she'd ever heard. She rushed to him and crouched down to feed him a pill.

"It's okay, buddy. You'll be fine. Just swallow."

It occurred to her that, one, he'd never used a healing pill. And, two, he couldn't hear her. He must have trusted her, though, because after a moment, he licked it from her hand and downed it. Seconds later, he, too, had recovered.

"Ganzou, do not attack again. Leizhenzi is not our enemy." She looked up at the big bird. "You aren't our enemy, are you?"

It hadn't seemed that way from the start, but who knew how it would react to one of their party attacking it.

"Of course not! Why would I consider my future bonded an enemy?"

Future. Bonded.

The words individually made sense. Future. A time yet to occur. Bonded. Like she and Ganzou. But put together in context, they confused her greatly.

"What?" she said.

"I want you to bond me."

"Me? To bond you?" She still was having a lot of trouble figuring out what was happening.

"Just temporarily," Leizhenzi said. "For the tournament."

Pan Liang barked out a laugh. "I was wondering how you planned on seeing it. A great beast traveling even as part of an entourage would be in great danger. A great beast bonded to a cultivator, however, would have complete freedom to enjoy the festivities. Wonderful!"

"I… I… can't!" Jin LiJuan cried. "Not another one!"

"This lowly one will form a temporary bond with you, Esteemed Thunderbird," Pan Jiang said.

"I don't want to spectate. I want to fight. And my instincts tell me that this one can form a perfect bond." Leizhenzi pointed a wingtip at Jin LiJuan. "Between her, me, the mutt, and a friend of mine, we'll be undefeatable!"

Jin LiJuan felt like she was about to throw up. She'd gotten used to Ganzou. But another beast. And a third. She couldn't. She simply couldn't.

Could she?

Chapter 308 – And Lightning

During the late morning hours, Benton's spiritual sense finally detected a new presence in the sect—a Nascent Soul. Duan Lan had succeeded in her trial.

Considering the state of her pathways, Benton could only consider her advancement to be a miracle. System given treasures really were too good, giving a whole new definition to heavens defying.

Regardless of how much help she'd been given, congratulations were still in order, so he Teleported to her and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Elder Duan. Excuse me, I meant… Greetings, Revered Elder Duan. Kudos on your achievement!"

Startled for an instant at his sudden appearance outside the Trials Pagoda, she quickly regained her composure and bowed much lower than was necessary. "Sect Leader! This lowly one cannot adequately express my gratitude."

"Nonsense. You did the work; you get the rewards."

She laughed. "No amount of work would have given this lowly one the opportunity, though, Sect Leader."

So far, Benton had found the old monsters from the Poison Claw Sect to be much nicer than he would have expected. The circumstances, of course, lent themselves to requiring grace, but both Yuan Yaozu and Duan Lan appeared genuinely grateful, a trait not always shared by cultivators in their position.

"I will graciously grant you permission to praise me, then," Benton said with a smile.

She was taken aback momentarily by his tongue-in-cheek comment, but again, she quickly recovered, barking out a laugh. "Elder Kang Ya-Ting told me you were a character."

"How was the trial? Any trouble?"

Duan Lan hesitated. "It was both easier and much, much more difficult than I imagined. The actual solution was simple and straightforward to implement. Getting past my own misconceptions to realize the solution wasn't."

That was a remarkably candid response. Even with his budding friendship with Yuan Yaozu, the man hadn't been nearly so forthcoming. Instead, he remained quite cagey even to that day about his trial.

"Well, the fact that you passed is a credit to your sect," Benton said. "All together, you're three for three."

Her face showed confusion, so he quickly added. "Kang Lin being the third, of course. She required no payment since she's one of my disciples."

"Ah. Of course."

"What's next for you? Hanging out here for a while as you consolidate your gains?"

She grimaced. "I'm afraid it's back on the road with the caravan for me. It's imperative that my advancement be hidden, necessitating the subterfuge, but the sect leadership also wants me back as soon as possible, meaning I should leave quickly. Today."

Yikes, it sucked for her that she'd be riding excruciatingly slowly in a wagon for so long. He shuddered at the memory of having to do the same. He understood, however, that secrecy was important.

Unfortunately, there was simply no way to guarantee that someone from an opposing faction wouldn't spot her if she flew. If the revelation that the Poison Claw Sect had advanced another elder to Nascent Soul got out before they were ready, the ramifications would likely be quite unpleasant.

Of course, even traveling as a pretend mortal was not one hundred percent assured to be safe. If only he knew someone who was a cheating cheater who cheats…

"I can Teleport you there if you prefer," Benton said. "You could be in Kang Ya-Ting's office seconds from now instead of weeks."

For the third or fourth time in their short conversation, he'd obviously surprised her.

"You'd do that?" she said. "For what cost?"

"Honestly, it's no bother, and I have business with Kang Ya-Ting. Bringing you along for the ride only requires a trivial amount of excess qi."

Duan Lan looked very conflicted, her desire to get back to her sect as quickly as possible warring with the wisdom of putting herself further in his debt. She sighed. "You've done so much already that I can never truly repay. One more favor feels small in comparison."

"Great."

Before he could whisk her away, however, he performed a quick sweep with his spiritual sense, which revealed one of his message dragons inbound.

He held up a hand. "Just a second."

A moment later, the dragon appeared. He grabbed it and, after determining it was from Jin LiJuan, quickly skimmed the note, chuckling as he finished.

When he looked up, Duan Lan had her eyebrows raised.

"One of my disciples requests advice."

"I can wait if you need to take care of that."

"Nah. I need to address it, but it's nothing that can't hold for a while. I've actually been wondering when the situation would occur. Her choice should be interesting."

She nodded, obviously not knowing how to react to the cryptic statement.

"Ready to go?" he said.

She was, and a moment later they stood in the office of a somewhat surprised and perplexed Kang Ya-Ting.

***

Kang Lin deflected an arrow from the air with the haft of her spear, and the strike hadn't been luck. Well, not completely luck. Even someone as talented as Yang Xiu developed tendencies.

According to Grandfather, it took years and years of constant work for a martial artist to divest themselves from natural inclinations and make their movements wholly unpredictable. For all her heavens-gifted skill, Yang Xiu hadn't put in nearly enough hours of training to reach that level of expertise.

Kang Lin spun, dodging another arrow, and used the momentum to position herself perfectly. Thrust. Strike.

Win.

She sank to the floor as she tried to catch her breath. It took everything she had and then some to eke out a victory.

Yang Xiu was simply too good. Too talented.

"Good job, Sister," she said.

Kang Lin couldn't compete. Sure, she'd held her ground up to that point, winning one in four spars, maybe one in five. No more than one in three. The future, though, was full of Time dilation rooms and ridiculous treasures and ascension through the realms that no one outside of an absolute genius could match.

She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Yang Xiu said.

"Do you realize how absolutely absurd Master and your whole Rising Tide Sect are?"

Clearly, she didn't.

"The Poison Claw Sect has been in existence for over a thousand years, right? You know how Master is always saying that anything can happen?"

Yang Xiu grinned.

"In the entire history of the sect," Kang Lin said, "two times have extraordinary events taken place. Two. Here, it's two a week, sometimes even two a day.

"Qi sources and Time dilation rooms. Flying devices for Foundation Establishment members. A Trials Pagoda. One of your weakest, most junior members suddenly bonded a beast with one hundred percent efficiency and jumped an entire major realm in a matter of weeks. Everything, and I do mean everything, is top heaven grade. If Master created—you heard me right, created—a technique for mucking out outhouses, it would be top heaven grade. Qi Gathering cultivators do not face rank four beasts. Foundation Establishment cultivators don't kill rank six beasts on their own. Weapons cannot somehow convert any qi input into the blade to a different type. Every pill produced cannot be one hundred percent pure.

"Nothing is normal about this sect. It's gotten to the point where I'd literally believe anything. If someone like … Jin LiJuan. Yeah, Jin LiJuan. We're not expecting her to even qualify for the tournament, right? Well, if she somehow suddenly catapulted to the peak of Foundation Establishment and ended up winning the entire Quinquennial Tournament, I'd be like, 'Yeah. Sure. That makes sense. She's a member of the Rising Tide Sect.'

"And don't even get me started on you and your brother. A-ranked talents. With your genius and the opportunity given to you by your sect… You'll both be Nascent Souls in a week or two with those stupid time chambers. All I can do is sit back and be grateful that I got to witness the beginning of two legends."

Kang Lin only stopped her rant because she was running out of breath after the spar.

"You're miserable," Yang Xiu said quickly. "Yang Ru is miserable. Why can't the two of you just get married? And I still don't know why you're leaving after the tournament. I don't want you to go."

"You know why I can't! And you know why I have to leave!"

Yang Xiu muttered something, but Kang Lin wasn't about to ask what had been said. She didn't want to know as both her stubbornness and intelligence had already been questioned quite enough lately.

"Master said he would—"

"It doesn't matter," Kang Lin said through clenched teeth. "I've made up my mind. There has to be someone out there better than me for him."

Yang Xiu huffed, but she didn't respond. They settled into an awkward, aggravated silence until one of Master's blue message dragons flitted into the room.

"That's another thing," Kang Lin said as the origami hovered above her. "In a normal sect, message devices don't Teleport through walls!"

The paper unfolded at a touch, and she quickly read the short note. She was to go to Master's office immediately.

Just because she was in a bad mood didn't mean she could ignore a summons. Grandfather had taught her better than that.

She let out a sharp breath. "I've got to go."

"Fine. See you later."

Kang Lin stomped down the stairs, over to the Administrative Hall, and up yet more stairs before arriving at Master's door.

That was one ordinary thing about the sect, at least. They used stairs just like everyone else. Of course, if she pointed that out to Master, he'd probably replace them with some kind of ridiculous Teleportation formations.

After knocking, she opened the door and found not just Master but Grandfather.

Oh crap. Was she in trouble? What had she done? She knew her attitude hadn't been the best lately, but surely she'd controlled herself around Master, at least.

"Kang Lin, come in, please," Master said.

As she entered, her grandfather called out. "Greetings, Granddaughter."

She didn't possess the wherewithal to respond to either of them since she was so busy trying to recall anything that they could be mad at her about. Of course, neither of them looked particularly angry.

"Your grandfather and I have a surprise for you."

A surprise was good. She was almost positive Master wouldn't have used that terminology for a punishment. Not that he was above teasing, of course, but he was never mean spirited about it.

"Ready to see what it is?"

"Yes, Master."

"C'mon, then, let's Teleport."

An instant later, the three of them stood inside one of the Rising Tide Sect's pavillions. The new Time dilation one if she was correct.

No. They didn't! He couldn't have.

"Your grandfather and I both contributed materials for the construction of a qi source. Welcome to the new Time Dilation Lightning Room!"

He did. They did.

"Master… Grandfather… You did this for me?"

"Well, there is Fatty Ren's Junior Brother. He's Lightning aspected. And a member of my sect. And of course Elder Kang has a great deal of respect for … what was his name … Su Cai! Yes, Su Cai."

"You … did this for him? Both of you?" She knew that didn't make any sense, but her day had been trying already. Master was sometimes difficult to comprehend.

"To tell you the truth, I'd totally forgotten that guy used Lightning until just a second ago, and I'm almost positive your grandfather has never even met him. Of course we did this for you!"

Kang Lin didn't know what to say, and she was pretty sure she couldn't have spoken even if she wanted to. She was that choked up.

Master and her grandfather had made a Time dilation room just for her. She knew better than almost all the Rising Tide Sect members how expensive those materials were. And Master had to make all the Time aspected greater spirit coins by hand to feed the formations, too.

There was absolutely nothing special about her. Nothing that warranted such treatment.

That the two of them cared for her so much to put forth so much effort was beyond extraordinary. She had never been so completely flabbergasted in her life. Her emotions were so conflicted.

Warmth from the caring they obviously felt for her. Pride that anyone thought she was worth such a treasure. Heavy due to the weight of those expectations pressing down on her.

Most of all, concerned. The gift would make leaving the sect after the tournament so much more difficult.

Chapter 309 – Menagerie?

Jin LiJuan was not having a good day. A peak rank six spirit beast—the equivalent of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator—wanted to form a temporary bond with her. Which was bad because she hated spirit beasts. But it was good because the thunderbird was obviously quite powerful even for its realm. Fighting alongside it would surely lead to her making a valuable contribution to the sect.

Mostly, though, the day was confusing.

Master had told her she couldn't be a beast tamer because, since she'd bonded Ganzou, she couldn't use a technique like the ones tamers used. She tried to remember his exact words but couldn't. The impression she'd gotten, though was that she could only bond one beast.

Leizhenzi said that wasn't true. Master obviously couldn't have been wrong, but she easily could have misunderstood. He'd given her a lot of information all at once. Naturally, Jin LiJuan's first impulse had been to send a message to Master asking for advice, but that had been hours and hours ago. According to everyone, he usually returned messages quite quickly.

She didn't know what to do. Did she even want to bond the beast? Not a mention a third beast as well? The thought of advancing Ganzou to rank six and fighting with an extremely powerful team held interest. Even if she had very little ability, her teammates could carry her if they were good enough.

The Rising Tide Sect had no one participating in the highest level of the Foundation Establishment rank. If she could not only join but do well, that would bring great honor to the sect.

Pan Jiang said that small sects who were invited to the tournament rarely stood out. Winning one or two rounds was considered a good showing for such a cultivator. He couldn't remember ever hearing about a top ten finish in a category.

If Leizhenzi's friend was as strong as he and Ganzou, any bout would essentially be three against one. As long as she could simply stay back and not get taken out, there was a chance that her team would do really well, right?

She was so tempted. Ever since even before she joined the sect, she'd been nothing but a burden to everyone around her. Bonding Leizhenzi was her chance to do something beneficial.

But doing so also felt like a betrayal of her parents. They'd been killed by spirit beasts. Bonding Ganzou had been an accident. She had made a choice, but if she'd known the full consequences beforehand, she definitely might have decided differently. To continue down the same path would dishonor the memory of her parents.

Of course, Leizhenzi had stated multiple times that the bond he wanted to form was temporary. It would expire sometime soon after the tournament. So was making use of beasts for a benefit really a betrayal? Maybe her father would have approved. They did, after all, raise chickens for eggs and cows for milk. What she was doing would be no different.

Right?

Jin LiJuan sighed. It felt different. Bad. But also like a good idea.

Which brought her right back to how confused she was.

If there was one path she never envisioned for her life, it was one where she embraced fighting with a menagerie. Master was right. The heavens were laughing at her.

Luckily, Leizhenzi respected that she had to wait for Master's advice, so she didn't have to decide immediately. There was only so long his patience would last, though. Hopefully, one of those blue paper dragons would appear any minute.

Even when the message came, however, it was unlikely to solve all her problems. Master would only tell her if the bond could be done, not if she should do it. He left those kinds of selections to his disciples. She was sure he'd say something like, "You have to know your own mind."

If she knew her own mind, she wouldn't need his advice!

What to do? What to do? What to do?

It was late afternoon, and Benton still hadn't gotten around to seeing Jin LiJuan. Honestly, he was feeling a bit guilty over his absence, but he had to bring Kang Ya-Ting back to the city first, which required waiting for him to finish his visit with his granddaughter.

Benton sighed. When you were dealing with teenagers, some degree of angst was inevitable, and the odds of two of them suffering a crisis at once grew exponentially with every one you added. He wasn't necessarily putting the needs of Kang Lin over Jin LiJuan as much as he simply bowed to the exigencies of the situation.

Besides, Kang Lin really needed the personal attention. Having him and her grandfather show they cared about her wouldn't resolve what she was going through, but it would help. If they were on Earth, Benton would have given her a great big hug, but his current society frowned on such things.

Bummer that. She could really use one.

Anyway, the fact that they'd made a Lightning Source for her had obviously touched her. It had just as obviously not solved her problem. Unfortunately, no one but her could figure that out.

Anyway, finally it was time to find Jin LiJuan. He started by Teleporting above the area where she'd last camped. While hovering in the air, he quickly sensed her and her new friend.

It was quite an interesting state of affairs. As evening was nearing, the rest of the expedition had returned to find a peak rank six beast chilling at their campsite. To say that they didn't know how to handle the situation was an understatement. The looks they were casting at the apparently oblivious thunderbird were quite amusing.

One more Teleport brought Benton down to the gathering. "Greetings, Esteemed Thunderbird. I'm assuming you're the scion of the Lord and Protector of the Eternal Celestial Peak?"

At Benton's appearance, the thunderbird immediately grew reverent. It kowtowed before him. "Esteemed Sect Leader. My great, great, and so forth and so on, grandfather sends his greetings. This lowly one did not mean to disturb you. This lowly one was informed that it was permissible to approach the Esteemed Sect Leader's disciples."

"It's all good. You did absolutely nothing wrong. I'm here solely at Jin LiJuan's request to help her with such an important decision."

"Gratitude, Esteemed Sect Leader."

Benton turned to his disciple. "So, Jin LiJuan, what exactly is the question?"

She explained that she was confused both about whether she could form a temporary bond with Leizhenzi and about whether she wanted to.

"I see," Benton said. "As to the first, it is my understanding from Leizhenzi's grandfather that beasts can bond with a cultivator who has already bonded another. To be honest, I believe that knowledge to be unknown to almost all humans, including myself until very recently."

Jin LiJuan appeared shocked at the admission.

"I know much, Li'er, but no one, not even me, knows everything. You should never expect perfection from people, only that they do their best."

She cupped her hands.

"Honestly, the knowledge not being known makes sense. It's rare for a human to find one beast that is compatible with their qi aspect, much less multiple ones." He chuckled. "Chalk this crazy confluence of events up as yet another advantage of your particular situation."

The look on her face told him she was absolutely conflicted about whether it was a good or a bad thing.

"As for the second," he said, "I cannot advise you as to if you should or not, only explain the advantages and disadvantages."

"Yes, Master," she said, obviously dejected.

Sometimes it was very difficult not to jump in and work out the kids' struggles for them. Evelyn had been quite firm on that issue, though. He could give advice. He could lead the kid to water. But he couldn't make them drink.

Given that all their children had turned out to be fine adults, he wouldn't start second guessing his wife anytime in the near future.

"Leizhenzi," Benton said instead, "will you explain your purpose for bonding Jin LiJuan and your plan?"

The thunderbird brought his wings in front of him in a passable imitation of cupping his hands. "Of course, Esteemed Sect Leader. This one wishes to compete in the tournament but cannot do so without a bonded cultivator. Luckily, Junior Sister Jin LiJuan is perfectly suitable for such a bond—a temporary one, obviously."

"Obviously," Benton said.

"Since this one will compete in the top Foundation Establishment division, this one will help Ganzou hunt for the next several weeks, raising him to rank six, which will also raise Junior Sister to the equivalent rank."

"And her note mentioned something about another team member?"

"Oh! Yes, of course. Due to Junior Sister's particular situation, she can bond almost any beast, but there is no need for quantity when you have quality." The giant bird stuck out its chest. "Winning the top division at the tournament is not easy, though, even for a thunderbird with this one's strength. It's especially difficult since a bout would be over the moment Junior Sister is unable to continue regardless of the status of Ganzou and me. Thus, we need protection for her, and I have the perfect candidate in mind, a defensive specialist."

"There you have it, Jin LiJuan," Benton said. "The advantage is that you advance to the peak of Foundation Establishment and lead a powerful team that may have a legitimate chance of going far in the tournament."

He paused, a little frustrated. All the sect members were way too gung ho about the competition. "Personally, I don't think you kids should get too serious about competing. My advice is to try your best and have fun. If you walk away having learned something and even perhaps made a friend or two, then you're a winner as far as I'm concerned."

He sighed. "But a lot of our sect members would really get a kick out of you doing well. And you'd be doing our neighbors a favor, which is always a good idea."

The girl looked more unsure than anyone he'd ever seen. "I'd have to bond two more beasts, Master! You know the effort one took."

"There is that, which is a good reason both to do it and not to do it, depending on your goals. Other than that, I'm not seeing a lot of downside. My understanding from Leizhenzi's grandfather is that the bond is safe, and if it isn't, I will do everything in my not inconsiderable power to make things right for you."

She looked like she was about to cry, which broke his heart.

"I wish I could make this easier for you, Jin LiJuan, but I can't. It's your decision, and I will neither endorse it nor forbid it. Even worse, I have to point out that, as you currently are, you're unlikely to make the cut to represent our sect. For Leizhenzi, however, I promised his grandfather that I would let him participate if one of my sect members agreed to bond him. Thus, if you really want to go to the tournament, bonding him is definitely your best chance."

She buried her face in her hands. Poor kid.

Chapter 310 – A Legendary Beast

Jin LiJuan had a choice to make. Master had arrived, so there was no more putting her decision off. Did she want to attend the tournament, even at the expense of betraying the memory of her parents, or did she want to give up the opportunity to contribute to the sect that had done so much for her?

Both options had horrible drawbacks, and she simply couldn't pick which was worse. She needed help, and since Master would give her no further guidance, there was one source of counsel left open to her.

"Master," she said, "which direction is the village?"

He turned and pointed behind him.

She got down on her knees and kowtowed toward where he pointed, the best guess of where her family's farm had been that she could figure.

"Honorable Mother. Esteemed Father," she said internally, keeping her forehead pressed into the dirt. "I don't know what to do, and I need your help. Beasts killed you, and I want to wage war against them so that no other child suffers as I did, so that no other parents are killed. I want to protect.

"But the only way for me to gain that power is to embrace beasts. I have bonded with one of them—I didn't mean to, I swear, but I did it seeking power. So it was my fault.—and Ganzou—that's the beast's name—isn't really that bad. He guards me. And cuddles up to me when it's cold at night. And I'm sorry, but I just can't hate him any longer.

"I accepted that I need him to fight other beasts. He makes me strong. Soon, I'll advance my cultivation higher than Senior Brother and Senior Sister. They are so amazing. I wish you could have met them.

"Liking one beast isn't that bad, right, Honorable Mother and Esteemed Father? You wouldn't hate me for that even if it is dishonoring your memory, would you? I promise that I'll use the power he gives me for the right purpose. To protect. I will bring honor to the family name.

"Now, though, the path to strength means bonding even more beasts, and I don't know if I should do it. Please Honorable Mother and Esteemed Father, tell me what to do. Give me some sign of what you will your filial daughter to do."

She rose to a kneeling position and cupped her hands, waiting.

Several minutes passed, and she became aware of Pan Jiang, Master, Leizhenzi, and others staring at her. She ignored them. Her parents would answer. They'd been too poor to always provide her with enough food, but they'd always done everything they could for her.

Unless they were so angry about Ganzou that they would ignore her plea.

No. They wouldn't. They loved her. Even if they were angry, they still loved her.

Behind her, there arose a fuss, and she glanced back. Deng Meixiang had an arrow nocked and pointed at the sky, so Jin LiJuan turned her attention there.

A bird. A spirit beast, only a rank two, flew above them with something in its mouth. Deng Meixiang's arrow flew true and struck its neck, penetrating all the way through.

The bird, now clearly mortally wounded, dropped whatever was in its mouth, and the object fell toward Jin LiJuan.

She stared blankly at the object as it got lower and lower, finally plopping to the ground right in front of her.

It was a fish. A red fish.

Esteemed Father had always loved fish, a delicacy the family had found a way to afford only a couple of times in her memory. Moreso, he referred to it as a food of abundance. Eating it was said to bring good luck.

Not only that, but the fish was red, the color of luck, joy, and prosperity.

Jin LiJuan's heart swelled. Her faith had been rewarded. Her parents really did still look out for her, and they weren't angry about Ganzou. The red fish clearly meant that they gave her permission to bond the new beasts as well.

"Gratitude, Honored Mother. Gratitude, Esteemed Father." Her eyes teared as she kowtowed three times in the direction of her family's farm.

She was so relieved to have the decision taken from her. So grateful. "My parents have spoken. I shall bond Leizhenzi and his friend."

As she stowed the gift in her ring to eat later—she felt her parents would be disappointed in her if she didn't—the rest of the expedition members, even Pan Jiang, looked at her like she had lost her mind, but she didn't care. She knew. She knew.

Master seemed to understand, and that made her glad.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go meet this friend."

Leizhenzi appeared just as baffled as everyone else about the fish and the announcement, but he was quick to obey. He immediately took to the air, followed by Master who rose from the ground as naturally as breathing. She pulled her glider from her spatial ring, waited for Ganzou to hop on, and flew after them.

Jin LiJuan was positive that Leizhenzi could have distanced himself from her easily, but he seemed to set his pace based on how fast she could go. At least he was considerate.

They continued for a half hour or so until reaching a large pond on the side of the mountain. Her sense told her there was a peak rank six beast in the water, and Leizhenzi confirmed that the presence was his friend when he descended to the shore. She and Master landed right behind him.

"Come out, please!" Leizhenzi yelled. "These humans want to meet you."

"No!" a voice shouted from the water.

"She's agreed to bond us. We can win the tournament."

"Ugh! Not this again. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, I'm not interested."

The thunderbird had come across as a wise, powerful, and knowledgeable beast. For the first time since meeting him, Jin LiJuan suspected he wasn't quite as wise and knowledgeable as he made himself seem.

She glanced at Master. He clearly struggled to keep from laughing.

Great.

"C'mon. I need you," Leizhenzi said. "She's weak. You're the only one who can protect her, and without her being defended, the wolf cub and I can't win."

Jin LiJuan frowned. Yes. Okay. She was weak compared to the other team members, but wasn't it rude to say so right in front of her?

"How would I even get there?" the voice called. "I can't fly, and I'm too big for anyone to carry."

Master cleared his throat. "I can probably assist with that."

"Who's the human? I can't sense him at all."

"That's the Sect Leader. The one Granddad told me about. Don't mess with him."

"Apologies, Sect Leader," the voice said.

Despite Master's valiant effort, a few chuckles escaped. "No worries. If you really don't want to go to the tournament, we'll leave you alone, but if it's just a matter of logistics, I'm sure I can come up with a number of solutions."

A shape, a quite massive one, rose from the center of the pond. A dome? No, a shell. A giant turtle's shell, easily twenty feet in diameter, emerged from the water.

"You can transport me, Sect Leader?"

"Absolutely. I'll have to pop back to the sect to do some crafting, but I have two options for you. One, a floating platform that Jin LiJuan can tow behind her glider. Between Gravity control and structural reinforcement, it'll handle your size with no problems. Two, a beast pouch, a spatial bag big enough on the inside for you and an entire ecosystem but small enough on the outside—and light enough—to attach to her belt."

Master shrugged. "Those were just off the top of my head. If you don't like either, I'm sure I can figure something else out."

"You can really do those things, Sect Leader?" the turtle said.

Leizhenzi spoke before Master could. "He gifted Granddad those hands, remember?"

"Oh yeah, the Lord really likes those. Quite impressive." The turtle let out a huff. "You really need me?"

"I'm afraid that my disciple will not be quite up to the level of the competition in time for the tournament. Without a proper defender, your friend, Leizhenzi, doesn't have much of a chance."

The turtle hesitated, and silence stretched. Leizhenzi opened his beak, but Master shushed him.

"Fine, then," the turle said finally. "If you can make me a beast pouch as you described, I will accompany this big idiot to the tournament." The turtle turned to Jin LiJuan. "On my honor, future bonded, not a single offensively shot mote of qi or propelled weapon shall come in contact with your body."

Jin LiJuan did the only thing she could do. She cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Esteemed Turtle."

Another awkward silence descended for way too long before Master spoke. "About that habitat? Want to come with me to the sect? That way, you can make sure it meets your specifications."

"Gratitude, Sect Leader, but how would I get there?"

"Teleportation, of course. I'll have you there in an instant, and the crafting shouldn't take long. A few minutes tops. Then, we can adjust to your taste."

The turtle and Leizhenzi looked at each other, clearly surprised. They probably weren't used to dealing with someone who could manipulate Time.

"Gratitude again, Sect Leader. I guess … I'll go?"

No sooner had the turtle spoken than it and Master disappeared. Leizhenzi's eyes darted about, clearly searching for them.

"They'll be back soon," Jin LiJuan said. "Probably." 

Kang Lin knew two things for sure. One, she was in a really bad mood. Two, she had no valid reason to be as ill tempered as she was.

If past her saw her at that moment, past her would have slapped her upside the head. She was a disciple of, perhaps, the most powerful cultivator she'd ever seen, had access to treasures the likes of which she'd never dreamed of, and her Master and her grandfather had just collaborated to create a Time dilation room with a Lightning qi source solely for her.

Ridiculous.

She should be absolutely ecstatic. Instead, she just couldn't help but feel that she was undeserving of anything she'd been given.

So instead of doing something productive like sparring with Yang Xiu or practicing one of her techniques, she found herself strolling aimlessly around the sect grounds. She was outside the Administration Hall when a giant turtle materialized between the building and the gate. Her spiritual sense put it at the very peak of rank six, nearly a full major realm more advanced than her.

A giant turtle. Materialized. A major realm higher than her.

Some part of her knew that she should be worried or at least surprised. But she wasn't. She was at the Rising Tide Sect. Why wouldn't a giant turtle at the equivalent of the peak of Foundation Establishment materialize out of nowhere?

Yang Ru and Yang Xiu, followed by Huang Yimun and other guards, rushed out of the Martial Pavilion. Their faces showed a lot more alarm than Kang Lin felt. They soon slowed, though, looking relieved, and as Kang Lin continued walking in a circle around the giant beast, she figured out why. Master was there with it.

"Everyone, meet… Actually I didn't catch your name?" Master said.

"Apologies, Sect Leader. I don't have one."

"No name? Really? Doesn't that get confusing?"

The turtle made a motion with its head that Kang Lin could only interpret as the equivalent of a shrug. "It can't be helped, Sect Leader. Only a primary beast such as the Lord, an extremely powerful human, or a human a beast is bonded to may give a beast a name."

"That seems … awfully restrictive. Who came up with that?"

"It is as it has always been, Sect Leader."

"Hmm. Am I a powerful enough human to give a beast a name?"

"Of course, Sect Leader." The turtle appeared … hopeful? "The Lord speaks of you as an equal."

"Would you like a name?"

"This lowly one cannot imagine a greater privilege than to be granted a name by one as powerful and as respected as the Sect Leader."

Kang Lin couldn't believe what she was seeing. Talking beasts were not common, especially those below the equivalent of peak Golden Core. The beast was obviously powerful, and yet it respected Master enough for him to give it a name? To consider the prospect a privilege?

Ridiculous.

"To be honest, naming isn't one of my strong suits," Master said, "but in this case, I have a thought. You're under no obligation to accept it if you don't like it, but where I'm from, there is a story about a legendary turtle who was both wise and a fierce fighter. He originated an important martial art that many still use to this day. His name was Oogway. It would please me greatly if I could call you that."

The turtle straightened its neck, purely oozing gravitas. "Sect Leader, it is my honor to accept. From tis moment on, I am Oogway."

Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

Chapter 311 – It's a No for Me, Dawg

Zou Tian was well into his ninth ten-hour cultivation session of the day, only one more to go to reach the maximum number of uses of the Time dilation room that Master allowed. He cycled his qi as dictated by his cultivation method. Then again. And again.

The next time, though, something changed. He felt it. He was ready.

Foundation Establishment.

He would need to trigger the breakthrough, of course, but not at his current location. There were accommodations set up on a floor in the Healing Pavilion for that purpose. Even if it weren't a strict sect policy to advance major realms where one could be monitored by medical personnel, as Master referred to them, Zou Tian had heard about the mess left behind during such an event. There was absolutely no way he'd risk soiling his special cultivation chamber. He spent way too much time in there to put it in jeopardy.

Ugh! He shuddered as he imagined dealing with the smell for hour after hour.

The only question was if he should end his session early, but it didn't take much thought for him to answer that he should. Once a cultivator was ready to advance, they were advised to stop cycling. And any other use of his time, like practicing techniques, was simply not a priority.

He cleaned up after himself—though a neat person by nature, so much time in a single room even when most of it was spent cultivating created some inevitable messiness—shut down the arrays powering the dilation, and exited, eager to reach Foundation Establishment. As he calmly walked from the building, he took in his surroundings, aware that he would soon experience it in an entirely new way—with his spiritual sense. That thought led him to reflect on his life.

It sure was turning out differently than he'd expected back when he'd been a street rat on in Sixth Flawless Flowing City. Honestly, he'd had no expectations at all. He hadn't even thought he'd survive to reach adulthood.

Then, he met Master and joined the Rising Tide Sect. Currently, out of all the young members, he was anticipated to be the first who married, and he was okay with that. And getting more okay all the time.

People in the sect respected him, actively seeking his advice for problems.

Add to that the fact that only three other members—not counting Master or Senior Brother Fatty Ren who hadn't been recruited as a mortal, of course—had reached Foundation Establishment. Out of hundreds of recruits, Zou Tian would be the fourth.

Honestly, he sometimes had trouble believing his new life was reality. He feared the day when he'd wake, his stomach in agonizing pain due to lack of food, and realize it had all been a wonderful dream.

Until that dreaded day, though, he vowed to make the most of his new circumstances.

Of course, everything wasn't perfect. He'd worked hard to get where he was. For every twenty-four hours that passed for most of the sect members, he lived through one hundred fourteen.

Everything about his schedule was off compared to almost everyone else. Meals. Sleep. He'd first entered the Time dilation room twenty objective days ago, and since, it was where he spent the vast majority of his life. Even though only the same ten hours were dedicated to cultivating like they had been before, it was really a hundred hours subjectively. He felt like he never saw his girlfriend.

All the effort was worth it, though, and not because he was about to ascend to a new major realm. That advancement was but a step in the direction of his real goal—protecting the sect.

Since he'd advanced slightly ahead of his projected schedule, he had three full days before he was scheduled to leave for Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town, where he would train his spy technique and tactics. Though he'd carry what Master called a "get out of jail free card," the Town Lord would not be notified of Zou Tian's actions in advance, so the practice carried at least a modicum of danger.

Any threat posed by the unaware forces loyal to Senior Brother Fatty Ren paled in comparison to what Zou Tian would find when he returned to the city. If caught there, he would be put to death, probably after being tortured. His mission was not a game.

Of course, he would have his contingency ring and all the gifts Master had granted him for protection, especially the talismans. Yuan Yaozu had said that those could hold off a Nascent Soul cultivator for a little while.

Regardless, Zou Tian would spend about a month in town honing his skills before leaving for his real mission. Those thirty days, though, were specifically for working on the practical application of spycraft, not for working on his other techniques.

That restriction meant that he had three days to learn all three of his Foundation Establishment realm techniques, preferably getting all three of them to Small Success. Considering that most techniques required a week to reach that level, his goal would be unobtainable if not for the use of Time dilation. As it was, he still only had the equivalent of two weeks, one less than he ostensibly needed.

Best get to it.

Zou Tian grabbed one of Wan Ai's hands in each of his.

"You're really leaving today? Now?" she said.

"In a few hours, after I meet with Master and Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu."

She sighed. "I know I agreed to this, but do you really have to go. You'll be in danger."

"And because I'm putting myself in danger, the rest of you going to the tournament will hopefully be in less."

The look on her face told him that his argument was less than convincing.

"That being said, I swear that I'll be careful. And the only person even more adamant that I don't put myself at any risk is Master. With the two of you telling me the same thing, how can I possibly disobey?"

There. That helped. She neither looked like she was about to cry nor to shout at him. Not that she ever actually shouted as she was far too shy still to do so.

"Fine," she said. "I just feel that we've hardly spent any time together for the last month."

"I agree. We've both been far too busy." He dropped one of her hands and turned, pulling her behind him with the one still holding hers. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" she said, while hurrying after him.

"You'll see."

A few minutes later, they stood in his Time dilation room, and as soon as the door shut, he activated it. "There. Ten whole hours all to ourselves."

Zou Tian stood before two of the most powerful cultivators on the continent. One was a Nascent Soul, Yuan Yaozu, and the other either in that same realm or higher, Master. The funny thing was that Zou Tian wasn't in the least bit intimidated, though some part of him insisted that he should be. Either of the two could blow him to pieces simply by sneezing.

But neither of them would. Master would sooner die than allow harm to come to any of his disciples—or sect members for that matter. And Yuan Yaozu had taken a vow to protect the Rising Tide Sect for a century, and that oath was witnessed by the heavens. Zou Tian had no idea what damage striking him down would cause, but he guessed that tribulation lightning would be involved.

Not that the Nascent Soul would do such a thing, anyway. He actually seemed like a good person. But in Zou Tian's experience, it was always a good idea to evaluate what could happen in a given situation, which would hopefully serve him well on his mission.

"Report," Yuan Yaozu said. "Where are you with your techniques?"

Zou Tian had never been in the army, but he felt like a private being inspected by a general. By a pair of generals. He stood up even straighter. "I reached Small Success with each of the three, Senior Brother—perception, the shield, and Backstab."

"That's impressive for only two subjective weeks of work," Master, who didn't look at all surprised, said. "Good job."

Most of the sect members speculated endlessly about how he knew about every advancement anyone made. And they did mean anyone. Zou Tian had witnessed Master approach a random sect member and say, "Ren Ning, congratulations on reaching Large Success with your spear yesterday night. Great work. Keep it up."

Ren Ning's jaw dropped, probably having not believed anyone high in the sect knew he even existed much less that his progress was being tracked so closely by the sect leader. Once Master was out of earshot, the boy exclaimed, "How could he have known? It happened last night while I was in my courtyard. I haven't even told Senior Brother yet."

Regardless of how, the effect on morale was extraordinary. Even the lowliest Qi Gathering member felt like they were important.

Zou Tian's only experience with leaders had been the gangs back in the city, and those were ruled by violence and intimidation. Master's way of making everyon feel valued definitely seemed better. None of the gang members had been willing to put their lives on the line for their leaders unless they were almost literally forced into a corner. In contrast, Zou Tian was even now preparing to risk everything just on the chance he could help.

He cupped his hands. "Gratitude."

"Are you ready for your mission?" Yuan Yaozu said.

Zou Tian sensed that the moment of truth had come. He'd either receive authorization to leave or he'd be told he failed. "I am, Senior Brother."

"You have prepared diligently. I have no objections to you proceeding."

"Gratitude, Senior Brother."

Master shook his head. "Sorry, but it's a no for me, dawg. Too pitchy."

Zou Tian panicked for a moment until he spotted the slight grin on Master's face. "I see, Master. Pitchy?"

"What I meant to say is that you're missing one crucial element. This!" Master said, his grin stretching to split his face.

He held out a ring, one as shabby looking as the contingency ring Zou Tian wore. "I got the idea from a story I read once. It was about three superheroes who had to travel to a foreign country in disguise while trying to find a shapeshifting spy. It's perfect for your needs!"

Superheroes?

"Gratitude, Master. What does it do?"

"I'll show you. I liked the idea so much that I made one for myself, and I'll make one for all the sect members eventually, starting with the ones going to the tournament." Master, who was wearing his usual silver and blue sect robe, twisted the ring.

Suddenly, he wore entirely different attire, a sect battle robe. He twisted it again and that outfit was replaced with a shirt and pants.

"The ring can switch out anything you're wearing instantaneously with one of two stored inside it. Pretty cool, huh? And absolutely perfect for you to make quick changes if you're being chased. Yours has an additional feature, though." Master pulled a mirror taller than a man's height equipped with a stand from his ring. "Try it."

With a little bit of trepidation, Zou Tian put the device on his finger and twisted. Instantly, he travel clothes were replaced with an outfit an wealthy young noble might wear. He'd expected that change, though. What he hadn't saw coming was that his entire face was altered. His nose grew longer, and his ears took one a different shape. Even his hair was longer.

Not even Wan Ai would recognize him.

"Like I said, cool huh?"

"Very cool, Master. Gratitude."

Zou Tian meant it, too. Between the new ring and all the tools he'd been equipped with, he really thought he had a good chance of succeeding on his mission.

"The ring is quite customizable," Master said. "You can change the outfits and even adjust the changes it makes to your face and body. Unfortunately, I couldn't both include all those functions on a tiny ring and make the use of it intuitive. You'll find instructions in a pocket of one of the outfits."

Zou Tian cupped his hands.

"All right," Master said, "with that, it's a yes for me. Good luck, dawg."

Zou Tian didn't know the meaning of the term, dawg, but he was ready to begin training for real. For the good of the sect. For Wan Ai's protection. To defend all his sect brothers and sisters. Even Master.

"Gratitude, Master. Gratitude, Senior Brother."

Chapter 312 – Manual Learning

Benton felt conflicted as Zou Tian left the office. With him departing for the tournament—albeit with a long layover in Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town—the sect's participation in the event became a lot more real. The decision to go had been left to the council, and Benton wouldn't go back on his word to support their decision. But he still hated the risk they were all taking.

The danger wasn't his only hesitation, though. The prospect of going head to head with members from other sects had really brought out the competitive spirit in his members, all for the honor of the Rising Tide Sect.

Honor? Hooey.

Their sect had so many cheats that he really felt their performance in the tournament didn't matter a lick. The sect's rise was inevitable as long as he could get safely past whatever coalition of forces aligned against him over the next few years. Honestly, since he had reached Nascent Soul and there were no Nihility realm cultivators on the continent, he was pretty sure that, if the currently neutral factions joined forces with his enemies, he'd still have nothing to worry about.

Not that such was his desire. He much preferred to keep a cordial relationship with his neighbors, especially those like the Poison Claw Sect who had stood by him to a much greater degree than he had expected. But he didn't need any of them. How any of them reacted to the Rising Tide Sect's showing at the tournament was completely irrelevant.

Still, he'd been a young man once and remembered how important his school winning the state championship had seemed back in high school, and he hadn't even been one of the players! He really couldn't fault the kids for being enthusiastic.

"I've not been to the Quinquennial Tournament," Benton said to Yuan Yaozu. "What's the level of competition like?"

His Nascent Soul disciple looked him over for a moment before answering. "Your real question is whether your juniors have a chance, right?"

Benton nodded.

"It's tough, but you've got some advantages on your side," the Nascent Soul said. "The twins are, frankly, scary. The combination of their natural talent and the quality of the scriptures you gave them is formidable. And Body Cultivation is a major plus, especially in the lower realms. I'm not saying either will win, necessarily, but the low Foundation Establishment division isn't as tough as the one for the top of the realm. They should vie for a chance, which is more than can be said for the members of most small sects who have ever been invited."

"Anyone else catch your eye?"

Yuan Yaozu hesitated. "Not really. Sorry. All your members, even the ones with poor spiritual roots, will end up being above average for their realm once they gain expertise with the Foundation Establishment realm techniques that you give them. The ones who reach Golden Core will likely excel. Right now, though, your techniques just haven't had enough chance to give them the foundation needed to stand against the top tier of a major sect. It will be your members' physical advantage versus the better talents of their opponents."

Benton had basically figured as much.

"Don't get me wrong," Yuan Yaozu said. "Your Martial Pavilion is top notch. You've equipped them well for success. Your members will perform well enough to make the other sects take notice. I just doubt any besides the twins will be good enough to place in the top ten."

Honestly, Benton could live with that result. The twins finishing well would help with morale, and who knew what would happen with Jin LiJuan. That scenario could end up with her losing in the first round or winning the whole thing.

He barely held back a laugh while imagining the reaction from everyone if she came out on top.

"What about crafting? Xun Wu is talented and has a lot of experience as a blacksmith. Shi Long is only an apprentice, but he's a B rank."

"Two and a half months," Yuan Yaozu said.

The complete non sequitur threw Benton.

"That's how long Xun Wu and Shi Long have been using a proper cultivator forge, mostly still with mortal metals. In contrast, their competition learned on that equipment and with cultivator metals." Yuan Yaozu paused. "Then again, none of Xun Wu's competition reached expert level as a blacksmith before becoming a cultivator. It's really difficult to predict how he'll perform as it might come down to the particular challenge. If it requires knowledge of fundamental techniques, he'll excel. If it requires expertise with cultivator specific materials and equipment, he'll probably struggle."

Benton sighed. That explanation made entirely too much sense. "Formations are obviously a no. Last I heard, they're not even planning on attending. What about Alchemy?"

"That quiet girl and her assistant will eventually make fine alchemists, but they're not where they need to be. And I don't think they'll get there fast enough even using your Time dilation rooms."

Benton really hadn't expected the knowledgeable elder's answers to be any different. "Really, that's all fine. The kids will be a bit disappointed by not crushing all comers, but they'll get over it. I appreciate your evaluation."

The two talked about various other subjects for a while before Yuan Yaozu excused himself, leaving Benton to mull over the discussion about the tournament.

His sect had advantages that others would consider ridiculous. The cultivation methods he created allowed his sect members to ease through the minor realms quicker and gain more power while doing so and also build a better foundation than any of their counterparts could dream of. His techniques likewise would simply make them better than anything their rivals had access to.

But.

Yuan Yaozu was right. Those advantages would really shine the higher in realm they reached. Even if Benton went on a spending spree giving new techniques to all his members and opening new Time dilation rooms for them, it would only help so much in the Qi Gathering realm.

Besides, he wasn't blind to the strain using the rooms put Zou Tian and all the others who were accelerating their progress under. They were putting in a tremendous amount of work. He'd rather minimize the number of people who had to suffer under such harsh loads.

Not to mention that some of his sect members, like Wan Ai, vastly preferred learning by reading manuals rather than having knowledge crammed into their brains from a technique.

Wait.

"System, how many Shop Points do I currently have?"

Host has 697 Shop Points available.Benton grinned. Ever since he became a Master Alchemist, he'd spent very few Shop Points. That there was a resource that was being severely underutilized.

"System, how much for a high quality manual on basic alchemy?"

A Basic Alchemy Manual may be purchased for 1 Shop Point.At that answer, Benton laughed out loud, but he knew to test that the pricing held before he got too excited. He quickly asked the System about a number of manuals, from advanced blacksmithing to an encyclopedia of cultivation metals to Master Alchemy to basic martial arts training methods.

All were one Shop Point each. Even better, the initial purchase cost him but making copies didn't. A grin stretched across his face as he made his decision. By that afternoon, the sect's library would be a lot fuller.

Zou Tian had only been a little jealous when Senior Sister had gone on and on about how cool it was to fly. His lack of response was partially because he knew she tended to be somewhat irrationally exuberant, so he figured she was probably exaggerating.

She hadn't been.

Flying was absolutely amazing. Watching the trees blur past underneath him while the wind whipped past his face was an absolutely incredible experience. The only way he could describe it was exhilarating.

That being the case, he was on a mission, and he had work to do, beginning with making sure he wasn't being observed. He pulsed his spiritual sense and didn't detect anyone.

Using his sense wasn't his only precaution, obviously. The first had been hiking far from the sect using Hide Presence the entire way before taking to the air, pulsing his spiritual sense often.

He was reasonably sure his departure hadn't been detected.

Which left him to his next two objectives—ensuring that he wasn't spotted either en route or upon arrival at Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town. He hoped to accomplish the first of those goals by not going anywhere near the path leading between the village and the town, instead looping all the around Eternal Celestial Peak—staying far on the opposite side of the valley from the mountain to avoid the expedition—before turning back to the northwest toward his destination. For the second, his plan was basically the reverse of leaving the sect—land far from town and infiltrate the wall while remaining stealthy.

It was difficult to determine the exact heading needed to reach the town or how far away he was, but he'd kept as good a track of time using the wristwatch that Master had invented. It was quite simply amazing, and Zou Tian was positive it would catch on fast if the devices were sold—absent the laser, of course.

With knowledge of how fast the glider flew and the relative distances involved, he knew when he drew relatively close to his destination. At that point, he began pulsing his spiritual sense frequently until he finally detected the unmistakable powerful presence of a Golden Core, Senior Brother Fatty Ren.

That information gave him the heading he needed, and given the relatively weak range of his new sense, he landed his glider almost immediately, as soon as he spotted an acceptably large gap in the tree cover below.

His trip to the town was not quick, but it was quiet. Between his technique and movements that he'd trained so diligently so as neither to make a sound nor leave a mark of his passage, no potential observer could possibly have discovered his presence.

Moving carefully required much patience, which was a trait Zou Tian possessed in great quantity. He just kept repeating a mantra that Master had said he'd read about one time, "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."

Which admittedly had confused Zou Tian at first. After a bit of experience, though, he relied quite heavily on the advice.

He'd landed at midmorning, but the sun was nearly set by the time he finally spotted the town wall. The lateness was fine, though. In fact, the later the better, so he settled in to wait until full night.

He employed one cheat that felt unsatisfying to him. His sect token would get him through the town's defensive formation without triggering an alarm. There had been no time for training from Master on bypassing arrays, unfortunately.

The salve to how bad he felt about not using proper spycraft to infiltrate the wall was the fact that Sixth Flawless Flowing City didn't have such protection, and Zou Tian was forbidden from attempting to enter any of the branch sects except for the allied Poison Claw's.

Regardless, learning how to penetrate similar defenses was his current top priority before going on another mission.

When he finally moved from his hide position, darkness further hid his already almost invisible form, and fewer people on the streets meant less chance of someone accidentally hearing an inadvertent boot scratching a rough cobblestone or seeing a bit of errant light somehow reflecting off him.

Not that he was likely to make such amateur mistakes, of course, but a true spy eliminated as many potential errors as possible.

Of course, the problem with his caution was that he wouldn't be able to find a room until the next day, which meant hiding in an alley until morning. That was fine, though. He'd done much worse for longer when he was younger.

Zou Tian wandered the town looking for a suitable spot that wasn't likely to be distured. Once he found one, he settled in for another long wait.

Chapter 313 - Observations

Zou Tian observed the market from the shadows, no one aware of his presence. For the first time in several days, he'd spotted a potential target—a young man wearing a green robe.

The manuals stated that an important task for a spy was establishing communications, and Zou Tian, during his nearly four weeks in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, had yet to do so. His goal, therefore, was to slip a note addressed to Elder Kang inside the young man's pocket.

Zou Tian had tried twice before. Both times, the target had been distracted by a transaction with a merchant. Both times, he'd had the perfect opportunity to slip in the note. Yet both times, he'd decided not to follow through with the act.

It was frustrating.

The problem was that most cultivator robes didn't have pockets on the outside, including the official one worn by Poison Claw Sect members. All pouches were located inside the robe, close to the wearer's body. Some cultivators wore full undergarments covering almost the entirety of their skin underneath their outerwear. Others didn't. And it was difficult to determine which a cultivator chose from observation alone.

Per the manual, a spy shouldn't care whether the target was a young man or a young lady. Either was just as valid a target as the other.

Unfortunately, Zou Tian wasn't quite good enough at his chosen career yet to ignore the difference. Placing his hand inside a young lady's robe, even with the goal of avoiding all actual contact, just hadn't felt right. He wasn't even that bold with Wan Ai yet!

Of course, his failure made him feel horrible about himself. After all, the information he'd gathered was important, and he had no other safe way to get it where it needed to go. But he'd waited until he found a male interested in making a purchase at one of the stalls before proceeding with such a crucial task.

Master would be fine with the decision, but Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu would definitely be disappointed.

A lull in the crowd allowed Zou Tian to slip from his hiding place, wearing an average, forgettable face he'd crafted using Master's ring and plain, utterly common clothes that no one would feel were out of place. The target had his eye on a necklace with a purple charm, maybe a present for a young lady friend.

Perfect.

Not for the first time, Zou Tian thanked the heavens for the manuals.

His time in Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town had been fruitful, giving him practical experience with his spycraft. He'd spent a week wandering the town, ensuring that his disguises didn't cause anyone to take notice of him. Once he was positive those worked, he began testing himself.

Another week had been spent investigating the new Town Manager. Zou Tian had infiltrated the man's house and office, eavesdropped on important conversations, and rifled through papers. Master would be glad to hear that the guy was relatively corruption free and doing a good job.

The Town Manager and his men weren't cultivators, though, so Zou Tian had needed to find another way to truly challenge himself. And obviously, the most powerful cultivator in town was Town Lord Fatty Ren and his experienced fellow former Righteous Rain Sect members.

Zou Tian had walked into and out of the palace with impunity, tailed the Qi Gathering cultivators anywhere he wanted to follow, and generally snooped on the goings on. Which was boring as all get out. The Town Lord's friends cultivated and trained. Town Lord Fatty Ren himself cultivated, trained, and ate.

Finally, Zou Tian had waited until Senior Brother Fatty Ren was alone in his throne room before stepping out of the shadows.

The man's eyes had gone wide. "Junior Brother Zou Tian! You startled me!"

"Just checking in, Senior Brother. I'm leaving in the morning to head to Sixth Flawless Flowing City." Zou Tian had then given a report about what he'd found in the town, which wasn't much.

Fatty Ren had cupped his hands. "Gratitude, Junior Brother." He'd paused. "Wait. This is the moment Master told me about. It has to be."

Zou Tian, of course, had had no idea what the man was referring to.

"Master came to me almost four weeks ago and gave me these manuals." The Town Lord had removed three books from his spatial ring. "The subject matter was spying. He told me they weren't for me and that I'd know who to give them to." He smiled. "And I do! They're yours."

The three books were titled Beginning Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Intermediate Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and Advanced Spycraft for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

At first, Zou Tian had been quite confused by the gift. After all, he had a spycraft technique at Mastery. Why would he need books, too?

He'd been an idiot. The manuals laid out information in a thorough, logical, and straightforward manner and had an index that allowed him to quickly review topics as needed. They were the perfect supplement to his technique and taught him so much.

The only truly confusing thing was why Master had waited until some small number of days after Zou Tian left the sect to arrange to have the manuals given to him instead of simply supplying them while he was still in the village.

There had to be a very good reason, obviously, but Zou Tian couldn't figure it out. Master truly was unfathomable.

Zou Tian gave his head a small shake. Letting his thoughts wander in the middle of a mission could be deadly and was definitely something the manuals frowned upon. He refocused himself on the task at hand, feigning interest in a trinket on the table next to his target.

The boy was animatedly haggling with the stall owner, displaying not a lick of situational awareness.

Absolutely perfect.

Zou Tian reached for the trinket with his right hand, picking it up and giving it a slow examination. Simultaneously, his left hand snaked inside his target's robe and deposited the letter in the boy's pocket.

He then demonstratively shook his head, put the trinket back down, and wandered to another stall, leaving no one the wiser regdaring his actions.

The more experience he gained, the more he enjoyed being a spy.

Kang Ya-Ting was close to finishing a cycle when his muted door gong sounded, the signal that his assistant required his input but not for an urgent matter. Once the cycle was complete, Kang Ya-Ting took a few moments to center himself in meditation before responding.

"Apologies, Elder," the assistant said after entering. "A Qi Gathering junior has a message for you."

That was strange. Besides his relatives such as his granddaughter up until recently, Kang Ya-Ting had little to do with juniors in the Qi Gathering realm.

"Who is the message from?"

"He doesn't know, Elder. It's a sealed letter that was somehow put into his pocket without his knowledge."

Curious indeed.

"Send him in."

The young lad shook like a leaf as he kowtowed before Kang Ya-Ting. "Apologies, Elder. This lowly one does not know the origin of the message or its contents. This lowly one had nothing in that pocket this morning but discovered it there after a trip to the market."

"Lay it before me and back away."

The child did as ordered.

Kang Ya-Ting examined the paper with his spiritual sense. It appeared absolutely inert—plain, mortal grade paper with a wax seal. After dismissing the boy, he opened it.

Esteemed Elder Kang,

Please forgive this method of contact, but Sect Leader Chao Su has ordered this one to remain completely incognito. Howver, Master also instructed that, should this one need assistance while in Sixth Flawless Flowing City, this one should contact Esteemed Elder Kang Ya-Ting of the Poison Claw Sect.

This lowly one has discovered news that Master may find useful, but this one fears using a message device as even its miniscule amount of qi usage can be detected.

Based on the teachings of Master and of Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu, this one has devised a list of drops where messages can be left. A map of these locations can be found on the following page.

If the Esteemed Elder is willing to assist in this endeavor, please fly a red triangular flag atop the gate of the Poison Claw Sect's branch for no more than five minutes just after sunrise any morning. This one will respond by having a circular pendant with a number on it displayed outside the warehouse of the Heavenly Transit Mercantile Association two hours later for five minutes. The number on the pendant will correspond to the location where my message can be found.

This one will have someone observe the gate each morning. If it is necessary to contact me, please fly a yellow flag instead. Note that my message may or may not provide different drop locations or a different place or form for letting you know which location to use.

Unfortunately, this one does not consider this message secure enough to deliver the aforementioned information.

Sect Master Chao Su's Disciple,

Zou Tian

Kang Ya-Ting remembered the boy—borderline untalented roots but with a strong Shadow aspect—and the updates received regarding his progress. He'd recently advanced to Foundation Establishment using one of the Rising Tide Sect's phenomenal Time dilation chambers and promptly disappeared about two months prior, whereabouts unknown.

Or they had been. Apparently, he was on a spying mission for Chao Su in the city.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Kang Ya-Ting immediately made arrangements to have the boy's instructions followed to the letter, and the next afternoon received a follow up message.

Esteemed Elder Kang,

Gratitude for your assistance. This one would have had to take a risk to communicate by any other method. Master will be told how helpful our allies at the Poison Claw Sect are.

This one has discovered three items of interest:

1. When speaking in taverns, the vast majority of comments from Jade Chameleon Sect members regarding the Swift Blizzard Sect are complimentary. The same can be said for comments made by the Swift Blizzard Sect about the Jade Chameleon Sect, though with more undertones of a superior speaking of an inferior. It is this one's belief that these conversations signal that the two sects are drawing closer together. Both sets of sect members express mainly negative comments about the Poison Claw Sect. The Jade Chameleon Sect members, of course, vehemently denounce the Rising Tide Sect, but Swift Blizzard Sect members also express extremely negative sentiments.

2. There is an area, a square, at the tournament grounds near the main stadium that Swift Blizzard Sect members avoid. Jade Chameleon Sect members treat the area normally. This one doesn't know what the avoidance means but found it interesting. Please see a sketch showing the location of the square in the following pages.

3. Rumors abound that there is a Formations Master in the city, someone hired from an outside faction. The Formations Master has no known affiliation with or work regarding tournament preparations. This one has discovered a man meeting the speculated description at an upper class tavern, the Third Fortuitous Turtle. This one will continue to investigate.

Again, this one expresses much gratitude for the Esteemed Elder's assistance. This lowly one asks that the Esteemed Elder have someone check to warehouse door once per week on this day for a signal for another drop.

Sect Master Chao Su's Disciple,

Zou Tian

The boy's message was eye opening, mainly because all three pieces of information were new. While the Poison Claw Sect's branch spymaster could perhaps be excused for not noticing an area of the tournament grounds being avoided, things such as the sentiment of the two sects for each other and for the Poison Claw Sect as well as the rumors about a Formations Master in the city should have been detected.

Kang Ya-Ting wrote out a message to Elder Dai and had his assistant hand deliver it while he meditated on the news.