Chapter 194
Fatty Ren had never met anyone who seemed so different between one encounter and the next as the sect leader did. One moment, he was literally the friendliest person ever, seeming like a generous grandfather giving wisdom and candies in equal measures to his offspring. The next he was casually demonstrating the number of Golden Core cultivators he had killed.
Scary.
Fatty Ren wanted nothing more than to remain on the sect leader's good side, going out of the way to remind him of their relationship by constantly calling him Friend Su. Whether that slight manipulation helped or not remained to be seen.
At the moment, all Fatty Ren could do was try his best to advance to Golden Core. The sect leader had emphasized how important it was to him that the sect gain a member at that realm.
Fatty Ren shuddered. What would happen if he failed?
Word had reached Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town about what had happened to the Jade Chameleon Sect branch in Sixth Flawless Flowing City. There was nothing left. Nothing.
All that wealth. The buildings. The formations. Treasures. Everything. Gone.
The message that destruction sent to the sects was imposing. It said, "I care not for wealth. I cannot be bought. Cross me, and I will not even leave enough of your bodies behind to be buried."
Fatty Ren shuddered again. If he failed, would the same fate await his town? Probably not. Hopefully. But he couldn't be sure.
It was with tremendous motivation that he walked into the Trials Pagoda. He could not fail. He would not fail.
Another thing about the sect leader that was hard to figure was his expectations for his disciples. Sometimes, he seemed to take the greatest of care making sure that his student understood each step in the process. Other times, he seemed to expect the student to figure everything out on their own.
From the outside, it almost appeared as if the sect leader was a forgetful old man who sometimes didn't consider that his student might not know what to do.
Fatty Ren, of course, knew differently. Every action had not just one purpose but multiple.
Like what he experienced in the lead up to the Trials Pagoda. He walked into the Contribution Points Shop having been told absolutely nothing about the process, having been given no hints at all.
When he left the sect leader's presence, Fatty Ren had felt that he would surely fail as he walked into the complete unknown.
All four of the disciples sent to escort him, however, had all already underwent trials and were thus able to supply information about the what and the how of the process, from touching the orb on the pedestal to the blue screen that popped up to giving advice about the actual trial, persistence being the main key.
All that stuff the sect leader had said about not caring about the talent level of the recruits was weird, and Fatty Ren naturally held some doubts. What kind of sect was he joining that didn't care about talent? All sects cared about talent. Regardless of what the sect leader could provide, could a sect truly stand if it let just anyone join?
Then came the part where his new sect brothers and sister told him about passing their trials. The whole thing was obviously meant to reassure Fatty Ren that the Rising Tide Sect members were both capable and reliable. Maybe there was some weird reason to add random people to the sect, but the core members were just as talented as those in any other sect.
In having those four escort him, the sect leader had both improved Fatty Ren's chances of passing the trial and made him feel much more confident about his new sect.
As Fatty Ren entered the Trials Pagoda, that knowledge of what was about to happen calmed his nerves some, but he was still more than a little anxious as he touched the orb. And he was really glad he'd been warned about the blue box.
He had been almost sure that his new sect mates were joking with him about it, but it actually existed. Which wasn't all that crazy, really. An illusion array that projected a screen wasn't hard to create. The somewhat strange thing was that he didn't sense any qi.
Once he made his selection of the type of trial, a new screen popped up.
"Selection to Advance Cultivation requires approval from Sect Leader Chao Su.
Contacting Sect Leader Chao Su.
Sect Leader Chao Su says, "Fatty Ren, you obviously have my blessing to attempt this trial. I do have one last bit of information that may or may not prove useful to you, however. Your exact qi aspect is 'Ever hungry consumer of all.' If the trial becomes difficult, meditating on those words might be beneficial. Good luck!"
Fatty Ren hadn't sensed any qi at all when the screen said it was contacting the sect leader. Neither was any sensed when the message from the sect leader was displayed.
Of course, that message could have been built into an illusion array at any time. And Illusion was good at hiding qi.
If not for Yang Xiu's tale of trying to select a different trial and the sect leader clearly responding through the blue box, something he couldn't have known about in advance, Fatty Ren would have thought it all a trick. Instead, it was simply one more impossibility, and a lesser one at that.
For a man who could immediately increase every inductee's spiritual roots upon joining his sect, what was a blue box that operated with no visible qi usage?
Fatty Ren was soon transported to a gray room. Beyond the floor he was standing on, some form of rock, everything disappeared into a mist in all directions.
A man appeared to the side. "Prepare to defend yourself. Three. Two. One."
A burst of qi shot at Fatty Ren from the front. He triggered his qi shield.
The next thing he knew, he woke in a gray void with a voice telling him that he had died and asking if he wanted to continue.
From the tales of his fellow sect members, that result was not beyond his expectations, and he quickly confirmed that he did want to continue.
When the next burst of qi was shot at him, he converted a small amount of stored fat into energy and fed it into the shield. It apparently wasn't enough because he again woke in the gray void.
The next time, he converted a lot of stored fat, nearly ten percent of his total. The shield held.
"Prepare to defend yourself," the man said again. "Three. Two. One."
Again, ten percent of his stored fat converted into qi was enough to hold off the burst of qi.
And again. And again. And again. Until he used his last ten percent of stored fat to hold off the burst of qi.
"Prepare to defend yourself," the man said again.
"But I don't have any more fat!"
"Three. Two. One."
The qi burst came, and Fatty Ren woke in the gray void.
Well, that had both worked and it hadn't. He'd at least prolonged his failure. That was something, right?
Persistence was the main key, but then again, it wasn't. The true key was to persist until he figured out whatever the trial was trying to teach him.
"You have died," the man's disembodied voice said again. "Continue the trial or quit?"
"I wish to have a moment to think, please," Fatty Ren said.
The man didn't answer, but neither was Fatty Ren transported back to the room.
He needed to go back to the beginning. The entire purpose of the trial was to teach him something about his cultivation so that he could get past his bottleneck. Thus, defending himself from that burst of qi was supposed to somehow teach him something about cultivation.
What was that something, though?
Fighting, he could do. Sitting and cultivating was easy for him. Thinking and figuring stuff out, on the other hand, was not his strong point.
He learned best by doing, not thinking. Maybe he could figure it out on the fly.
"Continue," he said.
The next time in the room, all his fat had returned, at least, but he couldn't think of anything to try. He ended up dying when the first qi burst hit him. The time after that, the same thing happened. The third time, desperate to try something, he attempted to dodge the qi burst.
That didn't work. The burst followed him and sent him back to the void.
In thinking about what he tried, it was obvious that it wouldn't work. Dodging had nothing to do with his cultivation. His cultivation was about eating food.
It was then that Fatty Ren remembered the message in the blue box. His cultivation was tied to his qi aspect. Specifically, it was "Ever hungry consumer of all."
It wasn't "Ever hungry consumer of all food." Of all. Period.
The Righteous Rain Sect had only been able to determine his qi element, Gluttony. Though he knew that there existed ways to figure out one's exact qi aspect, those methods weren't common. He'd never had access to such.
He'd always simply taken the energy from food and stored it in his body in the form of fat for later use. His sect leaders had taught him that. They had, in fact, been overjoyed by discovering him. Even with his middling C- roots, he was celebrated. Gluttony cultivators were rare, and the ability to store qi for future use allowed them to fight above their realm.
Those quick bursts of power came at the expense of years of eating, but most cultivators had no way at all to fight enemies at a higher cultivation realm. He'd always felt that he had a fantastic advantage over most everyone he encountered.
If what he was beginning to suspect to be true was in fact correct, he had been way, way underestimating his advantage.
"Continue," Fatty Ren said.
He took a deep breath as the man began his countdown. Feeling nervous and a little stupid, he deliberately did not will his shield to activate.
The qi burst appeared as a fast-moving, teardrop-shaped ball of light heading toward his stomach at great speed. Despite knowing that the ball of light had killed him multiple times already, he made no move to dodge.
As it hit him, he focused on a single thought—consume.
And that was exactly what he did. Instead of expending fat to block the qi, he absorbed it into his body. His fat grew.
He grew!
The implications were huge. While he'd still be weak to actual weapons like swords and arrows hitting him, qi that struck him would only make him stronger. Lightning. Fire. Maybe even anything made solely of qi. All of it would strengthen him.
"Congratulations," the man said. "You have passed the trial."
The next thing Fatty Ren knew, he was back in the fancy entrance to the Trials Pagoda standing next to the orb on the pedestal. He immediately sunk into meditation.
Chapter 195
Other than sleeping for a couple of hours, Benton worked through the night, making good progress. He felt confident that, with another eight to ten hours of labor, he'd have all the building interior arrays completely analyzed and safed off where necessary, assuming he didn't hit any major snags. The final piece after finishing the work on the inside would be to hook all the CBD buildings, the cafeteria, and the arena to the main power formation.
Then, and only then, would the sect grounds be ready to move in.
So there were ten to thirteen hours of labor required and about twenty-four hours before the start of the memorial service. Benton nodded. By his calculations, he had a safety factor of close to one hundred percent.
Perfect.
That was good, too, because finishing the construction wasn't the only task on his plate. He also needed to have a metaphorical sit down with Fatty Ren to discuss some details of sect management that hadn't yet been addressed.
Since Benton had received a notification that he'd completed the Advance First Golden Core Disciple Quest, he'd also need to provide the Town Lord with a cultivation method and perhaps a technique.
Too bad he hadn't been using one the System's cultivation methods thus far as that was a minimum of six Sect Points Benton had missed just from last night's advance.
Oh well, he'd take the ten Shop Points from the quest completion and be happy with it.
Besides, any amount of any kind of points paled in comparison to the relief he felt at adding another Golden Core cultivator to the sect. If the current Fatty Ren had been present at the village during the attack, Ye Zan would probably still be alive.
Benton was very happy with the progress of all his sect members. They were all diligent cultivators and hard workers, especially compared to almost anyone back on Earth. Considering that most of them were teenagers, he found them all to be extraordinary.
But cultivation was a marathon, not a sprint. With the exception of Jin LiJuan who had lucked onto a fast track, all the others were on a much slower path. It would be years before even the very talented twins reached that level and months before anyone else even joined them in the Foundation Establishment realm.
Until that time, the safety of the entire sect rested solely on his shoulders. Or it had. Fatty Ren was not nearly at the same level of fighting strength. He hadn't even formed a Concept yet. But the addition of a Golden Core cultivator who used the Gluttony element to punch above his considerable weight would give Benton the option of fighting on two fronts if needed.
Fatty Ren was a huge strategic asset, no pun intended.
The big man showed up at the sect a short time later and immediately cupped his hands. "This one reports success, Friend Su!" He was grinning from ear to ear.
"Congratulations, Friend Ren. You have no idea how happy I am that you broke through. Tell me about your trial."
"First of all, this one never would have made it without the advice of his diligent and knowledgeable juniors. They told me to persist until I figured out the trick. And that's what I did. I owe my success to them. The sect leader is wise to have had them escort me to the shop."
"Of course. Of course."
Truthfully, Benton had just been using the four as a matter of convenience so he could get back to work. But it hurt no one to think he had intended that outcome from the start.
Fatty Ren proceeded to relate the tale of his trial, and Benton praised the big guy vociferously. His new capability was worthy of that praise. He'd already been a powerful fighter and adding in the ability to absorb enemy qi attacks would significantly increase that prowess, making him formidable indeed.
The energy stored in his fat was basically supercharged qi, a lesser version of that which was powered by a Golden Core cultivator's Concept. Benton couldn't wait to see what that energy stored in his fat would become when Fatty Ren mastered his own Concept.
Wow. His future was bright.
"Okay," Benton said when the tale was over, "the first step is to get you a cultivation method. Do you have any preferences?"
"Preferences, Friend Su? I mean, I would not expect you to be able to provide a method tuned to my element, of course. Gluttony is quite rare. I used a very general scripture at Qi Gathering and thought myself quite lucky that the Righteous Rain Sect found an appropriate Foundation Establishment method for me."
"Fatty Ren! As if I wouldn't supply you with a proper cultivation method. Who do you think I am?"
The man looked genuinely shocked. "Sorry, Friend Su. It's just…"
"Don't worry about it. In fact, I like that you're so surprised. My disciples here are no fun at all. They just take everything in stride."
It was obvious that the big guy didn't have any idea how to respond to that. Judging from Fatty Ren and Kang Lin, the key seemed to be getting new people in to show off to, and the more the newbies knew about sect stuff, the more impressed they were.
Benton grinned. "The kind of preferences I was referring to was stuff like, if you had a chance to rate the importance of three aspects of the cultivation method, say ease of cultivation so that you can advance quickly, the power the method provides, or the chances of it letting you reach Nascent Soul, which would you say was the most important?"
He'd happened on the question mostly by accident, but now that it had been asked, he was really happy with it. One of the two worst parts of the process was assigning the values to the attributes. Having the person who would be using the method pick them out was genius.
In fact, if he remembered correctly, he'd done the same thing with Kang Lin, and it had turned out pretty well.
He'd have to remember to make it a habit.
"I don't think a lowly one like me would have a chance at making Nascent Soul, Friend Su, so that aspect holds little importance for me."
Benton didn't respond. Frankly, reaching that high was a crap shoot for most people. He was positive that he could get the twins there, but he honestly had no idea how many resources he would have to spend to do so. Making that promise to anyone else just wasn't reasonable.
He'd do what he could for all his sect members, obviously, but a silent determination to help was different than getting their hopes up.
"Advancing quickly isn't a priority, either, Friend Su. Traveling from the start of Golden Core to the peak, if one is lucky enough to reach that far, takes longer than I would have lived total as mortal."
That way of looking at things was good, going back to the fact that cultivation was definitely a marathon especially at the higher levels. It wasn't unusual for Golden Cores to remain in seclusion for years cultivating.
"That leaves power," Benton said.
"That is does. Power. I like that, Friend Su."
Based on the big guy's preferences, Benton assigned ten to Foundation, fifteen to Ease, and the other seventy-five to Power. A few moments later, he handed a jade slip containing the Gluttonous Consumption cultivation method to Fatty Ren.
The big guy immediately dove his consciousness into the slip. "Friend Su," he said after he finished perusing the method, "this is too much."
"Nonsense. I'm counting on you to protect my people when I'm unavailable. If anything, it's not enough."
"I…" Fatty Ren cupped his hands. "Gratitude, Sect Leader."
Benton had not paid much attention to the big guy's techniques previously, but it was time to do so.
Name:
Fatty Ren
Affiliation:
Rising Tide Sect
Age:
35
Cultivation:
Golden Core
Qi Available:
102,489
Techniques:
Flowing Shield - Mastery; Flowing Steps - Mastery; Righteous Rain Sword Art - Mastery; Seeker of
Food - Mastery
Spiritual Roots:
C
Qi Aspect:
Ever hungry consumer of all
"Tell me about your techniques," Benton said. "The sword art is self explanatory, but what is Seeker of Food?"
The big guy seemed shaken. "Friend Su knows all my techniques? How?"
Benton shrugged. "One grows older. One acquired abilities. You know how it goes."
It was always good to build upon his old monster mystique.
"S-seeker of Food does at it is named, Friend Su. If there is food nearby, I can sense where it is and how much energy it contains. It's not really all that useful, but it was the only technique the Righteous Rain Sect could find that was specifically suited for a Gluttony element user."
"Interesting," Benton said. "I'm assuming Flowing Steps is your movement technique and Flowing Shield is, of course, your shield."
"Yes, Friend Su. Those of the standard techniques the sect gave to members who did not cultivate the Water element."
"Got it." Such a powerful fighter would really benefit from an attack technique specifically attuned to him, but there was a matter to discuss first. "How much do you know about the Golden Core realm and Concepts?"
"I feel like I know enough, Friend Su. As I neared the peak of Foundation Establishment, I got guidance from a knowledgeable cultivator who is part of the Emperor's faction."
"Ah, I guess being Town Lord comes with some advantages, then?"
"Yes, Friend Su. I am not an important part of that faction, but I was raised to nobility in order to take the title."
"Will the fact that you joined my sect cause issues?" Benton hadn't even thought about that possibility and was, frankly, a bit annoyed and concerned that Fatty Ren hadn't brought it up.
"Not at all, Friend Su! Having been raised from a sect, it is expected that I would want to eventually either rebuild my former one or join another. If my membership causes a conflict, I will simply resign my position as Town Lord. They never invested much into me, so there will be no ill will if I leave."
Okay. That made sense. They'd needed someone to lead a dying town and were willing to elevate that person to minor nobility to fill a hole. Benton could see how Fatty Ren would be considered expendable after twenty years of service in that position.
"Good," Benton said. "Obviously, the most important part of reaching Golden Core is forming your Concept, so I expect most of your time to be spent either doing that or cultivating. However, both are long term pursuits. I wouldn't expect you to actually form your Concept for years yet."
"It is as you say, Friend Su."
"In the meantime, I could give you a couple of techniques. I think one would really help with your combat potential, and the other would just be a convenience. Do you think you have the bandwidth to take on learning new techniques with everything else you have going on?"
The term "bandwidth" clearly confused Fatty Ren for a moment, but he slowly seemed to grok the meaning. "A peak Foundation Establishment cultivator should know a lot more than four techniques, Friend Su, especially when only two of them are in the proper realm. The only reason I don't know more is because I haven't had access to any. This lowly one would greatly appreciate the chance to learn more."
That wasn't the response that Benton had anticipated, but how could he say no to such a passionate request? "Very well." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I actually had three ideas and planned to ask you to choose between the two attack techniques. Instead, I'll tell you all three, and you can pick the two you want."
Fatty Ren cupped his hands. "Gratitude, Friend Su."
"First, the convenience technique. As you likely know, it can take a year or more for a Golden Core cultivator to advance far enough to be able to manipulate qi in a manner suitable for using a flying sword without a specific technique. To shortcut that process, I can simply give you a technique that makes the use of one much easier. You could potentially be flying today.
"Second, a technique that efficiently channels your stored energy through your sword instead of your fists.
"Third, a technique that channels your stored energy into a ranged attack. You'll lose power in the process, but it will give you an option that you currently lack."
"Question, Friend Su?"
"Go ahead."
"The first does seem convenient, Friend Su, but why spend the time to learn something that I'll pick up eventually as I work on my Concept?"
"Exigencies of the moment, my friend," Benton said. "I fear that times are about to get interesting, and while I'm hopeful that most fights will center around me, there will be times when I need you to protect your sect mates. The time it takes you to get from the town to the village might matter a lot. Your movement technique exceeded my expectations, but it's not nearly as fast as flying."
"For the good of the sect, then, I will accept the flying technique, Friend Su, and for my second, I choose the ability to channel energy through my sword."
"Not the ranged option? It would make you more versatile."
"I am a simple melee fighter, Friend Su. I'm not sure I could make proper use of such a technique."
"Understood," Benton said. "Staying true to yourself is important for any cultivator, and that truism only becomes more important the higher you advance in realm."
He created a generic Flight of the Cultivator technique for ten Sect Points that any of his sect members would be able to use in the future. It was a bit of a qi hog, though, so he doubted that anyone save maybe the twins would have a big enough pool to use it before Golden Core.
The Gluttonous Sword technique, costing only six Sect Points, was specifically attuned to Fatty Ren, and the look on the big guy's face when he figured out that fact was priceless.
He was also allowed to pick out one of the excess flying swords, ending the distribution of goodies portion of the conversation. The next part wouldn't be as fun, but it was probably more important in the long run.
Chapter 196
A/N 2/26/25 - Status screen added today. Note that I found two small mistakes prior to this chapter. The numbers in this chapter and going forward should be correct.
Benton was happy with the techniques he'd given Fatty Ren. The flying sword technique would allow the big guy to travel between Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town and the village in well less than an hour and the weapon technique would make his attacks much stronger. He wouldn't truly be a powerhouse until he developed his Concept, but in the interim, he was more than a match for lesser Golden Cores and, depending on how far away Benton was, might be able to hold off against those higher in minor realm long enough for help to arrive.
"Are you satisfied with your choice to join the Rising Tide Sect?" Benton said.
Fatty Ren cupped his hands. "Very much so, Friend Su. Everything I've been given has been of a quality that the Righteous Rain Sect couldn't begin to provide, and I don't know if I would have ever broken through my bottleneck without that trial. I owe you and the sect a debt."
"Good, because you may be called on to pay it." Benton handed him a large stack of spirit coins and another bundle of blank papers primed to be converted into origami message dragons. "I'll keep you informed of everything that happens with the Jade Chameleons and any other threats as well as getting you instructions as soon as possible. Be prepared to either defend the town or come here on a moment's notice. Keep your people ready to move as well. If things devolve into an all-out war, they may need to relocate here fast."
"Of course, Friend Su."
Benton frowned. Now that he'd said that last part out loud, he began to consider the situation, and the more he thought about it, the riskier it seemed to have so many vulnerable people so far away. It would be so, so much better if all those people joined him here.
For one, they'd be safer. It was easier to protect one big group than two smaller ones. Another benefit was that they could integrate into the pavilions a lot easier. Finally, they were much more likely to develop loyalty to him if they actually saw him on a regular basis.
But the counterargument was just as strong. If he wanted more people in the main sect, he could have simply added more villagers. He hadn't done that for a reason. The sect main branch simply wasn't established enough to handle huge influxes. They hadn't even moved into the building yet.
In a way, leaving the two hundred people in the branch sect more or less to their own devices was a jerk move, but it gained him needed sect members without hurting the main sect. His best bet was to continue on as he planned. Accelerate recruitment as much as possible without jeopardizing organization and morale and simply do his best to make sure the branch sect was safe and did right by its members.
"Is something the matter, Friend Su?"
"Just thinking. Sorry," Benton said, returning his attention to the actual purpose of the conversation. "It should take the new recruits around three weeks to reach Qi Gathering minor realm three."
Fatty Ren looked skeptical.
"I know what you're thinking," Benton said. "Most of the inductees were trash tier. There's no way they can cultivate that fast. As a rebuttal, I have three words for you—Top. Heaven. Grade."
"It makes that much of a difference, Friend Su?"
"Absolutely. I've been running groups of fifty villagers through the process, and three weeks plus or minus a couple of days is exactly what I'm seeing."
"Understood, Friend Su."
"I don't want them doing anything other than cultivating ten hours a day until that point. No practicing with weapons. No exercising. Nothing. Cultivating only."
Different sects had various ways of intaking new members. Some insisted on intense physical training like something out of a military bootcamp. Others wanted them sparring immediately.
The idea wasn't crazy. Straining the body could help make it stronger which, in turn, could provide future benefits for those focused on fighting. Considering that Benton planned for at least all his martially inclined members to do Body Cultivation, such an approach was wholly unnecessary.
"Yes, Friend Su."
Benton quickly purchased one hundred ninety-five Qi Condensing Pills from the Shop for sixty-five Shop Points and handed them all to the Town Lord. "Give each of them a pill as soon as they've consolidated their advancement to the third minor realm. These are perfect purity pills that are guaranteed to take them to minor realm four in the course of less than a day."
Fatty Ren was less impressed by the pills than with everything else he'd been given. It wasn't uncommon for a major sect to provide such boons to sect members, and he probably didn't realize what perfect purity meant. He didn't strike Benton as the type to have studied much about alchemy.
"After they reach minor realm four," Benton said. "They can start learning a weapon technique, which brings us to a decision point."
The big guy tilted his head quizzically.
"The sect officially uses two weapons—the spear and the bow," Benton said. "You and the other experienced sect members in Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town all use swords. I've already got one member here who prefers the sword as well, not the mention the fact that I've been known to use one as well. Should I give in and just make it so the sect officially uses three weapons?"
Fatty Ren's expression basically said, "You're asking me?"
"I really would like your input," Benton said. "You are a branch leader and the highest realmed member other than me."
"The Righteous Rain Sect focused strongly on the Water element, Friend Su. Everyone who joined understood that anyone whose aspect was Water based would find better cultivations methods, techniques, and training. Cultivators such as myself obviously still joined, but there was never any effort to make any other element an official focus. Concentration of resources has advantages."
The big guy's point was well made. Having only two official weapons increased efficiency, especially when they were recruiting groups of low ranked people in large lots. Everyone would take either a spear class or an archery class, and even with the small size of the sect, there were enough people at any one level of expertise that it was easy to find fellow sect members in a similar position no matter how slowly or quickly one advanced.
"The sword is a fine and noble weapon, Friend Su, but that is no reason to make it an official weapon of the sect. Convenience is not a reason, either."
"I understand and agree, Friend Ren. We'll stick with the two we have." Benton cupped his hands to the Town Lord. "That does leave us with the problem of teaching your new sect members, though. Should I arrange to have instructors from here travel to town when they're needed?"
Fatty Ren appeared deep in thought, so Benton gave him a few moments to consider the question.
"The whole point of the branch sect is for us to be as self-reliant as possible, right, Friend Su?"
"Yes."
"The better idea, Friend Su, is for me to have Song Yongliang and the other three experienced sect members learn the techniques, so they can teach the inductees."
That was a fantastic plan, much better than anything Benton had come up with. He quickly had the System create two hundred jade slips for both the sect's foundational spear technique and the foundational archery technique.
"Fantastic, Fatty Ren. You have exceeded my expectations. Take these techniques back with you."
Four hundred slips made quite a big pile, so he pulled a table out of his spatial ring to put them on in order to facilitate the big guy transferring all of them to his own ring.
Once the Town Lord had stored all the jade slips away, Benton said, "My preference is to have more spear users than archers by a ratio of around two to one, but I feel strongly that each person should choose which resonates with them the best. Do not dissuade anyone from picking the bow, but if someone is undecided, you can push them towards the spear if you want. If the balance gets wonky, though, it's not that big of a deal."
"Understood, Friend Su."
"Once your inductees start hitting Small Success with their weapon technique, it will be time for the next decision," Benton said. "If they want to proceed on a martial path or they are undecided on a path, they should keep training with the weapon until hitting Large Success. If someone has a strong desire to enter one of the other pavilions, we're going to have to move them here. It's just not efficient to set up learning for specific professions.
Benton hesitated for a moment, thinking. "Well, not for the cultivator specific ones, anyway, like formations and alchemy. If you have a blacksmith who wants to continue smithing, I can supply you with appropriate techniques for that, and you can keep the blacksmith in town. The same goes for farmers who want to grow herbs and for healers, etc. They can all learn at least the basics there, and then we can do exchanges to make sure that everyone is learning the same things."
"Yes, Friend Su."
"Great. Take these, too, then." Benton had the System create fifty jade slips for Hammer Time and handed them over. "Blacksmiths can choose this instead of the spear or bow."
Fatty Ren cupped his hands.
"The last thing I have for you is a new mission. Start looking out for new recruits. Not nearly as many as last time, but if you find fifty to a hundred worthy people, that would be a help. And no rush this time, either. Under no circumstances will we add to the branch sect numbers in less than a month, and only then if you think you can handle the extra people."
"Yes, Friend Su."
"I think that's it for now," Benton said. "We're going to have a memorial service for Ye Zan tomorrow morning, and it would be good if you were there. I'll leave it to you whether you want to head back to town and return tomorrow or if you want to stay."
As the big guy left to do whatever it was that he wanted to do, Benton decided to check his status. There had been a lot of changes lately. Just over the last several days, five sect members had improved their techniques, twenty sect members had moved up a minor realm in Body Cultivation, and they'd actually had some advancements in Spiritual Cultivation.
Each of the sixteen original guards had moved from Qi Gathering minor realm five to minor realm six. Which was great progress. Even better was the very talented Xun Wu had moved from minor realm six to minor realm seven. In a couple of days, the blacksmith would be given a Qi Condensation Pill to propel him to minor realm eight.
It was awesome to see another sect member closing in on Foundation Establishment, though that advancement was still at least a few months away.
At a thought, a pop up appeared.
Sect Name:
Rising Tide
Sect Members:
462
Disciples:
56
Sect Points:
874
Shop Points
285
Host Cultivation:
Golden Core - Minor Realm
Nine
Qi Available:
5,647,745
Host Body Cultivation:
Gold - Minor Realm Nine
Host Mind Cultivation:
Higher - Minor Realm One
Host Soul Cultivation:
Manifestation - Minor Realm
One
Host Techniques (Qi Gathering):
Basic Archery - Mastery
Basic Spear Combat - Mastery
Expert Golden Core
Cultivation - Mastery
General Mind Cultivation
Knowledge - Mastery
General Soul Cultivation
Knowledge - Mastery
Knowledge of Beast Bonding -
Mastery
Knowledge of Rank 1
Formations - Mastery
Knowledge of Rank 2
Formations - Mastery
Knowledge of Rank 3
Formations - Mastery
Nascent Soul Cultivation
Knowledge - Mastery
Pill Basics - Mastery
Host Techniques (Foundation Establishment):
Absolute Speed
Enhancement - Mastery
Aura Defense - Mastery
Automatic Reaction
Variable Shield -
Mastery
Chain Lightning - Mastery
Extreme Area
Temperature
Manipulation - Mastery
Folded Space Quickstep -
Mastery
Foundation Excavation -
Mastery
Healing - Mastery
Hydro Blast - Mastery
Illusion Detection and
Mitigation - Mastery
Illusion Illumination -
Mastery
Layered Variable Shield
Breaker with Void Finisher
Weapon Augmentation -
Mastery
Meditation - Mastery
Pause Time - Mastery
Perception - Mastery
Power of the Heavens -
Mastery
Rank 1 Formation
Construction - Mastery
Rank 1 Formation
Construction Acceleration -
Mastery
Rank 1 Inscription -
Mastery
Rank 2 Formation
Construction - Mastery
Rank 2 Formation
Construction
Acceleration - Mastery
Rank 2 Inscription - Mastery
Rank 3 Formation
Construction - Mastery
Rank 3 Formation
Construction Acceleration -
Mastery
Rank 3 Inscription -
Mastery
Seeking Speeding Arrow -
Mastery
Space Dragon Origami
Messenger - Mastery
Stealth - Mastery
Time Manipulation -
Mastery
Variable AoE Gravity Burst -
Mastery
Variable AoE Shield -
Mastery
Variable Spirit Coin
Manifestation - Mastery
Voice Amplification -
Mastery
Host Concepts (Golden Core):
Anti-Tribulation -
Mastery
Earth - Mastery
Fire - Mastery
Gravity - Mastery
Healing - Mastery
Ice - Mastery
Illusion - Mastery
Light - Mastery
Lightning - Mastery
Metal - Mastery
Momentum - Mastery
Poison - Mastery
Smell - Mastery
Soul - Mastery
Sound - Mastery
Space - Mastery
Temperature - Mastery
Time - Mastery
Tribulation Lightning -
Mastery
Void - Mastery
Water - Mastery
Wood - Mastery
Menu:
[Cultivation Method]
(Technique]
[Quest]
[Perk]
[Advancement]
[Shop]
[Sect]
Chapter 197
A/N 2/16/25 - I'm behind. Sorry. This should have been posted yesterday morning. I got stuck on this chapter. On the plus side, I got to reference both Star Trek II and Lost in Space, so there's that. I kind of ended up going down a wrong path, and it took me a while to see that I had to course correct. I think this version is much better. Look for me to catch up as soon as possible.
The day passed quickly for Benton. No emergencies arose, so he was able to devote his entire attention to completing his analysis of formations in the rest of the main sect ground buildings. He hit a couple of snags, and it ended up taking the rest of the day and into the night for him to finish.
In the meantime, Wan Ai entered the Trials Pagoda and successfully completed advancing her herb technique to Mastery. Which was fantastic. That would help her alchemy so much.
What would help her even more would be learning a beginning technique for pill making. He could easily create one for her that would cram all the information she needed into her brain. As it was, she was making do with learning from manuals that he'd acquired for her, and as far as he knew, she had yet to be able to produce a single pill yet.
Not that her failure was a bad thing. She was still in the Qi Gathering realm. When she advanced to Foundation Establishment, he'd give her an actual technique for making pills, and her current experience would really help her learn that one. Really, successes and failures weren't nearly as important at the moment as the process of digging in and learning and trying.
A knowledge technique on top of that, though, would speed her even further.
The problem was time. His best guess was that she would breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in two hundred to two hundred and twenty days. That was maybe enough time to master another Qi Gathering level technique. Maybe. But her dagger technique was also only at Small Success.
In an ideal world, she'd have all her techniques mastered by the time she advanced, giving her a fresh start to work on the new, more important ones he'd be giving her. The likelihood of her reaching Mastery with her weapon and a new technique seemed small. The likelihood was that she'd advance with both of them at Large Success.
Was it better for her to move to the next major realm with two mastered techniques and purely mundane experience with pill making or to have only one mastered technique, decent control but not mastery over her weapon, and enhanced but not expert knowledge about pill making?
In the end, that was something only she could decide.
He used a message to summon her. It didn't take long for her to arrive, and unsurprisingly, she brought Zou Tian with her.
After they got the standard greetings out of the way, Benton explained her choices to her.
"I prefer to learn on my own, Master," she said as soon as he'd finished speaking.
Benton sighed. "I get that. I really do. And I don't want to put any more pressure on you than you probably have put on yourself." He paused. "Alchemy is very important to any sect. It's maybe not quite as important to us because I have … resources. Those resources are precious, however. The sooner you and the Alchemy Pavilion can produce high quality Qi Condensing Pills and healing pills and all the other miraculous medicines available to us, the better for the sect. I'm not asking what you prefer."
He wasn't exactly bleeding Shop Points, but he devoted a lot of them to accelerating cultivation. If not for that usage, he could really start to think about other, more wondrous options.
She looked chastened, which was not his intent at all.
"Wan Ai, I am so proud of you," Benton said. "You have taken to cultivating like a fish to water. You learned how to prepare the Body Cultivation baths much faster than I expected. You have risen to every challenge thrown at you. The sect is lucky to have you."
Her subdued looked turned to one of uncomfortableness and embarrassment.
That girl! It was impossible to recognize her great work without making her face turn beet red. Even worse, there was nothing he could do to make her more at ease. Anything he could say about it would only make it worse for her, so all he could really do at that point was ignore it and move forward.
"First, I need your honest self-assessment," Benton said. "What would be the most helpful for you in the immediate and near-term future—mastering your dagger technique or improving your knowledge of making pills?"
"None of the others can prepare herbs well enough to make pills, Master," Wan Ai said. "It's not like the baths. If the preparation is not done perfectly, the pill fails to form. If any one of a dozen other things aren't done perfectly, some of which I have little understanding of, the pill fails to form."
"It sounds like you're saying you need both."
She winced. "If getting me better fast is required, mastering use of the dagger to make the cuts I need is imperative, but there are so many other details that I'm struggling with. I can learn it from books, but it requires much practice. Which requires a lot of herb preparation. Everything takes time."
"Are you close to reaching Large Success with the dagger?"
"Yes, Master."
Assuming she judged her progress accurately and she was only days away from advancing the technique, it made no sense to use the Trials Pagoda again. It should be much more efficient with techniques that people were stuck on or had progressed to the middle stages.
Besides, from her expression and her tone, she obviously did not want the new technique, much less to have her progress artificially accelerated. And normally, that refusal would have been the end of the matter. She was considered an adult in her society and should be free to make her own decisions, even if those choices weren't the ones he would have made.
The particular subject they were discussing, however, impacted more than just her. The good of the sect was at stake.
Ah. To an extent, anyway. It wasn't like the sect would fail or anything due to her decision, but overall, her learning being accelerated would lead to a more effective use of resources.
He wondered how far he should go in forcing her to do what he wanted. Spock famously said at the end of Star Trek II that, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The one."
Benton's eyes almost moistened at remembering the scene. It had hit him hard, burning itself into his memory as a really good scene. On the other hand, a movie hitting really strong emotional notes maybe wasn't exactly the best justification for making a particular espoused philosophy a founding principle of his sect.
So probably ordering her to take the pill technique was a bridge too far. And another attempt to convince her would be very coercive at that point. She'd likely see it as an order even if he didn't phrase it in that matter. But maybe he was justified in being a little coercive given that the situation called for it?
One more attempt. He'd drop it if she didn't agree.
Of course, if she took the new technique, his conscience was probably going to bug him quite a lot. Ugh.
"I'm sure you have good reasons for the way you feel," Benton said. "Perhaps you want to achieve your success on your own merits and feel that a new technique is cheating. Perhaps you feel that you're already getting a lot of attention from your peers and me giving you a new technique will add to that. Perhaps your reason is something else entirely. The point is that I believe your reason, whatever it may be, is good and reasonable. My opinion of you is way too high from me to believe anything else."
Wan Ai looked like she was about to cry. Zou Tian looked horrified.
Yikes. That last part was a bit manipulative. More than a bit, really. How could any of his disciples say no to any request that followed that particular lead up?
Danger, Will Robinson. Danger. Maybe coercing an impressionable young lady to take the technique was worse than ordering it directly.
"You know what," he said. "Just forget it. It's not that big of a deal. We can skip the introductory knowledge technique and go straight to one for pill making when you reach Foundation Establishment."
"Master," she said, her voice trembling, "if it's truly important to the sect…"
Benton almost laughed. The whole situation was feeling way too icky by that point. It was fine to joke around with his sect members, and manipulating enemies with misdirection and by other means was fair game. Whatever he'd been doing to her, however, was pretty the definition of not okay.
"No," he said. "I'm officially taking the offer off the table, and if you try to buy the technique with your contribution points, it will not be available. Go back to practicing."
Both the kids cupped their hands.
"I do expect you to reach Mastery with the dagger before you advance, though," Benton said. "If it doesn't look like you're going to reach that target on your own, you need to use the pagoda again."
"Yes, Master."
"Zou Tian," Benton said, "I expect you to keep an eye on that situation."
"Yes, Master. I'll help her practice."
As soon as they left, Benton felt a huge sense of relief. He'd almost started down a bad road. What was the saying? "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Something like that.
He had to remember that he had almost absolute power over those kids. If he decided to kill one of them or destroy their cultivation or anything else, no one would say a word.
Maybe forcing one of the sect members to take a technique she didn't want to take for reasons that he didn't understand when his way would have benefited the sect wasn't exactly the moral equivalent of murder, but abusing his power felt like a slippery slope.
How far was it between coercing a sect member to take the choice he wanted and slapping them in the face and yelling, "You dare!"?
He shuddered. Not far enough for his tastes.
Chapter 198
A/N 2/27/25: This is Sunday's chapter. I'll post Monday's chapter tomorrow, getting us caught up. Again, apologies for the delay.
With the preparations for move-in complete, Benton moved on to a much less pleasant task—getting ready for Ye Zan's memorial service. The first order of business was to determine where the guard captain would be laid to rest.
He'd died a hero, and he deserved a resting place befitting his deeds. To create an appropriate place, Benton would need a new technique. Luckly, the recruits in Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town having taken their first step along their cultivation journey had given him more than enough points to propel his total Sect Points to well over eight hundred even given the recent outlays.
The random thought about point totals focused his attention on his determination. Frankly, that decision process was wrong. While the present circumstances couldn't be called an emergency, providing a proper entombment for the sect's first hero justified any expenditure needed regardless of point total. It was that important.
"System," Benton said, "I want a technique to use my Earth qi to shape stone. The technique needs to give me the knowledge and skill necessary to create stone buildings and other structures and to sculpt statues. Please purchase to Mastery."
The technique would have been a bit more efficient if he bought a Concept for Stone qi, but with his pool size, using Earth instead would be fine.
"Technique creation confirmed.
Host has learned the technique, Stone Shaping and Construction - Mastery.
Host has 866 Sect Points available."
A flood of knowledge entered Benton's mind, and he momentarily reflected on the fact that he'd normally take great joy in being able to perform magical feats that he'd never envisioned having the capability to do. His task for the night was too grim to draw any happiness from his new abilities.
He threw himself into his work. First, the tomb. In the culture of his current world, the size of the tomb depended on the importance of the person to be entombed. As far as he was concerned, no one was more worthy of a grand palace than Ye Zan, the sect's first hero.
Benton sighed. Realistically, though, he was building a sect that would hopefully last for centuries. Maybe millennia. The sect would unfortunately have many, many heroes eventually. It wasn't reasonable, or maybe even possible, to build a huge tomb for each of them. Something like a Hall of Heroes would be much more practical.
Yeah. That would work. And Benton really thought that Ye Zan would have approved. Rather than a single structure devoted only to him, it would be something that served the entire sect, a distinction that honored his memory and sacrifice.
What Benton envisioned was a nice garden with flowers and hedges and a reflection pool, which suited his western taste more than the aesthetics of the eastern world he lived in.
He almost jettisoned the idea in favor of something more traditional according to the local culture, but he hesitated. The thought of having something unique appealed to him. The rest of the sect grounds were just like what he'd find anywhere else on the continent. Wouldn't it be neat to have something completely different to draw attention to the resting place of their heroes?
Yes. He'd lean into Earth for his design choices to make the area really stand out. The tomb would resemble something that would fit in well at Arlington National Cemetery instead of something he'd see on a tour of an allied sect. And it and the statue would be created from white marble flaked with gold. And he'd create an array for both the statue and the tomb to prevent it from getting dirty and another one inside the tomb to preserve the … contents.
With a firm idea in his head, he got to work. The mountains nearby provided plenty of base material, and his new technique gave him the knowledge to get the shapes just right and to adjust the color and composition to achieve just the look he wanted.
By morning, the tomb, statue, benches, paths, and basin for the pool were complete.
For another twenty-four Sect Points, he bought a Concept of Nature to Mastery and created a new technique for himself that allowed him to instagrow and shape plants from either seeds or a remnant of a mature plant. Though the surroundings were all dormant due to the it being winter, Benton was able to find enough plant material of the types he wanted to create a beautiful flowering garden bordered by hedges.
Arrays added temperature control, which should make the garden a popular spot for contemplation in all seasons, and for plant preservation to keep it beautiful with minimal maintenance. When it was complete, including water being added to the pool from Benton's spatial ring, he sat on one of the benches and took in the garden he had created. He felt that Ye Zan would have liked the area.
It definitely wasn't traditional. No considerations were given to feng shui at all. The western sensibilities and the colors clashed with the rest of the sect. But the garden and tomb were still beautiful, and Benton didn't think that one needed to have experience from Earth to appreciate it.
Other than the aesthetics of the main buildings, most things about the Rising Tide Sect were different than other sects. The life of a Qi Gathering cultivator was valued as highly as most sects considered their Nascent Soul members. E and F ranks were gladly accepted and treated as respected members.
It was good to be different, and honoring their heroes in the way that appealed to him celebrated that belief. Benton felt good about his decision.
Unfortunately, having completed the task several hours before the scheduled start of the service left Benton with too much time on his hands, and sitting in the garden staring at the tomb he'd built focused his attention on a subject he'd been trying to avoid thinking about. He couldn't help but consider about what he could have done differently.
If he'd chased after the cultivator heading toward the village, the man would have been killed long before he had a chance to strike down Ye Zan. Of course, that action would have given the other Jade Chameleon cultivators the chance to separate and do great damage to the village, killing even more people.
Maybe they would have chosen to flee instead or decided that Benton, being the true threat, should be their sole target. He didn't think so, though. The father was dead set on vengeance, and Benton proving the importance he placed on his people might have mad the lunatic destroy the entire village before he could be stopped.
If the village's shield had been constructed to repel qi attacks, Ye Zan would be alive. But that wasn't reasonable. An array that protected against everything was too unfocused to be strong enough to really protect against anything. It would never have held up to the beast tide. To fully protect the sect, Benton would have had to construct three different formations—one for beasts, one for qi attacks, and one for cultivators.
There had been no time to do that.
Had he known that three Golden Core cultivators were going to attack, he would have made the time. But he didn't.
Of course, if he hadn't killed that Foundation Establishment cultivator in the first place, none of the following events would have occurred. But that thought wasn't reasonable, either. The man had been intent on his purpose, and Benton wasn't strong enough at that point. He was honestly lucky to have been able to kill him with that spear thrust.
There were always things he could have done better, especially considering points management. If he would have known. If he could see the future.
"System, I'd like to create a technique to know when bad things are going to happen so that I can prepare for them."
"Divination techniques are not allowed on this world."
Benton spent a good amount of time trying to work around the proscription like he had others in the past, but the System was adamant. And no mysterious entity came to his aid. Neither was he able to create a technique to bring back the dead once the soul had departed.
Frustrated, he was left to ponder his own failures and inadequacies. And really, mismanagement of Sect Points and not having the foresight to build enough protection into the village's wall weren't even the things that made him feel the guiltiest. No, that was something else entirely. It was a single thought—how much worse would he have felt if it had been Yang Xiu' body lying in the dirt instead of Ye Zan?
###
The older one gets, the more opportunities one has to deliver eulogies.
Benton was a firm believer in the fact that experience makes things easier. Eulogies stood in opposition to that principle. No matter how many he gave, he never found himself more comfortable delivering them. At least the fact that he'd done it before meant that he knew how to structure the speech.
The morning stretched, and all too soon, it was time for the memorial service to begin. As ordered by Benton, all of the sect attended. Most of the villagers did, too.
He mostly let the other sect members lead the ceremony. The mayor officiated. Huang Yimun, who was apparently Ye Zan's best friend, told stories of their time together, making the crowd alternately laugh and cry. A few of the other guards spoke, too, but none were as impactful as Huang Yimun.
Yang Xiu was the final one slated to give testimonials. As she ascended the stage—an actual one that woodcrafters have built instead of just a wagon—and stood behind the podium, she showed more nervousness than Benton had ever seen her display.
"I would not be here today except for Ye Zan," she said, her eyes glistening. "I know he gave himself willingly, and I do not want to diminish his sacrifice. But I can't help but feel that he paid the price that was my burden without me asking him to. Without me wanting him to.
"I was prepared to make that sacrifice myself.
"Am I glad that he did it? I don't know. My brother appreciates it. He wishes that Ye Zan had family that we could reward, but he didn't. So there's not much either of us can do."
Benton was almost positive that the girl hadn't actually prepared a speech and was instead simply speaking from the heart. Such an act was brave of her. Her emotions were obviously very raw, her confusion and sadness coming through in every word.
"Should I have acted differently that day?" Yang Xiu continued. "If I would have ducked behind the palisade, we might both still be alive. I thought I was doing right, protecting the sect, but while I was willing to sacrifice myself for that end, I don't know if I would have chosen to sacrifice Ye Zan.
"My thoughts have been jumbled since Ye Zan died, and I don't know how to feel about his passing and my surviving. My intention is to move forward and become as powerful as possible in order to protect as many people as possible. Every person I save becomes someone who Ye Zan saved. I think he would have liked that. It's all that I can think of to do."
There wasn't a dry eye in the place when she stepped down off the stage, turning it over to Benton.
He took a few necessary moments to gather himself before ascending the stairs, and he began the eulogy with the easy stuff. Kang Ya-Ting had done a lot of investigating before hiring Ye Zan for the escort job, so Benton was able to relate tales of the guard captain's childhood and adolescence growing up in Sixth Flawless Flowing City. To that background, Benton added anecdotes about the boy's early adventures and misadventures as a mercenary and his ambition to be a soldier. His capability and diligence as a guard captain were praised vociferously, bringing Benton near the conclusion of his speech.
"Ye Zan was a good man. His greatest ambition was to protect those he cared about and respected. Prior to becoming a member of the Rising Tide Sect, the number of people he placed in those categories were few, limited to his fellow guards.
"His time with us was short. Way too short. But I'd like to think that the number of people in those categories grew by enormous bounds during that time. I know that he fit in both those categories for me and for many of you here today.
"There is nothing that we can do to bring him back, but we can honor his memory. One way we can do that is, as Yang Xiu stated, to grow stronger, so we can protect each other. Another is to visit his resting place, the newly built Hall of Heroes."
Benton paused for a moment to let that name sink in. "Yes. The Hall of Heroes. As the leader of the Rising Tide Sect, I officially declare Ye Zan to be our first official hero."
Somber cheers sounded at the announcement.
"Outside the Hall is the Garden of Reflection," Benton said, "a perfect place to sit in quiet contemplation. It is a place for solitude. For consideration. For meditation. All are welcome to visit, mortal and cultivator, sect member and not, but please remember its purpose."
Benton was positive that no one in attendance would ever disrespect the garden and that they would actively enforce the rules if necessary.
Good. He wasn't normally one for somberness, but Ye Zan deserved that measure of respect.
"Let's now observe a moment of silence to honor and remember our departed hero," Benton said. "Our departed friend."