Chapter 223
Benton fretted about his decision for most of the afternoon, going back and forth in his head. One minute, he leaned on letting the twins go to Sixth Flawless Flowing City. The next, he changed his mind.
Ugh. The choice wasn't complicated. On the "let them go" side, he had the benefit to the sect in allowing the pursuit of the two most important ventures possible at the moment and both the experience that would be gained by his two disciples and the world of good it would do them for him to express his belief in them.
On the "keep them home at all costs" side, they could die.
That was it. They could die. Simple. Easy to understand. Death. Final. He'd just buried Ye Zan and couldn't bear to think about having to do the same for either Yang Xiu or Yang Ru.
It was the same decision he and Evelyn had had to make every time they let their children leave the house. There was always the possibility of something bad happening. They weren't exactly free-range parents, but they tended to lean in that direction, believing that giving into fear set a bad example.
The current decision was a bit different, though. Real danger awaited. The Jade Chameleon Sect was gunning for the Rising Tide Sect. Benton's disciples would be targets. And targets of a sect tended to end up dead.
On the other hand, there were a few ticks in the "likely to avoid death" column. One, Kang Lin would be with them to help the twins avoid danger. Two, the twins were head and shoulders above other Foundation Establishment cultivators anywhere near their realm in terms of talent, available qi, and quality of techniques. Three, the Poison Claw Sect had promised support in any way possible.
A brilliant thought occurred to Benton. What if he let the twins go to the city, but he insisted on them having more advantages first? No one had used the Trial Pagoda yet that day. He could slot the twins in for today and tomorrow morning, making their permission to go contingent on advancing the level of their respective shields.
Mastery for those techniques carried the very important bonus feature of activating the fully automatic functionality of the shields. With that trait, the twins wouldn't even need to be aware of an attack for them to be protected from it, making Benton feel a lot better about their probability of coming through the trip just fine.
And he could whip up something for them, right? Like…
A teleportation device maybe? That project would require the installation of a teleportation beacon at the sect grounds, though, and Benton didn't have access to the necessary materials. Other than spending way too many Shop Points—more than he had available once he pulled the trigger on the tower formation schematics—he had no idea where or how to obtain those materials, either. They were all both rare and in demand by all sects who wanted teleportation beacons of their own.
So giving them a way to teleport out of danger was a non-starter.
But how about setting them up with a panic button of some kind that would signal him if they were in danger and ping his spiritual sense with their location? That could work. He could craft a formation that would send him a signal, but how would that help?
"System," he said, "can I buy a technique to give me true teleportation? And if so, how much qi would it cost to go from here to Sixth Flawless Flowing City?"
"Host may purchase a technique for Teleportation.
To teleport roughly three hundred miles will cost approximately one hundred thousand qi."
Host may purchase a technique for Teleportation. To teleport roughly three hundred miles will cost approximately one hundred thousand qi.
Awesome. That amount was very qi efficient and would make travel between the village, Vermilion Incomparable Rain Town, and the city so much more convenient. He should have done that a long time ago.
Benton pulled the trigger on the technique, spending eight Sect Points to get it to Mastery.
Okay. If both kids had their shield at Mastery and he was able to create contingency rings for them, he could tentatively agree to let them go to the city.
That decision meant that he had a lot to do to get ready for their trip. First, he sent all three of the Foundation Establishment disciples messages that explained the requirement for the twins to successfully use the Trials Pagoda. Next, he Quickstepped to the Wood and found Guang Yin, letting him know that the schedule that had been established for the harvesters using the pagoda was pushed back two days.
"There's one other thing I need," Benton said.
"Name it, Sect Leader."
Since establishing the sect and giving the harvesters new top heaven grade cultivation methods, the lead harvester's opinion of Benton had done a full one eighty. From being highly skeptical, Guang Yin had turned into one of Benton's most enthusiastic supporters.
"I'm making rings for several of my disciples, and the base needs to be Orange Vigor Spirit Wood because that's the only thing I have on hand that can handle storing and channeling the amount of qi I require. Can you get me five thin circles of wood that are about the diameter of the kids' fingers?"
"Easy enough, Sect Leader," Guang Yin said. "I can just cut sections off a branch."
Ah. Made sense. Benton could have done that. Then again, it was good to have the people who were in charge of particular resource handle all the chores involved with that resource. It gave them a sense of ownership. In contrast, Benton just popping in and taking what he needed would ruin any chance of them seeing themselves as the actual leader of that pavilion
"Only five, Sect Leader?"
"For now. I guess I'll probably need a bunch of them in the future, so cut me several dozen when you have the chance."
"Of course, Sect Leader."
It didn't take the man long to slice five thin sections off an appropriately sized branch, and once Benton had them in hand, he Quickstepped back to the section of the fourth floor of the Administration Hall that was turning into his personal crafting area.
Using a thin construct of Void qi, he cut the middles out of all the circles, leaving him with wood rings. Then came the hard part, inscribing. Which wasn't normally all that difficult for him. It was just that he was planning on fitting a lot of formations in a really tiny space.
The problem with any device meant for a cultivator to wear was that it had to be quite durable. After all, fights often involved getting up close and personal, so anything that might be hit by qi or fists or weapons had to be able to withstand extreme forces. Even qi rich materials like Orange Vigor Spirit Wood needed help in that regard.
Before he began, he took a moment to lament the fact that he didn't have time to have the material alchemically treated. That process would have made it tougher and more conducive to qi. It would have also taken days to soak and dry before being ready.
The first array that got inscribed in the wood served simply to make the material tougher. Well, tougher overall. He also created a single weak point that, when enough force was applied, caused the entire ring to fall to pieces.
Next, unlike most of Benton's crafted devices, the ring was essentially a one-time use item, meaning that, instead of needing to be supplied with qi from spirit coins, all the energy it would ever need would be loaded in upon creation. Thus, the second array was a simple one designed to store the correct amount of qi.
Third came an array that used Space qi to adjust the size of the circle. By doing so, he could make the rings one size fits all. Otherwise, he would have had to fit each ring to an individual cultivator.
With the three utility features implemented, it was time for Benton to start on the functionality, beginning with the signal. Upon the ring being destroyed, either by the weak spot being deliberately triggered or the entire device being subjected to too much force in the form of physical power or qi, a pulse traveling near the speed of light would seek him out.
Perfect.
The final array produced a beacon that his new Teleport technique could home in on.
After testing it and fixing a few minor flaws, he declared the prototype done and proceeded to make four more of them.
Like any good formation expert, Benton did not like to leave inscriptions out in the open. For one thing, they were prone to being damaged without a protective layer over them. For another, leaving them visible made it too easy for a rival formation expert to steal one's designs.
His plan was to coat the ring in a mortal metal, which would serve the dual purpose of protecting the inscriptions and in somewhat disguising the importance and purpose of the devices. Obviously, with his control of Gravity and Fire, he could simply melt and form the necessary metal right there in his workshop, but he had a reason to do otherwise.
Benton purchased a Blacksmithing technique from the System, Quickstepped to the Blacksmith Pavilion, and found Xun Wu.
"I need to use the forge," Benton said.
"You're a smith, Sect Leader?" Xun Wu's voice couldn't have been more skeptical.
"As I keep telling people, the longer one lives, the more skills one picks up."
The expert blacksmith looked conflicted. "Normally, no one whose skill I haven't personally verified can use the forges, but you are the sect leader. So…"
"If you have time, why don't you watch me. That way you can verify my abilities for next time," Benton said. "To be honest, what I'm doing today is really simple. I don't even really need the forge for it, but there's a project I'll be tackling in the near future that will require its use. It's better for me to get acquainted with the setup here on an easy job, right?"
"That makes sense, Sect Leader, but are you sure it wouldn't be better to have me do that project for you?"
"I wish you could, but until you reach Foundation Establishment and get an advanced technique for it, you can't. Even your considerable expertise can't substitute for the ability to sense and manipulate qi."
"Understood, Sect Leader."
The expert blacksmith led Benton to the most advanced forge, one that no one else was using because none of the pavilion members could yet handle qi.
Benton explained what he was trying to accomplish with the rings. "What metal do you recommend?"
"Gold or silver would be more decorative and, thus, more of a disguise, Sect Leader."
"The qi inside will be detectable to anyone with a halfway decent spiritual sense. Disguise isn't the main priority. Added durability is."
"Then simple steel is probably our best bet, Sect Leader. We don't have access to anything more exotic at the moment."
"That's fine. I'll etch a pattern on it or something to make it more decorative."
Xun Wu had one of the apprentices fetch an ingot of steel, and Benton was thankful he didn't have to go through the steps to create the alloy. The expert blacksmith tensed when Benton used his hands to place the ingot inside the hot forge, and he thought about pretending to be burned.
But he didn't. Joking about safety in that manner wouldn't have been funny. He did, however, take a moment to show his unburned hand to Xun Wu. The robe's sleeve wasn't even singed.
The great thing about the forge was that, not only was it capable of attaining a much, much hotter temperature than a mortal forge, it used Fire qi in addition to just fire in order to heat the metal. Benton used his new Blacksmithing technique to manipulate that qi, softening the steel in seconds.
He reached in for a second time and pulled the metal back out, placing it on an anvil.
"Do you need to borrow a hammer, Sect Leader?" Xun Wu said.
"Ah… Not this time." Benton had better ways to work the metal, mainly his Gravity technique which he could so finely manipulate by that point that it essentially functioned akin to a form of telekinesis.
He chucked to himself. Even if he couldn't just use Gravity, his hand was tougher than any hammer the Blacksmith Pavilion had available.
Using Void and Gravity, Benton snipped off a small section of the ingot and flattened it. The next part was tricky. Since the wood hadn't been alchemically treated, it was a bit sensitive to heat, so he had to protect it from getting too hot while not letting the metal cool.
Benton actually had to use his Dual Mind to accomplish the trick, but the first circle of wood was quickly encased in steel.
He held it up to Xun Wu. "What do you think?"
"Looks good to me, Sect Leader, though I've never seen blacksmithing done quite like that."
"Get used to the unusual. I can't wait to see what you'll do when you have the proper techniques. Be thinking about exactly what skills you most need. Be creative."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Making the first ring proved out the process, and Benton was able to quickly replicate it for the next four. Before he left the pavilion, he made a point of politely requesting another glider base from Xun Wu.
"I can do that, Sect Leader. When do you need it?"
"You've got a little more time that the last one. Tomorrow morning?"
"Of course, Sect Leader."
The rings were done, and Kang Lin's glider was in progress. And there was still daylight remaining. Benton planned to spend the night creating more spirit coins, but he figured he had a few hours to begin work on the towers.
No rest for a sect leader when his members were under threat from Nascent Souls.
Chapter 224
Benton had spent a lot of time coming up with a design for the towers. The formation capable of killing a Nascent Soul cultivator would go at the very top, but that array wasn't the only one. He had to start with a solid base, one that could withstand quite a bit of punishment if anything got through the shield. Or if an attack on the sect came before the shield was finished.
The first step, though, was to obtain the base material for the tower, which meant another visit to the Wood, so Benton Quickstepped over there to find Guang Yin again.
"Sect Leader? I thought you didn't need the wood discs for a while yet."
Benton rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I already finished that project, and I'm ready for my next one. Can I get two Orange Vigor Spirit Wood trunks, the bigger and taller the better."
Guang Yin frowned. "How important is the project, Sect Leader?"
"More important than anything I can imagine. It might one day save the entire sect from destruction."
"Okay." The old harvester let out a breath. "There are two trees that meet your description, the two oldest in the Wood at several hundred years old. We've been saving them for something big and important. If this project is really that important, Sect Leader, they're yours."
"It is that important." Benton cupped his hands. "Gratitude." He paused. "About how tall are these trees?"
"About two to three hundred feet, Sect Leader."
Benton was thinking of making the towers about forty feet tall. Even considering the need to extend fairly far underground for stability, anything over a hundred feet was serious overkill. In fact, sixty to eighty feet would be fine. "You know, I think one of those would be sufficient."
"As you wish, Sect Leader."
Benton left instructions for the trunk to be cut down and sectioned into equal segments in the range he needed. Guang Yin promised to have the tree felled immediately and delivered to the village woodworkers for treatment with the alchemical baths.
"Perfect," Benton said. "I also need a bunch of branches of different sizes, as many as your harvesters can gather. Don't bother treating those. Just have them delivered to Administration Hall by this evening if possible."
"It will be as you have instructed, Sect Leader," Guang Yin said. "I should also have the kernel you requested by that time and will have it delivered as well. The segments of the big trunk should be ready for your use three days from now."
That didn't give Benton much time to make his other preparations, considering he also needed to spend much time creating spirit coins. All he made that night would go with the twins to the city to pay for the materials to make the qi source.
On top of that usage, both towers would need as many coins as possible. The power supply for them would obviously be a big target. Destroy the power source, and the tower would cease to work. Which meant he'd have to secure the power source. Which meant that resupply during combat would be difficult at best and likely impossible. Which meant that he needed to provide as many coins as he could or risk the tower running out during a protracted battle.
He also needed rocks. A lot of rocks.
Treated Orange Vigor Spirit Wood was relatively strong, but strong was a relative term. When one's expected opponent was a Nascent Soul, strong needed to mean virtually indestructible.
The wood was not, by any means, indestructible, so Benton's plan was to use layers. Unfortunately, he neither had access to sufficient Shop Points to buy enough heaven grade materials to coat the towers nor any other way to get metals that would resist Nascent Souls. So he'd have to improvise.
His memory from Earth was that igneous rock tended to be quite strong when compared to regular stones. Maybe something to do with the crystalline structure that formed when they cooled?
Anyway, he planned to coat each tower base in a thick layer of lava and cool into a solid protective shell.
To do that, he needed a massive quantity of basalt, a common rock formed by cooling lava. He'd run across several deposits of the stuff in his travels around the mountains, so that feat was easy enough. Which one of the reasons he'd chosen to use the material in the first place.
For the outside layer, he planned to use more rock, though not in a solid shell as he had other plans in mind instead. And the material he'd chosen was likewise easy to find. The name of it escaped him, but it was the kind that formed the really steep cliffs because it was so resistant to erosion.
Benton spent the rest of the daylight hours gathering both those types of materials into his ring. When he Quickstepped back to his workshop, he found a pile of branches waiting for him along with a small chunk of dense wood that was absolutely packed with qi.
He used Analyze on the kernel.
Object:
Orange Vigor Spirit Wood Qi Seed
Qi Rank:
Golden Core
Grade:
Earth, top
Use:
Grow Orange Vigor Spirit Wood Tree.
Nature aspected crafting material.
Value:
Spirit Coins in excess of 1,000,000 qi units
Other:
Seed is not large enough to provide enough base material for the plant portion of a Nature qi source. Four additional seeds of a like size would be required.
Benton really appreciated how the System looked out for him. The information under Other told him exactly what he wanted to know—first that the kernel was exactly what he needed for crafting a qi source and, second, that he'd need four more of them for the task. And if one of the kernels was worth one hundred ten-thousand-qi spirit coins, that meant any sufficient crafting material was probably worth at least five hundred.
He made a mental note of that information and moved on to examining the branches. Guang Yin and his men had done a great job. The pile was exactly what Benton needed.
Perfect. Between the sticks and stones, his entire next day would be consumed with inscribing formations. Before he began that part of the project, he had a full eight hours of spirit coin production ahead of him.
If he ever had thought that the life of a sect leader was glamorous, the tediousness of that night abused him of that notion.
He actually ended up going over the eight hours as he decided to maximize the number of coins to give to the twins. When he got the notification that Yang Ru had advanced his shield the Mastery, just like his sister had the previous day, Benton knew he should expect the trio of travelers soon, so he Quickstepped to the Blacksmith Pavilion to pick up the base from Xun Wu.
With his Time Manipulation, it took him only a little more than a subjective minute to finish creating Kang Lin's glider.
Benton had a few minutes, maybe as many as a quarter hour, before she and the twins arrived, and he took a second to determine the best use of that short period. Starting his new project just to be interrupted didn't make much sense, and he couldn't make many coins that quickly.
On the other hand…
It was difficult to do extremely detailed work involving multiple techniques when he was also altering time, but creating spirit coins was one of the easiest things he did. The only real limiting factor was qi, and his pool wasn't anywhere close to being depleted. The twins might end up needed an immense amount of coins, so every little bit might help.
Ten minutes of production was nothing. Ten minutes worth of production while also using Time Manipulation was an entirely different story. His decision made, he triggered the technique, and by the time the kids arrived, he'd spent an additional ten hours making coins.
"First of all, disciples, I have gifts for each of you." Benton pulled three rings from his spatial storage. "Take these, put them on, and do not remove them."
"But Master, we already have storage rings?" Yang Xiu said.
"These serve a different purpose. I call them contingency rings. If they break, they send me a pulse letting me know you're in trouble and set off a beacon that I can teleport to." Benton pointed to a small etched line on the ring. "Wear it with this mark on the bottom of your finger. It indicates a weak spot. Just a little bit of force from your finger will crush it, as will any force that gets through your shield that is strong enough to hurt you."
"You made one for me, too, Master?" Kang Lin said. "I'm not one of your sect members."
"I've said it many times. You are one of my disciples. And you're going into potentially dangerous situation in service of me and my sect. I'm not going to hang you out to dry."
All three of them cupped their hands. "Gratitude, Master."
"The final gift is just for Kang Lin. We'll call it an early birthday present." He withdrew it from his ring and deposited it on the floor in front of her.
"My flier!" Kang Lin said. "Gratitude, Master."
"Glider, not flier," Benton said.
She tilted her head. "But gliding implies that the device doesn't fly under its own power, Master."
Okay, her criticism was valid as the device did use qi for lift and thrust. Hmm. The argument against it was that the movie called it a glider. Which, upon further consideration, was probably for alliterative purposes. In the end, nostalgia for Earth won out over accuracy.
"The inventor gets to name the device," Benton said. "It's a glider."
She cupped her hands. "Of course, Master."
Benton's expectation was that Kang Lin would have a much higher degree of protection than the twins simply by wearing her Poison Claw Sect robe. The Jade Chameleons would be idiots to provoke a fight with another member of the big three by attacking her. Which was why he hadn't insisted on her improving her shield before leaving on the mission.
Yang Ru had his shield at Mastery and both a movement technique and his main attack technique at Large Success. In contrast, his sister matched him with her shield and attack technique, but she hadn't even learned a movement technique.
Benton felt the need to rectify that oversight prior to her leaving. He quickly created one for her, Slippery Steps, that would let her glide across the ground must faster than she would otherwise be able to.
"And finally, for Yang Xiu, an aid in escaping danger and in creating distance to proper bow range." Benton tossed her a jade slip.
Yang Xiu caught it and immediately cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Master."
With the gift giving out of the way, he moved onto giving them instructions. "Your first goal of the trip is to stay safe. Period. If you manage to buy literally nothing on the list, that's fine as long as you return healthy and hale. If you're facing an opponent and you feel yourself to be in true danger, forget face. Run. If you can't run, break your ring. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master," the three chorused.
"Second instruction," Benton said. "Kang Lin is in charge. If she says run, you run. You do not question an order from her any more than you would from me. Do you understand?"
"Yes Master," the twins chorused.
"Your grandfather has great faith in your ability to keep the twins out of trouble, Kang Lin. I'm trusting both him and you. Do not let me down."
She swallowed hard. "Yes, Master."
"Good. Now on to the actual mission." Benton pulled out the Orange Vigor Spirit Wood kernel and showed it to the trio. "This is what you're looking for. It holds about one fifth the amount of qi needed to be a proper ingredient for a source. Commit the feeling your spiritual sense gives you to memory."
He gave the disciples a little while to examine the kernel, allowing each to hold it. The success of their entire mission rested on their ability to recognize the materials he needed, and the kernel was the only example he had. In fact…
"I can get more of these from the harvesters," Benton said. "Why don't you three take this kernel with you. That way, you can compare it to any materials you find to make sure the two are similar."
Kang Lin cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Master." She stored the kernel in her ring.
"Next thing is the money I have for you." Benton deposited a pile of ten-thousand-qi spirit coins on a table.
Kang Lin's eyes went wide. "Are all those greater spirit coins, Master? How many?"
Greater spirit coins? Benton had never heard the term, but it was a lot less cumbersome than referring to them as ten-thousand-qi coins. He liked it.
"Yes," Benton said. "Five thousand of them."
"Master… This is too much," Kang Lin said. "If anyone knew we carried this much wealth in our rings, we'd be hunted by every sect in the city."
"It's actually not enough. The kernel you're taking with you should go for about five hundred greater spirit coins, but we actually need materials that higher grade and contain more qi than that. At a minimum, you'll be paying between that and a thousand for anything we can actually use. Most of the really nice stuff, you probably won't even be able to buy. In that case, try to barter. As long as you can get the base materials, I can craft just about anything that alchemy, blacksmithing, or formations can produce."
"Understood, Master," Kang Lin said.
"I get your concern about having that much money on you, though. You'll just have to take measure to keep the amount you have on you hidden. Maybe leave most of it with Kang Ya-Ting?"
"Yes, Master," Kang Lin said.
He reiterated that they needed three types of material for each of six qi elements, going over those types of each. "These materials should be relatively difficult to find, so please do not stress if you can only find one or two or if you don't find any. This project is one we'll be working on for a long time."
"Understood, Master," the three chorused.
"You should be able to find any number of different spirit metals, though. Look for anything in the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm, though the latter is unlikely for you to find. My preference is that you buy an ingot or two of a bunch of different types so that I can test them to determine which is best for my purposes. Please note the name of each, where you got it, and how much it cost."
"Yes, Master," the three said.
"The final thing I'll need for you to purchase is a better cauldron. The ones here are for Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they just can't handle the amount of qi I'll be generating. I'd love one rated for Nascent Souls, but those are almost impossible to find and crazy expensive. One for Golden Cores should be fine."
"Yes, Master."
"Any questions?" Benton said.
"No, Master."
He was sending them off into a potentially very dangerous situation, and man, he wanted so much to hug each of them. Their culture wasn't nearly as big on physical displays as Earth was, though. They'd just find it awkward.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I need one more thing," Benton said. "And this one is not important at all, so don't stress about it. If you can, though, find me some sort of acting troupe, like people who put on plays or performances of some kind."
He hadn't encountered anyone like that when he was last in the city, but from Su's memories, they existed. Considering that mortals would take weeks or months to travel from the city, the current crises should have hopefully passed by the time they arrived, and he had an idea that required actors.
"Of course, Master." Kang Lin's answer was firm, but her tone said that she thought the request to be quite strange.
Her confusion was okay, though. Being sect leader meant not having to explain oneself. Kind of like being grandpa. Eccentricity was actually a plus.
"Alright, then," Benton said. "Be safe."
That dismissal sounded so inadequate compared to what he wanted to tell them, but it would have to do. He was going to be a very anxious until he saw them safe again at home.
Chapter 225
Yang Xiu had rarely, if ever, been so excited in her life. For one thing, she was flying. Actually flying. The ground below passed in a blur as she soared past on her glider, Yang Ru and Kang Lin trailing behind. Even though the experience had grown more common over the last few days, she still found it amazing.
The main reason Yang Xiu felt so exhilarated, though, was that she was going on an actual mission from the sect. One that involved danger. Her previous one had been to escort a bunch of juniors into the woods to process beast parts. There was nothing in the world more boring than processing beast parts.
Though not officially declared, the members of the Jade Chameleon Sect were her sect's sworn enemies by that point. Their rivalry was like something out of a book. Any of those sect members who saw her would be honor bound to fight her. Which meant she could fight back. Really fight back.
So far, she felt she was coming along nicely in her martial pursuits. She split spars with Yang Ru about half and half. Against Kang Lin, Yang Xiu won probably three quarters of the time.
Spars were not true combat, though.
She'd acquitted herself well against beasts in her equivalent minor realm and had done the best she could when confronted with those above her, not backing down in the face of danger.
But she hadn't faced any cultivators of a like realm with real stakes on the line. There was no chance that either her brother or Kang Lin would actually escalate to death stakes. At worst, minor injuries easily taken care of by the weakest of Healing Pills would result, and the rooms in the pavilion eliminated even those small concerns.
Yang Xiu wanted to experience real combat against someone who truly wanted to do her harm and who wasn't so far above her in realm that she had no chance. She wanted to test herself, to temper herself in the fire of battle.
She couldn't help but be eager in her anticipation. Cultivation was about challenge. The heavens. Oneself. Other cultivators. Let her enemies be the whetstone to sharpen the blade she was becoming.
The mission also served a true purpose. Not that processing beasts didn't. But if successful, the trip to Sixth Flawless Flowing City was the first step in making a major leap forward for the Rising Tide Sect.
Though Yang Xiu wasn't nearly the most knowledgeable person when it came to the world of sect and cultivators, she understood that her fledgling sect was quite deficient when it came to high realmed cultivators. The advancement that qi sources could provide, especially when combined with all the other advantages Master supplied, was exactly what they needed to close the gap with the other factions.
She was determined not to fail.
The trio arrived outside the city about an hour after lunch. At Kang Lin's urging, the three landed out of site of the walls and stored their gliders in their rings.
"Why couldn't we just fly all the way to the gate?" Yang Xiu said.
"Because it would draw even more attention to us," Kang Lin said. "Spies are already going to go wild when they see your robes."
From Kang Lin tones, she clearly wished that the twins could wear something other than the blue robes marking them as members of the Rising Tide Sect. Since they were on a not quite declared war footing with a local sect, though, hiding their affiliation would strip them of all protection.
Face required that the Jade Chameleons treat juniors of a rival sect according to certain rules. If the twins were to disguise themselves, they'd essentially be acting as spies, and face would no longer apply. A Golden Core cultivator could kill them with a finger and not think twice about it.
Yang Xiu didn't care about the protection face provided. She would not have assented to hide her membership in her sect even if it were the prudent choice. Her own honor wouldn't have allowed it.
She sighed. Yang Ru probably would have gone along with wearing alternate robes, though. There was a disadvantage of him being sweet on Kang Lin. He still occasionally put his foot down as stubbornly as he ever was, but if he didn't truly care about something one way or the other, it was guaranteed that he'd side with her.
"Where are we going first?" Yang Xiu said.
"The Poison Claw Sect. I am deeply uncomfortable with the two of you carrying around so much wealth, and I need to consult with Grandfather. Additionally, there's no sense scouring the entire city before checking if we can buy some of the materials from my sect."
Yang Xiu was eager to explore the city in pursuit of accomplishing her mission, but she knew not to let her excitement drive her actions. Kang Lin's reasoning made sense. Not that Yang Xiu would have strenuously objected even if the logic were unsound. She was duty bound, of course, to follow the orders of the person Master placed above her. Being obedient didn't mean not voicing her opinions, however. Kang Lin was not Master, just someone appointed by him.
After checking in with the gate guards, Kang Lin led them quickly through the streets at a hurried but not frantic pace, clearly striving for a stride that said, "We're important and have some place to be" while avoiding going too far and communicating, "We're desperate to get off the streets."
Neither did she avoid main thoroughfares by taking shortcuts and using alleys, etc. That routing would have conveyed that they were trying to hide.
Yang Xiu agreed with that strategy if for completely different reasons. Kang Lin wanted to maximize keeping all three of them safe. Yang Xiu wanted to avoid even the appearance of hiding. The Rising Tide Sect members were not cowards.
Whether no one had time to intersect them or their potential enemies were taking a wait and see approach or the Jade Chameleons' operations had been so impacted in the city that they couldn't get their members in place in time, Yang Xiu didn't know, but the end result was that they reached the Poison Claw Sect without encountering anyone brave enough to impede them.
Kang Lin was, of course, well known at the sect's branch grounds and was quickly admitted with her guests, whom she escorted directly to her grandfather's cultivation room where the man's assistant waved them inside.
After they'd been granted admittance, Elder Kang said, "Kang Lin, you're here so soon? Friend Su messaged that you'd be coming, but I was expecting it to be weeks before you arrived."
There was clearly affection for his granddaughter in the man's tone, and Yang Xiu's jealously flared for a moment. She missed her parents dearly. When things calmed down, she would have to pay a visit to her hometown. She doubted Fang Wei's family would survive the trip.
"It would be easier to show you than to explain." Kang Lin extracted her glider from her ring, letting it rest on the floor in front of her grandfather.
The man peered at it with interest, surely scanning it with his spiritual sense. "An interesting device. Gravity and Wind, right?"
Kang Lin nodded.
"How long was the trip?" he said.
"A little over three hours, Grandfather."
"And that was maximum velocity?"
Kang Lin nodded again.
"Very interesting. I wonder at its usefulness, however," Elder Kang said. "Once you reach Golden Core, you'll have a much better and faster option."
"They were birthday gifts from Master to us, Elder Kang," Yang Xiu said.
The term was clearly unfamiliar to him, but he didn't react to it.
"I see. I guess it is useful for juniors. Saved you a bit of time traveling at any rate. It's just hard to see how the time and expense to create three of them would be worth it."
Yang Xiu didn't think that Master particularly cared about how difficult their gift was to create or how much it cost. Him being in their lives was the only thing that even somewhat lessened the sting of losing their parents.
"Master apparently was able to craft the two for my brother and me in a couple of hours total, Elder Kang," Yang Xiu said, "and my understanding was it took almost that long for Expert Blacksmith Xun Wu to create the bases."
"Friend Su inscribed these arrays in less than an hour?"
"My understanding was that Master accomplished the feat in minutes, Elder Kang."
There was almost nothing in the world better than impressing someone with tales of just how unfathomable Master was.
"I see. That is amazing," Elder Kang said. "Now, please explain the purpose of your visit. Friend Su messaged me that you were seeking to purchase certain materials, but he did not go into detail as to what it is exactly that you need."
"Beast cores, plant kernels, and minerals that contain densely packed qi for the elements of Fire, Ice, Momentum, Shadow, Nature, and Time, Elder Kang."
Kang Lin pulled the Orange Vigor Spirit Wood kernel from her ring. "Something like this, Grandfather."
"I see. And I suppose you can't tell me why the dire need from such things…"
"Sorry, Grandfather. As a disciple, I cannot reveal my Master's secrets."
Yang Xiu knew she could trust the girl, but it was still gool to hear Kang Lin put loyalty to Master above her family.
"I understand," Elder Kang said. "You do know, however, that these will be very expensive. Some will not even be available for spirit coins alone."
"Master told us the same, Elder Yang," Yang Xiu said and explained Master's idea to barter for the materials.
"Hmm. He's that confident, eh? Don't answer that. Of course, he is. You know, it might be worth the loss of a qi treasure to obtain the work of a true master craftsman. I will propose an idea to Elder Dai."
Yang Xiu cupped her hands. "Gratitude, Elder."
The two girls related the other things the sect leader required.
"Metals ranked for Golden Cores won't be an issue. Ingots go from fifty to two hundred greater spirit coins, depending on the rarity or difficulty of creation. I'll have our blacksmiths gather two ingots of ten types and get that to you at the best possible prices."
Yang Xiu cupped her hands again.
"The cauldron is more difficult," Elder Kang said. "At that level, most are created by Masters for their disciples. Not many are sold. But I have a couple of contacts who might be able to help."
The elder was really going out of his way to be a help. His attitude was something that Yang Xiu had grown accustomed to from the way Master behaved, but her understanding was that most sect elders took a more hands-off approach, forcing the disciples to figure out most things on their own.
"This lowly one will inform her Master about how generous Elder Kang has been with his time and expertise," Yang Xiu said.
She was sure that her gratitude would cost Master, but she was equally sure that he wouldn't mind that cost, whatever it was.
After the audience with the sect elder, Kang Lin brought the twins to a private area. "Until we determine what my sect can provide us and for what price, there is no sense searching the city. I recommend spending the evening on other pursuits here on the sect grounds. After we check back with Grandfather in the morning, we can determine our plans. In the meantime, I will consult with my contacts about the best places to go to search for the materials we need."
Yang Xiu reluctantly agreed with the idea even though she really would have preferred a more active course. She did understand that proceeding after gathering information often led to a much faster resolution than rushing off too soon. If nothing else, cultivation was teaching her about patience.
While her brother and Kang Lin researched tomorrow's activities, Yang Xiu was directed to the room she'd be using for the duration of her stay, and she spent the portion of the evening and night she wasn't sleeping cultivating. Getting to Golden Core was a long, long road, one that she'd never reach the end of if she didn't keep placing one foot in front of the other.