Elder Babbot -

Joseph Babbot was the head of recruitment for the Jade Peak Sect. He enjoyed his job, because he got to meet the next generation of the sect while they were still young, cute, and innocent. He wanted to have his own children someday, but at 500 years old, he was just too young. Although he was already an Elder in the sect, it was mostly because nobody else would take the job. He had reached the Nascent Soul Realm, and was technically able to pass the Elder exam, even if they took it easy on him so he could take the job.

"They should be at the next town today, so I should probably set out now," Joseph thought. Since he could travel much faster than his disciples could, he would simply leave directly from the sect and return immediately with the new recruits. It would be a terrible waste of time to follow his disciples around for the next few weeks. His disciples likely thought he was watching them and knew where they were at all times, since he seemed to always arrive on time. In truth, he was just good at planning, and knew when to arrive. With five centuries of experience, it was easy to finesse the timing of his arrival to look more magical than it really was.

He flew on his sword over to the flight pavilion. Although you could not fly above the sect without encountering the sect's protective formation, as long as you were beneath the mountain peaks, and within the sect, you could fly as much as you wanted to. The protective formation was for outside threats, not for interrupting traffic.

He paused to step through the pavilion and register his departure. He gave a nod to the Junior Disciple working the desk. Jen was probably earning extra contribution points for working the night shift, and he was sure she would still be there when he got back tonight. He jumped back onto his sword and flew out of the departure gate.

Flying alone it took him only a few hours to arrive at his destination, and after extending his senses, he discovered that he had arrived early. That wouldn't do, so he found a nice big rock to sit on, outside the range of his disciples' senses, while he waited for them to arrive. It never hurt to eavesdrop on his Junior Disciples, but as they were entering his sensory range, he heard Junior Disciple Stephen spouting some nonsense about mountains and towels. Something was wrong with that boy.

He waited while his disciples sorted through the potential recruits. Nothing amazing, but they did find four this time, which was better than expected. Some towns didn't even have one child with an undamaged spirit root, so to find more than one was good fortune.

He continued waiting while the parents talked to their children. Although the parents had no real choice in giving up eligible children, the payment offset the loss, and many parents would even hope for the windfall. To lose one hungry mouth in exchange for a few years' income was not a bad deal, financially.

It was also a necessary sacrifice. The Jade Peak Sect protected the Colorado Region of the Rocky Mountains from the demonic sects. If a demonic sect were to come through this village, they would not only take the children with spirit roots, but they would also take the other children to use as slave labor, or as sacrifices in a demonic cultivation technique. Then they would have their way with whoever they wanted, before slaughtering anyone that they didn't want to take back with them. Ultimately, losing a few children to grow the Jade Peak Sect was the preferred alternative, and the mortals knew it.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Joseph jumped on his sword and flew over to where the children were gathered. It seemed they were wrapping up. His junior disciples greeted him as he arrived.

"So there are four in this town?" Joseph asked, although he already knew the answer. "Yes, Elder, three with inferior grade spirit roots, and one with a lesser grade spirit root," Stephen replied. The one with the lesser spirit root would have a small head start on the other three, which might stand out more since he looked to be the youngest of the four, but the difference would fade with time. Nothing remarkable then.

"Well the roots can be improved later. Four is still a good number for a town of this size. Well, let's get going then. Hug your parents, children, then follow me," Joseph instructed.

He gathered the children onto his Jade Leaf Boat, and let them take in the scenery as he increased altitude. He went up slower than necessary so they could appreciate the view, and he even stayed above their town so they could watch it until they got above the clouds. A few extra minutes wouldn't hurt him, and the children might never return here. He wouldn't begrudge them the final memories of their hometown.

Once they were above the clouds and there was nothing to see, he increased his chi output to the boat to accelerate, and he directed it forward. Once he was certain the children weren't getting motion sick, he asked them about chi. One girl had an answer which was mildly impressive for such a backwater town. He would try to remember her name. Emily? Maybe she would turn out to be studious, if she was already learning from her father.

With the children in the boat, he couldn't travel as quickly as he had by himself. The chi barrier around the boat would protect them from the force of acceleration, and the from the wind, to some extent, but it was limited. So to help them pass the time, he taught them the Basic Intense Focus Breathing Technique, that was a must for any children on long trips. Once they got to practicing it, they would stay focused until he interrupted them. It was a good technique for any cultivator to learn, since cultivation required extreme focus for long hours, so nobody ever complained about him teaching it the new recruits he picked up.

Joseph interrupted the childrens' trance when he knew they would almost be able to see the first mountain peak in the distance. He gave a little speech about chi and breathing, then right as he knew they would see that mountain peak, he announced their arrival with a dramatic flair. The children were unimpressed at first, but as they began flying past peak, after peak, their eyes grew wide. There were hundreds of miles of mountain peaks, and there was no way their mortal eyes could see the end of them. He made sure they had a view of the city below. Even though they were just on the edge Verdant Valley City, where the mortals and outer sect disciples mingled, he had no doubt it was impressive site for the youngsters who had probably never left their town.

The sun was going to set soon, so he turned the boat into the flight pavilion arrivals gate, where Jen was waiting again, like he thought. He registered the children along with himself, and Jen confirmed, before he led the children downstairs. When they exited the bottom of the mountain, he noticed that the youngest child was staring back up the way they came. It seemed he had noticed the disparity in the distance they had traveled. So, it wasn't Emily. Perhaps he should try to remember this boy, too. He gave them a quick explanation of the Space Array, and the boy's eyes grew wide. He wasn't sure the boy understood him. He was too young, really, but he would learn, and maybe understand some of these things in retrospect. The children all looked a bit tired, so he took them directly to the boarding house for new recruits, making sure they got to see the lights turn on, on the streets, before they arrived.

The disciples assigned to monitoring the house were waiting when they arrived. Jen must have sent them a message when he'd flown in. He would have to remember to repay the small favor soon. He handed off the children quickly, and returned to his office. There was paperwork to fill out for each recruit, and he would need to notify Junior Disciple Antony that he had some new recruits to train.