- Antony -

He was pleased with the progress the recruits were making. Several of them had gone on vision journeys when they had hit puberty. Many of them were not ready to enter Foundation Establishment at the time, but had wanted to complete the rite of passage. It wasn't strictly necessary for cultivation, as there were other ways to cultivate a foundation, nor was it a requirement of the sect. However, there could be a lot to gain from a spirit journey. If a child took it seriously enough, then they might be recognized by one of the spirits from the spirit world who could grant them a boon, or one of the ancestors who might offer them guidance.

Although some children preferred to forego the spirit journey, in favor of some other strategy, the spirit journey was usually a popular choice. Antony had opted for one such alternative, which involved being beaten with a rod, breaking every bone, and tearing every muscle, then waiting for them to heal, only to do it again, and again. It was a masochistic strategy, but it had the advantage of giving him a body which was unbreakable by anyone at the same cultivation level.

He was curious about the boys who were twin cultivating. Their behavior had become synced over the last few years, to the point that they could often predict each others movements in battle training. He'd tried to have them duel each other a few times, but there was never a clear winner. The boys would match each other flawlessly until they were both too tired to continue. It just showed that they were cultivating at a good rate.

Antony was pleased to watch their growth. Although he warned them against becoming arrogant, since they were progressing faster than many of their peers, in reality they were more dedicated to cultivation than most children. If they continued to take their cultivation this seriously, they would surely do well in the future. After all, even if a child were born with a greater spirit root, but was lazy, they would still be weaker than one born with a lesser spirit root who cultivated daily.

He was considering the merits of hard work as he looked over a mountain of paper work that Elder Babbot had asked him to take care of. It seemed to mostly be busy work. Approvals, denials, reports, and anything else that was remotely relevant to the office of recruitment. Even a monkey could be trained to do it. Perhaps it was time to take in a disciple.

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There were several to choose from, but he had already decided on that demonic cultivator, who did not have a last name, Ava. The one whose hair and skin were getting closer to a snow white every year. Spies made for great paper pushers. They paid careful attention to every detail, and they would even send out reports when there were errors. If she were his disciple, the security office would forward her reports to him after reviewing them. There was of course the risk of sabotage, but he didn't think this girl would take those kinds of risks, and even if she did, she'd include it in a report.

Antony left the pile of paperwork on his desk, and went to the children's dorm. Ava was inside cultivating her demonic technique. She'd become brazen about it, since nobody had said anything to her. Not that it mattered.

"Junior Ava," Antony called to her to announce his presence.

"Greetings, Senior Hall," she said, and bowed. Her spirit pet, Koa, sat on his haunches next to her. He took up most of the room.

"Would you like to become my disciple?" he asked. The girl blinked a few times. Of course, she hadn't expected this.

"Of course, Senior Hall, I would be honored," she finally replied, before bowing again.

"Excellent," he said, "call me 'Master' from now on, and come with me."

"Yes, Master!" she answered, and followed him as he led her back to his office. Koa followed as well, tail wagging, and tongue panting. He was bigger than a horse now that he was standing. When they arrived at his office, the big spirit dog had to wait in the hallway.

"Ava, your first assignment as my disciple, is to complete this paperwork. I'll show you how to fill it out, where to sign, who to address, etcetera. Then I'll have you do this on your own. If you can complete the paperwork to my satisfaction, then I will reward you. Also, I think you should consider moving out of the dorms. You'll need housing to accommodate Koa. Do you have enough contribution points?"

"I'm not sure, Master, I haven't looked into it."

"Alright, I'll help you find a place, and I'll help you pay for it as your reward. I can't have my disciple being crushed to death by her dog rolling over on her in his sleep."

"Thank you, Master."

With that, he left her to it, and sighed in relief. Yes, it was good that the children had grown so well. The ones who worked the hardest should be rewarded like this. Antony was quite pleased with himself.