John practically stumbled through the gate, exhausted. Technically, he was able to keep fighting if he could absorb enough Weird qi in the process to keep himself flush with energy, but it took a toll. It was a bit like saying he could run forever if only he drank enough water and peed at the same time.

John would have laughed at that thought, if he wasn't bone tired. John just finished his second long and grueling fight in a single afternoon, pressure mounted on his shoulders. Looking around he struggled not to rub his temples and fight the oncoming headache. Hundreds of people were still milling about uselessly. It was enough to make John want to scream out, and yet he felt compelled to maintain a composed image.

'I've pushed too far. I'm starting to act irrationally...' John could notice it happening but he was struggling to grip his emotions. 'No! If I don't manage this then the worst could happen. Again!'

He forced himself to walk, circling the large plaza and addressing groups of disciples or individual elders. Some he drafted to assist in escorting mortals, some he sent on 'urgent' errands. It was petty, but John couldn't stand to see them idling while he himself was so stressed.

John was finally delivered from his agitation when a crowd of Weird kids jogged into view. They were in a loose block formation with Chloe, Ben, and Conrad at the front. All told, there were only fourteen of them. Fifteen including John.

'Damn, we need more than this...'

The group spotted him and slowed down their run, making their way over to him. There was an awkward moment when they finally met and it was clear they weren't sure if they should salute or not. John was an Elder now and the defacto leader, but it was different in the Weird compound.

"We're here John." Conrad was the one to finally address him.

John took a deep breath and fashioned the remnants of his over-stressed will into the facsimile of determination.

"Everyone, this is the first chance we've got to make a difference." John started lamely. Leadership had long felt thrust upon himself, but John rose to challenge in time. Did he even believe those words? Those kinds of doubts plagued him in the past, but he did believe them now. No one else was better positioned to handle this problem.

"Look, there is a horde of demons attacking the main gates of the sect. I don't know what's causing them to attack right now, but someone needs to stop them. Normal qi is next to useless for killing them, at least at our level, and the powerful cultivators aren't acting. We are the only ones who can realistically stop the assault, and I'm already exhausted so it's up to you all for now."

John tried to be as authentic as he could. This was a big ask of cultivators with essentially no experience, that they showed up at all spoke to their bravery. Conrad had clenched fists but he looked determined. Chloe was nervously tugging on her hair, but was otherwise composed. Ben looked unsure. The others were a mixed bag of fear, anxiety, and bravery in the face of overwhelming circumstances.

"On the plus side, every demon you kill is full of natural Weird qi. You can advance as long as you can fight."

Some of them perked up at that. Weird cultivators were the same as regular cultivators in this regard, only a few would ever be truly powerful under their own efforts. The demons were like a pile of elixirs that could push even a talentless weakling to greater heights. Calling it 'natural' Weird qi was a bit odd, in retrospect.

The crowd of his peers looked toward him expectantly, and John ultimately decided to simply split them into groups to start with. Modifications could be made later.

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"Conrad, you will lead the first group, along with you, you, and you." John pointed at three others, he knew their names at some point, but they were all essentially weak qi condensation cultivators with little room to improve. If they passed this trial, maybe they would step into relevance. Those were harsh terms to think in, but John only had so much brain space to go around.

"Chloe, you will lead the second shift, along with you four. Ben, take the rest of them in the third shift." Conrad had one less member in his group, unavoidable with their limited number. On the other hand, John trusted him the most in a combat situation.

"Ben, I want you to tag along with Conrad. Stay out of the fighting unless absolutely necessary. I need you to assess how much alchemical potential we have with the ongoing attack. You may serve better as an alchemist than as a combatant. Still, take your shift, and brief me once you're done. Conrad, you will take a fourth shift with your group before we reassess." The group spent a few moments glancing around at each other but they had no verbal complaints. Conrad took his group and made quickly for the gate.

John sagged noticeably. He was way too exhausted, it was time to rest while these guys took the brunt of it for a while. He could see questions in the eyes of Chloe and Ben but he ignored them and headed back to the fortress to rest in his sanctuary.

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John's secluded fortress was nearing completion, but it was still rough around the edges. None of them were carpenters, so much of the construction was improvised or amatuerish. Still, there was much that could be done with qi-enhanced wood and stone. Many rooms were cut directly into the rock itself, which had a cleaner look. Furnishings were a patchwork of things taken from the Sect proper, but were plenty luxurious. Tapestries and rugs hid most of the worst offenders in construction. John thought that it might get polished eventually, but the fortress' primary function was a hideaway from the leaders of the sect. It was defensible, too, if demons ever breached the gate. John worried that was a very real possibility.

John dragged himself into his room, this was his sanctuary from responsibility. It was pointedly not a cultivation chamber. If John sought to cultivate, he would go to the spirit spring directly. This room instead had a large raised bed, a cramped desk, and various lounging chairs. One small corner had a tray of tea supplies.

John only ever used his bed. It was enough.

In this case, he basically collapsed into it, shedding his outer robes and shoes only barely before embracing the down mattress, face first. His mind was beyond tired at this point, but his body was infuriatingly bursting with energy. John stubbornly laid there, hoping sleep would come to him, but after several minutes and not even a hint of tiredness, John sat up irritated.

If sleep wouldn't come, he would at least address his cultivation. Only hours ago he had chewed through his reserves of qi to advance his organs, but his expansive dantian was almost completely full again. Shredded weird qi from his fight was digested easily and quickly spun into his own silk. It was almost disturbing how easy it was. John was nowhere close to consolidating his gains, though fighting at the edge of exhaustion made some progress to that goal, and he was almost ready to advance again! Bones, muscles, and organs--each increment in his foundation happened in one great leap, consuming a huge amount of energy in one vision-tormented sitting. It was both a blessing and a curse, really. He could advance as fast as he could acquire the energy, and he did not need to practice any particular martial art to strengthen his body. On the other hand, terrifying 'visions', if they could even be called that, accompanied each advancement.

John we really hesitant to keep going, but he desperately craved the strength to protect himself and his peers. Strength solved so much... and yet it was a particular burden too. There was no turning back now. John dove deep into his dantian to examine his reserves. Close to fifty percent full, in terms of digested qi, the rest was stuffed with shreds of hostile qi. John guessed it would only take a single night before he was completely full of qi. More than enough to advance his skin. That being said, he feared what would happen, his visions were ever more realistic and John had long since considered them real. Advancing his skin would mean the completion of his Foundation, ready to begin a tribulation and advance to Golden Core.

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door.

John was instantly alarmed, the rest of the Weird cultivators should be busy preparing, not making their way out here, who could be here? Gaius?

After a mere moment, and without waiting for a response, the door opened. In walked a living statue, it's face was unmistakable.

"Mark?!"

"John."