"As we all know, the Intersect Tournament takes place once every century, to decide which disciples enter the Sealed Realm," Leontius continued. "Each sect is allowed a number of guaranteed places, based on how many Ascendant cultivators they possess."

"The Heavenly Light Sect has three Ascendants, so we get three guaranteed slots," Zofia interrupted, sitting taller.

As one of those three Ascendants, she would definitely claim a slot for her personal protégé. The girl showed promise, and the resources of the Sealed Realm would aid her growth immensely.

"The Pure Soul Sect has two Ascendant cultivators, so we shall claim two slots," Leontius said.

Slifer had yet to meet the Pure Soul Sect Master. He wondered what sort of righteous paragon they must be, to match someone like Leontius.

"One slot for the White Tiger Sect," Astrid declared. She had already chosen which elite disciple would inherit that coveted spot. The boy showed exceptional talent with the White Tiger and deserved the chance.

“And the Black Rose Sect will have two slots,” Slifer commented.

All eyes turned to Kaelius, waiting for him to claim the Black Heart Sect's allotment. "One slot for my sect as well," he said after a pause.

In truth, Kaelius wished he could claim more slots. Unfortunately, the Black Heart Sect only had himself at the Ascendant level currently. A deficiency he was working to remedy, the only issue being he didn’t trust his Grand Elders enough to help them breakthrough.

"Excellent. That leaves ten remaining tournament slots, to be contested by the most talented disciples of each sect," Leontius said. "Now we must decide which sect shall host the Intersect Tournament this time."

At his words, Zofia shot to her feet. "The Heavenly Light Sect will be hosting the tournament, of course!" She stated it as if it were already decided. "We hosted the last two tournaments, so by tradition the honour falls to us again."

"Also," Zofia continued, "our Cloudrise Arena is the largest and most renowned duelling ground in the Mortal Realm. Its facilities and protections are unmatched, perfect for such a competition."

Her tone left no room for argument. After all, who could possibly object to the most powerful sect in the Mortal Realm?

Slifer listened to her ramblings with a detached interest, leaning casually on the railing of his ship. He weighed the pros and cons of the Black Rose Sect hosting the prestigious tournament.

The main advantage would be avoiding an unfamiliar environment filled with potential threats. Slifer disliked leaving the relative safety of his own territory; venturing into another sect's domain meant surrendering control. And it would be twice as difficult to hide his identity there.

Not to mention needing to interact with more self-righteous cultivators…I would rather not.

Remaining within the Black Rose Sect's headquarters also granted the home advantage for their disciples. Familiarity with the terrain could prove the difference between victory and defeat during critical rounds.

It’s like in sports, teams always do better when they play at Home.

However, being a host had disadvantages as well, if any conflicts arose, as the Supreme Elder, it was expected that he would intervene.

I can’t just slip away…

Also, entertaining a horde of cultivators just sounded exhausting.

But at least I’ll be in my element.

"Actually, I believe it's the Black Rose Sect's turn to host the tournament this time."

His casual interjection cut off Zofia's building momentum. She turned on him, eyes blazing.

"Absolutely not! There's no way I'd let a bunch of demonic cultivators organize something so important! It is the Heavenly Light Sect's duty to steer the righteous path forward."

She emphasized 'righteous' while looking disdainfully in Slifer's direction. In her eyes, he and his whole demonic sect were a blight needing to be cleansed.

But Slifer only shrugged, not bothered by her scathing tone, she was just another hypocrite in his eyes. "Don't be petty.”

He tapped his fingers against one of the cannons before continuing. "As the newest Supreme Elder, I wish to prove my sect's capabilities by hosting this tournament. Don't you agree, honoured elders?"

Slifer directed the last part to the other Ascendants. Outnumbered, Zofia fumed but stayed silent, waiting to hear their reactions. Surely they wouldn't actually consider allowing those vile demonic cultivators to host something so important?

Surprisingly, Astrid was the first to respond. "The White Tiger Sect has no objections." She ignored Zofia's shocked look. "If Supreme Elder Slifer believes his sect is ready for the responsibility, we shall not stand in his way."

After her initial dismissive attitude towards Slifer, even Astrid found herself gaining respect for the mysterious man. The way he handled the earlier crises earned her vote.

Leontius smiled reassuringly at the spluttering Zofia. "Come now, let us give him a chance. The Intersect Tournament is meant to be an opportunity for all the sects to come together in fellowship."

His gently chiding tone made Zofia duck her head grudgingly. When the kindly Supreme Elder phrased it like that, even she couldn't continue arguing so stubbornly. At least not without losing face.

Kaelius merely nodded. "I have no objections either. The Black Heart Sect will respect whatever is decided here."

His bland words gave no hint of his true thoughts. In truth, Kaelius looked forward to visiting the Black Rose Sect territory. It would grant him a rare opportunity to investigate the Black Rose Sect Master who was rumoured to be close to Immortal Ascension.

Realizing she stood alone, Zofia slowly retook her seat. "Fine! The Heavenly Light Sect will...tolerate this break from tradition just this once," she bit out as though she had a say in the matter.

Slifer got the sense that it physically pained her to make that concession. Well, letting go of petty grudges was an important lesson for one to learn, one he assumed someone so old should have learned by now.

"Then it's decided. We shall reconvene in one month's time at the Black Rose Sect for the official start of the tournament." Leontius smiled.

The Pure Soul elder's faith in harmony between the sects shone through.

He seems oddly naïve for someone who had lived a few millenniums. Slifer hoped Leontius' idealism wouldn't backfire one day. Or maybe this is all an act…wouldn’t surprise me.

With the matter of the tournament settled, the Ascendants exchanged a few more pleasantries before gradually dispersing.

----------------------------------------

Back in the Disciplinary Hall, Slifer leaned back and stretched out on his throne, finally relaxing his stiff shoulders. Dealing with those insufferable elders had been utterly exhausting.

At least the meeting had accomplished its purpose - the Black Rose Sect would host the Intersect Tournament. As Slifer reached for a steaming bun from the feast laid out on the table beside him, the doors to the hall creaked open. Glancing up in annoyance at the interruption, he saw Grand Elder Wyatt shuffle inside.

Ah yes, time to deal with another nuisance. Slifer's eyes narrowed as he recalled Wyatt's attempt to sabotage him by lying about the time of the meeting.

Slifer only realised when Zofia had commented that he had turned up late…three days late.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Grand Elder Wyatt?" Slifer asked mildly, setting down the bun. "Have you come to beg forgiveness for your lapse in judgment earlier?"

Wyatt froze mid-step as Slifer's words registered, his wrinkled face paling. So the brat realized I had intentionally tried to make him look foolish before the other elders!

"S-supreme Elder, of course not!" Wyatt sputtered, sweat beading on his forehead. The events of the Ascendant Meet had reached his ears, he never expected that the Supreme Elder would be able to defeat Zofia, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Light Sect in one move!

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

"It was merely...an oversight on my part, no harm was intended!"

"Hmm, likely story," Slifer snorted. "But intentions matter little, only results. And your bungling nearly cost this sect greatly."

But more importantly, nearly cost me! If Amelia could whip some sense into this old fool that would be perfect. Unfortunately, our cultivation is just too low to beat up this old man.

"However, the matter resolved itself nicely," Slifer continued. "I'm feeling rather magnanimous at the moment, so I believe no further punishment is required."

Wyatt sagged in relief. Thank the heavens for small mercies! Perhaps he could still salvage something out of this mess.

"You are too kind, Supreme Elder," Wyatt fawned. "Truly, your generosity knows no bounds!"

Slifer rolled his eyes at the blatant flattery before fixing Wyatt with a piercing stare that instantly silenced his grovelling.

"However, steps must be taken to avoid any further...oversights," he continued. "Effective immediately, I will be taking control of the Treasury, temporarily."

Slifer knew the old man wouldn’t allow him to take it permanently, if Slifer pushed him into a corner then the Grand Elder would retaliate with another scheme. And Slifer did not need Wyatt monitoring his actions.

"What? You can't!" Wyatt burst out before catching himself. He attempted to smooth over his outburst.

"Er, that is to say...the Treasury has always been under my discretion during the Sect Master's reclusion. To disturb the natural order over one small mistake would be premature, don't you agree?"

Wyatt forced a placating smile, though inside he seethed at this outrageous demand. Relinquishing control of the sect's wealth was untenable! He would lose all standing.

But Slifer was unmoved by his arguments, the Grand Elder needed to understand that he wasn’t a pushover.

"While I understand this may disrupt our 'natural order', extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. Let us call this an...insurance policy, to avoid potential catastrophes during my handling of the Intersect Tournament."

Recognizing there was no convincing Slifer, Wyatt bowed. "Of course, Supreme Elder. I…I shall begin the process immediately. The Treasury will be fully under your command within the hour."

"See that it is." Slifer leaned back casually, popping another dumpling into his mouth.

Wyatt took the cue and quickly bowed out of the hall, but not before his wrinkled face briefly twisted into a ferocious scowl once his back was turned.

That impudent brat! Wyatt cursed silently before schooling his features back into a mask of subservience. Patience was required here, a lot of patience.

----------------------------------------

With the sect's power structure now firmly under his thumb, Slifer retired to his private chambers. An important matter required his attention - preparing for the Sealed Realm.

He had already given Elder Fred responsibility on arranging the intricate details of the tournament, the old man didn’t seem too pleased with the added work, but Slifer had to admit Fred was quite efficient.

Slifer looked at the card floating in front of him.

Avatar Card: Create a complete clone of the user that can cultivate independently Warning: The avatar cannot access the System or its cards.

Slifer nodded thoughtfully. If he created an avatar, it could enter the Sealed Realm competition legitimately.

The avatar would enter the competition and earn their sect another slot in the Sealed Realm. Then Slifer could reap the benefits and keep his identity hidden. It was a foolproof plan.

But there was one obvious problem - without access to the System, the avatar would not have access to any cards. It would need to cultivate through traditional methods.

No pain, no gain. Slifer shrugged. Also, it would be a useful lesson in discipline… for the clone.

First though, he needed to disguise his avatar’s appearance. Having a second elderly Slifer running around wouldn’t help his cause.

He had the perfect solution - Another Face Card!

Another Face Card Description: Allows the user to change appearance for up to 6 months

Activate!

A character customization panel materialized before him, and Slifer clapped his hands together.

It’s just like a video game!

After adjusting the various sliders and toggles, an appearance emerged that he felt would be worthy of his avatar: a handsome young man, around eighteen years old, with tousled black hair and piercing green eyes. The lean athletic physique with six stone-hard abs certainly didn't hurt either.

This guy could easily pass for a model! Handsome little bastard.

With another wave of his hand, Slifer confirmed the new look. Before his eyes, his wrinkled hands smoothed, and white hair darkened. Glancing at his reflection in a nearby water basin, Slifer nodded in approval at the roguish teen smirking back at him.

"Not bad, not bad at all," he mused, turning his face this way and that as if admiring a work of art. After a few moments enjoying his temporary makeover, it was at last time to create the clone.

This time, when Slifer activated the Avatar card, the process went smoothly. On the floor before him materialized a perfect copy of his new look, bare skin layered over lean muscle, limbs sprawled haphazardly, it looked like the clone was just waking up.

With a soft groan, the clone opened his eyes - the same vivid green as Slifer's temporary ones - and slowly stood, gazing curiously around the chamber.

"Well now, let's see what we have here," Slifer murmured, beginning to circle the clone closely as if inspecting a prize stallion.

The resemblance truly was uncanny, from the unruly dark hair down to the elegant hands and feet. In fact...Slifer's gaze dipped lower, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, is that what I look like under all those robes?" He let out an impressed whistle. "I chose well during character creation!"

The clone followed his gaze downwards and chuckled. "I know, I'm gorgeous. What can I say? We have excellent taste." His voice emerged as a deeper echo of Slifer's own.

Slifer laughed out loud at that. Perhaps creating a clone wasn't such a bad idea after all. It seemed they shared the same witty sense of humour.

I have my own Kage Bunshin!

After testing the clone's capabilities, Slifer was glad to find it an exact copy in every way except for System access. The two of them could even share thoughts and experiences if Slifer activated that function.

This meant Slifer could share any insights or techniques he uncovered with his clone, and vice versa. It was like having a customizable Player 2 by his side!

Now there was just one problem - what to name his new disciple? Somehow ‘Little Slifer’ didn’t seem quite right.

The clone pursed his lips. "What about… Zack?" he eventually suggested.

Slifer froze in surprise. Zack...that had been his name before all this cultivation business began.

“Zack, eh? I like it. Has a nice ring to it,” Slifer laughed, clasping the Avatar’s shoulder. “Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my copy."

Zack gave a wry grin at that. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The two shared a look.

“Welcome to the Black Rose Sect...my disciple.”

“I’m at your command…Master.”

Yes, Slifer had a good feeling about this partnership.