Slifer stood shirtless beneath a waterfall, the crashing water pounding down on his shoulders. In each hand he held a massive boulder, their rough surfaces digging into his palms and fingers as he focused on maintaining his grip.
As much as he hated working out, he couldn’t let his body cultivation fall behind.
After a few more minutes, Slifer heard a distinct crack as the tendons in his arms stretched and expanded. He could feel the beast meat qi coursing through him, assimilating into his body. His lean muscles grew tighter, more defined.
Ding! Congratulations You Have Broken Through to The Late Foundation Establishment Realm Reward: 250 Karmic Credits
Just one more sub-realm then my spiritual and body cultivation will be the same!
Slifer planned to enter the Core Formation Realm as a double cultivator.
Laughing, he turned off the qi restricting cuff.
With the limiter removed, the boulders now felt like mere pebbles in his hands. He casually flung them out towards the lake with a flick of his wrists.
The massive rocks went flying out in a blur, kicking up huge spouts of water as they skipped across the surface.
One of the boulders zoomed to the shore where Nomed was walking. At the last second, he noticed and leapt out of the way. The boulder hit the shore with explosive force, sending debris flying in all directions.
Is…is he trying to kill me?
Nomed clutched at his chest, breathing heavily. He glanced back towards the waterfall just in time to see his master waving, apparently oblivious to how close he'd come to crushing his own disciple.
"Ah Nomed, you’re finally here." Slifer gestured for Nomed to come closer, as he reached for a robe hanging from a nearby tree.
Earlier, Slifer had dismissed his avatar to go cultivate in seclusion. He planned to eventually introduce Zack as a new disciple, but first he needed to deal with Hughie’s wavering loyalty. So, he decided, whilst he waited for Morvran to return, he would do some training and check up on his new disciple.
The young man quickly gathered himself and rushed over, going down on one knee before Slifer.
"Master, you called me?"
"Yes, how goes your cultivation with the Cathedral of Celestial Radiance Scripture?"
As part of the Qi Refining stage, Nomed had to construct a cathedral within his dantian to store qi.
Nomed shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Truth be told, Master... my progress has been slower than I would like. I've only managed to finish about half of the Cathedral so far. I suppose that puts me at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. My talents are meagre compared to my senior brothers."
No, talent isn’t the issue, Slifer’s eyes narrowed.
With a talent of 8, Nomed should have been at the 7th Stage of Qi Refining by now.
The Cathedral of Celestial Radiance Scripture just isn’t compatible with Nomed, I should try to convince him to pick a different method. He’s only just begun his cultivation journey; it would be better to change methods now than later.
"Have you considered switching to a different cultivation method? The Scripture of Broken Shadows may complement your constitution better..."
But Nomed rapidly shook his head. "No, Master! It…it has to be this one!"
Slifer held back a sigh. The boy's stubbornness was admirable, yet counterproductive. But then again, the boy was a protagonist-like figure, it’s best to let him decide his own path.
I just need to give some advice when I can.
"The path of cultivation is yours to walk, and you must follow your heart," Slifer said sagely. "Keep working hard, and you may earn a chance to enter the Intersect Tournament and…maybe even the Sealed Realm."
At the mention of the Sealed Realm, Nomed's eyes lit up, though he quickly hid it.
“I will try my best, Master.”
Slifer nodded, stroking his beard when a thought suddenly occurred. "Come to think of it, I haven't yet imparted any techniques to you, have I?"
While a cultivation method provided the core foundation, supplementary techniques were needed for offense, defence, and movement. Without any techniques, a cultivator was a sitting duck!
Slifer waved a hand, summoning one of his death guards.
"Escort Nomed to the Treasury. He can pick one attack skill, one defence skill, and one movement technique." The death guard bowed in acknowledgement.
Now that Slifer controlled the sect treasury, he could freely hand out techniques to his disciples without needing to waste credits. But he was careful not to overwhelm Nomed by giving too many options right away. One of each type would be enough for now.
But it wouldn’t hurt to dangle a few more for encouragement.
Turning back to Nomed, Slifer said, "If you can breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm before the Intersect Tournament, I’ll let you pick another set of techniques."
"Thank you, Master!" Nomed bowed before following the death guard.
Nodding to himself, Slifer reflected on how smoothly everything was proceeding. Perhaps he had a knack for this whole 'master' business after all.
Ding! Your Disciple Nomed’s Loyalty Increased By 3%
Only 3%? Oh…maybe I’m not so good at this after all.
As he was lost wondering what went wrong, Morvran appeared before him.
Slifer's face cracked into a smile at the sight of his bald lackey. "How was the mission?"
Locating the hidden village of his wayward disciple's secret lover had proved unusually difficult. But if anyone could accomplish it, it was Morvran. There was a reason he was the original’s right-hand man.
"It was a success, Master." Morvran relayed the village's exact coordinates.
"Haha, excellent work!"
Morvran flushed at the praise. "Think nothing of it, Master. Serving you is this one's sole purpose."
As good as that is for me, it is a…sad life.
"Nonetheless, I am grateful," Slifer replied. "Come, let us pay this young lady a visit."
With a rippling motion of his fingers, Slifer opened a portal. He strode through, with Morvran close behind. The gateway sealed shut after them.
They emerged along a dusty road on the outskirts of the village. The common folk milling about the street froze at the sudden appearance of two immortals. A young child pointed and squealed, "Look mama, immortals!"
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The mother quickly gathered up her child, eyeing the strangers warily. "Hush now, don't stare..." she murmured.
Slifer raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, offering what he hoped was a disarming smile. "We’re only here to visit Oliviare. Could anyone point me in the right direction?"
The villagers looked at one another, the old man in front of them had one of those faces that you just couldn’t trust.
After a brief pause, one of the villagers spoke up. "That'd be the place there, Lord Immortal," he said, pointing to a modest but well-kept cottage down the lane.
“Here,” Slifer flicked a golden coin to the villager, who fumbled to catch it.
"Bless you, Immortal!" the man cried in delight, quickly pocketing the coin. The other villagers murmured in relief, seeing that the immortals were not like the other ones that visited their village a few months back.
Villagers really are simple, Slifer allowed himself a small smile at winning them over so easily.
Approaching the front door, Slifer rapped his knuckles against the wood. He thought it was better not to simply barge into the home unannounced like most immortals would have done.
A few seconds later the door creaked open, revealing a petite girl with chestnut hair and sapphire eyes set in a heart-shaped face of flawless cream.
“…”
N-no wonder Hughie had fallen for her! Slifer sucked in a sharp breath. She was the very image of a classical jade beauty.
After a few moments of awkward silence, the young woman bit her lip anxiously. The strange old man was just...staring. Had she opened the door to some senile vagrant?
"C-can I help you, sir?"
Slifer coughed, realizing his gawking had nearly frightened the poor thing away.
“Oliviare, is it? I’m Hughie’s master.”
At the mention of Hughie, the girl seemed to relax. A faint blush coloured her cheeks. "Oh yes, that's me. Is Hughie here?" She craned her neck trying to see behind Slifer. Finding only a plump baldy there, her face fell.
Slifer shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. But I was hoping to speak with you. Can we come inside?"
"Oh, please come in!”
Walking inside, Slifer immediately noticed an older man sitting by the window, whittling away at a small block of wood. He had thinning white hair and resembled Oliviare somewhat. The man looked up, taking in Slifer's cultivator robes. His expression darkened.
"Oi, girl! What're you thinking, inviting a strange immortal into our home?" Brom stood protectively in front of his daughter.
Slifer couldn’t help but agree with the old man, as soon as Hughie’s name was mentioned, the girl was a little too quick to let her guard down.
Not that she could have done anything to protect herself from an Immortal, Slifer held back a sigh. The disparity between mortals and cultivators was too great of a chasm, resistance against an immortal was useless.
"This is Hughie's master, father."
At the familiar name, the old man relaxed slightly, though his eyes remained suspicious. "Hmph. And what business does he have here?" A thought seemed to occur to him, and his scowl deepened. “If you've come to snatch my girl, you can turn right back around!"
Slifer's brows shot up in surprise. He had expected curiosity, perhaps suspicion given their immortal status, but not outright hostility.
And such assumptions! Though it was common knowledge that old immortals loved to kidnap young girls.
I’m not actually an old man! And I’m definitely not dumb enough to steal a protagonist’s lover…
"It is nothing like that, I would like to take Oliviare into my sect as a disciple."
Since Slifer wasn’t planning on taking Oliviare as his own personal disciple, the System would have no issue with it. In truth, Slifer didn’t care which of the elders took her in, as long as Hughie was happy, that was all that mattered.
And then we can work together to deal with that grandpa…
Oliviare's eyes grew round with surprise at the offer. She never imagined she might have the talent to become an immortal herself.
"The hell she will!" Brom snapped, jabbing his carving knife toward Slifer. "I'll not have some immortal coot taking my daughter away, no matter how grand he thinks he is! Your kind brings nothing but trouble."
At his side, Morvran bristled angrily. "Mind your tongue, mortal! You are talking to the Supreme Elder of the Black Rose Sect. Show respect!"
Slifer gently motioned for Morvran to be calm. Personally, Slifer was more shocked than offended. This sort of defiance was...intriguing. The old Slifer would have just killed the insolent fool on the spot.
Most mortal parents would be overjoyed at the prospect of their child joining a sect. Just how was he to persuade this stubborn old bastard? Brute force clearly wasn't the answer.
As he pondered this dilemma, a loud gurgling sound erupted from Slifer's stomach.
Oliviare's eyes widened at the sound, she made a move towards the hearth, saying "You must be hungry, Master! Please allow me to prepare something quickly."
"No…there’s no need for that." An idea was forming in Slifer's mind. "In fact...I believe a celebration is in order tonight. A feast for the entire village!"
"A fine meal won't be enough to sway me.” Brom narrowed his eyes. “You immortals always want something in return for your 'generosity'." He spat the last word.
Morvran once again took a step forward, but Slifer held him back. As much as he liked Morvran standing up for him, antagonizing the man further wouldn't help matters. No, he would need a soft touch here.
“This is merely a small gesture of goodwill, nothing more," Slifer gave his most innocent smile.
The old man continued glaring but said nothing more. Slifer mentally counted this as a minor victory. He had planted the first seeds. Now he just needed to help them grow.
----------------------------------------
Night fell, and the village square was lit up with lanterns and a great bonfire. The air was filled with music, laughter, and the mouthwatering smell of roasting beast meat.
Slifer sat in the seat of honour with Morvran standing dutifully behind him. Slifer had tried to encourage Morvran to sit down and join them, but Morvran refused, saying something about how he needed to stay sober whilst at work.
Food does drive him crazy…hmm probably something to do with the Great Cock bloodline….
To Slifer’s left were Oliviare and her father Brom, eating with somewhat less enthusiasm than their neighbours.
The villagers were thoroughly enjoying the rare treat of beast meat and fine wine. The children ran about playing games, while adults chatted and sang merrily. Many bowed or waved in thanks toward Slifer for his generosity. He nodded and smiled in return. He had to give off the impression that he was approachable and not a recluse with zero social skills. They were the ones known to resort to kidnapping.
Overall, his plan seemed to be working smoothly. The villagers were warming to him, and Brom was even engaging in small talk with him.
Just a little more time and effort, Slifer mused. And the girl will be mine…err I mean Hughie’s.
As Slifer took a sip of the Immortal Wine, his spiritual sense detected something in the darkness beyond the village outskirts.
Multiple somethings, in fact. And headed this way.
"Well well," Slifer murmured under his breath. "Right on schedule..."