They Won't Stop

The Forbloffende Traes Sect's hierarchy gains 10 Supreme Neutral Stones per month, but they must now forge 100 merit points' worth of value to the Sect, assign 50 missions, and at least 3 lectures per month as well. Although the lectures haven't changed, the number of coins or Stones one can receive did increase. The maximum cost of lectures, if there's any, must be 330 coins, silver or gold, or 33 Inferior Stones. Of which 80 coins or 8 Inferior Stones goes to the Sect's treasury.

Additionally, those working in the Security Quarters are paid 5 extra Supreme Neutral Stones. All of these Neutral Stones were now ‘operable’ directly to cultivate, thanks to the [Chronicles of Life & Death], but nowhere half as good as Heian Ciemnosc’s capacity.

Even then, the reason the Sect now gave the hierarchy Supreme Neutral Stones only was mainly to focus on the Second Step’s progress without trying to limit the quantity of Acting Elders and higher positions in the Sect. However, with the level of the Sect after another 24 years in isolation, they didn’t have that many people in either the soldier and auxiliary unit or official side. That was for later.

The requirements to obtain the [Chronicles of Life & Death] didn’t really change but added some possibilities instead. Now, one still obtains it when achieving the peak of the First Step at 10 years old or less, by forming their Soul before the Spirit Formation realm, or bringing 1 profession of their Craftsmaking to the peak of the Second Step.

Now, additionally, one can obtain the seminal Art if they achieve the peak of the Second Step before or at 20 years old. It wasn’t much, but it gave another goal to those who did have better cultivation qualifications. However, this also meant repeating from scratch after achieving such a monumental average that isn’t a problem only for top-notch Third Step organizations, not recently solidified, full-fledged Second Step organizations.

What’s more, that average was more leaning towards decades after joining the organization in question, not of age. In a sense, the Forbloffende Traes Sect was asking the impossible.

Thus, more than 70 years after the Sect re-opened, they received a ginormous influx the first month, which should’ve been the work of at least 3 years during the 24 years in the battle zone. The year by year influx of new members, with 99.8% becoming Servants, exponentially increased every decade.

The Vrida Region was more and more lively, with their total population having long exceeded what even Divine Kingdom’s 1* Regions are meant to, such as 10 trillion. With the recently ‘upgraded’ Region, which now had Second Step-helpful flora and improving Fauna, the nature throughout the Region had abundantly blossomed.

It wasn’t just a matter of how life in the Region had increased, but how blatant and vast everything had become. The trees grew faster, and even the sick elderly before the 24 years in the battle zone were over managed to live longer without cultivation intervention.

Furthermore, contact with the ‘old’ forest people’s Ruptured was finally achieved. After 293 years since the Sect was established, the hidden ‘powerhouses’ who roamed the underground, trying to escape their nefarious fate, came out and accepted meeting the Sect.

It wasn’t something that lasted long. After the old forest people confirmed the Ruptured’s willingness, they were first screened by 2 Elders who were far above any Ruptured’s might. Only after they were screened twice and about 7,000 out of 11,000 wished to continue meeting the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s Sect Master did the latter met with them.

From there, it didn’t take long before Heian Ciemnosc’s words and crude options convinced the Ruptured. They would be given entry to the Forbloffende Traes Sect and a chance to learn the [Chronicles of Life & Death] but only after they’ve broken into the Broken Crystallization realm.

Heian Ciemnosc only wanted those who had gone through the hells of failing breaking through seamlessly. The Torment realm, Dispirited realm, Shades realm, Hell realm, and Abyssin realm; the 5 Ruptured realms to go through and finally become what one failed at first, the Broken Crystallization realm. If there are people who deserve a chance with his and Hongliang Shu’s Art, it is the Ruptured who achieved their purpose for still living.

Those weren’t many, but since Heian Ciemnosc valued them highly, the Sect’s hierarchy didn’t dare have their opinions intrude in their new tasks to supervise the Ruptured in case they died. After all, they wouldn’t be part of the Sect until they accomplished Heian Ciemnosc’s harsh requirements. After all, they would still have their cultivation base reset. After so many years living like this, how could it be so simple for one’s mentality?

Nevertheless, if there was something the hierarchy had, it was trust in their Sect Master, who even Todoro and Pretieta believed to already have broken into the Third Step. As for a phenomenon, their Sect Master should have been this strong from the get-go.

Nevertheless, the Forbloffende Traes Sect inner territory received tremendous, welcoming changes to their Second Step times. For starters, although many wondered if there’d be Quarters’ arenas for disputes or whatever, the seniors explained the Sect Master’s wishes.

If there’s such an urgent dispute or rivalry that could end with either side’s death, it would be in the arenas section in the inner territory. Not hidden in closed doors in their Quarters, where they could behave however they wished, and the public wouldn’t know about it. The Forbloffende Traes Sect prohibited internal strife, and it was punishable with either sides’ death.

Of course, it wasn’t as brainless as to just order the deaths of anyone involved, as investigations would occur, but that was what their emblem was for. Furthermore, now that the Sect transitioned to the Second Step, the number of Souls being formed at the Sect were crazily large. Only through exposure would the Sect remain as firm and at bay as it is meant to be.

Every Servant had heart and Soul reading through their actions. After all, they could just wield a random weapon made outside to kill or do insanities to their fellow Sect members, and the Sect wouldn’t be able to tell. But with Heian Ciemnosc’s methods to read the heart and Soul through their nature’s vows and their cultivation, already belonging to the Sect once they’ve vowed, that was resolved.

Nevertheless, the most obvious thing to change in the Sect was the Mythical Tree of Evolution, which went from an initial 4,000 meters tall and 100 meters in diameter to 400 kilometers tall and 1 kilometer in diameter. Furthermore, the inner territory expanded to 80,000 kilometers, encompassing a good third of both eastern and western forests.

The Memory Tomb was there, with its 3 tombstones 100, 80, and 50 meters tall and each are 20 meters wide. The tallest tombstone had the names of every fallen comrade, while the second tallest had the names of the organizations who were now vassals to the Forbloffende Traes Sect.

After the 24 years of isolation, the oldest generation in charge of the organizations that were no longer there finally came out to light. They organized public displays of deepest apologies to the population, with some even declaring their fate to cripple their cultivation and live among them until death before doing just that.

Then, the others rebuilt new First Step organizations, of which all came to prostrate before the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s southern entrance structure to swear their organizations’ loyalty to the Sect. Once they were done, accepted by Sect Master Darkness into the Sect as vassals, they founded their First Step organizations under the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s command, rule, and one sole heart.

Thus, the 80 meters tall tombstone had their 6 names. If one wanted to know more about the vassals’ status, their Spirit Sense was enough to revise their information on the tombstone. A citizen and engineer could use the same method to see their loved and close ones’ faces. But the shortest tombstone didn’t have any name or writing on it.

The new First Step organizations were built across 30 years, ranging from the people they attracted and the like. The system to use them was simple, albeit somewhat insulting, and yet more vassal than what is known.

The First Step organizations would have their respective hierarchy and ‘common’ number of troops, but the members who would otherwise have worn black clothes, the typical gray clothes, would use them as a temporary stop.

For example, they could join any of these First Step organizations by either being sent there by the Sect to cultivate there, or by directly applying to join the First Step organization. However, the requirements and toughness to enter the Sect and then continue cultivating in them were the same. The only thing that changed was their initial point. Furthermore, some would remain in those organizations as troops, while others could or would join the Sect’s main forces.

Like this, not only would the Forbloffende Traes Sect secure their future’s navy manpower wouldn’t lack, even their land forces would expand without absurdly surpassing the numbers even Heian Ciemnosc set for his Sect. Although this was slightly stepping over the rules the world and the Nexus Entente had accorded to, nothing stopped him nor his people…

Similarly, while this seemed like the First Step organization were the Sect’s backyards, especially because their inner territory practically ‘touched tips’ with the Forbloffende Traes Sect inner territory. The benefits the First Step organizations gained were as if they were just an extension of the Sect’s inner territory. That also sounded humiliating, but no one who knew the Sect’s people and their systems would think the same.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The Forbloffende Traes Sect ensured its vassals’ progression to be just as good as their Second Step organization was. Although it wasn’t to the point of mimicking the Sect’s Servants and disciples’ learning, it was either on par with top-notch Second Step organizations, or slightly better but still below the Sect.

This bordered a generational organization’s modus operandi, but then again, neither the Sect nor the Sect Master were punished or warned by nature. Nothing stopped them, so no one ever could…

Once anyone achieved any condition to obtain the [Chronicles of Life & Death], they’d be granted their black clothing, black armor, and black emblem and medallion. They would still have to use their vassal organization’s emblem because of the rules and integrity, but they would have officially become… Sect Master Darkness’s soldier units!

As for the hierarchy, once an entire generation of a First Step organization could be replaced, the oldest generation will be welcomed to the Forbloffende Traes Sect. From then on, they’ll be seniors of the disciples and Servants, starting a different point in life. It was a simple, merit-based, opportunistic yet looping system to keep it going.

This was the result of accomplishments after 200 years, where the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s foundation was as solid as a Divine Kingdom’s standing in terms of self-sufficiency and progression as an organization. Furthermore, the ‘first generation’ of the Sect was perfectly trained, knowledgeable, and understanding of the Sect’s matters.

Heian Ciemnosc was… proud to have accomplished this much, not caring when or how he managed to do it. Just that he achieved it.

The portions of the eastern and western forests became the Forest Practice zones. These were small areas at the inner territory’s center at their eastern and western entrances, where people could train against Fauna. It was prohibited to kill or steal Fauna’s infants or eggs, and was mainly to train the Sect and vassal members for the outside world and even when breaking into the Second Step.

There was an enormous diversity of Fauna, of which the Sect wasn’t stingy in training their younger generations. It wasn’t only to be safer during life-threatening situations, but to know the possible dangers. While killing wasn’t allowed, 8 out of 9 members who entered the Forest Practice zones would return heavily injured… Until they learned and forced a simple stalemate or tie.

The testing grounds finally changed. Now, they could each allow hundreds of thousands of applicants per entrance to give it a try. That’s right. The inner territory was no longer limited to one entrance, but 4. To the east, south, north, and west of the Sect’s outer perimeter, leaning to its center, the Forbloffende Traes Sect now receives many new members from all 4 cardinal points.

They extended over 200 square kilometers, mostly spread sideways. They had more need for manpower, but so were more people becoming Servants every year, so it wasn’t a problem. The requirements to promote to an Outer Disciple were tougher and more for the long run than before.

There was no more central cottage. Thus, Heian Ciemnosc no longer lived there. Instead, he caved open a residence within the Mythical Tree of Evolution’s trunk. Its leaves turned orange, as if burning, yet oozed softness and comfort, just like what Heian Ciemnosc feels when he serenely gazes into the Vrida Region’s lands.

His residence wasn’t that much but about 900 square meters in total, with 2 rooms for cultivation and meditation, 2 bedrooms for the same, and 1 main bedroom besides a kitchen and a passageway to his underground garden.

The Servant Quarters remain with the same type of buildings, but much more of each, as they now extend over nearly 9,000 kilometers to give residence to tens of millions of Servants. It is even built to host more than 100 million. The only new additions were the Universal Conveyance Plazas, as it is with the Disciple Quarters and the Throne Halls. At the central west still. Additionally, it has 1,000 meters tall walls.

The Disciple Quarters’ expanded to 26,000 square kilometers. It is divided with 9,000 square kilometers for the Outer Disciples section, 7,000 square kilometers for the Inner Disciple section, and 6,000 square kilometers for the Core Disciple section. The remaining 4,000 square kilometers are for the daily activities of a disciple outside of missions and priorities.

The Disciple Quarters were now at the southwest, below the Servant Quarters’ smaller section. On the other hand, the Throne Halls around the center were formally rebuilt at the western center, forming a small ‘ring’ wall side to the Servant and Disciple Quarters. Additionally, the Disciple Quarters also has walls, 2,000 meters tall.

The Throne Halls’ expansion was further increased to about 1,000 square kilometers big, mostly spread in length, appearing to be quite thin, especially beside the ‘thicker’ Servant and Disciple Quarters. The Throne halls became a much more respected and venerated place to live and learn after during the 110 years of peace, and of course, further on.

The Darkened Treasury became 400 square kilometers long, with a 400 meters tall foundation. This time, the floors were slightly heightened, becoming taller than before. The first floor directly became 4 kilometers tall, but the subsequent 3 upper floors only about ten times taller. The first upper floor became 200 meters tall, with the second 400 meters tall, and the third floor 800 meters tall.

Now, the Darkened Treasury had an official underground floor, spreading throughout 800 square kilometers, where the riches are officially managed by the respective Servants and disciples with a senior of at least Ancestor status.

The arenas were moved to the north, in the direction the Forbloffende Traes Sect became recognized through those 24 years of battling for recognition, and 8 sinister years within. Their area became 360 square kilometers long, still spread in a half-moon shape. It has enough for tens of millions of people to fight in each stage simultaneously, and the bets’ share remains 20% for the Sect’s treasury.

The military didn’t gain new changes, beside a Universal Conveyance Centre spread through and through. It needed to become much larger, as the Servants and citizens vehemently increased. However, it was all doable. It was now 12,000 square kilometers long for all those who still had to graduate and still studied in special classes… or belonged to any of the three special forces.

The Fauna caretaking and flora areas increased to 500 square kilometers, with now 3 floors as a maximum per area, 300 meters tall each floor, causing quite the beautiful and enormous scenery within the Forbloffende Traes Sect inner territory.

However, the most notorious thing throughout the Vrida Region, not the inner territory, was the settlements. They were finally granted their promised security, with arsenal and array formations to keep their safety as well. What’s more, they now had the Sect’s buildings for easy, immediate, and official transaction with the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s guarantee.

The villages now have a Branch Sect building, a Craftsmaking Mansion, where all sorts of items from Craftsmaking can be acquired, a Security Office, where the Sect and villagers can work together, and the Nature Shop.

The Nature Shop is where cultivation resources and even citizen weaponry and ammunition can be bought. One can also exchange Stones for their respective coins, and pay with either of them. Additionally, anyone from that settlement only can take loans from the Sect, up to a certain maximum depending on the village’s size and its reputation and image.

Towns have 2 of each building separated on their east and west. However, they also have a Universal Centre and a Sect Statue, where anyone from anywhere can come and pay their respects. No money was required, and in fact, it was something to look down upon. On the other hand, cities have several of each, but they have ‘better’ areas specified for other things.

Such as the Universal Conveyance Plaza instead of ‘Centre’, and airports, underground docks, and a military base. These don’t take much of the cities’ space, allowing for whichever Sect’s military force was moving through and were far from their outposts or forts within the Vrida Region. After all, troops could not camp near the settlements, let alone remain inside for good.

On the other hand, the Cities, of which only Small Cities existed, had countless of each building, with some differences. While it had countless Branch Sect buildings and others, it had one ‘main’ building that centralized each Forbloffende Traes Sect building: the Main Branch Sect building at the center, beside the governor building.

Furthermore, the Cities had a base for land forces, air forces, and armadas. After all, Cities could have portals, or be used for a temporary stay for any strategic purposes, or as a tactic.

This was how the Vrida Region and the Forbloffende Traes Sect transformed over a century and a decade of peace after the 24 years in the battle zone.

… Today is 293 years after the Sect was established. The sphere at the middle inner territory, always rotating while in repose and stagnant when a meeting was held, was now stagnant. As it was the first day of the 2nd month, the testing grounds finished their annual recruiting period. The meeting had already started, with the last members of the meeting not having arrived. Thus, the others waited until the gates to their meeting room opened as the inner building rotated nonstop.

Step, step, step, step.

Heian Ciemnosc walked in with his disciple, the now Vice sect master, Olivia Clark. She walked 2 steps and a half before him. The others stood up and nodded their head as if they were bowing. Heian Ciemnosc lifted his left palm in response before lowering it. As it returned to his left side, the others sat down in silence.

Screeech… Olivia hurried a few more steps before grabbing the largest chair closest to the only gates in the meeting room before hurrying to her chair on the opposite, single, and lonely chair at the other extreme. Heian Ciemnosc calmly sat himself, looking at the crowd. Tiny Evans and Alejandro dropped from the ceiling and floated before him at his sides.

“Let’s start the meeting as usual,” Heian Ciemnosc said before summoning a digital book with a flash of Dark Energy. Every year, such meetings were held for the management throughout the Vrida Region, the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s territory. It was a nice relaxation day which Heian Ciemnosc enjoyed spending first outside his meditation bedroom or room, and then sight see several hundred thousand kilometers above the ground level.

Wearing a light smile on his lips as he opened the digital book, Heian Ciemnosc read for a minute before looking at an old man, half Titan and half Human. “Well, do we know anything about the enemy?”

“Ah, yes,” the old man nodded before spreading his arms forth. His fingers moved before a hologram showed various complex, sharp, and lineal digital drawings. A list was shown before a frame was selected, of which a young girl whose information said she was 23 years old and only 5 years since she became a Keeper of the Shadow, with 3 years since she confirmed her infiltration, showed.

The spies sent to the 3* Region would only be considered after they confirmed their status and weren’t ordered to return due to the risk of being found out. The young girl’s digital document revealed 45 times when she was read by a Godly Spirit Sense in these 3 years, of which 40-50 are the usual count for civilians, citizens, and cultivators in the 3* Region.

The Forbloffende Traes Sect didn’t doubt acting after the Sect Master warned the hierarchy of a few things. They weren’t in the wrong, though. They recently discovered the 3* Region they had fought in the past suddenly became obnoxiously cautious. After a decade of successful infiltration, the Sect realized there were plans of the 3* Region’s forces to make a move… towards the Vrida Region.

Thus, while they hastily acted, the enemy had long prepared to antagonize them. Only, this time, it didn’t seem like it was just a provocation or revenge. Even after all this time transpired, for some, not even a day has passed since they suffered a crushing humiliation.

…