Slightly Renown

It was the 857th year, 1st month, 1st week, and 1st day.

The Forbloffende Traes Sect has paused their advancements for the past few weeks, leaving a lot of space open to open their gates to the people in the organizations' territories they just conquered. Not only were civilians moved, even some rogue cultivator and wannabe citizens were mobilized, although these were only dealt with during last year's 12th month. It was a blatant self-expansion.

On this day, the Sect’s gates opened, a very common occurrence in every new year. The people from and sent to the Vrida Region should have already started trying the testing grounds out. This year was prepared to welcome yet another record of members into the Sect. After all, the transition to the Third Step as an organization wouldn’t be done with just a show-off experience and a bit of exerted manpower here and there.

It didn’t take an intellectual to figure why the Forbloffende Traes Sect would have these things happen. After all, everyone from the Third to the Fourth Step organizations remember their very own transitions as well. The only thing was that they didn’t know how it was going and how much the transition period would last.

However, just as the day began, and the half a moon-shaped territory the Forbloffende Traes Sect conquered after several months of warring in the 3* Region, dominating the same particular port’s sea. They received an unexpected visit at the northern center of their territory in the 3* Region.

“Forbloffende Traes Sect! Halt your expansion! Your deeds as a Second Step organization have gone far beyond the rules of the world! Who is to know when will nature say it’s finally enough? Our Region won’t become another example in the history records for the future. This is the Region’s demand, and you must respect it!!”

While the man who just arrived 200 kilometers above a Second Step organization the Shadows conquered, close to their next Step transition, his loud voice harmed no one. However, it spread throughout the entire Sect’s new land territory. It rapidly became silent and apprehensive after the expert showed up.

“My, thanks for the heads-up. But there wasn’t a need to come to my subordinates when you could’ve asked for me.”

“!” Suddenly, another voice, calm and casual, spooked the peak Third Step cultivator who just shouted throughout the Shadow territory. Heian Ciemnosc slowly materialized from Dark Energy, of which the cultivator’s eyes shocked when he realized he felt pressure from… Sect Master Darkness!

When Heian Ciemnosc felt his Dark Energy leave his cheeks, revealing a slightly long pitchest-blackest hair, and letting his overly pale countenance show before the cultivator, he lowered his head in a greeting. The cultivator responded equally, with some sweat trickling down his temples.

He… never imagined the Forbloffende Traes Sect would suddenly have a Third Step expert among them. Even if it had, he expected it to be from an organization of this 3* Region, not from… the Sect Master himself. The cultivator was taken aback tens of times.

Furthermore, respectable Darkness had a cultivation base well over the peak of the Universal realm! How could someone that just led a First Step organization into the Second Step so swiftly be so simple? Indeed, but seeing it was much impactful than thinking about it

“S- Se- Se-… Sect Master Darkness?” The cultivator stammered, trying to keep his cool. Heian Ciemnosc looked at the fella before tilting his head like a grandpa’s soft gaze landing on the cultivator before swiftly speaking after shaking his head a bit. “What’s the fuss about? You want me to explain things, right? Well, I was already planning to stop my Sect’s activities in this Region. But, why don’t we meet with the rest of you? I’ll explain everything then.”

“You would? I mean, you will?” The cultivator asked, feeling his sweat cooling down, in a more or less good way. Heian Ciemnosc nodded, saying nothing else. The cultivator nodded to himself, reassured, before flinging his sleeves. “Them, follow me.”

“Don’t worry, I will catch up. I can do that much.” Heian Ciemnosc smiled. The cultivator felt a little dumb. With that cultivation base, Sect Master Darkness might even be capable of following a Godhood Step cultivator with enough Spirit Sense reading. The cultivator said no more and departed with a gentle ‘whoosh’ sound.

“You’ve heard it. It’s time to settle down. We’ll see about expanding the current territory via peaceful methods. Accompany the engineers if some of you don’t wish to bother.” Heian Ciemnosc looked at the people below him before ordering. Then, he left with a soft ‘whoosh’ sound. The Shadows below were astounded, but they were also excited.

Their Sect Master just shooed away a peak Third Step cultivator, didn’t he?! Even though the Sect Master seemed appealing and friendly, knowing their Sect Master’s attitude during his yearly lessons, it was obvious the Sect Master was looking forward to such a meeting.

After mulling over their Sect Master for a bit longer, the Shadows returned to their new tasks. It was time to put their efforts in rebuilding their newly gained territory. Some were already contacting the nearby organizations further northwards. Their current territory in the 3* Region left them with contacts everywhere, including some of the eastern and western forces from the First to the Second Step. What’s more, they were far from any Third Step organization, and this was in a 3* Region’s distance terms.

Soon, the news traveled quickly. With most soldier units having a cultivation base from the Spirit Rebirth realm to the Broken Crystallization realm, just one realm from attaining their Neutral Energy, the Universal Conveyance traffic was a lot. It had exponentially increased since solidifying their position as a Second Step organization… in Heian Ciemnosc’s unique measurements.

… Heian Ciemnosc flew for 14 minutes before coming to a stop as they arrived at a Small City. Then, they took a portal towards the centralized 3* Region’s Large City. As a Divine Kingdom, any 3* Region could afford to build a few Large Cities. This Region had 4 extending from its far east to its far west.

Its central Large City was at its center, facing the in-between where the northern and western shores merge from the Vrida Region’s perspective.

After being guided through the VIP treatment by the cultivator, Heian Ciemnosc took the portal and appeared within a large plaza. Nobody looked at them, as Third Step organizations were like villages in a Minor Kingdom’s 1* Region.

Either way, Heian Ciemnosc was further guided to the central building, to which nobody stopped them. The guards at the entrance were all at the Godhood Step, and their emblems were clearly not from any of the known Fourth Step organizations in the Region… or the Divine Kingdom.

Only 2 certain Step organizations would use Godhood Step cultivators as guards. However, this also meant nobody would dare to mess with the organizations’ leaders and ruin the status quo keeping the peace. Moreover, this meant that those peak experts did care of their Region’s stability. If everyone just started massacring the weaklings’ leading figures who didn’t bend their knee to the stronger, bigger party, it would be terrific for its nature.

Heian Ciemnosc went inside the central building, which was a couple of hundred thousand kilometers tall. However, his Spirit Sense told him of the marvels of each floor. It was divided into many layouts, each with their own, several floors. The one he was guided to had a superficial landscape and sky.

“Over here, please.” The cultivator no longer had any airs. He understood the level of danger Heian Ciemnosc represented as soon as he appeared before his eyes. After thinking it over for half an hour, the cultivator had enough time to reflect. Without caring about whom this big fella might offend in the future, he chose to be polite and attentive.

Heian Ciemnosc politely smiled in return and passed through the small wooden door frame with a small extension of the same wood to its sides and upwards. The walls beside such design were starkly different, beet red with small sunflowers throughout the wall’s painting. When Heian Ciemnosc stepped into the room, his right foot immediately found grass and soft dirt.

“Ah, look who it is!”

A voice reverberated as soon as Heian Ciemnosc stepped in, but it became clear and amicable in an instant. Heian Ciemnosc looked towards the source and saw a small kiosk within a large area surrounded by hundreds of people. It was a clean, light green garden and some flowers.

Needless to say, Heian Ciemnosc was astonished upon seeing the man who spoke to him was a peak Godly cultivator in the Universal God realm 10th stage. He was a Gray Demon, slender and tall, but still 2 heads shorter than Heian Ciemnosc. Still, the Gray Demon wasn’t to blame, Heian Ciemnosc was still not at the peak of his [All-Devouring Force Chronicles].

Pat! “Hello, young man.” The Demon spoke quickly, patting his palm on Heian Ciemnosc’s right upper back before introducing himself, “I am the Sixphlon Empire’s Emperor, Izten Ron. I take it you are respectable Darkness. Welcome to the party. It’s a good surprise our 3* Region has just gained a new Third Step organization, and a very strong one at that.”

“Come, this is my daughter,” the Demon, Izten Ron, brought Heian Ciemnosc through the crowd as the others lifted their drinks or hands, gesturing to him in a greeting. Heian Ciemnosc could only respond with a slight nod, which gained the approval of most people here. Then, they arrived before a beauty who expectantly waited for them to come to her.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Respectable Darkness, this is my Empire’s princess, Izten Glas.” Emperor Ron gestured towards the beautiful Gray Demon, whose skin looked like an Elf’s but still retained a Demon’s aesthetics, although her hair camouflaged her horns. The letter were thin and long, arching towards the back of her head.

Heian Ciemnosc could immediately tell that her mother is a pureblood Demon. Moreover, she was the pair’s sole daughter. Heian Ciemnosc glanced at the side, where a gold-skinned pureblood Demon beauty chatted with some fellas, occasionally looking at her daughter.

“Greetings. It’s a pleasure meeting one of the few peak Fourth Step organizations so close to the Fifth Step,” said Heian Ciemnosc, boldly grabbing the Goddess’s wrist before smooching the back of her fingers. He gave her an extra kiss on her middle finger’s knuckle before swiftly letting go of her hand. The beauty looked in surprise at first, stiff. But she seemed comfortable soon after.

On the other hand, the father was taken aback, looking at her daughter’s expressive face. The beauty was a baby Kingdom Goddess, just below her father’s Godhood. She smiled and had to softly let her hand down as her eyes didn’t leave Heian Ciemnosc’s face.

“I never expected the acclaimed Sect Master Darkness to be smooth. But I’m curious about something else,” Izten Glas’s words weren’t seductive as she commented, narrowing her eyes. Heian Ciemnosc revealed no intentions towards her as he nodded, “Go ahead. I have nothing to hide.”

“We’ll see,” she said in a lightened mood as she walked 2 steps away from her father, with Heian Ciemnosc following close by. Then, she half-faced him sideways to her right and inquired, “Sect Master Darkness, do you know? Your Sect’s expertise is debated everywhere.”

“Oh?” Heian Ciemnosc exclaimed without interrupting. She nodded a little and continued, “Many believe that to be Craftsmaking. After all, it’s what you are seen doing the most, be it during your battle for recognition, or last year’s organization wars. Wherever you went, be it some settlements, temporary fortifications, or reparations, any of your Sect’s military units could resolve their issues or needs.”

“But others believe it to be war. After all, little is known of what happened in your Vrida Region, but the last events correlating our Regions have shown a lot of what your warring capabilities are. No doubt about those.” Izten Glas continued. Her voice was soft and low, and her attitude was like they’ve known each other already. Her expressions were just like her voice, and being around her felt like a breeze was always accompanying one’s comforted mind.

“Yet again, so many believe it is your Art, and the intricacies of what it entails. Many wondered what those black energy streaks and traces of smoke were because they had no Elemental affinity, much less Darkness affinity. Yet, whenever your soldier units faced the Elements from cultivators of equal might, they were untouchable.”

“…” Heian Ciemnosc looked at her directly, straight, and without trying to put faces or saying something to divert attention. Glas looked at Heian Ciemnosc after she finished speaking. Her eyes narrowed to a near close, with her lips smiling as she opened them to look at him directly, in the same manner he did to her.

“My Sect does not focus on one thing. On one hand, their requirements to promote are harsh. On the other, we’ve received more and more rogue cultivators from the other Regions in the mainland. Those who were rejected time after time and decided to give my Forbloffende Traes Sect a try, be it immediately after failing or centuries after they lost hope.”

Hearing his words, the beauty constantly nodded a little in understanding. Then, she lifted her eyebrows when Heian Ciemnosc finished speaking, and exclaimed. “Huh? Does everyone have hope in your Forbloffende Traes Sect? Sect Master Darkness?”

“Not hope, a role to live and comply with inside my Sect. I’m not talking about civilian life or just becoming an auxiliary unit at the First Step only. But more than that…” Heian Ciemnosc suddenly paused and scratched the back of his head, looking at her with his left eye semi-closed. “Anyone can have a chance to join my Sect. It’s not closed to any party or Race, including Fauna. The only ones who will not be welcome are its enemies; my enemies.”

“Your enemy isn’t as terrifying as others might think, but for you, it is deadly.” Glas immediately said, pointing at him as her hushed voice warned him. Heian Ciemnosc politely smiled before he closed in on her right ear. She didn’t back away or glare at him, letting his left fingers slightly grasp her delicate right shoulder.

“Thank you for the little warning, miss princess. But I actually have something that will truly interest you. A lot…”

“…” Glas straightened her back after hearing his words. She looked backwards and found a Soul Race member looking at them. She swung her right hand from up to below before facing Heian Ciemnosc. A Spirit Sense barrier covered them before she nudged her head upwards at him, “Go ahead.”

“Is this Region strong among the others?” Heian Ciemnosc immediately asked. Glas looked deeply at him before speaking, turning her head to look at her father and mother a meter and a half away. “All Regions have been on the same pedestal regarding prowess, respected Darkness. It’s been like that since 8 and a half centuries ago. Why?”

“Well, what are the differences?” Heian Ciemnosc asked without feeling urged. The princess looked at Heian Ciemnosc, feeling slightly irritated, but she felt more playful and had fun conversing with him. She cleared her throat with her left fist before her mouth, finally elaborating.

“Our Region has been doing well so far. Its only issue is the number of Craftspeople, both low and high Steps. As you’ve ‘seen’, the number of fleets isn’t inferior to other Regions, but the organizations here are too cautious using them. They’re not at fault, however. The time needed to build just 1 Fleet for a Fourth Step organization takes several months, when it should be between 2 weeks and 2 months.”

“It’s not new that the Neutral Existences suffer this slight inconvenience to the rest of the world. We have even more existences than the Universal Land around us, but our Soul and Craftsmaking expertise are pretty low.” Glas finished with her delicate arms folded before her lower belly.

“Oh. Indeed, the Neutral Existences wouldn’t have let the Existential Sixth Step organizations get this much time at peace, and they wouldn’t have such a firm and lasting hold on the various Universal Land.” Heian Ciemnosc interjected. Glas frowned lightly and nodded at him, sighing as she felt more at ease.

“But our Region has an even worse lack of expertise levels than the rest of the core mainland Regions. We’ve been doing our best to change that, but the only answer we have is time. But other core mainland Regions won’t wait Eons to make a move on us. With how things became after the black monster’s ‘rebellious’ acts, everyone feels precipitated to make their move earlier.” Glas spoke, still with an insulting notion towards the Universal Land surrounding the Neutral Existences, her home.

“I can change that.” Heian Ciemnosc let it out, flatly. Glas unsurprisingly looked up at him. Her right elbow atop her left wrist, with her right hand sent backwards, appearing delicate and like a dainty lady. Her lips moved with a smile, “Ha, really? Not even, ‘what if I told you I can change that?’. Sect Master Darkness, you’re more direct than I thought.”

Her voice remained soft and comforting, and she was still like a breeze accompanying one’s notion of such. Her conversations with Heian Ciemnosc appeared inviting, even. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t respond or react to her and simply elaborated.

“My Forbloffende Traes Sect has the means to build hundreds of millions of Mortal weapons per month, and tens of millions of Earth weapons per 5 weeks, with a set of armor every 3 to 5 weeks. So far, that’s our production as a Second Step organization, of my kind. It is also without adding the vassal organizations under us.”

“Vassal organizations? Hooh, Sect Master Darkness. It almost seems as if you’re trying to turn your Sect into an Empire.” Glas looked at Heian Ciemnosc, astounded. Those were the numbers only a Godly organization might show before the peak.

Heian Ciemnosc shook his head before continuing, his feet coming closer to her. “No. There’s no need for an organization to become a generational type if they are capable enough, that’s the simple difference.”

“That is saying a lot for the ancient records, you know?” Glas said, boldly leaning her neck forward, bringing her face closer to Heian Ciemnosc. He didn’t retract his moves and continued closing in on her, little by little.

“Miss princess, you’ve said I’m very direct. Well, I am,” Heian Ciemnosc said, placing the back of his fingers on her right forearm and back of her hand. “That’s just the production of weaponry and armor sets. I never said those were all of our production types at our maximum effort. While those countless little weapons and armor are made, there are even more tools, devices, array formations, pre-inscribed array formations, Fauna training, flora gardening, alchemy products, and talismans being created per week, not just month.”

“…!” Glas was quite shocked now. Before, it was understandable with certain ‘ifs’, but now… She couldn’t help but ask, nearly bumping her forehead on his. “That is… without putting your… disciples and Servants at full speed ahead to Craftsmake? All of this happens with the resources of your Sect?”

“But of course,” Heian Ciemnosc said as if she just asked something silly. Which, in his darkest eyes, she did. His left hand snaked through her lower back as his right hand grasped her right hand, interlocking fingers from behind it. “And once our Sect become a full-fledged Third Step organization, that will only multiply about 4 or 5 times more.”

Glas felt her body thrilled. This meant the productivity of the Region might be enhanced, and they’d directly compete with the other Regions! However, it also meant leaving all of the ‘heavy’ burnt to the Forbloffende Traes Sect. They already had an Incantation Pavilion doing their worst with just talisman production. Who knew how much power the Shadows would get when the entire production of the 3* Region falls in his hands. However… the idea excited her.

But that was when Heian Ciemnosc added, further baffling her. “And now, with our new territory here in this Region, and our vassals now allowed to become Second Step. Although they won’t match our Sect’s production, I assure you it’d be better than any organization of the same Step.”

“… Respectable Darkness.” Glas was silent. Her chest heaved up and down as her eyes imagined the possibilities. “If your people are the Shadows, then, are you the bigger Shadow? The king type to rule them all?”

“That, and more,” Heian Ciemnosc said, breathing on her neck. His darkened fangs of his teeth’s regular size tickled the air just a few millimeters away from such a delicious skin. Yet, that’s when she pulled back and walked towards her parents. Heian Ciemnosc followed after a second, but Glas stopped and looked back with a soft, comfortable smile.

“Sect Master Darkness, I’d like to invite you to the Region’s Craftsmaking gathering 30 years from now. 5 years later, the Region will hold a Third Step younger generation exchange, where all Sects in our Region can send their Mythical realm and Central Formation realm cultivators, younger than 10,000 years. I won’t go to that one, but I am told one can become more renown through that.”

With those invitations, the beauty turned around, lifted her Spirit Sense barrier, and returned to her parents. Heian Ciemnosc looked at her back before slightly shrugging. She was an asexual creature that wasn’t slave to her nature. If that was the case, she’ll let her have a taste.

As Heian Ciemnosc walked back to Izten Ron, a Soul Race member walked in the same direction, with his eyes becoming frustrated yet defeated when glancing between Heian Ciemnosc and Izten Glas.

…