The next twelve days passed with excruciating slowness as the wagons creaked slowly along the rutted dirt path. On a positive note, all nineteen of Benton’s newest disciples advanced from Qi Gathering minor realm one to minor realm two in that time, earning him nineteen more points.
Benton spent much time viewing his status and watching those Sect Points tick up as various disciples reached that milestone. There was, after all, little else to do. Even running through the forest hunting game got boring after a while.
Making a mental note to somehow use qi to invent the internet as soon as possible, he pulled up the blue box once again.
Sect Name: Not Chosen Sect Members: 0 Disciples: 33 Sect Points: 44 Shop Points: 37 Host Cultivation: Foundation Establishment - Minor Realm One Qi Available: 1,110 Host Body Cultivation: Bronze - Minor Realm Two Host Techniques: Analysis - Large Success Basic Archery - Large Success Basic Spear Combat - Large Success Pill Basics - Large Success Menus: [Cultivation Method] [Technique] [Quest] [Perk] [Advancement] [Shop - LOCKED]
As he’d anticipated, his Sect Point total had rapidly ascended, and he expected another nineteen points in the next few weeks or so just from his new inductees. On top of that, it was starting to get close to time to see another round of increases from the disciples back at the village.
“I’m in the money. I’m in the money,” he sang quietly.
The fact he was rapidly increasing his total was a really good thing. For one, he needed techniques to be able to truly make use of being in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and he was still two points in the negative for personal use.
The more major issue, though, was that he needed, at minimum, twenty-five points for a general body cultivation method that any of his disciples could use and twenty more for personalized ones for Yang Xiu and Yang Ru. That was already one more point than Benton currently had.
In an ideal world, he’d give individual methods to each of his talented disciples, but that would be another thirty points, which he honestly didn’t know if he could afford. Moreso, he didn’t know if the benefit would be worth it. Body cultivation shined when a cultivator fought. Yang Xiu and Yang Ru definitely would be the sect’s main method of projecting force. Shi Long and Wan Ai, on the other hand, would only ever be put in any real danger in the direst of circumstances.
Zou Tian presented a more interesting question. A body cultivation method restricted to shadow qi would probably make it easier for him to manifest his qi, and he was more likely to be in enemy territory where enhanced stamina and toughness might save his life.
Yeah. Benton really needed fifty-five Sect Points to spend.
Of course, if things worked out the way he hoped, he’d get those points back relatively quickly.
Besides spending a lot of time those twelve days counting unhatched chickens, Benton gained quite a bit of appreciation for Ye Zan and Hou Yazhu, who’d taken leadership of the drivers. The men had established a schedule that allowed each of the seventeen guards, counting the former drivers, to rotate duties in a way that allowed each of them to cultivate ten hours a day.
Of course, it helped that Benton told Ye Zan that the guards walking next to the wagons weren’t necessary. Any cultivator nearing would be spotted miles away, and any mortal threat just didn’t concern Benton all that much.
About every other day or so, the caravan passed an abandoned village. Having been told about their mission in advance by Kang Ya-Ting, Ye Zan had researched the route to Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town. Before the Righteous Rain Sect had been destroyed, there had been a lot of trade between the town and Sixth Flawless Flowing City.
With the sect gone, the town was rapidly devolving into lawless slums, and trade was drying up. There was only one village left to cater to what traffic still remained. It, at least, still had a rather large inn left over from the glory days.
The caravan would reach it later in the afternoon.
Though none of his newest disciples would dare make any requests of their master, the all-powerful monster who could destroy a member of a rival sect in a single strike, Benton could tell everyone hoped they’d spend the night at the inn. Even the twins, as used to camping in the forest as they were, seemed to perk up at the idea.
Missing out on a few hours of travel wouldn’t kill anyone, so Benton acceded to the desires of his subordinates, which was why they found themselves stopping with the sun still high on the horizon.
The village honestly wasn’t much. The inn, a general mercantile with fabrics and food and other various sundries, a blacksmith’s forge, and a couple dozen houses and farms were the only buildings present. There were obvious signs that other buildings had been present, but those had probably been scavenged for building materials to repair the ones left. Or for firewood or something. Benton really had no idea.
Of course, there was one thing the village offered that Benton really needed—relief from the drudgery of slowly creaking along with only trees to look at. He got down from the wagon before it had even stopped, having instructed Ye Zan and Zou Tian to arrange for lodging for everyone and for the twins to keep watch to make sure none of the villagers had any ill intentions.
If he had been low on food stocks or had forgotten something important before leaving the city, the mercantile would have been useful, but neither of those conditions applied to him. After browsing for a while, he moved on to the only other interesting place in the village besides the inn.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
At first, the blacksmith shop was exactly what he expected. A small bell rung as he opened the door to a relatively small room with a wood counter near the back. A few well-made but mortal grade weapons hung alongside many equally well-made farm tools in the area in front of the counter, and heat and the sound of a pounding hammer came from the back.
Benton was actually quite surprised by the quality goods on display in such a depressed village. He used Analyze on a shovel.
Object: Shovel Qi Rank: None Grade: Mortal Use: Digging Value: 25 Silver Taels Other: An excellently crafted tool from an expert blacksmith on the cusp of mastery in his craft
Nice. And really unexpected. The shovel was orders of magnitude better than the one Benton had stored in his ring.
“I’ll be out in a second,” a voice called from the back.
“Take your time,” Benton yelled back. “I’m just browsing.”
When the man, who was huge and sweating and wearing a leather apron over his clothes, came from the back, he immediately cupped his hands and bowed low. “Esteemed Cultivator, please forgive this lowly one’s rudeness. This lowly one did not realize the shop had such a distinguished visitor.”
Benton took a moment to respond. Not because he was offended, though, but because of the results of the scan he’d performed as a matter of course.
Age: 41 Affiliation: North Red Cloudy Forest Village Cultivation: None Techniques: None Spiritual Roots: B+ Qi Aspect: Fiery coal in the middle of the forge
The blacksmith, like Shi Long, was destined to perform his job but with even better roots. Of course, Shi Long’s fire and metal dual qi aspect was slightly more optimal than the villager’s fire only one. And the blacksmith was old for a peasant in a cultivation world at forty-one.
None of that really mattered to Benton. The guy had the highest ranked talent of anyone he’d seen outside a sect member besides the twins. Benton wanted him.
“Think nothing of it, Master Blacksmith,” Benton said.
“This lowly one can only be called an expert, not a master, Esteemed Cultivator.”
Benton had known that from the popup but flattering the blacksmith was hopefully a good way to gain his favor. “I was actually just stretching my legs after a long day sitting in a wagon and hadn’t expected to find anything to buy. The quality of tools on display has changed my mind, however. Could I buy several of these tools from you? Definitely the shovel, maybe two rakes, and four hoes?”
His people were going to need farming implements to grow the herbs, and these tools were better than the ones he’d already purchased. If there was one thing that Benton was learning about life in a medieval cultivation world, it was to buy quality products when he ran across them because he might not ever find the like again.
“Of course, Esteemed Cultivator. This one would normally charge ten taels each, but this one can do a volume discount and let all of it go for sixty?”
“That seems low. I would expect each to go for twenty-five.”
The blacksmith gave him a weird look.
Benton smiled. “Yes, I know that I am a dreadful negotiator.”
The man grinned in return, relaxing slightly at the friendly turn to the conversation. “Well, this one must be equally bad at it because the price of sixty stands, Esteemed Cultivator.”
“We have a deal then.”
Benton pulled the necessary amount from his ring and stored his new tools. “I was actually quite surprised to see the work of such an accomplished smith in a village that is obviously on its last legs.”
“This one was born in this village, Esteemed Cultivator, and was reluctant to leave it, especially with having a young child. Then family in Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town told this lowly one of the conditions there, and as bad as things are here, there is enough food and little in the way of violence.”
“And you had no connections in the Sixth Flawless Flowing City,” Benton said.
“Correct, Esteemed Cultivator. Hard to start a new shop without much in the way of savings and no backing.”
“What if an opportunity presented itself? Would you be willing to move your family?”
The blacksmith appeared skeptical. “Possibly. Depends on the opportunity.”
“I can respect that. It just so happens that I’ve accepted a young blacksmith apprentice to become one of my disciples. I will, of course, be providing him with techniques to utilize qi in his craft, but things would go a lot smoother if he had an expert smith to teach him the basics as he was early into his apprenticeship when I bought it out.”
Yeah, there was a little bit of truth stretching going on there, but it was for a good cause. Besides, Benton truly believed that the blacksmith joining the sect would be good for both him and his family.
“What would happen after this lowly one taught the Esteemed Cultivator’s disciple?”
“Honestly, I’d like for you to stay on as a member of the sect I’m starting.” Benton went on to tell him about the village and about not caring about talent levels just like he had with the guards. “I could use an experienced blacksmith, and I’m willing to teach cultivation to your family members as well.”
It actually took a little bit of convincing for the blacksmith, Xun Wu, to agree to come along. He wasn’t a young man seeking fame and fortune and adventure, after all. He had a family to think about. In the end, he’d seen many children die from disease, and having access to healing pills if his got sick sealed the deal.
That night was frantic for Xun Wu and his family as they tried to pack everything. With his guidance on who to talk to, Benton was able to purchase a cart with a horse for their family and all their meager possessions.
The wife, an F rank, was somewhat taken aback by how quickly things were happening, but she’d apparently been on her husband’s back to move for quite some time.
It was Benton’s first chance to observe the offspring of a talented person, so he was interested to see if Xun Wu’s children had similar spirit roots. Only the oldest son of the three children had developed spirit roots capable of being scanned, though, and he was just an E+. He also had fire roots, though.
Before retiring to the inn for the night, Benton performed the bai-si tea ceremony with the dad, mom, and eldest son, bringing his total number of disciples to thirty-six and his Shop Points to forty.
He then repeated the whole rigamarole with quartz orb and told them all their rank and qi aspect, exclaiming how fortunate he was to have met and recruited Xun Wu and how the blacksmith would become a leader of their sect.
“There is a big decision you have to make right now, Xun Wu. I have given the best of the best of my disciples a pill that improves their spirit roots, which is a huge benefit to their cultivation and even to learning techniques. If I had one on me, I’d give it to you right now because you are that extraordinary. The problem is that I don’t have any left. When we get to the village in six weeks or so, I might—repeat, might—be able to acquire more. Are you willing to forego six weeks of cultivation time on the chance I might be able to acquire one for you?”
“Master, this one has not cultivated for the entire forty-one years of my life so far. This one expects that six weeks won’t make much difference to me at all.”
Thus, Benton taught two new disciples to cultivate that night, bringing his total Sect Points to forty-six.