Kitamura Bolo nodded his head at these words to permit Zhuo Jian to continue.

"Some claim that the elders are cultivating in public to raise morale and encourage comradery amongst sect disciples but that's also a bit hard to believe since the elders do not handle unimportant matters like this."

Zhuo Jian withheld speaking once more to give him time to digest the information. It was important for an underling to give his superior ample time to understand his words, but Kitamura Bolo had other things on his mind.

Instead of pondering over the rumors, Bolo was dejected that Zhuo Jian had started talking about why the elders were gathered there and not on their physical traits. Nevertheless, he nodded once more to let him continue. He would let him finish his explanation before asking about their appearances.

"In fact, the most popular rumor is said to come straight from the Second Elder's tea girl. Supposedly, the three elders are waiting for one of Elder Kazane's new disciples to exit her cave. This is further backed up by the fact that all three are cultivating while staring at her cave's door."

"Oh? Are they interested in meeting with the princess?" he asked confidently. Was there any other 'new' disciple that would make three sect elders wait outside patiently for their exit? Her ident.i.ties as the second princess of the Ryu royal family and direct disciple of Fifth Elder Kazane might still not have warranted such treatment from the ill.u.s.trious elders.

Zhuo Jian shook his head with a knowing smile. It was a reasonable guess to make, but the truth was much more shocking than that.

"The disciple's name is Hirai Hikaru. She was initiated into the sect on the same day as you and the princess, senior brother."

Bolo's ears perked up at the familiar name.

That name belonged to the Second Princess' best friend. She must have also become one of Elder Kazane's disciples after Bolo decided to take a manly, mandatory rest due to a masculine amount of overexertion with the Orb of Eventuality.

She had a certain air about her that was somewhat attractive even when standing next to the princess. Despite having a chest as flat as a washboard, hair that barely extended past her shoulders, and an unladylike gait, her sonorous voice had a melodic effect that ensnared many listeners, and her overall appearance drew in all the observers although her individual features weren't worth a mention.

Yet, something about her ticked Kitamura Bolo off. He couldn't name what or why, but he was reminded of the taste of dirt just by looking at her. Because of that, he had no interest in befriending her or making her a concubine candidate.

"Why are they waiting for her?"

Elders were the pillars of the sect, inviolable ent.i.ties comparable to the emperor of Ryuga in both power and recognition, yet three of them were waiting patiently outside the cave of a Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng disciple to the point of cultivating to kill time.

What was the background of such a woman?

"Senior brother hasn't heard of Hirai Hikaru? Truly?" Zhou Jian wore a stupefied expression as if he heard something unbelievable.

The four new disciples of Fifth Elder Kazane Kazue were currently one of the top ten things to gossip about in the sect.

The twins had an average, almost commoner-like appearance, an unimpressive cultivation, and a small knack for meditation with a slightly advanced knowledge concerning Immortals that one would usually obtain in the sect after a few years. There was nothing special about a fifteen-year-old at the Body Tempering stage, let alone a pair of them like s.h.i.+zuka and Yos.h.i.+e. No one could understand why Elder Kazane had picked both of them up as direct disciples.

The third new disciple was the Second Princess Ryu Hanabi, the younger princess of the Ryuga royal family, envied owner of the 'Kiss of the Dragon' and fabled cultivating prodigy that had proper guidance and resources since birth. The striking red hair and the carefree att.i.tude typical of the Imperial bloodline gave this senior sister the feeling of a rare beauty that needed guarding and nurturing, a person worthy of an elder's disciples.h.i.+p and the hearts of her juniors.

That wasn't all. They each had a million sect credits on them at the new arrivals' orientation, an amount of credits that only the elders could accrue, yet Elder Kazane gifted it to each of her new disciples.

Where was the fairness in this world?

But amongst the four new disciples that Elder Kazane took in, it was the last one that was the biggest enigma.

Hirai Hikaru, age seventeen, rumored 'big sister' of the young princess, had left a deep impression on nearly everyone in the sect.

After entering her cave, she didn't take a single step outside for three days, neither to explore the new surroundings nor to interact with her new brother and sister disciples. Such behavior was rare amongst new initiates. Her seclusion in the cave was observed due to the servant campers waiting outside the pillar's fifth face to sneak a peek at the newly-admitted princess, maybe exchange some words with her if they were lucky. Few noticed when Hirai Hikaru surrept.i.tiously left her cave, and due to two challenges rewarding the sect with an influx of Qi, even fewer remained to see when she had returned.

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It was only after Hirai Hikaru trounced one of the five Tributaries in a public contest did her name spread throughout the sect. Several wealthy and connected disciples interested in her, including the defeated Matsus.h.i.+ta Hizumi, had their underlings research Hirai Hikaru's background, requesting contacts in Ryuga and the royal palace for information relating to her.

Not even two days had pa.s.sed before several of the sect's esteemed elders congregated outside the pillar's fifth face looking for her. Supposedly, even the two hardest challenge stones that were defeated days ago was her doing as well.

A recently-initiated disciple who triumphed over two challenges, a Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng cultivator defeating one of the Five Tributaries who was at the Core Crystallization stage and made him a 'junior brother', the ever-admired 'big sister' of the genius princess, one of the direct disciples of the sole female elder, and now being waited upon by three of the five other elders—what kind of person was capable of all this?

Zhuo Jian explained all this to Kitamura Bolo as the central pillar and its gra.s.sy enclosure came into view. A giant crowd with several hundred people blocked the sight of the pillar's base. The outer perimeter of the congregation was made up of mostly servants and outer sect disciples ranging from Body Tempering to Foundation Formation stages with a few inner sect disciples interspersed.

Bolo let out a loud snort as they walked. "So what if she beat a couple of challenges? They probably weren't that hard." Even though his knowledge concerning the world of cultivation and the Flowing River Sect was weaker than some outsider mortals, he was completely convinced of his own talent and inevitable rise to success. This Hirai Hikaru would have to make way for the true sect idol, Kitamura Bolo!

DING!

An obnoxiously loud sound reminiscent of a grand bell rang throughout the sect to signify the setting of a new record in the challenge pit. The underground city went quiet as the cental pillar vibrated alongside the noise. Kitamura Bolo and his two followers stopped walking and waited for the noise to end. Once the ringing finished, a wave of natural Qi flowed throughout the city followed with grateful cheers celebrating the sect's good fortune. Some disciples couldn't resist and stopped what they were doing to cultivate some of the freshly-bestowed Qi.

Bolo snorted once more in derision at these so-called challenges.

"See? That's the fifth defeated challenge today, isn't it? I bet I can beat a dozen of these challenges myself if I tried!" He a.s.serted with complete a.s.surance while looking at Zhuo Jian and Shan Huai for their agreement.

They both gave him an awkward smile before reluctantly yielding to his words with a nod.

Any other time, Hirai Hikaru would undeniably be the most-talked about topic for years to come, but there were too many crazy events occurring within the span of a few days that took much of her spotlight away.

Who knew there was a hidden monster in the sect capable of clearing records in the challenge pit as if picking fruits from an orchard? The challenges that Hirai Hikaru cleared could not be compared to the records in the challenge pit. The former were set by the current elders and their bestowments of Qi was less in quant.i.ty and quality than the latter. Additionally, most of its reward came from the stored sect credits that varied with the challenge. On the other hand, the Dragon Basin's challenges were comprised of the records set by the most skilled genius disciples within the sect since its founding. The difficulty in setting a new record was several notches higher, and whoever accomplished this had managed to set five new records in one day. Truly, Hirai Hikaru looked average by comparison.

Neither should one forget about the thief who somehow obtained a keystone with an enormous amount of credits and used it to buy out half of the vendors from the bazaar while stealing valuable items and weapons from the other half. As impossible as it might seem, the vice-elders' investigations into the Rusty Robber's ident.i.ty have led them to believe he might not be a sect disciple nor an authorized visitor, but the sect's very first infiltrator who had mananged to sneak into the city without being discovered. Yet, there were simply too many mysteries surrounding him.

How did he find out the underground location? How did he sneak in without the elders and vice elders being alerted? Which moneybags' keystone was stolen? Why had said moneybags not reported it yet? Most importantly, how did he steal so many different items from so many vendors without being caught while simultaneously going on a shopping spree?! And he had done all this despite being a mere Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng cultivator. A Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng cultivator could barely utilize Qi. Even staying afloat on a flying sword for more than a few minutes would require all their concentration and completely empty their dantian.

Last but certainly not least was the generous Kitamura Bolo they had just met who was secretly sharing his wealth with the entire sect, greatly benefiting the servants and outer sect disciples.

If it were a week ago, they would have privately laughed at this senior brother's outlandish self-a.s.surance to do the impossible, but after looking at recent events and being allowed to follow him, they were hopeful and expectant of their new boss.

Shan Huai continued leading them into the crowd of disciples. While their numbers were numerous, there was enough s.p.a.ce to move between them without b.u.mping shoulders because nearly all of them meditating—some sitting, some standing. Soon enough, Bolo could see the gra.s.sy clearing with several people standing in the center of the circle with their bodies directed towards the central pillar.

Shan Huai stopped walking and introduced the people in the center, "Those three are the venerable Second, Fourth and Sixth elders. The disciples standing behind them are their direct disciples and the Second Elder's tea girl."

Bolo was disappointed at the sight of the elders. They were all old men! One short, one thin, and one burly man holding a teacup with one eye seared shut and a monocle over the other. Standing a few steps behind them were s.h.i.+mizu Mizutani, Hirose Hide, Sora Yu and behind them was Aracha. Aracha stood out amongst them, not only because she wore the outer sect's robes, but also because she was fanning the flames under a brewing pot of tea.

Zhou Jian went into greater detail about each elder and disciple while Shan Huai had found himself a spot nearby to cultivate. Bolo's eyes were fixed on Hirose Hide and s.h.i.+mizu Mizutani who were whispering to one another. At least, the Fourth and Sixth Elder knew how to pick out exceptional beauties! As for Sora Yu who cultivated with a frown and the chubby Aracha, Kitamura Bolo ignored their existences completely.

Moments later, an event that shocked the entire sect speechless took place.

The ceiling flames that illuminated the entire city dimmed, and the surface of the central pillar began to emit a soft, blue glow similar to the luminescent gra.s.s found at its base. The doors that marked the Immortal caves of the elders and inner sect disciples did not change color, giving the central pillar the look of a blue cylinder polkdotted with black spots.

Everyone watched in awe as most conversations were forced to a halt due to the sudden changes in the city. The gra.s.s brightened up in turn. The flowing moat surrounding the sect sped up even more. The air was enriched with a calming Qi that evoked feelings of tranquility and desires to meditate.

After half a minute, the pillar's glow faded and returned to its original color. The city-wide silence broke into hushed murmurs.

"What just happened?" Kitamura Bolo inquired his two lackeys. He wasn't one to care about things unrelated to him, but the confused whispering he heard in the background threw him off. A few hours ago, a couple of cave doors lit up in a similar manner that attracted the excitement of the disciples, but now the entire central pillar is glowing instead of the caves.

Zhuo Jian and Shan Huai glanced at each other in hopes that the other could answer the question.

They responded at the same time, "This servant does not know."

…

Meanwhile, the short Fourth Elder Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji had stopped cultivating to stare slack-jawed at the sight.

"Mmm, what's this? Did the pillar always have this functionality?" The burly Second Elder Inazuma squinted his eyes at the pillar as if inspecting it for any contraption he had not noticed previously.

The lanky Sixth Elder Gao Diao looked from the glowing pillar to the Second Elder before glancing downwards at his stumpy rival's face that was filled with disbelief. "Fourth Brother, you seem to know what is going on. Please, enlighten us."

Realizing how funny he must look with his mouth hanging open, he shut his mouth and examined the reactions of his two brothers on his left and right side. Gao Diao could be excused for not knowing since he came from outside the sect a few decades back, but Inazuma had less of a reason for not knowing since he had spent most of his life in the sect. Most likely, the spiritual architect probably focused all his time on his hobby to the extent that he did not care about anything else.

He rolled his eyes at the Inazuma's reaction before responding to Gao Diao, "Hours ago, two cave doors lit up in a similar manner."

Gao Diao nodded. "Yes, the acknowledgments of the elders' wills who had previously used those caves. Is this related to them?"

Similar to how the sect was notified that a new record was set by the earlier ding, a Pillar of Will's acknowledgment would cause the original cave door of that pillar to glow brightly to the point that a spotlight formed from the entrance. This way, the entire sect would receive the good news as long as they were standing outside. Some of the older and well-informed disciples might be able to deduce which Pillar of Will gave the acknowledgment by ascertaining which elder had originally preoccupied that cave when they were alive.

In some ways, obtaining an elder's acknowledgment was both harder and easier than setting a new sect record. Since it was up to the whims of the pillar, they could acknowledge one they took a fancy to as well as refuse to acknowledge one that could topple the Heavens and crush mountains. Additionally, the proffered Qi reward was less compared to defeating a sect challenge, but its quality was purer, allowing for easier circulation and processing.

Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji exhaled a defeated sigh. "I have only read previous records about this, but if I am correct, the entire pillar will glow in this manner once the will of the founder imparts his acknowledgment on a disciple. The number of times this has happened since the sect's founding can be counted on one hand, and now, we can add one more to that number."

Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji spoke openly and loud enough for the first line of disciples surrounding them to hear. A storm of whispers and murmurs followed as they discussed Fourth Elder's words; a few aged disciples pulled out some history books relating to the Flowing River Sect from their storage bags and began fervently searching through them for the previous times a disciple had received the founder's acknowledgment.

Gao Diao's eyebrows shot up in amazement. The four disciples standing behind them wore shocked expressions that were even more p.r.o.nounced.

The sect founder was rumored to also be the founder of Ryuga, and the one who backed the Ryu royal family as the city's imperial ruler. He had attained a realm that no other sect elder had touched upon. Even the founder's Pillar of Will that led the Dragon's Basin's pillars was the grandest and most powerful one despite not containing a sliver of his soul or will.

"Oh, is that all?" Inazuma remained unfazed by the revelation as he tilted his empty cup at the astounded Aracha, prompting her to bring the teapot for a refill.

Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji rolled his eyes a second time at this addicted-to-tea, machine-crazy brother of his. "Each person that had been acknowledged by the founder's pillar had risen to the position of First Elder in the sect or accomplished famous feats out in the world."

Inazuma was so focused on pouring the tea in his cup that he didn't realize everyone was waiting on him to reply to the Second Elder. His monocle ended up falling into the teacup as he poured, but he did not react in the slightest. Only after he filled the cup did he dip two fingers into the tea to pull the monocle out and pop the gla.s.spiece into his mouth for cleaning.

Did it not occur to him that he could pull it out of the tea and clean it easily by using Qi? Was he afraid to waste a single drop of the tea? Was he going senile from age or perhaps trauma from the lightning tribulation decades ago had left him brain-damaged?

No one knew the answer for sure, but the Second Elder shook his head at the sight before turning back to look at one of his two direct disciples, Hirose Hide. "You said this fellow was at the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage?"

Understanding her master's purpose for asking her, Hirose Hide nodded her head. "Yes, master. From what I could see, his middle dantian's Qi was still in the Fog state."

Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji's lips slipped into a smile as he grasped his chin in astonishment. "He hadn't formed his Sea, and yet he's defeated several sect records and received the acknowledgments of several elders and now the founder's as well."

Truly a diamond in the rough! How could he pa.s.s up the opportunity to take him in as a direct disciple?

While the Body Tempering stage was informal and only required one to train their body and properly circulate Qi through the meridians and into one's dantian, the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage marked the first official step onto the path of cultivation and had two explicit milestones to complete.

The main objective one must complete in the 'Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng' stage was exactly what its name said: to flourish one's Qi.

One must ama.s.s a large amount of Qi within their dantian, and it would have a hazy, weightless appearance which was where the term 'Fog' was coined. This first milestone dealt with quant.i.ty, and lasted from the low-level stage of Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng to the high-level.

The second milestone dealt with quality and involved condensing the 'Fog' into a 'Sea' which would change the state of the fog into liquid, allowing for greater storage of denser and purer Qi within one's dantian. Converting the Qi fog into a sea was much more difficult in practice as it required vast amounts of effort and concentration in order to adequately gather, process and liquefy the fog.

Once one had formed their Sea within one of their three dantians, one would be considered at the peak of Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng and eligible to try for a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment stage. Regarding the world of cultivation however, someone at this stage was equivalent to a lost infant. No matter how gifted or talented a toddler was, they would still require guidance and protection from a guardian to ensure their future success.

Sixth Elder Gao Diao snickered at his rival, "Che-che-che, what are you waiting for, brother? Go be the first to congratulate him on his achievements. I will send someone for you once Junior Hirai leaves her seclusion."

Ariyos.h.i.+ Miji grimaced at his words. This sly brother of his was using the talented disciple as bait to get rid of him! Worst of all, it was extremely effective. How could a measly Hirai Hikaru compare to this monster?

He turned around to look at Hirose Hide. "Little Hide, go wait for Junior Kitamura to return from the challenge pit and bring him over he—I mean, to my cave. I wish to speak with him there," he corrected himself mid-sentence after deciding to keep the disciple away from the Sixth Elder until he had secured him under his wing.

Sixth Elder Gao Diao shrugged his shoulders in defeat at his brother's compet.i.tive streak and stubbornness. He was unwilling to suffer a loss in any way.

"Yes, master."

With a dazzling smile, Hirose Hide clasped her fist and bowed to the elders before departing towards the pit with obvious eagerness.

She had sung Kitamura Bolo's praises to her master in hopes of catching his interest and taking him in as a direct disciple. This way, she would be his official big sister who could watch after him and slowly bridge the distance between them. She would ensure Junior Brother Kitamura acknowledged her master, even if she had to get rough with him. It was for her and his future's sake after all, so naturally, he would forgive her after a few years.

s.h.i.+mizu Mizutani was stumped by Hirose Hide's behavior.

Much like their masters, they have been rivals for years, except they battled over the First Elder's direct disciple, Akiyos.h.i.+ Hideaki, and his affections. Handsome, intelligent, skilled, eloquent and the disciple of the leading Elder, he was a man with endless prospects, yet Hirose Hide had just told her moments before the founder's acknowledgment that she would no longer vie for his attention, claiming she would find someone else.

Believing it was one of the many tricks they played on each other, s.h.i.+mizu Mizutani had immediately dismissed her words as a feint, but looking at her now, perhaps there was more to it. Maybe instead of finding someone else, she had already found someone else.

s.h.i.+mizu Mizutani turned to the crowd situated behind them and glanced at an outer sect disciple wearing an apothecary's pillbag strapped around his waist.

"Go find me everything you know about this Junior Kitamura. Have the apothecary's disciples help you, but don't let anyone know I asked after him," she spoke to him telepathically after he noticed her gaze.

He clasped his hands and bowed to acknowledge he received her commands, but before he could leave, another event happened that left the sect more speechless than before.

The cave that had returned to it's usual atmosphere darkened once more as the central pillar began glowing the same manner as the previous minute. Everyone stared dumbly at the glowing pillar.

The silence continued for a whole minute after the glowing stopped and the sect's Qi was thickened once more.

"again?!" The Fourth Elder stuttered disbelievingly.

"Hmmm…I guess the founder's pillar is in a good mood today? Maybe that junior bribed him with some good food or tea." Second Elder Inazuma offered what he thought were reasonable explanations for the repeatedly glowing pillar.

Fourth Elder grimaced at Inazuma and his nonsensical speculation, but he didn't retort. To his knowledge, no one had ever received a second acknowledgment from the founder. What possible reason could push the lofty pillar of the founder to favor a disciple, let alone a mere Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng cultivator?

Since when was the founder's acknowledgment so easy to receive? Could he actually be in a good mood? Maybe he should go down with his disciples and try their luck with the founder.

Fourth Elder turned to speak with his second direct disciple, Sora Yu, "Litte Yu, go with your sister and stand guard at the pit to welcome Junior Kitamura as he leaves the challenge pit. Treat him as if he were your little brother."

He wanted to forget about Hirai Hikaru and personally go wait at the entrance to the challenge pit, but he would not give Brother Gao the satisfaction. Plus, the more he was encouraged to give up on the disciple to these two brothers, the more he wanted to keep waiting for her. He would send both of his direct disciples to receive the consummate outer sect disciple while he stood his ground here.

Sora Yu's frown deepened at Fourth Elder's command. He was in an awful mood due to losing his items and sect credits to the Rusty Robber, and when he told his master of the misfortune he incurred, his master waved him off with a, "Do not attach yourself to worldly items. Stand there and cultivate with your sister."

"Master, Sister Hide is enough. I wish to stay with you."

Sora Yu was already annoyed with Hirai Hikaru s.n.a.t.c.hing the interest of his master and the other elders, but he could accept it since she was a woman and already the direct disciple of Elder Kazane.

A master was a parent to the disciple. In many aspects, the relations.h.i.+p went beyond blood relations. Similarly, when a master takes additional disciples, the number of siblings would increase, and the master's attention would be further divided.

Now, another monster had shown up to swipe his master's attention from him, except this time, the monster was male.

"And I want you to receive him with her. Remember to take care of him." The short elder's voice was stern and left no room for compromise.

Sora Yu's frown grew more unsightly with the command.

"Yes, Master."

He clasped his hands and bowed before departing on foot, his slow gait betraying his unhappiness.

First, his things were stolen by a piddling Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng thief disguised as an outer sect disciple right after he had gifted the thief with a pill. Then, his master ignored his grievances and made him wait for some new disciple that was only at the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage who happened to get lucky and complete a couple of challenges involving the name of a pointless plant and a broken machine. Now, he wants his sister and him to wait outside the challenge pit to receive another Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng cultivator as a potential sibling disciple. Two Core Crystallization cultivators of the sect's famous 'Five Tributaries' were made to wait on a newly-initiated Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng disciple of the outer sect?

Sora Yu's eyes scanned the crowd as he walked out of the congregation. Every time his eyes pa.s.sed over a disciple or servant at the Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng stage, his mood worsened. It was the worst day he had had in a decade, and it was caused by a bunch of Qi Flouris.h.i.+ng n.o.bodies.

He decided to ensure that this Junior Brother Kitamura would not kowtow to his master no matter what, even if he had to get rough with him.

"Che-che-che-che, the Heavens are truly paving the way for this Junior Kitamura to receive your care, Fourth Brother. Are you sure you do not want to go and directly welcome him yourself?"

"Ho-ho," Second Elder Inazuma chuckled at Sixth Elder's joke.

Fourth Elder looked up at his two brothers with furrowed brows. For even Second Brother to laugh at his words, he must truly be a funny sight.

Second Elder flew his teacup to Aracha before spreading his legs apart and bending his knees at a ninety-degree angle. He breathed in heavily, and after a few moments, dirt and rocked began crawling up his legs to cover the surface of his body.

"I imagine Junior Hirai won't be coming out for a while, so I will not waste any more time. I've gotten a bit behind in my cultivation, so please forgive me for going ahead, brothers."

With the continuous refreshment of Qi, how could one resist the urge to cultivate. Since none of the elders dared call her out, Hirai Hikaru would likely continue cultivating until she ran out of Qi, which might take days with the repeated installments from the Dragon Basin.

"Che-che, it's fine, brother. I was about to do the same."

Sixth Elder popped a pill into his mouth and sat down with crossed legs. The gra.s.s around his seat had already grown taller the past few hours, but with the pill's a.s.sistance, their growth was fast enough for the surrounding disciples to discern.

Fourth Elder coughed at the sight of them, "You two should give your older brother some face next time and let me start first." His body slowly rose off the ground until his feet had surpa.s.sed Elder Inazuma's bald head.

While all three of them were elders of equal standing and similar strength, he had a few more years under his belt. Of course, his words were merely a jest to wash away the embarra.s.sment of being last to resume cultivating.