Office of the sect leader of the Blooming Flame Sect.
The sect leader’s office was large and mostly empty, with only a dark wooden desk in the middle of the room, overflowing with papers. Behind the desk sat an old man in an orange robe and a teal undershirt. Both his long, dark hair and neat beard held just a handful of white streaks, a recent display of his advancing age.
He was busy dealing with several piles of papers and scrolls, exhaustion apparent on his face. A knock on the door pulled his attention away from the paperwork and before he could let the visitor in, a middle-aged man in a similar, yet more form-fitting attire walked in of his own volition.
“I greet the sect leader!”
“External Elder, what is it now?”
“A tribulation, sir, in the Barren Wastelands.”
The sect leader rubbed his forehead. “And how is that important?”
“It was… enormous, sir,” the external elder said with gusto. “Reports say that the tribulation clouds were visible throughout most of the wastelands.”
The sect leader’s looked up from his paperwork and stared with wide eyes at the external elder. “Oh, has someone endured a Grand Accomplishment Tribulation, in the Barren Wastelands of all places?”
The elder paused, his excitement caught in his throat.“Uh… No, sir. While the size was comparable, there were no visual phenomenon and no indication of a fire tribulation. As such, it was certainly a Major Accomplishment Tribulation.” His confidence faded as the excitement vanished from his leader’s face. “B— but it was the largest one on record.”
The sect leader’s tensed his jaw, clearly losing his temper. “Then why are you bothering me with this nonsense?! What difference does it make if some wasteland savage endures a Major Accomplishment Tribulation? You have more important things to do than to waste time on something so trivial. I most certainly do. Leave.” The sect leader pointed at the door and stared the external elder down until he meekly backed out and closed the door.
Meeting room of the Park Clan.
A middle aged elder stood in front of a dozen other elders who listened with varying degrees of interest. He read summaries of all the news of the past few weeks.
“In other news, a massive tribulation cloud has been seen over the Barren Wastelands. It’s currently unknown who has undertaken the Major Accomplishment Tribulation.”
The clan leader waved at the elder dismissively. “It’s the wastelands, some gang had a change of leadership, it happens. Do as we always do, send some men to investigate the local gangs to see if they could be a threat to our disciples or our interests. What’s next?”
Jeoksa Family, Patriarch Hyun’s personal gazebo.
“External Elder Jaemin. Please, come in. Have some tea,” said Patriarch Jeoksa Hyun. His long hair had turned white with age and his face had a few wrinkles, but those were the only visible signs of his old age. He had a kind smile and eyes that held a wisdom that came from a very long life.
The external elder greeted the patriarch with a nod, a gesture he had practiced to perfection over the years. It carefully followed every tradition and custom, from the angle of his palm against his fist to the precise duration he held the gesture. Still, he made sure to never be overly polite as that could be seen as insincere. There was always a layer of casual flexibility to his actions, chosen specifically for whomever he was speaking with.
“Thank you, Patriarch.” He sat down to pour himself a cup of tea but not before first refilling the patriarch’s cup.
Patriarch Hyun took a sip of his tea. He moved in a calm and dignified fashion. Without any rush, he savored the taste before placing his cup down. “You mentioned a concern regarding this tribulation we’ve heard about in the wastelands?”
“Yes, Patriarch,” External Elder Jaemin said. “As you know, the Red Sea is an important training area for our disciples. It allows us to send our younger generation to experience the real world without putting them in too much danger, given the low levels of those who live there.”
“And you think whoever endured this tribulation might pose a danger for our disciples?”
The external elder inclined his head slightly. “In part, sir. While it is true that the presence of someone stronger in the region could increase the risk of our disciples running into someone dangerous,” he paused to drink some tea and placed the cup down on the table before continuing, “the real issue is the disruption of balance. Although we cannot claim land within the wastelands for ourself without risking conflicts, it is—as you know—common for some Groups to take control of the stronger gangs in the regions near them. To ensure safe passage for disciples, target the disciples of rival Groups, and so forth. There hasn’t been anyone appropriate to approach in the regions where our disciples frequent. The few who sometimes operate in these regions are already affiliated with other Groups, and they have been trying to expand their influence toward us.”
“Ah yes, you’ve mentioned the issue,” the patriarch said while inclining his head backward in recollection. “Did we not send some older disciples to deal with it?”
“We did. It is through them that we learned of a new force within the Red Sea. We still do not know much about them, but rumors are spreading that a powerful martial artist has taken control of a nearby town. And that this person dealt with some of these stronger gangs in the area before we got the chance.”
Patriarch Hyun scratched his beard. “Interesting, and this martial artist is not affiliated with any Group?”
Shaking his head, External Elder Jaemin replied, “It’s not entirely clear yet, but it appears not.” He took a breath and straightened his back. “I suggest we approach this person and take them for ourselves before someone else gets to them ahead of us. If we can recruit them as a subordinate of our Jeoksa Family then we effectively gain control of the nearby regions of the wastelands, without directly provoking any of our neighbors.”
The patriarch took a sip of his tea as he thought about the suggestion. The external elder knew better than to push further, best to let him think in peace. They drank their tea in silence for a few minutes until the patriarch made his decision.
“Very well. Though, best you handle this yourself,” he said with a pointed look. “Go there and investigate—and if, and only if, you deem it appropriate, convince them to work for us. Take a few escorts, just in case.”
External Elder Jeoksa Jaemin tried his best to hold back a smug smile but couldn’t quite manage. Getting what he wanted was his truest pleasure in life. “Excellent decision, sir.”
POV Sebastian
After over ten years, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had reached a point where anywhere between 70 and 100 demonic cultivators graduated the Cave of Latent Demons every year.
Sebastian felt it was time to separate the cultivators from those with the regular System Status. Although, calling it a separation was a bit dramatic.
He began construction of the true home of the cult on the same mountain peak as his temple. For now, the cultivators of the cult were still too young, too weak, and too inexperienced to truly take care of themselves, but over time the mountain peak would be home to the demonic cultivators while the rest of the cult’s members lived in Mujin.
As a [Nascent Soul] stage cultivator, Sebastian no longer needed natural essence to cultivate. His Soul Seed generated essence within himself. That meant that he no longer needed to cultivate away from the rest of the cult. The younger generations of demonic cultivators could stay on the same mountain peak, without competing for natural essence with the Heavenly Demon.
It was an inevitable step, and one that would benefit the cult, but what truly sparked the idea was the hundreds of demonic cultivators, and even more non-cultivators, who traveled to the Mansan mountain range to bear witness to the legend. Very few could actually reach the obsidian pillar that stood atop the highest point of the neighboring peak, due to the harsh conditions, but many wanted to look upon it with their own eyes.
A pilgrimage of sorts became quite common. People happily took the day-long journey from Mujin to Mansan just to pray to the Heavenly Demon while gazing up at the pillar. They even gave it a name, the Stygian Nail Defying Heaven.
Stolen novel; please report.
The name was accurate, in a way. It did resemble a nail, after all, since the point at the top, where Sebastian had stood, was flat and broad while the pillar supporting it was thin and long. It looked as though a large nail, black as night, had been hammered down into the peak of the mountain.
Since the mountain range was not only his home, but the location of the Cave of Latent Demons where the most secretive work of the cult was done, something had to be done.
As much as the citizens of Mujin and the cult at large wanted to swarm the mountains, it couldn’t be allowed. It was too much of a security risk. By establishing the mountain range as a closed-off, foundational site for the cult’s demonic cultivators, two birds were killed with one stone.
Not only could the issue of unwanted visitors be managed, but the demonic cultivators who graduated from the Cave of Latent Demons would have the Stygian Nail Defying Heaven as a constant reminder of what was possible through training, effort, and most importantly, devotion to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Sebastian sat outside his temple and enjoyed a cup of tea under the sun.
The wind was strong, strong enough that any ordinary person would struggle to withstand it, but it felt like a gentle breeze to him. His gaze was pointed at the lively scene further down on the mountain.
Thousands of workers and mages, if not more, were constructing all the various buildings needed for the demonic cultivators to truly be able to settle in on the mountain.
Throughout the entire cult, workers were the ones who leveled up the fastest, excluding demonic cultivators of course. It was a thought he’d had before, even back with Rafi and the mages in Lumeria and Calindor. Workers, much like mages, generally leveled up through the [System] granting Experience for achievements rather than hunting monsters. So why were native construction workers, and chefs, and every other kind of production class so low leveled when Sebastian and the others first arrived in the Red Sea? Surely they would be able to level up regardless of the presence of monsters.
The answer was simple.
With cultivation and combat achievements, intent mattered most of all. It was an abstract concept, intent. It wasn’t just willpower, or imagination, or a simple combination of the two.
Intent required purpose.
The same applied to general achievements.
If your friend asked you to construct an enormous palace, simply because they wanted a big house, and they compensated you with a simple meal for the effort, you might get some minor achievement depending on the quality of the end result. However, that same palace if commissioned by a king to represent the might and honor of a kingdom could grant you immense rewards.
That was what Sebastian and his Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was to the people here. As they built the palace, the Cave of Latent Demons, and now the future home of the demonic cultivators, they leveled like crazy.
Even the mages who helped them gained [System] achievements by aiding in the construction, logistics, and infrastructure of both Mujin and the cultivation areas.
Thinking about how quickly the cult was progressing, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel like time was flying by.
He had watched Safi and Gawen grow up. They were now veteran warriors in their thirties.
In the past, he had felt like he was stagnating when he stayed in Celder for a decade. Over a decade into staying in the Red Sea, however, and he still didn’t feel the same. And it wasn’t just because he’d recently broken through to the next stage.
The reason was simple—in the past he had still been stuck in his old mindset.
Even though he always knew that cultivation required a great deal of time and patience, he always felt unproductive if he didn’t actively do something each day. He did diligently cultivate each day back then, but he also spent hours training Techniques and swordsmanship as well as helping out at the school.
Being nearly killed, and thus forced to cultivate for half a year straight, opened the flood gates. With that, his subconscious accepted that cultivation sessions could last for however long he needed. He had spent nearly half of the past decade immersed in cultivation. It made his progress skyrocket, but it also meant that his entire perspective on time experienced a paradigm shift.
He blinked and suddenly Safi and Gawen, his naive young students, had grown into a fierce warriors and leaders, and that disparity would only increase with time.
The people around him would age quicker than he did. Even if they reached their level limits, they would still likely die within two centuries. Sebastian could, and planned to reach true immortality.
The temple had became Sebastian’s home and training room.
Cultivating his Soul Seed was vastly different from cultivating essence. It wasn’t a matter of absorbing essence but rather of nurturing his second soul.
The manual for the [Earthen Cultivation Art] wasn’t very clear on the topic. The abstract concepts and flowery, cryptic prose was difficult to decode, even as his cultivation improved. His best attempt at interpreting the key to cultivating the Soul Seed was the concept of enlightenment.
What qualified as enlightenment, however, was another question entirely.
The manual spoke of using one’s newfound senses to see through the veil of truth, to gain a deeper understanding of the world, and thus also of yourself. The greater your understanding of yourself, and the world around you, the more your Soul Seed could grow, eventually forming a second Spirit Body, known as the True Spirit.
He didn’t know exactly how to gain that understanding or how to see through that veil—he didn’t even truly know what that veil of truth was—so he focused on honing his Techniques, and creating new ones.
He had felt his lack of options for a very long time.
So far, beyond the two he created himself, he still really only had the Basic Techniques taught to those at [Essence Consolidation] stage. He was now two major stages behind in terms of Techniques.
Sat on a mat in the middle of the temple floor, Sebastian meditated.
For weeks, ever since his breakthrough, he had visualized his current Techniques and his past experiences with them. As he analyzed his current repertoire, he also thought about what he was missing.
Currently he had four Techniques inherited from the manual and two of his own creation. One Defensive Technique, one Movement Technique, and four Offensive Techniques. His [Spirit Union] had been his only Perception Technique but that was no longer considered a Technique at all.
He took the occasional break from his meditation to test some ideas. No full-fledged Techniques but rather matters such as the effects of circulating essence through various paths along your meridians, and how the cult’s cultivation methods, and their unique meridian systems, affected that. He also worked on extending his senses and controlling his new and vast supply of essence.
In the creation of his [Demonic Essence Sword] Technique, he improved on his ability to manifest his essence externally. As always, however, just manifesting his essence and forcing it into a certain shape didn’t do much. He needed a strong intent, unique and specific to what he sought to achieve.
His attention was suddenly pulled away from his training by the badge hanging on his waist. It was glowing with a new message.
Sir, you’re needed at the palace. An ambassador of a neighboring Family arrived at the gates, they’re currently being escorted to the palace.
On my way!
Sebastian took a deep breath to release his thoughts from the past few weeks of experimentation and testing, and he took off toward Mujin.
Unlike previous times, he pushed for speed rather than enjoying the journey. Before his breakthrough, travel between the Mansan Mountain Range and Mujin took him about an hour, now it was a matter of minutes. The dry air and the hot winds couldn’t touch him as he blurred past the barren terrain.
As he approached the city, he transitioned to draw more on the Fleeting aspect than the Cloud aspect of his [Fleeting Cloud Step]. He didn’t want to cause a scene or attract any attention as he ran across the city. Thus, rather than flashily running across the sky, he moved like a breeze. Even the most perceptive in the city couldn’t detect him. If someone looked up at the precise moment when he blurred past above the street, all they would see would be a flicker of a shadow. Nothing their minds would accept as worth noticing.
Shortly after, he arrived at the palace. He stopped on the rooftop of one of the taller halls within the palace complex and watched the carriage make its way to the palace gates.
The carriage itself was glossy white and fairly small, but decorated lavishly, almost pretentiously. It was pulled by a creature that resembled what Sebastian imagined the lovechild of a pegasus and a dragon might look like. It had short fur and a long mane, but had a more draconic body and a longer tail, and tucked in wings of course.
On each side were two guards riding similar draconic horses, only theirs didn’t have any wings.
Leading the group was another guard on a draconic horse slightly larger than the others.
Sebastian vanished from the rooftop and entered the Supreme Hall of the Heavenly Demon from the side. He walked out to the grand outer court.
Sebastian ambled down the stairs to where Marion was already standing in wait for their guests. Receiving them while towering above them from atop the stairs wasn’t exactly considered polite. He reached the bottom of the stairs just as the carriage entered the outer court.
His attention wasn’t on the ambassador’s carriage or the guards, however, it was on Marion.
She had been by his side ever since he became a lieutenant of the Wandering Wolves Corps, advising him and also leading when he was focused on other things. When they met, she was already old. It was hard to know people’s ages in this world, where their levels determined their lifespans, but she was already close to a hundred years old when they met. Impressive, given her level. Now, after a decade of stepping away from active combat, her age was truly showing.
She had always had wrinkles on her face and hair white from her age, but now she had lost her proud posture. Even with a slight hunch in her back, however, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Under her eloquent robes was still a warrior at heart.
When Sebastian walked up next to her, she turned her head to greet him. The constant stern face he had grown so used to had softened. She had enjoyed moving to a more administrative leader role.
“Sir, good to see you, as always,” she said with a kind smile.
Sebastian returned the smile, with the utmost sincerity. “And you. So, do we know who they are or what Group they’re from?”
They both turned their attention to the approaching carriage, and Marion replied, “They didn’t identify the ambassador by first name, but they gave their Family name, the Jeoksa Family.”
The carriage stopped in front of them and the door opened.
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