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Chapter 104 – Excelsior!
🕑 Added 2024-10-21 10:12:01 +0000 UTCThe next four days passed with no exciting developments besides the incremental improvements made by Benton’s sect members. Peng Hanying was able to advance from the first minor realm to the second, but it was Wan Ai who made the most major improvement in cultivation. She first hit minor realm six before using a pill to get to minor realm seven the next day. Continuing her run of exceptional advancements, she got her dagger technique to Small Success as well.
Much bigger point moves were made in regards to techniques, however. Working in the village forge daily as a blacksmith apprentice, Shi Long was able to advance Hammer Time to Large Success. Bigger news was that more than half of Ye Zan’s guards reached Large Success with their primary weapon during the time period, and Benton made a mental note that they needed to discuss how to proceed from there.
The biggest point earners were all the orphans, both those from the village and those from Vermillion Incomparable Rain Town. Bai Xinyi, Wan Ai’s alchemist helper, reached Small Success with her herb technique, and all six wood harvesters reached the same level with their skill. Eighteen more of the kids, including Zi Delan’s group, along with Zhong Wen and her two helpers had been practicing weapons skills with the twins, and all reached Small Success as well, thirteen with the bow and eight with the spear.
More successes came from sect members gaining in Body Cultivation. Wan Ai added a second assistant, and the combination of the three of them working together really helped jump up production. Over the course of the four days, a total of twenty-seven sect members completed their third baths, propelling them into the first minor realm of Bronze Body Cultivation.
All combined, Benton gained sixty-nine Sect Points, using fourteen to increase his personal power. He bought both his shield and his gravity area attack to Mastery as well as advancing his cultivation to Foundation Establishment minor realm five.
He pulled up his status.
Nice. Very nice.
He had nearly completed his ultimate combat build, needing only twelve more points to max out everything on his list, and he still had over one hundred forty Sect Points and almost eighty Shop Points remaining. Not to mention that he’d only just begun getting his sect members started in Body Cultivation and not a single member had yet even reached the first realm of Soul Cultivation.
There were hundreds of points out there just waiting to be earned.
In addition to the advancements leading to Sect Points, Benton was pleased to see production of Orange Vigor Spirit Wood increase. By the end of that fourth day, the harvesters were on track to cut enough for forty-five linear feet every other day. That was mainly the result of the orphans reaching Small Success, though, and it would be a long time before they upped that to Large Success.
Production was probably maxed unless he added more labor.
With that decision, thoughts about Ye Zan’s future techniques, and other issues on his mind, he called a council meeting for that night. They still held it in the arena, but there was one big change. They added Mo Jian and Guang Yin to the members.
“Honorable Mayor, Guang Yin, welcome to your first meeting of the Rising Tide Sect Council,” Benton said. “The only rules here are that we are to all listen to each other and every voice has worth.”
Both of the men looked a little lost, but Benton didn’t mind. Everyone started out that way.
“The basic agenda is check-ins with each group,” Benton said. “All our projects have been progressing nicely, and I wanted to take this opportunity to make sure everything stays on track and set priorities for the future.
“First up, congratulations to everyone for all their advancements. Increases in techniques, spiritual cultivation, and body cultivation have abounded. But I wish to offer special recognition to my two core disciples, Yang Xiu and Yang Ru. They have each reached Qi Gathering minor realm nine and are on track for becoming the sect’s first Foundation Establishment members in the next three to four months.”
Everyone was grinning, and a few people offered each of the twins congratulations and pats on the back.
“Each of you has mastered your primary weapon and achieved at least Small Success with your secondary,” Benton said, still addressing the siblings. “You are to be commended for those achievements. Each of you has also reached Large Success with a supplementary technique. That last part is a minor problem.”
“Why, Master?” Yang Xiu said.
“Once you reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll have access to a lot more qi, but you won’t be able to do much with it without techniques. I would much, much rather the two of you have reached Mastery with your very important supplementary techniques before you start learning new ones.”
“Oh.”
“That leaves the two of you three to four months to break through to a new major realm and to reach Mastery of a challenging technique. Can you do it?”
“Yes, Master,” the two chorused.
“I like the optimism,” Benton said. “Remember, what I just said is a goal. It would be nice for you to accomplish it. The world will not end if you do not, understand? We’ll come up with a new plan.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Next, Body Cultivation. How are we coming?”
Wan Ai looked at Zou Tian, who gestured for her to talk. She sighed. “We’ve got forty sect members going through the process, preparing eighteen to twenty-two baths per day.”
“Would adding the women from the village help?” Benton said. “They should be hitting minor realm two any day now.”
“There is almost nothing to be done without using the technique, Master.”
“Okay, that’s something to put to the group, then,” Benton said. “Techniques can be used at minor realm two, but cultivators have so little qi available at that point that it really hampers learning. I like my philosophy of letting everyone reach minor realm three and, then, jumping them to four with a Qi Condensing Pill before giving them a technique. In this case, however, it’s holding back the sect’s progress in Body Cultivation. Thoughts?”
“At eighteen to twenty-two baths a day, we’re progressing groups through pretty well, Master. It makes sense to progress the entire group of forty all the way through the peak of Bronze,” Zou Tian said. “Starting tomorrow, the first group of three will reach minor realm two.”
Benton nodded. “True.”
“At the current rate, all the sect’s front-line fighters except for the twins are making their way through with no holdups, Master,” Ye Zan said. “The only thing more manpower will do is get the rank and file processed quicker. Is that a major priority?”
Benton thought about it a second. “I don’t guess it really is. The beast tide isn’t that close, or if it is, I’m not seeing the signs for it.” He paused. “Okay, if no one objects, we’ll let the village women progress at the more measured pace everyone else was allowed.”
Mo Jian cupped his hands, obviously pleased by the decision.
No one spoke up in opposition, so Benton moved on. “Next, wood harvesting. Guang Yin, am I right to think that you’re going to max out about forty-five linear feet worth of material every two days?”
“Yes, Sect Leader. This lowly one doesn’t see any way to achieve more without increasing the amount of labor.”
“That’s around eighty days before we can finish the sect’s wall and move out to the site. Thoughts?”
“Are we in a huge hurry, Master?” Yang Xiu said.
“I’m not sure. I’m extremely eager to get the sect actually running the way it’s supposed to. On the other hand, our members aren’t truly ready for that yet. We need to get everyone to a high enough minimum realm and get some useful techniques learned. I just thought it would be really nice to use the actual pavilions.”
Honestly, eighty days seemed like such a long time, but it wasn’t really. A cultivator could spend decades in seclusion cultivating. Years should be nothing, much less weeks and days.
“I guess the resolution here is that I temper my expectations and learn some patience.”
Benton grinned to let everyone know it was okay to laugh. No one took him up on it, though.
“Next, status reports for techniques, cultivation, and training of each group. Ye Zan, want to go first?”
“Of course, Master. Most of the men are still working toward minor realm four since we had limited pills at the time they hit three. We’re expecting that to happen in a few weeks. Meanwhile, about half have gotten their weapon techniques to Large Success. The ones who have achieved that milestone are working on getting their secondary weapon to Small Success.”
“That shouldn’t take long, so great job. I guess the question, then, is what next? Meaning what supplementary techniques are you thinking about?”
“For each group, I’d like two men with a perception skill, two with stealth, two with some type of movement ability, and the rest with toughened skin, Master.”
Benton grimaced. He hadn’t expected four different techniques, but then again, he was asking each group to be able to react to whatever came at them. They needed a variety of skills to make them flexible. Besides, looking at his Sect Point total, forty points was nothing, especially since the same techniques should work equally well for Zi Delan’s group.
“Works,” Benton said. “As soon as a guard reaches Large Success with the primary weapon and Small Success with the secondary, I’ll provide your choice of the four supplementary techniques.”
Ye Zan grinned and cupped his hands. “Gratitude, Master.”
Mo Jian and Guang Yin shared a glance, having clearly picked up on the fact that Benton seemed to be able to provide any technique his sect members wanted.
“You’ll hear a lot of my secrets in these meetings,” Benton said to the two. “Obviously, you’re expected to keep things on the down low as much as possible.”
The two looked at each other again, and Guang Yin mouthed, “Down low?”
“Understand?” Benton said.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
The rest of the meeting was basically just him getting status reports on things he mostly already knew. Zi Delan detailed his group’s progress, and Mistress Zhong spoke about the rest of the orphans.
“How about Jin LiJuan?” Benton said.
“She made it through the process Master,” Mistress Zhong said. “It was difficult and painful, but she persevered.”
“When do you think she’ll be ready to cultivate?”
“Maybe give her a week and check, Master? She’s still pretty weak.”
“Understood. Let me know if I can do anything.”
All in all, Benton felt like things were still moving in the right direction. Things just took time.
Next step, they needed to figure out what to do with the villagers who had already become sect members and to figure out a future path for recruitment.
Onward. Always onward. Excelsior!
Comments
Daoist_Matt
TFTC! 😋🥳
