Chapter 17: Planning

Yee Rhys smiled bitterly after her. Reaching the Soaring Core Sphere? Well, it was within expectations.

The young man knew what awaited him. And he wasn't going to oppose it. He wanted to take advantage of it. He wanted to become stronger himself. Not just reach a level of strength, but temper his body and soul. After all, true talent is what is forged. And the more hits, the better.

The Lady will not be sorry. She'll give as many hits as she can. She'll go as deep as she can, where there's nothing to breathe. But she won't let him take that last, finishing blow.

He chose the hard way. Back when he ate the bloodline.

Yee Rhys exhaled. With such intense forging, having a safe place to go was a necessity. A place to lick his wounds and prepare for the next wave of problems.

The lady won't help. She will let him build the foundation himself, from scratch, and make a path, a ladder of enemy bones.

Then, in the past, he was cultivated. It wasn't until he faced the real enemy that he realized how ridiculous his strength was.

But this time he would walk the path himself. Take all the blows for himself. Harden body and spirit. If need be, shake all that mud to the bottom. He'll get the recognition. Himself.

***

Yee Rhys put the name slip to the door. It glowed faintly, and a wave of faint glow spread through the door.

The door opened. The young man entered and looked around. There was only one room inside. A bed, a table, a chair, and an empty shelf. A night pearl on the ceiling. A window on the wall to the right. Nothing superfluous.

Yee Rhys lowered his gaze down and focused his perception under his feet. Crouched down. Wow. Beneath the house there was an array. There wasn't enough perception to see the whole thing, but it looked like it was increasing the level of Qi in the room. And it had several other hidden functions. The young man walked around the room, studying the array. This place looks suspiciously like an element of a video recording array. It looks like everything that happens inside is being recorded.

That sly fox.

That doesn't change anything, though. Now he has to prove himself. Prove that he has been left alive not for nothing.

Sitting down on the bed, Yee Rhys pulled out a slip with information on the Outer Sect. Ten minutes later, he put it away. The duties of the disciples turned out not to be many. A number of the rules had no penalties for violation. Cultivation was the most important thing disciples were required to do. And if he lost track of time and missed something, not so bad. The Beginners Ranking Tournament, though it was a compulsory event, had no penalty for missing it. Students were encouraged to participate by the prizes.

Yeah. The Lady gave him no money, no pills, no treasure. As if to say: go and earn it yourself. After all, you can get it all on your own. Tournaments, missions, fights with betts. The Lady, on the other hand, only compensate for not joining factions. The same Marionette Coliseum is almost impossible to visit without a strong patron.

Smiling, the young man pulled out a slip with the sect's rules. He shook it thoughtfully in his hands. It was his only weapon against the intricate plans of the local sharks, ospreys, and other political critters. It is a trump card, capable of beating even the influence of the elders. But whether it can be played properly, time will tell.

Yee Rhys closed his eyes and plunged into reading.

He opened his eyes in the morning. A buzzing head and dry mouth spoke of mental fatigue. The rules were indeed complete. He had seen the rules before, in the Outer Sect information. But those were just the rules of the Outer Sect. Just the basic rules. This one contained all the rules: Outer Sect, Inner Sect, Main Sect, Elders, and even those concerning the Patriarch. A full set of basic rules. As well as a whole heap of additional rules, applicable in controversial situations or special cases. Trying to memorize, comprehend, and systematize it all has squeezed his mind to the point of being a rug after repeated use.

But it was worth it. Some points proved ambiguous, some contradicted each other. And without additional rules, to bring it all to a common sense was difficult.

And you don't even need to mention special cases. Such precedents may well have been the only ones in the history of the sect. The rule was created for a single case and then forgotten for lack of use. But it continued to exist.

The young man mentally ran through the special cases, weeding out the ones that were obviously impossible. That left him with a dozen situations that were realistic to reproduce. And if you add to it a good bet... it was worth a try.

It was decided, the Beginners Ranking Tournament would be his starting point, where he would make a name for himself and raise initial capital.

***

The Lady returned home in mixed spirits. On the one hand, the little bugger had pleased her by breaking through faster than expected. She was waiting for this to happen only for a couple of days before the tournament. Even revealed some information about himself. And said thank you, for once.

On the other hand, his insight was alarming. He identified the type of array straight away. And he was the one who had only just broken through to the first wisp. You could sense the array on the fourth or fifth wisp if you were in direct contact. Even more, he got there right away. Even if he had his suspicions, how did he manage to check them?

Now, what did the young man do after she left?

Landing on the wide balcony, the Lady covered her eyes, sending a query to the formation. It obediently gave out the information. The Grand Elder frowned. Don't tell me that this one wisp guy detected the formation inside the house from his doorstep? It is hidden. Even the cultivators of the Flowing Core Sphere won't find it without a clue.

The Lady felt a chill on her skin. What on earth was going on under her care? For now, the boy is as weak as a kitten. But if he grows up, with that perception, he could outplay a lot of people. Avoiding direct conflict.

Beauty bit her finger. It may be good luck or it may be a failure. She should definitely check it out. And if the youngster really does have mental abilities, that clears up a lot. After thinking about it, the Lady sent the information to the Master. Then she shook her head. She needed a binding. A leash. Something to tie the boy to the sect, not just with a threat. Speaking of ties. The elder concentrated and checked on her guest. The girl had almost reached the first wisp. For eighteen days, the result was good.

Except that one stubborn brat made it in eight. And that's with time for work. Had he not slept at all?

The lady sighed. The boy certainly had much to be proud of. And his character is quite suitable for a cultivator. Except his story. The boy doesn't seem to hold a grudge. And smart enough to understand the circumstances. But even Master cannot read him.

The Beauty frowned. We must observe. Watch carefully. If he does distinguish himself, then we can say that the Master has hit the jackpot and all efforts to keep the scumbag alive were justified. If not...

The youngster seems to realize that revealing a few secrets would be better than dying with them.

Checking the formation once more, the Lady learned that the ward was learning the rules of the sect. I wonder what will come of this? Beauty smiled. Whatever came out at the end would be fun in the process.

It had long seemed strange to her that almost a hundred young people with fourth-level potential entered the sect each year. And it is good if more than one person reaches the Crystal Core Sphere. Where do the rest go? It seems the Outer Sect is filtering out outsiders instead of filtering out mediocrity.

Well, let the kid make a wave. She'll clean up the loose ends. The sect needed a shake-up a long time ago.

No one saw Lady's sly smile.