Chapter 13 Apology

In less than 5 minutes, 1600 disciples had gathered atop the Whale Subduing Plaza. But even all of them combined only looked like a drop in the bucket when compared to the plaza. It was blue in colour and had an image of a whale being subdued by a gigantic claw engraved on it.

'Shouldn't there be more disciples? I guess some of them are out doing missions.' Mo Xiaowen thought to himself as he looked around. He was also forgetting to take into account that about 20% disciples had left the Sect due to Zhao Wuji. That loser was truly the bane of the Demonic Cliff Sect as of late.

"Cough, what is that smell?"

"I am not sure, but its so fishy."

The disciples standing around Mo Xiaowen began to whisper among themselves. A strong smell of fish was wafting around them and they couldn't tell from where. Eventually they all realised where it was coming from, the source was Mo Xiaowen.

Naturally the boy in question didn't realise any of this, but bit by bit the disciples around him inched away little by little. 'Hmm? Why do I have so much room around me? Well I am not complaining. As they say don't look a gift horse in the mouth.'

Soon after this small interlude, six large presences arrived on a balcony overlooking the plaza. Their ages varied from 40 to 70 years old in appearance, but they all held one thing in common, their mere presence commanded respect.

"Are those six of the nine Elders?"

"I think so!"

"Aren't they all at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm? Said to be only a single step away from the legendary Core Formation Realm?"

Every single disciple was awed when they witnessed the six Elders, even Mo Xiaowen couldn't help but admire them. After all not just anyone could reach such a height in cultivation, it required at least some talent and a lot of hard work.

"Ahem!"

The oldest of the six Elders coughed. Immediately the disciples settled down, their ears perking up waiting for the news. If six Elders appeared at once it meant that something major was going on.

"As I am sure you are aware, we have noticed that you disciples, especially the younger ones have been slacking more and more as of late. Not to mention the large number of dropouts. But, we are not completely faultless for this outcome. For this we apologise."

If the disciples had to describe this in one word, it would be "shocking". Never, in this history of the Demonic Cliff Sect, had the Elders personally apologised to this disciples. They were high and mighty existences compared to the disciples, yet they had lowered themselves to apologise, it simply didn't make sense.

In reality it was quite simply because things weren't looking good for the Demonic Cliff Sect. If they continued hemorrhaging disciples there might not even be a Demonic Cliff Sect in 10 years. But that wasn't the only thing that set them off.

"Though, that isn't why we called you all here today. A week from now, the Royal Academy will be making a visit, batches 899, 898, and 897 will be participating in a number of friendly duels against the Royal Academy students." The Elder continued.

Hearing this the disciples were now in an uproar. The Royal Academy represented, the King and the Noble Clans, every single student was of prestigious birth and far above most of these disciples. Even Mo Xiaowen raised a brow when he heard the Royal Academy was involved.

"Quiet!" The Elder commanded causing the disciples to quiet down. "Obviously we don't expect you to fight without a reward. Those who stand out in the duels, will be granted 10 Body Tempering Pills every month for a year, or until they reach the Peak of Body Tempering. Naturally you all can choose not to participate, the current increased resources will stay as is for batches 899, 898, and 897 for another year as well regardless of the outcome of these duels." Finishing his speech the six Elders then turned around without another word.

The Elder's words still echoed across the plaza. 10 Body Tempering Pills every month meant they could literally use Body Tempering Pills every day of the month for 12 months. It was simply unbelievable.

'At first I wasn't going to participate, but this is a golden opportunity, I'd be a fool not to grasp it.' There and then Mo Xiaowen decided, he'd have to push himself where he'd never pushed himself before.

To surpass oneself, was arduous to say the least. Each and every resource was required, while a 10% increase from the Body Tempering Pill wasn't much compared to the Body Tearing Grass or even the paste, every benefit stacked. Mo Xiaowen was keenly aware of the compounding effect that could be brought about when multiple resources were used together.

On the other hand while the Body Tempering Pills were a great incentive, the other disciples were also very very different to Mo Xiaowen's.

"I heard the Royal Academy has many beauties."

"Really..... maybe I can finally get a girlfriend."

"Hah, you? With your looks and cultivation? You have more chance of getting a boyfriend!"

"Won't you all get your minds out of the gutter! This is a chance for us to make a name for ourselves, to have our fame spread across the land. Once that happens you can even have 10 girlfriends!"

They discussed among themselves. While there were a few girls in the Demonic Cliff Sect they were a very small minority. Due to the Demonic Cliff Sect being made up of mostly commoner families, a lot of them weren't too keen on sending their daughters to the Sect and opted to simply keep them at home and marry them off.

Because of this, it wouldn't be wrong to call the Demonic Cliff Sect a bit of a sausage fest. The Royal Academy on the other hand was made up of both boys and girls. Naturally why would the various Clans not send both their male and female descendants? For them it would mean more cultivators within the Clan.

More cultivators meant more power, which meant more protection, more resources, a sturdier foundation, more talented children, etcetera. It was simply illogical to not send both of them.

This wasn't all that relevant for Mo Xiaowen, to him cultivation was more important than the ramblings of his peers. He quickly left the plaza and headed to his residence, his expression grave.

"I was hoping to wait, but you've forced my hand.... cultivation is truly masochistic in nature." Mo Xiaowen sighed, his body shivering in fear.