Chương 118: Chapter 115 – Amalgamating into Something Greater

Stepping out of the small inn, Ren stretched while squinting in the bright morning sunlight. He had been staying in the charming inn in the outer sect for over a month, and it had been a most enlightening period. Following his discovery of what it meant to be custodian of the edge, Ren had to adapt his plans. When the initial shock finally wore off, Ren had sought a place to stay for an extended duration.

While he had originally only intended to stay for a week to research the appropriate items and then procure them, he had severely underestimated just how daunting a task he had undertaken. With such stakes, he couldn't afford to make mistakes, so Ren spent much of his time studying and coming up with possible solutions. His previous plans to use arrays to separate the qi into usable affinities, like he had done in the past, were discarded because of what he had learned.

From the records he found, he wasn't the first to attempt something like that. He had found two such incomplete records that past custodians wrote before their attempts but ominously never returned to complete. No custodian had been foolish enough to try it a third time. Ren bowed to the wisdom of his seniors, but it didn't mean he was going to give up and try to eke out a life of poverty. It just meant he needed an alternative, something that hadn't been tried before.

So Ren spent his days seeking inspiration in the Hall of Learning. But he couldn't bring himself to seclude himself without end when living in the vibrant cultivator city of the outer sect. Life here was enjoyable and fascinating. He would walk around aimlessly, his eyes and ears wide open to absorb it all. In this past month or so, he had grown to appreciate just how much better life was in the Azure Mountains Sect.

Just his small, affordable inn provided better service than the most famous restaurant from his mortal days. The food, the ambience, and the entertainment were all top-notch, and the innkeepers' family deserved to be proud of what they had accomplished. They even provided cultivation chambers, though he didn't have much use for those. He did, however, ask the innkeeper's wife for her recipes. Curiously, there were many other larger, more famous inns Ren had seen around the city.

The innkeeper had explained why they were so numerous to Ren during a spare moment. Many outer sect cultivators lived too far to travel back and forth repeatedly, so they would choose to stay in the city, abandoning the cramped manors assigned to them. It was a risky move because if their territories were neglected or overrun when the Discipline Hall sent inspectors, it was possible for them to be punished and have their land confiscated.

But it was a common enough practice that the Discipline Hall wouldn't intervene before a certain point. But Ren had learned through local gossip that the Discipline Hall was far harsher on inner sect member territories because of how much more valuable they were. But there were also many visitors to the sect. Merchants, guests, and subordinate sect members would visit, helping the inn's business flourish. Another reason why there were so many visitors to the city was the events the sect constantly hosted.

While many martial cultivators could easily earn wealth and hone their skills by risking their lives, the sect also provided a means for those who followed more peaceful paths. It was one of the most endearing behaviors of the sect that Ren had seen thus far. In the time that Ren had stayed in the city, he had personally witnessed the Craft Hall host competitions for talisman making, spirit beast rearing, musical composition, and wood carving.

The sect seemed to indulge every profession or hobby, offering rich rewards to the winners. He recalled that Elder Yun Peng had once told him about it. The Azure Mountains may have begun with a pure pursuit of the sword but had learned not to restrict themselves to one path to power. This core value of the sect was exhibited through everyday life. Judging by the marvelous creations of the victors, Ren too had come to see the reason behind it.

If one devoted their time and effort with pure dedication and unwavering resolve, any discipline could make them unrivaled under the heavens. It had been the wood carving competition that let the lesson truly sink in. The timid-looking young man who won had carved a wood dragon so fierce that many in the audience averted their eyes in fear. Even Ren thought for an instant that the dragon might come alive and leap out in a murderous rage.

No one who attains such impressive heights in their craft could ever be called weak. There were all kinds of dao out there, and they all had inherent value. The sect also provided plenty of opportunities for martial cultivators to earn glory. The Martial Hall had organized plenty of expeditions for outer sect members to reclaim lost or overrun territories belonging to irresponsible inner sect members. The greater risk was offset by the large horde of foundation realm disciples eager to prove themselves.

There were also frequent public spars displaying a wide variety of skills. Ren wouldn't soon forget the sight of the body cultivator who had blocked a sword with his bare arms! Ren had been sure the blazing sword would easily sever his limbs when the body cultivator's skin turned a metallic sheen and actually sparked as the sword bounced off to everyone's astonishment! Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The Martial Hall employed the best healers, and fighting without consequences made the participants unnecessarily vicious and the injuries severe. But despite the prospect of pain, no one backed down. Ren even got to see a severed foot reattached with an almost bored competence. The most awkward part in all this was that Ren doubted he could defeat some of the more powerful fighters of the outer sect. He had been allowed to retain his position as an inner sect disciple only partly because of his talent.

It appeared to be a concession given to their destroyed Heavenly Sword Sect because Ren had learned that inner sect members of the Azure Mountains were almost always core formation realm cultivators. And it was from the winners of these tournaments that the prospective inner sect members were chosen. It also explained something else to Ren. If the inner sect members were mostly chosen from among the winners of numerous tournaments, then it was no wonder they were all rich!

Each tournament winner earned around 100, 000 spirit stones and other appropriate natural treasures. Why would they hesitate to spend a thousand to travel around the sect? Through all this, Ren could see that the halls, and the sect by extension, carefully nurtured talent and rewarded and elevated those who proved themselves. Those fated would always find a way. As for those not fated, the sect didn't abandon them entirely.

Perhaps because they, like Ren, knew that there were intangible forces that couldn't be easily measured, there were events like mystery rock carving markets sponsored by the Qi Hall. In the course of mining for spirit stones, they would frequently encounter those strange rocks made from qi-sealing mud encasing a special natural treasure. However, it was entirely possible that there was nothing inside the rocks. Or for the natural treasures inside to have long since lost their qi, turning them worthless.

It was a matter of luck to find an intact object or a dormant, living creature. Even more luck was needed for the contents to be valuable. A powerful divine sense could penetrate some of those rocks, so whether it was skill or luck, both had value. Ren's theory was proved when he noticed that anyone with unusual success rates was quietly approached by an employee of the Qi Hall. There were also events like poetry orations, spirit stone refining, and sword dances for entertainment.

All the myriad activities constantly occurring all around the city culminated in an almost festival-like atmosphere that Ren couldn't help but be drawn to. It fostered a sense of belonging, a closeness to the sect that he had thus far lacked. This cultivator city in the outer sect outshone the Heavenly Sword Sect in many, many aspects, making it a true paradise for anyone walking the path to immortality. Still, the sect had its darker aspects too. Talent didn't make one impervious.

The sect coldly calculated one's worth, and the older, well-rooted clans had an advantage there. Ren had since come to learn of the 3 heroic families everyone knew. With their storied lineage tied to the sect's origins, they held positions of enormous respect and awe. They were the Yuan, Tian, and Long clans. They each had two major subordinate clans beneath them. Even the subordinate clans were irreproachable, and none who dared offend them would be spared.

Ren had previously heard little Cao Lan gossip about a talent called Ming Hao, who had offended a young master of the Fang clan by refusing to cancel an engagement contract. He had been severely beaten or even crippled for his 'crime'. Such lofty families were willing to swat the occasional annoying fly in order to save face, even if it meant paying hefty fines, thereby killing the chicken, to scare the monkeys.

Ren listened to the rumors, but beyond feeling some pity, could only focus on matters within his control. In any case, new rumors conflicted with the old saying that the young man wasn't crippled but had instead been seen hunting outside. So it had hopefully worked out in the end! By then, Ren had reached the Hall of Learning, where he continued studying not just life and death qi but also spirit plants, beasts, and useful new arrays.

He had also used the stipend he had accrued to pay for copies of many of the most useful compendiums to read leisurely back home. Today, however, there was a small surprise waiting for him during his research." A Lesser Compendium of Spiritual Herbs and Their Care by Zhao Ren""Wait, that's me! My book! How is it here!?" It was the last thing he had expected to find in the Azure Mountains Sect, but after thinking for a moment, Ren nodded his head in realization.

Obviously the sect had evacuated the dao reserves along with their disciples and then merged it with the Hall of Learning. The matter of the Heavenly Sword Sect branch being destroyed by the Lightning Monarch's tribulation was still a very popular topic of gossip. It just struck him as odd that a subordinate branch received that much attention. Everyone held a strange fascination regarding anyone who originated from the mysterious qi desert, the site of an ancient battlefield.

As an aside, that gossip had also finally informed Ren of the name of the sect the Lightning Monarch returned to after successfully surpassing his tribulation, the Myriad Paths Defying Heavens Alliance. Despite being formal allies, their covert feud with the Azure Mountains was still raging on beneath the surface. The Azure Mountains had certainly lost face over this incident, and everyone was still furious.

He checked with the employees of the Hall of Learning and was told that any books or records read a certain number of times would earn their authors some contribution points. It was a measure to encourage cultivators to share their experiences and grow the sect's dao reserves. Naturally martial techniques could also be submitted to the Martial Hall for far more contribution points. Returning to his seat, Ren began to peruse his first book.

He couldn't stop chuckling at his past self's bumbling initiation into the world of spirit herb growing. It was a testament to how far he had come, but he was proud of his younger self, who had the courage to write and submit such a naïve but earnest effort. But as he read on without any agenda in mind, that elusive inspiration he had been seeking finally struck!

"Wait, is this the answer to solving the problem of the edge?!"