Within the Scarlet Dao Temple.
Su Linya stood upon a tall platform, beside her were several grand elders. They all had neutral expressions and looked downwards at the various youths that stood in a line.
There were eight, all of which were disciples dressed in signature scarlet garbs. Wei Wuyin, Xing Fu, Jiang Wei, Jiang Bei, Mei Mei, Shu Yin, Yan Zhu, and Ling Ya stood in a line shoulder-to-shoulder. They all had various expressions as they looked above the platform of upper echelon members.
Su Lanyi, the Sect Leader of the Scarlet Solaris Sect, started to speak. "As some of you are aware, the sect has experienced the highest series of core disciple deaths or crippling since its inception this generation. With the latest addition to this: Jiu Lang."
Her words induced a gloomy atmosphere. Jiu Lang was the latest addition. She was added to the list with He Long, Tao Gui, Qu Gao and Shu Yang. Mei Mei nearly made this list, but her rapid recovery allowed her to reclaim her position.
Wei Wuyin quietly glanced towards Mei Mei. Outwardly, he carried a neutral expression, but internally, he felt all sorts of emotions. He knew that the trust Mei Mei had given him was no longer there. This was the first time he saw her since the incident.
Whenever he tried to meet, she refused him outright. He respected her choice, but still wanted to explain away his involvement in her injury. While he wasn't at fault, Han Yu was still a member of his faction, and a trusted one at that.
Their relationship was close before. They had shared night skies, white sheets, and passionate intimacy together. He had feelings for her, respected her intelligence and will. To lose that, it felt painful.
"Due to this, we'll be investing more in this set of Core Disciples in the hopes that events like this won't happen again. Therefore, each one of you will have a Grand Elder personally instruct your cultivation and answer any questions you may have. We'll also be assigning personal bodyguards to ensure your safety." Su Linya announced.
Wei Wuyin coldly laughed inside hearing this. While the others were happy about this, he knew this was essentially a way to keep tabs and spy on their actions. Jiu Lang nearly brought down the sect due to her freedom, while Shu Yang was crippled because of his hubris towards a Godlord.
That would've taken a turn for the worse if Godlord Lin attributed his actions with the sect. Those events were a reminder that these disciples had all sorts of schemes, brash confidence, and haughty arrogance. These were recipes for disasters.
While Jiu Lang had contributed heavily to this, the sect also wanted to tailor the future core disciples to their maximum potential. Giving them personal guidance by Grand Elders who were 'Gods' were useful in that regard.
"Understand?" Su Linya asked.
"Yes!" The core disciples responded in unison.
"Any questions or objections? Say so now." Su Linya's eyes swiftly swept the faces of each core disciple.
"I have one," Ling Ya spoke up. She was still a vixen, as her voice contained an attractive charm that drew one's interest.
"Speak."
"These bodyguards, will we have the ability to choose them? I'm concerned that the men…" Ling Ya's words trailed off, but her intentions were clear. She didn't trust men serving beside her closely, especially those equal or stronger than her. Her unique art could induce all sorts of ill-intent within their hearts. To be frank, she had no desire to fight for her life or body because of dangerous lust from her own bodyguards.
She also had that concern that the Grand Elders may be the same, but if she voiced her distrust of their intentions, perhaps she wouldn't even know how she died.
"You'll be given a selection. The women will have priority over the other women guards. I understand your concern." Su Linya answered, causing Ling Ya to take an exaggerated breath of relief.
"Anyone else?"
A wave of silence was met prompting a nod from Su Linya.
"You all can leave. We'll have someone bring you a folder for guards you may choose from in the coming days. As for which Grand Elders, they will choose you." Her words were stern as she dismissed them. Abruptly, she added, "Wei Wuyin, stay."
Wei Wuyin paused. He stood where he was and watched Xing Fu and Mei Mei leave. Xing Fu looked back with a hint of concern, but Mei Mei remained face forward, never turning back. A soft sigh echoed in his heart.
Before he knew it, only he, the Grand Elders, and Su Linya remained.
"I said before that if what you said held water, allowing the sect to prevent a calamity, then we'll reward you accordingly. As you know, Jiu Lang had abducted and kept prisoner a woman of great personage within the Elven. We have since dealt with that issue," Su Linya said with a hint of frustration in her tone.
"It seems Su Linya doesn't know that that elf man visited me, or that I know she is the daughter of someone who exceeded the Realm of Qi Condensation," Wei Wuyin thought.
If a person like that decided to bury the Scarlet Solaris Sect, no one would say a thing.
Su Linya continued, "Therefore, the council has decided to allow you access to the top floor of the Scarlet Dao Temple. You can select one Qi Art, Spiritual Spell, or Qi Method of your choice. Also, we'll be bestowing you with one hundred essence stones."
Wei Wuyin was shocked. One hundred essence stones was a tremendous amount of wealth and resources. He had used one to ascend into the Qi Condensation Realm. A single one could help accelerate recovery or help cultivate any Qi Method.
They were small oval stones that had been refined and purified through a qi formation, allowing them to be easier to absorb and process. According to the black skeleton, him discovering a single essence stone was worth a karmic luck of 0.3. Yet, now they directly rewarded him with one hundred?
Wei Wuyin didn't display happiness or excitement from this. Instead, he furrowed his brows in contemplation. He was certain that his cultivation base had not been exposed, because if they knew, perhaps the one meeting him would be the Ancestral Elder.
That being said, he sighed in relief. They were directly showing their belief in his value. He knew they wanted to nurture him into a Godlord figure, and he was fine with that. The more support they visibly gave, the more he would be indebted to the sect, and the more they could use him.
Su Linya wasn't bothered by Wei Wuyin's silence. In fact, if he displayed happiness instead, she would be wildly suspicious. Wei Wuyin had shown a high-level of talent, intelligence, and great luck. Someone like that would and should question every windfall they were given, and it worked out for her. At least, he would know her intentions in her actions.
"You may choose now or when you're ready," Su Linya added. She then walked up to Wei Wuyin, stepping off the platform and arriving in front of him. She turned over her hand, a trace of spatial energy rippled, and a black bag was held in her hand.
She handed it over, "the one hundred essence stones."
Wei Wuyin didn't bother with any hesitation, he directly accepted and gave proper thanks. After storing it away, he turned towards the stairs leading to the upper level of the Scarlet Dao Temple.
The Scarlet Dao Temple had seven floors. The first was the main hall and was essentially the entrance. The second floor was for all outer disciples and above, they contained basic qi arts.
The third floor was only for those at the Qi Condensation Realm. They had internal qi arts and qi methods of a slightly higher level.
The fourth floor was for those at the Second Stage of Qi Condensation, External Flow. At this phase, spiritual sense is born and external qi arts are enabled. Therefore, it contained spiritual spells, qi arts, and qi methods. It also contained various information about cultivation and lore of the country.
Much of what Wei Wuyin knew about cultivation originated from this floor. He must've spent over a thousand hours on that floor when he had become a core disciple.
The fifth floor was only for core disciples, inner elders, and those above those ranking. The sixth floor was only for core elders, grand elders, prime elders, and the sect leader.
The seventh floor contained the core material and doctrine of the Scarlet Solaris Sect. Only Sect Leaders, Prime Elders, and the Ancestral Elder were allowed entry.
Wei Wuyin wasn't actually sure what was above the fifth floor, but he was definitely interested.
He walked to the stairs, the eyes of the grand elders watching him curiously. "I'll go now." Saying this, he didn't show a hint of hesitation as he walked upwards. It wasn't long before he passed the second, third, fourth, and fifth floor.
He paused at the first step of the sixth floor, looked back, and felt like he saw his younger self three years ago. He had a lot more energy and excitement in his heart and life. He saw the smile on his face, and his dreams at the time. The blurry image of his past self looked up with gleaming eyes of anticipation to one day ascend these steps.
It was as if it was looking at him.
He smiled.
He was now a God figure and had the right to enter the top floor.
Could his past self ever believe this?
But...he still felt somewhat hollow in his heart. He glanced at the tattoos on his right arm and felt a pressure on his heart.
Could his past self believe this?
He shook his head. His path had just started and it would either end in his death or his triumph. There was no way to know what the future will bring.
He continued upwards, directly ignoring the sixth floor and proceeded to the seventh. When he arrived, he saw four bookcases filled with scrolls and thin books.
They were well-maintained without an ounce of dust. He approached one of the bookcases and grabbed the book. He realized there was a string wrapped around the book, preventing it from opening. However, its cover had its name and a brief description.
Qi Manual - Battle Qi Creation Method.
A method in cultivating battle qi. He recalled the colosseum that contained traces of battle qi. It was an Ethereal Qi birthed from spirit and mind. According to the description left, battle qi contains a dense aura that can elevate one's concentration while lowering your opponent's willpower, influencing their mind and spirit. At a high enough level, just your aura can force an army of ten thousand to lower their weapons in fear.
Wei Wuyin was truly intrigued. He had only read stories about battle qi, but now he felt that he had a greater understanding.
"Will you choose that?" A voice sounded from the corner. Wei Wuyin wasn't shocked. He hadn't even moved because of this abrupt voice. While that figure had hidden himself purposefully, Wei Wuyin had given birth to Life Meadow Wood Qi, his perception of lifeforce was far greater than now.
While his aura and presence was lower, the owner of this voice couldn't conceal his lifeforce perfectly.
"No," he placed the manual back and looked towards the corner. An old man with white hair, wrinkles that seemed capable of crushing berries, and grey eyes that felt lifeless was dressed in a black robe.
From those grey, lifeless eyes, Wei Wuyin could sense some appraisal and surprise. He hadn't expected Wei Wuyin to be so calm before him.
"Greetings Senior, I'm Wei Wuyin." He offered his introduction with clasped hands in respect and waited.
"You can call me Old Bai. It seems our sect has given birth to a decent seed," Old Bai responded with a smile.
Wei Wuyin smiled in return, "Thank you." After that, he started to search the room. There were a lot of qi methods, qi arts, and spiritual spells in three of these four bookcases.
He arrived next to the only bookcase with just scrolls. His eyes lit as he realized that none of the scrolls had a string connected to it. He picked one up and read its inscription.
The Origin of Mortal Gods.
He picked up another one.
World of the Myriad Yore Continent.
He kept reading each scroll's inscriptions and knew that these were documents detailing a wealth of information. The Origin of Mortal Gods had to be about the God and Godlords title and how they came to be.
He looked towards Old Bai. "Can I read these?"
Old Bai frowned slightly. It seemed he was trying to come to a decision, but after a while, his brows loosened and he nodded. "Normally, only leaders of our sect could read those, but I don't see why not. After all, since you've been brought here, they must have boundless belief in you."
This brought excitement to Wei Wuyin's heart and he stopped caring about the arts, spells, or methods and focused solely on these scrolls.
A whole new world seemed to have been opened up to him.