Chapter 54: Life 58, Age 60, Martial Grandmaster 5

After the first man fell, several more stepped up to challenge me. I made sure that they all went through the mission hall to make sure that there would be no problems in the future. While not everyone was happy doing so, the promise of ten Meridian Builder Pills if they won was enough encouragement to ensure everything went smoothly. I sparred with them for nearly half a day. None of those who stepped forward were particularly powerful, so I could have used my higher cultivation to defeat any of them quickly, but my focus was on honing my skills. A couple of times, I lost a bout because my opponent was better at fighting. This helped because when those people got payouts, others were more eager to step forward. I was able to practice nearly all the fire-based martial skills that I had learned, and this gave me a lot more confidence in my ability to defend myself in the future. Finally, a group of people stopped me before anyone else could step forward. “Hey,” the leader shouted, “are you the one looking for an escort to the inner sect?” “Oh,” I realized who they were. “Yes, yes that’s me. Are you ready to go?” They looked me up and down and laughed a little to themselves. I was covered in dirt and my robes had seen better days. The leader nodded. “Let’s go.” Our trip to the inner sect was pretty short, it only took us about 15 minutes to get there. Earlier, the receptionist was trying to stop me from creating this mission since she must’ve known how short it would be, and after all the sparring, it seemed less likely that anyone would cause trouble for me, so I may have been able to make the trip alone without any problems. However, I didn’t regret my expenditure. The trip was smooth, and it didn’t cost me anything of real value. When we reached the opening to the Lower Mountain, I handed them each an extra bottle of pills. “Thanks for the help,” I said. “No problem,” said the leader as he took the pills. “Let us know if you have any well-paying jobs in the future.” The group laughed as they walked away, and I knew they were mocking me, but really, what did it matter? I got what I needed, and I gave them things that I didn’t. After they left, I stepped through the opening in the wall and entered the inner sect. Like before, neither a gate nor guards checked those who entered. A simple formation controlled people’s entries and exits. However, this time when I stepped through the opening, I was not alone. An older servant disciple was standing there. “Alchemist Disciple Su?” he asked. Slightly confused, I nodded. “Yeah.” “Disciple Su, the elder has been waiting for you for several hours. Please follow me.” My eyes narrowed at the mention of an elder. I had no idea why an elder would be waiting for me on the Martial Peak, but I chose to follow him instead of insulting an elder by refusing. “Which elder is waiting for me?” I asked. “Elder Tian. He is very eager to meet you.” At the mention of Elder Tian, my mind went to TianLei. Did TianLei want to meet me for some reason? Why? Seeing a possible gain beyond mere techniques, I eagerly followed as I was led to the meeting. The inner sect was very different from those areas below it. The Lower Mountain was covered in bamboo forests, and as we walked, the path through the foliage gave me glimpses of small cottages hidden within. It seemed like everyone had their own private retreats. “Of course. Please don’t let me keep you,” he said, dismissing me. “Before I go,” I said, taking advantage of the opportunity, “can I ask you about your blessing? I’ve heard a lot about it.” TianLei smiled at me. “Oh,” he asked, “what have you heard?” “Just that it’s an extremely powerful fire ability. I’ve not seen anyone use the combat-focused blessing before, and I wanted to know more about it.” His arms exploded in flames nearly 3 feet high. “They are beautiful, aren’t they?” “Yes,” I said, staring at the dancing fires. “How does it compare to others? Have you ever fought anyone with a lightning or ice-based blessing?” “There have been a few. No one with lightning, but I have sparred with a few warriors with ice-based combat blessings. Nothing that can withstand the flames though.” His expression didn’t betray any hint that he had previously had a different blessing or that he had made a choice about fire. From what I could tell from his behavior, as far as he was concerned, this was the only blessing he had ever been given. He could have been acting, but I felt that everything had gone too far for that. If he remembered the loops and having different blessings, why the act? No, something else was going on. Why was his blessing changing? There was only one possibility left in my mind. It was the being who told me he was the one who chose my blessing. But why was he changing TianLei’s? Dismissing those thoughts for the moment, I turned back to the elder, cupped my hands, and gave a slight bow. “Thank you for telling me. I won’t disturb you any further.” After leaving the elder’s house, the disciple who guided me earlier took me to the technique hall. Either there was an understanding in place, or it was just the fact that I was an inner sect disciple in an inner sect hall, but I didn’t face any trouble there. After recording everything I needed, I left and made my way back to the Alchemy Peak. With the deal in place to provide pills to the Martial Peak, I buckled down and got to work concocting. The ingredients that the elder promised me were delivered, but I didn’t plan to put them to immediate use. I wanted to study them a little bit more before proceeding. On the promised day, Jiao came to take me for my evaluation to become an elder. I was taken higher up the mountain to the largest building I had seen in the sect. It was dozens of meters wide, and there were two rows of columns in front of the entrance. They had been carved with scenes of mythic animals and legendary beasts. They depicted great battles where qilins, dragons, and phoenixes fought against taoties and qiongqis. Instead of passing through the main entrance, Jiao took me to a side door that led to a modestly sized room where three elders sat upon cushioned chairs. “Su Fang,” said the man in the middle, “you have only reached the level of Martial Grandmaster 5 by the age of 60. We have unanimously agreed that you do not meet the qualifications to become an elder.” At this point, the man on the right began to speak. I recognized him as Elder Hu. “While some hold reservations, we have agreed to appoint you to the position of Inner Sect Deacon. We hope that you will dedicate yourself to this position and use it to provide guidance to our young disciples.” Finally, the man on the left, Elder Long, began to speak. “As an inner sect deacon, you may choose up to three nominal disciples as your personal disciples. Using your own contribution points, you may purchase techniques or items for them. To repay this, they will provide you with pills which you can then sell to the sect, but please refrain from using coercion in these transactions.” “Thank you, elders,” I said with a deep bow. “You may leave,” the elder in the middle said with a wave of his hand. Jiao guided me out and back down the mountain. I was extremely surprised by my appointment as an inner sect deacon. From previous conversations, I expected to only become an outer sect deacon. I had to assume that my new deal with Elder Hu had played a large part in this. I needed to be careful, but hopefully, this partnership would provide me with what I needed to both advance my cultivation and gather information.