2 Months Later

  Ying Ce had fully prepared. 2 months may seem like a lot of time, and it was, but knowing what he was going to do, Ying Ce didn’t mind if he had some extra time.

  To avoid suspicion, he hadn’t spent all of his Sect Coins leaving around 30 in his abode. He also didn’t do many quests anymore. Only a few occasionally to again avoid suspicion.

  With his savings, he had bought a lot of cultivation resources, focusing on increasing his stamina to run away. He had also bought a long-term movement technique which he had trained these 2 months to become relatively proficient.

  The technique was called Thousand Rock Road and increased his movement speed slightly for a small continuous Qi depletion. He could use it around 1 hour, afterwards, he could only run normally, using his stronger than a mortal body for 6 hours before he could use it again.

  The only other thing he had done was apply for the Disciple Recruitment Quest.

  There were 2 different ways of recruiting disciples. In groups and alone.

  In group, the reward would need to be split, but groups were sent to bigger villages and cities and sometimes multiple places in one recruitment session.

  When going alone, the reward would be all yours. But you would be sent to further and smaller villages.

  This was perfect for Ying Ce, who wanted to get as far away from the sect as possible.

  “All of you have been accepted as Disciple Recruiters. You will be expected to be within the sect again within one month. The more and better the disciples you find, the better your reward. For those disciples that can’t pass any of the tests, you will be given… Now, for your journey, you will be given 10 silver teals and a Spirit Orb for your journey. Just to be sure, you only need to place the ord within the hand of a child and try to guide the Qi inside the child. If this succeeds, then this child can become a disciple.”

  Ying Ce excitedly accepted the Spirit Orb, which was quite small, and the larger 10 Silver Taels. Fortunately, he wasn’t weak, because his pouch was filled to the brim.

  He went in the eastern direction for quite a while, not using his new movement technique. Only after being sure he was alone did he take out the map he purchased.

  ‘The sect truly is stingy. You need to buy your own map, which is needed to complete the quest.’

  Ying Ce needed to travel to Iron Tree Village, a village in the farthest east as the sect’s territory went, around a hundred and fifty kilometers from where he currently was.

  But Ying Ce needed to be fast, because his goal was to firstly stop at 3 Hooves City to sell all his items to a merchant. Hoping to remove anything from the sect besides the orb, which he still needed.

  ‘If I act fast, I should be able to get there sooner than the disciples sent there.’

  Ying Ce didn’t waste much time keeping the map in his while running there. Because he had focused a lot of resources on stamina, even while running at a fast tempo, Ying Ce only needed a bit of rest every 2 hours.

  And only after having ran 6 hours did Ying Ce finally rest. During this time, he had run around 25 to 30 kilometers.

  Although his tempo was fast, with the hard terrain, even a fast tempo could be slowed down substantially.

  ‘I’ll need a day and a half more before arriving.’

  Happy with his temp, Ying Ce found himself a safe resting place at a village he had stopped. Many people confusing him for the recruiter sent to their village.

  The next day continued the same, with Ying Ce running another 30 kilometers.

  Although training was great, Ying Ce realized the amount of proficiency he had gained in these 2 days was almost equal to 2 months of training.

  He finally ran another 10 the next day before arriving at 3 Hooves City, a bustling city of more than 15 000 inhabitants with several cultivators.

  Ying Ce brought his items to a shop operated by a local clan, greeting the local receptionist who, seeing his sect robes, quickly greeted him with a shocked face.

  “Esteemed Cultivator, welcome to Feng Clan Shop. Please allow me to call Manager Feng to serve you.”

  “That would be appreciated.” Ying Ce didn’t feel uncomfortable by the stares of mortals. He had been, after all one of them once, and understood the differences both cultivators and mortals used to put cultivators on a pedestal.

  “Welcome Disciple of the Mirror Blood Sect. We didn’t expect you to be here so soon. We apologize for the limited accommodations we can provide you.”

  “No need to apologize, I am not the recruiter sent to 3 Hooves City. Instead, I come here to sell some items.”

  “Then the Esteemed Guest is in the right place, please follow me.” The chubby manager led them upstairs, bringing Ying Ce to his office, where he offered some tea.

  “No thank you, I must depart quickly and only have time for me to sell some items.” Ying Ce observed the man, while he could feel the aura of a cultivator emitting from the man, seeing how respectful he was towards him, Ying Ce concluded the man was even weaker than himself.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ‘He’s most likely at the Third Qi Gathering Star. A small bottleneck most can’t overcome.’

  “I have this sword of outstanding quality, made from a Qi Conducting metal.” Despite having only listed one of his items, Ying Ce could already see the man’s eyes light up. “I also have 3 protective talisman made by a Second Grade Talisman Master. And lastly, 5 Healing Pills made by a First Grade Alchemy Master.”

  The more Ying Ce spoke, the happier the manager became.

  “Would you allow me to inspect the items first, then I can give you a fairer price?”

  “Of course.” Ying Ce handed the items without fear, letting the manager inspect them all.

  “For the sword… I can give you 80 Qi Coins. For the 3 Talismans, I can give 35 each and 15 for each healing pill. Is this everything, esteemed guest?”

  “No, I also wish to buy a spirit orb, it seems mine is broken.”

  “But of course Esteemed Cultivator, that would cost 50 Qi Coins. Will that be all then, Esteemed Guest?”

  “Yes, could the transaction be made today?”

  “Of course, let me get the coins and the orb.” Ying Ce patiently waited while the man went to get his coins and orb, inspecting what he had just sold.

  He had kept 2 healing pills and 2 Qi Gathering pills, believing them to be too small for the sect to place a formation on. He had sold all of his talismans, being less sure if the sect could track that.

  And lastly, his sword was one he had bought during his first year within the sect. Believing it to be more useful than it was,

  ‘While the sword certainly can be a fearsome weapon, what use does it have for someone who uses soul attacks?’

  The manager soon returned, handing Ying Ce a pouch, which, after a quick count, contained 220 Qi Coins. More than he had ever seen.

  Ying Ce then left after exchanging a few more pleasantries with the man before quickly leaving the city.

  And after another 3 days, did Ying Ce finally arrive where he wanted to, Iron Tree Village.

  Compared to 3 Hooves City, the village felt incredibly desolate. But that didn’t discourage Ying Ce. The village was large enough that he would have around 150 children to test. And while that wasn’t an amount where he could be sure he would find a talent, it wasn’t a small amount.

  Some villagers, seeing his beautiful robes and emblem, immediately recognized him and yelled in a loud voice to alert the other ones.

  “We welcome the esteemed cultivator. Thank you for blessing our village with your visit.”

  Soon, many other villagers came and repeated the words.

  “I assume all of you know how this works, bring all the children above the age of 15. Do not try to fool me, if someone has already been tested, I will find it out and punish them.”

  “Of course, esteemed cultivator, we wouldn’t dare deceive you.”

  “Good, now lead me to the village square.” The man guided Ying Ce throughout the village to the square, while a large line of children had already formed.

  Ying Ce walked to the center, countless pairs of eyes on him. He took out his Spirit Orb, placed it in the first child’s hand, immediately starting.

  Maybe because of the nervousness of knowing what was going to happen after he had tested every child. But Ying Ce had no interest in interacting with any mortal here.

  “Fail.” He yelled, seeing the Qi refuse to be guided inside the child’s body. The Spirit Orb essentially contained a large amount of Qi and a complex spell that meant the Qi couldn’t flow to someone without a Spiritual Vein.

  “Fail.” He said as the second child failed, walking away with tears forming at the edge of his eyes.

  “Fail.”

  “Fail.”

  “Fail.”

  …

  “Fail.”

  Ying Ce had gone on for more than 90 children before finally, when he tried channeling the Qi inside the child’s body, it succeeded.

  “F-Pass.”Ying Ce almost yelled out the wrong word. The child in front of him was on the younger side, maybe 15 16. Only a young boy, and when he heard the word “Pass”. The boy started crying out of joy, after all, his life had just changed for the better.

  “Go to the family but remain on the square, I will come back to you later.”

  “Yes, thank you, Esteemed Cultivator.”

  Ying Ce continued testing the rest of the children, having only one more child pass from the 60 remaining.

  One boy and one girl. The girl older, around 18, and the boy 16.

  He had called over both the boy and the girl, asking for a private place to speak with them.

  And now came the hard part, to convince these children to join his sect.

  “Esteemed Cultivator, can we truly join the Mirror Blood Sect?”

  “Well, for that reason, I have called you over privately. Normally, that should have happened, but after some consideration, I have decided against it. The Mirror Blood Sect is… not a good place for people without backing such as you. Why do you think people who have left this village towards the sect never return? But I don’t wish to follow such a fate anymore, I will give you a chance, join my sect instead.”

  “Esteemed cultivator, I don’t understand, what is going?” The girl said, confused about the situation.

  “There will be no chance to join the Mirror Blood Sect, instead, you can join my sect. Although it is a new sect, you will both be under my personal tutelage, which is a chance you won’t get in the Mirror Blood Sect.”

  “But don’t worry, I won’t force you, you can either choose now to join me or remain here, hoping for the Mirror Blood Sect to come, which they probably won’t. But I will need a decision right now, since we will be departing tonight.’

  He could see both children think with confusion before looking at each other. Each pair of eyes telling another story.

  “Master, please accept me as your disciple.” The boy said, hesitant about his decision, but still with some determination in his eyes.

  Ying Ce ignored the notification for now.

  “I… I wish to remain.”

  “That is alright. Disciple, please get everything you need to depart.” He had seen his disciple standing alone in the square earlier, making Ying Ce guess the boy was an orphan.

  “Girl, I will be talking to you, about some advice for what to do if the Mirror Blood Sect doesn’t arrive, if that is fine with you.”

  “I would be honored, Esteemed Cultivator.”

  “Great. Disciple, then please wait for me at the East Gate.”

  Ying Ce walked towards the East Gate with the girl who had just rejected him. Telling her how to reach the sect and also how to survive within the sect.

  “Esteemed Cultivator, is it… really alright to leave the village at night?”

  “Of course, with me, no beast can hurt you.” Ying Ce continued walking with the girl following him, only once he was far enough did he turn to face the girl.

  “Sorry, you should have accepted.”

  [Soul Slash]

  Without hesitation, Ying Ce attacked the defenseless girl, killing her in one strike.

  Her body looked fine, as if she had no injuries. But without a living soul, the body was just as dead.

  ‘Unfortunately, I have no sword to make it seem as if an animal killed her.’

  The longer there was no suspicion towards him, the better, but it didn’t matter much.

  He returned to the East Gate, feeling little remorse for what he had just done. He changed clothes and abandoned most of what was associated with the sect, including the Spirit Orb he received from the sect.

  “Come disciple and let us depart, this village is no longer your home.”

  “Master… where will we sleep?”

  “In nature, of course, don’t worry, nothing will happen to you.” Ying Ce internally laughed at the boy, who seemed to regret his decision, not knowing it was the only reason he was still alive.

  “And what is the name of the sect, Master?”

  “Silent Veil Sect.”

  “And where will our sect be located, Master?”

  “We still have quite the journey ahead of us, but a place where we can grow is certainly needed.”