In a single flash step, I moved beside Lin Fei, and took out a small bottle of Nether Water.

  "You have done a great service to the Tower, Lin Fei. Here, a small reward." I proclaimed in a grand voice, then added in fake whisper. "And I'll take three maid uniforms, for testing...right. For testing purposes."

  Lin Fei blinked and gently open the Nether Water bottle to take a sniff. "This...is far too expensive, Young Master." he admitted in a reluctant voice.

  I knew that, and he knew that. Instead, I tugged at the hem of the Black Iron Silk uniform worn by the nearest puppet maid. "This work is a giant step for man, and for culture in general. Not to mention the potential increase in fertility among the women of our Tower. A thousand Divine cultivators may get birthed from this genial invention." I said in a praising voice, making Lin Fei preen for a minute.

  "For culture!" Lin Fei exclaimed and cupped his hands over the priceless bottle. Well, that was a hyperbole. A bottle was worth a billion spirit stones, so it did have a price.

  "For the glory of the Tower." I added in a wise voice, then stepped back to my group, which were still watching the scene with amazed eyes.

  "Pef...is that slutty outfit really worth that much?" Bai asked in a naive voice.

  She couldn't understand, and perhaps only Ming with her small frown had an inkling of the culture shift that Lin Fei's invention would create.

  Especially for the harmony of my harem.

  "Sister Bai, our husband is also..." Ming whispered, then fell silent as a pair of purple eyes raised innocently from their focus on the small fox to look up.

  "So you're the Big Brother of this place?" the girl asked me in a surprisingly cogent voice.

  'Extreme Yin Dark Phoenix Body. Age 6.' my Grandpa sent to my mind, be the grace of his immense scanning powers.

  "I am. My name is Pef, little one. So, who are you and why did the bad men chase after you?" I inquired in a gentle voice.

  The girl sniffed and stood straight. "I am Feng Xialong. And my eyes are special." the girl spoke in a dignified tone.

  However, special eyes weren't that rare in a cultivation world. "Special?" I asked curious.

  "I see a big tower standing behind you, Big Brother Pef. And a big white rabbit behind Big Sister Bai." the girl explained in a childish voice.

  Hmmm. Some kind of Fate Gaze? Grandpa had something like that too.

  I smiled and nodded towards Lin Fei. "And that cool guy over there?" I wondered with a sneaky voice. Lin Fei had got a red vest over the white disciple robes, and with his long black hair tied in a ponytail, he looked rather impressive. The three maids in long black stockings only increased his presence.

  Young Feng glanced towards Lin Fei then looked down, afraid. "It's a huge demon behind him, and very scary."

  "Don't be afraid. Lin Fei is a very nice and generous man, he gave me and Sister Ming here so many gifts...I'm sure he'll give you even more if you act cute." I whispered while blinking my eyes in a cute-ish manner, as an example.

  "...Like this?" Feng Xialong asked and glanced into my eyes with an innocent blink.

  "We'll get you a veil to wear, little girl. Those eyes are dangerous." I said with a rapid-beating heart, barely restrained by my Unbreakable Willpower. No wonder the small fox beast got so friendly.

  Maybe get her sunglasses instead of a veil, if I ever got around to invent them. I could even wear sunglasses at night and nobody would notice the problem!

  Feng ran at the best speed her small legs could carry her towards Lin Fei, and she tugged at his sleeve while acting cute. "Big Brother, do you have a gift for me?" She demanded in a soul-piercing tiny voice, and batting her purple eyes.

  Lin Fei might become a huge demon in the future, but right now he was only human, and still easily influenced by a pair of mesmerizing eyes. "Take this tasty water and drink a bit every evening. You will grow up strong and pretty!" he answered in a conquered voice, while gifting away the bottle of priceless Nether Water.

  "Oh! You really are kind and generous, just like Big Brother Pef said. I'll come back many times, Brother Demon!" Feng promised while running back to me with her prize.

  Lin Fei sighed and slumped in defeat on his throne, while a maid fanned his red-angry face to restore his breath and coolness.

  Ming smiled warmly and patted little Feng on the head, likely praising inward the girl's invaluable life skills. "Come with me to the waterfall, then I'll show you your new room."

  Bai and Linhua stayed with the red-haired boys and the fox, probably waiting for me to do something.

  "You realize I'm only 17 and been living by myself since I was 6, right? I don't know anything about raising a kid. I just trained..." I said with a casual voice, nodding at the orphan boys looking lost among Saint cultivators and Spirit Beasts.

  To my surprise, the fox stood up and dragged the kids behind her with the tails, taking them to another waterfall to wash up. Hmmm. Perhaps Spirit Beasts had child protective services, or some kind of instinct for raising small humans? There was that Roman legend about a she-wolf raising two boys...that founded Rome when they grew up. A talking, magic fox would be even more probable than a wild wolf.

  "If the fox eats the kids, it's your fault Bai!" I added to make things clear, then shifted back outside.

  Time to locate a real town and set up a base. Recruit more people.

  First things first, find a river and follow it towards people.

  As I executed this task, I passed over hundreds of small villages, only stopping a few times to observe beasts or bandits attacking with impunity, then collecting the guilty corpses and moving forward.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Towns at least had walls and often a few cultivators to defend them, either high-Houtian realm or Xiantian in some cases.

  But the first Saint I sensed only when I approached the New Moon City, a large city of the Blue Wind Empire. Three Saints in total, one of them in the large Governor Palace, and two more in different sects at the outskirts of the city, marked by tall multistory pagodas. There were five more sects in New Moon City, but none of the others had any Saints.

  I was still Concealed, hidden from sight and senses of other cultivators, thus not in danger of being found, not even by a Divine Elder.

  Now, there were two ways I could proceed. Sensibly and cautiously, descend into a smelling alley and buy some information from the locals, but of low quality. Perhaps under disguise or a hooded cloak.

  Or casually stroll into the largest auction house, and buy information from a well-informed source, as well as other resources I may need. Lower my cultivation realm to 10th level of Xiantian, as to not alert everyone too much. The Oracle Mountain might have a rare 17-year-old Saint like Bai, but I could bet they were not common. A large bamboo hat and baggy robes masked my appearance somewhat, at least from the public.

  "Welcome to the Treasure House, honored customer! Are you looking to buy or sell?" a pleasant-looking host approached me as I looked around at the impressive artwork and sculptured desks. This place was rich, maybe as rich as me.

  "Yes. Please take me to see the manager." I answered politely and offered a spirit stone as a tip.

  The woman's eyes shifted to the side, and I sensed an array scan me discreetly, before the woman nodded and pointed the way.

  A minute later, I was met by the House's manager, escorted by two more Xiantian level 10 bodyguards. Perhaps they worked here with the hope of finding an opportunity to ascend as Saints? Auction houses often had valuable herbs or other resources.

  "You seem awfully young for your cultivation level, Mister..." the manager spoke after his bodyguard whispered something like '10X' in his ear.

  Holding my hand to the side, I dropped a beam of Six-Yang Crimson Iron on the floor, making the entire house tremble at the weight.

  "I represent the Tower. We have things to sell and to buy. To make things easy, we will sell first, so that you can give us a customer rating, and possibly a membership token." I began in a mild voice, while ignoring the commotion caused by the heavy iron denting the stone floor.

  The manager's eyes flashed towards my hand, where my diamond ring was visible and the likely means of transporting the heavy cargo.

  "Spatial ring?" he asked in a surprised voice.

  "Will you buy the iron or not, Mister manager?" I countered with a casual tone.

  His eyes lit up with a blue script on his retina, as he inspected the goods. "300 million spirit stones, for this much Crimson Iron." he proposed at a low value of the worth. I didn't hope to get 3 billion stones so easily anyway. A good artisan could make 10 weapons from so much iron, maybe even a Divine Sword like my own.

  I just folded the iron back in my spatial ring, and took out a Dragon scale. "And this?" I asked curious.

  His eyes glowed once more, then he froze for a second. "The Treasure Board will buy this scale for 500 million spirit stones." he offered at 83% of the real worth for a Dragon scale of this size. It was worth 600 millions, but I wasn't dispeased. Dragon hunters could get quite rich if they harvested thousands of such scales on a succesful hunt. But Dragons were born Divine, so they wouldn't be hunted easily.

  I nodded and added another Dragon scale on top of the first. "Deal. One billion stones. I will wait for the payment."

  Billionaires are treated differently than common folk, no matter what universe. The House manager spoke a few words and one of his guards ran off to procure the payment, while a graceful woman arrived to serve us tea while we waited.

  "Your Tower...can't say I ever heard of this organization. But the quality of your merchandise speaks volumes." the manager probed a bit more discreetly.

  I smiled and tested the tea. Good stuff, this Guhua Spirit Tea, might even help a Xiantian cultivator. I just pointed at the other guard. "Have some tea, my friend. I doubt you can afford such tea on your salary." I offered in a kind tone.

  The man hesitated, then bowed and drank my tea with hurried sips, as if someone would steal his treasure. "Eternal gratitude, esteemed..."

  "You can work for the Tower if you want, sir. I may need a local to serve as my guide in New Moon." I added as my expensive gift precolated in his consciousness, and eventually granted him a soul cultivation level.

  The House manager just sighed. "He will never achive Sainthood. Too old." he advised me as if saving me money.

  "Never is a very long time, sir. I've seen children no older than 12 become Saints, and quite easily. That never you speak of, is only a matter of money. A billion spirit stones can buy a dozen Saints like him" I pointed out with a cryptic voice, just as my money and token arrived with the other guard.

  A necklace of silver with a hollow ring as a medalion, with 3 diamond arrows on it. Hmm. Only a Three Stars customer? It seems I didn't trade enough with the Treasure House.

  I stored the medalion and the complementary storage bag holding my spirit stones.

  "I'll be back tomorrow with a few Divine weapons to sell. I hope my Tower will get a decent appraisal, next time." I spoke coldly before nodding and walking out, with my new Xiantian guard running after me.

  "Young Master...where to?" the man asked in a polite voice, as we stepped out of the auction house.

  "Recruiting. Either young Houtians or top Xiantian like yourself. Maybe both, if we find enough." I said with an 'after you' gesture.

  The man frowned for a minute, then began walking towards a large wooden restaurant, covered in red lampions and creepy beast sculptures.

  It seemed he was well-known here, as the locals were quite friendly, yelling and patting his back. "Please wait at that table, Young Master. I'll go chat with my friends." he whispered and pointed at a secluded table.

  One after another, willing employees lined up at my table, boasting about their cultivation and worthwhile feats like fighting a few bandits, a wolf and even a bear. I just took mental notes, easy to do with my Perfect Memory.

  My questions tested different things though. Connections with other sects or criminals, government officials, merchants and other important people.

  Soon enough, I reached my dozen people target and was ready to leave, when a young woman sat the my table, her face hidden under a veil but showing off a pair of grey eyes with a golden contour, and early Xiantian cultivation.

  "I want to become a Saint. I need to kill someone, then you can do anything to me." she said in a pain-filled voice.

  Selling her body? I mean, it was the oldest profession in the world for a reason. "Sure. I always wanted a harem of beautiful women..." I answered with a light voice, making the woman glare at me. Did I say something wrong? She did propose it herself.

  "Welcome to the Tower." I added while holding out my palm.

  She smiled and lightly touched my palm with a single finger, making a black fingerprint appear.

  I just sent her into the Tower, for Grandpa Heavengaze to check on her. "Gather round everyone! We will teleport away." I told the other men, holding my left hand out for everyone to hold on, then shifted into my Tower with three Xiantian and ten Houtian cultivators eager to become stronger and maybe even Saints.

  And of course, a Xiantian Realm woman who poisoned me with a single touch was already here.

  "You do have crazy luck, Young Master. Drink this!" my Grandpa told me the second I arrived, and handed me a vial of red blood.

  'Myriad Toxin Blood, used to adapt a Reaction God Body against the Myriad Toxic Body. Worth 600 spirit stones.' I read with my eye skill before drinking the damn blood.

  In a single minute, the black fingerprint vanished from my right palm, as my special body became immune to whatever toxins the strange girl emitted through her skin.

  'Myriad Toxic Body, Xiantian level 2, age 19.' My Grandpa sent as I waved cheerfully at me new recruit, showing off my healed palm.

  She frowned and looked at her own hand in disbelief. "How? My curse..." she asked directly.

  I just ruffled her hair, then patted her shoulder. "Grandpa will take you to your room, Miss Poison. We'll give you some gloves to wear in my Tower. There are kids around, and small animals as well." I pointed towards little Feng chasing after a small red fox with an extra fluffy tail.