Calculating Cultivation

“Finally, we are here,” I said with a relieved sigh. Wen Xue and I had made it to Imperial City. After formalities and fees at the outer gate. We entered the city and I then had us switch over to a carriage pulled by a cultivator. We had to circle around the outer wall to get to one of the outer towns that was our destination.

I had already talked with Wen Xue about what we were going to do once we got here. That was meeting with the elder Ping from the Cloudy Moon Sect who was overseeing my business and Zheng Ting. I had not spoken to her for a long time, but she had been managing things quite well.

The headquarters of Zhou Holding Company Limited were quite modest. There was no need for a giant symbol of financial might. Just a large building where reports were sorted, data tracked, and paperwork from shipments inspected.

Getting off the carriage which cost spirit coins, Wen Xue and I made our way into the building wearing our sect robes. There was a secretary on duty in the lobby thankfully. It didn’t take long before we entered a meeting room.

Food and drinks were served while we waited and then ten minutes later Zheng Ting showed up with elder Ping.

“Greetings elder,” I quickly stood up and bowed. Wen Xue stood up and bowed as well but let me take the lead.

“Disciple Yuan Zhou. I am surprised to see you here. And in the third stage?” the elder asked.

“Yes, elder,” I replied. He was the elder that had bet that I would only make it to the third stage against elder Yi Meifeng, I would make it no further than the fourth stage.

“Impressive. You are doing well. I got a message you wished to speak to me?” he asked.

“Indeed. I humbly request your presence when speaking with Elder Xu Xiaoli of the Imperial Sect and if possible, to arrange a meeting as soon as possible,” I said. While I could have done it all on my own, it would create difficulties since I needed my profits from the business to buy a focusing crystal and to have a Displacement Channel Carver made.

“I will send a message, as for her meeting you, that is up to her,” he replied.

“Thank you elder,” I replied. He gave me a careful look.

“So, you have succeeded then? With whatever you needed to combine with the focusing crystal?” he asked while looking over at the pack I had put on a chair next to me. I wasn’t going to let the container with the null metal out of my sight.

“Yes, elder,” I replied.

“Impressive. I will arrange for the focusing crystal to be brought as well when we visit the elder. I am guessing you want me there as an insurance,” he asked seeing right through me.

“Yes elder,” I replied. While I doubted there would be an issue, it was important not to take any chances. I was slightly concerned about Elder Ping, but that would be alleviated by a request for benefits now.

“Five percent,” he said. I winced at that amount.

“Of anything that is sold,” I replied, and he nodded with a smile on his face. Elder Ping would arrange for word to be left behind, so we couldn’t just be disappeared by the Imperial Sect. Also, his presence would ensure we wouldn’t be forced to accept a poor deal due to pressure.

Everything was about having backing and giving face. Giving him a small share of our proceeds insured he would take a vested interest in our success. If I wasn’t the Sect Leader’s disciple then I might have been charged ten or even twenty percent for such support. I already had a lot of backing, so his overall value wasn’t that much, but he was still making an effort on my behalf.

One did not become an elder, by letting other cultivators pluck wealth from their hands. I couldn’t wait until I was a high rank, and everyone had to pay me to get my backing and to just stand around. It was aggravating, but it was the cost of doing business.

“I will see to the arrangements as quickly as possible and let you and Zheng Ting catch up. Diciple Yuan Zhou,” elder Ping said to me with a slight head bow, showing great respect. He was probably jumping for joy inside he was about to get a lot of wealth and not having to do anything.

I bowed deeply along with the other two in the room as the elder left. “Yuan Zhou,” Zheng Ting said with a frail smile. Wrinkles adorned her once beautiful face. Her hair was white. I was only 47 years old, which meant she was in her mid-sixties. While she still had vibrancy around her, she had aged greatly since I had last seen her.

“Zheng Ting,” I said and made my way around the table to give her a hug, breaking all the rules of propriety. She had been my caretaker and had put up with my antics at a young age. Then she managed my business for me over the years.

“You and your friend should sit, there is much to discuss,” she replied.

“Problems?” I asked and she smiled at me.

“Nothing too serious. The Cloudy Moon Sect’s presence fixed a lot of the issues. While the backing of Elder Xu Xiaoli and the Han family has helped, the first is rarely seen, and the second is happy to collect their money for the most part,” she said. I thought of Han Xingjuan the 69th descendent of Immortal Han Jiayi. The girl was crazy.

“I see that look, you are thinking of someone troublesome? Han Xingjuan?” she asked and I nodded.

“Do not worry. She wanted financial records and to review our work. I scared her off when I had all the boxes arranged with the actual financial reports and not the summaries,” Zheng Ting said with a small chuckle.

“You remembered that. Keep accurate records and wield them against people,” I said with a smile. I had talked to her about how I wanted my business to run and why summary reports that were audited were important. Looking through the raw reports without a computer was a massive amount of time. There was no way any cultivator would be willing to do something so pointless and so tedious.

“Indeed, Young Master. The most dangerous weapon to any cultivator, paperwork. Now tell me about you and your friend,” she said.

“Zheng Ting, this is Wen Xue. A friend of mine, who has risked life and death with me to go to the floating island. Wen Xue, this is Zheng Ting, the woman who manages my business affairs,” I replied.

“A pleasure,” he said stiffly but didn’t bow his head.

“I never had the chance to pursue cultivation, but I have lived a good life, and have traveled. So, tell me about this floating island?” she asked. I slowly shook my head.

“It is one adventure we are not talking about. The information is too valuable in case someone is listening in,” I replied. The knowledge we had gained would never be shared. There was a chance to get more treasures and Wen Xue had agreed.

After chatting a bit more, we eventually retired to our room. Wen Xue was not leaving my side until we sold our goods, and I wasn’t leaving his. Another safety precaution and I also knew he didn’t want me to run off and get all the rewards either.

Three days after our arrival we entered the central portion of Imperial City to meet with Elder Xu Xiaoli. Elder Ping came along as well with a case that had the focusing crystal that had been purchased with my share of the profits from the joint venture involving refining spirit steel from mined ore across various cities.

“Greetings elder Xu Xiaoli,” I said with a bow as I entered. Other introductions were done. She had brought another two elders with her from the Imperial Sect. There was elder Gao Da and elder Fu Xiaoli, both men. The second one clearly being a relative of some kind, but I had no idea who was older or younger and neither clarified their relationship with each other.

On my side, there was Elder Ping to my right and Wen Xue to my left. I was taking the lead on these discussions, since the book was a discovery I had made.

“I have been told that you have acquired items of high value. That is why I have brought these other two to help assist with any appraisal and discussion of payment. Since involves materials and items rank 7 or higher, the Imperial Sect will be dealing with things rather than just me personally,” elder Xu Xiaoli said.

“Thank you elders for meeting here today. My companion, Wen Xue and I managed to acquire a book and some null metal from the Floating Island of Death,” I nodded to Wen Xue. I was also watching the elders and only Elder Gao Da appeared to be slightly shocked. I could only tell by how his blinking increased slightly and his facial muscles twitched the smallest amount. For someone at his rank and age to even twitch like that despite his cultivation was a clear sign of surprise.

“I look to have the null metal made into a Displacement Channel Carver with the focusing crystal Elder Ping has brought and to sell the book. I can show it, um, but it is highly dangerous I believe. Corrupting everything it touches. I would recommend a high level of containment,” I said.

“That is no problem. Set the item onto the center of the table. There is a very high ranking formation on the table and then on this room,” Elder Xu Xiaoli said to me from across the table. I could see the faint glowing lines of the symbols and channels used to make up the formation on the table, but I had ignored it.

Quickly pulling out the metal rod and the book at the end of it, I let it drop on the table as quickly as possible, not wanting to touch it for an extended period of time. There were several gasps at the book. “A Necronomicon,” Xu Xiaoli said. I could see glowing barrier form around the item.

“Indeed. It is a good thing you didn’t try to read this,” Gao Da said with a frown. “Such an item is made by sealing the soul of a cultivator into a book as a protector of sorts. Driven mad from pain and suffering, such a tome carries demonic cultivation techniques.”

“Also, you might have even been possessed,” Fu Xiaoli said.

“Indeed, that is a risk. You did well to contain it in your spatial ring. The Floating Island of Death, a wonderous place, yet also a graveyard of the greedy,” Gao Da added, but not elaborating further.

“Well, it is definitely a rank 7, possibly rank 8 treasure depending on the text,” Fu Xiaoli said while putting a hand under his chin and given the Necronomicon a considering look.

“Give us a moment to confirm the value. Here is a list of rank 7 items you can pick from. Once we know the exact worth, we will tell you how many,” she replied and pulled out a long list. Throwing out to the side, it flew around the table and landed in front of me.

Wen Xue and Elder Ping quickly leaned over to look at it. The first item that was listed was 8 rank 6 spirit stones. That would have to be one choice in order to pay Elder Ping for his presence here. A lot of the items I didn’t recognize in the slightest.

My first choice was crafting a high ranking item as long as the materials were provided, that meant the Displacement Channel Carver. It would cover the fee a high ranking elder from the Imperial Sect would have charged. It pained to spend so much, but the craftspeople of the Imperial Sect were second to none. I could have gone to the Cloudy Moon Sect, but such an item I couldn’t afford to take any chances. Also, I would have the Displacement Channel Carver after I was done using it, and could resell it.

“The Tears of the Immortals is my first choice,” Wen Xue said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Drops of pure energy. I can get 20 drops of energy, if I select that option. That will give me a huge boost for the fourth stage. I will probably select it multiple times,” he added.

“Seems like a waste,” I replied, since it was such a small amount.

“It is universally compatible, and I don’t have to spend any time taking in the drops. They can be directly added to my core. It would be a huge advantage and save me quite a bit of time,” he said. I kept looking over the list for what would be my second and possibly third choice.

I needed natural treasures for my polarity cultivation to counter Aoyin’s fang. The opposites of blood, power, and consume. There was the Seed of Sustenance, which would keep a person full for 10 years. That seemed like a good opposite for consume. That was the most obvious choice. But it was a rank 7 item, which would be a waste of a choice.

The second choice, if I even got one, was much harder. Probably a rank 7 gun. I still needed to kill the beast Water Running Over The Rocks. I could sense a connection to it but had been trying to suppress and ignore it. A rank 6 weapon was needed to kill a rank 6 beast, and a gun seemed ideal.

Even if it was insanely expensive, I preferred guns to swords. That would be my second choice. I would also have to adventure to find other rank 6 treasures soon, so it made sense to pick a weapon that would help me with such a task. A rank 7 gun would be an ultimate trump card. Even someone like Aoyin could take damage from such a weapon. Killing him was another matter, but I would no longer be completely helpless.

I wouldn’t flaunt it like my rank 5 sword I had gotten from my first master, that was for sure. But it would be an amazing trump card to hold in reserve. The Elders in front of us were done and there were glowing blue and gold chains wrapped around the book while it floated above the middle of the table.

“It has been contained and will go into the Immortal’s collection of such things. As for the value. It is worth five rank 7 treasures. It is not a true rank 8 treasure, but it is far more than a rank 7 natural treasure or spirit coin,” elder Xu Xiaoli said.

“That is a bit much to give them,” elder Gao Da said.

“It is reasonable. We can’t use the cultivation techniques or let them spread. But it could help multiple demonic cultivators. Something like this isn’t easily made, since a rank 7 cultivator was used in the process. It is the highest possible Necronomicon that could be crafted without grave risk to the crafter. Five items is very reasonable for bringing us such an item,” Fu Xiaoli said, backing up his relative.

“Is this acceptable?” Elder Xu Xiaoli asked. I looked at Elder Ping who gave a slight nod, and Wen Xue who gave a slight nod as well.

“Thank you for your generosity elders. We have made our selections. For the first and second item, the Tears of the Immortals,” I said and looked over at Wen Xue who nodded at this. “Crafting a Displacement Channel Carver, a six rank six items, and a rank 7 gun,” I said.

“That is acceptable,” Xu Xiaoli said.

“Thank you elder. In addition, we have several low ranking items we wish to trade for spirit stones that have been recovered. Nothing at the value of the book,” I added. She waved her hand at a side table, and I nodded, quickly putting them out there.

“These are nothing but scraps. Even the single floating crystal is more a novelty than anything else. Still there is interest. Ten rank 6 spirit stones for everything,” she said and I turned to her in surprise. I hadn’t expected all the trash we had found to be worth that much. “Don’t be so surprised, it has value to collectors and for research into the Floating Island of Death.”

“Some of these items are quite old and unique. While most of it really is trash, I can already spot some items of value,” Gao Da said.

“I have no objections,” Fu Xiaoli added. I checked with my companions once more and there were no objections. The Elder got two of the rank 6 spirit stones, while Wen Xue got the rest. It wasn’t precisely even, but he had no objections thankfully. I was given a second list of rank 6 items to pick from.

I quickly went through the list looking for the items I needed. It was tempting to ask the elders for help, but they would ask why and would learn about Aoyin’s Fang in my head. I couldn’t take that risk. I needed the opposites of blood, power, and consume.

It would be blind guesses on my part just based on the name. Ashes of the Forlorn Tree, Core Bone of a Rank 6 Beast, Black Poppy of Decay, Compressed Clear Jelly, Withering Weed, and a Petrified Sapling. “That’s a weird selection, you into alchemy or some other kind of crafting?” Gao Da asked while looking over my selections.

“These are items needed by my master, the Sect Leader. I don’t know their purpose,” I replied.

“It is good to be dutiful to your master and your sect,” Fu Xiaoli said. What I wasn’t saying was that I needed the items so I could be fixed. “Still, for him to know about these items is quite impressive. The Cloudy Moon Sect, are its foundations really so deep?”

“They are. I have spoken to their Sect Leader myself, a rank 8. They have been around since the dawn of the third age. An offshoot from long ago,” Xu Xiaoli said. I felt some of the tension leave me as she explained things to her possible relative.

“Then I have no objections. They are only rank 6 treasures, and nothing of note, just rare and slightly interesting,” Fu Xiaoli said.

Our deal was that the null metal wouldn’t be counted in the split, not the crafting process. Thankfully he had no issues getting eight rank 6 spirit stones. It was a massive amount of money. Elder Ping got two of the spirit stones, which was quite a bit for just sitting around.

It was painful having to give him anything, but if I had come here alone, then I might have only gotten four items instead of five, possibly only three. He more than earned his keep, even if it wasn’t readily apparent.

The one item, the gun, was delivered immediately, while it took slightly longer to bring in the remaining six rank 6 treasures I had requested. Xu Xiaoli took the container of null metal, and the focusing crystal. Before she left, I had her check my spatial ring that had been holding the book.

Thankfully there were no issues. That had been something I was concerned about, but the Necronomicon wasn’t designed to act on spatial rings, more on the human psyche and body. The fruits and other items that had been touching it, had their energy sucked out.

Ten days after our visit, I was summoned back personally and only elder Gao Da was there to see me. After speaking with each other he pulled out an item from his spatial ring. “I actually made the Displacement Channel Carver myself,” he said while holding it up in front of himself.

It was a long thing black rod. About the thickness of my finger and the length of 3 feet or about one meter. There was a wooden handle at one end. “It seems quite long,” I replied.

“Yes, which means it will last for a long time. I used all the null metal you brought to make the rod and not damage it. This length is good for about a 1,500 channels, which is on the high end. The focusing crystal is already set up even if you don’t see it.”

“Wait?” I asked. “This thing wears out?” That was aggravating and elder Gao Da chuckled at my outrage.

“Normally it wouldn’t come up, but yes. That is why null metal is so expensive. As you drill out your channel, the rod will suck up all the bits left behind, stopping them from settling. But this damages the null metal making it less effective,” Elder Gao Da explained.

“In the past people would just hold null metal, but that is horribly inefficient and a massive waste. That is why you need a focusing crystal, and for it to be crafted so it can enter your true soul while cultivating at the third stage. When you work to clear out your meridians and channels, put the end opposite the handle on the meridian in question.”

“When you dig our your meridian and channels, it will be super easy. You just need to focus and break everything apart and not worry about moving the stuff out of your channels. It will just be sucked out. You just need to make sure you carve them out properly. A great treasure for any cultivator,” he replied.

“I can touch the black part?” I asked.

“It is sealed behind a special clear material. That way anyone can see how much longer the Displacement Channel Carver has left while not letting the key portion get exposed to the air. If you activate in the air, you will burn it out. Don’t do that. It also isn’t a weapon. It is a tool for carving channels quickly and cleanly,” elder Gao Da explained. I wondered what had happened in the past to make him say all of that. Probably nothing good.

“Thank you Elder,” I said with a head bow as he handed it over.

“Not a problem. This is of the highest quality. That I can assure you. Elder Xu Xiaoli insisted. If you have any other interesting projects, you are welcome to ask for me at the Imperial Sect. I am more than happy to listen to any requests you have. Just be sure to bring the materials with you,” he said.

“Thank you once again Elder,” I replied as he left. I departed right away, ready to get back to the sect when a servant stopped me outside the meeting room.

“Master Cultivator. Cultivator Han Xingjuan of the Imperial Sect requests your immediate presence,” he said. I paused and looked at the bowing mortal man. I didn’t want anything more to do with that crazy girl, but I couldn’t risk offending her directly.

If I didn’t show up she could make trouble. “I will attend her once, I have sent word as to where I am going,” I said. The servant winced, but I didn’t care.

“Very well, please allow me to escort you,” he replied. It was a simple matter to write a quick letter and leave it in the care of one of the people at the exchange hall, where the Imperial Sect did business, and have them take it to Elder Xu Xiaoli and Elder Ping after paying a small fee of two rank 3 spirit coins.

The servant then escorted me to another meeting room. Han Xingjuan was sitting in the room, and it appeared she had entered the third stage as well. “Hmmpf, you have come back and are meeting with elders, why?” she demanded bluntly after snorting at me. She didn’t even stand up to greet me or use my name.

“Cultivator Yuan Zhou, greets cultivator Han Xingjuan,” I said with the smallest of head nods. “As for my business with the elders, that is private, you will have to ask them.”

“You think you are clever. Playing games. Taking resources from the Imperial Sect. Give me your spatial ring, or else,” she declared.

“I am sorry, but I must refuse. And I am under the hospitality of the Imperial Sect,” I replied. There was silence at that statement. I had too many connections for her to risk causing trouble or trying to rob me. But I didn’t like how I was on this woman’s direct radar.

We entered into a stare off. Neither of us was willing to back down. “If there is nothing else, I have places to be,” I told Han Xingjuan. She didn’t say anything more as I left, but I could tell she wasn’t happy.

Her bratty and self-entitled nature were clear turn offs and I could tell she was going to be a problem. Regardless it wasn’t my problem. I needed to return to the sect with Wen Xue and begin cultivating and researching. Whatever I had gotten from the Imperial Sect was clearly drawing a lot of attention, which was unfortunate.

Once I had everything, I said goodbye to Zheng Ting, and left Imperial City with Wen Xue. The one thing I had made sure of before I left, was to purchase several rank 5 rounds for my gun. I only had 10 rank 5 shots with me, and 50 rank 4 shots. I also had 1 rank 6 shot that had come with the weapon. The sheer cost of such a weapon was why they weren’t more popular with cultivators.

One could swing a sword a 1,000 times and only use their own energy. But shooting a gun a 1,000 times would even make an Immortal weep at the cost. I could have gone with a lesser version that didn’t use bullets, but effects, but those types of guns weren’t as good or as effective against high ranking targets. If I needed to use it, then I needed to win. Cost wouldn’t be an issue at that point, only my survival.

I even spent a lot of time unloading and reloading the gun as quickly as possible. I had no doubt that word was spreading and I would be a tempting target on the way back to the sect from Imperial City. Even if people didn’t know about the Displacement Channel Carver and how the Imperial Sect would never allow me to be attacked in or near the city, at a distance, anything could happen.