Master of the System

An old lady stood in front of a doorway with her back straight, her head held high. Her hands were resting on top of a cane which was firmly planted in the ground. Beside her, there was a young woman who looked to be around thirty years old. The young woman bowed her head towards the old lady. “Master,” she said. “Who are we waiting for?” As an elder of the Moon Lotus Sect, her master’s position was quite high. Her master rarely left her lair to do anything, but today, she had called upon Sapphire, the young woman, and ordered her to drive an airship to the teleportation gate, saying someone important was arriving. Since Sapphire was driving, she didn’t have any time to ask her master who they were going to receive.

The old lady didn’t respond, staring straight ahead. Her body was small, gradually grinded down by the millstone known as time. How many years had she been alive to make her, a nascent-soul cultivator, look like a ninety-year-old woman on her deathbed? It was clear the old lady was on her last legs, her time about to run out. Her thin lips pressed together as images flashed through her mind, her eyes becoming glassy. Back then, she was a gifted child, not a genius but not an average individual either. She had been accepted as the main disciple of an elder of the sect and had succeeded her in the end, but her glory was nowhere near what her fellow disciples had achieved. A weak voice came out of the old lady’s mouth. “The one we’re waiting for…, once upon a time, you could’ve addressed him as my rival, but now….”

Sapphire waited, but her master didn’t finish the sentence. However, from her master’s words, Sapphire already had a good idea as to who they were waiting for. After all, there was only one man who had ever been a part of the Moon Lotus Sect. Even though thousands of boys participated in the sect’s recruitment drives, they had all been turned down no matter how good their talent was. Even those who seemed like they were capable of becoming soul-seed cultivators were declined and offered a spot in a vassal sect instead. The standard for joining the Moon Lotus Sect as a male was simple. If one’s potential was enough to surpass Elder Vremya’s achievements, then they could join. No, judging from the news she had read, elder was no longer an appropriate title. Perhaps he’d have to be addressed as Ancestor Vremya now; although, a lot of people on the internet liked calling him Venerable Vremya.

There was a flash of light coming from underneath the doorway. Moments later, the mechanical doors slid open, revealing two figures: a beautiful woman and an old man. Sapphire easily recognized both of them, having seen their images in her history textbooks. They were Elder Azalea, who should also probably be addressed as Ancestor Azalea now, and Ancestor Vremya. Sapphire’s master lowered her head, bowing at the two. “Elder Ruby greets the ancestors.”

Grandpa Vremya nodded at Ruby, seemingly unable to recognize the girl who had once declared she would travel further than him in cultivation. Four hundred seventy years had passed, but that was no excuse. Even if he had seen her in her prime, he wouldn’t have remembered who she was anyway. Behind Grandpa Vremya, four feathery and scaled heads appeared. They were extending out of a backpack which was a life pouch, an interspatial item capable of holding living creatures. Rather than having them stick to his limbs, hindering his movements, Grandpa Vremya asked Azalea for an easier way to transport them around. Luckily, Azalea had the same idea as him a long time ago; although, the phoegons didn’t listen to her and ignored the pouch, leaving it unused for over four hundred years.

“It’s been a while, Elder Ruby,” Azalea said. She glanced at Sapphire. “Is this the disciple you’ve chosen? She seems to be quite talented.”

A dry laugh escaped from Ruby’s mouth. “None of us can talk about talent in front of Ancestor Vremya,” she said. “My disciple is just alright. She’ll uphold the legacy of the Moon Lotus Sect’s knowledge on formations.”

Azalea nudged Grandpa Vremya. “You’re not going to say anything?”

Grandpa Vremya raised an eyebrow. Did anything need to be said? His gaze shifted onto Ruby and Sapphire as he stroked his beard. “Hasn’t the sect expanded while I was in secluded cultivation? There’s still only one elder dedicated to formations?” It made sense for one elder to be in charge of the defensive formations when the sect’s territory was limited to one planet, but now that the Moon Lotus Sect was the owner of the federation, shouldn’t their reach have spread to more places? They couldn’t possibly have the same amount of people running a much larger plot of land.

“She’s the most knowledgeable elder when it comes to formations,” Azalea said, resisting the urge to bury her face in her hands. Why did she have to explain the sect’s inner workings to someone so high up in the sect’s rankings? “She maintains the defensive formation in the sect’s holy land in the Moon Lotus World. The ones maintaining the formations elsewhere are core disciples doing their duties. The sect has expanded in personnel, but the number of elders has remained relatively unchanged.”

Grandpa Vremya nodded, but he still didn’t understand what exactly Azalea wanted him to say. Words of encouragement? Words of acknowledgement? Were they even necessary when the disciples of the Moon Lotus Sect severed their emotions? At that moment, his bracelet beeped, and he glanced at the screen.

Azalea had sent him a text: Say something about her disciple, or say something about her. Can’t you see she’s at the end of her life? She obviously wanted to see you before she died. If you don’t remember, she’s the one Elder Formation picked as her disciple after you rejected her offer nearly a thousand years ago.

With his cultivation base, it took less than a quarter of a second for Grandpa Vremya to read and digest everything Azalea had sent him. He met Ruby’s expectant gaze. “You’ve come a long way, surpassing your master,” he said and glanced at Sapphire. “With enough effort, your disciple will go even further. Perhaps, in ten thousand years, your great-great-great-great-great-great-grand-disciple will become an immortal, and the efforts of you and everyone who came before you won’t go to waste.”

Azalea closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Were those supposed to be words of encouragement or words meant to destroy one’s spirit? Why the hell did he have to add the word “perhaps” in there? No, that wasn’t right. It was her fault for not elaborating when she knew Grandpa Vremya was a blockhead when it came to social interactions. She should’ve told him to praise Ruby’s disciple and hand over a meeting gift. What was done was done. Azalea reached into her interspatial ring and took out a fruit. It emitted a golden mist, barely visible to the naked eye. “A gift for you,” she said and handed it to Sapphire. “Strive hard to fill your master’s footsteps.” She met Ruby’s eyes and nodded. Perhaps this would be the last time the two saw each other. No one knew what the future held.

“Come,” Azalea said and grabbed Grandpa Vremya’s hand. “We aren’t too far from the area where the coalition’s false immortal is blockading us. Once you take care of him, there’ll be nothing else to obstruct the sect’s growth.”

Sapphire watched, golden fruit in hand, as the two ancestors of the sect walked past her and her master. She couldn’t help but glance at Ruby. As expected, there wasn’t any hint of emotion on the old lady’s face. That was how it should be. Sapphire stared at the backs of the two ancestors. For her, it was jarring to see people who expressed their emotions. How could they become so powerful whilst being held back by their base instincts? She stroked her chin, copying Grandpa Vremya’s action of stroking his beard—despite her not having any facial hair. Then, she raised an eyebrow, copying Grandpa Vremya once more.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked, her eyes trained on her disciple. “Quickly, put that fruit away. It’ll be helpful for your cultivation, but you’ll have to eat it within a formation to obtain the maximum effects.”

“Yes, Master,” Sapphire said, stowing the fruit. Then, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, copying Azalea. A moment later, she opened her eyes, and her face returned to a neutral expression. The outwards display of emotions was so tiring to maintain. Surely, severing one’s emotions was the true correct path. Ancestor Rachel had proved it before disappearing.