Six o'clock had come and gone, but Benton York was still at his desk, just about ready to pack it in for the day.
Edward, the executive vice-president of sales slipped in the open door. "Is there anyone in your section still here? I've got a presentation in the morning, and it needs some touchups."
"Just me, Mr. Abbott," Benton said. "But I can get it done for you."
The PowerPoint emergency took close to another hour, but he didn't mind too much. He liked helping people. Besides, it wasn't like he had anyone waiting for him at home.
At sixty years old, Benton knew that death approached faster than he would like, but he never expected it to come so soon. Then again, not many people did once their number was up.
Nothing in the spring weather portended disaster. A gentle wind blew from the south. Wispy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. It was a fine day. A fine, fine day.
Though it was well after the rush hour, many people still dashed hither and yon finishing up their business in the downtown metroscape, preparing to escape the daily grind. One such young lady grinned as her fingers rapidly tapped her phone, surely making plans for the evening. A young man hastily stepped into an Uber, eager to be about his life.
Benton sighed. He was much more conflicted. Though he definitely looked forward to kicking off his shoes and ditching his tie, maybe relaxing to the latest chapter in his grandson's webnovel, he no longer had anyone to look forward to seeing. Even five years after Evelyn's passing, he still wasn't quite over it. Maybe he never would be.
It was the little things that really got him. How quiet the house always was. Reaching his arm across the bed upon waking and finding her spot empty. Having someone to share a meal with. Heck, even figuring out what to eat.
He grimaced. Probably fast food again.
Letting out a long breath, he expelled the melancholic thoughts that had overtaken him. He'd never been a gloomy person, and Evelyn certainly wouldn't have put up with him becoming one in his old age.
Benton put a smile on his face. It was, after all, a fine day.
At the crosswalk leading to the parking garage on the other side of the street, a small crowd of about a half dozen had gathered, waiting for the light to change. The last man in line was a tall fellow with dirty blond hair wearing a suit. Generally, people's backs were fairly nondescript, but something about that one tugged Benton's memory. Something looked familiar.
"Mike?" he called. "Mike Larson?"
The man turned, his questioning visage quickly contorting into a slight frown. "Benton. Hello."
"Congratulations on the promotion!"
"You almost sound like you mean it," Mike said.
"I do. Why wouldn't I?"
"Uh, because…"
At first, Benton was truly confused by the man's reaction. In the years since transferring out of Benton's section, Mike had rapidly ascended the corporate ladder, recently reaching the lofty status of vice president. And he deserved every bit of his success. He was hard working, sharp, decisive, and thought well on his feet, everything the board wanted and more.
"Ahh. You're feeling guilty that you've left your old mentor languishing in a dead-end position, eh?"
Mike's face scrunched up. "Well, yeah. Kind of."
Benton laughed. "I am perfectly content where I am. Corporate climbing is a young man's game, and I know my strengths, mainly nurturing young talents. Did you know that two of your fellow VPs worked under me at one time or the other?"
"Really?"
"Do you think it was a coincidence that a rising star like you ended up with me as a boss? Do you think that it's a coincidence that at least two other young people in my division will soon be on that same fast track?" Benton watched as his words clicked home to his former protégé. "The company has been my home for almost my entire career. It's been good to me and mine. When Evelyn got sick, they bent over backward to help. I'm happy I can give something back by nurturing the future."
Mike nodded, the ends of his mouth slowly turning upward for the first time in the conversation. "To think I never realized. And here I am considering myself so clever." He paused for a moment. "I'm not sure I really ever stopped to think about how much I learned during my time with you, from navigating the company's labyrinthine bureaucracy to simply how best to effectively deal with people."
"Well, you weren't always the quickest, but you always got there eventually. Like figuring out that we've only got about twenty seconds before we have to wait through another light cycle."
Mike turned and saw that the rest of the people were already across the intersection. "Crap! Sorry!" He dashed out into the street.
Benton barked out a laugh at his protégé's antics. His mirth lasted for but an instant as he noticed something that made his blood run cold. A white panel truck of an unknown make was barreling down the road right toward Mike.
There wasn't much time for thought. There wasn't much time for anything. Benton sprinted forward as fast as his aging legs could carry him and plowed into Mike's back, propelling the man well into the next lane. To safety.
The collision had completely halted Benson's momentum, leaving him staring at the hood of an oncoming truck that showed no sign of slowing. He did not want to die. To survive, he needed to get to the next lane. Fast.
Alas, it was not to be. He wasn't nimble enough, not quick enough, and the truck was traveling far in excess of the speed limit.
Benton didn't even have time to sigh.
It could have been worse. With Evelyn already passed, there was no one depending on him. His kids were all grown. He'd miss seeing his grandkids, but they'd all be just fine without him.
The important thing was that Mike would make it. His rising star would not be extinguished so soon. Benton's death meant something at least.
Just then, he noticed a truck, identical to the one about to plow into him, traveling the opposite direction in the opposite lane and just as fast.
There was no way for Mike to escape.
Shit!
The last thing that Benton saw before the world faded to black was a weird hood ornament on the truck, a snake eating its own tail.
Chapter 2 - Game Over or Press Continue?
The next thing Benton knew, he was standing in what looked like a bog-standard corporate office. Cheap carpet squares. Lay-in acoustic tile ceiling. Fluorescent lights. White dry-erase board.
The truck had crashed into him. He remembered vividly standing in the street facing it with his arm covering his head. The hood had struck his torso first, forcing his head forward.
Things had gone black at that point. He didn't even recall any pain.
The best explanation he could come up with was that he'd hit his head on the truck, causing him to lose consciousness. But where was he and how did he get there?
Benton patted himself down. No injuries. No blood. His clothes, the same ones he'd put on in the morning, had no tears or stains.
What. The. Heck.
"You present me with quite an annoyance," a flat voice said.
A man was sitting behind a desk. Benton hadn't noticed him. Nor the desk.
"This is not an unprecedented situation," the man continued, his face blank of any emotion, "but it is quite rare. Usually, when a civilian interferes with a Truck-kun, the potential hero is actually saved, so we simply send the civilian in the hero's place. No problems. No complications."
Hero?
"This time, however, that particular hero was too important, so we sent two Truck-kuns." Despite the complete lack of expression either on his face or in his voice, the man seemed very satisfied with the statement. "The hero is beginning his journey as we speak, so all is right with that plane. What to do with you is the question."
Benton had always been pretty quick on the uptake, so even though his present circumstances were far outside his experience, he grokked the situation somewhat, enough to figure out that his fate hung in the balance.
"Sorry for interfering with your plans, sir." Always best to be polite when dealing with the higher ups. "I don't suppose you can just send me right back down to Earth?"
"If you so desire."
Benton would have been elated had he not spent much of his life in meetings with bigwigs. He sensed a huge caveat to the man's statement. "But?"
"But you died. There is no returning to your former life. We can, however, return your soul to that plane and allow it to continue its journey as if this encounter had never happened."
Benton opened his mouth to ask a question, but the man cut him off.
"The rules of your plane of origin are quite strict," the man said. "I cannot tell you anything about your future journey if I were to return you. Not even I know fully what will happen."
Ah. If the man were positive that returning would have meant Benton would be able to return to Evelyn, any decision would have been a no brainer. Seeing as how that wasn't guaranteed, he figured he might as well see what else might be available.
"Can I go to whatever place Mike went?" Benton said.
"Unfortunately, no. The restrictions surrounding his transmigration are quite complex and limiting. Had he not been successfully recruited, that plane would have had no option but to accept you as a replacement. As things stand, however, under no foreseeable circumstances will you encounter the entity formerly known as Mike Larson again."
"Oh. I suppose that's fine if that's what he chose. It's not like the two of us were close."
"He did not choose," the man said, his voice and face still utterly flat. "Entities recruited by Truck-kun are almost never given a choice. If the entity formerly known as Mike Larson had survived, you would not have had any other option than to take his place."
"Interesting. Why are we having this discussion, then?"
"Because there are no planes currently available with a selection criteria that you match, and because Truck-kun inadvertently recruited you, we are obligated by Rule to do something about it."
That was really interesting. It seemed as if Benton had more than a little sway in the process.
"What are my options, then?"
"Infinite," the man said. "It would be far easier if you simply told me what kind of plane you would find interesting, and I will select the most appropriate available one."
"I don't suppose returning to Earth in another body would be possible?" That wouldn't be ideal, but he'd at least be able to keep tabs on his family.
"No. Again, the rules associated with your former plane are quite limiting. We cannot return you to that plane as a living being, only as a soul. In fact, we must return your soul once you have completed any potential life you live in another plane."
Benton had been a little bit on the fence about the whole being transmigrated thing, but the fact that his soul would eventually return regardless changed his mind. If souls eventually found loved ones in the afterlife as he believed, his soul and Evelyn's would be reunited no matter his choice now. Going on an adventure in a new world had no real downside.
A thought struck him. "Will I retain all my memories from my past life?"
"Is that your desire?" the man asked.
"Definitely. That's a no brainer and non-negotiable."
"That decision will eat up a chunk of your available Karma Points, but I can make that work, depending on what other conditions you require."
Benson found the fact that the man was only just now mentioning something that sounded as important as Karma Points to be more than a little frustrating, but he also found little value in expressing his displeasure at that point. Best to just continue on. "My grandson writes webnovels where people in a situation like mine end up gaining a System. I want one of those." Greg's stories always made those sound fun.
"That is acceptable."
"Really?" Benton had been kind of throwing out a wild idea, not expecting Systems to be a thing. "There are enough worlds that you can find one with a System?"
"There are an infinite number of planes in which Systems exist just as there are an infinite number of planes without Systems."
Benton nodded. Besides internalizing the assumption that a "plane" and a world were basically the same, things always got weird when talking about infinities.
"Prepare for departure in five … four—"
"Wait!" Benton cried. "I'm not done. I want perks."
The protagonists in Greg's stories always got powers that made them overpowered compared to everyone else.
"Sorry," the man said. "Compliance with your two current conditions have exhausted your supply of Karma Points. You will take what you get."
Benton was definitely the go-along to get-along type, but being polite with a bigwig only got one so far. Sometimes, one had to show their mettle.
"Your Truck-kun made the mistake, not me. You are responsible for making this right. And simply dumping me on a System world with my memory intact and no advantages is the very definition of not making this right!"
"I'm sorry, but—"
"No. No 'but.' Make this right or get me your boss. Now."
Ugh! At that moment, he sounded like someone he really didn't want to be, but literally an entire lifetime hinged on this one interaction. He had to be forceful.
For the first time, the man's relentless impassiveness cracked. He appeared at least slightly perturbed. "The best, the absolute best, that I can do for you is to put you on a world where you, and you alone, have access to a System."
Benton tried to interject but was shushed.
"I will ensure the System specifically offers you perks."
"That sounds acceptable." Benton grinned. "Now, about the specific world you're sending me to. I'd like—"
"No. I've wasted enough of my energy on this conversation. This is a one-time offer. Your choice is to accept it and move to the new plane that I will personally prepare for your arrival or to return to your plane of origin."
Benton sensed that the man was truly done. "Fine. I choose to go to the new plane."
"Ready yourself. Transition in five … four…"
Considering the circumstances, Benton felt like he'd done a good job negotiating for himself. He'd have access to a System and perks and would retain his current memories. What more could he ask for?
"Three … Two…"
Benton envisioned himself joining an adventurer guild and grinding until he was able to fight dragons. As long as his new world wasn't one with cultivators, it would be fine. He shivered at the callousness displayed by the characters in those types of stories.
"One."
Wait. Maybe he should have said something about the cultivators.
The world went black. Again.
Chapter 3 - A Whole New World
When the world—or a world at any rate—came back into view, Benton was lying face down in stinky mud. He groaned. What was that putrid smell? It almost made him gag.
While holding his breath, he climbed to his feet and, once up, looked around. Beside him was a small pond surrounded by a thick forest. The sky was blue, and there were trees and bushes with brown trunks and green leaves. He hadn't exactly been a nature person in his previous life, so the plants may or may not have been the same as he'd find on Earth. They didn't look alien or anything, though.
Looking down, he noticed that none of the other dirt near him was terribly wet, and where he'd been lying was tinged distinctly red. And his shirt—robe?—was stained with a rusty brown color.
The color of dried blood.
He felt fine, though. Better than fine, actually. Strong. Healthy. Energetic. He stretched his arms and bent his knees and did a few jumping jacks. None of the aches and pains that had been his constant companions for years made their presence known.
It occurred to him that he might not be in his original body. He walked a few steps forward until he could see his reflection in the pond. A young man, maybe early twenties, with Asian features stared back at him. His hair was dark and close cropped, and he appeared much more fit than Benton had ever been. And he was most definitely wearing some form of robe.
"Nice."
He really was on a new world in a new body.
"Evelyn, honey, you wouldn't believe it if you could see me now. I'm young again. This is going to be so much fun!"
A further thought struck him. Asian features. A robe. Had he been sent to a cultivation world after all?
A blue panel popped up in front of him.
Welcome Transmigrator. Memory integration commencing in ten seconds. Prepare yourself.
(Hint: Might want to sit down for this one.)
The box faded away, and Benton quickly sunk to the ground. He was glad he'd listened once the specified time passed. It felt like someone stuck a hot poker directly into his brain.
Once the active infliction of agony ended, the pain faded relatively quickly, leaving him with a new set of memories on top of the one he already had from Earth.
The owner of his current body had been Chao Su. In a way, that made Benton the new Chao Su.
"Huh. Years ago, I would have been a boy named Su." He laughed and whistled a few bars of the Johnny Cash song.
The memories made him quickly turn more somber.
At fourteen, Su had attended an annual testing event conducted by member of a nearby sect who'd come to his small village, and he'd tested well. Cultivators were rated on potential talent using a scale from little ability, F, to great ability, A. There were a minuscule number of outliers on each end of the spectrum, people with literally no ability to cultivate, G, and absolute powerhouses, S. Each of those grades was further divided into three subsections, denoted by either a minus, nothing, or a plus.
As a C+, Su had been feted as a true talent, able to bypass joining the local small sect and instead being inducted straight into the parent medium sized one, the Flowing Tiger Sect. And he lived up to his promise. Through hard work, a few auspicious opportunities, and diligent cultivation, he reached the second major realm, Foundation Establishment, in under two years and had continued on to the third minor realm well before his nineteenth birthday, which was good enough for him to be inducted as a member of the inner sect.
All had come up roses for the young man over the next few years until a night about a month ago. Figures dressed in black had performed a daring raid on the sect. At first, it had seemed like the invaders would be drowned out by the large number of sect cultivators, including the powerful elders and the peak nascent soul stage patriarch.
The invaders turned out to be demonic, however, able to drain the cultivation of individuals several major realms above them. Two or three of the attackers would gang up on a higher realm cultivator and focus on piercing the defender's qi shield. Once an attack got through, the demonic cultivators concentrated on draining their victim's cultivation. With two or three of them focused on the task, the defender fell in seconds.
Su's sect brothers and sisters fell like flies to the well-organized raid, and the battle soon turned into a rout.
Su fled. As he crossed the outer wall of the sect, he thought he'd made it. Just as hope dawned, a figure dressed in black hit him with a technique, puncturing Su's hastily erected qi shield. He had no talismans left, and the next attack went for the drain. In seconds, Su's cultivation was consumed. Just like that, eight years of dedication was ruined.
As all but the merest of hope fled, an elder managed to get a shot on the black clad figure, letting Su somehow stumble far enough away from the conflict to avoid further pursuit.
The technique that had destroyed his cultivation had done much damage to him, and he spent the next couple of weeks seeking healing pills and any resource that might either stabilize him or even restore his cultivation, trading away everything he owned, even his spatial ring, for what turned out to essentially be snake oil.
He'd finally succumbed to his wounds not long before Benton took over his body.
Processing everything that now occupied his mind was quite difficult. New memories of spending his fifteenth birthday cultivating in a cave clashed with spending the same birthday with friends in a movie theater. And that wasn't even taking into consideration his new instincts. If Benton encountered a mugger, he'd immediately relinquish his wallet and plead for his life. Su would leave the mugger bleeding out on the ground. Or skills. Benton had never seen an animal larger than a squirrel in the wild. Su had killed and skinned a tiger before roasting it over an open flame.
Long before everything was fully reconciled in his brain, another blue box popped up.
Transmigrator, you have been granted the choice of one of the following three Systems. Choose wisely for there is no redo.
Supreme Cultivation SystemHeaven Defying Crafting SystemSect Leader SystemBenton hadn't expected the man to have arranged to let him actually pick his System. Not bad. Despite it being a brutal cultivation world, any of the three options should give him a leg up in becoming a true powerhouse. He just had to choose the best one. Or at least, the one that fit him the best.
"System, can you show me more information about each of these?"
The box was replaced with a new one.
Supreme Cultivation System
Want to climb the heights of the cultivation world? This system is for you. Breeze through minor realms in a fraction of the time others take. Defeat opponents a major realm stronger than you. Never encounter a bottleneck. Immortality awaits. Of course, cultivation can be a lonely path and a dangerous one. Climbing so fast leaves little time for finding allies. Not having anyone to cover one's weaknesses can be a mistake.
In a cultivation world, strength wasn't everything; it was the only thing. This Supreme Cultivation System would give him that in spades.
There was a problem, though. No matter how powerful one gets, no matter how high someone climbs, there would always be someone more powerful. Besides, the thought of constantly fighting didn't fit who he was as a person, Su's memories and instincts notwithstanding.
"Thanks. Next please."
Heaven Defying Crafting System
The cultivation world runs on resources. Alchemy. Formations. Smithing. Talismans. Your skill for each of those will be heaven defying. Use your superior crafts to conquer the cultivation world or simply buy the muscle you need from the massive wealth you'll accumulate. Best be diligent, though. Every hour spent cultivating will be accompanied by many hours crafting, and the System cannot add any more time to a day. You'll probably get to the top, but it won't likely be a quick journey.
Honestly, that sounded much more his speed. He had enjoyed puttering around in his workshop building stuff. And he had no doubt that unparalleled skill in those areas would bring him great riches.
It would also make him, especially early on, dependent on others for protection. Su's memories told him that sects would fight over a truly talented crafter, possibly to that crafter's detriment. Some ended up as little more than slaves, forced to endlessly fulfill the sect's needs for a pittance in return.
"Thanks again. Final one please."
Sect Leader System
The power of many can easily outweigh the power of one, no matter how strong, especially if a leader can smooth the way for sect members by creating perfect cultivation methods and techniques. It's low risk and high reward to have others fight for you, but there is a downside: you will have no way to gain the heights of personal power except through recruiting and building up those around you.
That one sounded perfect for him. He would have to depend on finding and mentoring recruits instead of cultivating to progress, but building up the people under him was his entire raison d'etre. Sure, there would probably be challenges, but nothing was ever perfect.
There was no use agonizing over a choice that was a no brainer, no matter how important that choice was.
"System, I choose the Sect Leader System."
Chapter 4 - Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing the Sect Leader System!
Though Benton had never regretted his choice of careers back on Earth, he had to admit that his life hadn't been the most exciting. Besides a few nice trips—seeing the Colosseum in Rome and glowing lava flowing across a nighttime landscape at Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii stood out—most of the big events he'd experienced centered around his family. He grinned thinking about the birth of his first grandchild.
That was then, though, on a whole different planet. He'd been given the opportunity to start fresh, to experience a life of excitement and adventure, and he planned to embrace that chance.
So far, so good, too. The decision to become a sect leader, though maybe not as powerful as the other two choices, fit him perfectly. The only hiccup so far was Su's instincts telling him that the demonic cultivators might track him down if they ever discovered that he lived. Still, if his grandson's stories were any indication, having a System would make all the difference even against the greatest of odds. He just had to leverage the power it provided.
Speaking of which, a box popped up.
Prepare for System integration. Beginning in ten seconds.
(Hint: It's good that you're already seated.)
Knowing what to expect after the last such warning, Benton braced himself. Not that it would do any good.
His atypical pessimism turned out to be on target, as the searing pain inflicted inside his skull rivaled the memory integration in intensity. The experience did seem to pass quicker, at least. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to endure too many more instances like that.
The musing instantly brought a subset of Su's memory to the fore, clearly telling him that to be a cultivator was to embrace pain. Challenging the heavens was not for the weak or timid.
Great.
The next popup box made the pain worth it.
Welcome System Host! The Sect Leader System is designed to help you build a sect that will defy the heavens.Sect Name:Not ChosenSect Members:0Sect Points:100Shop Points:0Host Cultivation:NoneHost Techniques:NoneMenus:[Cultivation Method][Technique][Quest][Perk][Advancement][Shop - LOCKED]Gaining access to a System was everything that Benton had expected and more. It was just so neat. He couldn't wait to get started.
The first two lines were self-explanatory. He'd not established a sect yet, chosen a name for it, or recruited any members.
The next line, though, seemed important.
"System, what are Sect Points?"
Sect Points are a resource used to create cultivation methods and techniques for sect members. When members advance a minor realm using one of the cultivation methods so created, Host will receive one point. Bonus points will be awarded upon advancement to the next major realm. A Sect Point is likewise awarded when a member advances to Lesser Success of a technique so created and then to Great Success and two points when advancing to Mastery.
Sect Points can also be used to advance Host's cultivation and understanding of techniques.
Okay. That was pretty understandable. Benton would make an investment of points by creating a cultivation method and/or technique for a member and would, hopefully, gain a profit when that member advanced. The minor downside was that the point pool drawn from to invest in his members was the same one used to make himself stronger. He'd have to manage the usage carefully as he doubted there was any way to run a debt. If, for instance, he decided to immediately use all one hundred points to make himself strong, there would likely be no way for him to ever gain any more.
"System, what are Shop Points?"
Sects run on resources, and a beginning sect simply isn't likely to run across enough assets on which to build a solid foundation. Through completing quests and reaching certain milestones, Shop Points will be awarded to assist Host in gaining crucial resources, be it pills, weapons, talismans, or materials and tools needed to build formations.
(Hint: Shop Points are provided in limited quantity. It is advised to pursue other means of acquisition, such as purchasing from merchants or training sect members in the arts of production, to the greatest extent possible.)
That explanation was, as his grandkids would say, #asexpected.
The next two lines were a bit concerning but not exactly surprising considering Su's memories. His cultivation had been reset to the beginning. The good thing was that, if he was understanding things correctly, all he had to do was use points to increase his level, so there was presumably no worry about any potential damage done by the demonic cultivator's attack interfering with his future advancement.
As someone who'd previously reached the middle of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Su's instincts were making him feel more than a little anxious about sitting in the depths of a forest with no cultivation at all, tempting Benton to spend some of those points immediately. He resisted that urge, however. There was no way he would move from his current location before making himself stronger, and he'd obviously spend the necessary points quickly if anything threatening emerged into the clearing around the pond. Until then, he felt like he had time to gain more information by exploring all the tabs before making any decision.
"System, please show me the Cultivation Method menu."
Welcome, Host, to the Cultivation Method Creation Menu.
Select Cultivation Realm:
Qi Gathering
Foundation Establishment
Golden Core
Nascent Soul
Nihility
Ascension
Half Immortal
True Immortal
Immortal King
Immortal Emperor
Heavenly Saint
Celestial Being
Su's instincts boggled at that list. Some of those realms existed only as rumors of legends, but presumably, the System would allow him to create cultivation methods for them. Did that mean all he had to do to reach those realms was earn enough points? That was a question for much later, though. He needed to focus on what was important for the beginning of his journey.
"System, can I go through the process of creating a cultivation method without spending any points?"
Host will be given the choice to commit at the end of the creation process. If commitment is declined, no Sect Points are charged.Perfect!
"System, for this test case, I select Golden Core."
Cultivation Realm set to Golden Core.
Sect Point Factor set to four.
Select Applicability:
Targeted to Specific Qi Aspect
Sliding Scale (Specify)
Any Qi Aspect
Benton understood little of details of that menu, so he had a lot of questions.
"System, what is the Sect Point Factor?"
The Sect Point Factor is the number by which the initial value of the cultivation method will be multiplied to calculate the final value of Sect Points required to create the method. The Sect Point Factor for the Qi Gathering Realm is one. Foundation Establishment is two. Nascent Soul is eight. And so on.Wow. That progression would get expensive fast. He'd have to carefully watch his points if he didn't want a single Immortal Emperor to bankrupt his entire sect.
"System, what is a qi aspect?"
Each user's qi is uniquely aspected to that individual. Two users might both posses a fire aspect, but one may be the smokey flame burning wet wood in a campfire in order to char spirit beast meat while the other may be the glowing embers in the hearth of a fireplace used to warm a family. Cultivation methods may be tailored specifically to a particular qi user's aspect. In that case, the method would be much more difficult to cultivate and would be much less powerful for anyone not possessing that exact aspect. Methods may be more generally applied to a broader category such as fire or set to apply to any qi user. The broader the application, the more Sect Points are required to be used.Okay. That made a lot of sense.
"System, how many Sect Points are required to target a specific user's aspect?"
The initial value to apply a cultivation method to a unique qi aspect is ten.Ouch. That number was a full ten percent of his starting value.
"System, how many points will be returned when a Qi Gathering member reaches Foundation Establishment?"
Assuming the member started from the beginning of the Qi Gathering Realm with a created method, the total Sect Points earned when the member reaches Foundation Establishment is twelve.Yikes. The profit margin was kind of low.
"System, if we apply the same scenario going from the start of Foundation Establishment all the way to Golden Core, would the member return twenty-four points from an initial investment of twenty?"
Host's calculations are correct."System, if I were to create a Qi Gathering method and set the Applicability to any aspect, what would the cost be?"
The Sect Points required to create a cultivation method for the Qi Gathering realm that is accessible to all qi users is twenty-five.Ouch. Double ouch. That quantity was one quarter of his initial funds.
"System, how much would a sect member going from beginning to Foundation Establishment with that method earn me?"
The same as with the previous example. A member starting from the beginning of the Qi Gathering realm with a created method will earn you a cumulative total of twelve Sect Points upon reaching Foundation Establishment.Wait. That answer didn't make sense.
"System, so I'd lose thirteen Sect Points?"
For that one member, Host would lose thirteen Sect Points. Correct.That qualification at the start of the answer was interesting. Benton was apparently missing something important.
"System, can I give the same method to multiple sect members?"
Yes."System, how many sect members can use the same method and what is the additional cost per member?"
The Sect Leader System does not regulate the number of members that may use a cultivation method or technique, and Sect Points are only charged for the initial creation.That meant that the number of points that he could earn for his twenty-five-point investment was essentially infinite. At a return of twelve points per member, almost everything the third member on earned would be pure profit.
Targeting the method to a specific person was cheaper, but it had a much lower profit ceiling. Unless he was bingo on points, why would he ever choose to use that option?
"System, besides the reduced cost, is there any other advantage to tailoring a method to a unique qi?"
A user cultivating a method perfectly suited to their unique qi aspect will find that advancement between realms comes faster and easier, more power is obtained, and a better foundation is built than if the user had used an equivalent, broader method.Okay. The whole thing was starting to make a lot more sense. If you have an awesome recruit that you want to be ultra powerful, feed that recruit uniquely attuned methods and techniques. Meanwhile, profit from the sect's rank and file who are stuck using the generic ones.
That setup was not as egalitarian as his Earth sensibilities wanted, but according to Su's memories, that was just the way a cultivation world worked. There simply weren't enough resources for everyone to receive the best ones.
And that standard operating procedure really made sense given the numbers that System had thrown at him. Ten points here and ten points there and twenty-five over there and he'd be flat busted in a heartbeat. Waiting a year or two to gain a measly profit of two points was just too slow.
The other side of the coin was that his sect was going to need protection, and the higher ranked members were simply going to be better equipped to provide that than anyone else. Benton had no choice but to prioritize talent when it came to spending.
"System, please continue with the creation process. I choose Sliding Scale, any qi user that has an aspect even tangentially related to fire may use."
Sliding Scale selection accepted.
Please allocate 100 Cultivation Method Creation Points in the following three categories:
Ease
Power
Foundation
Based on the previous answer, he felt pretty good about what those three categories meant. But it was better to make sure, starting with the absolute basics.
"System, what do these categories actually do?"
Cultivation Methods provided by the Sect Leader System are, in general, easier to use, produce more powerful results, and build a stronger foundation than the cultivation methods commonly found on this world. The categories allow the Host to add bonuses to each of these categories."Okay, System, what I heard is that my sect member will already be better off than those of other sects just from the base cultivation method without any of the Creation Points being used, but you're making the method so overpowered that I can add a bonus to any or all of these categories on top. Correct?"
Yes.Benton asked in turn about each of the three categories. Ease was a measure of the difficulty of using a method. A sect member would be able to progress from the start to the peak of each minor realm using a method with Ease set to one hundred much faster than with a method that had Ease set to zero.
Power in the context of the creation menu referred to how much qi the cultivation method would add to the sect member's pool with each advancement and how much the method would increase the strength of the sect member's intrinsic qi aspect.
Foundation was a measure of the stability of cultivation developed by using a method. A sect member would be able to breakthrough from the peak of a minor or major realm to the next using a method with Foundation set to one hundred much easier than with a method that had Foundation set to zero.
All three categories were important considerations for a cultivator, and the fact that Benton could determine how much weight to give each was amazing.
He thought he understood the hundred points as well but wanted to make sure.
"System, please elaborate on how the points are distributed and what the exact impact of those are."
Cultivation Method Creation Points allow the Host to customize a cultivation method to fit the sect's priorities. If the Host desires a method that is balanced between the three, set two categories to thirty-three and the third to thirty-four. If the Host prioritizes cultivation speed above all else, set Ease as the highest of the three. Likewise for Power if strength is desired above all else, and Foundation if advancement to the next major realm is all important.
That explanation really clicked with Benton. He'd really need to think about what was most important to him. Did he need his members to ascend the realms as quick as possible or to be able to easily defeat opponents of the same realm or was increasing the height the members could eventually reach the most important criterion?
"System, please set Foundation to fifty, Power to twenty-five, and Ease to twenty-five."
Cultivation Method Creation Point allocation selection accepted.
Please provide a name for Host's cultivation method.
Ugh. Benton hated naming things.
"System, please name the method the Supremely Ultimate Heaven Defying Blaze of Glory but for Test Purposes Only Method."
Name accepted.
Congratulations, Host, on the creation of the Supremely Ultimate Heaven Defying Blaze of Glory but for Test Purposes Only Method!
Would Host like to create this method for eighty Sect Points?
Yeah, that was a hard no. Still, he wanted to make sure he understood the process before he officially declined.
"System, could you display the calculation method used to arrive at eighty points?
Applicability set to Sliding Scale (all qi aspects even tangentially related to fire): Initial Value = 20 Sect Points
Sect Point Factor = 4.
Total Sect Points = 20 x 4 = 80
Good. He'd successfully grokked the explanations. Perfect.
"System, I do not want to create this method. Please delete it."
Decision not to create the cultivation method accepted.
Host has 100 Sect Points Remaining.
That was fun. Benton couldn't wait to see what was next.
Chapter 5 - Perk up.
When Benton was thoroughly satisfied that he understood everything important and pertinent about cultivation method creation, he moved on to techniques and found out that the process for those didn't vary much from what he'd already learned. The multiplier for the technique's realm matched the one for methods, and he had to specify the applicability and allocate one hundred Creation Points in the same manner. The only differences were the costs and that he had to also specify what skill or ability he wanted the technique to impart.
A technique tuned to a specific aspect cost three points and returned four upon the sect member reaching mastery while one created for the broadest scope of members cost ten. Since Su's memories told him that cultivators could learn multiple techniques per realm and that advancing them was typically accomplished much quicker than moving between major realms, Benton was enthusiastic about the prospect of making lots of points off techniques.
Not only were they profitable, but they were also quite flexible. Want to learn parkour? There was a technique for that. Turn invisible? Use a technique. Fly? Turn your fist into iron? Create a poison mist? Yep. Use a technique.
Granted, those abilities were dependent on being a high enough realm, but the possibilities were seemingly only limited by the imagination.
"System," he said after he finished his perusal of the Technique Creation Menu, "please bring up the status screen again."
Sect Name:Not ChosenSect Members:0Sect Points:100Shop Points:0Host Cultivation:NoneHost Techniques:NoneMenus:[Cultivation Method][Technique][Quest][Perk][Advancement][Shop - LOCKED]"Thanks. Now please let me see the next one on the list, the Quest Menu."
Welcome, Host, to the Quest Menu.
Host has three open quests.
Host has zero completed quests.
"System, please display open quests."
Found a Sect QuestPrerequisites:Sect name selectedMinimum of one discipleSect land ClaimedReward:Shop unlockedRecruit First Disciple QuestPrerequisites:NoneReward:5 Shop PointsRecruit Additional Disciple QuestPrerequisites:Recruit First Disciple Quest CompleteReward:1 Shop PointSpecial:RepeatableNone of that sounded terribly difficult. He just hoped that later quests might provide greater rewards.
"System, how is the term 'disciple' defined?"
A disciple is a qi user who has accepted Host as Master and who has committed to becoming a Sect Member once the sect has been created. Becoming a sect member automatically fulfills the requirement to be a disciple.Alright. If he grokked that correctly, a disciple was simply a sect member before the sect was actually created.
Time for the good stuff. It had been all he could do to not skip ahead in the order.
"System, please display the Perk Menu."
Welcome, Host, to the Perk Menu.
Host has five Perk Points available. Selecting any perk from the list below uses one Perk Point. Using additional Perk Points on the same perk increases the potency of the perk.
Please choose from the following list:
Auspicious Encounter
Advantageous Starting Location
Enhanced Body Cultivation Power
Enhanced Cultivation Power
Enhanced Physical Senses
Enhanced Spiritual Senses
Enhanced Technique Power
Five Equipment Points
Hide Cultivation
Regeneration
After looking over the list, Benton was completely dismayed. There were simply too many incredible choices, and he could only choose five. Worse, if he chose the maximum number of different perks, that decision meant that he missed out on the opportunity of supercharging any of them.
"System, will I ever be able to gain more Perk Points?"
Perk Points are extremely rare, but several quests offer them as rewards.Benton sighed. That was something at least. He began questioning the System on each of the entries. The Auspicious Encounter would guide his path to one or more potential high value recruits. He'd still have to do the work to get them to take him as a master, but choosing the perk was the only guarantee he had of finding a foundational sect member who would have the good enough spiritual roots to compete in a brutal cultivation world. It was almost a must have.
Likewise, Advantageous Starting Location seemed too valuable to pass up. Choosing it would cause the System to guide him to a good place to start his sect, one that was in a high qi location with good resources but not near any rival sects. Finding such a site on his own would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
The three perks that enhanced his personal power all sounded good on the surface, but it went against his entire reasoning for choosing the Sect Leader System in the first place. While it was important for him to have an appropriate level of personal power, his plan was to build up his sect members, not himself. After a moment's thought, he removed all three from consideration.
Enhanced Physical Senses simply made his five senses better, which seemed maybe a little bit useful but just wasn't on the same level of some of the other choices. It took little thought to discount it.
Enhanced Spiritual Senses was a completely different story. At first glance, it felt like it fell under the category of not enhancing his own power, but as he read on, his eyes widened. To begin with, the perk gave him a personal skill that would help immediately—the ability to sense spirit beasts at a far greater range than his cultivation level would normally allow, which meant he could likely avoid potentially deadly encounters with one well above his level. More importantly, though, the perk gave him the ability to see the exact cultivation realm, qi aspect, and spiritual roots of any person and the techniques of a cultivator at a lower cultivation realm than him. Without it, he would have no ability to make full use of the System's Cultivation Method Creation and Technique Creation. It was the first absolute must have.
The Five Equipment Points allowed him to choose pieces of equipment much like he was choosing perks, and, honestly, his inclination was that any permanent change to his fundamental skillset vastly outweighed the transient power provided by equipment. On the other hand, Benton was stuck in the middle of a dangerous forest without so much as a sharpened stick to his name. He didn't even have a sack or waterskin with him. What benefit would a good starting location or any of the other perks be if he died before he reached civilization?
In contrast to Enhanced Spiritual Senses, he immediately saw the value of Hide Cultivation. His grandson's stories were filled with tales of characters using such a cheat ability to hide from their higher realmed enemies. It was such a stereotypical protagonist skill that it would be difficult not to take it.
At first blush, Regeneration was similar to Hide Cultivation. What self-respecting isekai protagonist didn't have the ability to regenerate? Once again, Su's memories disagreed. Cultivators already possessed bodies that were difficult to kill, and the right pill could heal any injury. Basically, a cultivator would eventually recover from any injury not severe enough to immediately end one's life as long as he had the appropriate resources available.
"System, what exactly does Regeneration do?"
Regeneration allows the Host's body to heal all injuries at double the Host's natural rate. The rate scales with other increases such as gains from spiritual and body cultivation.If Benton was reading that explanation correctly, he'd heal injuries in half the time, but it wasn't like the perk was so overpowered he'd see his skin immediately reform. And though it was nice that something like a brain injury would definitely heal over time, pills existed that would do the same thing. Regeneration was definitely a nice thing to have, a really nice thing to have that he wanted, but he felt that it wasn't a true game changer.
"System, please give me Auspicious Encounter, Advantageous Starting Location, Enhanced Spiritual Senses, and Hide Cultivation."
Four choices were accepted. Host has one Perk Point remaining.Honestly, all four were candidates for supercharging, and he went back and forth over making the call to designate the final point to do just that for each of them. Whenever he got close to pulling the trigger, however, a nagging thought about the benefit of equipment stopped him.
On one hand, equipment was temporary unlike the permanent benefit that all the other perks offered. Not to mention that Su's bare hands were weapons.
Benton wasn't a cultivator, though. He was a sixty-year-old middle manager. The idea of taking on a lion or tiger or bear or whatever without even crafted wood and steel to face it with was frankly terrifying. His immediate survival trumped all concerns for the future.
At peace with his choice, he said, "System, assign the last point to Five Equipment Points."
Host's final choice was accepted. Host has no more Perk Points remaining.
Host has five Equipment Points available. Selecting any piece of equipment uses one Equipment Point. Using additional Equipment Points on the same piece of equipment increases the durability, power, and/or performance of the piece of equipment.
Please choose any piece of equipment.
Benton had honestly expected a list just like last time, but the System apparently wanted him to use his imagination.
"System, please give me a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II."
No.Oh well, it was worth a shot. He had no idea what he'd do with such a thing anyway, considering that he had no idea how to fly a single engine Cessna much less the most advanced fighter jet in the world. Uh, in his old word, anyway. He'd taken a couple of his grandsons to an air show, though, and had been completely blown away by how fast and agile those aircraft were.
"An AK-47 with a hundred thousand rounds of ammunition?"
No. Host will please confine requests to equipment appropriate to a cultivation world."How about a defensive treasure of some kind that would protect me from all attacks?"
Host is selecting a perk, not a world breaking cheat for Host's current rank. No."Okay, then how about a ring or something that transforms into any weapon that I desire?"
Selection would cost five Equipment Points.
Confirm selection?
Yikes. All five? Probably not worth it.
"System, please describe the type of sword I could get for a single Equipment Point."
A single Equipment Point purchases a sword of any regular type as specified by the Host. Sword will be made of standard cultivator materials as crafted by a master blacksmith. Sword will be strong enough to oppose foes through the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm without taking damage.Hmm. Su's instincts told him that a sword of that quality would be both valuable and hard to obtain through other sources without the backing of an existing sect. Benton felt better about his decision to choose the equipment perk.
He just had to decide exactly what to purchase.
Su's memories were chock full of experience with a sword. Thousands of spars. Hundreds of battles. If Su were in charge, he would have chosen one in an instant. Benton wasn't sure. With the ability to learn sword fighting using Sect Points, he wasn't worried about the skill needed to wield a blade, but to him, swords were great for use against other cultivators and for making him look cool. He definitely wanted one eventually.
Though his newly granted Enhanced Spiritual Senses didn't ping on any spirit beasts nearby, it still seemed to him that he was much more likely to be facing such encounters in the near future than other cultivators. And for keeping claws and jaws away, something really long just seemed like a far superior choice.
"System, please give me a spear."
Choice accepted. Host has four Equipment Points remaining.A dark black spear slightly taller than Benton's new body appeared right next to him. He had to quickly grab the shaft to keep it from falling.
The grain of the wood felt good against his hand. Substantial. Solid. Heavy, too. He didn't know if he could even lift the thing for long periods of time, much less fight with it. Su's instinct informed him that he'd be fine with a few cultivation levels under his belt.
With melee taken care of, that left the need for a ranged weapon, leaving one obvious choice.
"System, please give me a bow with a quiver of one hundred arrows."
Choice partially accepted. A bow with a quiver of twenty-five arrows will be provided. Three additional bunches of twenty-five arrows will also be provided. Host has three Equipment Points remaining.Good enough.
The bow and arrows appeared on the ground next to him. That pretty much took care of weapons. What next?
Rations?
Not really necessary, according to Su's memories. The forest teemed with regular animals, and he should have no problems catching whatever he wanted. Su even knew what plants were okay to eat. The pond would provide all the water he needed as long as he had a way to carry it as Su's memory assured him that a few cultivation levels would make him immune to any problems that originated from mortal level contamination.
So that left storage.
"System, please give me a spatial ring."
Choice accepted. Host has two Equipment Points remaining.A pale green jade ring appeared on Benton's finger. Neat. When he tried to store his spear in it, however, he ran into a problem. According to Su's instincts, he'd need either the ability to manipulate qi outside his body—an ability not gained until the Foundation Establishment realm—or a spirit beast core in order to actually use the ring.
Shoot.
"System, can I return this ring?"
Yes."System, please take back the ring and return my Equipment Point."
Is the Host sure that is a good idea? A spatial ring is almost a required accoutrement for a sect leader, and the ring provided far outshines that which would be found on the fingers of most leaders of even medium sized sects, able to hold the volume of a small house.
If Host wishes to have a ring that Host can use immediately, investing another Equipment Point can provide that feature along with greatly increasing the ring's storage capacity.
Benton rubbed his chin a couple of times. He hated using two points on a single piece of equipment when there were surely other things of use that he could buy, but how was he supposed to carry all that stuff if he didn't have a storage ring? Maybe some kind of spatial pouch? But that wasn't what all the other sect leaders used.
He sighed. "Sure. Why not? In for a penny, in for a pound."
Choice accepted.
Host has one Equipment Point remaining.
Storing his equipment was as simple as directing his desire to do so at the ring, and he spent a few minutes enjoying the novelty of placing and removing items from the ring, including about half the pond. Apparently, the ring's new storage capacity was on the order of the volume of an NFL stadium—one of the bigger ones like Jerryworld. He wouldn't be running out of space any time in the near future.
Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he thought about his next choice. With offense and storage taken care of, he needed defense, and there existed lots of options like talismans, arrays, or an armored robe. He quickly discarded the first two as a talisman only offered a one-time shield and arrays required setting up prior to a fight. Protective clothing seemed like a good choice.
Before he could pull the trigger, another option occurred to him. No amount of shielding would guarantee he wouldn't take an injury and would provide no benefit against poison. No, what he really needed were pills, but using a point for a single healing pill seemed wasteful.
"System, can you give me a bunch of healing pills for my remaining point?"
Yes, but that might not be the most advantageous use of a scant resource.Oh. Interesting.
"System, can you please suggest an equipment choice?"
Host might consider taking a fifteen-pill assortment. Rather than simply providing contingency against one type of emergency, the assortment contains the potential to benefit in a number of ways."Awesome idea. Let's do that."
A drawstring bag appeared in his hand, and directing his new spiritual sense into it determined it to contain two Spiritual Root Refinement Pills, two Qi Condensing Pills, six Minor Healing Pills, two Major Healing Pills, two Poison Removal Pills, and a single Purple Venom Pill.
The assortment was definitely much more useful than just a handful of healing pills. He still got plenty of those, including ones to that would cleanse poison and venom from his system. More interesting, though, was the ability he'd gained to increase the value of a recruit's spiritual roots and the ability to speed their cultivation. Heck, he'd even gotten a potent poison to slip into someone's food. He wasn't sure what he'd actually do with that, but cultivation worlds did tend to provide opportunities to use such things.
With his equipment selected and stowed, that closed out all the options under the Perk Menu, leaving him with the final option on the list.
"System, please open the Advancement Menu."
Chapter 6 – Finally a Cultivator. Again. Kind of.
When Benton had first seen the list of six menus on his status screen, the one that had most excited him dealt with perks. The second most exciting was the one he was about to explore.
Welcome, Host, to the Advancement Menu. You have 100 Sect Points available.
Please select one of the following options:
Increase Cultivation
Increase Body Cultivation
Add/Modify/Increase Technique
He'd figured that was the purpose of the menu, and it was good to have his guess confirmed.
"System, I'd like to increase my cultivation."
Host currently does not possess any cultivation.
Spend one Sect Point to attain Qi Gathering – Minor Realm One?
"Yes, please."
Choice accepted. Host has 99 Sect Points remaining.Su had been apoplectic at his years of hard work being wiped out in seconds. To go from a respected Foundation Establishment cultivator back to a mortal with no cultivation or techniques was a horrible experience. He would have been both disappointed to be right back at the beginning and ecstatic to be on the journey to immortality again.
Benton had no such feelings. He'd been a mortal his entire life, and while he could remember having those emotions of dismay like they had been his own, he was more curious about what the change would mean than anything else.
Advancing to the first minor realm of Qi Gathering didn't make much of an immediate difference to his body. Using Su's memories to guide him, he directed his spiritual sense inward. There was definitely a merest hint of qi in his body that he suspected hadn't been there a moment before.
He brought up the relevant part of his status screen to view the change.
Host Cultivation:Qi Gathering - Minor Realm OneQi Available:<1Host Techniques:NoneSweet! He was officially a cultivator. Again. Kind of again, anyway.
It was really strange to have memories of two completely different people in his head, especially considering how much the perspectives differed. The choices that a sixty-year-old middle manager from a mundane world would make were not the same decisions of a teenage cultivator. And that wasn't even taking into consideration that the two of them had dissimilar personalities. One set of life experiences kept leading him in one direction only for a past lesson that the other had learned to pop up and make him question it.
He shook his head and refocused on the box.
The Qi Gathering realm allowed users to draw qi into their bodies and use that qi within themselves to power up specific muscle groups, organs, etc. As the newly displayed Qi Available section indicated, the first minor realm didn't give him much to work with. In fact, even with Su's expertise to guide him, there simply wasn't enough qi in his body to accomplish anything.
"System, I'd like to increase my cultivation."
Host is currently at Qi Gathering – Minor Realm One.
Spend one Sect Point to attain Qi Gathering – Minor Realm Two?
The fact that it only took a single point to move up to the next minor realm heartened him. Without any disciples, Sect Points were a critical and irreplaceable resource.
That thought brought up an important question, though—how many points should he devote to increasing his personal power? A sect leader was typically one of its most powerful members, and it would be difficult to attract disciples if he couldn't show off a certain level of prowess. And that wasn't even taking into consideration how dangerous simply existing in a cultivation world was. He was somewhat surprised that a horde of beasts hadn't stampeded out of the forest to try to kill him yet.
Okay, maybe that fear was more based on his reading stories back on Earth rather than on Su's actual memories, but there was at least a kernel of truth to the idea.
At the same time, he was insistent that he keep his main goal at the forefront of his mind. Every action he took should further the creation of a sect and building up its members. The vast majority of his points should be reserved for that purpose.
Hmm.
Ninety out of a hundred sounded good. He'd devote ninety percent to the sect and take the remaining ten for himself, both with his starting stash of points and with whatever he gained down the road.
Was the amount relatively arbitrary? Yes. Did he care? Not really. Sometimes the best course of action was to simply make a decision and move on, especially when presented with so many unknowable factors. Besides, as long as he always kept some points in reserve, it didn't seem too difficult to quickly up his cultivation at a moment's notice.
Choice made, his next question was how to spend his remaining nine points. Increasing his cultivation was an obvious use, but he also needed techniques. Per Su's memories, each major realm was divided into nine minor realms, and those nine were divided into three groups of three. Going from the first to the second minor realm, or the second to the third, only bumped up the available qi slightly. Jumping between the third and the fourth, however, from one subgroup to the next, was a much bigger jump.
"System, please spend the point."
After dismissing the choice acceptance message, he again pulled up his status.
Host Cultivation:Qi Gathering - Minor Realm TwoQi Available:2Host Techniques:NoneHe quickly spent another Sect Point to reach the third minor realm, bringing his available qi to five. That selection was quickly followed by spending another point.
Host Cultivation:Qi Gathering - Minor Realm FourQi Available:20Host Techniques:NoneBenton was jubilant to see his available qi jump so high. Su's memories, taken from when he used to have much higher quantities as a Foundation Establishment practitioner, made him scoff instead.
Though Su didn't have access to a numerical value that measured the size of his qi pool, he, like most cultivators, had developed a good understanding of how much they had available versus how much they needed to expend. Su's memories made Benton think that his qi pool of twenty was enough to battle against low level opponents, especially considering the vast experience his body had in manipulating qi.
"System, I'd like to please add a technique."
Please specify the technique to add."Something that tells me how to fight with a spear."
He wasn't one hundred percent sure about his request. Su had spent years learning how to use a sword, and Benton had all those memories. Remembering practicing with a weapon was not the same thing as having actually developed those moves and instincts himself, though.
Even if he knew, in general, how to use a spear and how to internally manipulate qi to get the best results, he felt no confidence that he would actually be able to fight even the weakest spirit beast, much less a rival cultivator.
Benton's thinking was that his safety was paramount. Being confident in how to use his weapon was worth the point expenditure. He could just see dying before he truly got started because he'd been too arrogant to invest in a crucial weapon skill. It was just common sense to do so.
Host currently has 96 Sect Points.
Spend one Sect Point to attain Basic Spear Combat – Small Success?
A flood of information and memories, though not nearly as intense or as painful as the experience when he'd received Su's, filled his head. He retrieved his spear from his ring and made a few thrusts. It felt good.
He laughed. "I know kung fu!"
Small Success in the technique didn't exactly make him feel confident to challenge all comers, though, so he spent another point to increase his proficiency in the skill to Large Success before considering moving up to Mastery. Since that level would have taken two points, he postponed the move to a later time. Next, he repeated the procedure for his bow, increasing that related technique to Large Success as well.
Those moves left him with two points of the ten he'd allocated left to spend, and his immediate inclination was to use them to increase his cultivation. Before he could pull the trigger on that purchase, Su's memories triggered Benton to consider an intriguing alternative—Body Cultivation.
Though knowledgeable about the subject in general, Su had never had the opportunity to increase his. Body cultivation was, in a word, expensive. Each bath used both alchemical herbs and, for anyone in the Qi Gathering realm who was not able to manipulate qi externally, beast cores. Multiple baths were required for advancement to each minor realm.
Expensive.
Benton wasn't faced with the same issue. All he had to do was spend a single point, and boom, he was a body cultivator. It might be better to focus solely on cultivation, but given his situation, the alternative was at least worth consideration.
Increasing his cultivation to the fifth or even sixth minor realm would give him a larger pool of available qi, but other than minute increases in speed, strength, toughness, and stamina, it wouldn't greatly expand his capabilities. His survivability would not be all that greatly impacted. He'd simply be able to last longer in a fight or utilize a greater number of moves.
In contrast, body cultivation would literally make him much tougher. Harder skin, more resilient bones, and damage resistant organs would make him harder to kill. Instead of becoming a fraction of a step faster as with spirit cultivation, he'd become up to twenty percent faster per level. It was the same with becoming stronger and having more stamina. All his physical attributes would jump significantly. With each level.
A low-level Body Cultivator would trounce a low-level spirit cultivator easily. Of course, that imbalance reversed quickly starting at the second major realm, but it was what happened in the first that was relevant for Benton.
Considering those thoughts, he really had no choice but to devote his final two allocated points for that purpose.
After making the commitment to those selections, Benton pulled up his status again.
Sect Name:Not ChosenSect Members:0Sect Points:90Shop Points:0Host Cultivation:Qi Gathering - Minor Realm 4Qi Available:20Host Body Cultivation:Bronze - Minor Realm TwoHost Techniques:Basic Archery - Large SuccessBasic Spear Combat - Large SuccessMenus:[Cultivation Method][Technique][Quest][Perk][Advancement][Shop - LOCKED]He felt good, prepared for whatever the cultivation world wanted to throw at him.
No sooner had that thought passed through his mind than a girl's voice screamed in the distance.
Chapter 7 - Murderhobo?
Benton rushed in the direction of the scream, his mind conjuring up all kinds of dangers that could be assailing the young lady. Su's memories, in turn, introduced knowledge of multiple spirit beasts that could mimic such a cry, but Benton dismissed the concern. His enhanced spiritual sense didn't indicate any large sources of qi in the direction he was headed. In fact, it picked up only the vaguest wisp of any.
Since the shriek had sounded desperate, Benton threw caution to the wind and began using his qi to speed his running. Su's memories guided him in directing brief surges to isolated portions of muscles, multiplying the force he applied with each step and propelling him forward. It took a bit of trial and error for him put the skills that Su had mastered into practice, but soon, Benton was speeding along fast enough to leave Usain Bolt in the dust.
The best thing was that he achieved such a fast pace without using all that much qi. A typical cultivator that had only achieved the fourth minor realm of Qi Gathering would likely still be supercharging an entire muscle or even a whole limb and applying the qi for too long, meaning they'd burn through their meager qi pools fast. In contrast, Benton had the benefit of Su's many years of experience, and his usage was incredibly efficient, applying just the tiniest bit of qi to the smallest possible area to achieve the result he wanted.
He dodged trees and hurdled bushes with a nimbleness like nothing he'd ever experienced. There wasn't even a worry about making too much noise. The further and faster he ran, the more he grew to trust Su's hunter instincts as they guided Benton to avoid leaves and branches.
It was the most exhilarating experience of his life. Rushing toward danger. The wind blasting his face. Adventure. Excitement.
Nothing he'd ever done on Earth compared in terms of a pure adrenaline rush.
In what he judged to be less than ten seconds, he crossed the distance of more than two football fields through a densely packed forest. Such a feat was, in a word, superhuman. And he'd only just began his journey as a cultivator.
Maybe living in a cultivation world wouldn't be as bad as he'd feared.
He emerged from thickly packed foliage to find two groups of people opposite each other on a moderately wide dirt trail. Facing him were seven men who all held spears. One stood in front of the others with his weapon held inches away from a young lady whose back was to Benton. Behind the girl was a young man desperately trying to get up off the ground while holding his hand over his side.
The boy was bleeding. The hand was applying pressure to the wound.
"System," Benton said in a low voice, "can you make my spiritual sense read out a status like some sort of Identify skill?"
Yes. When Host applies Host's spiritual senses toward a person, information will be converted to a table."Thanks, System. You're the best."
He directed his spiritual senses at each of the men accosting the boy and the girl. None were cultivators, though the youngest of them—and the one whose clothes appeared more expensive than the others and whose faces seemed frozen into a perpetual scowl—did have something that contained qi in a pouch tied to his waist. All of them, including the young one, had spiritual roots of either F- or F rank, definitely not good enough to join even the weakest sect. Benton quickly dismissed each box as uninteresting.
But when he scanned the boy and the girl, his eyes just about popped out of his head. For the boy, he got:
Affiliation:NoneAge:15Cultivation:NoneTechniques:NoneSpiritual Roots:B+Qi Aspect:Low viscosity lava flowing down Mount Burning ThunderThe girl was even more impressive.
Affiliation:NoneAge:15Cultivation:NoneTechniques:NoneSpiritual Roots:A-Qi Aspect:Perfectly smooth ice balanced on the razor edge of freezing and thawingAccording to Su's memories, approximately eighty percent of people on this planet would be ranked F-, F, or F+. Another seventeen percent would be ranked across the same spectrum of E. Somewhere in the D rank was where the smallest of sects started to take an interest, about two percent of the population. Of the remaining one percent of people, the C rank, which qualified for at least outer sect membership in all but the most exclusive of sects, took up over nine tenths. B was where it started to get interesting. Occurring in under point one percent of the population, few sects would turn down someone with that kind of potential. And an A rank, even more rare by several orders of magnitude, was usually accounted to be the feted find of a generation.
The chances against randomly encountering a B+ and an A- out in the middle of a forest somewhere, especially when neither had any cultivation and thus likely no prior sect affiliation, was astronomical.
That was when it hit Benton. His Auspicious Encounter. It had to be.
Sweet.
If the presence of the sneering teen who was going out of his way to fulfill every stereotype of an arrogant young master hadn't already convinced Benton which side of the conflict to take, the high potential of the kids being bullied certainly would have.
"You might as well kill me, Fang Wei," the girl yelled. "I will never marry you. Never!"
The young master scoffed. "It's too late for that. After my men kill your brother, I'll take you right here. You'll never be anything better than my concubine if I let you live at all. It all depends on how well you please me."
Yeah, no. That was not going to happen.
The brother somehow finished staggering to his feet, his movements revealing that he'd been stabbed in his side. Su's expertise said that the injury didn't look too bad, though, even for a mortal.
"Get away from her!" the brother shouted.
Fang Wei snarled. "Knock her down and kill him."
No one from either of the parties seemed to have noticed Benton's arrival. It was time to change that.
He cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen."
Nine sets of eyes turned to him. Most were confused. The girl's held a glimmer of hope.
"Jin Fengg, kill Yang Ru," the young master said, followed by the guy standing closest to the girl nodding. "The rest of you, kill the interloper!"
Before anyone else literally could move a muscle, Benton had his spear at the ready and was halfway to Jin Fengg. He made it a single step toward Yang Ru before Benton arrived.
Not at all used to violence, he did just what Su had done in so many memories. He manipulated qi in microbursts to his legs and feet and arms, thrusting the spear at his opponent's chest. There was no possibility of the strike being blocked. It was too fast. Too powerful.
Before Benton even realized what was happening, the black tip connected with Fengg's chest over the direct center of his heart. And kept going. Bone shattered.
The spear pierced the heart and didn't stop until the tip protruded from Fengg's back.
Benton pulled. The shaft slid out just as easily as it went in.
Fengg collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from his wounds. He gasped, unaware that he was already dead.
Horrified, Benton felt ill. He'd just killed someone.
Everyone else gawked at him.
Despite descriptions of corporate life as being dog eat dog, nothing had prepared him for something like what had just happened. He literally almost dropped his spear and ran.
Only Su's memories saved him.
Killing a man was nothing. A man insulted you? Kill him. A woman disrespected the sect? Kill her and her entire family. A child laughed at you? Kill him, too.
To do anything else was to show weakness, and in the cultivation world, to show weakness was death.
Strong. He had to project strength. That was the way.
"Fang Wei, take your men and leave," Benton said. "Swear never to pursue these two again, and I'll let you live."
Su's memories brought up a half a dozen instances where someone in his sect had been merciful and lived to regret it. Or as was more likely the case, died regretting it.
In a cultivation world, showing compassion was the same as showing weakness. Benton understood that thinking, but he couldn't just kill someone for no good reason. He wouldn't.
Intellectually, it was all well and good to do whatever you wanted in a world where might made right, but he'd lived his entire life in a world where one got arrested for punching someone else in a bar. The police handled punishment. Anything else resulted in chaos. Emotionally, Benton simply wasn't ready to embrace cultivation world ethics.
Fang Wei laughed. After seeing a man slice a hole clean through the middle of someone in a matter of seconds, he laughed.
Was the guy insane?
He held a piece of paper in his hand, the source of qi from the pouch. A talisman. A low leveled talisman.
Benton didn't even need Su's memories to guess the effectiveness of the charm. Its miniscule amount of qi was enough to draw the appropriate conclusion. He had to steel himself not to roll his eyes. An arrogant young master indeed. Probably never been told no in his life.
Slowly, Benton walked toward Fang Wei. When he drew close enough for his spear to reach, he feinted, quickly darting the tip toward Fang Wei a few inches before drawing it right back.
The kid tore the talisman. A qi filled haze filled the space between the two of them for a moment before dissipating into nothingness.
Talismans like the one Fang Wei used were meant to block a single blow, giving the cultivator a chance to escape—preferably by using a movement technique. What the heck was the kid's plan? He just stood there like the charm was some kind of ultimate artifact that would destroy all enemies.
"Have any more heaven defying treasures you want to deploy against me?" Benton said.
The young master scowled. "Men, kill him. Kill him now!"
Benton couldn't believe what was happening. Was the arrogant fool really going to force him to kill every one of them?
Conflicted by his Earthborn ethics warring against the reality of his new world, Benton froze.
Seeing him distracted, Fang Wei acted.
The young master thrust his spear straight at Benton's heart, and once again, whether from the spear technique or from the memory of Su's hours of practicing and combat, Benton didn't think. He moved.
Faster than a snake, the tip of his spear knocked Fang Wei's aside and, before Benton thought to pull back, struck the young master right through the eye, killing him instantly.
How much time had passed since discovering the confrontation? A minute? Two? And Benton had killed two men in that time, men who, though obviously on the wrong side of the current conflict, would never see their parents again. Even if he couldn't grieve much for the lives of the young people who died in the act of afflicting violence on others, he couldn't help but regret the mourning he'd caused their mothers and fathers and siblings and other loved ones.
The other five men stopped, tension draining from their shoulders as if puppets with their strings cut as they looked at one another for direction.
"Leave this girl and her brother alone," Benton said firmly. "Go back to whatever flyspeck village you came from and don't ever let me catch you near her again."
Su's memories once again brought up all those memories of his sect members unfortunate ends after suffering just such a crisis of conscience, but killing wantonly just wasn't something Benton was prepared to do. He just wanted the situation over and done with, preferably with the remaining five young men walking away alive.
None of the men reacted, either to attack or to retreat.
"You five," Benton said. "I'll put it to you another way. Do you want to die here today or are you going to peacefully retreat?"
They each looked at each other before standing silently for another moment. Eventually, one of them stepped forward, laid down his spear, and cupped his hands. "Esteemed Master Cultivator, these lowly ones are but employees of Fang Wei's family."
Benton almost sighed in relief. That start surely would lead to them asking for his forgiveness, followed by them retreating never to be heard from again.
"If these lowly ones return alive and tell the master that his son is dead, not only will these lowly ones be executed in the most painful manner possible, but he will have our entire families killed." The man shivered. "My mom, my wife, my children. I cannot put them through that."
"Can't you just disappear or something?" Benton said. "Just never return."
"If these lowly ones deserted, that would go even worse for our families. The master will find out. He always does. There is only one solution."
Ridiculous. So, unless Benton wanted to go out of his way to track down Fang Wei's family and kill them, too, along with whatever retainers got in his way, he would be forced to execute these five men for the high crime of choosing the wrong boss.
In the last several minutes, he'd been forced into actions he didn't want to make. No more. He refused to become a brutal killer.
None of the mess the men found themselves in was of his making. They had chosen to accept the pay from the family of that vicious, evil young master. They had chosen to follow orders to accost the siblings. If Benton hadn't shown up, he was positive they would have chosen to do exactly what the wretched bastard had ordered them to do.
He was no judge to find them guilty of the crime and carry out an execution, but neither was he under any obligation to absolve them.
"You should have thought about that before choosing to follow that asshole. Your families' fate is on your heads, not mine. Drop your weapons and backpacks and go. Now. Or you will be making whatever decisions you have to make without hands."
The men complied. Immediately. They dropped everything they owned save the clothes on their backs and took off running.
Like a zombie, Benton picked up everything the men had left, including what was with the bodies. Backpacks with supplies and bed rolls, tents, pots and pans, weapons, silver coins, everything disappeared into his spatial ring.
Which was just really a weird thing to do. Back on Earth, he'd never even would have considered robbing the dead or telling his defeated foes to leave their valuables behind. Those were the actions of a thug, not a law-abiding citizen.
In cultivation world, even the resources of mortals could be sold or traded for resources that could aid cultivation. Advancing cultivation was the ultimate goal. The only goal.
The act came as natural as breathing.
Everything he'd just done felt really weird. On one hand, the Earthborn part of him wanted to throw up. In contrast, the part that had been a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had absolutely no reaction at all. Killing those men was no different than pruning weeds from a garden.
He looked at the two kids who he hoped would become his disciples, the ones who'd watched him perform those acts. Both stared at him with wide eyes and indiscernible expressions.
At that moment, Benton simply did not care what they thought about him as they just weren't something he was ready to deal with yet. He needed time to come to terms with executing those two men and robbing, perhaps condemning five others. It wasn't like the kids would be able to outrun him. He'd catch up with them later.
His best recourse was to nope the heck out of there in order to regroup, and that was just what he did.