Chapter 132 – School Daze

PoV Change:

Cheng Lei couldn’t help but pace in his quarters. His life had gotten unbelievably complicated as of late, and some frivolous actions he had taken not long ago to soothe his slighted honor were now turning his insides green from regret.

“How could things be so different here?! We were supposed to rise to even greater heights once we arrived here!” He angrily muttered to himself.

His lofty Cheng clan of the former Heavenly Sword Sect had fallen far indeed since they arrived at the Azure Mountains. From their nearly unrivalled state as the head of a snake, they thought they would have to settle for being the tail of a dragon. But his elders had failed to prepare sufficiently for their arrival, and now they weren’t even worthy of being the tail. Their only worth appeared to be as a tasty morsel for other dragons to fight over.

When his elders finally detected the change in their fate, they acted belatedly. Whether their actions were wise or not, only time would tell, but it had left him stranded. Unfortunately for him, their complete severance from the vestiges of their old sect also meant he had lost his potential fiance, Xi Yuan. Their supposed allies had chosen not to accompany their allies of many years and instead used that silly girl’s breakthrough as a shield against the rumors that swirled around those who emerged from the barren wastelands.

“She may not have been my wife yet, but I was completely justified in taking precautions against being forced to wear a green hat! But how was I to know that making that pesky gnat suffer would place me in such great debt!”

If Cheng Lei were honest with himself, he couldn’t care less about his family's plots at the moment. His mother often said that the arrival of their fallen branch had created unexpected ripples in the Azure Mountain Sect. How incredible events had been set in motion, and now they desperately needed to find a way to survive. Cheng Lei didn’t want to think about any of it.

“The elders can conspire with the Fang and He clan all they wish, but they absolutely can’t find out about my debt to Young Master Fang! I would be given death by a thousand slow cuts if they learned of what I’ve done!” Cheng Lei gripped his hand until his palms bled.

It was supposed to be so simple. So many others had utilized their status to get rid of annoyances during the turmoil of their arrival; he thought his own actions would be hidden like a tree in a forest. So he had moved against both of the annoyances. The brat who had dragged him down during their expedition and later insulted him by defying him and that other thug of his who had beaten his followers and took every opportunity to sidle up to his future wife.

They were supposed to have their paths severed, faced with insurmountable challenges in their ‘assigned’ abodes. Then, to seal the deal, he had even requested Young Master Fang’s assistance in setting up a trap, which he seemed amused by. The sword maniac should have succumbed and turned into a lunatic by now. And that thug driven by desperation should have taken the bait and entered the killing grounds.

Cheng Lei smashed a teapot as his rage and fear bubbled over.

“It has been over half a year! How hasn’t he used his entry token?! Those guards keep reporting that he has stayed away this whole time. How can he be satisfied to live on that dry rock?! And even that sword maniac kept away from the tempting target he was offered. All the while, that bast… Young Master Fang is happy to keep paying for the upkeep of the traps, knowing I’m only sinking deeper into his debt. I can’t even stop because he would happily throw our entire clan to the wolves as restitution! AARGH!” Cheng Lei was almost coughing blood.

“I have but two choices before me. Either take care of it myself or endure. But if I act now, I still have to stake my life to repay him. On the other hand, can I even endure for almost 3 years until that delegation arrives and our allies make their move?”

Cheng Lei finally stopped pacing as a dangerous idea entered his mind. His eyes gained a glint of madness as he clung to the light of treacherous hope.

PoV Change:

Ren walked out of the lecture on forging, his mind struggling to absorb the knowledge he had just been exposed to. He had expanded his horizons with every class he attended in the past month. All that theoretical information on ore extraction, alloys, tempering, and forging techniques was incredibly vast in scope and depth. Even the lectures of the outer sect made his experiences in the Heavenly Sword Sect seem narrow in comparison.

His new mind technique, Crystalline Labyrinth Art, shouldered most of the burden, helping him sort and store that information until he needed to retrieve it. If Ren had to pick out his smartest move since he arrived, it would be selecting and practicing that method. As a student, he might not have made it this far without changing out his existing mind-reinforcing technique for a better one.

As he walked back to the inn, he thought back to the start of this visit to the outer sect. It was now his 3rd month in the outer sect, and Ren’s days as a student were as fulfilling as they were challenging. Whatever sparse benefits he earned as custodian of the Edge, helping visitors to the Sacred Ground and Forbidden Region, had been exhausted on arrival. But the herbs he had prepared for sale had come in immensely useful for solving that problem while simultaneously establishing a small reputation as a herb grower to keep an eye on.

He had struggled in poverty for almost a week while he researched the value of his harvest, but he refused to be cheated out of his due. It had been a spectacularly wise decision. The death attribute plants in particular were valued by healers as inordinately effective ingredients for medicinal pills. As for the life attribute plants, they were said to be extremely useful for stimulants and boosting medicine, perfect for gaining a second wind when exhausted. Once he knew what they were worth, he had begun selling his prepared stock to various local merchants and the Resource Hall.

The Resource Hall was responsible for the production, procurement, and sale of all kinds of resources. Growing spirit herbs, rearing beasts, and obtaining natural treasures were all within their purview. But their domain also extended from special elemental treasures, such as alchemical fires, to growing tea and breeding insects. Essentially, they served as the lifeblood of the sect, moving resources around as needed, supporting all the other Halls, the foremost of which was the Crafting Hall.

Ren had earned nearly 70 mid-grade spirit stones from his sales. The sudden wealth made him dizzy, but Ren refused to let an inflated ego get the better of him. He had already learned that it was only the rarity of his herbs that was valued so highly. They were still only low-grade herbs, highlighting his ignorance as an herb grower. Ren wasn’t entirely deterred, as his Edge would only keep developing over time. And he was resolved to hone his skills in the meantime to help it along faster.

So he planned out the rest of the time he could spend in the outer sect. He decided to join 3 classes for 20 mid-grade spirit stones each, on arrays, alchemy, and forging. It meant he would be nearly exhausting the wealth he just attained, but he also intended to earn more during his stay. Ren still blushed with embarrassment when he recalled registering for the classes. An inner sect disciple taking basic lectures in the outer sect, he had wilted under the judging looks from the young woman behind the desk.

More than the embarrassment, however, Ren remembered to be grateful to that young lady who advised him to take only one class at a time and not overestimate. Heeding her warning had served him well, as each class, despite being only once a week, needed him to dedicate nearly the entirety of his spare time to keep pace and make the most of the opportunity.

After that very first class on arrays and formations, Ren had gone searching for a mind technique to supplement his memory and organizational skills because his previous Serene Pool Mind Arts was plainly insufficient. It was a testament to the burden he had taken upon himself, choosing to learn and practice so many different fields, that he had leapt over its first two stages, Haunted Halls and Reflecting Rooms, to reach the third, Mirrored Maze. The mind technique served multiple purposes, but it primarily let him store information and defend against intrusions on his mind.

Armed with that mind technique, Ren had delved into the limitlessly vast fields of arrays, alchemy, and now forging. They were just so comprehensive, and he had barely begun to scratch the surface. In all that time, he had learned just how audacious and gluttonous his dreams were, trying to dabble in every field that caught his interest when most cultivators dedicated their lives to mastering one. But he couldn’t bring himself to back down. After all, it was all just so fascinating! Not to mention how useful!

He had already begun to put his new lessons to use. While most of his classmates took on more profitable missions outside, he helped repair and set up arrays of his choice in the worn buildings of the poorer districts. This kept his travel expenses down while earning him a small profit. It also exposed him to a variety of problems to solve.

Sometimes he warded warehouses against certain kinds of mites; sometimes he set up temperature-regulating arrays in forges. He was rapidly gaining a reputation for his mixed interests and reliable work. Something about his sincere behavior made his customers enthusiastically refer him to others. Some nearly wept with joy when he offered discounts because their problem had been so satisfying to solve.

By keeping his expenses down, he funneled most of that extra income into copying large amounts of information into jade slips to take home, the start of his personal library. He took enormous care to only copy common knowledge of the professions he was interested in to avoid accusations of stealing the sect’s secrets. Yet even that common knowledge was tremendously useful for him.

He had already learned just how extensive the history of this new world was compared to his birthplace in the barren wastelands, which was in itself immeasurably deep. Though he had never been one to concern himself with the past, he knew too little of the world that the Azure Mountains existed within. He needed to learn if only to protect himself from obvious pitfalls.

Not just information, Ren also kept abreast of the various missions listed in the resource hall. He tracked which herbs he could grow on his mountains, which ones were profitable, and which ones other disciples fought to obtain solely because of who requested it. Ren was most interested in missions that were recurring and not urgent, meaning he could return at a later date with a big batch to sell. The missions offered by the Resource Hall paid in contribution points, which could also be exchanged for spirit stones. Yet that transaction only went one way. Spirit stones could not be exchanged for contribution points.

Ren was most interested in those very contribution points because they would allow him to approach the Sword of the Celestial, the sect’s supreme treasure. With his final class being next week, Ren intended to spend the rest of his time taking on one or two tasks to earn a large quantity of points. It was the first step to return his focus to his cultivation and creating legacies.