Chương 72: Chapter 71 – Six Months Later

6 Months Later: … And remember, an array can have a 1000 uses; you just have to be able to change how you view it! That concludes the lecture and, after 2 months, this class. Take what you have learned and advance without hesitation." Zhao Ren finished the 3rd such batch of classes on formations and arrays and exited the Hall of Learning. He still found it hard to believe how much his life had changed in the past half year.

A series of events and decisions that had somehow culminated with him teaching the same basics of formations class that he had once benefited from when he was still a fresh-faced disciple in the outer sect.

"To think that a simple visit to submit my books to the hall of learning would have been such a pivotal decision! With the path I've chosen to walk, it might have been inevitable, but I had never imagined I would come to love teaching so much." Ren had indeed been surprised to learn just how rewarding an experience teaching truly was. All those eager disciples, just a few years younger than him but looking at him with such respect.

Ren had given his all to make sure his students could feel his passion for the art of arrays and formations. He had reduced his sleep to make time to prepare interesting lessons and practical applications that captured the interests of all manner of students. From scholarly pursuits to combat applications. And it had been a joy to watch them respond to his efforts and see their interest grow deeper.

His efforts had been rewarding both in impressing upon young minds the vast potential of arrays and in developing meaningful connections with future talents. Feeling melancholic after concluding another class, Ren thought back to the sequence of events that brought him to this moment. A week after the storm broke: After surviving the storm, Ren had felt that he had crossed the final hurdle his mountain had presented.

When the storm finally dissipated, the problematic development of his mountain had finally reached a fruitful end. From then on, he was fully in control of its growth and environment. Once things had settled, Ren had completed writing his books that he wanted to submit to the libraries of the inner and outer sects. Visiting the outer sect for the first time in a long time, Ren had submitted the second volumes of herb rearing and weapon forging, respectively, that he had written.

While at the library at the Hall of Learning, he had noticed that teacher Fan, the one who had taught him the basics of arrays and formations, had halted his class for unknown reasons. A little saddened that disciples no longer had access to such a vital class, Ren had toyed with the idea of teaching in his place. After some thought, he had discarded the idea since he was much too busy.

From cultivating his dantian and body, growing herbs, forging, maintaining his mountain, dabbling in alchemy, and caring for his pets, he barely had any spare time. That was already more than most disciples ever did! If it weren't for his karmic cultivation ensuring smooth and regular progress, he would have only been able to do half the things he did. He had taken the opportunity of his visit to meet a few of his acquaintances from the outer sect.

He learned then that a few of his closer friends had actually broken through and advanced to the inner sect recently, including Hu Yan, the information broker, and Daoist Tealeaf, the mousy and odd tea enthusiast. Everyone had their own lives, and time relentlessly passed them all. He had always had a good feeling about them and was happy to hear of their progress, resolving to meet them in the inner sect when he could. Ren also found a message waiting for him at the Hall of Contribution from his family.

The Zhao clan patriarch expressed his gratitude to Ren for continuing to send back spare spirit stones occasionally. His grandfather had also tentatively brought up the subject of an engagement with another cultivation family, including some details about the prospective family's holdings. Ren was a little taken aback. His family had never settled on a fiancé for him because of how many hopes they had pinned on him.

Without knowing how far he would climb in the sect, his family's elders hesitated to commit to a hasty match. His friendship with Xi Yuan was another factor. While his family knew better than to expect something with the vast difference in status, they still hoped. But Ren recognized the family his grandfather mentioned, and they were just a middling family. The Zhao family's recent achievements meant the gap in status had been closed enough to consider marriage ties.

Unfortunately for his grandfather, Ren had gotten accustomed to his independence. He was not ready to let his family make such life-changing decisions on his behalf anymore. After all he had done for them, he didn't owe them that. He would be gentle but firm when he refused his grandfather.

"Also, aren't I being sold too cheap?! I send home what I can spare, but that's only after I buy techniques, seeds, ores, and more for my cultivation. Just going by how much I earn, my profits are more than 5 times that family's income!" Ren was a little petulant about how much his family had undervalued him.

"But maybe that's my fault for being secretive. Even in the sect, everyone mostly knows me for the herbs I grow and the weapons I forge. Very few even know I am an array user!" Ren continued reading the letter. His family had put their new wealth to effective use, and beyond some material acquisitions, they had focused on nurturing future generations. To his surprise, Ren learned that a nephew and niece had recently joined the sect as well!

News of his familial connections made him faintly recall his uncle mentioning a cousin in the inner sect. Ren felt guilty for never reaching out until he realized the cousin hadn't contacted him either. Later inquiries revealed that the cousin in question had been missing for a while, having vanished on a mission a long time ago and now presumed dead. But even before he learned that, Ren hadn't wanted the same disconnect to befall his niece and nephew, so he sought them out.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. After some thought, Ren decided to emulate his Uncle Tai, who had established firm boundaries but was still available to provide help if needed. His young cousins, Zhao Jiong and Zhao Wen, were both happy to see him. To them, he represented a tall tree providing much-needed shade and shelter, the one to whom the Zhao clan's resurgence could be attributed.

He gave them no material wealth or unfair advantage, but he answered all their questions. His nephew, Zhao Jiong, was a hothead more interested in combat and the sect's tournaments, but his niece, Zhao Wen, was level-headed and asked intelligent questions that indicated a keen awareness of life in the sect. Neither was bad quality to have, as Ren had seen other disciples of similar personalities flourish. He left them both a way to contact him if they encountered a force they couldn't contend with by themselves.

There were a few more social visits, where he met those he recommended for a task or position in the past and saw how well suited they were. They were all grateful to him, but Ren was just happy to know he had helped in some manner. Ren finally made his way to the Hall of Scripture and to the wise but perverted elder that watched over the pagoda. He had been dreading seeing him again because he hadn't prepared anything in exchange for the advice he sought.

Ren knew that Elder Yun Peng preferred to balance all debts immediately, but he had run into a dead end with his cultivation manual, Causality of Karma, and urgently needed guidance. He also knew that the value of what he offered depended on his current self, and while he had prepared appropriate offerings in the past, this time, he was prepared to give up much of his wealth. It was almost a relief to see nothing had changed and the old man was still reading pervy books with a cup of tea.

Today's book was titled 'Lady Frozen Tear's Steamy Hot Spring Encounter'. A departure from the usual passionate dual cultivation series but still obviously pervy. Ren wisely chose to ignore the book and greeted the elder. Elder Yun Peng deigned to hear his troubles but wasn't moved. Ren panicked seeing the disinterested look on the elder's face and started naming all that he owned.

When even that didn't work, before he knew what he was saying, he offered to take up a role of teacher in the outer sect out of desperation. The elder finally put down the book, and Ren knew he had stumbled into the right offering somehow. After some back and forth, it was decided that Ren would be teaching 4 classes on arrays and formations. Sacrificing all his spare time and more was deemed a worthy enough offering that the elder handed him the first book to read as a reference.

They weren't cultivation manuals but, like Meditations on Karma, the books held valuable insights and concepts, sure to allow him to make progress once again. When he completed a class, the elder would give him another book. Back to present: As he made his way through the crowded outer sect, he was pleased to see the many disciples busily going about their day. Ren acknowledged the vital role all these disciples played in the overall strength of the sect.

His most recent students, just like the others, would all take what he taught them and walk their own paths to ascend higher on the path of cultivation. The outer sect was the foundation upon which the sect was built. A source of fresh talents constantly infusing the sect with new strength. The dangers of cultivation meant high casualty rates of disciples on missions outside the sect. Without new disciples to take their place, the inner sect would be depleted of disciples and fall into ruin within a few decades!

At the Hall of Scripture, Ren greeted the ever-present elder Yun Peng. Then just like the past two times, he presented a small report of his observations about his students.

"I've concluded the 3rd class on arrays and formations. There are 2 disciples who showed a high affinity for the art. 3 others showed promise, and if they persevere, they may yet go far. Of those other people who were interested, I suspect this one disciple would be better trained as an alchemist. 7 disciples in the whole class were practicing manuals likely unsuited to them and will probably be seeking new manuals as soon as they can afford them." It was part of his deal with the elder.

For whatever reason, elder Yun Peng wanted to know his opinions regarding his students. Ren had made inquiries, but the elder never acted on the information he provided. Or perhaps he handled matters so subtly that no one noticed. Ren couldn't tell which. Ren instead wondered if the elder was testing him. But to what end? He was distracted from his musings when the elder handed over the 3rd book to complete their 3rd exchange. Ren eagerly received it and bowed deeply in thanks.

The past two books had been invaluable to him. They allowed Ren to continue refining his personal cultivation manual and advancing his cultivation. He was now at the peak of the 6th layer of the foundation establishment realm. He expected to break through in the coming weeks, just in time for the selection rounds for the Golden Dharma Trial. It had been delayed by the sect by 2 months for some reason and would finally begin 2 weeks from now. It had been fortuitous timing.

Elder Yun Peng had known exactly what would allow Ren to progress once more. More importantly, the books had given Ren insights into the core formation realm. The foundation establishment realm was about refining the body and gathering more qi into the dantian. The core formation realm needed a cultivator to take the liquid qi of their spiritual sea and condense it further into a solid, spherical core.

Once the core was formed, it would begin to generate qi, meaning a cultivator no longer needed to depend on the environment for qi. The process one followed to form a core had as many possible methods as stars in the sky. Ultimately the quality of the core depended on the cultivation manual one followed, which determined how much the qi could be condensed. The more one condensed the core, the more qi it generated. The cores were categorized into low, medium, high, and flawless quality.

A poorly compacted low-quality core would have cracks and leak qi, making further advancement highly unlikely. On the other hand, an extremely condensed core without any flaws or cracks would generate almost 10 times more qi. With Ren essentially creating his own manual, he was afraid he would form a low-quality core and cut off his path to immortality. The books elder Yun Peng granted him described the insights of cultivators after they broke through into the core formation.

While no specific methods were mentioned, Ren started to understand the patterns leading up to core formation. Eager to return to his mountain and begin reading, Ren swiftly crossed the sect and hopped onto his sword to fly home. He barely noticed his surroundings speeding past, and very soon, he appeared in front of his mountain. Surrounded by tall peaks, the short mountain still captured the eye. Even from the air, Ren could only see a mountain shrouded in dense, illusory mists.

Only he and his close friends knew the secrets hidden behind his formations. With a wave of his hands, the formations granted him access, and Ren landed in a cultivation paradise that even a core formation elder might be interested in!